The Comet Lovely



The Comet Lovejoy is a new rival to the possibly deceased comet ISON which is presumed lost in the glare of our sun. The Comet Lovejoy is just now passing the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) and is speeding towards the outer parts of our solar system. Considering its relatively close proximity, the comet can currently be seen with the unaided eye. Over the next few weeks, however, it will still be visible with binoculars.

Harvest Moon Overlooking Venice High School Soccer Fields

During my high school soccer game a few weeks ago during early November, I gazed up at the sky momentarily during half time to find a huge harvest moon shining to the left of the opposing team's goal towards the East. After making my discovery I quickly alerted two of my teammates, Esther Clode and Kelly Halliwiel, both of whom go to Pine View and are in Mr. Percival's astronomy class. The three of us discussed the moon as well as various constellations that were visible during the early evening despite the lights shining bright on to field.

The Nebula of Hallow's Eve

As Halloween comes creeping around the corner we take an up close look at the Veil Nebula located roughly 1,400 light years away. The Veil Nebula lies near the Witch's Broom and depicts a demonic face. It's make up is that of the reminence of a death explosion of a massive star. While this is only a depiction of the Veil Nebula which covers about .5 degrees of the mass covering roughly 3 degrees in in the constellation Cygnus known as the Northern Cross and Swan and is found in the Summer Triangle. The instruments used to record this photograph of the Veil nebula are known as narrow band filters. The parts of the Nebula that are shown in red show where high levels of hydrogen are present while the areas shown in blue-green have a high concertartion of oxygen.

Star Gaze Hours: Out in the Boondocks

Note: I did not take this photo (Accurate Representation)

On October the 12th, I went about 15 miles east of I75 to my friend Dallas' house where we went camping in the woods. Not 10 feet from the spot where we set camp was a clearing that I used to Star Gaze. During the night (from about 9 PM to 12:30 AM) I noticed an array of constellations using my eyesight and Iphone star mapping app. I once again noticed the position of Venus in relation to the constellation Scorpio. At this point the planet was past the center of the constellation and extremely close to the moon. The moon was in its First Quarter. Other observations included Serpens and Ophiuchus, Hercules (used the Key Stone to find it), Aquila, Cygnus, Delphinus and for a moment, Ursa Major (it faded below the trees relatively quickly). This occurred at different points during the night so many constellations made their way past the center of the sky.

Star Gaze Hours: Astronomy Night at Pine View School

Note: Photo taken from internet sources (General Location where Star Gaze occurred)

During the classroom edition of a group Star Gaze, Mr. Chap Precival and Mr. Steve Dacey organized and supervised the events of the night. Not only did we view multiple of the "M" masses that lay inside various constellations (M8, M20, M11) but we also saw many constellations with the use of binoculars and our own eyes. The constellations viewed included Delphinus, The Summer Triangle, Scorpio, Cygnus, Aquila, and part of Ursa Major.

Star Gaze Hours: A Night at the Beach (in Venice)

General Location where Star Gaze occurred

On October, 5th, Carmen Carrion and I went out to the beach to view the stars for roughly 2 hours. During our Star Gaze, she and I noticed the constellations Cassiopeia, Delphinus (Job's Coffin), and Scorpio. Scorpio was relatively close to the moon at the time and as a consequence, the light from the moon made the stars seem dimmer despite the fact that the waning crescent was almost a New Moon. Brighter than all the stars in the constellation Scorpio, Antares included, was the planet Venus which sat about a quarter of the way through the constellation. To verify it was in fact the planet, I used my Iphone star app and pointed it in the general direction.

Jeremiah Horrocks

         

Born in 1619 and dying at the young age of 22, Jeremiah Horrocks was the first astronomer after Tycho Brahe, Galileo and Kepler who influenced the astronomical revolution that was going on in England during his lifetime. His discoveries for the field of astronomy included the moons elliptical orbit as well as the transit of Venus. His discovery of the moon's orbit was a product of Kepler's 3 laws of planetary motion. Using Kepler's prediction that Venus would transit the sun in 1631, Horrocks was able to calculate that Venus would transit again in 8 years from its last passing. After this discovery in 1632, Horrocks studied at the University of Cambridge and became a tutor at Toxteth so he would have more spare time to study astronomy. His discovery regarding the transit of Venus in 1631 would soon be known as a uniform characteristic of Venus. To prove his prediction, Jeremiah Horrocks prepared for the predicted transit by making a makeshift telescope with which he could measure the distance the planet made its way across the sun. Horrocks made these calculations 3 times at roughly 15 minutes apart and, from these measurements, he was able to calculate the orbit of Venus. 

        Horrocks' discoveries made a huge impact on the future of astronomy and mathematics. his discovery of the Moon's ecliptic orbit paved the way for the Newtonian Revolution. Without them, the world as we know it would have developed in the fields of science and technology at a much slower pace.

Jeremiah Horrocks Sources

Jeremiah Horrocks

 

"Jeremiah Horrocks (British Astronomer)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d.

 

             Web. 18 Oct. 2013. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/272141/Jeremiah-Horrocks.

 

 

"Transit of Venus - History - UCLan." Transit of Venus - History - UCLan. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct.

 

              2013. <http://www.transit-of-venus.org.uk/history.htm>.

M2-9, The Butterfly Planetary Nebula

As M2-9 slowly dies over the course of 1000 years, it castes off gasses while transforming from an Ordinary Star to a Butterfly Planetary Nebula to a White Dwarf Star. This planetary nebula used to be an ordinary star, alike to our sun. As it makes it's transition to a white dwarf it must first expel it's outer gaseous envelope (the layer of atmosphere or gasses surrounding an object). M2-9 became a planetary nebula (a ring-shaped nebula formed by an expanding shell of gas around an aging star) during the process of expelling it's gasses. It is currently 2100 light years away and it's wings (the outer edges of the mass) puzzle astronomers as they work to determine how this star went through it's transition.

The Evaporating Protostar



The Evaporating Protostar

 Astronomers have discovered that IRAS 20324+4057, an interstellar-cloud about 4,500 light years away and spanning 1 light year in distance, is slowly forming into a new star. The fate of this star cannot be determined at the moment because the gas an dust is being eroded decreasing the stars mass and thus making it uncertain if the cloud will form into a star. If the mass whittles down enough to make the star comprable to the sun, it is very possible that the star will house planets in the future in the form of a planetary nebula. If this is to happen, the process will take roughly 100,00 years to take its full form. 

The Case of the Missing Supernova



The Case of the Missing Supernova Companion

In most cases of supernovas, there are two partner stars which interact. This photo shows an image of a star going through supernova but strangely enough, there is no appearence of a companion star. In the cases of supernovas there are two stars orbiting one another because of gravitational pull. There is always a white dwarf (the remmenant of a star which is near the end of its life and is no longer capable of fusion reactions but can release a great deal of energy is the temp. rises high enough). The other star can be anything from a red giant to another white dwarf star. Scientist are pursuing this supernova in order to either identify its companion star or understand why it lacks one.