The software, Cartes du Ciel (or Sky Charts) is a fun tool for amateur astronomy.
Available at Link... for free.
You set it up for location with the icon that looks like an observatory.
For Maryville you can use the location of an overlook on the Foothills parkway: N 35° 37.594', W 83° 57.079', Alt. 2406
Use the icon that looks like a clock to set the time. Here in the eastern time zone we are at -4 hours (for Easter Daylight Time)offset from Universal Time.

The big image above is for May 4th facing south at about 10:00 PM
Some easy and familiar star patterns are given names and are called asterisms Link.... They include Orion the hunter who is just setting in the west. Three bright stars make up his belt. Next Gemini, the twins, up and to our left of Orion. Two bright stars mark the heads of the twins and roughly parallel rows of stars descend below towards the west, south west, horizon. Gemini has a wandering visitor this month, the red planet Mars. Mars is marked on the chart with a circle and a projecting arrow. To the south rests the regal Leo- lion and king of beasts. His mane and the bright start at his heart are usually the easiest stars to see in the lion's part of the sky. They look like a big reverse question mark. However, the presence of Saturn near the usually more solitary star at the bottom of the question mark confuses the lion's shape slightly. To the east is a very bright and red star, Arcturus. It can be found by "arcing along the handle of the big dipper towards the south"

From Link...

Arcturus is a ged giant star. Our sun may become like this in about 5 Billion years. One day our very atoms may be touched by the sun!
The moon is nearly full just now and is challenging the stars, but on any clear night the Heaven above Earth can be enjoyed.
Amateure astronomy is even better in person... Link...

Forrest Erickson

Saturday, November 17, 2007. The Leonid Meteors are coming and Comet Holmes is still easily visible in the North East sky after dark. Local Amateur Astronomers want to take you to these events.
The Tamke Allen Observatory in the west, the Knoxville Observers in the north and The Smoky Mountain Astronomical Society in the south are all going to be observing the comet and the Leonid meteors.
You can find the Tamke Allen Observatory web page at Link...
From that web site you can find links to both the Knoxville Observers and the Smoky Mountain Astronomical Society. From their respective web sites their are maps to the observing locations. For Tamke Allen, the observatory its self is the location. For the Knoxville Observers, the parking lot by the swimming pool at Norris Dam location is posted under events and for the Smoky Mountain Astronomical Society, look for the what their location web page calls Look Rock #1. If the parking lot of Look Rock #1 is full, all of the overlooks facing away from the light pollution of Knoxville and Maryville will be fine.

The comet looks like a star to the naked eye, but has a soft halo around it easily visible in binoculars. So bring your binoculars and visit any of these local amateur astronomers as they observe this unusual comet.
Predictions for meteor storms have been improving over the years and we hope the latest predictions calling for a good Leonid storm this year are true.

Dress warm. Bring a warm blanket to lay upon. Bring another warm blank with which to cover up.
A pillow may help. Bring some snacks and hot coffee or hot chocolate.
Meteor watching only requires your eyes and some degree of patients. It helps to have company and good conversation. Singing, "When you wish upon a star...", is entirely optional.

Have you ever seen our glorious Milky Way galaxy from a dark sky? If not, you owe it to yourself and especially school age children to see get out and see the Milky Way this evening Oct 6.

Members of the Smoky Mountain Astronomical Society Link... are having their dark sky Star Party on the Cherohala Skyway. Located at the Unicoi Crest overlook it is first overlook on the left just after you enter North Carolina. As I write, the forecast looks good for observing this evening. Bring a folding chair, extra sweatshirts and coats (yes coats) and arrive just before dark for easier parking. You can get directions from the star party maps page of the Smoky Mountain Astronomical Society web site at: Link...

You can combine this event with an earlier visit to the Monroe Count Sheriff, Bill Bivens' Country Cook Out.
Link...

Star Party Etiquette
• Bring a red flashlight and avoid using any white light after dark. SMAS members have red filter material available for purchase at 1 cent per square inch.
• Get to know the lighting controls for your vehicle and ensure as little white light as possible shines from your vehicle. If you cannot control the lights, choose to park as far away from the telescopes as practical.
• Carefully enter the observing location. Speeding into a parking area full of telescopes and observers is a recipe for an accident.
• If you bring bug spray, please choose to apply the spray before arriving or at a distance from telescopes. Sprays can coat the expensive optics and are difficult to remove.
• Our members welcome visitors and enjoy showing off the night sky, however please be considerate and ask. Do not use an unattended scope that does not belong to you without permission.
• Please do not smoke near other member's telescopes

Members of SMAS and an amature telescope.

An intersting lecture this Friday.
DATE August 31
Fridays, 12:20 to 1:10 p.m.
Room 405 Ferris Hall

SPEAKER AND TOPIC
Dr. J. Reece Roth, Professor Emeritus, UT Plasma Sciences >Laboratory: ?Gears from the Greeks: The Antikythera Mechanism and the Early >History of Computer Science?. Nautical Archaeologists recently made a discovery that extended the history of computer science back to circa 80 BCE.
The Antikythera Mechanism was discovered in an ancient shipwreck, and is the only such geared mechanical device known for at least the next 1000 years. It consists of a clockwork ? like mechanism containing more than 30 toothed gears, including a system of differential gears. This early calculator has been the subject of intense scholarly research to determine what it is and what it was intended to do. It has been found that this device was used to calculate, among other things, lunar eclipses and planetary positions. It is already clear that computer science has deeper historical roots than previously realized.

> J. Reece Roth, Ph.D.
> Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering