Greetings fellow astrophiles,

We add rain to overcast conditions tonight, meaning our “official” Messier Marathon weekend was an official wash for 2012. We await chances for a few “unofficial” sessions in coming weeks, including our next Public Viewing Session on April 13 (14 alt.). Stay tuned!

Greetings fellow astrophiles,

An excellent week of CNY weather has taken a significant turn for the overcast tonight and, very likely, tomorrow night. Our Messier Marathon is, therefore, cancelled for tonight, but a similar run can be performed for the vast majority of the Messier objects during our next few meetings. Check in tomorrow around 5:00 p.m. for the official word on Saturday. In the meantime, consider doing a little observing in the hi-res version of the ESO image below (click for the large version), a sliver of the sky with 200,000 galaxies (more information can be found at the Bad Astronomy post HERE).

Greetings fellow astrophile!

The winter hibernation (be it as it was in CNY) is over for the SAS as we post our first newsletter for 2012 and announce the first session of the year this coming March 23/24 in the form of a Messier Marathon. Details are in the newsletter.

We hope you can join us! Meantime, continue to enjoy Venus (brighter) and Jupiter (dimmer) on our Western sky this week!

Astronomical Chronicle For Jan/Feb/March 2012

UPDATE: The Scope Has Been Sold.

Greetings fellow astrophile!

In the interest of reaching the larger CNY astronomy community, the SAS is happy to post information for people in the CNY area about astronomical equipment for sale. The SAS takes no responsibility for any aspect of the sale itself, but simply provides an outlet to members and nonmembers alike.

The following scope is available from Janet O’Mara (janetomara@gmail.com).

From Janet: I purchased it about 3 years ago but have never used it. I am including an accessory lens kit along with the scope. I am hoping to get $325.00 for it.

Additional information can be found at: www.celestron.com/astronomy/telescopes/celestron-nexstar-130slt.html

Product Identifiers

Brand: Celestron
Model: NexStar 130SLT 31145
MPN: 10001011
UPC: 050234311458

Key Features

Lens Size: 5.1 in. (130 mm)
Focal Length: 25.6 in. (650 mm)
Optical Diameter: 5.1 in. (130 mm)
Optical Design: Newtonian
Mount: Altazimuth

Technical Details

Max. Magnification: x 306
Finderscope: Optical
Motorized: Yes

Dimensions

Measurement: 306 x 130 mm

Greetings (younger) fellow astrophiles!

I am pleased to announce that the New York Center for Astrobiology is sponsoring a writing contest for 9th – 12th graders. A brief overview of the contest is below, with the complete list of rules, story proposals, and lots of extraterrestrial parameters included in the linked PDF you can find at:

www.origins.rpi.edu/astrobiologycontestfinalversion.pdf

NOTE: I urge you to have wikipedia open as you read the two plots. Some good explanations and a whole lot of potential inspiration lies within!

This contest is sponsored by the New York Center for Astrobiology, a member of NASA’s Astrobiology Institute program, headquartered at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY. The New York Center for Astrobiology at RPI also involves scientists at the University at Albany (SUNY), Syracuse University, and the University at Arizona. The multi-disciplinary team of scientists from these four institutions is working to better understand the origin and distribution of life on Earth and on other planets in the Galaxy. For more information about the New York Center for Astrobiology, please visit its website at www.origins.rpi.edu

Prizes

> An award ceremony will occur in early May 2012 for students, teachers, and parents with scientists and high school teachers associated with the New York Center for Astrobiology

> $200 for each of the best stories (up to 4 to be selected)

> An interview with the winning authors on WAMC Northeast Public Radio in Albany, NY

About the Contest

> Open to all students in grades 9-12 from Connecticut, New York, and Vermont. Eligible students within that grade-range can be from public schools, private schools, and home schools.

> One entry per student. Entries must be authored by one individual only.

> Entries must have a minimum of 500 words to a maximum of 1600 words. The format must be double-spaced; 12-point font; 1-inch margins. Graphs, images, tables, and citations are optional, and would not count toward the length-limit.

> If sent by mail, entries must be post-marked no later than Friday, March 2, 2012. If sent electronically (pdf and doc files), the entry must be received no later than 5:00 PM EST on Friday, March 2, 2012. Results of the contest will be announced by mid-April 2012.

> Entries will be assessed by a team of (i) high school teachers with expertise in the sciences, literature, and the arts, and (ii) scientists associated with the New York Center for Astrobiology.

The short stories can range from being highly scientific to being fictional. The intent is to select up to two entries per Story Option, in which one may be highly scientific and the other may be highly fictional. In both instances, each would have been judged to be of outstanding quality. The contest-organizers fully recognize that the assessment criteria (described on page 3) will yield disparate scores for these two styles of short story. That range of scores will be calibrated by the team of reviewers.

To Enter

Mail a printout of your entry with the cover sheet to the following address: Prof. John W. Delano; Associate Director, New York Center for Astrobiology; Dept. of Atmospheric & Environmental Sciences; 1400 Washington Avenue; University at Albany; Albany, NY 12222 Alternatively, you can submit your entry as an e-mail attachment (.doc or .pdf) to Prof. John Delano at the following address: jdelano@albany.edu

Questions

For questions about this contest, please contact Professor John Delano by either telephone (518-442-4479) or e-mail (jdelano@albany.edu).