The Hubble Ultra Deep Field Image (see description on the right, below)

The Hubble Ultra Deep Field Image
(10,000 galaxies in an area 1% of the apparent size of the moon -- see description on the right, below)

Thursday, May 5, 2016

2016 May

AEA Astronomy Club Newsletter May 2016

Contents
AEA Astronomy Club News & Calendar p.1
Video(s) & Picture(s) of the Month p. 3
Astronomy News p. 8
General Calendar p. 10
    Colloquia, lectures, mtgs. p. 10
    Observing p. 14
Useful Links p. 14
About the Club p. 15

Club News & Calendar.

Club Calendar

Club Meeting Schedule:

5 May
AEA Astronomy Club Meeting

“The Shape, Size & Fate of the Universe,” Alex Filippenko 
(A1/1735)




2 June
AEA Astronomy Club Meeting

Meteor Swarms & Satellites, Glenn Peterson
(A1/1735)

AEA Astronomy Club meetings are now on 1st  Thursdays at 11:45am.  For all of 2016, the meeting room is A1/1735. 


Club News:  

May 9 Mercury Transit.  We plan to set up at least a couple of telescopes (at least one H-alpha) and maybe binoculars with ND filters in the AGO mall for the May 9 Mercury transit, weather permitting.  Tentatively 8:30 to 10:30.  On the West coast, the sun rises in transit, with mid-transit 7:58am PDT (elevation 24 deg), and exits 11:39am (elevation 67 deg). The entire transit is visible from the eastern U.S. – in Washington, D.C. from ingress 7:13 am (13 deg elevation) to mid- (greatest) transit 10:58am (55 deg elevation) to egress at 2:41pm (60 deg elevation).  Of course eye protection (solar filters) must be used for safe viewing.  Mercury transits occur 13 or 14 times per century – the last was 2006, and next 2019.

Mt. Wilson Trip Sept. 1.  The club has extended an invitation to other employees & family/friends to join a group of 25 (maximum) to spend about 4 hours looking through the Mt. Wilson 60-inch telescope on Thursday night, Sept. 1, 2016.  This has become a popular annual event, and as of April 29, 15 had signed up. While a normal work night for those not on AWS 2, it is the night of a new moon – an optimally dark sky for astronomy – and it precedes the Labor Day weekend. 

We can also possibly arrange a tour beforehand of the Aerospace Mt. Wilson facility, and definitely can arrange a docent tour of the other Mt. Wilson facilities (100” telescope, solar scopes, CHARA array, etc.).  We also plan to have at least one of the club’s telescopes (our 10” computerized SCT) set up outside, as well as access to a 6" Warner & Swayze Brashear refractor, to view other objects and avoid idle waits in line between looks at the 60”.
The Aerospace facility tour may begin around 5pm, Mt. Wilson docent tour around 6pm, and sunset is about 7:30pm, so sky viewing can begin around 8:30, and we have the 60” until 1am.  We may carpool from Aerospace around 3 pm.  We plan a dinner break at the end of the docent tour, about 7:30, while waiting for the sky to darken.  Box meals can be ordered for $15, or bring your own.  Hot drinks are provided during the observing session, and you can bring your own snacks & use their microwave.  Night temperatures on the mountain are pleasant that time of year.
For a group of 25 (the largest permitted), the cost would normally be $38 per person, plus $10 for the docent tour.  The Astronomy Club’s budget can cover the cost for club members (it is $6 for employees to join the club mid-year, $9 for others).   Information about the club is at https://aeropedia.aero.org/aeropedia/index.php/Astronomy_Club, and a membership form is at AeroLink.  Payment or club membership must be complete by June 30.
If interested, send a message to Mark Clayson, mark.clayson@aero.org, x60708, indicating how many in your party (must be at least age 12), which tour(s) you are interested in, if you’d like a box meal (turkey or vegetarian), and whether you’ll become a club member.  Also, whether you’re willing to carpool – may not be an option if you don’t join the tours.  The group fills up, so get your name on the list soon – we will also have a waiting list in case of last-minute changes.
More information is at:  http://www.mtwilson.edu/60in.php

2017 (Aug. 21) Solar Eclipse Expedition.  Look soon for the company-wide survey of interest in the 2017 total eclipse, to coordinate expedition(s).  The announcement with link to the SharePoint survey will appear on Inside Aerospace.  Please take the survey.  We are looking most seriously at observing at centerline north of Idaho Falls, Idaho, which is also about an hour from Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks.  We have also just purchased solar neutral density filters for all of our telescopes (except the Dobsonians) & binoculars.



Here is a request by the Aerospace American Indian Alaskan Native Council (AAIANC) that could involve our club’s expertise/interests.  Let me know if you’re interested in being involved.

“I am writing to find out if you would be interested in participating in an event with Aerospace American Indian Alaskan Native Council (AAIANC) this summer. Our current plan is to book either A1 1029A/B or the Cafeteria rooms A and B and host a “Poetry Reading.” For AAIANC, we plan to select poems (the number of which will depend on how many other groups wish to participate) written by Native Americans or Alaskan Natives that focus on the cultural significance of the stars. The theme for this would be along the lines of storytelling as a means to pass on cultural knowledge and link that to how we perceive the stars through science today. We think it would be a great opportunity for your clubs to recruit new members, also! We intend to open this up to the other AGs also, but wanted to give you first dibs. We’re hoping that if at least a couple of the AGs join in on this, we can pool our resources sufficiently to cover light snacks and beverages for the attendees.

“A possible agenda would be:
11:15 set up room
11:30 AAIANC introduce event (if we have light snacks, people can get them at this time and settle in)
11:35 AAIANC lead with poem reading
11:41 Book Club reading? Offer suggestions for good books on these topics?
11:47 Astronomy Club reading?
11:53 ABC reading?
11:59 ALA reading?
12:05 ALMA reading?
12:11 AAPAA reading?
12:17 AAIANC closing remarks

“We would change this up depending on participation. All groups would be welcome to bring their brochures, etc. to recruit members and we will set them out on a table. Lisa Barnum and her group are looking into what other ADAC activities might be happening around that time so we don’t conflict. If you are interested, I will let you know what come up as possible dates.

Thanks!

Ginni Machamer
AAIANC President


Suggestions for how to best spend our AEA budget allotment are welcome, especially in preparation for the 2017 total solar eclipse.




Astronomy Video(s) & Picture(s) of the Month
(from Astronomy Picture of the Day, APOD: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html


Full Venus and Crescent Moon Rise 
Image Credit & Copyright: A. Rosenberg, D. López (El Cielo de Canarias) / IAC
Explanation: Inner planet Venus and a thin crescent Moon are never found far from the Sun in planet Earth's skies. Taken near dawn on April 6, this timelapse composite shows them both rising just before the Sun. The mountaintop Teide Observatory domes on the fortunate island of Tenerife appear in silhouette against the twilight. In fact, the series of telephoto exposures follows the occultation of Venus by the Moon in three frames. Far from Earth in its orbit and in a nearly full phase, Venus was 96 percent illuminated. Near perigee or closest approach to Earth, the Moon's slender crescent represents about 2 percent of the lunar disk in sunlight. Seen in the first two exposures, the brilliant morning star only vanishes in the third as it winks out behind the bright lunar limb. Five minutes of the dramatic occultation at dawn is compressed into 15 seconds in this timelapse video (vimeo).  https://vimeo.com/161778944 and https://vimeo.com/130742952

Video:  Cancri 55 e: Climate Patterns on a Lava World http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160405.html
Illustration Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Spitzer Space Telescope, Robert Hurt (Spitzer, Caltech)
Explanation: Why might you want to visit super-earth Cancri 55 e? Its extremely hot climate would be a deterrent, and fresh lava flows might be common. Discovered in 2004, the planet Cancri 55 ehas twice the diameter of our Earth and about 10 times Earth's mass. The planet orbits its 40 light-year distant Sun-like star well inside the orbit of Mercury, so close that it is tidally locked, meaning that it always keeps the same face toward the object it orbits -- like our Moon does as it orbits the Earth. Astronomers have recently measured temperature changes on this exoplanet using infraredobservations with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Given these observations, an artist created the featured video with educated guesses about what one revolution of Cancri 55 e might look like. Depicted are full phase, when the planet is fully illuminated, and new (dark) phase when it passes near the line of sight to Earth. The illustrated red bands on the Cancri 55 e indicate bands of lava that might flow on the planet. A recent density determination for 55 Cancri e show that this exoplanet is not made primarily of oxygen, as are the inner planets in our Solar System, but rather of carbon. Therefore, one reason to visit Cancri 55 e might be to study its core, because this planet's great internal pressure might be sufficient to make the carbon found there into one huge diamond.

Lucid Dreaming 
Image Credit & Copyright: Arnar Kristjansson; Rollover Annotation: Judy Schmidt
Explanation: Is this the real world? Or is it just fantasy? The truth started with a dream -- a dream that the spectacular Seljarlandsfoss waterfall in southern Iceland could be photographed with a backdrop of an aurora-filled sky. Soon after a promising space weather report, the visionary astrophotographer and his partner sprang into action. After arriving, capturing an image of the background sky, complete with a cool green aurora, turned out to be the easy part. The hard part was capturing the waterfall itself, for one reason because mist kept fogging the lens! Easy come, easy go -- it took about 100 times where someone had to go back to the camera -- on a cold night and over slippery rocks -- to see how the last exposure turned out, wipe the lens, and reset the camera for the next try. Later, the best images of land and sky were digitally combined. Visible in the sky, even well behind the aurora, are numerous stars of the northern sky. The resulting title -- given by the astrophotographer -- was influenced by a dream-like quality of the resulting image, possibly combined with the knowledge that some things really mattered in this effort to make a dream come true.

A Dust Angel Nebula 
Image Credit & Copyright: Rogelio Bernal Andreo (Deep Sky Colors)
Explanation: The combined light of stars along the Milky Way are reflected by these cosmic dust clouds that soar some 300 light-years or so above the plane of our galaxy. Dubbed the Angel Nebula, the faint apparition is part of an expansive complex of dim and relatively unexplored, diffuse molecular clouds. Commonly found at high galactic latitudes, the dusty galactic cirrus can be traced over large regions toward the North and South Galactic poles. Along with the refection of starlight, studies indicate the dust clouds produce a faint reddish luminescence, as interstellar dust grains convert invisible ultraviolet radiation to visible red light. Also capturing nearby Milky Way stars and an array of distant background galaxies, the deep, wide-field 3x5 degree image spans about 10 Full Moonsacross planet Earth's sky toward the constellation Ursa Major.

Heliopause Electrostatic Rapid Transit System 
Illustration Credit: NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center
Explanation: Want to take a fast trip to the edge of the Solar System? Consider a ride on a Heliopause Electrostatic Rapid Transit System (HERTS). The concept is currently being tested and it might take only 10 to 15 years to make the trip of over 100 Astronomical Units (15 billion kilometers). That's fast compared to the 35 years it took Voyager 1, presently humanity's most distant spacecraft, to approach the heliopause or outer boundary of the influence of the solar wind. HERTS would use an advanced electric solar sail that works by extending multiple, 20 kilometer or so long, 1 millimeter thin, positively charged wires from a rotating spacecraft. The electrostatic force generated repels fast moving solar wind protons to create thrust. Compared to a reflective solar light sail, another propellantless deep space propulsion system, the electric solar wind sail could continue to accelerate at greater distances from the Sun, still developing thrust as it cruised toward the outer planets.

Combined Solar Eclipse Corona from Earth and Space 
Image Credits: J. Vilinga (Angola, IAP), LASCO, NRL, SOHO, ESA, NASA; 
Processing: R. Wittich; Composition & Copyright: S. Koutchmy (IAP, CNRS)
Explanation: Sometimes, a total eclipse is a good time to eye the Sun. Taking advantage of an unusual juxtaposition of Earth, Moon and Sun, the featured image depicts the total solar eclipse thatoccurred last month as it appeared -- nearly simultaneously -- from both Earth and space. The innermost image shows the total eclipse from the ground, with the central pupil created by the bright Suncovered by a comparatively dark Moon. Surrounding the blocked solar disk is the tenuous corona of Sun imaged in white light, easily visible from the ground only during an eclipse. Normally, this corona is hard to track far from the Sun, but the featured montage matches it to false-colored observations of the Sun from NASA and ESA's space-based, Sun-orbiting, Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). Observations like this allow the study of the constantly changing magnetic activity both near and far from the Sun, the same activity that ultimately drives Earth's auroras.

Lapland Northern Lights 
Image Credit & Copyright: Juan Carlos Casado (TWAN, Earth and Stars)

Explanation: Early spring in the northern hemisphere is good season for aurora hunters. Near an equinox Earth's magnetic field is oriented to favor interactions with the solar wind that trigger thealluring glow of the northern lights. On March 28/29 the skies over Kaunispää Hill, Lapland, Finland did not disappoint. That night's expansive auroral curtains are captured in this striking panoramic view that covers a full 360 degrees. Local skywatchers were mesmerized by bright displays lasted throughout the dark hours, shimmering with colors easily visible to the naked eye.

Astronomy News:
(from http://esciencenews.com/topics/astronomy.space)

Are we alone? Setting some limits to our uniqueness

Published: Thursday, April 28, 2016 - 13:04 in Astronomy & Space

Related images

University of Rochester



Are humans unique and alone in the vast universe? This question-- summed up in the famous Drake equation -- has for a half-century been one of the most intractable and uncertain in science. But a new paper shows that the recent discoveries of exoplanets combined with a broader approach to the question makes it possible to assign a new empirically valid probability to whether any other advanced technological civilizations have ever existed.
And it shows that unless the odds of advanced life evolving on a habitable planet are astonishingly low, then human kind is not the universe's first technological, or advanced, civilization.
The paper, to be published in Astrobiology, also shows for the first time just what "pessimism" or "optimism" mean when it comes to estimating the likelihood of advanced extraterrestrial life.
"The question of whether advanced civilizations exist elsewhere in the universe has always been vexed with three large uncertainties in the Drake equation," said Adam Frank, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Rochester and co-author of the paper. "We've known for a long time approximately how many stars exist. We didn't know how many of those stars had planets that could potentially harbor life, how often life might evolve and lead to intelligent beings, and how long any civilizations might last before becoming extinct."
"Thanks to NASA's Kepler satellite and other searches, we now know that roughly one-fifth of stars have planets in "habitable zones," where temperatures could support life as we know it. So one of the three big uncertainties has now been constrained."
Frank said that the third big question--how long civilizations might survive--is still completely unknown. "The fact that humans have had rudimentary technology for roughly ten thousand years doesn't really tell us if other societies would last that long or perhaps much longer," he explained.
But Frank and his coauthor, Woodruff Sullivan of the astronomy department and astrobiology program at the University of Washington, found they could eliminate that term altogether by simply expanding the question.
"Rather than asking how many civilizations may exist now, we ask 'Are we the only technological species that has ever arisen?" said Sullivan. "This shifted focus eliminates the uncertainty of the civilization lifetime question and allows us to address what we call the 'cosmic archaeological question'--how often in the history of the universe has life evolved to an advanced state?"
That still leaves huge uncertainties in calculating the probability for advanced life to evolve on habitable planets. It's here that Frank and Sullivan flip the question around. Rather than guessing at the odds of advanced life developing, they calculate the odds against it occurring in order for humanity to be the only advanced civilization in the entire history of the observable universe. With that, Frank and Sullivan then calculated the line between a Universe where humanity has been the sole experiment in civilization and one where others have come before us.
"Of course, we have no idea how likely it is that an intelligent technological species will evolve on a given habitable planet," says Frank. But using our method we can tell exactly how low that probability would have to be for us to be the ONLY civilization the Universe has produced. We call that the pessimism line. If the actual probability is greater than the pessimism line, then a technological species and civilization has likely happened before."
Using this approach, Frank and Sullivan calculate how unlikely advanced life must be if there has never been another example among the universe's ten billion trillion stars, or even among our own Milky Way galaxy's hundred billion.
The result? By applying the new exoplanet data to the universe's 2 x 10 to the 22nd power stars, Frank and Sullivan find that human civilization is likely to be unique in the cosmos only if the odds of a civilization developing on a habitable planet are less than about one in 10 billion trillion, or one part in 10 to the 22th power.
"One in 10 billion trillion is incredibly small," says Frank. "To me, this implies that other intelligent, technology producing species very likely have evolved before us. Think of it this way. Before our result you'd be considered a pessimist if you imagined the probability of evolving a civilization on a habitable planet were, say, one in a trillion. But even that guess, one chance in a trillion, implies that what has happened here on Earth with humanity has in fact happened about a 10 billion other times over cosmic history!"
For smaller volumes the numbers are less extreme. For example, another technological species likely has evolved on a habitable planet in our own Milky Way galaxy if the odds against it are better than one chance in 60 billion.
But if those numbers seem to give ammunition to the "optimists" about the existence of alien civilizations, Sullivan points out that the full Drake equation--which calculates the odds that other civilizations are around today -- may give solace to the pessimists.
"The universe is more than 13 billion years old," said Sullivan. "That means that even if there have been a thousand civilizations in our own galaxy, if they live only as long as we have been around -- roughly ten thousand years -- then all of them are likely already extinct. And others won't evolve until we are long gone. For us to have much chance of success in finding another "contemporary" active technological civilization, on average they must last much longer than our present lifetime."
"Given the vast distances between stars and the fixed speed of light we might never really be able to have a conversation with another civilization anyway," said Frank. "If they were 20,000 light years away then every exchange would take 40,000 years to go back and forth."
But, as Frank and Sullivan point out, even if there aren't other civilizations in our galaxy to communicate with now, the new result still has a profound scientific and philosophical importance. "From a fundamental perspective the question is 'has it ever happened anywhere before?'" said Frank. Our result is the first time anyone has been able to set any empirical answer for that question and it is astonishingly likely that we are not the only time and place that an advance civilization has evolved."
According to Frank and Sullivan their result has a practical application as well. As humanity faces its crisis in sustainability and climate change we can wonder if other civilization-building species on other planets have gone through a similar bottleneck and made it to the other side. As Frank puts it "We don't even know if it's possible to have a high-tech civilization that lasts more than a few centuries." With Frank and Sullivan's new result, scientists can begin using everything they know about planets and climate to begin modeling the interactions of an energy-intensive species with their home world knowing that a large sample of such cases has already existed in the cosmos. "Our results imply that our evolution has not been unique and has probably happened many times before. The other cases are likely to include many energy intensive civilizations dealing with their feedbacks onto their planets as their civilizations grow. That means we can begin exploring the problem using simulations to get a sense of what leads to long lived civilizations and what doesn't."
Frank and Sullivan's argument hinges upon the recent discovery of how many planets exist and how many of those lie in what scientists call the "habitable zone" -- planets in which liquid water, and therefore life, could exist. This allows Frank and Sullivan to define a number they call Nast. Nast is the product of N*, the total number of stars; fp, the fraction of those stars that form planets; and np, the average number of those planets in the habitable zones of their stars.
They then set out what they call the "Archaelogical-form" of the Drake equation, which defines A as the "number of technological species that have ever formed over the history of the observable Universe."
Their equation, A=Nast*fbt, describes A as the product of Nast - the number of habitable planets in a given volume of the Universe - multiplied by fbt - the likelihood of a technological species arising on one of these planets. The volume considered could be, for example, the entire Universe, or just our Galaxy.

Source: University of Rochester


General Calendar:

Colloquia, Lectures, Seminars, Meetings, Open Houses & Tours:
Colloquia:  Carnegie (Tues. 4pm), UCLA, Caltech (Wed. 4pm), IPAC (Wed. 12:15pm) & other Pasadena (daily 12-4pm):  http://obs.carnegiescience.edu/seminars/ 
Carnegie astronomy lectures – only 4 per year in the Spring www.obs.carnegiescience.edu.  Visit www.huntington.org for directions.  For more information about the Carnegie Observatories or this lecture series, please contact Reed Haynie.  . Click here for more information.

Monday, May 2nd 2016
Exoplanets
Dr. Kevin Schlaufman
Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University
Carnegie-Princeton Fellow
Carnegie Observatories & Princeton University
This is an extraordinary time in human history. While it has been only twenty years since astronomers first discovered planets outside of our solar system, we are already aware of several planets that could have liquid water on their surfaces. In just ten years, we will have the technological ability to search for signs of life, like oxygen and methane, in the atmospheres of a few select exoplanets. Dr. Schlaufman will tell the story of exoplanets to date, and outline the progress we will soon see in the search for life elsewhere in our Galaxy.


Monday, May 16th 2016
The Secret Lives of Galaxies
Dr. Katherine Alatalo
Hubble Fellow,
Carnegie Observatories
The Hubble sequence of galaxies resembles a simple classification chart, yet underneath the neatly aligned shapes and colors lie complex and violent histories. Through radio, infrared, UV and optical astronomy, today we can deduce these histories – and the future. Nearby examples of every stage in the Hubble sequence provide living galactic fossils that reveal their 10 billion years of evolution. Dr. Alatalo will tour the Hubble sequence, exploring three avenues to galactic transi- tions: the quiet, slow fade; the violent merger; and the quietly violent evolution of a galaxy, likely due to a supermassive black hole in its center. By exploring how each piece of the puzzle fits with every other piece, we can understand the evolution of the Universe and fundamental questions of how we got here.
5 May
AEA Astronomy Club Meeting

“The Shape, Size & Fate of the Universe,” Alex Filippenko 

(A1/1735)







6 May
Friday Night 7:30PM SBAS  Monthly General Meeting
in the Planetarium at El Camino College (16007 Crenshaw Bl. In Torrance)
Friday Night 7:30PM Monthly General Meeting
Topic:   “The James Webb Space Telescope”
Speaker: Jon Arenberg, Chief Engineer, Northrup/Grumman






9 May
LAAS LAAS General Meeting.
Griffith Observatory
Event Horizon Theater
8:00 PM to 10:00 PM
May 19 & 20 The von Kármán Lecture Series: 2016

Fire and Ice . . . and Methane – Exploring Mars and Titan using laboratory and field analogues on Earth

The search for life elsewhere in the solar system has tantalized humanity for centuries. This search has led us to look outward, towards places that may have life (Mars) or the chemical precursors for life (Titan). This search has also led us inward, recreating other worlds in the laboratory and studying places on Earth that can act as analogue environments to other places that are more difficult to reach. 

Titan, a moon of Saturn, is an excellent example of a ‘prebiotic’ world where a diverse array of organic molecules exist, but life as we know it cannot survive on the surface. The liquid hydrocarbon lakes of Titan, composed primarily of methane and ethane, are a unique environment where these organic molecules have the opportunity to interact – and possibly react – with each other. By recreating Titan’s lakes in the laboratory, we are discovering new chemical interactions that were previously unknown to science, and which may help us understand how Titan came to be. 

Iceland, a Nordic island shaped by volcanism and glaciers, is recognized as an analogue environment for Mars due to its similar geochemistry and mineralogy. Through an international collaboration inspired by the NASA Nordic Astrobiology Summer School, we have successfully completed two field expeditions to Iceland to test life detection techniques that may be used on future Mars missions. We discovered that microbial diversity can vary widely, even in areas that appear to be the same in terms of geology. This has implications for where and how we might search for life on Mars.
Speaker:
Dr. Morgan Cable
Assistant Project Science Systems Engineer, Cassini Mission, JPL
Technologist, Instrument Systems Implementation and Concepts Section, JPL

Webcast:
Click here to watch the event live on Ustream (or archived after the event)
Locations:
Thursday, May 19, 2016, 7pm
The von Kármán Auditorium at JPL
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA
› Directions

Friday, May 20, 2016, 7pm
The Vosloh Forum at Pasadena City College
1570 East Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA
› Directions
Webcast:
 We offer two options to view the live streaming of our webcast on Thursday:
› 1) Ustream with real-time web chat to take public questions.
› 2) Flash Player with open captioning
If you don't have Flash Player, you can download for free here.


26-31 May RTMC

2 June
AEA Astronomy Club Meeting

Meteor Swarms & Satellites, Glenn Peterson
(A1/1735)


3 June SBAS Friday Evening 7:30 PM Monthly General Meeting Topic: TBD




Observing:

The following data are from the 2016 Observer’s Handbook, and Sky & Telescope’s 2016 Skygazer’s Almanac & monthly Sky at a Glance.

Current sun & moon rise/set/phase data for L.A.:  http://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/usa/los-angeles

Sun, Moon & Planets for May:



Moon: May 6 new, May 13 1st quarter, May 21 full, May 29 last quarter    
            
Planets: Saturn & Mars rise shortly after sunset & are up the rest of the night.  Jupiter rises before sunset & is up until about 3am.  Mercury and Venus are hidden in the Sun’s glare all month.


Other Events:

 

SBAS Saturday Night In Town Dark Sky Observing Session at Ridgecrest Middle School– 28915 North Bay Rd. RPV, Weather Permitting: Please contact Greg Benecke to confirm that the gate will be opened! http://www.sbastro.net/

5 May Predawn – the Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks before dawn, but meteors should be visible for several mornings before and after.  This is often the best shower of the year from the Southern Hemisphere.

7 May
LAAS Private dark sky  Star Party

9 May Mercury transit – visible in L.A. from sunrise (mid-transit 7:58am, elevation 24 deg) to egress at 11:39am, 76 deg elevation.  The entire transit is visible from the eastern U.S. – in Washington, D.C. from ingress 7:13 am (13 deg elevation) to mid- (greatest) transit 10:58am (55 deg elevation) to egress at 2:41pm (60 deg elevation).  Of course eye protection (solar filters) must be used for safe viewing.

7 May
SBAS out-of-town Dark Sky observing – contact Greg Benecke to coordinate a location. http://www.sbastro.net/.  


4,11,18,25 May
LAAS The Garvey Ranch Observatory is open to the public every Wednesday evening from 7:30 PM to 10 PM. Go into the dome to use the 8 Inch Refractor or observe through one of our telescopes on the lawn. Visit our workshop to learn how you can build your own telescope, grind your own mirror, or sign up for our free seasonal astronomy classes.

Call 213-673-7355 for further information.
Time: 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Location: Garvey Ranch Obs. , 781 Orange Ave., Monterey Park, CA 91755

14 May
LAAS Public  Star Party: Griffith Observatory Grounds 2-10pm

15 May Jupiter is 2.0 deg N of the Moon

21-22 May Mars reaches opposition


SBAS Saturday Evening In Town Dark Sky Observing Session at Ridgecrest Middle School– 28915 NorthBay Rd. RPV, Weather Permitting: Please contact Greg Benecke to confirm that the gate will be opened! 

Internet Links:

Telescope, Binocular & Accessory Buying Guides


General


Regional (Southern California, Washington, D.C. & Colorado)
Southern California & Beyond Amateur Astronomy Organizations, Observatories & Planetaria
Mt. Wilson Observatory description, history, visiting




About the Club

Club Websites:  Internal (Aerospace): https://aeropedia.aero.org/aeropedia/index.php/Astronomy_Club  It is updated to reflect this newsletter, in addition to a listing of past club mtg. presentations, astronomy news, photos & events from prior newsletters, club equipment, membership & constitution.  We have linked some presentation materials from past mtgs.  Our club newsletters are also being posted to an external blog, “An Astronomical View” http://astronomicalview.blogspot.com/. 

 
Membership.  For information, current dues & application, contact Alan Olson, or see the club website (or Aerolink folder) where a form is also available (go to the membership link/folder & look at the bottom).  Benefits will include use of club telescope(s) & library/software, membership in The Astronomical League, discounts on Sky & Telescope magazine and Observer’s Handbook, field trips, great programs, having a say in club activities, acquisitions & elections, etc.

Committee Suggestions & Volunteers.  Feel free to contact:  Mark Clayson, President & Program Committee Chairman (& acting club VP), TBD Activities Committee Chairman (& club Secretary), or Alan Olson, Resource Committee Chairman (over equipment & library, and club Treasurer).

Mark Clayson,
AEA Astronomy Club President 

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