DOCSLIB.ORG

Astronomy 2008 Index

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Astronomy 2008 Index Astronomy Magazine Article Title Index 10 rising stars of astronomy, 8:60–8:63 1.5 million galaxies revealed, 3:41–3:43 185 million years before the dinosaurs’ demise, did an asteroid nearly end life on Earth?, 4:34–4:39 A Aligned aurorae, 8:27 All about the Veil Nebula, 6:56–6:61 Amateur astronomy’s greatest generation, 8:68–8:71 Amateurs see fireballs from U.S. satellite kill, 7:24 Another Earth, 6:13 Another super-Earth discovered, 9:21 Antares gang, The, 7:18 Antimatter traced, 5:23 Are big-planet systems uncommon?, 10:23 Are super-sized Earths the new frontier?, 11:26–11:31 Are these space rocks from Mercury?, 11:32–11:37 Are we done yet?, 4:14 Are we looking for life in the right places?, 7:28–7:33 Ask the aliens, 3:12 Asteroid sleuths find the dino killer, 1:20 Astro-humiliation, 10:14 Astroimaging over ancient Greece, 12:64–12:69 Astronaut rescue rocket revs up, 11:22 Astronomers spy a giant particle accelerator in the sky, 5:21 Astronomers unearth a star’s death secrets, 10:18 Astronomers witness alien star flip-out, 6:27 Astronomy magazine’s first 35 years, 8:supplement Astronomy’s guide to Go-to telescopes, 10:supplement Auroral storm trigger confirmed, 11:18 B Backstage at Astronomy, 8:76–8:82 Basking in the Sun, 5:16 Biggest planet’s 5 deepest mysteries, The, 1:38–1:43 Binary pulsar test affirms relativity, 10:21 Binocular Telescope snaps first image, 6:21 Black hole sets a record, 2:20 Black holes wind up galaxy arms, 9:19 Brightest starburst galaxy discovered, 12:23 C Calling all space probes, 10:64–10:65 Calling on Cassiopeia, 11:76 Canada to launch new asteroid hunter, 11:19 Canada’s handy robot, 1:24 Cannibal next door, The, 3:38 Capture images of our local star, 4:66–4:67 Cassini confirms Titan lakes, 12:27 Cassini scopes Saturn’s two-toned moon, 1:25 Cassini “tastes” Enceladus’ plumes, 7:26 Cepheus’ fall delights, 10:85 Choose the dome that’s right for you, 5:70–5:71 Clearing the air about seeing vs. transparency, 11:75 Cluster crash-up reveals dark matter, 12:26 Comet Hale-Bopp still going strong, 7:25 Coming solar superstorm, The, 9:34–9:39 Cool blue to hot stars, 10:12–10:13 Cool stuff for a hot ride, 9:20 Could changing channels tune into alien civilizations?, 5:38–5:43 Crystal Palace, A, 1:16–1:17 Cygnus Arm flexes its muscle, 9:68 D Dark reserve, 1:25 Darkest sky under the stars, The, 2:64–2:65 Day the Sun crawled, The, 11:14–11:15 “Death star” blasts neighboring galaxy, 4:23 Defect or discovery?, 12:18–12:19 Did ancient astronomers build Stonehenge?, 7:52–7:57 Did molecules from space seed life in the cosmos?, 4:50–4:55 Discover 10 top Milky Way delights, 9:60–9:63 Distant galaxy gets a weigh-in, 1:26 Distant gamma-ray burst sets a record, 5:20 Do cosmic flashes reveal secrets of the infant universe?, 6:34–6:39 Dogging Apophis, 6:25 E Earth flybys reveal mystery speed change, 6:20 Earth impacts at a glance, 1:60–1:61 Earth through alien eyes, 5:23 Earth-forming stars are common in the Milky Way, 6:18 Earth’s troubled adolescence, 5:32–5:37 Easy imaging with the DSI III, 9:64–9:65 Enceladus jets form deep in fractures, 12:23 Encyclopedia galactica, 3:45–3:51 Entire Moon is within reach, 10:26 Europe’s space revolution, 9:28–9:33 Explore Jupiter’s moons, 2:56–2:57 Explore the southern Milky Way’s dark clouds, 9:54–9:57 Exploring a Messier line-up, 8:18 Exploring galaxy evolution, 3:16 Exploring Iapetus’ dark side, 3:60–3:63 Eyepiece ABCs, 1:78 Eyewitness to Apollo 8: A personal memoir, 12:20 F Find your way through the summer sky, 7:70–7:71 First light for Palomar’s new optics, 1:26 Found: the solar system’s oldest rocks, 7:25 G Galactic mergers in cyberspace, 3:30–3:31 Galactic mistaken identity corrected, 10:20 Galaxies on fire, 3:64–3:69 Get a head start on the Hydra, 4:18 Get ready for summer’s total solar eclipse, 7:66–7:69 Giant stars may have little helpers, 6:24 GLOBE at Night 2008, 8:27 Going the distance, 1:25 Google me to the Moon, 6:25 Great quasar round-up, The, 3:20 H Harmony arrives at space station, 2:17 Hide-and-seek galaxy surprises astronomers, 4:23 High-tech skin keeps satellites cool, 12:28 Hinode captures solar “fountains”, 8:27 How astronomers cracked the Einstein code, 9:22–9:27 How comets shaped history, 2:23–2:27 How historic observatories will survive, 4:62–4:63 How life could thrive on hostile worlds, 12:54–12:59 How scientists discovered a solar system “superhighway”/nl, 11:38–11:43 How the Milky Way devours its neighbors, 3:34–3:39 How the Sun will die, 12:38–12:43 How to find a Space Needle in a haystack, 4:20–4:21 How to observe artificial satellites, 6:74 How to observe dark nebulae, 5:64–5:67 How to observe the Sun, 4:64–4:65 How to shoot stars with a webcam, 11:68–11:71 How to take a black hole’s temperature, 12:24 How we junked up outer space, 6:40–6:43 How we’ll fix Hubble, 10:28–10:33 Hubble captures little spot’s demise, 11:22 Hubble finds most distant galaxies yet, 11:19 Hubble gazes at red alien sunsets and “star spots”, 4:22 Hubble identifies exoplanet’s methane, 6:22 Hubble identifies weird “blue blobs”, 5:22 Hubble images interstellar ribbon, 10:24 Hubble peers into a Milky Way starburst, 2:16 Hubble spies Comet Holmes’ heart, 3:18 Hubble uncovers white-dwarf age paradox, 10:20 Hubble’s rising odometer, 12:28 I IAU names a new plutoid, 11:16 India goes to the Moon, 8:26 Inside Arizona’s meteorite treasure chest, 10:80–10:82 Inside Earth’s magnetic shield, 11:52–11:53 Inside NASA’s Deep Space Network, 5:56–5:61 Intense storm triggers Saturn lightning, 8:22 Internal heat drives Jupiter’s weather, 5:21 Is Eta Carinae the brightest star of all?, 11:24 Is there a rover in Hebes Chasma’s future?, 8:24 Is there an end to cosmology?, 8:28–8:29 It’s a Wonderful Star, 12:76 J Journey to the heart of the Milky Way, 2:28–2:33 Jupiter’s new spot, 9:14 K King’s astronomer, The, 8:16 L Life and death of super suns, The, 7:34–7:39 Little meteors pack a big punch, 5:24 Longer-lived oceans on Venus?, 1:27 Lunar crater is older and possibly icier, 12:24 M Magic canvas, The, 9:11 Marinating the news, 7:14 Mars: colder and stiffer inside, 9:20 Mars’ dynamic, icy past, 9:18 Mars Express sees martian “landfill”, 2:17 Mars likely had water, 4:26 Mars shows its shady side, 5:24 Martian probe witnesses avalanches, 6:16 Master the art of wide-field imaging, 6:66–6:69 Meade’s LX90-ACF eliminates coma, 12:70–12:71 Meade’s mySKY teaches you the stars, 2:66–2:67 Meet the colorful Gemini twins, 2:70 Meet the cosmic Cheshire Cat, 10:25 Mercury reveals its hidden side, 5:26–5:31 Merging galaxies come closer to home, 9:16 MESSENGER reveals Mercury’s volcanic past, 10:22 Meteors rock Phobos, 9:48–9:49 Milky Way disarmed, 9:21 Milky Way’s youngest supernova, The, 9:18 Moon clock, 5:23 Moon had water--lots of it, 10:24 MRO finds new signs of a wet early Mars, 11:16 N Naked-eye denizens of the galactic deep, 9:12–9:13 NASA budget woes spare Spirit rover, 6:22 NASA’s lunar sandbox, 6:25 NASA’s new gamma-ray eye in the sky, 6:20 NASA’S Phoenix digs Mars, 9:50–9:53 New findings help explain two-faced Mars, 10:21 New greenhouse solution keeps early Earth warm, 10:26 New ocean eye in orbit, 10:26 New periodic comet found, 1:23 New pictures from old plates, 1:70–1:73 New radio telescope opens for business, 1:26 New space molecule, 7:25 New spin on Moon’s birth, 2:18 New Spitzer mosaic unveils galaxy’s heart, 9:14 New technique peers into dark space clouds, 6:25 North Korea’s phantom space program, 2:20 Northern sky’s top 10 galaxies, The, 11:58–11:61 NTT refines distance to key yardstick stars, 6:23 O Observe celestial odd couples, 1:64–1:67 Observe winter’s forgotten star clusters, 2:60–2:63 Observing the way it was meant to be, 7:62–7:65 Obsession’s new 18-inch scope, 4:68–4:69 Omega Centauri harbors a black hole, 7:22 On the trail of hydrogen’s heavy sibling, 2:34–2:39 Orion capsule prepared for short test flights, 7:23 Orion’s new binocular telescope tested, 3:72–3:73 Orion’s phantom loop, part 1, 2:14–2:15 Orion’s phantom loop, part 2, 3:14–3:15 Other dimensions, 2:12 Our galaxy’s date with destruction, 6:28–6:33 P Peruse the Water Snake’s other half, 5:74 Phoenix powers down, 5:22 Piece of π, A, 11:12 Pit and the Pendulum, The, 10:16–10:17 Pitch from space, A, 8:27 Plenty of nothing, 12:16 Pulsar push, 1:25 Q Quark nova explains record-breaking blasts, 9:20 Quest for the first galaxies, 3:22–3:27 R Radar maps Moon’s south pole in detail, 6:19 Readers report, 6:14–6:15 Reap the awards of amateur astronomy, 4:16 Recipe for a great comet, 2:25 Remembering 2007’s comet double feature, 5:18–5:19 Riding fireballs, 9:16 Ringed planet may have ringed moon, 6:27 Rocket pad for rent, 12:28 Rotating radio star mystery solved, 4:26 Runaway star is not from our neighborhood, 6:25 S Saturn revolution, 10:34–10:39 Saturn’s rings carry extra weight, 1:22 Scientists unearth ancient impact’s secrets, 12:32–12:37 SDSS III begins, 12:28 Searching for the shape of the universe, 4:28–4:33 Seasons change on Neptune, 1:24 See double tonight, 3:74 See the final shuttle fireball, 10:22 See the red star round-up, 10:84 SELENE beams back lunar HDTV, 7:26 Servicing Hubble, 5:23 Sharpest snapshots ever of Pluto’s tiny moons, 2:21 Shortlist for TMT site announced, 9:20 Shuttle legacy, 10:26 Signposts of the sky, 7:16 Six-wheelin’ with NASA’s Moon truck, 7:27 Sky testing Orion’s 102mm f/7 ED, 10:78–10:79 Small galaxies weigh plenty, 8:25 Soap bubbles hint at stormy processes, 8:22 Space Age anniversary, 1:25 Space station robot helpmate goes to work, 6:25 Space-bound robot dives under icy Wisconsin lake, 6:23 Spitzer finds
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Cosmic Evolution Survey (Cosmos): Overview1 N
    The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 172:1Y8, 2007 September # 2007. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. THE COSMIC EVOLUTION SURVEY (COSMOS): OVERVIEW1 N. Scoville,2,3 H. Aussel,4 M. Brusa,5 P. Capak,2 C. M. Carollo,6 M. Elvis,7 M. Giavalisco,8 L. Guzzo,9 G. Hasinger,5 C. Impey,10 J.-P. Kneib,11 O. LeFevre,11 S. J. Lilly,6 B. Mobasher,8 A. Renzini,12,13 R. M. Rich,14 D. B. Sanders,15 E. Schinnerer,16,17 D. Schminovich,18 P. Shopbell,2 Y. Taniguchi,19 and N. D. Tyson20 Received 2006 April 25; accepted 2006 June 28 ABSTRACT The Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS) is designed to probe the correlated evolution of galaxies, star formation, active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and dark matter (DM) with large-scale structure (LSS) over the redshift range z > 0:5Y6. The survey includes multiwavelength imaging and spectroscopy from X-rayYtoYradio wavelengths covering a 2 deg2 area, including HST imaging. Given the very high sensitivity and resolution of these data sets, COSMOS also provides unprecedented samples of objects at high redshift with greatly reduced cosmic variance, compared to earlier surveys. Here we provide a brief overview of the survey strategy, the characteristics of the major COSMOS data sets, and a summary the science goals. Subject headinggs: cosmology: observations — dark matter — galaxies: evolution — galaxies: formation — large-scale structure of universe — surveys 1. INTRODUCTION multiband imaging and spectroscopy provide redshifts and hence cosmic ages for these populations. Most briefly, the early universe Our understanding of the formation and evolution of galaxies and their large-scale structures (LSSs) has advanced enormously galaxies were more irregular/interacting than at present and the overall cosmic star formation rate probably peaked at z 1Y3 over the last decade—a result of a phenomenal synergy between with 10Y30 times the current rates (Lilly et al.
    [Show full text]
  • August 10Th 2019 August 2019 7:00Pm at the Herrett Center for Arts & Science College of Southern Idaho
    Snake River Skies The Newsletter of the Magic Valley Astronomical Society www.mvastro.org Membership Meeting MVAS President’s Message August 2019 Saturday, August 10th 2019 7:00pm at the Herrett Center for Arts & Science College of Southern Idaho. Colleagues, Public Star Party follows at the I hope you found the third week of July exhilarating. The 50th Anniversary of the first Centennial Observatory moon landing was the common theme. I capped my observance by watching the C- SPAN replay of the CBS broadcast. It was not only exciting to watch the landing, but Club Officers to listen to Walter Cronkite and Wally Schirra discuss what Neil Armstrong and Buzz Robert Mayer, President Aldrin was relaying back to us. It was fascinating to hear what we have either accepted or rejected for years come across as something brand new. Hearing [email protected] Michael Collins break in from his orbit above in the command module also reminded me of the major role he played and yet others in the past have often overlooked – Gary Leavitt, Vice President fortunately, he is now receiving the respect he deserves. If you didn’t catch that, [email protected] then hopefully you caught some other commemoration, such as Turner Classic Movies showing For All Mankind, a spellbinding documentary of what it was like for Dr. Jay Hartwell, Secretary all of the Apollo astronauts who made it to the moon. Jim Tubbs, Treasurer / ALCOR For me, these moments of commemoration made reading the moon landing’s [email protected] anniversary issue from the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) 208-404-2999 come to life as they wrote about the features these astronauts were examining – including the little craters named after the three astronauts.
    [Show full text]
  • Matt Brorby (U of Iowa) with Philip Kaaret (U of Iowa)
    Matt Brorby (U of Iowa) with Philip Kaaret (U of Iowa) Illustration: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss http://chandra.harvard.edu/ Outline • Why study ULX vs metallicity? • Observations: Einstein, ROSAT, etc: N"#$ ,�"#$ ∝ SFR • Recent studies: N"#$, �"#$ /SFR vs Metallicity • Does spectral state depend on metallicity? • How could metallicity affect ULX population? • Outlook for observable properties of ULX-metallicity effects Why? • Knowing the effects of metallicity on the properties of ULX will lead us to understanding more about the early Universe X-rays in the early Universe • Knowing the effects of metallicity on the properties of ULX will lead us to understanding more about the early Universe • Recombination • � ∼ 1000 • Dark Ages • 20 < � < 1000 • Reionization • 6 < � < 20 • Currently • Ionized and warm (IGM) X-rays in the early Universe • X-rays have a large mean free path, ; A.C � (cMpc) ∝ < 5 =>> ?@ (see McQuinn2012; Mesinger+2013; Pacucci+2014) • Allows for more uniform ionization • Most of X-ray energy is deposited as heat (left over energy after ionization) (Shull & van Steenberg 1985) • Would delay the end of reionization due to thermal feedback X-rays in the early Universe (Fialkov, Barkana, & Visbal 2014) • Fiducial model of X-ray emission D • < = 3×10K>� [erg sRS MRS yr] EFG $ ⊙ • � $ = 1 • Reduced X-ray emission S • �$ = S> Soft XRB spectrum • Enhanced X-ray emission Hard XRB spectrum • �$ = 10 • Minimum of curve is beginning of X- ray heating. (Fialkov, Barkana, & Visbal 2014) • Above �AS = 0, reionization begins. X-rays in the early Universe (MiroCha 2014) Gravitational Waves from BH-BH binary LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration (2016) • Initial black hole masses of XY XK 36RK M⊙ and 29RK M⊙ XK • Final mass of 62RK M⊙ • “The formation of such massive black holes from stellar evolution requires weak massive-star winds, which are possible in stellar environments with metallicity lower than ≈ 0.5 �⊙.” Abbott et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Arxiv:1904.07129V1 [Astro-Ph.GA] 15 Apr 2019
    Draft version April 16, 2019 Preprint typeset using LATEX style emulateapj v. 12/16/11 SPIRE SPECTROSCOPY OF EARLY TYPE GALAXIES Ryen Carl Lapham and Lisa M. Young Physics Department, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, 801 Leroy Place, Socorro, NM 87801; [email protected], [email protected] Draft version April 16, 2019 ABSTRACT We present SPIRE spectroscopy for 9 early-type galaxies (ETGs) representing the most CO-rich and far-infrared (FIR) bright galaxies of the volume-limited Atlas3D sample. Our data include detections of mid to high J CO transitions (J=4-3 to J=13-12) and the [C I] (1-0) and (2-1) emission lines. CO spectral line energy distributions (SLEDs) for our ETGs indicate low gas excitation, barring NGC 1266. We use the [C I] emission lines to determine the excitation temperature of the neutral gas, as well as estimate the mass of molecular hydrogen. The masses agree well with masses derived from CO, making this technique very promising for high redshift galaxies. We do not find a trend between the [N II] 205 flux and the infrared luminosity, but we do find that the [N II] 205/CO(6-5) line ratio is correlated with the 60/100 µm Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) colors. Thus the [N II] 205/CO(6-5) ratio can be used to infer a dust temperature, and hence the intensity of the interstellar radiation field (ISRF). Photodissociation region (PDR) models show that use of [C I] and CO lines in addition to the typical [C II], [O I], and FIR fluxes drive the model solutions to higher densities and lower values of G0.
    [Show full text]
  • Linking Dust Emission to Fundamental Properties in Galaxies: the Low-Metallicity Picture?
    A&A 582, A121 (2015) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201526067 & c ESO 2015 Astrophysics Linking dust emission to fundamental properties in galaxies: the low-metallicity picture? A. Rémy-Ruyer1;2, S. C. Madden2, F. Galliano2, V. Lebouteiller2, M. Baes3, G. J. Bendo4, A. Boselli5, L. Ciesla6, D. Cormier7, A. Cooray8, L. Cortese9, I. De Looze3;10, V. Doublier-Pritchard11, M. Galametz12, A. P. Jones1, O. Ł. Karczewski13, N. Lu14, and L. Spinoglio15 1 Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale, CNRS, UMR 8617, 91405 Orsay, France e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] 2 Laboratoire AIM, CEA/IRFU/Service d’Astrophysique, Université Paris Diderot, Bât. 709, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France 3 Sterrenkundig Observatorium, Universiteit Gent, Krijgslaan 281 S9, 9000 Gent, Belgium 4 UK ALMA Regional Centre Node, Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK 5 Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille – LAM, Université d’Aix-Marseille & CNRS, UMR 7326, 38 rue F. Joliot-Curie, 13388 Marseille Cedex 13, France 6 Department of Physics, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece 7 Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, Institut für Theoretische Astrophysik, Albert-Ueberle-Str. 2, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany 8 Center for Cosmology, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA 9 Centre for Astrophysics & Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, Mail H30, PO Box 218, Hawthorn VIC 3122, Australia 10 Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK 11 Max-Planck für Extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstr. 1, 85748 Garching-bei-München, Germany 12 European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str.
    [Show full text]
  • Mars Express Orbiter Radio Science
    MaRS: Mars Express Orbiter Radio Science M. Pätzold1, F.M. Neubauer1, L. Carone1, A. Hagermann1, C. Stanzel1, B. Häusler2, S. Remus2, J. Selle2, D. Hagl2, D.P. Hinson3, R.A. Simpson3, G.L. Tyler3, S.W. Asmar4, W.I. Axford5, T. Hagfors5, J.-P. Barriot6, J.-C. Cerisier7, T. Imamura8, K.-I. Oyama8, P. Janle9, G. Kirchengast10 & V. Dehant11 1Institut für Geophysik und Meteorologie, Universität zu Köln, D-50923 Köln, Germany Email: [email protected] 2Institut für Raumfahrttechnik, Universität der Bundeswehr München, D-85577 Neubiberg, Germany 3Space, Telecommunication and Radio Science Laboratory, Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 95305, USA 4Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91009, USA 5Max-Planck-Instuitut für Aeronomie, D-37189 Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany 6Observatoire Midi Pyrenees, F-31401 Toulouse, France 7Centre d’etude des Environnements Terrestre et Planetaires (CETP), F-94107 Saint-Maur, France 8Institute of Space & Astronautical Science (ISAS), Sagamihara, Japan 9Institut für Geowissenschaften, Abteilung Geophysik, Universität zu Kiel, D-24118 Kiel, Germany 10Institut für Meteorologie und Geophysik, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, A-8010 Graz, Austria 11Observatoire Royal de Belgique, B-1180 Bruxelles, Belgium The Mars Express Orbiter Radio Science (MaRS) experiment will employ radio occultation to (i) sound the neutral martian atmosphere to derive vertical density, pressure and temperature profiles as functions of height to resolutions better than 100 m, (ii) sound
    [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]
  • The Remarkable Solar Twin HIP 56948: a Prime Target in the Quest for Other
    Astronomy & Astrophysics manuscript no. keck56948˙2012˙04˙06 c ESO 2018 October 30, 2018 The remarkable solar twin HIP 56948: a prime target in the quest for other Earths ⋆ Jorge Mel´endez1, Maria Bergemann2, Judith G. Cohen3, Michael Endl4, Amanda I. Karakas5, Iv´an Ram´ırez4,6, William D. Cochran4, David Yong5, Phillip J. MacQueen4, Chiaki Kobayashi5⋆⋆, and Martin Asplund5 1 Departamento de Astronomia do IAG/USP, Universidade de S˜ao Paulo, Rua do Mat˜ao 1226, Cidade Universit´aria, 05508-900 S˜ao Paulo, SP, Brazil. e-mail: [email protected] 2 Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Postfach 1317, 85741 Garching, Germany 3 Palomar Observatory, Mail Stop 105-24, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA 4 McDonald Observatory, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA 5 Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Australian National University, Cotter Road, Weston, ACT 2611, Australia 6 The Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science, 813 Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena, CA 91101, USA Received ...; accepted ... ABSTRACT Context. The Sun shows abundance anomalies relative to most solar twins. If the abundance peculiarities are due to the formation of inner rocky planets, that would mean that only a small fraction of solar type stars may host terrestrial planets. Aims. In this work we study HIP 56948, the best solar twin known to date, to determine with an unparalleled precision how similar is to the Sun in its physical properties, chemical composition and planet architecture. We explore whether the abundances anomalies may be due to pollution from stellar ejecta or to terrestrial planet formation.
    [Show full text]
  • Wynyard Planetarium & Observatory a Autumn Observing Notes
    Wynyard Planetarium & Observatory A Autumn Observing Notes Wynyard Planetarium & Observatory PUBLIC OBSERVING – Autumn Tour of the Sky with the Naked Eye CASSIOPEIA Look for the ‘W’ 4 shape 3 Polaris URSA MINOR Notice how the constellations swing around Polaris during the night Pherkad Kochab Is Kochab orange compared 2 to Polaris? Pointers Is Dubhe Dubhe yellowish compared to Merak? 1 Merak THE PLOUGH Figure 1: Sketch of the northern sky in autumn. © Rob Peeling, CaDAS, 2007 version 1.2 Wynyard Planetarium & Observatory PUBLIC OBSERVING – Autumn North 1. On leaving the planetarium, turn around and look northwards over the roof of the building. Close to the horizon is a group of stars like the outline of a saucepan with the handle stretching to your left. This is the Plough (also called the Big Dipper) and is part of the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear. The two right-hand stars are called the Pointers. Can you tell that the higher of the two, Dubhe is slightly yellowish compared to the lower, Merak? Check with binoculars. Not all stars are white. The colour shows that Dubhe is cooler than Merak in the same way that red-hot is cooler than white- hot. 2. Use the Pointers to guide you upwards to the next bright star. This is Polaris, the Pole (or North) Star. Note that it is not the brightest star in the sky, a common misconception. Below and to the left are two prominent but fainter stars. These are Kochab and Pherkad, the Guardians of the Pole. Look carefully and you will notice that Kochab is slightly orange when compared to Polaris.
    [Show full text]
  • HEIC0701: for IMMEDIATE RELEASE 19:30 (CET)/01:30 PM EST 7 January, 2007
    HEIC0701: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 19:30 (CET)/01:30 PM EST 7 January, 2007 http://www.spacetelescope.org/news/html/heic0701.html News release: First 3D map of the Universe’s Dark Matter scaffolding 7-January-2007 By analysing the COSMOS survey – the largest ever survey undertaken with Hubble – an international team of scientists has assembled one of the most important results in cosmology: a three-dimensional map that offers a first look at the web-like large-scale distribution of dark matter in the Universe. This historic achievement accurately confirms standard theories of structure formation. For astronomers, the challenge of mapping the Universe has been similar to mapping a city from night-time aerial snapshots showing only streetlights. These pick out a few interesting neighbourhoods, but most of the structure of the city remains obscured. Similarly, we see planets, stars and galaxies in the night sky; but these are constructed from ordinary matter, which accounts in total for only one sixth of the total mass in the Universe. The remainder is a mysterious component - dark matter - that neither emits nor reflects light. An international team of astronomers led by Richard Massey of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), USA, has made a three-dimensional map that offers a first look at the web-like large-scale distribution of dark matter in the Universe in unprecedented detail. This new map is equivalent to seeing a city, its suburbs and surrounding country roads in daylight for the first time. Major arteries and intersections are revealed and the variety of different neighbourhoods becomes evident.
    [Show full text]
  • The Interstellar and Circumnuclear Medium of Active Nuclei Traced by H I 21 Cm Absorption
    The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review (2018) 26:4 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00159-018-0109-x REVIEW ARTICLE The interstellar and circumnuclear medium of active nuclei traced by H i 21 cm absorption Raffaella Morganti1,2 · Tom Oosterloo1,2 Received: 23 April 2018 © The Author(s) 2018 Abstract This review summarises what we have learnt in the last two decades based on H i 21 cm absorption observations about the cold interstellar medium (ISM) in the central regions of active galaxies and about the interplay between this gas and the active nucleus (AGN). Hi absorption is a powerful tracer on all scales, from the parsec-scales close to the central black hole to structures of many tens of kpc tracing interactions and mergers of galaxies. Given the strong radio continuum emission often associated with the central activity, H i absorption observations can be used to study the Hi near an active nucleus out to much higher redshifts than is possible using H i emission. In this way, Hi absorption has been used to characterise in detail the general ISM in active galaxies, to trace the fuelling of radio-loud AGN, to study the feedback occurring between the energy released by the active nucleus and the ISM, and the impact of such interactions on the evolution of galaxies and of their AGN. In the last two decades, significant progress has been made in all these areas. It is now well established that many radio loud AGN are surrounded by small, regularly rotating gas disks that contain a significant fraction of H i.
    [Show full text]
  • 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).
    [Show full text]