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FY08 Technical Papers by GSMTPO Staff
AURA/NOAO ANNUAL REPORT FY 2008 Submitted to the National Science Foundation July 23, 2008 Revised as Complete and Submitted December 23, 2008 NGC 660, ~13 Mpc from the Earth, is a peculiar, polar ring galaxy that resulted from two galaxies colliding. It consists of a nearly edge-on disk and a strongly warped outer disk. Image Credit: T.A. Rector/University of Alaska, Anchorage NATIONAL OPTICAL ASTRONOMY OBSERVATORY NOAO ANNUAL REPORT FY 2008 Submitted to the National Science Foundation December 23, 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................. 1 1 SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES AND FINDINGS ..................................................................................... 2 1.1 Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory...................................................................................... 2 The Once and Future Supernova η Carinae...................................................................................................... 2 A Stellar Merger and a Missing White Dwarf.................................................................................................. 3 Imaging the COSMOS...................................................................................................................................... 3 The Hubble Constant from a Gravitational Lens.............................................................................................. 4 A New Dwarf Nova in the Period Gap............................................................................................................ -
Explore the Universe Observing Certificate Second Edition
RASC Observing Committee Explore the Universe Observing Certificate Second Edition Explore the Universe Observing Certificate Welcome to the Explore the Universe Observing Certificate Program. This program is designed to provide the observer with a well-rounded introduction to the night sky visible from North America. Using this observing program is an excellent way to gain knowledge and experience in astronomy. Experienced observers find that a planned observing session results in a more satisfying and interesting experience. This program will help introduce you to amateur astronomy and prepare you for other more challenging certificate programs such as the Messier and Finest NGC. The program covers the full range of astronomical objects. Here is a summary: Observing Objective Requirement Available Constellations and Bright Stars 12 24 The Moon 16 32 Solar System 5 10 Deep Sky Objects 12 24 Double Stars 10 20 Total 55 110 In each category a choice of objects is provided so that you can begin the certificate at any time of the year. In order to receive your certificate you need to observe a total of 55 of the 110 objects available. Here is a summary of some of the abbreviations used in this program Instrument V – Visual (unaided eye) B – Binocular T – Telescope V/B - Visual/Binocular B/T - Binocular/Telescope Season Season when the object can be best seen in the evening sky between dusk. and midnight. Objects may also be seen in other seasons. Description Brief description of the target object, its common name and other details. Cons Constellation where object can be found (if applicable) BOG Ref Refers to corresponding references in the RASC’s The Beginner’s Observing Guide highlighting this object. -
February 2014 BRAS Newsletter
February, 2014 Next Meeting February 10th 7PM at the HRPO Self Portrait of Mars Rover Opportunity: 10 years and still going! What's In This Issue? President's Message Vice-President's Message Secretary's Summary Message from HRPO Globe at Night 20/20 Vision Imagine Your Parks Recent Forum Posts President's Message Well, the Nordic ice giants have moved into the state and have settled in for a while. By the time you get this we will have gone through at least two episodes of wet icy sub- freezing weather fronts. We sorry Louisianans just are not used to this stuff. Thankfully, the skies are crystal clear afterwards. They aren’t always the best for planetary work, with the high atmospheric turbulence that often follows a front, but it is a good time for deep sky work. The skies provide a much higher contrast that allows us to see those fine low-contrast details that are often so hard to pull out in these climes. There is a supernova visible in the edge-on galaxy M82, in Ursa Major. As I write this, it is visible in scopes around 8 inches aperture and up, and easily photographed. Be sure to take a look. It is not every day we get a supernova so bright. During our last meeting, we took a vote on what item we BRAS members would like most as our next big ticket raffle prize. The Coronado PST won. They are much more affordable now, sometimes selling for as little as $650. We are shopping around for the best deal now. -
A Hipparcos Study of the Hyades Open Cluster
A&A 367, 111–147 (2001) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20000410 & c ESO 2001 Astrophysics A Hipparcos study of the Hyades open cluster Improved colour-absolute magnitude and Hertzsprung{Russell diagrams J. H. J. de Bruijne, R. Hoogerwerf, and P. T. de Zeeuw Sterrewacht Leiden, Postbus 9513, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands Received 13 June 2000 / Accepted 24 November 2000 Abstract. Hipparcos parallaxes fix distances to individual stars in the Hyades cluster with an accuracy of ∼6per- cent. We use the Hipparcos proper motions, which have a larger relative precision than the trigonometric paral- laxes, to derive ∼3 times more precise distance estimates, by assuming that all members share the same space motion. An investigation of the available kinematic data confirms that the Hyades velocity field does not contain significant structure in the form of rotation and/or shear, but is fully consistent with a common space motion plus a (one-dimensional) internal velocity dispersion of ∼0.30 km s−1. The improved parallaxes as a set are statistically consistent with the Hipparcos parallaxes. The maximum expected systematic error in the proper motion-based parallaxes for stars in the outer regions of the cluster (i.e., beyond ∼2 tidal radii ∼20 pc) is ∼<0.30 mas. The new parallaxes confirm that the Hipparcos measurements are correlated on small angular scales, consistent with the limits specified in the Hipparcos Catalogue, though with significantly smaller “amplitudes” than claimed by Narayanan & Gould. We use the Tycho–2 long time-baseline astrometric catalogue to derive a set of independent proper motion-based parallaxes for the Hipparcos members. -
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). -
Binocular Double Star Logbook
Astronomical League Binocular Double Star Club Logbook 1 Table of Contents Alpha Cassiopeiae 3 14 Canis Minoris Sh 251 (Oph) Psi 1 Piscium* F Hydrae Psi 1 & 2 Draconis* 37 Ceti Iota Cancri* 10 Σ2273 (Dra) Phi Cassiopeiae 27 Hydrae 40 & 41 Draconis* 93 (Rho) & 94 Piscium Tau 1 Hydrae 67 Ophiuchi 17 Chi Ceti 35 & 36 (Zeta) Leonis 39 Draconis 56 Andromedae 4 42 Leonis Minoris Epsilon 1 & 2 Lyrae* (U) 14 Arietis Σ1474 (Hya) Zeta 1 & 2 Lyrae* 59 Andromedae Alpha Ursae Majoris 11 Beta Lyrae* 15 Trianguli Delta Leonis Delta 1 & 2 Lyrae 33 Arietis 83 Leonis Theta Serpentis* 18 19 Tauri Tau Leonis 15 Aquilae 21 & 22 Tauri 5 93 Leonis OΣΣ178 (Aql) Eta Tauri 65 Ursae Majoris 28 Aquilae Phi Tauri 67 Ursae Majoris 12 6 (Alpha) & 8 Vul 62 Tauri 12 Comae Berenices Beta Cygni* Kappa 1 & 2 Tauri 17 Comae Berenices Epsilon Sagittae 19 Theta 1 & 2 Tauri 5 (Kappa) & 6 Draconis 54 Sagittarii 57 Persei 6 32 Camelopardalis* 16 Cygni 88 Tauri Σ1740 (Vir) 57 Aquilae Sigma 1 & 2 Tauri 79 (Zeta) & 80 Ursae Maj* 13 15 Sagittae Tau Tauri 70 Virginis Theta Sagittae 62 Eridani Iota Bootis* O1 (30 & 31) Cyg* 20 Beta Camelopardalis Σ1850 (Boo) 29 Cygni 11 & 12 Camelopardalis 7 Alpha Librae* Alpha 1 & 2 Capricorni* Delta Orionis* Delta Bootis* Beta 1 & 2 Capricorni* 42 & 45 Orionis Mu 1 & 2 Bootis* 14 75 Draconis Theta 2 Orionis* Omega 1 & 2 Scorpii Rho Capricorni Gamma Leporis* Kappa Herculis Omicron Capricorni 21 35 Camelopardalis ?? Nu Scorpii S 752 (Delphinus) 5 Lyncis 8 Nu 1 & 2 Coronae Borealis 48 Cygni Nu Geminorum Rho Ophiuchi 61 Cygni* 20 Geminorum 16 & 17 Draconis* 15 5 (Gamma) & 6 Equulei Zeta Geminorum 36 & 37 Herculis 79 Cygni h 3945 (CMa) Mu 1 & 2 Scorpii Mu Cygni 22 19 Lyncis* Zeta 1 & 2 Scorpii Epsilon Pegasi* Eta Canis Majoris 9 Σ133 (Her) Pi 1 & 2 Pegasi Δ 47 (CMa) 36 Ophiuchi* 33 Pegasi 64 & 65 Geminorum Nu 1 & 2 Draconis* 16 35 Pegasi Knt 4 (Pup) 53 Ophiuchi Delta Cephei* (U) The 28 stars with asterisks are also required for the regular AL Double Star Club. -
Where Are the Hot Ion Lines in Classical T Tauri Stars Formed?
Accretion, winds and jets: High-energy emission from young stellar objects Dissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades des Departments Physik der Universit¨at Hamburg vorgelegt von Hans Moritz G¨unther aus Hamburg Hamburg 2009 ii Gutachter der Dissertation: Prof. Dr. J. H. M. M. Schmitt Prof. Dr. E. Feigelson Gutachter der Disputation: Prof. Dr. P. H. Hauschildt Prof. Dr. G. Wiedemann Datum der Disputation: 13.03.2009 Vorsitzender des Pr¨ufungsausschusses: Dr. R. Baade Vorsitzender des Promotionsausschusses: Prof. Dr. R. Klanner Dekan der MIN Fakult¨at: Prof. Dr. A. Fr¨uhwald (bis 28.02.2009) Prof. Dr. H. Graener (ab 01.03.2009) iii Zusammenfassung Sterne entstehen durch Gravitationsinstabilit¨aten in molekularen Wolken. Wegen der Erhaltung des Drehimpulses geschieht der Kollaps nicht sph¨arisch, sondern das Material f¨allt zun¨achst auf eine Akkretionsscheibe zusammen. In dieser Doktorarbeit wird hochenergetische Strahlung von Sternen untersucht, die noch aktiv Material von ihrer Scheibe akkretieren, aber nicht mehr von einer Staub- und Gash¨ulle verdeckt sind. In dieser Phase nennt man Sterne der Spektraltypen A und B Herbig Ae/Be (HAeBe) Sterne, alle sp¨ateren Sterne heißen klassische T Tauri Sterne (CTTS); eigentlich werden beide Typen ¨uber spektroskopische Merkmale definiert, aber diese fallen mit den hier genannten Entwicklungsstadien zusammen. In dieser Arbeit werden CTTS und HAeBes mit hochaufl¨osender Spektroskopie im R¨ontgen- und UV-Bereich untersucht und Simulationen f¨ur diese Stadien gezeigt. F¨ur zwei Sterne werden R¨ontgenspektren reduziert und vorgestellt: Der CTTS V4046 Sgr wurde mit Chandra f¨ur 100 ks beobachtet. Die Lichtkurve dieser Beobachtung zeigt einen Flare und die Triplets der He Isosequenz (Si xiii, Ne ix und O vii) deuten auf hohe Dichten im emittierenden Plasma hin. -
Stars and Their Spectra: an Introduction to the Spectral Sequence Second Edition James B
Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-89954-3 - Stars and Their Spectra: An Introduction to the Spectral Sequence Second Edition James B. Kaler Index More information Star index Stars are arranged by the Latin genitive of their constellation of residence, with other star names interspersed alphabetically. Within a constellation, Bayer Greek letters are given first, followed by Roman letters, Flamsteed numbers, variable stars arranged in traditional order (see Section 1.11), and then other names that take on genitive form. Stellar spectra are indicated by an asterisk. The best-known proper names have priority over their Greek-letter names. Spectra of the Sun and of nebulae are included as well. Abell 21 nucleus, see a Aurigae, see Capella Abell 78 nucleus, 327* ε Aurigae, 178, 186 Achernar, 9, 243, 264, 274 z Aurigae, 177, 186 Acrux, see Alpha Crucis Z Aurigae, 186, 269* Adhara, see Epsilon Canis Majoris AB Aurigae, 255 Albireo, 26 Alcor, 26, 177, 241, 243, 272* Barnard’s Star, 129–130, 131 Aldebaran, 9, 27, 80*, 163, 165 Betelgeuse, 2, 9, 16, 18, 20, 73, 74*, 79, Algol, 20, 26, 176–177, 271*, 333, 366 80*, 88, 104–105, 106*, 110*, 113, Altair, 9, 236, 241, 250 115, 118, 122, 187, 216, 264 a Andromedae, 273, 273* image of, 114 b Andromedae, 164 BDþ284211, 285* g Andromedae, 26 Bl 253* u Andromedae A, 218* a Boo¨tis, see Arcturus u Andromedae B, 109* g Boo¨tis, 243 Z Andromedae, 337 Z Boo¨tis, 185 Antares, 10, 73, 104–105, 113, 115, 118, l Boo¨tis, 254, 280, 314 122, 174* s Boo¨tis, 218* 53 Aquarii A, 195 53 Aquarii B, 195 T Camelopardalis, -
Nov 2016 Newsletter
Volume22, Issue 3 NWASNEWS November 2016 Newsletter for the Wiltshire, Swindon, Beckington WHAT DO WANT FROM YOUR SOCIETY? Astronomical Societies and Salisbury Plain Firstly can I welcome our returning In the early years there may have been Wiltshire Society Page 2 speaker Philip Perkins who last came to more beginners experiences, especially us when we met over the road in the WI where I was learning the hard way myself, Swindon Stargazers 3 hall. not worried about putting my mistakes to the society so, hopefully, they may learn Beckington and SPOG 4 His imaging of the night sky is really in- from my mistakes. spirational, making the transition from Space Place What kind of plan- 5 film (hyposensitising film was no joke) Would somebody like to write a beginners ets could be at Proxima then moving over to digital. piece every month? It doesn't have to be Centauri. all your own work. His work can be seen on his website Space News: Falcon X, 6-13 Astrocruise.com. He has an observatory Saturn’s hex changes colour. in the south of France, but also does a lot At last we have our darker skies with Mars probe crash site. of imaging from here in Wiltshire near longer nights, it may bring cold and some How many planets in Milky Way Aldbourne. cloud, but did you know there are more Pluto and Charon data at last cloudy nights in August than in Decem- Argentine 30tonne meteorite ber? It is just a case of wrapping up warm Formation of the Earth What I have noticed is the drop in sub- and getting out there. -
Superflares and Giant Planets
Superflares and Giant Planets From time to time, a few sunlike stars produce gargantuan outbursts. Large planets in tight orbits might account for these eruptions Eric P. Rubenstein nvision a pale blue planet, not un- bushes to burst into flames. Nor will the lar flares, which typically last a fraction Elike the Earth, orbiting a yellow star surface of the planet feel the blast of ul- of an hour and release their energy in a in some distant corner of the Galaxy. traviolet light and x rays, which will be combination of charged particles, ul- This exercise need not challenge the absorbed high in the atmosphere. But traviolet light and x rays. Thankfully, imagination. After all, astronomers the more energetic component of these this radiation does not reach danger- have now uncovered some 50 “extra- x rays and the charged particles that fol- ous levels at the surface of the Earth: solar” planets (albeit giant ones). Now low them are going to create havoc The terrestrial magnetic field easily de- suppose for a moment something less when they strike air molecules and trig- flects the charged particles, the upper likely: that this planet teems with life ger the production of nitrogen oxides, atmosphere screens out the x rays, and and is, perhaps, populated by intelli- which rapidly destroy ozone. the stratospheric ozone layer absorbs gent beings, ones who enjoy looking So in the space of a few days the pro- most of the ultraviolet light. So solar up at the sky from time to time. tective blanket of ozone around this flares, even the largest ones, normally During the day, these creatures planet will largely disintegrate, allow- pass uneventfully. -
A Spectroscopy Study of Nearby Late-Type Stars, Possible Members of Stellar Kinematic Groups
Astronomy & Astrophysics manuscript no. 14948 c ESO 2018 June 11, 2018 A spectroscopy study of nearby late-type stars, possible members of stellar kinematic groups ⋆ ⋆⋆ J. Maldonado1, R.M. Mart´ınez-Arn´aiz2 , C. Eiroa1, D. Montes2, and B. Montesinos3 1 Universidad Aut´onoma de Madrid, Dpto. F´ısica Te´orica, M´odulo 15, Facultad de Ciencias, Campus de Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid, Spain, 2 Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Dpto. Astrof´ısica, Facultad Ciencias F´ısicas, E-28040 Madrid, Spain 3 Laboratorio de Astrof´ısica Estelar y Exoplanetas, Centro de Astrobiolog´ıa, LAEX-CAB (CSIC-INTA), ESAC Campus, P.O. BOX 78, E-28691, Villanueva de la Ca˜nada, Madrid, Spain Received ; Accepted ABSTRACT Context. Nearby late-type stars are excellent targets for seeking young objects in stellar associations and moving groups. The origin of these structures is still misunderstood, and lists of moving group members often change with time and also from author to author. Most members of these groups have been identified by means of kinematic criteria, leading to an important contamination of previous lists by old field stars. Aims. We attempt to identify unambiguous moving group members among a sample of nearby-late type stars by studying their kinematics, lithium abundance, chromospheric activity, and other age-related properties. Methods. High-resolution echelle spectra (R ∼ 57000) of a sample of nearby late-type stars are used to derive accurate radial velocities that are combined with the precise Hipparcos parallaxes and proper motions to compute galactic-spatial velocity components. Stars are classified as possible members of the classical moving groups according to their kinematics. -
2018 Astro Observing Events
Prairie State Park June 11, 2017 References: https://skysafariastronomy.com/ http://astropixels.com/ephemeris/astrocal/astrocal2017cst.html http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar- 2017.html http://www.calsky.com/cs.cgi RASC Handbook 2018 All Photos by Mark Jones Unless noted M15 Sep 30, 2017 Ballwin MO Northern Limit Page and Lindbergh Sun Events 2018 Southern Limit Watson and Lindbergh Red Lines are 72,100 ft long Jan 3 1:00 - Perihelion (distance to sun: 147 mKm) Mar 20 10:15 - March Equinox Jun 21 4:07 - Northern Solstice (declination: +23.434°) Jul 6 11:00 - Aphelion (distance to sun: 152 mKm) Sep 22 19:54 – Sep Equinox Dec 21 17:23 - Southern Solstice (declination: -23.435°) Google Earth Full Moon Events 2018 Smallest Jun 27 – Second smallest of FM 2018 Jul 27 – Smallest of FM 2018 (29.41 arc-min) Largest Jan 1 – Largest FM of 2018 (33.16 arc-min) Jan 31 – Second largest FM of 2018 Canon DSLR FL=300mm Jan 1, 2018 - 3rd largest of the last 10 years. The biggest of the next 10 years. Former larger FM was Nov 14, 2016. Next larger FM is Nov 25, 2034 Other Moon Events 2018 Jan 2 - Northern most FM of 2018. Jun 27 – Southern most FM of 2018. Moon rise Sep 8, 2017 Arch from 17 miles away Other Moon Events 2018 Lunar “X” (local start times + ~2 hours) • Jan 23 23:42 Alt=1° • Mar 24 00:57 Alt=10° • May 23 01:02 Alt=17° • July 20 00:14 Alt=6° • Dec 14 17:24 Alt=41° Local STL times Favorable Dates in Yellow Lunar X - Mar 15, 2016 Data provided by Cloudy Nights https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/598806-2018-lunar-x-predictions/ Other Moon Events 2018 Golden Handle on the Moon Sun rises on the Jura mountains, while Sinus Iridium is still in shadow • Jan 26 – 19:00 Alt=64° • Mar 27 – 2:30 Alt=22° • Apr 25 – 15:36 Alt=2° • Jul 22 – 22:36 Alt=18° • Sep 19 – 18:48 Alt=21° • Nov 17 – 19:54 Alt=44° Start times.