Events Calendar January 11 - January 14 Low Tide in the late afternoon Thursday, January 12 Venus at "prime time" just past sunset and Full Wolf Moon Friday, January 13 Charter Family Low Tide Exploration 3:15 pm Campus Point Saturday, January 14 Regulus near gibous Moon in late evening Thursday, January 19 Early morning viewing of the Moon, Jupiter and Spica in close formation Saturday, January 21 Underwater Parks Day Festival 11-3 pm Sea Center Winter Bird Count 4 Kids by SB Audubon Society 9 am - 12 Tuesday, January 24 Just before dawn viewing of Saturn near the crescent Moon Wednesday, January 25 Pre-dawn viewing of Mercury hanging near the crescent Moon . Saturday, January 28 New Moon Tuesday January 31 As darkness falls the Moon, Mars, and Venus will form a celestial triangle. Special EventsSaturday January 21st provides two engaging science special events. In the morning from 9 am - noon the Santa Barbara Audubon Society is hosting its' Winter Bird Count 4 Kids. My kids and I did this last year and it was really fun. They provided easy to use binoculars and guides to help us identify the many birds around Lake Los Carneros. RSVP at [email protected] Later in the day from 11 am - 3pm the Sea Center presents Underwater Parks Day. Celebrate the biodiversity of marine animals living in our coastal waters. Investigate a micro marine ecosystem, spy on shore birds, embark on an ocean knowledge quest, meet birds of prey up close, and create ocean-themed art. Admission is free for elementary school students from Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Low Tide Last month's Charter Tide Pool Exploration was great fun. About 30 people showed up at campus point to explore the very low tide. Together we found 3 octopi which inked, many sea hares which inked an incredible magenta color, a Spanish Shawl nudibranch, many colorful huge crabs, and tiny hermit crabs among other discoveries. If you missed out last month I encourage you to make it to a low tide next week. Next month (February) is your last chance for a very low tide at a convenient time (unless you want to get up at 3 am) until December 2017. The low tides for this month are Wednesday January 11 at 3:17 pm (-1.5 feet), Thursday January 12 at 4 pm (-1.4 feet), Friday January 13 at 4:42 pm (-1.2 feet), and Saturday January 14 at 5:32 pm (-0.9 feet) . In addition to campus point any beach with a rocky shoreline will provide habitat for intertidal creatures. CHARTER FAMILY TIDE POOL EXPLORATION: Last month's get together was so fun I have decided to do it again. You are invited to meet on Friday, January 13 at 3:15 pm at Campus Point at UCSB. I will have buckets and field guides for identifying tide pool creatures. If you plan on coming if you text or email me, I can be on the lookout for you [email protected] or 619-993-4339 This is not an official school sponsored event. DIRECTIONS: Exit Highway 101 northbound at Highway 217. Follow it to the end where it enters the UCSB gate. Go around the big circle and turn on Lagoon Rd. At the end of Lagoon Rd (before the signs that don't allow you to drive further) there is a large parking lot on your left. Read the sign by the pay machine- a few of the stalls are for beach access from 7:30am-5pm on weekdays. The Night Sky this Month This month provides many opportunities for viewing exciting celestial phenomenon. On Thursday January 12 Venus will be at its best viewing in about a decade. It will be at its highest point in the sky just after sunset. In fact if you have a telescope try to view Venus throughout the month so you can view it's phases. That night is also the full wolf moon. Apparently this is the time of year that hungry wolves would howl outside tribal camps. Keep an eye on the moon this month because it will have many "visitors" nearby including the star Regulus on January 14, Jupiter and Spica on the morning of January 19, Saturn the morning of January 24, Mercury on the morning of January 25, and both Mars and Venus in the early evening of January 31. The national geographic has an excellent article with details and easy to understand graphics about all of these events at : http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/01/skywatching-sky-guide-january-meteors-planets-astronomy/ Try this at home: Fishing for Ice All you need for this experiment is a cup of ice, salt, and a string. Directions
In the News
Channel Island Foxes removed from endangered species list and other top animal stories of 2016. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2016/12/30/nine-great-news-stories-about-animals-in-2016/?utm_term=.9f3fb2fad988
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Leise Thomason-BA Biology Brown University Categories |