[The background above is part of an image by the Hubble Space Telescope of the Crescent Nebula.]

WHERE: AT EXPLORIT Science Center, 3141 5th Street, Davis.

We'll make some models of the planet Saturn and, weather permitting, take a look at the "lord of the rings" through our telescopes. We'll also view Jupiter, king of the planets, and salute some constellations that are leaving the night sky. The constellations Perseus, Cepheus, Andromeda, Cetus, Perseus, and Pegasus are part of a myth about a vain African queen, her weak king and their devoted daughter, Andromeda, who is rescued from a sea monster by Perseus, a prince with super powers. But was there more to the story than the familiar ancient Greek moral to "beware of your own arrogance?" We will consider Jerome Y. Lettvin's provocative paper "The Gorgon's Eye" (1979). Lettwin argues that the position of Perseus in the sky suggests that the Greeks were attributing to that superhero the attributes of - - the common Aegean octopus! After model making and a short slide show presentation we'll adjourn, weather permitting, to view these constellations and their special deep space attractions.

The LEONID meteor shower party was a success in spite of the shower. Approximately 50 star gazers came to our Leonid meteor shower party on Friday November 17 at 8:30 at Fairfield School. Amateurs hoped this year that the Leonid Meteor Shower would put on a grand show. Unfortunately, the best show was reserved for viewers in the eastern U.S. The good news is that the team of David J. Asher and Robert H. McNaught appear to have correctly predicted this show, and they are predicting a very large shower for next year, which will have a moon less sky! Despite seeing only a few meteors, the evening was a real success in that many telescopes and enthusiastic amateurs were there to share their love of the night sky. The Sidewalk Astronomers of Sacramento were there and did a great job. Thanks to all of you for helping with the star party and I hope you will be there next November when we hope to have a "really big show" in the sky.

Begin the evening looking for Venus blazing above the western horizon. On January 16th, Venus is at its greatest angular distance from the sun, 47 degrees, and appears half lit in the telescope. The bulk of the evening belongs to Jupiter and Saturn, in the constellation Taurus. Saturn is famous for its spectacular rings, and has been in the news lately with the discovery of several new moons found orbiting that planet. A total of 30 moons have been identified. Nineteen of the moons have been discovered just in the last 20 years. In the telescope, Jupiter has four bright moons, whose motions around the planet can be plotted and summarized over the month to show their orbital periods. At 5:30 p.m. Thursday the 18th, observe Jupiter through a telescope and you will see its moons Europa, Ganymede and Callisto in a tight group with Io on the opposite side of the planet's disk.

CONTEST Here's a contest for everyone (members and non-members alike)! The winner will receive a copy of ORBIT, the collection of beautiful photographs by NASA Astronauts, published in 1996 by National Geographic Society (a $40 value). To enter the contest, you must be present at the January meeting and you must declare or determine which one of these topics was NOT the main theme of a club meeting during 2000. In case of a tie, a drawing at the meeting will determine the winner. Here is the list of topics. Remember you must choose the BOGUS topic.

1. "The World Ceres" The topic will be Asteroids, including Ceres, the largest known asteroid. Ceres will be visible with binoculars in the late night and early morning sky as it moves through the constellations Virgo and Coma Berenices.

2. "Astronomy Club Duet" A joint star party meeting between our club and the UCDavis Astronomy Club on campus at UCD.

3. "Klaatu barada nikto" Meet Gort, interstellar policeman who could destroy Earth someday.

4. "Spring into Astronomy" We will discuss Leo, a constellation that is quite prominent during May evenings. We will also make planispheres.

5. "Star Puffs," that is, stars that appear other than the familiar pin-points of light that we see in telescopes and binoculars.

6. "Go Globular" We will be discussing Globular Clusters - - what they are, and how to observe them.

Good Luck to all contestants and see you at the meeting!

Dennis