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Sun, 17 December 2006
Carpe Noctem - Seize the Night!
Image courtesy of Dr. Tyler Nordgren and his
students.
ORION
Eight stars pin
his frame
to the night.
He lies just above
the trainyard,
almost ready
to rouse.
Not quite yet.
Eight silent silver bells
take all evening
to stand
just as our
star
fades him
back to sky.
Lauren Gunderson
Orion, seen from Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. Image
credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI (infrared, ultraviolet and visible-light colors)
Listener Feedback
From Ted - "I'd like to suggest a great book that I stumbled across at Barnes
& Noble about 18 months ago. It is called "The
Next Step, Finding and Viewing Messier's Objects." It was written by Ken
Graun. The main part of the book is a section about the Messier Object. There
are 2 pages per object. It has a little history and notes from Messier's
original description. It gives the coordinates and a reference to it's location
on star maps included in the book. What really sets this book apart is that it
includes pictures taken by the author thru a 4 inch scope. It allows you to see
exactly what you are looking for. The book also has a biography of Charles
Messier, and a few general tips on astronomy. The book it not very large so it
is easy to carry with you. I find the book extremely helpful to show people what
they are looking for before they step up to the eyepiece. I hope you can find
the book to review and recommend it on a future podcast. "
Don has another book suggestion: "A great book for gifts is "There
Once Was a Sky Full of Stars", by Bob Crelin. Great for helping children
(and adults) learn about the effects of light pollution."
Special Thanks!Woodland Hills Camera and Telescope for helping our club
buy a PST for use with our club outreach!
Just a reminder, Woodland
Hills Camera and Telescope is offering a 5% discount for any AAGG listener!
Just put "AAGG" in the discount code box at checkout to receive your
discount.
Holiday lights in the sky - Stellar Spectrum
| Class |
Temperature |
Star colour |
Mass |
Radius |
Luminosity |
Hydrogen lines |
Examples |
| O |
30,000 - 60,000 K |
Bluish ("blue") |
60 |
15 |
1,400,000 |
Weak |
10 Lacerta, Zeta Puppis, Lambda Orionis |
| B |
10,000 - 30,000 K |
Bluish-white ("blue-white") |
18 |
7 |
20,000 |
Medium |
Rigel, Spica, the brighter Pleiades |
| A |
7,500 - 10,000 K |
White with bluish tinge ("white") |
3.2 |
2.5 |
80 |
Strong |
Vega, Sirius |
| F |
6,000 - 7,500 K |
White ("yellow-white") |
1.7 |
1.3 |
6 |
Medium |
Canopus, Procyon |
| G |
5,000 - 6,000 K |
Light yellow ("yellow") |
1.1 |
1.1 |
1.2 |
Weak |
Sun, Capella |
| K |
3,500 - 5,000 K |
Light orange ("orange") |
0.8 |
0.9 |
0.4 |
Very weak |
Arcturus, Aldebaran |
| M |
2,000 - 3,500 K |
Reddish orange ("red") |
0.3 |
0.4 |
0.04 |
Very weak |
Betelgeuse, Antares |
Mnemonics
for the Harvard Spectral Classification Scheme
Official Bureaucrats
At Federal Government Kill Many Researchers' National Support
Only Boring
Astronomers Find Gratification Knowing Mnemonics!
Oh, Bring A Fully Grown
Kangaroo My Recipe Needs Some!
Oh Backward Astronomer, Forget Geocentricity;
Kepler's Motions Reveal Nature's Simplicity.
Oh Bother, Astronomers
Frequently Give Killer Midterms
Sunsunspots
Planets
Evening Planets
- Venus - Mag -3.8 in Sagittarius but currently lost in the Sun's glare.
- Neptune - Mag +7.9 in Capricorn will also be better for dark evenings and is
less than 1 degree north of the +4.3 magnitude star Iota Capricorni
- Uranus - Mag +5.9 in Aquarius Uranus is best seen in a dark moonless sky
away from artificial lighting. It may be seen looking like a very faint star to
the dark-adapted naked eye that shimmers in and out of visibility just under 1
degree east of Lambda Aquarii. Find the tipped over letter Y of Aquarius, go 4
thumbwidths southeast to find Lambda, and then a smidgen Southwest.
- Saturn - Mag 0.4 on the western edge of Leo just west of Regulus. An easy
catch!
Morning Planets
- Jupiter - Mag -1.6 in Scorpius visiable very low on the ESE horizon an hour
before sunrise. Finally had a clear horizon before the storm hit and it was very
bright and yes, low and south.
- Mars - Mag 1.5 just barely above the Sun's glare between the Sun and Mercury
- Mercury - Mag -0.5 barely off the horizon moving quickly towards the sun.
Use the bright orange/red Arcturus and "spike" almost horizontally South to
Spica. Mercury sits 25 degrees ESE of Spica.
- Saturn - Mag 0.4 on the western edge of Leo preceeding Regulus. Saturn is
slowly inching its way towards Cancer
Constellations
Time for a quiz!
Fornax - the Furnace - Invented by Lacaille during his stay at the Cape
of Good Hope in 1751 - 1752 (who else!)
Viewing
Naked eye and binoculars - the Pleiades
Mentioned by Homer about 750 B.C.At least 6 member stars
are visible to the naked eye,
-the Hyades At a distance of only about 150 light years, the Hyades form one
of the nearest open cluster to Earth.
Greek mythology, nymphs; daughters of Atlas and Aethra. They cared for both
Zeus and Dionysus as infants. In recognition of these services, they were placed
among the stars of the constellation Taurus, where their rising and setting
corresponded to the rainy seasons.
Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri), the bright red star, is not a member of the cluster
and situated much closer to us (about 60 light years, a factor 2.5 closer than
the Hyades).
Telescope -
Northern Hemisphere chart You can use Taki's chart #14, chart
72 in the Pocket Sky Atlas NGC
7380 bright irregular open cluster, 7.2 mag, with bright nebulosity around.
Once edge looks scalloped.
NGC 7510- the "Little Piggy"
cluster (Alice's name only) in Cephus 7.9 wedge or trapazoid shaped open
cluster. Right across the boarder from...
M52 - evil dustbunny cluster,
6.9 open cluster in Cassiopeia
and just a few degree towards Polaris from
Caph (beta Cassiopeia) is NGC
7790
Gifts for the Astronomer!Do it yourself (DIY) gifts
There are
so many creative things you can do for your astronomer, or for yourself, that
won't cost and arm and a leg! Consider the following:
- "Rite
in the Rain" paper - perfect for creating your own lists without having to
pull them in and out of sheet protectors.
- Hats, scarves, mitten (especially with flaps so you have finger access)
- Renovate an old hard sided Samsonite style suitcase for observing! Paint it
and find some nice foam padding for the inside.
- Cold weather observing 'basket' - Be Creative!! a good thermos, hot cocoa,
snacks, handwarmers, and maybe a favorite CD all 'wrapped' in a new accessory case
- Warm weather observing 'basket' - Have Fun!! snacks, a nice wide brim hat,
some new shades, Miracool
bandana, some oil free sunscreen and bug spray, all 'wrapped' in a Pelican case
- Online Star Atlases - print them out, put them in protective sleeves,
laminate them or print them on waterproof paper and bind them into a book that
will open flat!
- Fraser Cain at Universe Today emailed to let me know that there will be a "What's up 2007" so
keep an eye on his site!
- My favorite give-away Messier Telrad
Charts - by John Small courtesy of the Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston.
- Messier
Telrad Charts - From Utah Skies
- Caldwell
Telrad Charts - From Utah Skies
For the woodworkers out
there...
Binocular
Mounts
Observing Chair - example or the Cats
Perch Plans
On to the shopping...
Telescope accessories
Woodland Hills Camera and
Telescope is offering a 5% discount for any AAGG listener! Just put "AAGG"
in the discount code box at checkout to receive your discount.
Off the scope
References
Atlases
Planisphere
Books
...there are just toooo many but here is a
start....
Reader suggested books!
Comets
Check out the Sky Hound site. "One touch of nature makes the whole world kin"
-- Shakespeare
Email us at astronomyagogo@gmail.com or leave a note in our show notes at
www.astronomy.libsyn.com
Help us out by leaving a donation in the ol' PayPal
hat
Woodland Hills Camera and Telescope is offering FREE web hosting on our
servers for you or your organization's website. In order to promote the hobbies
of Astronomy, Astrophotography, Photography, Birding or generally any topic that
is of interest to our customer base, Woodland Hills Camera and Telescope is
offering Hosting Grants.
 Direct download: AAGGshow34.mp3 Category: Stars -- posted at: 7:04 PM |
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Sun, 3 December 2006
Download this month's sky map!
Kym Thalassoudis does a wonderful job creating accurate and easy to use star
maps every month! Visit his site at www.skymaps.com for skymaps and links to
other useful astronomical sites. Also a great portal for astronomical gifts!
Northern hemisphere sky
map
Southern hemisphere sky
map
Those in the Southern Hemisphere should also visit
James Barclay's site for a great tour of the Southern Hemisphere December
sky.
Planets for DecemberPlanetary highlight: Mercury, Jupiter and Mars.
Start watching LOW on the eastern horizon between the 8th and the 13th as they
start to move together until On Dec 9 and 10 Mercury, Mars and Jupiter will be
in close conjunction, within a 1 degree circle of each other. Mercury then
switches places with the other two as it head back towards the Sun.
This is the closest grouping of 3 naked eye planets in the 1980-2050 time
period.
Mercury will be at its best morning appearance for Northern
observers at the beginning of the month. By mid month it will be lost in the
glare of the Sun.
Venus just starts to crawl out of the sun's glare in the
evening during the beginning of the month. By month's end it is still low
in the evening twilight.
Mars is sluggishly rising in the morning twilight and by
month's end will be rising 1.5 hours before the Sun. Mars is in close
conjunction with Mercury and Jupiter from the 9-12th.
Jupiter is also creeping higher in the morning twilight but
stays low to the south-eastern horizon for the month.
Saturn is in Leo and our best viewing planet for the month. On the 9th
Saturn begins its retrograde (westward) motion.
Key Dates for December
Days and Times in UT (help with
time)
Observations are for 8pm for the mid-northern latitudes and for 10pm for the
mid-southern latitudes.
Great site for sunrise and sunset
times and a downloadable toolbar application by Steve Edwards
Astronomical
December
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Comet Swan (C/2006 M4) starts the month at mag 8.1 in Aquila and end in
Aquarius |
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Comet Garradd (C/2006 L1) starts the month at mag 9.7 in Cancer and end in
Perseus |
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4P/Faye starts and ends the month at mag 9.8 in Cetus and end in Perseus
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| 1 |
-The Moon is at perigee |
| 4 |
-The nearly full Moon
crosses the Pleiades tonight, occulting several of the cluster's brightest
stars 3h UT- North America, Western Europe |
| 4 |
-Full Moon tonight, called the Long Night Moon or Moon Before Yule |
| 9 |
-Moon near the beehive cluster (M44) |
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-Puppid_Velid meteor shower peak (Southern Hemisphere) |
| 10 |
-Jupiter, Mercury, and Mars are gathered in a tight little bunch (within
about one degree of each other) |
| 10 |
-The Moon occults Saturn
-Greenland, n.w. Europe |
| 12 |
-Last Quarter Moon |
| 13 |
-The annual Geminid meteor shower
should be at its peak tonight. Parent of the dust trail is asteroid 3200
Phaethon {fay'-uh-thuhn} a possible extinct comet (Greek mythology is the son of
Helios, the sun god) |
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-The Moon is at apogee |
| 20 |
-New Moon at 14:01 UT |
| 20 |
-Asteroid 2004 XL14 Near-Earth Flyby
(0.028 AU) |
| 22 |
-The December solstice occurs at 00:22 UT. This is the longest night of the
year for the Northern Hemisphere and the longest day of the year for the
Southern Hemisphere! |
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-Astronomy a Go Go! is one year old today |
| 22 |
-Venus beginning to emerge in the sunset. Find the thin crescent Moon Venus
is more than a fist-width at arm's length below the Moon's to the
northeast |
| 22 |
-Ursids
Meteor Shower Peak |
| 25 |
-Moon occults Uranus
-n.w. Africa, w. Iberia |
| 27 |
-The Moon is at perigee for the second time this month |
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-First Quarter Moon |
| 31 |
-Moon
crosses the Pleiades tonight, occulting several of the cluster's
brightest stars -Eastern Asia, Northwestern North America |
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- M2 -
This is a small, bright globular cluster in Aquarius. To find it in binoculars
look for a fuzzy star in a star poor field. A low power telescope field will
show a round fuzzy patch, brighter in the center and fading to the edge, in a
field with no other bright objects.
- M15 -
This globular cluster in Pegasus is very similar to M2 in size and brightness,
except, it is surrounded by several bright stars. Fairly easy to find in
binoculars but the best view is through a telescope at medium to high power.
- M29 -
This galactic cluster is a small, sparse group of stars in Cygnus. It appears as
a small fuzzy patch amongst a rich star field in binoculars. A telescope will
easily resolve the members of this cluster. The shape of the cluster reminds me
of the Pleiades as viewed through binoculars.
- M39 -
Dark skies will allow this large, bright cluster in Cygnus to be seen with the
naked eye as a hazy patch of light. Binoculars easily resolve this cluster into
it's bright and widely scattered members, and provide a better view than can be
seen with most telescopes.
- M31 -
This is the famous Andromeda Galaxy, our closest galactic neighbor, and the
largest, brightest galaxy to be seen in the northern sky. The ability to see M31
with the naked eye provides a good test of the darkness of your skies. M31 is so
large that binoculars provide the best view, allowing the entire galaxy to be
seen in one field of view. Look for an elongated patch of light, with a bright,
round central core.
- M32 -
This is an elliptical companion galaxy to M31. Through a telescope look for a
slightly oval ball of fuzz in the same low power field as the core of M31. M32
is very possible to find in binoculars as a star like point of light.
- M110 -
Another elliptical companion galaxy to M31, lying on the opposite side of the
core as M32. Through a telescope, look for a large, oval patch of light.
Although M110 is as bright as M32 it is much larger and thus has a lower surface
brightness making it a difficult object in light polluted skies. M110 is a very
difficult binocular object requiring dark transparent skies, and trained eyes to
have a chance at finding it.
Historical/Events
| ...Did you know? |
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December
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| 3 |
-Soviet mars 3 became first spacecraft to soft land on Mars (1971) |
| 4 |
-10th Anniversary (1996), Mars Pathfinder Launch |
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-Wilhelm Tempel's 185th Birthday (1821) |
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-Pioneer-Venus Orbiter became the first spacecraft to achieve Venus orbit
(1978) |
| 7 |
-STS-116 Launch, Space Shuttle Discovery, P5 Truss Segment, (International
Space Station 12A.1) |
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-Gerard Kuiper 101st Birthday (1905) |
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-Annie Jump Cannon's 143rd Birthday (1863) |
| 14 |
-Tycho Brahe's 460th Birthday (1546) |
| 25 |
-Sir Isaac Newton's 364th Birthday (1642) |
| 27 |
-Johannes Kepler's 435th Birthday (1571) |
Earth's major motions for 2006
| Perihelion |
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Jan 4 |
| Equinox |
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Mar 20 18:26(UT) |
| Solstice |
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June 21 12:26(UT) |
| Aphelion |
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July 3 |
| Equinox |
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Sept 23 04:03(UT) |
| Solstice |
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Dec 22 00:22(UT) |
Earth's major motions for 2007
| Perihelion |
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Jan 3 20h(UT) |
| Equinox |
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Mar 21 00:07(UT) |
| Solstice |
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June 21 18:06(UT) |
| Aphelion |
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July 4 00h (UT) |
| Equinox |
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Sept 23 19:51(UT) |
| Solstice |
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Dec 22 06:08(UT) |
Planet Positions for 2006
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Venus |
Sgr |
Sgr |
Cap |
Aqr |
Psc |
Ari |
Tau |
Cnc |
Leo |
Vir |
Lib |
Sgr |
| Mars |
Ari |
Tau |
Tau |
Gem |
Gem |
Cnc |
Leo |
Leo |
Vir |
Vir |
Lib |
Sco |
| Jupiter |
Lib |
Lib |
Lib |
Lib |
Lib |
Lib |
Lib |
Lib |
Lib |
Lib |
Lib |
Sco |
| Saturn |
Cnc |
Cnc |
Cnc |
Cnc |
Cnc |
Cnc |
Cnc |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
| Uranus |
Aqu |
Aqu |
Aqu |
Aqu |
Aqu |
Aqu |
Aqu |
Aqu |
Aqu |
Aqu |
Aqu |
Aqu |
| Neptune |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Planet Positions for 2007
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Venus |
Sgr |
Aqr |
Psc |
Ari |
Tau |
Gem |
Leo |
Sex |
Cnc |
Leo |
Leo |
Vir |
| Mars |
Oph |
Sgr |
Cap |
Cap |
Aqr |
Psc |
Ari |
Tau |
Tau |
Gem |
Gem |
Gem |
| Jupiter |
Oph |
Oph |
Oph |
Oph |
Oph |
Oph |
Oph |
Oph |
Oph |
Oph |
Oph |
Oph |
| Saturn |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
Leo |
| Uranus |
Aqu |
Aqu |
Aqu |
Aqu |
Aqu |
Aqu |
Aqu |
Aqu |
Aqu |
Aqu |
Aqu |
Aqu |
| Neptune |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Cap |
Comets for December
Gary Kronk's comet and
meteor pages
Skyhound
Comet pages
Help us out by leaving a donation in the ol' PayPal hat or write us a
favorable review in iTunes of Podcast Pickle or iPodder!
Music Scottish Guitar
Quartet -"Romance within you"
Monika
Herzig - "Dancing in November"
Alyssa
Hendrix - "Good Summer Rain"
Direct download: AAGG_sky_tour_Dec_2006.mp3 Category: Sky Tours -- posted at: 12:25 AM |
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