ASTRONOMY UPDATE (October 9, 2014)
Dennis Mammana
If you live in Southern California—and even if you don’t—you’ll find California’s only International Dark Sky Community not far from both San Diego and Los Angeles. That means if you have any interest at all in the starry sphere above us, THIS is the place to visit. And there’s no better time than autumn to spend a weekend in Borrego Springs, and experience the universe in all its splendor! http://www.sunset.com/travel/california/anza-borrego-desert-weekend
01) Total lunar eclipse photo
02) Final 2014 Night Sky Photography workshop coming up! (October 18/19, 2014)
03) Partial solar eclipse (October 23, 2014)
04) Partial Solar Eclipse/Stargazing Party meals/lectures/stargazing (October 23, 2014)
05) Nightfall Star Party (October 23-26, 2014)
06) “Journey from Andromeda” dinner/lecture (October 26, 2014)
07) Check the Northern Lights off your bucket list!
08) Borrego Night Sky Tours
09) 2014-2015 Public calendar now online
10) Arrange lectures or workshops in your area!
11) Total solar eclipses coming up!
12) Subscribe FREE to my “Stargazers” column
13) Follow me on Social Media
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01) Total lunar
eclipse photo
I hope your skies were clear on Wednesday. Ours in the Anza-Borrego Desert
didn’t start out that way—thanks to clouds from Hurricane Simon—but
just before the eclipse began the sky cleared beautiful and remained throughout
the sky show. Of course I was out with telescope and camera! One
added feature to this eclipse was that the distant planet Uranus appeared less than one degree from the totally
eclipsed moon, but considerably farther away. Here's an image I shot at
mid-eclipse and annotated to show the incredibly different distances of some of
the celestial objects there. FYI, one light year equals about six trillion
miles. Check it out here: http://on.fb.me/1pWmGLS
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02) Final Night Sky Photography workshop coming up! (October 18/19, 2014)
The summer Milky Way is slowly receding, and soon we'll be surrounded by the winter Milky Way and the most brilliant stars of the year. Don't miss this final opportunity of 2014 to learn the secrets to amazing night sky photography from under the clear, dark skies of Borrego Springs, California's only International Dark Sky Community. Little more than one week remains… register today! http://www.dennismammana.com/BSNightSkyPhotoOct2014.htm
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03) Partial solar eclipse (October 23, 2014)
On October 23, we in North America will experience a rare partial eclipse of the sun. Viewing and photographing must be done with extreme caution, since even partially exposing the eye or camera to unfiltered solar radiation can cause blindness or camera damage. To learn more about this partial solar eclipse (and eclipses in general) visit: http://mreclipse.com/MrEclipse.html#Sun
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04) Partial Solar Eclipse/Stargazing Party
meals/lectures/stargazing (October 23, 2014)
View the solar eclipse alone, or learn about it and how to view and photograph it safely, and join astronomers from around Southern California to get a safe and close-up telescopic view of the celestial spectacle. Then, after a break and dinner, we’ll preview the spectacular October desert night sky and again join the astronomers outdoors to peer at even more remarkable wonders of the universe. Make your reservations now! http://www.borregospringsresort.com/pdfs/Special%20Events%20Packages.pdf
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05) Nightfall Star Party (October 23-26, 2014)
One of the biggest astronomical weekends in San Diego County occurs in Borrego Springs on the weekend of October 23-26, 2014—the same weekend as the 49th Annual Borrego Days Festival (whose theme this year, by the way, is “Borrego SkyDance”). I’ll be presenting two programs this year… one early on Friday afternoon and the other on Saturday evening. Lodging is tough to come by if you wait too long, so make your reservations now! For details on this exciting event, visit: http://www.nightfallstarparty.com
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06) “Journey from Andromeda” dinner/lecture
(October 26, 2014)
The light you see tonight
from the distant Andromeda Galaxy left on its journey long before humans ever
walked the face of planet Earth. Ride with us on a beam of light from this
island universe, and share its amazing adventures along the 2.3-million-year journey
to your eye! Our fun-filled evening
begins with a light buffet dinner, followed by the presentation; 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://springsatborrego.com/stars.php
No RV is necessary to join the fun, but
programs do fill quickly, so make your reservations today!
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07) Check the Northern Lights off your bucket list!
If you’ve been paying attention to the northern lights, you know they’ve been raging in recent weeks… this is to be expected since, over the next few months, we’re at the height of auroral activity. Remember the sun is now in its "solar max" phase and, with it, auroral displays are reaching their best. The next solar max? Maybe in 2025. Maybe. There's debate in the astronomical community if it'll even happen. Join me in March as we head to Fairbanks, Alaska for a time you’ll not soon forget: http://www.melitatrips.com/destinations/2015/alaska/alaska2015.html. Don’t delay… make your reservations now for this popular tour and don’t miss out on Nature’s greatest light show! And be sure to mention my name to receive top priority!
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08) Borrego Night Sky Tours
The moon is gone now from the early evening sky for the next couple of weeks, and sights that boggle the mind are visible each night in the clear dark skies over California's only International Dark Sky Community. Why not treat yourself or your family to a truly inspiring and personalized telescopic voyage through the cosmos… this is one voyage you won't soon forget! Autumn dates and spaces are limited, and are dwindling quickly. Reserve yours now. http://www.BorregoNightSkyTours.com
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09) 2014-2015 Public calendar now online
My calendar of public events for 2014-2015 (and beyond) is online; if you’re planning to visit beautiful Borrego Springs this upcoming season, I hope you’ll time your trip to join us for some (or all!) of these “stellar” events. Links will be updated as details are firmed up. http://www.dennismammana.com/presentations/schedule.htm
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10) Arrange lectures or workshops in your area!
Many of my fans have expressed disappointment that they cannot attend some of my popular presentations and workshops here in Southern California... but don't despair. Groups such as photo clubs, camera stores, astronomy associations, schools, libraries, etc. often host such programs, so if you know of organizations in your area that might be interested, please email me at mam...@skyscapes.com. Perhaps we can put something together in your area!
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11) Total solar eclipses coming up!
If you’ve experienced neither the aurora borealis nor a total solar eclipse, this might just be your ticket… a possible “two-fer”! Iceland for the aurora, and the Faroe Islands for a stunning total solar eclipse! (March 14-23, 2015 with Dennis Mammana) http://melitatrips.com/destinations/2015/faroe/faroe.html Or if you’re looking farther ahead, be sure to check out my Java Sea Eclipse (February 27 – March 10,2016). Orangutans and a total solar eclipse… what could be better! To learn more these exciting programs, call MWT Associates at 877.707.7827 toll-free, or visit the links above. And be sure to mention my name to receive top priority!
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12)
Subscribe FREE to my “Stargazers” column
If you haven't yet subscribed to my weekly syndicated column "Stargazers" (now in its 23rd consecutive year), what are you waiting for? Just click the "Receive future columns by email" link at the bottom of the column... and let your local newspaper know you'd like to see it published there by clicking the "See this in your newspaper" link as well.
http://www.creators.com/lifestylefeatures/astronomy/stargazers.html
Don't let the universe
pass you by!
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13) Follow me on social media
To receive more frequent and 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 enjoy my postings on social media. Several options are available:
Facebook: Go to my official page (http://www.facebook.com/DennisMammana), look at the top near my name and click the “Like” button; that’s it! (Oh, and hover your cursor over the “Like” button so you can click “Get Notifications”)
Google Plus: Go to my page (https://plus.google.com/+DennisMammana) and add me to your circles.
Twitter: Or keep up in even more real-time with my Twitter feed @dennismammana. Just go to https://twitter.com/dennismammana and click “Follow”.
Blog: There’s always more to write about, so I’ll hope you’ll check out my blog at http://dennismammana.blogspot.com. And, in the meantime I’d like to invite your thoughts on what might interest you for a future blog column.
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As you’ve requested, I’m sending these astronomy notices to you. Please let me know if your e-mail address changes, or if you ever prefer not to receive these postings. And feel free to pass this newsletter on to friends and encourage them to subscribe. Remember, I
will never sell, trade, lend, or leak your e-mail address to any other individual or organization—and only those who specifically request inclusion are added.
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DENNIS MAMMANA (TWAN)
DennisMammana.com
Facebook.com/DennisMammana
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