Astro Pizza
- From: "Starlord" <starlord@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 4 Aug 2005 23:01:23 -0700
Deep Dish Pizza with a Deep Impact!
*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:
Greetings Fellow Stargazer,
Well... so much happening since the last Pizzagram! Highlights consist
of Deep Impact and a Space Shuttle launch. And there is soooo much more
to come, nearterm will be the Perseids and two Star Parties in August!
Keep current with what is happening out there with one of my favorite
podcasts, Slacker Astronomy at:
http://slackerastronomy.org/wordpress/index.php
For those who circle things on a calendar, circle this date: Friday,
August 12th. Next to the circle write "get up way before sunrise and see
the Perseids Meteors!" Attach the note to your refrigerator in plain
view so you won't miss the 2005 Perseids meteor shower peak. We will get
a good preview of the shower this year at the Aug 6th Star Party.
The Perseids come every year, beginning in late July and stretching into
August. Sky watchers outdoors at the right time can see colorful
fireballs, occasional outbursts and, almost always, long hours of
gracefully streaking meteors. Among the many nights of the shower, there
is always one night that is best. This year it is night of August 11 and
morning of August 12th. The source of the shower is Comet Swift-Tuttle.
Although the comet is nowhere near Earth, the comet's wide tail does
intersect Earth's orbit. We glide through it every year in July and
August. Tiny bits of comet dust hit Earth's atmosphere traveling 130,000
mph. At that speed, even a tiny smidgen of dust makes a vivid streak of
light (a meteor) when it disintegrates. The shower is most intense when
Earth is in the dustiest part of the tail.
Also Earth and Mars are converging for a close encounter on October 30th.
So mark that on your calendar also. Mars already outshines every star in
the night sky, and it's getting brighter every night. If you like August,
you'll love October.
NOTE: Many of you have been sending to me and others an Urban Legend
about Mars becoming as big as the moon. NOT TRUE. Check out:
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_mars_encounter.htm
Indeed Mars is getting closer and worth coming to the October Star Party
to see it. Earth and Mars will pass very close to one another again in
October 2005 (not August as the email spam says), at which time their
orbits will be a mere 43 million miles apart (slightly more than the 35
million miles separating them in 2003). It won't quite equal the
once-in-a-lifetime show of two years ago, but the encounter will be
"breathtaking" nonetheless, scientists predict, with the red planet
outshining every object in the night sky EXCEPT Venus and the Moon. Mars
is the red planet which of course reminds me of pizza, so why not bring
some pizza to a Star Party and lets look for some shooting stars and
other heavenly delights. Speaking to Star Parties, you are invited to
two this month!
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Star Party Invitation for August 6th and 27th,
Sponsored by the Hawaiian Astronomical Society
http://www.hawastsoc.org
Dillingham Airfield - before sunset 7ish pm)
(Star Party Directions are at the end of this message)
Bring:
http://www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium/skyWatch/2005/08/aug05.pdf
Here is where I go to check the weather on a Star Party Night:
http://www.wunderground.com/radar/radblast.asp?num=6&delay=15&scale=1&noclu
tter=0&ID=HMO&type=N0R&lat=0&lon=0&label=you
If it is clear, you will be able to see many astronomical sights.
It's now that time of year to see Jupiter, the Ring Nebula, M13,
Sagittarius, Scorpius, Virgo and many other heavenly bodies!
If you won't be in Hawaii, fear not. Check this link for a Star
Party near you!
http://SkyandTelescope.com/resources/organizations/
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Deep Impact
Scientists continued to pore over data gathered when a copper probe from
NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft blasted a crater in comet Tempel 1 on July
4 to expose its primordial core.
Comets are believed to be the frozen leftover building blocks of the
solar system, formed when a huge cloud of gas and dust collapsed about
4.5 billion years ago. Studying them could provide clues to the birth of
the solar system. Soon after the 820-pound probe hit Tempel 1, scientists
detected evidence of water, carbon dioxide and organic substances spewing
from the comet. The high-speed collision produced two flashes of light
and hurled a plume of fine, powdery dust from the comet thousands of
miles into space.
"This probably means the material in the comet came together very
gently," said Michael A'Hearn, an astronomer at the University of
Maryland and the mission's principal investigator. "If it melted and
resolidified, it would have the strength of solid ice." Scientists are
waiting for the dust from the larger-than-expected debris cloud to settle
before they can get their first glimpse at the inside of the comet and
determine the size and depth of the crater. They said the crater was
larger than a house and possibly as big as a football stadium.
Comets are believed to be abundant in water, and astronomers were
surprised to find a lack of water vapor after the collision. Preliminary
findings by a science instrument aboard a NASA satellite in Earth orbit
showed Tempel 1 released about 550 pounds of water per second, similar to
the amount before the impact, suggesting the comet contains more dust
than ice.
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The Perseids
Perseids meteors fly out of the constellation Perseus, hence their name.
The best time to watch is during the hours before sunrise when Perseus is
high in the sky. Between 2 a.m. and dawn on August 12th, if you get away
from city lights, you could see hundreds of meteors. Scouts and camping
families, this is a good time to go camping! The Perseids come on a warm
summer night. Other familiar meteor showers like the Leonids of November
require a parka to enjoy unless you are with us in Hawaii!.
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MARS
There's something bewitching about Mars, maybe the red color or perhaps
the fact that it doesn't twinkle like a true star. It's steady. You stare
at Mars and it stares right back.
Earth and Mars are converging for a close encounter on October 30th.
Mars already outshines every star in the night sky, and it's getting
brighter every night. If you like it in August, you'll love it October.
And you will like August. Picture this: It's four in the morning. The
sky is dark. The breeze is pleasant. Mars is beaming down from the east
while meteors flit across the sky. Maybe you should go circle the
calendar again.
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If you miss this month's HAS Star Party then join us at the next:
***** 2005 *****
September 24th
October 22nd
December 3rd
***** 2006 *****
January 21st
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"The Star" by Jane Taylor.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.
Then the trav'ller in the dark,
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.
In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye,
Till the sun is in the sky.
As your bright and tiny spark,
Lights the traveler in the dark--
Though I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
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The Wanderers (The Planets) this Month
Mercury is hidden in the glare of the Sun.
Venus (magnitude 3.8) shines low in the west in evening twilight. It
sets as twilight ends.
Mars (magnitude 0.5) rises fiery orange in the east just before
midnight. By the first light of dawn it shines in excellent view very
high in the southeast. Each week Mars is rising earlier and growing
larger and brighter. In a telescope it's currently only 11 arcseconds
wide (and showing its gibbous phase), but in late October it will reach a
maximum apparent diameter of 20 arcseconds. Check out recent amateur
images of the planet!
Jupiter (magnitude 1.8, in Virgo) shines in the west-southwest during
and after twilight, far to the upper left of Venus. The two planets are
on their way to a close conjunction on September 1st.
Saturn is buried deep in the glow of dawn.
Uranus and Neptune (magnitudes 5.7 and 7.8, respectively, in Aquarius and
Capricornus) are well up in the southeast by midnight.
Pluto (magnitude 14, in Serpens Cauda) is highest in the south right
after dark. Use at least a 10-inch scope to find.
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Annual Meteor Showers
Quadrantids: January
Virginids: March/April
Lyrids: April
Scorpiids: May
Delta Aquarids: July
Perseids August
Piscids: September
Orionids: October
Leonids: November
Geminids: December
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Find what is moving overhead after sunset:
http://www.bester.com/
http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/RealTime/JTrack/3d/JTrack3d.html
Check out when the next Iridium Satellite is available for you to
see:
http://www.heavens-above.com/Neighbours.asp?PlaceID=593409
(for non Oahu Star Gazers...)
http://www.heavens-above.com/selecttown.asp?CountryID=US
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Check out:
http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/12months/m-aug-i.html
and bring the above list...
As for the rest of the Messiers, check out
http://www.hawastsoc.org/deepsky/messier.html It also has a link to:
http://www.hawastsoc.org/messier/index.html
(all the Messier Objects as photographed by HAS's local Jay Wrathall)
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Star Party Directions
(http://www.hawastsoc.org/directions/dillingham.html)
To reach the Dillingham observing site, take the H2 to the end at
Schofield Barracks. Drive past Schofield and follow the signs to
Waialua. At the Y intersection at Waialua, bear left and pass under
the bridge. Drive out of town a few miles until you reach Dillingham
Airfield. Dillingham is several miles long. It has three gates. You
need to drive to the far end to the third gate (marked as Gate 1 on
the color map). When you enter the gate, the road will curve left
behind some hangars. It will then take you through a very sharp S
curve. 1/4 mile beyond that is a stop sign in the middle of nowhere.
Turn right at the stop sign, and you will be there. You can find me
by looking for the big red telescope in the corner with a table with
lots of pizza on it.
You will need to reach the site before sunset in order to find the
gate open!!!
A few words on light. We try to maintain dark conditions at the site.
Therefore we have certain rules about light. First, no white
flashlights. The only flashlights that you should use are not too
bright, red ones.
When entering and exiting the site, do not use headlights. Some cars
now can't turn off their headlights. If you have a car like that
please park nearer the windsock then the telescopes. Point it away
from the telescopes. Headlights make you lose your night vision for
up to 30 minutes. It immediately ruins any astro photography that
might be in progress.
Bring some warm clothes, something to sit on, some real powerful bug
spray, a dim or red covered flashlight and some munches to share with
your friends.
Remember there is an absolute need to remain clear of the runway, and
anyone attending the star party needs to remain in the immediate star
party area. Do not be wandering around in areas where we are not
permitted. Especially near any planes (parked or moving)!
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Bishop Museum Planetarium Happenings
http://www.bishopmuseum.org/visitors/dailyschedule.html
Daily Planetarium schedule:
(808) 848-4136 for pre-recorded planetarium schedule.
11:30 a.m. The Stars Tonight (40 Minutes)
12:30 p.m. Explorers of Polynesia in Japanese, (30 Minutes)
1:00 p.m. Deep Impact: Rendezvous With a Come, (30 Minutes)
2:30-3:15p.m. Observatory is open for solar viewing
3:30 p.m. Explorers of Polynesia (in English, 45 Minutes)
Barry Peckham will host the Sky Tonight program on the first Friday
of each month. Reservations are required as there is limited seating in
the planetarium. Call 848-4168 for information and reservations.
Tickets cost $4 for adults, $3 for kids, free to Bishop Museum
members and Hawaiian Astronomical Society members.
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After Dark with Stars in the Park
Waikele Community Park
OR... Kahala Park
(Weather permitting)
***** 2005 *****
August 13th
September 10th
October 8th
November 5th
December 10th
***** 2006 *****
January 7th
FROM DUSK to 9:30 PM
Bring your children! Tell your friends!
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Visit the cosmos via:
The HAS HomePage: http://www.hawastsoc.org/ or go to
(or show up at meeting 7:30pm first Tue of month)
and check out the Bishop Museum Planetarium Home Page
http://bishopmuseum.org/exhibits/planetarium/planetarium.html
and the Institute for Astronomy Colloquia/Seminars
http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/
http://apollo-society.org/launchpad39_A.html
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Keep Looking Sky Ward...Gary Ward
http://homepage.mac.com/macyoda/PhotoAlbum6.html
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--
The Lone Sidewalk Astronomer of Rosamond
Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord
Astronomy Net Online Gift Shop
http://www.cafepress.com/astronomy_net
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