The Julian News 3
November 21, 2018
THEJULIANTREECOMPANY
Local Experience Since 1988
* Tree Consulting and Inspection
* LongTerm Forest Maintenance and Planning
* Hazardous Removal and Precision Felling
* Ornamental Pruning and Lacing
* Brush Clearing and Chipping
FREE ESTIMATES
Licensed and Bonded
Fully Insured for Your Protection
ERIC DAUBER
H: 760-765-2975
C: 760-271-9585
PO Box 254
JULIAN, CA.
92036 WE-8690A
License #945348
Cold December Nights Showcase
Brilliant Dark Sky Objects
by Bill Carter
December is one of the finest months for amateur astronomers using
binoculars or a small telescope to observe deep sky objects. In past
articles I have discussed the stunning Pleiades open cluster located
on the shoulder of the constellation Taurus the Bull, and the Double
Cluster located midway between the main stars (Delta Cassiopeiae
and Gamma Perseus) in the constellations Cassiopeia and Perseus.
Open star clusters are a relatively compact collection of a few dozen
to a few hundred stars that formed from a single molecular cloud.
The stars in these open clusters are only loosely gravitationally
bound so they disperse after a brief time (as long as several hundred
million years in astronomical terms). However, this month I want to
highlight an open cluster in the constellation Cassiopeia designated
as NGC 457. This cluster is often referred to as the “Owl Cluster”
or more commonly, since Steven Spielberg’s 1982 movie, the “E.T.
Cluster”. This cluster is located just 2 degrees south-southwest of
the star Delta Cassiopeiae, the second most northern star in the “W”
shaped Cassiopeia constellation (just slightly northeast of the zenith).
The E.T. cluster consists of two prominent stars at its southeastern
end that mark the alien’s eyes, two chains of stars running northeast
and southwest that form its arms and two stars at its northwestern
end that mark its feet. The cluster bears an uncanny resemblance to
the alien in the movie, and if you stare at it for a while you may even
see the different colors of the two eyes – yellow and blue-white.
December is also a great month to observe two galaxies that are
both members of our local group of galaxies, the Andromeda Galaxy
(M31) and the Pinwheel Galaxy (M33). I recommend that you turn
your binoculars or small telescope toward The Great Pegasus Cluster
(M15) in the constellation Pegasus. This globular cluster is located
4 degrees northwest of the long arm of stars extending west from
the nearly square-shaped constellation Pegasus. The square of
Pegasus will be located very slightly south of the zenith. A globular
cluster is a giant ball of stars that orbit the Milky Way galaxy in its halo
rather than in its disk. This globular cluster is more than 30,000 light
years from Earth and contains about 100,000 stars that are over 12
billion years old. The center of this cluster has experienced a “core
collapse” and is not resolvable in ground-based telescopes.
One of the most productive and reliable meteor showers each year,
the Geminids, will peak at 4:30 am PST on December 14th. These
meteors have an asteroid as their source rather than a comet. The
apparent origin point (the radiant) for this meteor shower is Castor,
the bright star in the constellation Gemini. Castor will rise above the
eastern horizon about 45 minutes after sunset and will rise to about 30
degrees above the horizon by 9 pm local time (according to Sky and
Telescope magazine). If you wish to participate in a scientific meteor
NGC – 457 The E.T. Cluster
Make healthy choices and say
no to drugs was the theme for the
Julian Junior High School's Red
Ribbon Week sponsored by the
Junior High ASB. From October
23rd-31st, the junior high had
door decorations on each
teacher's classroom door that
supported the theme of making
healthy choices. Each student
took a pledge to live their life with
the purpose of putting things in
perspective to treat others kind
and to make healthy choices by
living a life drug free. Each day
at the junior high was filled with
spirit days where the students
dressed up for twin day, pajama
day, and more. The students also
participated in watching some
Natural High videos where they
got to see famous people making
healthy choices and living a life
with natural highs instead of drugs
and alcohol. It was inspiring to be
able to see how successful these
role models could be by focusing
on goals instead of drugs. The
students were also lucky enough
to be able to have a spirit day
filled with fun-filled activities
such as bobbing for apples, relay
races, and real life natural highs
such as fun games and laughing,
as well as they got to see former
students (alumni from Julian
Junior High) come back to talk to
the students about their choices
and their lives.
Speakers like Nick Massa
who is a competitive weight lifter
told of his story how he stayed
away from drugs and alcohol by
focusing on positive choices, role
models, and weight lifting. He
was able to bench press almost
400 pounds right in front of the
student body and that inspired
many of the students to be able
to see what they can accomplish
by setting goals, staying away
from drugs, and making sure to
have positive influences in their
lives. Another speaker and alum
was Isaiah Ortega who now is
a fire fighter but showed up as
Deadpool. When he arrived on
campus, the kids flocked around
him because they were so
excited to meet Deadpool, but he
told them that although Deadpool
came to school today, that they
can reach their own goals and
be anything that they set their
mind to and encouraged them to
make choices that will get them
to where they want to be in life.
Local sheriff Colt Anderson,
also a former alum, spoke on
how he became a sheriff and
the hard work that he had to do
in order to accomplish his goal
and the consequences of what
happens when kids do not pick
a healthy lifestyle. He talked
about the long term effects of
what drugs and alcohol can do
We filled the entire boat on the Pirates of the Caribbean with Julian ASB
officers.
The Julian Junior High officers woke up very early this past week!
They rolled out of bed while the stars were still out to make it to the
school by 5A.M. Too bad most of them don’t drink coffee! They set
off for a grand adventure in Anaheim. First, they attended “LASC”
Leadership Association of Student Council where they learned
valuable leadership skills. Then it was off to the main attraction. They
zipped through the cosmos, ran a raft down a waterfall, fought of
pirates in the Caribbean, and had many more fantastic adventures.
To round out the day of fun they bonded and ate dinner together. The
weary students made it home around 9 P.M. We are proud to say that
all the ASB students attended classes the next day. Work hard, play
hard. A great motto to live by!
Julian Junior High
Visits Disneyland
By Mac Moretti
(Julian Junior High ASB Historian Director)
Red Ribbion Week At The Junior High
and what could happen when he
has to get involved with local law
enforcement.
Red Ribbon Week was a
wonderful time to reflect on what
making daily positive and healthy
choices can do for your life and
your future goals. Thank you
speakers and parents for your
support. The kids heard you and
got a chance to meet real life role
models and everyday heroes.
Coming up at the Junior
High on November 27th is the
Junior High's second year in
a row participating in Rachel's
Challenge where kids get to find
their voice and learn more about
the importance of kindness and
a lasting legacy. If you would like
to help out, please call the Junior
High office.
count, see detailed instructions
at www.imo.net/visual/major.
As for the planets; Saturn sets
about two hours after the Sun in
the first half of December, Mars
moves from the constellation
Aquarius in the southwest to
the constellation Pisces in the
south during the month and
sets at approximately 11:30 pm
each night, Venus rises about
45 minutes before sunrise in the
southeast and Jupiter begins
to rise an hour before the Sun
in the southeast on December
12th. On December 21st, Jupiter
will pass less than 1 degree from
Mercury low in the southeast just
before dawn.
The Winter solstice (the longest
night of the year) occurs on
December 21st. The Julian Dark
Sky Network has no Star Party
events planned in December.
If you are interested in learning
more about what you can see
in our night skies, go to the
“Sky This Month” section of the
website http://www.astronomy.
com/observing.
