Public Observation Night
- Where:
- Frosty Drew Observatory
- When:
- Friday August 31, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.
- Cost:
- Free! Donations Appreciated.
- Share:
Sky conditions actually look quite good for tonight, so it appears the Frosty Drew Observatory will be open, beginning at 8:00p.m. With the Full Moon occurring this evening, that may be the focus of much of the observing, but if you haven’t seen the Moon through a large telescope, that is worth the visit. We also acknowledge the Rhythm & Roots Festival happening in the Park, and invite all guests to that to come and enjoy our facility.
Two small space craft were launched this week without very much fanfare, although they may be of great importance to our lifestyles here on Earth. The Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) will spend the next couple years traversing the Earth’s magnetic region – the Van Allen belts – constantly monitoring the radiation that is a part of our upper atmosphere. To introduce you to this mission, there will be a short presentation on it at 7:00 and 8:00 P.M. in the Sky Theatre, across from the Observatory. Come learn about a way NASA will be using RBSP to monitor important aspects of our lives.
Please mark your calendars for the weekend of September 21-22, as we will join in the international community to celebrate our nearest neighbor in space, the Moon, for International Observe the Moon Night. Normally an object that astronomers don’t take too much time observing, on that Saturday, the 22nd, we will join thousands of other observatories around the world in looking at the wonders that our Moon possesses on its surface; however, we will be extending our Moon observing to Friday, because we will be privileged to have a set of lunar and meteorite samples, courtesy of NASA. One Lucite cylinder contain differing types of lunar material returned to Earth by the six successful Apollo landings; the meteorite sample shows pieces of rock and dust that we know dates back to the beginning of our solar system. In addition, there will be presentations and activities for all ages to enjoy in the Sky Theatre. Hope you’ll all be able to come.
Frosty Drew Observatory is proud to be located in the Town of Charlestown, home of the darkest skies in Rhode Island and much of the Eastern Seaboard. Please help us to continue our efforts of providing you with the best place in the state to learn about the night sky.-Francine Jackson-------------------------------------------------------------------------Tonight's weather forecast is all over the place. With every forecaster calling for different conditions we can expect anything from mostly clear skies to t-storms and showers. Let hope for the former! With the likelihood for clear skies ahead we will open the observatory at 8:00 and start our night with views of the full Moon. Later in the night we will point our telescopes toward some beautiful binary stars, the planet Uranus, and eventually Jupiter. The bright full moon tonight will keep most deep sky objects hidden from our view so this is not the best night for those wanting to photograph the Milky Way or observe distant galaxies and nebulae.Tonight is the Blue Moon. Luna (The Moon) will be in its full phase tonight for the second time this month. The Blue Moon is not actually any more blue than any other full Moon of the year so do not be taken by false color images that pop up on the web. The "Blue Moon" is a name given to the second full moon in a single month. August 1st was the first full moon and now, on the last day of August, is the second full moon of this month. Be sure to step out tonight and observe this rare occurrence that will not happen again for another three years.The Rhythm and Roots festival is in the park this weekend. Rhythm and Roots has always been a good omen for us at Frosty Drew Observatory. Every year the Rhythm and Roots festival brings the best observable skies of the summer. The festival also brings many great individuals out to the observatory that normally would have stayed home. Because Rhythm and Roots is an overnight. weekend long event, the Observatory will stay open all night long and open again tomorrow night (weather permitting). The all night schedule gives us the opportunity every year to get an early glimpse of winter things to come in the sky. We will surely be observing The Great Orion Nebula before the end of the night. We always have a blast with the Rhythm and Roots crowd as we stay open from dusk till dawn chatting with great people and listening to great tunes.Be sure to come out tonight for a fantastic late summer night under the Blue Moon to the sounds of great tunes!-Scott MacNeill
Two small space craft were launched this week without very much fanfare, although they may be of great importance to our lifestyles here on Earth. The Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) will spend the next couple years traversing the Earth’s magnetic region – the Van Allen belts – constantly monitoring the radiation that is a part of our upper atmosphere. To introduce you to this mission, there will be a short presentation on it at 7:00 and 8:00 P.M. in the Sky Theatre, across from the Observatory. Come learn about a way NASA will be using RBSP to monitor important aspects of our lives.
Please mark your calendars for the weekend of September 21-22, as we will join in the international community to celebrate our nearest neighbor in space, the Moon, for International Observe the Moon Night. Normally an object that astronomers don’t take too much time observing, on that Saturday, the 22nd, we will join thousands of other observatories around the world in looking at the wonders that our Moon possesses on its surface; however, we will be extending our Moon observing to Friday, because we will be privileged to have a set of lunar and meteorite samples, courtesy of NASA. One Lucite cylinder contain differing types of lunar material returned to Earth by the six successful Apollo landings; the meteorite sample shows pieces of rock and dust that we know dates back to the beginning of our solar system. In addition, there will be presentations and activities for all ages to enjoy in the Sky Theatre. Hope you’ll all be able to come.
Frosty Drew Observatory is proud to be located in the Town of Charlestown, home of the darkest skies in Rhode Island and much of the Eastern Seaboard. Please help us to continue our efforts of providing you with the best place in the state to learn about the night sky.-Francine Jackson-------------------------------------------------------------------------Tonight's weather forecast is all over the place. With every forecaster calling for different conditions we can expect anything from mostly clear skies to t-storms and showers. Let hope for the former! With the likelihood for clear skies ahead we will open the observatory at 8:00 and start our night with views of the full Moon. Later in the night we will point our telescopes toward some beautiful binary stars, the planet Uranus, and eventually Jupiter. The bright full moon tonight will keep most deep sky objects hidden from our view so this is not the best night for those wanting to photograph the Milky Way or observe distant galaxies and nebulae.Tonight is the Blue Moon. Luna (The Moon) will be in its full phase tonight for the second time this month. The Blue Moon is not actually any more blue than any other full Moon of the year so do not be taken by false color images that pop up on the web. The "Blue Moon" is a name given to the second full moon in a single month. August 1st was the first full moon and now, on the last day of August, is the second full moon of this month. Be sure to step out tonight and observe this rare occurrence that will not happen again for another three years.The Rhythm and Roots festival is in the park this weekend. Rhythm and Roots has always been a good omen for us at Frosty Drew Observatory. Every year the Rhythm and Roots festival brings the best observable skies of the summer. The festival also brings many great individuals out to the observatory that normally would have stayed home. Because Rhythm and Roots is an overnight. weekend long event, the Observatory will stay open all night long and open again tomorrow night (weather permitting). The all night schedule gives us the opportunity every year to get an early glimpse of winter things to come in the sky. We will surely be observing The Great Orion Nebula before the end of the night. We always have a blast with the Rhythm and Roots crowd as we stay open from dusk till dawn chatting with great people and listening to great tunes.Be sure to come out tonight for a fantastic late summer night under the Blue Moon to the sounds of great tunes!-Scott MacNeill
