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.
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.
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.
1996
Comet Hyakutake
Bright
and beautiful, it was visible to the unaided eye. Did you see it? I did.
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