Clear skies finally returned to the Park City area for a little while.
Skies were in fact quite impressive during the middle part of the week...
providing some pretty spectacular deep sky views. We spent several hours
touring the wonders of the winter night sky on Wednesday. M42,
The Orion Nebula was in peak form... spilling out of the eye piece in
all directions. This is a wonderful object to view. It's large and
bright... and just barely visible to the naked eye hanging as it does from
the Belt of Orion. It becomes apparent what you're looking at as soon as
you throw some optics into the equation. Even a typical pair of binoculars
will show you a bit of nebulosity. Of course, larger telescopes are how
you want to view this gem. In the 25", it was a 3-dimensional treat.
Working out from the Trapezium, we were simply overwhelmed by the detail
visible within all that nebulosity. Even the dark nebula within took on a
special look. This unlit portion of the nebula typically appears to mark
the outer bounds of the nebula in most telescopes. In the 25", it took on
a life of its own... moving in and out of the nebula as if in a dance. We
kept moving our views in and out... and were continuously rewarded with
additional details. If you have binoculars or a telescope, be sure to
point it towards M42 the first opportunity you get. If you're not quite
sure where to look... start by finding
the constellation Orion. This is currently pretty high in the
southeastern sky shortly after dark. Next, look for the 3 bright stars
that mark the Belt of Orion. From here, simply look for the sword... a
grouping of 3 or 4 star-like objects which seem to hang from the belt. M42
is right there in the middle. Its a treat that's well worth looking for.
Solar system
views were also pretty special as well this week. Views of a tiny crescent
moon posing alongside the planet Venus were quite impressive. As the week
progressed, the moon grew significantly in phase. It will reach first
quarter around noon today (1/6/06). Look for
the moon to begin dominating the night sky for the next week or so. If
you have a telescope with a moon filter, now is the time to break it out.
You can watch the lunar terminator march across the face of the moon. The
lunar terminator is the line where light meets dark on the moon's surface.
It is at this point, that normally hidden details are called out in stark
contrast. By following the movement of the lunar terminator, you can get
an insider's view of the lunar surface... and see much more than you might
on say... the night of the full moon. Check it out.. .and see if you
notice the difference.
The planet Saturn is now rising around 7pm. This has it well placed
for viewing starting around 9 or 10pm. As Saturn climbs higher in the sky,
views generally improve significantly. This is because you're looking
through less of Earth's distorting atmosphere. As Saturn approaches the
Zenith (highest point in its orbit across the sky), you'll often notice
significantly reduced turbulence in the atmosphere. This directly
correlates to how well you view the planet... and how high you can push
the magnification level. On a decent night, you can generally see the
Cassini Division... the dark line that most clearly splits Saturn's rings.
On better nights, you can also see a host of other details... such as the
subtle colorations in Saturn's cloud tops... .as well as the shadow that
Saturn casts upon its own encircling rings. Saturn is always a visual
treat.. and those of you with access to a telescope are strongly
encouraged to point them towards the ringed planet. Just remember to set
your telescope outside a while before you plan to view. This is because a
warm telescope used outside on a cold night will not yield optimal
results. So... if you keep your telescope in your nice warm house.. it'll
require considerably more time to acclimate than if you store it out in
the garage... or a cold shed.
Astronomy News
From Around The World, and Beyond
Still Going!
Friday, January 6th, 2006 - Like the Energizer Bunny, The Mars Rovers are still going. Long after their originally scheduled missions have ended, the two Mars rovers continue to cruise the martian surface studying its features and uncovering its mysteries. Originally scheduled to operate for only 3 months, the twin rovers recently celebrated their 2nd anniversary on the planet Mars. Checkout CNN.com/SPACE for more details.
Pluto Colder Than Expected
Friday, January 6th, 2006 - Astronomers using the Submillimeter Array (SMA) on Mauna Kea in Hawaii have shown what many have suspected for some time now.. that Pluto is colder than it should be. Using the SMA's highest resolution, they were able to obtain separate thermal reading for both the planet Pluto and its moon Charon. The findings revealed that Pluto is about 20* colder than expected... a frigid -382F. Current models suggest that the feable amount of sunlight reaching the planets surface does not actually heat the surface. It simply converts some of the nitrogen ice to gas... thereby causing a cooling evaporative process. Checkout SpaceDaily.com for more details.
Orion, the Hunter
Thursday, January 5th, 2006 - Orion was the son of the god Neptune and the nymph Euryale. Orion, the Hunter, was a man of great strength, and with that strength came an ego. His boastfulness and statements of ultimate strength led Gaia the Goddess of the Earth to prove his weakness and sent a scorpion to kill him. Now, in honor of that event, as Orion sets in the west, the Scorpion rises in the east. While the story of the constellation in the sky is Greek, the common names for Orion's stars are Arabic. Betelgeuse, the bright red star at the shoulder, means "Armpit of the Central One". Bellatrix, the star at the Hunter's other shoulder, means "Female Warrior". Rigel comes from the same root as Betelgeuse's, originally "rijl Al-jauza," meaning the "foot" of al-jauza, the Arab's "Central One". Saiph, means "Sword of the Giant," even though it marks the other foot of Orion. The three belt stars also bear Arabic names: Mintaka , the westernmost star in the belt, comes from the Arabic word for belt. Alnilam, the center star in the belt, means "a belt of pearls", and Alnitak, the eastern-most star, means "the girdle".
Earthshine
Wednesday, January 4th, 2006 - The smaller lunar phases offer skywatchers an extra special treat... Earthshine. Earthshine is sunlight reflecting off of the Earth onto the non-sunlit portion of The Moon. Captured here is a perfect example of the phenomena sent in by Utah Skies member John Berkenpas.
Beautiful Lunar View
Wednesday, January 4th, 2006 - Skies cleared briefly along the Wasatch Front last night offering skywatchers a nice view of Earth's nearest celestial neighbor. The Moon offers up far more detail than any other object in the night sky. No equipment is necessary to see the Moon... though a telescope will greatly increase your viewing options. This beautiful shot was taken by Utah Skies member Brian Jolley
Waxing Crescent Moon And Earthshine Too!
Tuesday, January 3rd, 2006 - Skywatchers under clear skies will get to see a beautiful crescent Moon covered in Earthshine tonight. Earthshine is sun light reflecting off the Earth onto the non-sunlit portion of The Moon. It can be a very beautiful sight. All you need to see this beautiful event is a clear view to the western horizon shortly after sunset (currently around 5-5:30pm or so)
Thursday, December 29th, 2005 - The second full moon in a month is called a blue moon. What do you call the 2nd new moon of the month? Good question, but... tomorrow nights new moon will be the 2nd of the month.
Northern Lights Over Norway
Wednesday, December 28th, 2005 - The northern lights appeared in the skies over Norway yesterday... and what a show it was! Captured in this sweet shot by Kjell Olav Romma over Trondelag, Norway is one sweet example of why we like these so much. Checkout Spaceweather.com for the latest on conditions relating to aurora.
Taurid Meteor Strikes Moon
Wednesday, December 28th, 2005 - Astronomers, testing out some new equipment were recently rewarded for their efforts when they recorded meteor striking the unlit portion
of the lunar surface. The meteor was likely from the Taurid Meteor Shower, which was
going on at that time. Unlike here on Earth, The Moon lacks an
atmosphere to protect it from these impacts. So, instead of burning up harmlessly (though colorfully) like here on Earth, meteors which collide with
the Moon actually strike the lunar surface... causing an explosion. Astronomers estimate that the impact crater was about 3 meters wide and 0.4
meters deep. All this from a relatively tiny meteoroid of about 12 centimeters in diameter. Checkout Science@NASA for more details.
Utah Skies Recieves Star Award
Tuesday, December 27th, 2005 - Utah Skies was recently presented with the Griffith Observatory Star Award. This award was established to recognize excellence in web sites that promote public awareness of astronomy. Sites that receive this award are considered the best astronomy sites on the World Wide Web, as they present useful, thorough, and accurate information in a well-organized and attractive way, making the sky more accessible. Utah Skies is honored to be recognized in this way and hopes to continue in its excellence.
Merry Christmas from Utah Skies
Sunday, December 25th, 2005 - Once again, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has successfully tracked Santa in his frenzied flight from the North Pole around the world. Using four high-tech systems to track Santa - radar, satellites, Santa Cams and jet fighter aircraft - NORAD continues its 50-year tradition of helping us (in six languages) keep track of Santa. Thanks NORAD; Merry Christmas from all of us at Utah Skies!
Partial Ingredients for DNA and Protein Found Around Star
Friday, December 23rd, 2005 - For the first time ever, astronomers using the Spitzer Space Telescope have found precursors to DNA and Protein.. the most fundamental building blocks to life as we know it... surrounding a distant star. The ingredients were found in the inner regions of this distant solar system... at a distance similar to the distance that Earth orbits the Sun. Checkout the NASA Press Release for more details on this very exciting discovery.
The sun is a fascinating subject; it's appearance changes from day to day. In fact, it is the only star in the sky that we can see any details on at all! This week, however, the sun is quiet; there are no large sunspots visible.
Mercury remains visible in the western sky, low on the horizon after sunset. Having reached its greatest eastern elongation on the 20th of June, it is falling back into the sun's glare and it's inferior conjunction on July 18th.
Because of its proximity to the Sun, Mercury is never really viewed against a dark background. Rather, it always struggles to be seen over the light of the setting or rising Sun. Patience (and clear skies) will reward you with some beautiful evening views of this planet.
In the accompanying image, Mercury is seen following the sun toward the western horizon of southern Utah with a slender crescent moon close behind.
Still in the morning sky near sunrise, Venus marks a beginning of the "early-bird's" day. Having attained its greatest western elongation earlier in the year, Venus is continuing its inexorable journey appearing to fall into the sun towards its superior conjunction at the end of October.
If you have a telescope handy, take a peek at the love goddess' name sake; the crescent of Venus is lovely indeed. Venus was beautiful along side the Pleiades on the June 23rd , and look forward to the first of July when Venus rises with Aldebaran, the 14th of July when Venus and the Crab Nebula dance together, and the 26th and 27th of August when Venus and Saturn rise together less than a degree apart!
The ESA's Venus Express spacecraft is now in its mission phase. The ESA reports "On 3 June at 13:42 UT, after 207 days of flight, 43 orbits around Venus and many test activities, Venus Express has formally completed its commissioning phase and has entered the routine science phase...The nominal mission is scheduled to last till the end of October 2007." Venus Express will study the planet in great detail, in particular the Venusian atmosphere and clouds.
While we train our optics skyward nightly, there are visual treasures and marvels to behold earthward. Pictured here is a collection of richly colored rock in the Uinta Mountains, a massive range in Northern Utah carved by glaciers from an immense uplift of Precambrian rock. Some of this rock is exposed as colorful quartzite and shales. The main crest of the Uinta Mountains runs west to east for more than 60 miles, rising over 6,000 feet above the Wyoming and Uinta Basins to the north and south. The highest point in Utah is Kings Peak at 13,528 feet.
The Moon will be new on the 25th, and begin waxing crescent until first quarter on July 3rd, when it will wax gibbous approaching full on July 11th. Those observers that consider the moon "light pollution" look forward to this time of the synodic cycle as the moon travels with the sun, keeping the night sky dark, favoring views of distant, elusive, and faint fuzzies - galaxies, nebulae, and clusters.
Remember, as the moon waxes and wanes, you can look forward to those phases where Moon observations are most fascinating. Features appear - mountains, craters, rilles - as the sunlight casts long, defining shadows. Look along the portion of the Moon separating light from dark, known as the terminator, for the greatest contrasts.
The Red Planet is found high in the western sky at sunset as it moves to it's superior conjunction opposite the Sun later in the year. Look at this sweet shot taken by Utah Skies member Brian Jolley last year when Mars was at its closest. He took this through the historic Clark refractor at Lowell Observatory.
Even without a telescope the view of and around Mars is interesting. Having moved through the constellation Gemini, Mars is approaching a conjunction with Saturn around June 17th. On its way, it will pass through M44!
Planet Jupiter | Solar System | The Utah Skies Report
Jupiter is currently rising late in the afternoon, placing it favorably for those wanting views of the Sun's largest planet before heading off to bed.
This image is an example of what Jupiter has to offer viewers: interesting detail in the equatorial bands and, if conditions are right, swirls and festoons. Much beautiful structure can be seen through a typical telescope, but results vary depending on telescope aperture and sky conditions. Too, the Great Red Spot has some company: another storm has grow in proportion near the GRS, and has come to be known as Spot Jr!
If you have binoculars, point these towards Jupiter. While you won't be able to see any details on the planets surface, binoculars will clearly show you several of Jupiter's brightest moons, and regular observations will show them jockey for position as they orbit the giant planet. The movement is quite apparent, sometimes even in the span of a few hours.
This sweet shot of Jupiter nicely shows its great red spot and some of the incredible details just waiting your observation. Additionally, you can see one of Jupiter's moons eclipsing the giant planet. The round "ink spot" on the planet's surface is the shadow cast by its moon. Watching Jupiter's moons as they orbit and occasionally transit the giant planet is a very interesting part of observing Jupiter.
Saturn is now rising mid-morning and reaching the highest point in its path across the sky in the late afternoon; the spectacular views of the ringed planet will soon come to an end as it moves behind the sun with the passing weeks. Some truely great views of the ringed planet and its satellites are available on the Cassini Huygens pages. This sweet shot was taken by Don Brown of Utah Skies.
Uranus is currently rising in the early morning, about an hour after Neptune.. The Earth and Uranus have ostensibly achieved their greatest separation, and will soon begin to draw nearer again.
This fascinating image was taken from a ground-based telescope in the European Southern Observatory.
Planet Neptune | Solar System | The Utah Skies Report
The planet Neptune, is currently rising several hours before the sun, leaving you precious little time to view the 8th rock. To speed up your acquisition of the planet, look just east of south before first light. Find Deneb Ageldi; Neptune is just about 4.5° west and north of "the water goat's tail". At just a touch brighter than mag 8, Neptune should be visible as a faint star-like object in binoculars or as a bluish object in a telescope. Once you've found it, higher powers will clearly reveal the disk of the planet .
This beautiful image of Neptune and its moon, Triton, was taken by the Voyager 2 spacecraft from a perspective that will never be had from Earth. Interesting to note is the gray hue of the planet in this image. The atmosphere of the planet preferentially scatters the light forward from this vantage and so removes the bluish tinge, and reddens the color.
Planet Pluto | Solar System | The Utah Skies Report
Pluto is rising before midnight, giving you the time you'll need to seek this faintest of planets. To know you've seen Pluto is going to require observations over several nights, carefully noting star patterns until you see one point of light move relative to the others: that's Pluto!!! But don't try this at home kids, unless you have some serious aperture, because at mag 15+, you're gonna need it!
This image of Pluto and its moon Charon was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, showing the improved performance of a space-based observational platform over ground-based telescopes.
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.
Peering into the Heart of the Crab Nebula
In the year 1054 A.D., Chinese astronomers were startled by the
appearance of a new star, so bright that it was visible in broad
daylight for several weeks. Today, the Crab Nebula is visible at
the site of the "Guest Star". Located about 6,500 light-years from
Earth, the Crab Nebula is the remnant of a star that began its
life with about 10 times the mass of our own Sun. Its life ended
on July 4, 1054 when it exploded as a supernova. In this image,
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has zoomed in on the center of the
Crab to reveal its structure with unprecedented detail.
The Crab Nebula data were obtained by Hubble's Wide Field and
Planetary Camera 2 in 1995. Images taken with five different color
filters have been combined to construct this new false-color
picture. Resembling an abstract painting by Jackson Pollack, the
image shows ragged shreds of gas that are expanding away from the
explosion site at over 3 million miles per hour.
The core of the star has survived the explosion as a "pulsar,"
visible in the Hubble image as the lower of the two moderately
bright stars to the upper left of center. The pulsar is a neutron
star that spins on its axis 30 times a second. It heats its
surroundings, creating the ghostly diffuse bluish-green glowing
gas cloud in its vicinity, including a blue arc just to its right.
The colorful network of filaments is the material from the
outer layers of the star that was expelled during the explosion.
The picture is somewhat deceptive in that the filaments appear to
be close to the pulsar. In reality, the yellowish green filaments
toward the bottom of the image are closer to us, and approaching
at some 300 miles per second. The orange and pink filaments toward
the top of the picture include material behind the pulsar, rushing
away from us at similar speeds.
The various colors in the picture arise from different chemical
elements in the expanding gas, including hydrogen (orange),
nitrogen (red), sulfur (pink), and oxygen (green). The shades of
color represent variations in the temperature and density of the
gas, as well as changes in the elemental composition. These
chemical elements, some of them newly created during the evolution
and explosion of the star and now blasted back into space, will
eventually be incorporated into new stars and planets. Astronomers
believe that the chemical elements in the Earth and even in our
own bodies, such as carbon, oxygen, and iron, were made in other
exploding stars billions of years ago.
Kris Davidson (U. Minn.) led the research team of William P.
Blair (JHU), Robert A. Fesen (Dartmouth), Alan Uomoto (JHU),
Gordon M. MacAlpine (U. Mich.), and Richard B.C. Henry (U. Okla.)
in the collection of the HST data. The Hubble Heritage Team
created the color image from black and white data processed by Dr.
Blair.
Our Constellation report is an easy way for people to
become familiar with the nighttime sky. We’ll discuss myths associated
with the various constellations as well as describing the numerous deep
sky objects residing in the area. 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
Camelopardalis
the Giraffe. This constellation is extremely faint and hard to
identify... it's brightest star is only mag 4. In fact, this is the first
time that my software package actually refused to draw lines for the
figure!
The focus of our efforts this week will be the deep sky objects of
Camelopardalis . Camelopardalis is high overhead and to the north, northeast.
Camelopardalis is due north of Perseus and northeast of Cassiopeia. There are
some really nice objects in this constellation. Ok... so they're a bit on the
dim side. But... that's only half your battle. Since there are barely any guide
stars in the constellation itself, you'll have to use stars in other
constellations. This, of course, will require you to span large chunks of the sky in
your search. Oh, well... Utah Skies readers are often pretty hard core.
Ok, let's start things off with a
nice Spiral Galaxy NGC2403(mag8.4). This far northern galaxy is visible in
binoculars under dark skies. Move to an 8" telescope and (with
averted vision:) you'll begin to see the first of it spiral arms. By
the time you get a large aperture telescope under dark skies, you're in
for a real treat. I viewed this through the 25" under the dark skies
of Utah's Uinta mountains. Let me tell you, the view was sweet. I traced
the arms as they wrapped around the body of the galaxy. Also, there was a
considerable amount of mottling visible at various locations. As the
accompanying image suggests, this was probably caused by the presence of
star clouds and bright emission nebulas -- over 100 have been
identified..
Visually, NGC2403 is quite similar to M33
in Triangulum -- a galaxy we examined a couple of weeks ago. Both appear
mottled and splotchy in the eyepiece.
Estimates place NGC2403 about 11.5 million light years distant.
Next we'll hit Barred
Spiral Galaxy NGC2523(mag11.9). I always like the way these objects appear
in images.... kind of like a Star Wars fighter. Notice the bright core with the bar extending out to the spiral arms. How
cool is this image with the spiral arms wrapping around a couple of times.
Checkout the other galaxies in the background. Can you spot these as well
:)
Moving on, we come to Open Star
Cluster NGC1502(mag5.7). This beautiful rich cluster has about 25 stars to mag
8. It is designated a class E cluster due to the density of member
stars.It ought to
look nice in a 4" refractor. With it's small size, you'll want to push
the magnification a bit. While you're pushing the magnification, see
if you notice the two double star members of this cluster.
Let's continue with Barred Spiral Galaxy
IC342(mag9). This large round spiral galaxy is difficult to view due to its ... low
surface brightness. Are you noticing a pattern here with the galaxies.
Ok... If you want to view galaxies, you're gonna need a decent aperture
and dark skies. Or... you'll have to do some imaging. Short of that and
you'll be feeling somewhat deprived.
In an 8", you'll see the core of the galaxy and a somewhat fuzzy
perimeter. Upping the aperture under dark skies should allow you to tease
out the spiral arms.
Checkout this awesome image taken by Al Kelly on 10/20/01 with a Starlight Express MX916
CCD and a 17.5" f4.5 Newtonian from Johnson City, Texas.
Let's wrap things up with this weeks Utah
Skies Challenge Object, Planetary Nebula
NGC1501(mag12). This tiny little object (roughly 1 light year in diameter and less
than 1') will have a stellar appearance in all but the
largest telescopes. Even then, you'll need good skies and high
magnifications. NGC1501 is estimated to be about 4000 light years distant.
Checkout this beautiful image of Planetary Nebula NGC1501 by
The National Optical Astronomy Observatory. They captured this image in the light of ionized hydrogen (H-alpha).
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.
The last several months have brought us the release of several large and ground
breaking studies on the impact that light pollution has on your health. I
thought it was about time that several of these were brought to your attention
so that we might (hopefully) get a few more folks to reconsider their
outdoor lighting practices.
Starry Night Lights has compiled a more comprehensive listing of the effects of
light pollution and human health on their website along with some valuable
light pollution
information.
Most recently
Science News
reported on a study conducted at the Bassett Research Institute in Cooperstown,
N.Y which found that "Light at night is now clearly a risk factor for breast
cancer. Breast tumors are awake during the day, and melatonin puts them to sleep
at night." Add artificial light to the night environment, and "cancer cells
become insomniacs," he says. "Sleep per se is not important for melatonin," says
Russel J. Reiter, a neuroendocrinologist at the University of Texas Health
Science Center in San Antonio. "But darkness is." Similar studies could show
whether exposure to nocturnal light poses a prostate cancer risk to men, as some
researchers suspect, or promotes other cancers previously linked to light at
night
Additionally,
Prevention Magazine did a story on the link between light and cancer in
their January 2006 issue. What they found was a bit unnerving to say the least.
Exposure to light at night reduces the bodies production of melatonin... our
premier cancer fighting agent. While not specifically tied to light pollution,
the studies showed that high levels of light at night (from any source) caused a
measurable decreases in the bodies production of melatonin. This is certainly
something to think about if you're a late night tv addict. It's also something
to think about if you've got an unshielded street light or neighborhood light
near any of your homes bedroom windows. As if to validate the study... it was
found that the blind are 50% less likely to get cancer than those of us with
sight.
Another study found that women who work the night shift are more likely to
get breast cancer because their bodies produce less melatonin. This just makes
sense... as our body produces the majority of its melatonin during the middle of
the night... generally 1-4am. If you're not sleeping then (and don't have access
to completely darkened sleeping quarters), your body will produce significantly
reduced amounts of this vital substance.
Finally, a recent study released by
the
American Association for Cancer Research was the first to show that the
tumor growth response to exposure to light during darkness is intensity
dependent and that the human nocturnal, circadian melatonin signal not only
inhibits human breast cancer growth but that this effect is extinguished by
short-term exposure to bright, white light at night.
Interested in reducing your risk of cancer? Sure you are. There are a few
simple things you can do that can make a world of difference.
Sleep in a totally dark room. This means no night lights... no bathroom
lights left on down the hall... no street lights shining in your windows. If
you have obnoxious street lights nearby... or some of your neighbors have some
pesky lights... either get these replaced... or consider investing in some
room darkening shades or blinds.
Get 9 hours of sleep each night (seriously). Folks who get 9 hours / night
are 1/3 less likely to get caner than those who get 7 or 8 hours.
Reduce the wattage of your bulbs. Dimmer lights impact the body less
extensively.
Use red lights at night (and you thought that red flashlight was only good
for astronomy). This is another biggie. Light at the red end of the spectrum
has significantly less impact on the bodies melatonin production than light at
the blue end. Fluorescents on halogens are the worst.
Get your light during the day... from the Sun. 10 to 15 minutes worth of
bright sunshine signals the body that a new day is underway. This is a key
factor in regulating the circadian rhythm. In the winter, you might need to
head outside for a quick lunchtime walk. The presence of the sun helps the
body to better differentiate man-made light from natural light.
Here's the latest addition to Starry Night
Lights growing collection of night sky friendly
sports
lighting fixtures.
Manufactured by
Visionaire
Lighting, the
Center Court
Standard is a full cutoff tennis court lighting system designed to
meet the toughest outdoor lighting ordinances. The Center Court Standard
features a unique, high performance reflector system designed for
maximum lighting control. With its
IDA Dark Sky
Certification, the Center Court Standard is one fixture that
definitely plays by the rules.
As you'd expect, you can find
this gorgeous, dark sky friendly outdoor light in the
sports
lighting section of your favorite outdoor lighting retailer, Starry Night Lights!
Newsfeed
Sun
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Moon
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
The sun is a fascinating subject; it's appearance changes from day to day. In fact, it is the only star in the sky that we can see any details on at all! This week, however, the sun is quiet; there are no large sunspots visible.
Next we'll hit Barred
Spiral Galaxy NGC2523(mag11.9). I always like the way these objects appear
in images.... kind of like a Star Wars fighter. Notice the bright core with the bar extending out to the spiral arms. How
cool is this image with the spiral arms wrapping around a couple of times.
Checkout the other galaxies in the background. Can you spot these as well
:)
Moving on, we come to Open Star
Cluster NGC1502(mag5.7). This beautiful rich cluster has about 25 stars to mag
8. It is designated a class E cluster due to the density of member
stars.It ought to
look nice in a 4" refractor. With it's small size, you'll want to push
the magnification a bit. While you're pushing the magnification, see
if you notice the two double star members of this cluster.
Let's wrap things up with this weeks Utah
Skies Challenge Object, Planetary Nebula
NGC1501(mag12). This tiny little object (roughly 1 light year in diameter and less
than 1') will have a stellar appearance in all but the
largest telescopes. Even then, you'll need good skies and high
magnifications. NGC1501 is estimated to be about 4000 light years distant.
