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| Vol. 8, No. 7: July 2009 |
» July Stargazing
» July Radio Programs
» IYA Speaker Series in Austin
» New Lunar Viewing Program
» News from the Observatory
» This Month in StarDate Magazine
» Find Us on Facebook |
 The bull casts his ruddy eye — the star Aldebaran — on some interesting goings-on in the dawn sky. Venus, the enchanting "morning star," is close to Aldebaran early in the month, with Mars huddling closer to it later on. Mars and Aldebaran show the same orange color, and are almost identically bright this month. The Moon joins the lineup for a few days. Another orange pinpoint, the star Antares, highlights the evening as the center of Scorpius, the scorpion. The summer Milky Way arcs across the sky at an earlier hour each night.
July Sky Almanac: http://stardate.org/nightsky/almanac
Weekly Stargazing Tips: http://stardate.org/nightsky/weekly.php |
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July 1-5: A loud planet. The planet Jupiter is a little louder than usual right now -- in part because the Sun is a little quieter. We'll have details on the noisy goings-on right here in our own solar system.
July 6-12: Speeding up. Earth is speeding around the center of the galaxy a little faster than astronomers had thought, and we'll tell you why. And we'll also tell you why it's hard to make a good map of the galaxy.
July 13-19: Journeys. Two important journeys got underway 40 years ago this week. One helped prepare for life aboard a space station. The other went to the Moon. Join us for these journeys of exploration, plus much more.
July 20-26: A grand adventure. The first astronauts landed on the Moon 40 years ago this week. We'll recall their adventure, and tell you what we've learned from all the Moon missions. Join us for the flight of Apollo 11 and a whole lot more.
July 27-31: The scorpion. Scorpius is one of the easiest constellations to pick out, and it's also one of the most interesting. Join us for some giant stars, a giant family of stars, and an encounter between the Moon and the scorpion's heart.
July Program
Schedule: http://stardate.org/radio/calendars
Find an Affiliate: http://stardate.org/radio/affiliates.php
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 In celebration of the International Year of Astronomy, the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin will host a speaker event on Wednesday July 1 at noon. McDonald astronomer Tom Barnes will give a talk titled "McDonald Observatory Celebrates 70 Years of History in the International Year of Astronomy." The event is free and open to the public.
For more information: http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/iya/series |
Our Lunar Viewing Program is the closest you can get to a guided tour of the Moon, next to hitching a ride on a rocket. Through telescope observing, staff presentations and guided activities, participants in the Lunar Viewing Program will conduct an in-depth exploration of our nearest cosmic neighbor, the Moon.
For more information: http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/visitors/programs |
Texas-Sized Computer Finds Most Massive Black Hole in Galaxy M87
Astronomers Karl Gebhardt (The University of Texas at Austin) and Jens Thomas (Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics) have used new computer modeling techniques to discover that the black hole at the heart of M87, one the largest nearby giant galaxies, is two to three times more massive than previously thought. Weighing in at 6.4 billion times the Sun's mass, it is the most massive black hole yet measured with a robust technique, and suggests that the accepted black hole masses in nearby large galaxies may be off by similar amounts. This has consequences for theories of how galaxies form and grow, and might even solve a long-standing astronomical paradox.
Find out more: http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/news/releases/2009/0608.html |
In the July/August issue of StarDate, read up on the only ongoing experiment from the Apollo missions to the Moon. And get the details on a plethora of meteor showers active this summer, including the famous Perseids.
Subscribe online: http://stardate.org/magazine
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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 |
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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