Astronews
Special News Topics/Of Special Interest

"400 Years of the Telescope."
To Be Broadcast: PBS-TV 2009 April 10, 10:00 p.m. EDST
(Check local PBS-TV station for other dates and times.)

"Space Station Construction Visible in Backyard Telescopes."
NASA 2009 March 17.

"Pretty Sky Alert."
NASA 2009 Feb. 26.

"Be Part Of History -- Help NASA Name The Next Space Station Module."
NASA 2009 Feb. 20.

Phillips, Dr. Tony. "Spectacular Photo-op on Saturn."
NASA 2009 Feb. 19.
Feb. 24: quadruple transit of Saturn's moons.

Cesarsky, Catherine, Pedro Russo, and Lars Lindberg Christensen.
"The Year to Celebrate Astronomy."
Sky and Telescope Magazine 2009 January.

"Biggest Full Moon of the Year." Dec. 12.
NASA 2008 Dec. 9.

"Spectacular Conjunction." Dec. 1.
NASA 2008 Nov. 24.

"Racers Get Ready! NASA's Great Moonbuggy Registration Begins."
NASA 2008 Nov. 20.

"NASA Invites Students to Name New Mars Rover."
NASA 2008 Nov. 18.

Rao, Joe. "Meteor Shower Could Spur Bright Fireballs."
Yahoo/Space.com 2008 Oct. 31.

"Halloween Sky Show."
NASA 2008 Oct. 28.

Klinkenborg, Verlyn. "Light Pollution, Our Vanishing Night."
National Geographic Magazine 2008 November.
Johns, Chris. Editor's Note
National Geographic Magazine 2008 November.
( November Magazine Cover)

Borenstein, Seth. "Scientists view both Obama, McCain as supportive."
Yahoo/AP 2008 Oct. 15.

***

Declaring Saturday, October 11, 2008 "Langley High School Day." Proclamation.
Pittsburgh City Council 2008 Oct. 14.
Related Information

Congratulating Langley High School Alumni Association on Tenth Anniversary. Proclamation.
Pittsburgh City Council 2008 Oct. 14.
Related Information

Langley High School, opened in Pittsburgh in April of 1923, was named for
Western University of Pennsylvania (now the University of Pittsburgh)
Astronomy Professor Samuel Pierpont Langley who directed the original
Allegheny Observatory for 25 years.

***

"Space tourist returns from $30M orbital trip."
CNN 2008 Oct. 24.
"Expedition 17 Crew Returns From International Space Station."
NASA 2008 Oct. 23.
Walsh, Glenn. "Fw: New Crew Blasts Off for International Space Station." E-Mail List Message.
South Hills Backyard Astronomers 2008 Oct. 13.
Crew includes Richard Garriott, son of former NASA astronaut Owen Garriott
(first son of a former U.S. astronaut to fly into space), and NASA veteran
astronaut E. Michael Fincke, who credits Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium
for his interest in becoming an astronaut. Buhl Planetarium celebrated 69th anniversary
of dedication on 2008 Oct. 24.
More information and mission updates

Controversy regarding Senator John McCain's remarks, during the second presidential
debate, regarding requested Federal funding for an "overhead projector" at
Adler Planetarium in Chicago. - 2008 Oct. 7.

"Barack Obama answers 14 top science questions."
ScienceDebate2008.com 2008 Aug. 30.

Roach, John. "Ten ancient observatories spied from space."
MSNBC 2008 Aug. 20.

Boren, Jeremy. "Pittsburgh filmmaker focuses on observatory."
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 2008 Aug. 19.
Film on history of Allegheny Observatory.

"NASA denies rumors of finding life on Mars."
Wikinews.org 2008 Aug. 5.

"Scientists puzzling over chemical found in Martian soil."
CNN 2008 Aug.5.

Covault, Craig. "White House Briefed On Potential For Mars Life."
Aviation Week and Space Technology Magazine On-Line 2008 Aug. 1.

"NASA Spacecraft Confirms Martian Water, Mission Extended."
NASA/JPL 2008 July 31.

"Total eclipse provides rare delight."
CNN 2008 Aug. 1.

Total Solar Eclipse August 1 in Asia and Greenland
Partial Eclipse of the Sun in northern North America, Europe, also Middle East and Asia
Safe Way to View Solar Eclipse

"Partial Eclipse, Total Fun."
NASA 2008 July 29.
Sokhareva, Natalya. "Eclipse revives homemade telescopes."
News Daily 2008 July 30.

"The 2008 Perseid Meteor Shower." August 12
NASA 2008 July 22.

* "Allegheny Observatory to offer tours, lectures."
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 2008 March 24.

* 2008 Feb. - Recent News of Controversy Regarding "Bodies...the Exhibition"
at The Carnegie Science Center,
Including claims of use of bodies of Chinese political prisoners
by the ABC-TV news show "20/20."

* "Sciencedebate2008
A Call for a Presidential Debate on Science and Technology"
Sciencedebate2008 2008 Jan. 11.

* 2009 - 400th Anniversary of Astronomical Telescope
and The International Year of Astronomy 2009

* ALSO -- ADD YOUR NAME TO THE UPCOMING NASA KEPLER MISSION SPACECRAFT.
Name in Space is an activity in association with the International Year of Astronomy 2009.

OF SPECIAL INTEREST

** 2006 Dec. 1 - The Boston Globe:
'The Nativity Story'
Which describes the Star of Bethlehem as conjunction of Venus and Jupiter,
one of the alternatives given in Buhl Planetarium's "Star of Bethlehem"
sky show, shown in the original Theater of the Stars 1939-1990.

** 2006 Nov. 28 - IN THEATERS DEC. 22:
"Night at the Museum" *** More info

* Observation of the Impact of Smart-1 from Hawaii
* SMART-1 Info: Euopean Space Agency (ESA)
* 2006 Sept. 5 - CNN/AP:
Europe's spacecraft hits the moon
* NEW - Graham's Corner Weblog Column by Francis G. Graham,
Professor of Astronomy and Physics at Kent State University,
Published Here at the Beginning of Each Month --
2006 July - August: THE SMART-1 IMPACT ON THE MOON
European SMART-1 Spacecraft's September crash on Moon
may be visible to amateur astronomers with large telescopes.
* News Release - 2006 Sept 1:
Space Probe Crash on Moon May Be Visible to
Amateur Astronomers with Large Telescopes Saturday Night
Graham's Corner Weblog Archives

* 2006 June - Reflections Quarterly Publication of the
Mt. Wilson Observatory Association:
ANDREW CARNEGIE VISITS MOUNT WILSON
As Recounted in Newspapers of the Time
(Poor weather obscures view of Halley's Comet
during 1910 March visit.)
By Marilyn Morgan
(Page 4 of the .pdf document)

* 2006 Aug. 28 - News Release:
Children’s Museum Ignores Roof Needs in 2002, During Capital Campaign;
Now Seeks Taxpayer Funds for Old Post Office Roof Replacement
Gutting of Buhl Planetarium facilities received priority over roof repair.

* 2006 July 13 - Port Authority Board of Directors approves "North Shore
Connector" rapid transit extension project, to serve Pittsburgh's Lower
North Side.
*** Pittsburgh's Lower North Side, originally Allegheny City,
is home to America's first publicly-funded Carnegie Library
and the world's first Carnegie Hall, Pittsburgh's original
Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science
(which merged with Carnegie Institute in 1987),
and it is the neighborhood where Andrew Carnegie grew-up.

* 2006 March 27 - News Release:
Science Center Misses Deadline to Reassemble
Historic Zeiss Projector; Claims Delay
Also see News Article.

* Latest news on damaged Carnegie Library clock tower
and Carnegie Library intention to relocate first U.S. publicly-funded
Carnegie Library, built by Andrew Carnegie in neighborhood of his youth.

* Latest news on construction of subway link to serve Pittsburgh's Lower North Side
(where industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie grew-up),
including original Carnegie Free Library of Allegheny (nation's first
publicly-funded Carnegie Library), Carnegie Hall (world's first Carnegie Hall),
and original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.

* Latest news on conversion of last hometown department store, Kaufmann's.
to Macy's; earlier hometown department store, Boggs and Buhl, led to
construction of The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.

* 2006 Oct. 20 - National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Hawaii:
Subaru Earthquake Update
Regards impact of recent Hawaii earthquake on Suburu Telescope,
the mirror of which was produced by L-3 Brashear in Pittsburgh.

Howell, Donna. "John Brashear Kept His Goals In Sharp Focus."
Investor's Business Daily 2006 Oct. 18: A3.
Howell, Donna. "John Brashear Kept His Goals In Sharp Focus."
Investor's Business Daily 2009 March 5: A3.
< http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ >. Posted 2009 March 4. Viewed 2009 March 5.
(Reprint of 2006 Oct. 18 article)
(Donna Howell, Technology Reporter, Investor's Business Daily)
Friends of the Zeiss Project Director Glenn A. Walsh is extensively
quoted in this national business newspaper article, regarding the life of
famous 19th century astronomer and lens maker John A. Brashear,
who was a confidant of Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick.

"John Brashear Kept His Goals In Sharp Focus."
Investor's Business Daily 2009 March 5: A3.
(Reprint of 2006 Oct. 18 article)
Howell, Donna. "John Brashear Kept His Goals In Sharp Focus."
Investor's Business Daily 2006 Oct. 18: A3.
(Donna Howell, Technology Reporter, Investor's Business Daily)
Friends of the Zeiss Project Director Glenn A. Walsh is extensively
quoted in this national business newspaper article, regarding the life of
famous 19th century astronomer and lens maker John A. Brashear,
who was a confidant of Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick.

From the 2006 National Preservation Conference:

Preservation of Carnegie Libraries as Libraries

* 2006 Nov. 3 - 2006 National Preservation Conference, Pittsburgh
Sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, with
local sponsorship (2006) by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation.
Session - Carnegie Libraries: Challenges and Solutions - Presentations:
* "The Architecture of Literacy, Carnegie Libraries in the U.S."
By Mary B. Dierickx, President, Mary B. Dierickx Architectural Preservation Consultants
* "How to Save Carnegie Libraries as Libraries"
By Joe Rizzo, AIA, ALA, Principal, Hillier Architecture
* "Primary Impediments to Historic Preservation: EGO and MONEY !"
By Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director, Friends of the Zeiss

* Pittsburgh Public Transit Agency Proposes Drastic Service Cuts
effective 2007 June 24, Fare Increase effective 2008 Jan. 1.