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Rosette Nebula and Monoceros Loop
Oshkosh Scholar Page 43 Studying Complex Star-Forming Fields: Rosette Nebula and Monoceros Loop Chris Hathaway and Anthony Kuchera, co-authors Dr. Nadia Kaltcheva, Physics and Astronomy, faculty adviser Christopher Hathaway obtained a B.S. in physics in 2007 and is currently pursuing his masters in physics education at UW Oshkosh. He collaborated with Dr. Nadia Kaltcheva on his senior research project and presented their findings at theAmerican Astronomical Society meeting (2008), the Celebration of Scholarship at UW Oshkosh (2009), and the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in La Crosse, Wisconsin (2009). Anthony Kuchera graduated from UW Oshkosh in May 2008 with a B.S. in physics. He collaborated with Dr. Kaltcheva from fall 2006 through graduation. He presented his astronomy-related research at Posters in the Rotunda (2007 and 2008), the Wisconsin Space Conference (2007), the UW System Symposium for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2007 and 2008), and the American Astronomical Society’s 211th meeting (2008). In December 2009 he earned an M.S. in physics from Florida State University where he is currently working toward a Ph.D. in experimental nuclear physics. Dr. Nadia Kaltcheva is a professor of physics and astronomy. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Sofia in Bulgaria. She joined the UW Oshkosh Physics and Astronomy Department in 2001. Her research interests are in the field of stellar photometry and its application to the study of Galactic star-forming fields and the spiral structure of the Milky Way. Abstract An investigation that presents a new analysis of the structure of the Northern Monoceros field was recently completed at the Department of Physics andAstronomy at UW Oshkosh. -
Distances to Local Group Galaxies
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by CERN Document Server Distances to Local Group Galaxies Alistair R. Walker Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, NOAO, Casilla 603, la Serena, Chile Abstract. Distances to galaxies in the Local Group are reviewed. In particular, the distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud is found to be (m M)0 =18:52 0:10, cor- − ± responding to 50; 600 2; 400 pc. The importance of M31 as an analog of the galaxies observed at greater distances± is stressed, while the variety of star formation and chem- ical enrichment histories displayed by Local Group galaxies allows critical evaluation of the calibrations of the various distance indicators in a variety of environments. 1 Introduction The Local Group (hereafter LG) of galaxies has been comprehensively described in the monograph by Sidney van den Berg [1], with update in [2]. The zero- velocity surface has radius of a little more than 1 Mpc, therefore the small sub-group of galaxies consisting of NGC 3109, Antlia, Sextans A and Sextans B lie outside the the LG by this definition, as do galaxies in the direction of the nearby Sculptor and IC342/Maffei groups. Thus the LG consists of two large spirals (the Galaxy and M31) each with their entourage of 11 and 10 smaller galaxies respectively, the dwarf spiral M33, and 13 other galaxies classified as either irregular or spherical. We have here included NGC 147 and NGC 185 as members of the M31 sub-group [60], whether they are actually bound to M31 is not proven. -
The Evening Sky Map a DECEMBER 2018 N
I N E D R I A C A S T N E O D I T A C L E O R N I G D S T S H A E P H M O O R C I . Z N O n i f d o P t o ) l a h O N r g i u s , o Z l t P h I C e r o N R ( I o r R r O e t p h C H p i L S t D E E a g r i . H ( B T F e O h T NORTH D R t h N e M e E s A G X O U e A H m M C T i . I n P i N d S L E E m P Z “ e E A N Dipper t e H O NORTHERN HEMISPHERE o M T R r T The Big The N Y s H h . E r o ” E K Alcor & e w ) t W S . s e . T u r T Mizar l E U p W C B e R e a N l W D k b E s T u T MAJOR W H o o The Evening Sky Map A DECEMBER 2018 n E C D O t FREE* EACH MONTH FOR YOU TO EXPLORE, LEARN & ENJOY THE NIGHT SKY URSA S e L h K h e t Y E m R d M A n o A a r Thuban S SKY MAP SHOWS HOW P Get Sky Calendar on Twitter n T 1 i n C A 3 E g R M J http://twitter.com/skymaps O Sky Calendar – December 2018 o d B THE NIGHT SKY LOOKS U M13 f n O N i D “ f L D e T DRACO A o c NE O I t I e T EARLY DEC PM T 8 m P t S i 3 Moon near Spica (morning sky) at 9h UT. -
Messier Objects
Messier Objects From the Stocker Astroscience Center at Florida International University Miami Florida The Messier Project Main contributors: • Daniel Puentes • Steven Revesz • Bobby Martinez Charles Messier • Gabriel Salazar • Riya Gandhi • Dr. James Webb – Director, Stocker Astroscience center • All images reduced and combined using MIRA image processing software. (Mirametrics) What are Messier Objects? • Messier objects are a list of astronomical sources compiled by Charles Messier, an 18th and early 19th century astronomer. He created a list of distracting objects to avoid while comet hunting. This list now contains over 110 objects, many of which are the most famous astronomical bodies known. The list contains planetary nebula, star clusters, and other galaxies. - Bobby Martinez The Telescope The telescope used to take these images is an Astronomical Consultants and Equipment (ACE) 24- inch (0.61-meter) Ritchey-Chretien reflecting telescope. It has a focal ratio of F6.2 and is supported on a structure independent of the building that houses it. It is equipped with a Finger Lakes 1kx1k CCD camera cooled to -30o C at the Cassegrain focus. It is equipped with dual filter wheels, the first containing UBVRI scientific filters and the second RGBL color filters. Messier 1 Found 6,500 light years away in the constellation of Taurus, the Crab Nebula (known as M1) is a supernova remnant. The original supernova that formed the crab nebula was observed by Chinese, Japanese and Arab astronomers in 1054 AD as an incredibly bright “Guest star” which was visible for over twenty-two months. The supernova that produced the Crab Nebula is thought to have been an evolved star roughly ten times more massive than the Sun. -
April 2020 Page 1 of 11
Pretoria Centre ASSA April 2020 Page 1 of 11 NEWSLETTER APRIL 2020 Dear member In the light of the current situation and based upon advice from a virologist at one of the leading pathology laboratories, we regret to have to cancel the March and April viewing evenings and meetings of the Pretoria Centre of ASSA. The situation will be reviewed in time for the May activities and members will be informed of any changes. This decision was not taken lightly, but we believe the health of our members is important and we would not like to be the reason one of our members should fall victim to the virus. We apologize for the inconvenience and trust the skies will be clear wherever you wish to spend time under the stars. Bosman Olivier Chairman TABLE OF CONTENTS Astronomy-related articles on the Internet 2 Astronomy basics: Galaxies 3 Feature of the month: Biggest explosion seen since the Big Bang 3 Astronomy-related images and video clips on the Internet 3 Astronomy basics: Galaxies 3 Observing: A different star cluster - by Magda Streicher 4 NOTICE BOARD 5 Pretoria Centre committee 5 Open Star Clusters with Superimposed Planetary Nebulae: 6 M46/NGC 2438 and NGC 2818/2818A Pretoria Centre ASSA April 2020 Page 2 of 11 Astronomy-related articles on the Internet Is bright Comet ATLAS disintegrating? https://earthsky.org/space/how-to-see-bright- comet-c-2019-y4-atlas?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=11f7198ca6- EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_02_02_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c64394 5d79-11f7198ca6-394671529 Meet the giant exoplanet where it rains iron. The temperatures on the day side of giant exoplanet WASP-76b are scorching, high enough for metals to be vapourized. -
Winter Constellations
Winter Constellations *Orion *Canis Major *Monoceros *Canis Minor *Gemini *Auriga *Taurus *Eradinus *Lepus *Monoceros *Cancer *Lynx *Ursa Major *Ursa Minor *Draco *Camelopardalis *Cassiopeia *Cepheus *Andromeda *Perseus *Lacerta *Pegasus *Triangulum *Aries *Pisces *Cetus *Leo (rising) *Hydra (rising) *Canes Venatici (rising) Orion--Myth: Orion, the great hunter. In one myth, Orion boasted he would kill all the wild animals on the earth. But, the earth goddess Gaia, who was the protector of all animals, produced a gigantic scorpion, whose body was so heavily encased that Orion was unable to pierce through the armour, and was himself stung to death. His companion Artemis was greatly saddened and arranged for Orion to be immortalised among the stars. Scorpius, the scorpion, was placed on the opposite side of the sky so that Orion would never be hurt by it again. To this day, Orion is never seen in the sky at the same time as Scorpius. DSO’s ● ***M42 “Orion Nebula” (Neb) with Trapezium A stellar nursery where new stars are being born, perhaps a thousand stars. These are immense clouds of interstellar gas and dust collapse inward to form stars, mainly of ionized hydrogen which gives off the red glow so dominant, and also ionized greenish oxygen gas. The youngest stars may be less than 300,000 years old, even as young as 10,000 years old (compared to the Sun, 4.6 billion years old). 1300 ly. 1 ● *M43--(Neb) “De Marin’s Nebula” The star-forming “comma-shaped” region connected to the Orion Nebula. ● *M78--(Neb) Hard to see. A star-forming region connected to the Orion Nebula. -
Planetary Nebulae
Planetary Nebulae A planetary nebula is a kind of emission nebula consisting of an expanding, glowing shell of ionized gas ejected from old red giant stars late in their lives. The term "planetary nebula" is a misnomer that originated in the 1780s with astronomer William Herschel because when viewed through his telescope, these objects appeared to him to resemble the rounded shapes of planets. Herschel's name for these objects was popularly adopted and has not been changed. They are a relatively short-lived phenomenon, lasting a few tens of thousands of years, compared to a typical stellar lifetime of several billion years. The mechanism for formation of most planetary nebulae is thought to be the following: at the end of the star's life, during the red giant phase, the outer layers of the star are expelled by strong stellar winds. Eventually, after most of the red giant's atmosphere is dissipated, the exposed hot, luminous core emits ultraviolet radiation to ionize the ejected outer layers of the star. Absorbed ultraviolet light energizes the shell of nebulous gas around the central star, appearing as a bright colored planetary nebula at several discrete visible wavelengths. Planetary nebulae may play a crucial role in the chemical evolution of the Milky Way, returning material to the interstellar medium from stars where elements, the products of nucleosynthesis (such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and neon), have been created. Planetary nebulae are also observed in more distant galaxies, yielding useful information about their chemical abundances. In recent years, Hubble Space Telescope images have revealed many planetary nebulae to have extremely complex and varied morphologies. -
Southern Sky.Pdf
R E A I N S D N I O C I A T T C E E D R I A D L O S S N A G P T M H O E C . H N O O R Z m a r w I i e t h h t I t Z s h t e c i R O g p o e l d O N d t e a n H h C t f l e E I n e o R c i H e t C T a l f L l r o e E D t m s N ( n G NORTH F o A r c O e e M t R H k n T O i E m I a f X N C y A t a . E h Z M s o S i l P E o s P L g e H i SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE E y r A T . A “ N M N E O Capella E Y R W T K T H E S ” B . ) . D O W T E r U i T The Evening Sky Map o W R A n N C DECEMBER 2002 , W . O T T e L l h FREE* EACH MONTH FOR YOU TO EXPLORE, LEARN & ENJOY THE NIGHT SKY H a e E γ E M31 h R H w S AURIGA Algol A u K r n Y S o t T SKY MAP SHOWS HOW r e M C e r E t A , s J P i n s B o A O Sky Calendar – December 2002 t THE NIGHT SKY LOOKS M38 h R m L e O PERSEUS a A U b I e r N s T NE ANDROMEDA i S l EARLY DEC PM D g 10 M37 E a h M36 L c 1 Moon near Venus and Mars at 11h UT (morning sky). -
The Extragalactic Distance Scale
The Extragalactic Distance Scale Published in "Stellar astrophysics for the local group" : VIII Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics. Edited by A. Aparicio, A. Herrero, and F. Sanchez. Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1998 Calibration of the Extragalactic Distance Scale By BARRY F. MADORE1, WENDY L. FREEDMAN2 1NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database, Infrared Processing & Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA 2Observatories, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 813 Santa Barbara St., Pasadena CA 91101, USA The calibration and use of Cepheids as primary distance indicators is reviewed in the context of the extragalactic distance scale. Comparison is made with the independently calibrated Population II distance scale and found to be consistent at the 10% level. The combined use of ground-based facilities and the Hubble Space Telescope now allow for the application of the Cepheid Period-Luminosity relation out to distances in excess of 20 Mpc. Calibration of secondary distance indicators and the direct determination of distances to galaxies in the field as well as in the Virgo and Fornax clusters allows for multiple paths to the determination of the absolute rate of the expansion of the Universe parameterized by the Hubble constant. At this point in the reduction and analysis of Key Project galaxies H0 = 72km/ sec/Mpc ± 2 (random) ± 12 [systematic]. Table of Contents INTRODUCTION TO THE LECTURES CEPHEIDS BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE OBSERVED PROPERTIES OF CEPHEID -
A Basic Requirement for Studying the Heavens Is Determining Where In
Abasic requirement for studying the heavens is determining where in the sky things are. To specify sky positions, astronomers have developed several coordinate systems. Each uses a coordinate grid projected on to the celestial sphere, in analogy to the geographic coordinate system used on the surface of the Earth. The coordinate systems differ only in their choice of the fundamental plane, which divides the sky into two equal hemispheres along a great circle (the fundamental plane of the geographic system is the Earth's equator) . Each coordinate system is named for its choice of fundamental plane. The equatorial coordinate system is probably the most widely used celestial coordinate system. It is also the one most closely related to the geographic coordinate system, because they use the same fun damental plane and the same poles. The projection of the Earth's equator onto the celestial sphere is called the celestial equator. Similarly, projecting the geographic poles on to the celest ial sphere defines the north and south celestial poles. However, there is an important difference between the equatorial and geographic coordinate systems: the geographic system is fixed to the Earth; it rotates as the Earth does . The equatorial system is fixed to the stars, so it appears to rotate across the sky with the stars, but of course it's really the Earth rotating under the fixed sky. The latitudinal (latitude-like) angle of the equatorial system is called declination (Dec for short) . It measures the angle of an object above or below the celestial equator. The longitud inal angle is called the right ascension (RA for short). -
List of Easy Double Stars for Winter and Spring = Easy = Not Too Difficult = Difficult but Possible
List of Easy Double Stars for Winter and Spring = easy = not too difficult = difficult but possible 1. Sigma Cassiopeiae (STF 3049). 23 hr 59.0 min +55 deg 45 min This system is tight but very beautiful. Use a high magnification (150x or more). Primary: 5.2, yellow or white Seconary: 7.2 (3.0″), blue 2. Eta Cassiopeiae (Achird, STF 60). 00 hr 49.1 min +57 deg 49 min This is a multiple system with many stars, but I will restrict myself to the brightest one here. Primary: 3.5, yellow. Secondary: 7.4 (13.2″), purple or brown 3. 65 Piscium (STF 61). 00 hr 49.9 min +27 deg 43 min Primary: 6.3, yellow Secondary: 6.3 (4.1″), yellow 4. Psi-1 Piscium (STF 88). 01 hr 05.7 min +21 deg 28 min This double forms a T-shaped asterism with Psi-2, Psi-3 and Chi Piscium. Psi-1 is the uppermost of the four. Primary: 5.3, yellow or white Secondary: 5.5 (29.7), yellow or white 5. Zeta Piscium (STF 100). 01 hr 13.7 min +07 deg 35 min Primary: 5.2, white or yellow Secondary: 6.3, white or lilac (or blue) 6. Gamma Arietis (Mesarthim, STF 180). 01 hr 53.5 min +19 deg 18 min “The Ram’s Eyes” Primary: 4.5, white Secondary: 4.6 (7.5″), white 7. Lambda Arietis (H 5 12). 01 hr 57.9 min +23 deg 36 min Primary: 4.8, white or yellow Secondary: 6.7 (37.1″), silver-white or blue 8. -
April's Total Lunar Eclipse by Steve Mastellotto
April’s Total Lunar Eclipse by Steve Mastellotto Volume 39, No. 6 of Canada - Windsor Centre A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and the Moon line up. In early morning hours of Tues- day April 15th the full moon will pass through Earth’s shadow for most of North America. Earth ’s shadow has two parts: a darker inner section called the umbra and a lighter outer region called the penumbra. When all of the Moon passes through the umbra we get a total lunar eclipse. That’s what’s happening on the 15th and Windsor is in a prime location so see the entire event. The early stage begins with the generally unobservable penumbral phase at 12:52 a.m.. The moon begins to enter the umbral portion of the shadow at 1:57 a.m. marking the beginning of the partial phase of the eclipse. At 3:06 a.m. the moon will be fully immersed in the Earth’s shadow and totality be- gins. Since the Earth’s shadow is almost 3 times as large as the moon it can take up to 90 minutes for the moon to travel through the Earth’s umbra. Since this eclipse is not exactly centered in the Earth’s shadow totality will last about 78 minutes. You should look for the changing colour of the moon during totality which can vary from light gray to a deep red. Most eclipses have an orange appearance. As noted since the moon will be passing through the lower half of the Earth’s shadow the eclipse will look darkest on the top of the moon.