A 45-minute time exposure of the southern sky taken in early May shows trailed stars. The fat, bright streak is the planet Mars. Credit: Bob King
A week ago I made a 45-minute time exposure of the southern sky featuring the planet Mars. As the Earth rotated on its axis, the stars trailed across the sky. But take a closer look at the photo and you’ll see something interesting going on.
The trails across the diagonal (upper right to lower left) are straight, those in the top third arc upward or north while those in the bottom third curve downward or south.
I’ve drawn part of the imaginary great circle in the sky called the celestial equator. Residents of cities on or near the Earth’s equator see the celestial equator pass directly overhead. From mid-northern latitudes, it’s about halfway up in the southern sky. From mid-southern latitudes, it’s halfway up in the northern sky. Credit: Bob King
I suspect you know what’s happening here. Mars happens to lie near the celestial equator, an extension of Earth’s equator into the sky. The celestial equator traces a great circle around the celestial sphere much as the equator completely encircles the Earth.
On Earth, cities north of the equator are located in the northern hemisphere, south of the equator in the southern hemisphere. The same is true of the stars. Depending on their location with respect to the celestial equator they belong either to the northern or southern halves of the sky.
Earth’s axis points north to Polaris, the northern hemisphere’s North Star, and south to dim Sigma Octantis. Illustration: Bob King
Next, let’s take a look at Earth’s axis and where each end points. If you live in the northern hemisphere, you know that the axis points north to the North Star or Polaris. As the Earth spins, Polaris appears fixed in the north while all the stars in the northern half of the sky describe a circle around it every 24 hours (one Earth spin). The closer a star is to Polaris, the tighter the circle it describes.
Time exposure centered on Polaris, the North Star. Notice that the closer stars are to Polaris, the smaller the circles they describe. Stars at the edge of the frame make much larger circles. Credit: Bob King
Likewise, from the southern hemisphere, all the southern stars circle about the south pole star, an obscure star named Sigma in the constellation of Octans, a type of navigational instrument. Again, as with Polaris, the closer a star lies to Sigma Octantis, the smaller its circle.
Stars trail around the dim southern pole star Sigma Octantis as seen from the southern hemisphere. The two smudges are the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, companion galaxies of the Milky Way. Credit: Ted Dobosz
But what about stars on or near the celestial equator? These gems are the maximum distance of 90 degrees from either pole star just as Earth’s equator is 90 degrees from the north and south poles. They “tread the line” between both hemispheres and make circles so wide they appear not as arcs – as the other stars do in the photo – but as straight lines. And that’s why stars appear to be heading in three separate directions in the photograph.
A view of the entire sky as seen from Quito, Ecuador on the equator this evening. The celestial equator crosses directly overhead while each pole star lies 90 degrees away on opposite horizons. Stellarium
In so many ways, we see aspects of our own planet in the stars above.
A lovely view of the Sombrero Galaxy in Virgo. Taken remotely from Siding Spring Observatory, Australia during several nights in April. Credit and copyright: Ian Sharp.
Here’s a wonderful view of the Sombrero Galaxy (M104, NGC 4594) in Virgo. This multi-hour, deep exposure was taken remotely by astrophotographer Ian Sharp from the Siding Spring Observatory in Australia over the past few weeks, with 12 hours of Luminance and 5 hours each on R, G and B channels.
The Sombrero Galaxy is a spiral galaxy that we see edge-on from Earth. Its outer dust lanes and bright central bulge aare visible in this wonderful image. There’s a zoomed out version, below, and you can see more of Ian Sharp’s great imagery at his website.
A expanded view of M104, the Sombrero Galaxy and the surrounding region. Credit and copyright: Ian Sharp.
Here are the details of the equipment Ian Sharp used to take these images:
Optical Tube Assembly RCOS 12.5” F/9 (2857mm focal length) Carbon-Fibre Tube w/TCC2, PIR and FFC
Equatorial Mount Bisque Paramount ME
Imaging Camera Apogee F16M-D9 (KAF-16803) with 7 slot filter wheel
Imaging Camera Filters Astrodon Series II L,R,G,B, Ha (5nm), OIII (3nm) and SII (3nm)
Guide Camera MMOAG with SBIG ST-402ME
The system delivers a 44×44 arcmin FoV operating at .65 arcsec/pixel
Processed entirely in PixInsight.
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Airbus A300 B4-622R from London to Paris -- and to the Moon? -- on April 5, 2014. Credit and copyright: Sebastien Lebrigand.
Fly me — or my package — to the Moon? “Anything is possible!” said astrophotographer Sebastien Lebrigand, via email to Universe Today. Lebrigand lives along the flight path to the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris and regularly takes images of planes flying in front of the Moon, (see another of his shots here), but he’s thinking this might be his best one yet.
He used a 102/660 mm refractor telescope with a Canon EOS60d camera to capture this shot.
Note: This photo does not constitute an endorsement or advertisement.
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This gorgeous shot taken on April 26, 2014 is just breathtaking. “It was an epic Milky Way night,” Gavin said on Facebook.
Monument Valley one of the most majestic and most most photographed regions in the US, and is known for its dramatic landscape and mesmerizing lighting during the day — with the sun illuminating the towers and casting long shadows on the valley — but it is equally dramatic at night, too, as this image attests.
Gavin told Universe Today the video will be completed in about 2 weeks, and that he was in Arizona as an “artist in residence” at Northern Arizona University, showing the photography students some timelapse tricks on some field trips.
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Aurora hunting in Iceland on March 26, 2014. Credit and copyright: Nanut Bovorn.
For some reason, the theme from “Star Wars” is now echoing in my head…
Wow! This awesome shot of aurora hunting in Iceland was taken by Photographer Nanut Bovorn. See more of his work on Flickr or his Facebook page.
The original ‘Star Wars’ movie poster. Via Posterwire.
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Thierry Legault with his customized satellite tracking system. Photo courtesy Thierry Legault.
UPDATE:Thanks to several people on Twitter who pointed out that what is seen in the footage here is the the upper stage of the Falcon 9, the Dragon capsule, and the ejected solar panel covers moving along together in orbit around the Earth. And as Phil Plait pointed out, since this was taken a few minutes after the capsule separated from the rocket upper stage, all the individual things you see here were still near each other in space.
We need to say it: astrophotographer Thierry Legault has done it again! Here’s an absolutely fantastic capture of the SpaceX Dragon capsule just 25 minutes after it launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, as it passed over Europe. Here, Legault captured footage of Dragon crossing the Big Dipper as seen from Paris at 19:50 UTC, April 18, 2014.
“It was an incredible vision: 4 bright dots moving together!” Legault told Universe Today via email.
Check out more of his amazing astrophotography and even some of his tips and tricks at Thierry’s website.
Did the Moon appear a little on crimson side to you last night? It’s not your imagination, but it was a fine textbook example of a total lunar eclipse. This was the first total lunar eclipse visible from the Earth since late 2011, and the first of four visible from the Americas over the next 18 months.
And although much of the U.S. and Canadian eastern seaboard was under cloud cover, those west of the Mississippi River were treated to a fine show. We were the lucky exception here at Astroguyz HQ just north of Tampa Bay in Florida, as the storm front held off juuusst long enough to witness the eclipse in its entirety.
We will admit, though, that there were some tense moments. A wave of thick clouds threatened to end our session altogether just moments before the onset of totality before finally abating. We shot stills, streamed video, made observations, and heck, just stepped back once in a while to stare at the ruby-tinged beauty that was totality.
And judging from the flurry of web traffic, the odd late Monday night/ early Tuesday morning timing for this eclipse did little to stem folks interest. We noted to Virtual Star Party co-host that the excitement was reminiscent to the early morning landing of Curiosity on the Red Planet.
Anyhow, here’s just a sampling of some of the great pics currently pouring in to Universe Today:
An eclipsed Moon+Spica. Credit: Henry Weiland of Honolulu, Hawaii
Visually, we’d place this morning’s eclipse between a Danjon value of 3 and 4, with a bright yellowish rim contrasting with a dark, coppery core near the center of the umbra. One astute viewer noted during the webcast that the eclipsed Moon took on a decidedly 3-D appearance, versus its usual flat look when nearing Full.
The eclipsed Moon, Mars and Spica. Credit: @Astrocolors
And speaking of Mars, we fielded lots of “what are those bright stars nearby?” questions as well. The bright blue-white star Spica and the planet Mars “photobombed” many eclipse images. Spica just missed being occulted by the Moon during the eclipse by less than two degrees, And Mars just passed opposition this week and was at its closest approach to the Earth for 2014 on the night of the eclipse.
Approaching totality as seen from Jacksonville, Florida. Credit: Richard Hay @WinObs.
As totality approached, shutter-speeds became longer as the red edge of the Moon became apparent. It always amazes me to think that the Earth casts that long red shadow back into the void of space every night, but its only during a lunar eclipse that you actually get to see it. We’re always told that the Earth is round, but during a lunar eclipse is one of the only times that you can really witness this curve, up close and personal.
A gathering of red objects, both celestial and terrestrial. Credit: AstroVal1, New York City.
This eclipse was placed reasonably high in the sky for Northern hemisphere viewers, though that also meant a lack of pics with foreground, except of course for creative shots like the one above. And with the explosion of digital imaging technology, its amazing what folks are doing to image eclipses, even using mobile phones:
We’ve come a long way since the days of film and doing back of the envelope calculations for afocal SLR photography of the Moon, that’s for sure. Unlike solar totality, lunar eclipses are a long at stately affair. In fact, totality during this eclipse lasted for one hour and 18 minutes, about 29 minutes short of the theoretical maximum. This morning’s eclipse won’t be topped in length until 2018.
A brick red Moon in eclipse. Credit: Rob Sparks.
This also marked our first attempts at adventures in live-streaming an eclipse both on UStream and G+, which was a blast. Thanks to co-hosts and saros chasers Scott Lewis, Fraser Cain, Thad Szabo and Katie Mack (@AstroKatie) for making the broadcast a success!
As of yet, there’s no images of the eclipse from space-based assets, though some may surface. Universe Today’s Elizabeth Howell noted that NASA engineers took precautions to protect the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter during the event: an extended lack of sunlight is a bad thing for solar-powered spacecraft. As of yet, there’s no word as to how the LADEE spacecraft also in orbit around the Moon fared, though its due to complete its mission and crash into the Moon this month.
The eclipsed Moon and Spica. Photo by Author.
And like the “Blue,” “Super” and “Mini” Moon, the Blood Moon meme is now — for better or worse — here to stay. We’ve already fielded multiple queries for media sources asking if the current tetrad of eclipses has any special significance, and the answer is no; I would still file your taxes on this April the 15th. Eclipses happen, as do wars, earthquakes and lost car keys… each and every year.
Approaching totality. Credit: John O’Connor, Fort Pierce, Florida.
Want more? There’s no word yet as to if anyone caught any of the more bizarre challenges during this eclipse, such as completing a triple saros exeligmos, catching an ISS transit, spotting a selenelion or catching a stellar occultation during the eclipse. If you did any of the above, let us know!
And finally, the biggest post-eclipse question on everyone’s mind is always: when’s the next one? Well, Australians only have to wait two weeks until a partial solar eclipse graces their continent on April 29th… and the next total lunar eclipse once again favors North America and the Pacific region on October 8th, 2014.
T’was a great kickoff this morning of eclipse season 1 of 2 for 2014!
"Comet ISON" -- People's Choice award winner: Eric Cardoso, Setúbal, Portugal, Credit: Eric Cardoso
Comet ISON’s gone but positively not forgotten. The National Science Foundation today shared the results of their Comet ISON Photography Contest. You’ll recognize many of the names because so many of their photos have graced stories written for Universe Today.
Come take a look back at the high points of one of the most highly anticipated and studied comets of all time. Click each photo for a full-sized view. Congratulations to all the winners!
“Broom Star” — 1st place in the Through the Scope category: Damian Peach, Hampshire, U.K., Credit: Damian Peach“C/2012 S1 ISON” — 2nd place Through the Scope: Gerald Rhemann, Vienna, Austria. Credit: Gerald Rhemann“Comet ISON over Pokhara City, Nepal” — 1st place Cameras and Tripods category: Atish Aman, Delhi, India. Credit: Atish Aman“Comet ISON, Port Medway, Nova Scotia” — 2nd place Cameras and Tripods category: Barry Burgess, Nova Scotia, Canada. Credit: Barry Burgess“Comet ISON Gossamer Tail & Disconnection Event” — 1st place Piggyback Cameras category: John Chumack, Ohio, USA. Credit: John Chumack“Mercury and ISON” — 2nd place Piggyback Cameras: Gaeul Song, Korea. Credit: Gaeul Song
Aurora and starry skies at Mount Kirkjufell, Iceland on April 2, 2014. Credit and copyright: Nanut Bovorn.
Wow! Mount Kirkjufell is a well-known and often-photographed landmark, and there are many who say it is the most beautiful mountain in Iceland. Photographer Nanut Bovorn captured Kirkjufell in all its glory on April 2, 2014, surrounded by starry skies and an incredible aurora. Simply stunning.
Below is another image taken the same night which also shows the beautiful landscape that surrounds Kirkjufell, with a stream and waterfalls, all under the beautiful nights skies in Iceland.
Mount Kirkjufell sits on a little peninsula and is 463 meters high.
Mount Kirkjufell in Iceland surrounded by the aurora on April 2, 2014. Credit and copyright: Nanut Bovorn.
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A tiny crescent Moon, with only about 1% of the lunar surface illuminated, one day a few hours after the New Moon phase. March 31, 2014 from Sulmona, Abruzzo, Italy. Credit and copyright: Giuseppe Petricca.
Last night, you could have sung that old astronomical favorite, “By the light of the slivery Moon.” Yep, it was a teeny, tiny sliver of a crescent Moon, with just under 2% of the lunar surface illuminated. In fact, depending on where you live, the sliver could have been even tinier. Giuseppe Petricca from Sulmona, Abruzzo, Italy snapped a 1% illuminated Moon (above) and then realized he also managed to capture images of the crescent Moon during the day when the Moon was just 0.7% illuminated! (below) “It was less than a day since the New Moon!” Giuseppe said via email. “I was absolutely amazed, to say the least!”
See his daytime image below, plus many more “slivery” tiny crescent Moons as seen from around the world:
The tiny crescent Moon captured during the daytime in Sulmona, Abruzzo, Italy, in a 0.7% phase, minus than a day since New Moon. Credit and copyright: Giuseppe Petricca. The one-day old crescent Moon on March 31, 2014. Credit and copyright: Robert Sparks.
The 1.2 day old Moon, 2% illuminated, from Weatherly, PA. Inset picture taken with 12″ Meade telescope. Credit and copyright: Tom Wildoner. The Moon at sunset with only 2% of its surface illuminated. Credit and copyright: Héctor Barrios.A thin crescent Moon on April 1, 2014. Credit and copyright: Jason Hill.
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