Pasadena--Friday, April 23
Monrovia--Saturday, April 24
Weather-permitting. Pasadena viewing is on Colorado, near DeLacey. Monrovia viewing is at the southeast corner of Library Park (northwest corner of Myrtle and Lime).
Venus *may* be visible from these sidewalk locations shortly after dark. It depends on the placement of trees and buildings. Mars is a bit west of overhead by dark, and rapidly fading in brightness and shrinking in size. Saturn is well up to the east, with rings still near edge-on but easily visible even in the smallest of telescopes. The moon will also be up in the southeast after dark.
Old Town Astronomers, www.otastro.org has more information. I only set up at their Pasadena location last month. Not sure if I'll try again.
The weather forecast for this week is somewhat iffy, at least until Saturday. Check their website or sign up for their e-mail list for updates.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
See Mercury!
Over the past few days (and for the next few days), take a look to the west, shortly after sunset. The bright "star" you see (the one that isn't an airplane!) is Venus. At the moment, it's not very interesting in a telescope because it's on the other side of the sun. But each night for the next few months, it'll get a little closer. In a few months, it'll be higher, brighter, and more interesting in a telescope.
If it's gotten darker (say, around 7:45 or 8:00pm), look down and to the right of Venus. That star will be Mercury. You can confirm its identity by noticing that it moves substantially from night to night. If you have a telescope, take a look at it. You can also confirm it's a planet by noting that it appears as a disc, not as a mere point of light.
These next few days place Mercury best for evening viewing all year. Don't miss it!
If it's gotten darker (say, around 7:45 or 8:00pm), look down and to the right of Venus. That star will be Mercury. You can confirm its identity by noticing that it moves substantially from night to night. If you have a telescope, take a look at it. You can also confirm it's a planet by noting that it appears as a disc, not as a mere point of light.
These next few days place Mercury best for evening viewing all year. Don't miss it!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Busy weekend!
I did two events this weekend--the Monrovia event, mentioned below, and Pasadena, on Friday.
This was my first excursion to Pasadena. I met my friends there, who were set up a block west of Delacey, on the north side of Colorado Blvd. It's really busy there compared to Monrovia, but sidewalk space is at a premium. Still, no problem with three telescopes there.
Because I knew I would have a longer distance to haul my stuff, I brought my Celestron Firstscope 80mm eq refractor. I toss the wooden tripod and mount (with counterweight removed) over my shoulder and stuff the OTA, counterweight bar and weight, eyepieces and diagonal into my guitar case. That makes all the necessities transportable in one trip.
I showed Saturn, which, in my little 80eq, is pretty tiny. But it's still recognizable as Saturn, which surprises a lot of people, particularly when you consider that a telescope like the 80eq can be had for about $150.
Mojo counted off 240 viewers during their time in Pasadena. The line was almost continuous.
Yesterday, I brought my 8-inch SCT to Monrovia. I showed a high magnification view of the moon for a while (about 220x), then shifted to Saturn. In this telescope, Saturn is a lot bigger and the rings are obviously more distinct.
The rings are still nearly edge-on, being inclined about 3 degrees to our line of sight. That makes Saturn look a little bit like a meatball with a toothpick through it.
Between 80 and 120 people stopped to view in Monrovia. The official count was lower, but I think Mojo must have missed some viewers because, again, the line was almost continuous between 7:45pm and 9:00pm.
Twice a week is a little exhausting, but I did want to see what Pasadena was like as a sidewalk astronomy location.
This was my first excursion to Pasadena. I met my friends there, who were set up a block west of Delacey, on the north side of Colorado Blvd. It's really busy there compared to Monrovia, but sidewalk space is at a premium. Still, no problem with three telescopes there.
Because I knew I would have a longer distance to haul my stuff, I brought my Celestron Firstscope 80mm eq refractor. I toss the wooden tripod and mount (with counterweight removed) over my shoulder and stuff the OTA, counterweight bar and weight, eyepieces and diagonal into my guitar case. That makes all the necessities transportable in one trip.
I showed Saturn, which, in my little 80eq, is pretty tiny. But it's still recognizable as Saturn, which surprises a lot of people, particularly when you consider that a telescope like the 80eq can be had for about $150.
Mojo counted off 240 viewers during their time in Pasadena. The line was almost continuous.
Yesterday, I brought my 8-inch SCT to Monrovia. I showed a high magnification view of the moon for a while (about 220x), then shifted to Saturn. In this telescope, Saturn is a lot bigger and the rings are obviously more distinct.
The rings are still nearly edge-on, being inclined about 3 degrees to our line of sight. That makes Saturn look a little bit like a meatball with a toothpick through it.
Between 80 and 120 people stopped to view in Monrovia. The official count was lower, but I think Mojo must have missed some viewers because, again, the line was almost continuous between 7:45pm and 9:00pm.
Twice a week is a little exhausting, but I did want to see what Pasadena was like as a sidewalk astronomy location.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Saturday, March 27 update
This is still "on," weather permitting. However, my original post was before the shift to daylight saving. Now, the sun doesn't even set until about 7:15pm. So I'd expect we'll try to set up sometime around 7:30-7:45pm, and stick around until about 9:30pm or so.
If I do set up early, we might get a BRIEF peak at Venus before it sets. Mars will be overhead, although it is rapidly shrinking. Saturn will rise shortly before sunset, but probably won't clear the buildings around Myrtle and Lime until at least 8:30pm or 9pm. A gibbous moon will be visible during the entire sidewalk event.
If I do set up early, we might get a BRIEF peak at Venus before it sets. Mars will be overhead, although it is rapidly shrinking. Saturn will rise shortly before sunset, but probably won't clear the buildings around Myrtle and Lime until at least 8:30pm or 9pm. A gibbous moon will be visible during the entire sidewalk event.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Sidewalk Astronomy in Monrovia, Saturday, March 27
Note this is a change from a previous post: Old Town Astronomers are aiming for Saturday, March 27, not the 20th as I previously expected.
We've been having lousy luck with the weather the past three months. Last month's event was clouded out. Hopefully, we'll have better luck this month.
Same location, corner of Myrtle and Lime, from around 6pm - 9pm.
Mars and the moon will be the main targets, with possibly a peek at Saturn late in the evening.
We've been having lousy luck with the weather the past three months. Last month's event was clouded out. Hopefully, we'll have better luck this month.
Same location, corner of Myrtle and Lime, from around 6pm - 9pm.
Mars and the moon will be the main targets, with possibly a peek at Saturn late in the evening.
The Globe at Night
Interesting project here.
The goal is to get observations from all over the globe to try to get a better idea of the extent of light pollution. Join in the fun!
The goal is to get observations from all over the globe to try to get a better idea of the extent of light pollution. Join in the fun!
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Sidewalk Astronomy in Monrovia, Saturday, Feb 20
As usual, this is weather permitting. We'll probably set up around 6pm and close up around 9pm. Mars and moon viewing will be on the top of the agenda. If we have time, we may try for a few other objects, but the lighting situation at our corner (Myrtle and Lime) is such that we're pretty much limited to lunar and planetary objects.
As of today, the forecast for next Saturday is a little iffy. But it's a long way off, so that may very well change (for better or worse).
As of today, the forecast for next Saturday is a little iffy. But it's a long way off, so that may very well change (for better or worse).
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