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FOAP Newsletter March 2025 |
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March Madness comes to the Planetarium (but it's not what you think!). Read all about it in President Theresa Schweser's monthly message. |
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Dome Fest Film Festival
2nd Dome Fest Fulldome Film Festival Report
On February 22 and 23, FOAP hosted a program of short fulldome films, including several films created by Arlington Public Schools students! The two screenings were well attended, with many of the student filmmakers and their families present in the audience to see their work projected on the planetarium dome. Filmmakers also received certificates for submitting films to the festival. FOAP is currently planning to create specialized educational materials to encourage even more participation in the festival next year.
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Filmmakers at the 2025 Dome Fest Film Festival screenings Photo credit: Kathi Overton |
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The planetarium, ready for the beginning of the 2025 Dome Fest Film Festival.
Photo credit: Kathi Overton |
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David M Brown Public Planetarium Shows for March!
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The Friends of the Arlington Planetarium (FOAP) will be hosting full dome planetarium shows about Space Missions - Current and Future on Saturday, March 15 (6:30 and 8:00pm) and Sunday, March 16 (1:30 and 3:00pm).
Show details and an advance ticket sales notice will be released to members next week. |
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Dr. Jim and the Moon Diggers
Performing in March! Mark your calendar for a spacetacular musical program with Dr. Jim and the Moon Diggers. Join the Friends at the Planetarium on Sunday, March 16 to enjoy the show! |
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What is a lunar
eclipse?By NASA
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align so that the Moon passes into Earth’s shadow. In a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra. When the Moon is within the umbra, it appears red-orange. Lunar eclipses are sometimes called “Blood Moons” because of this phenomenon.
The Moon will pass into Earth’s shadow and appear to turn red on the night of March 13 or early in the morning on March 14, depending on time zone.
You don’t need any special equipment to observe a lunar eclipse, although binoculars or a telescope will enhance the view. A dark environment away from bright lights makes for the best viewing conditions.
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Alignment of the Moon, Earth, and Sun during a lunar eclipse (not to scale).
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio |
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Did you know that no woman or person of color has ever been on the Moon? By Kaya Sovereign One of the current space missions happening now is NASA's Artemis program. This mission wants to send people back to the Moon by 2025. They have different parts to the mission: Artemis I will test everything without people, Artemis II will take astronauts around the Moon, and Artemis III will land astronauts on the Moon. The goal is to learn how to live and work on the Moon. The program aims to “land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon.” NASA hopes to advance technology and prepare for future missions to Mars. Speaking of Mars, a future space mission to look forward to is NASA's Mars Sample Return mission. This mission aims to bring samples of Martian soil and rocks back to Earth for scientists to study. The plan involves sending a rover to Mars to collect samples, then launching them back to Earth using a special spacecraft. This mission will help scientists learn more about Mars and whether it ever had life. |
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Jokes for Kids Only!
Q. Why did the restaurant on the moon get poor reviews? A. There was no atmosphere. Q. Why couldn’t the astronaut book a room on the moon? A. It was full. Q. What was the first animal in space? A. The cow that jumped over the moon. Q. What is the center of gravity? A. The letter V. |
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What's in the Sky this Month? By Mike Rhee |
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This month we’ll take a look at the constellation Orion which hosts two amazing stars that are intrinsically bright due to their enormous sizes even though they are much further away from the sun.
Read More...
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A Total Lunar Eclipse Is Happening in March 2025! By Kathi Overton
Beginning shortly before midnight on Thursday, March 13th and extending into the morning of March 14th, a total lunar eclipse will be observable from anywhere in the continental US (weather permitting, of course).
When the Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon, it casts a shadow on the Moon. This event is called a lunar eclipse. During a total eclipse, the Moon is completely covered by the umbra, or darkest part of the Earth’s shadow, and the Moon turns a dark red or orange color. The color happens because only the Sun’s longer, reddish light waves can filter through our planet’s atmosphere and reach the Moon while it’s in Earth’s shadow.
Unlike solar eclipses, you don’t need any special equipment to view the lunar eclipse – just a good view of the Moon and enough clothing layers to keep warm!
The eclipse will start at 11:57 Eastern Daylight Time, though the easily visible part of the event won’t begin until 1:09am, when the darker umbra starts to cover the Moon. Totality will last from 2:26am until 3:31am, and the eclipse will be completely over at 6:00am. |
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Images taken during a total lunar eclipse in 2022
Photo Credit: Kathi Overton
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Roman Space Telescope: Coming Soon By Jennifer Bartlett
NASA anticipates launching the Roman Space Telescope (RST) by May 2027. The 7.9 feet (2.4 meters) telescope will observe from a point 930,000 miles (1.5 million km) away from the Earth and on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. It will have a 300-megapixel Wide Field Instrument (WFI) sensitive to infrared light along with a coronograph designed to block starlight to allow the imaging of exoplanets. Infrared light is longer than the human eye can detect; it is useful for observing cool objects, objects enshrouded in dust, and objects in the early universe. NASA designed the RST to study exoplanets and explore the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy.
Nancy Grace Roman for whom the telescope is named was born 100 years ago. She earned her doctorate in astronomy at the University of Chicago in 1949. She joined the fledgling NASA in 1959 to create their program in space-based astronomy and became the first Chief of Astronomy. Winning Congressional approval for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was one of her major accomplishments. Although she retired before the launch of that great observatory, she thought the most interesting results from HST were its measurements confirming the existence of dark energy. The “mother of Hubble” passed away in 2018.
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Nancy Roman holds a model of the Hubble Spce Telescope
Photo Credit: AIP.org |
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Photograph of RST optical assembly (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
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Happy Anniversary Astro! By Jennifer Bartlett
2025 marks the 35th anniversary of the Astro-1 mission and the 30th anniversary of the Astro-2 mission. Mounting multiple telescopes onto the reuseable SpaceLab structure turned the Space Shuttle into space-based observatory. Both Astro missions used the same three ultraviolet telescopes; Astro-1 also included an X-ray telescope. Ultraviolet light has shorter wavelengths than the human eye can detect and X-rays have even shorter wavelengths. Observing in the ultraviolet and X-ray bands provides a means of studying the high-energy universe. Astro-1 flew on the Columbia (STS 35) from December 2 through 10, 1990. Despite many technical challenges it returned 231 observations of 130 different celestial objects. From March 2 to 18, 1995, Astro-2 flew on the Endeavour (STS 67) , during which it obtained observations of more than 250 objects, including stars more than 100x hotter than our Sun and planets within our Solar System. Volunteers with the Astro Restoration Project (ARP) have rescued the Astro hardware from scrap yards. Now, they are restoring the observatory at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Education is the mission of Astro-3. |
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Space Travel Today In Photos |
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Space X Starship Photo Credit: Geekwire |
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International Space Station: A Mission to View By Jennifer Bartlett
The International Space Station (ISS) orbits the Earth at an altitude of approximately 250 miles, a Low Earth Orbit (LEO). It completes one circuit every 90 minutes or so, traveling at about 17,500 miles per hour. Since November 2, 2000, nearly 300 astronauts from 19 countries have visited this human outpost in space. Four Americans and three Russians comprise the current crew. Among these are Commander Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, whose mission is extended as they await a safe return vehicle later this month.
While aboard, ISS staff perform experiments that help scientists understand how humans, plants, and other materials respond to low-gravity conditions. NASA and four other space agencies plan these activities to prepare for future space exploration missions. However, ISS data can also address terrestrial conditions, such as treatments for people suffering from loss of bone density (osteoporosis) or monitoring natural disasters. Keep checking the science news for updates about the fascinating ISS science mission and the lives of her crew aboard.
While reading about the ISS is intriguing, glimpsing it passing over Arlington is thrilling. As the brightest object in LEO, you can see it with your eyes alone. It appears as a faint star. However, unlike the “fixed” stars, its brightness varies as it moves across the sky. It disappears abruptly into the Earth’s shadow when it is visible in the evening; similarly, it pops out of the Earth’s shadow when it is visible in the morning. To know where you should look for it, consult either website below.
You will have multiple opportunities to see the ISS this month. Your best chance is when the ISS reaches a higher altitude, appears brighter, and remains visible longer. Predictions of ISS visibility usually express the station’s height as an angle above your horizon, ranging 0 to 90 degrees. In these listings, “magnitude” (mag.) is a measure of the brightness of the ISS. In this astronomical system, the brightest objects have the lowest magnitudes, even negative values, while the dimmest object you can see without a telescope is identified as magnitude 5.
Observing sites: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/home.cfm or https://www.heavens-above.com/
ISS photograph (CC BY-NC-ND):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/51814547213/in/album-72157720187084178
More about living in space: https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/ |
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Straight from the International Space Station |
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Photo by NASA Astronaut on the ISS |
Astronaut Suni Williams Material Science Laboratory (MSL) Solidification and quench Furnace for the Low Gradient Furnace in preparation for new science samples arriving on the next Spacex cargo mission.
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Photo by NASA Astronaut on the ISS Astronaut on the ISS practicing Emergency Procedures
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Photo by NASA Astronaut on the ISS |
Astronaut Don Pettit lifts weights on our ARED machine while all wired up. NASA is checking that the machine actually activates the muscle groups it was designed to work.
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Photo by NASA Astronaut on the ISS Astronaut Suni Williams after completing the Gasparilla 15k
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This message has been sent to you from the Friends of Arlington's Planetarium.
Friends of Arlington's David M. Brown Planetarium
P.O. Box 7029
Arlington, VA 22207 USA
Copyright (C) 2025 Friends of Arlington's David M. Brown Planetarium (FOAP). All rights reserved.
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