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Try these weekend observing targets

David Eicher — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:28:00 GMT

Did you ever find yourself out under a clear, dark sky in November wondering what to look at? How about targeting a few objects in the constellation Pegasus, one of my favorite autumn constellations. Here are some suggestions:

Galaxy NGC 7479 is one of the most popular objects for viewing in the constellation, as it shows a distinct, nearly face-on barred spiral structure. Photos of NGC 7479 appear frequently in astronomy magazines and on the web and give this object a familiar form. This galaxy lies at the end of a long string of stars that appear starkly to viewers with a 3-inch scope. In a 6-inch scope, this galaxy appears as a bar with a faint haze surrounding it. Larger scopes show much more detail, however, including the asymmetrical arms arcing away from the central glow.

How about targeting the two most conspicuous members of the Pegasus I galaxy cluster (pictured at right)? NGC 7619 and NGC 7626 are worth viewing even in small scopes. The galaxies lie just 7 arcminutes apart; the former shows a bright starlike nucleus while NGC 7626 has a tiny center.

If novelty’s your game, you could also target the first two objects in the NGC — NGC 1 and NGC 2. These galaxies are just 1.8' apart and are easily visible in a 6-inch scope under a dark sky.

Have you ever seen these galaxies? Do you spend time tracking down deep-sky objects in Pegasus? Let us know what your favorite November sky objects are and what you’re viewing them with.

Additional online observing resources from Astronomy magazine:

StarDome — Our interactive star chart helps you create an accurate map of your sky. This tool will help you locate these targets.
Video: Observe easy to find objects in the autumn sky, with Senior Editor Rich Talcott
Video: Autumn observing targets for small telescopes, with Senior Editor Michael E. Bakich [available to magazine subscribers]
Video: Autumn observing targets for large telescopes, with Editor David J. Eicher [available to magazine subscribers]
Podcast: Weekly observing targets, with Senior Editor Michael E. Bakich [available for free to registered members of Astronomy.com]

NASA technology in your world

Karri Ferron — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:58:00 GMT

NASA recently released its 2009 edition of Spinoff, an annual publication that chronicles successfully commercialized NASA technology. It’s easy to get lost in the magazine or its Web counterpart.

The 2009 issue features 49 “spinoffs” in the areas of health and medicine; public safety; consumer, home, and recreation; environmental and agricultural resources; and more. I enjoyed many of them, but my favorites are the life rafts that use water to prevent the them from capsizing, the star-mapping tools used to track whale sharks, and the “anti-gravity” treadmill that now helps patients relearn to walk or run.

Also, in honor of the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s lunar landing, the creators of the publication have also recapped how Apollo continues to provide tangible benefits to the lives of people in the United States and around the world.

Do you appreciate how NASA has given the technology it develops back to the public? Or do you think these commercialized products aren’t anything to write home about? Which 2009 spinoffs are your favorites?

Leaving Earth behind

Bill Andrews — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:03:00 GMT

The International Space Station may not inspire everyone with awe, but it has kept humanity consistently in space at all times for just over 9 years. NASA photo

I inadvertently let an anniversary slip by a few weeks ago. It wasn’t a major one (I’m not sleeping on the couch), but it was nifty enough that I wish I could have celebrated appropriately.

I refer, of course, to the ninth anniversary of the last day every human being was on Earth. On October 31, 2000, the first resident crew of the International Space Station (ISS) launched, and ever since at least two people have been in space at all times. It doesn’t quite break the continuously-off-the-Earth record (currently standing at 10 years, from 1989-1999, thanks to Russia’s Mir space station), but 9 years is still pretty impressive.

Just think: just more than 9 years ago might be the last time ever that all of humanity was located on a single planet. Sure, it’s not like the astronauts and cosmonauts traveled very far, and the ISS crew certainly can’t survive independently of Earth, but it’s still a first step for proving our species might not be tied to this planet forever.

To me, celebrating the last day of earthbound humanity is a little like celebrating Yuri’s Night on April 12, which commemorates Yuri Gagarin’s 1961 seminal flight into space. They both seem a little underwhelming as bases for celebration, until you think about how momentous they really were. In Yuri’s case, living beings possessed the ability to venture out of Earth’s grasp and return safely for the first time in billions of years. That’s just crazy! (Don’t even get me started on how unbelievable it is that there are people walking around who’ve actually set foot on the Moon.) Similarly, the last time all Homo sapiens were ever centrally located is a pretty shocking achievement for a species as fragile as us.

So next year (barring any unforeseen developments), I’ll definitely party for the decentralization of humanity’s big 1-0, and maybe you can join me. Maybe by then I’ll have figured out what an appropriate way to celebrate might be. Or a catchier name for the event.

Have any suggestions for the big party? Or do you think this is much ado about nothing, and mankind’s a long way off from real space travel?

Busting astronomy myths

Michael Bakich — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:22:00 GMT

As the editorial staff of the world’s best-selling astronomy publication, we get a lot of e-mails. Some suggest story ideas, some praise a column, feature, or image, and many ask questions.

Lately, lots of e-mail writers have enquired about astronomy-related stories they’ve heard on the radio or television or read on the Internet. For example, “Is it true that Mars will appear as large as the Full Moon to the naked eye in August?” or, “I’ve heard astronauts can see the Great Wall of China from the Moon.”

Both of these are myths. And, although we answer all e-mails sent to us, at times it may take a while for us to get back to you. So, to provide even speedier replies, we’ve set up a special area called "Astronomy Myths" in the "Welcome to Astronomy" section of our web site, Astronomy.com, to which we can direct questioners.

Once there, you’ll find detailed explanations of myths like “There’s no gravity in space” and “The Moon doesn’t spin.” And, oh yes, we do address the one about the world ending in 2012.

This is the way the world ends

Bill Andrews — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:42:00 GMT

This isn’t going to happen in 2012! Baseless theories, like a proposed planetary alignment on the scale of this photo illustration, have led many to fear the year 2012 needlessly. Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (NASA) photo

Rejoice, for the end is nigh. Not of the actual world, of course, but of 2012’s marketing campaign.

As you are no doubt aware, Roland Emmerich’s end-of-the-world epic, 2012, opened this weekend. As in Emmerich’s previous movies (Independence Day, Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow), 2012 features mass destruction and plucky everyday people who become heroes. But, whereas the destruction was somewhat limited before — even the aliens focused on large cities — the entire world now lies on the chopping block.

Infinitely worse, though, pseudo-scientific ads and posters featuring a fictional (but very realistic) Institute for Human Continuity were part of the movie’s ad campaign, making people think the world really might end in 2012. And being in charge of correspondence here at Astronomy magazine, I bore the brunt of many letters asking about the supposed planetary alignment, or the phantom Planet X/Nibiru impact, or why we help NASA cover up the facts that point to planetary destruction. This meant the movie 2012 went from “seems dumb, but it might be fun to watch” to “I hate this movie” pretty quickly for me.

And apparently I’m not the only one. NASA set up a web page explaining, “Nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012.” While that sure is nice of them, isn’t it a little sad that NASA has to go on record and officially let people know these random Internet rumors and hoaxes aren’t true? Do people really need to be reminded that what happens in movies isn’t necessarily true?

So, basically I want to know: Did you see or do you plan on seeing 2012? Given my personal animosity, you may be able to predict my response, but the reviews aren’t making it sound that great either. One thing’s for sure, though. Once the movie’s been out a while, the ads will stop, and my life will get a lot easier. For about a year and a half, anyway.

Enjoy a free tour of Astronomy.com this weekend!

Matt Quandt — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:00:00 GMT

From noon, Friday, November 13, through 8 a.m. CST, Monday, November 16, all the great features that are available only to registered users or Astronomy magazine subscribers will be available to everyone. For free!

Find out what you've been missing! Check out these exclusive benefits:

StarDome Plus — Locate specific objects like planets, comets, galaxies, nebulae, and more in your night sky with the expanded version of Astronomy.com’s interactive star chart.
Equipment review archive — Astronomy.com's equipment review database includes every review, roundup, and buyers guide that has appeared in Astronomy magazine in the last few years — more than 200 products overall and growing!
Columnist archive — Read the complete collections of Bob Berman’s Strange Universe, Glenn Chaple’s Observing Basics, David Levy’s Evening Stars, Stephen James O’Meara’s Secret Sky, and Phil Harrington’s Binocular Universe.
Weekly observing podcast — Senior Editor Michael E. Bakich’s weekly series helps you find three notable objects or sky events you can see. 
Desktop Wallpaper — Bring the beauty of astronomy to your computer desktop. 
And more!

Then, if you like what you see, come back on Monday, November 16* and register on Astronomy.com for free or subscribe to Astronomy magazine right now.

*During the times mentioned above, you will not be able to register for a new account or log in to Astronomy.com with an existing account. Reader forum users will be able to post as long as they've logged in and have a cookie set prior to the times mentioned above. The site will be back to normal and open for new registrations at 8 a.m. CST Monday, November 16.

Kids: Learn about Apollo 11 from the experts

Karri Ferron — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:25:00 GMT

Next week (November 16–20), NASA’s Digital Learning Network will host a series of videoconferences with NASA employees who had a special connection with Apollo 11 to let students hear firsthand accounts from people who made the lunar landing possible. The 1-hour programs will be held each day at 1 p.m. EST from a different NASA location and will be webcast to the public. The schedule will run as follows:

Monday: (from NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virgina) Explore the work of aerospace pioneer John Houbolt, and learn how a young engineer convinced his boss that lunar exploration would be possible only if something called “Lunar Orbit Rendezvous” was used as the passageway to the Moon.

Tuesday: (from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama) Learn how a rocket taller than the Statue of Liberty was constructed and why it tipped the scale of the space race in favor of the United States.

Wednesday: (from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida) Discover America’s spaceport, where the Apollo 11 astronauts made their final preparations before counting down to launch on the fastest rocket in the world, the Saturn V.

Thursday: (from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston) Learn more about the home of the astronaut corps and take a peek inside NASA's Mission Control Center, the setting of communication with Apollo 11 astronauts.

Friday: (from NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California) Discover how NASA may one day return to the Moon and explore the universe beyond with the Constellation Program.

BOOK REVIEW: Faces of the Moon, by Bob Crelin

Matt Quandt — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:19:00 GMT

Faces of the Moon cover image

Guest review from Contributing Editor and Columnist Glenn Chaple

If you’ve ever doubted that the elegance of the night sky can be expressed poetically, you haven’t encountered Bob Crelin’s young readers’ book Faces of the Moon. With a marvelous blend of science and rhyme, Crelin tells the story of the Moon’s phases in a way that a youngster (and many adults) will understand and appreciate. Bob’s verse and artist Leslie Evans’ beautiful illustrations bring to life a complete cycle of the Moon’s phases, from one New Moon to the next.

Each phase is covered in a two-page spread comprising Crelin’s poetic description and Evan’s artistic rendering of the Moon’s appearance and location at that time. A unique feature of Faces of the Moon is the cutout windows that "animate" the phases as you turn the pages. Index tabs depicting the various lunar phases make it easy to target a specific phase – a kid-friendly approach that eliminates the need for a table of contents or index. Faces of the Moon concludes with an explanation of the Moon’s orbit and phases and a list of Moon facts (done in rhyme, of course!).

I learned about Faces of the Moon during a talk presented by Bob Crelin at the Conjunction Convention last summer. His enthusiasm was so infectious that I immediately purchased a copy of his book for my grandchildren. Recently, I took my 5-year-old granddaughter, Katie, outside to look at the Moon, both with the unaided eye and through my telescope. I then brought her inside, took out her copy of Faces of the Moon, and asked her to point to the index tab that showed the Moon the way we had seen it. She correctly pointed to the First Quarter Moon. She may have been a bit too young to understand orbits and shadows, but she had no trouble matching what she saw outside with its corresponding page in the book. A few months of showing her the real Moon and follow-up references to Faces of the Moon, and Katie will have a better handle on the Moon’s phases than most adults (except, of course, those who purchase the book for their own children).

Teachers looking for a book describing the Moon’s phases can do no better than Faces of the Moon. They’ll appreciate the book’s reasonable cost (just $16.95, plus shipping) and its non-technical approach to a topic that youngsters often find confusing. A free teacher’s guide is available at www.bobcrelin.com/FOTM-TG.pdf.

 An optional Moon Gazers’ Wheel at an additional cost of $4.95 augments Faces of the Moon. By rotating the chart to match the Moon in the sky with the phase illustrations shown in the cutout, you can name the phase and determine the Moon's position in orbit, its rise and set time, and the time of day or night that this phase is visible in the sky.

You’ll find much more about Faces of the Moon by logging on to http://www.charlesbridge.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=5191. As my friend and longtime amateur astronomer Bob “Barlow” Godfrey says, “Please consider sharing this new book and Moon Gazers’ Wheel information with your family, local educators, astronomy clubs, scout organizations, libraries, and other community-based youth organizations.”

2009 AIC recap: Heavenly images abounded, part two

Michael Bakich — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:44:00 GMT

Longtime astroimager and Astronomy magazine contributor Tony Hallas thinks about his upcoming acceptance speech. The Advanced Imaging Conference committee awarded Hallas its most prestigious award, the Hubble Award, for his service and the advances he brought to astroimaging. Michael E. Bakich photo

In my previous blog, I described the first day at the 2009 Advanced Imaging Conference (AIC), which occurred October 30 through November 1 at the San Jose, California, Doubletree Hotel. Day 1 revolved around imaging workshops.

Some of the workshops dealt with equipment, and some focused on imaging techniques, but the majority assumed the attendees could get good images. The rest of the workshop presenters, therefore, offered image-processing tips.

Day 2 was the general session for this, the sixth incarnation of this event. Registration and a continental breakfast took place between 7 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. Then, at 8:15 a.m. sharp, the conference’s opening remarks began. Ken Crawford, AIC’s president and long-time image contributor to Astronomy magazine, welcomed some 300 attendees and introduced AIC’s founder, Steve Mandel, who talked about the early days of the organization and new projects he’s working on.

Some of you may know the name Mandel from the Mandel-Wilson Unexplored Nebula Project. (Michael Wilson was the project sponsor.) This survey searched for low surface-brightness interstellar clouds in the Milky Way that appeared on some wide-field photographs of deep-sky objects.

Astronomer Beverly T. Lynds first noticed the phenomenon — dubbed “galactic cirrus” or “integrated-flux nebulae” — in 1965 on photographic plates taken at Palomar Observatory. But it wasn’t until December 2004 that Mandel recorded them on a wide-field image of Bode’s Galaxy (M81) and the Cigar Galaxy (M82) in Ursa Major. Astronomers now know that these nebulae are primarily thin dust clouds located at high galactic latitudes, that is, away from the Milky Way’s plane.

Michael E. Bakich photo

Next on the agenda was the presentation of AIC’s Hubble Award, the highest honor the organization bestows. This year, AIC president Ken Crawford handed the award to renowned astrophotographer Tony Hallas for the many ways Hallas has advanced astrophotography through the years.

Regular readers of Astronomy magazine will recognize Hallas’ name from his numerous images that have appeared through the years. Most recently, Tony won top honors in our 2009 Astroimage Contest, the results of which ran in the September issue. After receiving the award, Hallas presented a high-level, entertaining lecture on — what else? — astroimaging.

As with day 1, in the short time between workshops, during breaks and before and after meals, AIC encouraged attendees to visit a large exhibit hall called the Technology Showcase. There, more than 30 of our hobby’s top vendors showed off their best telescopes, cameras, filters, software, and accessories.

The conference continued through Sunday morning, November 1. Two imagers offered workshops, and the AIC staff presented door prizes. The Technology Showcase closed at 11:30 a.m., and AIC 2009 was over.

This was a great conference for me. During the entire event, attendees said nothing but great things about Astronomy magazine. Lots of astroimagers thanked me for running their work in the magazine. Actually, I’m the one who continually needs to thank you, the many celestial photographers who send in such great images. Without you, we wouldn’t be the world’s most beautiful astronomy magazine. So, please, keep sending me your stuff. And the more, the merrier. See you next year!

Editor's note: Watch videos from the 2009 Advanced Imaging Conference Michael took with a handheld camera, including interviews with AIC President and astroimager Ken Crawford, Steve Cullen of LightBuckets, and Adam Block of Mount Lemmon SkyCenter.

Correction to November “Observing Basics” column

Matt Quandt — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:55:00 GMT

Guest post from Contributing Editor Glenn Chaple

In the November edition of my “Observing Basics” column, I wrote that Galileo would be “relieved to know that the Roman Catholic Church, which excommunicated him for his heretical teachings, has since exonerated him.”

Three readers — Chris Cuoco (Grand Junction, Colorado), Ed Hahnenberg (Lake Leelanau, Michigan), and Fr. Ronald Gripshover (Fredericksburg, Virginia) — sent e-mails pointing out that Galileo had, in fact, not been excommunicated.

I apologize for the error. Some “facts” of astronomical history appear so often, we begin to take them as truth, much as we accept without question the concept of Earth being the “third rock from the Sun.”

Interestingly, I called a local parish priest for his perception of Galileo’s status after the Inquisition. He was under the impression that Galileo had been excommunicated. Apparently this astronomical urban legend is assumed to be true even by members of the Catholic clergy!

I have since consulted several reliable sources — all of which state that, while Galileo got into a lot of trouble with the Catholic Church, excommunication wasn’t part of his punishment. Now to check to be sure Earth really is the “third rock from the Sun!”

2009 AIC recap: “Advanced” doesn’t begin to cover it, part one

Michael Bakich — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:31:00 GMT

Renowned astroimager Adam Block of the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter presented a pair of workshops at the 2009 Advanced Imaging Conference. Michael E. Bakich photo

As part of my duties as photo editor for the world’s most popular astronomy publication, I attended the sixth annual Advanced Imaging Conference (AIC) October 30 through November 1 at the San Jose, California, Doubletree Hotel. If you’re one of our many readers who love the “eye candy” that top-level astroimagers produce, future issues of Astronomy will be required reading for you.

Organizers of the conference break it into two parts: They devote day 1 to workshops. Day 2 is the general session. In this blog, I’ll tell you about day 1.

Registration, which features a continental breakfast, began at 7 a.m., and the first workshops started at 8:30. AIC wasted no time or space. Some 300 registrants filled four workshops that all started at 8:30 a.m. Then, at 10:15 a.m., 1:45 p.m., and 3:30 p.m., four more workshops began. That’s 16 1.5-hour presentations in one day!

Most of the imagers I talked to attended four sessions, with a break only for lunch. Attendees raved about the talks. Listeners took detailed notes or photographed every slide. I can sum up the only complaint with this statement: “I had to miss such-and-such’s workshop because I was in so-and-so’s presentation.” Thoughtfully, AIC’s organizers will put all the workshop presenters’ PowerPoint talks online for the registrants to review at their leisure.

These talks were not for the faint of heart. For example, renowned astrophotographer Tony Hallas presented a workshop entitled “Image Processing with a Master.” He wasn’t kidding. I was in and out of all the workshops to sample their flavors and get some pictures. At one point I heard Tony talking about manipulating an image’s individual pixels to produce superior results. And he wasn’t the only one to get into that kind of detail. It’s those kinds of post-processing procedures that make today’s celestial images superbly detailed, rich in color, and accurate in what they show.

In the short time between workshops, during breaks, and before and after meals, AIC encouraged attendees to visit a large exhibit hall called the Technology Showcase. There, more than 30 of our hobby’s top vendors showed off their best telescopes, cameras, filters, software, and accessories. The Technology Showcase was open until 9 p.m. each night, so everyone had a chance to spend quality time there.

Tomorrow, we'll recap day 2.

Are we boldly going places?

Bill Andrews — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:55:00 GMT

NASA’s done a good job getting us into space, but should it work harder on convincing people why that’s a good idea? NASA photo

Chances are you’ll recognize the phrase, “To boldly go,” as part of the monologue introducing each episode of Star Trek. I’ve heard it called the most famous split infinitive in the English language, and whatever a person’s science knowledge or familiarity with Star Trek, they’ll usually recognize “To boldly go — where no one has gone before.”

Jeremy McCarter argues in “Rocket Men,” a story in the November 9 issue of Newsweek, that we need more of Star Trek’s ilk. He says a big factor in NASA’s past successes was the public’s general fascination with space, thanks to TV shows and popular books. He quotes from the book Rocket Men (2009) that “all three of rocketry's founding fathers read From the Earth to the Moon, and it changed the course of their lives.” To really get the population excited about space, he says, we need to show space once again as a backdrop for excitement, drama, and adventure, and not just the place where killer asteroids, aliens, and lousy movies come from.

Now, half the fun of the article was renewing my geek cred as McCarter listed off popular depictions of space. I agreed with almost all his characterizations, especially his praise for the underappreciated TV show Firefly and its movie sequel, Serenity. And while I can’t lay claim to having seen The Empire Strikes Back “several hundred” times, as he does, I once performed in a musical adaptation of it.

But, more than simply agreeing about classic sci-fi, I agreed with everything else McCarter said too. If we really want to go out and conquer the stars — or even just the nearest planets and their moons — we need a public that thinks it’s a good idea. Science and a sense of adventure have historically gone hand in hand, and if that isn’t clear to us anymore, someone has messed up. NASA does a pretty good job of keeping folks amused with its videos and tweets, but amusing is a long way from astounding, mesmerizing, or even just super cool.

I’m probably not an expert on super cool (see Star Wars musical reference, above), but I know Star Trek, Isaac Asimov’s Foundation novels, and Contact helped get me interested in space, and I’m definitely not the only one. NASA’s been going into space for a few decades now, but perhaps it’s time it start boldly going.

Did any movies, books, or TV shows inspire you to get into space? Do you think NASA’s doing a fine enough job right now, thank you very much? Or do you (impossibly) think Firefly wasn’t that good?

Approach of the robot armada!

Bill Andrews — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:23:00 GMT

In this artist’s illustration, an orbiter works together with blimps and rovers to explore an unfamiliar landscape. NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory photo

Wolfgang Fink has a dream straight out of science fiction: Instead of sending a paltry robot or two to distant planets, scientists should send multiple expendable robots. Robots that can talk to one another and adapt to unexpected events. Robots that can think.

Creepy as that might sound to some, it’s really just the next step in space exploration, according to Fink, visiting associate in physics at the California Institute of Technology and a professor at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

“This armada of robots,” Fink said, “will be our eyes, ears, arms and legs in space, in the air, and on the ground, capable of responding to their environment without us, to explore and embrace the unknown."

In particular, he thinks such a plan would be perfect for studying Saturn’s moon Titan, with its mysterious geological features and complex weather systems. (Of course, this armada also could work on any other body scientists wish to study, such as Mars or Venus.) Fink and his team are working on robots that would do the work of a field geologist or astronaut, and they’d be able to work alone or as part of a team. Current proposals already exist for these robots to explore Titan, calling specifically for a lunar orbiter, an air balloon, and several rovers.

"We are basically heading toward making robots that command other robots," said Fink. "It's sort of like commanding a small army of robots operating in space, in the air, and on the ground simultaneously."

Now, this is all pretty clever, and the fact that actual scientists can legitimately suggest such robots is just more proof that we’re living in the future. But to refer to such a futuristic concept (particularly reminiscent of a finger-twiddling robot in Isaac Asimov’s story “Catch That Rabbit”) with the anachronistic term “armada” is truly genius. I mean, can you think of anything catchier than “The robot armada”?

Ares I-X finally reaches T-minus-zero

Matt Quandt — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:42:00 GMT

Three days ago, Contributing Editor Mike Reynolds wrote his first in what will be a series of blogs about meteorites and meteorite collecting. While we talked with Mike about that first piece, we learned that he was going to attend the Ares I-X launch. In this entry, he shares what it was like to witness Wednesday’s successful test flight. Mike also took photos of the event, and we'll post those with this entry soon.

Ares I-X lifted off from Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center after a number of countdown starts and stops over 2 days. The flight appears to be a success, and we await the data from the myriad of probes on the rocket.

This is a big rocket! Going out to the pad the night before the first launch attempt October 27 underscored what everyone had been saying about Ares. Not only did the size surprise me at a height of 327.4 feet (100 meters), but the mock-up Orion and Escape Tower caught me off guard. Like most, I have seen illustrations and mock-ups of Orion. But at first glance at the pad Monday night, it looked like a Russian Soyuz spacecraft and escape tower!

I felt the frustrations of the Ares I-X launch team on both days. With a 4-hour launch window Tuesday, all felt optimistic a launch would happen. The Florida weather was, well, Florida weather: unpredictable. It was approaching 90° Fahrenheit and muggy. NASA had specific weather conditions for this mission that included flying through no clouds and maximum wind velocities. The no-cloud issue was due to the concern that as Ares I-X would pass through clouds, static electricity would build up and damage the instrumentation packages. The wind issue is a normal condition for launches; 20 knots maximum in the case of Ares I-X. Even though I enjoyed the breeze as I waited — and waited, and waited — I knew conditions were not right.

For the Tuesday launch attempt, a variety of problems came up. First the launch team was behind in pre-launch preparations. Weather dynamics came and went: green (go for launch) to red (no-go). Then there was the now-infamous tarp issue:

There is a series of probes mounted in the top of the rocket. To expose these probes for flight, the launch team would pull on a lanyard to remove a tarp at the top of Ares I-X. Note that the gantry did not go up to the top of the rocket. So when they pulled on the lanyard, the tarp became stuck! This caused another delay. By the time the tarp was finally free, the weather was green and go. At that point launch security “found” a cargo carrier ship in the splashdown zone. How was it allowed to get into that closed zone in the first place? So another delay. By the time the cargo carrier was out of the splashdown zone, the weather was red and no-go, and the Ares I-X launch attempt was scrubbed for the day.

On Wednesday, October 28, the Rotating Service Structure rollback was a little late. Weather was again an issue. The Ares I-X launch team kept pushing back the launch time. I thought we were in for a repeat of the previous day. Finally, all was a go, and Ares I-X screamed off the pad.

I didn’t know what exactly to expect, even though I’ve covered launches all the way back to 1975, including the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project and Apollos 11 and 17.

I was surprised at how quickly Ares I-X pitched over — I thought something had gone wrong. Since this was a ballistic lob, there was no need for a straight up then pitch over. The flight was short and sweet, accompanied by a loud cheer from the press site. The launch was fairly noisy, as we’ve grown accustomed to with the shuttle. Separation of the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) first stage was different than that of the shuttle because it separated from a mock-up second stage and Orion. The SRBs on the shuttle fall away from the External Tank.

The Ares I-X launch was spectacular. The question now is: Will this be Ares’ only launch?

SmartBean encourages kids’ interest in astronomy

Karri Ferron — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:19:00 GMT

Smartbean lists images from the Hubble Space Telescope like this one of the Bug Nebula (NGC 6302) as a reason kids will love astronomy. NASA photo

Cultivating children’s interest in astronomy is a goal for professional scientists, planetarium directors, schoolteachers, and astronomy clubs alike. So it’s nice to see when parents are encouraged to get involved in astronomy with their kids. In a recently published article, SmartBean is doing just that.

SmartBean is a web site dedicated to providing parents with excellent K-12 academic resources and news. In honor of the International Year of Astronomy’s Galilean Nights, it published “10 Reasons Your Child Will Love Astronomy.” The article highlights things like the breathtaking views a kid can see through a telescope, the educational but fun way astronomy activities can be incorporated into a child’s life, and the fact that astronomy is constantly changing with new discoveries and research.

I thought the article was a nice jump-start for parents. What do you think? What resources would you recommend for young kids interested in astronomy?

Meteorite expert Mike Reynolds chats about falling stars

Michael Bakich — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:50:00 GMT

Astronomy Contributing Editor Mike Reynolds presented a talk at the 2009 Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show about meteorite collecting. During the talk he passed around some great examples. Reynolds is going to share his expertise about meteorites periodically with Astronomy.com blog readers.

While chatting with Astronomy magazine Contributing Editor Mike Reynolds the other day, he proposed a (roughly) monthly series that focuses on meteorites. Everyone here loved the idea, so it’s my job to introduce Mike and the first of the series. No problem.

Reynolds has spent 34 years in astronomy and space sciences in the gamut of a high school and university instructor, planetarium and museum director, researcher, writer, and lecturer. He earned his Ph.D. in Astronomy and Science Education from the University of Florida. Reynolds has received widespread recognition for his work, including his selections as the 1986 Florida State Teacher of the Year, NASA Teacher-in-Space National Finalist, and the G. Bruce Blair Medal winner.

He has written a number of astronomy books, including the book Falling Stars (about meteorites) and articles. Reynolds has led numerous astronomical expeditions worldwide and has also served as an invited speaker internationally. Mike is Executive Director Emeritus of the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, California, and is currently Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences and teaches astronomy at Florida State College in Jacksonville.

Falling Stars!

Welcome to Astronomy magazine’s latest blog about meteorites. We will explore different meteorite falls and finds, types of meteorites, meteorite shows, and the latest in this monthly blog. And if somebody recovers a new meteorite, I’ll immediately blog about the new find.

I got my start in meteorites as a third-grader when my class went to a children’s museum. I was already interested in astronomy and space, so while visiting the museum’s gift shop I was looking for anything astronomical. What caught my eye was a small Canyon Diablo meteorite; I spent my milk money and the 50 cents my parents had given me to buy something at the museum’s gift shop on this meteorite. That started a passion for these fascinating rocks from space. And yes, I still have that meteorite!

Canyon Diablo is an iron meteorite; one of three major classes or groups of meteorites based on their compositions. And meteoriticists further divide each class based on specific characteristics.

Iron Meteorites – composed primarily of iron and nickel, accounting for about 5 percent of all meteorite falls. Scientists further classify these dense objects based on the iron-to-nickel ratio. When sliced and then etched with acid, some irons produce spectacular patterns of lines due to iron-nickel matrix crystalline arrangement. Earth irons do not exhibit this pattern.

Stone Meteorites – contain about 75 percent to 90 percent silicate materials; they account for more than 94 percent of falls. Most stony meteorites contain iron-nickel alloy. Stones fall into classifications based on the inclusion or lack of chondrules (millimeter-sized spherical crystals). Stony meteorites include the rare lunar and martian meteorites whose origins can be traced back to the Moon or Mars.

Stony-Iron Meteorites – a mixture of silicates and iron-nickel in roughly equal proportions; only about 1 percent of all falls. Stony-irons divide into two groups based on how the mixture distributes. Pallasites, one class of stony-irons, are perhaps among the most spectacular meteorites when sliced and collectors treasure them for their beauty.

People usually think of iron meteorites as the predominant type; they are not. Iron meteorites, often called “irons,” make up only a small percentage of all meteorite falls. Irons look and feel like what a meteorite “should,” thus the misconception that they are the classic meteorite type. We’ll explore all three types of meteorites throughout these blogs. And by the way – stony meteorites — or “stones” — make up the greatest number of recovered meteorite falls and finds. (A fall occurs when someone sees a meteor and recovers a meteorite or meteorites. A find happens when somebody simply finds a meteorite with no known associated fall.)

How easy or hard is it to find a meteorite? According to one source, there is more total gold worldwide — 2,000 tons or so — than the total mass of all meteorites recovered in the world in museum, university, and private collections. Scientists estimate that between 20,000 and 100,000 tons of material enter Earth’s atmosphere each year; however, most of it:

Burns up in Earth’s atmosphere;

Becomes atmospheric dust;

Lands in the ocean; or

Is simply never found.

Think about the water-to-landmass ratio of Earth (Arthur C. Clark said it best when he stated, “How inappropriate to call this planet Earth when clearly it is Ocean…”). And consider the amount of land that is simply inaccessible. Yet people recover new meteorites all the time, some from fresh falls.

Meteoriticists estimate that more than 45 tons of meteoritic material has come from the famous Canyon Diablo meteorite fall of approximately 25,000 to 50,000 years ago. Canyon Diablo meteorites classify as iron — coarse octahedrite (IAB).

One of my favorite meteorites in my collection: a 994-gram Canyon Diablo iron meteorite that was “pinched” at one end during the final impact of that massive fall. Mike Reynolds Photo
Canyon Diablo meteorites are wonderful iron meteorites, often displaying the incredible forces of impact. Samples have also been known to contain diamonds or other interesting inclusions. Cut, polished, and etched Canyon Diablo specimens demonstrate the Widmanstätten pattern, due to nickel-rich and nickel-poor bands within the crystals. In 1808, Count Alois von Beckh Widmanstätten, a Viennese scientist, independently discovered patterns in iron meteorites. Even though the pattern carries Widmanstätten’s name, English geologist G. Thompson first noted it and published his results in the French Bibliothèque Britannique in 1804. The patterns represent a section through the three-dimensional octahedral structure in the iron meteorite formed of bands of kamacite with narrower borders of taenite. Only iron meteorites exhibit these patterns.

Someone machined this Gibeon, an iron — fine octahedrite (IVA) meteorite, into a cue-ball sized sphere. They then etched it with acid to show the Widmanstätten pattern. Mike Reynolds Photo
The Canyon Diablo crater, known as Barringer Crater or Meteor Crater, is one of the youngest “large” craters on Earth. Apollo astronauts used Meteor Crater for training prior to their lunar surface missions. If you are ever near Flagstaff or Winslow, Arizona, in Coconino County, Meteor Crater is a must-see stop. The designers of the U.S. Interstate System did us a great favor in building Interstate 40 just north of Meteor Crater.

Please note that it is illegal to hunt for meteorites at the Barringer Crater. In fact, you should always have permission to hunt for meteorites when on private property; the laws in the United States are specific in this regard. Laws vary from country to country; some do not allow the export of meteorites whatsoever. We will explore these legalities more fully in future blogs.
Do you have a meteorite or cratering question? How – and where – to buy meteorites? Collecting tales? Successful meteorite hunts? A favorite meteorite? Favorite meteorite books and publications? A must-see meteorite exhibit? Please e-mail me at my college address: mreynold@fscj.edu. We will explore your meteorites questions and more each month!

Keep looking up!
Dr. Mike Reynolds

Related video:

Collecting meteorites, with Editor David J. Eicher (available to magazine subscribers)

Mad scientists’ revenge?

Bill Andrews — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:57:00 GMT

Stewart David Nozette, later arrested by the FBI for attempted espionage, worked on the LRO’s Mini-RF hardware. NASA Photo

We here at Astronomy magazine try to stay out of politics as much as we can because, after all, astronomy can be plenty controversial on its own — Pluto, anyone?. But sometimes, we just can’t help it. Take, for instance, the case of Stewart David Nozette (pictured at right), the former NASA scientist who was arrested October 19 for allegedly trying to sell government secrets.

This illustration shows NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) over the lunar surface, with the Mini-RF antenna attached to its Moon-facing panel. The scientist who worked on the Mini-RF, Stewart David Nozette, was arrested for attempted espionage on Monday. NASA Photo

Nozette worked on both the Chandrayaan-1 and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter missions that made recent headlines with discoveries of water on the Moon. He also worked at some pretty high-level government organizations, including the Air Force's Phillips Laboratory (now a part of the Air Force Research Laboratory), the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (now called the Missile Defense Agency), the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. He even went to MIT, the most well-known villain-training school ever (and my alma mater).

Allegedly, Nozette tried selling secrets to an undercover FBI agent posing as an Israeli spy, for a grand total of $11,000. But at least that’s not all the money his alleged espionage may have gotten him — the FBI says he worked for an Israeli aerospace company that paid him $225,000 in the last 11 years. It doesn’t look particularly good for Nozette right now — if convicted he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Coming so fast after the October 9 arrest of a CERN physicist for suspected links with al-Qaeda, I wonder if we’re not seeing the rise of the real-life mad scientist. Usually, I’ve found, people think of scientists as one of two stereotypes: the absent-minded, stuffy, but generally harmless lab-coat wearer, and the evil genius who either wants to become immorally rich or rule the world. I’ve only met a few scientists who fits either description perfectly, but it seems Nozette might come close to the latter. Maybe he just got tired of being thought of as the former? Either way, I think we can all agree this probably is not the best way to dissuade the public of its stereotypical notions.

So what do you think? Happy that scientists are taking a stand and showing the world they’re not all harmless old eccentrics? Or horrified that a member of your favorite lunar mission might turn out to be a spy?

Nicolaus Copernicus: “Old, old blue eyes”

Michael Bakich — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:26:00 GMT

Like Frank Sinatra (1915–1998), renowned Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543) had blue eyes, according to genetic tests that identified his remains. This paints a much different picture than the ones I grew up with. Researchers announced the findings last November and published them in July. They suggest that Copernicus most likely had blue eyes, fair skin, and light hair color.

In 2005, a team led by Polish archaeologist Jerzy Gassowski found an incomplete skeleton under the St. Cross altar of the Roman Catholic cathedral in Frombork, on Poland’s Baltic coast. Despite the lack of a lower jaw, the skull provided enough clues for identification.

Tests showed that it belonged to a man who died between the age of 60 and 70 (Copernicus died when he was 70). Furthermore, the man had suffered a broken nose (Copernicus had a crooked nose because of an accident he suffered as a child). The skull also featured a cut mark above the left eye (Copernicus’ self-portrait shows a scar above his left eye).

Of course, a DNA test would provide conclusive proof, but where do you get Copernicus’ DNA? Why, from a library, of course! The researchers found just what they were looking for in the astronomy reference book, Calendarium Romanum Magnum, by Johannes Stoeffler (1452–1531).

They found the book — which Copernicus owned for years — in the Museum Gustavianum at Uppsala University. And among the book’s pages they found 9 hairs. The researchers found usable DNA on four of them. And, guess what? Two were identical to each other and to the profile from the skeletal remains recovered from the St. Cross Altar tomb. The researchers concluded that the remains from the St. Cross Altar tomb are those of Copernicus.

Copernicus also was probably fair-skinned with light hair. How do I know that? Because the team’s genetic analysis also found a variation in a gene called HERC2, which mainly occurs in people with blue eyes. Recent studies have associated the HERC2 variant with lighter hair color and lighter skin.

So, although there’s another “blue eyes” in town, I think Sinatra would be OK with it. After all, who better than Copernicus, the man who replaced Earth as the center of the solar system with the Sun, could more appropriately boast, “I did it my way”?

Get ready for some Galilean Nights

Karri Ferron — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:27:00 GMT

Official Galilean Nights poster

Another International Year of Astronomy 2009 Cornerstone Project kicks off tomorrow night around the globe. The goal of Galilean Nights, October 22-24, is to allow hundreds of thousands of people all around the world to experience their own “Galileo moment” when they look up at the sky through a telescope for the first time. Currently there are more than 1,000 public observing events in more than 70 countries to help achieve such a goal. The Galilean Nights web site lists them all.

Plenty of astronomy clubs, universities, and professional observatories in the United States are participating, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find an event to attend. But even if there isn’t one near you, it’s never too late to plan your own observing party. Invite friends and neighbors over one night for their first view of Jupiter. While they’re there, have them do some star counts to learn the visibility in your area. Start Stephen James O’Meara’s Ghost Hunt challenge, and see how many spooky objects on his list you can find.

The Galilean Nights organizers are also encouraging participants to photograph what they see and share the sights with the wider world through the Galilean Nights astrophotography competition. Astrophotographers of all levels are encouraged to participate.

In addition to these great activities, observatories are making their facilities available to the world for remote observing sessions. As well as attending local Galilean Nights observing events, anybody with access to the internet will be able to control telescopes on the other side of the world. Those taking part in remote observing sessions will be able to take photographs of astronomical objects from their own personal computers.

All in all, there are tons of ways to participate and enjoy some observing and outreach. So how will you be spending your Galilean Nights?

Behind the scenes of Hubble 3D IMAX movie

Bill Andrews — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:17:00 GMT

STS-125 astronauts Mike Massimino (lower left) and Mike Good (right, on arm) rehearse Hubble Space Telescope repairs in NASA’s NBL in this IMAX footage from Hubble 3D. NASA photo

Toni Myers is my kind of big-time Hollywood director. She’s worked on such famous space-themed IMAX movies as Space Station 3D, Destiny in Space, and 1985’s The Dream is Alive. I remember seeing Dream is Alive when I was just a kid, and it played no small role in my fascination with the skies. She’s also the director, writer, and editor of the upcoming IMAX movie Hubble 3D, due to be widely released in IMAX theaters March 19, 2010. Even though she’s still hard at work editing, I talked to Myers recently about NASA, movies, and the tyranny of deadlines. Here are some of the highlights, slightly edited for clarity.

Astronomy: What made you start making movies about space?

Myers: Well, at the time of the first IMAX space film, I was part of a team founded by Graeme Ferguson (the co-inventor of IMAX). When the IMAX projector was put in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Mike Collins, the director at that time [and an Apollo 11 astronaut] saw IMAX and said, “This is the medium. This is the only thing that can really convey what we experienced.”

Graeme heard that loud and clear. We’d made other films on other topics before, but once he heard [how Collins felt] we launched a campaign to try and get the IMAX camera into space. That was the start of actually making films in space, and it was really spearheaded by Graeme, who founded the unit.

IMAX camera operator Peter Kragh (left) films STS-125 astronauts Mike Good (foreground) and Mike Massimino (to the right inside the Hubble mock-up) as they rehearse Hubble repair activities at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL) in Houston, Texas. NASA photo

Astronomy: Have you ever wanted to branch out beyond space and try making other types of movies?

Myers: We do do other films, though we seem to specialize in airless environments. Our units have produced three 3-D underwater films. We make those in collaboration with a very wonderful cinematographer/director by the name of Howard Hall, and we first made one in 1994, Into the Deep. That’s an adventure of a different kind in a different direction. But we do seem to come back to space a lot. One thing just leads to another, and it is a topic of endless fascination. I’d love to go myself!

Astronomy: Speaking of going to space, you must work pretty closely with NASA to make these films. What’s that like?

Myers: The collaboration has been absolutely wonderful, right from the beginning. We supply the training and the cameras and the filmmaking expertise; NASA supplies the astronauts and the spacecraft. I think NASA could see right away how these films bring an experience that is only the privilege of a small sector of people to absolutely everybody, from the age of 3 to 103. Actually, I think the biggest fans of the films are the NASA engineers and crews because they’re seeing things in the film that they don’t get to see normally. There’s a level of detail that isn’t readily available anywhere else. Even when we saw the first footage come back for The Dream is Alive, all of us sat absolutely jaws-on-the-floor at seeing what the Earth looked like 6 stories high. It was absolutely like being there.

Astronomy: With your latest film, Hubble 3D, are you focusing on the science the Hubble Space Telescope has done, or the story of getting it to work, or something else entirely?

Myers: There will be some early material of its original deployment in space, and we’ll track the story a little bit about the flawed mirror and the first service mission. But the main mission that we’ll focus on is last May’s STS-125, which is the last service mission. We also plan several flights through Hubble data, which we’re animating in 3-D — for instance, one is from Earth right to the heart of the Orion Nebula. We basically want to allow people all over the world to see some splendid examples of how Hubble has changed our whole idea of what our universe is. But, it won’t be everything, that’s for sure!

Hopefully, as with some of the other films, we can inspire people to pursue a career in astronomy. An example of that – totally unexpected by us – is when Susan Helms was going to be one of the first permanent “inmates” of the International Space Station. She was interviewed on the Today show, and they asked her what had inspired her to become an astronaut, and she said, “The IMAX film The Dream is Alive.” We didn’t plan that one, believe me! You can’t begin to cover all the science there is on any given topic in 40 minutes. What you can do is really open people’s eyes as to what is out there. Our goal is to have people leaving the theater wanting to know more.

In this footage from the upcoming film Hubble 3D, Astronaut Andrew Feustel transfers the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement unit from the telescope to its temporary stowage position in the space shuttle Atlantis cargo bay. NASA photo

Astronomy: Do you know what your next project might be?

Myers: I actually don’t. We were doing our last underwater film, Under the Sea 3D, in conjunction with this one, so the two films were going in parallel for about 18 months. I haven’t had a minute to think forward. I should, but I think my biggest challenge right now is getting this one finished. I’d love to do more space films, and there are lots of science films that are very interesting. But I really just have been so totally immersed in this I haven’t given it much thought.

Astronomy: Maybe a vacation’s in order?

Myers: Uh, yeah! That always looms as a nice thing, but then you start worrying, “Well I better get the next project going!” You know how it goes with deadlines.

Astronomy: A little too well, in fact. On that note, then, my last question: Anything else you’d like to add?

Myers: I’d like to say that the crew of the final repair mission (STS-125) was absolutely superb in terms of the work they did. They had an incredibly difficult mission in terms of the intricacies of what they had to do outside on their spacewalks, and I’m in awe of what they accomplished. Also, we wouldn’t be doing this film if it weren’t for Warner Brothers. Going into space was a new adventure for them, and I’m just so thrilled that they wanted to do it. So I do want to give them credit for agreeing to launch with us to the stars!

And finally, I just wanted to highlight the fact that I think the legacy of Hubble itself is absolutely astonishing. Every time I look at the Hubble Ultra Deep Field and some of those gravitational lens photos and things, it’s just life altering, isn’t it? I think a lot of people haven’t had that experience, and I hope this film gives them a little bit of it.

An amateur astronomer discovers an exploding star

Michael Bakich — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:21:00 GMT

This 5-minute exposure shows Stuart Parker’s latest supernova discovery in spiral galaxy PGC 17517. Stuart Parker photo

New Zealand amateur astronomer Stuart Parker just sent me an e-mail in which he announced his fourth supernova discovery. Parker routinely surveys numerous galaxies as part of a regular search program.

He discovered the magnitude 17.1 object October 18 in PGC 17517, a magnitude 13.6 galaxy in Pictor. PGC is an acronym that designates this galaxy as one in the Principal Galaxies Catalogue, which contains 73,197 entries.

 Peter Marples and Colin Drescher, both of Queensland, Australia, confirmed Parker’s supernova, and he received the discovery credit from the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. That organization designated the supernova 2009jz and announced it to the astronomical community as Central Bureau Electronic Telegram (CBET) 1984. 

Astronomy editors head off site to brainstorm magazine improvements

David Eicher — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:46:00 GMT

The Astronomy staff gets things rolling the morning of October 16, 2009. David J. Eicher photo

Be prepared for plenty of surprises to come in the next few months. Last Friday Astronomy’s editorial staff joined forces with the art staff and our publisher and went off site, as we do each year, for a daylong discussion. The topics cover the entire spectrum of magazine and web site creation, and the goal is to give you the best possible product we can over the coming year. We spoke about potential stories, special issues, magazine design, covers, outreach activities with astronomy groups, trips and tours, our web site, and a whole load of other stuff.

We convened at 9 a.m. at my house about 10 miles from Kalmbach’s corporate headquarters. The morning began over lots of coffee, orange juice, breakfast goodies. Eventually we had boxed lunches and the chatter rolled into the afternoon. It was a serious analytical discussion and one punctuated by lots of laughs and a bit of silliness, as always.

So stay tuned — much came out of the discussion, and I promise some of things we spoke about will make a nice difference in the pages of your issues of Astronomy during the coming year.

Stephen James O’Meara recaps the George Moore Astronomy Workshop

Matt Quandt — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:59:00 GMT

Please enjoy this guest post from Astronomy magazine Columnist Stephen James O’Meara:

Just wrapped up with a successful and fun George Moore Astronomy Workshop at Camp Maskepetoon near Pigeon Lake in Alberta. The Edmonton Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada sponsors the event and hosted me.

Aside from meeting old friends, like Astronomy magazine Contributing Editor Alister Ling, who gave a wonderful presentation on how best to use the Sky Clock to maximize your chances of heading outside on a great starlit night, we had a full evening of starlight. Larry Wood of Edmonton set up his 12-inch f/5 reflector and treated many of us to views of obscure planetary and reflection nebulae.

Variable star guru Rick Huziak of Saskatoon shared some wonderful views of the Veil Nebula and other deep-sky delights through his 10-inch 5/5.6 reflector. Most impressive, however, was something I had seen for the first time: four geosynchronous-orbit satellites in a z shape (the brightest of which was 3rd magnitude). We viewed this pattern through Rick's scope at high power. We turned off the drive and watched the satellites stay in the field of view while the stars zipped by “behind” them. Awesome!

Kathleen Houston had fun finding M81 and M82, and a special guest — Sverir Rrudmundsson of Iceland — shared the wonders of observing from his home country and provided an international flavor to the event.

Thanks, Steve!

A Moon resource guide

Karri Ferron — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:07:00 GMT

A waxing gibbous Moon. Astronomy.com member "LATiger" photo

I have a love-hate relationship with the Internet. It makes getting information easier than ever, but it also can make getting the CORRECT information more difficult than ever. Sometimes, it takes a lot of sifting through less-than-reputable sites to find goods ones you can trust. So it’s a bonus when someone else does it for you.

The Astronomy Society of the Pacific has been working to collect series of resources on different astronomy topics for its “Family ASTRO” education program. Among them is one about our nearest celestial neighbor, the Moon.

If you’re looking for complementary online resources to go with Astronomy.com’s “Intro to the sky: The Moon and planets” or the “Observe the Moon with a small telescope” how-to video, this resource is a great place to go. It has links for information about scientific understanding of the Moon as a world, the appearance of the Moon in our skies, and the Moon in popular culture and historical events. Andrew Fraknoi, chair of the astronomy department at Foothill College in California and the person behind this collection, admits that this resource guide is by no means complete, but it is a good place to start as it suggests some resources that may be useful for beginners.

What do you think of this collection of links? Is it a good start for beginners, or do you have other suggestions for sites? Where do you send people who want more information about the Moon?

Seeing the (faint) light in Tucson

Bill Andrews — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:52:00 GMT

While it’s no secret that Astronomy magazine just opened its own observatory, don’t think it’s something only professionals can aspire to.

The Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA) has been working to establish a permanent dark observing facility for more than 2 years now, and it’s impressive how much they’ve already done. After finding a good spot, the group had to convince the surrounding community they wouldn’t be lousy neighbors. Apparently, the idea of a star party conjured up images of booze and paparazzi, rather than a peaceful get-together to look at the night sky.

After enlisting the aid of local schools and community leaders, the TAAA received the appropriate paperwork and the deed to their 16 acres in early 2009. Then the hard work really began. They’re currently finishing Phase 1 of construction, meaning they’re simply making the place habitable – adding improvements like electricity, better roads, and a bathroom. Without such basic amenities, the club can’t even host a member star party.

By year’s end the TAAA hopes to begin Phase 2, which will see the construction of concrete observing pads, an observatory, an amphitheater, RV parking sites, and some other niceties. In January, they’ll choose an official name for the site (currently just called “The Dark Site”) from entries in a naming contest. Eventually they’ll move on to Phase 3, which will include a bunkhouse, more observing pads, numerous small observatories, and a caretaker’s residence.

While money has occasionally been a problem over the years, the TAAA’s lucky that its membership is so committed. One club member donated some $33,000 worth of new equipment, including four telescopes (14-inch, 11-inch, 9.25-inch, and 8-inch Celestron SCTs), an AP 1200 mount, and high-end eyepiece kits. The land itself is the gift of a group of members dubbed The Perseus Group. And, of course, all of this is strictly volunteer work – no one in the TAAA gets paid for any of it.

So the next time you’re wondering what you or your small group can do, keep the TAAA in mind. They’ve been able to accomplish some pretty ambitious goals, just by working together and planning well (and having some pretty generous members, too). And if you’re curious what it’ll be like, just wait a little and you can go see for yourself because the site will be open to the public. It just goes to show that, in many ways, astronomy really is the people’s science.

Photos credit: John Kalas