Erik Bakke, CWU Astronomy Club Secretary
For the week starting with Sunday, October 30, 2005
Greetings
everyone!!
This is Erik Bakke, your CWU Astronomy Club secretary for Fall
Quarter 2005,
filling you in on news that has been happening
and will be happening with the Astronomy Club.
The
next meeting of the CWU Astronomy Club during Fall Quarter 2005 will
be on
Be sure to
read Bruce Palmquist's column in the Saturday edition
of the Ellensburg Daily Record that is titled "What's Up In The Sky"
so that
you will know what will be available in
the night sky for the coming week.
Be sure to
check out the CWU Astronomy Club web site at www.cwu.edu/~astroclb.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
A. Basic
Astronomy
B. CNN news
and link
C. MSNBC
news and link
D. NASA
news and link
E. Space.com
news and link
F. Sky
and Telescope news and link
G. Last
meeting and minutes (in brief)
H. Announcements
I. Local
Media
J. Close
A. Basic
Astronomy
Spacecraft
escaping the Solar System: The web page shows the current
positions and other interesting data of the four
spacecraft that are leaving
the solar system on escape trajectories
(Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11,
Voyager 2, and Voyager 1; all four were launched in the 1970's.).
The graphics
and table data are represent the latest positions
Further
information can be found at thislink:
http://www.heavens-above.com/solar-escape.asp?lat=46.997&lng=-120.547&alt=470&loc=Ellensburg&TZ=PST
B. CNN news
and link
NASA is
celebrating the 5th anniversary of human space flight on the
International
Space Station (ISS), even though US astronauts need
Russian space
vehicles to get them to the ISS, space agency finances
are problematic, and there have been
problems in the past with the
US space shuttle
fleet.
Further
information can be found at this link:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/10/28/space.station.reut/index.html
C. MSNBC
news and link
A major dust
storm has broken out on Mars, which will be good for
amateur skywatchers from
the
telescopes. The storm should be visible for
about another week.
Further
information can be found at this link:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9853492/
D. NASA
news and link
Images taken
by radar from the Cassini probe have mapped areas
on Saturn's moon Titan showing geologic
features, impact craters,
blown deposits, channels, and cryovolcanic features.
Further
information can be found at this link:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia08110.html
E. Space.com
news and link
This weekend
is when Mars will make its closest approach to Earth until
June
2018. While this event won't make Mars any bigger or brighter than
the night before or the night after, it is
among the best chances in a lifetime
to view the planet.
Further
information can be found at this link:
http://space.com/spacewatch/051028_mars_close.html
F. Sky
and Telescope news and link
Eta Carinae, a blue-supergiant star,
is one of the ten most massive
stars - if not the most massive - in the
entire Milky Way Galaxy. It pumps
out 5 million times more energy than the
Sun, which means it emits
more light in 6 seconds than out Sun
generates in one year.
A team of
scientists is now claiming the first direct evidence that
Eta Carinae has a binary companion. Astronomers
previously haves
been unable to detect this star for three
reasons: the entire system is
shrouded in dust, the secondary star's light is
overwhelmed by the
light of the primary star, and the two objects
are separated by less than
10
milliarcseconds on the sky.
Further
information can be found at this link:
http://skyandtelescope.com/news/article_1618_1.asp
During mid to late
October 2005, look for Mars glowing low in the east
after
will be higher in the sky.
Mars will be
at its closest on the night of
43.1 million
miles (69.4 million kilometers) from our planets around
brilliant for a couple of weeks before and a
couple of weeks after
Further
information can be found at this link:
http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/planets/article_1612_1.asp
G. Last
meeting and minutes (in brief)
October 24. 2005
Total Meeting time:
AGENDA
Note taker: Erik
Attendees: Tony, Erik, Kathy, Christa, Eric, and
Joseph
As of last Monday and Wednesday, we have a Senator, just
need an
alternate.
Christa will be available to be Senator for Winter Quarter
2006.
Mars vewing on
Halloween Party and Stump The
Astronomer on Oct. 31
The next meeting of the CWU Astronomy Club during Fall
Quarter 2005 will
be on
H. Announcements
The
next meeting of the CWU Astronomy Club during Fall
Quarter 2005 will
be on
The next
activity for the CWUAC is Oct. 31
with a Halloween Party and
Stump
the Astronomer!
Be sure to
look at the CWUAC web pages, as they have been updated,
revised, and revamped (especially the Members,
Calendar, and the Links
pages), with thanks to Kathy.
Mars Close
Approach on
starting at
I. Local
Media
The CWU
Astronomy Club web site can be found at www.cwu.edu/~astroclb ; send any comments
to Kathy.
The
Ellensburg, WA Daily Record can be found on line at www.kvnews.com.
Be sure to
read Bruce Palmquist's column in the Saturday edition
of the Ellensburg, WA Daily Record that is titled "What's Up In The Sky" so that you will know what will be
available in the night sky for the coming week, or view on line at www.cwu.edu/~astroclb or www.kvnews.com.
The CWU
Astronomy Club Newsletter can also be found on line at the CWU Astronomy Club
web site, which is www.cwu.edu/~astroclb/htmls/Newsletter.htm
.
People from
the Astronomy Club also have pictures that can be viewed at the
CWU Astronomy
Club web site at www.cwu.edu/~astroclb/htmls/pics.htm
Mars Close
Approach on
starting at
J. Close
If you want to
be removed from this list, e-mail the club secretary.
If you have
any comments or suggestions about the newsletter, or ideas for astronomy
related topics that you would like to see in the newsletter, please e-mail the
club secretary.
Be sure to
check your junk mail file (and filters) so that your copy of the newsletter is
not deleted and ensure that you have enough free hard drive space in your
computer’s e-mail system for the newsletter
As Fall Quarter 2005 continues, there will be more to talk about and
inform you as to what will be happening with the CWU Astronomy Club.
See you on
Monday night!!
Look to the stars and see what you can see....
Enjoy your fall,
Erik Bakke