Jim & Eleanor Randall Planetarium at Mt. San Antonio College
Operating as usual
The planetarium is reopening in November 2021! We're excited to open our doors again and share the wonders of astronomy with you. Please check our website for information on shows times and field trip/scout reservations. See you under the stars! www.mtsac.edu/planetarium/
Calling all early birds!! We have an early morning total lunar eclipse happening this week! On Wednesday morning at 2:45 AM you can start to see the earth's shadow creep across the full super moon. By 4:18 AM the moon will be fully in the earth's shadow. During a lunar eclipse the moon will turn a reddish color. This color is because the earth is blocking most of the sun's light but not all of it. Some of the Sun's light makes it to the moon, but that light is filtered by earth's atmosphere which is really good at scattering blue light (that's why our sky is blue!). It's the red light that is not as easily scattered by the atmosphere that makes it to the moon during a lunar eclipse. You don't need any special equipment to watch a lunar eclipse, just step outside and look up at the moon! You can find more information on this week's total lunar eclipse here: https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/pomona
https://www.space.com/super-flower-blood-moon-2021-webcasts
Spring cleaning in the planetarium today. Once a year we blow out all of the dust in the projectors and computers but how do you dust and cobwebs down form the dome?....Use balloons!!
Happy 2021! Here's a fun fact for the new year:
The Kepler-444 is an ancient system with five planets. This system was formed when the Milky Way galaxy was only 2 billion years old. All five planets orbit their sun like star in less than ten days. Learn more here: https://nasa.gov/ames/kepler/kepler-444-an-ancient-system-with-five-planets
The tightly packed system, named Kepler-444, is home to five small planets in very compact orbits that formed when the Milky Way galaxy was a youthful two billion years old.
Be sure to check out the Grand Conjunction of 2020 today! Jupiter and Saturn will appear very close together in the sky even though they are 456 million miles apart. This is a once in a lifetime event. The last time they lined up like this was 800 years ago! This is also a similar conjunction that happened around the birth of Christ and is theorized to be possibly an interpretation of the Bethlehem star. If you want to check it out look for the brightest point of light in the sky towards the southwest just after sunset. That will be Jupiter and the faint dot of light right next to it will be Saturn. Don't wait too long after sunset to see it, you won't be able to see this very well after 7:00 PM as it will be too low in the sky. Happy stargazing!
Fun Fact:
Olympus Mons on the planet Mars is the largest volcano in the solar system. Learn more here: https://jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA00300
Catch Mercury!
Mercury will be at its greatest western elongation. This is the perfect time to spot Mercury in the early morning sky. Learn more here: http://seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-current.html
Did you know?
Jupiter’s Moon IO is the most volcanically active in the entire solar system. This moon was discovered by Galileo on Jan. 8, 1610. For the very first time, a moon was discovered orbiting a planet other than Earth. Learn more here: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/jupiter-moons/io/overview/
Fun fact:
Stephan’s Quintet was discovered by the French astronomer Edouard Stephan in 1877.
Stephan’s Quintet includes four distant galaxies that are only connected to one another by their gravity. Learn more here: https://hubble25th.org/images/21#image
Happy Halloween!
Here’s a spooky fun fact:
This is the spiral galaxy NGC 4151 and was dubbed the name “The Eye of Sauron” by astronomers for its similarity to the eye of an evil character in “The Lord of The Rings.” Learn more: https://nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/multimedia/11-029.html
Spooky Fun Fact:
Millions of young stars lie in this hyperactive star birth region known as 30 Doradus. It is located 170,000 light-years away in the heart of the Tarantula Nebula and is home to some of the most massive stars in our galaxy. Learn more:
http://ow.ly/lGsA50BACe5
Fun Fact:
The Carina Nebula is an enormous cloud of gas and dust where a whirlpool of star birth and death is constantly taking place. This nebula is situated 7,500 light-years away in the southern constellation of Carina, the keel of a ship. Learn more: https://hubble25th.org/images/10#image
Dark energy is rapidly increasing the rate of our universe’s expansion over time. It is estimated to make up 68% of our universe. The term “Dark” in dark energy is used to describe something unknown rather than the literal meaning of dark.
Learn more: http://ow.ly/sJVT50BABVX
Spooky Fun Fact:
The young star HBC 672 is casting a shadow resembling a bat’s wings upon a star forming region. This bat shadow also flaps its wings. This phenomenon is caused by a nearby planet tugging on the disk and warping it. Watch here: https://nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/hubble-sees-cosmic-flapping-bat-shadow/
Spooky Fun Fact:
This is the Witch Head Nebula which resembles a crone's head. In actuality this is a reflection nebula glowing with light from the star Rigel. A reflection nebulae is light reflected from a nearby star as seen in this image. Learn more: http://ow.ly/k77u50BABxS
The Mystic Mountain Monster is in actuality inanimate pillars of dark grey dust that has dispersed from newly forming massive stars. Inside of the monster’s head is a star that is slowly destroying the pillars. In a couple of million years, the monster's body and head will be mostly evaporated by internal and nearby stars. Learn more here:
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200525.html
Spooky Fun Fact:
The tarantula nebula is a nursery for star formation. These newly forming stars can be seen clearly in the infrared part of the spectrum using the Spitzer Space Telescope.
Learn more here: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/tarantula-nebula-spins-web-of-mystery-in-spitzer-image
Spooky Fun Fact:
This is the Ghost of Jupiter, also known as NGC 3242. This is a planetary nebulae created by gasses ejected from a dying star. It is located about 1,400 light-years away in the constellation Hydra.
Learn more here:
https://www.nasa.gov/content/ghost-of-jupiter-nebula
Fun Fact:
Did you know?
On June 30th, 2019 the Hubble captured an aurora in Jupiter’s atmosphere. Unlike Earth, these auroras never end and they are a hundred times more energetic. Learn more here:
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/hubble-captures-vivid-auroras-in-jupiter-s-atmosphere
Fun Fact:
The Ring Nebula also known as M57 is a planetary nebula in the constellation of Lyra. The small white spot in the center of the nebula is the star’s hot core called the white dwarf. Learn more here: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/messier-57-the-ring-nebula
Fun Fact:
Did you know? The Babylonians were one of the very first people to track the motions of Jupiter through geometry? Learn more here: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/28/464447490/track-jupiters-path-like-an-ancient-babylonian#:~:text=Ancient%20Babylonian%20astronomers%20tracked%20the,of%20Humboldt%20University%20in%20Berlin.
Fun Fact:
Did you know? The Rapa Nui peoples were keen observers of the night sky.
They dedicated a cave called “Ana UI Hetu’u” to serve as an observatory for star watching. It was also used as a school to teach others the science behind the night sky. Learn more here: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/2004JHA....35..421E
Fun Facts:
The early Polynesians were exceptional navigators and sailors. They used a technique known as wayfinding to navigate the ocean.
This method involved the use of the rising and setting of stars to measure latitude. Some of the stars they looked to for guidance was the constellation of Maui’s Fish Hook, known to the western world as Scorpius. Wayfinders also relied on wave patterns, winds, and birds for navigation. Learn more here: http://blog.sailtrilogy.com/blog/maps-stars-polynesians-used-celestial-navigation-become-worlds-best-explorers
DId you know?
The Ancient Inca’s architecture imitates various celestial objects and constellations. The Inca City of Macchu Picchu is built resembling the Sun. The streets of the ancient city Cusco imitate constellations in the night sky. Learn more here: https://www.ticketmachupicchu.com/astronomy-inca/
Happy Fall! Today is the autumnal equinox which marks the official start of the Fall season.
Fun Fact:
The Incas highly valued astronomy because it was crucial to their agriculture. The night sky was used as a guide for them on when to sow, harvest, and store different foods. Learn more here: https://www.ticketmachupicchu.com/astronomy-inca/
Fun Fact:
The Mayans calculated the year relative to Venus and not the sun. The planet Venus was sacred to the Maya because it represented their God Quetzacoatl, the Feathered Serpent. Mayans timed their wars and special ceremonies according to the movements of this planet. Learn more here: https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/maya/mmc07eng.html
Did you know?
Nasa discovered five planets around the star 55 Cancri. 55 Cancri is located inside the constellation of Cancer and is best seen with a pair of binoculars underneath a dark sky.
Learn more here: https://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/telecon-20071106/1.html
Fun Facts:
The Aztecs used two calendar systems. The first calendar is known as the “counting of years” called the xiuhpohualli which follows the solar cycle and it contains 365 days divided by 18 months and 20 days.
The second calendar was called the tonalpohualli and regarded as highly sacred because it was mostly used for divinatory purposes. It resembled the “counting of days” which consisted of 260 days,13 numbers, and 20 symbols. Learn more here: https://www.wdl.org/en/item/6732
This September Full moon is known as the Corn Moon to mark the time for early farmers to harvest corn at this time of year.
Learn more here: https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/harvest-moon.html
Did you know?
The first view of Earth from the Moon was taken by the Lunar Orbiter I in the year 1966 when the spacecraft was on its 16th orbit and nearly behind the Moon. Learn more here: https://hubble25th.org/history/pre-launch
This is the Porpoise Galaxy that was taken by the Hubble Telescope. This is a pair of interconnecting galaxies known as Arp 142. Some say this looks like a penguin protecting an egg.
Learn more here: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200510.html
The Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) is a planetary nebula which is formed when a sun-like star is in its final phase of life. The halos of gaseous materials are formed from material shed off during active episodes in the star's evolution.
Learn more here: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200607.html
Did you know?
Black Holes are formed when the center of a huge star collapses. This occurrence is called a supernova. A supernova can develop a black hole or neutron star. 💫☄️🌟
Around these objects interstellar jets can form that shoot ionic matter into space at nearly the speed of light.
Learn more here: https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-a-black-hole-k4.html
Happy National Airplane Day!
Learn how to build your own aerodynamic paper airplane rocket. Also known as a glider to celebrate National Airplane Day! Follow along here: https://informal.jpl.nasa.gov/museum/calendar?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D145019942
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