Folks,

We now have another world class dark sky star party and astronomy
equipment expo in California.

We need YOUR help to spread the word about the Julian Starfest (SAN
DIEGO COUNTY) from August 20-23, 2009.

Located high in the Cuyamaca Mountains above San Diego, at a mountain
winery near an historic gold rush town. Just one hour east of the San
Diego Wild Animal Park - Take I-15 or I-5 from the North and exit at
Hwy 78 east.

Please forward this message to all of your friends in California,
Arizona, Nevada, Utah and beyond who like science, astronomy,
camping, hiking and mountains.  And please help us spread the word
using our flyers and posters...

       PDF Starfest Flyer -- (11x8.5) -- http://tinyurl.com/luauzt

       PDF Starfest Poster -- (17x11) -- http://tinyurl.com/levvho

If you can, please print out some of the PDF flyers above and post
them in appropriate places.

       Starfest details here -- http://www.JulianStarfest.com
          Register now! -- http://tinyurl.com/JSF2009

       2009 Activities schedule -- http://tinyurl.com/lcrok2
       Julian Map and Starfest location -- http://tinyurl.com/mf3znp

Email -- Julianstars@...

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[]

[]

Dear RTMC Astronomy Expo Board:


I have been attending RTMC for 30 years and very much enjoy the
opportunity to see old friends, make new ones, and share our common
interest in astronomy. I was disheartened to hear about the format
change for future RTMC Astronomy Expo events. I believe that the format
change will be detrimental to the future of the event.


Many of my friends who I see each year at RTMC said they will not be
able to come next year if the event does not fall on Memorial Day
weekend. They have family and work commitments which make it difficult
to to attend on anything other than a 3 day holiday weekend. Some of the
vendors with whom I spoke also will not be able to attend because of
schedule conflicts. Please don't underestimate the value of holding the
RTMC Astronomy Expo on a set holiday weekend. This allows much easier
planning. Myself and others in my group always hold Memorial Day weekend
open to attend.


While holding the RTMC Astronomy Expo to coincide with a new moon may be
of interest to deep sky observers it is a the cost of everyone wishing
to attend on Memorial Day weekend. There has been concern about getting
new people into the hobby of amateur astronomy. Encouraging families to
attend events like RTMC is a good way expose children to the hobby. The
parents of families with whom I spoke said that they will not be able to
attend unless the event is held on a three day weekend. They are
unwilling to take their children out of school near the end of the
school year.


RTMC is a unique astronomy event in that it is held the same weekend
every year. If I want to attend a 5 day star party Big Bear would not be
my first choice due to the infamously turbulent atmosphere. Every new
moon presents deep sky observers with the opportunity to attend
impromptu star parties at such venues as Mt. Pinos, Bristlecone Pine
Forest, and many sites throughout the deserts of California, not to
mention the annual Nightfall star party. If I want to take the time to
attend a 5 day star party I would likely choose a venue such as the
Oregon Star Party rather than attend RTMC in Big Bear.


Please recognize that holding RTMC on Memorial Day weekend allows people
who have a variety of interests including astronomy to get together on a
major holiday weekend in a controlled peaceful environment to share in
their common interest in astronomy and explore other common interests.
This year there were a number of people in my area of the camp who
brought guitars and held an impromptu jam session on Sunday afternoon.
Sure the moon may not always be in a favorable phase for deep sky
observing but those years would be a good opportunity to explore other
common shared interests of the people brought together on the weekend
through their love of amateur astronomy.


The full reasoning behind the format change is difficult to comprehend.
If the true intent is to reduce the scope or possibly end the event
please be up front with it. Based on my conservations with people this
year at the event it is certain that the attendance for next year's
event will be much smaller with fewer vendors.


It is unfortunate that an event which has meant a great deal to many
people for a long time has come to an end as we knew it. I wish you well
with the format change and hope that it meets your expectations. I will
be unlikely that I will be attending any future events.


Sincerely,

Bruce Berger
Tehachapi, CA

Tehachapi Skywatch
by Dale Hawkins

Welcome to the International Year of Astronomy
	 The new year brings with it many beginnings, commemorations,
and renewals; we have a new president, we are celebrating the City of
Tehachapi's Centennial, and we are celebrating the four hundredth
anniversary of the astronomical telescope.
	 Until 1609, humanity's knowledge of the sky was very limited.
The daytime was overwhelmingly dominated by the sun, which brought
forth the light and warmth that made life possible. However, no one
could really say what it was. It moved like clockwork across the sky –
  indeed, it was the clock – and through thin clouds could be seen to
be round. But that's about all we knew about the sun. Such lack of
knowledge means a mystery, which lends itself to mysticism.
Therefore, many – if not most – cultures considered the sun a god.
	 The night sky was far more mysterious. The myriad points of
light of varying brightness and color show little resemblance to the
sun. Ancient Greek astronomers speculated that the stars may be
extremely distant suns, but they couldn't prove it and few believed
that. The milky iridescence and dark dust clouds of our galaxy were
similarly inexplicable. And some of the brighter "stars" wandered
around the otherwise unchanging heavens. The common explanation was
that the heavens were fixed and immutable, while the planets were
gods making their way among the stars.
	 One thing was certain:  Everything in the sky revolved around
the earth and, therefore, the earth was the center of the Universe.
Not only was it intuitive common sense, the pope said so – and that
was that.
	 In fact, the debate over whether the earth was the center of
the universe was challenged long ago. Aristarchus of Samos proposed
that the planets, including the earth, may actually move around the
sun in 270 BCE. The notion didn't gain much support for a variety of
reasons, not the least which being that – assuming circular orbits –
predictions did not precisely fit observations. Then Nicolaus
Copernicus and Johannes Kepler worked out a heliocentric (sun-
centered) model using ellipses instead of circles – which precisely
matched observations – in the 1500's. However, the pope had ruled
such ideas were heresy and so little came of it at the time.
	 That brings us to 1609 when Galileo Galilee first turned a
telescope on the night sky. His instruments were so crude that one is
hard-pressed to find one of such low quality on the market today. Yet
with it he saw that the moon was indeed a world with mountains,
valleys, and smooth areas that he likened to oceans, seas, lakes, and
marshes (though I doubt that he really thought they contained water).
Galileo studied the Milky Way and resolved its soft light into
countless stars like so many grains of sand on a beach. He discovered
that Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn were round like the sun and the moon,
while the stars were still just pinpoints of light. He reported that
Venus went through phases like the moon, which suggested that it went
around the sun and not the earth. But his most dangerous observation
was that four moons orbited Jupiter, conclusively proving that not
everything went around the earth. This was the first serious crack in
the geocentric (earth-centered) model of the Universe, which would be
shattered in the coming years. It also landed Galileo in hot water
with the Catholic Church. To make a long – but fascinating – story
short, Galileo was sentenced to house arrest for the last eight years
of his life for challenging Catholic doctrine. Had he been free to
correspond with his fellow academicians, it is almost certain that he
would have invented the calculus during those years. Only in 1993 did
the pope grudgingly concede that the church may have erred in
Galileo's case. (On the other hand, Galileo got off light; Giordano
Bruno was burned at the stake in 1600 for his belief in a
heliocentric and infinite universe.)
	 Until the astronomical renaissance of the 16th and 17th
centuries, astronomy and astrology were one and the same; for what
other possible use could there be in studying the stars if not to
determine their influence on human events?  This renaissance forever
separated astronomy and astrology, making astronomy a serious science
while astrology remains in the realm of mysticism. (Indeed, it
disturbs me how pervasive astrology still is in this age of supposed
enlightenment.
	 It is this more enlightened side of humanity that celebrates
Galileo's accomplishments – and sacrifices – by declaring the four
hundredth anniversary of his first telescopic observations as the
first International Year of Astronomy. First proposed by the
International Astronomical Union, it has been so declared by the
United Nations and astronomical organizations around the world.
	 The goal of the declaration is to turn the consciousness of
every human being toward the grandeur, splendor, and wonder of the
Universe. We want to get as many people as possible behind a
telescope. The Greater Tehachapi Astronomy Club will be developing a
program to that end. Watch my column for further details; and if you
have ideas, please send them to me at hawk@....
	 Meanwhile, you can participate just by going outside on a
clear night and marveling at the limitless universe in which we live,
and appreciating how far we've come in understanding what we are and
where we are in this endless sea of space.
	 In the coming months, I'll share with you some of what we've
discovered in the last four hundred years.

Night Sky Watch
	 With a new moon on the 25th, the evening sky will be dark for
a time. The moon will occult (pass in front of) the Pleiades on the
evening of February third.
	 Venus is quickly moving between us and the sun. It can be
seen together with the moon and Jupiter in the morning sky on
February fourth.

Sunrise/Sunset (PST)
January 23rd:  6:59 am/5:13 pm
January 30th:  6:55 am/5:20 pm
February 6th:  6:49 am/5:27 pm


ILLUSTRATIONS

Primary:
Caption:  Galileo was one of the most brilliant men of all time – and
he knew it. It was his ego that got him into the hottest water.
Portrait credit:  Giusto Sustermans
File:  C:\...Tehachapi Sky Watch\Galileo.jpg

Secondary:
Caption:  While the mounting for his telescopes were ornate,
Galileo's optics were child's play by today's standards.
File:  C:\...Tehachapi Sky Watch\Galileo telescope.gif

As you may recall, I have been spearheading a campaign to curb the
excessive lighting in the City of Tehachapi.  I made a presentation
to the City Council in May, at which point they directed "staff" to
study the issue and provide a recommendation.

Staff concluded that their California Environmental Quality
Assessment (CEQA) procedures addressed this issue adequately and that
a new ordinance was unnecessary.  However, CEQA does not mitigate
existing lighting.  I therefore pressed for the issue to be presented
to the Council, which was done last Monday.  Despite testimony from
several citizens in support of the idea, there was resistance to the
idea of requiring the retrofitting of lighting.  I also pressed for
an ordinance provision prohibiting the shining of light from one
property onto another.  Councilman Phil Smith said that such an
ordinance was in place.  However, the Compliance Enforcement Officer,
Mr. Hiner, said that he is unaware of any ordinance that he can
enforce regarding light trespass.  The council accepted the
recommendation of the City Manager and took no further action.

We are not yet defeated.  The County Board of Supervisors is expected
to pass strong light pollution regulations early next year for
unincorporated portions of the county.  This will put pressure on
municipalities to do the same.  Meanwhile, I will lead a small team
that will be developing new strategies to educate and persuade
council members and the City Manager about this problem, particularly
highlighting the availability of low-cost solutions to ensure that
the Tehachapi Valley remains dark enough for years to come.

Keeping the nose above the horizon,

/s/ Hawk
809-7207

Posted to KRVR.org’s DARK SKY page:

• National Geographic November 2008: Light Pollution: Our Vanishing Night

-- Richard Cayia Rowe, www.KRVR.org website administrator
PO BOX 8
Wofford Heights, CA 93285-0008
E-MAIL: eworinkrv@...
Phone: (760) 333-4561

Hi Everyone,
I'm Richard Sparks and my wife, Christine, and I live in BVS. We've been in
Tehachapi about 7
years and are excited to find GTAC. Always big fans of anything astronomy we'll
be looking
forward to the club events. We missed the Sept Star Party because we were
exploring the
archaeo-astronomy of Chaco Culture in New Mexico and Chimney Rock in Colorado.
We were
fortunate to catch several Dark Sky programs while there. Fascinating and highly
recommended! Here's more info if you'd like, http://www.nps.gov/chcu/ and
http://www.chimneyrockco.org/mainnew.htm

See you all soon.

Tehachapi Astronomers,

For those interested in getting some help with their telescopes, I'd
like to invite you over this evening to my house.  The focus would be
on properly setting up and using your telescope in a low stress
environment.  We can have lights on as necessary to ensure everything
is setup and operating so that you can do this easier on your own.

I'm located in Bear Valley.  Please RSVP via either e-mail or phone
(238-9384) if you plan on attending.

We'll likely have a star party or telescope clinic in early November
to mark the final event of the season.

- Brandon Wood

• For those driving over from the Indian Wells Valley, take HWY 178 over the Walker Pass, down into the Kern River Valley.
• Turn RIGHT on Sierra Way (which become Mt. HWY 99 as it passes Kernville).
• Orange traffic cones will indicate the turnout point on Mtn. HWY 99.

-- Richard Cayia Rowe, www.KRVR.org website administrator
PO BOX 8
Wofford Heights, CA 93285-0008
E-MAIL: eworinkrv@...
Phone: (760) 333-4561

For the article on Dark Skies, I need aerial/satellite night
photographs for:
§ Immediate Tehachapi area
§ Lancaster-Palmdale to Bakersfield area
§ CCI prison lights
Ground level photos would also be useful, particularly of local bright
spots such as K-Mark, Orchard Center, Lancaster-Palmdale fair grounds,
automobile lots, residential neighborhoods, etc.

Photographers and photos will, of course, receive credit in the article.
Thanks for your help,
Neill

I want to send out a very sincere Thank You to Tom and Edie for
hosting yesterday's star party!  The weather wasn't optimal; in fact
it was downright odd, with humid air blowing through cooling
everything down to the 40's.  What didn't cool quickly was dewed up by
9pm.

We did manage some good views starting before sunset of Venus;
Mercury, a rarity due to it's proximity to the sun; and Mars.  The
light gathering ability of Tom and Edie's C14 was critical to finding
Mercury and Mars near the setting sun.  I was able to find Mercury
with my XT8 but never Mars.  Clouds formed relatively quickly so we
were left pointing towards sucker holes but were able to see quite a
few objects between our two telescopes.

There were a total of nine of us in attendance.  That is, if you count
my two oldest boys, who were more interested in Edie's hot chocolate
than anything in the sky.  Thank you Edie for the warm treats!

Tom showed us some of his astrophotography.  He claims to have only
owned a computer for, I believe, three years, but he's certainly been
able to create wonderful digital images in the meantime.

Tom and Edie are regular attendees of Mt. Pinos during new moon
weekends.  But they do visit their property here in Alpine Forest, for
it's solitude and night sky, frequently.  I hope we can share the
views again sometime!

- Brandon

--- In GTAstronomyClub@yahoogroups.com, "wood1744" <bwood44@...> wrote:
>
> To follow-up my previous e-mail, the weather for Saturday looks great
> with highs in the 70's and sunshine.  Please bring warm clothes as
> it'll likely be in the 50's not long after sundown at that elevation.
>
> Here's a link to a map to the Cohen property.
>
>
<http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=35.124121,-118.495016&daddr=Gotthardt+Dr&\
hl=en&geocode=%3BFR0_FwId1EHv-A&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=0&sz=14&sll=35.104532,-118.5\
22568&sspn=0.062284,0.096989&ie=UTF8&ll=35.092945,-118.530035&spn=0.062293,0.096\
989&t=h&z=14>
>
> (That's long so I hope it works!)
>
> Here's some directions that should help as well.
>
> 1) Head west out of town on SR 202
>
> 2) Turn left on Banducci Rd.
>
> 3) Follow Banducci past the entrance to Brite Lake where it turns left.
>
> 4) Stay on Banducci until you see the Alpine Forect entrance on the
> left.  That's Alps Drive.  Turn left on Alps Drive.
>
> 5) Shortly up that road, at the top of a hill, turn right on Mountain
> Climber Way.
>
> 6) Turn left on Matterhorn Drive.  (Matterhorn Drive, to the left,
> remains paved at this point.  Going forward or to the right is not
paved.)
>
> 7) Shortly thereafter, follow Matterhorn to the right and remain on
> the pavement.  If you go straight you will be on William Tell Trail,
> the wrong way!
>
> 8) Stay on Matterhohn, passing Constance Way on the right and
> Matterhorn Court on the left.  These signs are easy to miss.  The next
> road is Gotthard on the left.  Turn left on to Gotthard and you'll
> shortly see other cars.  Anyone else up that far is there for the same
> star party!  Please pull forward, turn around, and park on the left
> (North) side of the road so you can easily depart after dark.
>
> It's narrow and I'll try to help you park.  If you'll be bringing a
> telescope, the Cohen's have a level area on their property on which
> you can setup your telescope.  It's relatively small, especially since
> we'll have a few larger RV's up there.  But there should be sufficient
> parking along Gotthard.
>
> The last 0.8 mile is dirt with light washboards but accessible by my
> low-ground-clearance sedan.  It shouldn't be a problem for any
> vehicles but plan for at least 20 minutes from town.  Once again, it
> should be a great location for astronomy in Tehachapi.  I look forward
> to seeing you there!
>
>  Brandon
>
>
> --- In GTAstronomyClub@yahoogroups.com, "wood1744" <bwood44@> wrote:
> >
> > The Greater Tehachapi Astronomy Club is having a public star party
> > this Saturday, September 20th.  Tom and Edith Cohen have graciously
> > offered to host it on their undeveloped property high in Alpine
> > Forest.  Their location is one of the better locations near Tehachapi
> > for observing the night sky.  Their property is near 6,000ft elevation
> > and away from many of the lights in Tehachapi.  It's also relatively
> > easily accessible; only about 20 minutes from downtown.  I will follow
> > this e-mail with another describing how to get to their property.
> > Please plan on arriving before dark as the roads signs are hard to
> > see.  Arriving at 6:00 pm would be a good time to catch the sunset and
> > watch the stars pop into view.
> >
> > The Cohen's will set up their Celestron 14" SCT for visual observation
> > and I will bring my 8" Dobsonian plus binoculars.  If you plan to
> > attend, please reply so we have an idea of how many people to
> expect.
> >
> > We may also have Neill Hicks in attendance.  He's composing a series
> > of articles on Tehachapi light pollution and he'd like to get our
> > perspective.
> >
> > Hope to see you there!
> >  Brandon
> >
>

To follow-up my previous e-mail, the weather for Saturday looks great
with highs in the 70's and sunshine.  Please bring warm clothes as
it'll likely be in the 50's not long after sundown at that elevation.

Here's a link to a map to the Cohen property.

<http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=35.124121,-118.495016&daddr=Gotthardt+Dr&\
hl=en&geocode=%3BFR0_FwId1EHv-A&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=0&sz=14&sll=35.104532,-118.5\
22568&sspn=0.062284,0.096989&ie=UTF8&ll=35.092945,-118.530035&spn=0.062293,0.096\
989&t=h&z=14>

(That's long so I hope it works!)

Here's some directions that should help as well.

1) Head west out of town on SR 202

2) Turn left on Banducci Rd.

3) Follow Banducci past the entrance to Brite Lake where it turns left.

4) Stay on Banducci until you see the Alpine Forect entrance on the
left.  That's Alps Drive.  Turn left on Alps Drive.

5) Shortly up that road, at the top of a hill, turn right on Mountain
Climber Way.

6) Turn left on Matterhorn Drive.  (Matterhorn Drive, to the left,
remains paved at this point.  Going forward or to the right is not paved.)

7) Shortly thereafter, follow Matterhorn to the right and remain on
the pavement.  If you go straight you will be on William Tell Trail,
the wrong way!

8) Stay on Matterhohn, passing Constance Way on the right and
Matterhorn Court on the left.  These signs are easy to miss.  The next
road is Gotthard on the left.  Turn left on to Gotthard and you'll
shortly see other cars.  Anyone else up that far is there for the same
star party!  Please pull forward, turn around, and park on the left
(North) side of the road so you can easily depart after dark.

It's narrow and I'll try to help you park.  If you'll be bringing a
telescope, the Cohen's have a level area on their property on which
you can setup your telescope.  It's relatively small, especially since
we'll have a few larger RV's up there.  But there should be sufficient
parking along Gotthard.

The last 0.8 mile is dirt with light washboards but accessible by my
low-ground-clearance sedan.  It shouldn't be a problem for any
vehicles but plan for at least 20 minutes from town.  Once again, it
should be a great location for astronomy in Tehachapi.  I look forward
to seeing you there!

  Brandon


--- In GTAstronomyClub@yahoogroups.com, "wood1744" <bwood44@...> wrote:
>
> The Greater Tehachapi Astronomy Club is having a public star party
> this Saturday, September 20th.  Tom and Edith Cohen have graciously
> offered to host it on their undeveloped property high in Alpine
> Forest.  Their location is one of the better locations near Tehachapi
> for observing the night sky.  Their property is near 6,000ft elevation
> and away from many of the lights in Tehachapi.  It's also relatively
> easily accessible; only about 20 minutes from downtown.  I will follow
> this e-mail with another describing how to get to their property.
> Please plan on arriving before dark as the roads signs are hard to
> see.  Arriving at 6:00 pm would be a good time to catch the sunset and
> watch the stars pop into view.
>
> The Cohen's will set up their Celestron 14" SCT for visual observation
> and I will bring my 8" Dobsonian plus binoculars.  If you plan to
> attend, please reply so we have an idea of how many people to
expect.
>
> We may also have Neill Hicks in attendance.  He's composing a series
> of articles on Tehachapi light pollution and he'd like to get our
> perspective.
>
> Hope to see you there!
>  Brandon
>

The Greater Tehachapi Astronomy Club is having a public star party
this Saturday, September 20th.  Tom and Edith Cohen have graciously
offered to host it on their undeveloped property high in Alpine
Forest.  Their location is one of the better locations near Tehachapi
for observing the night sky.  Their property is near 6,000ft elevation
and away from many of the lights in Tehachapi.  It's also relatively
easily accessible; only about 20 minutes from downtown.  I will follow
this e-mail with another describing how to get to their property.
Please plan on arriving before dark as the roads signs are hard to
see.  Arriving at 6:00 pm would be a good time to catch the sunset and
watch the stars pop into view.

The Cohen's will set up their Celestron 14" SCT for visual observation
and I will bring my 8" Dobsonian plus binoculars.  If you plan to
attend, please reply so we have an idea of how many people to expect.

We may also have Neill Hicks in attendance.  He's composing a series
of articles on Tehachapi light pollution and he'd like to get our
perspective.

Hope to see you there!
  Brandon