Introduction to Basic Stargazing Part III by Michael Usher
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CGEM Series Telescope! the CGEM Series Is Made of the Highest Quality Materials to Ensure Stability and Durability
CCGGEEMM SSeerriieess INSTRUCTION MANUAL CGEM 800 ● CGEM 925 ● CGEM 1100 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................4 Warning.......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 ASSEMBLY.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................6 Setting up the Tripod...................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Attaching the Equatorial Mount ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Attaching the Accessory Tray ........................................................................................................................................................................ 8 Installing the Counterweight Bar.................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Installing -
Instruction Manual
IINNSSTTRRUUCCTTIIOONN MMAANNUUAALL INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................................4 WARNING.......................................................................................................................................................................4 ASSEMBLY.....................................................................................................................................................................6 ASSEMBLING THE CPC ...................................................................................................................................................6 Setting up the Tripod.................................................................................................................................................6 Adjusting the Tripod Height......................................................................................................................................7 Attaching the CPC to the Tripod...............................................................................................................................7 Adjusting the Clutches...............................................................................................................................................8 The Star Diagonal .....................................................................................................................................................8 The Eyepiece -
Binocular Universe: Sly Fox September 2010 Phil Harrington
Binocular Universe is available every month on Cloudynights.com Binocular Universe: Sly Fox September 2010 Phil Harrington ast month's Stellafane convention, held atop Breezy Hill outside of Springfield, Vermont, was the best in recent memory. The skies were the Lclearest we've had in years, giving us a chance to enjoy the beauty of the summer Milky Way, which stretched from horizon to horizon. Armed with my trusty 10x50 and 16x70 binoculars, I sat back in my reclining chair and swept the plane of our Galaxy in pursuit of some old friends and new conquests. Above: Summer star map from Star Watch by Phil Harrington Binocular Universe is available every month on Cloudynights.com Above: Finder chart for this month's Binocular Universe. Chart adapted from Touring the Universe through Binoculars Atlas (TUBA), www.philharrington.net/tuba.htm Binocular Universe is available every month on Cloudynights.com Here are a few gems I bumped into along the way as I viewed the tiny constellation of Vulpecula the Fox. Vulpecula is a faint summertime constellation wedged between Cygnus (the Swan) to the north and Sagitta (the Arrow) to the south. None of Vulpecula’s stars shine brighter than magnitude 4.5, so seeing a fox here is a tall order indeed. But the sly Fox holds many binocular treasures for those who the time to seek them out. Vulpecula was created in 1687 by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius. His original drawing showed a small fox carrying a hapless goose in its mouth. He called the combination Vulpecula et Anser ("the little fox and the goose"). -
Celestial Navigation (Fall) NAME GROUP
SIERRA COLLEGE OBSERVATIONAL ASTRONOMY LABORATORY EXERCISE Lab N03: Celestial Navigation (Fall) NAME GROUP OBJECTIVE: Learn about the Celestial Coordinate System. Learn about stellar designations. Learn about deep sky object designations. INTRODUCTION: The Horizon Coordinate System is simple, but flawed, because the altitude and azimuth measures of stars change as the sky rotates. Astronomers have developed an improved scheme called the Celestial Coordinate System, which is fixed with the stars. The two coordinates are Right Ascension and Declination. Declination ranges from the North Celestial Pole to the South Celestial Pole, with the Celestial Equator being a line around the sky at the midline of those two extremes. We will use these coordinates when navigating using the SC001 and SC002 charts. There are many ways to designate stars. The most common is called the Bayer designations. The Bayer designation of a star starts with a Greek letter. The brightest star in the constellation gets “alpha” (the first letter in the Greek alphabet), the second brightest star gets “beta,” and so on. (The Greek alphabet is shown below.) The Bayer designation must also include the constellation name. There are only 24 letters in the Greek alphabet, so this system is obviously very limited. The Greek alphabet 1) Alpha 7) Eta 13) Nu 19) Tau 2) Beta 8) Theta 14) Xi 20) Upsilon 3) Gamma 9) Iota 15) Omicron 21) Phi 4) Delta 10) Kappa 16) Pi 22) Chi 5) Epsilon 11) Lambda 17) Rho 23) Psi 6) Zeta 12) Mu 18) Sigma 24) Omega A more extensive naming system is called the Flamsteed designation. -
Naming the Extrasolar Planets
Naming the extrasolar planets W. Lyra Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, K¨onigstuhl 17, 69177, Heidelberg, Germany [email protected] Abstract and OGLE-TR-182 b, which does not help educators convey the message that these planets are quite similar to Jupiter. Extrasolar planets are not named and are referred to only In stark contrast, the sentence“planet Apollo is a gas giant by their assigned scientific designation. The reason given like Jupiter” is heavily - yet invisibly - coated with Coper- by the IAU to not name the planets is that it is consid- nicanism. ered impractical as planets are expected to be common. I One reason given by the IAU for not considering naming advance some reasons as to why this logic is flawed, and sug- the extrasolar planets is that it is a task deemed impractical. gest names for the 403 extrasolar planet candidates known One source is quoted as having said “if planets are found to as of Oct 2009. The names follow a scheme of association occur very frequently in the Universe, a system of individual with the constellation that the host star pertains to, and names for planets might well rapidly be found equally im- therefore are mostly drawn from Roman-Greek mythology. practicable as it is for stars, as planet discoveries progress.” Other mythologies may also be used given that a suitable 1. This leads to a second argument. It is indeed impractical association is established. to name all stars. But some stars are named nonetheless. In fact, all other classes of astronomical bodies are named. -
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). -
2001 Astronomy Magazine Index
2001 Astronomy magazine index Subject index Chandra X-ray Observatory, telescope of, free-floating planets, 2:20, 22 12:76 A Christmas Star, 1:102 absolute visual magnitude, 1:86 cold dark matter, 3:24, 26 G active region 9393, 7:22 colors, of celestial objects, 9:82–83 Gagarin, Yuri, 4:36–41 Africa, observation from, 4:107–112, 10:48– Comet Borrelly, 9:33–37 galaxies 53 comets, 2:93 clusters of Andromeda Galaxy computers, accessing image archives with, in constellation Leo, 5:28 constellations of, 11:64–69 7:40–45 Massive Cluster Survey (MACS), consuming other galaxies, 12:25 corona of Sun, 1:24, 26 3:28 warp in disk of, 5:22 cosmic rays collisions of, 6:24 animal astronauts, 4:43–47 general information, 1:36–39 space between, 9:81 apparent visual magnitude, 1:86 origin of, 1:43–47 gamma ray bursts, 1:28, 30 Apus (constellation), 7:80–84 cosmology Ganymede (Jupiter's moon), 5:26 Aquila (constellation), 8:66–70 and particle physics, 6:39–43 Gemini Telescope, 2:26, 28 Ara (constellation), 7:80–84 unanswered questions, 6:46–52 Giodorno Bruno crater, 11:28, 30 Aries (constellation), 11:64–69 Gliese 876 (red dwarf star), 4:18 artwork, astronomical, 12:80–85 globular clusters, viewing, 8:72 asteroids D green stars, 3:82–85 around Zeta Leporis (star), 11:26 dark matter Groundhog Day, 2:96–97 cold, 3:24, 26 near Earth, 8:44–49 astronauts, animal as, 4:43–47 distribution of, 12:30, 32 astronomers, amateur, 10:88–89 whether exists, 8:26–31 H Hale Telescope, 9:46–53 astronomical models, 9:22, 24 deep sky objects, 7:87 HD 168443 (star), 4:18 Astronomy.com website, 1:78–84 Delphinus (constellation), 10:72–76 HD 82943 (star), 8:18 astrophotography DigitalSky Voice software, 8:65 HH 237 (meteor), 6:22 black holes, 1:26, 28 Dobson, John, 9:68–71 HR 1998 (star), 11:26 costs of basic equipment, 5:86 Dobsonian telescopes HST. -
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. -
NASA Astrobiology Institute 2018 Annual Science Report
A National Aeronautics and Space Administration 2018 Annual Science Report Table of Contents 2018 at the NAI 1 NAI 2018 Teams 2 2018 Team Reports The Evolution of Prebiotic Chemical Complexity and the Organic Inventory 6 of Protoplanetary Disk and Primordial Planets Lead Institution: NASA Ames Research Center Reliving the Past: Experimental Evolution of Major Transitions 18 Lead Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology Origin and Evolution of Organics and Water in Planetary Systems 34 Lead Institution: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Icy Worlds: Astrobiology at the Water-Rock Interface and Beyond 46 Lead Institution: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Habitability of Hydrocarbon Worlds: Titan and Beyond 60 Lead Institution: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Origins of Molecules in Diverse Space and Planetary Environments 72 and Their Intramolecular Isotope Signatures Lead Institution: Pennsylvania State University ENIGMA: Evolution of Nanomachines in Geospheres and Microbial Ancestors 80 Lead Institution: Rutgers University Changing Planetary Environments and the Fingerprints of Life 88 Lead Institution: SETI Institute Alternative Earths 100 Lead Institution: University of California, Riverside Rock Powered Life 120 Lead Institution: University of Colorado Boulder NASA Astrobiology Institute iii Annual Report 2018 2018 at the NAI In 2018, the NASA Astrobiology Program announced a plan to transition to a new structure of Research Coordination Networks, RCNs, and simultaneously planned the termination of the NASA Astrobiology Institute -
Download This Article in PDF Format
A&A 609, A8 (2018) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201731453 & c ESO 2017 Astrophysics The completeness-corrected rate of stellar encounters with the Sun from the first Gaia data release? C. A. L. Bailer-Jones Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Königstuhl 17, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany e-mail: [email protected] Received 27 June 2017 / Accepted 12 August 2017 ABSTRACT I report on close encounters of stars to the Sun found in the first Gaia data release (GDR1). Combining Gaia astrometry with radial velocities of around 320 000 stars drawn from various catalogues, I integrate orbits in a Galactic potential to identify those stars which pass within a few parsecs. Such encounters could influence the solar system, for example through gravitational perturbations of the Oort cloud. 16 stars are found to come within 2 pc (although a few of these have dubious data). This is fewer than were found in a similar study based on Hipparcos data, even though the present study has many more candidates. This is partly because I reject stars with large radial velocity uncertainties (>10 km s−1), and partly because of missing stars in GDR1 (especially at the bright end). The closest encounter found is Gl 710, a K dwarf long-known to come close to the Sun in about 1.3 Myr. The Gaia astrometry predict a much closer passage than pre-Gaia estimates, however: just 16 000 AU (90% confidence interval: 10 000–21 000 AU), which will bring this star well within the Oort cloud. Using a simple model for the spatial, velocity, and luminosity distributions of stars, together with an approximation of the observational selection function, I model the incompleteness of this Gaia-based search as a function of the time and distance of closest approach. -
GTO Keypad Manual, V5.001
ASTRO-PHYSICS GTO KEYPAD Version v5.xxx Please read the manual even if you are familiar with previous keypad versions Flash RAM Updates Keypad Java updates can be accomplished through the Internet. Check our web site www.astro-physics.com/software-updates/ November 11, 2020 ASTRO-PHYSICS KEYPAD MANUAL FOR MACH2GTO Version 5.xxx November 11, 2020 ABOUT THIS MANUAL 4 REQUIREMENTS 5 What Mount Control Box Do I Need? 5 Can I Upgrade My Present Keypad? 5 GTO KEYPAD 6 Layout and Buttons of the Keypad 6 Vacuum Fluorescent Display 6 N-S-E-W Directional Buttons 6 STOP Button 6 <PREV and NEXT> Buttons 7 Number Buttons 7 GOTO Button 7 ± Button 7 MENU / ESC Button 7 RECAL and NEXT> Buttons Pressed Simultaneously 7 ENT Button 7 Retractable Hanger 7 Keypad Protector 8 Keypad Care and Warranty 8 Warranty 8 Keypad Battery for 512K Memory Boards 8 Cleaning Red Keypad Display 8 Temperature Ratings 8 Environmental Recommendation 8 GETTING STARTED – DO THIS AT HOME, IF POSSIBLE 9 Set Up your Mount and Cable Connections 9 Gather Basic Information 9 Enter Your Location, Time and Date 9 Set Up Your Mount in the Field 10 Polar Alignment 10 Mach2GTO Daytime Alignment Routine 10 KEYPAD START UP SEQUENCE FOR NEW SETUPS OR SETUP IN NEW LOCATION 11 Assemble Your Mount 11 Startup Sequence 11 Location 11 Select Existing Location 11 Set Up New Location 11 Date and Time 12 Additional Information 12 KEYPAD START UP SEQUENCE FOR MOUNTS USED AT THE SAME LOCATION WITHOUT A COMPUTER 13 KEYPAD START UP SEQUENCE FOR COMPUTER CONTROLLED MOUNTS 14 1 OBJECTS MENU – HAVE SOME FUN! -
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.