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Observe the Moon Night

October 1st is International Observe the Moon Night. It is a time to sit back and appreciate all the wonderful features our nearest companion offers, which are often overlooked. The club will be at the Oak Glen Wildlands Conservancy for a public outreach that night.

More information about the event can be found on the NASA website https://moon.nasa.gov/observe-the-moon-night/about/overview/

JWST First 5 Images

On July 12, 2022, the James Webb Telescope team released all 5 of the first science-quality images taken by the telescope.

  • SMACS 0723: Massive foreground galaxy clusters magnify and distort the light of objects behind them, permitting a deep field view into both the extremely distant and intrinsically faint galaxy populations. JWT Image | Comparison images.
  • WASP-96 b (spectrum). WASP-96 b is a giant planet outside our solar system, composed mainly of gas. The planet, located nearly 1,150 light-years from Earth, orbits its star every 3.4 days. It has about half the mass of Jupiter, and its discovery was announced in 2014. JWT Spectrum Data showing water vapor present.
  • Southern Ring Nebula. The Southern Ring, or “Eight-Burst” nebula, is a planetary nebula – an expanding cloud of gas, surrounding a dying star. It is nearly half a light-year in diameter and is located approximately 2,000 light-years away from Earth. JWT Image in near- and mid-infrared | Hubble Image.
  • Stephan’s Quintet: About 290 million light-years away, Stephan’s Quintet is located in the constellation Pegasus. It is notable for being the first compact galaxy group ever discovered in 1787. Four of the five galaxies within the quintet are locked in a cosmic dance of repeated close encounters. JWT Image | Hubble Image.
  • Carina Nebula. The Carina Nebula is one of the largest and brightest nebulae in the sky, located approximately 7,600 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina. Nebulae are stellar nurseries where stars form. The Carina Nebula is home to many massive stars, several times larger than the Sun. JWT Image | Hubble Image.

Source: WebbTelescope.org

Side-by-side comparison from MSN

JWST Targets Announced

NASA has announced exactly what the Early Release Objects will be that you’ll see on Tuesday, July 12!  Here’s your chance to get ahead of the curve – check out what has already been observed by other telescopes to compare with what you see on Tuesday!

  • Carina Nebula. The Carina Nebula is one of the largest and brightest nebulae in the sky, located approximately 7,600 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina. Nebulae are stellar nurseries where stars form. The Carina Nebula is home to many massive stars, several times larger than the Sun.
  • WASP-96 b (spectrum). WASP-96 b is a giant planet outside our solar system, composed mainly of gas. The planet, located nearly 1,150 light-years from Earth, orbits its star every 3.4 days. It has about half the mass of Jupiter, and its discovery was announced in 2014.
  • Southern Ring Nebula. The Southern Ring, or “Eight-Burst” nebula, is a planetary nebula – an expanding cloud of gas, surrounding a dying star. It is nearly half a light-year in diameter and is located approximately 2,000 light-years away from Earth.
  • Stephan’s Quintet: About 290 million light-years away, Stephan’s Quintet is located in the constellation Pegasus. It is notable for being the first compact galaxy group ever discovered in 1787. Four of the five galaxies within the quintet are locked in a cosmic dance of repeated close encounters. 
  • SMACS 0723: Massive foreground galaxy clusters magnify and distort the light of objects behind them, permitting a deep field view into both the extremely distant and intrinsically faint galaxy populations.

Source: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2022/nasa-shares-list-of-cosmic-targets-for-webb-telescope-s-first-images

JWST First Image – July 12

The James Webb Space Telescope will release its first image to the public on Tuesday, July 12, 2022 at 7:30 am PDT. Here are some resources to be ready for that first photo:

On July 12th:

July 16th:

Total Lunar Eclipse May 15

Mark your calendars, we have a very time favorable lunar eclipse coming up on Sunday, May 15. May’s eclipse starts during moonrise and reaches peak totality at 9:11 pm. More eclipse information can be found on the Time and Date website.

You can view the “blood moon” from anywhere and without a telescope but, our club will be at the San Bernardino County Museum for the show.

The next total lunar eclipse will be on November 8 but at 3:00 am!

Near-Total Lunar Eclipse Nov. 18-19

On the night of November 18 – 19, there will be a near-total lunar eclipse visible in our area. Technically it is a partial eclipse given that 97% of the moon will be in Earth’s umbral shadow but that is very nearly total. The umbral partial eclipse begins at around 11:19 pm on Nov. 18, max partial at 1:03 am on Nov. 19, and ends at 2:47 am. Additional information

EventUTC TimeTime in RedlandsVisible in Redlands
Penumbral Eclipse beginsNov 19 at 06:02:09Nov 18 at 10:02:09 pmYes
Partial Eclipse beginsNov 19 at 07:18:42Nov 18 at 11:18:42 pmYes
Maximum EclipseNov 19 at 09:02:55Nov 19 at 1:02:55 amYes
Partial Eclipse endsNov 19 at 10:47:04Nov 19 at 2:47:04 amYes
Penumbral Eclipse endsNov 19 at 12:03:40Nov 19 at 4:03:40 amYes
ref: https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2021-november-19
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