Archive
Announcing Starry Starry Nights – August 31, 2011
Starry Starry Night Ad
This is an ad proof. The ad contains a typo “star grazing” instead of “star gazing”. Or is it? I was never fond of the term star gazing. Now star grazing: that’s what we do at star parties, move from one celestial wonder to the next, as if we’re grazing the heavens for its choicest wonders.
The photo in this ad was taken by my granddaughter Nicole (Coley) Farrell. After a lot of standard “astronomer at the eyepiece of the telescope” shots, she was reviewing the shots with her mother who also took about half of the shots. I turned the telescope her way, looking through the finder and shouted “Hey Coley!” And this picture was the result.
07/22/11 – Ephemeris – 8 days and nights of astronomy outreach
Friday, July 22nd. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 1 minute, setting at 9:19. The moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 12:22 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 6:18.
Tonight is the first of three appearances of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at Friday Night Live on Front Street in Traverse City. We’re usually stationed a few doors west of the State Theater. If it’s clear we’ll have telescopes looking at the sun. Solar activity is picking up with more sunspots visible than last year. The society will also be there next Friday along with three other events next week. On Wednesday the 27th we’ll be at Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay for a dinner, dessert, a twilight talk and viewing of the stars. On Thursday its the GTAS at the Lanphier Observatory in Glen Arbor. Saturday we’ll be at stop 3 on Pierce Stocking Drive at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
* Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
07/15/11 – Ephemeris – Inland Seas Summer Festival
Friday, July 15th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 13 minutes, setting at 9:25. The moon, at full today, will rise at 9:32 this evening. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 6:12.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be part of the Inland Seas Summer Festival tomorrow in Suttons Bay. If it’s clear we’ll be viewing the sun. We’ll also have exhibits including meteorites and hands on activities. July is a big month for the society with Friday Night Live appearances on the 22nd and 29th. That last week of July will also see society members at Black Star Farms, The Lanphier Observatory in Glen Arbor and at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. As far as viewing the sun goes, our telescopes are equipped with safe filters that fit over the front of our telescopes and provide a safe viewing experience. Plus this year the sun is coming alive with sunspots as a new sunspot cycle is starting. It should reach peak in 2013.
* Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 