<<< Return to Newsletter Archives list Wednesday, July 01, 2009 July eNewsletter from the Minnesota Planetarium Society In this issue from the Minnesota Planetarium Society: On June 22nd, we celebrated the Summer Solstice at the Central Library with an “open dome” and several other astronomical activities. By all accounts, it was a great success. I would like to thank all who came and particularly the volunteers and staff who made this event shine.
I was inspired by their passion and dedication as I talked with visitors who had a great time on one of our hottest afternoons this year. Late in the event, a young man asked if there was a donation box. As I began talking with him about his experience, he held out his fist and dropped 23 Sacagawea dollars into my hand. Simply stated, it was a memorial to his father who taught science at Southwest High School in Minneapolis who died last year. At this poignant moment, I was again reminded how important this project is to our community. Thanks again to all. Angus M. Vaughan, President, MNPS Future ExploraDome Events MEMBERSHIP: To become a Minnesota Planetarium Society member:
This Spring, astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics made the revolutionary suggestion that there could also be hundreds of massive black holes, with 1000-100000 times the mass of our Sun, roaming through the Milky Way. These are expected to be left over from our galaxy's formation. So far, there's no evidence for these, but new searches for telltale very dense clusters of stars in the outskirts of the Milky Way are underway. Have you ever seen the Milky Way? You can see this starglow transformed into an abundance of stars by using binoculars or a small telescope. Find a nice, dark observing location and look toward the center of the Milky Way, which has a higher concentration of stars. The center is in the constellation Sagittarius, also known as the teapot (see July Skies for a star map). Around 11pm, look NW for the Big Dipper. Follow its handle to “arc to Arcturus” about 45 degrees above the western horizon. Turning south look low above the horizon to trace out a teapot shape that is Saggitarius. Some of the stars of Scorpius are just to the right of the teapot. The brightest of these is Antares with a slight ruddy tint. About half way to the zenith from the SE horizon shines Altair. About 70 degrees above the horizon, Vega shines brighter than any star this month. About 25 degrees left of Vega is Deneb in Cygnus the Swan, often called the Northern Cross. Vega, Deneb, and Altair make up a large asterism called the Summer Triangle. About 25 degrees above the NE horizon is the familiar W known as Cassiopeia. See www.skymaps.com . Moon Planet Highlights for July July 9, After midnight: Bright Jupiter left of Moon July 10, After midnight: Bright Jupiter right of Moon July 18, 4:30 am: Crescent Moon with Pleiades above right, faint Mars below right, and bright Venus below July 19, 4:30 am: Bright Venus right of crescent Moon Forty years ago, on July 20, 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first humans to step foot on the Moon while Michael Collins orbited above. For a panorama with sound see www.panoramas.dk/moon/mission-apollo.html.
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