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<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Moon + 3 planets Monday 7th</b><br>
Look over to the west early evening Monday (as soon as it's dark) for the thin crescent Moon. Above the Moon will be the very bright "evening star" (Venus), and below the Moon two other "stars" - Mercury (on the left) and Saturn (right). Map at
<a href="http://www.planetarium.co.za">www.planetarium.co.za</a><br>
Best time would be around 7pm (for Gauteng), 7:45pm (Cape Town), 6:45pm (Durban, Musina). Tuesday, the Moon will be near Venus, which is always a pretty sight.<br>
<br>
<b>Eclipse of the Sun</b><br>
The November 3rd (Sunday) eclipse of the Sun is total for equatorial Africa, and partial for every country on the African continent except Cape Town. Gauteng gets 6%, Durban less than 1%, and the Eastern and Western Cape miss out. We're still working on our
eclipse website, but in the meantime we've uploaded a <a href="http://www.planetarium.co.za/Eclipse2013/PubPoster2013.pdf">
map</a> with what to expect from around SA, and you can keep in touch via the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PanAfricanEclipse2013">
Pan African Solar Eclipse Facebook page</a>. If you're planning a public eclipse-viewing event, please let us know so we can list you.<br>
<br>
Eclipse viewers are available from the Jhb Planetarium @R6 each, or we'll post for quantities of 20+. We will also publish a list of suitable alternative materials to use for eclipse-viewing - double-layer of Five Roses teabag foil, or a triple-layer of a
foil "space blanket" (obtainable from Dis-chem) will work - if you use one of these alternatives, don't look for more than 5 seconds, or if the Sun looks too bright then look away.<br>
<br>
<b>Orionid Meteor Shower (to be drowned out by the Moon!)</b><br>
but you may see a couple if you're lucky - they're quite bright<br>
Best time would be night of 21/22 Oct from midnight to dawn - look up, towards the north-east (around midnight) or north (before dawn) for maybe one "shooting star" in 5min<br>
<br>
<b>Comet ISON . . .</b><br>
. . . is unfortunately not living up to expectations. If it does brighten up (a lot) we may see it early November in the pre-dawn skies, before it approaches the Sun. After that, it's only above our horizon during the day, so unless it REALLY brightens up
we won't see it. Some astronomers are saying it may be disintegrating.<br>
<br>
<b>Astronomy Events near Jhb this week:</b><br>
* "Astronomy & Science Fiction" - talk by Sheldon Herbst at the Marang Astronomy Evening<br>
Wed Oct 9th - details at <a href="http://www.wits.ac.za">www.wits.ac.za</a> under "Media Centre" or
<a href="http://www.wits.ac.za/newsroom/eventitems/201310/21590/event_item_21590.html">
here</a><br>
* A cometary meteorite discovery? Free public discussion with Profs Kramer (UJ), Block (Wits), Andreoli (NECSA)<br>
Thu Oct 10th - details at <a href="http://www.planetarium.co.za/">www.planetarium.co.za</a><br>
* Public Viewing Evening at the old Jhb Observatory (in Observatory)<br>
Fri Oct 11th - weather permitting - details at <a href="http://www.planetarium.co.za/">
www.planetarium.co.za</a><br>
* "A Quick Tour of the Universe" - astronomy talk (Prof Derck Smits, UNISA) & dinner<br>
Fri Oct 11th <a href="http://www.eaglesfare.co.za/wmenu.php">Eagles Fare Restaurant</a>, Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens<br>
[coming up at Eagles Fare: Friday 1st Nov: “The Antikythera Mechanism”]<br>
* Stargazing, Telescopes, Art & Dinner at Melon Rouge (Magaliesburg)<br>
Sat 12th Oct - details <a href="http://www.planetarium.co.za/events/Melon.jpg">
here</a><br>
<br>
<b>Astronomy Talks in Cape Town</b><br>
<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">* "Space debris – a growing threat to outer space activities"<br>
Dr Peter Martinez, Chairman, SA Council for Space Affairs<br>
Wed Oct 9th at the <a href="http://www.mtnsciencentre.org.za/" target="_blank">Cape Town Science Centre</a></span> - for details of the talk click
<a href="http://scenicsouth.co.za/2013/10/cape-town-science-centre-celebrates-world-space-week-with-fun-family-activities-4-10-oct/">
here</a><br>
* "Exploring the Universe with the Karoo Array Telescope" <br>
Dr. Sharmila Goedhart (SKA) <br>
Sat 12th Oct at the <a href="http://www.saao.ac.za/public/open-nights/">SA Astronomical Observatory</a><br>
* "Mapping the Universe with Galaxy Survey"<br>
Dr. Matt Prescott (UWC)<br>
Sat 26th Oct at the <a href="http://www.saao.ac.za/public/open-nights/">SA Astronomical Observatory</a><br>
<br>
Regards<br>
Claire Flanagan<br>
<br>
<br>
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<pre>-- <o:p></o:p></pre>
<pre>Wits Planetarium<o:p></o:p></pre>
<pre>011-717-1390<o:p></o:p></pre>
<pre>086-521-4273 (fax)<o:p></o:p></pre>
<pre><a href="http://www.planetarium.co.za">www.planetarium.co.za</a><o:p></o:p></pre>
<pre>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WitsPlanetarium">WitsPlanetarium</a> <o:p></o:p></pre>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA">Claire Flanagan<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA">Wits Planetarium<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA">011-717-1390<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA">086-521-4273 (fax)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA"><a href="http://www.planetarium.co.za"><span style="color:blue">www.planetarium.co.za</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA">How is our service ?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA">The Planetarium is owned and operated by the University of the Witwatersrand. If you wish to comment on our service or offer suggestions on service issues,
please email <a href="mailto:service.admin@wits.ac.za"><span style="color:blue">service.admin@wits.ac.za</span></a> . Confidentiality will be respected; anonymous comments will not be entertained.
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