Celestial Highlights July Meeting
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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. -
Sky Notes by Neil Bone 2005 August & September
Sky notes by Neil Bone 2005 August & September below Castor and Pollux. Mercury is soon ing June and July, it is still quite possible that Sun and Moon lost from view again, arriving at superior con- noctilucent clouds (NLC) could be seen into junction beyond the Sun on September 18. early August, particularly by observers at The Sun continues its southerly progress along Venus continues its rather unfavourable more northerly locations. Quite how late into the ecliptic, reaching the autumnal equinox showing as an ‘Evening Star’. Although it August NLC can be seen remains to be deter- position at 22h 23m Universal Time (UT = pulls out to over 40° elongation east of the mined: there have been suggestions that the GMT; BST minus 1 hour) on September 22. Sun during September, Venus is also heading visibility period has become longer in recent At that precise time, the centre of the solar southwards, and as a result its setting-time years. Observational reports will be welcomed disk is positioned at the intersection between after the Sun remains much the same − barely by the Aurora Section. the celestial equator and the ecliptic, the latter an hour − during this interval. Although bright While declining sunspot activity makes great circle on the sky being inclined by 23.5° at magnitude −4, Venus will be quite tricky major aurorae extending to lower latitudes to the former. Calendrical autumn begins at the to catch in the early twilight: viewing cir- less likely, the appearance of coronal holes equinox, but amateur astronomers might more cumstances don’t really improve until the in the latter parts of the cycle does bring the readily follow meteorological timing, wherein closing weeks of 2005. -
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). -
The Professor Comet's Report Late Summer/Early Autumn – September
The Professor Comet’s Report 1 Messier 71 and C/2009 P1 Garradd © Steve Grimsley of Houston Astronomical Society, 2011 Welcome to the comet report which is a monthly article on the observations of comets by the amateur astronomy community and comet hunters from around the world! This article is dedicated to the latest reports of available comets for observations, current state of those comets, future predictions, & projections for observations in comet astronomy! Late Summer/Early Autumn – September 2011 The Professor Comet’s Report 2 The Current Status of the Predominant Comets for July 2011! Comets Designation Orbital Magnitude Trend Observation Constellations Visibility (IAU – MPC) Status Visual (Range in Lat.) (Night Sky Location) Period Garradd 2009 P1 C 7.0 – 7.2 Getting 60°N – 60°S Between Sagitta and Vulpecula All Night Brighter (heading WNW towards Hercules) Honda – 45P P 8.0 Getting 50°N – 85°S Undergoing a wide retrograde motion! Early Morning Mrkos - Brighter Currently the comet is north of Hydra Pajdusakova heading NE towards Leo Elenin 2010 X1 C 8.6 – 9.4 Getting 45°N – 75°S Currently undergoing retrograde Early Evening Brighter motion in the S region of Leo (Just after Dusk) Crommelin 27P P 9.5 Possibly N/A Poor Elongation N/A Fading? (lost in the daytime glare!) LINEAR 2011 M1 C 10.4 Brightening 60°N – 45°N Moving SE of Ursa Major and All Night heading across the E edge of Leo Minor Hill 2010 G2 C 11.1 Fading 60°N – 10°N Between Ursa Major and Lynx All Night (Moving SSW of Muscida) Gibbs 2011 A3 C 11.4 Brightening 55°N -
By John Dobson San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers
the newsletter of the QUEEN ELIZABET H PLANETARIUM SUMMER 198 0 and the EDMONTON CENTRE, RAS C 50$ y SPECIAL TELESCOP E ISSU E NOW PLAYIN G AT QUEEN PlANETARiUM A spectacular celestial event was witnessed by th e ancien t Sumeria n civilizatio n an d ""VELA recorded i n thei r mysteriou s cuneifor m writing. Wha t wa s it ? Th e Vela Apparition APPARITION blends archaeolog y wit h astronom y i n a search for the origins o f civilzation. 3 P M and 8 P M Daily one The night sk y i s a fascinating -realm. Stars, nebulae, an d galaxie s ar e scattere d SUMMER'S throughout infinity . Join us for a tour of the sights o f th e summertim e sky . Rela x and NIGHT enjoy an evening at the Planetarium durin g One Summer's Night. 9PM Dail y A special show for special people age 3 to 7. A Fantasy O f Stars chronicle s th e FANTASY adventures o f Harol d th e Her o a s h e ventures int o th e nigh t sk y t o mee t th e constellations. A reduced admission of only o, STARS 50C for everyon e applies to thi s 3 5 minute live presentation. For more •information , „ , please phone th re Planetariu•• , , 1:3m at 0 P M Wed . and Sun . 455-0119 Vol. 2 5 No . 1 0 StOPCll SUMMER 198 0 Have Telescopes , Will Travel JOH N DOBSO N 1 0 People came from all over the city by bus, by car, by bicycle, and by foot to look through the telescope. -
Rules & Requirements for an SBAS Observing Certificate 1. You Must
Rules & Requirements for an SBAS Observing Certificate 1. You must be a member of the SBAS in good standing to receive a certificate. 2. No Go To or Push To aided attempts will be accepted. Reading charts and star hopping are essential skills in our hobby. (You may use these methods to confirm your findings.) 3. Honor system is in full effect. These lists benefit your knowledge of the sky. Cheating only cheats yourself and the SBAS membership. Observations will be verified against digital planetarium charts. You may be required to answer questions about the objects you observed to verify your work. You may also be asked to show one of these objects at a star party. Once a list is completed, it is assumed you are familiar with every object on that list to the point where you can find it again and describe it to another person. 4. Upon completion of a list, submit the original paper version in person to Coy Wagoner at an SBAS meeting, public star party, or informal observing at the Worley. No digital submissions will be accepted at this time. 5. No observations may overlap. If one object is on two lists, your observations must be done on separate dates/times for credit. Copies of your observing logs will be saved and later compared to additional lists to make sure nothing overlaps. No observations prior to January 1, 2015 will be accepted for credit. 6. Observations should be done on your own. If you observe an object in someone else’s telescope or binoculars, the observation does not count unless you did the work to find it. -
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 -
Cygnus a Monthly Sky Guide for the Beginning to Intermediate Amateur Astronomer Tom Trusock 10-Aug-2005
Small Wonders: Cygnus A monthly sky guide for the beginning to intermediate amateur astronomer Tom Trusock 10-Aug-2005 Figure 1: Widefield Map 2/16 Small Wonders: Cygnus Target List Object Type Size Mag RA Dec α (alpha) Cygni (Deneb) Star 1.3 20h 41m 38.7s 45 17' 59" β (beta) Cygni (Albireo) Star 3 19h 30m 57.9s 27 58' 18" NGC 7000 Bright Nebula 120.0'x100.0' 4 20h 59m 03.2s 44 32' 16" IC 5070 Bright Nebula 60.0'x50.0' 8 20h 51m 01.1s 44 12' 13" NGC 6960 Supernova Remnant 70.0'x6.0' 7 20h 45m 57.0s 30 44' 12" NGC 6979 Bright Nebula 7.0'x3.0' 20h 51m 14.9s 32 10' 14" NGC 6992 Bright Nebula 60.0'x8.0' 7 20h 56m 39.0s 31 44' 16" M 29 Open Cluster 10.0' 6.6 20h 24m 11.6s 38 30' 58" M 39 Open Cluster 31.0' 4.6 21h 32m 10.4s 48 26' 40" NGC 6826 Planetary Nebula 36" 8.8 19h 44m 58.8s 50 32' 21" NGC 7026 Planetary Nebula 45" 10.9 21h 06m 31.4s 47 52' 28" NGC 6888 Bright Nebula 18.0'x13.0' 10 20h 12m 20.0s 38 22' 18" NGC 6946 Galaxy 11.5'x9.8' 9 20h 35m 01.0s 60 10' 19" Challenge Objects Object Type Size Mag RA Dec PK 64+ 5.1 Planetary Nebula 5" 9.6 19h 35m 02.3s 30 31' 45" Sh2-112 9.0'x7.0' Cygnus ygnus is a spectacular summer constellation. -
Desert Skies
Desert Skies Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association Volume LII, Number 8 August, 2006 Jupiter Dominates the August Night Sky ♦ Learn the latest about comets at ♦ Constellation of the month the monthly meeting ♦ Grand Canyon Star Party Report ♦ Star party for U of A students ♦ Object of the Month Desert Skies: August, 2006 2 Volume LII, Number 8 Cover Photo: Imaged by Rik Hill using a C14 and a ToUCam. It's a stack of about 3600 images taken in 3 minutes time. The stacking was done with Registax 3 and the final processing with GIMP. TAAA Web Page: http://www.tucsonastronomy.org TAAA Phone Number: (520) 792-6414 Office/Position Name Phone E-mail Address President Bill Lofquist 297-6653 [email protected] Vice President Ken Shaver 762-5094 [email protected] Secretary Steve Marten 307-5237 [email protected] Treasurer Terri Lappin 977-1290 [email protected] Member-at-Large George Barber 822-2392 [email protected] Member-at-Large JD Metzger 760-8248 [email protected] Member-at-Large Teresa Plymate 883-9113 [email protected] Chief Observer Wayne Johnson 586-2244 [email protected] AL Correspondent (ALCor) Nick de Mesa 797-6614 [email protected] Astro-Imaging SIG Steve Peterson 762-8211 [email protected] Computers in Astronomy SIG Roger Tanner 574-3876 [email protected] Beginners SIG Bill Lofquist 297-6653 [email protected] Newsletter Editor George Barber 822-2392 [email protected] School Star Party -
Observing List
day month year Epoch 2000 local clock time: 4.00 Observing List for 24 7 2019 RA DEC alt az Constellation object mag A mag B Separation description hr min deg min 60 75 Andromeda Gamma Andromedae (*266) 2.3 5.5 9.8 yellow & blue green double star 2 3.9 42 19 73 111 Andromeda Pi Andromedae 4.4 8.6 35.9 bright white & faint blue 0 36.9 33 43 72 71 Andromeda STF 79 (Struve) 6 7 7.8 bluish pair 1 0.1 44 42 58 80 Andromeda 59 Andromedae 6.5 7 16.6 neat pair, both greenish blue 2 10.9 39 2 89 34 Andromeda NGC 7662 (The Blue Snowball) planetary nebula, fairly bright & slightly elongated 23 25.9 42 32.1 75 84 Andromeda M31 (Andromeda Galaxy) large sprial arm galaxy like the Milky Way 0 42.7 41 16 75 85 Andromeda M32 satellite galaxy of Andromeda Galaxy 0 42.7 40 52 75 82 Andromeda M110 (NGC205) satellite galaxy of Andromeda Galaxy 0 40.4 41 41 60 84 Andromeda NGC752 large open cluster of 60 stars 1 57.8 37 41 57 73 Andromeda NGC891 edge on galaxy, needle-like in appearance 2 22.6 42 21 89 173 Andromeda NGC7640 elongated galaxy with mottled halo 23 22.1 40 51 82 10 Andromeda NGC7686 open cluster of 20 stars 23 30.2 49 8 47 200 Aquarius 55 Aquarii, Zeta 4.3 4.5 2.1 close, elegant pair of yellow stars 22 28.8 0 -1 35 181 Aquarius 94 Aquarii 5.3 7.3 12.7 pale rose & emerald 23 19.1 -13 28 30 173 Aquarius 107 Aquarii 5.7 6.7 6.6 yellow-white & bluish-white 23 46 -18 41 26 221 Aquarius M72 globular cluster 20 53.5 -12 32 27 220 Aquarius M73 Y-shaped asterism of 4 stars 20 59 -12 38 40 181 Aquarius NGC7606 Galaxy 23 19.1 -8 29 28 219 Aquarius NGC7009 -
Astronomical Coordinate Systems
Appendix 1 Astronomical Coordinate Systems A basic requirement for studying the heavens is being able to determine where in the sky things are located. To specify sky positions, astronomers have developed several coordinate systems. Each sys- tem uses a coordinate grid projected on the celestial sphere, which is similar to the geographic coor- dinate 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 The equatorial coordinate system is probably the most widely used celestial coordinate system. It is also the most closely related to the geographic coordinate system because they use the same funda- mental plane and poles. The projection of the Earth’s equator onto the celestial sphere is called the celestial equator. Similarly, projecting the geographic poles onto the celestial sphere defines the north and south celestial poles. However, there is an important difference between the equatorial and geographic coordinate sys- tems: the geographic system is fixed to the Earth and 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 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 Birth and Evolution of Planetary Systems
CHAPTER 7 The Birth and Evolution of Planetary Systems hn hk io il sy SY hn hk io il sy SY hn hk io il sy SY Ideas about the origins of the Sun, the Moon, and Earth objects in the Solar System. It is important for the stu- hn hk io il sy SY are older than written history. Greek and Roman mythol- dents to realize that you can determine many of the prop- ogy, as well as creation myths of the Bible, represent some erties of a planet by knowing its mass, size, and distance hn hk io il sy SY of humanity’s earliest attempts to explain how the heav- from the Sun. hn hk io il sy SY ens and Earth were created. Thousands of years and Although planetary scientists are confident they have hn hk io il sy SY the scientific revolution have ultimately debunked many the big picture of Solar System formation correct, the ancient creation stories, but our new theories of solar sys- details are still in question. Questions remain concerning hn hk io il sy SY tem formation are still relatively in their infancy. Jupiter’s formation. It might not have been able to form hn hk io il sy SY The nebular model of solar system formation was first via accretion but may have formed similarly to the Sun. proposed by Immanuel Kant in 1755. It has undergone To complicate matters further, Uranus and Neptune significant revision in the last 250 years, but the details of appear to be too large to have formed at their current posi- the pro cess remain elusive.