Night Sky Newsletter
for All to read.
Debbie Cotten
Outreach, Event Coordinator of
The Spokane Astronomical Society
cave8@xxxxxxxxxxx
509-991-2518
----- Original Message -----
From: "Night Sky Network" <noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: cave8@xxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, July 8, 2016 1:42:20 PM
Subject: Member News: OSIRIS-REx Webinar, Posters, & More
Amateur Astronomers: See if you can spot all five naked-eye planets after
sunset, starting around mid-July. It wil be tricky, but with luck and
persistance you might be able to catch 'em all with this handy guide from
EarthSky .
This month, NSN members can join in an exciting webcast on the upcoming
asteroid sample-return mission, OSIRIS-REx. Find out how to get gorgeous Mars
Exploration posters for your club just by logging your club's outreach events.
That's not all! Check out links to some great new featured resources fo r your
outreach efforts this July-including a sneak peak at an upcoming ToolKit
activity.
1. Member Webinar: The OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission
2. Log Your Club's Events for New Prizes: Mars Exploration Posters
3. Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the First Mars Landing on July 20th
4. Featured Resources: What's Up for July, Planet Thumb, JunoCam, and
Discover Nebulae
Image Credit: NASA
1. Member Webinar: The OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission
Join us at 6:00pm PDT on Thursday, July 21, 2016 , for a live video webinar
with Ed Beshore as he shares the inside scoop on the OSIRIS-REx mission with
NSN members. There will also be a Q&A session for members at the end of his
talk!
NSN Members can register for the webinar here, on Zoom: Registration for
OSIRIS-REx webinar
Please note this event is for NSN members and members of their astronomy club
only, and this registration link should not b e shared in a general public
forum or social media. However, this link can be shared with club members via
email or private messages or groups.
About OSIRIS-REx
On September 8, 2016, an Atlas 5 rocket will depart Cape Canaveral bearing the
OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. In doing so, a new chapter in the exploration of the
solar system will begin. After arriving at asteroid Bennu two years later,
OSIRIS-REx will undertake a program of observations to select a site suitable
for retrieving a sample that will be returned to the Earth. Our objective is to
obtain a minimum of 60 grams of Bennu’s surface -- the largest amount of
extra-terrestrial material returned to the Earth since the end of the Apollo
lunar missions.
You can find more details on the mission and our speaker on the Night Sky
Network website .
Image Credit: NASA
2. Log Your Club's Events for New Prizes: Mars Exploration Posters
NASA recently commissioned a set of beautiful posters promoting Mars
Exploration which are free for anyone to download . However, we have decided to
make some giant, pre-printed versions of these posters available for lucky
Night Sky Network member clubs who log their events for the second quarter of
2016!
NSN clubs whose members have logged their outreach events that took place
between between April 1 and J une 30, 2016 are eligible to win. The more events
you have posted and logged, the higher your club's chances are to win one of
these posters. We will randomly draw from these events until we have ten (10)
lucky clubs .
These striking posters will be 24x36 inches (2x3 feet). Like our ToolKit
banners, these posters will also be printed on tough, durable vinyl! So log
your events now, if you have not already done so. We will choose the lucky
winners on July 15.
3. Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the First Mars Landing on July 20th
There will be a livestream from Langley Research Center o f the symposium
commemorating one of the greatest milestones of humanity. The Viking landing
anniversary page also has great graphics to use, a series of historical videos
, and the Viking photo gallery . NASA even has a printable 3D model which can
be enjoyed by all - but with special care towards visually impaired students.
3. Featured Resources: What's Up for July, Planet Thumb Activity, Join JunoCam,
and Discover Stellar Recycling with Nebu lae
What's Up for July 2016
Use Saturn as your guide to a tour of the summer Milky Way. Spot planets,
constellations, nebulae and galaxies in this video from JPL ! Visit JPL's
YouTube channel for the latest space news in additon to these monthly
stargazing tips. Find this video at: bit.ly/JPLWhatsUpJuly2016
Planet Thumb Activity:
Outreach Fans: Check out a rough draft of one of our upcoming activities from
our Mars Insight sponsored ToolKit! Find out how to demonstrate the composition
of our solar system by using nothing but your own body! Did you know if your
body held the mass of the entire solar system, the Sun's mass would take up
almost all of your body? The combined mass of all of the planets in the solar
system - including mighty Jupiter- would fit into what's left: your thumb. Find
out how to do this demo from Vivian at: http://bit.ly/PlanetThumbDemo ;
Join Juno's Jupiter Journey with JunoCam
Juno slipped into orbit around Jupiter on July 4, 2016. JunoCam will be taking
specially selected close-up images of Jupiter's cloud tops, and you are invited
to help in the imaging process as part of the citizen science imaging team!
Find out more about the Juno mission and additional resources in this article.
http://bit.ly/NSN_JunoCam ;
Universe Discovery Guide: Stellar Recycling
The Universe constantly recycles its matter. New stars are born from the dust
of dead stars. Find out how to observe two beautiful nebula that are the
remains of dead or dying stars, and le arn about how stars are born and die in
this month's guide: http://bit.ly/UDGJuly ;
That is all the news for this month! Questions or comments? You can reach us at
nightskyinfo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Wishing you clear, dark skies,
Vivian White & David Prosper
The Night Sky Network Team
nightskyinfo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Night Sky Network Members:
You are the backbone of eyes-to-the-skies astronomy outreach. NASA, ASP, and
our partners are proud to support your amazing outreach events with a variety
of free materials: Quarterly prizes for logging your events, outreach ToolKits,
handouts from NASA partners, and publicity for events you post on the Night Sky
Network Calendar.
Join our stellar stargazing community!
&nb sp;
We invite you to join the NASA Night Sky Network stargazing community on
Facebook and Twitter for sky charts, beautiful images, and lively conversation.
Find useful NSN Videos on YouTube
Find Night Sky Network Clubs and Events In These Apps!
Distant Suns , your personal guide to the cosmos, lists Night Sky Network
astronomy club star parties, safe solar gazing events, and lectures in the main
navigation bar. Distant Suns is available for Android, Apple iOS, Kindle, and
Nook.
SkySafari , a powerful planetarium that fits in your pocket, lists Night Sky
Network astronomy club star parties, safe solar observing events, and lectures
in the help menu. SkySafari is available for Android and Apple devices and
computers.
The NASA Night Sky Network is managed by the Astronomical Society of the
Pacific .
The ASP is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that advances science literacy
through astronomy. Your contribut ion is tax-deductible as provided by law.
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