<<< Return to Newsletter Archives list Wednesday, March 4, 2009 March eNewsletter from the Minnesota Planetarium Society In this issue from the Minnesota Planetarium Society Board Chair Message Planetarium Society Successful but Challenged Like many non-profits, MNPS has been heavily impacted by the economic plunge of the last six months. In many ways, we have been hit by the perfect storm: delayed state funding, a change in ownership, the library merger, and now the deepest recession in decades. But let’s not forget our major successes: $22 million in state bonding; $5 million for an endowment from Minneapolis with proceeds matched by Hennepin County; and rave reviews for our ExploraDome, which has now been visited by over 32,000 students. We have an outstanding pool of candidates applying to be President of the MNPS, and we expect to fill the position by April. The times are both challenging and exciting for us; and our mission to inspire, inform, and educate about the many benefits of scientific thinking, technological advancement, and exploration is even more valid today as we consider the needs of our country in a changing world. Peggy Leppik Chair, Minnesota Planetarium Society Orion and the Winter Circle dominate the southwest sky at 9pm but Saturn is our focus since it is up all night this month. Look for Saturn at 9pm in the east southeast about 30 degrees above the horizon. Or find Leo by following the pointer stars of the Big Dipper away from the North Star to a backward question mark which is Leo’s head. Leo’s hindquarters in the form of a right triangle lie to the left. Saturn is below the triangle. Still looking for Saturn? Look on March 10 when Saturn will be about seven degrees above and left of the Moon. In other parts of the sky, bright Venus leaves the evening sky by month’s end. On March 29 and 30, look for a crescent Moon and the Pleiades (Seven Sisters) in the west at about 8pm. Amateur Astronomers Welcome You to View Saturn’s Rings You can see Saturn with the naked eye but it is even more fun to see it through a telescope. Saturday, March 21 from 7-10 pm opens the public observing nights by the Minnesota Astronomical Society at Onan Observatory at Baylor Regional Park near Norwood-Young America. Check out their website at http://www.mnastro.org/onan for dates, times, and a map. The Observatory is about a one hour drive from downtown Minneapolis. Once there you will experience numerous telescopes and friendly amateur astronomers who love to share the sky. These events are free and open to the public. A sky full of celestial treats, maybe even Saturn’s rings, awaits your discovery. Cassini Spacecraft Explores Saturn's Rings Four hundred years after Galileo discovered the rings of Saturn, NASA's Cassini spacecraft was there, bringing us incredible detail about these beautiful but ephemeral structures. With its initial 4-year mission completed in June 2008, Cassini will continue to explore Saturn and its moons at least through September 2010. Our most recent discovery about the rings is that the icy particles that make them up are clumped in a variety of ways - some appear actually stuck together, and some are temporary gravitational concentrations which then dissipate. Buried in the icy clumps are other materials such as iron and even organic compounds, whose concentrations vary across the rings. Scientists are still working hard to understand how the rings form and evolve, but their fascination for us is beyond doubt. Two great websites to explore are http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/science/?SciencePageID=55 and http://pds-rings.seti.org/saturn/ . --this school year. We still have open days in April, May, and June, and are available on weekends for community events. If you have already experienced the ExploraDome this school year, please recommend us to your colleagues at other schools! --for the summer. Now is the time to reserve the ExploraDome for your summer adventures. It is a perfect fit for nature centers, summer camps, summer school, libraries, church groups, senior centers, museums, and more. --for fall 2009. It's never too early to plan for the next school year! See www.mplanetarium.org/exploradome.htm for more information. We can attempt to match schools and groups in need of financial support with area corporations who have volunteered to sponsor visits, or send suggestions for how to seek funding from local sources. Join us for 100 Hours of Astronomy The 100 Hours of Astronomy Cornerstone Project is a worldwide event with the goal of having as many people as possible look through a telescope as Galileo did for the first time 400 years ago. 100 Hours of Astronomy will take place from April 2-5 when the Moon goes from first quarter to gibbous, good phases for early evening observing. Saturn will be the other highlight of early evening observing events. The Minnesota Planetarium Society, Minnesota Astronomical Society, and the Anoka-Ramsey Community College Astronomy Club are joining together to celebrate. We will have ExploraDome programs, astronomy speakers, and night-sky observing. Location: Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Coon Rapids, MN Check back on our website for further details. |
