Rainwater Observatory E-News 6/9/10
JUNE 11 PROGRAM FEATURES A PICNIC, SOLAR VIEWING, & TALK BY DAVE TESKE
We’ll start the picnic and solar viewing around 6:00 pm. If you can’t get there by 6:00, come on when you can. Please let us know how many are coming to eat. If you would be able to bring food, please let us know what. (Condiments, potato salad, baked beans, French bread, desert, etc. We’ve been given funds by a member that can’t come to provide hamburgers for everyone!
Around 7:00 pm David Teske will give a talk about the Sun and the features we can see through the telescopes. Check out this article about the Sun getting back on its stride after a year of being inactive. http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/04jun_swef/
As always, weather permitting, we will go to the telescopes after the talk to view Venus, Saturn, and other objects.
CALENDAR OF COMING EVENTS Contact us to schedule a program or field trip
June 10: Moore Memorial Methodist Church, Winona
June 11: Okolona Elementary School
June 11: Lena Baptist Church
June 11: Rainwater Picnic
June 11: Girls Scout Troop 5320
June 12: MS Tourism meeting
June 13-18: Astronomy fro Teachers Class
June 19: Royal Rangers Columbus
June 20-26: Astronomy Camp
June 24: at Caledonia Library, 1:00 pm
ASTRONOMY EDUCATION CEU WORKSHOPS FOR THE COMING YEAR
We have been included in the Mississippi NASA Space Grant budget for the coming year and are planning on hosting two weekend teacher workshops at Rainwater and several “away” one day workshops at sites around the state. We are currently scheduling the away workshops which will be focused on hands-on astronomy activities for elementary and middle school science standards. The weekend workshops will be:
November 5-6, 2010, Using Constellations to Teach Astronomy, Dr. Chris Sirola of USM.
January 28-29, 2011, Implementing and Enhancing High School Astronomy Classes, Dr. Larry Krumenaker, founder of “To Teach the Stars”.
FALL “BACKYARD ASTRONOMY”
Plan ahead for the fall “Backyard Astronomy “series. We’re having the programs on Saturdays in October to avoid conflict with football. Talks will be on fall constellations, Jupiter, “Death from the Skies”, and the life and death of stars. If you have other suggestions, like black holes or cosmology, we’d like to try to schedule them for the spring 2011 series
SUPPORT THE RAA BY BECOMING A MEMBER OR WITH A DONATION
Just a reminder!! Rainwater Astronomical Association membership is $15. (Just $10.00 for the rest of the year.) This allows a discounted subscription to Sky & Telescope magazine if you wish. Send a separate check for $32.95 made out to Sky & Telescope if you want to have this. Be sure to take advantage of our facility. Let us know if we can be of service.
NEWS FROM THE HILL
For the next two weeks we will be having a class for Ole Miss at the observatory followed by an Astronomy Camp for 13-16 year olds. Jim Hill will be leaving after that to spend the month of July at Bryce Canyon and nearby parks doing astronomy programs and star parties for the National Park Service. If you need to contact the observatory, Edwin Faughn will be available to answer your questions and give tours and programs.
ASTRO NEWS: If you have info or links you’d like to share please email it to us.
The Earth and Moon system may have formed later than earlier thought. http://www.universetoday.com/2010/06/08/the-earth-and-moon-formed-later-than-previously-thought/
A new Comet McNaught is visible in the pre-dawn sky. Check http://spaceweather.com and www.skyandtelescope.com for more information, images, and star charts.
Teachers! You can get a free DVD titled “Journey to the Stars. Go to the web site below to request a copy. It comes with lesson guides as well.
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/07jun_journeytothestars/
This week’s ‘this Week in Space” has a really interesting interview with the head of SpaceX about their recent rocket launch. Highly recommended.
http://www.universetoday.com/2010/06/07/this-week-in-space-for-june-6-2010/
A video of the launch is at http://www.universetoday.com/2010/06/04/spacex-falcon-9-successfully-launches-reaches-orbit/
New discovery hints that life may have been possible on early Mars. http://www.universetoday.com/2010/06/04/new-discovery-supports-possibility-of-microbial-life-on-mars/ Another story that goes with the previous one. http://www.universetoday.com/2010/06/03/spirit-rover-still-providing-new-evidence-for-past-water-on-mars/
A problem of how the Earth has kept a fairly constant climate for eons even though the Sun has been getting warmer may have a solution. http://www.universetoday.com/2010/06/03/early-faint-sun-paradox-explained/
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