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X-Ray Vision

Friday, January 20th, 2006 - Under the direction of NASA and MIT, NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer gathered a decade's worth of data on x-ray emissions from the Milky Way. In a fascinating time lapse movie, we are able to see the brightest x-ray sources in our galaxy! The blinking lights indicate changing x-ray emission intensities, thought to be caused by variations in the amount of matter being crushed into the intense gravity from neutron stars and black holes. Check out space.com's article for more details. This incredible image sequence was taken by Cyril Cavadore

Swaner Nature Preserve/Utah Skies Snowshoeing and Star Gazing

Friday, January 20th, 2006 - Park City based non-profit Swaner Nature Preserve and Utah Skies will co-present an evening of snowshoeing and star gazing this Friday, January 20th. "Last year's trips were a lot of fun for everyone that participated, and extremely well received," said Utah Skies co-founder Don Brown. Friday night's event will include a nice mix of snowshoeing into the Preserve, informative presentations on the Preserve's nocturnal wildlife, some excellent star- and moon-gazing (Utah Skies will provide the telescopes), discussions of the wonder and importance of the night sky and light pollution reduction, moon and constellation lore, and more. This is a great activity for the entire family, and interested community members and visitors are encouraged to participate.

Check for updates on KPCW and in the Park Record, and log onto either www.swanernaturepreserve.org or www.utahskies.org.

There is no charge to participate, and snowshoes will be provided to the first 60 people that need them. Snacks and hot drinks will be served around a fire. You are encouraged to bring your own snowshoes, as well as binoculars. For more information, call Swaner Nature Preserve at 649-1767.

Scientists Confirm Comet Samples, Ecstatic with Return

Thursday, January 19th, 2006 - (NASA) Scientists said they were delighted with Stardust samples returned from the tail of a comet after an almost three-billion-mile journey. Speaking at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Peter Tsou, Stardust deputy principal investigator, said researchers were ecstatic with the collection of the cometary and solar materials from outer space. "Stardust is the realization of a 25-year dream to capture and return samples from a comet," Tsou, of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Pasadena, Calif., told news media representatives at Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center and NASA Headquarters. "This exceeded all of our grandest expectations," stated Dr. Donald Brownlee, Stardust principal investigator, also astronomy professor at the University of Washington, as he described the capsule return and capture process. The material responsible for capturing the tiny particles -- Aerogel -- is a sponge-like solid made of 99 percent empty space.

Headed for Pluto!

Thursday, January 19th, 2006 - (NASA) The third time was the charm for New Horizons. Two consecutive launch attempts earlier in the week were foiled by high winds at the launch site and a power outage at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., which operates the spacecraft now that the mission is underway. Liftoff occurred at 2:00:00 p.m. EST from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, and 50 minutes after launch, the New Horizons spacecraft separated from the launch vehicle and began its journey to the edge of the solar system. New Horizons is now headed for a distant rendezvous with the mysterious planet Pluto almost a decade from now. See the NASA and Johns Hopkins University Advanced Physics Lab websites for more info.

Another Day's Delay

Wednesday, January 18th, 2006 - (NASA) New Horizons Launch Rescheduled -- Launch of NASA's New Horizons spacecraft at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., has been postponed, pending resolution of a weather-related power outage at the spacecraft mission operations center in Maryland. Mission managers will decide later today whether to proceed toward Thursday's launch opportunity, which runs from 1:08 p.m. to 3:07 p.m. EST. Severe storms in the Baltimore-Washington area had knocked out power in several locations, including the campus of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., where the New Horizons spacecraft will be operated in flight. With primary power out the New Horizons mission operations center was on backup power, but New Horizons mission managers wanted to have sufficient backup to those systems in place before conducting critical launch and early flight operations. The New Horizons launch window extends through Feb. 14. As the first spacecraft to visit Pluto and its moon Charon, New Horizons looks to unlock one of the solar systems last, great planetary secrets. After launch aboard an Atlas V, the New Horizons spacecraft will cross the entire span of the solar system and conduct flyby studies of Pluto and its moon, Charon, in 2015. The seven science instruments on the piano-sized probe will shed light on the bodies' surface properties, geology, interior makeup and atmospheres.

Black Holes Unveiled

Wednesday, January 18th, 2006 - The Clark Planetarium unveiled its newest star show last night: Black Holes. Created by the Clark Planetarium with production expertise from Skywalker Sound and narration by John De Lancie (who also attended last night's event), the audience was treated to a state-of-the-art presentation and up-to-the minute information. The premiere was followed by a fascinating and charismatic discussion by Weber State's Dr. Stacy Palen. Take this chance to learn more about spaghettification, white holes and more!

NASA Scrubs Pluto Mission Launch: High Winds

Tuesday, January 17th, 2006 - Today's planned launch of an Atlas V carrying NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has been scrubbed due to high winds at the launch pad. The next launch date and time will be announced shortly. New Horizons is designed to help us understand worlds at the edge of our solar system by making the first reconnaissance of Pluto and Charon - a "double planet" and the last planet in our solar system to be visited by spacecraft. Then, as part of an extended mission, New Horizons would visit one or more objects in the Kuiper Belt region beyond Neptune. The first 13 months of the mission will include spacecraft and instrument checkouts, instrument calibrations and trajectory correction maneuvers. There will also be rehearsals for an encounter with Jupiter in spring 2007, in which the giant planet will provide a slingshot-like gravity boost that could save New Horizons up to three years of flight time. This encounter will be followed by an approximately 8-year interplanetary cruise to Pluto. Check out this press kit for more, detailed info on the New Horizons mission.

Black Hole Presentation Tonight!

Tuesday, January 17th, 2006 - Discover the power and awe of black holes at a special Black Holes Celebration Tonight at The Clark Planetarium. Explore this incredible phenomenon by seeing Clark Planetarium’s newest full-dome production Black Holes (narrated by film actor John De Lancie, “Q” in the newer Star Trek series), followed by a presentation of the latest Black Holes research from Dr. Stacy Palen of Weber State University. Afterwards, please join us for a reception with light refreshments.
Actor John De Lancie will make a guest appearance at the reception to greet our guests.
Tickets for the event are just $15 for Clark Planetarium members and $20 for non-members. Reserve your space now, tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Tickets are available at the ticket counter at Clark Planetarium or with a credit card by calling 801-456-4966.
Event Schedule: Doors Open: 6:00 p.m.
Black Holes Premiere: 6:45 p.m.
Dr. Stacy Palen Lecture: 7:30 p.m.
Reception: after lecture, until 9:00 p.m

The Morning Upon A Pillar

Monday, January 16th, 2006 - Winter mornings in Park City are typically picturesque, but this morning's sunrise was particularly so as this sun pillar rose with our star, seeming to point the way for the sun's journey over the Uinta Mountains in the east. Sun pillars are the result of sunlight reflecting off the surface of millions of tiny ice crystals in the air, often reaching high above the horizon and taking on the colors of the illuminated clouds.

Star Dust Sample Return Capsule

Sunday, January 15th, 2006 - NASA's Star Dust capsule returned as planned early Sunday morning in the Utah desert. The craft, which had travelled almost 3 billion miles, fullfilled its mission objectives... the capture and return of particles from an orbiting comet. Checkout CNN.com/SPACE for more details.

The ISS In Orion

Saturday, January 14th, 2006 - The International Space Station was caught here passing through the constellation Orion last night. And, what a gorgeous night it was. Clear skies and a big bright wolf moon made for an almost magical display. The moon will be a 99% waning gibbous phase tonight, so... strap on your snowshoes and head outside to howl at the wolf moon!

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.

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.

Need to know more about Venus? Checkout this article by The Planetary Society.

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!

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.

Look for Saturn alongside Utah's namesake Deep Sky Object, M44 - The Beehive Star Cluster.

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.

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.

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.

Constellation Report

This weekend we move on to the constellation Auriga the Charioteer. This should be an easy constellation to find. You're probably familiar with several of it's neighbors and it's a fairly bright collection of stars... led by it's alpha star, Capella. 

Deep Sky Report

The focus of our efforts this week will be the deep sky objects of Auriga . Auriga can be found high and to the east shortly after dark. It's sandwiched in between a bunch of well known constellations... Perseus to the west... Gemini to the east... Taurus and Orion to the south.

Capella is located a mere 45 light years distance, and.. at mag0.08 is the 5th brightest star in the sky. It has a slight yellowish tint to it and.. it's a double star. It's companion, however, is too close and too faint to be seen. It was first detected by astronomers at the Lick Observatory in 1899

Checkout this awesome Jerry Lodriguss image of Auriga. Notice the detail he's captured. THIS is what Auriga would look like under truly dark skies. Jerry captured this image using a 85mm f/1.4 Nikkor lens for a 5 minute exposure.

I've mentioned it several times, but... for any newcomers, you have to checkout Jerry's site. He does amazing work!

Ok, let's start things off with the first of three Messier Objects residing within Auriga, Open Star Cluster M38(mag6.4). Estimates place this object about 4,200 light years distant. And, with a diameter of about 20', astronomers estimate an actual diameter of about 25 light years. M38 is believed to be about 220 million years old and contains a yellow giant of mag 7.9 as the brightest of its roughly 100 member stars. 

While you're enjoying M38, see if you can spy tiny open cluster NGC1907. It's only minutes away, but it's diminutive appearance leads many to overlook it. When  you spot it, pump up the magnification a notch. This will make it the only object in the field of view, and allow for better observation.

Don Brown's image to the right shows M38 and NGC1907.  The 20 minute guided shot was captured on 800 speed Fuji film in an Olympus OM1 through a Takahashi FS102 at prime focus...

Moving on about 2.5° to the southeast, we come to another fine Open Star Cluster Open M36(mag6.0).  M36 is about 4,100 light years distant and spans approximately 12'. It has about 60 member stars, the brightest of which are about mag 9. Estimates of the age of M36 point to about 25 million years. This is quite young for a star cluster. M36 is the smallest of Auriga's Messier clusters. 

The accompanying image was taken onSeptember 14th, 2003 by Utah Skies own Anthony Arrigo, using a Sony DSC-F717 digital camera attached to a 150mm Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope. It is a single 30 second exposure.

Next up is yet another beautiful Open Star Cluster M37(mag5.6).  M37 is the brightest of the 3 open clusters in Auriga. It is also the richest of the 3, containing roughly 150 member stars brighter than mag 12.5. Some estimates suggest upwards of 500 stars. Astronomers estimate its age at about 300 million years. This number is derived from the high number of red giant stars found in the cluster. Its distance is estimated to be between 3,600 and 4700 light years. Its diameter is 24' which corresponds to about 20 to 25 light years across. M37 is always my favorite stop in Auriga. The  bright, reddish star at it's center immediately becomes visible as my eyes lock on. It's quite a beautiful site.

This image was taken by Utah Skies own Don Brown using a 4", f/8 Takahashi reflector and an SBIG STV. He captured 15 60-second luminance and 4-each 60-second RGB exposures on Monday night, January 6th, 2003. They were then combined in Maxim DL.

Let's wrap things up with this weeks Utah Skies Challenge Object, IC405 also known as The Flaming Star Nebula. We've got another beauty from Jerry Lodriguss for you. Look at the amount of nebulosity he's captured. No wonder its called the Flaming Star Nebula. It really does look like the star is on fire.

This object is a combination reflection and emission nebula. To best view the nebula, you'll want some aperture, dark skies and an H-Beta filter. 

Good Luck!