SATURDAY, July 20, 2008

I posted an updated What's Up for the month of July, the first one since March! Sorry about that - Life has been very intrusive for me this year, and I wasn't able to get around to it until now. Take a peek, and then go outside and take another peek. A favorable Perseid meteor shower is happening this year on August 12. Don't miss it!

Announcement:
Chabot Volunteer Enrichment series Tuesday evening, 6-9pm, July 15th

Title: This Galactic Life: Neighborhood Watch
(Similar but different talk from the same speakers who will present at our EAS monthly meeting on Saturday, July 12th.)

Speakers: Josh Peek, Katie Peek and Karin Sandstrom

Abstract: What does our Galaxy look like from the outside, and how
do astronomers know, when we're buried deep within it? This lecture
will examine the structure and geography of the Milky Way in three
presentations by three different astronomers. The first part will
explore the overall structure of our Galaxy, in particular, it's
spiral arms. What are spiral arms and how do we know the Milky Way
has them? Then, we'll ponder how we know how far away astronomical
objects are. Distance is a question that perpetually plagues
astronomers, who look up at a sky that appears two-dimensional and
must somehow deduce how to separate objects along the third
dimension. Finally, we'll investigate the Galactic center: what
lives at the heart of our galaxy, and how do we know anything about
it? Join us for an excursion through the observable Milky Way.

This email from: Bob & Brenda Havner <bhavner@sbcglobal.net> of SJAA

Independence Planetarium is being closed at the end of this school year by June 30,2008. The rumor is East Side Union High School District MAY make it part of the East Side Union High School District Foundation.
The foundation has just been established and there is much for ESUHSD foundation organizers to do yet to get it more established. You can make your voice count and encourage the district to move quickly in this direction to keep the planetarium open for the 2008-2009 school year.
Otherwise, the taxpayer paid multi-million dollar building closes and the electronics will just sit.

It is in wonderful shape right now. It would be a shame to have it deteriorate over the next year. The false economy of closing it against the cost of a person to run it seems obvious. To close the planetarium denies thousands of school children the opportunity to be in this "dynamic lab" where, in the dark, the universe, night sky, constellations, stars, moon and sun surround them. Instead of looking at the meridian, latitude, coordinates ecliptic on a flat computer screen, students can see everything, large, overhead and all around them. This shared common experience provides a powerful educational motivational connection to their education and to their lives. It is a catalyst for children to process the data and information, to wonder and to be curious about the universe and our place in it. It is the hope of the children, teachers, parents and community that Independence Planetarium stay open.
We hope you will be able to write, attend the Board meeting, June 19th (gather 5:30-5:55--meeting at 6 p.m.) or come to the planetarium one last time before it closes. June 9-13 Monday-Thursday next week

Free programs for the public. Visit the planetarium one last time!
Programs will be on the hour: 9,10,11,12,1,2,3 other times are by appointment. There will be a FINAL program at 10:30 am June 19th on the day of the Board meeting. Please call to confirm your attendance and the number of people you'll bring with you. All ages are welcome. (408)928-9604 24 hour line/voicemail Call now to make an appointment for you or your group. Thanks for any help you can offer to keep this "jewel of the East Side" open.

Gail Chaid
Independence Planetarium
1776 Educational Park Drive
San Jose CA 95133
(408)928-9604
gchaid@gmail.com

PASADENA, Calif. NASAs Phoenix spacecraft landed in the northern polar region of Mars today to begin three months of examining a site chosen for its likelihood of having frozen water within reach of the landers robotic arm.

Radio signals received at 4:53:44 p.m. Pacific Time (7:53:44 p.m. Eastern Time) confirmed the Phoenix Mars Lander had survived its difficult final descent and touchdown 15 minutes earlier. The signals took that long to travel from Mars to Earth at the speed of light.

The signal confirming that Phoenix had survived touchdown was relayed via Mars Odyssey and received on Earth at the Goldstone, Calif., antenna station of NASAs Deep Space Network.

You can read more, see first images, follow the blogs and more on the JPL website: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm

Next press conference - the post-landing briefing, occurs on NASA TV (and on the internet) in less than an hour. (9 p.m. Pacific time)
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/

I know you all join me in congratulating the Phoenix team on a successful soft landing on Mars!

Jane Houston Jones
Senior Outreach Specialist, Cassini Program
JPL - 4800 Oak Grove Drive, MS 230-205
Pasadena, CA 91109
Phone - 818-393-6435
Fax - 818-393-4495
jane.h.jones@jpl.nasa.gov
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov

Mars Phoenix Lander Mission
Live Webcast at the Exploratorium
May 28 (1pm) and June 27 (1:30pm), 2008
http://www.explo.tv

On Sunday, May 25, NASA's latest Mars explorer touches down on the Red Planet. The Exploratorium will present two live webcasts about this new mission. Exploratorium senior scientist Paul Doherty will explain this latest expedition, and show some of the new photographs from Mars (if all goes well). Both webcasts are included in the price of admission to the Exploratorium.

Go to: http://www.exploratorium.edu/pr/documents/08-5.html

--------
Raphael Rosen
Public Information Department
The Exploratorium
3601 Lyon St.
San Francisco, CA 94123
www.exploratorium.edu
Phone Contact: Leslie Patterson / lesliep@exploratorium.edu, (415) 561-0377

Carter Worth Roberts, 1947 - 2008

Our friend and club president, Carter Roberts, died on April 24, 2008, 20 minutes past midnight, at Summit Medical Center in Oakland, CA of complications resulting from colon cancer. A memorial in his honor will be held:

Monday, May 19, 7:30pm
Ask Jeeves Planetarium
Chabot Space & Science Center
10000 Skyline Blvd.
Oakland, CA
N37º 49' 12" W122º 10' 52"

Anyone wishing to give a presentation at the memorial should contact Dave Rodrigues at (510) 483-9191, or Don Saito at (510) 482-2913. Please leave a short message with your name and phone number, and we will contact you. Carter has no surviving family, but anyone wishing to make donations in remembrance of him are asked to make them to the Chabot Space & Science Center. The CSSC was Carter's greatest cause and mission in life, and it's high quality and survival through the years are due in no small part to his efforts.

Bye, Carter! We're missing you, already... :'-(

EAS ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER A SUCCESS!
The EAS Annual Awards Dinner last Sunday was spectacularly successful! We had a full house, Paul Hoy received his well-earned Helen Pilans Award, the food, dessert, and Peet's coffee was terrific, and Alex Filippenko was simply amazing. No wonder he's such a popular lecturer at one of the finest educational institutions in the world. More details in the next newsletter!

SKY & TELESCOPE WRITING CONTEST FOR AGES 5 - 18
If you're 5 to 18 and can write a short astronomy essay, you can send it in for a shot at prizes ranging from $50 to $200. [More]

The What's Up and Schedule web pages on this site are now up-to-date as much as they can be, for now. Check 'em out!

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Eastbay Astronomical Society proudly presents Alexei V. Filippenko, Professor of Astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley, as our Keynote Speaker for this year's Annual Awards Dinner, to be held Sunday, February 24, 2008. Look for more details and signup forms in the near future!

Happy New Year! <fweet!> SOLAR CYCLE 24 STARTS The first indicator that we are coming out of solar minimum appeared today in the form of a pole-reversed sunspot. It will still be a few more years before solar maxiumum happens, but it's on its way. Read more about it at SpaceWeather.com (check the archives for Jan 5, 2008 if this article is no longer on the home page).