Free Museum Day, Sept 27, 08

Free Museum Day, Sept. 27
Received this info from Matt.

Fill out the form at http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/admission.html to recieve a coupon to print from your computer. The coupon is good for 2 people. (It does say 1 coupon per household, but just enter false info the next time around and break up your group upon entering museum to get around that.)

Participating museums are:

Arizona Historical Society Museum at Papago Park

10am-4pm, 1300 N College Ave, Tempe

Arizona History Museum of the Arizona Historical Society

10am-4pm, 949 E Second St, Tucson

Arizona State Museum

10am-5pm, 1013 E University Blvd, Tucson

The Bead Museum

10am-5pm, 5754 W Glenn Dr, Glendale

Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum

10am-4pm, 5 Copper Queen Plaza, Bisbee

Challenger Space Center

9am-4pm, 21170 N 83rd Ave, Peoria

Desert Botanical Garden

7am-8pm, 1201 N Galvin Pkwy, Phoenix

Heard Museum

9:30am-5pm, 2301 N Central Ave, Phoenix

International Wildlife Museum

9am-6pm, 4800 W Gates Pass Rd, Tucson

Mesa Historical Museum

10am-4pm, 2345 N Horne St, Mesa

Phippen Museum

10am-4pm, 4701 Highway 89 N, Prescott

Phoenix Zoo

7am-4pm, 455 N Galvin Pkwy, Phoenix

Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park

9am-4:45pm, 4619 E Washington St, Phoenix

Sharlot Hall Museum

10am-5pm, 415 W Gurley St, Prescott

Enjoy!

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Terri, Events Coordinator
Email: Events@PASAz.org
Phoenix Astronomical Society

Chinese Space Launch for Sept 25, 08

Space Weather News for Sept. 25, 2008
http://spaceweather.com

CHINESE SPACE LAUNCH: China's Shenzhou 7 spacecraft carrying a 3-man crew lifted off today from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and is now in Earth orbit. During the upcoming three-day mission, Chinese astronauts, called taikonauts, will launch a small satellite and conduct their country's first space walk. As they orbit Earth, Shenzhou 7 and the body of the rocket that launched it will be visible to the naked eye from many parts of the globe. Check the Satellite Tracker for viewing times: http://spaceweather.com/flybys .
(Note: Frequent checks are recommended; predictions may change as the orbit is adjusted and estimates of orbital elements improve.)

Sighting reports and updates will be posted on http://spaceweather.com

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Terri, Events Coordinator
Email: Events@PASAz.org
Phoenix Astronomical Society

PAS Meeting of the Minds 9/25 - Topics !!!

Good morning and Happy Thursday to you!!!

We will see you tonight at the PAS Meeting of the Minds, 7pm, PVCC Campus in G-147.

The topics for tonight cover a wide range of things that have needed discussion or reminding. Plan to attend. It should be an awesome meeting!!!

Tonight's Agenda:

• 10/23 Indoor event Volunteer plans
• Star Party – in case of bad weather – back up plan – Presentations – List
• Photo Shoot: Cancel idea of group photo & go with space & telescope images?
• Which Hubble images to use for the PAS Stickers?
• 11/1 Anthem star party volunteer plans – Day and Night events
• 11/15 Prescott 100 GS star party – Volunteer plans
• Reimbursement for Out of town Guest Speaker – Currently $50
• 10/8 Desert Cove Star Party
• 10/9 PVCC Star Party
• 10/17 Temple Beth Paid Star Party
• 11/16 Bookman's last class – Speaker: Mike – Can we live on the Moon or Mars?

We will see you there!!!

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Terri, Events Coordinator
Email: Events@PASAz.org
Phoenix Astronomical Society

Flagstaff Festival of Science Sept 26 - Oct 5

Dennis Young Writes and I agree with him...

stro friends ....

I thought this was worth a second email... on same subject... FLAGSTAFF festival of science. IT has been extended this year with a few extras I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW>..


ONE.. Oct 4th..Saturday.. 7:30pm to 10pm.. US NAVAL LARGEST OPTICAL SCOPE 60inch reflector scope is OPEN TO PUBLIC FREE!!! HOW OFFEN do you look thru a 60inch scope?? There will be other amateur scopes on property as well..

Second)).. 2nd or 3rd LARGEST INTERFEROMETER SCOPE IN THE WORLD is also available. reservations are required..928 233 3210 ..9am 11am 1pm... for 90min guided tour of structure. SEPT 28th Sunday

Third.. A rare 2 1/2mile guided tour hike along the entire rim of Meteor crater ..Must call.. 800 289 5898 Saturday oct 4th 8am to 5pm..

plus the lowell and NAU campus scopes are available on weekends for open viewing.. 24inch and 20inch new one..


.. www.scifest.org ALL EVENTS ARE FREE. website for more details and other events..

any questions.. dennis

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Terri, Events Coordinator
Email: Events@PASAz.org
Phoenix Astronomical Society

October newsletter is ready

The October newsletter has been posted to www.pasaz.org. Click on the link "newsletter" on the left. Feel free to down load the current issue October 2008 as well as any back issues you wish to enjoy. They are in PDF Format and free for the viewing. Enjoy!

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Don, PAStimes newsletter editor
Email: editor@PASAz.org
Phoenix Astronomical Society

New Sunspot & September Equinox

Space Weather News for Sept. 22, 2008
http://spaceweather.com

NEW SUNSPOT: For the first time in months, a significant sunspot is emerging on the sun. It is a fast-growing active region with two dark cores, each larger than Earth. The magnetic polarity of the sunspot identifies it as a member of new Sunspot Cycle 24. Because the year 2008 has brought so many blank suns, some observers have wondered if we are ever going to climb out of the ongoing deep solar minimum. Today's new sunspot is an encouraging sign that the 11-year solar cycle is indeed progressing, albeit slowly. Visit http://spaceweather.com for sunspot photos and updates.

SEPTEMBER EQUINOX: Seasons on Earth change much faster than they do on the sun. Today, autumn begins in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere when the sun crosses the celestial equator. The crossing, called the "equinox," takes place at 1544 UT (11:44 EDT) on Monday, Sept. 22nd. Happy equinox!

Sign up for free Space Weather News bulletins:
http://spaceweather.com/services/

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Terri, Events Coordinator
Email: Events@PASAz.org
Phoenix Astronomical Society

A MONTH IN ADVANCE

PAS has many forms of getting info out to the Membership and Public.

1) The [COLOR="Red"]PAStimes Newsletter[/COLOR] becomes available for download from the PAS site by the Sunday prior to the next PAS meeting (that's the latest it will be available). Should you want info earlier than the Newsletter provides, I suggest you check out these other options. The link to the PAStimes Newsletters is: http://www.pasaz.org/index.php?pageid=newsletter

2) The [COLOR="Red"]PAS Digest Blog[/COLOR] has info on upcoming events as well as interesting astronomy related news items. I only post when I have something to share or send out. So, you may not get info via the Blog daily. The Blog is set up so you can join the blog, receive info via email or RSS feed and leave the blog anytime you wish. I suggest you join it and keep tabs on what PAS is doing. The PAS Digest Blog is at: [URL="http://pasaz-digest.blogspot.com/"]http://pasaz-digest.blogspot.com/[/URL]. Visit the blog, and on the right hand side of the screen is an image with planets. There you will find the sign-up option. I use the blog to cancel events.... so if you need to know something is canceled the day of the event, check there. Especially if the weather is questionable.

3) [COLOR="Red"]News & Announcements on PASAZ.org[/COLOR] - this option is on our NEW PAS website. You can sign in to the website with a user name and a password and browse the info available in the Forums. I use the NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS forum to get info out quickly about events. This is the place for what's coming up in PAS. The link for this location of info is: http://www.pasaz.org/index.php?pageid=news

4) [COLOR="Red"]Calendar on PASAZ.org[/COLOR] - HAve you been checking the calendar a month in advance? And as a PAS member, did you know you can check the calendar for events on the PRIVATE CALENDAR SIDE? Only PAS members can do this. If you are a PAS member but you don't have the status of Member yet, email Chris Johnson to get your membership updated. He has the current PAS Roster and will change your account from Visitor (public) to PAS Member. Then, go visit the calendar section of the site and be sure to visit the Private Calendar for those Paid Star Parties. There is other info in the Private Calendar as well, so check it out. I suggest you check out both calendars a minimum of once a month for a month in advance. For instance, today is 9/19, so I'd be checking out the rest of September for events as well as ALL of October, to see if there is a star party I can assist at, in both the Public and Private Calendars. You don't want to miss out on all the fun!!! The link to the calendar is: http://www.pasaz.org/forums/calendar.php

Well, there you have it. The place where you can get the PAS info you need to keep in touch and have a great experience as a PAS Member. Guests/Visitors can also get in to the Public calendar, so don't be afraid to go to PASaz.org and check the calendar for events you may wish to attend. That's 4 ways to get news about PAS events. We will see you there!!!

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Terri, Events Coordinator
Email: Events@PASAz.org
Phoenix Astronomical Society

Jules Verne is about to become a fireball

Space Weather News for Sept. 18, 2008
http://spaceweather.com

DOOMED SPACECRAFT: Jules Verne is about to become a fireball. On Sept. 29th, with NASA aircraft looking on, the 22-ton European spacecraft will plunge into Earth's atmosphere over the south Pacific Ocean and harmlessly disintegrate. Jules Verne recently spent five months docked to the space station where it delivered supplies, used its engines help the station avoid a piece of space junk, and served as an impromptu bedroom for the ISS crew. Mission accomplished, the doomed spacecraft is now making its final orbits around Earth glowing about as brightly as Polaris (the North Star). US and European observers are favored with flybys this weekend. If you'd like to see Jules Verne, check the Simple Satellite Tracker for viewing times: http://spaceweather.com/flybys/

POLAR CROWN PROMINENCES: Colossal dark tadpoles. Fiery "plasma falls." Van Gogh vortices. These are a few of the strange things Japan's Hinode spacecraft has found inside polar crown prominences on the sun. Visit http://spaceweather.com for must-see movies.

Sign up for free Space Weather News bulletins:
http://spaceweather.com/services/

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Terri, Events Coordinator
Email: Events@PASAz.org
Phoenix Astronomical Society

TONIGHT'S STAR PARTY 9/11 PVCC CAMPUS 6PM TO 9PM HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN!

Forecast for tonight, as of 1pm today, says 30-40% chance of rain.
If the forecast reads 40% you know it will be raining tonight.
And 69% cloud cover, which means the whole sky will be clouds!

Thus, I have canceled the star party and informed all who RSVP'd about it.

Please have a wonderful, relaxing and cooler evening!!!

We will see you at the next PAS event!!!

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Terri, Events Coordinator
Email: Events@PASAz.org
Phoenix Astronomical Society

New book: Unmasking Europa

I just came across your web site, and I thought you and your members might be interested in my new book, Unmasking Europa, which just came out.

Best wishes,
Richard Greenberg
Professor of Planetary Sciences
Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
University of Arizona

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Richard sent a pdf with the info about the new book, for which you can download that info here from the PASAZ.org website.

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Terri, Events Coordinator
Email: Events@PASAz.org
Phoenix Astronomical Society