Planetary Society's Day of Action March 8th, 2022

Join the Planetary Society on March 8, 2022, to advance key initiatives in space science, human exploration of deep space, and planetary defense. Participants will receive discounts and even free Astro Tours!

Did you watch "Don't Look Up" or have you been excitedly observing the progress probes like the James Webb Telescope have been making? Then you might be the perfect advocate for space! Projects like protecting out planet from comets/meteorites, sending probes to touch the sun, or rovers to Mars are only possible with public interest in space. So help the Planetary Society (a nonprofit dedicated to space headed by Bill Nye) show that there's interest in these programs.

The easiest way to do this is to sign on to their PLEDGE TO TAKE ACTION ON MARCH 8TH it's free and easy. Adding your name to the pledge lets the planetary society show congress there's serious public interest in space they will also send you training materials, talking points, and instructions so you’ll be ready to advocate locally for space.

PLEDGE TO TAKE ACTION ON MARCH 8TH

If you live in the United States and have time on March 8th to directly engage your congressional representatives to advocate for space you can REGISTER FOR THE 2022 DAY OF ACTION it costs 30$ (20$ for students), and you must be a US Citizen. Registering means you will advocate directly by participating in virtual meetings with members of Congress and their staff. The Planetary Society will provide training, schedule your meetings, and prepare key talking points. Participants provide their passion for space and desire to make a difference. Due to COVID-19 and the U.S. Congress's ongoing restrictions on in-person visits, the 2022 Day of Action will once again be a virtual event over zoom.

REGISTER FOR THE 2022 DAY OF ACTION

To sweeten the deal Astrotours.org will be providing 5$ off Boulder tours this spring to anyone who pledges to take action and a Free Boulder tour this spring to anyone that registers and participates in the day of action. Just let us know when you book! (offer for tours in Boulder only must e done prior to booking)

Job Posting

Seeking Tour Guides

AstroTours.org is a local astronomy tour business operating out of Boulder Colorado and servicing the surrounding area. AstroTours.org is currently looking for multiple tour guides to help during the busiest spring/summer nights. Tours occur at night starting at sunset and last about 2 hrs. Shifts will be 4 to 6 hours long to give time to prep before, and clean/pack up after the tour.

Must:

Be reliable

Be somewhat familiar with astronomy and using a telescope (training will be provided)

Have a driver's licence, and experience driving in the mountains at night.

Be able to lift 55lbs.

Enjoy communicating complex ideas to people from all over the world.

Definitely highlight if you have any of these skills:

Knowledge of folklore surrounding astronomy such as mythology/astrology/indigenous names of stars/etc...

Safety experience; CPR, First Aid, etc…

Knowledge of Colorado nature/flora/fauna/geology/geography/history

Travel/tour guiding experience

If interested and you meet all of “Musts” please send an email to Luke@AstroTours.org with:

• “Job posting” in the title field of the Email

• CV (or resume) attached

• Include in the body of the email:

• Brief bio highlighting your astronomy skills/experience,

• What availability you will have this spring/summer,

• Your favorite Messier object (or object from any other catalog),

• And any questions you might have.

Navigating the Northern hemisphere

The Big Dipper can be used reliably to find your way around the sky and around Earth as well. Here’s how:

step 1) Locate the Big Dipper

The Big Dipper is very iconic and with its bright stars it’s usually one of the first things to jump out at you. Currently look for the Big Dipper very low in the northern sky (slightly east of due north) just after sunset. Depending on the time of year at sunset, the Big Dipper ranges from in the north-east from February to March, high in the north from April to May, in the north-west from June to October, and very low on the northern horizon November to January.

step 2) Find the North Star (Polaris) with the Big Dipper

One of the reasons the Big Dipper is so iconic is because it has been used for centuries to find the North Star. The two stars that make the end of the vessel of the Big Dipper are called “the pointer stars” because they point at the North Star. Make an imaginary line with these stars and trace it until you run into another star of similar brightness to the pointers, this is the North Star. (it’s a common misconception that the North Star is a particularly bright star; it’s really of similar brightness to the stars in the Big Dipper).

step 3) Find north with the North Star

Now that you found the North Star all you have to do is drop a line directly down to the horizon from that star and that’s due north!

Step 4) find your latitude with the North Star

The North Star can also tell you latitude; all you have to do is measure what angle the North Star is above the northern horizon and that’s your latitude. There’s a very ‘handy’ way of doing this with the pointer stars (the stars at the end of the vessel of the big dipper). Hold your hand out at a full arms length and measure how many fingers fit between the pointer stars (usually three fingers). The pointer stars are almost exactly 5 degrees apart so now all you have to do is count how many fingers fit between the horizon and the North Star and you have a rough estimate of how far north you are on the planet.

For example Baseline Road in south Boulder is called “baseline” because it is surveyed to be on the 40th parallel. If three fingers fit between the pointer stars, you would find standing on the sidewalk of Baseline Road eight sets of three (or 24 fingers) fit between the horizon and the North Star proving Baseline Road is exactly 40° north.

Baseline Rd extending across Colorado as seen from Sunrise Amphitheater

Tip: for the longitude measurement to work you have to start on the true horizon. Imagine you’re on a boat in the middle of the ocean, where the water meets the sky is your true horizon. Do not use trees/buildings/mountains as the start of the horizon as measuring up any higher than the true horizon will make your measurement inaccurate.