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you
have
trouble
viewing
this
newsletter,
click
here.
Welcome
again
to
our
monthly
newsletter
with
features
on
exciting
celestial
events,
product
reviews,
tips
&
tricks,
and
a
monthly
sky
calendar.
We
hope
you
enjoy
it!
In
our
last
issue,
we
alerted
you
to
the
impending
close
passage
of
near
Earth
asteroid
2004
XP14.
Although
many
people
tried
to
observe
this
object,
I
seem
to
be
one
of
the
few
who
actually
succeeded.
Here’s
how
I
managed
it.
One
essential
for
observing
a
faint
fast
moving
body
is
to
know
exactly
where
it
is
going
to
be.
The
easiest
way
to
do
this
is
to
use
Starry
Night®
to
plot
its
path.
The
problem
with
near
Earth
asteroids
is
finding
accurate
up-to-date
orbital
elements.
Because
near
Earth
asteroids
pass
close
to
the
Earth,
their
trajectory
across
the
sky
is
very
slight
until
they
are
very
close,
because
they
are
coming
pretty
well
straight
at
us.
This
makes
it
very
hard
to
define
their
orbit
until
they
are
nearly
on
top
of
us.
Also,
because
they
are
small
and
passing
close
to
large
objects
like
the
Moon
and
the
Earth,
their
orbits
are
often
perturbed
at
the
last
moment.
The
trick
is
to
use
the
most
recent
elements
calculated
just
a
few
hours
prior
to
the
pass.
The
orbital
elements
in
the
Starry
Night®
data
files
are
updated
every
24
hours,
and
are
good
for
almost
every
object.
However,
because
this
asteroid
could
change
quickly,
I
wanted
elements
that
were
updated
only
a
few
hours
before
I
went
out
to
observe,
so
I
decided
to
use
elements
from
the
IAU's
Minor
Planet
Centre
downloaded
a
few
hours
before
the
pass.
All
you
need
to
do
here
is
type
in
the
asteroid’s
name,
in
this
case
“2004
XP14,”
tell
it
(down
towards
the
bottom
of
the
page)
that
you
are
using
Starry
Night®,
and
click
the
“Get
ephemerides/HTML
page”
button.
In
Starry
Night®,
you
choose
“New
Asteroid
Orbiting
Sun”
from
the
File
menu,
and
paste
the
values
from
the
MPC
web
page
into
the
boxes:
To
read
the
rest
of
this
article,
click
here.
[Top
of
Page]
If
you
think
Starry
Night®
on
a
20-inch
screen
is
impressive,
imagine
it
on
a
30-foot
dome.
That
dream
is
no
longer
far
from
reality.
In
the
past
two
years,
Starry
Night®
has
collaborated
with
leading
science
centers
and
planetarium
makers
to
bring
the
visual
beauty
and
accuracy
of
Starry
Night®
to
larger
screens
and
audiences.
In
January
2006,
the
Sciencenter
of
Ithaca,
NY
opened
the
doors
to
its
new
interactive
exhibit,
Mars
and
Stars,
which
features
a
hands-on
Starry
Night®
kiosk.
Children
can
visit
astronomical
objects
such
as
planets,
stars,
and
nebulae,
and
see
the
constellations
in
our
local
night
sky
with
the
push
of
a
button.
Photo
courtesy
of
Sciencenter
To
read
the
rest
of
this
article,
click
here.
[Top
of
Page]
Spitz
Digital
Institute August
15-19,
Chadds
Ford,
PA
Starry
Night®
has
partnered
with
Spitz
Inc
for
the
second
annual
Digital
Institute,
an
expanded
five-day
program
in
which
teachers
and
planetarium
professionals
can
explore
astronomy
education,
presentation
and
production
techniques
using
Starry
Night®
and
other
digital
tools.
Courses
will
cover
a
broad
range
of
digital
planetarium
topics
from
basic
techniques
and
terminology,
to
advanced
lesson
creation
with
3D
simulation
software
and
advanced-user
sessions.
The
Digital
Institute
will
focus
on
using
software
to
enhance
education
in
both
the
classroom
and
the
planetarium,
with
a
particular
emphasis
on
the
following
critical
areas:
- Starry
Night®
Software
-
How
to
use
the
software,
and
teaching
with
Starry
Night®
Education
- Digital
Planetarium
Shows
-
Converting
legacy
shows
for
Spitz
digital
systems
- Outreach
-
Working
with
schools
to
share
lessons
and
content
with
planetariums
- Content
-
Finding
and
using
digital
astronomy
media
The
Institute
is
divided
into
two
parts.
The
first
two
days
(August
15-16)
are
open
to
any
teacher
or
planetarium
professional
interested
in
teaching
with
Starry
Night®.
Courses
focus
on
how
Starry
Night®
is
used
to
bridge
classroom
astronomy
education
with
planetarium
presentations.
Educators
work
with
Starry
Night®'s
existing
lesson
plans
and
develop
their
own
activities.
To
read
the
rest
of
this
article,
click
here.
Starfest August
24-27,
near
Mount
Forest,
Ontario,
Canada
Canada's
largest
annual
observing
convention
and
star
party
celebrates
its
25th
anniversary
this
August.
Sponsored
by
the
North
York
Astronomical
Association,
it
attracts
over
1,000
astronomy
enthusiasts
from
Ontario,
and
neighboring
provinces
and
states.
It
has
been
ranked
among
the
top
seven
star
parties
in
North
America
by
Sky
&
Telescope
magazine.
Starfest
offers
a
wide
variety
of
observing-oriented
activities
that
address
the
needs
and
interests
of
experienced
observers
and
astrophotographers,
as
well
as
those
new
to
the
hobby.
Activities
include
observing
sessions,
formal
and
informal
presentations,
workshops,
commercial
exhibits,
and
a
children's
program.
You
are
invited
to
bring
your
telescope
and
astronomical
images,
and
share
your
observing
experiences
with
others.
To
read
the
rest
of
this
article,
click
here.
[Top
of
Page]
Neptune
spends
most
of
the
year
in
the
constellation
Capricornus.
On
August
11th
it
reaches
opposition
and,
although
low
in
the
sky,
this
marks
the
best
time
to
observe
the
eighth
planet
from
the
Sun.
At
Neptune’s
distance,
the
Sun
appears
less
than
4%
as
bright
as
it
does
at
Jupiter.
So
Neptune
is
invisible
from
Earth
to
the
naked
eye
and
a
challenge
to
detect
even
with
a
good
pair
of
binoculars.
At
magnitude
7.7
and
featuring
a
very
tiny
(2.5
arc-second)
bluish
disc,
at
least
a
six-inch
telescope
and
a
magnification
of
150x
are
required
to
reveal
it
as
a
planet.
Neptune’s
largest
moon,
Triton,
shines
with
a
magnitude
of
13
and
can
be
glimpsed
in
a
six-inch
telescope
but
only
under
near-perfect
conditions.
Pedro
Braganca Content
Director,
Imaginova
Canada
[Top
of
Page]
M6
and
M7,
two
open
clusters,
are
bright
and
obvious
in
Sagittarius,
and
make
for
easy
binocular
objects.
Telescopes
open
up
both
in
rich
detail
and
M6
is
seen
to
be
aptly
named
"The
Butterfly
Cluster".
NGC
6416
is
a
small
open
cluster
and
NGC
6383
is
a
dim,
wide
cluster
with
nebulosity.
M8
"The
Lagoon
Nebula"
is
the
brightest
nebula
after
the
great
Orion
nebula.
It's
actually
more
massive
than
M42
but
is
farther
away:
4,500
lightyears
distant
compared
with
1,500
lightyears.
M8
is
best
viewed
with
a
wide-field
eyepiece.
Less
spectacular,
but
still
worth
some
time,
M20
"The
Trifid
Nebula"
is
also
easily
seen
in
binoculars;
a
telescope
will
bring
out
the
dust
band
that
gives
the
nebula
is
shape
and
name.
M21
is
a
small
rich
open
cluster
in
the
same
field
of
view
as
M20.
M23,
excellent
in
small
scopes,
is
an
open
cluster
seen
in
binocs,
as
is
M25.
M24
"Delle
Caustiche"
is
a
large
and
lovely
"frothy"
looking
region
seen
easily
in
binoculars.
It's
actually
part
of
the
Milky
Way
and
only
stands
out
as
a
distinct
patch
because,
like
M23
and
M25,
it
sits
in
front
of
a
dark
nebula
that
obscures
our
line
of
sight
to
the
core
of
the
galaxy.
(By
the
way,
the
very
center
of
our
galaxy
is
marked
above
with
a
red
target
symbol.)
M22
is
a
sweet
globular
cluster,
the
third-brightest
in
the
sky.
Populated
by
half
a
million
stars,
it's
distant
by
a
mere
10,000
lightyears,
making
it
the
nearest
glob
to
Earth.
M16
and
M17
are
two
nebulae,
the
latter
in
particular
a
rewarding
target.
M16,
however,
is
notable
for
being
the
location
of
"The
Pillars
of
Creation"
the
iconic
image
produced
by
the
Hubble
Space
Telescope.
M18
"The
Black
Swan"
is
a
pretty
open
cluster
with
about
40
members,
surrounded
by
fainter
background
stars
in
the
band
of
the
Milky
Way.
Sean
O'Dwyer Starry
Night®
Times
Editor
[Top
of
Page]
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Design
your
own
International
Space
Station
utilizing
modules
developed
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actual
NASA,
ESA
(European
Space
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Agency),
CSA
(Canadian
Space
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and
RSA
(Russian
Space
Agency)
designs.
Your
station
is
a
living,
breathing
home
to
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crew
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a
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sustaining
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240
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More...
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Jordan
Valley
Panorama
Download
a
new
panorama
landscape
of
the
Jordan
Valley.
|
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SN
Pro
4.x
and
higher
users:
simply
download
the
archive,
unzip,
and
place
the
resulting
files
in
your
Sky
Data/Horizon
Panoramas
Folder.
Pedro
Braganca Content
Director, Starry
Night®
|
|
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Panning
to
Objects
If
you
hit
the
space
bar
during
a
pan,
the
program
immediately
takes
you
directly
to
the
object.
If
something
catches
your
eye
and
you
want
to
stop
the
pan,
press
the
Esc
key.
Pedro
Braganca Content
Director, Starry
Night®
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wednesday,
August
2 First
Quarter
Moon
Sunday,
August
6 Mercury
at
greatest
western
elongation
Wednesday,
August
9 Full
Moon
Friday,
August
11 Neptune
at
opposition
Saturday,
August
12 Peak
of
Perseid
meteor
shower
Tuesday,
August
15 Last
Quarter
Moon
Monday,
August
21 Saturn
and
Mercury
hover
very
close
together
over
the
pre-dawn
eastern
horizon,
trailing
behind
a
slender
crescent
Moon
and
brilliant
Venus
Wednesday,
August
23 New
Moon
Thursday,
August
31 First
Quarter
Moon
All
times
shown
are
U.S.
Eastern
Time.
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us
your
feedback
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you
have
a
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or
article
idea
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pass
along
to
Starry
Night®
Times?
Click
here
to
get
in
touch
with
us.
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Starry
Night®
is
the
world's
leading
line
of
astronomy
software
and
DVDs.
Visit
starrynight.com
to
see
all
the
great
products
we
offer
for
everyone
from
novice
to
experienced
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