DOCSLIB.ORG

GALAXIES WHAT ARE the DEEP SKY OBJECTS? •Deep-Sky Objects Are Astronomical Objects Other Than Individual Stars and Solar System Objects (Sun, Moon, Planets, Comets)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
GALAXIES WHAT ARE the DEEP SKY OBJECTS? •Deep-Sky Objects Are Astronomical Objects Other Than Individual Stars and Solar System Objects (Sun, Moon, Planets, Comets) GALAXIES WHAT ARE THE DEEP SKY OBJECTS? •Deep-sky objects are astronomical objects other than individual stars and solar system objects (Sun, Moon, planets, comets). TYPES OF DEEP SKY OBJECTS •Nebulae •Clusters •Galaxies CHARLES MESSIER • Known for the Messier catalogue of galaxies, nebulae and star clusters M1 to M110 • He was a French astronomer who lived in the 18th century. • He was a comet hunter and the purpose of the catalogue was to record the sky objects that looked as comets but were not comets because they would not move in the sky. UNITS TO MEASURE DISTANCE • A Light-year is the distance that light travels in a year with a speed of approximately 300,000 kilometers per second • Closest star to the Sun is Proxima Centauri at 4.37 light years. • A Parsec is the equal to about 3.26 light years GALAXIES • A galaxy is an enormous collection of gas, dust and billions of stars held together by gravity. One galaxy can have hundreds of billions of stars and be as large as 200,000 light years across. • Galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias meaning "milky", a reference to the Milky Way. • Many galaxies are believed to have black holes at their active center. The Milky Way's central black hole, known as Sagittarius A, has a mass four million times that of our Sun. GALAXIES FACTS • There are potentially more than 170 billion galaxies in the observable universe. Some, called dwarf galaxies, are very small with about 10 million stars, while others are huge containing an estimated 100 trillion stars. • Supermassive black holes are believed to sit at the center of most galaxies. TYPES OF GALAXIES ELLIPTICAL GALAXIES ELLIPTICAL GALAXIES • Look like enormous globular clusters. • Elliptical galaxies are often bigger than spiral galaxies. • Stars are yellow & red, with very little free dust & gas. • These galaxies are old & no longer forming new stars. • Elliptical galaxies may form from the collision of 2 or more spiral galaxies. SPIRAL GALAXIES • Like our own Milky Way, all spiral galaxies have a nuclear bulge, and at least 2 spiral or propeller- shaped arms, with a halo of gas, dust, stars, and globular clusters. • Spiral galaxies are classified as Sa, Sb, or Sc depending on the size of the nucleus & how tightly the arms are wrapped. M104 – the Sombrero Galaxy, has a large nucleus & very tight spiral arms. THE SOMBRERO GALAXY M104 The Sombrero Galaxy (also known as M104 or NGC 4594) is an unbarred spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo. It has a bright nucleus, an unusually large central bulge, and a prominent dust lane in its inclined disk. The dark dust lane and the bulge give this galaxy the appearance of a sombrero. The galaxy has an apparent magnitude of +9.0, making it easily visible with amateur telescopes. The large bulge, the central supermassive black hole, and the dust lane all attract the attention of professional astronomers. ANDROMEDA GALAXY • The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is the closest large galaxy to the Milky Way and is one of only ten galaxies that can be seen with the naked eye from the Earth. • Andromeda is accompanied by at least 10 satellite galaxies the most notable of which is the Triangulum Galaxy. ANDROMEDA GALAXY M31 ANDROMEDA FACTS • It is 2.2 million light years away from us and • approaching the Milky Way at approximately 100 to 140 kilometers per second… • Five billion years from now it will probably collide with our Milky Way galaxy. • While Andromeda is the largest galaxy in the Local Cluster it is not the most massive as the Milky May is thought to contain more dark matter making it the most massive HOW TO FIND ANDROMEDA GALAXY BLACK EYE GALAXY - M64 A spiral galaxy in the Coma Berenices constellation, Messier 64, the famous "Black Eye" galaxy or the "Sleeping Beauty galaxy," has a spectacular dark band of absorbing dust in front of the galaxy's bright nucleus. It is well known among amateur astronomers because of its appearance in small telescopes. THE WHIRLPOOL GALAXY - M51A Also known as Messier 51a, M51a, or NGC 5194, the Whirlpool Galaxy is an interacting grand- design spiral galaxy located at a distance of approximately 23 million light-years in the constellation Canes Venatici. It is one of the most famous spiral galaxies in the sky. The galaxy and its companion (NGC 5195) are easily observed by amateur astronomers, and the two galaxies may even be seen with binoculars. The Whirlpool Galaxy is also a popular target for professional astronomers, who study it to further understanding of galaxy structure (particularly structure associated with the spiral arms) and galaxy interactions. The Whirlpool Galaxy M51 is one of the largest galaxies visible without using professional telescope. Millions of years ago two galaxies collided to create this colorful and dramatic object. To find it, look about 3.5 degrees southeast of the last star in the Big Dipper’s handle. M81 URSA MAJOR The big and beautiful spiral galaxy M81, in the northern constellation Ursa Major, is one of the brightest galaxies visible in the skies of planet Earth. This superbly detailed view reveals its bright nucleus, grand spiral arms and sweeping cosmic dust lanes with a scale comparable to the Milky Way. Hinting at a disorderly past, a remarkable dust lane runs straight through the disk, below and right of the galactic center, contrary to M81's other prominent spiral features. The errant dust lane may be the lingering result of a close encounter between M81 and its smaller companion galaxy, M82. Scrutiny of variable stars in M81 (aka NGC 3031) has yielded one of the best determined distances for an external galaxy -- 11.8 million light-years. THE MILKY WAY We live in one of the arms of a large spiral galaxy called the Milky Way. The Sun and its planets (including Earth) lie in this quiet part of the galaxy, about half way out from the centre. Scientists believe that 90% of our galaxy’s mass consists of dark matter, which gives it a mysterious halo. That means that all of the “luminous matter” – i.e. that which we can see with the naked eye or a telescopes – makes up less than 10% of the mass of the Milky Way. MILKY WAY FACTS • The Milky Way galaxy is whirling rapidly, spinning our sun and all its other stars at around 100 million km per hour. • The Sun travels around the galaxy once every 200 million years – a journey of 100,000 light years. • There may be a huge black hole in the very middle of the most of the galaxies. MILKY WAY FACTS The Milky Way is shaped like a huge whirlpool that rotates once every 200 million years. It is made up of at least 100 billion stars, as well as dust and gas. It is so big that light takes 100 000 years to cross from one side to the other. The centre of the Galaxy is very hard to see because clouds of gas and dust block our view. Scientists think that it contains a supermassive black hole that swallows anything passing too close. LOCAL GALACTIC GROUP • The Local Group is the galaxy group that includes the Milky Way. It comprises more than 54 galaxies, most of them being dwarf galaxies. Its gravitational center is located somewhere between the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy. • The group is a part of the larger Virgo Supercluster or the Local Supercluster. At least 100 galaxy groups and clusters are located within its diameter of 33 megaparsecs (110 million light-years). It is one of millions of superclusters in the observable universe. HOW FAST IS THE MILKY WAY GALAXY MOVING? The speed turns out to be an astounding 1.3 million miles per hour (2.1 million km/hr)! We are moving roughly in the direction on the sky that is defined by the constellations of Leo and Virgo. Astronomers believe that there is a huge concentration of matter in this direction. Some people call it The Great Attractor, although we now know that the pull is probably not due to one group of galaxies but many. Still the extra gravity in this direction pulls the Milky Way (and many neighbor galaxies) in that direction. RESOURCES https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUbG8jboh4M http://www.skymaps.com/downloads.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac9Cr6bf-mg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE8yHySiJ4A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwSQVSlccCg http://messier.seds.org/m/m031.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Messier_objects .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Globular Clusters - Guides to Galaxies
    ESO Astrophysics Symposia Globular Clusters - Guides to Galaxies Proceedings of the Joint ESO-FONDAP Workshop on Globular Clusters held in Concepción, Chile, 6-10 March 2006 Bearbeitet von Tom Richtler, Søren Larsen 1. Auflage 2008. Buch. xx, 456 S. Hardcover ISBN 978 3 540 76960 6 Format (B x L): 15,5 x 23,5 cm Gewicht: 871 g Weitere Fachgebiete > Physik, Astronomie > Angewandte Physik > Astrophysik Zu Leseprobe schnell und portofrei erhältlich bei Die Online-Fachbuchhandlung beck-shop.de ist spezialisiert auf Fachbücher, insbesondere Recht, Steuern und Wirtschaft. Im Sortiment finden Sie alle Medien (Bücher, Zeitschriften, CDs, eBooks, etc.) aller Verlage. Ergänzt wird das Programm durch Services wie Neuerscheinungsdienst oder Zusammenstellungen von Büchern zu Sonderpreisen. Der Shop führt mehr als 8 Millionen Produkte. Contents Open Questions in the Globular Cluster – Galaxy Connection Markus Kissler-Patig ............................................ 1 Part I Detailed Studies of Individual Globular Clusters Detailed Chemical Abundances of Extragalactic Globular Clusters Rebecca Bernstein, Andrew McWilliam ............................ 11 Spectroscopic Abundances and Radial Velocities of the Galactic Globular Clusters 2MASS GC01 and 2MASS GC02: Preliminary Results J. Borissova, V.D. Ivanov, A. Stephens, D. Minniti ................ 17 Abundance Anomalies in Galactic Globular Clusters – Looking for the Stellar Culprits C. Charbonnel, N. Prantzos ...................................... 21 Globular Clusters in the Direction of the Inner Galaxy J. Alonso-Garc´ıa, M. Mateo ...................................... 25 Globular Cluster Research with Astronomical Archives Carol A. Christian .............................................. 27 Super-He-Rich Populations in Globular Clusters Chul Chung, Young-Wook Lee, Suk-Jin Yoon, Seok-Joo Joo, and Sang-Il Han ................................................ 29 Testing the BH 176 and Berkeley 29 Association with GASS/Monoceros Peter M.
    [Show full text]
  • Central Coast Astronomy Virtual Star Party May 15Th 7Pm Pacific
    Central Coast Astronomy Virtual Star Party May 15th 7pm Pacific Welcome to our Virtual Star Gazing session! We’ll be focusing on objects you can see with binoculars or a small telescope, so after our session, you can simply walk outside, look up, and understand what you’re looking at. CCAS President Aurora Lipper and astronomer Kent Wallace will bring you a virtual “tour of the night sky” where you can discover, learn, and ask questions as we go along! All you need is an internet connection. You can use an iPad, laptop, computer or cell phone. When 7pm on Saturday night rolls around, click the link on our website to join our class. CentralCoastAstronomy.org/stargaze Before our session starts: Step 1: Download your free map of the night sky: SkyMaps.com They have it available for Northern and Southern hemispheres. Step 2: Print out this document and use it to take notes during our time on Saturday. This document highlights the objects we will focus on in our session together. Celestial Objects: Moon: The moon 4 days after new, which is excellent for star gazing! *Image credit: all astrophotography images are courtesy of NASA & ESO unless otherwise noted. All planetarium images are courtesy of Stellarium. Central Coast Astronomy CentralCoastAstronomy.org Page 1 Main Focus for the Session: 1. Canes Venatici (The Hunting Dogs) 2. Boötes (the Herdsman) 3. Coma Berenices (Hair of Berenice) 4. Virgo (the Virgin) Central Coast Astronomy CentralCoastAstronomy.org Page 2 Canes Venatici (the Hunting Dogs) Canes Venatici, The Hunting Dogs, a modern constellation created by Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius in 1687.
    [Show full text]
  • 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.
    [Show full text]
  • RADIAL VELOCITIES in the ZODIACAL DUST CLOUD
    A SURVEY OF RADIAL VELOCITIES in the ZODIACAL DUST CLOUD Brian Harold May Astrophysics Group Department of Physics Imperial College London Thesis submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy to Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine London · 2007 · 2 Abstract This thesis documents the building of a pressure-scanned Fabry-Perot Spectrometer, equipped with a photomultiplier and pulse-counting electronics, and its deployment at the Observatorio del Teide at Izaña in Tenerife, at an altitude of 7,700 feet (2567 m), for the purpose of recording high-resolution spectra of the Zodiacal Light. The aim was to achieve the first systematic mapping of the MgI absorption line in the Night Sky, as a function of position in heliocentric coordinates, covering especially the plane of the ecliptic, for a wide variety of elongations from the Sun. More than 250 scans of both morning and evening Zodiacal Light were obtained, in two observing periods – September-October 1971, and April 1972. The scans, as expected, showed profiles modified by components variously Doppler-shifted with respect to the unshifted shape seen in daylight. Unexpectedly, MgI emission was also discovered. These observations covered for the first time a span of elongations from 25º East, through 180º (the Gegenschein), to 27º West, and recorded average shifts of up to six tenths of an angstrom, corresponding to a maximum radial velocity relative to the Earth of about 40 km/s. The set of spectra obtained is in this thesis compared with predictions made from a number of different models of a dust cloud, assuming various distributions of dust density as a function of position and particle size, and differing assumptions about their speed and direction.
    [Show full text]
  • Of Galaxies, Stars, Planets and People
    The Cosmic Journeys of Galaxies,A Research Programme forStars, the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Planets and People This document was produced by the staff of the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, in particular through discussions and contributions from the tenured astronomers, together with input from the Governors and the Management Committee. The document was edited by the Director, Michael Burton and designed by Aileen McKee. Produced in March 2017 Front Cover Images The Four Pillars of the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium Research Outreach The Armagh Observatory was founded in 1790 as The Armagh Planetarium was founded by Dr Eric part of Archbishop Richard Robinson’s vision to see Lindsay, the seventh director of the Observatory, as the creation of a University in the City of Armagh. part of his vision to communicate the excitement of It is the oldest scientific institution in Northern astronomy and science to the public. It opened on Ireland and the longest continuously operating the 1st of May, 1968 and is the oldest operating astronomical research institution in the UK and planetarium in the UK and Ireland. Ireland. History Heritage Dreyer's NGC – the New General Catalogue – was The Observatory has been measuring the weather published in 1888 by JLE Dreyer, fourth Director of conditions at 9am every day since 1794, a the Observatory. It has been used extensively by meteorological record covering more than 200 astronomers ever since. This is his annotated copy, years, believed to be longest standing in the British complete with all known corrections at the time. Isles. This image shows the sunshine recorder and Galaxies and nebulae are still often cited by their anemometer.
    [Show full text]
  • Whirlpools and Pinwheels on the Sky
    Whirlpools and pinwheels on the sky Domingos Soares Galaxies exist in many different forms and count by, at least, the hundreds of billions, according to estimations made from the observations of the Hubble Space Telescope. Among all of them, there are no doubts that the most spectacular are the so-called \spiral galaxies". Our own galaxy, the Milky Way galaxy, is a member of that family. Spiral galaxies are so named because of the distinctive aspect they present to the observer, namely, of a spiral-shaped structure similar to a whirlpool or a pinwheel. They are also called \disk galaxies" because the galactic material | stars, gas and interstellar dust | is distributed in the shape of a \thick" disk. The stars constitute the main constituents of galaxies, at least with respect to their visual appearance. They emit the major part of the visible light of a galaxy, be it a spiral or not. The typical visual aspect of spiral galaxies is due to the structures that astronomers call \spiral arms". The most bright stars of a galaxy are those that delineate the arms. These, however, contribute little to the total mass of the galaxy, but due to their extraordinary brightness they are the most noticeable on a visual inspection. The spiral galaxy disks rotate. And this is typical in those galaxies: the galactic material spins around the disk center, which is called \galactic center". But the rotation is not like the spin of a rigid disk, like, for example, a CD, in which all the points make a full turn in the same time interval.
    [Show full text]
  • The Mid-Infrared Extinction Law in the Ophiuchus, Perseus, and Serpens
    The Mid-Infrared Extinction Law in the Ophiuchus, Perseus, and Serpens Molecular Clouds Nicholas L. Chapman1,2, Lee G. Mundy1, Shih-Ping Lai3, Neal J. Evans II4 ABSTRACT We compute the mid-infrared extinction law from 3.6−24µm in three molecu- lar clouds: Ophiuchus, Perseus, and Serpens, by combining data from the “Cores to Disks” Spitzer Legacy Science program with deep JHKs imaging. Using a new technique, we are able to calculate the line-of-sight extinction law towards each background star in our fields. With these line-of-sight measurements, we create, for the first time, maps of the χ2 deviation of the data from two extinc- tion law models. Because our χ2 maps have the same spatial resolution as our extinction maps, we can directly observe the changing extinction law as a func- tion of the total column density. In the Spitzer IRAC bands, 3.6 − 8 µm, we see evidence for grain growth. Below AKs =0.5, our extinction law is well-fit by the Weingartner & Draine (2001) RV = 3.1 diffuse interstellar medium dust model. As the extinction increases, our law gradually flattens, and for AKs ≥ 1, the data are more consistent with the Weingartner & Draine RV = 5.5 model that uses larger maximum dust grain sizes. At 24 µm, our extinction law is 2 − 4× higher than the values predicted by theoretical dust models, but is more consistent with the observational results of Flaherty et al. (2007). Lastly, from our χ2 maps we identify a region in Perseus where the IRAC extinction law is anomalously high considering its column density.
    [Show full text]
  • Alternate Constellation Guide
    ARKANSAS NATURAL SKY ASSOCIATION LEARNING THE CONSTELLATIONS (Library Telescope Manual included) By Robert Togni Cover Image courtesy of Wikimedia. Do not write in this book, and return with scope to library. A personal copy of this guide can be obtained online at www.darkskyarkansas.com Preface This publication was inspired by and built upon Robert (Rocky) Togni’s quest to share the night sky with all who can be enticed under it. His belief is that the best place to start a relationship with the night sky is to learn the constellations and explore the principle ob- jects within them with the naked eye and a pair of common binoculars. Over a period of years, Rocky evolved a concept, using seasonal asterisms like the Summer Triangle and the Winter Hexagon, to create an easy to use set of simple charts to make learning one’s way around the night sky as simple and fun as possible. Recognizing that the most avid defenders of the natural night time environment are those who have grown to know and love nature at night and exploring the universe that it re- veals, the Arkansas Natural Sky Association (ANSA) asked Rocky if the Association could publish his guide. The hope being that making this available in printed form at vari- ous star parties and other relevant venues would help bring more people to the night sky as well as provide funds for the Association’s work. Once hooked, the owner will definitely want to seek deeper guides. But there is no better publication for opening the sky for the neophyte observer, making the guide the perfect companion for a library telescope.
    [Show full text]
  • Astronomy in the Park 2014 Schedule
    Astronomy in the Park 2014 Schedule Members of the Stockton Astronomical Society will volunteer to setup their telescopes for the public at S.J. County Oak Grove Regional Park on the first Saturday after the New Moon. During the months of April through October the Nature Center will also be open with indoor astronomy activities. If the sky is cloudy or there is bad weather the telescopes may not be available. During the months of November through March the Nature Center will not be open. Also, if the sky is not clear the event may be canceled and we will try again the next month. • S.J. County charges a Parking Fee of $6.00 per vehicle but the Nature Center and telescope viewing is free. • SAS volunteers can contact James Rexroth for free parking passes. • Indoor astronomy themed activities for kids (both big & small) will be in the Nature Center. • Telescope viewing starts after Sunset, the Moon will be visible in the telescopes from the start. As the sky darkens more objects become visible. Darker and clearer sky is better for viewing. • Every month we will feature a different deep sky object. We will point one of our large telescopes at this object during the last hour of the evening. These objects are dim and fuzzy and are best seen in large aperture telescopes. • To view objects it may be necessary to stand on a ladder or step stool that will be next to the telescope. For more information call: James Rexroth S.J. County Oak Grove Regional Park (Nature Center) (209) 953-8814 Doug Christensen Stockton Astronomical Society (209) 462-0798
    [Show full text]
  • 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
    [Show full text]
  • 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.
    [Show full text]
  • The Messier Marathon Search Sequence
    2/28/2020 Messier Marathon Search Sequence List This file presents the Messier objects in the order of the Marathon Search Sequence given by Don Machholz in his Messier Marathon Observer's Guide. The Messier Marathon Search Sequence compiled online by Hartmut Frommert, using work of Don Machholz. Depending on geographic location, it may be impossible to find them all, and may be better to slightly modify this list. In case of doubt consult Don Machholz's book. This list should be good for northern latitudes 20 to 40. 1. M77 spiral galaxy in Cetus 2. M74 spiral galaxy in Pisces 3. M33 The Triangulum Galaxy (also Pinwheel) spiral galaxy in Triangulum 4. M31 The Andromeda Galaxy spiral galaxy in Andromeda 5. M32 Satellite galaxy of M31 elliptical galaxy in Andromeda 6. M110 Satellite galaxy of M31 elliptical galaxy in Andromeda 7. M52 open cluster in Cassiopeia 8. M103 open cluster in Cassiopeia 9. M76 The Little Dumbell, Cork, or Butterfly planetary nebula in Perseus 10. M34 open cluster in Perseus 11. M45 Subaru, the Pleiades--the Seven Sisters open cluster in Taurus 12. M79 globular cluster in Lepus 13. M42 The Great Orion Nebula diffuse nebula in Orion 14. M43 part of the Orion Nebula (de Mairan's Nebula) diffuse nebula in Orion 15. M78 diffuse reflection nebula in Orion 16. M1 The Crab Nebula supernova remnant in Taurus 17. M35 open cluster in Gemini 18. M37 open cluster in Auriga 19. M36 open cluster in Auriga 20. M38 open cluster in Auriga 21. M41 open cluster in Canis Major 22.
    [Show full text]