Summer 2001 Volume 24 No. 2.Pdf
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2:AI RA.NEWSLETTER Vhen these two methods are applied rc galaxies, we often lnside.,, find that the mass determined by the second method is Looking Up 3 several times as large as the visible mass determined by the Acknowledgement of ZOO0 Donors 4 first. Dynamical studies sugges t that this extra mass is not in Summer Sky 6 the disk of the galaxy where we find the bright stars and the gas and the dust, but is widely distributed in the surrounding halo, where we fin d relatively few stars. Srrpposing that it is always true that most of the matter in the halo is dark, then the halo of a galaxy like the Sombrero, where there are many This feature is inspired by the questions we baae receioed over the years fro* interested stars, should be exceedingly massive. \7e were therefore readers. If yow haoe a question'about an surprised to find that the total mass of the halo of the astronornical topic, please forward it to ws. Sombrero was quite ayerage. It must be that somethitg has happened in the halo which has caused the formation of an exceptionally large number of stars. This does not mean that Robert Hoyle asks: there is no dark matter. \We have seen only that the total mass Dear Dr. Shane: Your articles on the Sky in the Newsletter is quite normal but that a larger than normal fraction of this are always very interesting and particularly thought mass is in the form of halo stars. tMith regard to the total provokirg. I was intrigued by the fact that Mt04 is not dynamical mass, the number that we get is 0.6 trillion solar "does surrounded by an inordinate amount of mass that masses inside a 20 kiloparsec radius although what happens not seem to produce any observable radiation" (presum ably outside this radius is anybody's guess. The number which dark matter). If the rotational velocity component is used you quote (1.3 trillion) is somewhat larger, although not to determine galactic mass does this mean that such unreasonable provided it is a measure of the total, not just the calculated mass does not have any dark matter in it? If visible mass. In all these calculations the distance remains an there is dark matter inside the radius, how can we deter- important source of uncert arnty. mine the number of stars in a galaxy? The most interesting part of our discussion is now quite an Dr. \flhitney Shane responds: old story. By looking at the spiral structure, we were able to Thank you for your thoughtful questions. To answer your estimate how much of the mass was concentrated in the disk questions, let me startby describirg the two methods of of the galaxy. The material in the disk moves under influence mass determination that we may use in cases such as the of the whole mass of the gaIax,y, includirg the halo. But the \We one I was discussirg. can measure the luminosity of the tendency of the matter to con centrate in spiral arms is galaxy using a photometer and, supposing we know its governed by the self-gravity of the matter in the disk itself. distance, which is always uncertain, we can convert this to Vith the help of some rather complicated mathematics, we absolute units, such as units of the luminosity of the Sun. can show that the tilt of the spiral arms (or their separation, If all stars were similar to the Sun, then this number would which we were able to measure) is related to the amount of also be the total mass of the stars. Actually, the average star mass in the disk. \(e found that about20 per cent of the total in a galaxy like the Sombrero is less bright, for its mass, mass of the galaxy is located in the disk. This leads to the than is the Sun. So we have to multiply the total luminos- rather unexciting result that the Sombrero is really a very ttyby some factor, usually 3 or more, dependirg upon the aloerage sort of disk embedded in an ayerage sort of halo. The kind of stars which appe ar to be present, in order to only exceptional part is the large number of stars in the halo, estimate the total *r* of all of the stars. If we want to and it is this that makes it such a strikirg object. include all of the visible material, we must add somethirg to account for the gas and dust, which we can see as the dark band across the face of the galaxy but this is generally Thanks to our Generous Donors! a correction of only a few per cent. The second method of In March ZOO1, MIRA received a $1,000 grant from the mass determination is to measure the rotational velocity. Yellow Brick Road Benefit Shop which will aid in the This is particularly easy when the gal axy is seen edge on installation of MIRA - Exploring the Universe from the because there is no proiection factor to worry about. This Central Coast which will be re-hung at the Hamming As- measures the mass interior to a sphere whose radius is tronomy Center. The exhibit was previously shown at the determined by the point at which the measurement is Pacific Grove Natural History Museum. made. If the matter is not spheric ally distributed, then received there is a small correction, but this can be dealt with. This Also was a $2,500 donation from The Catherine L. will include all of the mass, because all of the mass contrib- and Robert O. McMahan Foundation for the cost of a low- utes to the gravity, whether it be in the form of stars, of gas resolution area spectrograph. and dust, or in some other form which we have not yet The Pebble Beach Company generously donated $1,500 identified but which we caII, for lack of a better name, toward the installation of MIRA - Exploring the Universe fro* " dark matter." the Central Coast. UMMER 20A1:3 Looki ng Up Calendar of Events Dr. witb Arthur Babcock Free Observatory Tours at OOS! Marvel at MIRA s 36-inch Red Sky in Garmel Valley professional research telescope! The Oliver Observirg Station is located on Tas sajara Road in on Friday evening, March 30, I received a phone call from Carmel Valley, in the Los Padres Kim Cohan telling me that a friend of his from Carmel National Forest. Valley had called him to ask -hy the night sky looked red. As it turned out, this was a rare instance of the aur ora Reservations are required. being visible this far south. Indeed, that night there were 5 Arg - Observatory Tour reports from across the southern U.S., and even from as far south as Mexico, of red and green glows in the night 2 Sept - Observ atory Tour sky. Fall Lecture: Dr. Alex Filippenko will speak on Einstein's Vhile the aurora borealis is often visible from nothern Biggest Blunder? The Case for Cosmic 'Antigraviq." locations, it takes a violent solar evenr to produce aurora MPC Room 103, 7 p.m. November 10th. effects visible from the mid latitudes, and this occasion was due to a coronal mass ejection from the largest The Bonestell Memorial Lecture: Dr. Frank Shu, the sunspot in a decade (see illustration). NASA s ACE preeminent theorist on the formation of our Solar System, will discuss the formation (Advanced Composition Explorer) spacec raft detected a process of the sun & planets. shock wave in the solar wind, which arrived in Earth's '$[inter Lecture: Dr. Imke de Pater will show the Universe atmosphere about 30 minutes Later. through the eyes of telescopes using the latest techniques in Vhen Kim's phone call alerted me ro go ourside and look adaptive optics. up, I saw a faint, diffuse red glow from the northwest Lectwre dates to be announced. horizon to the zenith. The effect was subtle, but I was sure it was real. Lateg I saw a number of photographs All lectures, star parties, and tours are free and open to the taken that night from the southern U.S. and they all public. Call the MIRA office at (831) 883-looo or email showe d a fairly uniform red glow. The glow is emission [email protected] for more information. from tonrzed oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere. The next day,I called FoM member Robin Cas ady about this event, and he responded with this excellent image of the monster sunspo t that caused this unusual event. VOLUNTEE,RS STANTED! MIRA has several interesting projects that we will be The largest sunspot in years; the round black spor indicates working on in the coming year - please phone the offi ce at the size of the Earrh. Image by Robin Cas ady, using a 883-1000 or email us at [email protected] and let us know of 130mm Astro-Physics refractor at f/1,6.6 and an Astrovid your talents and interests! 2000 video camera. 4 :AI R.tr.NEWSLETTER The Monterey Institute fo, Researcb in Astronomy gratefully acknowledges gifts and membersbips fo, 2000 from indiaidwals, families, corporations, and foundations. 2000 Associates Circle 2000 Sponsors ($1,000 and oaer) ($1oo - $24e) I sc Adelman ,NIvarez Edward Leibhardt Kenneth Gabrielle Janet I I Arthur & Barb ara Babcock Michael Anderson Tom Logan 1 Cratg & Lynn Chester Richard Baum gartner Mayflower Hotel Margaret L. McCrary City of Pacific Grove &. Ehzabeth Salzer Mclntosh Mrs.