LVAS is a proud member of the NASA/JPL Night Sky Network. LVAS events will be posted on the Night Sky Network website at

Night Sky Network:Las Vegas Astronomical Society:Event Calendar.

In Memory of Rick Lamison

Rick Lamison

It is with great sadness that I inform you that LVAS member and dear friend, Rick Lamison lost his four-year battle with cancer and passed away on Saturday, 28 August at 11:10 in the morning. He was surrounded by his family and close friends as he slipped the bonds of Earth on his way to a more celestial sphere. Our hearts reach out to Jennifer, his precious wife, his mother Naomi, and his children and grandchildren. They and we shall miss him deeply. We have all been blessed by our association with this kind and generous man. The world is suddenly poorer without him; yet those in the life hereafter are far richer. Take care, Rick, until we see each other again and renew our friendship in the realms above.

A Memorial Service for Rick will be at the Palm Mortuary at 7600 S. Eastern Avenue in Las Vegas. Viewing will be from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 2nd with the Memorial Service immediately following at 6:00 p.m. The phone number for more information at Palm Mortuary is 702-464-8500.

Remember to register for Cathedral Gorge and Death Valley!

Recent Updates

- The Two Moon (Mars) Hoax - See below

- Cathedral Gorge Star Party and Campout Update - Registration is required for this event.

- CSN Planetarium gets new DigiStar 4 Projectors - see article below.

The Two Moon (Mars) Hoax

Two Moons

Have you fallen victim to the Mars Hoax? If you have, don't feel too bad, many unsuspecting folks are trapped by this hoax until they learn of its errors. Several iterations of the Mars Hoax have continuously circulated since the Mars Opposition of 2003. The current hoax claimed that Earth would appear to have two moons on August 27th. This particular hoax is erroneous on a number of points, of which the average person might not be aware. Hopefully the explanation that follows will assist you in helping other unsuspecting victims know the real truth about Mars and its close approaches to Earth.

Notable Events

International Space Station Passes

See the table below for bright ISS evening passes between now and 16 September. Normally, only the passes that are brighter than -2.0 in magnitude, or those that are brighter than -1.5 magnitude and greater than 4 minutes in duration are posted. There are many passes near that threshold during the morning and evening hours for the rest of August and early September, so check the link below for other passes that you might like to catch.

Date	Mag	Start	Finish	Duration	Direction
Aug 28 **	-1.4	19:46:39	19:51:51	5:12	W (265°) to NNE (27°)
Sep 11 *	-2.2	19:49:24	19:53:10	3:46	NNW (265°) to ENE (73°)
Sep 12 *	-3.6	20:16:06	20:19:19	3:13	NW (309°) to SSE (169°)
Sep 13 * **	-2.5	19:07:56	19:13:19	5:23	NNW (330°) to E (105°)
Sep 14 * **	-3.2	19:34:40	19:40:16	5:36	NW (305°) to SE (143°)
Sep 16 * **	-2.6	18:53:11	18:58:56	5:45	WNW (302°) to SSE (148°)

*These passes are exceptionally bright passes. Note: Only passes of mag -2.0 or higher are listed above.

** These are horizon to horizon or near horizon to horizon passes of over 4 minute duration.

Be sure to check www.heavens-above.com for the most current prediction information. The information above is updated at least weekly, but predictions may change slightly as the date for the pass approaches, so checking the Heavens Above website will ensure you have the most accurate and up to date information about upcoming passes. A magnitude of -2.8 is about the brightness of the planets Jupiter or Venus. Look for either Jupiter or Venus when they're visible after sunset to get an idea of what to expect when the Space Station becomes visible.

Iridium Flares - an interesting phenomenon where sunlight is reflected from the large aluminum antennae on Iridium communication satellites to your observing location on the ground. Heavens-Above.com can predict Iridium Flares for almost any location. Below are links to Heavens-Above.com predictions for selected sites of interest to LVAS members:

Boulder City		Henderson		Las Vegas		North Las Vegas		Overton
Cathedral Gorge		Furnace Creek		RedStone		Red Rock Visitor Center		Sawmill Trailhead

Note from the President - August

August begins to bring us to my favorite time of year - Fall. I've always loved the Fall. I still remember the feeling of crisp cool days on the Quad of the University of Alabama. I didn't always like the Winters in Alabama with the humid cold, but the Falls were great. August in Vegas

means that the Great Basin Astronomy Festival is here and our Annual Cathedral Gorge Star Party and Campout is just around the corner. In fact, I've already received about $500 in raffle prizes from Vendors and Manufacturers for our Saturday Raffle. I'm hoping that we have an even better list of prizes this year since the economy is somewhat better than last year.

I'm looking forward to some great viewing opportunities during the months of August and September as the nights get a little longer and a little cooler. I hope you'll take the opportunity to join us for our dark sky weekends. Don't forget to check the Event Calendar to stay current on LVAS events. All of our events have been posted on the Calendar with additional information and map links. We'll start posting events for 2011 soon. Other highlights for this and the next few months include the previously mentioned Great Basin Astronomy Festival in August, the Annual Cathedral Gorge Campout and Star Party in September, and our return to Death Valley in October. Check out the Upcoming Events Info for more information on the events as they are planned and details become available.

Our Red Rock Astronomy in the Park public star parties continue to be quite a success. We are averaging between 175 and 300 people attending the presentations and night sky viewing. The new Red Rock Visitors Center provides a great venue for star parties. For larger crowds, we may soon be able to use the Visitors Center Amphitheater for our presentations. Thanks to everyone that helped at Red Rock last month. We had at least 15 telescopes and the extra members really helped with the crowd. We can use you again this month as we present "Nebulae - Clouds in Space" and continue with our tour of the Milky Way's treasures in the southern sky.

If you have some thoughts or ideas about presentations, special events, or observing locations, please drop me a line so that we can consider them as we begin to make plans for next year. This has been a great year, so far and we're looking forward to the remainder of the scheduled events for this and hope to bring you some excellent opportunities next year.

Again, please check out the Event Calendar and make plans to join us on some of the planned outings for this Fall. Until we meet out under the stars....

Clear Skies.

Rob Lambert

Last Updated on Saturday, 31 July 2010 22:20

CSN Planetarium Gets New DigiStar 4 Projector System

Needing an alternative weekend family activity? The CSN Planetarium provides three shows suitable for families. "Black Holes" is shown at 6:00pm on Friday and Saturday evenings and "Extreme Planets" is shown at 7:30pm. A short "Fall Stargazing" feature of the night sky follows each presentation. Check out the new DigiStar 4 Projectors with 4 times the brightness and resolution of the previous projector system. Come see the amazing presentations and the life-like presentation of the night sky. Immediately following the 7:30 show, guests are invited to view the planets and other celestial objects through the Planetarium's telescopes in the Observatory compound. A matinee feature, "The Little Star That Could" is shown Saturday afternoons at 3:30. All tickets are $6.00 for adults and $4.00 for students and children. Discounts are available for multiple shows. For more information about the CSN Planetarium, click on the Planetarium banner below.

Society Meetings

Monthly LVAS meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the Planetarium at the College of Southern Nevada, Cheyenne Campus - 3200 East Cheyenne (See Map). Following a short welcome and business session, a presentation on an Astronomy topic of interest is normally presented by an LVAS member or special guest. Occasionally, the program is the Planetarium presentation of the month.

Next Meeting

Thursday, 2 September 7:30p.m.

Agenda for the August Meeting

- Event Reports

- Great Basin National Park Astronomy Festival

- Astronomy in the Park at Red Rock Canyon

- Updates for Upcoming Event

- Annual Cathedral Gorge Star Party and Campout

- Furnace Creek Star Party

- Presentation: New Planetarium show on new Digistar 4 Projector

- Other Items

- TDB

- Member Discussions - Open Forum

Red Rock Events

Next Red Rock Public Star Party

LVAS Members assist Red Rock Guests

Our next "Astronomy in the Park" Star Party is Saturday, 18 September. The evening presentation, "Jupiter - King of Planets" will begin at 6:30pm in the New Red Rock Visitor's Center (See Map). Weather permitting, public viewing through LVAS member telescopes will immediately follow the presentation. Come see Jupiter (visible all night) and the Moon, and observe galaxies, nebulae, dead stars, and star clusters. There's more up there than just pinpoints of light, so Look up Las Vegas.

Planets above Red Rock

The Moon, Saturn, Mars, and Venus over Red Rock

"Astronomy in the Park" Star Parties are free and open to the public; however, the Park may charge an entrance fee of $7.00 per vehicle until the Park closes. If an attendant is in the Fee Station, LVAS members should tell the Attendant that you are there for the Star Party. See the Events Calendar for future Red Rock Event dates.

Note: The Park entrance closes at Sunset, so if you don't plan to attend the presentation, please be in the park by at least 7:00pm.

Last Updated on Sunday, 15 August 2010 08:49