TAAS Fabulous Fifty Friday April 21, 2017 19:30 MDT (7:30 pm) Ursa Major Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita All TAAS and other new and not so new astronomers are invited Evening Events 7:30 pm Meet inside church for overview of winter sky 8:30 pm View night sky outside 9:00 pm Social session inside church 10:00 pm Optional additional viewing outside Objectives Provide new astronomers a list of 50 night sky objects 1. Locate with the naked eye 2. Showcases the night sky for an entire year 3. Beginner astronomer will remember from one observing session to the next 4. Basis for knowing the night sky well enough to perform more detailed observing Methodology 1. Divide the observing activities into the four seasons: Winter Dec-Jan-Feb Spring Mar-Apr-May Summer Jun-Jul-Aug Fall Sep-Oct-Nov Boötes Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita 2. Begin with the bright and easy to locate and identify stars and associated constellations 3. Add the other constellations for each season Methodology (cont.) 4. Add a few naked eye Messier Objects 5. Include planets as a separate observing activity M 44 “The Beehive” Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita 6. Include the Moon as a separate observing activity 7. Include meteor showers as separate observing activity Spring Constellations Stars Messier Object Ursa Major Dubhe Merak Leo Regulus M 44 “The Beehive” Boötes Arcturus M 3 The Spring Sky Map Ursa Major Boötes Leo What Are the Messier Objects (M)? 100 astronomical objects listed by French astronomer Charles Messier in 1771 Messier was a comet hunter, and frustrated by objects which resembled but were not comets Compiled a list of them in collaboration with his assistant Pierre Mechain, to avoid wasting time on observing them Currently 110 objects in list First deep space objects (outside of our solar system) that amateur astronomers will attempt to observe after observing the moon and the planets All visible in small telescopes Many are observable in binoculars Few are visible to the naked eye What Are the Messier Objects (M)? Galaxies Globular Clusters Double Stars Nebulas Open Clusters Star Charts Many sizes and kinds All useful Pick a chart Learn to use it The Spring Sky Map Ursa Major Boötes Leo Sky Map Lesson Free and can be downloaded at http://www.skymaps.com/downloads.html Select observer location New map each month Easy to use Available in several languages Sky Map Lesson (cont.) 1. Hand out Sky Map 2. Examine Sky Map 3. Learn how to “hold” Sky Map 4. Use Sky to locate FAB 50 objects Sky Map Lesson (cont.) When log into to the web site where you can download the program 1. Scroll down to locate the Northern Hemisphere Edition 2. Select the current month (the chart for each month becomes available about 2 – 4 days prior to the first day of the month). 3. Download the chart and save it to your computer. 3. Print the chart for your use. Sky Map Lesson (cont.) This chart is for Northern Hemisphere - early April at 10 PM and/or - late April at 9 PM 40o north latitude. Albuquerque’s 350 north latitude Close enough to 350 so chart is useable Sky Map Lesson (cont.) The are are two pages to the map. We will examine each page individually Sky Map Lesson (cont.) Leo Dates of celestial events Outlines of the constellations Magnitude (brightness) of the stars Symbols for the various objects Magnitude (brightness) Brightness of a star is indicated by “size” of the black dot Star Chart Lesson (cont.) General Info Visible with naked eye Observing Tips Visible with binoculars Astronomical Glossary Visible with telescope Star Chart Lesson (cont.) How to best use the Sky Map Begin by locating the four cardinal directions: a. South b. North c. East d. West Hold the chart so the direction that you are looking is at the bottom of the chart. Star hopping to find objects 1. Learning how to move from a know object to an unknown object. 2. Looking for “geometric situations” half-way between two visible stars is the object I want to view Spring Constellation Ursa Major “the Big Bear” North Star “POLARIS” Two bright stars Dubhe Merak Pointers to the North Star Two stars of the bowl always point to Polaris (north) Spring Constellation Ursa Major “the Big Bear” North Star “POLARIS” Two bright stars Dubhe Pointers to the North Star Merak BUT this photo is actually just an ASTERISM Asterism A prominent pattern or group of stars, typically having a popular name but smaller than a constellation. The Big Dipper is NOT a constellation it is an asterism. The constellation called URSA MAJOR The constellation is called “URSA MAJOR.” The asterism is called “THE BIG DIPPER.” Spring Constellation Leo “the Lion” Bright star Regulus This constellation actually “LOOKS LIKE” a lion. The Spring Naked Eye MESSIER OBJECT Next to Leo M 44 Open Cluster called “The Beehive” M 44 The BEEHIVE The Spring Naked Eye Messier Object is M 44 in the constellation CANCER “the crab” Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita Star Hopping to M 44 “the BEEHIVE” It is “near” Leo in the dim constellation Cancer Constellation Cancer is a dim constellation between LEO and GEMINI A winter FAB 50 constellation Star Hopping to M 44 “the BEEHIVE” Draw a line from Regulus in LEO to Pollux in GEMINI M 44 is about ½ way between the two stars. Spring Constellation BoÖtes (bow-OH-tease) “the herdsman” Bright star Arcturus Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita ARCTURUS in Bootes Arcturus has a visual magnitude of −0.04, making it the brightest star north of the celestial equator, and the fourth brightest star in the night sky. Sky Lesson 5.3 Magnitude (brightness) (cont.) The “bigger” the dot the brighter the star Arc to Arcturus Follow the handle of the BIG DIPPER and “arc” to Arcturus You just “star hopped” from the Big Dipper to Arcturus Arc to Arcturus (cont.) www.earthsky.org Spring Arcturus A very BIG star A SMALL star So, how BIG is Arcturus? How many EARTHS will fit into ARCTURUS? 109 EARTHS will fit into the SUN. 17,500 SUNS will fit into ARCTURUS. Therefore, 1,900,000 EARTHS fit into ARCTURUS. 1.9 million Arcturus is a “BIG” Star This summer we will look at even 186 million miles BIGGER star, ANTARES. The Spring MESSIER OBJECT near Boötes M 3 Globular Cluster Finding M 3 Cor Caroli Go about Draw line from Cor Caroli mid-point to Arcturus M3 Then just a “little bit” more Arcturus Leo TAAS Fabulous 50 (cont.) Spring Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita Stars Constellations Messier Regulus Leo M 44 (actually in Cancer) Arcturus Bootes M 3 (bow-OH-tease) Dubhe Ursa Major Merak (The Big Dipper) Cancer M 44 The Spring Skymap Ursa Major Leo Leo Boötes Bootes Hold your Skymap with EAST on the bottom and view to the EAST. Gemini Review of the Winter Sky Orion Canis Major Ursa Minor Cassiopeia Auriga Canis Minor Taurus Review of Winter Sky Gemini Castor Pollux Auriga Canis Minor Capella Procyon Canis Major Sirius Orion Betelgeuse Looking West on Friday May 8, 2016 at 9 pm Review of the Spring Sky Ursa Major Boötes Leo Photos Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita “You shall see wonders” William Shakesphere The End TAAS Fabulous Fifty Friday April 8, 2016 19:30 MDT (7:30 pm) Ursa Major Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita All TAAS and other new and not so new astronomers are invited .