Posted by Vicki Sieglen on 13 Oct 2006 at 12:11 pm.
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Lake Afton Public Observatory
25 Years of Astronomy: Deep Sky Theme
October 13-14, 20-21
7:30pm-10:00pm
The Observatory is 25 years old! Come and join us for our silver anniversary as we compare what astronomers knew about the universe when we opened in 1981, with what we believe to be true today.
For the deep sky theme we will look at a binary or double star, a star forming region, a star cluster, and a galaxy through our 16 inch telescope and talk about how our understanding of each of these objects has changed during the last 25 years.
Posted by Vicki Sieglen on 7 Oct 2006 at 9:31 am.
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Lake Afton Public Observatory
Saturday, October 7 at 10:00pm
Object to be photographed: The Full Moon
On selected clear nights, anyone with a 35mm single-lens reflex camera with a removable lens can take an astronomical photographs with the Observatory’s Telescope. Automatic camera without a manual override cannot be used to take astronomical photos . Digital cameras with a tripod mount (a threaded hole on the bottom of the camera) may also be used for the moon and planets.
For this photography program ISO 400 or 800 color film is recommended.
Posted by Vicki Sieglen on 6 Oct 2006 at 9:17 am.
Make a Comment. Filed under Event.
Lake Afton Public Observatory
25 Years of Astronomy: Deep Sky Theme
October 6-7, 27-28
7:30pm-10:00pm
The Observatory is 25 years old! Come and join us for our silver anniversary as we compare what astronomers knew about the universe when we opened in 1981, with what we believe to be true today.
For the Moon and Planet Theme we will look at the Moon, Uranus, Neptune and a star with planets as we discuss recent missions to the moon, the Voyager 2 mission to Uranus and Neptune, and the discovery of extra-solar planets.
Posted by Vicki Sieglen on 29 Sep 2006 at 9:16 am.
1 Comment. Filed under Event.
Lake Afton Public Observatory
25 Years of Astronomy: Deep Sky Theme
September 29-30
8:00pm-10:00pm
The Observatory is 25 years old! Come and join us for our silver anniversary as we compare what astronomers knew about the universe when we opened in 1981, with what we believe to be true today.
For the Moon and Planet Theme we will look at the Moon, Uranus, Neptune and a star with planets as we discuss recent missions to the moon, the Voyager 2 mission to Uranus and Neptune, and the discovery of extra-solar planets.
Posted by Vicki Sieglen on 22 Sep 2006 at 12:00 pm.
Make a Comment. Filed under Event.
Lake Afton Public Observatory
25 Years of Astronomy: Deep Sky Theme
Sept 22-23
8:00pm-10:00pm
The Observatory is 25 years old! Come and join us for our silver anniversary as we compare what astronomers knew about the universe when we opened in 1981, with what we believe to be true today.
For the deep sky theme we will look at a binary or double star, a star forming region, a star cluster, and a galaxy through our 16 inch telescope and talk about how our understanding of each of these objects has changed during the last 25 years.
Posted by Vicki Sieglen on 15 Sep 2006 at 12:00 pm.
Make a Comment. Filed under Event.
Lake Afton Public Observatory
25 Years of Astronomy: Deep Sky Theme
Sept 15-16, 22-23
8:00pm-10:00pm
The Observatory is 25 years old! Come and join us for our silver anniversary as we compare what astronomers knew about the universe when we opened in 1981, with what we believe to be true today.
For the deep sky theme we will look at a binary or double star, a star forming region, a star cluster, and a galaxy through our 16 inch telescope and talk about how our understanding of each of these objects has changed during the last 25 years.
Posted by Davin Flateau on 11 Sep 2006 at 3:11 pm.
1 Comment. Filed under Astronomy.
NASA has announced a new contest for students ages 11-18: create your own audio or video podcast!
It’s an exciting time for educators and students. Before the end of the next decade, NASA astronauts will return to the moon. This time, we’re planning to stay, building outposts and paving the way for eventual journeys to Mars and beyond. Today’s students will be tomorrow’s explorers. How will space exploration benefit their lives in the future?
That’s the question this competition asks of students ages 11-18. The first NASA 21st Century Explorer Podcast Competition challenges students to create unique audio and video podcasts. The topic? How will space exploration benefit your life in the future?
Running from September 1 through October 10, 2006, this competition is open to United States citizens ages 11-18. Students are grouped into two age divisions: 11-14 and 15-18. Each division will have two separate categories: audio podcast and video podcast. First, second, and third place prizes will be awarded in each category and age group. An additional “People’s Choice Award” will honor one podcast for each age division.
Students may choose to create several podcasts, but only one entry may be submitted for each person. More details and the entry form can be found at the 21st Century Explorer Podcast Competition website at www.explorationpodcast.com. Students under 18 need written consent from a parent or guardian.
All work needs to be original. Any use of copyrighted material will disqualify the entry.
Time is short. The competition begins September 1 and ends after the first 1,000 entries are submitted in each category OR at midnight on October 10, whichever comes first.
Winners will be announced at the 2nd Space Exploration Conference in Houston, TX on December 6, 2006.
Encourage students to grab their iPods and thinking caps and peer into their futures. This is a wonderful opportunity to take a close look at where space exploration may take 21st Century explorers!
Feel free to pass this email on to your education and public outreach contacts. We want to get as many entries as possible (a maximum of 1000 per category). If you have any questions, please contact Chris Giersch at c.giersch@larc.nasa.gov.
Posted by Davin Flateau on 11 Sep 2006 at 10:11 am.
Make a Comment. Filed under Astronomy.
Leonard David of Space.com reports that the sequel to the X-Prize winning Spaceship 1 is about to enter the test flight stage:
The Mojave, California Spaceport is preparing to handle test flights of the SpaceShipTwo – a passenger carrying suborbital craft, according to Bill Deaver, editor and publisher of the Mojave Desert News.
The newspaper on Thursday cited recent comments from Burt Rutan, head of Scaled Composites – the firm working to build the spaceship and its giant mothership, White Knight 2.
…
“I expect we will see at least two space flights a day in the next few years,” Rutan said, noting that the spacecraft and the launch vehicles he is designing “will be able to make two flights per day,” the newspaper story stated.
We didn’t get our flying cars for the start of the 21st century, but it looks like private spaceflight is well on its way!
Posted by Vicki Sieglen on 8 Sep 2006 at 12:00 pm.
Make a Comment. Filed under Event.
Lake Afton Public Observatory
25 Years of Astronomy: Deep Sky Theme
Sept 8-9, 15-16, 22-23
8:00pm-10:00pm
The Observatory is 25 years old! Come and join us for our silver anniversary as we compare what astronomers knew about the universe when we opened in 1981, with what we believe to be true today.
For the deep sky theme we will look at a binary or double star, a star forming region, a star cluster, and a galaxy through our 16 inch telescope and talk about how our understanding of each of these objects has changed during the last 25 years.
Posted by Davin Flateau on 4 Sep 2006 at 8:40 am.
Make a Comment. Filed under General.
We’ve just been so busy putting together a great lineup of new astronomy and space shows and exhibits, that posting about all of the great new exhibits went to the back burner. Hopefully, everyone’s been following all the developments in The Eagle.
Sue: TheT-Rex is captivating thousands of people in its opening weekend, but while many come to see the giant dinosaur tower over them, they are also discovering the other new major happenings at EP: The biggest CyberDome show ever, and a new astronomy exhibit gallery featuring over 2,500 pounds of real meteorites - all found in Kansas!
CyberDome Spectacular: Cosmic Collisions narrated by Robert Redford.
Developed by The American Museum of Natural History in New York City, Cosmic Collisions is an exhilarating trip exploring what happens with things - sometimes very large things - go “crash” in the night sky. As we’ve seen with the asteroid impact that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs, cosmic collisions can be a real threat to life on Earth.
The show uses simulations powered by supercomputers to accurately show what giant impacts may have looked like. See the moon in the night sky? It’s a result of a Mars-sized body smashing into Earth, and you’ll see the explosion surround you, just as it may have looked like if you were around 4.5 billion years ago. Hey, can anyone resist a show that blows up the earth twice?
Exploration Place is excited to be the first place in the U.S. outside of New York City to show Cosmic Collisions to the public. Visitors also get a live update on the latest threats from cosmic impacts, analyzing the orbits of near earth asteroids to see which ones might come a little too close to comfort in the near future.
New Astronomy Exhibit Gallery - An meteoroid impact 65 million years ago may have led to the extinction of the dinosaurs, but don’t blame the five large meteorites on display in our new astronomy exhibit gallery. The 2,500 pounds of real meteorites are all from Kansas, from the original Brenham meteorite that exploded above Kansas centuries ago. Two meteorites, each weighing hundreds of pounds, were just discovered in July, and are making their public debut at EP. But you can’t miss the “main mass” - the record holding world’s largest oriented pallasite on display, tipping the scales at a whopping 1,400 pounds. There are two meteorites you can even touch!
In the new gallery, it’s hard to miss the two giant 50″ plasma screens that display the latest astronomy news and information in stunning high-definition video. The ViewSpace exhibit screens are linked to the Hubble Space Telescope Science Institute, and update every day with the latest breaking news about astronomy and space. You can also learn about black holes, giant stellar explosions, and all different aspects astronomy, including what stars and planets are visible in the sky tonight. Visitors can literally spend hours with this great new display, and still not see all it has to offer.
Rounding our the new astronomy exhibits is the Astro Computing Station, where you can get online with the best astronomy websites and experiment with the Universe using a variety of astronomy programs.
Whew! We certainly hope to see you at Exploration Place soon. The Universe awaits!
Posted by Vicki Sieglen on 2 Sep 2006 at 9:28 am.
Make a Comment. Filed under Event.
Lake Afton Public Observatory
Saturday, September 2 at 10:00pm
Object to be photographed: The Moon
On selected clear nights, anyone with a 35mm single-lens reflex camera with a removable lens can take an astronomical photographs with the Observatory’s Telescope. Automatic camera without a manual override cannot be used to take astronomical photos . Digital cameras with a tripod mount (a threaded hole on the bottom of the camera) may also be used for the moon and planets.
For this photography program ISO 400 or 800 color film is recommended.
Posted by Vicki Sieglen on 1 Sep 2006 at 9:28 am.
Make a Comment. Filed under Event.
Lake Afton Public Observatory
25 Years of Astronomy: Deep Sky Theme
September 1-2, 29-30
8:00pm-10:00pm
The Observatory is 25 years old! Come and join us for our silver anniversary as we compare what astronomers knew about the universe when we opened in 1981, with what we believe to be true today.
For the Moon and Planet Theme we will look at the Moon, Uranus, Neptune and a star with planets as we discuss recent missions to the moon, the Voyager 2 mission to Uranus and Neptune, and the discovery of extra-solar planets.
