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Armando Caussade Un Pedacito Del UNIVERSO Un pedacito del UNIVERSO Armando Caussade Un pedacito del UNIVERSO Un pedacito del UNIVERSO Quinta edición ARMANDO CAUSSADE Prólogo por Daniel R. Altschuler, PhD AC Publishing House 2020 UN PEDACITO DEL UNIVERSO Por Armando Caussade Quinta edición, publicada el 6 de mayo de 2020. Versión electrónica. Enlace para descarga: http://armandocaussade.org/books/ Publicado por primera vez el 18 de noviembre de 2014. Para esta quinta edición se han dejado únicamente los artículos redactados en español. Los textos en inglés que aparecían en las ediciones anteriores han sido segregados, y se publicaron por separado bajo el título Ramblings from the Universe. Redacción, escogido de ilustraciones y maquetación por Armando Caussade, GCSc, BS. Revisión didáctica por Guido Santacana, PhD. Cubierta frontal: la Luna durante el eclipse total de 27 de octubre de 2004, vista desde Puerto Rico. Crédito: © 2004 Armando Caussade, CC–BY–NC–ND–4.0. Reservados algunos derechos. Cubierta trasera: La nebulosa Roseta y su cúmulo, vistos el 10 de noviembre de 2015 desde Portugal. Crédito: Kees Scherer, Flickr CC0. Imagen liberada al dominio público. Copyright © 2020 Armando Caussade, CC–BY–NC–ND–4.0. Reservados algunos derechos. Este libro es gratis, y puede distribuirse dentro de los términos de la licencia Creative Commons. El texto es completamente original, con la excepción de breves citas que están atribuidas a sus autores. Las ilustraciones están reproducidas mediante licencias libres o con la autorización expresa del artista. Toda ilustración en dominio público o amparada bajo las licencias abiertas de Creative Commons y GNU mantiene dichas condiciones, y podrá reutilizarse según sus respectivos términos legales. Publicado y distribuido por AC Publishing House. También disponible en papel por Blurb, Inc. Página web: http://www.blurb.com/user/caussade/ Correo electrónico: [email protected] • Teléfono: +1 (787) 531–6914. ISBN–13: 978-0-9962800-7-5 ISBN–10: 0-9962800-7-3 A LITTLE PIECE OF THE UNIVERSE By Armando Caussade Fifth edition, published on May 6, 2020. Electronic book version. Copyright © 2020 Armando Caussade. Some rights reserved. Para mi madre Carmencita, con amor y gratitud. Índice temático Semblanza 009 Prólogo 010 Introducción 011 Material didáctico 1. Cómo adquirir su primer telescopio 013 2. Algunas consideraciones sobre oculares para telescopios 019 3. Fórmulas sobre telescopios que todo astrónomo aficionado debe saber 025 4. Cálculo del diámetro de una estrella 030 5. El Voyager 1 y los confines del Sistema Solar 034 6. Mire las estrellas, pero lejos de la orilla 038 Observaciones astronómicas 7. Filtros de color para la observación de Marte 039 8. Aspecto visual de las galaxias más brillantes 050 9. Visibilidad de la Gran Nube de Magallanes desde el paralelo 18° norte 056 10. A celebrar el primer maratón Messier 058 11. Cielos oscuros y estrellas de la sexta magnitud 061 12. Observaciones del cometa Borrelly 066 13. Debuta una nueva estrella en movimiento 068 14. El eclipse total lunar de 15 de abril de 2014 070 15. Relato del eclipse total solar observado el 26 de febrero de 1998 072 16. Relato del eclipse anular solar observado el 8 de abril de 2005 086 Biografías e historia 17. La divulgación astronómica 094 18. Biografía del astrónomo inglés Patrick Moore 096 19. Reseña del astrónomo puertorriqueño Víctor M. Blanco 101 20. Biografía de Elio Delgado Suárez, ingeniero aeroespacial 104 21. Semblanza y apreciación del astrónomo Víctor Román Cordero 110 22. Semblanza del astrónomo puertorriqueño Gregorio García 116 23. Fundación y trayectoria de la Sociedad de Astronomía de Puerto Rico 118 24. Astronomía puertorriqueña: apuntes para su historia 122 Apéndices A. Mapas del cielo para utilizarse a simple vista 139 B. Mapa de la Luna para utilizarse con un telescopio pequeño 144 Agradecimientos 146 Prólogo Me place escribir esta breve presentación de esta obra que contiene escritos que mi amigo Armando Caussade ha publicado en el correr de los años, durante los cuales ha estado íntimamente relacionado con la Sociedad de Astronomía de Puerto Rico, ocupando varios cargos y dedicándose a la promoción de la astronomía entre el público. Al leer los distintos trabajos llama la atención su variada gama de temas, desde discusiones de carácter mas bien teórico, histórico y temas prácticos. Todos ellos presentan una exposición cuidadosa y profesional, una lectura que se puede disfrutar y que siempre ofrece algo de interés para todo lector. El libro incluye dos artículos relacionados a la compra de un telescopio y oculares que serán muy útiles para aquellos que se inician en estos menesteres. En particular, la lectura de esta obra será de gran utilidad para los nuevos aficionados a la astronomía. Podrán aprender de las muchas oportunidades que se presentan para aquél que tiene un pequeño telescopio. Me llamó la atención su reseña de la historia de la Sociedad de Astronomía de Puerto Rico, un loable esfuerzo de un grupo de personas dedicadas a difundir el conocimiento de la astronomía. Sin embargo se muestra una foto del evento inaugural en la cual se dice que el presentador es un tal Daniel R. Altschuler. ¡Claramente se trata de otra persona con mi mismo nombre! También resulta grato ver una reseña sobre Víctor M. Blanco, reconocido y primer astrónomo puertorriqueño que lamentablemente pocos en Puerto Rico conocen. El señor Caussade ha sido por muchos años un aficionado a la astronomía incansable y nos presenta varias imágenes tomadas por sus telescopios que no tienen nada que envidiarle a nadie, en sus palabras "un pedacito del universo". Daniel R. Altschuler, PhD Catedrático de física de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras Ex director del Observatorio de Arecibo Lajas, Puerto Rico Noviembre de 2014 10 Prefacio (de la quinta edición) Este libro representa una recopilación de venticuatro artículos sobre astronomía, todos redactados en español y que pretenden conseguir una puesta en orden de mi dispersa bibliografía. Podría decir que todos los textos breves que he escrito sobre astronomía y que considero importantes, aparecen aquí. Dicho de otro modo, este trabajo pudiera considerarse como contraparte de mi libro Ramblings from the Universe, que recopila la totalidad de mis trabajos cortos escritos en inglés. He incluido aquí dos o tres relatos nuevos, pero lo demás ya había aparecido en la cuarta edición. La diferencia principal de esta quinta edición respecto de las anteriores, y especialmente la cuarta edición que ha circulado desde el año 2017, sería precisamente la división de aquel trabajo en dos libros separados. Todo lo que entonces había en inglés, quedó vertido en Ramblings from the Universe. Los primeros dos capítulos de este libro responden a una de las preguntas que más frecuentemente he recibido durante mis conferencias públicas y eventos de popularización científica: ¿qué clase de telescopio debería un principiante adquirir?, y ¿cuáles son los accesorios idóneos que un astrónomo aficionado debería adquirir, para equipar adecuadamente su telescopio?. A mi juicio, esos dos capítulos serían la primera lectura que debería hacer un principiante en la astronomía. También considero importantes los capítulos 15 y 16, que recogen las memorias de los dos eclipses solares que he presenciado, ambos de tipo central. Si existe un acontecimiento natural que ninguna debería perderse durante su vida, serían los eclipses solares, y en estos dos relatos mi propósito ha sido explicar con lujo de detalle el porqué de dicha aseveración. Después de 35 años como educador en la astronomía —un período que incluye décadas de liderato en organizaciones, más nueve años como instructor universitario— me siento capacitado para elaborar sobre estos temas, de un modo que estoy seguro será ameno y comprensible para el lector. No basta para un divulgador el conocimiento acumulado, sino la capacidad para transmitirlo de manera sencilla y sin tecnicismos, y ya tendrá el lector oportunidad de juzgar si en esto he sido exitoso. Como siempre, me interesaría escuchar opiniones sobre esta obra, ya sea presencialmente, mediante correo electrónico o teléfono. La información de contacto aparece en la página 6. Armando Caussade, GCSc, BS San Juan, Puerto Rico Mayo de 2020 11 12 1. Cómo adquirir su primer telescopio Por Armando Caussade, 18 de junio de 2012. Revisado el 27 de noviembre de 2013, el 6 de junio de 2016 y el 8 de noviembre de 2019. Artículo original para la revista astronómica El Observador, julio de 2012. Reimpreso con revisiones en El Observador, diciembre de 2013, y en la edición de verano de 2016. is sugerencias —producto de más de veinticinco años utilizando telescopios astronómicos de todo Mtamaño, tipo y costo— van dirigidas a la persona que está iniciándose en la astronomía y que desea adquirir un primer telescopio. Doy por sentado que el instrumento a comprarse se empleará para observación del cielo nocturno y no para fotografía astronómica. Y si va con prisa, las recomendaciones específicas sobre qué comprar aparecen todas agrupadas bajo el primer inciso de este artículo. Lo que conviene para el principiante Un primer telescopio debería poseer un diseño óptico simple, que facilite el uso y mantenimiento del instrumento. Los mejores ejemplos serían un reflector newtoniano en montura Dobson de 150 a 200 milímetros de abertura (6 a 8 pulgadas), o un refractor acromático con tubo largo de 75 a 100 milímetros de abertura (3 a 4 pulgadas). Hemos dicho aquí acromático y no apocromático. Una óptica excelente generalmente implica un golpe para el bolsillo; no obstante, los diseños antes referidos le proveerán una alta calidad a un precio razonable. Entre muchos telescopios que han pasado por mis manos, aquellos constituyen las únicas situaciones donde he visto coincidir la buena óptica y el buen precio. El presupuesto para un primer telescopio está situado entre los US$300 y US$600. Abertura se refiere al diámetro del objetivo, que podrá ser igualmente un lente acromático o un espejo cóncavo.
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