Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Weekend SkyWatcher’s Forecast: March 5-7, 2010

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Are you ready for the weekend? Then let’s spend it “stellar” as we take a look at a great series of open galactic star clusters. Gathering a few photons will enrich both the spirit and the mind! If you’re ready for some history, science and challenges, then follow me…

March 5, 2010 – This date celebrates the 1512 birth of Gerardus Mercator. Mercator was the cartographer who created the Mercator map projection, the series of parallels and meridians drawn as straight lines to allow an accurate ratio of latitude to longitude. Mercator also designed the first celestial globe in 1551.

Tonight let’s take in a galactic star cluster! Find the area easily by aiming binoculars about halfway between Alpha Orionis and Gamma Geminorum (RA 06 13 42 Dec +12 48 06). Look for a faint pair of stars known as K Orionis, but don’t confuse them with slightly brighter Xi and Nu. Concentrate on the northernmost of the K pair, and you’ll pick up a slight condensation of faint stars— NGC 2194. While this Herschel ‘‘400’’ target is sufficiently bright to see in small optics, its true beauty shines in larger telescopes. This rich, young concentration of stars is over 3,700 light-years away and is less than 9,000 years old. Photometric studies of this neophyte cluster show it to be metal-poor for its age, but NGC 2194 is definitely a very pleasing sprinkling of stars to enjoy on a winter’s night!

Are you ready for an open cluster that’s suited for all optics? Then let’s take on NGC2287. Located about two finger-widths south of Alpha Canis Majoris (RA 06 46 00 Dec +20 46 00), only an open cluster this bright could stand up against brilliant Sirius. From a dark-sky location, your unaided eye can even spot this magnitude 4.5 star vault as a hazy patch. Aristotle saw it as early as 325 BC! Officially discovered by Hodierna, we know it best by the designation Messier Object 41.


Even from 2,300 light-years away, the cluster’s brightest star, an orange giant, stands out clearly from the stellar nest. With large aperture, you’ll notice other K-type stars, all very similar to Sol. Although small scopes and binoculars won’t reveal too much color, you might pick up on the blue signature of young, hot stars. NGC 2287 could be anywhere from 190 to 240 million years old, but its stars shine as brightly now as they did in Aristotle’s day!

March 6, 2010 – If you see sunshine today, then celebrate the 1787 birth on this date of Joseph Fraunhofer—a trailblazer in modern astronomy. His field? Spectroscopy. Fraunhofer developed scientific instruments and specialized in the area of applied optics. While designing the achromatic objective lens for a telescope, he saw the spectrum of sunlight as it passed through a thin slit and the dark emission lines. Fraunhofer recognized that they could be used as wavelength standards, so he began measuring, labeling the most prominent with the letters still used today. His skill in optics, mathematics, and physics led Fraunhofer to design and build the very first diffraction grating. You’ve probably seen these little rainbows hundreds of times in your life without even realizing what they are. Would you like to create your own grating? Take a piece of ordinary clear cellophane (a bit of clean food wrapping is fine) and scratch it lightly a few times in one direction only with a piece of sandpaper. Hold it adjacent to a bright light source and tilt it until you see hundreds of hair-fine lines of color. Yes, it’s crude. . . but it works! Did Fraunhofer’s telescope designs also succeed? Of course! His achromatic objective lens is still used in modern telescopes.

Tonight journey south of Orion to Lepus and its brightest star—Alpha. Named Arneb, this double star resides about 900 light-years away. Its wide separation of 35.500 means it’s probably not a true physical pair, but the 11th magnitude disparate companion is a nice challenge. For binoculars and small scopes, hop due east of Alpha about a finger-width for brilliant multiple-star system and open cluster NGC2017. The gravitationally bound stars in this small open cluster are a well-studied source of radio and infrared emission. NGC2017 produces a dense wind from a thin HII region hidden within it, which may come from a loose distribution of gas and dust. Power up, and the primary colorful members begin to split into disparate pairs as the combination of aperture and magnification increases resolution. It’s a much underrated jewel box!

March 7, 2010 – Today we celebrate two notable births. The year 1837 is Henry Draper’s, first to photograph the stellar spectrum; and 1792 is the year Sir William Herschel’s only child—John—was born. John Herschel began his astronomical career in 1816 when he built his first telescope. His path led him to eventual British knighthood for furthering his father’s work, and to South Africa to complete his father’s survey by cataloging the stars, nebulae, and other objects of the southern skies. In his own words, ‘‘He that on such quest would go must know not fear or failing.’’ John returned to England in 1838, published his work, fathered 12 children, named the moons of Saturn and Uranus, and expanded the field of photography. He was a prodigious author, and you’ll even find examples of his handiwork in the Encyclopedia Britannica!

Tonight let’s honor J. Herschel with a very beautiful open star cluster. Begin with Sirius and the southern upside down Y formation of Canis Major, whose crux is Delta. Hop northeast to Tau for open cluster NGC 2362 (RA 07 18 36 Dec 24 59 00). In binoculars, Caldwell 64 appears as two stars—Tau and the variable UW. At minor magnification, Tau shows a slight nebulosity, the many unresolved stars surrounding it. Now power up with a telescope and behold the ‘‘ Mexican Jumping Star!’’ This rich, 4,600 light-years distant gathering contains about 40 members and is one of the youngest of known star clusters. Many resolvable stars haven’t yet reached the main sequence!


Still pulling together, the cluster is estimated to be less than a million years old. The central star—Tau—is a true member and one of the most intrinsically luminous stars known. This group may last as long as the Pleiades but will pull apart long before reaching the Hyades’’ age. Tau’s immense stellar winds will blow away any accretion around the smaller stars. Magnify as much as skies will allow. As individual stars begin to resolve in and out around its bright central member, you can see how it got its nickname!

Now head for the eastern star, Eta Canis Majoris. Aim your binoculars about one field further south. Difficult for northern observers, this collection is visible unaided in the Southern Hemisphere. Collinder 140 (RA 07 23 18 Dec 32 04 00) is around magnitude 3.5 and is a rich open cluster. Located around 1,000 light-years away, and estimated to be 22 million years old, even small optics will enjoy this large, jewel-like collection of stars, which includes the double Dunlop 47 among its many binary systems. Studied for its unusual patterns of stellar evolution, Collinder 140 is worth some of your study time as well!

Until next week? Keep rockin’ the night away….

This week’s awesome cluster images are from the Palomar Sky Survey, Courtesy of Caltech. Thank you so much!

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Great Binoculars For Kids – Celestron 12X25 UpClose Binoculars


Are you looking for a great pair of binoculars for kids – but want optics good enough for demanding adults? Then you really need to check out the Celestron 12X25 UpClose binoculars for astronomy . These mighty little midgets have a whole lot going for them, including a great view at a moment’s notice.

When I first picked up a pair of Celestron 12X25 binoculars, I wasn’t expecting very much. After all, we’re talking about a pair of binoculars that when folded in their case are small enough to easily fit in your jacket or jeans pocket comfortably. What could something that small really do? As always, I give every product I test the benefit of the doubt and I was about to find out. Thanks to the generosity of OPT, several pairs of these were donated to benefit our children’s binocular observing program at the Observatory and it was time to hand them out along with the other binoculars we traditionally use. As the kids inspected their binoculars, I inspected mine, too. Since my binocular experience tends toward astronomy, I wasn’t overly familiar with the roof prism design and I was curious. Could something so small really be of practical use? And, what’s more, could something that inexpensive be of lasting quality? Well, for a person that’s usually the one giving lessons, I was about to get one.

Hands on, you’re not grabbing on to cheap plastic construction. These are binoculars that will survive an accidental drop and come back for more. The Celestron 12X25 UpClose binoculars are solidly made with a rubberized overcoating that will resist denting, ambient dew and moisture and provide a sure grip for all size hands. Their swivel open action is firm, but not stiff, and holds the interpupillary distance exactly where you need it. I was also surprised to find that they had a right eye diopter, as well as a central focus wheel. Now, it was time for me to give lessons as I explained to my students how to “personalize” binoculars for their own vision:

  • Hold the binoculars near your eyes, but don’t cram them up against them. Spread the binoculars apart until the center of each lens matches comfortably with the distance between each pupil of your eyes.
  • Locate the focusing ring called the right eye diopter and close your left eye. Choose a focal point by where you will be doing most of your viewing. For example, a bright star if you’re doing astronomy or a distant tree if you’re doing nature studies. Now, slowly turn the diopter until what you see on the right side comes into focus.
  • With both eyes open, use the center focus wheel to fine tune the image and you’re ready to go!

Because roof prism binoculars aren’t particularly well suited to astronomy, the 2.1 mm exit pupil left something to be desired, but the 10 mm of eye relief was quite comfortable with enough focus travel to match every eyesight need in the group. At 9 ounces (255.15 grams) in weight, the Celestron 12X25 UpClose binoculars are very easy for an adult to hold steady with one hand and absolutely the perfect weight for a child. Despite their diminutive size, you can “feel” that you’re holding on to a real pair of binoculars… and they perform like it, too. While the 25 mm (0.98 inch) objective lens isn’t going to gather in light like the Hubble Space Telescope, it does give very satisfactory views of brighter astronomy objects such as the Orion Nebula, the Andromeda Galaxy, magnitude 6-7 star clusters and more. The 12X magnification factor is also very satisfactory, offering enough resolution to pick apart brighter stars in clusters and distinguish individual larger craters on the Moon. While the kids raced all over the night sky with them, I just kinda’ stood there and grinned… Thinking of what sweet little wide angle spotters they’d make for those of us who need just a little “help” with certain star fields at times.

In order to be fair, I also used the Celestron 12X25 UpClose binoculars for what they were designed for – terrestrial use. During the winter months, I have a thing about feeding the local birds and identifying each visiting species. With a close focus of 14 feet (4.27 meters), these exceptional little binoculars allow me just the right amount of distance to enjoy the “up close” views of the outdoor bird feeder from my indoor easy chair – yet still be able to tell a nuthatch from a chickadee in a more distant tree. The images are crisp and clean with no spurious colors or reflections even in bright natural light situations. As for artificial light situations? Well, they are definitely fun enough to turn a large tabby cat into a stalking tiger. (silly kitty… there’s glass between you and those birds.)

All in all, the Celestron 12X25 UpClose Binoculars are absolutely perfect for a child and a compact and useful tool for adults. Because they are “real” binoculars, your kids will respect them for their quality and performance. And, because they are Celestron, you can be assured of rugged durability – backed up by a Lifetime No-Fault Warranty. Put a pair into your son or daughter’s hands and let their imaginations fly. Give them to your grandkids. The only way they could harm them is to lose them!

So stay away from mine…. 😉

Many thanks to OPT for their generous donation and providing the binoculars for review. See this link for purchase information. You can also purchase them for a similiar price from other premium worldwide Celestron dealers such as Optics Planet (US), Hands-On Optics (US), Picstop (UK), Telescopes.com (US), and Canadian Telescopes (CA) .
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Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Weekend SkyWatcher’s Forecast – February 26-28, 2010

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! It’s another snowy, moonlit weekend, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy some astronomy together! It’s time to check out Saturn, walk along the ejecta on the Moon and just take a look at a very beautiful star. If you’re ready to learn some history, mystery and facts, then follow me into the backyard….

February 26, 2010 – Today we celebrate the birth on this date of many astronomers, starting in 1786 with Francois Arago, who discovered the solar chromosphere and made astonishingly accurate estimates of planetary diameters. Arago’s experiments proved the wave theory of light and contributed to the laws of polarization. Following in 1842 was astronomer and author Camille Flammarion, who studied multiple stars, the Moon, and Mars. Although erroneous in some observations (‘‘May we attribute to the color of the herbage and plants which no doubt clothe the plains of Mars, the characteristic hue of that planet.’’), Flammarion was entrusted with a personal copy of the Messier Catalog, including the author’s notes, which he later revised. Last is the 1864 birth of John Evershed, who contributed mightily to solar physics when he photographically discovered that gases in sunspots flowed horizontally from the center toward their edges, an effect now named for him!

Now, let’s check out Saturn…


For a small telescope at low power, a first glimpse of Saturn is far from the grand image often portrayed of the ringed planet. Instead of beautiful, Hubble-like images, the viewer is greeted with something that looks more like a sesame seed on a black saucer than a fascinating distant world. But don’t give up! No matter what telescope size you use, the image is more dependent on seeing conditions (such as the steadiness of the atmosphere and transparency) rather than aperture. Even at low power, watching Saturn’s moons orbit over a period of days is very rewarding. And even a very small telescope will reveal Saturn’s ring structure. As optic size increases, so do details on successive nights. Look for such wonders as the wide dark band known as the Cassini division and the dark shadow of the planet’s orb against the rings. Sharp-eyed observers often spy the ‘‘Encke gap’’—the thin, minor ring around the outside. Subtle shadings and the ring shadows on Saturn’s yellowish globe await! Try sketching while observing, even if you throw it away later. When sketching, the eye and the mind coordinate to pick up on finer details than seen by just observing alone. Be sure to take plenty of time! When the one pure moment of seeing and stability combine, even the smallest of telescopes will reward you with a view you’ll never forget.

Afterwards, relax and enjoy the Delta Leonid meteor shower activity. Burning through our atmosphere at speeds of up to 24 kilometers per second, these slow travelers will seem to radiate from a point around the middle of Leo’s ‘‘back.’’ The fall rate is rather low at around 5 per hour and the moonlight will greatly interfere with fainter meteors, but they are still worth keeping a watch for!

February 27, 2010 – Today let’s celebrate the 1897 birth on this date of Bernard Lyot, master of optics. He invented the polariscope, and produced the first solar coronagraph. He also made the first motion pictures of solar prominences. Lyot was an astute observer, and realized that the lunar surface had similar properties to volcanic dust. He didn’t see canals on Mars but observed sandstorms there, as well as atmospheric conditions on other planets. The Lyot filter is well known, and so is his micrometer, a device used to make precise distance measurements, especially those between close double stars. By all accounts a wonderful and generous man, Lyot sadly died of a heart attack while returning from seeing an eclipse.

With such bright sky, it’s going to be difficult to practice much astronomy—or is it? There are always some very cool things to do if you just know where to look! Let’s head for the eighth brightest star in the sky—Procyon.

Often called ‘‘the one who proceeds the Dog,’’ Procyon also represents a dog, the beloved pet of Helen of Troy. If you haven’t noticed, Alpha Canis Minoris See Procyon is also the eastern member of what is sometimes called the ‘‘Winter Triangle,’’ appearing above the horizon before the Dog Star, Alpha Canis Majoris. At 0 magnitude, it’s in fair competition with the other trio members: dazzling Sirius and mighty Betelgeuse. At a little more than 11 light-years away, it is also one of the closest stars to our Solar System. Now just stop and look at this beautiful star. Arabic tales describe Procyon and Sirius as two sisters, who along with their brother—Canopus—tried to cross the sky when they came to the Great Sky River. When they both entered the Milky Way and tried to swim across, only Sirius was strong enough to make it and now stands on the southern bank of that river of stars. Left alone to the north as her siblings moved on, Procyon is often referred to in mythology as ‘‘she who weeps.’’ Not surprisingly, astrology also associates Procyon with watery catastrophes!

February 28, 2010 – Tonight it’s a Full Moon… Since the heaviest snow usually falls during this month, native Indian tribes of the north and east most often called February’s full Moon the Full Snow Moon. Some tribes also referred to this Moon as the Full Hunger Moon, since harsh weather conditions in their areas made hunting very difficult. Given the huge amount of snowfall that has occurred during this month, I think Snow Moon quite fits! Tonight, aim your optics toward the Moon and study an impact crater large enough to have blasted lunar material back to Earth. Its name is Tycho…

Take one glance at the lunar Southern Hemisphere, and you can’t miss the dazzling display of 85-kilometer-wide Tycho, and its brilliant splash ray pattern. Perhaps 100 million years ago a comet, an asteroid, or a large meteorite impacted the Moon, flinging debris far and wide. One of Tycho’s ejecta paths (rays) crosses the Apollo 17 landing site almost 2,000 kilometers away, where it caused a landslide, revealing deeper materials. Shining like a beacon in Tycho’s center is a mountain peak originating from below the surface crust. The crater floor is lumpy and the rim broken by the force of the impact.

Could a collision like Tycho’s create Earth-bound meteoroids? Indeed, you may have walked on one unaware! The first confirmed lunar meteorite was found in 1979 in Antarctica, but it was many years before its true identity was known. Confirmation required comparison of its chemical composition to that of Apollo lunar samples. To date, only around 40 confirmed lunar meteorites are known, but as many as one in every thousand may have originated from our nearest neighbor. Noble gas measurements show some of these materials may have left the lunar surface up to 20 million years ago, but most are around 100,000 years old. They might resemble terrestrial rocks, but ones with their chemical composition are found only on the Moon. Have a look at Tycho and imagine the power that sculpted this mighty crater!

Credits for this week’s awesome images belong to: Tycho Crater – Roger Warner, Saturn – Wes Higgins, Procyon- Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech and historical images.

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Celestron NexStar 130SLT Computerized Telescope

Are you looking for a computerized telescope that’s designed for the more serious amateur astronomer? Then you need to take a look at the Celestron NexStar 130SLT Computerized Telescope. This reflector telescope is both advanced in size and in capabilities! Let’s take a look at what makes the NexStar 130 SLT tick…

Celestron NexStar 130 SLT Computerized Telescope – Optical Tube Assembly – The popularity of the Celestron NexStar 114 models inspired Celestron to go bigger and they are proud to introduce NexStar 130 SLT. The 130 mm (5.12 in) aperture size has 30% more light-gathering power than the NexStar 114 SLT telescope and 345 times more light grasp than the human eye alone. This means an outstanding limiting stellar magnitude of 13.1! With a 650 mm (25.59 in) focal length, the Celestron NexStar 130 SLT Computerized Telescope operates at a focal ratio of f/5 – giving it a total useful magnification factor of 307X. The 130mm primary mirror is crafted from the finest optical glass and precision ground to exacting tolerances – then given durable aluminum coatings for years of care-free reflective performance. It has an outstanding resolution of 0.89 arc seconds and a photographic resolution of 400 line/mm. The Celestron NexStar 130 SLT Computerized Telescope also has an upgraded 2″ rack and pinion focuser, too!

Celestron NexStar 130 SLT Computerized Telescope – Mount – Driving the Celestron NexStar 130 SLT is a single arm fork mount with nine slew speeds: 4°/sec, 2°/sec, 1°/sec, .5°/sec, 32x, 16x, 8x, 4x, 2x. It works in both hemispheres and tracks in Sidereal, Solar and Lunar rates. A clamshell scope ring with a captive bolt holds the optical tube assembly securely and attaches to the sturdy stainless steel tripod via a captive, ergonomic center bolt. No worries about anything getting tangled during use… the battery compartment is internalized so there’s no “cord wrap” issues and it even includes an auxiliary port for additional accessories such as GPS. There’s no wingnuts to get lost in the dark on the tripod either… Just clamp the tublar legs at the desired height and add the accessory tray for additional stability. Now that’s a quick and easy no tool setup!

Celestron NexStar 130 SLT Computerized Telescope – NexStar Hand Control – The brains behind the brawn is the patented Celestron NexStar system. The SkyAlign feature allows you to align on any three bright celestial objects, making for a fast and easy alignment process. Simply input the date, time and your location (the CPC models have built-in GPS that does this for you) and then align the telescope to three bright stars of your choosing. You do not need to know the names of the stars — you could even pick the moon or bright planets! The NexStar Computer telescope system will automatically figure out which stars were chosen and then align the telescope. There is no need to point the telescope North or to level the optical tube – the initial position of the telescope is irrelevant. The computerized hand control gives you the ability to automatically slew to any of its 4,000+ objects, including over 600 galaxies, 300 clusters and dozens of beautiful binary stars. But it doesn’t stop there… The Celestron NexStar 130 SLT Computerized Telescope can also locate comets, geostationary satellites and asteroids, too! The flash upgradeable hand control software and motor control units are always ready for downloading product updates over the Internet and adding an optional GPS unit makes things even easier. The NexStar 130SLT includes NSOL telescope control software for basic control of your telescope via computer (with optional RS-232 cable) and it’s compatible with optional NexRemote telescope control software, for advanced control of your telescope via computer.

Celestron NexStar 130 SLT Computerized Telescope – Accessories – The Celestron NexStar 130 SLT Computerized Telescope is ready to go just as soon as you are. The package includes a StarPointer red dot reflex finderscope and two eyepieces: a 25 mm (0.98 in) that provides 26X magnification and a 9 mm (0.35 in) eyepiece that delivers 72X. You won’t be left “in the dark” either. The package also includes “The Sky” Level 1 planetarium software and the NexStar Observers List (v2.6.4c).

Weighing in at right around 18 lb (8.16 kg), Celestron’s most affordable NexStar 130 SLT Computerized Telescope turns starry nights into space odysseys. Set it up in your own backyard or travel to a dark sky location with ease. You can see breathtaking views of the lunar landscape, Venus and its phases, Mars resolved as an orange disc, Jupiter and its 4 moons, Saturn resolved as a disc, with its rings plainly visible at medium and high magnification. Add to that beautiful star clusters and distant galaxies and you have a tool you’ll use for many, many years to come!

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Weekend SkyWatcher’s Forecast: February 19-21, 2010

Weekend SkyWatcher’s Forecast: February 19-21, 2010

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! It’s a lunatic weekend as we head towards the Moon’s surface to study its features. Need more of a challenge? Then we’ll take a look at an area of sky where a Sakurai’s Object may have appeared. Just into stargazing? Then watch the Pleiades and the Moon dance together as our weekend ends! Whenever you’re ready, I’ll see you in the backyard…

February 19, 2010 – On this date we celebrate the 1473 birth of Nicolaus Copernicus, creator of the modern Solar System model.

‘‘Finally we shall place the Sun himself at the center of the Universe. All this is suggested by the systematic procession of events and the harmony of the whole Universe, if only we face the facts, as they say, ‘with both eyes open.’’’

Take a look at Copernican theory just as the master did:

‘‘For a traveler going from any place toward the north, that pole of the daily rotation gradually climbs higher, while the opposite pole drops down an equal amount… I shall now recall to mind that the motion of the heavenly bodies is circular, since the motion appropriate to a sphere is rotation in a circle.’’

Tonight we’ll explore a heavenly body – the Moon – as we take out binoculars or a telescope to explore “The Sea of Nectar”…


At around 1000 meters deep, Mare Nectaris covers an area of the Moon equal to that of the Great Sandhills in Saskatchewan, Canada. Like all maria, it is part of a gigantic basin which is filled with lava, and there is evidence of grabens along the western edge of the basin. While Nectaris’ basaltic flows appear darker than those in most maria, it is one of the older formations on the Moon, and as the terminator progresses you’ll be able to see where ejecta belonging to Tycho crosses its surface. For a real challenge, look for an ancient and ruined crater which lies on the southern shore of Mare Nectaris. To binoculars, Fracastorius will look like a shallow, light colored ring, but a telescope will reveal its northern wall is missing – perhaps melted away by the lava flow which formed the mare. This is all that remains of a once grand crater which was more than 117 kilometers in diameter. The tallest of its eroded walls still stand at an impressive 1758 meters, placing them as high as the base elevation of Mt. Hood, yet in places nothing more than a few ridges and low hills still stand to mark the crater’s remains. Power up and look for interior craterlets. Be sure to mark your lunar observing challenge notes with your observations! As Copernicus would have said:

‘‘Although all the good arts serve to draw man’s mind away from vices and lead it toward better things, this function can be more fully performed by this art, which also provides extraordinary intellectual pleasure.’’

February 20, 2010 – On this date in 1962, John Glenn was rocketing around Earth on his first orbit as our friends ‘‘down under’’ made history. Residents of Perth, Australia, simultaneously switched on lights as Glenn flew over—the first city spotted from space! When you’re ready, let’s change our perception of the size of the things we see on the lunar surface by exploring the edges of Mare Serenitatus – a feature that’s about the same size as the state of New Mexico.


On its southwest border stands the Haemus Mountains, which will continue on beyond the terminator. Look in their midst for the sharp punctuation of Class I Menelaus. This small crater has a brilliant west inner wall and deeply shadowed floor. Like Taruntius, Menelaus is another fine crater to watch for expansive ray systems as the terminator progresses. While the Montes Haemus look pretty impressive, they are nothing more than foothills compared to the Apennines which have yet to emerge into the sunlight. Look at Serenitatus’ northwest edge to view some real mountains! These are the Montes Caucasus, rising up to 5182 meters above the plains. Look closely at the maps and you will find this is also home to the Apollo 11, Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 landers, as well as Luna 21. It is an area that you can deeply appreciate for its historical significance. Like its earthly counterpart, the Caucasus Mountain Range has peaks that reach upwards of six kilometers – summits as high as Mount Elbrus! Nearby and slightly smaller than its terrestrial namesake, the lunar Apennine mountain range extends some 600 kilometers with peaks rising as high as five kilometers. Be sure to look for the summit of Mons Hadley, one of the tallest peaks you will see at the northern end of this chain. It rises above the surface to a height of 4.6 kilometers, making that single mountain about the size of asteroid Toutatis.

Today in 1996 also marks the discovery of Sakurai’s Object, a star in collapse.While studying Sagittarius and photographing what appeared to be a typical nova, Yukio Sakurai became only the third twentieth-century astronomer to witness a star in final helium flash. When this occurs, the star is switching its nuclear fuel from hydrogen to helium and then burning the helium to carbon in the final stage, burping forth an envelope from its interior.

If you’re up to a challenge, then wait until the Moon is set and let’s examine an open cluster where stars have gone through this same evolutionary step. Begin by identifying Delta Geminorum and hop a fist-width east for open cluster NGC 2420 (RA 07 38 23 Dec +21 34 24). This magnitude 8.5 group is visible under dark-sky conditions to binoculars as a weak, round, hazy patch and requires a mid-sized telescope to begin resolution of its long, looping chains of stars. Some members are similar to Sakurai’s Object, while others have evolved to helium depletion. Studying clusters like NGC 2420 is important: they are areas where stars are all about the same age, yet their different masses mean they evolve at different rates. Average telescopes will only see the primary stars, while large aperture notices the distinct glow of hundreds of stars on the verge of resolution. If you get the impression of a weak globular cluster, you’d be correct. With a thousand members packed into a 30-light-year sphere, a lot has happened during its 1.7-billion-year lifetime. It may have started in our own galaxy’s cluster-forming region and been thrown clear by an encounter with a large mass. Or, it might have once been part of a smaller galaxy absorbed by our own. But one thing is clear: its unusual Sun-like elements so far from where they belong make NGC 2420 a prime playground for study. Some of its members could even be blue stragglers—unions of two stars into one!

February 21, 2010 – This day in 1972, Luna 20 made a safe touchdown in the Apollonius highlands, where it captured 30 grams of surface material to return to Earth. Now it’s time to look take a closer look at Sinus Medii – the “Bay in the Middle” of the visible lunar surface.


Central on the terminator, and the adopted “center” of the lunar disc, this the point from which latitude and longitude are measured. This smooth plain may look small, but it covers about as much area as the states of Massachusetts and Connecticut combined. During full daylight temperatures in Sinus Medii can reach up to 212 degrees! On a curious note, in 1930 Sinus Medii was chosen by Edison Petitt and Seth Nicholson for a surface temperature measurement at full Moon. Experiments of this type were started by Lord Rosse as early as 1868, but on this occasion Petit and Nicholson found the surface to be slightly warmer than boiling water. Around a hundred years after Rosse’s attempt, Surveyor 6 successfully landed in Sinus Medii on November 9, 1967, and became the very first probe to “lift off” from the lunar surface.

Now, just kick back and relax as you take a closer look at what’s around the Moon to discover the Pleiades! For a great deal of western Africa, this is an occultation event – so be sure to check IOTA for times and information in your area!

Until next week? Dreams really do come true when you keep on reaching for the stars!

This week’s awesome lunar shots were done by Peter Lloyd and Greg Konkel. NGC 2420 – Credit: Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Cal Tech.

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Stereo “Soul” – A Visualization by Jukka Metsavanio

Seeing double? Darn right you are. It’s been awhile since I’ve featured any of Jukka Metsavanio’s brilliant visualizations… and things have gotten even more incredible since. Step inside and prepare to get blown away by “Stereo Soul”…

As always, whenever we present a dimensional visualization it is done in two fashions. The first is called “Parallel Vision” and it is much like a magic eye puzzle. When you open the full size image and your eyes are the correct distance from the screen, the images will seem to merge and create a 3D effect. However, for some folks, this doesn’t work well – so Jukka has also created the “Cross Version”, where you simply cross your eyes and the images will merge, creating a central image which appears 3D. For some folks, this won’t work either… But I hope it does for you!

Now, let’s learn a little bit about IC1848, the “Soul Nebula”…

Located about 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia, this complex of emission nebulae contain a radio source called W5. The stellar winds and intense radiation from the region’s most massive stars have carved out a black “holes” in the nebula. However, unlike the black holes that signal the death of a star, these forming cavities push the gases together and trigger new star formation. Younger stars line the rims of the cavities, while older ones form clumps and knots.

Let’s give them a fly-by…

Parallel Vision

Cross Vision

Can’t see “Stereo Soul”? Then have a look at this…

And be sure to thank J.P. Metsavanio for sharing his incredible visions with us!

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Astronomy For Kids: Bull Ridin’ Taurus

Now that we’ve discovered the easy constellation of Orion “The Hunter”, it’s time to take a look at what else is around! Instead of chasing down game with a bow and magic sword, this time we’ll be cowboys and rope the heavenly steer – Taurus – and take him for a ride! There won’t be any rodeo clowns to keep us safe. Just you and me and a starry night. Your mission? Locate Orion again. Now connect the three stars that make up his “belt” from left to right and keep drawing the line until you reach the next bright star. What we’re looking for is hiding just above Orion’s right shoulder…

Throughout history, almost every culture has seen this grouping of stars as a Bull. It is believed that there are cave paintings that depict Taurus and its many myths include it being everything from a giant white bull set out to capture a princess to one of the labors of Hercules. Maybe it was even one of the animals that Orion was hunting! Right now, one of the best times to find Taurus is about an hour after the Sun sets. If you live in the northern hemisphere, Taurus will be high to the south/southwest. For those near the equator, you’ll see this constellation well overhead and slightly to the west. For those who view from the southern hemisphere, Taurus will appear low to the northwest. But, no matter where you live, if your skies are bright from light pollution, you will have difficulty seeing the many faint stars that belong to the constellation of Taurus. So how do you find it? It’s easy! Look for the bright orange alpha star – Aldebaran. Now you’re looking the “Bull” right in the eye…

Giant star Aldebaran is one of the brightest of all the stars in the night sky and is about 65 light years away from Earth. At about 44 times the size of our Sun, it’s no wonder we can see it easily! If you were to look at Aldebaran with a telescope, you’d discover it is not alone – there are five other faint stars nearby, making it a multiple star system. As your eyes begin to adjust to the dark, you’ll slowly notice that Alpha Tauri is part of a V-shaped pattern of stars called an “asterism”. This marks the head of the bull and you’ve roped your first deep sky object with just your eyes!

This group of stars called the “Hyades” and ancient stories say these stars are the five daughters of Atlas. When their brother Hyas died, Atlas placed the girls in the sky to mourn. Although you cannot see all of them with just your eyes alone, there are many more stars which belong to this group… up to 400! Here on the ground, Aldebaran looks like it might be part of this open star cluster, but the true members are about 150 light years away, about two and half times further than our bright orange friend. If you look at the Hyades with binoculars, you’ll discover that many of the stars form angular pairs, like a giant domino game in the sky! But there is more than one set of “sisters” to find here…

Perhaps by now you’ve noticed a “fuzzy spot” to the northwest of Aldebaran? Now that you’ve roped the Bull and are ready to ride, let’s take a trip 440 light years away to visit with the “Pleiades”. Mankind has also seen and recognized this group of stars for about as long as… well… as long as mankind has been looking at the stars! The Oriental culture refers to them as “Suburu” and the Russians call them “Baba Yaga” – the witch with the fiery broom. They are mentioned in the Bible and the Greeks knew them as the “Seven Sisters”. In India, they are the “Stars of Fire” and native American Indians saw them as seven sisters hiding from the bears. Some cultures refer to the Pleiades as the “Little Eyes” and others associated them with fish caught in a net. Even the ancient Druids got in on the act, because they celebrated All Hallow’s Eve on the date this blue group of stars reached their highest point in the sky at midnight! If you take a look at them with binoculars or a telescope, you might notice a faint whisper of light around these stars that’s called nebulosity. They are passing through a region of dust in outer space and lighting up the cloud. Not bad for a group of stars that’s over 100 million years old!

Now the whistle has blown and it’s time to jump down off the Bull and run to safety, for Taurus is also home to one of the scariest things that can happen in space… A supernova! Now, in our times, we need a telescope to see what is left of an exploding star – but 900 years ago it was so bright that it could be seen during the day! Now all that’s left is a neutron star – a pulsar that sends off radio signals just like a heartbeat… and the “smoking” leftovers of the star’s mass shooting out into space at a speed of 1,500 kilometers per second. But don’t worry… the “Crab Nebula” is about 6,500 light-years from our solar system.

If you don’t find Taurus right away, don’t worry… But keep watching in the days ahead as the Moon gets closer and closer each night. Why? Because you’re in for a very special treat. Be sure to take a look at the constellation of Taurus on the night of February 21, 2010. For many of you, the Moon will cover up (occult) some of the stars of the Pleiades! For others, the Moon may just slide right by the edge… But no matter where you live, the Moon and the Seven Sisters will keep each other company all night long.

Image Credits: Taurus Chart courtesy of University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), Taurus Mythological courtesy of Starry Nights Software, Aldebaran and Hyades illustration courtesy of Wikipedia, the Pleiades and Crab Nebula courtesy of the Hubble Space Telescope and occultation chart courtesy of Your Sky.

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Weekend SkyWatcher’s Forecast – February 12-14, 2010

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! What better way to celebrate a snow-bound weekend than by having a look at the “Eskimo”! While we’re at it, we’ll take a look at an awesome open cluster suitable for all optics and take an adventure towards one of the best supernovae remnants in the night sky. Along the way, we’ll explore some of the history and mystery behind these objects, so dust off your optics and I’ll see you in the backyard….

Friday, February 12, 2010 – Today is unofficially Physicist’s Day! We’ll begin by celebrating three notable births on this date, starting in 1893 with Marcel Minnaert, solar physicist. Minnaert’s innovative techniques in solar spectrophotometry aided the discovery of structure in the Sun’s outer layers. Next is 1918 and Julian Schwinger, a physicist big on electromagnetic field theory, who shared the Nobel Prize for work in quantum electrodynamics. Last is the 1936 birth of Fang Lizhi, who published his work on the Big Bang theory in 1972. Even in exile from Communist China, he continues to express his belief in freedom of intellectual expression and continues his work in theoretical cosmology.

Tonight we’ll time-travel back 5,000 years as we head for NGC 2392. Located about two fingerwidths southeast of Delta Geminorum (RA 07 29 10 Dec +20 54 42), this beauty is a planetary nebula commonly known as the ‘‘Eskimo.’’ Discovered in 1787 by Sir William Herschel, a small telescope will see it as a fuzzy green star, while aperture will reveal definite annulus around its central stellar point. A steady night helps to reveal details, and a nebula filter lights it up! NGC 2392 is so complex that it is not yet fully understood. As with Minnaert’s solar work, we know the glowing gases are the outer layers of its central star, shed 10,000 years ago, while the inner ribbons of light (called filaments) are areas where particles are being pushed away by the strong stellar wind. Even now, we still can’t quite explain the unusual outer filaments! It won’t look like a Hubble image in your telescope, but you can still marvel at a unique mystery—seeing its light as it was when ‘‘physicists’’ began using the first ‘‘computer’’—the newly invented abacus!

February 13, 2010 – We salute Johan Ludvig Emil Dreyer, who was born on this date in 1852. At age 30, Danish astronomer Dreyer became director of the Armagh Observatory—not a grand honor, considering the observatory was so broke it couldn’t afford to replace its equipment. Like all good directors, Dreyer somehow managed to get a new 1000 refractor but no funds for an assistant to practice traditional astronomy. However, J.L.E. was dedicated and within 6 years had compiled all observations known to him into one unified work called the New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars (NGC). Originally containing 7,840 objects, and supplemented in 1895 and 1908 with another 5,386 designations, the NGC remains the standard reference catalog. Although Dreyer’s personal observations included such nebulous descriptions as ‘‘a vault of stars,’’ modern astronomers continue to use his abbreviations as a kind of shorthand.

Honor Dreyer tonight by discovering one of his catalog objects suited for all optics—NGC2287. Located about two finger-widths south of Alpha Canis Majoris (RA 06 46 00 Dec +20 46 00), only an open cluster this bright could stand up against brilliant Sirius. From a dark-sky location, your unaided eye can even spot this magnitude 4.5 star vault as a hazy patch. Aristotle saw it as early as 325 BC! Officially discovered by Hodierna, we know it best by the designation Messier Object 41. Even from 2,300 light-years away, the cluster’s brightest star, an orange giant, stands out clearly from the stellar nest. With large aperture, you’ll notice other K-type stars, all very similar to Sol. Although small scopes and binoculars won’t reveal too much color, you might pick up on the blue signature of young, hot stars. NGC 2287 could be anywhere from 190 to 240 million years old, but its stars shine as brightly now as they did in Aristotle’s day. . .and Dreyer’s!

February 14, 2010 – On this date in 1747, astronomer James Bradley presented his evidence of Earth’s wobble, called nutation. The study took 19 years, but won Bradley the Copley Medal! In 1827, George Clark was born. The name might not ring a bell, but it was indeed a bell—melted down—that he used to create his first brass telescope. George’s family went on to produce the finest—and largest—telescopes of their time. In 1898 one of my personal heroes, Fritz Zwicky came along, his name synonymous with the theory of supernovae. The Swiss-born Caltech professor was also a salty character, often intimidating his colleague Walter Baade and referring to others as ‘‘spherical bastards.’’ Although Zwicky was reportedly difficult to work with (geez… wonder why?), he was also brilliant—predicting the phenomenon of gravitational lensing. An unsung genius!

Tonight we’ll look at a supernova remnant as we venture to the Crab Nebula. Finding M1 is easy: it can be seen with as little as 7x magnification. Locate Zeta Tauri (about halfway between Orion’s ‘‘head’’ and the southernmost bright star in Auriga) and aim about 1 degree northwest (RA 05 34 31 Dec +22 00 52). Viewing M1 with small optics helps to understand why Charles Messier decided to compile his famous catalog. Unaware of its earlier discovery, Messier located a fuzzy object near the ecliptic and assumed it was the return of Halley’s Comet. Considering his primitive telescope, we can’t fault his observation. But Chuck was a good astronomer. When he realized the object wasn’t in motion, he began compiling a log of things not to be confused with comets—the famous Messier objects. Enjoy looking at this spectacular deep-sky jewel, and we’ll study it in depth another time. Of course, Zwicky may have cursed me for saying that observing without science is an ‘‘empty brain exercise and therefore a waste of time.’’ But on the date of his birth, I took his advice. . . ‘‘Give me a topic and I’ll give you an idea!’’

Until next week? Dreams really do come true when you keep on reaching for the stars!

This week’s awesome stellar images are from Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech. We thank you so much!

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

An XO For Valentine’s Day…

The planet XO-3b, and the star XO-3 positions - Credit : DSS survey

[/caption]Almost everyone the world over recognizes the letters X and O to represent a kiss and a hug, but this time the XO stands for Extrasolar Planet XO-3b. If you’d like an extra special “kiss and hug” for Valentine’s Day, then why not visit with Baraket Observatory on Februrary 13th as they present their live, on-line AstroCast of XO-3b transiting its parent star! This is definitely an event you won’t want to miss, so step inside for more information…

On February 13, 2010, Baraket Observatory will webcast (weather permitting) the transit of an extra solar planet named “XO-3b”. The event will be observed by using a highly sophisticated robotic telescope and a sensitive cooled CCD camera. The observatory will transfer live images of the transit as they’re being captured by the Bareket Internet EDU scope, while plotting its light curve through the site as the transit progress. This truly amazing process will give students and the general pubic a unique in side view to behind the observatory scenes, while presenting to the viewers how science is being done – all in real time. The event will be about 2 hours in duration, scheduled to take place at 19:00 UTC.

Live Astro-cast of the ExtraSolar Planet XO-3b Transit

Live Astro-cast of the ExtraSolar Planet XO-3b Transit (European Server)

The American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) is collaborating with Bareket Observatory on variable-object studies, of which transiting exoplanets are a key element. The AAVSO has calibrated nearby stars in each of the known transiting exoplanet systems to act as local standards against which you can compare the host star for variability. The AAVSO is also working with the XO project team to study other variable stars that they have discovered during their exoplanet survey. Exoplanet transits are hard to detect, since the dip is only one percent or so in brightness, but with care, any amateur observer with a CCD camera can watch the transit of a planet around another star. A transit means the extra solar planet acts very similar to Venus, in our own solar system, when it passed in front of our Sun (in a direct geometrical line between the sun and the Earth), featuring a “mini eclipse”. While Venus can be easily observed against the solar disc, the extended XO-3b planet only presented as a dim singular dot in the sky. While it’s total brightness only slightly vary during the extra solar planet transit, for a relatively short period of time. The drop in the brightness is proportional to the planet’s surface. Usually within a 1% for a gaseous giant (Such as Jupiter) and as low as 0.01% for an Earth–sized planet. Searching for extra solar planets by detecting their transit is well within the possibilities of many today’s Earth based observatories and now watching a transit electronically is like a dream come true!

Flowers and candy for Valentine’s Day? Sure, that’s nice… But if you want to win an astronomer’s heart, give ’em a big XO!

This project is a part of the Bareket observatory Live-@stro outreach programs.

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Astronomy For Kids: Orion – The Star Hunter

If you’ve been peeking out the windows at night, or maybe looked up while walking the dog before bedtime or taking out the trash after dinner, perhaps you’ve seen three fairly bright stars in a row. Depending on how early or late you look, you may see them lined up side-by-side above the horizon, or they may be one on top the other when they are setting to the west. If you’ve noticed them, you wouldn’t be the first… Humankind has been telling stories about this set of stars for centuries!

The three stars are the most notable feature in the ancient constellation of Orion and it’s best to look for them just after the Sun sets and the skies get dark. If you live in the northern half of the world, you’ll find them to the south. If you llive near the equator, they will be overhead. If you live in the southern hemisphere, you’ll spy the trio north. But no matter where you live, the Star Hunter is visible to everyone! Once you see it, hold your left hand out at arm’s length and spread your fingers wide – covering the three stars with your palm. If you look just above your little finger, you will see an orange looking star. It’s name is Betelgeuse and it’s the brightest of all the stars in the constellation. Just below your thumb you’ll see another bright star. This blue/white giant is named Rigel and it’s the second brightest star. Now, take your hand away and look at the pattern. Do you see a connect-the-dots hourglass shape? Congratulations! If your skies are dark enough, you’ll see a patch of stars to the north that represents the head of the hunter. To the west you may see a curved line of stars that represents his bow or shield. But the most special place of all is just below those three stars…

The ancient Greeks gave us a lot of great stories – many of them very different from each other. One might say that Orion was a great hunter who was banished to the sky for bragging on how many animals he could kill and the two bright stars which follow him represent his hunting dogs. Another says Orion fell in love with a goddess and was killed by an arrow when the goddess’ brother was tricked into shooting him. Still another says he was killed by a sting from Scorpio, the Scorpion. No matter which tale you may care to listen to, the fact remains that cultures all over the world have recognized this constellation for centuries on end and all see Orion as a human figure. But why would they notice this constellation more than any other? Maybe it’s the magic that’s just below those three stars!

If you live where the skies are dark, you’ll see another line of stars just below the trio. In myth, this represents Orion’s “sword”, but it’s a magic one. Take a close look and you’ll see a ghostly glow just about in the center of the sword. If you don’t spot it with your eyes alone, try using a pair of binoculars. It will look like a glowing cloud for a very good reason. It’s a cloud where stars are being born! This glowing gas cloud is called the Great Orion Nebula and the light you see now left on its journey to your eyes around 500 A.D. That’s about the time that King Arthur was around! Inside are hundreds of stars being born and their energy lights up the gas, just like a neon tube. While you won’t see the pretty colors with your eyes the way the camera does, you can still enjoy the magic and share what you’ve learned with your friends. All you need to do is just find three stars in a row…

Image Credits: Orion Chart courtesy of University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), Orion Sky Shot courtesy of Mouser Williams, Stellarium represenation of Orion and Orion Nebula courtesy of the Hubble Space Telescope.