Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Saturn’s “Dualing” Aurorae

Since it was first photographed by the Hubble telescope several years ago, the mystery of Saturn’s aurorae has continued to puzzle scientists. At the beginning, this phenomena only occurred in ultraviolet images, but recent studies done with the ground-based NASA Infrared Telescope Facility show surprising new facets to this colorful display… More than one!

Here on Earth the aurorae occurs when charged particles from the solar wind encounter our magnetic field lines in the upper atmosphere. The particles find their way into Earth’s magnetosphere through “open” field lines located at the north and south pole. These “connect” to the incoming fields associated with the solar wind – like our own personal umbilical cord to the Sun. But we aren’t the only planet to have these dazzling light shows… So does Jupiter.

On our solar system’s largest planet, the charged particles come its volcanic moon – Io. On this inhospitable world, ionized gas is produced and caught up by Jupiter’s fast rotating magnetic field. But this umbilical cord can’t keep up with Jupiter’s dizzying speed at its equator. The thin volcanic gas simply stops co-rotating, slips along Jupiter’s magnetic field lines and pools at giant planet’s polar regions – and the newly discovered second auroral oval glows at Saturn’s co-rotation breakdown latitude, too.

“We’ve been able to find an aurora that seems to be very similar to Jupiter’s,” says Tom Stallard, a planetary astronomer at the University of Leicester in the UK. “At Saturn, only the main auroral oval has previously been observed and there remains much debate over its origin. Here we report the discovery of a secondary oval at Saturn that is 25 per cent as bright as the main oval, and we show this to be caused by interaction with the middle magnetosphere around the planet. This is a weak equivalent of Jupiter’s main oval, its relative dimness being due to the lack of as large a source of ions as Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io.”

So where do the particles come from? We’re not quite sure yet, but accord to Dr. Stallard; “Until relatively recently, it was thought that sputtering off the surface of the icy moons and rings would be the dominant source for Saturn’s plasma.” Stallard also notes that the moon Enceladus and its ice-geyser plume likely provide Saturn’s magnetosphere with about one tenth the material that Io injects into Jupiter’s. This means there is little chance of Saturn’s second aurorae being caused by the same set of circumstances that drives the polar lights on Earth and Jupiter.

For Stallard and his team, the future holds observing the secondary auroras again – looking for variables. But, with Saturn’s equinox now approaching, it may be five or more years until the planet’s north pole points toward us. With a bit of luck, the Cassini Orbiter may be able to help.

New images of Saturn obtained by a University of Colorado at Boulder-led team on June 21 using an instrument on the Cassini spacecraft show auroral emissions at its poles similar to Earth’s Northern Lights. Taken with the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph aboard the Cassini orbiter, the two UV images, invisible to the human eye, are the first from the Cassini-Huygens mission to capture the entire “oval” of the auroral emissions at Saturn’s south pole. They also show similar emissions at Saturn’s north pole, according to CU-Boulder Professor Larry Esposito, principal investigator of the UVIS instrument built at CU-Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, and Professor Wayne Pryor of Central Arizona College, a UVIS team member and former CU graduate student.

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Weekend SkyWatcher’s Forecast: June 20-22, 2008

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! As the Moon slowly departs from the early evening scene, we have the chance to start the weekend off with shooting stars as we pass through a branch of the Ophiuchid meteor stream. Over the next few days we’ll take a closer look at variable stars, new star clusters and old friends as we head out into the night together…

Friday, June 20, 2008 – Although we will have Moon to contend with in the predawn hours, we welcome the “shooting stars” as we pass through another portion of the Ophiuchid meteor stream. The radiant for this pass will be nearer Sagittarius and the fall rate varies from 8 to 20, but it can sometimes produce unexpectedly more.

Palomar Observatory, courtesy of CaltechFor variable star fans, let’s head towards the constellation of Corona Borealis and focus our attention on S – located just west of Theta – the westernmost star in the constellation’s arc formation. At magnitude 5.3, this long-term variable takes almost a year to go through its changes. It usually far outshines the 7th magnitude star to its northeast – but will drop to a barely visible magnitude 14 at minimum. Compare it to the eclipsing binary U Coronae Borealis about a degree northwest. In slightly over three days this Algol type star will range by a full magnitude as its companions draw together.

NASASaturday, June 21, 2008 – Summer Solstice occurs today at the zero hour. So what exactly is it? Solstice is nothing more than an astronomical term for the moment when one hemisphere of the Earth is tilted the most toward the Sun. Today, the Sun is about 24 degrees above the celestial equator – its highest point of the year. The day of summer solstice also has the longest period of daylight…and the shortest of night; this occurs around six months from now for the Southern Hemisphere.

Palomar Observatory, courtesy of CaltechTonight let’s look forward to the coming summer as we hop a fingerwidth northeast of Beta Ophiuchi (RA 17 46 18 Dec +05 43 00) to a celebration in starlight known as IC 4665. Very well suited to binoculars or even the smallest optics at low power, this magnificent open cluster is even visible to the unaided eye as a hazy patch.

Hanging out in space far from the galactic plane, IC 4665 is anywhere from 30 to 40 million years old – relatively young in astronomical terms! This places the cluster somewhere between the age of the Hyades and the Pleiades. At one time the cluster was believed to have been home to an unusually large number of spectroscopic binaries. While this has been disproved, scopists will enjoy powering up on the approximate 50 members of this association to search for true multiple stars. Enjoy it tonight!

Sunday, June 22, 2008 – Today celebrates the founding of the Royal Greenwich Observatory in 1675. That’s 333 years of astronomy! Also on this date in history, in 1978, James Christy of the US Naval Observatory in Flagstaff Arizona discovered Pluto’s satellite Charon.

NASAWhile observing Pluto is quite possible with a mid-sized (8″) telescope, careful work is needed to separate and identify it from field stars. Just a few days ago, Pluto reached opposition, meaning it is viewable all night. Since it will take several nights of observation for confirmation, right now would be an excellent time to begin your Pluto quest. With a little research you’ll find plenty of on-line locator charts to help guide you on your way!

For observers of all skill levels and equipment, it’s simply time to stop and have a look at a seasonal favorite which is now nearly overhead—M13. You’ll find this massive globular cluster quite easy to locate on the western side of the Hercules “keystone” about a third of the way between the northern and southern stars—Eta and Zeta.

R. Jay GaBanyAt a little brighter than magnitude 6, this 25,100 light-year distant globular cluster can be seen unaided from a dark sky location. First noted by Edmond Halley in 1714, the “Great Hercules Cluster” was cataloged by Messier on June 1, 1764. Filled with hundreds of thousands of stars, yet with only one young blue star, M13 could be as much as 14 billion years old.

Thirty-four years ago, the Great Hercules Cluster was chosen by the Arecibo Observatory as the target for the first radio message delivered into space, yet it will be a message that won’t be received for over 25 centuries. Look at it with wonder tonight… For the light that left as you are viewing it tonight did so at a time when the Earth was coming out of the Ice Age. Our early ancestors were living in caves and learning to use rudimentary tools. How evolved would our civilization be if we ever received an answer to
our call?!

Wishing you clear skies and a wonderful weekend!

The week’s awesome images are Theta Coronae Borealis – Credit: Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech, Solstice and Equinox – Credit: NASA, IC 4665 – Credit: Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech, Pluto and Charon – Credit: NASA, and M13: “The Great Hercules Cluster” is the inspiring work of none other than R. Jay GaBany.

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Telescope Review – Celestron NexStar 102 SLT

Celestron NexStar 102 SLT

Are you looking for a sweet little telescope that can take abuse and keep coming back for more? Designed for the advanced beginner, or for those interested in a highly portable telescope referred to as “Grab and Go”, the Celestron NexStar 102 SLT automated telescope goes through a year-long Tammy Test and graduates with honors…

First off, I’m not too keen on the idea of a GoTo telescope – much less a refractor. In my early years I found refractors to be uncomfortable to use, easy to dew, and just plain not as much deep sky fun as a reflector. As for the GoTo? I genuinely feel you do yourself a disservice by not learning to use an equatorial mount and a star chart. Misgivings aside, it was time to take a look at new technology and see what a year’s worth of use would do to it.

Assembling the Celestron NexStar 102 SLT

Unlike the variety of telescopes I’ve used over the years with complicated equatorial mounts and drive units, the Celestron NexStar is swift and efficient. The tripod is lightweight aluminum, and stands up to time. Despite repeated uses and even overtightening, the legs extend quickly and lock securely using the hand turn knobs. No wing nuts here to get dropped and lost in the dark. The center accessory tray bracket is permanently connected and folds down when the tripod is opened. What’s more, the knob that connects the accessory tray is captive – it can’t get lost. Even though these particular parts are some type of polymer, they are extremely durable and even the occasional cross-threading doesn’t strip them out.

At the top of the tripod is the mount cradle. Again, extremely simple and captively elegant. There is simply no “wrong way” to attach the mount to the tripod and no way to lose the parts that connect it. The mount itself is fully contained. Nothing is exposed to chance or wear. As for durability? Surprise, surprise. The drive motors are contained inside the mount and despite being dropped hard enough to make the exterior cover come off, it popped right back on and absolutely no damage was done.

Once the mount is connected, the telescope optical tube assembly (OTA) comes next. Again, captive screws mean even arthritic hands will not fumble these parts. The OTA attaches to the mount with what is called a “clamshell”. It’s a hinged affair that you simply fold over the telescope body and tighten down.

Last, but not least, are the accessories. Supplied with the Celestron NexStar SLT is a red dot finder that slides on easily on a dovetail mount, a cheap – but serviceable – 1.25″ star diagonal, and two excellent SMA eyepieces. The controller is easily attached into a port on the side of the mount with what looks like a telephone jack and the battery pack is internal to stop cord wrap. Set up time? Twenty minutes the first time… Less than five when you get used to it.

Aligning and Using the Celestron NexStar 102 SLT

So, here’s where my misgivings with GoTo units usually start. I’ve played with a lot of encoders and a lot of different units over the years and I’d usually get frustrated because it would take longer to get the units working than it took just to starhop. In the case of the Celestron NexStar, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it didn’t take a whole lot of learning to use the system. Simply use the keypad to level the scope pointed north (remotely close is fine), and set the date, time and location. Press Go, and the little beast is off and running on its own – seeking out an alignment star. Use the keypad to move the red dot center on the star and enter again. Now, go to the eyepiece, center the star as much as possible and enter. Guess what? That’s all it takes.

The more accurate you are with your time, location (latitude and longitude) and centering – the more accurate the scope becomes. Even loosely set, and I do mean loosely here, folks… A low power, wide field eyepiece will bring almost everything into the field of view on the first try. After that, it’s a joy ride of selecting objects from the data base. If it tries to go to something below the horizon? It will tell you. If it might tangle itself trying to go to what you tell it? It won’t let you. If you try to slew it towards the Sun? A little hand reaches right out of the keypad and slaps you upside the head. It knows better! And it learns… Oh, yes… It learns each time you center a new object up and corrects itself.

What Can You See With the Celestron NexStar 102 SLT?

Everything in the database? No way, Jose. Before you go getting all excited about a 4,000 celestial objects database, remember you are using a 4″ telescope here. We’re talking about a limiting stellar magnitude of around 12 here, so objects much fainter than about magnitude 10 or 11 under average skies are about as good as you’re going to get. However, if you ask it to go to an object, it says it’s there and you don’t see it? Try looking at the on-screen data. Chances are you’re trying for something that is beyond this sweet little telescope’s grasp.

Lunar and planetary performance is outstanding. Being a refractor, it could be no less. Because the Celestron NexStar 102 is driven, it’s possible to drop in some ridiculously high power and get a decent image. Double stars are crisp and clean, and here’s the kicker… Deep sky (nebulae, galaxies, and star clusters) are surprisingly well resolved for such small aperture. When I can pick out the dark dust lane in the Sombrero Galaxy with a 4″ aperture? I’m delighted. When open star clusters sparkle? I’m enchanted. When globular clusters try to resolve? I’m fascinated. When nebulae smoke out of the sky? I’m hooked. A little scope that can!

Final Words On The Celestron NexStar 102 SLT: What’s Good And What Isn’t

The supplied 1.25″ eyepieces are excellent – but the diagonal needs an upgrade. On a happy note, it comes with a 2″ focuser, so do yourself a favor when you’re ready to step up your optics to the next level and go with the bigger accessories. If you can’t afford the full 2″ line, at least start with the 2″ diagonal and use a reducer to accept the 1.25″ eyepieces. You’ll have this scope for a long time and the upgrade is worth it.

Word of warning… It’s a battery eater. Even the high buck batteries don’t last. Having battery power is great when you’re in the field where no electrical outlet is available, but it won’t be long until you’re purchasing a power tank. Happy note? You can connect it to your car battery via the lighter, and the AC converter is very inexpensive.

Dew? Yep. It’s a refractor’s worst enemy. But, surprisingly, Celestron thought of that and the dew shield is included. Just remember, that won’t keep the fog monster away from your eyepieces, but taking care to cover them during the critical point means being able to stay outside and play a lot longer.

Again, don’t ever forget this is a small aperture telescope and it’s not going to reveal every heavenly treasure you dream of and what you see is going to be small. It does rich field, so picture yourself looking at the Ring Nebula about as big as a Cheerio on a dinner plate, ok? But small aperture has it’s advantages… The whole thing only weighs 14 pounds, so it is incredibily easy to take with you as a carry on, or to sling over your shoulder and walk. There’s definitely something to be said about a scope that you can carry everything, including your eyepiece case, folding chair and cooler in one trip!

Usability factor? Don’t give the Celestron NexStar 102 to a small child – but do give it to anyone old enough to read and follow a few simple instructions. Durability factor? It’s been carried around in a car trunk for weeks at a time, strapped on the back of a motorcycle, knocked over at a public outreach event, and traveled to many star parties and still performs flawlessly. It is not a Takahashi, but Celestron produces quality optics and you will not be disappointed with your investment in this $500 telescope.

I wasn’t.

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Simeis 147 by Davide De Martin

Simeis147 - By Davide De Martin

If you think we’re looking straight down the maul of the “Doomsday Machine”, you’d be pretty much correct. While the fictionalized Star Trek account had the planet killer slowly destroying a distant solar system, this particular “star eater” is very real and still exists along the Auriga-Taurus border…

Named Simeis 147, this ancient supernova remnant has expanded so much that it’s barely visible to larger telescopes. Why? Mostly because the diameter of the nebula is about 3-1/2 degrees, or about 7 times the size of the Moon – and the fact it’s one of the faintest objects in the night sky. Like many nebulous “sky scraps”, it is simply too large to be seen in its entirety – or beauty – except through the magic of astrophotograhy.

In this week’s image by Davide De Martin, we take an up close and personal look at Simeis 147. The intricate filaments of this faint supernova remnant spans over 160 light years of interstellar space and is around 3900 light years away. With an apparent age of about 100,000 years, this awesome explosion occurred around the time of Peking Man, and like our distant ancestor left more than one artifact behind. In this case, the expanding remnant is not all. Deep within the folds and rifts lay a spinning neutron star. This pulsar is all that’s left of the original star’s core.

Unlike many things unexplored, more study was indicated and newer estimated gauge Semeis 147’s age at about 30,000 years. The pulsar itself has recently been detected and has been cataloged as PSR J0538+2817. Imagine something that rotates completely on its axis seven times per second! And think about what happened… The outer layers of this exploding star initially carried outward at speeds of 10,000-20,000 km/s–a tremendous amount of energy released in a blast wave.

Supernovae are divided into classes based upon the appearance of their spectra: hydrogen lines are prominent in Type II supernovae; while hydrogen lines are absent in Type Ia supernovae. Put simply, this means the progenitor stars either had hydrogen in their outer envelopes or did not have hydrogen in their outer envelopes. Type II supernovae are the territory of massive stars while Type Ia supernovae more than likely originated with white dwarf binary star systems – a place where the accreting white dwarf is driven above the Chandrasekhar Mass Limit, collapses and explodes.

So how often do events like the Simeis 147 type happen? According to Rudolph Minkowski; “As regards the supernovae frequency, there are two types of supernovae. The Supernovae I seem to occur about every 400 or 500 years per galaxy and the Supernovae II about every 50 years per galaxy, with considerable leeway. But, the Supernovae II are certainly much more frequent than Supernova I.” In recent studies done the 610.5 MHz Contour Maps of the Supernova Simeis 147, by Dickel and McKinley, the integrated flux densities show that the radiation is probably non-thermal and incredibly old.

As old as the Star Trek “Doomsday Machine”? Its origins were also unknown and it produced mass destruction. Maybe Simeis 147 isn’t quite the same as the neutronium hulled, antiproton beam firing planet killer of Gene Roddenberry’s fictionalized story… But it is definitely as intriguing to the imagination!

This week’s awesome image was done by Davide De Martin.

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Weekend SkyWatcher’s Forecast – June 13-16, 2008

Fra Mauro by Wes Higgins

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! It’s big… It’s bright… It’s the Moon! The greatest night sky light polluter is back on the scene, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a great time as we use telescopes or binoculars to explore the Apollo 14 mission landing site. We’ll continue to visit the lunar surface this weekend, as well as take a look at double stars and two arriving meteor showers. Sky to bright to see meteors? Then let’s try something new….

Friday, June 13 – Today in 1983, Pioneer 10 became the first man made object to leave the solar system. What wonders would it see? Are there other galaxies out there like our own? Will there be life like ours? While we can’t see through Pioneer’s “eyes,” tonight let’s take an historic journey to the Moon, as we look at the northeast shore of Mare Cognitum and the Apollo 14 mission landing site – Fra Mauro.

As craters go, 3.9 billion year old Fra Mauro is on the shallow side and spans 95 kilometers. At some 730 meters deep, standing at the foot of one of its walls would be like standing at the bottom of the Grand Canyon… Yet, time has so eroded this crater that its west wall is completely missing and its floor is covered with fissures.

NASAEven though ruined Fra Mauro seems like a forbidding place to land a manned mission, it remained high on the priority list because it is geologically rich. Ill-fated Apollo 13 was to land in a formation north of the crater which was formed by ejecta belonging to the Imbrium Basin – material which had already been mapped telescopically. By returning samples of this material from deep within the Moon’s crust, scientists would have been able to determine the exact time these changes came about.

As you view Fra Mauro tonight, picture yourself in a lunar rover traversing this barren landscape and viewing the rocks thrown out from a long-ago impact. How willing would you be to take on the vision of others and travel to another world?

Saturday, June 14 – As the day begins and you wait on dawn, keep watch for the peak of the Ophiuchid meteor shower with its radiant near Scorpius. The fall rate is poor with only three per hour, but fast moving bolides are common. Today is about the midpoint – and the activity peak – of this 25 day long stream.

Too moony to see anything? Then try an experiment both Ian and I have been working on. When a meteoroid enters our atmosphere, it has an impact on the ionosphere. Take a few moments and download Google Ionosphere and watch what happens as the meteor shower progresses! And don’t forget the “radio” either… Simply tune any FM radio to the lowest frequency that doesn’t receive a clear signal and listen. These ionospheric disturbances will sound like snatches of radio signal, hisses, pops and more. It’s a great way to catch a meteor shower with more than just your eyes!

Wes HigginsTonight let’s venture toward the south shore of Palus Epidemiarum to have a high power look at crater Capuanus. Named for Italian astronomer Francesco Capuano di Manfredonia, this 60 kilometer wide crater boasts a still-tall southwest wall, but the northeast one was destroyed by lava flow. At its highest, it reaches around 1900 meters above the lunar surface, yet drops to no more than 300 meters at the lowest. Look for several strikes along the crater walls as well as more evidence of a strong geological history. To its north is the Hesiodus Rima…a huge fault line extending 300 kilometers across the surface!

To the east, Jupiter is now rising… But give it some time to clear the atmospheric distortion! By far brighter than neighboring stars to the unaided eye, giant Jupiter will move slowly along the ecliptic plane over the course of the evening. To smaller binoculars it is easily observed as an orb with two grey bands across the middle. To larger binoculars, the equatorial belts become much clearer and the four Galilean moons are easily seen with steady hands. To the small telescope, no planet offers greater details. Even at very low magnifying power, the north, south and central equatorial zones are easily observable and all four moons are clear and steady.

Wes HigginsFor most observers, tonight will show Callisto, Ganymede, Europa and Io grouped to the east of the Mighty Jove, but as time progresses, so do their positions! Try observing over a period of several hours and watch just how quickly these four bright moons shuttle around… You might even catch a possible transit of Io!

To the mid-sized telescope, far greater details begin to appear – such as temperate belts on the planet’s surface and the soft appearance of the Great Red Spot. Finer details are visible during steady seeing, and small things like being able to see which satellite is closer to – or further away from – our vantage point become very easy. Simple things, like watching a moon transit the surface and the resulting shadow on the planet are much easier. With a large telescope, seeing details on Jupiter depends more on seeing conditions. While more aperture allows finer views – conditions are everything when it comes to the Mighty Jove!

Wes HigginsSunday, June 15 – As we wait on the sky to darken tonight, let’s start our adventures by taking a close look at crater Kepler. Situated just north of central along tonight’s terminator, this great crater named for Johannes Kepler only spans 32 kilometers, but drops to a deep 2750 meters below the surface. This class I crater is a geological hotspot!

As the very first to be mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey, the area around Kepler contains many smooth lava domes reaching no more than 30 meters above the plains. According to records, in 1963 a glowing red area was spotted near Kepler and extensively photographed. Normally one of the brightest regions of the Moon, the brightness value at the time nearly doubled! Although it was rather exciting, scientists later determined the phenomenon was caused by high energy particles from a solar flare reflecting from Kepler’s high albedo surface. In the days ahead all details around Kepler will be lost, so take this opportunity to have a good look at one awesome small crater!

Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Cal TechWhen skies are dark, it’s time to have a look at the 250 light-year distant silicon star Iota Librae (RA 15 12 13 Dec 19 47 28). This is a real challenge for binoculars – but not because the components are so close. In Iota’s case, the near 5th magnitude primary simply overshadows its 9th magnitude companion! In 1782, Sir William Herschel measured them and determined them to be a true physical pair. Yet, in 1940 Librae A was determined to have an equal magnitude companion only 0.2 arcseconds away… And the secondary was proved to have a companion of its own which echoes the primary. A four star system!

No matter if you stayed up late chasing deep sky, or got up early, right now is the time to catch the peak of the June Lyrids meteor shower. Although the Moon will make observing difficult, it’s still an opportunity for those wishing to log their meteor observations. Look for the radiant near bright Vega – you may see up to 15 faint blue meteors per hour from this branch of the May Lyrid meteor stream. Try the ionosphere and radio observing!!

Wishing you clear skies and a great weekend…

This week’s image credits: Detail view of Fra Mauro, Capuanus, Kepler and Jupiter – Credit: Wes Higgins, Shepard at Frau Mauro – Credit: NASA, Iota Librae – Credit: Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech.

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Comet Boattini Sails Towards the Sun

Boattini C/2007 W1 by Dr. Joseph Brimacombe

Serious comet chasers have been watching Comet C/2007 W1 (Boattini) for some time. For awhile, it exceeded its predicted brightness but is back to cruising at normal. During the time this photograph was taken, Boattini was a southern hemisphere object… But not for long. Now its about to round the Sun and head north!

On November 20, 2007 the comet was spotted by Andrea Boattini during the course of the Mt. Lemmon survey in Arizona. Italian Boattini’s interest is in near-Earth asteroids and he during his research has discovered and co-discovered no less than 170 mostly main-belt asteroids. Since that time, Andrea has become involved with the Catalina and Mt. Lemmon program and has made several additional asteroid discoveries. Of these, object 2007 WD5, made headlines during its extremely close approach to Mars at the end of January 2008. Comet C/2007 W1 is Andrea Boattini’s first comet discovery and we hope not the last!

Comet Boattini is sailing through our solar system in a long-period orbit with an oddly small inclination of 10 degrees. In the southern hemisphere, comet observers had a grand chance to watch as it passed 0.21 AU from Earth on June 12, and heads for inferior conjunction by June 15. Right now Comet Boattini is near fifth magnitude and easily seen without aid by experienced southern observers and it’s heading our way…

Comet C/2007 W1 will make its appearance in the northern hemisphere morning sky on July 15th in Cetus as a 7-8th magnitude observing target – easily within reach of small binoculars and telescopes. It will continue to sail north and fade as it heads away from the Sun (and Earth) and will return to a challenging 12th magnitude object. Spectacular? No. Interesting? You betcha’.

What makes Comet C/2007 W1 Boattini a little more special than the rest? Probably because the most recent orbital calculations show that this is W1 Boattini’s first visit into the inner solar system from the Oort Cloud and it won’t be back for about another 63,000 years. While there’s very little chance that it will become another great “first visit” comet like Kohoutek, it’s a great opportunity for you to catch another traveler from the farthest reaches of our solar system.

Good luck!

Comet C/2007 W1 Boattini video and still photography provided by Dr. Joseph Brimacombe from Macedon Ranges Observatory.

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Unique Telescope Facility Opens In Swiss Biosphere

Alpine Swiss Village

In the easternmost part of Switzerland near the Italian border, lies a pristine area of land ranging from 1,400 to 3,173 meters above sea level. It encompasses 172,400 hectares of forests, alpine grasslands and bare rocks or screes that are strictly protected and not inhabited. Each year, around 50 researchers from Switzerland and abroad carry out scientific studies in the area. A research committee is responsible for the coordination of the various projects, such as hydrology, meteorology, biodiversity, ecology. Now, another specialty is arriving in this area in form of a private endeavor – astronomy.

AAV Lue-Stailas is a new center for amateur astrophotography in the eastern Alps of Switzerland. Built on a sunny terrace at 1935 m (6300 ft) and facing south into the beautiful valley of Muestair, the center’s prime geographical location benefits from excellent sky conditions with about 250 clear nights a year. Thanks to its rigorous protection policy, Val Muestair was able to keep much of its original rural and natural habitat. This will soon be honored by the regions participation in a new high-alpine UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the European Alps, the Val Muestair/Swiss National Park Reserve. AAV Lue-Stailas will collaborate with this unique “Biosfera”-Project in order to bring its pristine skies to the public. The center will open in March of 2009, the International Year of Astronomy.

AAV Lue-Stailas is the brainchild of Václav and Jitka Ourednik who hold both a PhD in neuroscience and have been studying the regenerative capacity of the central nervous system for over 20 years. While pursuing competitive research and publishing in foremost scientific journals, they present their scientific results at international symposia and organize professional meetings and seminars. But what’s happening in Switzerland has been born of the unique love of both the micro and macro cosmos. Says Jitka, “The views through a microscope can be remarkably similar to vistas in the universe imaged through a telescope such as the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) or simulated with computers according to current cosmological theories.”

Microscope VS. TelescopeInner Space or Outer Space?

–caption: Filamentous clusters of galaxies as pictured by the HST (left) or in a computer simulation (right). Neuronal cell culture as seen in a fluorescent microscope.

In order to promote public awareness for the need to protect the natural habitat and dark skies, Václav and Jitka have decided to make their life-long hobby a profession and create a center for amateur astrophotography in Europe. Their search for the best possible location for hosting a unique telescope facility lasted several years. Finally, being both fond of the Swiss Alps, they chose a sunny terrace at an altitude of 2000 m in the county of Lue in eastern Switzerland for the creation of the Alpine Astrovillage Lue-Stailas. Says Vaclav, “Recent statistics show that the global interest in astronomy increases every year dramatically. Moreover, people are not only interested in astronomy and astrophotography but they also realize how important their contribution is in the preservation of our global natural habitat, which also includes the protection of dark night skies by a strict control of light pollution.”

At Alpine Astro Village, each living quarters/studio will have its own automated dome, telescope and imaging equipment, which can be, if needed, operated from the studios. Another treat of the center are its two robotic telescopes in Australia for remote imaging of the southern skies.. Yet, although the main purpose of the site is astrophotography, and there will also be telescopes set up for visual exploration for public activities like star parties and AAV club activities, there’s just a little more to this sphere than the astronomy angle:

“One of the unique aspects of AAV Lue-Stailas is that we strive to maintain and profit from the contrast of embedding our center of modern life style and high-tech equipment within the historical heritage of the region . This allows the visitors to fully enjoy and capture the beauty of the local night sky while having the opportunity to enjoy all the treasures of the valley and its vicinity during the day” say the Ouredniks, “The region provides limitless opportunities for daytime nature walks, biking tours, or demanding hiking expeditions. In winter, downhill skiing is less than one car-hour away (famous resorts such as Davos, Pontresina, St-Moritz…)and cross-country ski tracks are right at our center’s door step. We also strongly suggest visiting of the neighboring villages in the valley and beyond. You will find beautiful, traditional, and historic architecture, led by the Monastery of Saint John in Muestair, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Center dating from the 8th century and famous for its frescos from the times of Charlemagne. A visit to Val Muestair and AAV Lue-Stailas will stay forever in your memory.”

And so will meeting the lovely, giving Vaclav and Jitka Ourednik.

Here’s an article about another project like this: remember Biosphere 2?

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Equipment Review: Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars

My Mother always told me that if I couldn’t say something good about somebody, that I shouldn’t say anything at all. Well, after a few weeks of using a pair of Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars, I guess it’s about time I said something… I just hope you want to hear it.

First Impression of the Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars

I opened the box and there they were… a pair of Meade binoculars in a plastic blister pack like you’d find hanging on a peg in your nearby discount department store. I couldn’t help but ask myself if I was going to get the same quality as a Meade department store telescope, but I knew I had to be fair. After all, you can’t judge a cake by its frosting, right? Darn, right.

So, I open them up and examined them. According to their advertising blurb; “They are light and portable, and include a carrying case and neck strap.” Well, they’re right about that. These 8X42 binoculars certainly are light. Actually, they’re probably the lightest pair I’ve ever held that had that kind of aperture. Carrying case? Check. Neck strap? Check. Now for the binoculars themselves…

“A rubber coated exterior helps protect your Meade Travel binoculars from bumps and dings, and offers a slip-proof grip.” Right again, the tubes are rubberized and I will give them credit – they definitely are easy to securely grip. Let’s see now. It says “Optics Fully Coated”. Yep. They are. At least the surfaces I’m looking at are coated and apparently well done. What’s next? Right eye diopter? Gotcha’ . It’s there, too… And functional. Interpupillary distance? Check. Spreads wide… Goes to narrow. Everything seems to be functioning perfectly… So let’s have a look!

Viewing Through the Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars

Well, surprise surprise! With or without eyeglasses, I have no problem hitting focus and the Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars have sweet eye relief. It boasts closes focus of 21 feet, but I actually got it down to around 10 feet with a nice image. According to their advertising; “Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars offer bright, clear images for a host of observing opportunities, from nature viewing and birding to sporting events and travel.” Well, let’s just see, huh?

So, out we go. During the daylight I was picking up bright, crisp images of birds, well defined looks at distant objects and am pleased to announce that the claim of “8X is the perfect compromise for those who want to hand-hold their binoculars for an extended period of time but want more magnification than low power models” is correct. The light weight does make them easy to hold and to steady. But, what about twilight viewing? Again, I’m impressed. I was watching deer a good thousand yards away and I could easily distinguish their different coat markings. Yeah, Meade!

Now, what about astronomical implications? Not bad on the Moon. I can see crater detail and hold them steady. Jupiter? Steady enough to see two jovian moons. Star clusters? Yep. M44 is nice and crispy. M67 isn’t resolved, but then I didn’t expect it to be. Globular clusters show up nicely. Again, they don’t resolve – but it’s not the binoculars fault. Galaxies? Yes. M81 and M82 were fine. M51 was faded, but there… and M65 and M66 took some aversion but could be seen. Double stars? Mizar and Alcor…. mmmm… ok. Cor Caroli? Again, just ok. All in all? The Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars perform well in all applications.

All applications, but one…

Traveling With the Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars

One of the reasons I enjoy binoculars so much is that I do travel. Something that’s only about the size of a good book is easy to tuck in between your clothes in your suitcase and send up the luggage ramp into the airplane. And this is just what I did with the Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars. After all, my laptop has been halfway around the world and back in just this same manner.

Ummm… Apparently Meade just needs to take the word “Travel” out of their description.

The laptop in its suitcase arrived fine – but the binoculars in the other didn’t. Absolutely nothing fragile inside the same suitcase was damaged in any way, but the moment I tried to use the Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars after traveling I got double images. Folks, when you see two perfectly focused images while looking through a pair of binoculars? Something has definitely gone afoul inside the tomato. I readjusted the interpupillary distance. I readjusted the right eye diopter. I readjusted the focus. I tried covering one lens – and then the other. The result? Either optical tube showed a crisp, clean image… But not together. Test number two – give them to someone else to look through. Guess what? Yeah. They saw the same thing. Two images. Just a little bit of active use and this pair of binoculars lost their collimation.

In the long run, maybe you won’t experience the same thing I did with the Meade 8X42 Travel Binoculars. Maybe I just got that one in every hundred pair that had a screw loose. Maybe the suitcase they were in got handled a lot rougher than what it looked like. Maybe both of sets of eyes went bad in a short period of time. Maybe it won’t happen to you… But maybe… Maybe it will.

Sorry, Ma. I really tried.

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Hanny’s Voorwerp – Still Alive and Kicking….

Hanny's Voorwerp

Back a few month’s ago, we had an article about Galaxy Zoo. In essence, it’s a type of consortium that studies galaxies and works towards classifying them. In the process of studying the images, they made a rather unusual discovery… One that’s still around.

According to the Galaxy Zoo blog: “Ever since it was first identified, Hanny’s Voorwerp has grabbed the attention of the Zookeepers and everyone else who comes across it. One reason we’ve been successful in getting such a wide range of observations over just a few months (and therefore why posts on here have been delayed!) has been that colleagues seem to find it equally compelling. So what is it? Our current best guess goes something like this:

A hundred thousand years ago, a quasar blazed behind the stars which would have already looked recognizably like the constellation Leo Minor. Barely 700 million light-years away, it would have been the nearest bright quasar, shining (had anyone had a telescope to look) around 13th magnitude, several times brighter than the light of the surrounding galaxy. This galaxy, much later cataloged as IC 2497, is a massive spiral galaxy which was in the process of tidally shredding a dwarf galaxy rich in gas – gas which absorbed the intense ultraviolet and X-ray output of the quasar and in turn glowed as it cooled. But something happened to the quasar. Whether it turned off, dropped to a barely simmering level of activity as its massive black hole became starved for gas to feed its accretion, or it was quickly shrouded in gas and dust, we don’t see it anymore. But we see its echo.”

But that was months ago. Is Hanny’s Voorwerp still alive and kicking? You betcha’. Astrophotographer Joe Brimacombe took this week’s image of the Voorwerp (Dutch for “what the heck is that?”) on May 25, 2008. Like Joe’s own interest, Galaxy Zoo didn’t stop searching out the meaning of Hanny’s Voorwerp, either. They kept right on photographing and analyzing. According to Bill Keel:

“At this point, we know that the object is rich in highly ionized gas. There is continuum light, especially at the northern tip, but the emission lines are so strong that we can as yet say little about its continuum structure. The high ionization might suggest shock ionization or photoionization by an active galactic nuclei, which would have to be much brighter than any we see in the neighborhood. If the AGN is in IC 2497, it must be highly obscured from our direction but not toward the gas. (It may be significant that the cloud lies near the galaxy’s projected minor axis). The FIRST survey at 20 cm shows weak emission from the cloud and a significant radio source in IC 2497. We are now pursuing further imaging, UV, and X-ray detections to work out what we are seeing here. Whatever it is, it seems to be unique in the SDSS imaging survey. Chris Lintott has queried the database and, after winnowing out imaging artifacts, found no objects with u-g and g-r colors within 0.15 magnitude of what we see in Hanny’s Voorwerp.

Our working hypothesis is that Hanny’s Voorwerp consists of dust and gas (maybe from a tidally disrupted dwarf galaxy) which is illuminated by a quasar outburst within IC 2497, an outburst which has faded dramatically within the last 100,000 years.”

What ever it might truly be is still somewhat a mystery… But it’s a great summer-hot object!

Image credits of Hanny’s Voorwerp belong to Galaxy Zoo and Joe Brimacombe.

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

SkyWatcher Alert: Moon, Mars, Saturn and More…

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! As the summer heats up for the northern hemisphere and the winter cools down the southern, we’re in for interesting celestial scenery over the next few days. No special equipment is needed – only your eyes and the knowledge of knowing where and when to look….

On the universal date of Sunday, June 8, 2008 the Red Planet – Mars – and the Moon will make a splendid showing for all. As skies darken, look for impressive pair along the western ecliptic. For most of us, Mars and the earthshine Moon will only be separated by about a degree, but for lucky observers in New Zealand, this will be an occultation event! (For specific details on times and areas, please check IOTA information.) Get out your binoculars and have a look. Even the youngest SkyWatcher will easily be able to find Mars!

While the Phoenix mission is still making big news, use this opportunity to do some public astronomy outreach. Point the pair out in the sky to someone and tell what you know. Around 40 years has elapsed since humankind has first visited one – and then the other. How did our original expeditions to the Moon lead scientists to develop ever better instruments for remote study? How has our exploratory spacecraft evolved?

If you think that’s cool… Then stay tuned for Monday, June 9, 2008 when the Moon, Saturn and Regulus team up in the night sky. To the unaided eye, the trio will make a lovely triangle with the Ringed Planet and the Little King situated to the north of Selene. Again, it’s a great time to do some public outreach! Point a telescope Saturn’s way. Titan – Saturn’s largest moon – is visibly bright and can be seen in even small telescopes. Explain how our original fly-bys and landings on our own Moon led us on to explore a moon on a distant world! What did we find on Titan? How can it compare to what we discovered on the Moon and Mars?

Don’t forget Regulus, either. The light you see from it on this night would have left roughly in 1931 – long before expeditions to the Moon, Saturn and Mars were even dreamed of. At about three and a half times more massive than our own Sol, Regulus is one hot customer when it comes to spin rate. Revolving completely on its axis in a little less than 16 hours, oblate Regulus would fly apart if it were moving any faster! Even though it’s been around for a few million years, Regulus isn’t alone, either. The “Little King” is a multiple star system composed of a hot, bright, bluish-white star with a pair of small, faint companions.

Even if you only use your eyes, the next few days are a great opportunity to share what you love and know with others… Enjoy!

Moon Occulting Mars Image – Credit: Ron Dantowitz, Clay Center Observatory at Dexter and Southfield Schools. Saturn and Titan – Credit: Casinni/NASA. Regulus vs. the Sun – Wenjin Huang