Posted on by Brian Ventrudo

New Sky Survey To Catch Exploding Stars In The Act

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An innovative new sky survey called the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) will use a 48-inch telescope together with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) to discover relatively rare and fleeting cosmic events like supernovae and gamma ray bursts.  The survery is already in progress, and during the commissioning phase alone, the survey has already uncovered more than 40 supernovae.  Astronomers expect to discover thousands more each year.

“This survey is a trail blazer in many ways – it is the first project dedicated solely to finding transient events, and as part of this mission we’ve worked with NERSC to develop an automated system that will sift through terabytes of astronomical data every night to find interesting events, and have secured time on some of the world’s most powerful ground-based telescopes to conduct immediate follow up observations as events are identified,” says Shrinivas Kulkarni, a professor of astronomy and planetary science at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and Director of Caltech Optical Observatories. He is also principle investigator of the PTF survey.

“This truly novel survey combines the power of a wide-field telescope, a high-resolution camera, and high-performance network and computing, as well as the ability to conduct rapid follow-up observations with telescopes around the globe for the first time,” says Peter Nugent, a computational staff scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Computational Research Division (CRD) and the NERSC Analytics Group. Nugent is also the Real-time Transient Detection Lead for the PTF project.

Every night the PTF camera – a 100-megapixel machine mounted on the 48-inch Samuel Oschin Telescope at Palomar Observatory in Southern California – will automatically snap pictures of the sky, then send those images to NERSC for archiving via a high-speed network provided by DOE’s Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) and the National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network (HPWREN).

At NERSC, computers running machine-learning algorithms in the Real-time Transient Detection pipeline scour the PTF observations for “transient” sources, cosmic objects that change in brightness or position, by comparing the new observations with all of the data collected from previous nights. Within minutes after interesting event is discovered, machines at NERSC will send its coordinates to Palomar’s 60-inch telescope for follow up observations.

“We are currently uncovering one event every 12 minutes. This project will be keeping the astronomical community busy for quite a while,” says Kulkarni.

The primary target of the sky survey are Type Ia and Type II supernovae.

Because they are relatively uniform in brightness, Type Ia supernovae act as cosmic lighthouses, helping astronomers judge the distance scale of the universe. Many astronomers participating in the PTF survey are specifically searching for these phenomena.

And Type II supernovae, the kind cause by the detonation of a massive star that’s run out of fuel, blast heavy elements into interstellar space, where they eventually form new stars and planets.

“These tools are extremely valuable because they not only help us identify supernova, they uncover them while the star is in the act of exploding,” says Robert Quimby of Caltech, who is the software lead for the PTF program. “This gives us valuable information about how cosmic dust is spread across the universe.”

“It is very exciting to find so many supernovae, so early in the project. It’s like we’ve just turned on the spigot and are now waiting for the fire hose to blast,” says Quimby.

Source: Lawrence Berkeley National Labs

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Citizen Science: Help Solve the Mystery of Epsilon Aurigae

Auriga. Credit: Sky and Telescope

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Epsilon Aurigae is a mystery. This variable star changes in brightness over time, and is thought to be an eclipsing binary. Some things about the way that this star fades and then regains it brightness are still not fully understood by astronomers, even after over 175 years of study. But now, you can help. The next eclipse of this star is predicted to begin in August 2009. Citizen Sky is a citizen science project providing you with a chance to do real scientific research to help solve the mystery.

Epsilon Aurigae is a very bright star — a third-magnitude F-type supergiant star — located in the constellation Auriga, the charioteer. This star is bright enough to be seen with the unaided eye even in the most light-polluted cities, and it is visible every autumn, winter, and spring. Because of its brightness, it can be observed by almost anyone regardless of background, training, or equipment. All you need are a good pair of eyes and know where to look.

Epsilon Aurigae model. Credit: NOAO, AURA, & NSF.
Epsilon Aurigae model. Credit: NOAO, AURA, & NSF.

This star has two-year-long eclipse that occurs every 27 years. But no one knows what eclipses the star, and the eclipse is very unusual. One of the possible models for epsilon Aurigae is that a large opaque disk seen nearly edge-on eclipses the primary star. The center of the disk might be partly transparent, due to the presence of one or more massive main-sequence stars. Because the disk is seen nearly edge-on to our line of sight, the supergiant star isn’t completely obscured even at the eclipse minimum.

Citizen Sky has put together materials guide you through the process of how to observe epsilon Aurigae, how to send in your observations, and then how to see your results, analyze them, and even publish them in a scientific journal! No previous experience is required. Citizen Sky hopes to involve thousands of people all over the world in real, active scientific research.

To learn more and get involved, visit Citizen Sky.

For more about epsilon Aurigae.

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

LRO/LCROSS Gives Up Launch Date for STS-127

LRO on the launchpad. Credit: NASA

It’s a crowded dance floor and someone had to step aside. Because of Saturday’s launch delay for STS-127, the shuttle and the upcoming dual mission to the moon — the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) — were both vying to launch from Kennedy Space Center on the same day, which is not a possibility (usually there needs to be at least 48 hours between launches as the Air Force’s Eastern Range that monitors needs that amount of time to reconfigure the systems.) At a press conference today, NASA launch manager at KSC, Chuck Dovale announced LRO/LRCROSS will give up their originally schedule launch date of June 17 so that the shuttle can go. “We are relinquishing the June 17 date to the shuttle,” he said. “However, we will maintain June 18 as the earliest possible date for LRO/LCROSS. We will monitor the shuttle’s progress, and if they were to scrub the launch for any reason before midnight on the 16th, we can still maintain launch on the 18th.” But there’s a lot that has to go right for the optimum and hoped for launch schedules to happen.
Continue reading “LRO/LCROSS Gives Up Launch Date for STS-127”

Posted on by Anne Minard

Tiny, Deep-Frozen Greenland Bacterium May Hold Extra-Terrestrial Clues

Courtesy of Pennsylvania State University

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Researchers have breathed new life into a bacterium trapped deep under glacial ice in Greenland — for over 120,000 years.

The researchers, who hail from Pennsylvania State University, say the newly discovered bacterium may hold clues as to what life forms might be frozen on other planets.

Jennifer Loveland-Curtze and her team of scientists at Penn State report finding the novel microbe, which they have called Herminiimonas glaciei, in the current issue of the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.

From samples recovered nearly two miles (more than 3 kilometers) in a Greenland glacier, the team coaxed the dormant microbe back to life, first incubating their samples at 2 degrees C (35 degrees F) for seven months and then at 5 degrees C (41 degrees F) for four and a half months more, after which colonies of very small purple-brown bacteria were seen.

H. glaciei is small even by bacterial standards – it is 10 to 50 times smaller than E. coli. Its small size probably helped it to survive in the liquid veins among ice crystals and the thin liquid film on their surfaces. Small cell size is considered to be advantageous for more efficient nutrient uptake, protection against predators and occupation of micro-niches and it has been shown that ultramicrobacteria are dominant in many soil and marine environments.

Most life on our planet has always consisted of microorganisms, so it is reasonable to consider that this might be true on other planets as well. Studying microorganisms living under extreme conditions on Earth may provide insight into what sorts of life forms could survive elsewhere in the solar system.

“These extremely cold environments are the best analogues of possible extraterrestrial habitats,” Loveland-Curtze said. “The exceptionally low temperatures can preserve cells and nucleic acids for even millions of years. H. glaciei is one of just a handful of officially described ultra-small species and the only one so far from the Greenland ice sheet; studying these bacteria can provide insights into how cells can survive and even grow under extremely harsh conditions, such as temperatures down to -56 degrees C (-68 degrees F), little oxygen, low nutrients, high pressure and limited space.”

The tiny bacteria also provide a warning about more common bacteria on Earth, Loveland-Curtze pointed out.

“H. glaciei isn’t a pathogen and is not harmful to humans,” she said, “but it can pass through a 0.2 micron filter, which is the filter pore size commonly used in sterilization of fluids in laboratories and hospitals. If there are other ultra-small bacteria that are pathogens, then they could be present in solutions presumed to be sterile.”

Source: Eurekalert

Posted on by Fraser Cain

Nancy Sings the Praises of the Mars Global Surveyor

Mars Global Surveyor

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Sure, I love the Mars Global Surveyor, who doesn’t? But Universe Today minstrel Nancy Atkinson has put her heartfelt feelings to song in today’s episode of 365 Days of Astronomy podcast. Seriously, Nancy wrote a song, and performed it for the podcast. Of course, this is the second time Nancy has performed a song for the podcast. Her first was an ode to the International Space Station. Thanks Nancy… you rock!

Posted on by Fraser Cain

Universe Today Guide to the Constellations

Bootes

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I just like to take a second and direct your attention to an amazing resource developed for Universe Today by our astronomy guide Tammy Plotner. It’s a guide to all 88 constellations in the sky. Each entry has a chart for the region of the sky, descriptions of the major objects you’ll find there, background mythology, and a guided tour through each constellation with binoculars or a telescope. I’m really grateful for Tammy’s work on this, and I hope you find it really helpful, whether you’re an experienced astronomer or want to start exploring the constellations. Of course, it’s totally free for you all to use.

Here’s the full list of all the constellations:

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

What Happens During a Last Second Shuttle Launch Abort


Holy Moly! Not to wish anything like this for Saturday’s launch, but I came across this video of the STS-68 launch attempt in 1994 that was aborted at the very last second. Watching it is enough to make your heart stop. Everyone involved must have experienced a tremendous rush followed by extreme let-down! The main engines had lit, but were shut down 1.9 seconds before liftoff when on-board computers detected higher than acceptable readings in a sensor monitoring the discharge temperature of the high pressure oxidizer turbopump in main engine #3. In the history of the shuttle program, five launch attempts were aborted under five seconds from the planned launch. STS-68 came the closest to hauling the mail before being aborted.
Continue reading “What Happens During a Last Second Shuttle Launch Abort”

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Company’s Coming! And They’re Bringing the Front Porch

The crew of STS-127. Credit: NASA

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UPDATE: 6/13
Endeavour’s launch has been postponed because of a leak associated with the gaseous hydrogen venting system outside the shuttle’s external fuel tank. The system is used to carry excess hydrogen safely away from the launch pad. Managers scrubbed the launch for at least 96 hours. The earliest the shuttle could be ready to launch is June 17. However, there is a conflict on the Eastern Range that date with the scheduled
launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter/Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite. We’ll keep you posted on when a launch date is set.

Original article:
Space shuttle Endeavour is all set to blast off Saturday morning, June 13 at 7:17 am EDT, heading to the International Space Station. The mission will be jam-packed with five spacewalks for station construction, and Endeavour is bringing up a “front porch” for the ISS. Is adding a porch an attempt to make our orbiting home in space just a little more “homey?” Actually, the porch is a key piece of the Japanese laboratory, Kibo. And the ISS itself will be jam-packed, too as the newly expanded six-member ISS crew will welcome the seven-member shuttle crew – a record number of astronauts to be on board the station at one time.

On Friday morning the Rotating Service Structure was removed from around Endeavour, and all indications are good for an on-time liftoff Saturday. The weather looks to be about 90% “go,” and the shuttle processing has been smooth in preparations for launch.

“We’re in really good shape to fly,” said Mike Moses, director of shuttle integration at the Kennedy Space Center. “The team carefully reviewed the spacecraft to make sure nothing was overlooked since the launch comes only a few weeks after the end of the STS-125 Hubble repair mission.

Moses said having the big crew on the station could be an interesting time. “It’s like having your family descend on you for the holidays, right? And they’re going to stay for a very long time. And they come, and they’re bringing all their stuff.”

But he said the combined crews are more than ready for the challenge. “I think what we’re going to see is probably some unprecedented efficiencies because they all know where to go, they know what the procedures are, they know how to get things done,” he said.

How the Kibo will look after the space shuttle mission STS-127, scheduled for 2009. At centre is the Japanese Pressurized Module, which will be installed to the station's Harmony node during Discovery's 14-day mission. On top of it is the Logistics module, which was delivered in March. At left is the external module, a platform for space experiments to be installed during STS-127. (NASA)
How the Kibo will look after the space shuttle mission STS-127, scheduled for 2009. At centre is the Japanese Pressurized Module, which will be installed to the station's Harmony node during Discovery's 14-day mission. On top of it is the Logistics module, which was delivered in March. At left is the external module, a platform for space experiments to be installed during STS-127. (NASA)

Endeavour’s crew will install the porch, which is actually a platform for one end of the Kibo laboratory on the station. The platform will hold experiments designed to work outside the protective confines of the station, exposing them to the space environment.

Mark Polansky (follow him on Twitter at Astro_127) will command the shuttle for STS-127. Douglas Hurley will serve as the pilot. Mission specialists are Christopher Cassidy, Thomas Marshburn, David Wolf and Julie Payette, a Canadian Space Agency astronaut.

Also flying along is Timothy Kopra, who will stay on at the ISS as a flight engineer and science officer, while current ISS resident and Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata will return to Earth.

This will be a banner flight for all the international partners, as all five space agencies – the United States, the Russian, the Canadian, the Japanese and the European – will have representatives at the space station when the shuttle arrives, in addition to the six extra Americans and one extra Canadian Endeavour will carry. Polansky said just having all those nations represented and working together toward common goals is a huge accomplishment.

“I don’t think that, as a global community, we get the credit we should for doing something like that and what it means to set that kind of example,” he said. “Countries that have, historically, had a lot of differences and even today have some tensions, politically – when it comes to the arena of space, we’re somehow insulated from all that. On our level, it’s simply figuring out how to get the job done. And it’s not just a job like you’re constructing some building here on Earth. You’re doing something in an extremely hostile environment.”

The two crews will be extremely busy during the 16 day mission, so don’t expect to see them sitting back and relax on the front porch.

If you want to watch the launch preparations on NASA TV, the crew will strap into Endeavour about 4:00 am EDT on Saturday.

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Summer Fun – The Celestron Optics Kit

For anyone who does astronomy outreach work, is interested in practicing binocular astronomy or is just looking for a great teaching tool, I’ve got something you really need to take another look at – the Celestron 10X50 UpClose Binoculars and Green Laser Pointer Optics Kit; great for binocular astronomy. Almost a year ago I did a review on this product, and I’m back to tell you how it’s held up against another year of service.

When I first researched the Celestron Optics Kit I was looking for inexpensive binoculars that anyone could handle for our guests at the Observatory. During a public night or an outreach program, we may have a hundred or more guests and, let’s face it, providing several pairs of binoculars can be expensive for a non-profit organization. When doing something of this nature, you face two dilemmas. One… When you can afford them, they are invariably low quality and you’ve just disappointed the person you were trying to teach binocular astronomy… and… Two… When you get a good pair of binoculars they cost so much that you’re afraid to let smaller children handle them. (Which is equally wrong, because kids are people, too!)

Of course, since the green laser pointer came along a few years ago, all of us have learned a lot of aiming tricks. They can be aimed (carefully) through an optical finderscope to project a beam in the sky, they can be rigidly mounted on a telescope or binocular body as a finder, they can be used to point things out, or… in my case… I quickly learned that even a novice (right down to my five and six year old grandchildren) can follow the visible beam to where you target it, to its end with binoculars. Then the beam is switched off and the object is in the binoculars! With a mind for safety, it’s a simple and fun way to teach anyone to use binoculars for deep sky observing.

But the green laser wasn’t what I was after… It was the binoculars, wasn’t it?

Another aspect of the binocular astronomy classes we give is providing a monthly star chart to our guests that highlights a few objects for them to locate on their own. It’s just a simple handout – one I print out at home before any program and we stand around in the dark and share a red flashlight as I teach them how to read it and point out the marker stars with the green laser. Yep. We share the red flashlight… A simple tool that should be in the hands of every single person that even remotely takes an interest in reading an astronomy chart outside at night… And one that I just don’t happen to have ten extra to pass around.

But the red flashlights wasn’t what I was after… It was the binoculars, wasn’t it?

So, back to basics. I needed multiple pairs of binoculars that could withstand hard use (like accidentally being dropped on concrete, run over by a Jeep or left out overnight) and perform well. After many years, and many pairs of personal binoculars, I’d love to put Nikon, Oberwerk or Fujinons in every one’s hands, but the reality check is not every one’s hands are ready for these types of binoculars. What I needed was something I knew from experience that could withstand being dropped, was water-proofed and provided an excellent view. In that case, experience tells me Celestron and a great all-purpose astronomy binocular size is 10X50.

So, here I am… Staring at the Celestron 10X50 UpClose Binoculars and Green Laser Pointer Optics Kit for $59 and then the reality check really comes home. For this price I can order five… And get five pairs of binoculars, five green laser pointers and five red flashlights… All for about what five pairs of binoculars would cost! Click. Ordered. Now I find out they’ve gone down to $29.95 and guess who’s ordering more?

Yep. We are. And here’s the reason why…

handnavigationEvery year we see thousands of visitors each summer and teach the night sky. Lessons begin as simply as learning navigation directions – like degrees – with hand spans and finger widths. When it comes down to nuts and bolts, the more experienced people you have with you armed with green lasers, the more effective any program can be, because a lot of seeing the laser beam has to do with the angle you are looking at it. (And unless you’re using one that will bore through concrete, no typical green laser pointer is going to cut through moonlight, ok?) In this case, we can easily do a presentation where we can point out constellations with the green lasers and responsible adults can also assist in the program by pointing out particular stars or objects for us to name. By having several flashlights available, small groups of kids can work together with charts and adults at the same time to learn constellations on their own. When it’s time to practice astronomy, we use the same “follow the beam” trick, they learn and have a great time!

outreachSo how do the binoculars hold up to exuberance, youth and use? Like the fabled Timex watch… If you think a 5 year old would be hard on equipment, try handing it to a group of teenagers. (Word of warning? Never trust them with your laser.) While most of them are respectful, the fact remains that these original 5 pairs of Celestron UpClose 5X10 binoculars have had the right eye diopter twisted like Chubby Checker, the interpupillary distance adjusted in and out more times than my waist size and the focuser spun around more times than the big wheel on the Price Is Right. They’ve had mascara cleaned off the lenses with a t-shirt, knocked off the observing table and left outside. In general… They’ve been used. But you know what? They still perform. All five pair have kept their collimation. Not one pair shows any signs of getting moisture inside and every last one of them still operates just the way they did when they came out of the box.

Are the laser pointers and flashlights still using the original batteries? Oddly enough, two of the flashlights and one of the laser pointers still is. None of the flashlights malfunctioned with time, but we did have two laser pointers that have to be “warmed up” to use. (Don’t ask me why, but they work brighter after they’ve been on for a few minutes.) Also, when the weather dipped down below the freezing point, the lasers also needed to be kept warm (like in an internal coat pocket) to function quick and easy. Sure, these low power green lasers aren’t going to stun the crowds with their light sabre-like qualities and shoot down passing aircraft, but they are highly efficient at being a simple beam pointer and work just fine. Just try to find one for what this whole kit costs!

Am I disappointed in the Celestron 10X50 UpClose Binoculars and Green Laser Pointer Optics Kits? Not hardly – and you won’t be either. Combined with a simple star chart and a starry night, you’ll be in for a whole lot of summer fun for about what a large pizza would cost. It is an exceptional bargain at $29.95 and one I highly recommend. As a matter of a fact, I recommend it so much that OPT is even going to give three of these kits away to Universe Today readers to keep so you can test it out yourself! From now until June 25 at 12:00 pm PDT you can send an email with the title of this review in the subject line and your name in the body of the email and Universe Today will randomly choose a winner to get your own Celestron Green Laser Pointer Optics Kit for free! All you have to do is pay for shipping, ok?

Put ’em to the test and see if you don’t agree. The Celestron 10X50 UpClose Binoculars and Green Laser Pointer Optics Kit is an exceptionally rugged and good performing astronomy binocular and having a red flashlight and green laser is a huge bonus.

The Celestron 10X50 UpClose Binoculars and Green Laser Pointer Optics Kit were purchased for this review from Oceanside Photo and Telescope and three free kits will be provided to randomly chosen winners by Fraser Cain of UniverseToday.

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Weekend SkyWatcher’s Forecast – June 12-14, 2009

Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Are you ready for a great weekend? Then it’s time to do some challenging studies as we take on one of the most difficult globular clusters in the sky – Palomar 5. Need something you can spot with your eyes or binoculars? Then try the planet Mercury… But get up early! Maybe a weekend meteor shower that’s known for spitting out bright bolides is more to your liking… Still feeling challenged? Then let’s try our hand at some Herschel studies and blow some dust off the galaxies! Time to get out the scopes and the star charts and I’ll see you in the back yard.

gillFriday, June 12, 2009 – Today, remember the 1843 birth of Sir David Gill on this date, who took measurements of solar and stellar parallax, computed the distances of the Sun and other stars from Earth, and was first to use photography in mapping the heavens. To determine parallaxes, Gill perfected the heliometer, a telescope that uses a split image to measure the angular separation of celestial bodies. He later redetermined the solar parallax with such precision that almanacs used his value as late as 1968!

Completing astronomical projects is very challenging, and tonight we’ll hunt down a difficult globular cluster study by using M5 as a guide. Palomar 5 is by no stretch of the imagination easy. For GoTo systems, aiming is easy, but for large telescopes, starhopping instructions are critical. From M5 drop south for double 5 Serpens, and again south and slightly west for another, fainter double. Don’t confuse it with eastern 6 Serpens. A half degree west you’ll encounter an 8th magnitude star, with 7th magnitude 4 Serpens a half degree south. Continue south another half degree, for a triangle of 9th magnitude stars. The southern apex star is home to Palomar 5 (RA 15 16 05 Dec +00 06 41).

pal5

Discovered by Walter Baade in 1950, this 11.7 magnitude, Class XII globular was first believed to be a dwarf elliptical galaxy, possibly a member of our Local Group. Later studies showed Palomar 5 to be a globular cluster but one being ripped apart by the tidal forces of the Milky Way—at 60,000 light-years from the galactic center! Palomar 5’s members are escaping, leaving trails spanning 13,000 light years – a several billion year process. Telescopes of 6’’ can distinguish a few individual members northwest of the 9th magnitude marker star, but even ones as large as 31’’ fail to show more than a handful of resolvable stars. This may be the toughest locating job you’ll ever tackle, but be sure to make a quick sketch of the region to complete your studies. Good luck!

maxwellSaturday, June 13, 2009 – Before dawn, Mercury reaches its highest morning elevation, and you’ll find the asteroid Psyche less than half a degree north of the Moon. Look a finger-width south of Luna, and you’ll see Neptune and Jupiter separated by less than a degree! Perhaps they’re saluting the 1831 birth on this date of James Clerk Maxwell? Maxwell calculated that the speed of propagation of an electromagnetic field is approximately the speed of light, thereby inferring that light is an electromagnetic phenomenon. Born on the same day but 28 years before him was Thomas Young, who had demonstrated the wave nature of light.

For us, tonight’s light waves will be from Herschel II.76, also known as NGC 5970. Begin by identifying Beta and Delta Serpentis, and look for finderscope Chi between them. Less than a degree southwest, you will see a similar-magnitude double star. Hop about one-third degree northwest, and you’ll find the galaxy just a fraction southwest of a 7th magnitude star (RA 15 38 302 Dec +12 11 11).

5970

NGC 5970 isn’t particularly easy for smaller scopes (even near 11th magnitude), because of its low surface brightness, but its structure makes it a distant cousin of the Milky Way. At 105 million light year-distant, it’s no great surprise we see it as faint, for its light left around the time the dinosaurs ruled Earth. Stretching across 85,000 light-years of space, the nuclear region, obscuring dust regions, and the stellar population of this grand spiral have been extensively studied. And—like us—it is also part of its own Local Group. Although smaller telescopes will make out a slightly elongated mist, in mid-to-large apertures NGC 5970 will appear oval-shaped with a bright core and evidence of a central bar. Although the edges of the galaxy seem well-defined, look closely at the narrower ends, where material seems more wispy. Seen averted, the nucleus will sometimes take on a stellar appearance yet lose this property with direct vision. Be sure to mark your Herschel notes on this one!

Sunday, June 14, 2009 – As the new hours of the day begin and you wait on dawn, keep watch for the peak of the Ophiuchid meteor shower with the radiant near Scorpius. The fall rate is poor, with only 3 per hour, but fast moving bolides are common. This meteor stream will last for 25 days. While you’re out, see if you can spot Mercury! What planet is the Moon near now?

Tonight, let’s go south in Libra and have a look at the galaxy pairing NGC 5903 and NGC 5898.

You’ll find these about 3 degrees northeast of Sigma, and just north of a pair of 7th magnitude stars (RA 15 18 36 Dec -24 04 05). Although northernmost NGC 5903 seems to be nothing more than a faint elliptical with a brighter concentration toward the center and an almost identical elliptical—NGC 5898—to the southwest, you’re probably asking yourself. . .why the big deal over two small ellipticals?

5903field

First off, NGC 5903 is Herschel III.139 and NGC 5898 is Herschel III.138—two more to add to your studies. And second? The Very Large Array has studied this galaxy pair in the spectral line of neutral hydrogen. The brighter of the pair, NGC 5898, shows evidence of ionized gas that has been collected from outside its galactic realm, while NGC 5903 seems to be running streamers of material toward it. A double-galaxy, double-accretion event!

But there’s more. . .

Look to the southeast, and you’ll double your pleasure and double your fun as you discover two double stars instead of just one! Sometimes we overlook field stars for reasons of study, but don’t do it tonight! Even mid-sized telescopes can easily reveal this twin pair of galaxies sharing ‘‘their stuff,’’ as well as a pair of double stars in the same low power field of view. (Psst. . .slim and dim MCG 043607 and quasar 1514-241 are also here!) Ain’t it grand?

Until next week? Stay challenged and you’ll always stay interested!

This week’s awesome images are (in order of appearance): Sir David Gill (historical image), Palomar 5 (credit—Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech), James Clerk Maxwell (historical image), NGC 5970 (credit—Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech) and NGC 5903 and NGC 5898 field (credit—Palomar Observatory, courtesy of Caltech). We thank you so much!