Celebrate the Spring Equinox on March 20th and the Saturn Opposition on March 21st with the Woodland Hills Telescope Saturn Opposition/Spring Cleaning Sale!

From Friday, March 19, 2010 until Monday, March 29, 2010 get a 5% discount on all telescopes and telescope accessory purchases.

Use the code 'EQUINOX-5%' in the comment field of the shopping cart when you order or ask for the 5% discount at the showroom.

You cannot combine this promotion with other current promotions.

Some manufacturer restrictions may apply including Meade and Celestron items with MAP pricing. Call us (888-427-8766) for other deals on Meade, Televue and Celestron.

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: “Dark Matter in the Universe”
Date of event: Friday, March 19, 2010
Time of Event: 7:30 PM
Location of Event: Mesa Union School, Multi-purpose Room, 3901 Mesa School Rd, Somis CA

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

The Ventura County Astronomical Society (VCAS) will hold it’s monthly membership meeting on Friday, March 19th at 7:30 PM in the multi-purpose room at Mesa Union School, 3901 Mesa School Rd., Somis CA. The speaker will be Dr. Tommaso Treu who is an Associate Professor at the University of California Santa Barbara. Dr. Treu secured his PhD at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, Italy and was a postdoctoral scholar in Astronomy at Caltech. His presentation is titled “Dark Matter in the Universe”. According to current understanding of cosmology and astronomical observations most of the mass of the universe is in the form of a mysterious substance that does not emit or absorb light, known as dark matter. Dr. Treu will describe astronomical observations of dark matter based on the gravitational lensing effect and discuss what we know and what we do not know about this mysterious substance. Come prepared to hear about our Universe and what part Dark Matter plays in its composition. The public is invited to share in this educational and enjoyable evening.

10:33:05 PDT Spring begins at the Spring Equinox. The Spring Equinox occurs when the tilt of the Earth is in tangent with the orbit of Earth around the Sun. This point marks the beginning of Spring. An Equinox has an equal amount of daylight and nighttime.

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.

Please be aware that the astronomers and telescope demonstrators must cut off the line for each telescope to enable all viewing to be completed by 9:45 p.m. Hours for telescope operation are not the same as for the building (which closes at 10:00 p.m.).

16:55:13 PDT For planets outside the Earth's orbit (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto), the months around Oppositions are the best time to view these. An Opposition occurs when the planet is opposite from the Sun relative to the Earth. At Opposition the planet will rise as the Sun sets and will set as the Sun rises providing an entire night of observation. Also at Opposition the planet comes physically closest to the Earth in it's orbit so it appears as large as possible.

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

Admission: $5.00 for adults; $4.00 for Senior Citizens, Astronomy Group members & LAVC students with paid ASO activity cards; $3 for children ages 8-16. (Sorry, we cannot admit children under the age of 8).

Shows are subject to change; call ahead to check on the current show topic: (818) 947 2335

March 26, 2010 - “The Spring Sky” - As milder weather returns the familiar constellations of Spring reappear. Join us as we show you how to find these constellations in the evening sky, and take a humorous look at the myths behind them.

Life Science Building Room 1728
(easy access from parking lot on Winnetka side of campus, front of the college)

INFRARED ASTRONOMY FROM AN AIRPLANE

How does Infrared make objects which are completely invisible, appear before our eyes? Use this for everything from Crime Scene Investigation to Planet Detection!

PLUS

First-hand report from NASA's D.C. Office, on changes in operating Space Missions, the hottest places to go (in Space) right now, using the hottest means of transportation!

Private Enterprise Space Travel; get comfortable and safe accommodations, while you're flying 'Business Class'.

...and, Get All the Details on...

Upcoming, nearby, Star Party, under lovely Spring Skies Dark Skies Camping

Use of the renowned Mt. Wilson Telescope, all night JPL Open House

(did I mention the cookies?)

EVERYONE IS CORDIALLY WELCOME!

Space Limited.

Celebrate the Spring Equinox on March 20th and the Saturn Opposition on March 21st with the Woodland Hills Telescope Saturn Opposition/Spring Cleaning Sale!

From Friday, March 19, 2010 until Monday, March 29, 2010 get a 5% discount on all telescopes and telescope accessory purchases.

Use the code 'EQUINOX-5%' in the comment field of the shopping cart when you order or ask for the 5% discount at the showroom.

You cannot combine this promotion with other current promotions.

Some manufacturer restrictions may apply including Meade and Celestron items with MAP pricing. Call us (888-427-8766) for other deals on Meade, Televue and Celestron.