APOD 6: A Spectre in the Eastern Veil



30 October 2013
A Spectre in the Eastern Veil

The Veil Nebula is a large supernova remnant, the expanding debris cloud from the death explosion of a massive star. Roughly circular in shape, covering nearly 3 degrees on the sky in the constellation Cygnus, only appears to be the size of the Moon. Emission from hydrogen atoms in the remnant is shown in red with strong emission from oxygen atoms in blue-green hues. This seasonal apparation is especially haunting in the spooky attitudes of the holiday tomorrow. One might even see veins in blue/red hues, or see distorted faces of ghastly figures, if feeling especially haunted. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!



APOD 5: A Starry Night in Iceland



May 17, 2011
"A Starry Night in Iceland"

This image was taken over Jokulsarlon, the largest glaciel lake in Iceland. This photograph captured two green  auroral rings, as well as the reflections of the rings on the lake, creating a mystic unity to the piece. The Milky Way Galaxy,  Pleiades open clusters of stars, and the Andromeda galaxy. Powerful coronal ejection from the Sun caused these auroras to be seen as far south as Wisconsin. The fisheye composition and the values of a myraid of colors creates a breathtaking snapshot, which made it a clear winner of an international competition for landscape astrophotography.



APOD 4: 17 Oct. 2013

17 Oct. 2013
ISON, Mars, Regulus

This shot captures Comet ISON, planet Mars, and the alpha star from the constellation Leo, Regulus, in one frame. The comet is the most fleeting of the figures, towards the top right of the snapshot. Mars is the second object, slightly washed out color from the exposure of the picture. The last and brightest object in this frame is Regulus. This picture draws me in because it looks like a sci-fi snapshot of how people have imagined pictures of stars to look for years. The exposure and fade of this snapshot has a really appealing, almost vintage quality to it. The focus from faintest to brightest is also appealing to the eye, giving real relativity to our perception of space.

October 11th Observations

October 11th, 2013. 8:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. I observed for four hours at my home address, in North Sarasota / Southgate area. Few clouds, but mostly clear. The moon was present, at a waxing crescent phase, almost at first quarter. I used naked eye observations, and used my Skywalker application to help me identify stars more easily. Jupiter was visible tonight, although I could not observe it in higher power with a telescope. Since I had no instruments, I focused mostly on finding constellations. Notable constellations I could find were Andromeda, Cygnus, and Ophiuchus. I was impressed by my ability to identify Cygnus and Ophiuchus off of memorization in the night sky! I also could observe the Milky Way system, once my eyes fully adjusted, around 9:00 pm.

John Flamsteed Report, Finalized.

Beginnings

            Flamsteed was born in Denby, England, on August 19, 1646. He was brought up as the son of a wealthy merchant, as his mother died early on in his childhood. Flamsteed attended Derby free school in his childhood, but the boy’s chronic rheumatic condition led to his father’s decision to not send him to university. From 1662-1669, Flamsteed studied mathematics and astronomy independently, despite his father’s disapproval. In August of 1665, Flamsteed produced his first astronomical monograph, Mathematical Essays, addressing design, use, and construction of a quadrant (an instrument of astronomers to measure altitudes of stars). He began his own systematic observations in 1671.  In March 1675, John Flamsteed was appointed “The King’s Astronomical Observator”, or the first English Astronomer Royal, accumulating £100 a year in foundational funds. In June of the same year, Flamsteed was warranted the founding of the Royal Greenwich Observatory, and laid down the foundations in August. Flamsteed was admitted a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1676 and moved into the Observatory in Burstow, Surry in 1677.

Discoveries

            Flamsteed calculated the solar eclipses of 1666 and 1668 with great accuracy. He recorded the first sighting of Uranus, but he mistook the planet as a star, recording it under the name “34 Tauri”, in December 1690. In August of 1680, John Flamsteed recorded 3 Cassiopeiae, which modern astronomical historians believe to be the most recent supernova in the galaxy’s history. Astronomers now commonly call his finding Cassiopeia A. He proposed that the two great comets seen in November and December of 1680 were not separate bodies, but rather a single comet traveling towards, and then away, from the Sun. Observations of 16 nebulous patches and stars – including NGC 2244, Lagoon Nebula M8, and M41 – were made circa 1680. As the Astronomer Royal, he observed, improved previous models, & made records for his star catalogue, Historia Coelestis Britannica, and a star atlas, Atlas Coelestis. His entries more than tripled those of Tycho Brahe’s star atlas.

Legacy

            John Flamsteed, in honor of being the first Astronomer Royal, as well as his foundations and observations made in the Royal Observatory Greenwich, had the Flamsteed Astronomy Society named after him. A crater on the Moon, as well as asteroid 4987, was given the name Flamsteed. A number of schools and colleges in Derbyshire, his hometown and origin, are also named after him. Flamsteed’s finalized work, Stellarum Inerrantium Catalogus Britannicus, was only published posthumously in 1725. Flamsteed was also well known for butting heads with Isaac Newton and Edmond Halley. Newton originally disagreed with Flamsteed’s “one comet” theory in 1680, but later agreed with him after he and Halley gained unauthorized access to Flamsteed’s work and observations, theorizing comets moved in large, closed elliptical orbitals. Halley also obtained the cost for publication of Flamsteed’s work, Historia Coelestis Britannica from the Prince of Denmark in 1704, and published Flamsteed’s work on his own in 1712, despite Flamsteed’s refusal. Ironically, Flamsteed’s greatest enemy, Edmond Halley, succeeded him as the second Astronomer Royal.

Bibliography for Astronomer Research

1. Flamsteed, John. The Correspondence of John Flamsteed, First Astronomer Royal. Vol. 1. N.p.: United Kingdom: Institution of Physics Publication, 1995. Print. 1666-1682.<http://messier.seds.org/xtra/Bios/flamsteed.html>.
2. Frommert, Hartmut, and Christine Kronberg. "John Flamsteed (1646-1719)." John Flamsteed (1646-1719). Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2013. 
3. O'Connor, J. J., and E. F. Robertson. "John Flamsteed." MacTutor History of Mathematics. School of Mathematics and Statistics, Apr. 1997. Web. 06 Oct. 2013. <http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Flamsteed.html>.

Sept. 28th, Star Observations

On September 28th, I went to Dr. Percival and Mr. Dacey's star gazing session from 8-10 p.m. at Pine View. The instruments we used were Dr. Percival's binoculars and high power telescope. There were a few clouds present, but the stars were quite visible and identifiable once my eyes adjusted. I believe the moon's phase was a waning crescent. We saw Saturn through the high power telescope, and we were even able to see one of it's moons - I believe it was Titan. We observed constellations such as Scorpius, Sagittarius, Hercules, Corona Borealis/Australis, and Aquila (identified Altair). We also observed the Little and Big Dippers, which actually took up a lot more sky space than I'd previously thought. We looked at Job's Coffin in Delphinus. We also observed M 13 and M 11 in the high power telescope, which was breathtaking and a humbling experience. We also used the telescope to see Alberio and Beta Cygnis, one star was blue and the other was yellow. We also observed the summer triangle. My favorite part was finding Sagittarius and Aquila without the assistance of Dr. Percival -- score one for the girl back home!