OBSERVATORY NEWS October 2013 Published by the Friends of the Observatory (FOTO) Volume 24 No. 10 513-321-5186 www.cincinnatiobservatory.org Bill Cartwright, editor

As I mentioned last month, it’s COMING UP AT time for the annual elections. Frank Huss and Al Scheide THE OBSERVATORY.... have volunteered to serve on the Nominating Committee. Please contact them or any trustee if Great Outdoor Weekend Sep 28 you are interested in serving. I 7:30-10p will not be seeking re-election. I Great Outdoor Weekend Sep 29 am grateful for the opportunity 7:30-10p to serve as President and FOTO Member’s Meeting Oct 3 7:30p represent FOTO this past year and I have enjoyed working with FOTO Kids & Teens Oct 4 7:30p Stonelick Stargaze Oct 5 Dusk the other trustees and greatly A 100 Foot Telescope! Oct 10 8p appreciate everyone’s hard work. Unfortunately I am unable International Moon Night Oct 12 7-10p to continue those Sunday History Tours Oct 13 1-4p responsibilities. A2Z+ Member’s Class Oct 13 7-9p THE WORD

Astronomy Thursday Oct 17 7:30p By Basil Rowe Astronomy Friday Oct 18 7:30p October FOTO Astronomy Saturday Oct 19 7:30p I would like to thank everyone Dean’s Member’s Class Oct 21 7-9p who helped with ScopeOut 2013. Planning Meeting

*Life Out There? Oct 23 7p This annual tradition is possible By Basil Rowe Astronomy Friday Oct 25 7:30p by your donation of time and Stonelick Stargaze Oct 26 Dusk energy and is a great way to The next FOTO Planning Sunday History Tours Oct 27 1-4p showcase the Cincinnati Meetings are scheduled for th st Sunday with the Stars Oct 27 7p Observatory to the community. October 24 & November 21 , * Behind the Scenes Oct 29 7-9p The event was a success, perfect 6pm at the Observatory. The Astronomy Thursday Oct 31 7:30p weather (deep blue skies which meetings lasts a couple of hours. The planning meetings are open FOTO Kids & Teens Nov 1 tbc allowed daytime viewing of Jupiter and Venus!), manageable to all FOTO members. We FOTO Member’s Meeting Nov 7 7:30p crowds (mostly), lots of encourage your participation in Meet a Meteorite Nov 9 7-10p interesting talks, kids energy and the discussion of future FOTO The Cornerstone’s 170th Nov 10 7-9p learning going on (some “kids” activities. *Stargazing 101 Nov 12 7-9p were over 30). The event *Anasazi of the concluded with an impressive Solar System Nov 15 7-9p Did You Know…. presentation by Emily * UC Communiversity Lakdawalla from The Planetary Most of Saturn’s rings are made

Society and lots of celestial up on small pieces of almost Save-The-Dates viewing. A special thank you to pure water ice, most only 10-50 Luminaria Night Dec 15 Dale Zoller for coordinating this feet thick. Sunday with the Stars Dec 22 7p event, again!

1 Jerry Stenton once again had ScopeOut 2013 their “meteorite hunt” set up in FOTO's October Meeting front of the Herget Building and By Dave McBride By Dale Zoller a lot of kids got to go home with a little piece of space rock. In On October 3rd at 7:30 pm the On September 14, the addition, yours truly (with program committee will host Observatory held its annual assistance from Tiffany Groen) our "Member's Night" featuring open house and science fair, made his debut as the “Comet presentations given on special ScopeOut 2013, on an absolutely Chef.” With the help of a couple interest topics by our members. picture-perfect day. In the main dozen kids, we created a mock Each presentation will be about tent, the crowd was treated to comet (known as the “dirty 10 to 15 minutes in length and is displays from iSpace, The Mars snowball”) from dry ice, water, combined for the evening's Society, UC Libraries NASA charcoal and other assorted program. Do you have a favorite Collection, Burgess Optical and ingredients. area of interest or a topic that John Ventre’s meteorites. Larry Once again, Steve Willis of you would like to share with Brown displayed several of his Mustard’s Last Stand served up other members? This is the beautiful home-made telescopes. burgers and brats for the perfect time to share it! If you The Observatory also had a afternoon crowd. Soon after the have a question about Member's selection of “gently used” afternoon activities concluded, Night prior to the meeting, telescopes for sale – and all we held the raffle drawing. The please send a note to one of the found new homes. The new major prizes were an committee members. 2014 Observatory calendar Observatory rental, a “dinner for Contact Tom East “Deep Sky Treasures” made its two” gift certificate from Bella ([email protected]), Dave debut with several of the Luna Italian Restaurant and a McBride ([email protected]) or astrophotography contributors starter telescope. any FOTO program committee available to sign the calendars. The evening activities began member. As always, the “Kids Activity with dinner. A special thank Our November program will Area” drew a steady crowd of you goes out to Denise Mustain be presented by Mark Plano future scientists and space artists (and friends) who once again Clark and Lee Hite as they throughout the afternoon. coordinated the dinner describe the progress of their Outside the Mitchel Building, arrangements, and thanks to project: "The History and the UC Physics Department Lookout Joe’s for providing the Restoration of the Cincinnati students had their popular “Observatory Blend” coffee. After Observatory Time Ball." This is hands-on physics display. dinner, Emily Lakdawalla from one of the latest efforts at COC to During the afternoon, the the Planetary Society presented bring some of our fascinating Mitchel telescope was set up for the keynote lecture “What’s Up history back to life. solar viewing. in Planetary Exploration” which In December we will have This was complimented by a chronicled the history of robotic our annual FOTO Appreciation solar energy display from Blue exploration of our solar system. Party in lieu of the regular Chip Energy Services, showing After the talk, we opened the business meeting. Information how to put the energy from our domes for evening viewing. about this event, as well as sign- closest star to work for you. In Thanks to the clear skies, we had ups, will be forthcoming. addition, Observatory volunteer a continuous flow of visitors Kirk Schrotel displayed his until 11:00pm. collection of “personal” solar Finally, I would like to thank Did You Know…. devices. Larry Feist from the members of the ScopeOut Cincinnati State had a display planning committee, plus all the Just a century ago we thought promoting the school’s volunteers, exhibitors and that the Milky Way Galaxy was alternative energy program. vendors who helped make all that there was. In 1924 Edwin Observatory volunteers, Bob and ScopeOut 2013 a success! Hubble changed all that.

2 There is one more trustee environment around us. You Highlights of the position that will be open this might get a little dirt on your year. hands learning about September FOTO Meeting Additional nominations can composting or water on your be made for any of these feet taking a creek walk. You By Michelle Gainey positions, until elections are held might work your way up 60 feet

Announcements: at the October FOTO meeting on in the air exploring the tree tops 10/3/13. or you could pick up a bow and  Fred Calvert announced plans arrow for the first time and try for a class in Great Outdoor Weekend your shot at archery. And best astrophotography for FOTO of all, all programs are FREE

members. Fred, Eric Africa and open to the public. Saturday, September 28th and Steve Rismiller will You can find a searchable & Sunday, September 29th teach participants about astro- listing of the weekend’s events 7:30-10 pm photography, in particular on Facebook

(www.facebook.com/GreatOutd how to use remote telescopes By Craig Niemi for imaging. Participants will oorWeekendand) and at: be able to do some remote www.cincygreatoutdoorweeken imaging as part of the class, d.org. and some of the images produced by the members FOTO Kids and will be included in the next COC calendar. Look for more FOTO Teens information about this class in Come early to catch brilliant next month’s newsletter. Venus and lovely Saturn in the By Dean Regas  Chuck Strubbe has been western sky at sunset viewed hosting stargazes at COC on through the beautiful 1845 The next FOTO Kids and Teens the fourth Sunday of each Mitchel Telescope. Behold meeting will be Friday, October month. Attendance has been colorful double stars, exploding 4th at 7:30 pm (note the earlier between 15 and 30 people for stars, the very remote time) at the Observatory. Last each session. Andromeda Galaxy and other month we played Messier Bingo celestial treasures. Viewing is with the 110 objects catalogued Speaker: Dave Bosse: weather dependent, but even if by Charles Messier in the 18th “Longitude”. Dave reviewed the it’s cloudy, there will be plenty century. This month we hope to history of the development of to do. find some Messier Objects with accurate clocks, which were The evening includes tours of the telescopes including M13, essential for the accurate the historic observatories and M57, and M31. It'll be fall so measurement of longitude at sea. activities for all ages. Amateur make sure to dress for the Elections Committee: Frank astronomers will be on hand weather. If you have any Huss announced the current with their personal telescopes to questions please contact Dean slate of candidates for officer help you explore the universe. Regas at 513-321-5186 or positions: Great Outdoor Weekend, an [email protected] initiative of Green Umbrella, is a President: Michelle Lierl sampling of the best outdoor Gainey recreation and nature education Did You Know…. Vice President: Aashi Mital activities offered in the region Treasurer: JoAnne Pedersen around greater Cincinnati. This Jupiter’s interior pumps out Secretary: John Barnes time around we have over 120 about twice as much energy as it Trustee: John Blasing opportunities for adults and gets from the Sun. children alike to engage with the

3 Jennifer & Curtis Ring Welcome Kim Salit Stargazing at Stonelick Bill and Carol Schmidter New & Renewing Harold A. Schuck State Park

Members! Jim and Janet Steiner By Craig Niemi Robert Stenton Bob Stothfang Saturdays – October 5th & 26th John Ventre November 2nd & 30th Rita and Robert Voltmer Kevin Weber Chris and Jamie Williams

A2Z Astronomy Class

Nice Formation (not football)

Eric & Josephine Africa By Dave Bosse Stargazing begins at dusk and is Bill & Ellen Camm open to all ages. Just bought a Catharine Chapman Over the last decade, the best new scope or released an old one Mark & Vicki Plano Clark computer models of the late planetary formation period of from closet exile? Bring it for John & Stella Cottam our Solar System have been expert help setting it up and Graham C. Davis developed at the Nice exploring the night sky. William & Cherie Decker Observatory in France. (Do not Stargazes are weather Grannt Epstein Google “Nice Model”, you will permitting. “Friend” the Stonelick Steven & Shelley Goldstein not find what you are looking Lake Stargazers Facebook page for Margaret Hanson & Brian Kinkle for!) The Nice computer model weather and schedule updates. Anne Von Hoene suggests that the Solar System Linda Huffenberger did always look the way we see

Arthur Kash it arranged now. Jo Ann & Kirk Kavanaugh After taking last month off to FOTO Board Members & Chris Kean enjoy ScopeOut, the A2Z Susan Kellogg Astronomy class is back at it Date Term Expires Oliver Loyd & Renata Kenney again in October, looking at Sherry Kidd Solar System formation with President: Basil Rowe / Oct. 2013 Heru Lasana particular interest in what the Vice President: Tiffany Groen Robert LePome Nice computer runs mean. Oct. 2013 Secretary: Michelle Lierl Gainey Dominic Lovaglio The A2Z Astronomy class meets the second Sunday of each Oct. 2013 Maureen & Steven MacIntyre Treasurer: JoAnne Pedersen / month at 7:00 pm in the West Shawn Mansfield Oct. 2013 Melisse May Wing of the Herget Building. FOTO/COC Representative: Frank The group meets for about an Grant and Susan Mussman Huss / May 2016 hour or so and is free to any Denise Mustain Trustee: Dave McBride / Oct. member of the Observatory. Join 2014 Irene Osterbrock us on October 13th for this Trustee: Al Scheide / Oct. 2014 Bruce & Mimi Petrie month’s discussion of planet Trustee: Dave Bosse / Oct. 2013 Jerry Ragland formation. Trustee: John Blasing / Oct. 2013 Gloria Redmond 4 event and fundraising In 1904 the astronomers here Mitchel Society 2013 committees. at the Observatory stepped up The historical details of the from the original 11-1/4” Autumn Equinox “west wing” came to life with telescope to the 16” Clark that is descriptions by COC Historian in the main building. That 4”+ By Lyn Marsteller John Ventre, which included the increase in diameter equates to a meridian telescope and the two times increase in light Over 40 Mitchel Society handsome clock, one of several gathering power, brightness and supporters and friends gathered in the Herget building. detail. Everything you’re going on a sunny and steamy Dutch’s Larder owners, Jay to learn about a celestial objects afternoon to learn about the and Pam Ashmore greeted is carried by that precious light. achievements of the Observatory guests with a great selection of Can you imagine what you over the last year. wines and craft beers. Like many could learn about the universe Seen in photo below are in our region, they had not with a telescope nearly 1,200 Board VP Richard Hirte, Trustee visited the Observatory since inches across! Greg Hand, Trustee Emeritus they were school children. Their Astronomers and engineers Bud Baily, and Board President enthusiasm for the COC was can imagine it and are building Mike Flick. very evident and we hope they it. On October 10th, Dr. Warren can leave the Larder for a view Skidmore, from the Thirty Meter of the Moon very soon! Telescope Project will present the plans, goals and challenges of building a truly giant eye on A Really BIG Telescope! the sky. $7 adults. Under 18 free. Free th October 10 8-10 pm for Observatory members.

By Craig Niemi Reservations are required. 513- 321-5186.

Welcomed by Board President Dean’s Members’ Classes

Mike Flick, he outlined progress Dean is starting up his on strategic planning, the astronomy classes for members renovations of the Mitchel Dome again on October 21, and and building and advancements November 18 from 7-9 pm. in the COC’s educational These are great classes on a programs. He presented the variety of topics geared for the Observatory Presidential beginner. Warning: there is Citation for exceptional some math, but it’s usually not volunteer service to Trustee Greg Can you find the astronomer too scary. The classes are free to Hand for his PR and in this picture? all members of the Observatory. communications advices, as well If you’d like to attend one or as representing the University of Astronomers, amateur or both, please email Dean at Cincinnati on the Board. professional, are always seeking [email protected] Also singled out for his the largest telescopes they can notable volunteer leadership was get their hands on. When Bud Baily, Trustee Emeritus and astronomers say they have an Did You Know…. tireless advocate for the eight inch, twelve inch or huge Observatory since the twenty inch telescope they’re not All the matter there ever will be organizations earliest days, talking about length, they’re was created from the energy including chairing a number talking diameter. present in the Big Bang.

5 Russell crafted an unforgettable Craig’s Corner evening of music, Hubble Meet a Meteorite!

images and NASA videos. By Craig Niemi Rocks from Space

Saturday, November 9th You hear from many people that 7:00-10:00 pm the days and weeks just seem to be shooting past. Well, By Craig Niemi September sure went by in a hurry! The month kicked off with the Ultimate Teacher’s Expo held at the Cincinnati Zoo which introduced several hundred teachers from around the region George Takei and Dean Regas at the to the Observatory’s STEM Cincinnati Pops

(science, technology, engineering Like rocks? Well, these are Out- and mathematics) astronomy & Many may have come to hear of-this-World. space science programs. George Takei of Star Trek fame The Cincinnati Observatory Back at the Observatory, the narrate the second half of the will be gathering the best weather could not have been show, but it was our own meteorite collections in the Tri- better for September’s annual astronomer Dean Regas, board state for the public to explore. ScopeOut Astronomy Fair. Our trustee Mark Armstrong, and The cost is $7 per person. No thanks to the UC Physics our volunteers who wowed the Department, all our vendors, reservations needed. audience with their roles. We’ll exhibitors, and especially all the have more in next month’s hardworking volunteers who newsletter. October’s Full Moon made this year’s event a great And as we finish this month’s The full moon in October is success. Corner we have the annual Great known as Hunter’s Moon, Blood We celebrated the arrival of Outdoor Weekend coming up in a Moon, or Sanguine Moon. the autumn equinox with our few days. This collaborative According to folklore, every Mitchel Society Major Donor regional event is always one of Thank You event. While the skies full Moon has a special name. our best attended weekends. There's the Wolf Moon, the did not cooperate for viewing, We’ll keep our fingers crossed Snow Moon, the Worm Moon, John Ventre and Valerie Niemi for great weather for this final the Sprouting Grass Moon, the offered a glimpse into our rich weekend of September and look Flower Moon, the Strawberry history as well as our public and forward for a slightly slower Moon, the Thunder Moon, the school programming. New and October. Sturgeon Moon, the Harvest longtime donors to the Moon, the Hunter's Moon, the Observatory came away with a Comet ISON Beaver Moon, and the Long deeper appreciation of all the Night's Moon. Each name tells Observatory offers to the Great Comet ISON is now close us something about the season Cincinnati Community. enough for amateur astronomers or month in which the full Moon We hope everyone got a to photograph through backyard appears. chance to take in one of the telescopes. The comet is not as performances of the Cincinnati bright as forecasters expected, Did You Know…. Pops “The Final Frontier”! It was but experts say it is still on track a remarkable evening of music, to become an impressive There are more rogue planets in art and science (both fiction and sungrazing comet later this year. our galaxy than there are stars. fact). Pops conductor John Morris 6 nights volunteers set up History of the Observatory International Moon Night telescopes outside Hyde Park

By Craig Niemi October 12th 7-10 pm Graeter’s and one night at

th th Oakley's Brazee Street art October 13 & 27 1-4 pm By Craig Niemi studios. We also set up viewing

Drop in anytime between 1 and outside Music Hall for the 4pm to explore the fascinating Cincinnati Pops performances of story of the people who made the Final Frontier - space-themed Cincinnati the "Birthplace of music hosted by George Takei American Astronomy". and Dean Regas. You have a place you'd like to set up a telescope? Like to help out our sidewalk crew? If so, please contact Dean Regas International Observe the Moon at [email protected] Night (InOMN) is an annual rg event that is dedicated to It's a lot of fun showing people encouraging people to ‘look up’ the skies! and take notice of our nearest neighbor, the Moon. From looking at the Moon with a naked Educators Expo @ the Zoo eye to using the most sensitive telescope, every year on the same By Craig Niemi Wanted! Any information on this painting of Observatory Founder day, people from around the Ormsby MacKnight Mitchel. world hold events and activities Artist? Date? Location? Details of that celebrate our Moon. his Civil War uniform? For more information and educational activities visit. $5 per person suggested http://observethemoonnight.org/a donation. Free for members. ctivities/

Group tours available by appointment. For other Sidewalk Astronomy This year roughly 300 teachers came out and learned about Cincinnati Treasures visit Rocks from Space from John “Museums and Historic Sites of By Dean Regas Ventre, Craig Niemi & Aashi Greater Cincinnati”. Mital, while Don Storck www.historicgreatercincinnati.org revealed the secrets of our sun with a solar scope outside. Our Strangely Quiet Sun Teachers of all grades and subjects learned about the resources provided by the Right in the middle of Solar Max, Greater Cincinnati Environ- the sun has entered one of its mental Educators (GCEE) and its deepest quiet spells in years. partner organizations including Flare activity has subsided and the Observatory. the sun's x-ray output has GCEE member organizations flatlined. This event highlights (including the Observatory) the unpredictability of the solar provide programming to both cycle. Visit In September we brought formal (K-12) and non-formal http://spaceweather.com telescopes to the sidewalks of audiences (youth and adults). Cincinnati once again. For two 7 a guided tour. If cloudy, the Where’s My Channel 37? UC Communiversity night will be open to discussions of any and all astronomical Enrich Your Life With By Fred Bowman subjects. (Chuck reserves the Quality Courses right to leave after the 1st half

There are no broadcast channels hour if no one shows). using Channel 37. In a resolution in 1963 the Federal Communications Commission set aside the bandwidth, from 608 to 614 MHz, for use by the radio astronomy commun- ity. This bandwidth lies between the important radio bands of 410 By Craig Niemi MHz and 1400 MHZ. Radio astronomers use the MHSofGC is currently com- rd bandwidth for Channel 37 to October 23 7pm prised of over 30 participating study cosmic rays, pulsars and Life Out There? sites across Greater th to track solar flares which could October 29 7-9p Cincinnati. Each site offers a Behind the Scenes adversely affect satellites and unique perspective on local th communication. It is used November 12 7-9p history and culture through Stargazing 101 extensively with the Very-Long- public programs, exhibits, November 15th 7-9p Baseline Interferometer (VLBI) to lectures, and tours. Comets-Anasazi of the Solar System study the cosmos. Plans for 2014 programs are

Without this important band coming together. One feature All classes $22 per person (+ any would be like studying the sun event is going to be a regional materials fees.) To register only with red and blue ends of History Day at the Observatory. contact UC Communiversity at the spectrum. Minus the yellow Details are still being worked out 513-556-6932 or portion, the Sun would virtually but we’re planning on all the disappear from an informational www.uc.edu/ce/commu.html MHSofGC sites being viewpoint. represented with booths and Sunday With the Stars displays at the Observatory and New Star Gazers a special keynote speaker. Watch By Craig Niemi for further announcements. Come out and spend a Sunday Night at the Cincinnati Ice Cloud Heralds Fall at Observatory.

October 27th 7:00-8:30p Titan's South Pole

Free for Members. Not an Observatory member? Sign up and join the all excitement.

On select Sunday nights Star Gazers airs locally on Chuck Strubbe will open up one channels 14 and 48 and you can of the Cincinnati Observatory’s watch each month’s episodes on large, refracting telescopes for our website: stargazing. http://www.cincinnatiobservato You can try your own hand The change of seasons on Titan is ry.org/stargazer.html “Keep on finding celestial objects, or if creating new cloud patterns at Titan's south pole. Looking Up!” you prefer, Chuck to take you on

8 naked eyes. One night I counted Dry Ice “Snowboards” LightStuff! three Iridium Flares, and with the wind being nearly non- On Mars By Tom East existent, I was able to see literally dozens of individual NASA research indicates hunks Have you ever wondered where stars through openings in a large of frozen carbon dioxide -- dry all the stars have gone? When I maple tree’s canopy. ice -- may glide down some was young I could go out on a Do you long for views like Martian sand dunes on cushions clear night and visit my celestial this? How long has it been since of gas similar to miniature friends with ease. Of course, you’ve been able to revel in such hovercraft, plowing furrows as even then there were a few areas a glorious display of stellar they go. where nighttime lighting abundance? Far too long, I’d diminished what was visible, but wager. As the slow creep of I only had to look around to find light pollution continues its a nice dark spot and my friends march across the landscape, would reappear. Now, however, consuming the darkness in it can be a struggle to identify pieces, small and large, like a anything other than the major hungry predator, do you say to constellations in my yourself “If only there was neighborhood. How did we get something I could do.”? to this state of affairs? There is something you can This summer I had an do. It won’t solve all the amazing experience while on problems of light pollution but it vacation in northwest Michigan - is a start upon which greater Boyne City, Michigan to be accomplishments can be exact. A family reunion on my achieved. The hillside grooves on Mars, wife’s side took us there since In late October and early called linear gullies, show her grandparents hailed from the November, you can choose to relatively constant width -- up to area. Of course, I brought along participate in the Great World a few yards, or meters, across -- my telescope and binoculars Wide Star Count (GWWSC), an with raised banks or levees hoping to do some viewing. international citizen science along the sides. Unlike gullies Fortunately, I never got a chance effort designed to measure and caused by water flows on Earth to use my telescope. track light pollution by and possibly on Mars, they do “Fortunately”, you say? Yes! comparing your observations to not have aprons of debris at the Because the stars were so a set of sky charts (provided), downhill end of the gully. plentiful I could not tear away and reporting your results online Instead, many have pits at the my eyes to look at them through using the internet. There is no downhill end. my scope! cost involved, other than your http://www.nasa.gov/multime Upon walking outside the time, and all the materials are dia/videogallery/index.html?col house at night, the Milky Way provided on the web site at the lection_id=14659&media_id=164 was instantly visible, without following link: 390051 any dark adaptation necessary! http://www.starcount.org

It was astonishing to see so Did You Know…. many stars – so many I had But to make this more trouble identifying the major challenging, I’m asking you to

constellations. As my eyes also get your relatives, friends Winds on Venus are only about 4 adapted, it became and neighbors to participate. mph but because of the high overwhelming to try and take it Get your children’s science density of the atmosphere would all in. I lost track of how many classes, schools, Boy Scout and make it feel you were walking. satellites I spotted with my Girl Scout Troops, church

9 groups, sports teams, bridge (As promised when I first began spin could help shed light on clubs and any other group you writing this column, I have some states of matter that scientists can think of, to participate. Since resources to share with you. First, currently are not able to recreate Halloween falls within the two the Global Light Pollution Atlas in labs, scientists added. week reporting period, it could has recently been updated using Magnetars are a type of be a wonderful opportunity to 2006 satellite data. Here is a link neutron star, which is the core of get your telescopes out for the for downloading the information: a massive star that devoured all trick-or-treaters and do a little its fuel, collapsed under its own outreach with the ghosts and https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/dl weight and then exploded as a goblins (and their parents.) orenz/web/astronomy/lp2006/ supernova. Magnetars are also Think of it as a training often thought of as the most TM opportunity for an even bigger Secondly, if you have an iPhone , powerful magnets in the cosmos, effort – GlobeAtNight (GaN) – a an app that allows you to objectively with magnetic fields up to measure light pollution and record 12 month international citizen approximately 5,000 trillion your measurement in an online map science effort operating in much times that of the Earth's. database is available. The app is the same way as GWWSC, but Astronomers have discovered called Dark Sky Meter and further with even more opportunities less than two dozen magnetars information can be found at the and resources, including so far. [The Top 10 Star following link: educational materials in multiple Mysteries Ever] languages. GaN begins in http://www.darkskymeter.com/f "Magnetars are really January, 2014 and has aq/ spectacular and mysterious opportunities to participate objects. They can unleash every month of the year. Here’s For AndroidTM users, a different extraordinary explosions and the link: app is available. Somewhat different have the highest magnetic fields http://www.globeatnight.org from the iPhoneTM app, it is called known in the universe, but Loss of the Night, and can be they're relatively tiny, just the Participating in these programs found at the following link: size of a city or so. How do they accomplishes two important https://play.google.com/store/ap combine all that? We really want things. First, it raises awareness ps/details?id=com.cosalux.welo to understand them better. of the problem of light pollution, vestars The explosions that give birth which has important health, to neutron stars, including safety, environmental and magnetars, crush them into some monetary issues associated with A Magnetar Mystery of the densest objects known, it. Light glare impacts traffic second only to black holes — a safety, especially for senior neutron star often packs as much citizens, and a growing body of mass as a half-million Earths evidence indicates several health within a diameter of only 12 problems, including breast miles (20 kilometers), and a cancer, could be related to an teaspoonful of neutron star over abundance of lighting. matter would weigh about 1 Secondly, it can awaken, or billion tons on Earth, re-awaken, a sense of wonder in approximately twice the those who are made aware of the One of the strongest magnets in combined weight of all the cars issue, leading to further the universe, a magnetar, is in the United States. This opportunities for education and unexpectedly capable of a extraordinary mass gives a action. Sure, some people may strange new kind of glitch — a neutron star a powerful scoff and call you a nut. But mysterious, unexplained drop in gravitational field as well — a that’s OK – you have friends in speed, researchers say. projectile would need to fly at the sky who know you and are Unraveling what briefly put about half the speed of light to anxious to see you again! the brakes on this powerhouse's escape from its surface.

10