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| Vol. 7, No. 11: November 2008 |
» November Stargazing
» November Radio Programs
» This Month in StarDate Magazine
» News from the Observatory
» McDonald Observatory is on Facebook
» Give the Gift of Membership
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 The dazzling constellations of winter begin to creep into prime evening viewing time during the longer, cooler nights of November. Beautiful Orion rises in mid-evening early in the month, but by early evening at month's end. Taurus, the bull, charges into view ahead of Orion, with Gemini, the twins, rising about the same time as Orion, but farther north. The Dog Star, Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, follows the hunter in late evening. A special late-month treat is the pairing of Venus and Jupiter in the southwest at sunset. The crescent Moon closes in on them on the 30th, creating an especially striking tableau.
November Sky Almanac: http://stardate.org/nightsky/almanac
Weekly Stargazing Tips: http://stardate.org/nightsky/weekly.php |
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November 3-9: Bright and dark. A bright star system in the charioteer sometimes gets darker -- but may soon get a lot brighter. A system in the swan consists of one really bright star and one really dark one. And the Moon is half bright and half dark.
November 10-16: The Martian scoop. The latest Mars lander found frozen water beneath the planet's red soil, and discovered that the soil itself could support life. It's also helped scientists adapt to living on Mars time.
November 17-23: Shhhhh! Amid the cacophony of modern life, there are a few holdout places where your cell phone won't work, there's no radio reception, and even microwave ovens are frowned upon -- but the universe shines through.
November 24-30: Holiday skies. There's lots to look at in the night sky this holiday week, including the two brightest planets and the farthest object the eye can see.
November Program
Schedule: http://stardate.org/radio/calendars
Find an Affiliate: http://stardate.org/radio/affiliates.php
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 In our November/December feature article "Living on Martian Time," the clock ticks down toward winter and the end of the Phoenix mission. Scientists race to discover whether the northern plains of Mars could provide a home for microscopic life. We also bring you great holiday gift ideas for the astro-geeks on your shopping list.
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the Gift of StarDate!Don’t let your friends and loved ones miss a single event in the night sky next year. Give them a gift subscription to StarDate magazine. Through the end of this year, when you give one gift at
the regular price of $24 -- or renew your own subscription for
another year -- give as many more gifts as you like for just $12
each!
To Order: http://stardate.org/magazine/holiday_offer.html or call
800-STARDATE any time. |
Astronomers Quimby, Wheeler Win Hyer Award from American Physical Society
Recent University of Texas at Austin doctoral graduate Robert Quimby of the California Institute of Technology and his adviser, University of Texas at Austin astronomy professor J. Craig Wheeler, have won the Hyer Award from the Texas Section of the American Physical Society for Quimby's discovery of two of the most intrinsically bright exploding stars, called supernovae, ever detected.
Find out more: http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/news/releases/2008/1022.html
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 Join us on the social networking site Facebook to get the latest information about McDonald Observatory. View our image galleries and videos and upload your own. Ask questions about the Observatory, and share your experiences of visiting with others. When you become a 'fan' of our page on Facebook, you will receive periodic updates from us about events at the Observatory and more.
Find us on Facebook:
http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Fort-Davis-TX/McDonald-Observatory/16147034122 |
The holidays are fast approaching, and great gift-givers may want to consider giving a Friends of McDonald Observatory membership to friends and family of all ages. By signing up your loved ones for a Friends membership, you’ll give them great benefits — McDonald Observatory passes, a StarDate magazine subscription, and more — while giving a boost to K–12 science education.
Simply visit the online registration, choose the member level you’d like to give, select “Gift,” and enter code “08HOL10”
Questions: call 888-442-4356
Join online:
http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/support/friends
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SkyTips is a monthly email newsletter for visitors to McDonald Observatory and StarDate Online. Each issue features stargazing highlights, upcoming StarDate radio program descriptions, and other news. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends and family.
SkyTips is a publication of the University of Texas McDonald Observatory
Education and Outreach Office, 1 University Station A2100, Austin, TX
78712. Reproduction of SkyTips content is permitted with proper credit
given to McDonald Observatory. |
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