Ceres

As mentioned a week ago, the night sky attracts. It has so many moving things up there, boredom is impossible. Although I've made a few feeble attempts to capture comet Panstarrs in the pre-dawn moments, it’s clear that as far south as it is, waiting till the first week of March might allow us of the northern hemisphere to bag it after sunset.

In the meantime, I’m looking for a personal first. I have yet to capture an asteroid and Ceres, the big one, currently hangs near beta-Tauri. Since that star is in a relatively dark starless field, it should be simple to locate. For anyone who hasn’t ever done comet or asteroid hunting the basic rule of thumb is: know your night sky! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_%28dwarf_planet%29

That means get out there and look, and look, and look. Don’t just say, “OK there’s Elnath (beta-Tauri)”; get familiar with whatever other stars are in the field. With 10x50 binoculars you will see up to ninth or tenth magnitude. So there will be other stars in the apparently dark area around Elnath.

http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/taurus-constellation/taurus-constellation-map/

The next rule, after you are familiar with the star sprinkles around Elnath, be sure to get outside several times in the next few days. You can only see a moving object if you see it move. Since asteroids are not meteors that flash by, it may take three or four nights to realize that one of the points of light around Elnath has moved.

To be sure that you’ve captured Ceres, continue looking up for several more nights to watch it catch up to Elnath in the first week of March.   

To be sure that you’ve captured Ceres, continue looking up for several more nights to watch it catch up to Elnath.   

Alert!

Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation for Catholics. Although the Church encourages attendance, it is not required. Fasting and abstaining from meat is. This means that if you are a three meal a day person, two of those meals together should not exceed the main meal. Don't get silly and pig out at the main meal to compensate. That defeats the purpose, as does lobster bisque, shrimp drenched scallops and fine wine.
Abstaining from meat is a requirement for everyone, even the elderly who don't need to fast.
Let's start Lent right. If you are unable to go to church, why not read the gospels. If you prefer stories, Inside the Gospel at shareagepress.wordpress.com offers a fictional look at people who encounter Christ.
Lent is a great time to lose extra pounds, share the wealth, or simply meditate. It's also a good time to learn to hold your tongue and be nice to others. As St. James wrote in his epistle, "If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, his religion is in vain."
Have at it. 

Another First

 

February 9, 2012

The science of astronomy allows everyone to witness historical firsts. In January this blog published some personal firsts (see below).  Now, with a new comet on the western horizon (see Astronomy Magazine),  it's time for another first. Although Panstarrs looks best from equatorial sites currently, it will still be worth following as it streaks north. Starting mid-February you should look at the western sky just as the sun sets. Use a binocular to view the comet. It should still be visible in the west, in spite of the moon's bright presence, as it passes Fomalhaut just after sunset around the 26th of this month. It continues to rise toward northern constellations as it dims. Sharp eyes should still see it at perigee (closest to earth) on March 5. It will be first magnitude (brighter than the North Star) south-west of the constellation Aquarius. Happy Hunting! 

Here is our recap of our January 27 Blog. I forgot to mention the warm meeting with the discoverer of Pluto, Clyde Tombaugh, at RTMC (March 30, 2012 blog). This was also a first, and since he too loved comets, he delighted in telling of his comet chasing experiences.

1958 The Ring

“Have you ever seen a smoker puff a smoke ring?” said the backyard astronomer introduced me to the field. “Sure, Mom can do that,” I answered.

“Well that’s what you have to look for.”

My fist view of that tiny puff of smoke in the constellation Lyra got me hooked on astronomy. Although it was only my first, other unrepeatable firsts in the science followed, like the first satellite launched into orbit shortly threafter. I watched it make its way across the murky New York city sky from the roof of the apartment building.

http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/ring-p.html

The links that follow each first can help you understand their scientific magnitude, but they cannot provide you with the experience of seeing such things with your eyes.

 

1990-1994 Magellan

Astronomy clubs like the VCAS engage qualified scientists to speak at their monthly meetings. During the time of Magellan’s Venus mapping, the spacecraft lost contact with Earth. The media lamented yet another expensive loss.

Our guest speaker from JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), with knowledge of the craft’s design asked us not to worry. He said, “A dust speck on the camera lens can cause a temporary shut-down.” He explained that after twenty-four hours, the craft’s camera would begin a coning process to search for its guide star. He paused, looked down at his watch, and said, “In five minutes Magellan will send signals back to earth.” It did.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magellan_%28spacecraft%29

1993 M-81 Supernova

The day a student from Spain announced his discovery of a supernova in M-81 phones rang, emails posted, and the club scheduled a star party. We members of the Ventura County Astronomical Society knew that its brightness would soon fade. I joined friends to pore over star charts and gaze through the telescopes. It might not seem earthshaking to see a bright star where there shouldn’t be one, but I stared at that star again and again because I knew once it faded away, I’d have to have access to Hubble Telescope to see its leftover remnant. http://www.astropix.com/HTML/C_SPRING/M81.HTM

July 16, 1994 Comet Schumacher-Levy crashes into Jupiter

The awesome capability of the human eye is depth perception. I’m not talking about the three-D aspect of vision produced by looking at something from two different angles with both eyes. I’m talking about the hole I saw on Jupiter when Schumacher-Levy hit the planet. No photograph, CCD image, or Hubble shot can compare. The living experience of gazing into the depths of a punctured planet will always remain engraved on my mind. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zNuT4dbdjU&noredirect=1

1996 Comet Hyakutake

Bright and beautiful, it was visible to the unaided eye. Did you see it? I did.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Hyakutake