[AANC Contacts] Discovering New Worlds Nov 3, Chi Cygni Brightening, Cassini Mission Update Nov 12 and Halloween Pair

[Kenneth Frank]

Trick or Treat,

Here are some exclusive Bay Area treats for all to enjoy.

 From Katie Berryhill of CAS:
Escape from the last-minute campaign ads! Join us for the next Benjamin Dean Lecture on 
Monday, November 3. We will be joined by Dr. Rachel Street of Las Cumbres Observatory and 
the SuperWASP project. Her talk, Discovering New Worlds, will begin at 7:30 pm.

" Humans have wondered about the existence of other planets since ancient times. We live 
in an exciting era when we are discovering planets in other star systems. These systems 
are turning out to be far more diverse and extraordinary than we ever expected. This talk 
will follow the time line of discovery, tracking the search for extra-solar planets from 
the early false starts to the outstanding successes of recent years.  Along the way, we'll 
look at how these elusive objects can be found, what we have learned about them so far and 
end with a look at what forthcoming space missions may tell us."

The lecture will be held in Kanbar Hall at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco 
(3200 California Street). We hope to see you there! Two lectures to go before the return 
of the Dean Series to the Morrison Planetarium in Golden Gate Park. Be sure to be a part 
of the 20th anniversary of the series in 2009!

Benjamin Dean Lecture Series
Morrison Planetarium
California Academy of Sciences
deanseries at calacademy.org
www.calacademy.org
www.calacademy.org/events/index.php
(415) 379-8000

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 From Pat Donnelly of FPOA:
I have been observing Chi Cygni again.  Chi is now a naked eye star in Cygnus.  Its 
magnitude is approximately +4.0 and is about as bright as η-Cygni, which is also at 
magnitude +4.0.  Chi is a Mira type variable located in Cygnus near Alberio.  Since Oct 2 
Chi has brightened from about magnitude +7.3 to around +4.5. In the last week Chi has 
brightened about a half a magnitude.  The date of maximum brightness is somewhere between 
November 3 and November 11.  This means that Chi could still brighten some more and 
possibly exceed its 2006 outburst, when it reached +3.4.  It is quite red this time, and 
it rivals μ-Cephei in its redness.  Find a dark spot and look for the new guest star in 
Cygnus.  When completely dark, Cygnus is located approximately overhead.
Let Pat know if you can see it naked eye.  pmdonnelly at duke-energy.com


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 From Andy Fraknoi of ASP and Foothill College:
On Wednesday, November 12, at 7 pm, Astronomer Mark Showalter of the SETI Institute will 
give a non-technical, illustrated talk on:

Saturn's Restless Rings: Latest Results from the Cassini Mission

as part of the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures in the Smithwick Theater, Foothill 
College, El Monte Road and Freeway 280, in Los Altos Hills, California.
Free and open to the public. Parking on campus costs $2.
Call the series hot-line at 650-949-7888 for more information and driving directions.
No background in science will be required for this talk.  Seating is first come, first served.

NASA's Cassini spacecraft has just entered its fifth year exploring the planet Saturn. Its 
cameras and other instruments continue to send back to Earth a treasure trove
of new information about the planet, its rings, and its large family of fascinating moons. 
  Dr. Showalter will share some of the marvelous pictures from Saturn and take a
close-up look at the "lord of the rings".

Whereas we once believed Saturn's rings to be stable for millions of years, we are 
learning that some of the rings can change in appearance over time scales as brief as
decades, or sometimes even days. The rings have revealed a variety of surprising 
phenomena, including "jets", "propellers", "wisps", "spokes", and "braids". We are 
interested in Saturn's rings not only for their own sake, but also because in them we 
observe some of the same processes that formed our
Solar System out of a cloud of dust and debris long ago.

Dr. Mark Showalter is a Principal Investigator at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, 
whose research focuses primarily on ring-moon systems. He has been a member of the Cassini 
science team for nearly a decade, and had a lead role in planning some of Cassini's 
observations. Dr. Showalter is the discoverer of Jupiter's
outermost ring, Saturn's moon Pan, and two moons and two faint rings of Uranus.

The lecture is co-sponsored by:
* NASA Ames Research Center
* The Foothill College Astronomy Program
* The SETI Institute
* The Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

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Halloween Sky Show from Science @ NASA:
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/28oct_halloweensky.htm?list952977