Loaner Scope & Quick STARt Status Page

SJAA offers all of it's members the opportunity to borrow various types of loaner scopes.   The challenge with any such program is the ability to provide a current listing of scopes and their availability.  
 
I am pleased to say that we have developed a system which will provide 100% transparency.

When you go to the SJAA main website - please note the link circled in red below.

After clicking on Telescopes/Mentoring link - it takes you to the Loaner Scope Program status page as seen below:

Above is a screenshot of an embedded Google spreadsheet that is opened up to the Advanced Loaner Scope Status page.  This page will show you the up-to-date status of all of the clubs loaner scopes.   When you send me a request via email for a particular scope I will put your name in the "On Deck" column, when you pick it up the status will change to "Out on loan" and the due date will be noted in the Comments column.  Should the scope be out on loan already, your name will stay in the On Deck column until it becomes available and you pick it up.
 
Another benefit that the club offers to our new members is the ability to participate in the Quick STARt program.    To see an overview of the program please click on Quick START (QS) Program tab.  After doing so - it brings you to:

Those new SJAA members who have requested (or accepted in invitation) to attend the next session will have their names listed.  If you don't see your name on this list please send me an email.

The QS Scopes tab lists all of the scopes dedicated to this program and their current status.

Please keep in mind that the scopes above are available to "ALL" members to borrow.   The QS  program participants get 1st priority though.   Please email me if you are interested in checking out a QS program scope and it's related items as described in this previous post.
http://sanjoseastronomy.blogspot.com/2012/07/quick-start-gets-upgrade.html

We also would love to hear from you on how to make this program better.  Are there any scopes or items you want the club to put into the program?

Thanks for your support.

Regards,
Dave Ittner

SJAA at Cambrian Festival 2012

Observe The Sun Safely - Never look at the Sun without a proper filter! 

Solar Programs are held 1st Sunday of every Month 2:00-4:00 PM at Houge Park  weather permitting

A beautiful sunny day at the Celebrate Cambrian Festival brought out lots families to learn about their local community. And the SJAA was proud to be a part of it! 

Lots of kids got to see the sun starting with an eyepiece projections system, 

then moving to an amateur scope (with solar filter) to see sunspots in detail,

 

and then ending with views of H-Alpha flairs, prominences, in the club's hydrogen alpha telescope.  Lots of "oohs" "aahhs" and "cool" at every station. 

 

And lots of thanks to our volunteers: Tom Sharkey, Teruo Utsumi, Malika Carter, Rob Jaworski, Michael Packer, Bill and Susan O'Neil and Tracy Avent-Costanz. You guys made it happen!

All in all, hundreds of folks easy got to see and learn about astronomy - if not in their own back yard - very close! We hope see see a few of them at Houge Park at upcoming public star party events!

The Sun

Useful Solar Links: 

Real Time e-mail Solar Flare Alert:
http://www.ips.gov.au/mailman/listinfo/ips-flare-alert
Everything about the Today's Sun at a Glance:
http://www.solarham.net/
Today's Space Weather with Sunspot Count:
http://www.spaceweather.com/
Solar Influences Data Center - SIDC keeper of the International Sunspot Number
http://sidc.oma.be/LatestSWData/LatestSWData.php 
Superb overview of Solar features - a must read:
http://lnk.nu/eaas.co.uk/24ct.php
NOAA Glossary of Solar Terms:
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/info/glossary.html
Observing the Sun in H-Alpha - Compiled by David Knisely":

www.icstars.com/HTML/SolarSection/HAlpha/OBSERVINGTHESUNHAlpha3.html

Killer Video! - Depth Detail of Umbra & Penumbra with Surrounding Photosphere Granules

 

 

Click on image to enlarge:

Solar Observing August 5th

Observe The Sun Safely - Never look at the Sun without a proper filter! 

Solar Programs are held 1st Sunday of every Month 2:00-4:00 PM at Houge Park  weather permitting

The are a so many objects up in the night sky for amateur astronomers to enjoy, travel to with his/her scope and learn something new. Yet it is the same way with out single star up in the day sky, The solar cycle generates new sunspots and flares of beauty, size and ominous power. Today many of us saw hands-down "thee" longest filament, prominence, h-alpha flare, projected on the solar disk we have ever seen. Winding over the disk of the sun it easily spanned 1/3 of the entire solar face. if the filament was stretched out, it would easily span 1/2 the solar disk or some 50 Earth diameters!

While all of us at Houge were viewing this and thinking about Curiosity's Landing expected in the evening, SJAA member Malika was actually at JPL enjoying the event and showing sunspots to public. Her Sunspotter eyepiece projection system beautifully captured all 6 major sunspots: 

Click on a image to enlarge. Then compare the two by clicking icons at bottom of view screen

Right On!

Quick STARt get's an upgrade

SJAA is proud to announce an upgrade to their innovative Quick STARt (QS) program.   The QS program is for new members with little to no experience in the hobby.  It is designed to provide some basic instruction about the night sky and how to use one of the loaner scopes.

For more information about the program and to check to see if you are on the invite list, please go to: http://www.sjaa.net/loaners.shtml and then click on the Quick STARt (QS) tab.

Below is a nice picture of the items now provided in this program.  (click on picture to enlarge it)

The recently approved upgrade consists of the following new equipment:
- An Observers Chair.  An adjustable height chair that folds down flat for easy transport.
- A new large accessory case with pluck foam. (replaces smaller case)
- A new 32mm Orion Plossl eyepiece.
- A new 8mm AstroTech Paradigm eyepiece.  (replaces Orion 10mm eyepiece)
- A new Moon filter.
- A new 9 LED red flashlight.  (replaces Orion mini led flashlight)
- A Bright Star Atlas.

Existing items still in the package are:
- an Orion XT6 or XT8 scope
- a 25mm Orion Plossl eyepiece.
- a 2X Barlow lens.
- a Discover the Stars book (introduction to the hobby)
- a Planisphere
- a Moon Map

Here is a closer look at the accessory case:  (click on picture to enlarge it)

The Quick STARt sessions are made available to all newly approved SJAA members.  These sessions are by invite only.   To request an invite please email SJAAmentor@gmail.com

Clear skies,
Dave Ittner

It Was Bound To Happen + Sunspots and The Spinning Sun

Observe The Sun Safely - Never look at the Sun without a proper filter! 

Solar Programs are held 1st Sunday of every Month 2:00-4:00 PM at Houge Park  weather permitting

 The Sun and Saturn - It Was Bound To Happen:

Over the 4th of July I got together with old friends and instead of shooting off fireworks - which btw would get you shot in the Klamath woods of the Siskiyou mountains - I offered viewing the distant fireworks of the Sun in H-Alpha. These friends for the most part were oblivious to the hobby of astronomy - some had never seen Saturn in a scope - which was on the agenda for the night.

On the 4th sunspot activity was good with "1x" visible sunspot group - a smear of spots in between two large spots making a of a very good "face on the Sun". It looked like the face of a fox to some. (I'd really love to hear the conspiracy theories for this fiery crop circle). Anyway plasma was streaming off the solar limb south of this group in spectacular geometries and other prominences could be seen all around the solar disk. All-in-all it was an average H-alpha day for 2012. But to these folks who had never seen the Sun in H-Alpha it was a mind blowing wicked-sick day.  A couple could not take their eyes off the show and needed to know everything.

Night came and it was Saturn's turn. Its rings and moon Titan shinning brightly. Seeing was pretty fair and the best view of the planet through a TV85 was @ 150x using a 4mm Radian. Very decent power for CA.. I don't have to explain to veterans of this hobby the impression Saturn makes to first timers. However the words did flow - "Wow, OMG, Surreal, get-the-heck-out-of-here and holly <insert expletive>." 

But then I heard it. And the comment was entirely reasonable for a 1st timer to say: "Cool but not quite as cool as the Sun." It was bound to happen. Personally I have never heard anyone compare Saturn to another planet or DSO with any vigor: Mars, NGC4565, nope. Saturn is in a class all by itself. And to be fair, if the view of Saturn was through a Bill Burton's 12.5" with a binoviewer at the Florida WSP (think festoons, Encke, 500x) - well the comparison would never leave a person's lips...

I don't think. 

The H-Alpha Sun - "it'd be happen, maad and irie mon"

 

 The Spin of the Sun - Sunspots appearing and disappearing off face:

On July 6th SJAA member Malika took two excellent shots of sunspot spinning in to and out view. Below are the cools images - which I rotated and doctored a bit to bring detail. 

Click one image. When it pops up you can click on thumbnails below it to advance (go back an forth) between the two and see the sunspot appear/disappear at the top and bottom limb. Nice!!!   

Daytime Jupiter and Solar Observing July 1st

Observe The Sun Safely - Never look at the Sun without a proper filter! 

Solar Programs are held 1st Sunday of every Month 2:00-4:00 PM at Houge Park  weather permitting

First I must say hats off and a thanks for Teruo spotting Jupiter in his 8 inch SC scope this afternoon in broad daylight. That was cool.

Second I have to say solar observing is not all H alpha by a long shot. One sunspot group was just visible naked eye and Malika's "Sunspoter" (eyepiece projection system) beautifully captured the 5 major groups today. The Sunspot count was in the 90's and two sunspots showed exquisite umbra - penumbra detail.

Third - ok prominences today were pretty darn cool with 5 equal branching plumes looking like a row of  central valley olive trees at 10 O'clock (left-right flipped refactor view). A prominence at ~12 O'clock had part of its structure projected on photosphere giving a 3d like feel to the sun.

This image below show today's sunspots. I crudely drew in the prominences.

Click Image to Enlarge

Great day and another hats off to Dave Ittner for taking care of a lot of folks at the Telescope Tune-up. Way to go.