Astronomy.com blog : Michael Bakich

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.

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.

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.

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)

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”?

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. 

Images and videos from PATS 2009

Michael Bakich — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:06:00 GMT

The Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS) was a great success for many manufacturers and exhibitors that I talked to while there. I also thought it was a fun and rewarding trip. Take a look at some of the photographs and videos I made while at PATS. You might see someone you know, at least by name in Astronomy magazine.

At right, Astronomy Contributing Editor Mike Reynolds, Scott Roberts, president of Explore Scientific, and Astronomy Contributing Editor Stephen James O’Meara pose for a pic after a Chinese lunch.

Credit: Michael E. Bakich

New video: Observe the Moon with a small telescope

Michael Bakich — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:55:00 GMT

What's the best time to look at the Moon? What equipment do you need? What features should you target? Astronomy magazine's latest video about observing the Moon with a small telescope answers those questions and more. Along the way, you also will learn a few techniques that will help you become a better lunar observer.

This video is available to magazine subscribers.

The best astroimagers will gather in California

Michael Bakich — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:00:00 GMT

During Halloween weekend, when most people are worrying about ghosts, goblins, and what candy to give away, some 300 avid astroimagers from around the world will meet in San Jose, California, for the 2009 Advanced Imaging Conference (AIC). And, guess what? I’ll be there, too.

AIC’s board of directors once again invited me to the conference because Astronomy is important to astroimagers. Our magazine represents the largest audience available to photographers who target celestial objects.

So who will be there? Many astroimagers who regularly contribute to the magazine: Adam Block, Thomas Davis, Bob Fera, Jay GaBany, Tony Hallas, Warren Keller, Dean Salman, and more. But I’m even more jazzed about meeting imagers who haven’t appeared in the magazine.

At the 2008 meeting, I presented a talk entitled “What Astronomy’s Photo Editor Wants.” The 300 imagers who heard me learned what they should include when sending images, what happens to images after they arrive, and, most importantly, the objects I’m looking for. And, you know what? The talk was a tremendous success! The past year was the best one ever at Astronomy for the number and quality of astroimages we received.

So what do I hope comes out of this year’s meeting? First, more of the same. I want to continue to entice the imaging community to keep sending their great work to Astronomy magazine.

Second, as the editor here who deals with the hobby and equipment end of our science, I’ll chat with manufacturers about their latest and greatest cameras, filters, software, and accessories. Who knows how many reviews may come from this one meeting?

Indeed, I think AIC 2009 will provide many more treats than tricks. Interested?

Related:

2008 Advanced Imaging Conference, by Michael E. Bakich, senior editor
Online Reader Gallery

On the road: Day 1 at PATS 2009 is a success

Michael Bakich — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 02:31:00 GMT

What do you get when you combine more than 50 innovative telescope, camera, and accessory dealers with 1,000 eager amateur astronomers? The answer is the Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS), which is happening this weekend in Pasadena, California.

As the Astronomy editor who mainly works with the hobby and equipment aspects of our science, I’m always eager to see new products from manufacturers. Well, the first day of PATS did not disappoint.

I saw new products by Celestron, Howie Glatter’s Lasers, Orion Telescopes, Rigel Systems, and Tele Vue. Representatives from other manufacturers also told me they were close to unveiling new products. I’ll probably see some of those during my next trip to California Halloween weekend. That’s when the Advanced Imaging Conference takes place. Look for reviews and mentions of lots of new products on Astronomy’s New Products page in upcoming issues.

The manufacturer representatives I talked to all were happy with the turnout. One satisfied rep told me he already had sold four times as much equipment during the first morning as he had through all of the 2008 PATS.

This is PATS’ second year, and it’s in a different part of the convention center compared to where it was last year. The difference? This new area has no carpeting, so I’ve been on “high voice” all day. When the organizers make announcements (and they are frequent), all conversation immediately stops. That’s tough on editors trying to capture video interviews for Astronomy.com. Walking on cement all day made my feet quite tired, and I didn’t even make it the entire way around the hall. Oh, well. That’s what tomorrow’s for.

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