Sorry about the multiple posts if they annoy you, but I wanted to reach
members who may not have joined the observers yahoo group.

We have the north bay of the shed undergoing installation of an
automatic garage door opener.  Please bear with us for a while as the
various parts get installed.  I'll post a detailed progress report in
the observers group as re Shed North Bay.

Please don't store anything on top of the parts we are using, or remove
any parts, or undo any work that has been done.  Small common hardware
such as nails or wood screws won't be missed but it may not be easy to
tell what is a customized screw or pin that can't be replaced.

Thanks,
-Jim E.

September 2008 installment of Heavenly Events by Bob Chapin is attached.

Cheers,
Tom

-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Madigan [mailto:tmadigan@...]
Sent: Sunday, September 21, 2008 10:32 PM
Subject: Fall 2008 Issue of The Custer Comment

Attached, please find the latest issue of the Custer Comment, the
quarterly-published newsletter of Custer Institute.  You are receiving the
electronic edition in lieu of the hardcopy edition or the sender believes
the current issue would be of interest to you.

Highlights in this month's issue:
1) Brief memoirs of an evening with John Dobson; 2) Home Depot gifts Custer
with new roof; 3) ASLI's new observing POD; 4) President's message; 5) Event
highlights through December 31st 2008.

As announced in the last issue (July-August 2008), I am no longer the sole
editor and producer of this esteemed publication but a contributing editor
and member of the Publications Committee.  The Custer Comment is now a
cooperative effort of that committee.

The current installment of Bob Chapin's monthly Heavenly Events is included
with this distribution.  Since the Custer Comment is now published
quarterly, I will send out Bob's monthly column as a special supplement to
the membership.

I will continue to maintain and enhance all the electronic resources that
have been available to the membership since I was appointed editor and
producer of the organization's newsletter. Those resources would include the
Custer Comment Archive, available at http://www.tommadigan.net/custer and
any articles, multi-media files and links that are on the site.  At any time
during any given month, the current issue is available at
http://www.tommadigan.net/custer/custercomment.pdf .  As well, I will still
be available for lectures and other programs and will join all of you, time
permitting, in all of the ongoing and upcoming programs, projects and events
at Custer.

It's been an honor to have served as the sole editor and producer of the
organization's flagship publication and I look forward to continued service
alongside my esteemed colleagues.

In order to use the electronic version, you'll need Adobe (
http://www.adobe.com ) Acrobat Reader, available for free download at:
http://www.adobe.com/go/EN_US-H-GET-READER .

Best regards,
Tom Madigan
Contributing Editor, The Custer Comment
Fellow, Royal Astronomical Society (http://www.ras.org.uk)
Associate Member, American Astronomical Society (http://www.aas.org)
Custer Institute, Southold (http://www.custerobservatory.org)

Attached, please find the latest issue of the Custer Comment, the
quarterly-published newsletter of Custer Institute.  You are receiving the
electronic edition in lieu of the hardcopy edition or the sender believes
the current issue would be of interest to you.

Highlights in this month's issue:
1) Brief memoirs of an evening with John Dobson; 2) Home Depot gifts Custer
with new roof; 3) ASLI's new observing POD; 4) President's message; 5) Event
highlights through December 31st 2008.

As announced in the last issue (July-August 2008), I am no longer the sole
editor and producer of this esteemed publication but a contributing editor
and member of the Publications Committee.  The Custer Comment is now a
cooperative effort of that committee.

The current installment of Bob Chapin's monthly Heavenly Events is included
with this distribution.  Since the Custer Comment is now published
quarterly, I will send out Bob's monthly column as a special supplement to
the membership.

I will continue to maintain and enhance all the electronic resources that
have been available to the membership since I was appointed editor and
producer of the organization's newsletter. Those resources would include the
Custer Comment Archive, available at http://www.tommadigan.net/custer and
any articles, multi-media files and links that are on the site.  At any time
during any given month, the current issue is available at
http://www.tommadigan.net/custer/custercomment.pdf .  As well, I will still
be available for lectures and other programs and will join all of you, time
permitting, in all of the ongoing and upcoming programs, projects and events
at Custer.

It's been an honor to have served as the sole editor and producer of the
organization's flagship publication and I look forward to continued service
alongside my esteemed colleagues.

In order to use the electronic version, you'll need Adobe (
http://www.adobe.com ) Acrobat Reader, available for free download at:
http://www.adobe.com/go/EN_US-H-GET-READER .

Best regards,
Tom Madigan
Contributing Editor, The Custer Comment
Fellow, Royal Astronomical Society (http://www.ras.org.uk)
Associate Member, American Astronomical Society (http://www.aas.org)
Custer Institute, Southold (http://www.custerobservatory.org)

-----Original Message-----
From: aasmembers-bounces@... [mailto:aasmembers-bounces@...] On
Behalf Of AAS Members
Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 4:33 AM
To: aasmembers@...
Subject: [AAS Members] AAS Informational Email 2008-12 - SpecialAnnouncement
from NASA and DOE regarding JDEM

Special Announcement from NASA and DOE regarding JDEM

(note: This special informational email is being sent out at the
request of NASA and DOE to the AAS membership because of its
importance to our community. We were unable to distribute it in our
normal Electronic Alert, but felt that its importance required an
additional message. Kevin B. Marvel, Executive Officer)

Joint Dark Energy Mission Public Website and Science Coordination Group

With this broadcast, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) announce the opening of a
new public website for the Joint Dark Energy Mission (JDEM), a joint
NASA/DOE space-based mission to investigate dark energy. The purpose
of this website is to provide "one-stop shopping" for all public
information and documents regarding the mission that is generated by
or for the two agencies. This will be the primary conduit by which the
agencies will communicate on JDEM issues with the science community.

This broadcast also announces a Call for Letters for individuals to
apply for membership in the JDEM Science Coordination Group (SCG). The
SCG will aid in establishing preliminary science requirements for a
JDEM facility and will work in coordination with the JDEM Project
Office to develop a pre-conceptual design for JDEM that meets the
mission?s programmatic constraints. The function and responsibilities
of this Group are described in more detail in the Call for Letters and
Charter which are posted on the JDEM website.

The website URL is http://jdem.gsfc.nasa.gov. It will become open to
the public at 10am EDT on Friday, September 12. The initial contents
will include the following:
(1) An exchange of letters between the two agencies stating the
overarching principles of cooperation on JDEM;
(2) A Call for Letters to solicit expressions of interest to serve on
the JDEM SCG, along with the SCG's Charter.

We urge all those involved in dark energy research with an interest in
JDEM to refer to this website.

Additional queries may be addressed to:

Michael Salamon
Program Scientist for Physics of the Cosmos
Astrophysics Division
Science Mission Directorate
NASA Headquarters
michael.h.salamon@...

Kathy Turner
JDEM Program Scientist
Office of High Energy Physics
Office of Science
Department of Energy
kathy.turner@...

Richard Griffiths
JDEM Program Scientist
Astrophysics Division
NASA Headquarters
richard.e.griffiths@...
AASMembers mailing list
AASMembers@...

The attached Jamboree flyer and message forwarded on behalf of Donna
McCormick, Custer's President.

Regards,
Tom Madigan
Custer Institute, FRAS, AAS

-----Original Message-----
From: Donna L. McCormick [mailto:McCormick@...]
Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2008 5:02 AM
Subject: Custer Inst: Astro Conference & Science Fair

Hi,

Attached is a file containing the program information and registration
form for Custer Institute's 30th Annual Astronomy Jamboree (conference)
and astronomy science fair for grades 8-12, which will be held on Oct.
3rd and 4th.

This year's conference is a special one.  It's special not only because
it marks the 30th anniversary of the Jamboree and because of all the
distinguished speakers, but because we are giving students an
opportunity to present their own projects and to reward them for their
scholastic endeavors.  Students still have a chance to participate and
compete for a total of $700 in awards; just tell them to contact me
asap.

Please feel free to help spread the word by distributing the attached
flyer and posting it on websites and discussion groups where it may be
of interest.  If you have any difficulty opening it, you can also find
the info on Custer's website: http://www.CusterObservatory.org

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.  I'll
look forward to seeing you in October!

All the best,
Donna McCormick
President
Custer Institute and Observatory
1115 Main Bayview Road
P.O. Box 1204
Southold, NY 11971
631-765-2626

Attached, please find the latest issue of the Custer Comment, the monthly
journal of Custer Institute.  You are receiving the electronic edition in
lieu of the hardcopy edition or the sender believes the current issue would
be of interest to you.  This issue is chocked-full and contains exciting
news and pictures about ongoing or upcoming projects and events at Custer,
spectacular celestial events and unprecedented developments in science,
astronomy and space exploration.

Highlights in this month's issue:
1. An Evening With The Legendary John Dobson; 2. Member's Night; 3. Heavenly
Events to watch for in July and August by Bob Chapin; 4. Saturday night
concerts; 5. Perseid Meteor Shower and public observing; 6. Field Trip to
Brookhaven National Lab; 7. A Eulogy for Custer member George Vrattos; and
much, much more!

In order to use the electronic version, you'll need Adobe (
http://www.adobe.com ) Acrobat Reader, available for free download at:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html . I've created a
'Custer Comment Archive' where all issues I've published, including the
current issue, can be read or downloaded at http://www.tommadigan.net/custer
- http://www.tommadigan.net/custer/custercomment.pdf . For those who don't
have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, version 9 is quite nice and
is available for free download at
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html .  The release version
of this month's issue was created with Adobe Acrobat Professional, version
7.0.

Best regards,
Tom Madigan
Editor and Producer, The Custer Comment
Fellow, Royal Astronomical Society (http://www.ras.org.uk)
Associate Member, American Astronomical Society (http://www.aas.org)
Custer Institute, Southold (http://www.custerobservatory.org)

Hello All!

This might be of interest to the newsletter staff!

Steve
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Simonsen" <mikesimonsen@...>
To: "AAVSO-DIS" <aavso-discussion@...>
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 1:27 PM
Subject: [AAVSO-DIS] Astronomy Club Newsletter Resource


> Hi All,
>
> If you are the editor of your astronomical society's newsletter,
> please take note; or if you think your editor might be interested in
> this offer, please pass it along to them.
>
> Nearly every astronomy club and society in North America, Australia,
> New Zealand and United Kingdom publishes a monthly newsletter as a
> benefit of membership. These range from one or two page notices of
> upcoming events and meetings, to full blown news publications with
> articles, color images, calendars, sky maps and advertising.
>
> Many of the editors of these newsletters scramble for content each
> month to fill the pages of their publications. Many of you use the
> articles at NASA Space Place to fill out your pages.
>
> We'd like to offer you more, for free!
>
> The American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) has a new
> education and outreach initiative that we think will benefit you, your
> astronomical society, and the general public. We have partnered with
> some of the best astronomy bloggers on the Internet and made an
> arrangement to bring their content to you for reproduction in your
> newsletters.
>
> We have created a password protected, private weblog, the "AAVSO
> Writers Bureau".
> (public at the moment so you can see it)
> http://aavsowritersbureau.blogspot.com/
>
> Each month we will select a number of articles from the best bloggers
> and place them on this private weblog . This will not be visible to
> search engines or to the public, only to newsletter editors who have
> subscribed and to the authors of the content. We have obtained
> permission for you to download and use this content when you want, as
> often as you please, for your astronomy club publications. Pick one
> each month or ten, it's up to you. Think of it as an AP wire service
> for astronomy news.
>
> In order to use the material, you will be required to give full credit
> to the author, publish the blog name and url associated with the
> article in your newsletter, and leave a comment on the writers bureau
> blog for each piece you download, stating where and when it will be used.
>
> This way the authors get proper credit for their work and publicity
> for their blog. When you leave a comment stating the usage of the
> material they get a running tally of the number of copies of their
> content for their purposes; such as obtaining grants to do outreach
> and explaining to their bosses why they spend so much time producing
> excellent science articles for free!
>
> What you get is informative, scientifically accurate, professionally
> written content gleaned from the top writers on the web all in one
> place each month for you to use in your newsletter!
>
> Since this is an AAVSO initiative, the articles we select will be
> positive, informative pieces mainly focusing on variable stars, novae,
> supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, active galactic nuclei, transiting
> exoplanets, black holes, stellar evolution, CCD and visual observing
> techniques, photometry, all sky surveys, as well as book, software and
> equipment reviews.
>
> All you need to do is take a look around the AAVSO Writers Bureau blog
> and see if it is something that would be useful to you. If you think
> it would, reply to (mikesimonsen at aavso dot org) and include your
> name, email address, astronomy organization, name of the newsletter or
> publication and we'll send you an email invitation to subscribe once
> the site goes password protected.
>
> We hope to hear from you soon.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Mike Simonsen
> Development Director
> American Association of Variable Star Observers
> http://www.aavso.org/
> _______________________________________________
>
> Aavso-discussion mailing list
> Aavso-discussion@...
> To change options or unsubscribe, goto
> http://mira.aavso.org/mailman/listinfo/aavso-discussion
>

Since Senator Joe Bruno has hastily stepped down, Senator Dean Skelos is now
the new contact person.  Please follow-up with a call to his office and
thank you so much for all your support!  BTW, the bill passed the Assembly
111/32, a very large majority in support.  If only it can get out to the
senate floor, it stands a very good chance of receiving similar, broad
support.

Bill Information:
Senate Bill: S4364, The Healthy, Safe, and Energy Efficient Outdoor Lighting
Act

Contact Information:

Dean G. Skelos
Deputy Majority Leader for Legislative Operations 9th Senate District

Albany Office
Room 503, State Capitol
Albany, NY 12247
(518) 455-3171

Thanks again;

Cheers,
Tom

-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Madigan [mailto:tmadigan@...]
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2008 11:04 PM
Subject: Healthy, Safe, and Energy Efficient Outdoor Lighting Act; was FW:
[board] CALL BRUNO NOW!

S4364 is the Healthy, Safe, and Energy Efficient Outdoor Lighting Act and
Senator Bruno's number is 1-518-455-3191.  There was a staffer still in his
office when I called 15 minutes ago at 10:30.  The NY State Legislature will
adjourn very shortly so time is of the essence.  The bill has been revised
in response to specific objections that have been repeatedly raised each
year.  The bill, in its current form, addresses those objections.  Each year
the bill gets held up in committee at the behest of Senator Bruno (and in
response to pressure from a number of very powerful special interests) and
he fails to release it to the full senate floor for a vote.  With the
changing of the guard at the Executive Mansion, it stands a very good chance
of becoming law.  Please make that call!

Thanks from all of us at SELENE (http://www.selene-ny.org)!

Tom

-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Madigan [mailto:tmadigan@...]
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2008 10:35 PM
To: 'AOS Hotline Listserver'
Cc: Custer Members Yahoo Group (CusterMembers@yahoogroups.com); Custer
Observers Yahoo Group (custerobservers@yahoogroups.com); 'Gary Citro'
Subject: RE: [board] CALL BRUNO NOW!

Call NY State Senator Bruno's office ASAP and respectfully request that he
release Senate bill S4364 to the full Senate floor for a vote.  When you
call, mention where you're calling from and if you're so inclined, indicate
why passage of this bill is so important.  The most important thing,
however, is that his office hear from as many people as possible.  A wide
demographic in this case would mean a lot.  Thanks!

Tom

-----Original Message-----
From: Gary Citro [mailto:callisto@...]
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2008 8:37 PM
To: Sensible Lighting Board; AOS Hotline Listserver
Subject: [board] CALL BRUNO NOW!

I just called Bruno's office:
1 518 455 3191

They have a live person there right now (the website says a 24 hour
answering service, in fact.)
Respectfully tell them that you want to see S4364 released to the Senate
Floor for a vote as soon as possible.
If you have time, you can tell them a reason or two why Light Pollution
bothers you, or just say that this bill's time has come now that the Light
Trespass provision has been removed.

Gary Citro
SELENE
for more info:
http://www.selene-ny.org

S4364 is the Healthy, Safe, and Energy Efficient Outdoor Lighting Act and
Senator Bruno's number is 1-518-455-3191.  There was a staffer still in his
office when I called 15 minutes ago at 10:30.  The NY State Legislature will
adjourn very shortly so time is of the essence.  The bill has been revised
in response to specific objections that have been repeatedly raised each
year.  The bill, in its current form, addresses those objections.  Each year
the bill gets held up in committee at the behest of Senator Bruno (and in
response to pressure from a number of very powerful special interests) and
he fails to release it to the full senate floor for a vote.  With the
changing of the guard at the Executive Mansion, it stands a very good chance
of becoming law.  Please make that call!

Thanks from all of us at SELENE (http://www.selene-ny.org)!

Tom

-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Madigan [mailto:tmadigan@...]
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2008 10:35 PM
To: 'AOS Hotline Listserver'
Cc: Custer Members Yahoo Group (CusterMembers@yahoogroups.com); Custer
Observers Yahoo Group (custerobservers@yahoogroups.com); 'Gary Citro'
Subject: RE: [board] CALL BRUNO NOW!

Call NY State Senator Bruno's office ASAP and respectfully request that he
release Senate bill S4364 to the full Senate floor for a vote.  When you
call, mention where you're calling from and if you're so inclined, indicate
why passage of this bill is so important.  The most important thing,
however, is that his office hear from as many people as possible.  A wide
demographic in this case would mean a lot.  Thanks!

Tom

-----Original Message-----
From: Gary Citro [mailto:callisto@...]
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2008 8:37 PM
To: Sensible Lighting Board; AOS Hotline Listserver
Subject: [board] CALL BRUNO NOW!

I just called Bruno's office:
1 518 455 3191

They have a live person there right now (the website says a 24 hour
answering service, in fact.)
Respectfully tell them that you want to see S4364 released to the Senate
Floor for a vote as soon as possible.
If you have time, you can tell them a reason or two why Light Pollution
bothers you, or just say that this bill's time has come now that the Light
Trespass provision has been removed.

Gary Citro
SELENE
for more info:
http://www.selene-ny.org

Call NY State Senator Bruno's office ASAP and respectfully request that he
release Senate bill S4364 to the full Senate floor for a vote.  When you
call, mention where you're calling from and if you're so inclined, indicate
why passage of this bill is so important.  The most important thing,
however, is that his office hear from as many people as possible.  A wide
demographic in this case would mean a lot.  Thanks!

Tom

-----Original Message-----
From: Gary Citro [mailto:callisto@...]
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2008 8:37 PM
To: Sensible Lighting Board; AOS Hotline Listserver
Subject: [board] CALL BRUNO NOW!

I just called Bruno's office:
1 518 455 3191

They have a live person there right now (the website says a 24 hour
answering service, in fact.)
Respectfully tell them that you want to see S4364 released to the Senate
Floor for a vote as soon as possible.
If you have time, you can tell them a reason or two why Light Pollution
bothers you, or just say that this bill's time has come now that the Light
Trespass provision has been removed.

Gary Citro
SELENE
for more info:
http://www.selene-ny.org

Tonight, I read in the Custer Comment that George Vrattos had passed away.
I am greatly saddened by this.

Some few months ago, Rosanne and I took George out to a Sunday dinner; he
had told me that he was being moved in just a few days to his son's house
somewhere down south- I forget where, exactly.

We took him to a favorite Greek restaurant in Sayville, where we arranged
for him to order his big lamb dinner entirely speaking in Greek.  Both he
and the restaurant's owner had a great time conversing.  We spent a couple
of hours all together that afternoon, and when I brought him back to his
house we said good-bye to each other with the bond of the firmest handshake
as George was known for.

He was a steadfast soul, one who stood by me and confided in me as I did in
him for many years and through many vicissitudes of our lives.  We often
joked about the religious calendars, and he and I called each other for me
to announce the dates of Greek Orthodox holidays and George to announce the
Jewish Orthodox ones- we had a lot of fun with the calendars and their
amusing complexities.

We shared a LOT of laughs as well as moments of introspection, and many good
nights at the telescope, too.  George and I got 109 out of 110 Messier
objects at the Custer Messier Marathon of 1984.  I still have somewhere the
"log" from that famous all-nighter.

I will miss George very much.  His simulated crusty demeanor easily revealed
a man with a heart as big and affable as his smile.  He was a fearless yet
realistic fellow who was at home with microwave electronics and engineering,
sound recording, and speaking a seemingly limitless number of foreign
languages.

Thank you.

Sam Storch

Attached, please find the latest issue of the Custer Comment, the monthly
journal of Custer Institute.  You are receiving the electronic edition in
lieu of the hardcopy edition or the sender believes the current issue would
be of interest to you.  This issue is chocked-full and contains exciting
news and pictures about ongoing or upcoming projects and events at Custer,
spectacular celestial events and unprecedented developments in science,
astronomy and space exploration.

Highlights in this month's issue:
1. Annual meeting, election and BBQ; 2. Music project mission statement; 3.
Heavenly Events to watch for in June by Bob Chapin; 4. Supernova and GRB
candidate lurking towards galactic center; 5. Patchogue Village enacts local
lighting law; 6. And Phoenix makes three; 7. Microsoft unveils World Wide
Telescope; 8. Much, much more!

In order to use the electronic version, you'll need Adobe
(http://www.adobe.com) Acrobat Reader, available for free download at:
http://cgim.adobe.com/acrobat/reader21/download.cgi . I've created a 'Custer
Comment Archive' where all issues I've published, including the current
issue, can be read or downloaded at http://www.tommadigan.net/custer -
http://www.tommadigan.net/custer/custercomment.pdf . For those who don't
have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, version 7 is quite nice and
is available for free download at
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html .  The release version
of this month's issue was created with Adobe Acrobat Professional, version
7.0.

Best regards,
Tom Madigan
Editor and Producer, The Custer Comment
Fellow, Royal Astronomical Society
Member, American Astronomical Society
Custer Institute, Southold


Note: The Custer Comment is usually published by the 1st of every month with
the 3rd being the absolute latest.  Submissions for publication must be
received by the 15th of the month prior to publication.  Due to extenuating
circumstances, you are receiving this issue now, so late.

MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
CASSINI IMAGING CENTRAL LABORATORY FOR OPERATIONS (CICLOPS)
SPACE SCIENCE INSTITUTE, BOULDER, COLORADO
http://ciclops.org
media@...

Preston Dyches (720) 974-5859
CICLOPS/Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo.

CICLOPS News Feature:  May 8, 2008

CASSINI IMAGING LEAD SCIENTIST TO PROVIDE COSMIC PERSPECTIVE FOR
MILLIONS AROUND THE GLOBE

When the worldwide film event known as Pangea Day launches this
Saturday, May 10, Cassini imaging team leader and veteran imaging
scientist, Carolyn Porco, will be present to provide an inspiring
perspective on humanity's place in the cosmos.

Pangea Day is a global event intended to bring the world together
through film and will link six locations around the world for a live
program of powerful films, live music and visionary speakers. The entire
four-hour program will be broadcast in seven languages to millions of
people worldwide on television, on the internet and over mobile phones.

Known for her passionate advocacy of space exploration, Porco was asked
by event organizers to kick off the program with a grand and sweeping
view of humankind's cosmic place, providing the context for the human
stories and songs that will be featured on Pangea Day.

"This will truly be one of those inspiring, hands-across-the-water
events that will be remembered for years to come," said Porco, "...a day
when each of us will be able to see the world through someone else's
eyes. I encourage everyone who hopes for peace to come to the world to
tune in."

Other speakers include CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Queen Noor of Jordan,
journalist Lisa Ling and former-soldiers-turned-peace-activists from
many conflicts across the globe. There will also be musical performances
and the airing of the 24 short films that were chosen from thousands of
entries from over 100 countries around the world.

Porco will present from Los Angeles. The other live broadcast venues are
in Cairo, Kigali, London, Mumbai and Rio de Janeiro.

American audiences will be able to take part in Pangea Day beginning at
2pm Eastern Daylight time (11am Pacific Daylight Time) on May 10 by
viewing the live broadcast on television, online, in public and private
venues and on mobile phones. The event will be broadcast live on cable
television in the United States by Current TV and YouTube will be
donating its homepage to the event. The program will be available
globally on a full-screen broadband web-stream courtesy of Akamai and
MSN in some 100 countries, including China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Australia all of Latin America, the US, Britain, France, Italy, and
Ireland. It will also be streamed on the event website
http://www.pangeaday.org.

Additional information about the event and how to watch and/or
participate is available at the event website.

Images from NASA's Cassini and Voyager spacecraft are available online
at http://ciclops.org.

The Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations (CICLOPS) is the
operations center for the imaging team of the international
Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn -- a cooperative project of NASA, the
European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The imaging team
consists of scientists from the U.S., England, France, and Germany.

-end-

Thank you for writing back, Rebecca.  I realize that you are writing to an
eclectic audience.  The main point of my response, which you've articulated, was
that we could save tons of CO2 and megawatts of power if we simply installed
lighting more intelligently.  My colleagues and I in the IDA don't advocate a
"dark ground", just a "dark sky".  In addition to addressing other important
environmental concerns that are beyond the scope of this response or your
original article, by installing or retrofitting existing fixtures, fully
shielded lighting offers a substantial savings, a savings that is realized by
using a bulb with a smaller carbon footprint (lower wattage) that is used at
peak efficiency (reflectors in conjunction with a good optical design are a
design paradigm for any full-cutoff fixture) with that savings being passed
along to the municipal ratepayers (we, the taxpayers!).  I realize that you're
limited to how much you can publish and I appreciate you taking the time to
write back.  I welcome additional comments from the authors if they choose to
comment further.

Thanks again.

Best regards,
Tom Madigan

-----Original Message-----
From: Rebecca Lindsey [mailto:eoeditor@...]
Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 2:04 PM
To: tmadigan@...
Subject: Re: EO Comment: Cities at Night: The View from Space

Dear Thomas,
Thank you for writing to us. Believe me when i say that on a personal
level, I coulnd't agree more with you about light pollution. I grew up
in rural West Virginia, and among the things i most treasure about going
home is the darkness of the night sky and the view of the stars and the
Milky Way. When the neighbor across the way put up a street light, it
made me want to reach for a BB-gun. I understand the concerns about the
impact of nighttime lighting on people's health, wildlife, and energy
consumption. I am certainly among those would be willing to sacrifice
convenience for a better view of the night sky.

however, those lights /are/ a sign of human presence, and while I can't
speak for the astronauts who took these images, I can /imagine/ the
feeling of.. affection and connectedness, might be the best
description...that an astronaut might feel at seeing city lights from
the darkness of space. I can imagine those astronauts feeling the same
way i have felt on occasions when calamity or inattention has found me
in the woods after dark, unprepared, and how i felt when i finally
caught a glimpse of the lights of "civilization." The astronaut
photography team may have been trying to share that feeling with people.

The topics you raise are important concerns, but they were simply beyond
the scope of this short article. I will forward your comments to the
authors, and they may contact you separately if they have anything more
to add.

Sincerely,
Rebecca Lindsey
EO Editor




noreply@... wrote:
> From:
> Thomas Madigan, tmadigan@...
>
> Topic: ContentFeedback
> Subject: Cities at Night: The View from Space
>
> Comment/Question:
> To: Cindy Evans and Will Stefanov
> Re: Cities at Night: The View from Space
>
> I read with interest your column with the above captioned title.  Being
published under the auspices of NASA one would think that there would be some
reference to the “effect” nighttime lighting has insofar as the
parent website is, ostensibly, published from a “Green” perspective.
Although the “Barn-door tracker” is good idea and necessary one, no
mention is made on the effects those bright cities have on the environment. 
From an environmental perspective, it is breathtaking in the extreme that
nowhere is a reference made as to “why” you could see those cities
from perch “above” them.
>
> With global climate change unequivocally linked to human activity, the
question begs asking: “Why are we lighting up the nighttime sky?” 
You could have mentioned: the consumptive burning of fossil fuels necessary to
produce the hundreds of megawatts of wasted energy that are lighting up the sky
are a huge contributor to global climate change, the disrupted sleep patterns
and circadian rhythms of countless individuals, the disruption of the migratory
patters of many species of birds and animals, the link between artificial
lighting and certain forms of cancer, the destruction of the nighttime sky, once
known in a bygone era as “the greatest show on earth”.  Gone is that
show, replaced with the garish and insipid lights of Las Vegas, a city with the
dubious honor of being “the brightest spot on earth”.  This honor is
a sad testimony to what society values.  Located in the great US Southwest,
within a few hours driving time of the nation’s (and, in some respects,
>  the world’s) center for astronomy, Las Vegas stands in stark contrast,
a  dichotomy, to the breathtaking beauty of the night sky as seen from the very
same desert on which it was built.
>
> Never in your column is there a challenge as to “why” we feel
compelled to light up kilometer after kilometer of open highway in the middle of
the desert.
>
> It’s high time the environmental movement recognize, let alone mount an
effort to combat, the ongoing destruction of the nighttime environment by
uncontrolled and runaway light pollution.  Sadly, with all their fervor, scant
few are aware of this obvious assault on a very important part of our natural
environment with the corresponding and concurrent squandering of precious
natural resources.  Ironically enough, it is reversible but largely ignored or
unknown.
>
> Sincerely,
> Thomas Madigan
> Adjunct Professor of Physics and Astronomy, QCC, LIU, SCCC
> Associate Member, AAS
> Fellow, RAS
> Member, International Dark Sky Association
>
>
>
> User clicked from: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/
>
> --
> NASA Earth Observatory
> *This is an automatically generated email.
>
>
>

Response sent to http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/contact concerning
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/CitiesAtNight

To: Cindy Evans and Will Stefanov
Re: Cities at Night: The View from Space

I read with interest your column with the above captioned title.  Being
published under the auspices of NASA one would think that there would be
some reference to the "effect" nighttime lighting has insofar as the parent
website is, ostensibly, published from a "Green" perspective.  Although the
"Barn-door tracker" is good idea and necessary one, no mention is made on
the effects those bright cities have on the environment.  From an
environmental perspective, it is breathtaking in the extreme that nowhere is
a reference made as to "why" you could see those cities from perch "above"
them.

With global climate change unequivocally linked to human activity, the
question begs asking: "Why are we lighting up the nighttime sky?"  You could
have mentioned: the consumptive burning of fossil fuels necessary to produce
the hundreds of megawatts of wasted energy that are lighting up the sky are
a huge contributor to global climate change, the disrupted sleep patterns
and circadian rhythms of countless individuals, the disruption of the
migratory patters of many species of birds and animals, the link between
artificial lighting and certain forms of cancer, the destruction of the
nighttime sky, once known in a bygone era as "the greatest show on earth".
Gone is that show, replaced with the garish and insipid lights of Las Vegas,
a city with the dubious honor of being "the brightest spot on earth".  This
honor is a sad testimony to what society values.  Located in the great US
Southwest, within a few hours driving time of the nation's (and, in some
respects, the world's) center for astronomy, Las Vegas stands in stark
contrast, a  dichotomy, to the breathtaking beauty of the night sky as seen
from the very same desert on which it was built.

Never in your column is there a challenge as to "why" we feel compelled to
light up kilometer after kilometer of open highway in the middle of the
desert.

It's high time the environmental movement recognize, let alone mount an
effort to combat, the ongoing destruction of the nighttime environment by
uncontrolled and runaway light pollution.  Sadly, with all their fervor,
scant few are aware of this obvious assault on a very important part of our
natural environment with the corresponding and concurrent squandering of
precious natural resources.  Ironically enough, it is reversible but largely
ignored or unknown.

Sincerely,
Thomas Madigan
Adjunct Professor of Physics and Astronomy, QCC, LIU, SCCC
Associate Member, AAS
Fellow, RAS
Member, International Dark Sky Association


-----Original Message-----
From: LARRY KLAES [mailto:ljk4@...]
Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 11:46 PM
To: sl-list@...
Subject: [sl-list] Cities at Night: The View from Space

Cities at Night: The View from Space

Astronauts onboard the International Space Station capture nighttime
photographs of city lights, spectacular evidence of humanity's existence,
our distribution, and our ability to change our environment.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/CitiesAtNight/

Attached, please find the latest issue of the Custer Comment, the monthly
journal of Custer Institute.  You are receiving the electronic edition in
lieu of the hardcopy edition or the sender believes the current issue would
be of interest to you.  This issue is chocked-full and contains exciting
news and pictures about ongoing or upcoming projects and events at Custer,
spectacular celestial events and unprecedented developments in science,
astronomy and space exploration.

Highlights in this month's issue:
1. Monthly Member's night for April; 2. Cabaret Concert: Cole Porter And
Irving Berlin; 3. Heavenly Events to watch for in April by Bob Chapin; 4.
Starlab Portable Planetarium Shows; 5. Probing The Night Sky With The
World's Most Powerful Microscope; 6. The Most Luminous object ever observed;
7. Custer Institute Awards Stellar Students; 8. Nominating Committee
appointed; 9. The Sun, a Lecture at the Montauk Observatory by Tom Madigan;
10. Much, much more!

In order to use the electronic version, you'll need Adobe
(http://www.adobe.com) Acrobat Reader, available for free download at:
http://cgim.adobe.com/acrobat/reader21/download.cgi . I've created a 'Custer
Comment Archive' where all issues I've published, including the current
issue, can be read or downloaded at http://www.tommadigan.net/custer -
http://www.tommadigan.net/custer/custercomment.pdf . For those who don't
have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, version 7 is quite nice and
is available for free download at
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html .  The release version
of this month's issue was created with Adobe Acrobat Professional, version
7.0.

Best regards,
Tom Madigan
Editor and Producer, The Custer Comment
Fellow, Royal Astronomical Society
Associate Member, American Astronomical Society
Custer Institute, Southold


Note: The Custer Comment is usually published by the 1st of every month with
the 3rd being the absolute latest.  Submissions for publication must be
received by the 15th of the month prior to publication.  Due to extenuating
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Please note, the full version of the Custer Comment is available only to
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