The Cassini spacecraft has just entered its fifth year exploring the planet Saturn, its rings, and its large family of moons, including Titan.

This Wednesday astronomer Mark Showalter of the SETI Institute will give a non-technical, illustrated talk on Saturn’s Restless Rings: Latest Results from the Cassini Mission.

The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft launched on October 15, 1997 began its 7-year journey to Saturn arriving on July 1, 2004.

The Cassini-Huygens program is an international cooperative effort involving NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian space agency, as well as several separate European academic and industrial contributors.

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft is the first to explore the Saturn system of rings and moons from orbit. The European Space Agency’s Huygens Probe landed on Titan in January 2005. Instruments on both spacecraft are providing scientists with vital data and the best views ever.

Cassini has been making numerous orbits of Saturn, flybys of Titan along with flybys of some of the other moons.

Saturn’s rings, believed to be made of pieces of shattered moons, comets and asteroids, are the most extensive and complex ring system in our solar system, extending hundreds of thousands of miles from the planet.

Dr. Mark Showalter, whose research focuses primarily on ring-moon systems, will share some of the pictures from Saturn and take a close-up look at the “lord of the rings.”

Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Arrive early to locate parking.
Parking lots 1, 7 and 8 provide stair and no-stair access to the Smithwick theatre.

Smithwick Theater, Foothill College
12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills

Wednesday, November 12
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Admission: Free
Parking: $2.00

650-949-7888

I knew the campus was going to explode Tuesday night. And that’s where I wanted to be. I wanted to see for myself the reaction of such a historical moment in the faces of the young voters that helped make it happen. So when I heard the television announce Obama’s win, I grabbed my keys and jumped into the car, barreling towards the San Jose State campus.

It seems that I had just missed the celebration near the Tommie Smith and John Carlos statue. According to the Spartan Daily, about 150 students spontaneously gathered around the iconic statue screaming their heads off.

I also found this clip from CNN’s iReport (some language NSFW). You can see just how pitch black the area around the statue is. This celebration was impromptu, but people knew exactly where they wanted to stand at this moment, right beside two of SJSU’s own black history icons, that total darkness couldn’t keep them away.

I didn’t arrive on the scene until that larger group splintered into pockets of excitement and migrated towards more well-lit areas of campus. Out in the plaza area in front of the dorms, students were hugging, high-fiving and occasionally breaking out into chants of “O-ba-ma!”

I followed a friend into the dorms where a group of about 75-100 students crammed into a meeting room to watch both McCain’s and Obama’s speeches. (See the Spartan Daily’s video here.) The RAs brought in stacks of pizza and it was gone in 20 minutes. People were excited. People were jumping. People were hugging and screaming and accidentally knocking over soda. Some were gasping, some were silent, and some were obviously disappointed at the election results. But everyone seemed to be in agreement on two things: both speeches hit just the right tones, and there was simply not enough pizza.

I walked out of the building only to find some of the more rambunctious students ride a shopping cart down a sloping walkway, thrashing their vocal chords with screams of “OOOOOOBAAAAAMMAAAA!” all the way down. A group of black students beat-boxed and improvised rap lyrics to mark the occasion. Another group hugged every moving thing that passed their way. I could still hear all the commotion on my way back to my car.

Knowing that SJSU couldn’t have been the only celebratory hotspot in the neighborhood, I drove downtown with my windows down and listened out for any whoops and hollers. Some came from an occasional bar or two, some came from bicycle bells ringing, but not a whole lot of outright festivities. So I drove down a little further, turned the corner, and found exactly what I was looking for: a group of about 30 people marching down the streets, chanting, singing, waving to honking cars and celebrating every little bit of feedback sent their way.

I wanted to jump out of my car and take some pictures, but alas, I forgot my camera AND my phone.

So to those of you who were witness to that crowd — or heck, if you have pictures of ANY Election Day revelries/pity parties around the South Bay — please post them in the comments. I and everyone else would love to see them.

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There’s plenty going on this weekend, and some of this is going on as we speak. But it’s not too late to join in. Check ‘em out:

Grease Sing-Along

9 pm Sat; 4 pm Sun. 201 S. Second St., San Jose

Fans are invited to sing along to the movie musical “Grease” at a special presentation at Cinema 12. Admission: $10 general, $7.50 students with current ID, $7 matinees, and $6.75 seniors 63+ and children 12 and under (10 movies for $60 discount card also available).

Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival

Sat & Sun, Oct. 18-19, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Half Moon Bay.

The World Pumpkin Capital celebrates fall harvest with a display of gigantic champion pumpkins, three stages of smashing entertainment, live music, the Great Pumpkin Parade with San Francisco Giants great Will Clark as honorary Grand Marshal, a haunted house, harvest-inspired crafts, homestyle foods, expert pumpkin carvers, photos with the grand champion gourd, pie-eating and costume contests, The Golden Gourds Youth Talent Show, The Take 5 Lounge with giant screen LED TV, the “ONE” Organic and Natural food tasting extravaganza, festival-label wine and Mavericks Pumpkin Harvest Ale. Admission is free.

Campbell Oktoberfest

10:00 am - 6 p.m. Saturday, 10:00 am - 5 pm Sunday, downtown Campbell.

German beer, music, beer, food, more beer, arts & crafts, and of course, beer. This festival draws over 40,000 people, so come early and expect to stay all day as you visit over 100 arts and crafts booths. Contact the Campbell Chamber for more information at (408) 378-6252, or email ccoc@pacbell.net.

Opera in the Park

Sunday, 4:30 pm at History Park, 1650 Senter Road

Take in a preview of Gaetano Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love, a “happy and charming operatic tale of idyllic life in a sort of 1900s valley of heart’s delight setting,” according to the website. There will also be a pre-preview of History San Jose’s exhibition, “She Made It! – The Tradition of Women’s Arts and Crafts Through the Years,” opening to the public on Friday, October 24th.

Uesugi Farms, Morgan Hill, CA

So, Sunday morning, my husband and I are going over what to do with our day. On any given Sunday our plan is to take the children and dog to a local walking trail and get some sunshine and exercise. But on the 5th of October, he wanted to do something new and different. While looking up stuff on the web, I looked over my shoulder at my husband, who had both children climbing on him like a mountain, and it reminded me and the huge pyramid of pumpkins at Uesugi Farms.

Poor Claire had to stay home, the farm doesn’t allow pets. She looked so forlorn. We filled her bowl with fresh water, gave her a hug and a Greenie, and told her to be good. She normally is, Good girl dog.

So, I quickly assembled a lunch for us (note: they ask that people not bring in their own food, but won’t kick you out if you open up a lunch box. The food is pretty expensive there, liken to a baseball stadium).. packed up the kids, and headed out to Morgan Hill around 10:am. I had taken my kids there last year in October, and was surprised my oldest remembered. She kept saying “chugga, chugga chugga! Choo-Choo!!” definitely her favorite part is the train, and then talked incessantly about the “great huge” Pumpkin pyramid. I was thrilled that she was excited. My husband was happy too, he rarely gets to be a part of this kind of outing. I stay at home, so, I’m the one out and about with the girls. It a was great start to this plan.

When we arrived I was pleased to see the parking lot fairly empty, knowing that the place can get very busy with families and different groups. I don’t know if it was because it was early in the season, or just early in the day, but we got close to the entrance which minimized walking distance and a chance of excited bolting from the kids. I haven’t decided if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, that the first thing you are greeted with is public toilet stalls. My daughter and I did have to use one almost immediately after the drive, but it’s not really a pretty site. But that’s just a small thing, I suppose they had to put those stalls somewhere, once you are inside, you basically forget about them, well, until you need it again..

Inside you are met with friendly faces of workers, everyone is so happy you are there. Pumpkin movers in bright orange shirts, and guides who are willing to tell you anything you could need to know. And then there’s the Mariachi Band touring around the farm. I loved that band, they actually played, “A few of my Favorite Things” Mariachi style, that was very cool indeed! There is a Pumpkin Lady walking around greeting the people. She’s OK, a tad bit scary, my kids were taken back a little, and I was too at first. But she is G rated, and won’t walk up to children if they seem afraid (one little chap cried and ran the opposite direction, I didn’t know who to feel more sorry for). There is a great amount of things to see and do, the Giant Pumpkin stands out completely, and then there are the corn rows and mazes, a genuine haunted barn, and two trains to enjoy. There is a field of pumpkins and flowers to walk around, and take some fabulous pictures among. The scenery is gorgeous, and it’s great to see all the smiles and happy children running and looking at the different pumpkins.

Of course you can choose your own pumpkin to buy, there are numerous sizes to choose from, from the hand held variety, to the kind you need a wheelbarrow (which are readily available and free for your use). We ended up with 4 total, two the kids were able to hoist into the wheelbarrow themselves and two handpicked by my husband and I.

So, we were out of there by 1:pm, and ready to go. The kids were cheery by exhausted, my husband and I were glad we made a day out of this farm. It’s a really nice place for families, I totally recommend it!

Credit: NASA

On Saturday, September 06, NASA Ames will host another “Return to the Moon Family Night” at their Research Center.

The event will highlight the roles of NASA and Ames Research Center in conducting robotic missions slated for launch in 2009 that include the identification of water on the moon and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission is designed to confirm the presence or absence of water ice in a permanently shadowed crater at the moon’s South Pole.

Activities and exhibits include:

• animated videos
• moon rocks display
• robotic rover demonstrations
• kids activities
• telescope viewing of the lunar surface
• presentations by LCROSS experts and scientists

NASA Ames Research Center
Moffett Boulevard, Moffett Field

Saturday, September 06
3:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Free admission

In addition, remember the upcoming Sally Ride Science Festival for 5th to 8th grade girls.

So I’ve long been obsessed with horses.

As a kid, we’re talking pony rides at events, trail riding on family vacations, the Saddle Club, and My Little Pony. Forget Barbie Dolls and Cabbage Patch Kids, give me a horse plushie any day. As an adult, I am embarrassed to admit that I chose Wells Fargo as my bank because they have horses in their ads (and a very cute horse plushie). Basically, I am as horse crazy as an urban/suburban gal can get.

Now that I’m older (and more importantly, have my own source of discretionary income to spend) I try as often as I can to go riding short of buying my own horse (not THAT much discretionary income just yet).

So to celebrate this wonderful obsession of mine, I thought I’d do a round-up of bay area horseback riding locales:

Garrod Farms Stables: [Saratoga] This is a nice big stable. Very fine and right next to a vineyard. They offer trail riding up the mountains where you can see spectacular views–even a bit of San Francisco on a clear day. They offer western and english style for $30-$35 per group lesson. Each lesson is an hour, and they’ll have the horses all saddled up for you so you get to ride the full hour. Very casual atmosphere though I thought the instructor did more talking than instructing sometimes. Still, this was the very first time I got to play groups games while on horseback and went out for drinks with classmates for the holidays. I actually felt like I could bond with my classmates and teacher. And dude, they even offer vaulting lessons!!!! (think gymnastics on a horse’s back!!)

Sea Horse Ranch: [Half Moon Bay] I only do their early bird special. $45 for a two hour ride on trail and beach. I’m not talking about nose to butt trail rides either as they often have groups of 30-40 people riding at the same time. Once you’re on the beach, you’ll get to canter/lope as you please. One of my favorite places to ride on the weekend, and I have a favorite horse (Grumpy!!!). Lots of new riders and tourists with a few more experienced folks sprinkled in. I wrote a way long post on Yelp here.

Hampton Place Stables: [San Jose] Very tiny and hard to find but a wonderful place for rescue horses to go. They take in horses that have been mentally and physically abused and rehabilitate them. I don’t have too much else to say about them because I only managed to volunteer once before we moved out of San Jose. I spent the afternoon grooming horses there. I noticed lessons going on so if you live in San Jose, check these guys out. I doubt their lesson fee is too expensive, and your money will go to a great cause.

3K9 Ranch: [Sunol] I’m currently taking western lessons here, and I wholeheartedly recommend this place to anyone who wants to learn to become a better rider. This is a small establishment and is privately owned by a family who lives on site. This means for the price of a group lesson elsewhere, you get a private lesson on horses that the owners ride competitively at local competitions. No lifeless school horses here. Lessons are $40 for an hour and a half, and if you have time, you can stay longer too!! I got to drive an atv dummy cow, learn how to rope, and herd cattle too. The only downside for some people is that he is not always available every week for lessons. For me, this just means I get to go ride at Sea Horse Ranch so it works for me.

Did I miss anything? Here’s a great website that’ll give you a list of all the possible places you could ever hope to ride at in the bay area.

Photo Credit: From Garrod Farms Website

It was pretty hazy in San Jose which made it hard to focus on the moon. Regardless, what we could see was pretty cool. Here’s hoping the next lunar eclipse (2010) will happen on a CLEAR winter night.

There will be a total lunar eclipse of the Moon Wednesday evening (February 20) beginning at 5:43 pm for the partial eclipse phase. We will miss the early stages of the partial eclipse because it begins before moonrise; also, your viewing location may be a factor.

The total eclipse phase, when the Moon is completely in the Earth’s shadow, begins at 7:01 pm and ends 50 minutes later. During this phase, the Moon will be a dark red or orange color. This is cool, having watched the previous total eclipse last August.

Unfortunately, the weather may not cooperate. Too bad, the next total eclipse is December 20-21, 2010.

Way too much info from NASA

Images from the August 28, 2007, Lunar Eclipse

Happy Lunar New Year! — The Year of the Rat.

The Lunar New Year dates from 2600 BC, when the Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the Chinese zodiac.

There are 12 animals in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac, and the Rat is the first in this series, followed by the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and the Pig.

If you were born in 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, or 1996 - you were born under the sign of the rat. Because of the occurrence of the full moon, the first day of the year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February. Thus, if you were born early in one of the years listed above you may have been born in The Year of the Pig.

Those born in The Year of the Rat are clever, ambitious, creative, hard working, fastidious, charming and sociable, but can be a bit stingy.

Chinese, Koreans, and Vietnamese, among others celebrate the Lunar New Year. These countries use the lunar calendar for their traditional holidays and the Gregorian calendar for other day-to-day activities. The Japanese celebrate New Years on January 1. Before the late 1800’s, the Japanese celebrated the Lunar New Year.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

KPIX is reporting that the Mavericks Surf Contest is set for this Saturday. I called the Mavericks Surf Shop (Half Moon Bay) for confirmation. The fellow answering the phone, not Jeff Clark, said that it is not officially on just yet, but they are watching.

Mavericks Surf Contest: The Waiting Begins

Take the path in the photo, or climb up the dangerous cliff for the best view. It is not easy to view the contest safely and it gets crowded.

I suggest when it does get underway try: CBS5.com

Watch Mavericks Live on the Big Screen at AT&T Park

Mavericks

UPDATE: Per Deborah Lattimore the Mavericks is on - she spoke to someone who spoke with Jeff.

Check out her flickr.