The moon was full on Sunday... and spent the remainder of the week
vacating the night sky... just in time for the clouds to roll in. A good
friend of mine thinks there is some twisted conspiracy in this sequence of
events. Whatever the cause, skies cleared nicely on Thursday... revealing
a treasure trove of deep sky objects. All eyes, of course, were facing
south... towards Orion the hunter and Canis Major his faithful hunting
dog. Above this amazing pair was one of the night sky's most impressive
pieces of eye candy...
the ringed planet Saturn.
Saturn is a couple of weeks past
opposition... but still very definitely at the top of its game. Its
beautiful rings are a treat in even the most modest of instruments.
Through nicer equipment on nights of good seeing, Saturn can appear as
you've seen it in your favorite astronomical publications... rings spread
wide open... subtle details revealed in its upper clouds. Ah.... Saturn is
currently rising around 4:00pm... leaving it well placed for viewing as
soon as it gets dark... and pretty much all night long. Take advantage of
this placement as often as possible over the next couple of months
This weekend we move on to the constellation
Canis Major the Big Dog. Canis Major lies just below and behind
the feet of Orion, the Hunter. This is typically where you'd find a
hunting dog, right? The big dog is an easy constellation to find. It's
home to a number of bright stars... headed up by the brightest star in the
night sky, Sirius. Only
Venus,
Jupiter and the moon outshine it. At mag -1.5, Serious completely
blows away any other stars. In fact, Sirius is over 20 times brighter
than the our Sun! Sirius is also our 5th closest neighbor at only 8.7
light year. This proximity certainly explains the intense brightness. If
you catch it rising in the southeast sky, you'll often notice it sparkling
wildly. When this happens, you can typically see it changing colors
dramatically. First, white, then red, then green... Sirius is also a
double star. However, given the difference in brightness between it and
it's companion, you'll have a tough time splitting the two.
While you're looking towards Canis Major, be sure to checkout some of
the sweet star clusters that call it home. Three of these were found by
Messier.. and several others should have been as they're so bright.
:-) If you go after no other deep sky objects, however, be sure to
track down open star cluster M46. Beautiful in its own right, M46 is home
to a gorgeous aqua-marine colored planetary nebula NGC2438. This object is
not a member of the cluster... it just so happens to be situated in
precisely the same direction as M46. We all like bargains, and... its just
too good a deal to be able to view two deep sky objects for the effort of
just one.
Astronomy News
From Around The World, and Beyond
Chandra Captures Supernova Shock Waves
Friday, February 17th, 2006 - The orbiting Chandra X-Ray Observatory recently captured this cloud in Puppis A being torn apart by shock waves from a supernova explosion. This is the first ever X-Ray detection of a process which had previously only been simulated in experiments. Checkout the Chandra Photo Album for more details.
Huge Solar Prominence Recorded
Thursday, February 16th, 2006 - Amateur astronomer Greg Piepol captured this enormous solar prominence along the southwestern limb of the Sun yesterday. Sunspot activity has been low for the last couple of weeks, but... that certainly doesn't mean that our star is sitting quietly. Checkout Greg's Sungazer.net website for more incredible images.
Ringshine on Saturn
Thursday, February 16th, 2006 - Here's something you don't see every day. This odd looking feature on the planet Saturn is the product of ringshine.... sun light reflecting of Saturn's beautiful rings onto the body of the planet. Similar to Earthshine, where sunlight reflects off the Earth and illuminates the Moon. Taken by the orbiting Cassini Spacecraft, ringshine was used to illuminate an area where a lightening storm was taking place on the night side of Saturn. Read what NASA scientists had to say about the event. Earthbound astronomers can still get some pretty sweet views of the ringed planet. It is now rising in the east around 4:00am... and staying visible throughout the night. Best views are generally available within 2 to 3 hours of rising... when its had a chance to move into a steadier part of the sky. Check it out next chance you get.
Snow Moon Rising
Sunday, February 12th, 2006 - The February full moon is known as the Snow Moon. It can be seen here in what is known as The Belt of Venus. Click here for a 30 minute animation of the event
Snow Moon and The Belt of Venus
Saturday, February 11th, 2006 - The February full moon is known as the Snow Moon. It can be seen here rising above what is affectionately known as The Belt of Venus The Belt of Venus is a mix of blue sky... caused by the normal reflecting of sunlight... and pink sky... caused by the reflecting of light from the setting sun. Whatever the cause, it is a beautiful sight. Look for a 100% illuminated Full Snow Moon to rise right in the middle of the Belt of Venus tomorrow night..
Mineta Says DOT Could Clear Passenger Space Craft by 2008
Friday, February 10th, 2006 - Commercial space craft could be cleared to carry passengers by 2008, Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta announced Thursday. Speaking to a group of space entrepreneurs, the Secretary said that a number of companies should be set to take passengers into space and that the U.S. Department of Transportation would be ready to clear these flights within two years. "This timeline isn't based on science fiction," Secretary Mineta said. "It is a timeline based on the reality of where commercial space is today and where we expect the state of commercial space to be within two short years." See the US Department of Transportation press release for more information.
The Moon and Saturn
Friday, February 10th, 2006 - Skywatchers are in for a treat tonight... as two of the night skies most watched objects join forces. Look for the Moon to rise in the east around 3:30pm. The planet Saturn will rise about an hour later... though you won't be able to see it until shortly after the sun sets. The pair will cross the sky together... with the moon slowly falling behind. Sandwiched between the two (though mostly hidden by the brightness of the moon) will be Utah's namesake deep sky object, M44 - The Bee Hive Star Cluster. The Moon and Saturn will receive a considerable amount of scope time at tonight's Utah Skies / Swanner Nature Preserve Snow Shoe - Star Party tonight. Contact the folks at Swanner if you'd like to attend. Admission is free... they'd just like to have a heads up on the expected number of attendees. Hope to see you there!
Moons in Motion
Thursday, February 9th, 2006 - Amateur astronomer Pete Lawrence of Selsey, UK recently captured 5 of Saturn's 47 moons orbiting the giant planet. Click here to see them in motion over a 3 hour period.
Saturn is currently high in the eastern sky shortly after sunset... appearing as a bright star-like object. If you've never seen it before, The Planet Saturn is a treat to view in a telescope. No doubt, Saturn will get plenty of scope time at
tomorrow night's Utah Skies / Swanner Nature Preserve Snow-Shoe
Star Party Event. All are invited... and admission is free. Simply contact the preserve and let them know you're
coming. Snowshoes are available for those who don't have them.
Hubble Snaps A Pinwheel
Tuesday, February 7th, 2006 - Astronomers using the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope snapped this gorgeous image of NGC1309, a pinwheel shaped galaxy located in the constellation Eridanus. Those of you with access to a telescope might head outside early to view this object (once the bright moon vacates the sky... say... the middle of next week). NGC 1309 was home to supernova whose light reached Earth in September 2002. Astronomers used this information to help gauge the expansion rate of the universe.
Crescent Venus
Tuesday, February 7th, 2006 - The 2nd rock, Venus has become an easy target again... sitting high in the southeastern sky just before sunrise. Venus is so bright, that you can actually view it after sunrise if you know where to look. Venus is currently shining at a blistering mag -4.6... many, many times brighter than the brightes stars in the sky. Venus is also sporting a slender crescent phase with about 17% of its disk illuminated. This will grow quickly in the coming weeks.though as it distances itself from The Sun.
Venus Rising
Monday, February 6th, 2006 - The planet Venus has made the move... and is now The Morning Star. The 2nd rock can now be found rising above the southeastern horizon just before sunrise. Venus's incredible brightness makes it impossible to miss... though many people mistake it for an airplane or some other object. Venus is so bright, that if its risen... you just can't miss it! The accompanying shot was taken today at around 6:50am (not too early for most folks to see :-)
Saturn And The Bee Hive
Sunday, February 5th, 2006 - The planet Saturn is currently located in the constellation Cancer. It's also cruising across the night sky in the company of Utah's namesake deep sky object, M44 - The Bee Hive Star Cluster. Saturn is always a treat, and is at its best for the year right now. Point your telescope towards Saturn and view its beautiful rings and subtle planetary features. As an added bonus, Saturn marks the location of the Bee Hive Star Cluster. If you've never viewed any deep sky objects before, now's your chance. Use bright Saturn is you guide. The Bee Hive Cluster looks nice in even a typical pair of binoculars. Telescopes, of course, will reveal many more of its member stars. Checkout the pair high and towards the east shortly after dark.
SuitSat in Orbit
Friday, February 3rd, 2006 - (Spaceweather.com) At 6:02 pm EST on Friday, Feb. 3rd, astronauts threw an old spacesuit overboard from the International Space Station. The disembodied suit, nicknamed SuitSat, is now orbiting Earth and transmitting a message which anyone can hear using a police scanner or ham radio tuned to 145.990 MHz.
Bigger Than Pluto? Then It's a Planet!
Friday, February 3rd, 2006 - The trans-Neptunian body, UB313, discovered a little more that a year ago was thought to be larger than Pluto based on its observed brightness. But because high brightness alone isn't a good measure of size, Frank Bertoldi and his colleagues of the University of Bonn in Germany used the IRAM 30-meter telescope in the Sierra Nevada mountains of southern Spain to observe UB313 in the infrared range. Based on observations made over nine nights in August 2005, UB313 appears to have a diameter of between 3,094 and 2,859 kilometers. Even the smallest size in that range would make the object's diameter more than 500 kilometers larger than Pluto's. Their research appeared recently in the journal Nature. So, the bottom line: either UB313 is a planet, or Pluto isn't.
Water Ice Found on Comet's Exterior
Friday, February 3rd, 2006 - Scientists, studying data from NASA's Deep Impact mission have found the first evidence that water ice can exist on a comet's exterior. In a report in an online edition of the journal Science, researchers found that the surface of Comet Tempel 1 has three small pockets of water ice. The same team previously reported that Tempel 1's interior also contained an abundance of organic material and suggested the comet may have originated in a region of the solar system now occupied by Uranus and Neptune. Several theories of how life originated on Earth involve comets containing critical components actually colliding with Earth. Checkout Space.com for all the details.
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 Reveals Ultraviolet Galactic Ring
The appearance of a galaxy can depend strongly on the color of the
light with which it is viewed. The Hubble Heritage image of NGC
6782 illustrates a pronounced example of this effect. This spiral
galaxy, when seen in visible light, exhibits tightly wound spiral
arms that give it a pinwheel shape similar to that of many other
spirals. However, when the galaxy is viewed in ultraviolet light
with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, its shape is startlingly
different.
Ultraviolet light has a shorter wavelength than ordinary
visible light, and is emitted from stars that are much hotter than
the Sun. At ultraviolet wavelengths, which are rendered as blue in
the Hubble image, NGC 6782 shows a spectacular, nearly circular
bright ring surrounding its nucleus. The ring marks the presence
of many recently formed hot stars.
Two faint, dusty spiral arms emerge from the outer edge of the
blue ring and are seen silhouetted against the golden light of
older and fainter stars. A scattering of blue stars at the outer
edge of NGC 6782 in the shape of two dim spiral arms shows that
some star formation is occurring there too. The inner ring
surrounds a small central bulge and a bar of stars, dust, and gas.
This ring is itself part of a larger dim bar that ends in these
two outer spiral arms. Astronomers are trying to understand the
relationship between the star formation seen in the ultraviolet
light and how the bars may help localize the star formation into a
ring.
NGC 6782 is a relatively nearby galaxy, residing about 183
million light-years from Earth. The light from galaxies at much
larger distances is stretched to longer, redder wavelengths ["redshifted"],
due to the expansion of the universe. This means that if
astronomers want to compare visible-light images of very distant
galaxies with galaxies in our own neighborhood, they should use
ultraviolet images of the nearby ones. Astronomers find that the
distant galaxies tend to have different structures than nearby
ones, even when they use the correct procedure of comparing
visible light in distant galaxies with ultraviolet light from
nearby ones. Since the distant galaxies are seen as they were
billions of years ago, such observations are evidence that
galaxies evolve with time.
The Hubble image of NGC 6782 was taken with the Wide Field
Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) in June 2000 as part of an ultraviolet
survey of 37 nearby galaxies. The observations were carried out by
an international "Hubble mid-UV team" led by Dr. Rogier Windhorst
of Arizona State University. Additional observations of NGC 6782
were made by the Hubble Heritage Team in June 2001. The color
image was produced by combining data from both observing programs
that were taken through color filters in the WFPC2 camera that
isolated ultraviolet, blue, visible, and infrared light.
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
Puppis
the Stern.
This constellation is actually part of the much larger historical constellation - Argo Navis. Given the size of this ancient naval vessel, astronomers divided it up into three modern constellations. Puppis, the Stern; Carina, the Keel; and Vela, the Sail. To see the entirety of this huge ancient ship requires a trip to the south...almost to the equator!
Anyway.... the northern portions of Puppis should be easy to spot from middle northern latitudes.
To find it, look east of the tail of the big dog Canis
Major, which we visited last week.
Puppis is home to a few very interesting stars.
First up is Zeta Puppis mag2.25. This super giant star is one of the most
luminous known in our galaxy. It is located about 2400 light years away and it's
actual luminosity is about 60,000 times brighter than our Sun!
First up is
the Open Star Cluster M46(mag6.2). This is a very rich star cluster with upwards of 500 members. Of these, perhaps 150 are visible to
viewers in small telescopes. The cluster spans about 27', which translates into
about 30 light years in diameter. Best estimates place the cluster's distance
around 5,400 light years.
As you look at this image, you'll immediately take note of the bluish object
near the center. This interesting little object is planetary nebula NGC2438
(mag10). While it appears within the borders of M46 it is most likely not a true
member... just superimposed in that location. Astronomers estimate the nebula to be about 3000 light years distant.
This image was taken by Utah Skies own
Don Brown on 2/4/05 from a
campsite at Gooseberry Mesa in southern Utah. Don was shooting through a
Takahashi
FS/102 refractor at prime focus with a Canon 20D digital camera. Guiding
was handled via an SBIG STV.
To find M46 & NGC2438, travel about 15°(a fist & two fingers) east of Sirius.
Since it is such a beauty, I figured a close-up of
Planetary Nebula NGC2438(10.1) was in order. This object is fairly small, but should be within reach of telescopes in the 4-6" range. Many readers will instantly note the similarity to
M57, The Ring
Nebula. The shape is quite similar....even the star visible in the middle of the nebula is reminiscent of The Ring. The most interesting aspect of this image (to me anyway:) is the wide angle view. Seeing multiple objects in one field of view is always exciting. M81&M82... The Trio in Leo. These are some of my favorite deep sky objects. But... to see two different types of objects together like this is really cool! You'll see a "fuzzy" star mixed in with the others. Pumping up the magnification will turn the fuzz into a planetary nebula. Once you've decided to focus on the nebula, you might want to try a nebula filter.
Next up is another beautiful
Open Star Cluster, M47 mag(4.4)Click here to view a star chart! This is a big, bright cluster which can be glimpsed with the naked eye under dark skies. It is a loose cluster made up of a handful bright stars. Total cluster membership is about 50 stars.
With an estimated distance of about 1,600 light years and an apparent diameter of about the same size as the full moon, 30 arc minutes. This cluster physically spans an area 12 light years in diameter. One of the first things you'll notice is that this cluster resembles
The
Pleiades. It has several dominating stars surrounded by an bunch of lesser stars. All this is layered against a very rich backdrop of Milky Way stars. The whole view is beautiful.
The bright star nearest to the center of the image is actually a beautiful double Sigma 1121. It is made up of components of mag 7.9 each and a separation of only 7.4 arc seconds. You should be able to split this pair fairly easily. You'll reasonably steady skies and a bit of magnification.
To find M47, move about 1.5° east of M46. While these two star clusters are quite close to each other, they look quite different. M46 appears as a fairly even distribution of similar stars, while M47 is much more loosely spaced and much less evenly matched in brightness.
Continuing along, we come to another fine
Open Star Cluster M93(6.2). M93 is a bright, beautiful open clusters. It's stars are grouped in a triangular shape. It contains at least 80 true members. With an apparent diameter of over 22', and an estimated distance of about 3,600 light years, this cluster is believed to have an actual diameter of 20-25 light years.
To find M93, find the star Azmidiske and then travel about 1° or so to the northwest.
Continuing,
we come to yet another beautiful Open Star Cluster NGC2451(mag2.8).
This is another cluster that will immediately remind you of The
Pleiades. It is absolutely spectacular in binoculars... with a handful
of extremely bright stars... including one red star.
Let's wrap things up with this weeks
Utah Skies Challenge Object, Open Star Cluster NGC2477(mag5.8)
This just might be the brightest Utah Skies Challenge Objects ever! However, it's extreme southern declination (-38°) will challenge any northern observers. To find this cluster, first find Zeta Puppis and then travel about 2.5° to the northwest.
Or... better yet, if you found NGC2451, travel 1.5° southwest. Regardless,
once you find it, you're in for a treat. At almost the size of a full moon, this beauty will fill your eyepiece from
edge to edge. In fact, given it's size, (and the fact that you should
still have them handy from our previous object) I'd recommend that you try to find it in your binoculars first. In a decent pair of Astro-binoculars, this object is a large "smudge" of light. In a 6" or larger telescope, it's absolutely beautiful. Here
again, aperture rules. By the time you point a big light bucket at this,
you'd better be ready to be overwhelmed by stars. There are reported to be
over 180 stars brighter than about mag10... resolvable by telescopes from
4" and up... and many, many fainter ones.
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.
We're really excited about our newest line of night sky friendly outdoor
lighting products. Manufactured by
Steel
Partners of Chehalis, Washington, this gorgeous wall sconce is
Dark Sky
Certified by The International Dark
Sky Association. Made of solid steel and copper, this beauty will
provide a lifetime of dark sky friendly service. With its solid top and
sides, light output from this fixture has no choice but to shine down on
the ground... exactly where it belongs!
As you'd expect, you can find
this attractive, dark sky friendly outdoor light in the
Metallic Wall
Sconces 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.
Since it is such a beauty, I figured a close-up of
Planetary Nebula NGC2438(10.1) was in order. This object is fairly small, but should be within reach of telescopes in the 4-6" range. Many readers will instantly note the similarity to
Next up is another beautiful
Open Star Cluster, M47 mag(4.4)Click here to view a star chart! This is a big, bright cluster which can be glimpsed with the naked eye under dark skies. It is a loose cluster made up of a handful bright stars. Total cluster membership is about 50 stars. 
Continuing along, we come to another fine
Open Star Cluster M93(6.2). M93 is a bright, beautiful open clusters. It's stars are grouped in a triangular shape. It contains at least 80 true members. With an apparent diameter of over 22', and an estimated distance of about 3,600 light years, this cluster is believed to have an actual diameter of 20-25 light years. 
Continuing,
we come to yet another beautiful Open Star Cluster NGC2451(mag2.8).
This is another cluster that will immediately remind you of 
Let's wrap things up with this weeks
Utah Skies Challenge Object, Open Star Cluster NGC2477(mag5.8)
