Astronomer Project Bibliography

Dictionary of Scientific Biography C. Gillispic, editor Charles Scribner's Sons 1981.

"Isaac Newton." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 01 Oct. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton>.

APOD 1.4

                                    X-Ray Color Display of Cat's Eye Nebula

The Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) has been a very popular case of study over the past 15 years. Many images have been seen thus far; this one however shows X-Rays emitting from the Nebula. The colors range from white, to blue, to purple, to red. This order is from the most intense temperature down. The central binary star is a multimillion degree X-Ray emitter that is in the stage of dieing.

Cat's Eye is located in the constellation Draco and about 3,300 ly from Earth. Its notable rings that interlock around the center have been a case for study because nobody really knows how they formed. My guess is that the central binary star emitted larger quantities of gasses at certain time intervals, but who knows?

Site: Picture from APOD

Observation

                                           Full Moon with Jupiter Below

Tonight the Moon was completely full; along with Jupiter nearly full just beneath it. They were both in the East at about 10:30. It was truly an amazing site, additionally while gazing I saw a shooting star that made it all the better.  

Observation

                             Jupiter in Opposition with Four Moons Visible

Tonight I went to the out of class observation at Turtle Beach with some other classmates and Mr. Percival. We saw numerous constellations such as Scorpius (and by extension Antares), Sagittarius, Scutum, Aquila, Corona Borealis, Hercules, Ophiuchus, and Vulpecula. In addition, I saw many M objects, the Summer Triangle, the Ecliptic, and the Keystone. 

The most awe inspiring sight was Jupiter because it was in opposition and very close to Earth. The above picture is a zoomed in area of what I saw tonight. Two moons were visible to either side of the planet and about one degree above Jupiter was Uranus, which was also in opposition. The Moon shined brightly above both of these planets as a Waxing Gibbous; very close to a full moon. 

APOD 1.3

                                          Jupiter and Io from New Horizons 

The New Horizons spacecraft is currently traveling traveling through our Solar System towards Pluto; except it made a pit stop off at Jupiter and caught a glimpse of this amazing scene. This picture was captured using infrared light to falsify the color both the planet and its moon. 

I chose this picture mostly because on September 20th Jupiter will be in opposition to the Sun which will make it much brighter in the sky. In addition, Jupiter is supposed to be closer to Earth than any year since 1963. This is all supposed to start at sunset and last the entire night; it will be spectacular. 

On September 22nd a Full Moon is expected which would mean that it will also be in opposition to the Sun. Looks like this week will be a great one to look toward the sky! 

Site: Picture from APOD

APOD 1.2

                                           M78 "The Reflection Nebula"

M78 is a Reflection Nebula in the constellation Orion. Its classified as a Reflection Nebula due to two blue tenth magnitude stars (HD 38563A & HD 38563B).

The nebula is part of a cluster called the Orion Molecular Cloud, which is nearly 1,600 Ly from Earth and 5 Ly across. Its easily viewable by small telescopes as a hazy patch with two bright stars. The Orion Molecular Cloud also includes the Horsehead Nebula and the Great Nebula.

Through my observations I saw Orion at 6:30 AM this morning almost directly over me, unfortunately I was not able to see this nebula through my binoculars. Also, to the West and near the Horizon was Jupiter shining brightly. 

Site: Picture from APOD

APOD 1.1

                                                       The Crab Nebula

The Crab Nebula is one of the most beautiful objects in known space; it is the product of a Supernova dating back to 1054 A.D. It has very unique filament like structures expelling from the Pulsar; a neutron star with the same mass as our Sun, but only one millionth the size. The Pulsar in the center is known as the Crab Pulsar, and it rotates at an astounding 30 times each second.

It is located within the constellation of Taurus and has a length of 11 light years with an expansion rate of 1,500 kilometers/sec. The nebula is 6,500 miles from Earth. Another common same for it is Messier 1 (M1)

The picture was taken by the Hubble Telescope and has false color added for scientific purposes (mostly for seeing which gasses or rays are within the nebula).

Site: Picture from APOD