Monthly Archives: July 2018

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Sweet Science Series – Moon Madness: A Summer of Science Social for All Ages!

Thursday, 2 August 2018, 2:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Milton J Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology – Syracuse, NY


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As part of the MOST’s Moon Madness Summer of Science Social on Thursday, August 2nd from 2:00-6:00 pm, please visit the TACNY Sweet Science Tent to explore ideas and experiments with Dr. Jayeshkuman Das, whose 2016 research analyzed lunar material gathered from the Apollo 17 mission. The family friendly social will also feature booths with interactive moon activities, LIVE lunar crater demonstrations, solar viewing equipment, and other festivities for all ages.

People interested in learning more about the moon are invited to attend the free Sweet Science Series presentation on Thursday, August 2nd, from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. outside of the Museum of Science & Technology on the east lawn. Admission is free and open to the public.

About The Speaker

Dr. Jayesh Das received his PhD from Physical Research Laboratory, India. During his PhD studies, using samples from lunar, Martian and primitive meteorites, Dr. Das investigated early stages of solar system evolution and planet formation. At Washington University in St. Louis and the McDonnell Center for Space Sciences, Dr. Das continued his research as a post-doctoral researcher. In 2012, Dr. Das moved to Syracuse University to work with the New York Center for Astrobiology. Dr. Das collaborated with other researchers of the center to understand the evolution of the Moon, and analyzed samples that were collected by Apollo 17 crew members. Very recently, Dr. Das joined EAG laboratories and is involved in developing new test methods for devices used in a range of applications including space missions and medical implants.

About The MOST

The Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology (MOST) is a hands-on science and technology museum for all ages. The MOST hosts numerous STEM education programs and community outreach events annually and is home to 35,000 square feet of interactive exhibits, Silverman Planetarium, and Bristol IMAX® Omnitheater – the only domed IMAX theater in New York State. The MOST’s vision is to be a preeminent science and technology center, inspiring all generations through hands-on education and entertainment.

About Sweet Science Series

TACNY John Edson Sweet Lectures, a program founded in 1913, is now called the Sweet Science Series and features discussions about topics in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in an informal atmosphere for adults of all levels of technical understanding. A minimum of six free and open to the public presentations are held each year.

Technology Alliance of Central New York

Founded in 1903 as the Technology Club of Syracuse, the nonprofit Technology Alliance of Central New York’s mission is to facilitate community awareness, appreciation, and education of technology; and to collaborate with like-minded organizations across Central New York.

For more information about TACNY, visit www.tacny.org.

CNYO Observing Event – Marcellus Free Library Astronomy Session with Bob Piekiel, 14 August 2018, 7:30 – 9:00 PM

Greetings, fellow astrophiles!

Bob Piekiel and fellow CNYO members are pleased to announce a session at Marcellus Free Library. It is always best to check-in with Marcellus Library (because then they know how many in the public are interested), but feel free to also sign up for the event on our Facebook and Meetup event pages.

Check back here or on the Facebook/Meetup pages for any updates.

Facebook Event Page | Meetup.com Event Page

Marcellus Free Library
32 Maple St
Marcellus, NY
(315) 673-3221

Event Details: This summer we will have a view of all bright major planets in the evening sky at once, and Mars making its closest approach to earth until 2035. The moon will also be visible, along with Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn.

NASA Space Place – A Close-Up View Of Mars

Poster’s Note: One of the many under-appreciated aspects of NASA is the extent to which it publishes quality science content for children and Ph.D.’s alike. NASA Space Place has been providing general audience articles for quite some time that are freely available for download and republishing. Your tax dollars help promote science! The following article was provided for reprinting in July, 2018.

By Jane Houston Jones and Jessica Stoller-Conrad

2013february2_spaceplaceIn July 2018, skywatchers can get an up close view of Mars—even without a telescope! In fact, on July 31, Mars will be closer to Earth than it has been in 15 years.

Why is that?

Like all the planets in our solar system, Earth and Mars orbit the Sun. Earth is closer to the Sun, and therefore it races along its orbit more quickly. Earth makes two trips around the Sun in about the same amount of time that Mars takes to make one trip.

Sometimes the two planets are on opposite sides of the Sun and are very far apart. Other times, Earth catches up with its neighbor and passes relatively close to it. This is called Mars’s closest approach to Earth, and it’s happening this year on July 31. The Moon will be near Mars on that night, too!

Keep in mind that even during its closest approach, Mars is still more than 35 million miles away from Earth. That’s really far. So, Mars won’t appear as big as the Moon in the sky, but it will appear bigger than it usually does.

July and August will be a great time to check out Mars. Through a telescope, you should normally be able to make out some of the light and dark features of the Red Planet—and sometimes even polar ice. However, a huge Martian dust storm is obscuring these features right now, so less planetary detail is visible.

There is another important Mars date in July: Mars opposition. Mars opposition is when Mars, Earth and the Sun all line up, with Earth directly in the middle. This event is happening on July 27 this year.

Although you may see news focusing on one of these two dates, Mars will be visible for many months. For about three weeks before and three weeks after opposition and closest approach, the planet will appear the same size to a skywatcher.

From July 7 through September 7 Mars will be the third brightest object in the sky (after the Moon and Venus), shining even brighter than Jupiter. The best time to view Mars during this time is several hours after sunset, when Mars will appear higher in the sky.

Mars will still be visible after July and August, but each month it will shrink in size as it travels farther from Earth in its orbit around the Sun.

In other sky news, there will be a partial solar eclipse on July 13, but it will only be visible from Northern Antarctica and southern Australia. On July 27 (beginning at 20:21 UTC), a total lunar eclipse will be visible in Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe and South America. For those viewers, Mars will be right next to the eclipsing Moon!

If you’re wanting to look ahead to next month, prepare for August’s summer Perseid meteor shower. It’s not too early to plan a dark sky getaway for the most popular meteor shower of the year!

You can catch up on NASA’s missions to Mars and all of NASA’s missions at www.nasa.gov

Caption:In 2018, Mars will appear brightest from July 27 to July 30. Its closest approach to Earth is July 31. That is the point in Mars’ orbit when it comes closest to Earth. Mars will be at a distance of 35.8 million miles (57.6 million kilometers). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

About NASA Space Place

With articles, activities, crafts, games, and lesson plans, NASA Space Place encourages everyone to get excited about science and technology. Visit spaceplace.nasa.gov (facebook|twitter) to explore space and Earth science!

Free Astronomy Magazine – July-August 2018 Issue Available For Reading And Download

Greetings, fellow astrophiles!

The most recent issue of Free Astronomy Magazine (July-August 2018) is available for your reading and downloading pleasure at www.astropublishing.com (click the link to go directly to the issue).

Free Astronomy Magazine was featured as the first of a series of articles on great free online content for amateur astronomers (see A Universe Of Free Resources Part 1) and we’ll be keeping track of future publications under the Online Resources category on the CNYO website.

You can find previous Free Astronomy Magazine issues by checking out our Free Astronomy Magazine Category (or look under the Education link in our menu).

For those wanting a quick look at what the issue has to offer, the Table of Contents is reproduced below.

July-August 2018

The web browser-readable version of the issue can be found here:

July-August 2018 – www.astropublishing.com/4FAM2018/

For those who want to jump right to the PDF download (15 MB), Click here: July-August 2018

AT&T CNY STEM Hub , Jul 23-26 and Jul 30-Aug 2

Greetings, fellow astrophiles!

This in from the TACNY list –

AT&T CNY STEM Hub

2 Week Camp – Jul 23-26 and Jul 30-Aug 2 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Middle and High School Girls
Syracuse Academy of Science – 1001 Park Ave Syracuse
COST: Free!
Register at: surveygizmo.com/CNY-STEM-Camp-for-Young-Women-Registration-2018
For more information: www.cnystem.com/news/summercamp2018.html

About TACNY

Founded in 1903 as the Technology Club of Syracuse, the nonprofit Technology Alliance of Central New York’s mission is to facilitate community awareness, appreciation, and education of technology; and to collaborate with like-minded organizations across Central New York.

For more information about TACNY, visit www.tacny.org.