[APML]: Astronomy/Space Alert

[Brian Webb <102670.1206@compuserve.com>]

                   ASTRONOMY/SPACE ALERT FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
                                Brian Webb, KD6NRP
                             Thousand Oaks, California
                        E-mail: 102670.1206@compuserve.com
        Web Page: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/rawhide_home_page

                                           1998 January 21 (Wednesday) 22:05 PST
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                           Desert Astrophotography Trip

Weather permitting, we're planning on having a star party this Saturday, Jan-
uary 24th in the Fossil Falls Recreation Area in Inyo County. We'll be doing
various types of photography: artificial satellites during the evening and
later widefield deep sky.

This location is on the east side of highway 395, about halfway between Ridge-
crest and Owens Lake.

Take highway 395 to the intersection of 395 and Cinder Road (about 2 miles
north of Little Lake and 1/2 south of the volcanic cinder cone). Go east on
Cinder Road about 0.75 miles until reach the stop sign. Turn right on Fossil
Falls Road and look for us either on the side of the road or in the campground
near the end of the road (this is a small area...we'll be hard to miss).

Be advised, however, that we'll only make this trip if the forecast for Saturday
night is for zero cloudcover and peak winds of 15 knots or less. At 08:00 Satur-
day morning I'll be looking up the aviation weather forecasts (TAFs) for China
Lake, Fresno, Bakersfield, Lancaster, Dagget, and Tonopah. The TAFs for these
airfield must predict clear skies (SKC) and low winds for 18:00-22:00 PST Satur-
day.

If you're interested in going, let me know.
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                              Last Thursday's Launch

If you didn't see last Thursday evening's launch from Vandenberg AFB, you're not
alone. Clouds obscured the event for most viewers across the southwest. I was at
the press site at north Vandenberg, a mere two miles from the silo. We were
standing in a wind driven rain. It was foggy; the visibility was less than 100
feet. But they launched anyway. We saw a vague orange glow from all directions
and hear the roar, but that was all.

However, the event was seen in Carpenteria, Goleta, and the Antelope Valley.
Brian Lockett of Goleta wrote:

"I just watched the MSLS launch from the west end of Goleta.  Because of the
weather I had given up on driving up to Camino Cielo.  I didn't even go outside
until about 5:45 when I discovered that the sky had cleared.  Listening in on
147.00 I heard your updates on the launch and the countdown which allowed me to
open up my camera shutter shortly before the launch.

That launch was unlike any that I have watched before.  It came out from behind
the clouds as seen from here shortly after the guy in Carpenteria said that he
could see it.  It was much farther north than the other launches that I have
seen from here.  It was flaring intermittently and there was a shower of orange
sparkling material trailing behind it.  It was not as bright as previous Minute-
man missile launches that I have seen.  It rose much more steeply and did not
appear to go very far to the west before the flame dimmed.  Perhaps it went be-
hind some thin clouds, because someone kept reporting that they could see it
long after it vanished from sight from here.  It left a large diffuse glowing
cloud that did not resemble the usual twisting launch trail.  The cloud faded
away after just a couple of minutes."

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                             Waikoloa Science Project

Dr. Adrian Herzog of Cal State Northridge provided the following news release:

"CSUN and JPL will again be running a program for astronomy and geology on the
Big Island of Hawaii featuring a visit to the Mauna Kea Observatory. This pro-
gram is designed for high school and college level Astronomy and Geology or Phy-
sical Science Instructors, but is open to all interested amatures as well. The
only limitation is that Observatory regulations require that all persons visit-
ing the summit must be at least 17 years of age.

For more information on the WaiKoloa Science Project, vist our web site at:

                    http://davinci.csun.edu/~astro/waikoloa.html

The dates for 1998 are July 25 to August 1 and the location of the lectures is
at the Royal Waikoloan Hotel."

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