The Star Catalogue of Hevelius Machine-Readable Version and Comparison with the Modern Hipparcos Catalogue
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BRAS Newsletter August 2013
www.brastro.org August 2013 Next meeting Aug 12th 7:00PM at the HRPO Dark Site Observing Dates: Primary on Aug. 3rd, Secondary on Aug. 10th Photo credit: Saturn taken on 20” OGS + Orion Starshoot - Ben Toman 1 What's in this issue: PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE....................................................................................................................3 NOTES FROM THE VICE PRESIDENT ............................................................................................4 MESSAGE FROM THE HRPO …....................................................................................................5 MONTHLY OBSERVING NOTES ....................................................................................................6 OUTREACH CHAIRPERSON’S NOTES .........................................................................................13 MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION .......................................................................................................14 2 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Hi Everyone, I hope you’ve been having a great Summer so far and had luck beating the heat as much as possible. The weather sure hasn’t been cooperative for observing, though! First I have a pretty cool announcement. Thanks to the efforts of club member Walt Cooney, there are 5 newly named asteroids in the sky. (53256) Sinitiere - Named for former BRAS Treasurer Bob Sinitiere (74439) Brenden - Named for founding member Craig Brenden (85878) Guzik - Named for LSU professor T. Greg Guzik (101722) Pursell - Named for founding member Wally Pursell -
Binocular Universe: Sly Fox September 2010 Phil Harrington
Binocular Universe is available every month on Cloudynights.com Binocular Universe: Sly Fox September 2010 Phil Harrington ast month's Stellafane convention, held atop Breezy Hill outside of Springfield, Vermont, was the best in recent memory. The skies were the Lclearest we've had in years, giving us a chance to enjoy the beauty of the summer Milky Way, which stretched from horizon to horizon. Armed with my trusty 10x50 and 16x70 binoculars, I sat back in my reclining chair and swept the plane of our Galaxy in pursuit of some old friends and new conquests. Above: Summer star map from Star Watch by Phil Harrington Binocular Universe is available every month on Cloudynights.com Above: Finder chart for this month's Binocular Universe. Chart adapted from Touring the Universe through Binoculars Atlas (TUBA), www.philharrington.net/tuba.htm Binocular Universe is available every month on Cloudynights.com Here are a few gems I bumped into along the way as I viewed the tiny constellation of Vulpecula the Fox. Vulpecula is a faint summertime constellation wedged between Cygnus (the Swan) to the north and Sagitta (the Arrow) to the south. None of Vulpecula’s stars shine brighter than magnitude 4.5, so seeing a fox here is a tall order indeed. But the sly Fox holds many binocular treasures for those who the time to seek them out. Vulpecula was created in 1687 by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius. His original drawing showed a small fox carrying a hapless goose in its mouth. He called the combination Vulpecula et Anser ("the little fox and the goose"). -
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. -
A Hot Subdwarf-White Dwarf Super-Chandrasekhar Candidate
A hot subdwarf–white dwarf super-Chandrasekhar candidate supernova Ia progenitor Ingrid Pelisoli1,2*, P. Neunteufel3, S. Geier1, T. Kupfer4,5, U. Heber6, A. Irrgang6, D. Schneider6, A. Bastian1, J. van Roestel7, V. Schaffenroth1, and B. N. Barlow8 1Institut fur¨ Physik und Astronomie, Universitat¨ Potsdam, Haus 28, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24/25, D-14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany 2Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK 3Max Planck Institut fur¨ Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild-Straße 1, 85748 Garching bei Munchen¨ 4Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA 5Texas Tech University, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Box 41051, 79409, Lubbock, TX, USA 6Dr. Karl Remeis-Observatory & ECAP, Astronomical Institute, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), Sternwartstr. 7, 96049 Bamberg, Germany 7Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA 8Department of Physics and Astronomy, High Point University, High Point, NC 27268, USA *[email protected] ABSTRACT Supernova Ia are bright explosive events that can be used to estimate cosmological distances, allowing us to study the expansion of the Universe. They are understood to result from a thermonuclear detonation in a white dwarf that formed from the exhausted core of a star more massive than the Sun. However, the possible progenitor channels leading to an explosion are a long-standing debate, limiting the precision and accuracy of supernova Ia as distance indicators. Here we present HD 265435, a binary system with an orbital period of less than a hundred minutes, consisting of a white dwarf and a hot subdwarf — a stripped core-helium burning star. -
Naming the Extrasolar Planets
Naming the extrasolar planets W. Lyra Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, K¨onigstuhl 17, 69177, Heidelberg, Germany [email protected] Abstract and OGLE-TR-182 b, which does not help educators convey the message that these planets are quite similar to Jupiter. Extrasolar planets are not named and are referred to only In stark contrast, the sentence“planet Apollo is a gas giant by their assigned scientific designation. The reason given like Jupiter” is heavily - yet invisibly - coated with Coper- by the IAU to not name the planets is that it is consid- nicanism. ered impractical as planets are expected to be common. I One reason given by the IAU for not considering naming advance some reasons as to why this logic is flawed, and sug- the extrasolar planets is that it is a task deemed impractical. gest names for the 403 extrasolar planet candidates known One source is quoted as having said “if planets are found to as of Oct 2009. The names follow a scheme of association occur very frequently in the Universe, a system of individual with the constellation that the host star pertains to, and names for planets might well rapidly be found equally im- therefore are mostly drawn from Roman-Greek mythology. practicable as it is for stars, as planet discoveries progress.” Other mythologies may also be used given that a suitable 1. This leads to a second argument. It is indeed impractical association is established. to name all stars. But some stars are named nonetheless. In fact, all other classes of astronomical bodies are named. -
Multiple Star Systems Observed with Corot and Kepler
Multiple star systems observed with CoRoT and Kepler John Southworth Astrophysics Group, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK Abstract. The CoRoT and Kepler satellites were the first space platforms designed to perform high-precision photometry for a large number of stars. Multiple systems dis- play a wide variety of photometric variability, making them natural benefactors of these missions. I review the work arising from CoRoT and Kepler observations of multiple sys- tems, with particular emphasis on eclipsing binaries containing giant stars, pulsators, triple eclipses and/or low-mass stars. Many more results remain untapped in the data archives of these missions, and the future holds the promise of K2, TESS and PLATO. 1 Introduction The CoRoT and Kepler satellites represent the first generation of astronomical space missions capable of large-scale photometric surveys. The large quantity – and exquisite quality – of the data they pro- vided is in the process of revolutionising stellar and planetary astrophysics. In this review I highlight the immense variety of the scientific results from these concurrent missions, as well as the context provided by their precursors and implications for their successors. CoRoT was led by CNES and ESA, launched on 2006/12/27,and retired in June 2013 after an irre- trievable computer failure in November 2012. It performed 24 observing runs, each lasting between 21 and 152days, with a field of viewof 2×1.3◦ ×1.3◦, obtaining light curves of 163000 stars [42]. Kepler was a NASA mission, launched on 2009/03/07and suffering a critical pointing failure on 2013/05/11. It observed the same 105deg2 sky area for its full mission duration, obtaining high-precision light curves of approximately 191000 stars. -
The Extragalactic Distance Scale
The Extragalactic Distance Scale Published in "Stellar astrophysics for the local group" : VIII Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics. Edited by A. Aparicio, A. Herrero, and F. Sanchez. Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1998 Calibration of the Extragalactic Distance Scale By BARRY F. MADORE1, WENDY L. FREEDMAN2 1NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database, Infrared Processing & Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA 2Observatories, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 813 Santa Barbara St., Pasadena CA 91101, USA The calibration and use of Cepheids as primary distance indicators is reviewed in the context of the extragalactic distance scale. Comparison is made with the independently calibrated Population II distance scale and found to be consistent at the 10% level. The combined use of ground-based facilities and the Hubble Space Telescope now allow for the application of the Cepheid Period-Luminosity relation out to distances in excess of 20 Mpc. Calibration of secondary distance indicators and the direct determination of distances to galaxies in the field as well as in the Virgo and Fornax clusters allows for multiple paths to the determination of the absolute rate of the expansion of the Universe parameterized by the Hubble constant. At this point in the reduction and analysis of Key Project galaxies H0 = 72km/ sec/Mpc ± 2 (random) ± 12 [systematic]. Table of Contents INTRODUCTION TO THE LECTURES CEPHEIDS BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE OBSERVED PROPERTIES OF CEPHEID -
On the Polar Distances of the Greenwich Transit Circle
fi 1260-1263. l'he prominence, which iR due in many astronoiiiicsl re- ortlcr to restore this uniforiiiify , which is otiviously of the searches to the long and excellent series of the Greenwich iiiost esseritial iiriporhiicbe, 1 have rel'errctl all the otiser- mericliorial oliservations, gives to any changes of the instrri- vatioiis to the Circle reatlirigs. which corresporrtl to the Naclir nients, by means of which these ohservatioiis are procurecl, observations of the wire. It iiiight have heen tlcsirahle to a higher and more general importance, than they woulcl other- get rid, as much as pnssilile, of' pere~nalecpitions in the wise possess. Hence the interest, with which astrononicrs reading of iiiicroscope - iiiicronieters etc. hy iisiclg for each are wont to regRrtl the construction and cfhiency of any new observer his own Zenithpoints. A closer inspec:tiori sjiotv,, instrunient of superior pretensions, is greatly enhanced in however, that, owing to several ciiwes, this (:nurse is for the case of the powerful Greenwich Transit Circle, and the the past observations inipracticable. I have 'coiiserperitly asiral question, concerning the degree of correctness, which considered it best to adopt the same periods of uri;iltered the results of a new apparatus have attained, acquires addi- Zenithpoints, as have Iieerl used in the Greenwiclr rechictioris. tional claims to be answered. As I an1 not aware, that a The values of the corrections, which it was accordingly seces- strict determination of this point has yet been attempted, 1 sary to apply to the single ohservations, fluctuate I)ct\veeri shall here niake it the suhject of inquiry with reepect to -fO"45 and TO"71. -
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). -
2001 Astronomy Magazine Index
2001 Astronomy magazine index Subject index Chandra X-ray Observatory, telescope of, free-floating planets, 2:20, 22 12:76 A Christmas Star, 1:102 absolute visual magnitude, 1:86 cold dark matter, 3:24, 26 G active region 9393, 7:22 colors, of celestial objects, 9:82–83 Gagarin, Yuri, 4:36–41 Africa, observation from, 4:107–112, 10:48– Comet Borrelly, 9:33–37 galaxies 53 comets, 2:93 clusters of Andromeda Galaxy computers, accessing image archives with, in constellation Leo, 5:28 constellations of, 11:64–69 7:40–45 Massive Cluster Survey (MACS), consuming other galaxies, 12:25 corona of Sun, 1:24, 26 3:28 warp in disk of, 5:22 cosmic rays collisions of, 6:24 animal astronauts, 4:43–47 general information, 1:36–39 space between, 9:81 apparent visual magnitude, 1:86 origin of, 1:43–47 gamma ray bursts, 1:28, 30 Apus (constellation), 7:80–84 cosmology Ganymede (Jupiter's moon), 5:26 Aquila (constellation), 8:66–70 and particle physics, 6:39–43 Gemini Telescope, 2:26, 28 Ara (constellation), 7:80–84 unanswered questions, 6:46–52 Giodorno Bruno crater, 11:28, 30 Aries (constellation), 11:64–69 Gliese 876 (red dwarf star), 4:18 artwork, astronomical, 12:80–85 globular clusters, viewing, 8:72 asteroids D green stars, 3:82–85 around Zeta Leporis (star), 11:26 dark matter Groundhog Day, 2:96–97 cold, 3:24, 26 near Earth, 8:44–49 astronauts, animal as, 4:43–47 distribution of, 12:30, 32 astronomers, amateur, 10:88–89 whether exists, 8:26–31 H Hale Telescope, 9:46–53 astronomical models, 9:22, 24 deep sky objects, 7:87 HD 168443 (star), 4:18 Astronomy.com website, 1:78–84 Delphinus (constellation), 10:72–76 HD 82943 (star), 8:18 astrophotography DigitalSky Voice software, 8:65 HH 237 (meteor), 6:22 black holes, 1:26, 28 Dobson, John, 9:68–71 HR 1998 (star), 11:26 costs of basic equipment, 5:86 Dobsonian telescopes HST. -
Gaia Data Release 2 Special Issue
A&A 623, A110 (2019) Astronomy https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201833304 & © ESO 2019 Astrophysics Gaia Data Release 2 Special issue Gaia Data Release 2 Variable stars in the colour-absolute magnitude diagram?,?? Gaia Collaboration, L. Eyer1, L. Rimoldini2, M. Audard1, R. I. Anderson3,1, K. Nienartowicz2, F. Glass1, O. Marchal4, M. Grenon1, N. Mowlavi1, B. Holl1, G. Clementini5, C. Aerts6,7, T. Mazeh8, D. W. Evans9, L. Szabados10, A. G. A. Brown11, A. Vallenari12, T. Prusti13, J. H. J. de Bruijne13, C. Babusiaux4,14, C. A. L. Bailer-Jones15, M. Biermann16, F. Jansen17, C. Jordi18, S. A. Klioner19, U. Lammers20, L. Lindegren21, X. Luri18, F. Mignard22, C. Panem23, D. Pourbaix24,25, S. Randich26, P. Sartoretti4, H. I. Siddiqui27, C. Soubiran28, F. van Leeuwen9, N. A. Walton9, F. Arenou4, U. Bastian16, M. Cropper29, R. Drimmel30, D. Katz4, M. G. Lattanzi30, J. Bakker20, C. Cacciari5, J. Castañeda18, L. Chaoul23, N. Cheek31, F. De Angeli9, C. Fabricius18, R. Guerra20, E. Masana18, R. Messineo32, P. Panuzzo4, J. Portell18, M. Riello9, G. M. Seabroke29, P. Tanga22, F. Thévenin22, G. Gracia-Abril33,16, G. Comoretto27, M. Garcia-Reinaldos20, D. Teyssier27, M. Altmann16,34, R. Andrae15, I. Bellas-Velidis35, K. Benson29, J. Berthier36, R. Blomme37, P. Burgess9, G. Busso9, B. Carry22,36, A. Cellino30, M. Clotet18, O. Creevey22, M. Davidson38, J. De Ridder6, L. Delchambre39, A. Dell’Oro26, C. Ducourant28, J. Fernández-Hernández40, M. Fouesneau15, Y. Frémat37, L. Galluccio22, M. García-Torres41, J. González-Núñez31,42, J. J. González-Vidal18, E. Gosset39,25, L. P. Guy2,43, J.-L. Halbwachs44, N. C. Hambly38, D. -
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!