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RSS FeedsA new school year has started and we are gearing up for another year of CMS Astronomy Club. This year we are trying to schedule our meeting dates ahead of time like we did two years ago. You can click on the "Astronomy Club" tab in the navigation bar to see when those dates are. We look forward to seeing CMS students (and their parents) again this year!
Three Eastside Elementary school classes visited the observatory during the last two weeks. How fun to see the enthusiasm and interest these young people have for astronomy! In addition to these third grade classes, all of the fifth graders in our district took a brief tour of the facility during their middle school visit last week.
Last night a small group of students (about a dozen) met at the CMS Observatory for our monthly astronomy club meeting. It was a beautiful night with clear skies and no wind. Students enjoyed great views of all of the constellations we\'ve studied in science class as well as views of Mars.
The CMS Astronomy Club met Jan. 28th and enjoyed viewing, drawing, searching moon maps, and listening to moon lore. The seeing conditions were not very good (Mars looked like a flickering red candle through our turbulent moist atmosphere) but kids still captured some images. We will post some when the kids get a chance to process the video clips they took. For now I posted a shot of Tycho Crater. We will meet again next month.
This month promises to be a great month for observing! According to Astronomy magazine, Mars makes its best show in 26 months. It is the brilliant red-orange "star" visible in the SW in the early morning. Jupiter is still visible after dark and is an extra special target this month as January marks the 400th anniversary of when Galileo discovered of the 4 giant moons of Jupiter. For those interested in constellations, Orion, the hunter, is visible most of the night. Enjoy!
After a long hiatus while work was being done on it, the big scope and its controlling computer are again on speaking terms! Over Christmas break I reconnected it, synced the scope, did a short mapping run and used the computer to point the scope at various stars to check the pointing and tracking. A new mapping model needs to be run since so many things have been adjusted, but the pointing was close and the tracking was great. Having been re-collimated last school year, it is also seeing clearly again. Hurray!
For those with telescopes you might want to peer through it at Jupiter on the evening of October 24th at 7:18 pm. For about 8 minutes or so Io, Jupiter\'s volcanic moon, will pass in front of another huge moon, Europa. It should be neat watching the two points of light merge together and then separate a few minutes later!
The Orionid meteor shower peaks during the morning hours of October 21st. As the name suggests, the radiant (point that the meteors appear to originate from) is the constellation Orion, the hunter.
Weather permitting, the Cody Middle School Astronomy Club will meet the evening of October 22nd to look at Jupiter and its largest moons as well as take a look at our own moon. For more details see the Astronomy Club tab in the navigation bar.
The nights are cooling off and the length of daylight is shortening. That means it is time for school to start and the CMS Astronomy club to begin it\'s second year. The \'big\' scope has had some adjustments and is ready for students to look through and we have a new computerized base for the 8" scope plus the smaller scopes are ready for student use again. Once school is underway we will have information about which nights our club will meet. That information plus a registration form will be available on the "Astronomy Club" link in the navigation bar on the left side of this web page.
In the mean time, be sure to look up and enjoy great views of Jupiter. The giant planet is visible in the east after sunset and is the brightest it has been since 1999. Neptune and Uranus trail behind Jupiter as they march across the ecliptic during the night.
Venus, Jupiter, and the moon will make a cool triplet above the western horizon on the evening of December 1, 2008. Be sure to look shortly after sunset since this triplet will be setting shortly after the sun.
Cody Middle School has started an astronomy club for our 6-8th graders. Our first night in the observatory is scheduled for the evening of Thursday, October 2nd. Our plan will be to meet once a month for the rest of the school year. For information about the club contact Pete Idema at pidema@park6.k12.wy.us or 307.587.4273.
Get ready for quite a show the evening of Wednesday, February 20, 2008. For the third time in the last 12 months the moon will experience a total lunar eclipse for viewers in North America. Be sure not miss this since it will be the last one we will see until December 20, 2010! As the shine from the full moon turns to a deep orange you can enjoy golden Saturn which lies near the eclipsed moon.
The eclipse begins at 6:43 p.m. MST when the moon just begins to slip into Earth\'s shadow. Totality begins at 8:01 p.m. and continues for 51 minutes wrapping up at 8:52 p.m. MST. The moon will slip out of Earth\'s shadow over the following 78 minutes.
Weather permitting, the CMS Observatory will be open from 7 - 9 p.m. if folks would like to drop by for a look at the eclipsed moon and other celestial objects.
If you happen to be reading this on Monday, Nov. 26th then be sure to look for the moon in the east around 8 or 9 pm. The bright reddish looking star is actually the planet Mars! They should make a beautiful pairing tonight.
Lets hope for a clear night on November 17th and the early morning hours of the 18th for the Leonid Meteor shower. Earth passes through the trail of comet 55P/Temple-Tuttle at this time and specks of debris from the comet enter our atmosphere and, as they burn up, give off the streaks of light we call meteors. For the best viewing look to the constellation Leo the lion on the night/morning of November 17/18.
In the eastern pre-dawn darkness of Sunday, October 7th, Venus, Saturn, the Moon, and the star Regulus in Leo put on quite a show as they are all within a couple degrees of each other.
The morning of October 21st will be the best time to view the Orionid Meteor shower. Look for the constellation Orion in the southern sky before dawn on that Sunday to see a peak of as many as 20 meteors per hour.
Be sure not to miss the total lunar eclipse on the morning of Tuesday, August 28, 2007! The umbral eclipse begins at 2:51 and ends at 6:24 but totality should begin at 3:52 and end at 5:22 AM. The forecast right now (8/24) is for clear skies so be sure to set your alarm so you can view this awesome event!
The CMS Observatory will be having an open house for 8th grade students, their families, and any other folks interested in an evening of observing. Weather permitting, the observatory will be open from 7:00-9:30pm on Tuesday, January 23. Should weather not cooperate, the backup date will be one week later on Tuesday, January 30. If you have questions please contact Pete Idema or Rich Davis at 587.4273 or email us at pidema@park6.k12.wy.us or rdavis@park6.k12.wy.us, respectively. The observatory is located in the white building behind (north side) of Cody Middle School and parking is available in the parking lot on the east side of the school.
The space shuttle and the International Space Station have been visible from Cody the last couple nights and you can find the next time either of these objects (as well as many others) will be visible by visiting the site: www.heavens-above.com The space shuttle and ISS will be visible moving from W to NE tonight (Dec. 21) at 6:03 pm and 6:18 pm, respectively.
Be sure not to miss the Leonid Meteor Shower on the night of November 18th. Meteors should be rather plentiful the night/early morning before and after the 18th as well. The best plan it to get out of town to a dark site, dress warm, and look toward the constellation Leo which is the location from with the meteors will enter our atmosphere.
On November 8, 2006 the CMS Observatory will be open between 12:30 and 1:30 pm, weather permitting, for people to use some of the observatory telescopes to view the transit of the planet Mercury across the sun. The actual transit is to last from 12:12 - 5:10 pm MST and should only be viewed with telescopes with approved solar filters.
Finally the observatory has a new clean and easy to manage site!
Clear Sky Clock