[AstroNet] Jhb Planetarium - Watch the Planets in motion this week, + Basic Astro Course

Wed Jul 2 12:55:18 SAST 2008

Watch Mars, Saturn, Regulus and the Moon gather in the western evening
sky
Get out as soon as it's dark over the next few evenings, and watch Mars
move up towards Saturn.  Mars passed by Regulus on July 1st, and will
pass Saturn on July 10th.  The crescent Moon will be to the left of a
nice line-up of (top to bottom) Saturn, Mars and Regulus on Sunday 6th.
A map is available at www.planetarium.co.za

>From our planet, we're seeing Mars overtake Saturn through our "back
window" - in the evening sky.  On July 9th, our planet overtakes Jupiter
- over the next few months, Jupiter will move westwards in the evening
skies.  Jupiter is now rising in the east in the early evening, is
almost overhead at midnight, and sets in the west early morning.
Meanwhile Venus has gone round the other side of the Sun, and will start
catching up with us from the rear - look out for it re-appearing as the
bright "evening star" later this month.

Moon-watching charts for intermediate-phase learners are available at
www.planetarium.co.za - next Moon-observing cycle starts July 4th.  

Stephen Hawking interview on SABC2 - Monday 7th July
50/50 (7:30pm July 7th on SABC2) will include interviews with Stephen
Hawking, Nobel prize-winners astronomer George Smoot and physicist David
Gross, NASA administrator Michael Griffin, and South African astronomer
David Block and cosmologist Neil Turok.  Also featuring Pik Botha.

Introduction to Astronomy - starts 9th July
The Jhb Planetarium will be repeating the four-session series
"Introduction to Astronomy", Wednesdays the 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th
July 6:30 - 8:30pm.  The series provides a brief introduction to
sky-watching, stars, planets and the Universe.  Cost is R160pp (R80 for
full-time tertiary students and school-teachers).  More info at
www.planetarium.co.za  A flyer
<http://www.planetarium.co.za/CourseFlyer2008July.pdf>  is available in
case you'd like to help us advertise this at your workplace.

Roving Mars - the IMAX Movie
IMAX Menlyn Park <http://www.moviesite.co.za/where/IMAX_Menlyn_Park.htm>
(Pretoria) is currently showing Roving Mars
<http://www.moviesite.co.za/2008/0501/roving_mars.html> .  

Claire Flanagan
Jhb Planetarium
www.planetarium.co.za
planet at planetarium.co.za
011-717-1390

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