Observing Archives

December 18, 2009December 24, 2015 by Tammy Plotner

Weekend SkyWatcher’s Forecast – December 18-20, 2009

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! What a wonderful weekend we have coming up. On clear nights, the diamond-bright stars of the Winter constellations have been simply beautiful with the crown jewel of Jupiter headlining the early evenings. Although the Moon will gently return over the next few days, it’s a spectacular time to enjoy those new optics you may have lurking about underneath a cloak of colorful paper and ribbons. Don’t shake the boxes too hard, but ask to take them out! We’ve got wonderful objects discovered by Sir William Herschel, unusual star clusters not on regular lists, new binocular targets, sweet old favorites and even an asteroid. Not enough? Then how about of pairing of Jupiter and Neptune! Still mourning missing the Geminids because of the weather? Then smile and catch the peak of the Delta Arietid meteor shower. (told ya’ this was a great weekend!) Whenever you’re ready, I’ll see you in the backyard…

Friday, December 18, 2009 – So where has Sir William Herschel been lately? (Besides the obvious answer, ok?) Rest assured that one of the most prolific observers of the cosmos never stopped exploring, discovering, and documenting some of the finest deep-space objects, and was doing so almost every single night of the year.

Tonight let’s start with a Herschel discovery made on this date in 1788 as we take a look in northern Perseus, about a fist-width northeast of Alpha, for NGC 1444 (RA 03 49 24 Dec þ52 40 00). Well known as a source of radio emission, NGC 1444 holds a rough cumulative magnitude of 6.5; in binoculars it will show as a small compression of stars around SAO 24248, but use a scope if you can! Even modest aperture and magnification will reveal a delightful chain of stars in an S-pattern around this Herschel ‘‘400’’ object.

If you’d like to explore something a little more off the beaten path (and an object not discovered by Herschel), head about a degree and a half southwest for King 7 (RA 03 59 00 Dec +51 48 00). Very rich and compressed, this alternative catalog study is slightly larger than tonight’s Herschel and is definitely more set apart from the surrounding star fields. Studied by (and named for) Ivan R. King, this intermediate-to-old open cluster seems to be very relaxed in its evolutionary state. Be sure to power up, because King 7 is definitely a stellar region you won’t want to miss!

Saturday, December 19, 2009 – Tonight let’s return to Fornax and start with binoculars. For a real treat, look just below Beta for the triple Eta. To limited optics, this sweet triple grouping will show two stars closer together—northeastern Eta 3 and southwestern Eta 2.

This is a visual combination in a delightful starry field, but take out your telescope and have a closer look at Eta 2 (RA 02 50 14 Dec –35 50 37). Separated by 5.000 this disparate magnitude 5.9 and 10.1 binary system is a challenge object on many double stars lists!

For larger telescopes, set sail for Beta Fornacis and head 3 degrees southwest (RA 02 39 42 Dec –34 16 08) for a real curiosity—NGC 1049. At magnitude 13, this globular cluster is a challenge for even large scopes, and with good reason: it isn’t even in our galaxy. This cluster is a member of the Fornax Dwarf Galaxy, a 1-degree span that’s so large it was difficult to recognize as extragalactic—at least it was until the great Harlow Shapely figured it out! NGC 1049 was discovered and cataloged by John Herschel in 1847, only to be reclassified as Hodge 3 (by Paul Hodge) in a 1961 study of the system’s five globular clusters. Since that time, yet another globular has been discovered in the Fornax Dwarf! Good luck. . .

Sunday, December 20, 2009 – Tonight’s twilight crescent Moon has a visitor 2.4 degrees north—the asteroid Iris. Check out Jupiter’s northern visitor, too. Neptune is still just 0.6 degrees away! Tonight is the peak of the Delta Arietid meteor shower, an early evening event that must be viewed before the radiant sets. The fall rate is modest, about 12 per hour. Today also marks the founding of Mt. Wilson Solar Observatory in 1904, and the birth of Walter Adams in 1876. While studying at Mt. Wilson, Adams revealed the nature of Sirius B, the first known white dwarf star.

Let’s pretend the skies are still as dark as they were at Mt. Wilson in Adams’ time as we aim our binoculars and telescopes toward one of the most elusive galaxies of all—M33. Located about one-third the distance between Alpha Trianguli and Beta Andromedae (RA 01 33 51 Dec þ30 39 37), this member of our Local Group was probably first seen by Hodierna but was recovered independently by Messier some 110 years later. Right at the edge of unaided visibility, M33 spans about four Moons’ width of sky, making it a beautiful binocular object and a prime view in a low power telescope.

Smaller than both the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy, the Triangulum may be average in size, but it’s not an average study. So impressed was Herschel that he gave it its own designation of HV.17 after having already cataloged one of its bright star-forming regions asHIII.150! In 1926 Hubble also studied M33 at Mt. Wilson with the Hooker Telescope during his work with Cepheid variables.

Larger telescopes often ‘‘can’t see’’ M33 with good reason: it overfills the field of view. But what a view! Not only did Herschel discover a region much like our own Orion Nebula, but also the entire galaxy contains many NGC and IC objects (even globular clusters) attainable with a larger scope. Although M33 might be 3 million light-years away, tonight it’s as close as your own dark-sky site.

Until the next event? May the stars sparkle in your eyes and the love of observing sparkle in your heart…

This week’s awesome images are (in order of appearance): NGC 1444, King 7, Eta 3 and Eta 2 Fornacis, NGC 1049 (credit—Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech), Walter Adams (credit—Yerkes Observatory, University of Chicago) and M33 (courtesy of NOAO/AURA/NSF). We thank you so much!

December 17, 2009December 24, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Colliding Auroras Create Explosions

his is a locations and field of view map of the twenty all-sky imagers used in support of the THEMIS mission. Twenty all-sky imagers (ASIs) were deployed by researchers from the University of California Berkeley, the University of Calgary, and the University of Alaska in support of the THEMIS mission. Credit: THEMIS/UC Berkeley

Colliding auroras photographed by THEMIS all-sky imagers (ASIs) on Feb. 29, 2008. Credit: Toshi Nishimura/UCLA

Scientists recently discovered something about auroras they never knew before. “Our jaws dropped when we saw the movies for the first time,” said Larry Lyons of the University of California-Los Angeles,(UCLA) describing how sometimes, vast curtains of aurora borealis collide, producing spectacular outbursts of light. “These outbursts are telling us something very fundamental about the nature of auroras.” These collisions can be so large, that isolated observers on Earth — with limited fields of view — have never noticed them before. It took a network of sensitive cameras spread across thousands of miles to get the big picture.

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This network of 20 cameras, set up by NASA and the Canadian Space Agency was deployed around the Arctic in support of the THEMIS mission, the “Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms.” THEMIS consists of five identical probes launched in 2006 to solve a long-standing mystery: Why do auroras occasionally erupt in an explosion of light called a substorm?

The cameras would photograph auroras from below while the spacecraft sampled charged particles and electromagnetic fields from above. Together, the on-ground cameras and spacecraft would see the action from both sides and be able to piece together cause and effect—or so researchers hoped. It seems to have worked.

This three frame animation of THEMIS/ASI images shows auroras colliding on Feb. 29, 2008. Credit: Toshi Nishimura/UCLA

The breakthrough came earlier this year when UCLA researcher Toshi Nishimura assembled continent-wide movies from the individual ASI cameras. “It can be a little tricky,” Nishimura said. “Each camera has its own local weather and lighting conditions, and the auroras are different distances from each camera. I’ve got to account for these factors for six or more cameras simultaneously to make a coherent, large-scale movie.”

The first movie he showed Lyons was a pair of auroras crashing together in Dec. 2007. “It was like nothing I had seen before,” Lyons recalled. “Over the next several days, we surveyed more events. Our excitement mounted as we became convinced that the collisions were happening over and over.”

A schematic diagram of Earth's magnetosphere. Earth is the circle near the middle and the plasma tail is denoted in yellow. Credit: Larry Lyons/UCLA

The explosions of light, they believe, are a sign of something dramatic happening in the space around Earth—specifically, in Earth’s “plasma tail.” Millions of kilometers long and pointed away from the sun, the plasma tail is made of charged particles captured mainly from the solar wind. Sometimes called the “plasma sheet,” the tail is held together by Earth’s magnetic field.

The same magnetic field that holds the tail together also connects it to Earth’s polar regions. Because of this connection, watching the dance of Northern Lights can reveal much about what’s happening in the plasma tail.

THEMIS project scientist Dave Sibeck of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. said, “By putting together data from ground-based cameras, ground-based radar, and the THEMIS spacecraft, we now have a nearly complete picture of what causes explosive auroral substorms,”

Lyons and Nishimura have identified a common sequence of events. It begins with a broad curtain of slow-moving auroras and a smaller knot of fast-moving auroras, initially far apart. The slow curtain quietly hangs in place, almost immobile, when the speedy knot rushes in from the north. The auroras collide and an eruption of light ensues.

How does this sequence connect to events in the plasma tail? Lyons believes the fast-moving knot is associated with a stream of relatively lightweight plasma jetting through the tail. The stream gets started in the outer regions of the plasma tail and moves rapidly inward toward Earth. The fast knot of auroras moves in synch with this stream.

Meanwhile, the broad curtain of auroras is connected to the stationary inner boundary of the plasma tail and fueled by plasma instabilities there. When the lightweight stream reaches the inner boundary of the plasma tail, there is an eruption of plasma waves and instabilities. This collision of plasma is mirrored by a collision of auroras over the poles.

Movies of the phenomenon were unveiled at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union today in San Francisco.

Sources: EurekAlert, Science@NASA

December 14, 2009December 24, 2015 by Tammy Plotner

Phaeton Place… Inside the Geminid Meteor Shower

What are Meteors Made of — The Geminids Meteors 2009 Early Preview All sky video Dayton, Ohio USA

Although the peak of the Geminid meteor shower has now passed, that doesn’t mean the activity will stop. For at least another week you’ll spot a rise in random activity that points back to the radiant of this reliable annual display. For most it will only be a bright streak that makes us yell out loud at its sudden beauty, but for some? We want the real dirt. We wanna’ know what’s really going on inside of Phaeton Place…

First noted in 1862 by Robert P. Greg in England, and B. V. Marsh and Prof. Alex C. Twining of the United States in independent studies, the annual appearance of the Geminid stream was weak, producing no more than a few per hour, but it has grown in intensity during the last century and a half. By 1877 astronomers were realizing that a new annual shower was occurring with an hourly rate of about 14. At the turn of the century it had increased to an average of over 20, and by the 1930s to from 40 to 70 per hour. Only ten years ago observers recorded an outstanding 110 per hour during a moonless night.

So why are the Geminids such a mystery? Most meteor showers are historic, documented and recorded for hundred of years, and we know them as being cometary debris. When astronomers first began looking for the Geminids’ parent comet, they found none. After decades of searching, it wasn’t until October 11, 1983 that Simon Green and John K. Davies, using data from NASA’s Infrared Astronomical Satellite, detected an orbital object which the next night was confirmed by Charles Kowal to match the Geminid meteoroid stream. But this was no comet, it was an asteroid.

Originally designated as 1983 TB, but later renamed 3200 Phaethon, this apparently rocky solar system member has a highly elliptical orbit that places it within 0.15 AU of the Sun about every year and half. But asteroids can’t fragment like a comet – or can they? The original hypothesis was that since Phaethon’s orbit passes through the asteroid belt, it may have collided with other asteroids, creating rocky debris. This sounded good, but the more we studied the more we realized the meteoroid “path” occurred when Phaethon neared the Sun. So now our asteroid is behaving like a comet, yet it doesn’t develop a tail.

So what exactly is this “thing?” Well, we do know that 3200 Phaethon orbits like a comet, yet has the spectral signature of an asteroid. By studying photographs of the meteor showers, scientists have determined that the meteors are more dense than cometary material but not as dense as asteroid fragments. This leads us to believe that Phaethon is probably an extinct comet that has gathered a thick layer of interplanetary dust during its travels, yet retains the ice-like nucleus. Until we are able to take physical samples of this “mystery,” we may never fully understand what Phaethon is, but we can fully appreciate the annual display it produces.

But I promised you dirt, didn’t I? Then let’s take an even better look at “Phaeton Place”…

If you happened to catch one of these bright meteor displays, you may have noticed it seemed to hang around a little bit longer. There’s good reason for that. The speed at which them Geminids hit our atmosphere is around 80,000 mph, about half that of the mighty Leonids. So what can cause that? Let’s ask meteor expert Wayne Hally.

“There are three factors which combine to create a meteor’s starting speed in the atmosphere. The minimum speed is around 11 kilometers per second…this is due solely to the Earth’s gravity. A particle that has a speed of zero relative to the Earth, will be drawn in by gravity until it is traveling just over 11kps when it reaches meteor height (~100km). The second factor is the particle’s motion around the Sun, and can range up to 42 kps at the Earth’s orbital distance. Anything moving faster is not in orbit around the Sun, and is either passing through the solar system or has been accelerated by interaction with a solar system object and is on it’s way out. These are VERY rare. Meteor shower particles must be in orbit, since we pass them as our orbits intersect each year.” says Halley. “Finally there is the Earth’s motion around the sun..we are moving around 30 kps in our own orbit, so we are adding our own motion to that of the particle around the Sun. So showers with slow speeds (< 30 kps) are catching up to us from behind. Meanwhile, the fastest showers, such as the leonids, are moving at high speed in a retrograde orbit (opposite that of the Earth) and smash into our windshield (the atmosphere) at the highest speed. (~72 kps). (BTW, the theoretical fastest speed is not 72+30+11 kps, rather it is about 72.9 kps...the speeds are not added directly....it is the square root of the sum of the squares....to explain it simply, a particle moving 72 kps has less time to be accelerated and only reaches 73, while a particle whose speed is zero has lots of time to be accelerated by gravity so winds up at 11 kps)." Want even more dirt? The Geminid meteor shower rate has been continually increasing as well. “The Geminids are strong-and getting stronger,” says Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office. Just like a giant vacuum cleaner sucking up the dirt from our homes, so Jupiter has been busy attracting the meteoroid stream and drawing it closer and closer to Earth’s orbit. Meteor expert Peter Brown of the University of Western Ontario (UWO) says the trend could continue for some time to come. “Based on modeling of the debris done by Jim Jones in the UWO meteor group back in the 1980s, it is likely that Geminid activity will increase for the next few decades, perhaps getting 20% to 50% higher than current rates.”

Eventually this annual meteor shower could become a regular fireball showcase! And we’ll all be watching Phaeton Place…

Image Credits: Geminid Still Shots and Video – Courtesy of John Chumack, Geminid Still Photo – Courtesy of Haplo, Phaeton Orbit Plot – Courtesy of Randy Russell (UCAR), Geminid Meteor Rate Chart – Bill Cooke, NASA Meteoroid Environment Office. We thank you so much!

December 11, 2009December 24, 2015 by Tammy Plotner

Weekend SkyWatcher’s Forecast – December 11-13, 2009

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! We be down here, but not quite out. It’s going to be an awesome weekend with the Geminid meteor shower, dark skies and plenty of excitement to go around! Unfortunately, this kid is grounded – but don’t let a little “cold” stop you from enjoying the celestial sights! Whenever you’re ready… I’ll see you in the back yard!

Friday, December 11, 2009 – On this date in 1863, Annie Jump Cannon was born. She was an American astronomer who created the modern system for classifying stars by their spectra. Tonight we celebrate this achievement.

Come along with meand have a look at some very specific stars with unusual visual spectral qualities! Let’s grab a star chart, brush up on our Greek letters, and start first by returning to Mu Cephei. Nicknamed the ‘‘Garnet Star,’’ this is perhaps one of the reddest stars visible to the unaided eye. At around 1,200 light-years away, this spectral type M2 star will show a delightful blue-purple ‘‘flash.’’ If you still don’t perceive color, try comparing Mu to its bright neighbor Alpha, a spectral type A7, or ‘‘white,’’ star. Perhaps you’d like something a bit more off the beaten path? Then head for S Cephei, about halfway between Kappa and Gamma toward the pole. Its intense shade of red makes this magnitude 10 star an incredibly worthwhile hunt.

To see an example of a B spectrum star, look no further than the Pleiades. All the components are blue-white. Want to taste an ‘‘orange?’’ Then look again at Aldebaran, or Alpha Tauri, and say hello to a K spectrum star. Now that we have your curiosity aroused, would you like to see what our own Sun would look like? Then choose Alpha Aurigae, better known as Capella, and discover a spectral class G star that’s ‘‘only’’ 160 times brighter than the one that holds our Solar System together! Still no luck in seeing color? Don’t worry. It does take a bit of practice! The cones in our eyes are the color receptors, and when we go out in the dark, the color-blind rods take over. By intensifying the starlight with either a telescope or binoculars, we can usually excite the cones in our dark-adapted eyes to respond to color.

Tonight is also the peak of the Sigma Hydrid meteor stream. Its radiant is near the head of the Serpent, and the fall rate is about 12 per hour—but these are fast! While you’re watching, check out the very close pairing of Spica and the Moon as they rise together. You’ll find the asteroid Ceres 8.7 degrees north of the lunar limb!

Saturday, December 12, 2009 – Today we honor the birth of S.W. Burnham. Born in 1838, this American astronomer spent 50 years of his life surveying the night sky for double stars. Although at the time it was believed that all visual binaries had been accounted for, Burnham’s work was eventually published as the General Catalogue of 1,290 Double Stars. His keen eye and diligent study opened the doors for him at observatories such as Yerkes and Lick. His lifetime count of binaries discovered eventually reached 1,340. He was also the very first to observe what would eventually be termed a ‘‘Herbig–Haro object,’’ and he discovered 6 New General Catalog (NGCs) and 21 Index Catalog (IC) objects.

Today in 1961, OSCAR 1 was launched. This name of this project, which started in 1960, stands for Orbital Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio. OSCAR 1 operated in orbit for 22 days, transmitting a signal in Morse code: the simple greeting ‘‘Hi.’’ The success of the mission helped to promote interest in amateur radio, which continues to this day!

Let’s honor Burnham’s work and our summering southern friends once again as we head toward the incomparable NGC 55. Located about two finger-widths north-northwest of Alpha Phoenicis (RA 00 15 08 Dec –39 13 13), this large, near edge-on galaxy is truly a southern gem. At magnitude 7.8, this bright member of the Sculptor Galaxy group can easily be spotted in binoculars. Mid-sized scopes will
begin resolution of mottling in the structure, while large aperture will show individual stars, nebulous areas, and dark dust clouds—with a very prominent one east of the nucleus. Rock on. . .

Sunday, December 13, 2009 – Tonight we have the hauntingly beautiful and mysterious displays of the Geminid meteor shower. First noted in 1862, the stream was weak but has intensified with time. Around 10 years ago, observers recorded an outstanding 110 per hour during a moonless night. . .and we’ve got a moonless night.

So why are the Geminids a mystery? Most meteor showers are cometary debris, documented and recorded for hundreds of years. When astronomers began looking for the Geminids’ parent comet, they found none. It wasn’t until 1983 that an object was detected matching the meteoroid stream. . .an asteroid. Originally designated as 1983 TB, but later renamed 3200 Phaethon, this apparently rocky Solar System member has a highly elliptical orbit, placing it within 0.15 Astronomical Unit (AU) of the Sun about every year and a half. But asteroids can’t fragment like comets—or can they? Phaethon may have collided with one or more asteroids in passing, creating rocky debris. Plausible, but the meteoroid ‘‘path’’ occurs when Phaethon nears the Sun—behaving like a comet, yet developing no tail.

By studying the spectral signature of the Geminid meteor shower, scientists have determined that the fragments are denser than cometary material, yet not as dense as an asteroid. Phaethon may be an extinct comet that has gathered a thick layer of interplanetary dust during its travels yet retains the ice-like nucleus. Without physical samples of this ‘‘mystery,’’ we may never fully understand what Phaethon is, but we can fully appreciate the annual display it produces! Thanks to the wide path of the stream, folks the world over get an opportunity to enjoy the show. The traditional peak time is tonight as soon as the constellation of Gemini appears, around midevening. The radiant for the shower is near the bright star Castor, but meteors can originate from many points in the sky. From around 2:00 a.m. tonight until dawn (when our local sky window is aimed directly into the stream), it is possible to see about one ‘‘shooting star’’ every 30 seconds.

Enjoy the incredible and mysterious Geminids!

This week’s awesome images are (in order of appearance): Annie Jump Cannon (widely used public image), Aldebaran – credit: John
Chumack, S.W. Burnham (historical image). NGC 55 (credit—Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech) and Geminid meteor (credit—NASA). We thank you so much!

December 9, 2009April 19, 2023 by Nancy Atkinson

What was the Norway Spiral?

Light in the sky over Norway, see at 7:50 am local time. Photo: Jan Petter Jørgensen via Vaeret

Just what created the big blue spiral in the sky over Norway in the early morning hours of Dec. 9, 2009? Time traveling Borgs? Psychedelic aliens? Most likely, it was something much more terrestrial and much more boring. Many reports say it was the failed launch of a Russian rocket, probably a Bulava ICBM, a problem-plagued Russian missile that reportedly had several test launches scheduled. Although Russian officials haven’t confirmed this (and in fact one official denied there was any rocket launch in the area) an anonymous Russian military source said it actually was failed launch from a submarine in the White Sea early Wednesday morning.

UPDATE (Dec. 10): Russia has finally admitted a missile accident with the Bulava ICBM. This rocket already has failed six of 13 previous tests, according to the BBC, so Russia might have been a little embarrassed about it.

In what seems to confirm a rocket launch, yesterday, a message from NAVTEX was issued message warning airplanes not to fly, and ships not to sail in that area:

ZCZC FA79
031230 UTC DEC 09
COASTAL WARNING ARKHANGELSK 94
SOUTHERN PART WHITE SEA
1.ROCKET LAUNCHING 2300 07 DEC TO 0600 08 DEC
09 DC 0200 TO 0900 10 DEC 0100 TO 0900
NAVIGATION PROHIBITED IN AREA

Additionally, a researcher at the Tromsø Geophysical Observatory (where they observe auroras) Truls Lynne Hansen is certain that the light was caused by a missile launch. “The missile has probably come out of control and exploded,” Hansen was quoted in the Barents Observer. “The peculiar spiral shaped light pattern comes from reflection of the sun in the leaking fuel.”
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Visible in the images and videos is the sunlight just beginning to peek over the horizon which would have back-lit the fuel.

Another launch on November 1 also caused strange light phenomenon in northern parts of Norway, although not as spectacular as the one today. It also caused speculation as to the cause, but it came from the launch of a Sineva missile from the nuclear submarine in the White Sea.

Doug Ellison from UnmannedSpaceflight.com has created a video (updated and improved from his earlier version we had in our previous article) showing the morphology of a tumbling rocket stage throwing out unspent fuel in two directions. “This is a set of rendered views using 3DS Max to produce a coarse simulation of what may have occurred to produce the beautiful formation in the sky over Norway earlier today,” he said. “It is not an ‘official’ answer, though. It looks beautiful, but there’s probably a fairly ordinary explanation.”

Other explanations?

Here are just a few that were emailed to me today:

Aurora: Not likely. No aurora has ever taken on this shape.

Birkeland Current: Again, not likely. A Birkeland Current a magnetic field aligned current in the Earth’s magnetosphere which flows from the magnetotail towards the Earth on the dawn side and in the other direction on the dusk side of the magnetosphere. Birkeland currents often show filamentary, or twisted “rope-like” magnetic structure, and they create the aurora Borealis and Australis when they reach the upper atmosphere.

Poisk module: This Russian module undocked from the International Space Station yesterday, and a employee at Boeing said the module would have had unspent fuel which would have been released on reentry. However, the timing doesn’t seem to be right as to when it would have burned up the in the atmosphere.

Projection: There has been some talk this was just a projection on the sky. However, the phenomenon was seen in a wide area, meaning such a projection would have to be huge. Again, not likely.

Sources: Barents Observer, Navtex

December 9, 2009December 24, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Weird Giant Spiral Seen in Sky over Norway

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Apparently, this is not a Photoshopped image, as there are several more just like it, taken from various locations. This morning in northern Norway, people saw a strange light in the sky which shocked residents and so far, the phenomenon has yet to be explained. This picture was taken from a pier, looking to the east, approximately at 07.50 am local time. “I can imagine that it went on for two, three minutes,” said the photographer Jan Petter Jørgensen. “It was unbelievable. I was quite shaken when I saw it.”

The spiral as seen over Borras, Norway. Via Altaposten.no

“It consisted initially of a green beam of light similar in colour to the aurora with a mysterious rotating spiral at one end,” said another eyewitness, Nick Banbury of Harstad, quoted on Spaceweather.com. “This spiral then got bigger and bigger until it turned into a huge halo in the sky with the green beam extending down to the earth. According to the press, this could be seen all over northern norway and must therefore have been very high up in the atmosphere to be seen hundreds of km apart.”

Here’s a link to a video of the spiral forming.

“[A popular] suggestion at the moment is that it was a rocket shot up by a Russian submarine in the White Sea, but the Russians deny this apparently. A big mystery indeed!”

UPDATE (Dec. 10): Russia has finally admitted a missile accident with the Bulava ICBM. This rocket already has failed six of 13 previous tests, according to the BBC, so Russia might have been a little embarrassed about it. See our additional article the on “Norway Spiral.”

According to NRK, there were advance warnings about several Russian missile launches from the White Sea from December 7-10, but an anonymous source in the Northern Fleet said they had no information about the incident. Press Attaché from Russia’s Embassy in Oslo, Vladimir Isupov, did not have any immediate information that could explain the light phenomenon over Northern Norway.

UPDATE: Doug Ellison from UnmannedSpaceflight.com did a very cool simulation of a tumbling rocket stage throwing out unspent fuel in two directions, and what it would look like. The question, though would be how the spiral of fuel was lit. It possibly could have been back-lit by the soon-to-rise sun.

Another eyewitness said, “We saw it from the Inner Harbor in Tromsø. It was absolutely fantastic. It almost looked like a rocket that spun around and around, and then went diagonally down the heavens. It looked like the moon was coming over the mountain, but then came something completely different, “said Totto Eriksen.

We’ll keep you posted on any explanations that come out on this!

I also received a report today from a geophysicist in Papua, Indonesia who observed “an enormous flare (bolide?) visible here at Tomage (2°39’27″S 132°59’27″E), and the sighting was at a bearing approximately 165 (East of South) and the flare seemed to begin at about 30 degrees above the horizon.” Paul Anderson said the date and time of the flare was approximately 2009.12.09 12:39 UTC

“I have seen meteors all my life but this was extraordinarily bright and lit up the sky. Not sure what the trajectory was aside from a slight (15 degrees, perhaps) trend to the West but this should probably be known
somewhere. My guess is it entered steeply from the North,” he said.

Anyone else in or near Indonesia see anything similar?

Sources: Vaeret, Altaposten, NRK, Spaceweather.com

December 4, 2009December 24, 2015 by Tammy Plotner

Weekend SkyWatcher’s Forecast – December 5-7, 2009

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Are you ready for an mmm mmm good weekend? Well, the “m” stands for Messier and we’re off to study three of the late year’s finest… and a Herschel object as well! Don’t feel like taking out the telescope? Then don’t worry, because all of our weekend studies are easily done with even small binoculars! When ever you’re ready, I’ll see you in the dark…

Friday, December 4, 2009 – On this date in 1978, the Pioneer Venus Orbiter became the first spacecraft to orbit Venus. And, in 1996, the Mars Pathfinder mission was launched.

Tonight we’ll launch toward a bright open cluster known by many names: Herschel VII.32, Melotte 12, Collinder 23, and NGC 752. You’ll find it three finger-widths south (RA 01 57 41 Dec +37 47 06) of Gamma Andromedae.

Under dark skies, this 5.7-magnitude open cluster can just be spotted with the unaided eye, is revealed in the smallest of binoculars, and can be completely resolved with a telescope. Chances are NGC 752 was discovered by Hodierna over 350 years ago, but it was not cataloged until Sir William gave it a designation in 1786. But give credit where credit is due, for it was Caroline Herschel who observed it on September 28, 1783! Containing literally scores of stars, galactic cluster NGC752 could be well over a billion years old and is strung out in chains and knots in an X pattern over a rich field. Take a close look at the southern edge for orange star 56; although this is a true binary star, the companion you see is merely optical. Enjoy this unsung symphony of stars tonight!

Saturday, December 5, 2009 – No one is certain, but it is believed that Werner Heisenberg was born on this date in 1901! Heisenberg was a physicist and philosopher who discovered a way to formulate quantum mechanics in terms of matrices. His uncertainty principle won him the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1932.

Is it gone yet? Nope. The Moon will rise a little later this evening, but we’re going to run ahead of it tonight and enjoy some studies in Auriga! Looking roughly like a pentagon in shape, Capella is the brightest of these stars. Due south of Capella is the second brightest star, El Nath. By aiming binoculars at El Nath, go north about one-third the distance between the two and enjoy all the stars! You will note two very conspicuous clusters of stars in this area, and so did Le Gentil in 1749.

Binoculars will reveal the pair in the same field, as will telescopes using lowest power. The dimmest of these is M38 (RA 05 28 43 Dec +35 51 18), and it will appear vaguely cruciform in shape. At roughly 4,200 light-years away, the 100 or so fainter members will require larger aperture to resolve.

About 2.5 degrees to the southeast (RA 05 36 12 Dec +34 08 24) you will see the much brighter M36. More easily resolved in binoculars and small scopes, this ‘‘jewel box’’ galactic cluster is quite young and about 100 light-years closer!

Sunday, December 6, 2009 – Today we note the 1848 birth on this date of Johann Palisa. He discovered 122 asteroids with a 600 refractor, and all were visual observations. Check out some asteroids for yourself over the next few days as they approach easily noted objects. You’ll still find the asteroid Psyche close to Jupiter!

The Moon will be along shortly, but we still have time to set our sights about halfway between Theta Aurigae and El Nath. Our study object will be the open cluster M37 (RA 05 52 19 Dec+32 33 12).

Apparently discovered by Messier himself in 1764, this galactic cluster will appear almost nebula-like to binoculars and very small telescopes, but comes to perfect resolution with larger instruments. About 4,700 light-years away and spanning a massive 25 light-years, M37 is often billed as the finest of the three Aurigan open clusters for bigger scopes. Offering beautiful resolvability, this one contains around 150 members down to magnitude 12 and has a total population in excess of 500.

What makes it unique? As you view, you will note the presence of several red giants. For the most part, open clusters are composed of stars that are all about the same age (usually young), but the brightest star in M37 appears orange in color and not blue! So what exactly is going on here? Apparently, some of these big, bright stars have evolved much faster, consuming their fuel at an incredible rate. Other stars in this cluster are still quite young on a cosmic scale, yet they all left the ‘‘nursery’’ at the same time! In theory, this allows us to judge the relative age of open clusters. For example, M36 is around 30 million years old and M38 about 40, but the presence of the red giants in M37 puts its estimated age at 150 million years!

Enjoy the weekend and keep a look out for stray members of the Geminid meteor shower!

This week’s awesome images are (in order of appearance): NGC 752, M38 and M36 (credit—Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech), Johann Palisa (historical image) and M37 (credit—NOAO/AURA/NSF). We thank you so much!

November 27, 2009December 24, 2015 by Tammy Plotner

Observing News: Nova Eridani or Flash Fire?

K. Itagaki of Yamagata, Japan was photographing the night sky in Eridanus two days ago when Hitoshi Yamaoka of Kyushu University noticed an anomaly – a possible classic nova event. Just how big a jump in amplitude did this star make? Try at least seven magnitudes within hours… and Joe Brimacombe was on it.

According to AAVSO Special Notice #181 released on November 25, 2009, there could be a possible nova in Eridanus. “Central Bureau Electronic Telegram No. 2050 (Daniel W. E. Green, Ed.) announces the discovery of a possible nova in Eridanus, as reported by Hitoshi Yamaoka, Kyushu University, by K. Itagaki, Yamagata, Japan, at magnitude 8.1 on images taken Nov. 25.536 UT. The object was confirmed by Itagaki on an image taken on Nov. 25.545.

Coordinates: R.A. = 04:47:54.21 Decl. = -10:10:43.1 (equinox 2000.0)

According to CBET No. 2050, “Itagaki notes that there is a faint (mag about 15) object near this position on his archival patrol images. Yamaoka suggests that it might be the brightening of a 15th-mag blue star that is contained in many catalogs (USNO-B1.0 position end figures 54s.19, 42″.9), noting that the amplitude of seven magnitudes is rather large for a dwarf nova, but somewhat small for a rapid classical nova. Yamaoka adds that the ASAS-3 system (Pojmanski 2002, Acta. Astron. 52, 397) also detected this object at the following V magnitudes: Nov. 10.236 UT, [14.0:; 19.241, 7.34; 22.179, 7.98; 24.269, 8.12.” Finder charts for this object may be plotted using VSP by entering the coordinates into the form at the this URL.

This object has been assigned the VSX identifier VSX J044754.2-101043. An AUID will be assigned by the VSX moderators and will be added to the on-line version of this notice when it becomes available. Please report observations to the AAVSO International Database as N ERI 2009 or VSX J044754.2-101043.”

Within 24 hours even more news came in via AAVSO Special Notice #182:

“This new variable object in Eridanus, originally called a possible nova in CBET 2050, is most likely a WZ Sge variable. It matches closely the coordinates of GSC1.2 05325-01837, listed in that catalog at 14.76 mag. At the peak outburst magnitude of 7.3, this is about 7.5 magnitudes amplitude, within the range of a galactic variable and lower than a typical nova. It appears to be fading and is about V=8.5 right now. However, WZ Sge cataclysmic variables have a complex light curve and the star may re-brighten. We are awaiting spectral
confirmation and possible GCVS naming, and will pass on that information as soon as possible.

As mentioned in Special Notice 181, the star has been entered as VSX J044754.2-101043 and now has an AUID of 000-BJR-847. You can submit observations to the AAVSO with either identifier. We have a preliminary sequence from Mati Morel, and have obtained BVRI imagery using the Bright Star Monitor at Astrokolkhoz Observatory
which we will use to construct a multiwavelength sequence tomorrow (November 27).

This is a good target for time series photometry, and at its current brightness, we highly recommend using filters. Larger telescopes should consider B or even U filters.”

Congratulations to K. Itagaki on his latest discovery, to AAVSO for pinning it down and to Joe Brimacombe for his quick imaging of the phenomena!

November 27, 2009December 24, 2015 by Tammy Plotner

Weekend SkyWatcher’s Forecast – November 27-29, 2009

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Are you ready for what’s hot and what’s not this weekend? Then start by taking a look at Anders Celsius and then journey to some challenging lunar features! Evolve your selenographic knowledge by locating Darwin and double your vision with binary stars. Monkey around? You bet! But only if it’s with a star with unusual spectral qualities that you can see! Whenever you’re ready, I’ll see you in the dark…

Friday, November 27, 2009 – Today is the birthday of Anders Celsius, born in 1701. Although you might easily recognize the name Celsius in connection with temperature, you might not know about the contributions Anders made to astronomy some three centuries ago. Born to a Swedish family of mathematicians and astronomers, one of his first achievements came when he participated in an effort to determine the true shape of Earth. He was also the very first scientist to recognize the connection between magnetism and the aurora. And, by age 39, he had become the director of an observatory. Celsius also developed the first instrument for measuring the brightness of starlight. Ever resourceful, he already possessed tools to measure position and motion but had nothing with which to gauge magnitude. His idea was so simple it was downright elegant: he simply blocked the light with identical glass plates until the star disappeared. The brighter the star, the more plates it took!

Tonight let us go from one extreme to another as we begin on the northernmost limb of the lunar surface. From the northernmost Sinus Roris, look for lens-shaped crater Markov. To Markov’s northeast is a large, flat crater with very few distinguishing characteristics. Its name is Oenopides.

If conditions are stable, look for a gray slash known as Cleostratus on the lunar limb further north of Oenopides. On the southern limb, look for familiar craters Wargentin, Nasmyth, and Phocylides. Even farther south, note the long oval Pingre.

Saturday, November 28, 2009 – On this date in 1659, Christian Huygens was busy at the eyepiece, but he wasn’t studying Saturn. This was the first time any astronomer had seen dark markings on Mars! Why don’t you try your luck at Mars tonight, too? Wait for it to rise well above atmospheric disturbance and power up! It’s too bad it isn’t – or as big (!) as close as the Moon. . .

Tonight the great Grimaldi will again capture the eye, but let’s head southeast for another featureless dark gray oval, Crueger.

Continuing south, the next crater—Darwin—is hard to see because of its rather un-craterlike appearance. Darwin is best caught by focusing on the rima that includes its eastern wall. Look for a Y formation pointing toward Crueger.

Although skies are bright, we can still see double. Locate 5-magnitude Lambda Arietis (RA 01 57 55 Dec +23 35 45) and its companion. This wide pair is an excellent challenge for binoculars. Both stars are F-spectral types and should appear ivory in color to most observers. Having trouble in binoculars? Try a finderscope of equal power and aperture. To locate Lambda, look a finger-width west-southwest of Hamal, at Alpha Arietis.

Sunday, November 29, 2009 – On this date in 1961 Enos the Chimp was launched into fame! His story is a long and colorful one, but Enos was a true astronaut. Selected to make the first American orbital animal flight only 3 days before the launch, he flew into space on board a Mercury-Atlas 5 and completed his first orbit in just under 90 minutes. Although Enos was scheduled to complete three orbits, he was brought back due to ‘‘attitude difficulties.’’ But whose? Malfunctions caused the chimp to be repeatedly shocked when performing the correct maneuvers, but Enos continued to perform flawlessly and was said to run and jump enthusiastically on board the recovery ship. Although he died a year later from an unrelated disease, Enos the chimp remains one of our most enduring space heroes.

Tonight, launch your way toward the Moon and see if you can spot crater Riccioli. . . You’ll find it centermost and almost on the limb!

Now that you’ve viewed a challenging crater, would you like to have a look at a challenging double star? All you have to do is locate Theta Aurigae (RA 05 59 43 Dec +37 12 45) on the east side of the pentagonal shape of this constellation. Located about 110 light-years away, 2.7-magnitude Theta is a four star system, whose members range in magnitude from 2.7 to 10.7. Suited even to a small telescope, the brightest member—Theta B—is itself a binary at magnitude 7.2; it was first recorded by Otto Struve in 1871. The pair moves quite slowly and may take as long as 800 years to orbit at their separation of about 110 Astronomical Units (AU). The furthest member of this system was also noted by Struve as far back as 1852, but it is not a true member, with the separation only occurring thanks to Theta’s own proper motion. While you are there, be sure to note Theta’s unusual color. Although it will appear ‘‘white,’’ look closely at the diffraction caused by our own atmosphere, which acts much like a prism. You’ll notice a lot more purple and blue around this star than many others of the same spectral type. Why? Theta is a silicon star!

Until next week? Ask for the Moon, but keep on reaching for the stars!

This week’s awesome images are (in order of apppearance): Anders Celsius (widely used image), Northwest Limb Mosaic (credit—Alan Chu), Crueger (credit—Alan Chu), Lambda Arietis (credit –Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech), Enos the Chimp (credit–NASA), Riccioli (credit—Alan Chu) and Theta Aurigae (credit—Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech). We thank you so much!

November 25, 2009December 24, 2015 by Sean Welton

Tips for Viewing the Geminid Meteor Shower

Occurring every year in mid-December, the Geminid meteor shower is commonly referred to as the most reliable meteor shower of the year. That is, it almost always puts on a great show!

The Geminid meteor shower is sure to be a stunning show this year, as the Moon will not be visible at night, so its glow will not impede your meteor viewing ability. In addition, the Geminids’ radiant is favorably positioned for most viewers at this time of year. In order to see the most meteors, I suggest the following tips:

The Geminid meteor shower has a very broad maximum peak. Because of this, the night on which you view the meteors isn’t critical. You will of course, see more meteors on the peak nights. This year the Geminid meteor shower’s peak is the night of December 13th-14th, 2009.
The best time to view a meteor shower is in the late night to early morning hours. The best time to view a meteor shower typically begins around 2 AM. This is because as the Earth rotates toward dawn, the forward velocity of the planet adds to the linear velocity of the surface and atmosphere. This has the effect of “sweeping up” more meteors.
If you’re not normally awake at 2 AM, like many people, simply go to sleep very early and set an alarm clock to wake you up to view the meteor shower. Trust me on this point, it is definitely worth it.
The Geminid meteor shower’s radiant is right near the twin bright stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini. Click the image at top right to see a map (thanks to Stellarium). The trick, however, isn’t to look towards the radiant, but to keep your eyes on the whole sky. While it’s impossible to look at the whole sky, just keep your eyes scanning and alert. This increases your chances of seeing a fleeting meteor or one out of the corner of your eye.
Darkness is key to proper meteor shower viewing. If you live in a city or other light polluted area, try going to a dark sky site to truly experience a meteor shower. You might be surprised how close a dark sky site is to you! Here are some tips on finding a dark sky near you.
Dress warm! The cold December air will seem extra cold, since you’ll be sitting outside, inactive for the most part. I also have some tips on cold-weather astronomy at Visual Astronomy. If you are too cold, go inside for a bit! Your safety is not worth seeing some meteors!
Keep comfortable, too! I’ve found the best way to watch meteor showers is either laying down in a sleeping bag, or on an Adirondack or other reclining lawn chair. This allows you to keep your eyes on the sky without straining your neck!
Keep safe! If you’re traveling to an unknown or unfamiliar area to watch the meteor shower, don’t travel alone! Take a buddy with you. Not only is this great for safety, but meteor showers should be a social event, and are fun to share with a friend!
Green lasers are great for pointing out celestial objects. I use one to point out objects to people, and it works much better than trying to point with your hand. Just be careful with it and do not use a laser more powerful than 5 mW.
Finally, if you’re feeling ambitious, take pictures! This is a real challenge, but if you’re up to it, it’s a very rewarding challenge. You’ll need a tripod and a camera that can take long exposures. Set your exposure for somewhere around 30 seconds and let it record the whole sky. If a meteor crosses the field of view, it will be captured, and you can keep it forever!

So using these tips, you can get the most out of your Geminid viewing experience!