DOCSLIB.ORG

Planetary Report, More Than the Cat’S Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) Was One of the First Planetary Any Other Issue I Can Recall, Reflects the Ideas, Nebulae to Be Discovered

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

The PLANETARYPLANETARY R REPORTEPORT Volume XXIX Number 3 May/June 2009 Celebrating Hubble From The Editor On the Cover: This issue of The Planetary Report, more than The Cat’s Eye nebula (NGC 6543) was one of the first planetary any other issue I can recall, reflects the ideas, nebulae to be discovered. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) first opinions, and choices of Planetary Society revealed, in 1994, its intricate structures, including concentric gas Members. As you page through, you’ll see shells, high-speed jets of gas, and unusual shock-induced knots of what you and your fellow Members have done gas. This portrait of the Cat’s Eye nebula, captured in September and what you’ve made possible. 2004, was one of our Members’ favorite Hubble images. To view You’ll see the report on our 2009 Member more Members’ favorites, see page 12. Survey—an overwhelming success by any mea- “One massive star expires in a series of violent explosions, shed- sure. Jim Bell, the new Planetary Society presi- ding veils of fusion-forged elements that race through the cosmos. dent, has heard what you want our organization When enough of these elements congregate elsewhere, they may to do, and, as he promises, we’re on it! eventually produce new stars, planets, or even organisms. We, and We describe progress on our Members’ top- everything around us, are formed from the final throes of distant, rated concern: monitoring potentially danger- long-dead stars. In our universe, death is the engine of life.” ous asteroids and comets. The survey results —Minna Lunney coincided with our selection of winners of the Image: NASA/ESA/HEIC and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA/R. Corradi Shoemaker Near Earth Objects Grants, con- and Z. Tsvetanov) firming that we were on the right track with our project priorities. Background: Then, you’ll read a feature composed of Comet-like filaments are embedded along a portion of the inner rim Members’ words and pictures—at least, the of the Helix nebula’s red and blue gas ring. At a distance of 650 pictures you chose as your favorites taken by light-years from Earth, the Helix nebula is one of the nearest plane- the Hubble Space Telescope during its first few tary nebulae to Earth. This composite view, assembled in 2003, is incarnations. Planetary Society Members can a blend of images from the HST’s Advanced Camera for Surveys take justifiable pride in the just-completed combined with a wide-view photo from the Mosaic Camera on the Hubble repair mission. Three years ago, you National Science Foundation’s 0.9-meter telescope at Kitt Peak, campaigned to save the Hubble (and keep Arizona. Image: NASA/NOAO/ESA/the Hubble Helix Nebula Team/M. Meixner NASA from shutting down the Voyager space- (STScI) and T. A. Rector (NRAO) craft), so you can rightfully say you played a role in making this mission happen. And there’s so much more we’re doing. You can track our actions even more closely if you become a “fan” of The Planetary Society on Facebook. We have a very active community Contact Us growing there, with daily postings, links to new Mailing Address: The Planetary Society, web features, event announcements, and much 65 North Catalina Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91106-2301 more. General Calls: 626-793-5100 So stay in touch! Joined together, Planetary Sales Calls Only: 626-793-1675 Society Members are a force to be reckoned E-mail: [email protected] with. —Charlene M. Anderson World Wide Web: http://planetary.org 2 THE PLANETARY REPORT MAY/JUNE 2009 Cofounder CARL SAGAN 1934–1996 Board of Directors Chairman of the Board DAN GERACI Chairman and CEO, Club Achilles—The Iron Age President JAMES BELL Professor of Astronomy, Cornell University Vice President BILL NYE science educator Executive Director Contents LOUIS D.FRIEDMAN HEIDI HAMMEL Senior Research Scientist and Co-Director, Research, Space Science Institute G. SCOTT HUBBARD 4 You Spoke Up: The Planetary Society professor, Stanford University WESLEY T. HUNTRESS JR. Director Emeritus, Geophysical Laboratory, 2009 Member Survey Carnegie Institution of Washington LON LEVIN by Jim Bell SkySevenVentures ALEXIS LIVANOS Corporate Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Northrop Grumman Advisory Council Chair CHRISTOPHER P. McKAY 6 We Make It Happen! Planetary Defense: planetary scientist BRUCE MURRAY Professor of Planetary Science and Geology, Shielding the World From Asteroids California Institute of Technology ELON MUSK by Bruce Betts Chairman and CEO, SpaceX JOSEPH RYAN Ryan Investments, LLP STEVEN SPIELBERG director and producer 12 All Hail Hubble! Planetary Society Members BIJAL “BEE” THAKORE Regional Coordinator for Asia Pacific, Space Generation Advisory Council Salute the Hubble Space Telescope NEIL deGRASSE TYSON Astrophysicist and Director, Hayden Planetarium, American Museum of Natural History GEORGE YANCOPOULOS President and Chief Scientific Officer, 19 WorldWatch Regeneron Research Laborabories 20 Questions and Answers International Council ROGER-MAURICE BONNET Executive Director, 22 Members’ Dialogue International Space Science Institute YASUNORI MATOGAWA Associate Executive Director, 23 Planetary Sales Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency MAMORU MOHRI Director, National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation RISTO PELLINEN Director of Science in Space Research, Finnish Meteorological Institute Advisory Council BUZZ ALDRIN RICHARD BERENDZEN JACQUES BLAMONT RAY BRADBURY DAVID BRIN JAMES CANTRELL FRANKLIN CHANG-DIAZ FRANK DRAKE The Planetary Report (ISSN 0736-3680) is published bimonthly at the editorial offices of The Planetary Society, 65 North OWEN GARRIOTT Catalina Avenue, Pasadena CA 91106-2301, 626-793-5100. It is available to members of The Planetary Society. Annual dues in the United States are $30 (U.S. dollars); in Canada, $40 (Canadian dollars). Dues in other countries are $45 GARRY E.HUNT (U.S. dollars). Printed in USA. Third-class postage at Pasadena, California, and at an additional mailing office. Canada BRUCE JAKOSKY Post Agreement Number 87424. THOMAS D.JONES Editor, CHARLENE M. ANDERSON Copy Editor, A.J.SOBCZAK Associate Editor, DONNA ESCANDON STEVENS Proofreader, LOIS SMITH SERGEI KAPITSA Managing Editor, JENNIFER VAUGHN Art Director, BARBARA S.SMITH CHARLES E.KOHLHASE JR. Technical Editor, JAMES D. BURKE Science Editor, BRUCE BETTS LAURIE LESHIN Viewpoints expressed in columns and editorials are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent positions of JOHN M. LOGSDON The Planetary Society, its officers, or its advisers. ©2009 by The Planetary Society. JON LOMBERG ROSALY LOPES HANS MARK JOHN MINOGUE ROBERT PICARDO JOHN RHYS-DAVIES KIM STANLEY ROBINSON DONNA L.SHIRLEY KEVIN STUBE A PUBLICATION OF 3 THE PLANETARY REPORT MAY/JUNE 2009 You Spoke Up: The Planetary Society2009 Member Survey y first year as President of The Planetary Society has it will turn up. The Europa Jupiter System Mission (let’s M not yet finished, and already I’m overwhelmed with hope it gets a better name) will be a NASA-ESA partnership, the goodwill and support I’ve received from our Members. and we’re giving our full support to this flagship mission. The enthusiastic response to the 2009 Member Survey is The largest negative vote on this question was something just one way you’ve shown me how much you care about of a surprise to me: 9.3% rated “human space missions” as our organization, and your responses will help me make sure “not important.” Personally, I want to see human explorers that we are serving your interests and fighting for the pro- follow the rovers to the Red Planet, but I don’t see a conflict grams you feel are important. here with current Planetary Society policy. (A negative vote It’s now time to unveil the results and offer you a few of less than 10% is, after all, not a terrible result.) Our words about what I think they mean. You can either go Roadmap to Space, which we continue to present to policy- straight to the numbers and analyze them yourself or read makers in Washington, D.C. (most recently to the new through the following analysis of the 2009 Member Sur- Augustine review board), calls for robotic missions to Mars vey—and then go to the numbers if you wish. Here goes: blazing a trail for humans to follow. I interpret this survey result as supporting that effort. What do you feel should be the 1 focus of space exploration in the Which of these Planetary Society immediate future? 2 projects and activities do you Mars is the place you most want to explore immediately, support? with 62.5% ranking it as “very important” and 33.0% as I found a bit of a surprise here, but maybe it’s one we should “important.” This response makes me really happy, as I am have expected: “Monitoring potentially dangerous near-Earth a member of the Mars Exploration Rovers science team. asteroids and comets” was the most-supported Society pro- Destination-wise, the Moon ranks a little lower, with 46.3% ject or activity. Near-Earth object (NEO) project supporters voting “very important” and 41.5% “important.” may be a quiet bunch (we don’t receive a lot of mail cheering Robotic space exploration is your preferred means to get on these activities), but their support runs deep, with 88.8% the job done, with 60.3% ranking it “very important” and saying to “do more” or “keep it.” 35.4% “important,” giving an overall thumbs-up of 95.7%. We’re on it! You should soon be receiving a letter about Keep those rovers coming! The Mars Science Laboratory our NEO program and the ways we’re ramping up our efforts (Curiosity)—a really big rover—is being built for a 2011 in planetary
Recommended publications
  • THUBAN the Star Thuban in the Constellation Draco (The Dragon) Was the North Pole Star Some 5,000 Years Ago, When the Egyptians Were Building the Pyramids

    THUBAN the Star Thuban in the Constellation Draco (The Dragon) Was the North Pole Star Some 5,000 Years Ago, When the Egyptians Were Building the Pyramids

    STAR OF THE WEEK: THUBAN The star Thuban in the constellation Draco (the Dragon) was the North Pole Star some 5,000 years ago, when the Egyptians were building the pyramids. Thuban is not a particularly bright star. At magnitude 3.7 and known as alpha draconis it is not even the brightest star in its constellation. What is Thuban’s connection with the pyramids of Egypt? Among the many mysteries surrounding Egypt’s pyramids are the so-called “air shafts” in the Great Pyramid of Giza. These narrow passageways were once thought to serve for ventilation as the The Great Pyramid of Giza, an enduring monument of ancient pyramids were being built. In the 1960s, though, Egypt. Egyptologists believe that it was built as a tomb for fourth dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu around 2560 BC the air shafts were recognized as being aligned with stars or areas of sky as the sky appeared for the pyramids’ builders 5,000 years ago. To this day, the purpose of all these passageways inside the Great Pyramid isn’t clear, although some might have been connected to rituals associated with the king’s ascension to the heavens. Whatever their purpose, the Great Pyramid of Giza reveals that its builders knew the starry skies intimately. They surely knew Thuban was their Pole Star, the point around which the heavens appeared to turn. Various sources claim that Thuban almost exactly pinpointed the position of the north celestial pole in the This diagram shows the so-called air shafts in the Great year 2787 B.C.
  • Dhruva the Ancient Indian Pole Star: Fixity, Rotation and Movement

    Dhruva the Ancient Indian Pole Star: Fixity, Rotation and Movement

    Indian Journal of History of Science, 46.1 (2011) 23-39 DHRUVA THE ANCIENT INDIAN POLE STAR: FIXITY, ROTATION AND MOVEMENT R N IYENGAR* (Received 1 February 2010; revised 24 January 2011) Ancient historical layers of Hindu astronomy are explored in this paper with the help of the Purân.as and the Vedic texts. It is found that Dhruva as described in the Brahmân.d.a and the Vis.n.u purân.a was a star located at the tail of a celestial animal figure known as the Úiúumâra or the Dolphin. This constellation, which can be easily recognized as the modern Draco, is described vividly and accurately in the ancient texts. The body parts of the animal figure are made of fourteen stars, the last four of which including Dhruva on the tail are said to never set. The Taittirîya Âran.yaka text of the Kr.s.n.a-yajurveda school which is more ancient than the above Purân.as describes this constellation by the same name and lists fourteen stars the last among them being named Abhaya, equated with Dhruva, at the tail end of the figure. The accented Vedic text Ekâgni-kân.d.a of the same school recommends observation of Dhruva the fixed Pole Star during marriages. The above Vedic texts are more ancient than the Gr.hya-sûtra literature which was the basis for indologists to deny the existence of a fixed North Star during the Vedic period. However the various Purân.ic and Vedic textual evidence studied here for the first time, leads to the conclusion that in India for the Yajurvedic people Thuban (α-Draconis) was Dhruva the Pole Star c 2800 BC.
  • Ice& Stone 2020

    Ice& Stone 2020

    Ice & Stone 2020 WEEK 41: OCTOBER 4-10 Presented by The Earthrise Institute # 41 Authored by Alan Hale This week in history OCTOBER 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 OCTOBER 4, 2020: The main-belt asteroid (1679) Nevanlinna will occult the 7th-magnitude star HD 224945 in Pisces. The predicted path of the occultation crosses Newfoundland, part of the Maritime Provinces of Canada, the northeastern through the south-central U.S. (including Houston, Texas), north-central Mexico (including the northern regions of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon), and the southern Pacific Ocean. OCTOBER 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 OCTOBER 7, 2008: Twenty hours after its discovery by Richard Kowalski during the course of the Mount Lemmon Survey in Arizona, the tiny asteroid 2008 TC3 enters Earth’s atmosphere above Sudan, explodes, and drops meteorite fragments – the Almahata Sitta meteorite – on the Nubian Desert. This is the first instance of an impacting asteroid being discovered in space while still inbound to an impact, and it is the subject of this week’s “Special Topics” presentation. OCTOBER 7, 2009: Astronomers using the Infrared Telescope Facility in Hawaii announce that the surface of the large main-belt asteroid (24) Themis appears to be completely covered with water ice. The significance of this discovery is discussed in a previous “Special Topics” presentation. OCTOBER 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 OCTOBER 8, 1769: Comet Messier C/1769 P1 passes through perihelion at a heliocentric distance of 0.123 AU. This was the brightest comet discovered by the 18th-Century French comet hunter Charles Messier and is a previous “Comet of the Week.” OCTOBER 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 OCTOBER 9, 1933: A brief but strong “storm” of Draconid meteors is seen over Europe.
  • NASA Ames Jim Arnold, Craig Burkhardt Et Al

    NASA Ames Jim Arnold, Craig Burkhardt Et Al

    The re-entry of artificial meteoroid WT1190F AIAA SciTech 2016 1/5/2016 2008 TC3 Impact October 7, 2008 Mohammad Odeh International Astronomical Center, Abu Dhabi Peter Jenniskens SETI Institute Asteroid Threat Assessment Project (ATAP) - NASA Ames Jim Arnold, Craig Burkhardt et al. Michael Aftosmis - NASA Ames 2 Darrel Robertson - NASA Ames Next TC3 Consortium http://impact.seti.org Mission Statement: Steve Larson (Catalina Sky Survey) “Be prepared for the next 2008 TC3 John Tonry (ATLAS) impact” José Luis Galache (Minor Planet Center) Focus on two aspects: Steve Chesley (NASA JPL) 1. Airborne observations of the reentry Alan Fitzsimmons (Queen’s Univ. Belfast) 2. Rapid recovery of meteorites Eileen Ryan (Magdalena Ridge Obs.) Franck Marchis (SETI Institute) Ron Dantowitz (Clay Center Observatory) Jay Grinstead (NASA Ames Res. Cent.) Peter Jenniskens (SETI Institute - POC) You? 5 NASA/JPL “Sentry” early alert October 3, 2015: WT1190F Davide Farnocchia (NASA/JPL) Catalina Sky Survey: Richard Kowalski Steve Chesley (NASA/JPL) Marco Michelli (ESA NEOO CC) 6 WT1190F Found: October 3, 2015: one more passage Oct. 24 Traced back to: 2013, 2012, 2011, …, 2009 Re-entry: Friday November 13, 2015 10.61 km/s 20.6º angle Bill Gray 11 IAC + UAE Space Agency chartered commercial G450 Mohammad Odeh (IAC, Abu Dhabi) Support: UAE Space Agency Dexter Southfield /Embry-Riddle AU 14 ESA/University Stuttgart 15 SETI Institute 16 Dexter Southfield team Time UAE Camera Trans-Lunar Insertion Stage Leading candidate (1/13/2016): LUNAR PROSPECTOR T.L.I.S. Launch: January 7, 1998 UT Lunar Prospector itself was deliberately crashed on Moon July 31, 1999 Carbon fiber composite Spin hull thrusters Titanium case holds Amonium Thiokol Perchlorate fuel and Star Stage 3700S HTPB binder (both contain H) P.I.: Alan Binder Scott Hubbard 57-minutes later: Mission Director Separation of TLIS NASA Ames http://impact.seti.org 30 .
  • Draco the Dragon

    Draco the Dragon

    Biblical Astronomer, number 100 51 DRACO THE DRAGON Gerardus D. Bouw, Ph.D. The embarrassment of dragons “Everyone knows it. Scientists have proven it dozens of times. Dragons are mythological; they never existed, leastwise, not while man roamed the earth. True, the ancient Chinese, Indians, Europeans, Amerin- dians, Africans, Australians, and others believed dragons existed in their time. They described dragons, told tales of killing them, and of the pesti- lences coming from dragons. But today we are much wiser and know that such ancient lore is nothing but myth. We are humanists, the measure of all things! We don’t need God. God is just a crutch for the feeble- minded, the weak. Today we know infinitely more than those grunting cave men. They and their dragon-infested Bible: bah!” “Hey!” a voice responds. “We’re not humanists. We believe in God, and we, too, know that dragons are mythological. Ignorant, supersti- tious men introduced the dragons into the Bible. We now have the correct interpretation for those problematic words. They’re not dragons but jack- als. We’re Bible critics, the measure of all things! We find out what God really meant to say but could not say plainly because of the cave-man mentality he had to address in His Word!” Now, that the author of this article totally disagrees with both the above statements let that be understood from the start. If that means being labeled feeble-minded, so be it. We think better of the ancients. Having studied their technology, we find them to be very clever and inventive, and we suspect that they could think circles around the aforementioned humanist and critical geniuses of today.
  • The Comet's Tale

    The Comet's Tale

    THE COMET’S TALE Journal of the Comet Section of the British Astronomical Association Number 33, 2014 January Not the Comet of the Century 2013 R1 (Lovejoy) imaged by Damian Peach on 2013 December 24 using 106mm F5. STL-11k. LRGB. L: 7x2mins. RGB: 1x2mins. Today’s images of bright binocular comets rival drawings of Great Comets of the nineteenth century. Rather predictably the expected comet of the century Contents failed to materialise, however several of the other comets mentioned in the last issue, together with the Comet Section contacts 2 additional surprise shown above, put on good From the Director 2 appearances. 2011 L4 (PanSTARRS), 2012 F6 From the Secretary 3 (Lemmon), 2012 S1 (ISON) and 2013 R1 (Lovejoy) all Tales from the past 5 th became brighter than 6 magnitude and 2P/Encke, 2012 RAS meeting report 6 K5 (LINEAR), 2012 L2 (LINEAR), 2012 T5 (Bressi), Comet Section meeting report 9 2012 V2 (LINEAR), 2012 X1 (LINEAR), and 2013 V3 SPA meeting - Rob McNaught 13 (Nevski) were all binocular objects. Whether 2014 will Professional tales 14 bring such riches remains to be seen, but three comets The Legacy of Comet Hunters 16 are predicted to come within binocular range and we Project Alcock update 21 can hope for some new discoveries. We should get Review of observations 23 some spectacular close-up images of 67P/Churyumov- Prospects for 2014 44 Gerasimenko from the Rosetta spacecraft. BAA COMET SECTION NEWSLETTER 2 THE COMET’S TALE Comet Section contacts Director: Jonathan Shanklin, 11 City Road, CAMBRIDGE. CB1 1DP England. Phone: (+44) (0)1223 571250 (H) or (+44) (0)1223 221482 (W) Fax: (+44) (0)1223 221279 (W) E-Mail: [email protected] or [email protected] WWW page : http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~jds/ Assistant Director (Observations): Guy Hurst, 16 Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise, BASINGSTOKE, Hampshire.
  • Three Decades of Small-Telescope Science

    Three Decades of Small-Telescope Science

    Three Decades of Small-Telescope Science A Report on the 2011 Society for Astronomical Sciences 30th Annual Sym- posium on Telescope Science Robert K. Buchheim For three decades, the Society for Astronomical Sciences has supported small telescope sci- ence, encouraged amateur research, and facilitated pro-am collaboration. On May 24-26, more than one hundred participants in the 30th anniversary SAS Symposium heard presentations cov- ering a wide range of astronomical topics, reaching from the laboratory to the distant cosmos. From Planets to Galaxies Sky & Telescope Editor-in-Chief Bob Naeye opened the technical session with a review of the amateur contributions to exoplanet discovery and research through monitoring of transits and micro-lensing events. R. Jay GaBany described his participation as an astro-imager in the search for evidence of galactic mergers. His exquisite deep images taken with his 24-inch telescope displayed the di- verse patterns of star streams that can be left behind when a dwarf galaxy is disrupted and ab- sorbed by a larger galaxy. He also noted that not all faint structures are evidence of galactic mergers: the faint ”loop” structure near M-81 is actually foreground “galactic cirrus” in our own Milky Way masquerading as a faux tidal loop. Education and Outreach Several papers related to education and outreach were presented. Debra Ceravolo applied her expertise in the generation and perception of colors, to describe a new method of merging narrow-band (e.g. Hα) and broad-band (e.g. RGB) images into a natural-color image that displays enhanced detail without glaring false colors.
  • GTO Keypad Manual, V5.001

    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!
  • The Evening Sky Map

    The Evening Sky Map

    I N E D R I A C A S T N E O D I T A C L E O R N I G D S T S H A E P H M O O R C I . Z N O p l f e i n h d o P t O o N ) l h a r g Z i u s , o I l C t P h R I r e o R N ( O o r C r H e t L p h p E E i s t D H a ( r g T F i . O B NORTH D R e N M h t E A X O e s A H U M C T . I P N S L E E P Z “ E A N H O NORTHERN HEMISPHERE M T R T Y N H E ” K E η ) W S . T T E W U B R N W D E T T W T H h A The Evening Sky Map e MAY 2021 E . C ) Cluster O N FREE* EACH MONTH FOR YOU TO EXPLORE, LEARN & ENJOY THE NIGHT SKY r S L a o K e Double r Y E t B h R M t e PERSEUS A a A r CASSIOPEIA n e S SKY MAP SHOWS HOW Get Sky Calendar on Twitter P δ r T C G C A CEPHEUS r E o R e J s O h Sky Calendar – May 2021 http://twitter.com/skymaps M39 s B THE NIGHT SKY LOOKS T U ( O i N s r L D o a j A NE I I a μ p T EARLY MAY PM T 10 r 61 M S o S 3 Last Quarter Moon at 19:51 UT.
  • Planetary Defense Final Report I

    Planetary Defense Final Report I

    Team Project - Planetary Defense Final Report i Team Project - Planetary Defense Final Report ii Team Project - Planetary Defense Cover designed by: Tihomir Dimitrov Images courtesy of: Earth Image - NASA US Geological Survey Detection Image - ESA's Optical Ground Station Laser Tags ISS Deflection Image - IEEE Space Based Lasers Collaboration Image - United Nations General Assembly Building Outreach Image - Dreamstime teacher with students in classroom Evacuation Image - Libyan City of Syrte destroyed in 2011 Shield Image - Silver metal shield PNG image The cover page was designed to include a visual representation of the roadmap for a robust Planetary Defense Program that includes five elements: detection, deflection, global collaboration, outreach, and evacuation. The shield represents the idea of defending our planet, giving confidence to the general public that the Planetary Defense elements are reliable. The orbit represents the comet threat and how it is handled by the shield, which represents the READI Project. The curved lines used in the background give a sense of flow representing the continuation and further development for Planetary Defense programs after this team project, as we would like for everyone to be involved and take action in this noble task of protecting Earth. The 2015 Space Studies Program of the International Space University was hosted by the Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, USA. While all care has been taken in the preparation of this report, ISU does not take any responsibility for the accuracy of its content.
  • September 2017 BRAS Newsletter

    September 2017 BRAS Newsletter

    September 2017 Issue September 2017 Next Meeting: Monday, September 11th at 7PM at HRPO nd (2 Mondays, Highland Road Park Observatory) September Program: GAE (Great American. Eclipse) Membership Reports. Club members are invited to “approach the mike. ” and share their experiences travelling hither and thither to observe the August total eclipse. What's In This Issue? HRPO’s Great American Eclipse Event Summary (Page 2) President’s Message Secretary's Summary Outreach Report - FAE Light Pollution Committee Report Recent Forum Entries 20/20 Vision Campaign Messages from the HRPO Spooky Spectrum Observe The Moon Night Observing Notes – Draco The Dragon, & Mythology Like this newsletter? See past issues back to 2009 at http://brastro.org/newsletters.html Newsletter of the Baton Rouge Astronomical Society September 2017 The Great American Eclipse is now a fond memory for our Baton Rouge community. No ornery clouds or“washout”; virtually the entire three-hour duration had an unobstructed view of the Sun. Over an hour before the start of the event, we sold 196 solar viewers in thirty-five minutes. Several families and children used cereal box viewers; many, many people were here for the first time. We utilized the Coronado Solar Max II solar telescope and several nighttime telescopes, each outfitted with either a standard eyepiece or a “sun funnel”—a modified oil funnel that projects light sent through the scope tube to fabric stretched across the front of the funnel. We provided live feeds on the main floor from NASA and then, ABC News. The official count at 1089 patrons makes this the best- attended event in HRPO’s twenty years save for the historic Mars Opposition of 2003.
  • Precession of Earth WS.Pdf

    Precession of Earth WS.Pdf

    Precession of Earth: Spinning on the Axis Environmental Science Name: ____________________________________________Period:__________ Date: ___________ Essential Question: Why is earth’s axis wobbling? Een 1.1.1 Instructions: Study the selection and answer the questions. Just like a toy top that wobbles before it falls, the Earth wobbles as it rotates on its axis, the imaginary line that extends through the poles. This wobbling motion is due to the slight bulge at the equator. If you traced the Earth's axis out into space, you would see the extension of the axis slowly tracing a cone shape. The wobble is very slow; it takes the Earth 26,000 years to trace one complete conical shape. This wobbling motion of Earth on its axis is called precession. Because of precession, Polaris and Vega alternate as the North Star every 13,000 years. Polaris: The Current North Star Today the Earth's axis points within one degree of Polaris, the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor (also called the Little Bear or the Little Dipper). Polaris appears to be in a fixed position in the sky throughout the year. All other stars and constellations seem to revolve around the North Star. Why isn't the North Star Fixed? Over the course of time, the North Star changes. Right now Polaris is within one degree of true north, but at other times the North Star has been and will again be Thuban (the brightest star in the constellation Draco), Vega (the brightest star in the constellation Lyra), and Alpha Cephei (the brightest star in the constellation Cepheus).