The moon has taken control of the night sky. It's been getting bigger and
brighter with each passing night... and will be full just after midnight
tonight. Interestingly, the January full moon is known as
the
Wolf Moon. So... some strange things might be going on tonight... a
wolf moon on Friday the 13th. Since the moon will be with us all night
long... rising at sunset... and setting at sunrise... don't fight it.
Break out your lunar filter and checkout Earth's nearest celestial
neighbor. The moon offers up far more detail than any other celestial
object. Mountains, valleys, craters and the lunar mare are all easy
targets in even the most modest binoculars or telescopes. Take advantage
of the clear skies forecast for tonight and head outside to howl at the
wolf moon.
Late night skywatchers are in for a treat this weekend... even with the
bright
moon dominating the night sky. Early Sunday morning (1/15)
NASA's Star Dust capsule will make a spectacular return to Earth
carrying samples collected from Comet Wild 2. Just before 2:00am, the
craft will re-enter Earth's atmosphere and streak through the night sky
crossing northern California and Nevada... enroute to its landing site at
Dugway, Utah. At the peak of its brightness, the capsule will shine some
60 times brighter than the
planet Venus. Those of you who are able to view the event are
encouraged to take pictures... and
submit
them to NASA. It is hoped by researchers that they'll be able to learn
more about the physics of re-entry in the process. We've got a link to
some viewing tips
for those who might be interested.
Researchers are currently studying the link between light at night and
certain forms of cancer. The January 2006 issue of
Prevention Magazine contains an article documenting several ongoing
studies that have shown strong links between bright sleeping conditions
and (among other things) increased risk of breast cancer. While not
specifically calling out light pollution, the studies lend strong support
to the cries of night sky protection activists who have long advocated that
outdoor lights only be aimed down towards the ground. The editor of
Prevention also did an interview on the
Today Show in which she explained their findings... and suggested that
people who have exterior lights shining into their bedrooms ought to take
measures to darken their rooms. We feel that those operating poorly aimed
lights ought to fix the problem they created by installing night sky
friendly fixtures that put the light on the ground only where its needed.
Click here for more information on the effects of
light pollution on human health.
Finally, Utah Skies and the folks at the Swanner Nature Preserve would
like to invite you to a
special event next weekend. We'll be joining
forces for combined snow shoe / star party event. The event will take
place the weekend of the 20th. The exact day (Friday, Saturday or Sunday
night) will be chosen based on the weekend weather forecast. The reason
for this is to try to increase our odds of clear skies. Those of you who
have attended these events over the last couple of years know that its
pretty much been hit or miss. The exact date will be posted on the Utah
Skies website... and announced on KPCW in the days leading up to the
event.
Astronomy News
From Around The World, and Beyond
Light - Cancer Link Explored
Friday, January 13th, 2006 - Researchers are currently studying the link between light at night and certain forms of cancer. The January 2006 issue of Prevention Magazine contained an article documenting several ongoing studies that had shown strong links between bright sleeping conditions and (among other things) increased risk of breast cancer. While not specifically calling out light pollution, the studies lend strong support to the cries of light pollution prevention activists who have long advocated that outdoor lights shine where they're needed and not up nor into people's bedroom windows. The editorial director of Prevention, Rosemary Ellis, was interviewed on the Today Show where she explained the study's findings and suggested that people who have street lights shining into their bedrooms ought to take measures to darken their rooms. While that might work, we feel that a more appropriate solution has responsible parties replacing the poorly aimed street lights with night sky friendly fixtures that put the light on the ground only. Click here for more information on the effects of light pollution on human health.
Star Dust Returns
Thursday, January 12th, 2006 - Late night skywatchers are in for a treat this weekend... even with the bright
moon dominating the night sky. Early Sunday morning (1/15)
NASA's Star Dust capsule will make a spectacular return to Earth
carrying samples collected from Comet Wild 2. Just before 2:00am, the
craft will re-enter Earth's atmosphere and streak through the night sky
crossing northern California and Nevada... enroute to its landing site at
Dugway, Utah. At the peak of its brightness, the capsule will shine some
60 times brighter than the
planet Venus. Those of you who are able to view the event are
encouraged to take pictures... and
submit
them to NASA. It is hoped by researchers that they'll be able to learn
more about the physics of re-entry in the process. Click here for some viewing tips!
Hubble Captures Sharpest Image of Orion Nebula
Wednesday, January 11th, 2006 - (NASA) In one of the most detailed astronomical images ever produced, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured an unprecedented look at the Orion Nebula. This turbulent star formation region is one of astronomy's most dramatic and photogenic celestial objects. More than 3,000 stars of various sizes appear in this image. Some of them have never been seen in visible light. These stars reside in a dramatic dust-and-gas landscape of plateaus, mountains, and valleys that are reminiscent of the Grand Canyon. The Orion Nebula is a picture book of star formation, from the massive, young stars that are shaping the nebula to the pillars of dense gas that may be the homes of budding stars. More information and spectacular images are available from the HubbleSite press release.
Spitzer Captures The Milky Way
Tuesday, January 10th, 2006 - The orbiting Spitzer Space Telescope recently captured the heart of our Milky Way Galaxy in this spectacular infrared image. Shown here are the hundreds of thousands of stars that inhabit this innermost region of our galaxy. These stars are usually hidden from view by intervening dust, but Spitzer's infrared vision allows it to clearly see right through. Checkout the Spitzer Newsroom for more details.
The North Stars
Monday, January 9th, 2006 - Polaris, for centuries a beacon for celestial navigators, has been known for some time to be part of a multiple star system. Until recently, the only evidence of a close companion star were the measured effects - a wobble - on the North Star. Recently, however, the venerable Hubble Space Telescope has imaged this giant star's close companion, providing visual confirmation of the triple star system. See HubbleSite for more information and images of this fantastic achievement.
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)
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.
Hubble's Sharpest View of the Orion Nebula
This dramatic image offers a peek inside a cavern of roiling dust
and gas where thousands of stars are forming. The image, taken by
the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) aboard NASA's Hubble Space
Telescope, represents the sharpest view ever taken of this region,
called the Orion Nebula. More than 3,000 stars of various sizes
appear in this image. Some of them have never been seen in visible
light. These stars reside in a dramatic dust-and-gas landscape of
plateaus, mountains, and valleys that are reminiscent of the Grand
Canyon.
The Orion Nebula is a picture book of star formation,
from the massive, young stars that are shaping the nebula to the
pillars of dense gas that may be the homes of budding stars. The
bright central region is the home of the four heftiest stars in
the nebula. The stars are called the Trapezium because they are
arranged in a trapezoid pattern. Ultraviolet light unleashed by
these stars is carving a cavity in the nebula and disrupting the
growth of hundreds of smaller stars. Located near the Trapezium
stars are stars still young enough to have disks of material
encircling them. These disks are called protoplanetary disks or "proplyds"
and are too small to see clearly in this image. The disks are the
building blocks of solar systems.
The bright glow at upper left
is from M43, a small region being shaped by a massive, young
star's ultraviolet light. Astronomers call the region a miniature
Orion Nebula because only one star is sculpting the landscape. The
Orion Nebula has four such stars. Next to M43 are dense, dark
pillars of dust and gas that point toward the Trapezium. These
pillars are resisting erosion from the Trapezium's intense
ultraviolet light. The glowing region on the right reveals arcs
and bubbles formed when stellar winds - streams of charged
particles ejected from the Trapezium stars — collide with
material.
The faint red stars near the bottom are the myriad brown dwarfs
that Hubble spied for the first time in the nebula in visible
light. Sometimes called "failed stars," brown dwarfs are cool
objects that are too small to be ordinary stars because they
cannot sustain nuclear fusion in their cores the way our Sun does.
The dark red column, below, left, shows an illuminated edge of the
cavity wall.
The Orion Nebula is 1,500 light-years away, the
nearest star-forming region to Earth. Astronomers used 520 Hubble
images, taken in five colors, to make this picture. They also
added ground-based photos to fill out the nebula. The ACS mosaic
covers approximately the apparent angular size of the full moon.
The Orion observations were taken between 2004 and 2005.
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
Orion the Hunter. This constellation is one of the most
recognized constellations in the sky. Its bright stars make it an easy
find.
Orion was the son of the god Neptune and the
nymph Euryale. This was no ordinary man. He was a huge man of
extraordinary strength. Unfortunately, he was a boastful man.
This led Gaia the Goddess of the Earth to send a scorpion to kill him.
Now, in honor of that event, as Orion sets in the west, the scorpion is
rising in the east.
Orion is the nebula capital of the
universe. It's a well known fact. Nebulae can be found, seemingly, in
every image you'll ever see of Orion. This nebulosity is both the birth
and afterbirth of stars. Without nebulae, there would be no star
formation.
The focus of our efforts this week will be the deep sky objects of
Orion . Orion can be found high and to the southeast shortly after
dark. It's most famous feature, the belt of Orion cuts through the middle of the
constellation.
In the upper left of the
constellation is alpha star... a mag0.7 red giant known as Betelgeuse.
Betelgeuse is big and bright. In fact, it is the 11th brightest star in the sky
some 14,000 times brighter than our Sun. Were our sun located as far away as
Betelgeuse, we would need a large telescope just to see it. It is also an
extremely large star exceeding the volume of our star by 160 million times. In
fact, were Betelgeuse to be
located where our Sun is... we'd be INSIDE the star. In fact so would Mars...
and at times, even Jupiter. I say at times, because Betelgeuse swells
periodically. It's diameter fluctuates from over 400 million miles to a
staggering 800 million miles. Wow! Not surprisingly, it is also one of the
brightest stars in the sky. It's mass however is only about 20 times that of the
sun... making it an extremely low density star.
Moving
to the lower right of the the constellation, we come to the beta star mag0.14
Rigel. You may be wondering why Rigel (the brightest star in the constellation)
is the Beta star???? There are several thoughts on this. First off, Betelgeuse
sits higher in the sky... making it easier to view. This could make it seem
brighter than it really is. Also, both stars are variable with Rigel ranging
plus or minus .1 and Betelgeuse varying by an even larger range. There are
reports back in 1933 where Betelgeuse reached mag0.2. Betelgeuse, by the way, is
the only 1st magnitude star with a high variability. This was first noted by the
astronomer Herschel back in 1836. Anyway... back to Rigel... an amazing star in
it's own right. Rigel is the 7th brightest star in the sky. It is classified as
a supergiant, with an intense blue-white color. It is some 57,000 times brighter
than our sun. Rigel is about 900 light years distant. If it were as close as
some of the brighter stars in the sky it would be as bright as the full moon and
would be visible in the daytime! Rigel is also a double star... having a small
mag6.7 companion star located about 9" away. A good 4" telescope
should be able to split the two.
The image to the left is a wide angle shot of Orion
by Jerry Lodriguss. Look how busy
this constellation is. Bernard's Loop (the big "C" shaped object
is really only visible in wide angle shots. Look at all the nebulosity.
You could (and probably should) spend days observing in Orion.
Ok, let's start things off with
THE most amazing object in the whole sky. The one... the only... The Orion
Nebula - M42(mag3.7) This "birth place of stars" shows more
detail, more color, more everything.. then virtually any object in the
entire night sky. I'm having trouble coming up with enough superlatives to properly describe
Orion. Checkout the awesome detail in this image by Utah Skies own
Don Brown. Don shot this
with a Canon 20D operating at prime focus through a Takahashi FS/102
refractor.
Orion is
visible to the naked eye just below the belt of Orion. It is actually
in the
center of Orion's Sword. Point a pair of binoculars towards Orion and the
nebula instantly jumps into view as a gaseous object engulfing the
neighboring stars. Moving up in aperture the views become incredible. In
the 25" you see all kinds of 3-D structure and color.
The
Orion Nebula is a huge, glowing cloud of gas. Predominantly made of
hydrogen, the stars which you see inside the nebula were formed of
this gas. And speaking of the stars. The bright stars at the center of the
nebula are called the Trapezium. It is the light from these stars
which lights the nebula and makes it glow.
Moving on, barely...we come to another beautiful
nebula, this time it's a Messier Object, M43(mag9.0). This bright diffuse nebula sits right next to M42, The Orion Nebula. In fact, it looks like an offshoot of
M42. As
such, it's just plain overwhelmed. That said, this would be a showcase object if it were located
somewhere else in the sky.
Moving up Orion's sword we come to a beautiful Open
Star Cluster NGC1981(mag4.6). Again, notice the nebulosity visible in the image. You'll find
nebulosity throughout Orion. Sometimes just little bits and pieces,
usually... overwhelming amounts of the most amazing patterns and shapes.
This is a large loosely structured cluster. There are about 10-20 true
cluster members, plus background stars.
Next up is The Horsehead Nebula .
This
nebula is actually created by dark matter between a bright background nebula and the
viewer. This object is one of the most fascinating nebula in the sky, in
fact, it was recently voted the "Most Popular" object by astronomers.
Ok... you're excited, huh? Unfortunately, this
object is very difficult to observe visually. So... enjoy the image :)
This beautiful image was created by Al
Kelly. Have you been to his site? If you haven't, you're in for a
treat. Al has taken astro-photography to a new peak.
As if we hadn't seen enough spectacular
nebulae, here's another to knock your socks off. This time it's NGC2024 -
also known as the Flame Nebula. Check it out! It really does look like a flame.
This object presents a couple of challenges when
observing. But... before you get discouraged, let me tell you that you
will be able to overcome them all. First off is the bright star in the
upper right of the image. This will help you to locate the nebula. Once
you've found it though... it'll seriously hinder your viewing efforts.
Your goal is to keep the star (Zeta Orionis) just outside your field of
view. Next, use a nebula filter. They'll really help on this object. I've
used both an OIII and an H-Beta filter. Both provide different
perspectives on the object with the OIII being my personal favorite.
This beautiful image was created by Utah Skies
own Don Brown using a Canon
20D digital camera shooting at prime focus through a Takahashi FS/102
refractor.
This
sweet shot of the region containing both the Flame & the Horsehead was taken
by Utah Skies own Don Brown on Wednesday night 1/12/05. Don was shooting
with his Canon 20D through his trusty Takahashi FS/102 at prime focus.
Next we'll hit a
related nebula NGC1977(mag5.0) I say related because this object is so
close to Orion as to most likely be part of the same nebulous cloud. Due
to the placement of stars in front, in back and inside the nebula, we get
wildly varying views. Checkout this awesome Robert
Gendler image. Is he something else, or what? To find NGC1977, simply
move 1/2° north of M42.
Let's wrap things up with this weeks Utah
Skies Challenge Object, diffuse nebula M78(mag8.0).
We
were having so much fun with objects in Orion that we decided to take it
easy on you this week. M78 is a relatively easy object to find. I was
looking at it in the 10" the other night. This is not the most
impressive object when viewed in smaller telescopes (including the
10" :). But, under clear steady skies you'll find the view
interesting. As I often do, I'd recommend varying magnification and trying
some nebula filters if you have any. Each view will provide a piece of the
puzzle you are trying to unlock.
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.
Checkout
this sweet fixture from the folks over at the
Justice Design
Group. The
JDG-0950W
is a night sky friendly beauty featuring a faux-hammered brass finish.
It looks like it was chiseled out of metal, doesn't it. Well, it
actually hand made of corrosion resistant ceramic and will pretty much
last forever... providing years of neighbor friendly performance. As
you'd expect, this fixture has a closed top... ensuring that no light
will shine directly up into the night sky. You'd certainly hate to
contribute to the problem of
light pollution
in your own neighborhood. Also... since you can't see the bulb (its up
inside the fixture)... it won't shine across the street into your
neighbors windows, either. No doubt, they'll appreciate that. All in
all... if you're looking for lights for a new home... or just want to
update your existing home... you simply can't go wrong with something
like this!
As you'd expect, you can find
this gorgeous, dark sky friendly outdoor light in the
ceramic wall
sconce 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.
The image to the left is a wide angle shot of Orion
by 
Moving on, barely...we come to another beautiful
nebula, this time it's a Messier Object, M43(mag9.0). This bright diffuse nebula sits right next to M42, The Orion Nebula. In fact, it looks like an offshoot of
M42. As
such, it's just plain overwhelmed. That said, this would be a showcase object if it were located
somewhere else in the sky.
Moving up Orion's sword we come to a beautiful Open
Star Cluster NGC1981(mag4.6). Again, notice the nebulosity visible in the image. You'll find
nebulosity throughout Orion. Sometimes just little bits and pieces,
usually... overwhelming amounts of the most amazing patterns and shapes.
This is a large loosely structured cluster. There are about 10-20 true
cluster members, plus background stars.
Next up is The Horsehead Nebula .
This
nebula is actually created by dark matter between a bright background nebula and the
viewer. This object is one of the most fascinating nebula in the sky, in
fact, it was recently voted the "Most Popular" object by astronomers.
Next we'll hit a
related nebula NGC1977(mag5.0) I say related because this object is so
close to Orion as to most likely be part of the same nebulous cloud. Due
to the placement of stars in front, in back and inside the nebula, we get
wildly varying views. Checkout this awesome 
We
were having so much fun with objects in Orion that we decided to take it
easy on you this week. M78 is a relatively easy object to find. I was
looking at it in the 10" the other night. This is not the most
impressive object when viewed in smaller telescopes (including the
10" :). But, under clear steady skies you'll find the view
interesting. As I often do, I'd recommend varying magnification and trying
some nebula filters if you have any. Each view will provide a piece of the
puzzle you are trying to unlock.
