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Image of Saturn taken by Cassini spacecraft in October 28, 2016.

Credit: NASA / JPL / Cassini

Fading Females

As the daughter of our town’s E.S.D.A. Coordinator, I have always been intrigued by ham radio. My father (and elmer) has been a ham for about 40 years. He actually received his license when he was in high school!

After studying for three weeks, I went to take the ham test. I was very discouraged to see that I was the only girl in the room. However, I was treated like a queen by the group that was hosting the test. They seemed excited to have a female in their midst.

Upon receiving my Technician license, I eagerly awaited the Tuesday night ARES net (which my dad happens to be the Net Control of). Again, I was saddened to hear but a few female voices. Over time, I noticed that the female hams rarely checked in to the net. I wondered why these women who worked so hard to achieve their licenses would not want to take advantage of all that ham radio has to offer.

I hope that women are being encouraged to be active hams. Whether they join a club or simply make contacts, females are providing a fresh voice and perspective to the hobby. So, ladies, do not be shy! Proudly check in with your call sign. You have earned it!

Eclipse News at AstroTidbits

Don’t know how to prepare for the coming total eclipse of the sun?  Get some info at http://www.astrotidbits.com and be ready.

William Herschel discovered Uranus in 1781. 205 years later in 1986, NASA sent Voyager 2 2.6 billion km to photograph it. Quite a leap in 2 centuries’ time. *http://bit.ly/AstroTwitter

A once in a lifetime event visible every 75-76 years, Halleys comet returned in 1986. Halley is the only short-period comet that is clearly visible to the naked eye from Earth. It has been documented since 240 BC.

Ted Chin

Orion nebula & The running man nebula, by TimMorrill

Orion nebula & The running man nebula.

Map of Jupiter’s South

This map of Jupiter is the most detailed global color map of the planet ever produced. The round map is a polar stereographic projection that shows the south pole in the center of the map and the equator at the edge. It was constructed from images taken by Cassini on Dec. 11 and 12, 2000, as the spacecraft neared Jupiter during a flyby on its way to Saturn. The map shows a variety of colorful cloud features, including parallel reddish-brown and white bands, the Great Red Spot, multi-lobed chaotic regions, white ovals and many small vortices. Many clouds appear in streaks and waves due to continual stretching and folding by Jupiter’s winds and turbulence. The bluish-gray features along the north edge of the central bright band are equatorial “hot spots,” meteorological systems such as the one entered by NASA’s Galileo probe. Small bright spots within the orange band north of the equator are lightning-bearing thunderstorms. The polar region shown here is less clearly visible because Cassini viewed it at an angle and through thicker atmospheric haze. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Saturn in Infrared from Cassini

The rings of Saturn, observed by the Cassini space probe on May 3, 2017.