Posted on by Tammy Plotner

100 Hours of Astronomy for Universe Today Readers Begins Now!


Attention Universe Today Readers! “100 Hours of Astronomy” is about to begin and we’ve got a very special gift just for you. How would you like to decide where to aim our IYA remote telescope? While Saturday, April 3, celebrates the global Star Party where many telescopes (both remote and live) will be open to the public, we couldn’t help but wonder about those who might not be able to make it out, didn’t live near an event – or had bad weather. So, we decided to do something about it. Rather than only give you the 100 hours of telescope time over the next few days, we’re going to give you 100 hours of IYA remote telescope targeting choices and only start the clock ticking when the sky is clear and the scope is running! Are you ready to choose your coordinates and save your astrophoto to show to the world? Then grab your star charts and step inside for some instructions…

Beginning at 9:00 UT on April 2, 2009 the IYA “Galactic TV” Remote Telescope located in the southern hemisphere will be yours when it comes to choice of objects for viewing. If you’ve ever wondered what a particular NGC looks like – then now is your chance to find out! However, you’ll need to remember that this is a “real” telescope with real limitations working from a real sky… and that means doing a little astronomical homework on your part. Are you ready to begin? Good!!

For those of us familiar with northern hemisphere skies, this means totally reversing the way we think. The ecliptic plane will now be to the north, positioned approximately 60 degrees above the horizon from our telescope’s point of view and the southern pole will be positioned roughly 40 degrees above the horizon. This means that constellations familiar to us – like Orion – will begin past the meridian to the high west at nightfall. Good constellations to choose objects from (for example) would be Carina, Vela, Crux, Centaurus, Circinus, Pavo, Indus, Tucana, Hydra, Lupus, Pices Austrinus and Scorpius. But, don’t forget that we share common sky, too! Anything rising to the east can also be seen.

The next step in choosing a target is what our telescope is capable of. When it comes to field of view, you’re in luck at a full degree of “eyepiece space”. This means that anything that measures 60 arc minutes or less in size will fit inside the camera screen with ease. You will need to choose your object by magnitude as well. During perfect dark sky conditions our 80mm telescope can achieve around magnitude 8 deep sky (such as galaxies and nebulae), but remember… there will be Moon present for at least part of the evening. This will limit what the telescope can “see” at a particular time. While the Moon is out, choose bright open star clusters and save galaxies or nebula for the hours before dawn. Also remember our telescope is very small, so it has a limited resolution factor – it won’t be able to split very close double stars.

Now… Are you ready for the fun part?! All you have to do is post your object request here. You don’t need to be an astronomer, know how to operate a telescope or how to control astrophotography equipment to enjoy our IYA remote scope! Just post the common name (like Eta Carinae), OR catalog number (such as NGC 2516, Messier, IC or others) of your request, OR type in the coordinates (RA and Dec), add your name and location, and the Southern Galactic Telescope Hosting Facility will take care of the rest. When your object is targeted, here is what your screen will look like:

image0

So what happens if you’re not home or at your computer when your request appears? Not to worry. We thought of that, too. Southern Galactic has kindly agreed to take a photo snap of your screen and save it for you! Because this wonderful project is meant to inspire everyone around the world to use a telescope, we’ll save these images and post the collection every few days for the duration of the 100 hours of the IYA remote telescope event and folks everywhere will have an opportunity to enjoy the target you have chosen and to see who selected it.

We’ll honor as many requests as possible each night – allowing ample viewing time for each object, take your snapshot for the library and select one as the video of the day. Some may appear before others depending on the position or magnitude demands, but we’ll do our very best to give you all you ask for. So what are you waiting for? Get your star charts out and start posting your requests here right now!

Our many thanks to the Southern Galactic Remote Telescope Hosting Facility for the extremely generous donation of your time to make this wonderful project happen!

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

IYA Live Telescope Today – M68

We certainly hope you had the opportunity to keep an eye on our remote telescope! Despite the Moon gaining a hold on the sky, we’re delivering some very fine images and we’ve even bumped up the user level so more folks can access the telescope at the same time. I know it’s certainly fascinating to watch and I have to keep reminding myself to quit being a “scope hog”! If you didn’t get a chance to watch the IYA telescope “live” on Galactic TV today, don’t worry. We took a video capture for you. Step inside to enjoy today’s view of Messier Object 68. We do it all for you…

The following information is a direct quotation from Wikipedia:

M 68 Globular Cluster: Constellation – HYDRA

Messier 68 (also known as M68 or NGC 4590) is a globular cluster in the Hydra constellation. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1780. M68 is at a distance of about 33,000 light-years away from Earth.

This following is a direct quotation from SEDS and is credited to the wonderful work of Hartmut Frommert and Christine Kronberg who have inspired and taught us so much over the years:

Messier 68 (M68, NGC 4590) is a beautiful globular cluster situated in an unusual place for such objects, in the hemisphere opposite to the Galactic Center. This 7.8th magnitude globular cluster lies at a distance of about 33,000 light years, and its members are spread over a volume of about 106 light years diameter. It has at least 42 known variables. Harlow Shapley had already found of which 28 so-called “cluster Variables” (RR Lyrae stars), one of which (No. 27) has later been shown to be not a cluster member (Greenstein, Bidelman and Popper, 1947). Shapley also gave the ellipticity of this globular as 9 in 1930, while in 1949, he described it as round when accounting for its 2000 brightest stars. In amateur telescopes it actually appears round, although some observers (including John Mallas) perceived it as oval.

Former catalogs systematically give fainter visual magnitudes, probably because this southern cluster was estimated from northern observers: Helen Sawyer Hogg lists it at 9.12 mag, Mallas/Kreimer at 8th mag, Becvar, Kenneth Glyn Jones and the Sky Catalogue 2000.0 at mag 8.2. The newer Deep Sky Field Guide to Uranometria 2000.0 gives mag 7.7, and in its second edition, a total apparent visual brightness of mag 7.3.

According to Kenneth Glyn Jones, M68 contains about 250 giant stars of absolute mag greater than zero, about half as much as M3 or M13. Its brightest star is of magnitude 12.6, while the horizontal branch level of this cluster is at mag 15.6, according to the Deep Sky Field Guide to Uranometria 2000.0. Helen Sawyer Hogg has found 25 stars being brighter than mag 14.8, and lists its overall spectral type as A6.

Past distance measurements for M68 have varied: Shapley’s early determination had been 50,000 light years (15.5 kpc), while Becvar gives 37,500 ly (11.5 kpc), T.D. Kinman’s average is 39,000 ly (12.0kpc), and McCluere et.al (1937) obtained 36,000 ly (11.2 kpc). Our modern value of 33,300 ly is from William E. Harris’ Galactic Globular Clusters Database. M68 is approaching us at 112 km/sec.

M68 was discovered by Charles Messier on April 9, 1780. Because of some dubious error, Admiral Smyth has assigned this discovery to Pierre Méchain, and in the 1960s, Kenneth Glyn Jones adopted this view, despite the fact that this is not acknowledged by Messier in his Catalog description, as he did for all of Méchain’s true discoveries. The discovery is correctly assigned to Messier e.g. by Dreyer’s NGC, Helen B. Sawyer [Hogg] (1947) and Burnham. As most of Messier’s globular clusters, it was first resolved into stars by William Herschel, in 1786. Messier mentions a 6th mag star in his description for M68, which is actually a 5.4-mag double star: ADS 8612 (also cataloged as B320), A: 5.4 mag, B: 12.2 mag at PA 152 deg and separation 1.6″ (in 1926).

M68 is quite difficult to observe for Northern observers because of its southern declination. They may best find it by following a line from the stars Delta to Beta Corvi (mag 3), which points toward 5.4-mag ADS 8612 mentioned above. M68 is then easily located about 45′ NE of this star. A faint patch in binoculars, the brightest stars of M68 are resolved by telescopes starting from 4-inch aperture under good conditions; these instruments show a mottled round nebulous patch with a bright center, gradually fading to its edges. A 6-inch resolves the outer parts of this cluster, a halo of 12′ diameter. Larger telescopes show its nature as a rich cluster well to the core.

! As always, you can visit the remote telescope by clicking on the IYA “LIVE Remote Cam” Logo to your right. We’ll be broadcasting whenever skies are clear and dark in Central Victoria! Enjoy…

Factual information is copied from: Wikipedia and from the SEDS Messier 68 page. Thank you so much!

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

IYA Live Telescope Today – The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy

If you didn’t get a chance to watch the IYA telescope “live” on Galactic TV today, don’t worry. We took a video capture for you. Step inside to enjoy today’s view of the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy.

The following information is a direct quotation from Wikipedia:

Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (Messier 83) – Hydra constellation

Messier 83 (also known as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, M83 or NGC 5236) is an intermediate spiral galaxy approximately 15 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra. Pierre Mechain discovered M83 in 1752 at the Cape of Good Hope. Charles Messier added it to his catalogue of nebulous objects (now known as the Messier Catalogue) in March 1781.

It is one of the closest and brightest barred spiral galaxies in the sky, making it visible with binoculars. Six Supernovae (SN 1923A, SN 1945B, SN 1950B, SN 1957D, SN 1968L and SN 1983N) have been observed in M83. On 16 June 2008 NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer project reported finding large numbers of new stars in the outer reaches of the galaxy. It had hitherto been thought that these areas lacked the materials necessary for star formation.

M83 is at the center of one of two subgroups within the Centaurus A/M83 Group, a nearby group of galaxies. Centaurus A is at the center of the other subgroup. These two groups are sometimes identified as one group and sometimes identified as two groups. However, the galaxies around Centaurus A and the galaxies around M83 are physically close to each other, and both subgroups appear not to be moving relative to each other.

Now that you have seen Messier 83 in a small telescope, you can see why Charles Messier felt it could have been mistaken for a comet! As always, you can visit the remote telescope by clicking on the IYA “LIVE Remote Cam” Logo to your right. We’ll be broadcasting whenever skies are clear and dark in Central Victoria! Enjoy…

Factual information is copied from: Wikipedia.

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

100 Hours of Astronomy Begins on April 2


Have you heard the word? In celebration of the International Year of Astronomy, there’s a worldwide event happening that will begin on April 2 and last through April 5, 2009. Public outreach activities, live science centers, research observatory webcasts and sidewalk astronomy events are only a small part of what you’ll discover when the “100 Hours of Astronomy Cornerstone Project” gets underway. Want to find out more about what’s happening? Then step inside…

What’s it all about? One of the goals of “100 Hours of Astronomy” is to get as many people as possible to look through a telescope – just as Galileo did 400 years ago. This four-day event will encompass astronomy clubs, groups, individuals, observatories, science centers and more around the world as they reach out to the public to achieve this common goal. During the opening ceremonies on April 2, Franklin Institute in Philadelphia will feature one of Galileo’s telescopes and the Director of the Institute and Museum of the History of Science in Florence, Italy, (home of the two remaining Galileo telescopes) will give a talk on the importance of Galileo’s telescopes and his discoveries. Also on April 2, select science centers will begin a live webcast featuring discussions on current topics in astronomy and remote telescope viewing. On April 3 another 24-hour webcast will begin when astronomers at professional research observatories around the world will take viewers inside their telescope domes and control rooms via camera.

One of the features of “100 Hours of Astronomy” will be a 24-hour Global Star Party on April 5, when telescopes – both solar and celestial) will be open for public viewing by astronomy clubs and observing groups around the world at no charge. And, beginning a dawn on April 5, we’ll celebrate “Sun Day” with more solar viewing! Just like our own IYA Live Telescope many observatories around the world are also offering access to their telescopes as well, where you can sign up for an opportunity to control a telescope in real time and take pictures, or have someone assist you.

poster_100hours_lWhere do you find a program near you? One of the best places to start is at the official website and the “100 Hours of Astronomy – Find An Event” page. Check your local newspapers, astronomy websites, radio broadcasts and libraries. If you can’t find anything nearby – then use what you have right in front of you! Thanks to Internet Magic “Around the World in 80 Telescopes” will begin at 9:00 UT on April 3 and last until 9:00 UT on April 4. Don’t miss you chance to take off to some of the most advanced ground- and space-based observatories around the world and off the planet!

One of the highlights of this project will be an opportunity to peek into ESA’s XMM-Newton and Integral satellite control rooms in Spain. Viewers will get an insight into two space observatories, XMM-Newton and Integral, an opportunity to meet astronomers working on these missions, a sneak preview at a pretty new XMM-Newton image of Messier 82, and a chance to participate in a student competition using data from the Integral satellite. This live 24-hour video webcast is organized by the European Organization for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO) and was initiated by the International Astronomical Union and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Don’t miss this spectacular opportunity!

How can you participate? If you, or your astronomy group haven’t registered a program yet – do it! Even just a few hours of setting up a telescope is a great way to participate in this monumental global event celebrating the International Year of Astronomy. Drop a line to your local newspaper or phone your local radio station and ask them to promote your project. Even if you just set your telescope up on the sidewalk for a few hours and treat your neighbors to a view of the Moon or Saturn, you’ll be honoring Galileo and all that he stands for.

What are you waiting for? Go ahead and list your “100 Hours of Astronomy” event here, too!

Wishing you clear skies….

The “100 Hours of Astronomy” Banner is courtesy of 100 Hours of Astronomy and the “80 Telescopes Logo” is courtesy of ESA IYA 2009. We thank you!

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

IYA Live Telescope Today – Alpha Crucis: Split! and M11

If you didn’t get a chance to watch the IYA telescope “live” on Galactic TV today, don’t worry. We took a video capture for you. Step inside to enjoy today’s view of Alpha Crucis, better know as Acrux. Thanks to a little “fine tuning” we’ve learned how to split the doubles on video! As an added weekend treat we’ve even done a little duck hunting, too… Double your pleasure, double your fun… Catch a double star and two videos – instead of just one!

The following information is a cut and paste from Wikipedia to accompany the video:

Alpha Crucis – Acrux: CRUX

Acrux (Alpha Cru / Alpha Crucis) is the brightest star in constellation Crux, the Southern Cross and, at visual magnitude 0.77, is the twelfth brightest star in the night time sky. Acrux is the southernmost first-magnitude star, just a bit more southerly than Alpha Centauri.

Acrux is a multiple star located 321 light years from the solar system. Only two components are visually distinguishable, Alpha 1 and Alpha 2, separated by 4 arcseconds. ?1 is magnitude 1.40 and Alpha 2 is magnitude 2.09, both hot class B (almost class O) stars, with surface temperatures of about 28,000 and 26,000 kelvins respectively. Their luminosities are 25,000 and 16,000 times that of the Sun. Alpha 1 and Alpha 2 orbit over such a long period that motion is only barely seen. From their minimum separation of 430 astronomical units, the period is at least 1,500 years, and may be much longer.

Alpha 1 is itself a spectroscopic binary star, with its components thought to be around 14 and 10 times the mass of the Sun and orbiting in only 76 days at a separation of about 1 AU. The masses of Alpha 2 and the brighter component of Alpha 1 suggest that the stars will someday explode as supernovae. The fainter component of Alpha1 may survive to become a massive white dwarf.

Another class-B subgiant lies 90 arcseconds away from triple Acrux and shares Acrux’s motion through space, suggesting it may be gravitationally bound to Acrux. However, if it is indeed located near Acrux, it is under-luminous for its class. It is probably just an optical double star, most likely several hundred light years beyond Acrux.

(Information Source: Wikipedia)

Wild Duck Cluster (M 11): SCUTUM

The Wild Duck Cluster (also known as Messier 11, or NGC 6705) is an open cluster in the constellation Scutum. It was discovered by Gottfried Kirch in 1681. Charles Messier included it in his catalogue in 1764.

The Wild Duck Cluster is one of the richest and most compact of the known open clusters, containing about 2900 stars. Its age has been estimated to about 220 million years. Its name derives from the brighter stars forming a triangle which could represent a flying flock of ducks.

(Information Source: Wikipedia)

As always, you can visit the remote telescope by clicking on the IYA “LIVE Remote Cam” Logo to your right. We’ll be broadcasting whenever skies are clear and dark in Central Victoria! Enjoy….

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Countdown to Earth Hour 2009…


There’s less than 24 hours left before Earth Hour 2009 will begin. While you may hotly debate whether or not turning out your lights for one hour can impact our global climate – it’s not about what actually happens to our planet during that hour, but about showing you care. 3,900 cities and towns in 84 countries around the world will be shutting down the lights at 8:30 pm local time in one of the biggest events in history. Even if you don’t care, take the time to read just a little bit more… Where will you be when the lights go out?

According the latest Earth Hour bulletin: “More than 300 cities and towns in the U.S. representing 43 states and the District of Columbia are going dark as part of the largest global climate event in history. Before the rooster crows in most American cities on Saturday morning, lights will already have gone dark in cities like Christchurch, Sydney and Brisbane. By breakfast time on the U.S. East Coast, the cities of Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Singapore and Manila will be celebrating the arrival of the largest global climate event in history. Just before lunchtime in America, the lights will be dimming in Mumbai, Amman and Dubai. And by early afternoon in New York, it will be lights out in Paris, Istanbul, London and Copenhagen.”

Can you imagine places that you would never dream of going dark participating in such an event? During Earth Hour you’ll find The European Union Headquarters in Brussels, St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing, Washington, D.C, The Pyramids in Egypt, the Acropolis in Athens, the Broadway Theater District, the Space Needle in Seattle, and the Chrysler Building will all go dark for Earth Hour.

Read the Earth Hour Mission: “For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

This meeting will determine official government policies to take action against global warming, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol. It is the chance for the people of the world to make their voice heard. We all have a vote, and every single vote counts. Together we can take control of the future of our planet, for future generations.”

VOTE EARTH by simply switching off your lights for one hour, and join the world for Earth Hour – Saturday, March 28, 8:30-9:30pm.

With much love to all of those who took the time to care and spread the word. Special thanks to Kim B. for all of her hard work in promoting Earth Hour!

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

SkyWatcher’s Forecast – Messier Marathon Special Edition Continues…

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Are you ready to round up the last of the Messier objects as our less frenzied look at the seasonal race continues? While the Moon is back in the early evening skies, what we’re about to hunt down requires getting up early instead of staying up late. I’ll make the coffee and see you in the backyard…

m57Friday, March 27, 2009 – Are you tired of running the Messier Marathon yet? Don’t be. Up before dawn isn’t everyone’s idea of a good time, but those who enjoy astronomy will enjoy seeing the promise of summer in the stars. For the next several days, we’ll enjoy the finest and most easily located objects as we continue. Start with Lyra and its southernmost two bright stars Beta and Gamma. M57 (RA 18 53 35.08 Dec +33 01 45.0), the Ring Nebula, is about halfway between – the donut with your morning coffee! M56 (RA 19 16 35.50 Dec +30 11 04.2) resides about midway between Gamma Lyrae and Beta Cygni. Two degrees south of Gamma Cygni is open cluster M29 (RA 20 23 56.00 Dec +38 31 23.0), and M39 (RA 21 31 48.00 Dec +48 27 00.0) is less than a fistwidth northeast of Deneb. Hop north of Gamma Sagittae to find M27 (RA 19 59 36.34 Dec +22 43 16.1), and the loose globular M71 (RA 19 53 46.11 Dec +18 46 42.3) is southwest of Gamma.

Now to early morning skies, and into our galactic halo, as we track down globular clusters. Ophiuchus’ many stars can be hard to identify, so start with Beta Scorpii (Graffias) and head about 10 degrees northeast. That’s Zeta: it’s the marker you’ll need for M107 (RA 16 32 31.91 Dec -13 03 13.1). About one quarter the way back toward Graffias, you will see a line of three stars in the finder. Aim at the center one, and you’ll see globular M10 (RA 16 57 08.99 Dec -04 05 57.6) in the same field, and M12 (RA 16 47 14.52 Dec -01 56 52.2) is 3 degrees northeast. M14 (RA 17 37 36.15 Dec -03 14 45.3) is approximately 16 degrees south and due east of M10.

pierceEnjoy your day and think about the importance of the birth of John Pierce in 1910. Pierce undertook the visionary work of communications satellites. Although people scoffed at his ideas, in 1960 he convinced a U.S. agency called NASA to convert a balloon-borne experiment called ‘‘Echo’’ into a radio wave reflector. Thanks to his brilliant work, the next step was the development of Telstar, a satellite that ushered in the modern age of television! Of course, you could always just skip TV tonight and do the marathon all at once…

Saturday, March 28, 2009 – In just a few short days, you’ve conquered 80 objects from a prestigious observing list! The time before dawn is a very quiet and beautiful part of the day. Now head for bright Eta Ophiuchi directly between Scorpius and Sagittarius. Globular M9 (RA 17 19 11.78 Dec -18 30 58.5) is 3.5 degrees southeast. Now head for Antares. The diffuse, giant globular cluster M4 (RA 16 23 35.41 Dec -26 31 31.9) is about a degree west. Four degrees northwest of Antares is compact, bright globular M80 (RA 16 17 02.51 Dec -22 58 30.4). Seven degrees due east of Antares is globular M19 (RA 17 02 37.69 Dec -26 16 04.6)! The last globular cluster this morning is M62 (RA 17 01 12.60 Dec -30 06 44.5), located another 5 degrees south of M19.

Hey, you’re doing terrific! Some of these are tough to find unless you’ve had practice. But now we’re up to a total of 85, and about to add a few more…

The lower curve of Scorpius is quite distinctive and the unaided eye pair you see at the ‘‘stinger’’ is beautiful double Lambda and its slightly less bright neighbor Upsilon. Just northeast is beautiful M6 (RA 17 40 18.00 Dec -32 12 00.0), the Butterfly Cluster. Slightly southeast is an unaided hazy patch. Aim there, and you’ll find spectacular open cluster M7 (RA 17 53 48.00 Dec -34 47 -0.0), or Ptolemy’s Cluster. Identify Lambda Aquilae, look west, and you’ll find M11 (RA 18 51 00.00 Dec -06 16 00.0), the Wild Duck open cluster. About the same distance to the south/southwest is open cluster M26 (RA 18 45 18.66 Dec -09 23 01.0).

m16These are all great binocular targets, but it will take an exceptionally dark, clear sky to see the Eagle Nebula associated with M16 (RA 18 18 48.00 Dec -13 49 00.0) – an easy open cluster about a fist-width southwest of M26. If you’re lost, try counting the stars down the Eagle’s back from bright Altair until you reach Gamma Scuti and look about 2 degrees northwest. What you seek is worth the time it takes, because cluster M16 is a star-forming region located on the edge of one of the Milky Way’s own spiral arms about 7,000 light-years away. Perhaps Messier was the first to notice the Eagle Nebula (IC 4703), because his notes include the description: ‘‘enmeshed in a faint glow.’’ Large telescopes can see the dark dust lanes containing the Pillars of Creation, but it isn’t always easy. The entire nebula eluded the Herschels!

Don’t forget to shut ’em down tonight from 8:30 to 9:30 pm for Earth Hour. Make your voice heard!

Sunday, March 29, 2009 – Get up before dawn, and let’s take a less frenzied look at the beauty around us. Begin by identifying Lambda, the northernmost star in the teapot asterism of Sagittarius. Its name is Kaus Borealis – the “northern” star – so grab your binoculars, for north is the direction we’re heading…

m18The bright “Nike Swoosh” of M17 is located a fist-width north of Lambda. Many of you know this as the Omega or Swan Nebula. Slide south for a very small collection of stars known as M18 (RA 18 19 58.49 Dec -17 06 07.1). Move further south to call up a huge cloud of stars labeled M24 (RA 18 18 24.00 Dec -18 26 -0.0). This patch of Milky Way “stuff” will also show a wonderful open cluster – NGC 6603 – to average telescopes, and some great Barnard darks to larger ones. Shift southeast for open cluster M25 (RA 18 31 46.77 Dec -19 06 53.9), and head due west a fist-width for open cluster M23 (RA 17 57 00.00 Dec -18 59 -0.0). From there, drop south again, and M21 (RA 18 04 12.00 Dec -22 29 -0.0) will be your reward. M20 (RA 18 02 23.00 Dec -23 01 48.0) – the Trifid Nebula – is southwest. M8 (RA 18 03 37.00 Dec -24 23 12.0) – the Lagoon Nebula – is further south again, and very easy to see. This particular star hop is great fun. If you have children, point out the primary stars, and show them how they look like a dot-to-dot “tea kettle.” From the kettle’s “spout” pours the “steam: of the Milky Way. If you start there, all you will need to do is follow the ‘‘steam’’ trail up the sky and you will see the majority of these with ease. Our Messier temperature has now risen to 98…

On this date in 1974, NASA’s Mariner 10 went into history by returning the first close-up pictures of the planet Mercury. Mariner also became the first craft to use solar wind to navigate when its panels were reconfigured into makeshift solar sails! Take time to honor the 1890 birth of Spencer Jones on this date, the first to prove Earth had a slightly irregular rotation, and to triangulate the Sun’s position using an asteroid. Oddly enough, Vesta was also discovered on this date! If you’d like to take a look at this Arizona-sized world for yourself, be sure to look tomorrow night, as it appears less than a fist-width (8 degrees) south of the crescent Moon!

groombridgeMonday, March 30, 2009 – Wake up, sleepyhead… You must get up before dawn to finish our Messier studies! While the coffee is brewing, think about the year 239 BC, when the Chinese first recorded a perihelion passage of Halley’s Comet. Now, step outside and look at the starry skies as you pay a moment’s silent tribute to the English astronomer Stephen Groombridge, who passed away on this day in 1832. At age 51, he began cataloging 4,243 circumpolar stars within 50 degrees of Polaris. Although the catalog wasn’t published until 6 years after his death, Groombridge never stopped working on it, even after he founded the Astronomical Society!

m69OK, now It’s crunch time, and the first few on this list will be fairly easy to see around 5.00 am, but you won’t have long before the dawn steals them from the sky. Remember Kaus Borealis? Good.

We’re starting at the top of the tea kettle with Lambda, our marker for the small M28 (RA 18 24 32.89 Dec -24 52 11.4) globular cluster. It is just a breath north-northwest. Larger, brighter, and quite wonderful globular cluster M22 (RA 18 36 24.21 Dec -23 54 12.2) is to Lambda’s northeast. The southeastern corner of the tea kettle is Zeta. Slide southwest to capture globular cluster M54 (RA 18 55 03.28 Dec -30 28 42.6). Head another 3 degrees southwest for the faint, fuzzy ball of M70 (RA 18 43 12.64 Dec -32 17 30.8). Two degrees further west is another globular: say good morning to M69 (RA 18 31 23.23 Dec -32 20 52.7)!

You’ve done a fantastic job over the last 10 days, and you can certainly understand by now that even with this slower pace, the Messier Marathon is a challenge not everyone can appreciate. Now, try to get some rest because the last objects on the list are coming up…

m75Tuesday, March 31, 2009 – Be warned! It’s really going to get tough to finish our Messier list, but you can do it! Start an hour before sunrise, but don’t procrastinate. Small globular M55 is about a fist-width east-southeast of Zeta Sagittarii, and the dawn is coming. Even more difficult is equally small globular M75 (RA 20 06 04.75 Dec -21 55 16.2). Look for a “V” pattern of stars in the finder a fist-width south of Beta Capricorni, and aim at the northeastern star of this trio. Without the “square” of Pegasus to guide us, look low to the east and identify Enif by its reddish color. The power-punch globular M15 (RA 21 29 58.38 Dec +12 10 00.6) is northwest, and you should be able to see the star on its border in the finderscope. Be thankful M2 (RA 21 33 27.00 Dec -00 49 24.0) is such a fine – and large – globular cluster just a little less than a fist-width due west of Alpha Aquarii.

Head a fist-width southwest of Beta Aquarii to snag what will now be two extremely dim ones – globular M72 (RA 20 53 27.91 Dec -12 32 13.4) and open cluster M73 (RA 20 59 00.00 Dec -12 38 -0.0) open just west of Nu. We will be just ahead of the light of dawn for our last object. Hang on, Delta Capricorni, and show us the way south-southwest to star 41! If you can find that? Hey… you’ve found the dim globular cluster M30 (RA 21 40 22.03 Dec -23 10 44.6) in the same field northwest.

Congratulations! You’ve done the entire Messier catalog in less than 2 weeks!

Is this a perfect list with perfect instructions? No way. Just like the weather, things aren’t always perfect. These are just general guidelines to help you find the Messiers for yourself. Unless you’re using a computer-guided scope, it takes a lot of practice to find them all, so don’t be discouraged if they don’t just fall from the sky. You might find all of them in 1 year – or you just might find all of them in one good night. Regardless of how long it takes you, or how long it takes the skies to cooperate, the beauty, joy, and reward is the peace and pleasure it brings.

Now, stop and salute the 1966 launch of Luna 10, the first spacecraft to orbit the Moon!

Until next week? Ask for the Moon… But keep on reaching for the stars!

This week’s awesome images in order of appearance are: M57 (credit – Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech), John Pierce (historical image), M16 and the Eagle Nebula (credit- Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech), M18 (credit – Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech), Stephen Groombridge (historical image), M69 and M75 (credit – Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech). We thank you so much!

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

IYA Live Telescope Today – Alpha Centauri

If you didn’t get a chance to watch the IYA telescope “live” on Galactic TV today, don’t worry. We took a video capture for you. Step inside to enjoy today’s view of Alpha Centauri…

Alpha Centauri (alpha Centauri / alpha Cen); (also known as Rigil Kentaurus, Rigil Kent, or Toliman) is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Centaurus and an established binary star system, Alpha Centauri AB (alpha Cen AB). To the unaided eye it appears as a single star, whose total visual magnitude identifies it as the third brightest star in the night sky. Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to the Solar System, being only 1.34 parsecs, or 4.37 light years away from our Sun.

Popularly known, Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to our Solar System. It lies about 4.37 light-years in distance, or about 41.5 trillion kilometres, 25.8 trillion miles or 277,600 AU. Astronomer Thomas James Henderson made the original discovery from many exacting observations of the trigonometric parallaxes of the AB system between April 1832 and May 1833. He withheld the results because he suspected they were too large to be true, but eventually published in 1839 after Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel released his own accurately determined parallax for 61 Cygni in 1838. For this reason, we consider Alpha Centauri as the second star to have its distance measured.

Alpha Centauri A is the principal member or primary of the binary system, being slightly larger and more luminous than our Sun. It is a solar-like main sequence star with a similar yellowish-white colour, whose stellar classification is spectral type G2 V.[12] From the determined mutual orbital parameters, Alpha Cen A is about 10% more massive than our Sun, with a radius about 23% larger.

Alpha Centauri B is the companion star or secondary, slightly smaller and less luminous than our Sun. This main sequence star is of spectral type of K1 V, making it more an orangish-yellow color than the whiter primary star. Alpha Cen B is about 90% the mass of the Sun and 14% smaller in radius. Although it has a lower luminosity than component A, star B’s spectrum emits higher energies in X-rays. The light curve of B varies on a short time scale and there has been at least one observed flare.

Together, the bright visible components of the binary star system are called Alpha Centauri AB (Alpha Cen AB). This “AB” designation denotes the apparent gravitational centre of the main binary system relative to other companion star(s) in any multiple star system.[15] “AB-C” refers to the orbit of Proxima around the central binary, being the distance between the centre of gravity and the outlying companion. Some older references use the confusing and now discontinued designation of A×B. Since the distance between the Sun and ? Cen AB does not differ significantly from either star, gravitationally this binary system is considered as if it were one object.

Alpha Centauri C, also known as Proxima Centauri, is of spectral class M5Ve or M5VIe, suggesting this is either a small main sequence star (Type V) or sub-dwarf (VI) with emission lines, whose B-V colour index is +1.81. Its mass is about 0.12 M. R.T.A. Innes from South Africa in 1915 discovered Proxima Centauri by blinking photographic plates taken at different times during a dedicated proper motion survey. This showed the large proper motion and parallax of the star was similar in both size and direction to those of ? Centauri AB, suggesting immediately it was part of the system and slightly closer to us than ? Centauri AB. Lying 4.22 light-years away, Proxima Centauri is the nearest star to the Sun. All current derived distances for the three stars are presently from the parallaxes obtained from the Hipparcos star catalog (HIP).

As always, you can visit the remote telescope by clicking on the IYA “LIVE Remote Cam” Logo to your right. We’ll be broadcasting whenever skies are clear and dark in Central Victoria! Enjoy….

Information Courtesy of Wikipedia

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

IYA Live Telescope Today – The Jewel Box Cluster

If you didn’t get a chance to watch the IYA telescope “live” on Galactic TV today, don’t worry. We took a video capture for you. Step inside to enjoy today’s view of NGC 4755…

The Jewel Box (also known as NGC 4755 or Kappa Crucis Cluster) is an open cluster in the constellation of Crux. As Kappa Crucis, it has a Bayer designation despite the fact that it is a cluster rather than an individual star.

It is one of the finest open clusters discovered by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille when he was in South Africa during 17511752. This cluster is one of the youngest known, with an estimated age of only 7.1 million years. It has an apparent magnitude of 4.2, and is located 6,440 light years from Earth and contains around 100 stars. This famous group of young bright stars was named the Jewel Box from its description by Sir John Herschel as “a casket of variously coloured precious stones,” which refers to its appearance in the telescope. The bright orange star Kappa Crucis contrasts strongly against its predominantly blue, hot companions. Kappa Crucis is a very large (hence very luminous) young star in its red supergiant stage, which paradoxically indicates that its life is drawing to a close. The cluster looks like a star to the unaided eye and appears close to the easternmost star of the Southern Cross, (Beta Crucis), so is only visible from southern latitudes. (Information courtesy of Wikipedia)

Right now the IYA remote live telescope is a work in progress. Be aware that video recordings will be jerky until we get some of the system bugs worked out. As always, you can visit the remote telescope by clicking on the IYA “LIVE Remote Cam” Logo to your right. We’ll be broadcasting whenever skies are clear and dark in Central Victoria! Enjoy….

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

International Year of Astronomy Live Telescope

Notice something new here on Universe Today? That’s right… There’s a new International Year of Astronomy logo in the right hand column and a video. If you’re wondering what “Galactic TV” is all about, then step inside…

The International Year of Astronomy 2009 is a global effort initiated by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and UNESCO to help the citizens of the world rediscover their place in the Universe through the day- and night-time sky, and thereby engage a personal sense of wonder and discovery. Here at Universe Today, we believe in those goals set forth by the IYA founders, so we teamed together to give our readership something you’ll find nowhere else on Earth (or the web) – a live view of the Cosmos via a remote telescope.

Thanks to Internet magic, Universe Today, Northern and Southern Galactic and Warren Rupp Observatory have teamed together to base a small telescope in the southern hemisphere and broadcast a live television image of what the telescope is seeing through the eyepiece camera. Around 09:00 UT, (which is local dark time in Central Victoria, Australia) broadcasting will begin – and will continue non-stop until either daylight or clouds happen. If you tune in and there’s no image, that can only mean one of three things – it’s either clouded out, it’s daylight, or the connection has reached its limits of viewers and you’ll just have to try back in few minutes.

If you’ve ever wondered what southern sky gems look like, now is your chance to see them just as they appear at the moment. All you have to do is click on “LIVE Remote Cam” below the IYA logo. While these aren’t Hubble views, the small telescope and Stellacam are providing very clear looks at objects like you’ll see on the small screen replay of Omega Centauri! Check out this larger version…

If you miss out on a live broadcast of the International Year of Astronomy telescope, don’t despair. Each time the telescope is in operation we’ll take a video recording of each object, add some Wikipedia information and store it in the IYA “Live” Telescope Library! Broadcasts from the telescope will continue for the entire 2009 year and will feature everything from galaxies to double stars.

The International Year of Astronomy 2009 is a global celebration of astronomy and its contributions to society and culture and marks the 400th anniversary of the first use of an astronomical telescope by Galileo Galilei. The aim of the Year is to stimulate worldwide interest, especially among young people, in astronomy and science under the central theme “The Universe, Yours to Discover”. What better way to celebrate than to enjoy this virtual telescope and discover the beauty with your own eyes?

Rock on….