panSTARRS

I've chased Ceres as it slid past El Nath in Taurus and beyond. Any asteroid that dim takes peripheral vision and a lot of star map searches. Most of all it takes patience. For a break from the tough work of following an asteroid, I took time out to search for the comet. I knew by now it would be very visible and maybe have a nice tail. Of course comets are sun grazers, so to see it I had to search from just before sunset to just after. That means the sky is still quite bright above the western horizon. No matter, a veteran like me doesn't give up easily.
To date I have managed two views of Comet PanSTARRS: one from the area of Moorpark College; the other from my own front yard. I found the comet on 12th of the month after a half hour of sweeping the horizon.. In our sharp clear sky it hung directly above a distant tall tree that became a pointer. The tiime, 7:46 was just after sunset and before the deepening twilight.It hung like a bright tight shaft of light, the tail fanning out and upward. I gazed until it dropped into the murky atmosphere, fading in a blur.  I just had to try to find it again, this time from my own yard.
It's terrible when you bring out cloud bait. Several nights of clouds and mists have blocked the comet out. After much searching I caught a good view of it between the trees on the west of our property. It wasn't near as nice and bright, rather blurred and hazy, probably because the sky wasn't cooperating. But see it I did. So did our neighbor who considered it fabulous since it was her first ever view of a comet. We'll definitely try again as PanSTARRS rises farther north and dims as it moves away from us.

Definitely Ceres

Several nights ago when I searched for Ceres, I attempted to find the asteroid using only Astronomy Magazine's published mini star chart (March issue, p. 43). My early "By George" comment was premature. I thought I was in the right location, and what I saw fit its 8th magnitude dimness. Nevertheless, I needed to re-capture the dwarf planet to prove I was seeing correctly.

I wasn't. The point of light I thought was Ceres was just a star. Like all stars, it stayed put in the same location. I redoubled my efforts to find the dim dwarf planet two nights ago. This time I found the faintest point of light where Ceres absolutely had to be, per the map. I tingled thinking I'd actually captured my first asteroid, but didn't want to announce an error again. I would have to make sure that this particular point of light would move by the next night. If it did, it would be farther north on its path as it edges closer to El Nath.

I couldn't scan the sky yesterday. Clouds and rain prevented it. Tonight, the California sky is crystal clear. Sure enough, Ceres isn't where it was two days ago. In fact, it has moved considerably to line up with El Nath. I have indeed captured my first look at an asteroid. The faint dwarf planet is exactly where Astronomy Magazine's star map shows it to be tonight. Using only my 10 x 50 binocular, I can barely see the elusive asteroid from the corner of my eye. But it is definitely where it is supposed to be today, March 6.

I'm sure to catch it more easily on my next search as it moves past El Nath. And by the weekend, I'll be dragging out my telescope for a better view.

Romero

Just watched an old movie called "Romero". Very powerful indeed. Archbishop Oscar Romero is a modern day martyr. To get the full movie just go to You Tube. You'll find it easily if you internet search under Archbishop Oscar Romero, the movie. More of us should be so ready to give our lives.

Duh

There's something about traipsing around the country that thwarts a faithful astronomy hobbyist. Although there were a few good nights for binocular astronomy in West Sacramento, there were more than a few not so good nights. Here in Redding, the sky is a wash. Oh well, with luck it will clear up enough for a continued scan for asteroid Ceres.

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