FRIENDS OF THE PLANETARIUM NEWSLETTER – March 2005

Welcome to our first newsletter of 2005. There are plenty of exciting events coming up in April which we will get to in due course. NASA’s exploration of the solar system continues at full speed. The twin Mars rovers have now completed one full year of operations on the surface of the red planet and show no signs of quitting just yet. More confirmation of Mars’ wet past arrives on almost a daily basis. Further out, the Cassini mission at Saturn is in top gear. The Huygen’s probe was released and in mid-January it successfully parachuted down to a soft landing on the surface of Saturn’s enigmatic moon Titan. Scientists are currently sifting through mountains of data in an attempt to understand the chemical composition and history of Saturn’s largest moon. Closer to home, NASA’s IMAGE spacecraft has uncovered some unexpected news about our own planet and its workings. The IMAGE spacecraft has discovered that lightning plays a key role in clearing Earth’s radiation, making space travel safe for humans and orbiters.

COMING EVENTS

March 26 – Close encounter of the Moon and JupiterOn the evening of March 26 (actually the morning of the 27th), the full Moon will pass within 1 degree of Jupiter in the wee hours of the morning. This is a rare chance to see these two brilliant objects so close together in the sky.

April 9 – Partial eclipse of the SunOn the morning of April 9, an even rarer event will take place. The Sun will rise already in eclipse. This is a rare annular-total hybrid eclipse. Unfortunately, a good portion of it will be over by the time the Sun clears our horizon. Viewers on the east coast will see a crescent Sun rising with the two “horns” pointing back down towards the horizon. Weather permitting, it should be quite a spectacular sight. Warning: Never look directly at the Sun, especially not through any optical device such as binoculars or a telescope. A simple projection system using two pieces of card will create a very observable image. If in doubt, contact the Planetarium for further information.

April 22 – Special guest speaker Mr. John DobsonFew people in the world have a piece of astronomical equipment named after them. John Dobson is one such person. Many years ago he started Sidewalk Astronomers in an attempt to get more people interested in astronomy. There are now branches of Sidewalk Astronomers worldwide. John’s efforts to simplify telescope mounts led to his design of the Dobsonian system, a very simple but clever mounting system used by thousands of amateur astronomers. This special presentation is currently open only to Friends and Astronomy Society members. Tickets are $10. Book early.

April 23 – Open DayOur annual Open Day will take place at the Planetarium between the hours of 2:00pm. and 8:00pmon Saturday, April 23. The lecture theatre will be running continuous videos and there will be night sky presentations “under the dome” every twenty minutes. There is no charge for the open day but a gold coin donation would be appreciated.

April 27 – Carter Memorial Lecture – Dr. Bob MitchellDr. Mitchell is the Program Manager for the Cassini mission mentioned earlier in this newsletter. He will be discussing all of the latest findings from the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft. (I have heard Bob speak before. He is good!) Once again, tickets are currently available only to Friends and Astronomy Society members. Seats are $10.

To book tickets for either or both of our guest speakers, please fill in and return the enclosed form. Payment (by cash or cheque only) can be made on the day.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Subscriptions to “Friends of the Planetarium” for the year 2005 are now due. A renewal form is enclosed. Your continuing support will be very much appreciated.