ASTRONOMY UPDATE (17 January 2012)

[Dennis Mammana]

2012 is here, and if you've been meaning to enjoy the starry night skies in California's only International Dark Sky Community, it’s time to get started.  The next couple of weeks should be ideal with great weather, no moonlight, and lots of astronomy programs going on... so check out my public calendar and join in the fun!  http://dennismammana.com/presentations/schedule.htm

 

Fun activities & events…

01)   Celestial Overnight campout  (Sat/Sun, January 21/22)
02)   “Desert Stargazing Basics” lecture  (Sunday, January 22)
03)   “2012: A Year of Celestial Wonders” lecture  (Sunday, January 22)

04)   “From Dust to Dust”  (Friday, January 27)
05)   “Desert Night Sky Photography” workshop  (Sat/Sun, January 28/29)

 

On the web…

07)   Current “Stargazers” column

08)   Current “Sky Photo of the Week”

 

Come along with me, I’m on my way to a star!

09)   Alaska Aurora Borealis  (Feb 25 – Mar 1, 2012)    WAITING LIST
10)   The Great Southwest Annular Eclipse! tour  (May 2012)

11)   Rare and historic Venus transit (June 2012)
12)   The Great Dreamtime Total Solar Eclipse!  (Nov 2012)

13)   Other Cosmic Adventures…

Follow my celestial antics online…

14)   Keep up with me on Facebook & Twitter

15)   Bloggin’ across the cosmos…

 

Definitely worth checking out…

16)   Red Flags of Quackery
17)   Seeing the earliest galaxies

18)   Nighttime lighting banned under penalty of law

19)   Human life statistics from National Geographic
20)   There’s an app for that!
21)   Darkness is actually safer at night

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01)   Celestial Overnight campout  (Sat/Sun, January 21/22)
Its only a few days away… spend the weekend in the Anza-Borrego Desert enjoying my exciting Celestial Overnight campout on January 21/22 and find out why Borrego Springs has been designated as California's first (and only) official International Dark Sky Community. Weekend includes a stirring excursion through the rugged Borrego Badlands in open-air jeeps and former military vehicles, a mouth-watering chuck wagon dinner, campfire and S'mores, all camping gear, a full hot breakfast the next morning and more.  All you need to bring is a pillow and a sense of adventure!   For more information or reservations, call Joe Raffetto toll-free at 866.6.EXPLORE or 760.767.1232, or visit http://www.californiaoverland.com.

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02)   “Desert Stargazing Basics” lecture  (Sunday, January 22)
In this entertaining and enlightening presentation, I’ll demonstrate how to read a star map, how to use your eyes like a pro, and how to find those seemingly impossible star patterns that have eluded you all your life!   http://theabf.org/event/astronomy/desert_stargazing_basics_0

 

 

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03)   “2012: A Year of Celestial Wonders” lecture  (Sunday, January 22)

As we turn the page on the calendar, an exciting year of celestial events comes into view: eclipses, lunar and planetary conjunctions, meteor showers and a rare transit of Venus. Don’t miss this fun-filled preview of what promises to be a most fascinating year of celestial wonders! The evening starts with a light dinner, followed by a preview of the night skies; then it's out to the Springs’ Astronomy Park for some telescope viewing of the magnificent desert sky (weather permitting) with expert amateur astronomers.  For more information and reservations, call the Springs at Borrego RV Resort at 760.767.0004 or visit: http://www.springsatborrego.com/stars.php   No RV is necessary to join the fun!

 

 

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04)   “From Dust to Dust”  (Friday, January 27)
We are made of star dust, all forged in stellar furnaces eons ago and blasted into space by colossal explosions. Journey back into time in search of our cosmic roots, and ponder how we will one day be recycled into new stars, alien worlds and, possibly, other life.  This terrific package at the Borrego Springs Resort includes: one night deluxe accommodations, buffet dinner, indoor slide program followed by telescope viewing of the heavens above California’s first and only International Dark Sky Community (weather permitting, of course). Non-hotel packages are also available.  For more information and reservations, please call 888.826.7734.  Availability is limited, so don’t delay!  http://www.borregospringsresort.com  

 

 

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05)   “Desert Night Sky Photography” workshop  (Sat/Sun, January 28/29)

Tired of shooting the same old photos?  In 2012, why not shoot for the stars!  If you've been putting off of taking my popular "Night Sky Photography" workshop, keep in mind that my last offering in Borrego before autumn will be next weekend, January 28/29, so now's the time... learn more and register online here!   http://theabf.org/event/photography/desert_night_sky_photography

 

 

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06)   Desert Photo Contest  (Deadline:  Sunday, January 29)
Desert lovers and photography enthusiasts: capture and enter your favorite views, moments and adventures in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. There's even a category where you can enter night sky shots... at least one of the judges would enjoy seeing that! :-)   Entry deadline coming up on January 29.   http://theabf.org/events/photo_contest

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07)   Current “Stargazers” column
Keep up with the starry heavens in my weekly column, now in its 20^th consecutive year.  And remember, you can subscribe free to the column via e-mail or RSS feed… just click the appropriate box at the bottom of the column to do so.  Or if you’re more “analog” than digital, click the box to let your local newspaper editor know you’d like them to carry it.  http://www.creators.com/lifestylefeatures/astronomy/stargazers.html

 

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08)   Current “Sky Photo of the Week”

Stars, stars and more stars shining ohttp://www.creators.com/lifestylefeatures/astronomy/stargazers.html ver the Anza-Borrego Desert appear in my current Sky Photo of the Week:  http://dennismammana.com/spow120112.htm

 

 

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09)   Alaska Aurora Borealis  (Feb 25 – Mar 1, 2012)    WAITING LIST
The sun’s cycle is nearing “solar max” and the lights are kicking up big time!  Get your name now on the waiting list in case a space should open up on this year’s trip!  Contact MWT Associates at 877-707-7827 or online at http://www.melitatrips.com, and be sure to mention my name to receive top priority!   

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10)   The Great Southwest Annular Eclipse! tour  (May 2012)

Only four months remain before the adventure begins: our Great Southwest Annular Eclipse tour.  Journey with us through the enchanted lands of the Anasazi, the Hopi and the Navajo to view the annular eclipse on May 20, 2012. Touring such iconic astronomical sites as Lowell Observatory, the Arizona meteor crater, and the Very Large Array. Explore the beautiful Southwest at Oak Creek Canyon, Zuni and Acoma Pueblos, and Canyon de Chelly, with its sheer red cliffs and innumerable prehistoric Indian dwellings. Don't miss this one... sign up today!   http://www.melitatrips.com/destinations/2012/annulareclipse/arizonanewmexico2012.html

 

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11)   Rare and historic Venus transit (June 2012)
Mark your calendars now to join me for the rare and historic 2012 Venus Transit at the Borrego Springs Resort right here in the U.S. Desert Southwest... details to come!  Or plan to accompany my colleagues David Eicher (Editor, Astronomy Magazine) and Dr. Alex Filippenko (Astronomy Professor at UC Berkeley) for an exciting celestial journey to Hawaii!   First tour:  http://www.melitatrips.com/destinations/2012/hawaii/hawaii2012.html     Second tour:  http://www.melitatrips.com/destinations/2012/hawaii/hawaii2012secondtour.html

 

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12)   The Great Dreamtime Total Solar Eclipse!  (Nov 2012)

Filling fast!  Our next total solar eclipse adventure will take us to the wonderful Land Down Under.  Join me and other fantastic astronomical lecturers on one of several possible itineraries across Australia and New Zealand, for a once-in-a-lifetime experience as day becomes night… and then day again:  a rare total eclipse of the sun.   If you’ve never experienced these remarkable places—or Nature’s most awe-inspiring sky show (not to mention the spectacular Southern Hemisphere night sky)—now’s your chance!  Visit http://www.melitatrips.com/destinations/2012/australia/australia2012.html for more info.

 

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13)   Other Cosmic Adventures…

While I’d love to have you join me on my cosmic adventures, many other astronomically-related travel options are also available.  MWT Associates is one of the best tour companies who specializes in astronomical travel, and features a stable of some of the world’s finest and most popular lecturers. I’m honored to have been part of this “stellar” team for the past 18 years, and I encourage you to check out which other exciting programs might interest you:  http://www.melitatrips.com 

 

 

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14)   Keep up with me on Facebook & Twitter

To receive more immediate details about celestial events, new photographs, cool astronomical discoveries and discussion (if you so choose)—more than I can possibly include in this newsletter—I hope you’ll join the increasing number of fans that “like” my official Facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/DennisMammana.  Just look at the top near my name and click the “Like” button;  that’s it!   You’ll receive all this information and more as I learn about it, and won’t miss a thing.  And for an even more real-time connection, I hope you’ll join me on Twitter too.  http://www.twitter.com/dennismammana 

 

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15)   Bloggin’ across the cosmos…

Lots of things to write about… and I’d like to invite your thoughts on just what you’d be most interested in me writing about.  General ideas or specific topics are all welcome… just drop me a note at mam...@skyscapes.com and I’ll do my best to develop a blog you’ll enjoy reading.  In the meantime, you’ll find my blog at http://dennismammana.blogspot.com, and you can subscribe free at the bottom of the page.

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16)   Red Flags of Quackery
Here’s a handy chart that will help you to spot charlatans and pseudoscience from a mile away. Print it, post it, use it!   And remember, just because you believe something doesn't make it true.  http://sci-ence.org/red-flags2/

 

 

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17)   Seeing the earliest galaxies
The Hubble Telescope has peered back into time further than ever before--13.1 billion years--and has photographed galaxies existing only 600 million years after the Big Bang. This, in human terms, would be equivalent to studying a toddler less than 4 years from the womb. Amazing!    http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2012/05/

 

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18)   Nighttime lighting banned under penalty of law 
Check out this hilarious article passed on by my friend Steve Owens.   http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s5i103283   (For those who are comically challenged, yes… this is satire!)

 

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19)   Human life statistics from National Geographic
This certainly puts things into perspective... but, damn, now I'm ready for a nap!  
http://funstoo.blogspot.com/2012/01/human-life-statistics-national.html

 

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20)   There’s an app for that!
Are you like me--your head always in the stars?  Well... as they say... there's an app for that!  Here's a terrific catalog of astronomy-related apps for mobile devices, courtesy of Andy Fraknoi and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.   http://scitation.aip.org/getpdf/servlet/GetPDFServlet?filetype=pdf&id=AERSCZ000010000001010302000001&idtype=cvips&doi=10.3847%2FAER2011036&prog=normal

 

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21)   Darkness is actually safer at night
Many believe that more nighttime lighting makes things safer. If this were true, of course, there'd be no crime or traffic accidents in the daytime! Thankfully, science is now confirming what I’ve been saying for years!  http://darkskydiary.wordpress.com/2011/12/22/do-brighter-street-lights-make-you-safer-from-crime/

 

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If you wish to reach me, you can do so not by replying to this site, but by my e-mail address:  mam...@skyscapes.com 

 

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DENNIS MAMMANA
DennisMammana.com