Archive for December, 2009
Heenes Sentenced
On Nov. 13, 2009, Richard Heene pled guilty to attempting to influence a public servant, a class 4 felony, resulting from the Oct. 15, 2009, incident in which he and his wife reported their son had floated away from their Fort Collins home in a UFO-shaped helium balloon. The penalty range for a class 4 felony is 2-6 years in the Department of Corrections and a fine of $2,000 to $500,000. Mayumi Heene pled guilty to false reporting to authorities, a class 3 misdemeanor. The penalty range for ... Full Story
EathSky Dec. 24, 2009 – Southern Cross visible
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Here’s a gift. A reader asked us, When can I see the Southern Cross in Hawaii? At this time of year, Hawaiians can see the Southern Cross, which is also known as the constellation Crux, in the wee hours before dawn. The Southern Cross stands pretty much upright, but quite low in the southern sky. Notice the two nearby stars, Rigel Kentaurus and Hadar. Rigel Kentaurus is more commonly known as the alpha star in the constellation ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight – Dec 23 2009 Star-hop to
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org The first three stars to pop out into your western sky after sunset are Vega, Altair and Deneb. These brilliant stars make up the huge asterism known as the Summer Triangle. An asterism is a star formation that is not an officially recognized constellation. Don’t mistake the planet Jupiter (outside of our sky chart) for a Summer Triangle star. Jupiter beams in the southwestern sky, to the left of the Summer ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight – December 22, See the Summer
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.com If you’re driving around tonight, maybe visiting friends or looking at holiday lights, be sure to look for some noteworthy lights in the sky as well. In the west, shortly after sunset, you’ll find a famous “asterism, ” or noticeable pattern of stars, known as the Summer Triangle. The Triangle consists of three bright stars in three different constellations. They are Vega in the constellation Lyra the ... Full Story
Museum Director Tom Vaughan says goodbye
Dear Editor, For the past 11 years I have had the privilege of directing operations for the Little Thompson Valley Pioneer Museum. My tenure with the organization ends as of January 2, 2010. I wish to thank the citizens and merchants of Berthoud, the Town of Berthoud, and the members and volunteers of the Berthoud Historical Society for the support they extended to me and our museum during this time. It isn’t possible for me to thank every individual, but I especially need to recognize ... Full Story
Board of Education Special Meeting Agenda
THOMPSON SCHOOL DISTRICT R2-J, Board of Education Special Meeting, is Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009, at 10 a.m. Agenda Item: 2010-11 District Membership in CBOCES 15 Minutes
Thanks from Christmas in Berthoud Committee
Dear Berthoud Community, The Christmas in Berthoud 2009 Team would like you to know how your generous donations of time and talent helped families this Christmas. Deliveries were made to families Saturday, December 19th from 6-8pm. We are very thankful for having so many volunteers help distribute the wonderful gifts. The Christmas in Berthoud Team raised over $13,000 to help families in need. We were able to assist: 165+ children 65+ families 14 single seniors In addition to the cash ... Full Story
EarthSky Tonight – December 21, 2009 Winter
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Today is the day of the December solstice – the first day of winter in the northern hemisphere and the first day of summer in the southern hemisphere. At 5:47 p. m. Universal Time (12:47 p. m. Mountain Time) today, the sun reaches its farthest point south of the Earth’s equator, marking the precise moment of this year’s 2009 December solstice. In both the northern and the southern hemisphere, the December ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight – Dec 20, 2009 Moon and Jupiter
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.EarthSky.org Moon and Jupiter close together on December 20. If your sky is clear, you simply can’t miss the planet Jupiter after sunset. Jupiter will be that blazing point of light to the east (or left) of the waxing crescent moon. Be sure to look for the attractive evening couple at dusk and early evening, because the moon and Jupiter will set beneath your southwestern horizon by mid-evening tonight. Although the moon and ... Full Story
Earthsky Tonight – Dec 19 2009 Ursid meteor
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science www.earthsky.org Some meteor showers, like the Perseids in August, have been watched each year at the same time for many centuries. But the Ursid meteor shower, which peaks in the next day or so, has been observed for only a single century. It was first observed around the turn of the 20th century, when a skywatcher noticed that some meteors seen around this time of year weren’t random in their direction of motion across our ... Full Story
