Tammy Plotner, Author at Universe Today

July 3, 2009December 24, 2015 by Tammy Plotner

Weekend SkyWatcher’s Forecast: July 3-5, 2009

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Are you ready for a Moon-filled weekend? Then let’s have a look a some great lunar features as we race Mad Max to the “Megadome”! For some lucky viewers in Japan and Hawaii, there will be an occultation of Antares to enjoy. How about some great double stars… Or a chance to see if you can spot a penumbral lunar eclipse? Then follow me out to the backyard. The stars are waiting…

Friday, July 3, 2009 – Tonight let’s venture toward the south shore of Palus Epidemiarum to have a high-power look at crater Capuanus. Named for Italian astronomer Francesco Capuano di Manfredonia, this 60 kilometer-wide crater boasts a still tall southwest wall, but the northeast one was destroyed by lava flow.

At its highest, it reaches around 1,900 meters above the lunar surface, yet drops to no more than 300 meters at the lowest. Look for several strikes along the crater walls as well as more evidence of a strong geological history. To the north is the Hesiodus Rima, a huge fault line that extends 300 kilometers across the surface!

When you’re done, why not have a look at 156-light-year-distant Mu Serpentis (RA 15 49 37 Dec –03 25 48)? Its name is Leiolepis, which means ‘‘smooth scaled.’’ Perhaps a fitting name, because this normal A-type main sequence star is also known as the head of the serpent. Have a look in binoculars, and you’ll note several optical companions. Or use a telescope to locate delicate binary Struve 1985 (RA 15 56 01 Dec –02 11 00) nearby!

Saturday, July 4, 2009 – Look closely at the Moon. For some lucky viewers, it’s about to occult Antares! Check International Occultation and Timing Association (IOTA) for times and locations.

Also be sure to look for the ‘‘Cow Jumping over the Moon,’’ but power up with a telescope to study some very wild looking features—lunar lava domes. North of Aristarchus, west of Promontorium Heraclides, and near the terminator is Rumker—the largest of the lava domes. Only visible when near the terminator, this roughly 77-kilometer-diameter ‘‘soft hill’’ ranges anywhere from 60 to 760 meters tall. Although it is not much more than a bump on the lunar surface, it does contain a few summit craters at its highest points. What we are looking at is really an important part of the geology that shaped the Moon’s surface. In all likelihood, Rumker is a shield volcano. . .in an area of many!

Now continue east toward the prominent crater Marian, set in a bright peninsula extending into Sinus Roris and Mare Imbrium. Just southwest are two more—Mons Gruithuisen Gamma (the ‘‘Megadome’’) and Mons Gruithuisen Delta. Although you might not find these features particularly impressive, consider that we’re looking at something only 20 kilometers wide and only a few meters high!

Tonight we honor American astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt, the discoverer of the relationship between period and luminosity in Cepheid variables. This led to understanding the distance to the galaxies! Said Leavitt, ‘‘Since the variables are probably nearly the same distance from Earth, their periods are apparently associated with their actual emission of light, as determined by their mass, density, and surface brightness.’’ Do her memory honor and check out Delta Cephei (RA 22 29 10 Dec þ58 24 54) tonight! Thirty to forty times more massive than our own Sun, Delta varies from magnitude 3.6–4.3 in just slightly over 5 days. And look for its companion star as well.

Sunday, July 5, 2009 – Tonight let’s go deep south and have look at an area that once held something almost half a bright as tonight’s Moon and over four times brighter than Venus. Only one thing could light up the skies like that—a supernova.

According to historical records from Europe, China, Egypt, Arabia, and Japan, 1,003 years ago the very first supernova event was noted. Appearing in the constellation of Lupus, it was at first believed to be a comet by the Egyptians, yet the Arabs saw it as an illuminating ‘‘star.’’ Located less than a finger-width northeast of Beta Lupi (RA 15 02 48 Dec –41 54 42) and half a degree east of Kappa Centaurus, no visible trace is left of a once-grand event that spanned 5 months of observation, beginning in May and lasting until it dropped below the horizon in September 1006. It is believed that most of the star was converted to energy, and very little mass remains. In the area, a 17th magnitude star that shows a tiny gas ring and radio source 1459-41 remains our best candidate for pinpointing this incredible event.

Why you’re at it, try a challenging double star—Upsilon Librae (RA 15 37 01 Dec –28 08 06). This beautiful red star is right at the limit for a small telescope, but quite worthy, as the pair is a widely disparate double. Look for the 11.5-magnitude companion to the south in a very nice field of stars!

If you’d like to try for a challenging observation, then take look on the universal date of July 7th for a partial penumbral eclipse. While this isn’t anything to get intensely excited over, since the Moon will only graze through a small portion of the Earth’s shadow, chances are you might just notice something a little different. While a certain very reputable periodical says “The moon skims through too little of the penumbra to be noticed even by the most intent observer.” – I have also heard them say things like the partial solar eclipse won’t be visible here or there – and proved them wrong. It’s only my opinion, of course, but I believe no one should be discouraged from making an observation if they have the time, the energy, the location or the desire! So here’s what to do…

The partial penumbral eclipse will be seen starting in eastern Australia as the Moon rises just after dusk on July 7th and it will occur as the Moon is setting over western North and South America in the early predawn hours of July 7th. Only the northern third of the lunar surface will be affected, and it will be just a slight change in coloration – a vague gray shadowing. However, this is simply a prediction on the vague part! I have seen times when this happens that the appearance is very noticeable, and times when you truly can’t tell at all. Why not judge for yourself? I look forward to hearing your results!

Good luck and clear skies…

This week’s awesome images are: Capuanus, Marian and the Megadome (credit—Wes Higgins), Mu Serpentis, Delta Cephei, Field of SN 1006 and Upsilon Librae (credit – Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech). We thank you so much!

July 1, 2009December 24, 2015 by Tammy Plotner

Fly Me To The Moon…

“Fly me to the Moon and let me play among the stars… Let me see what life is like on…” Oh, hi there! I’ll just bet you know what’s up with the double image, don’t you? That’s right. A little “stereo magic” by Jukka Metsavainio. But this time you’re in for something really different. Step inside for a magic carpet ride you’ll never forget…

This time our visualization moves! That’s right. You’re going to take a virtual 3D journey along the lunar surface… Just like you were flying along in your own personal lunar lander. While Jukka has instructed that this video was prepared in parallel vision only, I had no trouble slightly crossing my eyes and getting it to work for me that way. I hope you’ll find this as exciting as I did! (And I hope you’re able to see it. Remember, not everyone can…)

As you watch the scenery unfold, see how many craters you can identify as we tour from the lunar south to north. I see Maurolycus and Stofler drift by… Then you can see the huge central peak in Arzachel sticking up out of the shadows! Next thing you know, there’s Albategnius with its vacant looking floor and central peak. Ptolmaeus, Hipparchus, Mare Vaporum… Then look out! Vrrrrrrrrooooooom…. Here come the Apennine Mountains with the deep wells of Aristillus and Autolycus on one side and the smooth plains of Mare Serenitatis on the other. Next thing you know? We’re flying over the Caucasus Mountains and you can see the Alpine Valley like the lunar Grand Canyon… and over there! Over there is Atlas and Hercules! And all the way up at the top? Ah… Goldschmidt! Now, if you’ll pardon me. I’ve got a carpet to catch.

Again!

Many thanks to Northern Galactic member, Jukka Metsavainio for sharing his incredible visions with us. We understand how many hours upon hours it takes to do this, and we cannot thank you enough.

June 26, 2009December 24, 2015 by Tammy Plotner

Happy Birthday, Charles Messier!

Most of us know the name of Charles Messier, the French astronomer and comet hunter who published perhaps one of the most celebrated catalogs of astronomical objects of all times, but how much do you really know about the man? Today is the anniversary of Messier’s birth, so why not step inside a take a look a what make this curious astronomical character one of the most celebrated observers of all time.

Charles Messier was born on June 26, 1730, the tenth son in a wealthy family of 12 children from Lorraine, France. Times were very tough back then… Even for the rich. Half of his brothers and sisters died while Charles was still quite young. By the time he’d reached 11 years old, Charles father had also died, but he was left in the care of his 24-year old brother – Hyacinthe – a Navy curator. As luck would have it, while his brother was gone, young Charlie would fall from a window in his house while playing and break the long bone in his thigh. Well, medical attention then wasn’t the same as it is today. A neighboring farmer took him in and cared for him as best he could, writing to Hyacinthe that the lad would have full recovery. However, when the older Messier brother returned, he realized how impaired this injury had made him, so he removed him immediately from the local school, took care of his education, and trained him for eight years for administrative and methodical work. Although we can imagine that young Charles felt a bit restricted during that time, what he learned would serve him well – precise observing methods and an eye for fine details.

Charles Messier was bitten by the astronomy bug at age 14 when a a great 6-tailed comet appeared and he had a chance to witness an annular Solar eclipse from his home town on on July 25, 1748. About a year later, his schooling would end and like most young men, he’d drift for awhile, not too sure of what direction he wanted life to take him. Well, in 1751, that part of present-day France was reorganized, (Off with their heads, you know…) so Hyacinthe decided to stay loyal to a certain faction and it was time to put 21 year old Charles to work. There were two positions open: one with the curator of the palace and one with the astronomer. Guess which position he took? So, on September 23, 1751 Charles Messier left for Paris to work for the Naval Astronomer in the unheated hall in the Royal College where his fine handwriting netted him the job of copying maps. Besides that, the Observatory director, Delisle, kinda’ liked him… So he taught him about his instruments, how to make observations and introduced him to his assistant and they both let him keep their notes.

As an astronomer, Charles Messier’s first documented observation was of the Mercury transit of May 6, 1753. Delisle himself had introduced Messier into the beginnings of astronomy and drove home the point of calculating exact positions of all observations and documenting them. This well-learned lesson was a skill that would eventually immortalize Messier’s observations and in 1754, he was officially employed as a Depot Clerk of the Navy.

And still dreamed about the stars…

Somewhere in 1757, Charles Messier started looking for comet Halley. The comet was expected to return in 1758, but at the time these orbital calculations were little more than guesswork. Observatory Director Delisle had calculated an apparent path where he expected comet Halley to appear and young Messier drew up a star chart for him. As luck would have it, there was an error in Delisle’s calculations and no matter how valiantly and determined Messier was to find the comet, it was never there. At least until the night of August 14, 1758 when he accidentally tripped across another comet. Carefully documenting his observations, Charles followed it telescopically until November 2, 1758 and after comparing notes with contemporaries, realized this particular comet had been discovered on May 26, 1758, by De la Nux. Even if it wasn’t Comet Halley, or a new discovery, his observing time wasn’t wasted… It was the beginning of a new era.

While he was documenting and following De la Nux’s comet, Messier discovered another comet-like patch in Taurus on August 28, 1758. Being the good observer that he was, he recorded its position, returned later, and when he discovered it wasn’t moving – realized he’d located a nebula. He measured its position on September 12, 1758, and it later became the first entry in his famous catalog, Messier 1 or M1. Realizing he was on to something, Messier then began to sweep the heavens with his telescope, searching along Delisle’s path for comet Halley and recording objects “which could be mistaken for comets” along the way.

Comet Halley was finally recovered by German amateur astronomer, Johann Georg Palitzsch, on Christmas night 1758. However, for Messier, his “Ah ha!” moment wouldn’t come until January 21, 1759, nearly a month later. Although he remained loyal to his teacher, Messier began to have doubts about Delisle’s computations, and after a few independent observations he found Comet Halley on his own. Of course, Delisle wouldn’t admit that he was wrong. He told Messier to continue to observe along the lines he’d given him and simply refused to announce his discovery to the French academic world. Like all good employees, Messier simply took it in stride, stating: “I was a loyal servant of M. Delisle, I lived with him in his house, and I conformed with his command.” When Delisle finally realized the error and announced Messier’s recovery of Comet Halley on April 1, 1759, the other French astronomers believed they were a victim of an April Fool’s joke and didn’t believe it. To make matters worse, Delisle even refused to publish another of Messier’s comet discoveries made in early 1760…

Well, 28-year old Messier might have had a weak leg, but he had one heck of a strong back bone, because despite the ridicule and suppression, he became more determined than ever to prove them wrong about his abilities. Delisle was getting old and less inclined to observe… Allowing Messier to take over more and more. Messier recorded his second “nebula,” M2, previously discovered by Jean-Dominique Maraldi, and plotted it on a chart showing Comet Halley’s track. He observed the transit of Venus of June 6, 1761, and the appearance Saturn’s rings. He observed Comet 1762 Klinkenberg from May to July, 1762, and on September 28, 1763, he discovered Comet 1763 (Messier), and the next one, Comet 1764 Messier, on January 3, 1764. He had hopes to enter the French Royal Academy of Sciences in 1763, but it was a dream that didn’t come true… and a bitter let down for Charles Messier.

While searching for nebulae during 1770, Messier went off the beaten path. This led to 19 original discoveries that weren’t documented in any catalogs by other astronomers he could get in touch with. Devoting his life to astronomy, he used every clear night to advantage, continuing to discover comets and add objects to his catalog. At age 40 he married (after 15 years of dating), and a year later, on January 10, 1771, Messier independently co-discovered the Great Comet of that year. On February 16, 1771 he presented the first version of his Catalog of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars, with the first 45 objects, to the Paris Academy of Sciences. This was his very first memoir and during that same year that he was finally officially made the “Astronomer of the Navy”.

A year later Madam Messier gave birth to a son… And within two weeks they were both gone.

If you think today’s scandal sheets at the grocery store checkout are bad, then know they couldn’t hold a candle to what aristocracy could do back then. According to research, a malicious legend is reported by Jean-Francois de Laharpe, written in 1801, that the death of Messier’s wife had prevented the discovery of another comet which would have been his thirteenth, and Messier was more desperate because of the lost discovery than of the death of his wife (especially as this comet was discovered by Montaigne, whom he didn’t like). Anyway, Messier observed this comet March 26 – April 3, 1772. On April 5, 1772, he added another cluster to his list, M50. But after that, Messier seemed to lose his spark for observing and a great deal of his life’s work went on to his assistant, Pierre Mechain. It would be some five years before Messier would take his observing back up in earnest – and 10 years before his passion for hunting comets would return again.

It was about this time that another famous astronomer (Sir William Herschel) began to make his mark in astronomy – and with his superior telescope, put the aging Messier and his work into the past. In less than a year’s time, Charles would accidentally fall once again – this time a 25 foot drop into an ice cellar – from which it took the 50-year old over a year to recover from his injuries. When he returned, he went back to scanning the skies for his beloved comets, but his heart really wasn’t in it. He did discover several more comets, and went on to write many great works. Mechain left to become the director of the Paris Observatory and France fell once again. (Off with their heads). His fortune gone and his observatory falling apart, Charles Messier finally received national attention when Napoleon himself, in 1806, presented him the Cross of the Legion of Honor – the medal you see him so proudly wear in all his portraits.

As time passed, the old man Messier did as many old men do… Retired on their laurels and perhaps spent a bit too much time reflecting on the past. Unfortunately, Charles spoiled a great deal of his astronomical reputation by writing a rather detailed autobiography, which ended up tying the great comet of 1769 to Napoleon, who had been born that year. Even though in his mind, it might have been a good political move, it was suicide to the scientific world. No one could believe he would actually equate the appearance of a comet with Earthly events. As Admiral Smyth said: ‘The last comet put astrologically before the public by an orthodox astronomer’. Quietly going blind, Messier suffered a stroke in 1815, and lived for another two years… to meet the age of 87.

Although you may argue that Messier’s Catalog was not particularly scientific… It wasn’t arranged by Right Ascension and Declination… Nor was it broken down by object type… What Charles left us was a legacy. Within the Messier List is every known type of object: galaxy, globular cluster, open star cluster, supernova remnant and planetary nebula. His observations were made with a small telescope that averages out to about what a modern 102mm would be today. He couldn’t resolve things. He made mistakes. He was human.

He was Charles Messier.

June 26, 2009December 24, 2015 by Tammy Plotner

Kid’s Astronomy: Summer Bugs

Howdy, kids! Over the last couple of months we’ve visited with a multitude of wonderful sky characters. We’ve located the Triangle, met the Dragon, visited in the Royal House, met a King and Queen and their children, a celestial Herdsman and his grandchildren, and we’ve even met an ancient Egytian! Now when we go out at night, we often find ourselves surrounded by bugs and other creepy crawlies in the night. Did you know that you can find them in the stars, too? Then sit back and listen to the voices on the wind as it tells you where to look…

“One of the easiest of the summer creepy crawlers to find is the constellation of Scorpio high in the south after the Sun sets. You’ll recognize it easily by its many bright stars and long, graceful J-shape. If you’re not sure, look for the giant red star – Antares – whose name means the “Rival of Mars”. If you have good eyes or binoculars, look for the beautiful optical double star where Scorpio’s tail starts. That’s Omega, whose blue and gold colors stand out against the night. At the southern tip of the J is another beautiful double star – Shaula – whose name “the Stinger” is well earned!”

Are you ready to go hunting for a blue moth? Then aim your binoculars about a fistwidth north of the “Stinger” and behold the “Butterfly”! It’s proper name is Messier Object 6, but on a warm and hazy night, it appears like a beautiful blue moth in binoculars. Do you see another hazy spot nearby to the south? This pretty open star cluster is Messier Object 7 and is often called “Ptolemy’s Cluster” but looks like a swarm of bright fireflies! Are you ready for more? Then take a closer look at Antares for the ants… In even small binoculars you will see a fine, powdery ball of stars that looks like tiny ants gathering near a red drop of Popsicle! These stars belong to Messier Object 4 – a globular cluster.”

“If you stop to admire the constellation of Scorpius on a dark night, perhaps you’ll notice a silvery band that seems to curve down the sky towards its bright stars. That’s no cloud… That’s the Milky Way! The stars of Scorpius help to point the way to our own galaxy’s spiral arm. Doesn’t it look like a silver road? There is a legend that the sky god Helios allowed his son Phaeton to drive his Sun chariot along this road. When he encountered the Scorpion, he wrecked an caused an awful fire that made the deserts in Africa and caused the people’s skin to turn black.”

The Moon is now waxing and moving gradually east each night. It won’t be long until it passes through Scorpius and near Antares on a very special date – July 4th! For some lucky kids somewhere, this could mean an occultation event… a time when the Moon will “cover up” the bright red star as they pass each other in the night. For others, the pair will only be close, but what a treat to point out your new “star smarts” to others while you’re out watching fireworks!

Many thanks go these folks for their awesome images: Scorpius Map courtesy of Windows On The Universe, Historical Scorpius Image from Hevelius Maps, M6 image courtesy of N.A.Sharp, Mark Hanna, REU program/NOAO/AURA/NSF, Moonlight, Mars and the Milky Way courtesy of Barney Magrath, NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day. We thank you so much!

June 26, 2009December 24, 2015 by Tammy Plotner

Weekend SkyWatcher’s Forecast: June 26-28, 2009

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! It’s another lunatic weekend as we start off with Regulus and Selene making a close pairing in the Friday evening sky. Why not take a break from difficult galaxy studies and try your hand at some very cool variable stars and multiple systems? It’s time to get out your telescopes and binoculars, pick off a few lunar challenge craters and just kick back and enjoy because… Here’s what’s up!

Friday, June 26, 2009 – Happy Birthday, Charles Messier! Born in 1730 on this date, almost everyone recognizes the name of this French astronomer who discovered 15 comets. He was the first to compile a systematic catalog—the ‘‘M objects.’’ The Messier Catalogue (1784) contains 103 star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. But did you know Lyman Spitzer, Jr, shared this birthday? Born in 1914, Spitzer advanced our knowledge of physical processes in interstellar space and pioneered efforts to harness nuclear fusion as a clean energy source. He studied star-forming regions and suggested that the brightest stars in spiral galaxies formed recently. Not only that, but Spitzer was the first person to propose placing a large telescope in space, and so launched the development of the Hubble Space Telescope!

Tonight the mighty Regulus will be very close to the Moon, providing a wonderful opportunity for stargazers. Why not grab a telescope and view the lunar surface for a couple of telescopic challenges that are easy to catch? All you have to know is Mare Crisium!

On the southeastern shoreline is a peninsula that reaches into Crisium’s dark basin. This is Promontorium Agarum. On the western shore, bright Proclus lights the banks, but look into the interior for the two dark pockmarks of Pierce to the north and Picard to the south. Be sure to mark them on your notes!

When you’re finished, point your binoculars or telescopes back toward Corona Borealis and about three finger-widths northwest of Alpha for variable star R (RA 15 48 35 Dec +28 09 24). This star is a total enigma. Discovered in 1795, most of the time R carries a magnitude near 6 but can drop to magnitude 14 in a matter of weeks—only to unexpectedly brighten again! It is believed that R emits a carbon cloud, which blocks its light. Oddly enough, scientists can’t even accurately determine the distance to this star! When studied at minimum, the light curve resembles a ‘‘reverse nova’’ and has a peculiar spectrum. It is very possible that this ancient Population II star has used all of its hydrogen fuel and is now fusing helium to form carbon.

Saturday, June 27, 2009 – Tonight we’ll again honor the June 26 birth of Charles Messier by heading toward the lunar surface first, in order to pick off another study object on our list—the twin crater pair Messier and Messier A.

Located in Mare Fecunditatis about a third of its width from west to east, these two craters will be difficult to find in binoculars, but not hard for even a small telescope and intermediate power. Indeed named for the famed French astronomer, the easternmost crater is somewhat oval in shape, with dimensions of 9 by 11 kilometers. At high power, Messier A to the west appears to have overlapped a smaller crater during its formation; and it is slightly larger at 11 by 13 kilometers. Although it is not on the challenge list, you’ll find another point of interest to the northwest. Rima Messier is a long surface crack, which runs diagonally across Mare Fecunditatis’s northwestern flank and reaches a length of 100 kilometers.

For variable star fans, let’s return to and focus our attention on S Coronae Borealis, located just west of Theta and the westernmost star in the constellation’s arc formation (RA 15 21 23 Dec +31 22 02). At magnitude 5.3, this long-term variable takes almost a year to go through its changes—usually far outshining the 7th magnitude star to its northeast—but will drop to a barely visible magnitude14 at minimum. Compare it to the eclipsing binary U Coronae Borealis about a degree northwest. In slightly over 3 days, this Algol-type will range by a full magnitude as its companions draw together.

Sunday, June 28, 2009 – As we head out into the night, let’s observe a moment of silence to remember the 1889 passing on this date of Maria Mitchell, the first professional woman astronomer. While pursuing amateur astronomy, she gained fame from her October 1, 1947, observation of a comet, about which she was the first to report. Mitchell was also the first female member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Said Mitchell, ‘‘The eye that directs a needle in the delicate meshes of embroidery will equally well bisect a star with the spider web of the micrometer.’’

Tonight let’s honor Mitchell by locating the lunar crater named in her honor. Begin by visiting the northeast quadrant of the Moon and identify crater Aristoteles. On its eastern edge, you’ll find Mitchell. Measuring only 30 kilometers in diameter, it is dwarfed by Aristoteles’ 87-kilometer diameter, but Maria Mitchell was never dwarfed in life!

To further honor Mitchell, let’s have a look at the 250-light-year-distant silicon star Iota Librae (RA 15 12 13 Dec -19 47 28). This is a challenge for binoculars, but not because the components are so close. In Iota’s case, the near 5th magnitude primary simply overshadows its 9th magnitude companion!

In 1782, Sir William Herschel measured them and determined they were a true physical pair. Yet, in 1940 Librae A was determined to have an equal-magnitude companion only 0.2’’ away. . .and the secondary was proved to have a companion of its own, which echoes the primary. A four-star system!

Until next week? Keep an eye on the sky for members of the June Draconid meteor shower which peaks Tuesday morning! Wishing you clear skies….

This week’s awesome photos are (in order of appearance): Lyman Spitzer (credit—
courtesy of hubblesite.org), Mare Crisium (credit—Greg Konkel), Mare Fecunditatis and Messier/Messier A (credit—Greg Konkel), S Coronae Borealis (credit—Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech), Aristoteles and Mitchell (credit—Wes Higgins) and Iota Librae (credit—Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech). We thank you so much!

June 25, 2009December 24, 2015 by Tammy Plotner

Kid’s Astronomy – Ophiuchus: The “Snake Charmer”

Hey, Kids! Did you see the crescent of the Moon last night? With the heat and humidity much higher in the northern hemisphere, it looked wonderfully like a cool slice of orange cantaloupe hung in the sky! If you’re looking for something cool to do, then why not get out your binoculars and try a little star gazing? We’ve visited with a lot of different sky characters and it’s time to learn more. Whenever you’re ready, it’s time to head out into the dark shadows and listen to the voices on the wind…

“As night falls, it’s time to look for more royalty in the sky as we locate Corona Borealis – the “Northern Crown” – whose faint main stars form a semicircular arc. Guarded by Hercules on one side and Bootes on another, some tales call it the royal crown of Dionysus. Why not? It’s brightest star’s name is Gemma. But, during the summer, why not think of it as the Native Americans once did? They believed Corona Borealis to be a campfire circle!”

“As you gather around our celestial campfire, let’s talk about the constellation of Ophiuchus. Many believe it to be the thirteenth constellation of the zodiac because it resides mainly on the ecliptic plane – the imaginary path the Sun and Moon takes across the sky. Some legends see Ophiuchus as the “Serpent Bearer” and picture him as holding a huge serpent in either hand – the constellations of Serpens and Serpens Caudia. However, there are more tales to be told about Ophichus!

The ancient Egyptians believed this large set of stars to be the incarnation of Imhotep. One of Imhotep’s legend was that of a doctor and it is often said that he introduced the art of healing and medicines to mankind. If you take a look at today’s modern medical symbol, you’ll see a large serpent! The snake symbol was also used to represent Imhotep.

Using your binoculars and our constellation guide to Ophiuchus, see if you can find a great cluster of Imhotep’s stellar jewels listed as NGC 6633. It takes up about as much area of sky as the full Moon and it is bright enough to be seen with even small binoculars. The light you see from it tonight left 660 million years ago!”

NGC 6633

If you check out the Rho star, a triple, sort of a boat shape with a telescope, you will find, a beautiful blue reflection nebula, listed as IC 4665 that is sometimes known as the “The Fish Spear of Poseidon”.

IC 4665

“Does Ophiuchus look like a snake charmer to you? Or an ancient Egytian?”

Always be sure to pick a safe place to observe and let your parents know where you’ll be. Why not ask them to join you?! After all, you’ve got a lot of wonderful stories and plenty of “star sense” to share!

We like to thank the following folks for their wonderful illustrations: Ophiuchus map courtesy of Windows to the Universe, Corona Borealis and Ophiuchus Images from Hevelius courtesy of Chandra, NGC 6633: Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech and IC 4665 courtesy of Wikipedia. We thank you so much!

June 23, 2009December 24, 2015 by Tammy Plotner

Kid’s Astronomy: Bootes – The Ancient Herdsman

Hey, kids! Are you ready to spend another warm, northern summer evening out under the stars? Then perhaps you’d like to introduce yourself to the Celestial Farmer and his family. Before the Moon comes back and steals away our dark skies, begin when night falls and watch overhead for the appearance of a bright, orange-looking star. Congratulations! You’ve just found Arcturus and you’re on your way to learning our next constellation lesson. Now, sit back and listen to the voice of the wind and the night as it tells you a story…

“Some say that Bootes is the most ancient constellation in the sky, yet no one is quite sure where his legend came from. The set of stars that marks the ancient herdsman has played a role in many cultures and one of its first written histories belongs to “The Odyssey” – an epic poem by Homer written almost three hundred years ago. As a herdsman, he is accompanied by his working dogs, Asterion and Chara, who form the northern constellation of Canes Venatici. They are accompanied by the bright orange star called Arcturus, whose ancient name “Arktos” meant watcher of the bear. One legend says that egend says that Bootes was the son of Zeus and Callisto. Hera changed Callisto into a bear who was almost killed by Bootes when he was out hunting. Luckily, she was rescued by Zeus and he took her into the sky where she is now Ursa Major, the Great Bear.”

Another myth says Bootes was the son of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture. Supposedly he was placed among the stars for inventing the plow. It is also said that Bootes was a grandfather of Virgo, the goddess of the wheat or corn. Not far from the beautiful, bright, blue-white star that marks her crown is one of the most famous galaxies of all – the Sombrero. Perhaps it was Bootes who rescued the beautiful hair of Queen Berenices and placed it in the sky? After all, she gave up her long and lovely locks to see the safe return of her husband from war.”

“The Romans called Bootes the Herdsman of the Septemtriones, that is, of the seven oxen represented by the seven stars of the Big Dipper, yet he is also associated with the constellation of Hercules, too. The ancient Greeks saw Hercules as a shepherd of great strength and a son to Bootes. He is most often pictured with a lion skin slung about his shoulders and holding an upraised club as he guards his flocks.”

We hope you had a wonderful time identifying these new constellations, but don’t go too far away… Because you’re about to learn some more!

Our awesome images are: Bootes map courtesy of Windows to the Universe, constellation chart courtesy History of Science Collections, University of Oklahoma Libraries, Bootes Uranometria, Virgo Image by Johfra Bosschart and Hercules Uranometria. We thank you!

June 22, 2009December 24, 2015 by Tammy Plotner

The Trouble With Trifids

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Almost everyone who is familiar with space images has seen this beautiful and color emission and reflection nebula – but take a really close look. This isn’t a Hubble image. It was done with a ground based camera!

When looking at M20 through a telescope, what you will see won’t match the photo above, while what is normally presented in science journals is colorful. Why? Well, when it comes to photographs, exposure times and wavelengths causes the different colors you see. Photographically, the red emission nebula contained within Messier 20 has a bright blue star cluster in it central portion. It glows red because the ultraviolet light of the stars ionizes the hydrogen gas, which then recombines and emits the characteristic red hydrogen-alpha light captured on film. Further away, the radiation from these hot, young stars becomes too weak to ionize the hydrogen. Now the gas and dust glows blue by reflection!

Of course, there are other ways of looking at Messier objects, too. It was my great fortune on Saturday night to have an opportunity to study M20 through an image intensifier – a highly complex piece of equipment which uses x-rays and produces a ‘live’ image feed which is displayed on a binocular like eyepiece screen. I cannot even begin to describe to you what this does to observing, except to say that it opens a dimension to to eyes never before experienced. No matter how it is observed, the Trifid – or “three lobed” nebula has a distinctive set of dark dust lanes which divide it. These also have a classification of their own and were cataloged by E.E. Barnard as dark nebula Barnard 85 (B 85).

In 1999 the Hubble Space Telescope took this photograph – a look deep into the Trifid nebula at some of its star forming regions and found a stellar jet poking its way into the cloud, like a fabulous twisted antenna. Inside the exhaust column is a new star waiting to be born, yet sometime over the next 10,000 years the central massive star will probably erode away all of its material before it can fully form. Nearby a stalk stands waiting… Like the jet, it is also a stellar nursery – one with an EGG (evaporating gaseous globule) at its tip – a condensed cloud of gas able to survive so far. “If our interpretation is correct, the microjet may be the last gasp from a star that was cut off from its supply lines 100,000 years ago.” says Jeff Hester of the Department of Physics & Astronomy, “The vast majority of stars like our sun form not in isolation, but in the neighborhood of massive, powerful stars. HST observations of the Trifid Nebula provide a window on the nature of star formation in the vicinity of massive stars, as well as a spectacular snapshot of the “ecology” from which stars like our sun emerge.”

But, is it possible for those of us here on the ground to perform our own deep studies of regions of space like the Trifid Nebula? The answer is yes. Take a look at this small frame clipped from the full sized image you see above. While the colors haven’t been processed the same, those EGGs are there!

It’s a cinch that those of us that don’t have a multitude of titles behind our names are ever going to be allowed Hubble time… even at this late stage of the game. You know our findings will never be placed in the hallowed journals of science. But, why should the scientists be allowed to have all the fun? While images like Eddie’s might be considered “amateur”, it is anything but. While he’s chosen to reveal it in an artistic format, you must stop to think about how much information has been collected inside of his raw data. Unlike a simple film photograph, CCD imaging gathers huge amounts of information that’s processed out by what data is desired. “Velocity maps of the inner regions of the bright H II regions NGC 6514 were made with unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution in the 5007 A line of forbidden O III. In addition to the advantages of an instrumental full width at half-maximum intensity of only 5.4 km/s, the small thermal width of the heavy oxygen ion also allows determination of accurate line widths and velocities.” says C.R. O’Dell (et al), “The CCD spectra were numerically fitted to Gaussian line profiles and revealed two separate velocity systems in NGC 6523. The data sets of radial velocities were used to derive the dependence of the most probable turbulent velocities upon the sample sizes, and the spatial dependence of the structure function. These relationships are the basic functions for comparison with the predictions of the models for turbulence in H II regions.”

To me, one of the most fascinating aspects of Mr. Trimarchi’s picture wasn’t so much the huge revelation of all the Herbig-Haro objects – but a tiny, fine detail that you probably took for granted when you looked at it. Dust extinction… There’s a lot of very exiting things in that photograph, but there’s a detail he left in there that most other photographers filter out! The studies of C.R. O’Dell taught me to take a much closer look a certain properties in astrophotos, because I might see something that others missed, and in this case its a huge amount of dust extinction which he proved to exist around M20 many, many years ago. (Like back when my telescopes still had training wheels.)

Why are things like that important? In this circumstance, knowing there was more dust there than should have been lead to further investigations – and those in turn led to a discovery: “We report the discovery of a new candidate barrel-shaped supernova remnant (SNR) lying adjacent to M20 and two shell-type features to the north and east of SNR W28.” says F. Yusef-Zadeh (et al), ” Future observations should clarify whether the nonthermal shell fragment is either part of W20 or yet another previously unidentified shell-type SNR.”

Keep those cameras rolling… Who knows what we may find tomorrow?

Many thanks to Eddie Trimarchi of Southern Galactic for sharing this wonderul image with us!

June 19, 2009March 24, 2012 by Tammy Plotner

Prescription For Light Pollution

There’s good news ahead for dark sky supporters – a real prescription for light pollution. It’s called Resolution 516: Advocating and Support for Light Pollution Control Efforts and Glare Reduction for Both Public Safety and Energy Savings. What’s it all about and how did it turn out? Then step inside… Where it’s dark at last. Continue reading “Prescription For Light Pollution”

June 19, 2009December 24, 2015 by Tammy Plotner

Weekend SkyWatcher’s Forecast: June 19-21, 2009

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! You asked for some excitement? You got it. As it the current planetary line up wasn’t treat enough for the weekend, there’s still lots more to go. With dark skies around, we’ll be taking on some challenging studies like faint objects near bright stars… But we won’t be forgetting to chase “Butterflies”! The Celestial Scenery just keeps getting better as the weekend rolls on with a Saturday morning meteor shower. Why not grab coffee and donuts and make a date to watch? The planetary conjunction continues with a close pass on the Pleiades, too. Join the merry-go-round of stars and grab for the “Ring”! Summer Solstice is upon us and there’s no place I’d rather be than out back with you viewing the stars…

Friday, June 19, 2009 – This morning, begin by noting the 1846 birth on this date of Italian astronomer, Antonio Abetti. Although his name might seem a bit obscure, what he studied was not—small planets, comets, and star occultations. This morning your mission is to observe one of the nicest alignments you’ll see this year—the Moon, Venus, and Mars. Look for this beautiful trio on the anniversary of Abetti’s birth about a half-hour before dawn!

Ready tonight for a new direction in observing? Then look no further than the tail of the Scorpion, and get ready to head south, then north. The Summer Milky Way is upon us! Let’s start with a ‘‘bright star and globular cluster’’ view. Some of the easiest studies to find are ones residing in the same field as bright, recognizable stars. And, some the most difficult things to observe in the night sky are—you guessed it—faint studies lying near overwhelmingly bright stars! But there are compromises. . .

Less than 30 east of 3.3-magnitude G Scorpii (the tail star of the Scorpion) is 7.4-magnitude globular cluster NGC 6441 (RA 17 50 12 Dec -37 03 03). This 38,000-light-year-distant compact cluster is about 13,000 light-years from the galactic core. It was first noted from southeastern Australia in 1826 by James Dunlop. Around 2.5 degrees northeast of G Scorpii (and NGC 6441) is another interesting deep-sky twosome—bright open cluster M7 and faint globular NGC6453. M7 (RA 17 53 51 Dec -34 47 34) was first recorded as a glowing region of faint stars by Ptolemy, circa 130 BC.

Located 800 light-years away, the cluster includes more than half a dozen 6th magnitude stars. It is easily resolved with the least amount of optical aid, and as many as 80 stars can be seen in a small telescope. Now head northeast, and the faint haze of the 31,000-light-year-distant globular cluster NGC 6453 (RA 17 50 51 Dec -34 35 59) will reveal itself to mid- and large-sized scopes. Like NGC 6441, this globular was discovered from the Southern Hemisphere, in this case by John Herschel on June 8, 1837, while he was observing from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.

Saturday, June 20, 2009 – In the predawn hours, we welcome the ‘‘shooting stars’’ as we pass through another portion of the Ophiuchid meteor stream. The radiant for this pass lies nearer Sagittarius, and the fall rate varies from 8 to 20 per hour, but the Ophiuchids can sometimes produce more than expected! But getting up early to watch a meteor shower has even more perks on this date…

Before day breaks, enjoy the ‘‘Old Moon in the New Moon’s Arm’’ as it heads toward a later occultation of the Pleiades. Look up higher yet and enjoy the fine conjunction of Mars and Venus as they pair together and overhead for the bright visage of Jupiter. Perhaps the sky acknowledges the 1966 passing of Georges Lemaitre on this date? Lemaitre researched cosmic rays and the three-body problem and in 1927 formulated the Big Bang theory using Einstein’s theories.

Tonight locate Lyra’s southernmost pair of stars—Beta and Gamma—for the Ring Nebula (RA 18 53 35 Dec +33 01 42). Discovered by Antoine Darquier in 1779, the Ring was cataloged later that year by Charles Messier as M57. In binoculars, it appears slightly larger than a star, but cannot be focused to a sharp point. Through a modest telescope, and even at low power, M57 turns into a glowing, elongated donut against a wonderful stellar backdrop. How you see the 1,400 light-year distant ‘‘King of the Rings’’ on any given night is highly subject to conditions. As aperture and power increase, so do details. It’s not impossible to see braiding in the nebula’s structure with scopes as small as 8’’ on a fine night, or to pick up the faint 13th magnitude star caught on the edge in even smaller apertures.

Like many planetary nebulae, seeing the central illuminating star is considered the ultimate in celestial viewing. This ‘‘shy friend’’ is a peculiar blue dwarf, which gives off a continuous spectrum and might be variable. At times, this near 15th magnitude star can be seen with ease through a 12.5’’ telescope, yet remains elusive to 31’’ in aperture a few weeks later. Can you spot faint IC 1296, which floats majestically nearby?

Sunday, June 21, 2009 – Wake up, sleepyheads. The last of the very fine conjunctions is about to end and you don’t want to miss it!

If you’re out before dawn, look for Mercury a little more than 6 degrees south of the Moon. No luck spotting it? Try binoculars. Mercury is only about 3 degrees north of red Aldebaran!

Summer solstice occurs today, but what exactly is it? A solstice is nothing more than an astronomical term for the moment when one hemisphere of Earth is tilted the most toward the Sun. Today, the Sun is about 24 degrees above the celestial equator—its highest point of the year. Summer solstice is also the day of the year with the longest period of daylight—and the shortest of night; this occurs around 6 months from now for the Southern Hemisphere.

Today is also the anniversary of the 1863 birth of Maximilian Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf. Wolf used wide-field photography to study the Milky Way, and statistical treatment of star counts to prove the existence of clouds of dark matter. Wolf was one the first to prove spiral nebulae contained star-like spectra, and he introduced photography to help discover hundreds of asteroids!

Dark skies continue tonight, and so we’ll continue following the great expanse of the Summer Milky Way. Our first stop will be the Butterfly Cluster—M6 (RA 17 40 20 Dec -32 15 15). About the size of the Full Moon, this scattering of 7–12th magnitude stars looks like its namesake. The ‘‘wings’’ of M6 are easily seen as two lobes east and west of the cluster’s main body. Around 75 blue and blue/white stars are visible at low power.

Want more? Head northeast a little more than 1 degree to reveal the expansive, 5.5-magnitude open cluster NGC 6383. Continue to sweep west at low power to find what might be expected as a very faint sheen of stars—9th magnitude NGC 6374. What’s that? You can’t find it? Then you’ve just learned an invaluable lesson. Some things in J.L.E. Dreyer’s catalogue simply don’t exist!

But we exist, don’t we fellow SkyWatchers? You betcha’. And what a terrific weekend we had together!

The week’s awesome images are (in order of appearance): Antonio Abetti (historical image), M7 (credit—Burrell Schmidt/NOAO/AURA/NSF), Georges Lemaitre and Albert Einstein (historical image), M57 and IC 1296 (credit—Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech), Max Wolf (historical image) and M6 (credit—Nigel Sharp, Mark Hanna, REU program/NOAO/AURA/NSF). We thank you all so much!