ASET and CESSE featured in County Line Magazine

Best Seats on the Planet for Star Gazing

BY ELIZABETH BRANCA

PUBLISHED: OCTOBER 31, 2013

During the clear, crisp nights of winter, there is no better time to bundle up and head outdoors to take in the spectacular star-dotted skies of the Upper East Side of Texas.

Because the atmosphere during colder weather is usually calm, the stars at night appear even brighter than normally seen during the more turbulent summer.

One group of devoted star gazers is the  Astronomical Society of East Texas (ASET). They regularly hold free activities including family-friendly star gazing parties around the region and at the Center for Earth and Space Science Education (CESSE) at Tyler Junior College.

CESSE is a first-of-its-kind facility in East Texas. With a 40-foot Spitz nano-seam domed theatre, the planetarium features an immersive, full-dome video experience as well as a state-of-the-art exhibit hall.

Click Here to read the whole story on their website.

CESSE Fall Newsletter 2013

Special Bulletin Fall 2013 Hello Friends, This is a special newsletter bulletin. The Center for Earth & Space Science Education will host the Fall 2013 Public Astronomy Lecture Series thisSaturday, October 5th, 2013 beginning at 7pm. The Public Astronomy Lecture Series (PALS) began in 2004 and continues today as part of the science and education outreach of the Center for Earth & Space Science Education at Tyler Junior College. Lectures and demonstrations are presented throughout the semester by academic experts and scholars who speak about timely and interesting topics related to science, education, and public outreach. The topics are entertaining and presented to the general public. Everyone is invited. The cost is $5 per person. What: Public Astronomy Lecture Series for the Fall 2013 Semester Speaker: Justin Parish is the assistant director of the Center for Earth & Space Science Education at Tyler Junior College. He holds a M.S. degree in Physics & Astronomy from Stephen F. Austin State University. His field of expertise is astronomical data collection techniques for binary star systems. Topic: "The Universe in a Meter." From quarks to quasars, we will take a trip through the largest, smallest, tiniest, infinitesimal, minute, galactic, and intergalactic objects in the Universe. We will begin at the subatomic level moving quickly all the way to large-scale structures. Through this journey, our only guide and point of reference will be a single unite of measure: 3.3 human feet placed end to end - or one meter. When: Saturday, October 5th, 2013, beginning at 7:00pm.  Where: The Center for Earth & Space Science Education on the Tyler Junior College main campus. 1411 E. Lake St. Tyler, TX 75701 Future lectures:  November 2nd, 2013 - Professor Douglas Parsons, "Comet Ison" November 23rd, 2013 - Dr.Karl Giberson, "America's Creation-Evolution Controversy" (Apache Room) November 24th, 2013 - Science & Faith Panel Discussion (Apache Room) Thanks and see you soon, Tom Dr. Tom Hooten, Ed.D. Professor, Physics & Engineering Director, Center for Earth & Space Science Education NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Tyler Junior College Contact Us:                                                             The Center for Earth & Space Science Education 1411 East Lake St.  Tyler, TX 75701                                                                                    903-510-2312

Public Astronomy Lecture Series for the Fall 2013 Semester

PUBLIC ASTRONOMY LECTURE SERIES

The Center for Earth & Space Science Education will be hosting the Fall 2013 Public Astronomy Lecture Series beginning Saturday, September 7, 2013.  The Public Astronomy Lecture Series (PALS) began in 2004 under the directorship of Dr. Tom Hooten and continues today as part of the science and education outreach of The Center for Earth & Space Science Education at Tyler Junior College.  Lectures and demonstrations are presented throughout the fall semester by academic experts and scholars who speak about timely and interesting topics related to science, education, and public outreach.  The topics are entertaining and presented to the general public.  Everyone is invited.  The cost is $5 per person.

WHAT:

Public Astronomy Lecture Series for the Fall 2013 Semester

SPEAKER:

Dr. Tom Hooten, Ed.D. is professor of physics and director of The Center for Earth & Space Science Education at Tyler Junior College.  He holds advanced degrees from Vanderbilt University and Texas A&M University—Commerce in physics, astronomy, and higher education.  His fields of expertise include chromospherically active stars and the relationship between science and pseudoscience.  He has published over a dozen papers in peer review journals and for popular press.

TOPIC:

“The Story of the Big Bang.”  It’s the best scientific explanation for the origin of the universe, and, yet, most people do not understand it.  This lecture will be presented for the general audience and describe the historical development of the big bang cosmological model, some of the scientific problems it has overcome, and what the future may hold for the expanding universe.

WHEN:

Saturday, Sept 7, 2013, beginning at 7:00PM

WHERE:

The Center for Earth & Space Science Education on the Tyler Junior College main campus.

1411 E. Lake St., Tyler, TX 75701

FUTURE LECTURES:

October 5, 2013, Assistant Director Justin Parish, M.S., “The Universe in a Meter”

November 2, 2013, Professor Douglas Parsons, M.S., “Comet ISON”

November 23, 2013, Dr. Karl Giberson, Ph.D., “America’s Creation-Evolution Controversy”

November 24, 2013, Science & Faith Panel Discussion

For more information please visit http://www.tjc.edu/cesse/ or phone 903-510-2312.

Enchanted Skies Star Party

This is coming up October 2-5 for anyone interested in heading to New Mexico.

The Enchanted Skies Star Party, held in Socorro, New Mexico, offers a unique Southwestern Astronomy experience with many exciting features. We continue our 20 year tradition of presenting outstanding lectures by leading professional and amateur astronomers, observing at 10,600ft, and we'll gather on Saturday night for an evening of great food, Southwestern entertainment and excellent, dark-sky observing. Socorro's dry, high-desert climate, dark skies, and friendly small-town environment provide an excellent dark sky observing experience.

Join us for dark sky observing, astronomy workshops, door prizes, lectures, and insider tours of the Very Large Array and the Magdalena Ridge Observatory.

Nightly observing, lectures, and camping will take place at the Etscorn Campus Observatory and at our official "Dark Sky Site", the Fort Craig National Historic Site, located only about 30 miles South of Socorro.

http://www.enchantedskies.org/ - click here to read all about it.

Best Pictures of Perseids

The annual Perseid meteor shower, which peaks this week, is dazzling sky-watchers around the world.

 

Here, a bright fireball is caught lighting up the starry skies above Teutonia Peak in the Mojave National Preserve in California on August 10, more than a day before the official maximum activity peak for the Perseid meteors. (Read more on enjoying the Perseid meteor shower.)

Considered the most visually stunning meteor shower of 2013, the Perseids peak every August, when the Earth slams into a giant cloud of debris left behind by comet Swift-Tuttle along its orbit.

While most meteors zipping across the skies are no bigger than a grain of sand, fireballs like the one pictured above can be anywhere from the size of a grapefruit to the size of a basketball. The resulting high-speed impact causes unusually bright meteors, which astronomers call bolides, which can cast shadows and even a lingering smoke trail.

—Andrew Fazekas

Click here to read the whole story on National Geographic.com

Night Sky Network Newsletter - July 2013

Amateur Astronomers: You are the reason the Night Sky Network is such a powerful tool. Thank you for all of your efforts to educate and amaze the public and yourselves with the wonders of the night sky. Keep up your wonderful work!

1. Telecon: Kepler's Latest
2. Submit your event logs by Sunday, July 7th for qualify for the quarterly prize
3. NASA's "Space Place"
4. New featured articles and activity for July
5. Updates to toolkits coming soon

Congratulations to Pluto and its two newly nam ed moons, Styx and Kerberos!
Source Image Courtesy NASA/ESA/Hubble

1. Telecon: Kepler's Latest, July 29th  
    We at the Night Sky Network are excited to present a telecon with Dr. Nick Gautier, Kepler staff scientist, at the end of this month. He will discuss the latest information on the Kepler mission, including new data returns and updates on the status of the satellite, which should be quite exciting to say the least. The fun begins Monday, July 29th at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 pm PT. More information on the slides and call in information will be available shortly at the following location:
https://nightsky.jpl.nas a.gov/download-view.cfm?Doc_ID=524

2. Submit your event logs by Sunday, July 7th for qualify for the quarterly prize and Toolkits
  Just a reminder to Club Coordinators to log your events by Sunday to maximize your chances of winning one of our prizes-a Kepler Orrery!

  Toolkits are earned by logging events for your club. Log just two events in the Night Sky Network to earn the next Toolkit for your club.


                                                        


3. NASA's "Space Place"
    NASA's Space Place is a free program offered by NASA for amateur astronomy clubs. This program's mission is to engage kids' interest in both Space and Earth science as well as the exciting technologies that scientists use.  Space Place offers many interactive games and demonstrations, hands-on projects, fun facts and short videos.  It is a U.S. government-sponsored website so there are no advertisements or pop-up windows, and NASA's Space Place does not link to any commercial websites. It is a safe place for kids of all ages to visit.

Astronomy clubs are offered a free artic le each month for inclusion in your club's newsletter or website as well as regular mailings of printed materials for sharing with the club's membership.  In return, NASA asks for a copy of the newsletter using the Space Place article and a link to the NASA Space Place website  added to your club's webpage.

For more information please visit the Space Place website for astronomy clubs here:

http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/astronomy-clubs/


4. New Featured Article and Activity for May
    Summer is here, and as such there is no better time to take a Trip Around the Summer Triangle:
    https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/download-view.cfm?Doc_ID=390

   You can help scientists find rare gravitational lenses with the latest Zooniverse project: Space Warps!
   https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/news-display.cfm?News_ID=584

5. Updates to toolkits coming soon
     New updates are coming soon to the PlanetQuest and Shadows and Silhouettes ToolKits. Please make sure your club's shipping address is correct to make sure your new ToolKits and updates arrive safely.


You can reach both of us any time at nightskyinfo@astrosociety.org

Wishing you clear skies!

Vivian White & David Prosper

The Night Sky Network Team

nightskyinfo@astrosociety.org

Night Sky Network Members:

You are the backbone of eyes-to-the-skies astronomy outreach.  NASA, ASP, and our partners are proud to support your amazing outreach events with a variety of free materials: Quarterly prizes for logging your events, outreach ToolKits, handouts from NASA partners, and publicity for events you post on the Night Sky Network Calendar.

Join the conversation on Facebook

Find useful NSN Videos on YouTube

NOTE: The NASA Night Sky Network is a nationwide community of over 425 amateur astronomy clubs.  You are signed up for email notifications from the Night Sky Network as a member of your local astronomy club.  To change your preferences for receiving Newsletters and other notifications, log into the Network and select "My Profile."

The NASA Night Sky Network is managed by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

The ASP is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that advances science literacy through astronomy. Your contribution is tax-deductible as provided by law.

Night Sky Network Newsletter - June 2013

Amateur Astronomers: You are the reason the Night Sky Network is such a powerful tool. Thank you for all of your efforts to educate and amaze the public and yourselves with the wonders of the night sky. Keep up your wonderful work!

1. Telecon News: Kepler Telecon on July 29; High-Energy Universe audio now available
2. Log your events to win a Kepler Orrey
3. Updates coming soon to Planetquest and Shadows and Silhouettes ToolKits
4. GoStargaze app has been retired
5. New featured articles and activity for June

1. Telecon News: Kepler Telecon on July 29; High-Energy Universe audio now available

      Dr. Nick Gautier, the Kepler's Deputy Project Scientist, will join us Monday, July 29th at 6pm PT/9pm ET to discuss the latest updates from the Kepler mission! Mark your calendars as this should be extremely interesting: even though the Kepler telescope is troubled at the moment, scientists are still hard at work crunching through the immense volumes of data the mission has collected. Announcements at the recent American Astronomical Society meeting, including hundreds of new planet candidates, have made the news and have the public talking. Get prepared for their questions and find out what Kepler has in store next. Call-in information available in next month's newsletter.

Our High-Energy Universe Telecon was a great success! We ar e pleased to announce that the audio, as well as the written transcipt and slides, are available for download here: http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/download-view.cfm?Doc_ID=521

2. Log your events for the next quarterly prize!

     It's that time again! Club Members and Coordinators, remember to log your events in order to qualify for our next quarterly prize: a Kepler Orrey, a great model that helps demonstrate the transit method of detecting planets. The more events you log, the better your chances of winning. Log just 2 events that were held between April 1 and June 30, 2013 to automatically qualify for a ToolKit your club has not yet received. While you're logged in, be sure to update your future events and check that your shipping address is correct so we get upcoming ToolKits to you.

3. Updates coming soon to Planetquest and Shadows and Silhouettes 

    We are hard at work updating two of our most popular ToolKits with the latest discoveries. Both PlanetQuest and Shadows and Silhouettes will be updated by the end of summer, and the results shipped to your clubs just in time for the start of the new school year. Marni even makes a cameo appearance in the new videos, right. Some NSN members have been testing and evaluating the new materials, and here's some of what they're saying:

• "I envision using these cards first to help me plan an observing session for the public, and then to help me give facts about the objects seen, which will initiate more conversation and discu ssion."
• "They are a great resource, especially for new outreach members, but even for those of us who have been doing lots of outreach."

Stay tuned for more information later this summer!

4. GoStargaze app has been retired
   
It is with a bit of sadness that we announce that our GoStargaze app has been retired from the iTunes store. While it was a valuable tool for many, it has become superseded by other applications that can use the map of clubs from the Night Sky Network to let both amateur astronomers and the general public find astronomy e vents and clubs in their areas. Two of those apps are Distant Suns and SkySafari-and unlike the GoStarGaze app, they are available for both Android and Apple (iOS) devices.

 If you have a link to the GoStarGaze app on your club's website, we ask that you remove it in order to prevent visitors and club members from confusion, as it is no longer available. Thank you!


5. New featured articles and activity 

     We have a new article as well as a new featured activity for June:
   
  &nbsp ;   Mercury Rising:  Mercury is about to hit its highest point in the western sky in our evenings for 2013. Tips on how to find it, as well as some information on the ongoing Mercury MESSENGER probe, are in this mini feature.
   
      Space Weather Presentation: The sun is full of activity, as those of you who do solar observing are no doubt aware! This PowerPoint helps to illustrate how space weather directly effects our life here on Earth.

Thank you for all of your efforts, and have a wonderful June. Let summer begin!

You can reach both of us anytime at nightskyinfo@astrosociety.org

Wishing you clear skies,

Vivian White & David Prosper

The Night Sky Network Team

nightskyinfo@astrosociety.org

Night Sky Net work Members:

You are the backbone of eyes-to-the-skies astronomy outreach.  NASA, ASP, and our partners are proud to support your amazing outreach events with a variety of free materials: Quarterly prizes for logging your events, outreach ToolKits, handouts from NASA partners, and publicity for events you post on the Night Sky Network Calendar.

Join the conversation on Facebook

Find useful NSN Videos on YouTube

NOTE: The NASA Night Sky Network is a nationwide community of over 425 amateur astronomy clubs.  You are signed up for email notifications from the Night Sky Network as a member of your local astronomy club.  To change your preferences for receiving Newsletters and other notifications, log into the Network and select "My Profile."

The NASA Night Sky Network is managed by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

The ASP is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that advances science literacy through astronomy. Your contribution is tax-deductible as provided by law.

Jupiter, Mercury and Venus in Conjunction (Animated no less)

This came from the Night Sky Network and shows the three planets

after sunset on May 23rd to May 30th.

Texas Star Party

The Texas Star Party this year is May 5-12 at Prude Ranch west of Fort Davis. Star Parties at McDonald are Tues., May 7 and Fri.&Sat. May 10 & 11th. McDonald activities have fees; see: https://mcdonaldobservatory.org/visitors/book**

DO NOT BUY TICKETS TOO FAR IN ADVANCE. THEY ARE NOT REFUNDABLE FOR BAD WEATHER.

Website is : texasstarparty.org

Onsite housing/camping at Prude can be done at :www.prude-ranch.com

Offsite housing at Fort Davis is : www.fortdavis.com *

Nearby camping at Davis Mountains state park is : www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/davis-mountains *

McDonald has some accommodations available at Astronomer's Lodge starting at $88 per single.

Its a big event and accommodations vanish quickly.

* Off site attendees must park outside the gate.

There is a special for observers in the 36" telescope. It is $60 at least and it is still not sold out. It is great but a real gamble, you buy time asap, but it also is Tues, Fri. & Sat. and a chance of bad weather. Refundable up to 2 weeks before with $10 fee.
Check out : https://mcdonaldobservatory.org/visitors/programs/36-viewing-night

Dinner and Viewing at the 107" scope is not available during TSP.
It's available on particular dates. See:https://mcdonaldobservatory.org/visitors/programs/dinner-and-viewing

Paul

Comet C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS)

Click to enlarge

Unprocessed shot of the comet last night with pine trees in the foreground.  We had a good time at the Mineola Nature Preserve and hope to see more of you next time :)

Comet Pann-STARRS Viewing

News Release:

The Astronomical Society of East Texas (ASET) will sponsor two separate public  StarGazing events at the Mineola Nature Preserve.  A rare viewing of the Comet Pann-STARRS will occur on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 12 and 13 beginning with SunSpot viewing about 5pm and running until after Sunset.

On Friday, March 15th, ASET will sponor School Night for Astronomy for all public, private and homeschooled student in the area beginning with SunSpot viewing about 5pm and running until about 9pm.

These events are subject to weather restrictions.  A cancellation notice will be posted and aired on the ASET website www.asetexas.org , local newspaper's internet site and KMOO Radio 99.9 by 4pm of each day.  

 For more information, contact ASET at info@asetexas.com or 903-805-9902.

Videos from CESSE - Comet PanSTARRS

The Astronomer

"The Astronomer" from Phil Garrett on Vimeo.

I really liked this.  It captures just a little bit of the wonder we feel when we take the time to look up. :)

Astronaut and Scientist Story Musgrave, M.D. to Visit Pine Tree ISD

Pine Tree Education Foundation will present Mission Focus: NASA Style, featuring Story Musgrave, who over the course of 30 years, has written his own chapter in NASA history as one of its most colorful, passionate and dedicated astronauts.  Dr. Musgrave’s presentation takes place Monday, February 18, 2013 at 7:00 pm in the PT Road Auditorium located near the Pirate Stadium off Pine Tree Road.  This presentation is free and open to the public.  A pre-show begins at 6:30pm.

Click here for the complete write up on Pine Tree News

Pine Tree NASA presentation

(thanks to Allen M. Morris w/ PTISD for sending us this)

Dr. Story Musgrave will be giving a free presentation about Mission Focus: NASA Style. Dr. Musgrave is NASA's most experienced astronaut by several measures. He is the only person to serve missions on all of our shuttles and he is the man we sent to fix the Hubble Space Telescope. Dr. Musgrave's talk will be free and open to the public and there will be a Q&A session as well as an autograph session following the talk. The presentation will be at Pine Tree Auditorium 1702 Pine Tree Road Longview, Texas. The preshow starts at 6:30 PM and the talk starts promptly at 7 PM on February 18, 2013. For more information contact info@ptisd.org