Astronomy Club – October 2021
October 14, 2021
Posted by Lake Erie Nature and Science Center
Spot The Station
The weather is getting cooler, and our days are getting shorter. I find that during this time of year, the opportunities to get outside become shorter and further apart. Viewing the International Space Station is a quick way to see something amazing with no equipment required. Simply get online and search for “Spot The Station”. This will take you to a NASA website that forecasts visual observing times to see ISS pass overhead at your location. Using the list of sightings, find a clearing outdoors and look in the direction under “Appears”, at the exact time listed. You will see a bright (not blinking) light slowly and steadily move across the sky. In this point of light are human beings traveling at 17,000 mph around the Earth.
News and Current Events
What’s going on in the world of space and astronomy
First Private Crewed Space Mission Is A Success
On September 15, SpaceX launched the world’s first privately chartered spaceflight with no professional astronauts onboard. The crew consisted of physician assistant Hayley Arcenaux, data engineer Chris Sembroski, and geoscientist and science communication specialist Sian Proctor. The mission commander was billionaire Jared Isaacman. The four astronauts orbited the Earth for three days splashing down off the coast of Florida on September 18th.
Astro-tainment
Space and Media
GATTACA
This month we reviewed the movie “GATTACA” directed by Andrew Niccol
Vincent Freeman has always fantasized about traveling into outer space but is grounded by his status as a genetically inferior.
This film is, in my biased opinion, a classic. Not your typical sci-fi movie lacking lasers and aliens, it explores topics of space travel, genetics and prejudice in a way that is becoming more and more relevant every day.
Wrap your brain around this…
Mind-blowing facts
In 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the double helix twisted-ladder structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
If uncoiled, all the DNA from a single human cell would be about 8 feet long. Together, all of the cells in your body contain 10 billion miles of tightly coiled DNA.
Long enough to stretch from Earth to Pluto… and back.
This winter, when you feel guilty about “vegging” out on the couch, remember that you share 50% of the same DNA as a cabbage.
Become a member of the Astronomy Club!
Benefits include:
- Monthly Meetings
- Telescope Night Presentations
- Movie Nights
- Telescope Training and Loan Program
$60/year per family
Contributors And Volunteers Needed!
Have something you would like to talk about? We are looking for folks to contribute to our monthly meeting. Any and all content remotely related to space or space science is welcome. No experience required, just enthusiasm. Please contact me at: billr@lensc.org
Upcoming Events
Astronomy Club Meeting
Wednesday, October 20 @ 6:30 pm
Telescope Night
Saturday, October 23 @ 7:30 pm
