OSGC Educational Resources Blog

Astronomy Day is an annual worldwide event designed to promote public awareness and interest in astronomy and space science. Join us on the evening of Saturday, May 10 as we gaze at the spring night sky at Rooster Rock State Park, starting at 8:30 pm. Visitors to the star party will be star-struck as they view the stars and other objects through a variety of telescopes. In addition to seeing the planets Mercury, Mars and Saturn, star clusters, waxing crescent moon, and other celestial bodies will be visible.

Located 22 miles east of Portland on I-84 (east of Sandy River) at exit 25, Rooster Rock State Park is a wonderful place to view the spring night sky. Parking is $3 per vehicle. Members of Rose City Astronomers and Vancouver Sidewalk Astronomers will make their telescopes available to anyone who attends, and OMSI Planetarium Manager Jim Todd will present informal talks on the occurrence.

For possible weather cancellation, call (503) 797-4610 on May 10 after 3:00 PM to get the latest information.

LIGO Hanford Observatory in Richland, WA will offer another in a series of technical seminars at 4:00 PM on Thursday, May 8 in the LIGO auditorium. Vanessa Lauberg of the Department of Astronomy at the University of Maryland will speak on “Induced Mergers of Stellar-Mass Black Hole Binaries in Galactic Nuclei.” Stellar-mass black hole binaries represent a promising source of gravitational waves for the LIGO detectors. This talk will focus on the physics of black hole systems in galactic centers. LIGO Seminars are open to all scientists, engineers, educators and students who may wish to attend.

Abstract: http://www.ligo-wa.caltech.edu/seminars.html
Driving directions to LIGO: http://www.ligo-wa.caltech.edu/traveler.html
May 10 Astronomy Day event: http://www.ligo-wa.caltech.edu/astro_day_08.html

Join NASA in 2009 as it celebrates the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first observations of the universe through a telescope. In honor of this historic event, the International Astronomical Union and the United Nations have proclaimed 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy.

The purpose of IYA is to spread awareness of astronomy’s contributions to society and culture, stimulate young people’s interest in science, portray astronomy as a global peaceful endeavor and to nourish a scientific outlook in society.

NASA invites you to join in the celebration of IYA 2009, as a part of the overall U.S. IYA effort. To commemorate this event, NASA has launched a new Web site that will serve as a portal to NASA resources, events, and opportunities for involvement. A program of regional and national IYA activities for students, teachers and the public are currently being planned.

To learn more about this IYA and to find news and information about events that are being planned, visit http://astronomy2009.nasa.gov/

In 1609, Galileo first turned his telescope to the heavens and revolutionized humanity’s understanding of its place in the universe. In honor of the 400th anniversary of the astronomical telescope, the IYA will feature hands-on workshops and a three-day symposium to help educators, scientists, and anyone working in astronomy and space science outreach to prepare for the 2009 International Year of Astronomy.

The symposium will be held in St. Louis from May 31-June 4, 2008.

To learn more about this event and to sign up to receive e-mail updates, visit http://www.astrosociety.org/2008meeting

(from our friends at OMSI in Portland, OR)

Another OMSI Star Party is scheduled for this Saturday evening at Rooster Rock starting at 8:30 pm. The early weather forecast shows some potential for mostly clear conditions for the event. ISS will be visible as a bonus at 8:24 pm. For possible weather cancellation, check the webpage link below, or call (503) 797-4610 on April 12 after 3:00 PM to get the latest information. Clear Skies! Jim Todd

http://www.omsi.edu/visit/EventDetail.cfm?ID=95

April 12, 2008
Two of the visible planets of the solar system will join Earth’s moon in the night sky in mid-April, and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is inviting sky gazers to watch them at an evening event. Saturn, Mars and the Moon will gather in the evening sky on Saturday April 12, and OMSI, the Rose City Astronomers (RCA) and Vancouver Sidewalk Astronomers are throwing an Star Party that evening, weather permitting. Join us as we gaze at the spring 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. For possible weather cancellation, call (503) 797-4610 on April 12 after 3:00 PM to get the latest information. Parking is $3 per vehicle.

The Cassini Scientist for a Day contest challenges students to become NASA scientists studying Saturn. Participants are challenged to examine three target images taken by Cassini and choose the one that they think will yield the best scientific results. This choice must then be explained in a 500-word essay.

The contest is open to all students in the United States from grades 5-12, working alone or in groups of up to four students. The essays will be divided into three groups: grades 5-6, 7-8 and 9-12. All submissions must be students’ original work. Each student can submit only one entry.

Deadline for Spring 2008 submissions is noon Pacific time (3 p.m. EDT) on May 8, 2008 .
For more information, visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/education/scientist/

(A news flash from our friends at OMSI) 

The ATV Jules Verne is scheduled to dock with ISS at 7:41 am PDT Thursday morning. They will be visible over Portland this coming Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings. For more information, check out the links below. Sighting times are subject to change by NASA and ESA. Enjoy!

Wednesday, April 2
The ISS will be visible at 9:31 pm followed by ATV Jules Verne 9:36 pm moving from N to NE at altitude of 24 degrees. (subject to change)

Thursday, April 3
The ISS and ATV Jules Verne will be visible at 8:18 pm moving from WNW to NE at altitude of 24 degrees. Again at 9:53 pm moving from NW to NNW at altitude of 26 degrees. (subject to change)

Friday, April 4
The ISS and ATV Jules Verne will be visible at 8:40 pm moving from NW to NE at altitude of 23 degrees. Again at 10:14 pm moving from NW to NW at altitude of 21 degrees. (subject to change)

Sighting source: http://www.heavens-above.com/?lat=45.524&lng=-122.675&alt=0&loc=Portland&TZ=PST
ISS Main page: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
ATV: http://www.esa.int/esaMI/ATV/SEMDQL5QGEF_0.html

FROM NASA (4/2/08):
The Expedition 16 crew of the International Space Station returned to science and station maintenance activities Tuesday after Monday’s successful test approach of the Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV).

Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman worked together to set up equipment for a periodic physical fitness evaluation. Reisman exercised on the station’s cycle ergometer while wearing a heart rate monitor. Whitson collected data from this session, which exercise physiologists and flight surgeons will use to assess Reisman’s health and make adjustments to his exercise regimen if needed.

Later, Reisman worked in the Quest airlock, performing maintenance on the cooling loops of the U.S. spacesuits.

In preparation for the ATV docking on Thursday, Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko checked the hardware needed to perform leak checks in the event of a failure in the power unit of the cargo carrier’s depress valve.

The Jules Verne approached the station on Monday for its “Demo Day 2″ practice maneuvers. It moved to within 36 feet of the Zvezda Service Module in a rehearsal for docking on Thursday.

The ATV reached its closest point to the station at 12:38 p.m. EDT, at which time it was commanded by the crew to retreat to a point 62 feet away. From there it executed an “escape” command to depart the station for its three-day phasing prior to final approach and docking around 10:41 a.m. Thursday.

Yuri Gagarin embarked on the historic first manned space flight on 12 April 1961. Twenty years later on 12 April 1981, the US launched the first space shuttle flight. Every year on April 12, people around the world celebrate the first man in space and the first space shuttle flight. The celebration is called Yuri’s Night. Last year there were over 90 events or parties held in over 30 countries worldwide - and this year may be even bigger. The range of events is as diverse as the people who hold them – even the residents of the International Space Station have been known to join in the fun!

You can find an event near you or plan to host your own gathering at the official Yuri’s Night website: http://www.yurisnight.net/2008/

Next on NOVA: “Voyage to the Mystery Moon”
http://www.pbs.org/nova/titan

Tuesday, April 1 at 8 p.m.
Check your local listings as dates and times may vary.

Chronicling a bold voyage of discovery — the Cassini/Huygens mission to Saturn and its enigmatic moon Titan — NOVA’s “Voyage to the Mystery Moon” delivers striking images of these fascinating planetary bodies nearly a billion miles from Earth. Saturn’s broad rings hold myriad mysteries, and Titan, whose soupy atmosphere is similar to the one that enshrouded our planet billions of years ago, may hold clues to the origins of life.

Here’s what you’ll find on the companion Web site:

Life on a Tiny Moon? http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/titan/porco.html
Saturn’s water-spewing moon Enceladus has suddenly become target #1 in the search for life beyond Earth, says astrophysicist Carolyn Porco.

Anatomy of the Rings http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/titan/anatomy.html
Images sent back from Cassini are resolving age-old mysteries about Saturn’s rings.

How to Get an Atmosphere http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/titan/atmosphere.html
Only four planets or moons with solid bodies — Earth, Mars, Venus, and Titan — have substantial atmospheres. Why?

Sounds of Titan http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/titan/sounds.html
Hear the first-ever audio recording from one billion miles away, and find out what makes sounds in space different from those on Earth.

Also, Links & Books, the Teacher’s Guide, the program transcript, and more:
http://www.pbs.org/nova/titan

In celebration of the International Year of Astronomy, OMSI’s Kendall Planetarium is sponsoring an astronomy photo contest. Winning astronomy photos will be published in OMSI’s 2009 Kendall Planetarium astronomy calendar.

Eligibility: The OMSI Planetarium Astronomy Photo Contest is open to amateur photographers of any age.

Photo Criteria: All entries must be taken of a celestial event. Photographs that depict anything not adhering to current celestial events, or which are inappropriate, indecent, or obscene, as determined by OMSI, will be disqualified. All photographs must be original images taken by the entrant and cannot have been previously published.

Contest deadline: March 31 at 5:00 p.m
Complete contest details and entry form available at http://www.omsi.edu/misc/astrocontest/