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Binocular Universe: Northern Exposure
Binocular Universe: Northern Exposure March 2013 Phil Harrington he northern circumpolar sky holds many binocular targets that we can enjoy throughout the year. This month, let's take aim at the constellation Ursa TMinor, the Little Bear. You may know it better as the Little Dipper, an asterism made up of the seven brightest stars in the Little Bear. Above: Winter star map from Star Watch by Phil Harrington. Above: Finder chart for this month's Binocular Universe. Chart adapted from Touring the Universe through Binoculars Atlas (TUBA), www.philharrington.net/tuba.htm Call it what you will, this star group is most famous as the home of the North Star, Polaris [Alpha (α) Ursae Minoris]. Earth's rotational axis is aimed just three- quarters of a degree away from Polaris, causing it to trace out a very tiny circle around that invisible point every 24 hours. The North Celestial Pole is slowly moving closer to Polaris. It will continue to close to within 14 minutes of arc around the year 2105, when it will slowly start to pull away. While Polaris is currently the pole star, the 26,000-year wobble of Earth's axis, called precession, causes the Celestial Pole's aim to trace a 47° circle in the sky. For instance, during the building of the pyramids nearly 4,600 years ago, the North Pole was aimed toward the star Thuban in Draco. Fast forward 5,200 years from now and the pole will be point near Alderamin in Cepheus. Most of us at one time or another have heard someone misspeak by referring to Polaris as the brightest star in the night sky. -
The Planisphere of the Heavens
The Planisphere of the Heavens by Steven E. Behrmann Book V Copyright© by Steven E. Behrmann All rights reserved 2010 First Draft (Sunnyside Edition) Dedication: This book is dedicated to my blessed little son, Jonathan William Edward, to whom I hope to teach the names of the stars. Table of Contents A Planisphere of the Heavens .......................................................... 12 The Signs of the Seasons ................................................................. 15 The Virgin (Virgo) ........................................................................... 24 Virgo ............................................................................................ 25 Coma ............................................................................................ 27 The Centaur .................................................................................. 29 Boötes ........................................................................................... 31 The Scales (Libra) ............................................................................ 34 Libra ............................................................................................. 35 The Cross (Crux) .......................................................................... 37 The Victim ................................................................................... 39 The Crown .................................................................................... 41 The Scorpion ................................................................................... -
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. -
The Minor Planet Bulletin
THE MINOR PLANET BULLETIN OF THE MINOR PLANETS SECTION OF THE BULLETIN ASSOCIATION OF LUNAR AND PLANETARY OBSERVERS VOLUME 36, NUMBER 3, A.D. 2009 JULY-SEPTEMBER 77. PHOTOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS OF 343 OSTARA Our data can be obtained from http://www.uwec.edu/physics/ AND OTHER ASTEROIDS AT HOBBS OBSERVATORY asteroid/. Lyle Ford, George Stecher, Kayla Lorenzen, and Cole Cook Acknowledgements Department of Physics and Astronomy University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire We thank the Theodore Dunham Fund for Astrophysics, the Eau Claire, WI 54702-4004 National Science Foundation (award number 0519006), the [email protected] University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (Received: 2009 Feb 11) Blugold Fellow and McNair programs for financial support. References We observed 343 Ostara on 2008 October 4 and obtained R and V standard magnitudes. The period was Binzel, R.P. (1987). “A Photoelectric Survey of 130 Asteroids”, found to be significantly greater than the previously Icarus 72, 135-208. reported value of 6.42 hours. Measurements of 2660 Wasserman and (17010) 1999 CQ72 made on 2008 Stecher, G.J., Ford, L.A., and Elbert, J.D. (1999). “Equipping a March 25 are also reported. 0.6 Meter Alt-Azimuth Telescope for Photometry”, IAPPP Comm, 76, 68-74. We made R band and V band photometric measurements of 343 Warner, B.D. (2006). A Practical Guide to Lightcurve Photometry Ostara on 2008 October 4 using the 0.6 m “Air Force” Telescope and Analysis. Springer, New York, NY. located at Hobbs Observatory (MPC code 750) near Fall Creek, Wisconsin. -
The Minor Planet Bulletin and How the Situation Has Gone from One Mt Tarana Observatory of Trying to Fill Pages to One of Fitting Everything In
THE MINOR PLANET BULLETIN OF THE MINOR PLANETS SECTION OF THE BULLETIN ASSOCIATION OF LUNAR AND PLANETARY OBSERVERS VOLUME 33, NUMBER 2, A.D. 2006 APRIL-JUNE 29. PHOTOMETRY OF ASTEROIDS 133 CYRENE, adjusted up or down to line up with the V-band data). The near- 454 MATHESIS, 477 ITALIA, AND 2264 SABRINA perfect overlay of V- and R-band data show no evidence of color change as the asteroid rotates. This result replicates the lightcurve Robert K. Buchheim period reported by Harris et al. (1984), and matches the period and Altimira Observatory lightcurve shape reported by Behrend (2005) at his website. 18 Altimira, Coto de Caza, CA 92679 USA [email protected] (Received: 4 November Revised: 21 November) Photometric studies of asteroids 133 Cyrene, 454 Mathesis, 477 Italia and 2264 Sabrina are reported. The lightcurve period for Cyrene of 12.707±0.015 h (with amplitude 0.22 mag) confirms prior studies. The lightcurve period of 8.37784±0.00003 h (amplitude 0.32 mag) for Mathesis differs from previous studies. For Italia, color indices (B-V)=0.87±0.07, (V-R)=0.48±0.05, and phase curve parameters H=10.4, G=0.15 have been determined. For Sabrina, this study provides the first reported lightcurve period 43.41±0.02 h, with 0.30 mag amplitude. Altimira Observatory, located in southern California, is equipped with a 0.28-m Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (Celestron NexStar- 454 Mathesis. DiMartino et al. (1994) reported a rotation period of 11 operating at F/6.3), and CCD imager (ST-8XE NABG, with 7.075 h with amplitude 0.28 mag for this asteroid, based on two Johnson-Cousins filters). -
Assa Handbook-1993
ASTRONOMICAL HANDBOOK FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA 1 published by the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa 5 A MUSEUM QUEEN VICTORIA STREET (3 61 CAPE TOWN 8000 (021)243330 o PUBLIC SHOWS o MONTHLY SKY UPDATES 0 ASTRONOMY COURSES O MUSIC CONCERTS o ASTRONOMY WEEK 0 SCHOOL SHOWS ° CLUB BOOKINGS ° CORPORATE LAUNCH VENUE FOR MORE INFO PHONE 243330 ASTRONOMICAL HANDBOOK FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA 1993 This booklet is intended both as an introduction to observational astronomy for the interested layman - even if hie interest is only a passing one - and as a handbook for the established amateur or professional astronomer. Front cover The telescope of Ds G. de Beer (right) of the Ladismith Astronomical Society. He, Dr M. Schreuder (left) and the late Mr Ron Dale of the Natal Midlands Centre, are viewing Siriu3 in the daytime with the aid of setting circles. Photograph Mr J. Watson ® t h e Astronomical Society of Southern Africa, Cape Town. 1992 ISSN 0571-7191 CONTENTS ASTRONOMY IN SOUTHERN AFRICA...................... 1 DIARY................................................................. 6 THE SUN............................................................... 8 THE MOON............................................................. 11 THE PLANETS.......................................................... 17 THE MOONS OF JUPITER ................................................ 24 THE MOONS OF SATURN....................................... 28 COMETS AND METEORS............................ 29 THE STARS........................................................... -
Constraining Mineralogical Composition of Asteroid Ryugu with Ground-Based Observations
Constraining Mineralogical Composition of Asteroid Ryugu with Ground-Based Observations Lucille Le Corre1, Vishnu Reddy2, Juan A. Sanchez1, Driss Takir3, Ed A. Cloutis4, Audrey Thirouin5, Jian-Yang Li1, Seiji Sugita6, Eri Tatsumi6. 1Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona, USA 2Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA 3SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA, USA 4Department of Geography, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada 5Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, AZ, USA 6Dept. of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan In preparation for the arrival of the Japanese Space Agency’s (JAXA) Hayabusa2 sample return mission to near-Earth asteroid (NEA) (162173) Ryugu, we took the opportunity to characterize the target with a ground-based telescope. We observed Ryugu using the SpeX instrument in Prism mode on NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, on July, 12 2016 when the asteroid was 18.87 visual magnitude, at a phase angle of 13.3°. The NIR spectra were used to constrain Ryugu’s surface composition, determine meteorite analogs and study spectral affinity to other asteroids. We also modeled its photometric properties using archival data. Using the Lommel-Seeliger model we computed the predicted flux for Ryugu at a wide range of viewing geometries as well as albedo quantities such as geometric albedo, phase integral, and spherical Bond albedo. Our computed albedo quantities are consistent with results from Ishiguro et al. (2014). In previous work, Ryugu’s visible spectrum revealed that it can be classified as a C-type object. In addition, not all previous ground-based observations of Ryugu detected the 0.7 µm absorption feature due to the presence of phyllosilicates. -
Accurate Positions of Asteroids Observed in Bucharest During the Year 1931
ACCURATE POSITIONS OF ASTEROIDS OBSERVED IN BUCHAREST DURING THE YEAR 1931 GHEORGHE BOCŞA, MIHAELA LICULESCU, PETRE POPESCU Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy Str. Cuţitul de Argint 5, 040557 Bucharest, Romania E-mail: [email protected] Abstract. The paper contains the observations of minor planets performed in 1931 in Bucharest Astronomical Observatory with 380/6000 mm astrograph. Both Turner’s (constants) and Schlesinger’s (dependences) methods were used in the computation of the normal coordinates of the objects. Keywords: photographic astrometry – minor planets. 1. INTRODUCTION At Bucharest Observatory, within the framework of the Wide-Field Plate Archive Programme, part of the activities of the IAU Commission 9, 13 000 plates were catalogued. They were obtained through a systematic work beginning with the year 1930 until now, by means of the Prin-Merz refractor (f = 6 m, D = 38 cm). After a careful investigation of the whole plate archive, among other things, we discovered that a series of observations were not capitalized, such as a set of minor planets that were observed during 1930–1955. The lack of accurate star catalogues containing positions and proper motions, was one of the reasons for which the completion of the reductions has been neglected in that period. It is worth mentioning that the SAO Catalogue was issued starting from that period. Another thing worth mentioning is that the first Zeiss measuring machine was bought by the Observatory in 1957. However, systematic work on plate processing at Bucharest Observatory started beginning with 1956. The first paper on this subject was published by Cristescu et al. -
Rocznik Astronomiczny 2002
INSTYTUT GEODEZJI I KARTOGRAFII ROCZNIK IGiK ASTRONOMICZNY 2002NA ROK INSTYTUT GEODEZJI I KARTOGRAFII ROCZNIK ASTRONOMICZNY NA ROK 2002 LVII WARSZAWA 2001 Rada Wydawnicza przy Instytucie Geodezji i Kartografii Adam Linsenbarth (przewodniczący), Andrzej Ciołkosz (zast. przewodniczącego), Teresa Baranowska, Stanisław Białousz (Wydział Geodezji i Kartografii PW), Hanna Ciołkosz (sekretarz), Wojciech Janusz, Jan R. Olędzki (Wydział Geografii i Studiów Regionalnych UW), Andrzej Sas–Uhrynowski, Karol Szeliga, Janusz Zieliński (Centrum Badań Kosmicznych) Redaktor naukowy Rocznika Astronomicznego Jan Kryński Sekretarz: Marcin Sękowski Okładkę projektował Łukasz Żak Adres Redakcji: Instytut Geodezji i Kartografii Warszawa, ul. Jasna 2/4 email: [email protected] http: www.igik.edu.pl ISSN 0209-0341 INSTYTUT GEODEZJI I KARTOGRAFII Arkuszy wydawniczych 24.85. Papier offsetowy kl. III, g 90, 707–500 mm. Do druku od- dano 14.XII.2001 r. Druk ukończono w grudniu 2001 r. na zamówienie ZAGiGS/IGiK/2001 DRUK: INSTYTUT GEODEZJI I KARTOGRAFII — WARSZAWA, ul. Jasna 2/4 SPIS TREŚCI Przedmowa .................................................................................. 5 Skróty stosowane w Roczniku Astronomicznym .............................................. 6 Dni świąteczne, pory roku, stałe precesyjne, obserwatoria astronomiczne ...................... 7 Czas gwiazdowy Greenwich .............................................................. 8÷11 Słońce, współrzędne równikowe, wschody i zachody w Warszawie ........................ 12÷19 Księżyc, współrzędne równikowe, -
Planetary Companions Around the K Giant Stars 11 Ursae Minoris and HD 32518
A&A 505, 1311–1317 (2009) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/200911702 & c ESO 2009 Astrophysics Planetary companions around the K giant stars 11 Ursae Minoris and HD 32518 M. P. Döllinger1, A. P. Hatzes2, L. Pasquini1, E. W. Guenther2, and M. Hartmann2 1 European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2, 85748 Garching bei München, Germany e-mail: [email protected] 2 Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg, Sternwarte 5, 07778 Tautenburg, Germany Received 22 January 2009 / Accepted 10 August 2009 ABSTRACT Context. 11 UMi and HD 32518 belong to a sample of 62 K giant stars that has been observed since February 2004 using the 2m Alfred Jensch telescope of the Thüringer Landessternwarte (TLS) to measure precise radial velocities (RVs). Aims. The aim of this survey is to investigate the dependence of planet formation on the mass of the host star by searching for plane- tary companions around intermediate-mass giants. Methods. An iodine absorption cell was used to obtain accurate RVs for this study. Results. Our measurements reveal that the RVs of 11 UMi show a periodic variation of 516.22 days with a semiamplitude of −1 −7 K = 189.70 m s . An orbital solution yields a mass function of f (m) = (3.608 ± 0.441) × 10 solar masses (M) and an eccentricity of e = 0.083 ± 0.03. The RV curve of HD 32518 shows sinusoidal variations with a period of 157.54 days and a semiamplitude of −1 −8 K = 115.83 m s . An orbital solution yields an eccentricity, e = 0.008 ± 0.03 and a mass function, f (m) = (2.199 ± 0.235) × 10 M. -
Asteroid Regolith Weathering: a Large-Scale Observational Investigation
University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 5-2019 Asteroid Regolith Weathering: A Large-Scale Observational Investigation Eric Michael MacLennan University of Tennessee, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Recommended Citation MacLennan, Eric Michael, "Asteroid Regolith Weathering: A Large-Scale Observational Investigation. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2019. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/5467 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Eric Michael MacLennan entitled "Asteroid Regolith Weathering: A Large-Scale Observational Investigation." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Geology. Joshua P. Emery, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Jeffrey E. Moersch, Harry Y. McSween Jr., Liem T. Tran Accepted for the Council: Dixie L. Thompson Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) Asteroid Regolith Weathering: A Large-Scale Observational Investigation A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Eric Michael MacLennan May 2019 © by Eric Michael MacLennan, 2019 All Rights Reserved. -
Clasificación Taxonómica De Asteroides
Clasificación Taxonómica de Asteroides Cercanos a la Tierra por Ana Victoria Ojeda Vera Tesis sometida como requisito parcial para obtener el grado de MAESTRO EN CIENCIAS EN CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGÍA DEL ESPACIO en el Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica Agosto 2019 Tonantzintla, Puebla Bajo la supervisión de: Dr. José Ramón Valdés Parra Investigador Titular INAOE Dr. José Silviano Guichard Romero Investigador Titular INAOE c INAOE 2019 El autor otorga al INAOE el permiso de reproducir y distribuir copias parcial o totalmente de esta tesis. II Dedicatoria A mi familia, con gran cariño. A mis sobrinos Ian y Nahil, y a mi pequeña Lia. III Agradecimientos Gracias a mi familia por su apoyo incondicional. A mi mamá Tere, por enseñarme a ser perseverante y dedicada, y por sus miles de muestras de afecto. A mi hermana Fernanda, por darme el tiempo, consejos y cariño que necesitaba. A mi pareja Odi, por su amor y cariño estos tres años, por su apoyo, paciencia y muchas horas de ayuda en la maestría, pero sobre todo por darme el mejor regalo del mundo, nuestra pequeña Lia. Gracias a mis asesores Dr. José R. Valdés y Dr. José S. Guichard, promotores de esta tesis, por su paciencia, consejos y supervisión, y por enseñarme con sus clases divertidas y motivadoras todo lo que se refiere a este trabajo. A los miembros del comité, Dra. Raquel Díaz, Dr. Raúl Mújica y Dr. Sergio Camacho, por tomarse el tiempo de revisar y evaluar mi trabajo. Estoy muy agradecida con todos por sus críticas constructivas y sugerencias.