Stargaze 4/26/14

Date: 4/26/14
Location: PV Service Road 
Time: 9:00 PM- 10:00 PM

Identified the ecliptic 

Planets: Jupiter (in Gemini), Mars (14 arc seconds), Saturn

Constellations: Orion, Gemini, Leo, Leo Minor, Virgo, Canis Major, Canis Minor, Carina, Coma Bernices, Corvus

Telescope (small): Castor's Double Star
Telescope (large): M104 (Sombrero Galaxy), Gamma Leonis, M58 (Virgo)

Gerard Kuiper Biography Sources

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/people/profile.cfm?Code=KuiperG

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Gerard_Peter_Kuiper.aspx#3-1E1:KuiperGer-full

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/324484/Gerard-Peter-Kuiper

http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/kuiper-gerard.pdf

APOD 4.5

Pictured above is galaxy cluster ACT-CL J0102-4915 and is one of the largest objects known, spanning 7 million light years, dubbed El Gordo. The image is a composite image of dark matter (dark blue), visible light from an image from the Hubble telescope, and x-ray (pink) from the Chandra Observatory. Nearly all of the bright spots are different galaxies, which is in itself mind-blowing, let alone it's massive size. There are several interesting objects in the picture, such as two galaxies that are in the process of colliding. 

Zooniverse Project

Exploring the Surface of the Moon

APOD 4.4

During the night of the year's first total lunar eclipse (April 14-15), which was viewed by the entire western hemisphere, an astronomical photographer in Barbados captured a beautiful moment between the eclipsed moon, Spica, and Mars. 

APOD 4.3

As Mars nears its opposition, April 8th, through the constellation Virgo, it becomes the most clear for telescopic views. This image was taken on a digital camera in a 16" diameter telescope in Brazil. Pictured are some white orographic clouds, which are clouds that are forced to form by rising topography. Mars' cold atmosphere near its volcanoes are what forms these clouds. 

MicroObservatory: M101 - The Pinwheel Galaxy

Contributors to the Nature and Structure of the Milky Way

Galileo - In using his telescope, he determined that the stars of the Universe were at different distances from the Earth. This disproved the theory that the Universe was similar to a glass bowl, which would have made the stars of equal distance. The stars are actually tightly packed together sporadically, rather than one nebulous universe. 

William Herschel - Using a large telescope, he determined that Earth is located in the Milky Way amongst other fuzzy patches of stars and gas. He also determined, by observing other fuzzy patches (nebulae), that the shape of the Milky Way was a flat spiral disk. He provided the observational evidence to prove that there were other nebulae in our Universe. 

Harlow Shapley -  Used RR Lyrids to estimate the size of the Milky Way galaxy and the Sun's position. He participated in the Great Debate with Heber Curtis, his own position being that the Milky Way was the entire Universe with other spiral galaxies contained inside. 

Edwin Hubble - Observed Cepheid variable stars and calculated their distance (the distance being to other nebulae) and determined that they were much too far away to be contained in the Milky Way. He also created a classification for for galactic types: elliptical, spirals and barred spirals, and irregulars. In deciding galactic types, Hubble thought that ellipticals eventually condensed to spirals.  

Immanuel Kant - Published two major theories, which determined star and planet formation and galaxies. The "Nebular Hypothesis" theorized that planets and stars are formed from gas and dust clouds condensing because of gravity to create larger, denser objects. The second theory differentiated between nebulae and galaxies, suggesting that there were other galaxies than our own. 

Henrietta Leavitt - Researched Cepheid Variables and determined that they had a longer periods, supporting her "Period-Luminosity Relationship" that was used to measure distances in the Universe. 

Heber Curtis - As part of the Great Debate, his stance was that we have a small galaxy among several others in the whole universe. 

APOD 4.2

Pictured above is how Jupiter's moon, Io, would appear to the human eye in true color. Its yellow color comes from sulfur and molten silicate rock, kept smooth and young due to its active volcanoes. The volcanoes erupt due to Jupiter's constant pull of tidal gravity, pulling and pushing the moon apart. It is said that the volcanoes are so active that the moon is basically being turned inside out, and it's lava is so hot that it glows in the dark.