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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. -
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. -
February 2019 These Pages Are Intended to Help You Find Your Way Around the Sky
WHAT'S UP THIS MONTH – FEBRUARY 2019 THESE PAGES ARE INTENDED TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE SKY The chart above shows the night sky as it appears on 15th February at 21:00 (9 o’clock) in the evening Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). As the Earth orbits the Sun and we look out into space each night the stars will appear to have moved across the sky by a small amount. Every month Earth moves one twelfth of its circuit around the Sun, this amounts to 30 degrees each month. There are about 30 days in each month so each night the stars appear to move about 1 degree. The sky will therefore appear the same as shown on the chart above at 10 o’clock GMT at the beginning of the month and at 8 o’clock GMT at the end of the month. The stars also appear to move 15º (360º divided by 24) each hour from east to west, due to the Earth rotating once every 24 hours. The centre of the chart will be the position in the sky directly overhead, called the Zenith. First we need to find some familiar objects so we can get our bearings. The Pole Star Polaris can be easily found by first finding the familiar shape of the Great Bear ‘Ursa Major’ that is also sometimes called the Plough or even the Big Dipper by the Americans. Ursa Major is visible 1 of 13 pages throughout the year from Britain and is always easy to find. This month it is in the North East. -
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). -
OBSERVING BASICS by GUY MACKIE
OBSERVING BASICS by GUY MACKIE Observing Reports The colorful and detailed photographs we see of celestial objects are not at all like the ubiquitous "fuzzy blobs" we see at the eyepiece. Nevertheless, you are freezing your buns off and loosing much needed sleep for work, the next day so why not make a description of your observations that will make the hunt worthwhile. Here are some suggestions to fill the empty spaces in your logbook and to imprint the observing experience more deeply in your memory. The Basics Your website www.m51.ca has a downloadable log sheet template that is just super, but you can also make up one for yourself or customize the website version to your own needs. The main things to start your report should be the circumstances under which you observed: Observing Location Time (of observing session and of the observation of each object) Optics (type of instrument, eyepiece, filters, power of magnification) Transparency (page 56 of the Observers Handbook) Seeing (for me this is a subjective rating of the atmospheric stability based on Planet features and double star observations) It is good to know the field of view (FOV) of each of your eyepieces in minutes of degree, then you can estimate the approximate size of the object. The sketchpad I use has the FOV for every eyepiece I use taped to the back, a handy reference. To calculate your field of view there are websites that will punch out the both the magnification and the FOV for most eyepieces. You can do it yourself: With any motor drives turned off, place a star near the celestial equator just outside the field of view in the eyepiece so that it will drift across the middle of the field of view. -
Astronomy Targets: September 2018 Unless Stated Otherwise, All Times Are for Mid-Month, for Birmingham UK and Are GMT+1
Astronomy targets: September 2018 Unless stated otherwise, all times are for mid-month, for Birmingham UK and are GMT+1. Rise & set times are for 20 degrees above horizon. Dark & light times are nautical twilight times (Sun 12 degrees below horizon) and astronomical darkness (Sun 18 degrees below horizon). © Andrew Butler, 2018. Sun and Moon data sourced from US Naval Observatory. Sun times Monday date Sunset Naut Astro Astro Naut Sunrise Moon Moon % Dark Dark Light Light 03/09/18 1951 2110 2158 0416 0504 0623 2353 → 40% 10/09/18 1935 2052 2137 0433 0518 0635 2% 17/09/18 1918 2033 2117 0448 0531 0647 ← 2346 60% 24/09/18 1902 2016 2057 0502 0544 0658 1916 → 100% Calendar 9 Sep New Moon 24 Sep Full Moon Planets Cygnus Sunset-0300, best 2210 Mars (low at Sunset) Emmission nebulae: Jupiter (low at Sunset) NGC6888 Crescent Nebula Saturn (low at Sunset) NGC6960 Veil Nebula Uranus (2230-Sunrise) IC5070 Pelican Nebula Neptune (2130-0330) IC7000 (C20) North American Nebula Planetary nebulae: Ursa Major Sunset-0150 IC5146 (C19) Cocoon Nebula Planetary nebula: M97 Owl Nebula NGC6826 Blinking Nebula Galaxies: NGC7008 Fetus Nebula M81 Bode’s Galaxy & M82 Cigar Galaxy Open clusters: M101 Pinwheel Galaxy M29 M108 M39 M109 NGC6871 Multiple star: Mizar & Alcor ζ-UMa (zeta-UMa) 3 white NGC6883 NGC6910 Rocking Horse Cluster Canes Venatici Sunset-2130 Galaxy: NGC6946 (C12) Fireworks Galaxy Globular cluster: M3 Multiple stars: Galaxies: Albireo β-Cyg (beta-Cyg) gold & blue M51 Whirlpool Galaxy 61-Cyg orange & red M63 Sunflower Galaxy M94 Delphinus Sunset-0240, -
A Guide to Smartphone Astrophotography National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Aeronautics and Space Administration A Guide to Smartphone Astrophotography National Aeronautics and Space Administration A Guide to Smartphone Astrophotography A Guide to Smartphone Astrophotography Dr. Sten Odenwald NASA Space Science Education Consortium Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland Cover designs and editing by Abbey Interrante Cover illustrations Front: Aurora (Elizabeth Macdonald), moon (Spencer Collins), star trails (Donald Noor), Orion nebula (Christian Harris), solar eclipse (Christopher Jones), Milky Way (Shun-Chia Yang), satellite streaks (Stanislav Kaniansky),sunspot (Michael Seeboerger-Weichselbaum),sun dogs (Billy Heather). Back: Milky Way (Gabriel Clark) Two front cover designs are provided with this book. To conserve toner, begin document printing with the second cover. This product is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement number NNH15ZDA004C. [1] Table of Contents Introduction.................................................................................................................................................... 5 How to use this book ..................................................................................................................................... 9 1.0 Light Pollution ....................................................................................................................................... 12 2.0 Cameras ................................................................................................................................................ -
MESSIER 15 RA(2000) : 21H 29M 58S DEC(2000): +12° 10'
MESSIER 15 RA(2000) : 21h 29m 58s DEC(2000): +12° 10’ 01” BASIC INFORMATION OBJECT TYPE: Globular Cluster CONSTELLATION: Pegasus BEST VIEW: Late October DISCOVERY: Jean-Dominique Maraldi, 1746 DISTANCE: 33,600 ly DIAMETER: 175 ly APPARENT MAGNITUDE: +6.2 APPARENT DIMENSIONS: 18’ FOV:Starry 1.00Night FOV: 60.00 Vulpecula Sagitta Pegasus NGC 7009 (THE SATURN NEBULA) Delphinus NGC 7009 RA(2000) : 21h 04m 10.8s DEC(2000): -11° 21’ 48.6” Equuleus Pisces Aquila NGC 7009 FOV: 5.00 Aquarius Telrad Capricornus Sagittarius Cetus Piscis Austrinus NGC 7009 Microscopium BASIC INFORMATION OBJECT TYPE: Planetary Nebula CONSTELLATION: Aquarius Sculptor BEST VIEW: Early November DISCOVERY: William Herschel, 1782 DISTANCE: 2000 - 4000 ly DIAMETER: 0.4 - 0.8 ly Grus APPARENT MAGNITUDE: +8.0 APPARENT DIMENSIONS: 41” x 35” Telescopium Telrad Indus NGC 7662 (THE BLUE SNOWBALL) RA(2000) : 23h 25m 53.6s DEC(2000): +42° 32’ 06” BASIC INFORMATION OBJECT TYPE: Planetary Nebula CONSTELLATION: Andromeda BEST VIEW: Late November DISCOVERY: William Herschel, 1784 DISTANCE: 1800 – 6400 ly DIAMETER: 0.3 – 1.1 ly APPARENT MAGNITUDE: +8.6 APPARENT DIMENSIONS: 37” MESSIER 52 RA(2000) : 23h 24m 48s DEC(2000): +61° 35’ 36” BASIC INFORMATION OBJECT TYPE: Open Cluster CONSTELLATION: Cassiopeia BEST VIEW: December DISCOVERY: Charles Messier, 1774 DISTANCE: ~5000 ly DIAMETER: 19 ly APPARENT MAGNITUDE: +7.3 APPARENT DIMENSIONS: 13’ AGE: 50 million years FOV:Starry 1.00Night FOV: 60.00 Auriga Cepheus Andromeda MESSIER 31 (THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY) M 31 RA(2000) : 00h 42m 44.3Cassiopeias DEC(2000): +41° 16’ 07.5” Perseus Lacerta AndromedaM 31 FOV: 5.00 Telrad Triangulum Taurus Orion Aries Andromeda M 31 Pegasus Pisces BASIC INFORMATION OBJECT TYPE: Galaxy CONSTELLATION: Andromeda Telrad BEST VIEW: December DISCOVERY: Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, 964 Eridanus CetusDISTANCE: 2.5 million ly DIAMETER: ~250,000 ly* APPARENT MAGNITUDE: +3.4 APPARENT DIMENSIONS: 178’ x 63’ (3° x 1°) *This value represents the total diameter of the disk, based on multi-wavelength measurements. -
The Messier Catalog
The Messier Catalog Messier 1 Messier 2 Messier 3 Messier 4 Messier 5 Crab Nebula globular cluster globular cluster globular cluster globular cluster Messier 6 Messier 7 Messier 8 Messier 9 Messier 10 open cluster open cluster Lagoon Nebula globular cluster globular cluster Butterfly Cluster Ptolemy's Cluster Messier 11 Messier 12 Messier 13 Messier 14 Messier 15 Wild Duck Cluster globular cluster Hercules glob luster globular cluster globular cluster Messier 16 Messier 17 Messier 18 Messier 19 Messier 20 Eagle Nebula The Omega, Swan, open cluster globular cluster Trifid Nebula or Horseshoe Nebula Messier 21 Messier 22 Messier 23 Messier 24 Messier 25 open cluster globular cluster open cluster Milky Way Patch open cluster Messier 26 Messier 27 Messier 28 Messier 29 Messier 30 open cluster Dumbbell Nebula globular cluster open cluster globular cluster Messier 31 Messier 32 Messier 33 Messier 34 Messier 35 Andromeda dwarf Andromeda Galaxy Triangulum Galaxy open cluster open cluster elliptical galaxy Messier 36 Messier 37 Messier 38 Messier 39 Messier 40 open cluster open cluster open cluster open cluster double star Winecke 4 Messier 41 Messier 42/43 Messier 44 Messier 45 Messier 46 open cluster Orion Nebula Praesepe Pleiades open cluster Beehive Cluster Suburu Messier 47 Messier 48 Messier 49 Messier 50 Messier 51 open cluster open cluster elliptical galaxy open cluster Whirlpool Galaxy Messier 52 Messier 53 Messier 54 Messier 55 Messier 56 open cluster globular cluster globular cluster globular cluster globular cluster Messier 57 Messier -
Atlas Menor Was Objects to Slowly Change Over Time
C h a r t Atlas Charts s O b by j Objects e c t Constellation s Objects by Number 64 Objects by Type 71 Objects by Name 76 Messier Objects 78 Caldwell Objects 81 Orion & Stars by Name 84 Lepus, circa , Brightest Stars 86 1720 , Closest Stars 87 Mythology 88 Bimonthly Sky Charts 92 Meteor Showers 105 Sun, Moon and Planets 106 Observing Considerations 113 Expanded Glossary 115 Th e 88 Constellations, plus 126 Chart Reference BACK PAGE Introduction he night sky was charted by western civilization a few thou - N 1,370 deep sky objects and 360 double stars (two stars—one sands years ago to bring order to the random splatter of stars, often orbits the other) plotted with observing information for T and in the hopes, as a piece of the puzzle, to help “understand” every object. the forces of nature. The stars and their constellations were imbued with N Inclusion of many “famous” celestial objects, even though the beliefs of those times, which have become mythology. they are beyond the reach of a 6 to 8-inch diameter telescope. The oldest known celestial atlas is in the book, Almagest , by N Expanded glossary to define and/or explain terms and Claudius Ptolemy, a Greco-Egyptian with Roman citizenship who lived concepts. in Alexandria from 90 to 160 AD. The Almagest is the earliest surviving astronomical treatise—a 600-page tome. The star charts are in tabular N Black stars on a white background, a preferred format for star form, by constellation, and the locations of the stars are described by charts. -
Guidestar December, 2020
Subscribe Past Issues Translate RSS View this email in your browser GUIDESTAR December 2020 Fostering the Science and Art of Astronomy Through Programs that Serve our Membership and the Community NGC 2204 - Flame Nebula, IC434 Nebula and B 33 - Horsehead Nebula Image by HAS Member Simon Tan Subscribe Past Issues Translate RSS President's Letter by Joe Khalaf Looking for Silver Linings Like most of you reading this, I, too am looking forward to putting 2020 in my rearview mirror and hoping that 2021 brings about a much better outlook than we’ve had for the last 9 months or so. We continue to see a profound impact from COVID- 19 on millions of people – physically, economically, and mentally – and the devastating losses of life continuing to mount as we see another resurgence in various parts of our country. Here at the Houston Astronomical Society, we have known several members who have come down with COVID-19 but fortunately, I am not aware of anyone who has lost their life in our club. Read More December Novice Presentation Via Zoom Novice to Novice Tonight we will hear stories of the triumphs and pitfalls of getting started in astronomy. Craig Lamison will lead off with his advice. Novices, please bring your questions and cautionary tales. Experienced astronomers, please bring your expertise! Lets help each other and HAVE SOME FUN December 3, 2020, 7:00PM Read More Register for Presentation Subscribe Past Issues Translate RSS HAS Main Speaker Presentation Via Zoom "Holiday Cheer & HAS Astrophotographers Tell All Our Astrophotographers: -
The Night Sky February 2021. Auriga Constellation
Binocular Observing February 2021 by Andrew Lohfink. The Night Sky February 2021. Auriga Constellation. Auriga Constellation. The constellation Auriga lies high in the February night sky near the zenith. Look for the bright star Capella which forms part of a lop sided hexagon asterism. Auriga contains two large binocular asterisms best viewed at low power with wide field views. The first is called The Cheshire Cat and can be seen arrowed opposite. The Cheshire Cat Asterism. Just to the west of M38 lies a chance line of sight asterism – The Cheshire cat or Smiley Face. There are a curved line of stars forming the mouth and 2 bright stars forming the eyes. See if you can tease out the differing colours of the stars. The Leaping Minnow Asterism. Just to the west of The Cheshire Cat lies another binocular asterism called The Leaping Minnow. Seen opposite, the bright stars in the centre of the image form a fish shape. When observed directly in the night sky you may be able to see a small pool of stars where the minnow splashes into the water. The differing star colours are a beautiful sight in any size binoculars but look best at about 15x70. You will not see the nebulosity either side of the asterism as seen in the opposite image with binoculars. The Three Messier Clusters in Auriga. Auriga is home to the famous trio of open star clusters – M36, 37 & 38. Each can be seen with binoculars of all sizes. The key to finding them is imagine a line from Theta to Gamma Aurigae (also known as Beta Tauri).