ASTRONOMY UPDATES (06 January 2015)
Dennis Mammana
Nothing is more glorious than the brilliant stars of winter. If you’re planning to visit the Anza-Borrego Desert anytime soon, don’t miss this cosmic spectacle. Treat your family or that special someone to an inspiring and personalized tours of the universe above Borrego Springs—California’s only International Dark Sky Community. Check out this unique opportunity here: http://www.BorregoNightSkyTours.com Spaces and dates are limited, so reserve your spot today! And be sure to check out the tours on Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/borrego-night-sky-tours-borrego-springs
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01) Exciting Desert Celestial Overnight (January 10/11)
02) “A Year of Cosmic Wonder” (January 18)
03) Sand to Sky Family Discovery Weekend (January 24/25)
04) “From Faint Flickers of Starlight” (February 6)
05) Alaska Night Sky Photography workshops (February 21, February 28/March 1)
06) Last chance to check the northern lights off your bucket list!
07) Other cosmic adventures…
08) Upcoming celestial events for 2015
09) Arrange for popular presentations in your area
10) Follow me on social media
11) Subscribe FREE to my “Stargazers” column
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01) Exciting Desert Celestial
Overnight (January 10/11)
What a magnificent and sparkling desert sky we have in
January! On the night of Saturday/Sunday, January 10/11, join me for one
of my popular overnight celestial campouts with California Overland Desert
Excursions. In addition to viewing planets, star clusters,
stellar nebulae and distant galaxies with the 14-inch telescope, the 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, as well as a full hot breakfast the
next morning. And more. All you need to bring is a pillow and a sense of
adventure! For details, call Joe
Raffetto toll-free at 866.6.EXPLORE or 760.767.1232, or visit http://www.californiaoverland.com.
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02) “A Year of Cosmic Wonder”
(January 18)
As we turn yet another page on the calendar, we look to an exciting new year of celestial delights: beautiful lunar and planetary conjunctions, meteor showers, eclipses and more. Don’t miss this fun-filled preview of what promises to be a most fascinating year of cosmic wonder! The 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://www.springsatborrego.com/stars.php No RV is necessary to join the fun, but programs do fill up quickly, so make your reservations today!
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03) Sand to Sky Family Discovery Weekend
(January 24/25)
Join me and desert naturalist Paul Johnson
for a fascinating weekend of learning about everything from desert sand to
sparkling stars. During our Saturday evening Stargazing at the
Yurt Camp, you will learn to read a star map and find your way around the night
sky, and will peer far into the galaxy (and beyond!) with the power of a
14-inch telescope. Please bring a flashlight with red LEDs or covered
with a deep-red cellophane to protect night vision. To learn more about the
entire program, visit: http://theabf.org/sand-sky-family-discovery-weekend-yurts
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04) From Faint Flickers of Starlight
(February 6)
Enjoy my upcoming lecture at the Portola Community Center in Palm Desert, CA, to learn such things as how we know the distances or temperatures of the stars, or where we are in the universe. Seems impossible to know these things, but astronomers are a clever lot, and in this fascinating presentation you will learn just how we figure out such seemingly unknowable facts… all from faint flickers of starlight! For more information on this free program, visit: http://astrorx.org/Lecture%20Meetings%20%202015.htm
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05) Alaska Night Sky Photography workshops
(February 21, February 28/March 1)
For those learning to use your cameras in the dark and the cold in an effort to capture the stars or the northern lights, be sure not to miss my 2015 Alaska Night Sky Photography workshops in both Juneau (Feb. 21) and Fairbanks (Feb. 28/Mar. 1)—and possibly Anchorage (Feb. 23)—and learn the fundamentals of these challenging techniques. An early registration discount is offered through January 24, but don't delay... seating is limited! Check it out here, and register online: http://dennismammana.com/AK2015 or contact me directly for more details. (mam...@skyscapes.com).
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06) Check the northern nights off your bucket list!
The northern lights are reaching a fever
pitch, and you know they’re on your
cosmic bucket list. Why should you see them now? Because auroral displays typically reach their best as the sun’s activity just begins its descent from
“solar max”… which is exactly where we are this winter &
spring. The next solar max? Maybe
in 2025. Time and space is rapidly running
out for my 2015 Alaska Aurora Tour (March 7-13), so make your reservations soon
and don’t miss out on Nature’s greatest light show! To learn more, call 877.707.7827
toll-free, or visit: http://www.melitatrips.com/destinations/2015/alaska/alaska2015.html
And be sure to mention my
name to receive top priority!
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07) Other cosmic adventures…
While I’d love to have you join me on my cosmic adventures—we always have such great fun—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 20+ years, and I encourage you to check out which other exciting celestial programs might interest you: http://www.melitatrips.com
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08) Upcoming celestial events for 2015
Some very cool celestial events will be taking place this coming year; now’s the time to mark your calendars and plan to take off work! Check some of them out in my current “Stargazers” column (http://www.creators.com/lifestylefeatures/astronomy/stargazers/-2015-a-year-of-cosmic-wonder.html) and get the entire year’s list here: http://dennismammana.com/skyinfo/calendar.htm
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09) Arrange for popular programs 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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10) 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”)
Twitter: Or keep up in even more real-time with my Twitter feed @dennismammana. Just go to https://twitter.com/dennismammana and click “Follow”.
Google Plus: Go to my page (https://plus.google.com/+DennisMammana) and add me to your circles.
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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11) 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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To read these missives online, visit the archive at: http://groups-beta.google.com/group/MammanaGrams 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 For faster and more complete notices—and much more fun than e-mail—be sure to “Like” me on my official Facebook page: facebook.com/DennisMammana
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DENNIS MAMMANA (TWAN)
DennisMammana.com
Facebook.com/DennisMammana
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