nasa.gov

This Wednesday physicist Leonard Susskind of Stanford University will give a non-technical, illustrated talk on The Black Hole Wars: My Battle with Stephen Hawking. No background in science will be required for this talk or having seen Disney’s The Black Hole.

For two decades, physicist Susskind battled cosmologist Stephen Hawking over the behavior of black holes.

Hawking’s theory is that when information falls into a black hole it is permanently lost to the outside; also, that black holes evaporate. It happens very slowly but the black hole does emit particles, and eventually disappears.

Susskind’s theory is that the horizon of a black hole (a two dimensional surface like a film) somehow stores all the information that ever fell into the hole. He also theorizes the photons and other particles carry away every bit of information during evaporation of the black hole.

Stephen Hawking now agrees that the information is not lost when a black hole evaporates.

This is a non-technical talk but how can you not be excited about particle physics, event horizons, quantum mechanics, and holographic principles?

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, October 1
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Admission: Free
Parking: $2.00

650-949-7888

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.

Sally Ride Science Festival is where girls, parents, and teachers attend workshops, meet scientists, and have fun at the street fair.

The Science Festival is designed for 5th to 8th grade girls. Parents and teachers are welcome. Please read the FAQ here.

The festival features workshops for students given by local scientists and engineers including chemists, veterinarians, microbiologists, and others; there will be workshops for parents and teachers on ways to support students’ interests in science and math; also, a street fair with booths, hands-on activities, food, and music. There will also be a talk by astronaut Wendy Lawrence.

Wendy Lawrence is a veteran of 4 space shuttle missions and was an astronaut for 14 years. Her space missions included a shuttle flight that carried a set of telescopes to study the stars, 2 space shuttle trips to rendezvous with the Russian space station Mir, and most recently the space shuttle’s return to space after the Columbia accident. She is also an Ocean Engineer.

Sally Ride is the first American woman to fly in space. She was aboard the space shuttle Challenger that launched from Kennedy Space Center, on June 18, 1983. NASA selected Sally Ride as an astronaut candidate in January 1978. While in training, she worked on development of the shuttle’s robot arm, and worked in mission control as a capsule communicator. Long an advocate for improved science education, Sally Ride has written six science books for children. She also initiated and directed education projects designed to fuel middle school students fascination with science.

Advance registration is required and is $20 (includes the featured talk, workshops, lunch, and the Street Fair).

Sally Ride Science Festival information and registration

Sally Ride Science Festival
NASA Ames Research Center

Saturday, September 27
11:00 am - 1:00 pm Check-in, Lunch, Street Fair
1:00 pm - 4:15 pm Featured Talk, Workshops, Street Fair

This Wednesday astronomer Jill Tarter, of the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute, will give a non-technical, illustrated talk on The Allen Telescope Array: The Newest Pitchfork for Exploring the Cosmic Haystack. No background in science will be required for this talk.

The Allen Telescope Array, being constructed at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory north of Mt. Lassen as a partnership between the SETI Institute and University of California Berkeley Radio Astronomy Lab, will be the most powerful tool for finding SETI signals ever built. Its an innovative radio telescope assembled from a large number of small dishes, using consumer off-the-shelf technologies whenever possible to minimize costs. This new telescope array will enable exploration of up to 10,000 times more of the cosmic haystack than was searched in the previous decade.

Jill Tarter is Director of the Center for SETI Research at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. Dr. Tarter received her Bachelor of Engineering Physics Degree with Distinction from Cornell University and her Master’s Degree and a Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of California, Berkeley. Jodi Foster based her character on Dr. Tarter for the movie Contact.

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, April 23
7:00 pm

Admission: Free
Parking: $2.00

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

Tonight, Christmas Eve, while you are out watching for Santa don’t be fooled into thinking you’ve spotted Rudolph’s red nose. What you are seeing is Mars. Mars has decided to come close to earth to say “Hi!” Back on Tuesday the 18th it was only 54,783,381 miles away. It is being a bit shy this time as back in 2003, it came to within about 34 million miles.

What is significant about viewing Mars tonight is that it is at opposition, exactly opposite from the sun, with Earth in the middle. In other words, it is going to be bright, big, and very easy to see. It will be next to the moon.

Mars will be viewable through late January; however, it will be zooming away from us.

The next time Mars is close and bright will be in 2016.

The San Jose Astronomical Association will have a free public star party on Friday, Dec. 28, from 7:00 pm at Houge Park in San Jose. 408-559-1221

What were you doing back on December 3, 1904?

Well, astronomer Charles Dillon Perrine was up at Lick Observatory peering through the telescope in the direction of that big as a barn Jupiter when he discovered a new moon, Himalia. It was not named Himalia until 1975; up until then, it went by the catchy name Jupiter VI. A month later (January 2, 1905), he would discover another moon, Jupiter VII; given the name Elara also in 1975.

Jupiter, clearly not wanting to share, has over 60 moons; two discovered from our backyard.

Nice to glance over at Mount Hamilton that is so near and think of the discoveries that were made so far away.

That is a NASA photo of Jupiter, Himalia and Elara would be dots of a couple pixels each.

Saturday, November 17, NASA Ames will host a “Return to the Moon Family Night” at their Exploration Center.

The event will highlight the roles of NASA and Ames Research Center in conducting robotic missions in the near future 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 (weather permitting)
• presentations by LCROSS experts and scientists

NASA Ames Research Center
Exploration Center
Saturday, November 17
4:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Free admission

For directions and other activities at the Exploration Center check here.

There will be a total eclipse of the moon Tuesday morning (August 28) beginning about 1:50 am. Mid-eclipse (total) is 3:37am. So, load up Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon on to your iPod and set your alarm tonight. On the other hand, just stay up all night.

Way too much info from NASA here.

Driving down 101 past Moffett Field I would notice the large white structure near the entrance to NASA Ames. I remembered reading about the NASA Exploration Center so I pulled in to check it out.

I was looking forward to seeing cool space stuff. From the bright sun into the dark building, my eyes adjusted and before me was, well… not very cool. There are many pictures and a lot to read. I could have stayed home and checked the same thing out online. On display is the Mercury Redstone capsule, the last unmanned test flight before manned flights. However, it was enclosed in plastic so no touching. There are also a few interactive exhibits that are under whelming; this is not the Tech Museum.

The main reason for visiting was to see the moon rock that brought back by the Apollo 15 crew. The rock is within a glass case with a very small light making it difficult to get a good view.

I spoke with the person at the visitor’s desk and he said that when a bus load of kids visit they zoom right through in just a few minutes and are ready to leave. He said that the center has a very small budget. Very unfortunate as this would be a great way for NASA to present itself to the public and to explain the function of NASA Ames.

Would I recommend The NASA Exploration Center? Yes, if you are in the area. Admission and parking is free.

After your visit, let us know any exhibits that you found enjoyable, interesting, and/or informative. I may have missed something. After all, I did not stay for the high-resolution Immersive Theater presentation.

Directions and hours here.