What is the Galileo space probe revealing about Jupiter and its moons? Join us for slides and other materials on Jupiter's visitor from Earth and what we are learning about the largest planet in the solar system at Explorit January 25 at 7:30 p.m. Weather permitting, we'll view the Pleiades, Taurus, and Orion. If you received a gift of a telescope or binoculars and would like some suggestions on how to increase your enjoyment of them, bring them to the meeting!
NOVEMBER MEETING - Report
Members had an enjoyable evening November 23 at
Explorit. The evening's topic: exploring Mars and beyond. We viewed a NASA
slideshow on the Mars Surveyor mission, which is now on its way to the red
planet. We distributed plans for a small paper models of the Mars Pathfinder.
Were any of you successful in assembling the model? Bring it to the January
meeting. Mars Pathfinder will land on Mars on July 4, 1997. After the indoor
activities, we peeked between clouds to view the Moon, Saturn and the winter
constellations: Cassiopeia, Perseus, and Taurus. Thanks to all who took the
time to come out and join us!
JANUARY'S SKIES
January weather in Davis is notorious for the tule fog that
can produce zero visibility conditions for days on end. Consider yourself
lucky to have skies clear enough this month to observe Saturn, which will be
high in the south and south west at sunset. The Moon will pay it a visit on
the Monday the 13th. On the 11th, 12th, and 13th, before dawn you may see
Mercury with Venus low in the southeast, while Mars is nearly overhead and
growing brighter all month. March and April will be the best months for
observing Mars, however. Comet Hale-Bopp will be up at dawn in the
constellation Aquila, almost due east, an hour before sunrise. The comet may
be visible with the naked eye, or maybe not--will this be the "great comet of
this century"?
PLANETARIUMS
With the winter storms and fog upon us, perhaps you would prefer
to conduct astronomy from a planetarium. Closest is the Disocvery Museum
Planetarium on 3615 Auburn Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95821. Public shows are offered
on the first weekend of each month. Call (916) 277-6181 during weekdays for
information. The following list of planetariums in our area was obtained from
the Sky and Telescope Astro Directory on the Internet.
The Astronomy Club is hosted by Dennis Smith with the assistance of Tim Feldman and other eager astronomy buffs. The club is for everyone - adults, children, knowledgeable or ignorant. Come to listen, look and learn, or to share your expertise or experience.
Astronomical Browsing! or go Back to our Newsletter Index |
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Explorit Science Center
P.O. Box 1288, Davis, CA 95617, USA
Phone: (530)756-0191 Fax: (530)756-1227
Page last updated: July 23, 2005
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