More Google Astronomy

On the heels of the announcement last month, Google has now come out with Google Moon.

This had been previously available in a limited fashion, showing the Apollo landing areas. However, if you used the zoom function and zoomed all the way in, you got to see the moon as cheese.

This new version, however, is serious. They have used more actual imagery of the moon, and includes lunar charts as well.

As of now, they are only showing a small area of the moon, but it’s hoped that they will expand to encompass the entire surface of our natural satellite.

So head on over there and explore the moon and find out where twelve humans took the first steps on another world.

TV Alert! - “Seeing in the Dark”

For those of you out there who might be interested in just what astronomy - especially amateur astronomy - is all about, there’s a television special for you airing on Wednesday, September 19th on PBS.

It is titled “Seeing in the Dark” and it is a film by noted author Timothy Ferris.

Stargazing is the subject of Seeing in the Dark, a 60-minute, state-of-the-art, high-definition (HDTV) documentary by Timothy Ferris that premieres on PBS September 19, 2007 at 8:00 p.m. The film, Ferris’ third, is based on his book, Seeing in the Dark (2002), named by The New York Times as one of the ten best books of the year.

“Seeing in the Dark is meant to alter, inspire and illuminate the lives of millions,” said Ferris. “It introduces viewers to the rewards of first-person, hands-on astronomy — from kids learning the constellations to amateur astronomers doing professional-grade research in discovering planets and exploding stars. I hope it will encourage many viewers to make stargazing part of their lives, and a few to get into serious amateur astronomy.”

Locally the show will air on WGVU Channel 35 & 52 at 8.00pm EDT, with a repeat on Friday at 2.00am.

We encourage anyone with an interest in astronomy to watch this program. And as a bonus, after the feature, there will be a repeat showing of the program “The Sidewalk Astronomer” about the life of John Dobson…

On any given night around the world, thousands of people peer into deep space because of John Dobson. A 91-year-old with a white ponytail and a knack for comedy, John Dobson revolutionized astronomy. He is the inventor of the Dobsonian telescope mount, which changed the field of astronomy dramatically, making telescopes accessible to the public on every continent. A former Vedanta monk of the Ramakrishna Order, he is a co-founder of “Sidewalk Astronomers,” an organization that encourages amateurs to share their telescopes and knowledge with others on busy city streets and in national parks. As John says, “The Universe is bigger than the Earth; it’s bigger than the solar system; it’s bigger than our galaxy and we owe it to ourselves to notice it.”

For more information on “Seeing in the Dark” please check out the PBS website, and the companion website to the film.

And after seeing both of these programs, come out and see your local amateur astronomers at the James C. Veen Observatory. You’ll get to see up close and personal just what astronomers do.

Where’s that Planet?

Depending on what time you are outside, there are at least three planets available in the sky at any given time during September. Evening brings you Jupiter, nighttime gives you Mars, and morning brings you Venus. But just what time are these easily seen?

We’ll start with the evening, and work throughout the night (all information is for September 15th).

As the sun sets in the west, Jupiter is already up in the southern sky, just west of due south. It is the brightest object in the evening sky, and sets in the southwest before midnight.

Turning to the east about a one-half our after Jupiter sets, Mars is rising and is 30° over the horizon at 3.00am. At 0 megnitude, it is the brightest object in the sky until the star Sirius rises an hour later. At dawn Mars is nearly 70 high about straight south.

At just before sunrise, the planets Venus ans Saturn appear in the morning twilight. At 7:00am, Venus is a brilliant star-like object 25° above the horizon, while Saturn shines a bit dimmer 10° to the lower left of Venus. Sunrise will quickly cause Saturn to disappear in the morning glare, but Venus stay visible longer.

So no matter what time of night you are out and about, there will be a bright planet visible to your eyes.  Go out and enjoy the wonders of the starry sky above your head.