Observation 12-9-10

I went outside and tested myself at recognizing the stars I've been teaching myself. I did pretty good, and I correctly identified Capella, Aldebaran, Bellatrix, Elnath, Betelgeuse, Rigel, Altair, Deneb, Alberio, Vega, Achernar, Algol, Polaris, Fomalhaut, and Mira. I also saw lots of constellations, including, but not limited to, Ares, Triangulum, Pisces, Perseus, and Sagitta.

APOD 2.4

A frost-covered leaf with constellations in the background

The sky in this picture, taken in Japan, shows many constellations, but the most prominent are Orion, Canis Major, and Taurus. Orion, the hunter, is the most recognizable, with the red supergiant Betelgeuse at its top left corner. The Bull, Taurus, is to the left of Orion, with M45, the Pleiades open star cluster to the left of that. To the lower right of Orion is the constellation Canis Major, the big dog. It's eye, the star Sirius, is the brightest star in the sky.

Tune in next week for another great APOD post!

APOD 2.3

This object is part of the Cepheus Flare, located in the constellation Cepheus. It is a large expanse of cosmic dust that is likely condensing into a binary star system. There's not much information about the Cepheus Flare out there, but it is interesting to note that this image and exact explanation was used as the APOD for October 30 in both 2008 and 2010.

Observation and WWSC

I just did the World Wide Star Count. My driveway in Englewood has a limiting magnitude of five. That's pretty awesome, so I'm gonna miss that when I move closer to the city in a month or so. Oh well.

I also took a pair of binoculars outside and was able to identify every constellation in the sky. I saw two meteors and M31. I tried to observe Polaris B, but my nocs weren't good enough. But, I'm trying to get my own telescope, so no worries!

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more cool astronomy posts, my dear followers!

APOD 2.2

Jupiter's two storms approaching.

Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, is known for its tempestuous weather conditions. The storms of Jupiter are thought to be caused by the equatorial clouds, warmed by ultraviolet light from the sun, mixing with the cooler polar air. The high pressure of Jupiter's atmosphere also causes some of the wind, which averages around 360 kilometers per hour. The clouds, however, despite being colorful, are only about 50 kilometers deep.

APOD 2.1

The Andromeda Galaxy, seen in the visible spectrum.

The Andromeda Galaxy, seen in the ultraviolet spectrum.

Here we see M31, or the Andromeda Galaxy, with pictures comparing the visible spectrum and the ultraviolet spectrum. The ultraviolet image, on the bottom, reveals many individual stars that can't be seen in the visible spectrum. The galaxy is on a collision course with the Milky Way, and the theoretical collision might occur in 4.5 billion years.

APOD 1.8

A bucket-wheel excavator, used in Earth-based mining.

Machines like this, designed for continuous digging in large scale mining operations, are now restricted to Earth, but in the future, they could be used on other planets, like Mars, or even the Moon, to mine for ice and other minerals. They are capable of digging a hole 300 feet long and 75 feet deep in one day, but alas, they can only travel at 1 kilometer an hour.

APOD 1.7

Water below the Moon's surface, seen in blue

Water has been discovered below the surface of the moon. In 2000, the LCROSS moon-orbiting spacecraft was crashed into the surface of the moon, in a shadowed crater near the south pole. The resulting dust from the impact shows evidence of ice below the surface. This could be good news for the future of a Moon base.

Quarter 1 Biography Project (Nicolaus Copernicus)

Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish astronomer who lived from 1473 to 1543. Although he is best known for his contributions to astronomy, he serves as one of the better examples of a “Renaissance Man”, working as a mathmatician, economist, governor, translator, cleric, physician, diplomat, artist, scholar, and military leader. He never had a wife or children. He spoke many languages, being fluent in Polish, Latin, and German. Copernicus revolutionized the astronomical beliefs of his day by inventing the heliocentric model of the universe. The then-Pope, Clement VII, expressed interest in his ideas, leading to Copernicus' findings being dedicated to the Pope. After the death of his father when he was ten years old, his uncle became the dominant paternal figure in his life. It was his uncle that helped him get into college at the University of Cracow in 1491. It was this school that Copernicus felt was responsible for the majority his intellectual gains. A few years later, again with help from his uncle, he enrolled in the University of Bologna to study canon law. It was here that he began observing the stars. Copernicus' chapter granted him permission to study medicine in Italy. He requested permission to study medicine with the dual purpose of continuing his astronomical observations. After his medical studies, Copernicus worked for his uncle, now the bishop of Varmia, as his personal physician and secretary from 1503 until his uncle's death in 1512. It was while working for his uncle that he began to explore the possibility of a heliocentric universe. In either 1510 or 1512 Copernicus moved to Frombork, in Poland, where he would live for the rest of his life. There he would serve many positions in his local chapter, including chancellor and economic manager. Copernicus faced criticism from many protestants, but after his death his ideas became more accepted. In Frombork, in 1514, he first published his ideas of heliocentricity, secretly giving out copies to his most trusted friends. Copernicus kept his name off the original manuscripts because he felt that, even after thirty years of observations, his theories weren't perfect yet. He based his claims on observations of lunar eclipses and data of observations taken from Ptolemy. Later, in the early seventeenth century, both Galileo Galilei and Giordano Bruno embraced Copernicus' theories. Bruno was burned at the stake and Galileo was forced to renounce his beliefs in a heliocentric universe and lived out the rest of his life under house arrest.

Copernicus spent his later years dedicated to his canon. He still devoted some time to astronomy, but not as much as he used to. He also wrote some papers on the value of money. He worked as a medical adviser to the Prince-Bishop of Varmia. Starting in the 1530s, he began practicing medicine for many of the more important bishops, including some of his old friends who had gotten promotions. Copernicus reportedly died the day his book, and life's work, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres), was finally published. Some say he woke from a coma, saw his book, and died.

APOD 1.6

The Pacman Nebula (right) and Comet Hartley 2 (left)

The comet Hartley 2, discovered by Malcom Hartley in 1986, is moving toward Earth, and will reach it's closest point to the on on October 28th. The emission nebula, NGC 281, is known as the Pacman Nebula because of it's round body, gaping mouth, and bright star that looks like an eye. The comet is on approach now, passing through the constellation Perseus. A spacecraft is going to pass within 700 kilometers of the comet's nucleus. The spacecraft is called EPOXI, but it was formerly known as Deep Impact.

Astronomer Biography Project Sources

Dic. of Sci. Bio.
C. Gillespie, Editor
Charles Scribner's Sons, 1981

Catholic Encyclopedia, "Nicolaus Copernicus"
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04352b.htm

APOD 1.5

Giliese 581 g (foreground) and Giliese 581 (background)

The planet Giliese 581 g, orbiting the star Giliese 581, is the first planet discovered that is in the right zone for life. The planet's temperature is just right for liquid water to exist, resulting in the nickname "Goldilocks". The planet's very slow rate of rotation results in temperature extremes, however, with the hot side reaching 160 degrees, and the dark side reaching 25 degrees below zero. The only comfortable zone would be the sunrise area, which would be comfortable. The planet is about five times the size of Earth, and it's star is about three times the size of our sun, and expected to outlive the Sun by billions of years.

APOD 1.4

Night sky in Iran

This image of the night sky from the Alborz Mountains in Iran shows some of the commoner stellar objects labeled. It shows the constellations Perseus, Ares, Pisces, Cetus, and Triangulum. The planet Jupiter is also shown as the brightest object in the sky. At opposition Jupiter is as close as it gets to Earth. Uranus is also in the same area as Jupiter, but it's not visible to the naked eye. Two M Objects are visible as well, M31 and M33.

APOD 1.3

Aurora Borealis

The aurora borealis, or northern lights, is a phenomena seen somewhat frequently in the far northern latitudes. Aurorae borealis are more common when the nights become longer after the autumnal equinox. The lights are formed by a combination of ionized nitrogen and excited oxygen returning to ground state. The southern counterpart, aurora australis, is only visible from latitudes in the extreme south. The colors of the aurorae are caused by the different elements involved. Green lights are a sign of oxygen, while blue or red is an indicator of nitrogen's involvement.

APOD 1.2

The Northern Owl Nebula (left) and the Southern Owl Nebula (right).

The Northern and Southern Owls are nebulae. Both are about the same size and shape, but they appear at near opposite ends of the sky. The Northern Owl, or M97, is located in the constellation Ursa Major and is named for it's dark circles that resemble owl eyes. The Southern Owl is located in the constellation Hydra. Nebulae are the remains of stars like our Sun, which will one day become a nebula as well.

Observation 1 (9 September 2010)

Last night, at 10:00 pm, in my driveway (26.963038, -82.352016) I looked up. There was some thin clouds across most of the sky, but I was able to identify Sagittarius, Scorpius, Aquilla, Lyra, Cygnus, Hercules, Bootes, Corona Borealis, and Ursa Major. I was also able to identify the stars Antares, Altair, Vega, Deneb, and Arcturus.

APOD 1.1

Little Dumbbell Nebula

 When I read the text below the picture of this Astronomy Picture of the Day, it said that the Little Dumbbell Nebula, or M76, is located in the foot of Andromeda, but the nebula is in fact found in the constellation Perseus. Andromeda (the constellation) is located right next to Perseus (the constellation), but I'm still confused as to how it got mislabeled on the Nasa website. Oh well. Andromeda and Perseus were characters in the Greek story of how Perseus killed the Gorgon, Medusa. The story has been popularized by the movie Clash of the Titans. However, unlike the movie, Andromeda wasn't to be killed by the Kraken, she was to be eaten by Cetus, a giant whale or fish who lends his name to the order Cetacea, a taxonomic classification for whales and dolphins.