Below are February’s astronomical events, from Sea & Sky.

February 7 – Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 21:54 UTC.

February 20 – March 12 – Best Chance to see Mercury. The planet Mercury will be far enough from the Sun’s glare to be visible shortly after sunset. Mercury will reach greatest elongation from the Sun on March 5, reaching a relatively bright magnitude of about -1. This will be your best chance to see the planet this year.

February 21 – New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 22:35 UTC.

Nov. 18: Board Meeting at 6:30 PM
General Meeting at 8:00 PM
Both held at Sac City College, Mohr Hall
(click here for directions)

Nov. 26: Member Star Party

Sacramento City College
Mohr Hall Room 3
(click here for directions)

The first Astrophotography (AP) Boot Camp will provide a warm-up class for anyone who has thought of, or is starting to, dabble in digital astrophotography. SVAS amateur photographer Jason Gayman has spent two years learning the ropes and will present a beginner’s guide on what it takes to get started and the natural progression (and expenses!) along the way – you can’t rush this hobby.

Without a doubt, astrophotography can become a very expensive hobby, but anyone with a camera can begin simply with little added costs, and work up the equipment chain at their own pace. Jason will cover his evolution on the Digital SLR (DSLR) path. We’ll have additional speakers (Patrick Harrold, a.k.a. “Astro Dude”, for example), who will talk about CCD-imaging and creating color images using colored filters.

We’ll show you some images “along the way” so you can see what to expect as you develop new skills, hone your technique, and buy more toys!

The 2011 SVAS Calendar will be available for the first time at the October General Meeting.

Friday, September 16, 2011
8:00 PM
Free & Open to the Public

Sacramento City College
Mohr Hall Room 3
(click here for directions)

Sixty-five percent of the current knowledge of the universe has come from radio astronomy.  Some of radio astronomy’s contributions include quasars, pulsars, proto stars, black holes including super massive black holes (SMBHs), 3°K background noise from  the “Big Bang,” the discovery of interstellar biochemical molecules, nonthermal radiation, cosmological evolution, emission from cool interstellar gas, neutron stars, gravitational radiation, extrasolar planets and gravitational lensing.

Six of the eight brightest optical objects in the sky are in our own solar system.  The other two are some of our nearby neighbors in our own Milky Way galaxy.  In the radio sky, only two of the top eight brightest objects are in our solar system, the sun and Jupiter.  Four bright radio objects are in our Milky Way galaxy: radiation given off at the event horizon of the black hole that is the center of our galaxy, the billions of stars making up the Milky Way and two are the remnants of supernovas.  The remaining two bright radio objects are a so-called “radio galaxy” and the other is two colliding galaxies 600 million light years away!

Even though radio waves have wavelengths that are many, many times the wavelengths of light, the resolution of radio telescopes exceeds even the best optical telescopes.  This presentation will describe what radio astronomy is, its origins, what radio astronomy objects are, how they are observed and the results of an amateur radio telescope project.

Curt Kinghorn is a member of the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA), an international society of dedicated enthusiasts who teach, learn, trade technical information and do their own observations of the radio sky.  SARA is a scientific, non-profit group founded for the sole purpose of supporting amateur radio astronomy.  Mr. Kinghorn, a patent attorney, holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Utah.  Mr. Kinghorn is also a former lecturer at the Hansen Planetarium in Salt Lake City, Utah and the Buehler Planetarium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Friday, August 19:

Board Mtg @ Sacramento City College 6:30 pm
General Mtg @ Sacramento City College 8:00pm
Speaker: Paul Wieland.
Click here for directions

Space has been called “the final frontier,” “the great beyond,” and “the endless void,” but it may also be “the key to a sustainable world of abundance.” In Crossing the Threshold: Advancing into Space to Benefit the Earth, Paul Wieland presents a vision of a secure, sustainable future—with abundant energy, resources, and opportunities while ensuring a healthy environment and a high standard of living—and shows how advancing our efforts in space can help us achieve it. Written with an optimistic tone for a general audience and including personal anecdotes from the author, Crossing the Threshold considers the major challenges we are facing in the 21st century and poses the questions: For these challenges, what are the opportunities and benefits that space activities could provide? How could our activities in space enhance other solutions? What specific actions might be included in a space program designed to address the major challenges?

There is a physical threshold, crossed as a spacecraft leaves the atmosphere for the vacuum of space, but there is also a threshold of awareness which is crossed when the entire Earth is seen against the background of space, revealing the interdependence of everything on Earth. We have the power to transform the Earth, as well as ourselves, and can create a sustainable world of abundance, with opportunities for everyone to live more fulfilling and secure lives, and we can become a space-faring civilization while doing so. Explore the possibilities in Crossing the Threshold.

~~~~
Paul Wieland is a professional engineer who worked for NASA from 1983 to 2005 on programs ranging from Spacelab 3 and the Hubble Space Telescope to the Space Shuttle Challenger accident investigation and development of the International Space Station.

“Paul Wieland knows space from the bottom-up…and offers a fresh and valuable perspective. I intended only to skim the book but became so interested I soon found myself deeply involved in reading it.” – Norm Augustine, author of Augustine’s Laws and appointed in 2009 by President Obama to determine options for NASA

“Crossing the Threshold is a NASA veteran’s thoughtful and considered look at the value of space travel and exploration, not only for satisfying humanity’s seemingly unquenchable thirst for adventure and knowledge but also for preparing and positioning us technically to begin to solve some of the greatest problems facing us on Earth.” – Henry Petroski, author of The Essential Engineer and professor at Duke University

“Crossing the Threshold is a carefully considered, insightful narrative that should interest anyone and everyone who cares about the future of spaceflight.” – Homer Hickam, author of Rocket Boys/October Sky

“[N]ot so much crossing a threshold [as] vaulting a discontinuity in space utilization.” – Jeff Foust, www.thespacereview.com

“Mysteries of the Moon”

Friday, November 19, 2010 8:00 PM
at Sacramento City College
Mohr Hall Room 3
3835 Freeport Boulevard,
Sacramento, CA
FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC — JOIN US!

“Easter Island Eclipse”

Friday, October 15, 2010 8:00 PM
at Sacramento City College
Mohr Hall Room 3
3835 Freeport Boulevard,
Sacramento, CA

Ross will present a slideshow of his adventure to Easter Island to see the total eclipse of the Sun last July.

The annual election of Officers and Directors takes place Friday, March 19 at Sacramento City College, Room 3 at 8:00pm. Only members in good standing as of the January general meeting will be given a ballot. All members and prospective members are encouraged to come to the meeting to learn about what is in store for the SVAS this year and to meet the people who make things happen for you.