THE SUN-EARTH CONNECTION

         An Education and Public Outreach (EPO) Newsletter

for the Sun-Earth Connection Science Community - and beyond!

June 4, 2004                      Volume V, Issue 2

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See End for Sponsor Information, How to Contribute (please

do!), Contact Us, Unsubscribe, or Find Back Issues

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           |                               

           |                                 _____

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    . * .'   `.  *                   | '`. (`     /` ` \`|

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    .  *`.___.' *  .                 |     (   `,  .`\ ;'|

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     .' *  |  . `.                    `.   ;/        .'

         . |                              `'-._____.-'`

           |                                          jgs

 

 

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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    =>  1. The Rarest Eclipse! Venus Transit Mon/Tues,

           June 7 (PCT), June 8 (ECT)

    =>  2. The New Space Weather Center Website

     

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 1. THE RAREST ECLIPSE! VENUS TRANSIT MON/TUES  

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On June 8th, 2004 (June 7th if you're on the West Coast of the US),

a celestial event of historical scientific importance will occur

when the silhouette of the planet Venus once again crosses the

face of the Sun, as seen from the Earth. This event, or Transit of

Venus, last occurred in 1882, so no one alive today has ever

witnessed the Transit of Venus.

 

Join us on June 8, 2004, to witness the Transit of Venus and

Live Webcast by visiting the Sun-Earth Day website at

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/sunearthday/

 

Also on June 8, 2004, The Exploratorium Crew will be hosting a

Live Webcast of the Transit of Venus from the National Observatory

of Greece, outside Athens, for a clear view of this amazing and

rare occurrence.

http://http.earthcache.net/www.exploratorium.edu/venusEC/index.html

 

WEBCAST SCHEDULE

 

1st & 2nd CONTACT PROGRAM

10:00 p.m. PDT June 7 (San Francisco)

1:00 a.m. EDT June 8 (New York)

8:00 a.m. EEST June 8 (Athens)

3rd & 4th CONTACT PROGRAM

 

4:00 a.m. PDT June 8 (San Francisco)

7:00 a.m. EDT June 8 (New York)

2:00 p.m. EEST June 8 (Athens)

 

If you are able to receive NASA TV, you can watch the webcast

live from Greece between 1:00 and 1:45 AM EDT with the initial

passage of Venus onto the disk of the Sun, and between 7:00 and

7:30 AM EDT on the emergence of Venus from the disk of the Sun.

From 1:45 to 7:00 AM, there will be 5 minute updated solar images

but no narrated program. (Please notice that NASA TV may pre-empt

scheduled programming for live Agency events.)

 

 

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 2. THE NEW SPACE WEATHER CENTER WEBSITE

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www.spaceweathercenter.org (Note that this site uses Flash, and

may not work on some Unix systems.]

 

Like mini-golf?  Ever tried it with a proton in the magnetosphere? 

Or how about trying to knock out an Earth orbiting satellite

with a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)?

 

The Space Science Institute (www.spacescience.org ) launched

the Space Weather Center website in 1999 in support of the

1,000 square foot, nationally touring science exhibit of the

same name (developed in partnership with NASA/GSFC). 

While the exhibit has since retired, the new Space Weather Center

website (intended for general audiences) is one of the most

comprehensive and accessible space weather information resources

available online today.

 

The redesigned site has a fresh new look, and a number of online

interactives that help communicate some of the basic concepts

related to space weather and Sun-Earth connections (like Space Golf

and the Wrath of Ra). The overall structure of the site tells the

space weather story, beginning with the plasma state of matter and a 

thorough introduction to the Sun – the place where space weather

begins.  Other areas of the site continue the story, focusing on

auroras and storms in Earth’s magnetic field, space weather

forecasting and research/modeling.

 

Visitors can also access additional resources, such as a space

weather FAQ, links, and a glossary and they can download the

Family Guide to the Sun. Teachers can also download the latest

version of SSI’s middle school supplement, Solarscapes.

 

The Family Guide to the Sun is an innovative collection of pictures,

puzzles, poetry, and projects for use with adults, educators,

and parents who work with kids aged 6- 12 in informal learning

settings (e.g. at home, in museums, planetariums, nature centers,

youth groups, etc). Its major themes are: The Sun as a Star, The Sun's 

Connection to Life on Earth, The Sun's "Motion" in Earth's Sky, and

The Sun's 11-Year Cycle of Activity. 

 

Feedback is welcomed. Our hope is that space weather researchers

will want to contribute to the site: offering models, graphics,

and other resources. We encourage you to link this site to yours.

 

Paul B. Dusenbery, Executive Director

Space Science Institute

4750 Walnut Street, Suite 205

Boulder, CO 80301

720-974-5822 (o)

720-974-5837 (fax)

 

 

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Newsletter Sponsor Info: Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum

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An integral element of the Office of Space Science (OSS)

education and public outreach strategy is the establishment of

a network for space science to foster a wide variety of edu-

cation and public outreach activities. This network of

institutions include (1) four Education Forums that serve as

major centers for space science education and public outreach

in each of the four OSS Themes, and (2) a set of regional

Broker/Facilitators who, for example, help arrange collab-

orations between scientists and the education community.

The Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum (SECEF) is a partner-

ship led by Goddard Space Flight Center and UC Berkeley’s

Space Sciences Laboratory. To learn more about SECEF and the

Office of Space Science Education and Public Outreach program,

go to:

 

http://spacescience.nasa.gov/education/ecosystem/index.htm

 

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How to Contact Us

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The Sun-Earth CONNECTION Education and Public Outreach

newsletter is issued approximately every 4-6 weeks. Back issues

can be found at

 

http://sunearth.ssl.berkeley.edu/SECNews/

 

The Newsletter is sponsored by the NASA Sun-Earth Connection

Education Forum (Goddard Space Flight Center and UC Berkeley;

Rich Vondrak and Isabel Hawkins, Co-Directors) Sun-Earth

Connection Education Forum Web Site:

 

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov   and

http://sunearth.ssl.berkeley.edu

 

Please direct all submissions to the newsletter to:

 

Karin Hauck (Editor) - E-mail: editor@sunearth.ssl.berkeley.edu 

 

             Phone: (510) 642-2343   Fax: (510) 643-5660

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