OSGC Educational Resources Blog

Star watching guidance from our friends at OMSI
The biggest show occurs at the end of June, as Venus and Saturn pass less than one degree from each other. Toward the end of the month of June, look for two bright “stars” very close low in the western sky. Venus is the brightest of the two at magnitude -4.43, and Saturn is at magnitude 0.43. Their closest approach occurs on June 30, when they will be just 0.7 degrees apart, the smallest conjunction of two naked-eye planets all year.

With binoculars or a low magnification telescope you can easily see both Venus and Saturn at the same time. Through the binoculars, Saturn will appear oval-shaped because the binoculars cannot resolve the rings from the disk of the planet. Through a telescope, look for Saturn’s beautiful rings. Venus also might not look entirely round in a telescope. Because it orbits closer to the Sun than the Earth, Venus goes through phases, similar to the way the Moon seems to change shape. Between June 1 and June 30, Venus goes from a quarter phase to a crescent phase. The star Regulus of Leo, the Lion, will be just 7 degrees to the upper left of the conjunction.

To catch all the action, be sure to go outside early, before 9:00 pm. The celestial line-up starts setting in the west not long after. June 30 is also the date of the Full “Strawberry” Moon in June at 5:49 a.m. PDT.

Far away from the action, giant Jupiter is rising in the southeast in the early evening. Second only to Venus in brightness (except for the Moon), Jupiter is another great telescopic sight. Even with just a good pair of binoculars, can spot its four biggest moons. The star Antares is just 5.43 degrees to the lower left of the gas giant in June and July.

On June 27, the waxing gibbous moon will be just 1.23 degrees from the red star Antares of Scorpion.

Thursday’s landing of shuttle Atlantis was called off due to inclement weather in and around Kennedy Space Center but the shuttle has five more landing opportunities over the next three days.  The possibilities include landings in Florida and California.

Florida - Friday or Saturday at 2:16 p.m. and 3:51 p.m. EDT
California - Friday at 5:21 p.m. or 6:56 p.m. EDT

Please check the official NASA website for further details.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html
To view the landing on NASA TV,  visit this link:
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

The Educational Materials section of NASA’s Web site offers classroom activities, educator guides, posters and other types of resources that are available for use in the classroom. Materials are listed by type, grade level and subject. A new item is now available in the Posters section of the Educational Materials area.

Barbara Morgan, Educator Astronaut Poster
Educator Astronaut Barbara Morgan makes her first spaceflight on STS-118. Educator Astronauts are teachers with expertise in K-12 classrooms who are selected by NASA to become fully qualified astronauts. With their backgrounds, they will help lead NASA in the development of new ways to connect space exploration with the classroom and to inspire the next generation of explorers. The back of the poster lists information for teachers on how and where to obtain NASA resources.

Download the Barbara Morgan, Educator Astronaut poster from the following location:
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Barbara_Morgan_Poster.html

Sally Ride Science, in partnership with Northrop Grumman and NASA, is offering an Educator Institute on August 4, 2007, at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in San Diego, Calif. This one-day professional development program for upper elementary and middle school science teachers will focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM. The institute will include presentations about the STS-118 mission and first Educator Astronaut Barbara Morgan, hands-on workshops, and a keynote address by a NASA astronaut.

For more information and to register online, visit: http://www.sallyrideeducators.com/

The National Science Teachers Association, in its latest newsletter to high school educators, lists a plethora of websites offiering free classroom resources for science teachers. The list is extensive so take your time and find the best activities and multimedia for your needs. Visit the NSTA’s list here:
http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2007-06/news_stories_high.htm

The National Science Teachers Association, in its latest newsletter to high school educators, lists several excellent and free resources offered by the US government for educational use.

Listings include the National Institutes of Health, NASA, The National Science Foundation, NOAA, The Department of Education, EPA, and USGS. Descriptions of free resources are available through hte links at the following NSTA website:
http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2007-06/books_high.htm

Five scientists with the British Antarctic Survey have agreed to play live for the upcoming Live Earth concerts scheduled for July 7. Though winter conditions in Antarctica may prove challenging for the band and it’s small audience, the researchers have promised former President Al Gore their full cooperation for the event. To read more about the band, the researchers, and the Live Earth Show, please visit the British Antarctic Survey Website found at the following link:
http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/feature/nunatak/index.html

The 11th Annual Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment Conference, scheduled for July 29-Aug. 3, 2007, will take place in San Antonio, Texas. The annual conference brings together teachers, scientists, academics, program managers and government officials from around the world to address the key ideas for improving education through GLOBE, supporting awareness of sustainable development and scientific elements of GLOBE, and sustaining the strength of GLOBE.

This year’s conference will highlight GLOBE’s new Earth System Science Projects that are the focus of the Next Generation GLOBE. Participants will also have the opportunity to interact with scientists who are using GLOBE data in their own research, learn about new technology and science education, and discuss effective methods to enhance and implement GLOBE. Conference sessions will offer discussions on strengthening and sustaining GLOBE, with particular attention paid to building regional consortia that strengthen and empower GLOBE coordinators and learning communities with top scientists and educators from around the world.

For more information and to register online, visit:
http://www.globe.gov/fsl/html/templ.cgi?sanantonio2007&lang=en&nav=1

Summer officially begins with the summer solstice on Thursday, June 21 at 11:06 am PDT. On Saturday evening, June 16, OMSI, Rose City Astronomers and Vancouver Sidewalk Astronomers will celebrate the summer solstice and the beginning of summer with a free Star Party! Join us as we gaze at the spring / summer night sky at Rooster Rock State Park, located 22 miles east of Portland on I-84 (east of Sandy River) at exit 25, starting at 8:30 pm. Parking is $3 per vehicle.

Members of RCA and VSA will make their telescopes available to anyone who attends, and OMSI Planetarium Manager Jim Todd will present informal talks on the occurrence. From beginners to experts of all ages, visitors will have the opportunity to view the stars and other objects through a variety of telescopes.

Viewing highlights include the planet Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, the waxing crescent moon, Nebulae, clusters, and more! As a bonus, the International Space Station, docked with the Space Shuttle, will be visible during the evening. For possible weather cancellation, call (503) 797-4610 on June 16 after 3:00 PM to get the latest information.

For more information regarding this star party and other programs offered at OMSI, please visit the OMSI Planetarium website at the following link:
http://www.omsi.edu/visit/planetarium/

Applications are being accepted for summer workshops sponsored by NASA and the Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium. The workshops offer innovative ways to teach science in the classroom, information on the latest science research and standards-based activities. Educators of grades 4-12 from across the country are encouraged to apply. Attendees will work side-by-side with Penn State faculty. The 2007 summer sessions are:

– July 8-13: The Science and Impacts of Weather Prediction: How Weather Forecasts Shape Our Daily Lives.
– July 15-20: Planet, Star, or Neither? Pluto, Brown Dwarfs, and Exoplanets.
– July 22-27: Evolution — How Important Is It to a Good Science Education?
– July 29-August 3: The Enigma of Extreme Cosmic Particles and the New Science Multimessenger Astronomy.
– August 5-10: Origins and Fate of Our Cosmos: Understanding the Big-Bang Cosmology.

To access more information and to apply, go to http://teachscience.psu.edu/about.html