Report for 2002-06-14
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Brought to you from beautiful Park City, "View-tah".

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Contents
	This Weeks Issue	The Utah Skies Website
	Astronomical Times Viewing Outlook Space Weather Update Mission Update Lunar Phase Planetary Report Hubble Vision Constellation Report Deep Sky Report IDA-Utah Light Pollution Update	Astro-photographer of the Month Deep Sky Observers Hubble Vision IDA-Utah Light Pollution Update Weekly Report

Astronomical Times
Sunrise: 5:55 am	Sunset: 8:59 pm
Astronomical Twilight Begins: 3:49 am	Astronomical Twilight Ends: 11:06 pm
Moonrise: 9:27 am	Moonset: none

Viewing Outlook

We are definitely getting into the summer grove now. Skies are staying clear for extended periods of time now. This past week was absolutely beautiful... and the coming weekend is forecast to be nice as well. Skies cleared up just in time for Monday nights Utah Skies Eclipse Party. Eclipse watchers were treated to some spectacular views. Get the scoop on the event. Additionally, the Moon posed with Jupiter and then Venus on Wednesday and Thursday. All in all... it's been a nice week... and...it's going to stay nice :)

Space Weather Update

Sunspot activity seems to have distinct cycles. When activity is high, it's real high... and when it's low.. well...you get the picture. Currently, sunspots are kind of scarce.  Except for 9991, which is somewhat sizable, the surface of the Sun looks pretty barren.

Monday evenings Utah Skies Eclipse Watching Party was a big hit. Over 50 people turned out to view the event though specially outfitted telescopes and eclipse glasses. I took the accompanying image near the peak of the event. Checkout the event summary on the eclipse for more images.

An extremely large and beautiful solar prominence was recorded by SOHO.  Prominences are caused by instabilities in the Sun's twisted magnetic fields. This one stretches over 50 Earth diameters in length. That's roughly 400,000 miles! As the image suggests, this was not an Earth-directed event ;(  Perhaps the region will stay active as it swings into view. We can only hope...

Checkout this absolutely amazing image by Dennis Mammana (Skyscapes). This is what astronomers refer to as an annular eclipse. An annular solar eclipse will occur when the Moon's angular size is slightly less than the Sun's angular size. Due to eccentricities in the orbit of both the Earth and the Moon, the size of the moon varies somewhat. When the Moon is larger, a total eclipse can occur. When the Moon is smaller, as it was on Monday, annular eclipses can occur.  Another name for this view is the ring of fire. That certainly describes this picture. Wow! Check out Dennis' website... it's loaded with awesome shots of eclipses, aurora and much more.

Mission Update

Is it an Escher, or Mars? Three different types of surfaces visible in the North Polar Cap of Mars morph into each other in a way perhaps reminiscent of the works of M. C. Escher. On the far left dark sand covers the ground, while the center shows a transition to a dune field. On the far right a transition is made to a much lighter surface, likely containing a larger amount of ice. Shadows indicate that lighter material holds the higher ground, with some steep cliffs on the divide. Dune shapes indicate that wind typically blows toward the upper left. Mars Global Surveyor, one of two robot spacecraft currently orbiting Mars, took the above image in early 2001. Recent images from the other orbiter, Mars Odyssey, have bolstered the hypothesis that a significant amount of water-ice lies beneath the surface near the Martian South Pole.  Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA)

SPACE SHUTTLE: The space shuttle Endeavour left Earth on Wednesday, June 5th, for a rendevous with the International Space Station. Shortly after launch, the shuttle raced over the Netherlands, where Cees Bassa spotted the spacecraft and took its picture. Both the streaking shuttle (white) and its jettisoned external fuel tank (orange) are visible in his photo, below. Checkout NASA's Space Flight website to find out when the Space Station or the Shuttle will be overhead.

Big Discovery

Portrait of an Infant Solar System  This infant solar system was discovered posing along the lonely outskirts of the Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud, a star forming region 500 light-years from Earth. Enlarged in an infrared false-color portrait from the European Southern Observatory's Antu telescope, the dark dusty disk of planet-forming material lies edge-on, neatly dividing two small nebulae which reflect light from a hidden, youthful central star. Enthusiastically nicknamed the "Flying Saucer", the circumstellar disk is about 300 astronomical units across (1 a.u. is the Earth-Sun distance) or about 5 times the diameter of Neptune's orbit. The twin reflection nebulae have clearly different colors for reasons which still remain a mystery, but the relatively isolated neighborhood of the natal solar system is a stroke of luck. Planets should be able to develop within the dusty disk free from the destructive influence of radiation and winds from any nearby massive hot stars usually found in young star clusters.   Credit: N. Grosso (MPE), et al., European Southern Observatory  For more info, checkout CNN/Space

Lunar Phase

The moon will reach first quarter on Monday. This evening, the moon will only be 16% illuminated. In this phase, it is referred to as a waxing crescent moon.  The moon posed temporarily with Jupiter on Wednesday night, and then again with Venus on Thursday night. It'll climb rapidly as it's phase increases over the next week and a half. I took the accompanying image of the tiny crescent moon on Wednesday as it cruised past Jupiter. If you look really close, you can see a couple of Jupiter's moons..

Planetary Report

In this section, we visit the planets in the order in which they are currently rising. We do our best to track down the finest images available.  for 2002.  As an added feature, you may also click on any of the planetary images to view a planetary reference page filled with important facts about the planet.

Neptune 8th planet Rising 12:00 am Visual Magnitude 7.86 Visual Diameter 2" Distance 29.40 AU Constellation Capricornus Checkout the accompanying Hubble Space Telescope image of Neptune. It nicely shows the planets rotation. Neptune is a relatively easy target when viewed at the right time. That time, however is not now. Neptune is rising just before astronomical twilight begins. In other words, Neptune never really gets high enough in the sky for optimal viewing before the sky starts to brighten. It'll be best viewed in late summer and the fall, when it will high in the sky for hours before dawn. Almost star-like in binoculars, it shows it's beautiful blue color in telescopes. Neptune gets this beautiful blue coloring from a layer of Methane in its upper atmosphere. Located over 2.84 billion miles from Earth, Neptune has a huge circular orbit -- taking just over 164 years to orbit the Sun. In fact, Neptune's orbit varies by less than 1% from circular. Neptune has a couple of other claims to fame... It has the fastest wind speeds in the solar system with gust at almost 1500 mph. Similar to Jupiter, it is categorized as a gas giant. Neptune is roughly 17 times more massive than the Earth. In another similarity to Jupiter, Neptune has a  Great Dark Spot. William Herschel is credited with the discovery of Neptune in 1781. However, it had been recorded in several catalogs as a star as far back as 1690.

Uranus 7th planet Rising 12:50 am Visual Magnitude 5.78 Visual Diameter 4" Distance 19.56 AU Constellation Aquarius The accompanying image shows the aquamarine color of Uranus along with a couple of surprises First off is it's ring system. Yup... Uranus has rings similar to Saturn's'. They're nowhere near as bright, but... they're there. Secondly, and in my opinion more interestingly, Uranus orbits on its side. While all the other planets rotate on the same plane as their orbit around the sun, Uranus rotates on it's side while orbiting. How did Uranus get knocked over? Astronomers speculate that at some point, Uranus was struck near one of its poles by a large planet-sized object. Also visible in this image are a handful of Uranus' many moons. Uranus is a relatively easy target. However, this is another tiny planet at only 3".  It is also rising at almost the same time as the sun. So... you'll have to wait a few months to seek it out. Additionally, given it's tiny size, It displays absolutely no surface detail. It does however show it's beautiful aquamarine color. Uranus also gets its beautiful coloring from a layer of Methane in its upper atmosphere. Located over 1.92 billion miles from Earth, Uranus has a huge orbit -- taking just over 84 years to orbit the Sun. It is categorized as a gas giant as is Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune. Uranus is roughly 14 times more massive than the Earth. Discovered by William Herschel in March of 1781, Uranus was the first planet to be "discovered". All the others are plainly visible, and hence have been known since antiquity. The name Uranus was suggested for mythological reasons. Since Jupiter was the father of Saturn, it made sense to name the next planet out Uranus -- the father of Saturn.

Mercury 1st planet Rising 5:05 am Visual Magnitude 1.43 Visual Diameter 10" Distance 0.70 AU Constellation Taurus The accompanying Mariner 10 image of Mercury's southwest quadrant reveals the amount of destruction brought upon the planet by comets and meteors. Since Mercury has no atmosphere, every object coming its way is able to score a direct hit. This image was taken a the spacecraft made it's closest pass to the planet at a distance of about 120,000 miles. The largest craters are about 60 miles in diameter. Mercury is rising about 60 minutes before the Sun now, so.. you ought to be able to catch it in the morning sky. Saturn 6th planet Rising 5:55 am Visual Magnitude 0.02 Visual Diameter 17" Distance 10.06 AU Constellation Taurus Saturn is now rising before the Sun. You know what that means. Yup! The progression is starting again. Saturn will be found in the eastern sky shortly. Right now, it is just too close to the Sun to be pulled out by anything but a computerized telescope. Checkout this absolutely stunning mage of Saturn as captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. What an awesome shot. This is the natural color of Saturn. Notice the amount of detail visible in the image. You can easily see the Cassini Division as well as the Crepe ring (the faint line nearest to the edge of the ring).  Saturn has sped past Venus in the last week or so. It is sinking rapidly and is rising only about 15 minutes after the Sun. We've pretty much lost Saturn for the Season. It'll move into the morning sky later in the summer. Bye bye... Mars 4th planet Rising 7:20 am Visual Magnitude 1.74 Visual Diameter 4" Distance 2.56 AU Constellation Gemini Checkout this sweet image captured by Ed Grafton. At this point.. all we have left of Mars is memories. Nice ones... like this image, but... memories nonetheless. Oh, well... we'll get even nicer views of Mars in 2003 makes it makes it's closest pass in 5000+ years. Mars too is sinking fast and should be gone from the western sky shortly.

The Earth continues to pull away from Mars in it's orbit.In fact, the distance between the two planets has grown from about 40 million miles this summer to over 235 million miles. This has caused Mars' apparent diameter to shrink. It is currently down to a measly 4".. a tiny fraction of it's peak of 21" in June. In fact, this is just about as small as Mars ever gets. It has also dimmed significantly as well - currently shining at a wimpy magnitude 1.57 down from -2.4 in June.  Mars will return for an even better pass in 2003. In the mean time, we can live vicariously through the works of the Maple Ridge Observatory. If you haven't checked out their website, I'd highly recommend it. It's loaded with many awesome planetary and deep sky image that'll blow your mind.

Jupiter 5th planet Rising 8:00 am Visual Magnitude -1.85 Visual Diameter 32" Distance 6:13 AU Constellation Gemini Here's a beautiful image of Jupiter. Checkout the incredible detail. Jupiter has just recently passed Venus. It'll be gone from the western sky only to reappear in the eastern sky later this summer or early in the fall.

Venus 2nd planet Rising 8:45 am Visual Magnitude -3.99 Visual Diameter 14" Distance 1.21 AU Constellation Cancer Venus has moved into the constellation Cancer. It continues to brighten Checkout this cool shot of Venus from the Galileo Spacecraft taken as it swung past the planet a couple of years ago. Since Venus has such dense clouds, we can not see through to the surface. Nevertheless, we can learn quite a bit anyway. Astronomers have studied the winds and atmospheric composition of the planet. Venus is now rising about two hours after the sun... it has slowly but surely moved to take up its role as the Evening Star. Many of you have no doubt seen it blazing away in the western sky after sunset. Watch as it climbs higher and higher over the next few months. By late spring and through the summer and Fall, Venus will dominate the night sky.  Did you know that Venus goes through phases? No... not those kind of phases... Phases of illumination, like the moon. It's true. Venus is currently around 85% illuminated. As it climbs higher in the sky (larger angular separation from the Sun) the illuminated portion shrinks. By the time Venus is only 1/2 illuminated, it will have brightened to mag -4.3. It will continue to brighten to about mag -4.7 late in the fall when it reaches its greatest elongation (angular separation from the Sun). At that point, Venus will be only about 1/4 illuminated, but will have grown to over 44".

Pluto 9th planet Rising 8:15 pm Visual Magnitude 13.78 Visual Diameter <1" Distance 29.52 AU Constellation Ophiuchus Checkout this awesome shot of the solar systems most remote planet. It was taken by... the Hubble Space Telescope... of course Pluto has brightened another whopping .01! But don't get too excited, it's still a tiny, faint little spec in a telescope... any telescope.  It is currently over 2.8 billion miles from Earth. Located in the southeastern sky before sunrise, Pluto is also not very well placed at this point for viewing. You'll have a much better chance of viewing Pluto late in the spring or in the summer.

Hubble Vision

The Hubble Space Telescope has distinguished itself as a premier source of astronomical images. Amazing HST images have graced the covers of major magazines and newspapers worldwide. In recognition of the amazing advances in astronomy and physics which have come from Hubble discoveries, we'd like to devote a section of this report to some of these incredible images, and share some of them with you. Our latest comes directly from the Hubble Heritage Team. We've got a special treat for you in this weeks Hubble Vision section. These are the first shots made public from the new camera installed in the Hubble Space Telescope. I'm sure you'll agree that these shots are even more impressive than previous Hubble products.

NICMOS Peels Away Layers of Dust to Show Inner Region of Dusty Nebula The revived Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has penetrated layers of dust in a star-forming cloud to uncover a dense, craggy edifice of dust and gas [image at right].   This region is called the Cone Nebula (NGC 2264), so named because, in ground-based images, it has a conical shape. NICMOS enables the Hubble telescope to see in near-infrared wavelengths of light, so that it can penetrate the dust that obscures the nebula's inner regions. But the Cone is so dense that even the "near-infared eyes" of NICMOS can't penetrate all the way through it.  The image shows the tip of the nebula, about half a light-year long. The entire nebula is 7 light-years long. The Cone resides in a turbulent star-forming region, located 2,500 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros.  Radiation from hot, young stars [located beyond the top of the image] has slowly eroded the nebula over millions of years. Ultraviolet light heats the edges of the dark cloud, releasing gas into the relatively empty region of surrounding space.   NICMOS has peeled away the outer layers of dust to reveal even denser dust. The denser regions give the nebula a more three-dimensional structure than can be seen in the visible-light picture at left, taken by the Advanced Camera for Surveys aboard the Hubble telescope. In peering through the dusty façade to the nebula's inner regions, NICMOS has unmasked several stars [yellow dots at upper right]. Astronomers don't know whether these stars are behind the dusty nebula or embedded in it. The four bright stars lined up on the left are in front of the nebula.   The human eye cannot see infrared light, so colors have been assigned to correspond with near-infrared wavelengths. The blue light represents shorter near-infrared wavelengths and the red light corresponds to longer wavelengths.   The NICMOS color composite image was made by combining photographs taken in J-band, H-band, and Paschen-alpha filters. The NICMOS images were taken on May 11, 2002.  Credits for NICMOS image: NASA, the NICMOS Group (STScI, ESA), and the NICMOS Science Team (University of Arizona)   Credits for ACS image: NASA, H. Ford (JHU), G. Illingworth (UCSC/LO), M.Clampin (STScI), G. Hartig (STScI), the ACS Science Team, and ESA

Constellation Report

Our Constellation Report is an easy way for people to become familiar with the nighttime sky. We’ll discuss myths associated with a particular constellation as well as describing the numerous deep sky objects residing within its boundaries. No equipment is required to view the constellations, though a star chart can be quite helpful. This ease of observing makes constellations a natural place to begin your journey to the stars.  This weekend we move on to the constellation Hercules.

Deep Sky Report
The focus of our efforts this week will be the deep sky objects of Hercules. To find Hercules, return to the bright star Arcturus in Bootes. Remember to follow the arc of the Big Dipper to Arcturus. Bootes extends north of Arcturus. Next, move slightly east to "U" shaped Corona Borealis... and continue to Hercules. New, for 2002. We've added high resolution star charts for all of our deep sky objects. Along with the map of the constellation which we've always had, clicking on any of the deep sky objects will bring up a high resolution star chart centered on that object. Hope this helps.
Ok, let's start  things off with the granddaddy of all northern Globular Star Clusters... The Hercules Star Cluster... M13(mag5.8). This object is, without a doubt, one of the finest objects you'll ever come across. It is extremely accessible in amateur telescopes... easily found due to the closeness of a couple of bright stars and also around naked eye visibility. In larger apertures, this object will just about bring a tear to your eye :) In the 25", I can resolve a seemingly infinite number of stars right into the core of the cluster.
Next we'll hit "The Other Messier Globular Cluster in Hercules", M92(mag6.5) Were this beauty anywhere else in the sky it would be the star. Alas it sits in the shadows of its larger and brighter neighbor to the south. I must confess to spending a disproportionate amount of time on M13 over M92. Oh, well...
Continuing along we come to another Globular Star Cluster, NGC6229(mag9.4). Ok... so we just visited two dominant players inM13 and M92. Well... NGC6229 ain't even in the same league. Nonetheless, it's an interesting subject deserving at least a quick view.
Next up is Planetary Nebula NGC6210(mag9). Also known as the Turtle Nebula, this tiny object will require dark skies, aperture and magnification. Don't expect your views to match this Hubble Space Telescope image.
Let's wrap things up with this weeks Utah Skies Challenge  Object, Spiral Galaxy NGC6207(mag11.6). This object is pretty much a gimme. If you found M13 earlier, you probably glimpsed this in the process. This faint galaxy is about 1/3° northwest of M13. So... while you're in the neighborhood, check it out. Good Luck!
If you are able to find all of these objects, you may be one of the few, the proud, the Deep Sky Obsessed.  E-mail your findings to DeepSkyObservations@UtahSkies.org.

IDA-Utah Light Pollution Update

Light Pollution: The nighttime equivalent of Ridge-line Violations? Recently, in Summit County, lots of attention has been paid to ridge-line violations. Approved projects have been stopped in mid-stream to preserve our ridge-line views. All involved have suffered serious financial hardship. Why is the county working so hard to enforce an unwritten ordinance? In a word... aesthetics. The county is working very hard to protect the natural beauty of Summit County. It is the combination of champagne powder and spectacular views that draws many tourists... and residents to this area. Development which interferes with these amazing views damages that which makes Summit County special. It is the same with light pollution. It is also an aesthetic issue. But, it is much more. Misdirected or excessive exterior lighting destroys the beauty of the night sky. Just as our mountains provide a spectacular backdrop by day, it is the stars above that form the backdrop at night. Summit County is one of the few inhabited areas left in the country where star-filled skies can still be found. It would be a shame to squander such a treasure.  Ok, so... There are many similarities between these two elements. But, there are also many differences as well. Ridge-line violations are simply aesthetics. The destruction of our star-filled skies through light pollution is far worse. To produce all the errant light to destroy the views overhead requires the wasting of vast sums of money. Additionally, it requires the wasting of vast quantities of our limited natural resources. This waste is compounded by the fact that Utah Power generates a large portion of its energy by burning coal. So not only does light pollution spoil our nighttime views, but it also fouls the air we breathe. Another difference. And possibly a more significant one is that Summit County has enacted ordinances specifically designed to control the spread of Light Pollution. It is only due to lack of enforcement by the county itself that the problem even exists. Over five years ago the county enacted ordinances which clearly spelled out the requirements for exterior lighting fixtures. Yet, to this day, contractors continue to get away with installing non-compliant lights and merchants continue to sell non-compliant exterior lights. The solution to controlling light pollution is simple. We need the county to step up and meet its obligations. Ordinances must be enforced... without exception. Forcing a contractor to replace a light is far less drastic than bringing a development project to a halt. It is also far cheaper... and it brings the same benefit. Preventing ridge-line violations keeps our mountain views in a more pristine state. Preventing the installation of non-compliant exterior lighting fixtures keeps our celestial views in a more pristine state. Checkout the IDA-Utah website at www.IDAUtah.org for more information on the harmful effects of improper lighting or for ideas on how to improve your lighting. Please contact us with any questions you may have or to Volunteer to help us in the fight to curb light pollution.

Next Weeks Report

Next week, we'll continue our journey through the cosmos and focus on the constellation Corona Borealis.

 

Stay up to date on astronomical happenings by regularly checking the Utah Skies website at http://www.UtahSkies.org     < | Index | >