Well, another interesting month is about to slip by, actually had a few clear nights this month for stargazing, and then the Oklahoma Express, Monsoon started up. Interesting weather, Glad our proposed sight for building in Branson is up the hill from the lake. I think we will have to get a boat to rescue our dock at the family cabin on Tablerock. If you get a chance get down to the dam and watch the water coming from the spillways, hasnt happened since 08. An awesome display of man and nature. Anyway, big news for the planetarium coming up. April 29th and 30th, 2:00-9:00 pm we will be at the Branson Food and Wine Festival. Why? Just to talk to people aout the project, and meet people that have been drinking wine, maybe they will want to contribute. LOL We will have cookies and conversation, so come by and see us.
May 21st, no matter what 417 Magazine says (see article May 417) we will have our official, very first, Launch Party, Fundraiser at the Branson, MO REC-PLEX, 5:30-10:00 PM. Counting on everyone to come out and see us. There will be a portable planetarium, telescope viewing, prizes, demonstrations, balloons, etc. Come find out about us and see what the planetarium is all about. We are hoping to have actual graphic renderings of what the facility could look like.
And I hope to have a very big announcement by then????? Have to come?
The visual sky this month,
Saturn is still up and spectacular, the night of 22-23 you should see the four brightest moons strung out in a line. (binos).
The Eta Aquarid Meteor shower on the 6th is truly a way for the visual observer to experience the universe. up to 25 meteors per hour, but will be coming from the S.E. instead of from straight down, so will be slightly sideways when they come over. This is debris from the tail of Halley's comet.
Early mornings will see Jupiter, Venus, Mercury, and Mars all coming up about 30 minutes before the sun in the east.
Nothing to spectacular, but as I say each month, buy a good pair of Astronomical Binoculars, or a small telescope. Get in touch with me and I can make suggestions. With just good binos you will get way better views than those wal mart telescopes, and are much easier to use.
Ok, have to get going to Branson for the Wine and Food or Food and Wine not sure which comes first, but I will figure it out.
Keep Looking Up:
Larry
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
April Showers? or Wind
Seems more like March today as I write this. Supposed to storm (april showers) tomorrow though. The wind today was atrocious. Last night I tried what is called a Messier Marathon. Charles Messier created a list of 109 objects that are popular with all observers. March 15th is the ideal time to catch all objects from dusk to daylight. But I tried to image each object with a computerized telescope (go to) but even that wasnt good enough as mother nature tried to blow us off the field about 4:00 am. With about 70 images acquired. Of course when I say 70 that means 10 exposures with the camera with the shutter open for 15 sec. each. So it does take some time, for each. Thats basically 700 images. Anyway, it was the best night probably of the year, so far. And I want to thank Steve Davis, Tammy Flippen and John Moody, probably one of the best amateur imagers in this area. http://panthercreekastro.mysite.com/index.html for their help and support. I am not that good as I am still learning (slowly). lol
April the night sky:
April 23--1:00 am till dawn the Lyrid meteor shower. unfortunately the moon will be up also, but if you can find a tree or something to block the moon, think shadow, the shower should be fairly good. At least warmer, they will originate from the constellation Lyra so look for Vega, brightest star overhead. Good luck.
April 30, early in the month if you are up at or before dawn, you can see the crescent moon just above very bright Venus, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter. But a telescope or binocs will be necessary for most. Venus will be 87% full and very bright.
So, not much exciting for visual observers, but as I always tell you, it doesnt cost much to get involved with a little help, you could show your kids the rings of Saturn or the moons of Jupiter this month. Not sure of the date, but the Springfield Astronomy Club will have an outreach just before our big launch party/fundraiser in Branson, so come visit, and talk to some of the members and we can help you out.
The Planetarium project is moving along, and I hope everybody will consider supporting us, and donating if possible. We are also looking for some board members from the Branson area. All we need is the support of the community, and we can make this happen.
Keep Looking Up
Larry
April the night sky:
April 23--1:00 am till dawn the Lyrid meteor shower. unfortunately the moon will be up also, but if you can find a tree or something to block the moon, think shadow, the shower should be fairly good. At least warmer, they will originate from the constellation Lyra so look for Vega, brightest star overhead. Good luck.
April 30, early in the month if you are up at or before dawn, you can see the crescent moon just above very bright Venus, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter. But a telescope or binocs will be necessary for most. Venus will be 87% full and very bright.
So, not much exciting for visual observers, but as I always tell you, it doesnt cost much to get involved with a little help, you could show your kids the rings of Saturn or the moons of Jupiter this month. Not sure of the date, but the Springfield Astronomy Club will have an outreach just before our big launch party/fundraiser in Branson, so come visit, and talk to some of the members and we can help you out.
The Planetarium project is moving along, and I hope everybody will consider supporting us, and donating if possible. We are also looking for some board members from the Branson area. All we need is the support of the community, and we can make this happen.
Keep Looking Up
Larry
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Well it's here
Yes, I think we can finally say Spring is here, robins, fish biting, pear trees starting to flower, and yes the wind is blowing. I'm begining to think if we dont get a planetarium we will never see the stars again. I wanted to visit a little bit about the financial models for our project and how anyone who wants to get involved or help can. Our project is proposed on the idea that if we make a profit by providing the tourists and locals a wonderful entertainment venue. We will be able to offer school children a very low cost educational, and yes inspirational and entertaining opportunity. This opportunity will allow kids to get excited about STEM education. huh. that stands for science,technology, engineering and math. And yes, there are other venues teaching this in the region. But, what if a kid could attend a space camp in the summer, or figure out what they might be most interested in, and be able to concentrate on that discipline? The teaching opportunities are endless. And when I say low cost I mean, money shouldn't be the issue. I mean if a teacher brings in a class for a dome presentation, they would be required to take back a lesson plan and report back to us the results of what was learned and retained. Instead of writing a check!! What do you think, I would like to know. We have lots of other ideas for learning. A learning library. Like something you saw at the presentation, want to learn more? Your teacher will be able to check out a book for you to investigate just that subject. Telescopes that can be lended like a library? But it all depends on community support, and by that I mean from corporate donors to individuals willing to support this project even if it's only 5-10-25.00 at a time. I feel its time that this region have a resource that only larger metropolitan areas enjoy. And we can do this with the entertainment aspect. I am not going into any observing this time. It will soon be time for the May update I just thought it was important for everyone to get a feel of what we were trying to do. We also will be having our first launch party/fundraiser at the Branson Rec Plex in May. Big surprises in store and family fun. Stay tuned. Like us on Facebook, follow on Twitter. Pass along our website, and before long we will be flying through the universe.
Keep Looking Up!!
Larry
Keep Looking Up!!
Larry
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Almost March Already
Cant believe it but we made it (almost) through February already. Hope nobody froze to death or got buried in snow. lol It was pretty rough for a few days though.
As I indicated last month I would like to tell you about our plans for our Science Center and Hubble Museum, at the new Planetarium we want to build. A lot of people in this area are satisfied with the status quo and are happy with the educational opportunities available in southwest missouri, but I am not. I feel as long as China is graduating 42% of their students in math, science and physics, and we are only graduating 4-5% in the same fields, something is wrong. Are our students less intelligent? I don't think so. I feel that it has to do with culture and opportunity to be exposed to the wonderful things these disciplines can engender. I grew up in the era of the Apollo moon missions. At that time it was a lot of kids dreams to be an astronaut or be involved in space. But those times have changed. And not for the better. Children need to get back to believing that anything is possible, and not that everything is known if you just Google it.
Our Science Education Center will focus on trying to inspire the creative genius in every child that visits. And to teach them it is alright to ask questions and if the answer is not known, hey, maybe I can figure it out. We will have space camps, after school programs and AVI equipped classrooms. We will be able to show live feeds from NASA, such as the shuttle launch coming up thursday or the recent flyby of comet Temple 1. Sure you can get it on the NASA channel on direct tv. But how much cooler with a classroom of other kids getting everything explained, and why it's important. If you talk to anyone involved in space or science they were inspired by a look through a telescope or a visit to a planetarium. In our programs there will be not only space but physical science, and of course math and engineering emphasized.
We will also have a Hubble museum, most think that Hubble built the Hubble telescope, but no he grew up in Marshfield, Mo. and made many important observations about how our universe works. The telescope that bears his name was an honorarium to him. In the museum we will be celebrating Mo's contributions to astronomy. Sharpley was another famous astronomer from Missouri as well as 4 Astronauts that have ties to Missouri. And I think most schoolchildren have no idea about this. We will teach them.
The sky this month.
March:
The second half of March will bring the best views of Mercury available for a while. Look for it next to Jupiter in the early evening before they set. After the 19th Mercury will still be visible in the western sky after Jupiter has set.
In early March Saturn will be visible in the eastern sky about an hour after twilight fades.
Venus will dominate the morning sky but only about 2 hrs. fading to 75 minutes before sunrise the rest of the month. And for visual observing that's about it, for the month. Please think about a set of good binoculars or a small telescope as there are many other objects to observe with a little help.
Oh, and the vernal equinox occurs at 7:21 EDT March 20. This is the start of the Norther Hemispheres spring!! Woo Hoo finally.
Remember keep looking up
Larry
As I indicated last month I would like to tell you about our plans for our Science Center and Hubble Museum, at the new Planetarium we want to build. A lot of people in this area are satisfied with the status quo and are happy with the educational opportunities available in southwest missouri, but I am not. I feel as long as China is graduating 42% of their students in math, science and physics, and we are only graduating 4-5% in the same fields, something is wrong. Are our students less intelligent? I don't think so. I feel that it has to do with culture and opportunity to be exposed to the wonderful things these disciplines can engender. I grew up in the era of the Apollo moon missions. At that time it was a lot of kids dreams to be an astronaut or be involved in space. But those times have changed. And not for the better. Children need to get back to believing that anything is possible, and not that everything is known if you just Google it.
Our Science Education Center will focus on trying to inspire the creative genius in every child that visits. And to teach them it is alright to ask questions and if the answer is not known, hey, maybe I can figure it out. We will have space camps, after school programs and AVI equipped classrooms. We will be able to show live feeds from NASA, such as the shuttle launch coming up thursday or the recent flyby of comet Temple 1. Sure you can get it on the NASA channel on direct tv. But how much cooler with a classroom of other kids getting everything explained, and why it's important. If you talk to anyone involved in space or science they were inspired by a look through a telescope or a visit to a planetarium. In our programs there will be not only space but physical science, and of course math and engineering emphasized.
We will also have a Hubble museum, most think that Hubble built the Hubble telescope, but no he grew up in Marshfield, Mo. and made many important observations about how our universe works. The telescope that bears his name was an honorarium to him. In the museum we will be celebrating Mo's contributions to astronomy. Sharpley was another famous astronomer from Missouri as well as 4 Astronauts that have ties to Missouri. And I think most schoolchildren have no idea about this. We will teach them.
The sky this month.
March:
The second half of March will bring the best views of Mercury available for a while. Look for it next to Jupiter in the early evening before they set. After the 19th Mercury will still be visible in the western sky after Jupiter has set.
In early March Saturn will be visible in the eastern sky about an hour after twilight fades.
Venus will dominate the morning sky but only about 2 hrs. fading to 75 minutes before sunrise the rest of the month. And for visual observing that's about it, for the month. Please think about a set of good binoculars or a small telescope as there are many other objects to observe with a little help.
Oh, and the vernal equinox occurs at 7:21 EDT March 20. This is the start of the Norther Hemispheres spring!! Woo Hoo finally.
Remember keep looking up
Larry
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
The Winter Doldrums
Sometimes I think if I didnt look at the night sky, I would swear winter would never be over. But fortunately the groundhog in Pennsylvania, and Orion slipping farther and farther down earlier and earlier tell us that no matter how cold and snowy Spring is on its way. I do trust Orion much more than the groundhog by the way. And yes, we cant see the night sky as well as we would like to right now, but anticipation builds for when we can? When our planetarium is built we will be able to bask in the night sky in comfort and clarity. For those of you who arent familiar with a state of the art digital (domed theater) think of an Imax that projects the image on a bowl over your head, and 360 degrees around you, basically you enter inside a ball with the bottom cut away. This accurately portrays the sky dome that you see when outside. Now picture almost anything that can be shown on a screen, from astronomy shows that land you on the surface of Mars, courtesy of the Mars Rovers to flying out to the edge of the imagined Universe where our Milky Way Galaxy is just a part of the starry background. Also immersive natural science type productions. I like to imagine the lions eating, or flying to Angel Falls in Africa. And a huge amount of productions fictional or not of space adventures. And all of this in the highest definition video, with tremendous sound qualities. I could go on and on as you can tell.
The sky for Febuary:
Not to much spectacular for visual observers, buy a pair of good binoculars, under 100.00 ask me where, and you can see so much more.
The 19th thru mar. 6, look up at the eve. sky about 80 minutes after sunset, clear skies required. Look to the western horizon and you might see the zodiacal light, good for pics. with a digital camera also. You might see a tall pyramid of pearly light sloping slightly to the left, following the path of the eliptic. (the path the planets sun and moon basically travel) with Jupiter shining at its base. Very nice. This is the light reflecting off the upper atmosphere as the sun drops.
The 20th and 21st, Saturn, and the star Spica will form an equilateral triangle with the moon about 40 minutes before dawn. So get up early.
Let me know if you want tips for bino. viewing or more information on deep sky observing. Just tell me what you want and are interested in the most, next month I will let you know about the Science Education Center, and Hubble Museum that will be part of our project.
Until then remember KEEP LOOKING UP
Larry
The sky for Febuary:
Not to much spectacular for visual observers, buy a pair of good binoculars, under 100.00 ask me where, and you can see so much more.
The 19th thru mar. 6, look up at the eve. sky about 80 minutes after sunset, clear skies required. Look to the western horizon and you might see the zodiacal light, good for pics. with a digital camera also. You might see a tall pyramid of pearly light sloping slightly to the left, following the path of the eliptic. (the path the planets sun and moon basically travel) with Jupiter shining at its base. Very nice. This is the light reflecting off the upper atmosphere as the sun drops.
The 20th and 21st, Saturn, and the star Spica will form an equilateral triangle with the moon about 40 minutes before dawn. So get up early.
Let me know if you want tips for bino. viewing or more information on deep sky observing. Just tell me what you want and are interested in the most, next month I will let you know about the Science Education Center, and Hubble Museum that will be part of our project.
Until then remember KEEP LOOKING UP
Larry
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Spring is coming??
Woo Hoo, warmed up today, almost 50. I seem to remember when that was cold. Now its warm? Oh well a matter of perspective. In the a.m. if the weather is cooperative, you can see the moon, saturn, venus, and several prominent stars before sunrise. Look to the s.w. Also saturn will be a great target this next month, its rings are tilted at 10 degrees and will be impressive most of the nights. A rather sobering event is the anniversary of the Challenger disaster, friday will be the 25th year. And feb. 1 will be the anniversary of the Columbia burning up on re-entry.
Now for the fun stuff, yours truly will have an editorial piece in the Springfield New Leader on the 27th I believe. I know not much time but i'm trying. The Planetarium and Science Center got it's first write up officicially in the Branson/Tri Lakes News last week, so that is very exciting. We will have lots of news shortly concerning fund-raising and a possible launch party get together. I would continue to implore you to give out our web-site address, www.swmoplanetarium.org and to please find and like us and recommend us to your other facebook friends. We are also on Twitter, if you have a Twitter account let us know and we will follow you. Well thats about it for now. Keep looking up!!
Now for the fun stuff, yours truly will have an editorial piece in the Springfield New Leader on the 27th I believe. I know not much time but i'm trying. The Planetarium and Science Center got it's first write up officicially in the Branson/Tri Lakes News last week, so that is very exciting. We will have lots of news shortly concerning fund-raising and a possible launch party get together. I would continue to implore you to give out our web-site address, www.swmoplanetarium.org and to please find and like us and recommend us to your other facebook friends. We are also on Twitter, if you have a Twitter account let us know and we will follow you. Well thats about it for now. Keep looking up!!
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