Organization:  VENTURA COUNTY ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
Contact Person: Carl Ashley, Publicity Chairman
Contact Phone:  (805) 642-5166
Email:  vcas1@aol.com
Website:  www.vcas.org
Subject: "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Nearby
Universe"
Date of event: Friday, November 20, 2009
Time of Event: 7:30 PM
Location of Event: Mesa Union School, 3901 Mesa School
Road, Somis CA

For recorded information: contact Starline at (805)
520-9666

The...[more]

Free public star parties are held monthly with the
assistance of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society and
the Los Angeles Sidewalk Astronomers at the Griffith
Observatory from 2:00 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. They are a
chance for the whole family to look at the sun, moon,
visible planets, and other objects, to try out a
variety of telescopes, and to talk to knowledgeable
amateur astronomers about the sky and their equipment.

Join Dr. D (Daniel Mounsey) twice a month for the Night
Under the Stars (N.U.T.S.) Observation session at
Chesebro Canyon in Agoura Hills.

Star parties are now held regardless of cloudy nights
or clear skies. In the event of cloud cover, have no
worries.  If you need assistance with the operations of
your telescope, collimation of your mirrors, discussion
on selection of eyepieces, books, software, binoculars,
star charts or any other equipment, or even discussion
regarding the night sky, Dr. D will be h...[more]

Meetings on selected Sunday nights at the LAVC
Planetarium. Meetings start at 7:00 pm; lectures with
guest speakers on selected dates start at 7:45 pm and
we are open to the public.

Join at the business meeting; membership donation is
$15.00 per year.

LAVC Planetarium - 5800 Fulton Ave., Valley
Glen, 91401
"Hotline" (Information): (818) 947-2335

Web Address: http://lavcastrogroup.org

13:41:02 PST 

23:31:36 PST Full Cold Moon or Long Night Moon - This
is the last Full Moon of Autumn. Also known as the Moon
before Yul.e

Meetings are in the Life Science Building, Room 1728,
7:30-9:30 pm

Easy Access from Parking Lot 1: Winnetka side of
Campus.

Open to the public! Multimedia presentations on a
variety of astronomical topics.  Please arrive early,
as shows start promptly at 8pm, and there is no late
seating.  Tickets are sold at the door on the night of
the show, starting at 7:30pm (there are no advance
ticket sales).  Afterwards, join us in the observatory
for viewing through the Celestron 16 inch telescope
(weather permitting).  Each show is an hour long. No
previous knowledge of astronomy is required! Shows and
dates are subject to change; pleas...[more]

16:15:05 PST 

Join Dr. D (Daniel Mounsey) twice a month for the Night
Under the Stars (N.U.T.S.) Observation session at
Chesebro Canyon in Agoura Hills.

Star parties are now held regardless of cloudy nights
or clear skies. In the event of cloud cover, have no
worries.  If you need assistance with the operations of
your telescope, collimation of your mirrors, discussion
on selection of eyepieces, books, software, binoculars,
star charts or any other equipment, or even discussion
regarding the night sky, Dr. D will be h...[more]

04:03:19 PST 

09:29:29 PST Elongations occur when the planet position
in its orbital path is at tangent to the view from
Earth. Because these inner planets (Mercury and Venus)
are inside the Earth's orbit, their positions as viewed
from the Earth are never very far from the position of
the Sun. When a planet is at Elongation is it furthest
from the Sun as viewed from Earth, so it's view is best
at that point. There are two kinds of Elongations: The
Eastern Elongation occurs when the planet is in the
evening sky and the W...[more]

Free public star parties are held monthly with the
assistance of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society and
the Los Angeles Sidewalk Astronomers at the Griffith
Observatory from 2:00 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. They are a
chance for the whole family to look at the sun, moon,
visible planets, and other objects, to try out a
variety of telescopes, and to talk to knowledgeable
amateur astronomers about the sky and their equipment.

Join Dr. D (Daniel Mounsey) twice a month for the Night
Under the Stars (N.U.T.S.) Observation session at
Chesebro Canyon in Agoura Hills.

Star parties are now held regardless of cloudy nights
or clear skies. In the event of cloud cover, have no
worries.  If you need assistance with the operations of
your telescope, collimation of your mirrors, discussion
on selection of eyepieces, books, software, binoculars,
star charts or any other equipment, or even discussion
regarding the night sky, Dr. D will be h...[more]

09:47:51 PST Winter begins at the Winter Solstice. The
Winter Solstice occurs when the tilt of the Earth is
pointed directly away from the Sun.  This point marks
the beginning of Winter.  The Winter Solstice has the
shortest amount of daylight and the longest night.

09:37:34 PST 

11:13:54 PST Full Wolf Moon - This is the first Full
Moon of Winter. Also known as the Old Moon or Moon
after Yule.

11:24:11 PST 
Partial Penumbra phase begins 09:20:11 (-124
minutes).
Partial phase begins 10:55:11 (-29 minutes).
Partial phase ends 11:53:11 (+29 minutes).
Partial Penumbra phase ends 13:28:11 (+124 minutes).

13:08:44 PST The Perihelion is the point in Earth's
elliptical orbit that it is closest to the Sun.  This
is the opposite point to the Aphelion when the Earth is
at its furthest point to the Sun, which occurs in June.