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January
2000 Newsletter
Astronomical Society of Greenwich
Bruce Museum of Arts & Science
One Museum Drive
Greenwich, CT 06830
(203) 869-6786, Ext. 338
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/7471
Upcoming Events
Remember, there's no monthly meeting in January ?
but we do have a big celestial event:
Thursday, January 20/Friday, January 21 ?
Total Eclipse of the Moon
10:01 PM ? Umbral Eclipse begins
11:05 PM ? Totality begins
11:44 PM ? Mid-eclipse
12:22 AM ? Totality ends
1:25 AM ? Umbral Eclipse ends
We'll open the Observatory around 9:30 PM, and of course the public
will be invited. Because this is the first total eclipse visible from
our area since 1996, we may get a crowd despite the low temperature and
late hour. So plan to come (dress really warmly!) to enjoy the
eclipse and help explain what's going on!
Moreover, in February we have two ASG events!
Wednesday, February 9 ? Monthly Meeting at the Bruce Museum ? 7:30 PM
Rick Bria is planning a presentation based on the pictures he's
been taking at the Observatory with our new computer. Don't miss it ?
it's sure to be great!
Saturday, February 19 ? Astronomy Family Day at the Bruce Museum ?
1-4 PM
You have six whole weeks to prepare a display or presentation,
and/or volunteer to help! Please, make the most of it!!!
Bowman Observatory Public Nights
(Weather Permitting)
January 11 & 25 ? 7-9 PM
February 8 & 22 ? 7-9 PM
March 14 & 28 ? 7-9 PM
Lunacy January
2 - Moon in conjunction with Venus
4 - Moon at apogee (252,536 miles from Earth)
6 - New Moon
8 - Moon in conjunction with Neptune and
Uranus.
10 - Moon in conjunction with Mars
14 - First Quarter Moon in conjuntion with
Jupiter
15 - Moon in conjunction with Saturn
19 - Moon at perigee (223,297 miles from Earth)
20 - Full Moon - "Wolf Moon" will be
totally eclipsed, 10:01 PM-1:25 AM
28 - Last Quarter
31 - Moon at apogee (252,033 miles from Earth)
News of the Worlds
Earth reaches perihelion (its
closest approach to the Sun, 91.4 million miles) at midnight on January
2.
Quadrantid Meteor Shower peaks on the night of January 3-4. Look
northeast near the Big Dipper's handle starting at 1 AM for 40-100
meteors per hour.
Jupiter and Saturn are still high in the sky, a very
beautiful sight on these cold winter evenings. Over the next four
months they will move farther and farther west; by April they'll join Mars
which will still be hovering in the evening twilight (we can't seem to
leave it behind, can we?). Venus and Mercury are
"morning stars" this month.
News Notes
? Several members attended our Observatory Star Party on December 7,
and enjoyed cookies and cider as well as great views of Saturn,
Jupiter, and a number of M-objects. The night was beautifully clear
(and cold!). As Rick Bria and Anne Burns were leaving after locking up,
they spotted a meteor near the eastern horizon. This may have been an
early Geminid ? probably the only one most of us saw, since the peak of
the shower was clouded out.
? Don't miss the Bruce Museum's new Exhibition, The Art of Time,
and its hands-on companion, Marking Time, which contain many
things of astronomical interest. A time theme for your Astronomy Day
project (you are going to do one, of course!) would be a great idea too.
