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Total Lunar Eclipse
2/20/08!
Come to the Downing Planetarium on
Wednesday, February 20, 2008 to view the Total Lunar Eclipse!
The Moon will turn a beautiful deep shade of red as it passes into
the Earth's shadow. The total phase of the eclipse will last
from 7:01 p.m. until 7:50 p.m., and during that time the Central
Valley Astronomers will be outside the planetarium with their
telescopes to view this special event.
The Downing Planetarium will also
present the premiere of our new show, Moonbound 2020, at 6:30
p.m. on February 20. This program chronicles the history of
NASA's manned space flight program, focusing on the many Space
Shuttle missions, and the new plan to put humans back on the Moon by
2020. Tickets are required for the show only; eclipse viewing
is free!
Please check our schedule
for more information about the show and our reservation policy.
This show will likely sell out, so please call ahead to reserve
tickets! Ticket information can be found at 278-4121.
Times below are EST; we will see the
eclipse three hours earlier.
Look
here for more information about Lunar Eclipses.
Mars in Opposition
Mars is in opposition this month, which
means that the Sun and Mars are on opposite sides of the Earth.
This means Mars is especially close to the Earth, and conditions are
particularly good for viewing.
You
can see Mars very bright in the eastern sky after sunset. For an
excellent JPL video describing what to look for, and what features
you might see with your eyes or with a telescope, click
here.
Leonid Meteor Shower
(11/18/07)
The annual Leonid Meteor Shower will
peak just before dawn on Sunday, November 18, 2007, when you may see
as many as 10-15 meteors per hour.
The Leonid meteor shower can be seen
when the Earth passes through the debris of particles left behind in
the orbit of comet Tempel-Tuttle, which visits our part of the Solar
System every 33 years. As these
particles collide with the Earth’s atmosphere, they leave trails of
light across the sky. Most are vaporized in the process; the few
that survive and hit the ground are known as meteorites.
Tips for watching the meteor
shower:
· Find
a place where the sky is very dark (away from the bright city
lights).
· Look
after the Moon has set (best viewing will be after midnight Saturday
night until dawn on Sunday).
· Find
a place where you can see the whole sky. You don’t need to look in
any particular direction. You don’t need a telescope, binoculars,
or an astronomer. Just relax your eyes, give them 20 minutes to
adjust to the dark, and look up!
· Be
sure to wear appropriate clothing--it's getting cold out now!
Bring something comfortable to
sit on, and wear insect repellent.
For more information, visit the
Earth & Sky Leonid site
Comet Holmes Visible
in early November
A comet that unexpectedly brightened and expanded in recent weeks is
now visible to the naked eye, and attracting much attention.
The comet, discovered in 1892 by Edwin Homes, has suddenly
brightened because sinkholes on its surface caused a collapse of
material, sending an expanding bubble of dust and ice out into
space, which reflects the Sun's light back to us.
The comet lacks the "tail" usually associated with such objects, but
it should be visible as a fuzzy spot in the Northern sky near the
constellation Perseus. The best way to see the comet is to
find a place away from city lights. Binoculars or a small
telescope should aid your viewing, but are not necessary.
Sky & Telescope's
article
"Working on the
Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn" (9/12/07)
Trina L. Ray, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
12:00 Noon - Wednesday, September 12, 2007
McLane Hall, Room 121
The international Cassini-Huygens
spacecraft was launched on October 15, 1997 and had a marathon
7-year 2-billion mile journey to the distant planet Saturn.
The 23-foot tall, 14-foot wide, 6-ton spacecraft is the largest most
sophisticated outer planet spacecraft ever built, and is in its
third year of operation in orbit around the planet Saturn.
Cassini-Huygens has been returning extraordinary data about the
entire Saturn system: the spectacular rings; the numerous icy
satellites with a variety of unique surface features; the giant
planet itself; a huge magnetosphere teeming with particles that
interact with the rings and moons; and the intriguing moon Titan,
which is slightly larger than the planet Mercury, and whose hazy
atmosphere is denser than that of Earth.
Trina Ray
started her career at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory with a bang.
Her first and still favorite experience was working on the Voyager
Neptune Encounter in August of 1989. Her current position is
on the Cassini Science Planning Team, where she coordinates the
Titan science opportunities.
Trina received her Bachelor's degree in
Physics from California State University, Northridge, and her
Master's degree in Astronomy from San Diego State University, where
her research specialty was Planetary Nebulae. Trina is an
active public speaker for NASA, JPL and Cassini and a founding
member of the Cassini Virtual Singers, a group of project staff that
rewrites lyrics to popular melodies and performs at various Project
and Laboratory functions.
Aurigid Meteor Shower
(9/1/07)
The unusual and rare Aurigid Meteor
Shower will peak at 4:36 a.m. on Saturday, September 1, 2007.
Meteors should be visible for about 45 minutes before and after the
peak (from approximately 3:45 – 5:15 on Saturday morning).
The extremely rare Aurigid meteor
shower can be seen when the Earth passes through the debris of
particles left behind in the orbit of long-period comet Keiss, which
passed by the Sun sometime around 4 A.D., and did not return again
until 1911. The thin stream of particles left behind by the comet
usually passes just outside the Earth’s orbit, but on three previous
occasions, when the conditions have been just right, our orbit has
crossed them, causing the very rare Aurigid meteor shower. As these
particles collide with the Earth’s atmosphere, they leave trails of
light across the sky. Most are vaporized in the process; the few
that survive and hit the ground are known as meteorites.
Astronomers are unfamiliar with long-period comets such as comet
Keiss, and therefore are not completely sure what to expect from
Saturday's meteor shower. Predictions of the rate of meteors
range from 3 per hour--a relative fizzle--to a spectacular show of
hundreds per hour.
Tips for watching the meteor
shower:
· Find
a place where the sky is very dark (away from the bright city
lights).
· As
the Moon will be high and bright, try to find a place where you can
block its light with an obstruction, such as a telephone pole.
· Find
a place where you can see the whole sky. You don’t need to look in
any particular direction. You don’t need a telescope, binoculars,
or an astronomer. Just relax your eyes, give them 20 minutes to
adjust to the dark, and look up!
· Be
sure to wear appropriate clothing, bring something comfortable to
sit on, and wear insect repellent.
For more information, visit the
SETI Aurigid site or the
NASA site.
Total Lunar Eclipse
(8/28/07)
Early in the morning of
Tuesday, August 28, 2007, the Full Moon will experience a total
lunar eclipse. Most of North America and the Pacific will have the
best view of the event, as the Moon passes into the Earth’s shadow,
turning beautiful shades of orange and red.
The partial phase of the eclipse will begin at
1:51 a.m. Tuesday morning, but the best viewing time will be during
the total phase of the eclipse, from 2:52 a.m. to 4:22 a.m. No
special equipment is needed, although the red color can sometimes be
seen more readily with a good pair of binoculars.
If it is cloudy or you are unable to go
outside to view the event, you may try viewing a live webcast of the
event here.
Additional information:
Eclipse
Photography
Eclipse demonstrations and
animations
Perseid Meteor Shower (8/12/07)
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