Open Night Andy Lubenow 1956

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Open Night Andy Lubenow 1956 The discovery of two new satellites of Pluto Max Mutchler Space Telescope Science Institute Open Night 3 January 2006 Andy Lubenow 1956 - 2005 Hubble Pluto Satellite Search Team reporting the discovery to the New Horizons Science Team on November 2, 2005 at the Kennedy Space Center Left to Right: Hal Weaver (JHU/APL), Andrew Steffl (SwRI), S. Alan Stern (SwRI), Leslie Young (SwRI), John Spencer (SwRI), Marc Buie (Lowell Observatory), Bill Merline (SwRI), Max Mutchler (STScI), and…Eliot Young (SwRI) 1 Overview • Discovery of Pluto, Charon, and the Kuiper Belt •Early Hubble observations of Pluto • Hubble mission support for New Horizons: discovery of two more Pluto satellites • Confirming and following-up the discovery • Implications, and recent related discoveries • New Horizons mission update by Hal Weaver • Questions? The search for “Planet X” Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona Percival Lowell Vesto Slipher Clyde Tombaugh The discovery of Pluto in 1930, and confirmation 2 The discovery of Pluto’s moon Charon in 1978 James Christy and Robert Harrington, U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington, D.C. • 1950 Kuiper & Humason, 1950 (didn’t find Charon) • 1978 Christy & Harrington (serendipitous discovery of Charon; above) • 1991 Stern 1991: found nothing beyond 6 arcsec • 2005 Gladman & ??? paper that seemed to doom Weaver The slowly emerging picture of Pluto 3 Charon 1200 km Earth Pluto Moon 12,800 km 2300 km 3000 km 4 Everything we know about Pluto 1 • 1930 Pluto discovered; eccentric orbit * • 1955 rotation period 6.4 days Pluto has not • 1965 stable 3:2 resonant orbit with Neptune given up it’s secrets • 1973 obliquity > 90 deg * • 1976 methane ice on surface; size constrained very easily over • 1978 Charon discovered; “binary planet” * the first 75 years… • 1980 Occultation reveals Charon radius to be 600 km • 1985 Pluto-Charon mutual events begin Everything we know about Pluto 2 • 1986 Pluto & Charon radii, albedos, colors • 1987 Pluto density is 2 g/cm3 • 1988 Pluto orbit chaotic; atmosphere, polar caps • 1989 Pluto & Triton similar, structure in atmosphere • 1992 Nitrogen and CO ice, density disparity • 1992 Discovery of the Kuiper Belt • 2001 Binary Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) • 2005 Two more moons discovered! P1 and P2. 5 Early Hubble observations of Pluto and Charon Discovery of two new moons of Pluto Press release image for new moons: the discovery was surprisingly easy for Hubble with ACS… but not quite as easy as it looks here. New satellite discovery observations • Hubble proposal designed by Weaver, Stern, et al., initially rejected, then accepted when STIS died • Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) Wide Field Channel (WFC) covers entire orbital stability zone • Pluto-Charon near chip gap: peek-a-boo! • 4 long exposures on May 15 and May 18, 2005, using only 2 orbits • Hal’s request, June 13… 6 Hubble Servicing Mission 3B Advanced Camera for Surveys Calibrating and drizzling ACS images The Whirlpool Galaxy M51 7 15 May 2005, frame 1 15 May 2005, frame 2 15 May 2005, frame 3 8 15 May 2005, frame 4 15 May 2005, sum 4 frames 15 May 2005, median 4 frames 9 18 May 2005, frame 1 18 May 2005, frame 2 18 May 2005, frame 3 10 18 May 2005, frame 4 18 May 2005, sum 4 frames 18 May 2005, median 4 frames 11 15 May 2005, median 4 frames Finding needles in the haystack… 15 and 18 May 2005, sum 8 frames P1 Charon P2 15 and 18 May 2005, median 8 frames 12 Initial thoughts • Too easy?!? Well designed program • Two of them?!? • Surpised they are so close in to Pluto • Surpised there were two – one would have been amazing…what does 2 tell us. Confirmation • Independent discovery in Aug 2005 by Andrew Steffl (SwRI in Boulder, Colorado) • Checklist of alternate explanations (proceed with extreme paranoia): detector artifacts (show)? Plutinos? KBO? Neptune Trojans? • Search other existing data: Hubble, Subaru • Our own ground-based attempts to image the new moons: Keck, VLT, Gemini (bad timing) • Hubble followup in Feb 2006 (2 gyros!) • Confident enough to announce on 31 Oct 2005 13 Attempts to image the new satellites with ground-based observatories Gemini (Hawaii) Very Large Telescope (Chile) The “checklist” of possible explanations • Artifacts from the detector or optics: hot pixels, ghosts, scattered light (show some; Hartig)? • Background binary KBOs? Binary KBO? • Plutinos or Neptune Trojans? • Expecting moons much farther out; hiding in plain view, front and center; MT pipeline! • Predicted small chance of one KBO in entire WFC field; odds of two vanishingly small • New moons of Pluto! Preliminary assumptions and implications • Orbits are co-planar with Charon, and nearly circular • Probably formed primordially with Charon (collision), not later (captured) • Possible dust arcs • No other moons of similar magnitude (unless artifacts hid them in June) 14 Pre-discovery observations in 2002 • Hubble program 9391 by Buie & Young • ACS / HRC with blue and visual filters • Primarily designed to map surface features of Pluto and Charon • New moons marginally detected • Further observations will definitively determine orbits; and hopefully confirm these detections: are the satellites where they should be? The “quadruple planet” Pluto Visual Diameter Orbital Orbital magnitude radius * period * (barycentric) Pluto 14.2 2328 km 6.387 days +/- 42 km Charon 16.2 1208 km 6.387 days +/- 4 km S/2005 P 1 22.93 61-167 km 64,700 km 38.2 days +/- 0.12 (99 mi) (3.7x Charon) (~6x Charon) S/2005 P 2 23.38 46-137 km 49,400 km 25.5 days +/- 0.17 (99 mi) (2.8x Charon) (~4x Charon) * These numbers assume co-planar and circular orbits for P1 and P2 Relative sizes of Pluto, Charon, and the two new moons (P1 and P2) P1 P2 2300 km 1200 km ~100 km 15 What does a “quadruple planet”look like? Announcement on October 31 2005 Weaver et al, 2005, IAU Circular 8625 Weaver et al., 2006, Nature (accepted), Stern et al., 2006, Nature (accepted) Steffl et al, Astronomical Journal (submitted) “Xena & Gabrielle” The 10th planet? 16 Xena Pluto Moon Earth Should we call Pluto a planet? • I’m neutral. But some things to consider… • Is Pluto just the first Kuiper Belt “ice dwarf” discovered? • Ceres was called a planet for ~50 years, then “demoted” to asteroid (a precedent) • Is larger Xena the 10th planet? Smaller Sedna, Quaoar? • Will we have only 8 planets, or hundreds of them? • Is this a problem, is it progress…a healthy “controversy”? • The IAU is working on it 17 The next great Voyagers Voyage of Discovery… Launched in 1977 It’s greatest discoveries will surely be the unexpected ones. It will surely inspire the next generation of math and science students. Good luck New Horizons! Hal Weaver Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab and New Horizons Project Scientist Pluto: A Little Background Distant Pluto was discovered in 1930, by Clyde Tombaugh at Lowell Observatory, Arizona. Until the 1990s, Pluto seemed to be a misfit 18 An Historic Journey The Initial Reconnaissance of The Solar System’s “Third Zone” KBOs Pluto-Charon Jupiter System 2016-2020 July 2015 March 2007 Launch Jan 2006 The Kuiper Belt Was Unknown Before the 1990s Large KBOs Abound Icy Dwarf Planets, or Planetary Embryos Pluto-Charon: What we know The Best Hubble Images of Pluto Are Still Crude 19 Pluto Continues to Surprise Us Two New Moons Discovered Toward New Horizons The Highest Priority New Frontiers New Start Recommendation of the Planetary Decadal Survey A Reconnaissance Expedition To the Kuiper Belt & Pluto-Charon New Horizons Launch Vehicle Centaur Forward 5-meter Short Payload Load Reactor Fairing (68 ft) Payload Centaur Interstage Adapter (PLA) Adapter (12.5 ft Dia) Centaur Conical Interstage Adapter CCB Cylindrical Interstage Adapter Solid Rocket Boosters Centaur Upper Aft Transition Centaur Single Stage Skirt/Heat Shield Aft Stub RL10 Engine Adapter 5-Meter RD-180 Engine Common Core Payload Fairing BoosterTM (CCB) Boattail 20 New Horizons to the Pad New Horizons Launch Site New Horizons Science Team 21 Baseline Mission Design Pluto arrival year 2021 Launch Period: Jan 11 - Feb 14, 2006 (35 days) 2d 2020 4 d 2019 6 d 2018 2d 2017 3 d 2016 18 d 2015 2014 Pluto-direct 2013 JGA 2012 2/1 2/2 2/3 2/4 2/5 2/6 2/7 2/8 2/9 1/11 1/12 1/13 1/14 1/15 1/16 1/17 1/18 1/19 1/20 1/21 1/22 1/23 1/24 1/25 1/26 1/27 1/28 1/29 1/30 1/31 2/10 2/11 2/12 2/13 2/14 Launch date (2006) 2007 launch : 14 days; All arrivals 2019-2021 Two Hour Daily Launch Window Launch Window Opens Launch Time (EST) 17:30 16:30 15:30 14:30 13:30 12:30 11:30 10:30 2/2/06 2/4/06 2/6/06 2/8/06 1/11/06 1/13/06 1/15/06 1/17/06 1/19/06 1/21/06 1/23/06 1/25/06 1/27/06 1/29/06 1/31/06 2/10/06 2/12/06 2/14/06 Launch Date Pluto-Charon Encounter Pluto-Charon Encounter Geometry – Arrival July 14, 2015 Charon-Earth Occultation Pluto-Earth Occultation 14:17:50 12:49:50 Charon 13:40 Pluto 12:40 Sun Earth Charon-Sun Occultation 0.24° 14:15:41 Pluto-Sun Occultation 11:40 12:49:00 Charon C/A • S/C trajectory time ticks: 10 min 12:12:52 • Charon orbit time ticks: 12 hr 26,937 km • Occultation: center time Pluto C/A 13.87 km/s • Position and lighting at Pluto C/A 11:59:00 • Distance relative to body center 11,095 km 13.77 km/s 22 Encounter Highlights ¾ Over six months of encounter science at Pluto ¾ Exceed Hubble resolution for almost 3 months ¾ Map entire sunlit areas of Pluto and Charon ¾ Make global composition maps of Pluto and Charon ¾ Map Pluto and Charon surface temperatures ¾TheDirectly most exciting measure discoveries Pluto’s atmosphere: its escapewill likely rate, be the its ones pressure we and temperature, and Don’tits composition anticipate.
Recommended publications
  • Planetary Research Center Lowell Observatory Flagstaff, Arizona 86002
    N 8 4 - °1* R 7 <• PLANETARY RESEARCH CENTER LOWELL OBSERVATORY FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA 86002 NASA GRANT NSG-7530 POST-MISSION VIKING DATA ANALYSIS FINAL REPORT ; SUBMITTED: 26 APRIL M-A,- BAUM-- ' KARI_LUMME .__ PRINCIPAL-INVESTIGATOR< -? CO-^INVESTIGATOR J, .WTIN -• LAWRENCE H, WASSERMAN CO-INVESTIGATOR CO-INVESTIGATOR Page 2 PERSONNEL—" Averaged over the time interval (3.7 years) that funds were expended under this grant, the following staff devoted the indicated percentages of their time to it: W. A. Baum, Principal Investigator, 18$ time L. J. Martin, Co-Investigator, 52% K. Lumme, Co-Investigator, 19% L. H. Wasserman, Co-Investigator, S% T. J. Kreidl, Computer Programmer, 5% Others (combined), ResearctuAssistants, 7-$ • ~ -> "Others" include H. S. Horstman, M. L. Kantz, and S. E. Jones. In addition, there are several Observatory employees paid through overhead who provide services such as library, bookkeeping, and maintenance. BACKGROUND Work under this grant was a continuation of our participation in the Viking Mission. That participation commenced in 1970 with Baum's membership on the Viking Orbiter Imaging Team and continued through the end of team operations in 1978. This grant then commenced in 1979 at the start of the Mars Data Analysis Program (MDAP). MDAP was planned by NASA as a 5-year program, and our initial MDAP proposal was scaled to that expectation and to a funding level consistent with the Mars research projects in which we were already engaged. As it turned out, there were subsequent reductions in MDAP funds, and we (like many of our colleagues at other institutions) had to adjust the scope of our Mars research projects accordingly.
    [Show full text]
  • Lowell Observatory Communications Office 1400 W. Mars Hill Rd
    Lowell Observatory Communications Office 1400 W. Mars Hill Rd. Flagstaff, AZ 86001 www.lowell.edu PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MAY 12, 2015 ***Contact details appear below*** Image attached LOWELL OBSERVATORY TO HOST PLUTO AND BEYOND GALA ON JUNE 13 Flagstaff, Az- Lowell Observatory will host its fourth annual fundraising gala, Pluto and Beyond, on June 13. Sponsored by APS, it will take place on the campus of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff and feature experts sharing the latest Pluto news, auctions showcasing a variety of travel packages and astronomy-themed collectibles, and live music. Proceeds support Lowell’s mission of astronomical research and outreach. Lisa Actor, Lowell’s Deputy Director for Development, said, “This will be an exciting event in this year when we’re celebrating the 85th anniversary of the discovery of Pluto at Lowell Observatory! I’m anxious to meet and personally thank the many Flagstaff area supporters of the observatory.” Pluto and Beyond kicks off with the Kuiper VIP Reception at 5:30 p.m. Presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, this champagne and cocktail gathering will meet in the 1899 Bar & Grill. The main event happens in the High Country Conference Center, with doors opening at 6 p.m. and a sit-down dinner served at 7:30 p.m. Afterward, experts from Lowell Observatory will discuss the astronomy news story of the year—the New Horizons spacecraft’s July approach to Pluto after an incredible nine-year journey. This program will start with a look at Clyde Tombaugh’s improbable discovery of this icy world at Lowell in 1930 and continue with the latest news from New Horizons as it prepares to capture the first-ever close-up images of Pluto’s surface.
    [Show full text]
  • Pluto's Long, Strange History — in Pictures : Nature News & Comment
    Pluto's long, strange history — in pictures Nature marks the 85th anniversary of the dwarf planet's discovery. Alexandra Witze 18 February 2015 Even at a distance of 5 billion kilometres, Pluto has entranced scientists and the public back on Earth. Nature looks at the history of this enigmatic world, which in July will get its first close-up visit by a spacecraft. First glimpse Lowell Observatory 18 February 1930: Farmer-turned-astronomer Clyde Tombaugh (pictured), aged 24, discovers Pluto while comparing photographic plates of the night sky at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. The discovery, announced on 13 March 1930, is the culmination of observatory founder Percival Lowell’s obsessive quest to find a ‘Planet X’, the existence of which was suspected based on perturbations in Neptune’s orbit. Name game Galaxy Picture Library 1 May 1930: The Lowell Observatory announces that its favoured name for the discovery is Pluto, suggested by 11-year-old Venetia Burney (pictured) from Oxford, UK, after the Roman god of the underworld. Venetia later becomes the namesake of a student-built dust counter on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, which is currently on its way to Pluto. Pair bond US Naval Observatory 22 June 1978: James Christy and Robert Harrington, of the US Naval Observatory's Flagstaff Station, discover Pluto’s largest moon, Charon. It is visible as a bulge (at top in left image) that regularly appears and disappears in observational images as the two bodies orbit their mutual centre of gravity1. The moon is so large relative to Pluto that the two are sometimes referred to as a binary planet.
    [Show full text]
  • An Overview of New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics About the National Academies
    2020 VISION An Overview of New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics About the National Academies The National Academies—comprising the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council—work together to enlist the nation’s top scientists, engineers, health professionals, and other experts to study specific issues in science, technology, and medicine that underlie many questions of national importance. The results of their deliberations have inspired some of the nation’s most significant and lasting efforts to improve the health, education, and welfare of the United States and have provided independent advice on issues that affect people’s lives worldwide. To learn more about the Academies’ activities, check the website at www.nationalacademies.org. Copyright 2011 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America This study was supported by Contract NNX08AN97G between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Contract AST-0743899 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation, and Contract DE-FG02-08ER41542 between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Department of Energy. Support for this study was also provided by the Vesto Slipher Fund. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the agencies that provided support for the project. 2020 VISION An Overview of New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics Committee for a Decadal Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics ROGER D.
    [Show full text]
  • Experiencing Hubble
    PRESCOTT ASTRONOMY CLUB PRESENTS EXPERIENCING HUBBLE John Carter August 7, 2019 GET OUT LOOK UP • When Galaxies Collide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP3x7TgvgR8 • How Hubble Images Get Color https://www.youtube.com/watch? time_continue=3&v=WSG0MnmUsEY Experiencing Hubble Sagittarius Star Cloud 1. 12,000 stars 2. ½ percent of full Moon area. 3. Not one star in the image can be seen by the naked eye. 4. Color of star reflects its surface temperature. Eagle Nebula. M 16 1. Messier 16 is a conspicuous region of active star formation, appearing in the constellation Serpens Cauda. This giant cloud of interstellar gas and dust is commonly known as the Eagle Nebula, and has already created a cluster of young stars. The nebula is also referred to the Star Queen Nebula and as IC 4703; the cluster is NGC 6611. With an overall visual magnitude of 6.4, and an apparent diameter of 7', the Eagle Nebula's star cluster is best seen with low power telescopes. The brightest star in the cluster has an apparent magnitude of +8.24, easily visible with good binoculars. A 4" scope reveals about 20 stars in an uneven background of fainter stars and nebulosity; three nebulous concentrations can be glimpsed under good conditions. Under very good conditions, suggestions of dark obscuring matter can be seen to the north of the cluster. In an 8" telescope at low power, M 16 is an impressive object. The nebula extends much farther out, to a diameter of over 30'. It is filled with dark regions and globules, including a peculiar dark column and a luminous rim around the cluster.
    [Show full text]
  • The Flint River Observer a Frac Special Edition The
    1 How it happened is an intriguing tale. Many astronomers considered the change to be a long- THE overdue step in advancing astronomy as a science -- and as many others regarded it as a deception perpetrated by the International Astronomical FLINT RIVER Union (IAU). Curiously, both sides were right. I’ve written about it before, but this Special OBSERVER Edition of the Observer is broader in scope. Written 22 yrs. after the event, it tells both sides of NEWSLETTER OF THE FLINT the story in far greater depth than previously. RIVER ASTRONOMY CLUB (Incidentally, this project began as a brief “This ‘n That” newsletter item about an article that An Affiliate of the appeared in Astronomy Magazine but quickly grew Astronomical League into something much larger. You’ll see what I was writing about on p. 6.) Special Edition October, 2018 -Bill __________________________________________ * * * A FRAC SPECIAL EDITION THE PLUTO QUESTION: What is a Planet? Beginnings. The discovery of Neptune by William Lassell in 1846 brought the solar system’s planet total to eight. However, wobbles in the by Bill Warren orbital paths of Uranus and Neptune led the American astronomer, founder and director of __________________ Lowell Observatory, Percival Lowell, to conclude that a ninth planet -- he called it Planet X – lay Introduction. If you were born before 1990, you somewhere beyond Neptune and was tugging probably remember how upset people were when gravitationally on that planet and Uranus. Lowell Pluto was removed from the solar system’s family died in 1916, but in 1929 Vesto Slipher, his of planets in 1996.
    [Show full text]
  • TENURE-TRACK Or TENURED ASTRONOMER Lowell Observatory
    TENURE-TRACK or TENURED ASTRONOMER Lowell Observatory invites applications for one or more tenure-track or tenured research positions in astronomy or planetary science. We invite applicants at any career level who can build on current strengths or open new areas for Lowell. A Ph.D. in astronomy, planetary science, or a related field is required, as is an outstanding record of research and demonstrated ability or potential to obtain external research funding. Candidates are invited to describe how they would make use of our observational facilities, but we will give equal consideration to all research areas. The start date for this position is flexible but desired by Fall 2016. Lowell Observatory is an independent, non-profit research institution. Our astronomers have access to our new 4.3-meter Discovery Channel Telescope, operated in partnership with Boston University, the University of Toledo, the University of Maryland/GSFC, Northern Arizona University, Yale University, and Discovery Communications. Lowell also maintains 1.8-m, 1.1-m, and 0.9-m telescopes equipped with optical and IR imagers and spectrographs. We partner with the US Naval Observatory and the Naval Research Laboratory in the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer. Lowell offers numerous opportunities for involvement in education and outreach as well. To apply: Send applications electronically to [email protected]. Applications should include (1) a cover letter and CV, (2) a research plan of 3 pages or less, and (3) names and mail/email addresses of three individuals who have agreed to serve as references. Do not ask for reference letters to be sent in advance.
    [Show full text]
  • Planetary Patrol - an International Effort
    136 COMMISSIONS 16, 17 AND 40 ments devoted to the passage through the asteroid belt which precedes the Jupiter rendezvous. Emphasis was placed on the anticipated contributions of these three programs to our understanding of the solar system. In discussion Carl Sagan stressed that mission B of the Mariner Mars 1971 program is designed to have an orbital period four-thirds the Martian rotational period so that every four days the space­ craft observes the same area under the same lighting conditions. In this way intrinsic Martian albedo changes can be distinguished from effects due to the scattering phase function of surface material. He also mentioned the possibility that photographic mapping of Phobos and Deimos by the Mariner Mars 1971 mission would provide cartography of these moons superior to the best groundbased cartography of Mars. PLANETARY PATROL - AN INTERNATIONAL EFFORT W. A. Baum Lowell Observatory Abstract. An international photographic planetary patrol network, consisting of the Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii, the Mount Stromlo Observatory in eastern Australia, the Republic Observa­ tory in South Africa, the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in northern Chile, and the Lowell Observatory, has been in operation since April 1969. The Magdalena Peak Station of the Mexico State University also participated temporarily. New stations are now being added at the Perth Observatory in western Australia and at the Kavalur Station of the Kodaikanal Observatory in southern India. During 1969 Mars and Jupiter were photographed through blue, green, and red filters; and the network produced more than 11000 fourteen-exposure filmstrips with images of a quality suitable for analysis.
    [Show full text]
  • 1400 West Mars Hill Rd | Flagstaff, Arizona 86001-4499 | USA 928.774.3358 | Lowell.Edu
    1400 West Mars Hill Rd | Flagstaff, Arizona 86001-4499 | USA 928.774.3358 | lowell.edu POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT Multi-Cultural Outreach Astronomer DUTIES: Serve as a Public Program Educator and act as the “Meet an Astronomer” professional for our observatory several times a month. Develop new educational materials and translate existing educational materials for the Spanish speaking community. Participate directly in the Lowell Observatory Camp for Kids programs. These hands-on day camps offer kids the opportunity to learn about STEM through activities such as science investigations, games, story time, music, engineering, art, and more. Partner with schools each year within the Native American Astronomy Outreach program and participate in expansions of that program to other cultures in the region. Partnerships are sponsored by National Science Foundation and private donors. Develop and deliver informal education talks about astronomy, with an emphasis on the most recent astronomy-related news and events, as well as the current and past research done at Lowell Observatory. Engage with visitors and lead tours of the Lowell Observatory campus including occasional tours in Spanish. Deliver public lectures for historical observatory exhibitions. Operate public telescopes, lead outdoor stargazing programs and special pre-K-12 programs. Other duties as assigned, which may include: lead tours of other Lowell telescopes and facilities, assist with design and delivery of new programs, and assist with exclusive programs both on and off-site. REQUIREMENTS: Master’s degree in Astronomy, Physics, or a closely related field or the foreign academic equivalent, plus 1 year of experience in an astronomy related position. Alternatively, Lowell will also accept Bachelor’s degree, in Astronomy, Physics, or a closely related field, with 6 years of experience in an astronomy related position in lieu of a master’s degree and 1 year of experience.
    [Show full text]
  • Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) Measured Distance to Andromeda Galaxy (M31) • Noticed Individual Bright Stars in Andromeda
    The Resolution: Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) Measured Distance to Andromeda Galaxy (M31) • Noticed individual bright stars in Andromeda • Calculated the distance using the Period-Luminosity Relation for Cepheid Variable Stars The Resolution: Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) Measured Distance to Andromeda Galaxy (M31) • Noticed individual bright stars in Andromeda • Calculated the distance using the Period-Luminosity Relation for Cepheid Variable Stars 1. MEASURED magnitude & Period The Resolution: Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) Measured Distance to Andromeda Galaxy (M31) • Noticed individual bright stars in Andromeda • Calculated the distance using the Period-Luminosity Relation for Cepheid Variable Stars 1. MEASURED magnitude & Period 2. CALCULATED Luminosity The Resolution: Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) Measured Distance to Andromeda Galaxy (M31) • Noticed individual bright stars in Andromeda • Calculated the distance using the Period-Luminosity Relation for Cepheid Variable Stars 1. MEASURED magnitude & Period 2. CALCULATED Luminosity 3. CALCULATED Distance The Resolution: Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) Measured Distance to Andromeda Galaxy (M31) • Noticed individual bright stars in Andromeda • Calculated the distance using the Period-Luminosity Relation for Cepheid Variable Stars 1. MEASURED magnitude & Period 2. CALCULATED Luminosity 3. CALCULATED Distance • Result was MUCH farther than expected... • (2.3 Million Ly - well beyond Milky Way) Henrietta Leavitt & Period-Luminosity Relation Cepheid Variables: Bright stars whose Luminosity (energy output) varies every
    [Show full text]
  • New Horizons 2 Alan Stern (Swri), Rick Binzel (MIT), Hal Levison
    New Horizons 2 Alan Stern (SwRI), Rick Binzel (MIT), Hal Levison (SwRI), Rosaly Lopes (JPL), Bob Millis (Lowell Observatory), and Jeff Moore (NASA Ames) New Horizons is the inaugural mission in NASA’s New Frontiers program—a series of mid-sized planetary exploration projects. This mission was competitively selected in 2001 after a peer review competition between industry-university teams. The mission is on track toward a planned launch in January 2006—just over 6 months hence. The primary objective of New Horizons (NH) is to make the first reconnaissance of the solar system’s farthest planet, Pluto, its comparably sized satellite Charon. If an extended mission is approved, New Horizons may be able to also flyby a Kuiper Belt Object (KBOs) farther from the Sun. The exploration of the Kuiper Belt and Pluto-Charon was ranked as the highest new start priority for planetary exploration by the National Research Council’s recently completed (2002) Decadal Survey for Planetary Science. In accomplishing its goals, the mission is expected to reveal fundamental new insights into the nature of the outer solar system, the formation history of the planets, the workings of binary worlds, and the ancient repository of water and organic building blocks called the Kuiper Belt. Beyond its scientific ambitions, New Horizons is also breaking ground in lowering the cost of exploration of the outer solar system—for it is being built and launched for what are literally dimes on the dollar compared to deep outer solar system missions like Voyager, Galileo, and Cassini. The New Horizons spacecraft carries a suite of seven advanced, miniaturized instruments to obtain detailed imagery, mapping spectroscopy, thermal mapping, gravitational data, and in situ plasma composition, density, and energy sampling of the exotic, icy Pluto- Charon binary and a modest-sized (~50 km diameter) KBO.
    [Show full text]
  • What If the Mars Rover Does Find Lostgenius Whomerits Aplaceon Thepodium
    Thursday, August 30, 2012 THE IRISH TIMES 11 ScienceScience EditorTodayDick Ahlstrom e-mail [email protected] CORMAC Ó What if the Mars Rover does find RAIFEARTAIGH Lost genius Proof of who merits a place on the podium Who knows about Vesto Slipher, life? the astronomer who inspired the work of Edwin Hubble? NE OF the great surprises of 20th century science was the discovery that Oour universe is expanding. The finding caused a paradigm shift in cosmology and eventually led to today’s “Big Bang” model of the origin of the universe. It is therefore quite puzzling that a scientist who played a key role in the discovery remains virtually unknown to scientists and the general public alike. Step forward Vesto Slipher, the American astronomer who first established that the most distant objects in the sky are moving away from one another at high speed. Vesto Melvin Slipher was born in the US state of Indiana in 1875. He was educated at Indiana University and took up a position at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona after receiving his degree in 1901. There, he showed himself to be an astronomer of exceptional talent. In particular, he pioneered a method of measuring the motion of stars with the use of a spectrograph, an instrument that analyses the spectrum of light emitted by a body. Slipher used his new technique to study the attempting to answer questions “A laser on Curiosity’s mast cre- many details about the analysis of Is there anything out there? An Kevin Nolan, lecturer in physics at most enigmatic astronomical objects of the BECCA WILSON about Martian life.
    [Show full text]