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What's Happening at Seagrave Observatory
Saturday Night Public Observing7-9 PM, Weather Conditions permittingMonthly MeetingsUsually the first Friday of the monthPublic Outreach amp; Star PartiesOur mission to educate the publicAstroAssemblyOctober 1 amp; 2, 2010 featuring author Bob Berman as keynote speaker.
Library Literature
The SkyscraperMonthly NewsletterSkyscrapers LibraryResources available to membersSkyscrapers ArchivesA rich history of the organizationPhoto GalleryA sample from the Stellafane 2005 collection
Sky Notes: October 2010
October Meteor Showers
October hosts one minor and one major meteor display. The minor Draconid shower is indeed quite minor these days, with perhaps 10 or less meteors per hour at peak on October 8-9. The Full Hunter’s Moon on the 22nd will wash out all but the brightest members of the major Orionid meteor shower in the predawn hours of the 21st.
Get Ready to Observe Jupiter
While some of my colleagues have been observing and imaging Jupiter since January, until recently they had to do so during the early morning hours. I know many of you too need to wait for Jupiter to show itself at a more reasonable hour of the evening. Well, now’s the time to drag your telescopes out of the closet/garage/basement (or visit one of the local observatories) and focus in on the largest planet in our solar system.
An Opportunity to Easily Locate Uranus
Neptune: The Blue World
A simple and straightforward star-hop to Neptune in October 2010 begins with spotting the brightest star in Capricornus,
Delta ( #948;) and Mu ( #956;) Cephei
In the southern part of Cepheus is a pair of naked eye variable stars worthy of note. The first, delta ( #948;), is the prototypical Cepheid variable. It ranges between magnitudes 3.5 and 4.4 in a precise 5.37 day period. The rise from minimum to maximum brightness takes about 1½ days; the fade back to minimum involves an additional four.
Sky DataOctober 15, 2010 17:18 EDT 21:18 UT
Conditions at Seagrave ObservatoryThe MoonAge8dIllum56.2%The SunRise6:57Set18:07Heavens AboveSpaceWeather.com
Clear Sky Clock
What's NewAstroAssembly 2010Added October 9, 2010
Great World Wide Star Count, October 29 - November 12, 2010Added October 4, 2010
Delta ( #948;) and Mu ( #956;) CepheiAdded September 29, 2010
Neptune: The Blue WorldAdded September 28, 2010
Skyscrapers CalendarOct 16SatPublic Observing at Seagrave Memorial Observatory 7:00pm at Seagrave ObservatoryOct 23SatPublic Observing at Seagrave Memorial Observatory 7:00pm at Seagrave ObservatoryOct 30SatPublic Observing at Seagrave Memorial Observatory 7:00pm at Seagrave Observatory
News amp; NoticesGreat World Wide Star Count, October 29 - November 12, 2010
National Geographic: Journey to an Alien Moon
PBS: 400 Years of the Telescope; April 9, 2010
Astronomy in the News
Top image: M57, The Ring NebulaHubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI/NASA) copy; 1996-2010 Skyscrapers, Inc.Skyscrapers, Inc., The Amateur Astronomical Society of Rhode Island is an educational, non-profit organization with the purpose of educating the general public and membership on matters pertaining to astronomy.Website hosted by Newfangled Web Development.
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