Hey, why not one more!

Print this out, if you're interested, or just look at it when you have time:

http://media.skyandtelescope.com/documents/GettingStartedNorth.pdf

One more (3rd post)

If you have time:

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/168138306.html

2nd Post of the Year.

From Neil deGrasse Tyson (via his facebook feed):

The average time the Moon takes to complete a cycle of phases is 29.5 days. So all months but February can host a second full Moon, if the timing is right. We call these "Blue Moons" and we get one on Friday, August 31. Chances of a full Moon on the first of a month is about 1 in 30, so you'd expect a Blue Moon every 30 months or so -- about once every 2.5 years. Not rare. So when the cosmically literate want to reference something that's uncommon, they **never** say "Once in a Blue Moon". -NDTyson

From fullmoon.info:

Dear full moon friends,

The full moon will be on Friday and will be quite special this time, because it is the second within the calendar month. This full moon is called »blue moon« (find more info below).

Who does not know the situation having difficulties to make a decision? Admittedly, neuro scientists have assessed that the brain makes its choice within milliseconds and then sends a kind of recommendation to the consciousness, nevertheless, most of us question everything again and worry to make a mistake. Sometimes you ask yourself how helpful thoughts really are? A few years ago, when we had to decide on one or the other ice cream flavour in an ice-cream parlour, we found our daughter to solve this problem quite elegantly by saying: »I'll have both!« … Children are somewhat more advanced in these things ;-)

The exact time of the next full moon is: 
Friday * 31st August 2012 * 03:58:06 pm
Central European Summer Time (CEST)
Moon sign: Pisces 10° 15'

Here you find this time converted into different timezones for other cities:
SYDNEY = Friday * 31st August 2012 * 11:58:06 pm (AEST)
TOKYO = Friday * 31st August 2012 * 10:58:06 pm (JST)
BEIJING = Friday * 31st August 2012 * 09:58:06 pm (CST)
DELHI = Friday * 31st August 2012 * 07:28:06 pm (IST)
MOSCOW = Friday * 31st August 2012 * 05:58:06 pm (MSK)
BERLIN = Friday * 31st August 2012 * 03:58:06 pm (CEST)
LONDON = Friday * 31st August 2012 * 02:58:06 pm (BST)
RIO = Friday * 31st August 2012 * 10:58:06 am (BRT)
NEW YORK = Friday * 31st August 2012 * 09:58:06 am (EDT)
MEXICO CITY = Friday * 31st August 2012 * 08:58:06 am (CDT)
LOS ANGELES = Friday * 31st August 2012 * 06:58:06 am (PDT)
HONOLULU = Friday * 31st August 2012 * 03:58:06 am (HAST)


*** CURRENT NEWS ***
Pretty sad
The US American astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon, passed away at the age of 82. Thank you Neil, for this »one small step for man … and giant leap for mankind«! We will write more about him in our full moon blog next Monday.

Pretty blue
Who would like to know more about the »blue moon«, will find some information here.
www.fullmoon.info/en/blog/fullmoon-blue-moon.html

Pretty cute
Fitting to this subject, we wrote about the smurfs in our this weeks full moon blog. As they are actually born on the »blue moon«.
www.fullmoon.info/en/blog/smurfs-blue-moon.html

Pretty strong
For experts and fans of comics we have two more heroes who have quite a lot to do with the full moon: Asterix and Batman.
www.fullmoon.info/en/blog/asterix-full-moon.html
www.fullmoon.info/en/blog/batman-fullmoon.html

Pretty pretty
We are also on PINTEREST now (an online pinboard) to collect some full moon impressions. Take a look. It would be great if you follow us and repin some pictures.
www.pinterest.com/fullmooninfo
Who would like to see more can also visit Jörg's pinboard.
www.pinterest.com/joepa


We wish you best of luck and a successful time!

Moonlight wishes from 
Jörg Werner & Pat Edith Werner
Hauptstr. 31
82319 Starnberg
Germany
mail@fullmoon.info
www.fullmoon.info

Welcome to Astronomy! Now do some homework.

Hello friends.

Some time this weekend, do try to get outside and find the following objects (with the aid of your starchart).  Go to skymaps.com, if you need a new chart.

Here's the challenge.  Friday night will see a full Moon, making star finding challenging.  Do your best.

Find these objects:

Big Dipper
Little Dipper
Polaris
Summer Triangle
Great square of Pegasus
Cassiopeia
Teapot (in Sagittarius)

Try to find the answers to the these questions (online):

How many constellations are there?
What are common asterisms?
What is the Northern Cross?

Enjoy!

transit of Venus

http://sunearthday.nasa.gov/transitofvenus/

If we can't see it live.  It's looking that way....

I'll stay here a while longer, but it looks bleak.

Observing 2 Lab

Lab 7 - Observing II:  The Spring Sky

Despite the rain, the late winter and early spring skies present some good opportunities for viewing.  Heat haze is low, though precipitation can be a problem for telescopes.  In this lab, you will locate several gems of the spring sky, drawing and identifying what you see.  So get out there and dig the night sky!

Note:  On sky maps, relative brightnesses are indicated by the size of the dots.  Also, you may find it useful to use the reverse side of the chart (skymaps.com) to answer some of the other questions.

1.     If you look directly overhead (to the zenith), what would you expect to see?

2.     What constellation can you find?

3.     What asterism(s) can you find

4.     What are the brightest stars visible tonight?  Locate them.

5.     Can you see and of the stars of the Summer Triangle?  What are they?

6.     Find the Big Dipper.  Can you see the double star in the handle?  Consider yourself lucky, if so.

7.     Follow the arc of the handle toward the next bright star.  What star is this?

8.     Follow the pointer stars of the Dipper to the next bright star, Polaris.  Is this star especially bright?  That is, is it one of the 5 brightest stars visible tonight?

9.     Continuing on, locate Cassiopeia and the Northern Cross.

10.  What is the lowest object you can see on your horizon?

11.  What planet(s) is/are visible at this time?

12.  Can you detect any color in stars or planets?  Comment.

13.  What objects lie along the ecliptic?

14.  If your skies are exceptionally clear, locate the broad band of stars comprising our own Milky Way galaxy.  Consider yourself lucky if you can find it.

15.  Can you find any Messier objects?  What are Messier objects?

16.  List other interesting events worth viewing this month.

17.  Comment on the general viewing conditions in your region.

Questions

1.  What are the easiest ways to tell the difference between a star and a planet?

2.  Are there any comets viewable right now (with telescope)?

3.  When is the next full Moon?

4.  What is the brightest object you see tonight (other than the Moon)?

field trip update

At present, we are leaving next Thursday, missing advisory and D, F and lunch.  Plan to bring a lunch or cash.  We'll hang in DC from 11:30 to 1:30 or so, returning to school by 3.

Other homework.  Our last few classes will be devoted to modern topics.  I'll post a short list below.  I'm going to ask each of you to pick something of interest to you and plan to teach us about it - a 15 minute lesson, more or less.  Here are some potential topics:

black holes
dark matter
dark energy
inflation theory
variable stars
neutron stars
pulsars
quasars
WMAP
James Webb telescope
something related to our field trip *


* With this in mind, make sure you bring a notebook and/or camera to DC next week.