California Sky

A Free News Service on Twitter

What does it cover?
California night sky information, upcoming astronomy lectures, astronomical events visible from California, and local space flight news that may be of interest to professional and amateur astronomers alike.

How?
Each news item consists of a short text message of maximal 140 characters. This is to ensure that messages can be received on PDAs and cellphones as text messages. (There are no images, but there are links that lead to articles or images on the Internet). If you wish, you can also receive messages via e-mail and by going to a web site (see below).

How do I subscribe?
1. Go to http://twitter.com/CaliforniaSky
2. If you have a Twitter account, sign in and click "Follow". If you don't have a Twitter account, you are encouraged to open one. (It's free).

How can I receive messages?
There are several ways:
1. You can go to http://twitter.com/CaliforniaSky
2. You can set your Twitter account to receive messages by e-mail.
3. You can set your Twitter account to receive your messages as text messages on your cellphone or PDA.

What does it cost?
Nothing! :-)

Can I suggest news items?
Yes, please do! E-mail them to <reinhard.kargl@smaac.org>, but please do your research and fact checking first to make sure everything is correct. News items should be timely and have a connection to California. Also, please be aware that this is strictly about the science of astronomy. (We have absolutely no interest in star signs and astrology).

Will I receive advertising?
No.

How about my privacy?
When you subscribe via Twitter, your privacy is protected and determined by the way you set your Twitter account. You do not have to disclose your e-mail address or even your real name. You will only receive messages from Twitter users you choose to follow, and you can drop the newsfeed at any time.

What can I do to help?
Apart from subscribing, please copy and paste this announcement into an e-mail and send it to poeple you think might be interested in astronomy. Or, simply send this link: http://www.reinhardkargl.com/californiasky.html

Who runs this service?
California Sky is run by Reinhard Kargl, a Los Angeles based science journalist and multimedia producer with a special interest in astronomy.