You and your family and friends are invited to join me and my students at a sky-observing session on Friday evening, December 2, beginning at 9:00 p.m. PST at Skyline Park.
Skyline Park is on Imola Avenue 1.6 miles east of the intersection of Imola Avenue and the Napa-Vallejo Highway (Soscol Ave). This intersection is just north of Napa Valley College. The park is where Imola Avenue makes a 90-degree turn. The park gate will be open; there will be NO entrance fee. Please park in the paved lot to the right of the entrance shack. The telescopes will be set up about 75 yards to the left of the entrance shack. It is a good idea to bring a flashlight to help you get to and from the scope area and the parking area.
We will have several telescopes set up to show you the first-quarter moon. You will be amazed at the lunar detail you can see through the telescope. Then we will view Jupiter and its four Galilean satellites. You will even be able to see cloud belts on the planet itself. We will also have the opportunity to see the planets Uranus - 1.7 billion miles away from Earth.
We will then view the Milky Way’s sister galaxy, the famous Andromeda Galaxy, M-31, which is more than two and one-half million light-years away. This means the light which will enter your eyes has traveled through space (at an unimaginably fast speed) for more than two and one-half million years; thus you will be seeing a 2.5+ million-year-old image!
We will view other deep-sky objects, including the famous and beautiful open star-cluster, the Pleiades (or Seven Sisters) and also the double star-cluster in Perseus. We will view the most famous nebula (gas cloud) of all, the Great Nebula in Orion, in which is enmeshed the closely-spaced quartet of young stars called the Trapezium. In addition you will also be able to view some pretty double stars, Hershel’s Garnet Star, a globular star-cluster, and a planetary nebula (exploded star).
Everyone is welcome to attend, including non-students and children. We will bring a step-stools so kids will be able to reach the eyepieces. Dress warmly. At this time of the year coats, hats, scarves, gloves and thick socks are usually called for.
There is always the chance that poor weather may force me to cancel the observing session. If you are on my e-mail contact list, I will send you an e-mail at 7:30 p.m. to verify (or cancel) the observing session. Otherwise, call my office after 7:30 p.m. on the 2nd at 253-3196, and listen to the message on the answering machine to verify that we will actually be meeting that night.