<<< Return to Newsletter Archives list Saturday, October 31, 2009 November eNewsletter from the Minnesota Planetarium Society In this issue from the Minnesota Planetarium Society: Join Us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube! Predictions Look Good for Leonid Meteor Shower President's Message - Staff and ExploraDome Are Stars The school year is now almost two months old. The staff of the Society has been working on grant writing and booking the ExploraDome at schools for the balance of the calendar and school year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mike Linnemann and Joel Halvorson for all the time and energy these two have put in particularly in light of Sally Brummel's maternity leave. We participated in the Educate Minnesota Conference during MEA last week and we are preparing to be on exhibit at the regional National Science Teacher's Association (NSTA) conference at the end of the month. During the one-day Educate MN conference, we put on 32 shows for teachers and other interested parties. We are anticipating a strong turnout at the NSTA Conference and expect similar levels of interest. If your school is planning to reserve the Dome for a day, book now while there are still good dates available. Angus M. Vaughan I am eager and excited to begin work as the new Board Chair at this time of great progress for the Minnesota Planetarium Society. My deepest thanks go out to past-Chair Peggy Leppik for her great leadership over the last two years. The entire Board of Directors, like me, are all volunteers who are passionate about inspiring children and adults alike to pursue their human curiosity about the Universe. New discoveries about our Earth and Universe are made every day. We are truly excited for the moment, coming soon, when we can present the latest science and astronomy in a state-of-the-art flagship Minnesota Planetarium and Space Discovery Center! Until the new facility is a reality I encourage you to continue your support by reading our eNews, connecting with us on social media sites (see article below) and coming to our out-of-this-world events featuring shows in our portable ExploraDome! Thanks for helping us fund, plan and build this much-needed science education center for all Minnesota. Nathan Laible Join Us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube! The Minnesota Planetarium Society is excited to announce three enhanced tools to help you follow planetarium developments. We are now on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube! If you use these sites then you already know that they provide a terrific way to engage with you and allow you more interaction with us. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MPlanetarium (Then click on the "+1 Become a Fan" button near the top.) Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MPlanetarium YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/ Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for you to stay up to date and connect with the efforts to build and operate this beautiful science education facility. There is a lot going on, from public events, to the traveling ExploraDome appearing near you, to updates on our fundraising and designs for the final facility: the Minnesota Planetarium and Space Discovery Center. Check them out and tell a friend!! They would certainly be useful if we want to establish a Moon Base, but right now, it doesn't look very likely. When the Moon formed 4.5 billion years ago in a giant collision between the Earth and a Mars-sized object, the lunar material was purged of all its volatiles (molecules that are easily turned into gases), leaving it extremely dry. But three different spacecraft -- India's Chandrayaan-1, and earlier, NASA's Cassini and Deep Impact missions, suggested that water, or at least its hydroxyl (OH) building block, was common on the surface. The latest data confirm that water is indeed present, probably being continuously replenished by the bombardment of surface rocks with high energy protons (hydrogen nuclei) from the Sun. But the amounts are tiny, similar to those found on Earth's driest deserts, so no water fountains. Results from the recent LCROSS impact may change this picture, and scientists are assiduously scrutinizing the data. Predictions Look Good for Leonid Meteor Shower With a new Moon in the sky, the peak of the Leonid Meteor Shower on the morning of November 17 promises to be a decent show. Head outside anytime after midnight (better after 3am). Dress warmly, take a blanket or lawn chair and try to get away from city lights, heading east or north if possible. Find a dark location where car headlights won't interrupt your night vision, lie down, face east where Leo rises and enjoy. Binoculars are not needed. You may be able to see as many as one meteor a minute and possibly more. Remember you are watching grain-size pieces of comet Tempel-Tuttle heat a small bit of Earth's atmosphere as they plunge into it at over 150,000 miles an hour. This comet orbits the Sun every 33 years but laid down this debris field as it melted slightly in 1466. http://stardate.org/nightsky/meteors/ On October 7th, the Minnesota Planetarium Society and friends at the Como, Mayo and Mankato East planetariums, had the honor to be part of a first; a domecast from the NASA GeoDome* located on the front lawn of the White House to these three sites in Minnesota. This was part of a White House Star Party hosted by the first family. One hundred fifty middle school kids from the DC area plus several-honored guests toured the cosmos guided by Carter Emmart of the Hayden Planetarium, NY. After the President's inspiring speech, the guests visited the dome and telescopes on the lawn. It was an honor to participate in a perfect clear night for star gazing in our nation's capital. You can view an excerpt of this event at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/white-house-under-stars *The NASA GeoDome, identical to the MnPS ExploraDome, was the second portable dome of its kind. The first dome belongs to MNPS and is in large part due to the talents and skill of our own Joel Halvorson. At 4am look north to find the Big Dipper, handle pointing down. Move left from the pointer stars in the scoop to find Polaris. Move right to Leo with its backwards question mark about 45 degrees above the eastern horizon. That's Mars about 50 degrees up in the SE just right and above Leo. At 8am, Jupiter still dominates the south and southwest skies. The Pleiades or Seven Sisters are up in the east with the bright star Capella in the northeast. Cassiopeia reigns on her throne high in the northeast. Perseus lies between her and the Pleiades. Celestial Events and Pairings Nov 1 Set your clocks back one hour
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