Astronomical Society of East Texas

Night Sky Network

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Fri, 04 May 2012 12:58:00 +0000

Everyone,

We are officially a member group of Night Sky Network. Night Sky Network is a NASA JPL affliated collection of astronomy clubs who common interest, and our mission, to provide astronomical education and experiences to the general public.

Check out : http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm

and find the group near Tyler,Texas. Check out events too.

Paul Shaw

NASA Mission Wants Amateur Astronomers to Target Asteroids

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:40:00 +0000

April 18, 2012

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov

Nancy Neal Jones
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-0039
nancy.n.jones@nasa.gov

RELEASE: 12-121

NASA MISSION WANTS AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS TO TARGET ASTEROIDS

WASHINGTON -- A new NASA outreach project will enlist the help of
amateur astronomers to discover near-Earth objects (NEOs) and study
their characteristics. NEOs are asteroids with orbits that
occasionally bring them close to the Earth.

Starting today, a new citizen science project called "Target
Asteroids!" will support NASA's Origins Spectral Interpretation
Resource Identification Security - Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx)
mission objectives to improve basic scientific understanding of NEOs.
OSIRIS-Rex is scheduled for launch in 2016 and will study material
from an asteroid.

Amateur astronomers will help better characterize the population of
NEOs, including their position, motion, rotation and changes in the
intensity of light they emit. Professional astronomers will use this
information to refine theoretical models of asteroids, improving
their understanding about asteroids similar to the one OSIRIS-Rex
will encounter in 2019, designated 1999 RQ36.

OSIRIS-Rex will map the asteroid's global properties, measure
non-gravitational forces and provide observations that can be
compared with data obtained by telescope observations from Earth. In
2023, OSIRIS-REx will return back to Earth at least 2.11 ounces (60
grams) of surface material from the asteroid.

Target Asteroids! data will be useful for comparisons with actual
mission data. The project team plans to expand participants in 2014
to students and teachers.

"Although few amateur astronomers have the capability to observe 1999
RQ36 itself, they do have the capability to observe other targets,"
said Jason Dworkin, OSIRIS-REx project scientist at NASA's Goddard
Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Previous observations indicate 1999 RQ36 is made of primitive
materials. OSIRIS-REx will supply a wealth of information about the
asteroid's composition and structure. Data also will provide new
insights into the nature of the early solar system and its evolution,
orbits of NEOs and their impact risks, and the building blocks that
led to life on Earth.

Amateur astronomers long have provided NEO tracking observations in
support of NASA's NEO Observation Program. A better understanding of
NEOs is a critically important precursor in the selection and
targeting of future asteroid missions.

"For well over 10 years, amateurs have been important contributors in
the refinement of orbits for newly discovered near-Earth objects,"
said Edward Beshore, deputy principal investigator for the OSIRIS-REx
mission at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., will provide
overall mission management, systems engineering and safety and
mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. Dante Lauretta is the mission's
principal investigator at the University of Arizona. Lockheed Martin
Space Systems in Denver will build the spacecraft. OSIRIS-REx is the
third mission in NASA's New Frontiers Program. NASA's Marshall Space
Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages New Frontiers for the
agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

For more information about NASA, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

For more information on Target Asteroids! and OSIRIS-REx, visit:

http://osiris-rex.lpl.arizona.edu

New Facebook URL

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 01:16:00 +0000

Now it's even easier to follow us on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/asetexas is our new Facebook URL.

Global Astronomy Month and International Dark Sky Week

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:25:00 +0000

Global Astronomy Month 2012 (GAM 2012) in April is the world's largest global celebration of astronomy since the unprecedented International Year of Astronomy 2009.

GAM 2012 brings new ideas and new opportunities, and again brings enthusiasts together worldwide, celebrating One People, One Sky.

Click Here to Learn More About it

International Dark Sky Week 14 - 20 April, 2012

Celebrate the stars! Created in 2003 by high-school student Jennifer Barlow, IDSW has grown to become a worldwide event and a key component of Global Astronomy Month.

Click Here to Learn More

Astronomy Day 2012 + Star Party

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:10:00 +0000

Just updated the calendar with the details for Astronomy Day 2012 and a Star Party afterwards (weather permitting).

Please look at our calendar for more details or Follow us on Facebook

Thanks for checking us out - and Clear Skies to you :)

Club Star Party Results

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:27:00 +0000

(copied from my personal observing blog - fovet.blogspot.com - from February 26th)

If you like what you see, become a member and come star watching with us :)

Star party in a blue zone (light pollution minimal) and being able to see the Milky Way is hard to beat.

Crescent Moon - stacked 3 shots at 400 iso 1/400th

Pleiades - nice and bright

I bumped the levels some to show how many stars we had.
Sirius is the bright one in the center of the frame.

Bode's Nebula (M81 and M82)

The reason I bought my first telescope.
Horsehead Nebula on the right (looks like a knight in chess)
and Flame Nebula on the left.

Orion's Nebula
This is probably my last attempt at Orion before it warms up.
This is two different shots blended in the middle to keep detail near the trapezium.
The long exposure was 120 seconds x 22 shots to get about 7 good ones.

2012 School Night for Astronomy

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:00:00 +0000

PRESS RELEASE

Forty area students from five local school districts and home schools, along with teachers and other adults, participated in the 2012 School Night for Astronomy held on January 27, 2012 at the Mineola Nature Preserve. Twenty-three of the participants were from Yantis ISD. The students were able to views several celestial objects, including the Sun, sunspots, the Moon, planets, constellations, stars, nebulas, star clusters, the Milky Way and galaxies.

A wide range of telescopes and binoculars used for the event were provided by member of the Astronomical Society of East Texas and co-sponsored by The Center for Earth and Space Science Education at Tyler Junior College. Members participating were Don Jackson of Eustace, Don Kilfoyle of Longview, Bill Fabers and daughter Nancy Geiger of Golden and Paul Shaw of Mineola.

Updated Star Party

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:42:00 +0000

Join us at the Mineola Nature Preserve on January 27th for School Night for Astronomy - come check out the telescopes and make some new friends :)

Here's a map to help you get there

Dr. Phil Plait - Public Astronomy Lecture Series (at CESSE)

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:13:00 +0000

Click to visit CESSE and buy tickets - see you at the show...

Postponed :(

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 23:59:00 +0000

Unfortunately we have to postpone our star party tonight (and tomorrow night) due to bad weather. We really appreciate everyone who volunteered and will reschedule this one for after the first of the year.

Happy Holidays and Clear Skies to all :)

Last Meteor Shower of 2011, School Night for Astronomy and more...

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 03:36:00 +0000

Check out our calendar for these upcoming events

Click here to check it out!

Largest pallasite meteorite on display at TJC

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 04:59:00 +0000

By Jamey Boyum

TYLER, TX (KLTV) - You've probably seen them streaking through the sky at night..or during the day if you're lucky. But, have you ever seen a shooting star after it hits the ground?

For the next several weeks you can. Tyler Junior College has one of the largest meteors of its kind on display, and for a few dollars you can experience something not of this world.

Click here for the whole story on KLTV.com

Astronomy Day at CESSE

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 02:20:00 +0000

Check out our calendar for Astronomy Day at the Center for Earth and Space Science Education. We'll be there from 1pm to 11pm for events and a Star Party :)

Click here to check it out!

Amazing video: Planets viewed from Earth as if they were at the distance of our moon

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:00:00 +0000

CESSE - Open to the Public

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 05:12:00 +0000

(picture courtesy of TJC)
Members of ASET attended the opening of the Center for Earth and Space Science Education last Saturday and were visited by around 1200 people. Even though it was daytime we took the opportunity to show off what you can see with a telescope and spent the day talking with people interested in the new planetarium and star stuff in general.

KETK was there and shot a news report you can watch on their site here - KETK

The new center has a huge (and much improved) dome with much more technical brilliance along with lots of exhibits in the space where the old dome was. With many different hands-on exhibits it's sure to be a must see landmark in East Texas.

For ASET, there is a plaza with red lighting specifically set up to make star parties easier to put together. Much of the exterior white lights can be turned off to make our experience that much better. Our group is very fortunate to have this facility to call home and look forward to many years of shared involvement.

Make sure you take a look at their new website at http://www.tjc.edu/CESSE/ where you can learn about the center and buy tickets to the shows online.

NASA Reveals Design for New Space Exploration Age

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 01:28:00 +0000

NASA is ready to move forward with the development of the Space Launch System—an advanced heavy-lift launch vehicle that will provide an entirely new national capability for human exploration beyond Earth's orbit. The Space Launch System will give the nation a safe, affordable and sustainable means of reaching beyond our current limits and opening up new discoveries from the unique vantage point of space.

The Space Launch System, or SLS, will be designed to carry the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, as well as important cargo, equipment and science experiments to Earth's orbit and destinations beyond. Additionally, the SLS will serve as a backup for commercial and international partner transportation services to the International Space Station.

"This launch system will create good-paying American jobs, ensure continued U.S. leadership in space, and inspire millions around the world," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden says. "President Obama challenged us to be bold and dream big, and that's exactly what we are doing at NASA. While I was proud to fly on the space shuttle, kids today can now dream of one day walking on Mars."

The SLS rocket will incorporate technological investments from the Space Shuttle program and the Constellation program in order to take advantage of proven hardware and cutting-edge tooling and manufacturing technology that will significantly reduce development and operations costs. It will use a liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propulsion system, which will include the RS-25D/E from the Space Shuttle program for the core stage and the J-2X engine for the upper stage. SLS will also use solid rocket boosters for the initial development flights, while follow-on boosters will be competed based on performance requirements and affordability considerations. The SLS will have an initial lift capacity of 70 metric tons. That's more than 154,000 pounds, or 77 tons, roughly the weight of 40 sport utility vehicles. The lift capacity will be evolvable to 130 metric tons—more than 286,000 pounds, or 143 tons—enough to lift 75 SUVs. The first developmental flight, or mission, is targeted for the end of 2017.

This specific architecture was selected, largely because it utilizes an evolvable development approach, which allows NASA to address high-cost development activities early on in the program and take advantage of higher buying power before inflation erodes the available funding of a fixed budget. This architecture also enables NASA to leverage existing capabilities and lower development costs by using liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen for both the core and upper stages. Additionally, this architecture provides a modular launch vehicle that can be configured for specific mission needs using a variation of common elements. NASA may not need to lift 130 metric tons for each mission and the flexibility of this modular architecture allows the agency to use different core stage, upper stage, and first-stage booster combinations to achieve the most efficient launch vehicle for the desired mission.

"NASA has been making steady progress toward realizing the president's goal of deep space exploration, while doing so in a more affordable way," NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver says. "We have been driving down the costs on the Space Launch System and Orion contracts by adopting new ways of doing business and project hundreds of millions of dollars of savings each year."

The Space Launch System will be NASA's first exploration-class vehicle since the Saturn V took American astronauts to the moon over 40 years ago. With its superior lift capability, the SLS will expand our reach in the solar system and allow us to explore cis-lunar space, near-Earth asteroids, Mars and its moons and beyond. We will learn more about how the solar system formed, where Earth' water and organics originated and how life might be sustained in places far from our Earth's atmosphere and expand the boundaries of human exploration. These discoveries will change the way we understand ourselves, our planet, and its place in the universe.

Source: NASA

Grand Opening of CESSE September 17th (Saturday)

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 23:51:00 +0000

9am - 5pm Public Tours of CESSE. We'll also have an ASET booth in the courtyard and be speaking with the public about being part of the club.

From 7-until ASET Star Party (open to the public) There will be AC power and red lighting to help preserve our night vision.

Please come out and visit us to celebrate the opening of the new Center for Earth & Space Science Education.

The Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures Podcasts - from astrosociety.org

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:19:00 +0000

Founded in 1999, the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures are presented on six Wednesday evenings during each school year at Foothill College, in the heart of California's Silicon Valley.Speakers over the years have included Nobel-prize winners, members of the National Academy of Sciences, the first woman in history to discover a planet, an astrophysicist who is an award-winning science fiction writer, and many other well-known scientists explaining astronomical developments in everyday language.

## These look to be really good, so I would suggest all moonwatchers to give them a listen.

Click here for the full story and podcasts :)

Paul Shaw featured in the Tyler Newspaper

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 18:47:00 +0000

(Staff photo by Jacque Hilburn-Simmons)

Children Get To Know Solar System In Portable Planetarium

By JACQUE HILBURN-SIMMONS
Staff Writer

Little Olivia Scott, 7, knows a little bit about the solar system and its mysteries.

She gained part of her knowledge from school and parents, the rest from a movie about mythical creatures in the sky.

The wide-eyed youngster from Tyler was among a lucky few children who spent part of Thursday experiencing a galaxy far, far away at Tyler's Glass Recreation Center — in a portable, blow-up planetarium on loan to Tyler Junior College from Texas A&M University-Commerce.

“I saw everything,” the girl said. “I know all about the constellations; it's awesome.”

Tall words for one so small, but helping children connect the dots between knowledge and reality is what makes learning fun and meaningful, TJC instructor Paul Shaw said.

“There seems to be a disconnect on what kids think is nature,” Shaw said. “Many of them don't realize a feature of nature is above their heads. Getting rid of the disconnect is important.”

Click here to read the whole story on TylerPaper.com

Having seen the presentation first hand, Paul is an excellent presenter and really knows how to share his love of the skies with folks - Robert Brown

Shuttle Atlantis Soars to Space One Last time (Universe Today)

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 15:28:00 +0000

Atlantis launches one last time. Credit: Alan Walters (awaltersphoto.com) for Universe Today.

Click here to check out their photo album of the last Shuttle launch.

ASET Program Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:32:00 +0000

Check out our next Program Meeting on the Event Calendar - August 5th 7pm

A view of Tycho you've never seen before.

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:42:00 +0000

Unbelievable pictures and video from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter showing the peaks inside Tycho.

If you are asking yourself, "What's Tycho?" here's a map to show you :)

Click here to see the whole story at Universe Today.

The Center for Earth & Space Science Education at Tyler Junior College.

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:45:00 +0000

Tom Hooten (director of the Hudnall Planetarium) shared these images to show the progress of the new construction. Can't wait till it's open :)

Before (Hudnall Planetarium)

After ... and still in progress (CESSE)

Tagish Lake Meteorite Delivers Different Composition

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:19:00 +0000

We’re all familiar with the hypothesis of panspermia – that life can be “seeded” from the contents of asteroids, comets and planetoids vis-a-vis meteorite impacts – but so far no direct evidence has been found. So why should we even consider meteorites to be potential parents? The truth is out there – they contain the essentials – right down to amino acids. Up until now, what we’ve recovered has been considered structured. Then along came Tagish Lake…

Read the rest at Universe Today

Pictures on Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Brown) — Sun, 29 May 2011 15:33:00 +0000

If you haven't already "like"ed us on Facebook - take a look and see what you're missing. We'll have our content reposted there, so you never have to be out of the loop. Also, when we get pictures to share we'll have them available online (see the Mineola Naturefest).

Hope to see you at future events :) and on Facebook.