Message from CFHT Librarian, Liz Bryson:
CFHT Community Outreach Recent Past Events July 10-13, 2007: The 2007 National Conference on Educational Robotics (NCER), was held in Honolulu at the Hawaii Convention Center. September 8, 2007 Several staff members went to HPA for a talk on "Cold Dark Matter" in the universe. October 6, 2007 The Visitor's Center up at Hale Pohaku on the slope of Mauna Kea held its Universe Tonight talk done by our own MaryBeth Laychak. October 21/22, 2007 CFHT staff and family members joined the Relay for Life in Waimea Park to help raise money for the American Cancer Society. A great time was had by all.
November 9, 2007 The Waimea Country School Science Fair was held. Several of our staff went to judge the event. Upcoming Events November 15, 2007: The Girls in Math, Science and Engineering (GEMS) career day will be help in Kona. November 17, 2007: 2ND Annual RoboFest at the University of Hawaii, Hilo Gymnasium. We will be present as well at the CFHT sponsered team from Waimea. Come by for the competitions and fun, 10am to 2pm. December 1, 2007: Our Christmas Star Party will be held just after the Parade of Lights in Waimea. Telescopes will be set up outside the CFHT building on the front lawn and we will have some refreshments, robot demonstrations, and night sky viewing weather permitting. January 26, 2008: The Ellison Onizuka Science Day will be held at the University of Hawaii, Hilo campus. Various Tours of the summit coming up for scientists, teachers and students.
CFHT in the News Elvirgo Clusterello and the Attractions: "The Virgo Cluster, the nearest large cluster to us, is estimated to lie approximately 50 million light years away, in our Local Supercluster." CFHT and the total eclipse of the Moon The occasion was too rare to be missed: what happens to the night sky when the Moon gets switched off when it is at zenith? I made this little montage to illustrate how the Moon dramatically affects the sky brightness in the optical (forcing to give away the telescope to the infrared where the sky remains dark no matter what the Moon phase is). The three photos in this sequence are taken in the exact same conditions: a wide angle view (70x50 degrees), a 20 seconds long exposure with a super sensitive digital camera and wide open lens. The three photos were taken 35mn away from each other. This sequence catches our dome as the Moon emerges from Earth's shadow. The true diameter of the Moon is apparent on the top photograph (though the disk itself is saturated in white), while the glare dominates on the next two. On the way into the eclipse, it was striking to see the stars appearing as the sky was getting darker. During the totality, the Milky Way was gloriously crossing the sky (but invisible before and after the eclipse), while the Moon itself was this very dim red disk, yet showing great details (second photo attached, and no enhancement in that one either). Having the full disk of the Moon against a rich background of stars was really an amazing sight! Enjoy! Jean-Charles Cuillandre
Click on the pictures to get an enlargement. Another staff member took pictures from downtown Waimea of the phases. These were taken through intermittent clouds but they turned out quite well.
Click on the pictures to get an enlargement. Cosmic Journey: A History of Scientific Cosmology Understanding the universe and space in all its complexity has consumed the passions of many people over the millennia. With an interest in bringing material from the world of scientific cosmology to the web-browsing public, the American Institute of Physics and the Center for History of Physics have created this website. The site is divided into two primary areas, titled “Ideas” and “Tools”. In the “Ideas” section, visitors can read essays about the development of cosmology from the time of the Greeks all the way up to the present. And moving over to the “Tools” section, visitors can learn about important related events, including the invention of the telescope and the golden era of refractors. The site is rounded out with a collection of links for further reading, such as the “Cosmology 101” site created by NASA. The Astronomy Center The wonder and mystery associated with distant objects in space has fascinated humans for millennia, and young people today remain eager to learn about the world of astronomy. Introducing the various concepts and processes associated with this branch of science in the classroom can be daunting, so educators and the curious public will be glad to learn of the existence of The Astronomy Center website. Sponsored by the American Astronomical Society, the American Association of Physics Teachers, and the National Science Digital Library, the site is a clearinghouse of digital resources that can serve as teaching aids, or as just a way to learn more about the world of astronomy. The site’s homepage includes an "Astronomy News" area, complete with links to relevant news stories (such as discoveries of newly discovered space objects) and a feature that allows users to browse resources by type (such as labs or simulations) or topic. and a 1955 National Academy of Sciences briefing on cosmology. Astrophysics Science Project This "interactive science education" website provides materials for students and teachers, including lessons, information about science careers (biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics), and access to quizzes. Topics include cosmic rays, effect of force, gas particles, kinetic energy, lunar phases, refraction, the scientific method, scientific notation, seasons, seismic waves, simple machines, stars, the angle of the sun, tides, and wave basics. From the University Of Utah. Comet Holmes: A Bright Visitor A comet that circles the sun about every 5 years has suddenly brightened spectacularly. 17P/Holmes is visible as a fuzzy blob in the northern part of the sky. With the moon dark, this weekend should provide wonderful opportunities to see this celestial object. Look for it in the constellation Perseus. 17P/Holmes last brightened back in 1892, the year of its discovery. See "Comet Holmes Tonight" by Sky & Telescope JPL site has a neat 3-D orbit diagram. Scrolling up and down shows how 17P/Holmes lines up vis-à-vis the ecliptic plane. 17P/Holmes at Wikipedia has overview and a sky map. 'Astronomy Magazine' has a Comet 17P page with sky chart and podcast [1 Nov 07]. Gary W. Kronk's Cometography For historic background and more images see 17P/Holmes OUTBURTS Astroprof's Page has several postings. And the astronomy blogs are buzzing. Astroblog includes an engaging animation. Upcoming Astronomical Events
All times listed above are HST unless otherwise indicated. The link below contains many calendars and includes a nice section on astronomical events. Check it out!
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