TVS presents

   Project ASTRO fosters science and astronomy education by linking classroom teachers with experienced amateur astronomers. Aimee Chang, Project ASTRO Bay Area coordinator, will team with TVS members Al Stern, Dave Anderson, and perhaps others to explain this public astronomy outreach. Aimee will also bring a video describing the project's goals and ideals.

   Al, Dave, and other willing TVS members will describe their classroom and star party experiences with young astronomers. For advance information, visit the web site at http://www.aspsky.org/subpages/proj.html.

The Whirlpool Galaxy, more familiar as M51, is just one of the Messier Objects you can find during the TVS Messier Marathon challenge. Also catalogued as NGC5194, the Whirlpool is located approximately 15 million light years distant in Canes Venatici. The smaller galaxy appearing here below the spiral of M51 is believed to be behind it, from the perspective of Earth. This relationship is inferred because the dust in M51's spiral arm reddens and partially blocks the light from the smaller galaxy. For information on the club Messier Marathon, see Dave Sworin's feature story beginning on page 5. (NASA photo, Hall Telescope, Lowell Observatory, Bill Keel.)

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