As Theo said in the post a few days ago, GLOBE at Night (GaN) starts tonight and runs on March 3 – 16. There is a second run between March 17 and March 31 if you want to collect more data. The whole idea is to collect data from real sites all around the world in an effort to document light pollution. So you don’t need to fly out to Arizona to get your data! Your own yard is perfect. All you need is a place to see the constellation Orion about one hour after sunset.

I’ll be keeping a running tab during the month based on whatever observations we gather. Make sure you check the directions at the GLOBE at Night web site – http://www.globeatnight.org/index.html. The data should include latitude and longitude of the site, local conditions such as street lights and house lights. Seeing and transparency would also be a good thing to record. I suggest we use the Clear Sky Clock as a reference for the time being.

You can submit your observations directly to the GaN if you wish. However, please share your data with the Chapter so we can compare our results. We’ll have a first look at the data at the next meeting, on March 13th.

Three members of the chapter made it out to CE “just in case the clouds would give way. But as they did not subside and we could not see anything, we did text NASA to scrub the launch for 24 hours.
Well we did not do that but Stephen Ramsden, Steve Phillips and Theo Ramakers braved the temperature and the clouds, but the best we could on the south side of the field was get a picture of the moon trying to break through the clouds. (I will add later the pictures from Steve and Stephen).
We just did not want to miss the chance it would have been clear for this historic moment…….
Clear Skies
Theo

This is a reminder that coming Saturday December 19 at 3:00 P.M. is our next Charlie Elliott Chapter meeting. This meeting is our Quarterly Potluck dinner Meeting. so please let me know what you will be bringing so I can publish the menu as we go through the week. The forecast looks reasonable for observing also. So join the other members for a this event and enjoy Richard Jakiel as he presents a discussion on Climate change: “Ice Planet Hoth – Err, I mean Earth!”
CS
Theo Ramakers
#CEastro

Stephen Ramsden is coordinating the Star party at Hopewell Middle School for December 10th. If you can spare the time to let these kids observe the nightsky, please contact stephen and let him know you will be there!.
Thanks and Clear Skies.

Last night Frank Garner and I decided on short notice to witness the ISS flyby at CE. The first flyby happend at 5:30 in the Eastern sky. The second at 7:07 in the Western sky. Not as nice as the flybys of the ISS and the Shuttle of a few days ago, but as always very nice!

Stephen Ramsden has send an email that he will be at CE for solar and evening observing at CE. So if you want to join him and also see, or image, another pass of the ISS, Stephen should be there! The ISS pass for tonight:
Appears 17h50m08s 0.2mag az:313.8° NW horizon
Culmination 17h55m01s -4.5mag az: 43.8° NE h:84.9°
distance: 347.9km height above Earth: 346.8km elevation of sun: -6°
Disappears 17h59m54s -0.7mag az:133.6° SE horizon
Good hunting!!
Theo Ramakers

Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center is hosting again the Childrens School from Atlanta. As you know this event was a great success last year and the school has asked us to repeat the program. Since there will be two different groups we need volunteers for two evenings. One for Monday evening and one for Tuesday evening. Both events will start at the observing field between 6:45 and 7:00 P.M. Please drop me a note to let me know if you can make both or one of these events even if it is only for one hour. You know the kids will be thankfull for your time.
Clear Skies,
Theo Ramakers

This is a reiminder for our monthly meeting tomorrow at 4:00 P.M. Dan Schmitt will deliver a presentation with a different perspective of our home galaxy: The Milky Way. Jon Wood is back and will update us on what’s up in the nightsky. Theo’s Current Events will close the meeting. After the meeting obseving at the observing field. So if you are not going to the PSSG, stop in for a great afternoon and evening at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center.
Clear Skies
Theo Ramakers

Is an occultation something you would like to observe? Here is your chance: June 29, around 1:35 a.m. the gallilean moon Io will partially occult the moon Europa!!

This year the orbital plane of the galilean moons around Jupiter is aligned with earth perfectly for a large number of these (partially and total) occultation. The next one after that, convenient for our time zone, is July 6th when Io will partially occult Europa again at 3:45 a.m. And if a little later is more convenient for you, try July 13th. You than will have to observe at 5:55 a.m.

Happy (moon) hunting under Clear Skies
Theo Ramakers

Tonight we finally will have another nice flyby of the ISS for the Atlanta area. For my location (Social Circle), the ISS will become visible (mag. 0.4) at the horizon at 21:09 in the NNE and will cross over and set at 21:18 in the WSW. The culmination will be azimuth 320degrees at an height of 37 degrees at 21:13 with a brightness of mag. -2.2. (distance 554km)

For those closer to Atlanta, the ISS overpass should be higher than for me. Let me know if you had a chance to see it.

Clear Skies
Theo Ramakers

Marie Lott, received the following email from the Astronomical League Galileo Club coordinator regarding the use of the Galileoscope which became available for sale earlier this week

Subject: Re: AL Galileo Club
Hello Marie.

I do not plan to change the rules, but we accept observations done with the GalileoScope. Our range was based on Galileo’s observations. The purpose of the GalileoScope is not to replicate but to represent. Go for it and don’t worry about it.

Aaron
Coordinator