Universe Today

June 27, 2009December 16, 2015 by Stephanie Bender

What is the Lithosphere?

The Earth's layers (strata) shown to scale. Credit: pubs.usgs.gov

According to the United States Geological Survey (the USGS), the lithosphere is, “the solid outer zone of the Earth comprising the crust and the upper layer of the mantle.”

Also, according to the USGS, the term comes from the Greek word, lithos, meaning, rock, and the word, sphere, which can be any round object, such as a ball, an orange, or, even, you guessed it, a planet.

Wasn’t that helpful? To a Geologist, a scientist who studies the Earth, maybe; but, for us mere mortals, not really. When I think of, “Crust,” I think of the top of a pie. Apple’s my favorite, but anyway, back to the topic. Other times, I think of a loaf of fresh-baked, piping-hot bread, right out of the oven, smothered with honey butter. Oh, it’s so good! Wait a minute! What am I doing? OK, OK, let me make this point so I can forget about food.

When we discuss, “The Earth’s crust,” we’re talking about the outer layer of the Earth’s surface. This is part of the lithosphere. The crust’s made from 3 different types of rock: Igneous; sedimentary; and, metamorphic. Igneous rock forms when cracks in the Earth, known as fissures, break open or a volcano erupts. Both events bring hot, molten rock, known as magma, to the surface, where it cools and becomes different types of rock; what types may depend upon what else mixes with it, how much pressure it’s under, or how much time passes.

The magma, comes from the other part of the lithosphere. It’s released from the upper portion of the mantle. The lithosphere’s responsible for the renewal of the Earth’s surface. When the magma’s released, it becomes known as lava. Other types of rock might be present when the lava arrives; and, since intense heat, pressure, or both can change the rocks from to another, the crust might appear very different afterwords. Some rocks are melted down entirely, and their molten remains may return to the mantle. Eventually, those remains will make another appearance; but, when, or in what form, when all is said and done, who can say?

The lithosphere is very important to the rock cycle. Without it, our planet wouldn’t change. I remember the horrible eruption of Mount St. Helens. The devastation, looked like pictures from Japan, after the atomic bombs hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki; but, I recall hearing later that scientists discovered never-before-seen plant life due to the changes the particles underwent from the pressure, high heat, iron content, and their quick ability to adapt. Like our hearts, the lithosphere keeps our Earth young and healthy.

Universe Today has some other great articles, if you want to learn more about this or similar subjects. One excellent resource is, Earth, Barely Habitable?. Another is, Interesting Facts About Planet Earth.

June 27, 2009December 24, 2015 by Mark Mortimer

Book Review: To a Distant Day

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Being part of a series on a “people’s history of spaceflight”, Chris Gainor’s book entitled “To a Distant Day – The Rocket Pioneers” relives the onset of humankind’s age of rocketry. Though starting from a broad, distant vantage point that includes Galileo and Copernicus, this book quickly jumps to Tsiolkovsky and other recent rocket luminaries. Then, it speedily presents the wondrous people and their amazing effort that led to human spaceflight.

In keeping with being a people’s history, this book compliments the individuals involved and maintains a positive attitude to all segments of aerospace development. As well, Gainor has done his homework, as the book includes a broad swath of detail and still branches a little off the normal path. For example, it includes finer details like Kondratyuk’s mysterious name change, the German Raketenflugplatz group and the Manhigh balloon program. Sometimes the book wanders a bit too far, as when it discusses the origination of Murphy’s Law. But, it’s these additions that would keep this book interesting to the casual, non-technical reader.

Were history simply a recitation of the facts, then this book admirably fits the bill. It includes most of the common space lore and a list of sources that reflect its role as popular history. From these, a reader can appreciate the huge effort expanded to make us a space faring species. But, the purpose of an historical analysis is to find relevance to today. The book includes tidbits in support of this, such as billing space as an empty canvas, free of social problems and ready for exploitation. And it pronounces the dramatic shift in the method of advancement, from a lonely creative genius to a broad, team based effort. However, these perspectives are few and have no discussion on their relevance to today. Thus, as entertaining and informative as it is, this book fails to add to the existing broad reviews of the history of the rocket pioneers. However, it does provide a very nice encapsulation of the advancement of rocketry leading up to the first human spaceflight.

For someone who hasn’t much background in rocketry and who has a casual interest, Chris Gainor’s book “To a Distant Day – The Rocket Pioneers” is a great resource. As it aptly states, with the great efforts of many people across a broad range of technical fields, “Poyekhali!” (as Gagarin said, “We’re off!”).

June 27, 2009December 24, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Spirit Rover Begins Making Night Sky Observations

The bright streak is the star Canopus. Credit: NASA/JPL

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When your rover has abundant energy but can’t go anywhere, what’s a scientist to do? How about making observations of the evening and night skies on Mars? With the benefit of a boost in electrical power from a wind gust cleaning off her solar panels, the Spirit rover has more energy available than she’s had for a couple of years. But unfortunately, Spirit is stuck in a patch of loose soil in the Home Plate region on Mars. While the engineers at JPL work hard at figuring out how to “Free Spirit” (see the new website dedicated to their efforts) scientists are making observations of her surroundings to aid in the effort to get her out. But there’s also enough power to do additional observations, and astronomy was a logical choice. “Certainly, a month or more ago, no one was considering astronomy with the rovers,” said Mark Lemmon, planetary scientist at Texas A&M University and member of the rover team. “We thought that was done. With the dust cleanings, though, everyone thinks it is better to use the new found energy on night time science than to just burn it with heaters.” Besides, Lemmon added, using all the energy in the daytime might lead to overheating.

The image above was taken on Spirit’s sol 1943 (June 22 on Earth)showing the night sky above her location.

But most of the “stars” in this raw image are not really stars, just hot pixels. “We use long and multiple exposures to make stars stand out,” Lemmon told Universe Today. “We can only see bright stars, looking through the dust, but can pick out most of the major stars in Orion for instance.”

But a star is visible in this image. “That streak in the 1943 images is the bright star Canopus,” said Jim Bell, planetary scientist at Cornell University and lead for the rovers’ Pancam team. “We’re monitoring stars to search for evidence of night-time clouds, fog, and hazes. We’re also occasionally trying to image Earth and Venus as they set in the west after sunset. We’ve had some success, but the twilight sky is so bright we’re still working on tweaking the exposure times.”

Of course, this isn’t the first time Spirit has done astronomy on Mars. She also made night sky observations back in 2005. In an article Bell wrote for Sky and Telescope in 2006 he described Spirit’s astronomy as “stone-knives and bear-skins backyard astronomy–but from Mars!” And certainly, this is exciting to have an additional opportunity to make astronomical observations from the surface of another world.

Spirit's twilight observations from sol 1947. Credit: NASA/JPL

Bell added that the current astronomy campaign with Spirit has many similarities with the one four years ago, and Lemmon said they are focusing on a few different goals for looking at the twilight and night skies.

“The Canopus images may become a regular occurrence, as a way to monitor dust and/or ice in the sky at night–much as we use Sun images in the day,” Lemmon said. “For something like that, we can pick an aim (Canopus, Orion, etc.) and choose filters. We might use color filters to look for any differences that show up, or the clear filter for the most sensitive measurement. Star exposures can go up to 5.5 minutes (compare to 0.1-0.5 sec for a normal day image). We cannot track stars, so they trail after 10 seconds or so–as you see Canopus doing. In longer exposures, hot pixels and cosmic rays show up as points or cluster of light.”

Lemmon said attempting to image Earth and Venus has been challenging. “We’ve imaged both before, farther from the Sun. They are in the twilight, limiting the exposure we can use, and they are in a “bright” part of the sky.”

Lemmon added his personal favorite right now is actually the twilight imaging — not looking at stars but at how fast the twilight glow fades after sunset. “That is proving to be quite helpful in terms of understanding the distribution of dust in the atmosphere –which is closely tied to how weather works on Mars,” he said.

In 2005, the Pancam team was able to capture images of Mars’ two moons, Phobos and Deimos. “They are much brighter and let us use more filters if desired. We may pick this up again. I’m a fan of eclipse imaging, so we would need several quick images to see how fast the moon fades as sunlight is blocked by dust around Mars.”

The moons should start becoming more visible soon, and Lemmon said they will continue to take more images of Canopus and maybe other star fields. The team is not specifically looking for meteors or the orbiters around Mars, but there’s always the prospect of something fascinating showing up on future images.

“We’ve taken some recent images I hope will have new, interesting things in them,” Lemmon said. “But they are still on board the rover so we’ll have to wait and see what they show later.”

Stay tuned!

Link to Spirit’s raw images.

Webpage on Spirit’s 2005 astronomical imaging.

Sources: email exchanges with Mark Lemmon and Jim Bell

June 26, 2009December 24, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Manned Solar Plane Will Attempt Flight Around the World

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A man who circled the globe in a balloon in 1999 has a new global adventure planned. Bertrand Piccard has unveiled a prototype of a solar-powered plane he hopes to fly around the world. Until now, only unmanned solar airplanes have been flown, but Piccard’s HB-SIA would be manned. The glider-like plane has solar panels covering the wings, and the wingspan of the prototype reaches 61m, while the entire vehicle weighs only 1,500 kg. The first tests of the plane will be done to prove it can fly at night. Piccard says he wants to demonstrate the potential of renewable energies.

Piccard just unveiled the prototype, and he hopes to attempt a flight across the Atlantic by 2012.

Solar and battery technology is just now maturing enough to enable solar flight. In 2007 the UK defence company Qinetiq flew an unmanned aerial vehicle called the Zephyr unmanned for 54 continuous hours during tests.

But Piccard and his company, Solar Impulse are working on what they believe to be a breakthrough design, using super-efficient solar cells, batteries, motors and propellers to get it through the dark hours and composite materials to keep it extremely light.

Although the vehicle is expected to be capable of flying non-stop around the globe, Piccard will in fact make five long hops, sharing flying duties with project partner Andre Borschberg.

“The aeroplane could do it theoretically non-stop – but not the pilot,” said Piccard told the BBC. “We should fly at roughly 25 knots and that would make it between 20 and 25 days to go around the world, which is too much for a pilot who has to steer the plane. In a balloon you can sleep, because it stays in the air even if you sleep. We believe the maximum for one pilot is five days.”

More info on Solar Impulse.. And just for your interest, here’s an article about the biggest plane in the world.

Source: BBC

June 26, 2009April 26, 2016 by Mark Mortimer

DVD Review: Sputnik Mania

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Fear remained in the air even after the great global conflict of World War II ended. This arose because, rather than ushering in peace, the cessation of hostilities brought a new fear, the cold war. The History Channel’s 2 DVD set entitled, “Sputnik Mania” shows just how fear permeated throughout the society of the United States and its impact upon the new technological field of rocketry. Whether being rational or even real, fear is shown to be significant catalyst to our journey to the stars.

Sputnik was an unqualified though somewhat unexpected propaganda success. With the orbiting of this small satellite, as it went beep-beep across the skies, the Soviet Union could claim that they had exceeded the capability of the United States. Further, by exploding a test H-bomb at about the same time, the Soviet Union gave the impression that they could create a nuclear holocaust anywhere in the world. With this as a backdrop, the US population reacted via building bomb shelters, fielding flotillas of massive bombers and belatedly launching their own satellite.

In exploring the apparent mass affliction of fear that seemed to permeate those times, the History Channel dips deeply into many rolls of vintage film footage. Most clips have a recognizable content, though perhaps from a different view. For example, there’s John Glenn talking about visiting the moon, yet it was 4 years before he joined the astronaut corps. Then there’s Sergei Korolev watching one of his R7 rockets roar into space. These provide a technical background, but other clips demonstrate the emotions. Lyndon Johnson is shown as a critic of a weak administration while Dwight Eisenhower is shown as an experienced general with a great dislike for an unwarranted arms race. Intermingled throughout are discussions about using the work of Wernher von Braun, an ex-German military member and concerns about the race riots of Little Rock. Sprinkled throughout are shots of H-bomb tests, huge bombers, and bomb shelters. From this, the film competently shows the effect of fear, propaganda and technology in shaping the political course of the day.

This film’s collection of vintage footage is admirable in its own right. But, it’s also a fascinating perspective of a nation’s anxiety during the years 1957 and 1958. Interesting interviews by luminaries such as Susan Eisenhower and Sergei Khrushchev add a more reflective and personal view of the events. The clip of concerned citizens praying for the life of the dog Laika depicts another aspect of society’s concerns. Yet, the film’s main thrust shows how the two most politically powerful states turned a fear of world destruction into a possibility. In this, it admirably succeeds and leaves the viewer with many questions about political policy, virtues of society and the merits of technical progress. From this perspective, the History Channel has crafted an intriguing, if somewhat selective, view of a nation’s mood while it stood at a crossroads.

Not so long ago, we thought that all objects of the universe revolved around Earth. In a very short time, we’ve learned that the Earth is not nearly so unique, but does uniquely keep us alive. Rockets and satellites paved the way for this knowledge and they also paved the way for people to easily destroy each other. This fear, as well replayed in the History Channel’s DVD entitled “Sputnik Mania” shows what might have driven us to such an extreme. And it reminds of where we may end up without due diligence.

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 Nancy Atkinson

Past Climate Change Cannot Be Tied to Earth Passing Through Galactic Plane

The latest map of the Milky Way shows only two arms. Credit: NASA/ Spitzer Space Telescope

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Earth’s climate has changed over time, but the cause for the changes has been hotly debated. One idea (Shaviv and Veizer,2003), suggested that perhaps two-thirds to three-fourths of the variance in Earth’s temperature over the past 500 million years may be attributable to when our solar system passes through the spiral arms of the Milky Way galaxy. The evidence seemed to fit: there appears to be a 140 million year cycle of global climate change, and that correlates when our solar system seems to move between spiral arms, too. Or at least it used to. Since 2003 we have revised our map of the galaxy, which changes the estimation of when Earth transits through the spiral arms.

“Although previous work found a correlation between the 140 Myr climate cycle on Earth and the intersection with spiral arms,” write researchers Adrian Melott, Andrew Overholt, and Martin Pohl, “with new data on the structure of the galaxy, this correlation disappears.”

On Earth, the 140 million year cycle is estimated from the timing of ice ages and abundances of fossils.

The basic idea of the earlier research was that when the solar system journeys through the Milky Way’s spiral arms the event rate of cosmic rays in the Earth’s atmosphere greatly increases, since the number of supernovae in spiral arms is clearly much larger than in between the arms. This could affect cloud formation on Earth and therefore strength of greenhouse effect.

But that assumed the Milky Way had four arms, and was less massive than new calculations show. In 2008, new information from the Spitzer Space Telescope helped astronomers conclude that the Milky Way consisted of two spiral arms and a large central bar. Additionally, in 2009 Spitzer data helped scientists conclude that our galaxy is much more massive than originally thought, and is moving faster than originally estimated.

Red vertical lines represent the midpoints of the last seven ice ages, which don't correlate with the passage of the solar system through the galactic plane. Credit Melott, Overholt and Pohl.

So just when has Earth passed through the galactic arms? With changing estimations of mass and smaller number of arms, no one can be absolutely sure. But Melott and his team have compared the times of transit between regions of the new galactic map with changes in Earth’s climate and found that the 140 million year correlations no longer apply.

The team also says the 140 million year cycle cannot be made to match up with any cyclical movement of the solar system through the galaxy.

“The only periodic trend that can be found with the new data is the relative orbital period of our solar system,” the team writes in their paper, “relative to the previously assumed pattern speed around the galactic plane, which is slightly larger than 500 Myr. Though one could create varying periodic trends by changing this pattern speed, the orbital period relative to the galactic pattern could never reach the 140 Myr time as this is less than the orbital period itself, meaning the pattern and the Sun would be required to move in opposite directions.”

So, the researchers conclude, the solar system passing through the plane of the galactic arms could have no direct tie with past climate change on Earth.

The team’s paper can be read here.

Graphic caption: Red vertical lines represent the midpoints of the last seven ice ages, which don’t correlate with the passage of the solar system through the galactic plane. Credit Melott, Overholt and Pohl.

Source: arXiv, Technology Review Blog

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, 2009April 26, 2016 by Anne Minard

New Twitter Page To Alert Followers: Look Up Now to See the ISS!

International Space Station. Credit: NASA

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Want to know when to stop tweeting and look heavenward for a view of the International Space Station? Follow one more account, then.

Several websites carry information about the space station’s path through the sky, but until now there’s been no service to alert people when the station is near them.

Dutch journalists Govert Schilling and Jaap Meijers have built a Twitter page to let people know when to look up.

The international, manned space station ISS is so easy to see mainly because of its huge solar panels that reflect sunlight. Since the start in 1998 the space station has orbited the earth over 60,000 times.

A new series of exceptionally bright passes will start in Europe this week. Other continents too will see – weather permitting – many great passes, for instance on July 7 in the United States and July 10 in East Asia.

People using Twitter can now receive an alert when the ISS will be passing at the location in their Twitter profile. All they have to do is follow the Twitter account @twisst: www.twitter.com/twisst

Twisst may be the first service on Twitter that sends out such highly personalised information. Twisst sends an alert to every follower personally, wherever in the world that person may be. More technical details are available here. Click here for an example of what an alert looks like.

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!