Friday April, 19, 2013 Weekly Note
Skies don't seem very good for this evening at Frosty Drew, but, we will be open an extra night this week: Saturday, we will be joining much of the rest of the astronomical community to celebrate Astronomy Day, a chance for everyone to come and enjoy the world of the sky. Here at Frosty Drew, weather permitting, we will be safely observing the Sun, and tracking its motion as it seems to travel across the sky. We also will be showing some of the beautiful photography that Scott has made of the current comet, PanSTARRS, and learn what makes up these elusive space visitors. In addition, we will remind you of the presence on the planet Mars of one of the most important landing crafts ever sent to our neighbor, Curiosity, and talk about its mission. Then, weather permitting, we will enjoy views of the waxing gibbous Moon through the 16-inch telescope. Solar observing begins at 5:00 P.M., and we hope to have you all come.
If the skies permit, the International Space Station will also be in the sky, making a rather long pass for us to enjoy; also, we might even be able to observe an Iridium flare.
The next planetarium program will be a little different: Some of you might have seen the old production of "Powers of Ten," narrated by noted scientist Philip Morrison. That will be the main part of the show - but, Steve Pellegrino, lab manager for the URI Physics Department, has taken it, and added many more visuals, to bring the program up into a new level of enjoyment. "Powers of Ten" will be shown at the URI Planetarium Friday, May 10th, beginning at 7:00 P.M. Note the later time, as we must consider that when the program is over, we would love you all to go to Frosty Drew, if skies are clear, and with nighttime coming so late, we will adjust. Admission is only $5.00, to benefit both Frosty Drew and the Planetarium, so please mark this on your calendar.
Frosty Drew is privileged to be located at the darkest skies in Rhode Island. Please help us to keep them as dark as possible.
-Francine Jackson
