Kick Up Some Moon Dust with the SDAA
Posted by Chris Radcliff in Astronomy, Calendar, Moon Society on September 18, 2009
October 8, 2009 6:00 pm to October 9, 2009 5:00 am
Location:
SDAA Observation Site (map and directions)
Tierra de Luna Rd, Tierra del Sol, CA
On Thursday evening, October 8th, the San Diego Astronomy Association will be hosting a special star party event at the Tierra Del Sol remote observation facility 90 minutes east of San Diego. The NASA Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) will be completing its mission to the moon by smashing two large pieces of the satellite into the moon. The impact will eject material from the crater’s surface to create a plume that will be visible to astronomers nationwide. The SDAA invites interested members of the public to attend the viewing of this once-in-a-lifetime event.
The SDAA will be turning its telescopes, both large and small towards the moon to observe and photograph the impact. It is expected that ejected material from the crater formed by the explosion will be visible to observers peering through the telescopes on the Earth. Several of the telescopes will be outfitted with special video cameras which will project the images live to screens setup at the site for the public to see.
The event begins Thursday evening at 6PM with a public lecture about the LCROSS mission by a NASA/JPL Ambassador. Throughout the evening public star gazing and observation of the moon as it rises into position will precede the big impact. At 3AM a morning coffee and continental breakfast will be served prior to commencing science observations. At 3:30 AM communications with other observers across the United States and with the NASA observation teams will be established. The impact event will occur at 4:30am and we hope to see both the explosion from the impact, and the dust plume thrown up into space.
Members of the public who wish to attend should call 858-877-3103 or send an email request for a ticket to publicity@sdaa.org to RSVP, as the event will be limited to a total of 300 attendees. Overnight camping is available and full details about how to reach the Tierra Del Sol site, and what to bring with you to the event will be emailed to those who RSVP in advance of the event. You must RSVP to attend.
The Mission Objectives of the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) include confirming the presence or absence of water ice in a permanently shadowed crater at the Moon’s South Pole. The identification of water is very important to the future of human activities on the Moon. LCROSS will excavate the permanently dark floor of one of the Moon’s polar craters with two heavy impactors to test the theory that ancient ice lies buried there. The impact will eject material from the crater’s surface to create a plume that specialized instruments will be able to analyze for the presence of water (ice and vapor), hydrocarbons and hydrated materials.
We hope you will attend this fascinating and once in a lifetime event.
Contact Jerry Hilburn at 858-877-3103 for all publicity requests concerning this event.
Comments
Very tempting, a wonderful night owl opportunity. It’s a great Autumn evening for a desert ride, stars out and top down.
Congrats Mr. Hilburn, I would love to be there! Wishing you the Best!
Can I still come?