Message from CFHT Librarian, Liz Bryson
Aloha!! It is 50 years since the death of Albert Einstein and so it is a good time to look at the legacy he has left the scientific community. Check out the various sites with information about him. Don't forget AstroDay is April 16th, 2005 at the Prince Kuhio Plaza in Hilo. Enjoy!!!
We are grateful for your feedback and support of our venture. email.
Contents:
- CFHT Community Outreach
- CFHT Makes Headlines
- New Publication
- Mysterious New Star Clusters Found
- Albert Einstein's Legacy: 50 Years After His Death
- Building a Refracting Telescope
- Upcoming Astronomical Events
CFHT Community Outreach
January 9th Member of the observatory helped out with the Onizuka Science Day, held at the University of Hawaii, Hilo.
Waimea Elementary School 3rd Grade Visit
Click on the picture to enlarge.
MaryBeth Laychak is giving a Solar System Tour to the 3rd graders.
Upcoming Events
Look for the Outreach Group at the April 16th, 2005 Keiki Day being held at the Parker Ranch Center in Waimea. Come and look at sunspots.
Look for the CFHT table at the ASTRO Day, April 16th, 2005 being held at the Prince Kuhio Plaza in Hilo. It was a fun day last year. Again several slack key performers will be on hand. First 100 kids get a free AstroDay tee shirt. Listen for AstroDay factoids on the radio. For details, check out the website.
We also have a group from the Waimea Country School coming for a visit and a Solar System Talk later in April.
CFHT Makes Headlines
First Search in stellar graveyard yields two possible planets.
New Publication
The American Astronomical Society (AAS) has published "The Ancient Universe," an illustrated guide explaining how astronomers know that the cosmos is old and that it changes with time.In several U.S. states there have been demands that discussions of the Big Bang and the vast age of the universe be excluded from science curricula in K-12 classrooms. In response, the Astronomy Education Board of the AAS put together an article first published in a newsletter for teachers on the Astronomical Society of the Pacific web site.
This article has now been expanded and updated into a booklet designed for school boards, principals, parents, and anyone who wants to see the scientific perspective on the age of the Earth and the physical world.
The 20-page non-technical booklet is available for free downloading on the web site:
http://education.aas.org/publications/ancientuniverse.html
The authors explain the evidence showing that we live in a universe that is between 10 billion and 15 billion years old and that both the universe and its contents undergo evolutionary change. A list of written and web resources is also included."
Mysterious New Star Clusters
CFHT has contributed to the search and discovery of a very new type of star cluster. A United Kingdom team of astronomers lead the study.
Albert Einstein's Legacy: 50 Years Since His Death
Time Magazine Named him Person of the Century: "He was the pre-eminent scientist in a century dominated by science. The touchstones of the era -- the Bomb, the Big Bang, quantum physics and electronics -- all bear his imprint"What became of Albert Einstein's Brain?
How the Number One Genius In The World Changed Our Lives
Building a Refracting Telescope
Here is an article we found from the Honolulu Advertiser which may be helpful to those wishing to build their own refracting telescope. There is a printable version of this article available at the site.
Upcoming Astronomical Events
- Eclipses - There will be a penumbral lunar eclipse during the evening of April 23rd/morning of April 24th. It will start at 9:49 pm and end at 1:59am. The moon will be at its darkest at 11:54am. This is unfortunately not quite as spectacular as a partial lunar eclipse where it goes through the Umbral shadow of the earth.
- Meteor Showers - Don't forget to watch the Lyrid meteor shower on the morning of April 21st. Best viewing time is Midnight to Sunrise with the peak occuring at Midnight on the 21st. Predictions are 20 meteors per hour. The moon will be quite bright for this event however. It will not be quite as spectacular as the Leonid or Geminid showers. It is best to bring along a sky chart to identify the constellations in this case Lyra and then look in their direction. On May 4th, the first of the Aquarid meteor showers will be at its peak. The moon wil be much darker and so you might expect to see up to 60 meteors per hour. See the August 2001 issue of Hoku in the archive to learn more about watching meteor showers.
- Planets - On April 13th, look for neptune just to the N of Mars. Jupiter will be 0.6 degrees N of the Moon on the morning of April 22nd. Look for them together before the sunrise. Mercury will be at greatest elongation on April 26th so try to find it before sunrise in the morning. It will be better for southern hemisphere observers. During the month of May look for Venus to become prominent in the evening sky just after sunset. There will be double shadow transits of Jupiter by moons during May. Look for them on May 16 at 12:48am, May 23rd at 2:43am, and May 30th at 4:37am. Mars will be half a degree N of the moon on May 30th at 11pm. Venus, Saturn and Mercury will all be quite close the evenings of June 25th and 26th. Mercury and Venus will be very close on the 27th. Happy viewing!
All times listed above are HST. The link below contains many calendars and includes a nice section on astronomical events. Check it out!!
We gratefully acknowledge the following online sources: Yahoo's Search Engine, The Scout Report, Blue Web'N, and the Librarian's Index to the Internet.This page is compiled by Liz Bryson, CFHT Librarian
This page was designed by Lisa Wells, CFHT Observing Assistant
We appreciate your comments and questions.
