Kemble's Cascade
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100128.html
Kemble's Cascade is an asterism, which is a pattern or shape in the stars that is not an actual constellation. This asterism includes around twenty stars that are nearly in a line. It is in the constellation Camelopardalis, and spans more than five full moon diameters. It was named recently; Lucian Kemble, an amateur astronomer, described it to Walter Scott Houston, who wrote about it in his magazine column in 1980, naming it "Kemble's Cascade." Also visible in this picture is NGC 1502, an open cluster of about 45 stars. Two Struve binary stars are present in NGC 1502.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
APOD 3.1
Dust and the NGC 7771 Group
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100121.html
In this picture are several galaxies in the direction of Pegasus. The NGC 7771 Group and NGC 7769 are the most easily visible. The NGC 7771 Group includes several galaxies, one of which is the spiral galaxy in the center. NGC 7769 appears to be the largest galaxy in the picture and is also a spiral galaxy. The NGC 7771 galaxies may eventually merge because they are passing by each other at small distances. This is suggested by distortions and small streaks of stars in the galaxies. Large clouds of dust are also visible in the picture.
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100121.html
In this picture are several galaxies in the direction of Pegasus. The NGC 7771 Group and NGC 7769 are the most easily visible. The NGC 7771 Group includes several galaxies, one of which is the spiral galaxy in the center. NGC 7769 appears to be the largest galaxy in the picture and is also a spiral galaxy. The NGC 7771 galaxies may eventually merge because they are passing by each other at small distances. This is suggested by distortions and small streaks of stars in the galaxies. Large clouds of dust are also visible in the picture.
Friday, January 15, 2010
APOD 2.8
M94: A New Perspective
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100114.html
M94 is a spiral galaxy that is about 15 million light years away. It was discovered and catalogued in 1781. Its center is oval-shaped but bar-like. The center is an active star-forming region. This picture reveals the recently discovered spiral arms around the galaxy. More distant galaxies as well as stars from the Milky Way can also be seen in the picture.
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100114.html
M94 is a spiral galaxy that is about 15 million light years away. It was discovered and catalogued in 1781. Its center is oval-shaped but bar-like. The center is an active star-forming region. This picture reveals the recently discovered spiral arms around the galaxy. More distant galaxies as well as stars from the Milky Way can also be seen in the picture.
APOD 2.7
The Tail of the Small Magellanic Cloud
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100107.html
This picture reveals the tail of the Small Magellanic Cloud. The Small Magellanic cloud is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way and is a dwarf galaxy. It may have once been a spiral galaxy that was distorted by the Milky Way. It is 200,000 light years away and can been seen with the naked eye. This picture reveals the tail of the Small Magellanic Cloud. The tail is probably composed of dust, gas, and young stars, and may have been pulled out of the Cloud by gravitational tides. The picture was taken with infrared light.
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100107.html
This picture reveals the tail of the Small Magellanic Cloud. The Small Magellanic cloud is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way and is a dwarf galaxy. It may have once been a spiral galaxy that was distorted by the Milky Way. It is 200,000 light years away and can been seen with the naked eye. This picture reveals the tail of the Small Magellanic Cloud. The tail is probably composed of dust, gas, and young stars, and may have been pulled out of the Cloud by gravitational tides. The picture was taken with infrared light.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Observations 2.2
11/30/09
8:11 PM
The Great Square of Pegasus was almost overhead but a little to the south and west. I saw most of Andromeda near Pegasus, and Perseus near Andromeda. I could see Deneb and Vega towards the west and northwest; Deneb was about 55 degrees above the horizon.
12/2/09
9:25 PM
Pegasus, Perseus, Andromeda, and Cassiopeia are easy to make out because they are almost overhead. I think I saw Taurus and Aldebaran about 40 to 45 degrees above the horizon to the east. I have had trouble finding Ursa Minor.
12/11/09
8:50 PM
Cassiopeia was about 80 degrees above the horizon towards the north. It is often the first constellation I recognize. Capella was about 50 degrees above the horizon to the northeast. As usual, I also easily spotted Perseus and Pegasus.
12/12/09
8:45 PM
I recognized Perseus, Pegasus, Andromeda, Cassopeia, Taurus, and Auriga. Because of lights, trees, and houses, I have had trouble locating some of the constellations closer to the horizon, like Ursa Minor, Gemini, and Orion. I can't see much below 25 degrees above the horizon.
12/16/09
9:00 PM
I saw Polaris about 40 degrees above the horizon to the north. I saw Capella and Aldebaran, which are about 25 degrees apart. With binoculars, I looked at the Circlet of Pisces, south of the Great Square.
12/17/09
8:10 PM
I looked at Pegasus, Perseus, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Taurus, Auriga, Polaris, Hamal, and some other constellations and bright stars.
1/10/10
8:00 PM
Pegasus was to the west; the center of the square was about 45 degrees above the horizon. Orion and his belt were very easy to find. It was about 50 degrees above the horizon to the southeast. I saw Betelgeuse and Rigel, which is brighter. Cassiopeia was about 50 degrees above the horizon to the north. Auriga and Perseus were almost overhead. Sirius was to the southeast and was clearly twinkling. Taurus was almost overhead but slightly to the southeast. I could barely see the Pleiades.
1/11/10
9:15 PM
I couldn't see much below 20 degrees above the horizon. Sirius was very bright and about 30 degrees above the horizon to the southeast. Orion was about 45 degrees above the horizon to the southeast. Taurus was nearly overhead. I saw Auriga and Capella, and Mars to the east-northeast, about 30 degrees above the horizon. I spotted Castor and Pollux and recognized Gemini.
1/12/10
11 AM
I looked at sunspots, which were dark spots that clumped together rather than larger single spots.
10:05 PM
I noticed that the east is much brighter than the west. Sirius was about 55 degrees above the horizon to the southeast. Orion's belt was about 65 degrees above the horizon to the southeast. The Pleiades were almost overhead when facing west. Mars was about 45 degrees above the horizon to the east-northeast. 20 degrees up from Mars and a little to the north were Castor and Pollux of Gemini.
1/14/10
8:25 PM
Capella was about 75 degrees to the north-northeast. Perseua was almost overhead. Algol was about 20 degrees to the west of Capella. Procyon of Canis Minor was about 35-40 degrees above the horizon to the east and was twinkling like Sirius. Mars was about 25 degrees above the horizon to the east-northeast. I also saw Lepus, which is to the south of Orion.
8:11 PM
The Great Square of Pegasus was almost overhead but a little to the south and west. I saw most of Andromeda near Pegasus, and Perseus near Andromeda. I could see Deneb and Vega towards the west and northwest; Deneb was about 55 degrees above the horizon.
12/2/09
9:25 PM
Pegasus, Perseus, Andromeda, and Cassiopeia are easy to make out because they are almost overhead. I think I saw Taurus and Aldebaran about 40 to 45 degrees above the horizon to the east. I have had trouble finding Ursa Minor.
12/11/09
8:50 PM
Cassiopeia was about 80 degrees above the horizon towards the north. It is often the first constellation I recognize. Capella was about 50 degrees above the horizon to the northeast. As usual, I also easily spotted Perseus and Pegasus.
12/12/09
8:45 PM
I recognized Perseus, Pegasus, Andromeda, Cassopeia, Taurus, and Auriga. Because of lights, trees, and houses, I have had trouble locating some of the constellations closer to the horizon, like Ursa Minor, Gemini, and Orion. I can't see much below 25 degrees above the horizon.
12/16/09
9:00 PM
I saw Polaris about 40 degrees above the horizon to the north. I saw Capella and Aldebaran, which are about 25 degrees apart. With binoculars, I looked at the Circlet of Pisces, south of the Great Square.
12/17/09
8:10 PM
I looked at Pegasus, Perseus, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Taurus, Auriga, Polaris, Hamal, and some other constellations and bright stars.
1/10/10
8:00 PM
Pegasus was to the west; the center of the square was about 45 degrees above the horizon. Orion and his belt were very easy to find. It was about 50 degrees above the horizon to the southeast. I saw Betelgeuse and Rigel, which is brighter. Cassiopeia was about 50 degrees above the horizon to the north. Auriga and Perseus were almost overhead. Sirius was to the southeast and was clearly twinkling. Taurus was almost overhead but slightly to the southeast. I could barely see the Pleiades.
1/11/10
9:15 PM
I couldn't see much below 20 degrees above the horizon. Sirius was very bright and about 30 degrees above the horizon to the southeast. Orion was about 45 degrees above the horizon to the southeast. Taurus was nearly overhead. I saw Auriga and Capella, and Mars to the east-northeast, about 30 degrees above the horizon. I spotted Castor and Pollux and recognized Gemini.
1/12/10
11 AM
I looked at sunspots, which were dark spots that clumped together rather than larger single spots.
10:05 PM
I noticed that the east is much brighter than the west. Sirius was about 55 degrees above the horizon to the southeast. Orion's belt was about 65 degrees above the horizon to the southeast. The Pleiades were almost overhead when facing west. Mars was about 45 degrees above the horizon to the east-northeast. 20 degrees up from Mars and a little to the north were Castor and Pollux of Gemini.
1/14/10
8:25 PM
Capella was about 75 degrees to the north-northeast. Perseua was almost overhead. Algol was about 20 degrees to the west of Capella. Procyon of Canis Minor was about 35-40 degrees above the horizon to the east and was twinkling like Sirius. Mars was about 25 degrees above the horizon to the east-northeast. I also saw Lepus, which is to the south of Orion.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Astronomer Biography 2
FRIEDRICH GEORG WILHELM VON STRUVE
Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve was born on April 15, 1793 and died in 1864. He was born in Altona, Denmark, and area that is now part of Germany. As a young man he moved to Russia to avoid military conscription in Germany during the Napoleonic wars. He conducted most of his work in Russia.
After graduating from the University of Dorpat in 1810, he turned his attention to astronomy, mathematics, and geodesy. He began to work in the university’s observatory and was eventually put in charge of it. He also taught mathematics and astronomy at Dorpat and became a popular lecturer. His first volume of observations was published in 1817, and seven other volumes followed.
Because of Struve’s improvements to equipment and methods at Dorpat, he was invited to the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences to be the director of a new observatory. Struve helped with the design of the observatory and gathered state-of-the-art instruments, including a fifteen inch refracting telescope, which was the largest in the world at the time. The observatory was completed in 1839, and it soon became evident that it was one of the best in the world.
Some of Struve’s most influential work deals with double stars. He was the world’s foremost observer of double stars during his life. He studied William Herschel’s work on double stars when he was at Dorpat. By determining the revolutions of several binary stars, he finished some of what Herschel had started. Struve published a 795-item catalog of all known double stars in 1822. He continued on to observe more than 122,000 stars and discover 3,112 double stars. In 1837 he published Stellarum duplicium et multiplicium mensurae micrometricae, an important work that contained accurate measurements of most of these newly-discovered double stars. His identifying numbers are still used, and some of the stars have been renamed in his honor.
Although Struve was not the first to study stellar parallaxes, he was one of the first to do so accurately. He was, however, the first to measure the parallax of Vega. This work allowed him to better estimate the distances between some stars and Earth. He included some of his calculations in Stellarum duplicium et multiplicium mensurae micrometricae.
Struve also worked on various other projects. He attempted to determine whether there is a dependence between the brightness of stars and their distances. He supported the fact that the Sun is not the center of the Milky Way. His work supported the theory that the interstellar medium is not a complete vacuum. He concluded that there is sparse matter in space and that the intensity of light diminishes as it passes through it; his approximate calculation of this absorption is close to the currently accepted value. Struve also measured the aberration of light, which causes celestial objects to appear to move.
Struve produced 272 astronomical works and continued a family of astronomers; his son carried on his work, and his great-grandson was even more prolific and was one of the first astronomers to believe in extraterrestrial life. As a member of over forty scientific academies, Struve was famous during his lifetime and was one of the most prominent astronomers of the nineteenth century.
Works Cited
"Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve Biography." Biography.com. Web. < http://www.biography.com/articles/Friedrich-Georg-Wilhelm-Struve-9497860 >.
"Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve." NNDB. Web.< http://www.nndb.com/people/202/000097908/ >.
"Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve." Encyclopedia.com. Web. < http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3404706203.html >.
"Struve, Friedrich Georg Wilhelm (or Vasily Yakovievich)." Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Vol. 13. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2008. 108-113. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. Sarasota County High. 6 Jan. 2010 < http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=fl_sarhs >.
"Struve, Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von (1793-1864)." The Internet Encyclopedia of Science. Web. < http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/S/Struve_FGW.html >.
Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve was born on April 15, 1793 and died in 1864. He was born in Altona, Denmark, and area that is now part of Germany. As a young man he moved to Russia to avoid military conscription in Germany during the Napoleonic wars. He conducted most of his work in Russia.
After graduating from the University of Dorpat in 1810, he turned his attention to astronomy, mathematics, and geodesy. He began to work in the university’s observatory and was eventually put in charge of it. He also taught mathematics and astronomy at Dorpat and became a popular lecturer. His first volume of observations was published in 1817, and seven other volumes followed.
Because of Struve’s improvements to equipment and methods at Dorpat, he was invited to the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences to be the director of a new observatory. Struve helped with the design of the observatory and gathered state-of-the-art instruments, including a fifteen inch refracting telescope, which was the largest in the world at the time. The observatory was completed in 1839, and it soon became evident that it was one of the best in the world.
Some of Struve’s most influential work deals with double stars. He was the world’s foremost observer of double stars during his life. He studied William Herschel’s work on double stars when he was at Dorpat. By determining the revolutions of several binary stars, he finished some of what Herschel had started. Struve published a 795-item catalog of all known double stars in 1822. He continued on to observe more than 122,000 stars and discover 3,112 double stars. In 1837 he published Stellarum duplicium et multiplicium mensurae micrometricae, an important work that contained accurate measurements of most of these newly-discovered double stars. His identifying numbers are still used, and some of the stars have been renamed in his honor.
Although Struve was not the first to study stellar parallaxes, he was one of the first to do so accurately. He was, however, the first to measure the parallax of Vega. This work allowed him to better estimate the distances between some stars and Earth. He included some of his calculations in Stellarum duplicium et multiplicium mensurae micrometricae.
Struve also worked on various other projects. He attempted to determine whether there is a dependence between the brightness of stars and their distances. He supported the fact that the Sun is not the center of the Milky Way. His work supported the theory that the interstellar medium is not a complete vacuum. He concluded that there is sparse matter in space and that the intensity of light diminishes as it passes through it; his approximate calculation of this absorption is close to the currently accepted value. Struve also measured the aberration of light, which causes celestial objects to appear to move.
Struve produced 272 astronomical works and continued a family of astronomers; his son carried on his work, and his great-grandson was even more prolific and was one of the first astronomers to believe in extraterrestrial life. As a member of over forty scientific academies, Struve was famous during his lifetime and was one of the most prominent astronomers of the nineteenth century.
Works Cited
"Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve Biography." Biography.com. Web. < http://www.biography.com/articles/Friedrich-Georg-Wilhelm-Struve-9497860 >.
"Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve." NNDB. Web.< http://www.nndb.com/people/202/000097908/ >.
"Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve." Encyclopedia.com. Web. < http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3404706203.html >.
"Struve, Friedrich Georg Wilhelm (or Vasily Yakovievich)." Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Vol. 13. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2008. 108-113. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. Sarasota County High. 6 Jan. 2010 < http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=fl_sarhs >.
"Struve, Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von (1793-1864)." The Internet Encyclopedia of Science. Web. < http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/S/Struve_FGW.html >.
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