A tiny,
waning crescent moon will be paired with... or all things... clear
skies. In fact, the
High Meadows Observatory Clear Sky Clock is also calling for steady
seeing conditions. Steady seeing conditions generally allow for higher
magnifications to be used during planetary observations. Wow. Clear,
steady skies... a tiny, late rising crescent moon. We could hardly ask for
a better forecast. Be sure to head outside for a least a little while to
checkout the wonders of the winter's night sky. They won't be around much
longer. In addition, if you stay out for even a little while, you'll get a
sneak preview of the spring night sky.
Planning your observing targets will be tough this weekend. A new moon
generally means deep sky observing... while steady seeing conditions
generally mean planetary observations. Oh, well... I guess we'll have to
do both. What a terrible problem to have :-) Let's start by
checking out the innermost
planet Mercury. Mercury can now be seen low above the western horizon
shortly after sunset. Most of Park City will not be able to see Mercury as
the Wasatch Mountains will be in the way. Folks on the east bench along
the Wasatch Front will have a much better chance. Next up, the ringed
planet Saturn. Look for it to rise in the east just before 4:00pm.
Ok... you won't see it that early.. but its still rising then. Look for
Saturn to be well above the eastern horizon by the time it gets dark. By
this point, Saturn will be fairly well placed for observation. And... it
will only get better as the evening progresses. Saturn will transit
(highest point in its trip across the sky) around 11:00pm. This is
absolutely ideal. If you're still going strong, the giant planet Jupiter
will be rising above the eastern horizon shortly after midnight.
That covers us on the shallow sky stuff... Now, on to the deep sky
treats. We've got all the winter constellations in perfect position to
view as soon as it gets dark.
Orion and its fantastic nebula...
Canis Major and its beautiful star clusters... and the twins of
Gemini.
This weekend we move on to
the constellation
Lynx. Lynx is just as illusive as its namesake. This is a faint
constellation of stars around mag 6. Even Alpha and Beta Lyncis are
magnitudes 3.5 and 4.5 respectively. The remainder of the constellation
requires good eyesight and very dark skies to make out it's shape. The
Lynx is a modern constellation created by the Polish astronomer Johannes
Hevelius in 1687. There is no classical mythology associated with the
constellation. This weekend's new moon is a perfect time to go deep sky
exploring in Lynx. Its home to a collection of very faint deep sky
objects. The brightest of which is a mag9.75 galaxy. This will definitely
require a bit of aperture. Along the western edge of Lynx is a challenging
Globular
Star Cluster, NGC 2419(mag10.4). This is globular has the distinction
of being the most distant globular cluster known in the Milky Way Galaxy.
At an estimated 250,000 light years distant, this cluster is actually
located in intergalactic space. It is believed to have a highly eccentric
orbit which brings it relatively close to us and then hurls it far off
into space.
This cluster will appear as a star-like object at low powers in smaller
telescopes. Look for it's two companion stars which seem to point to it.
Higher magnification will clearly revel this object as a non-stellar
object. However, it will remain a smudge of light in all but the largest
telescopes. This is due to its great distance from us. Most of it's
brightest stars are reported to be in the mag17 range... well beyond most
amateur telescopes. The best most large telescopes can hope for is to
detect a bit of mottling across the face of this object.
Astronomy News
From Around The World, and Beyond
Comet In The Morning Sky
Friday, February 24th, 2006 - There's a new treat for morning skywatchers. Comet C/2006 A1 (Pojmanski) can now be viewed in the eastern sky just before sunrise. Look for the comet just east of the brilliant planet Venus. Comet Pojmanski was discovered by Grzegorz Pojmanski at the Warsaw University Astronomical Observatory on January 1. How's that for a new years treat? The comet is currently about mag 5.5 which is on the limits of naked eye visiblity. It should brighten a bit further as February finishes and March begins. It is reported to have a 4.5' coma. If you're able to find it.. .snap a picture and send it on in... wed love to post it :-)
Pretty Maids All In A Row
Friday, February 24th, 2006 - Location, Location, Location. That's what it took to pull of this sweet shot. Taken in January by the Cassini Spacecraft, we see 3 of Saturn's moons aligned. Dione, is the largest at left... followed by Prometheus and Epimetheus. Saturn will be well placed for viewing all weekend long. It's beautiful rings are a treat in even the most modest of telescopes. If you have access to a telescope, by all means point it towards the planet Saturn. For more details on this sweet shot, checkout NASA's Planetary Photojournal for more information.
Towering Sun Pillars
Thursday, February 23rd, 2006 - From the images that came in this morning... sunset in Salt Lake City must have been pretty spectacular last night. This giant sun pillar was taken by Utah Skies member John Berkenpas. Another cool shot was sent in by Brian Jolley. Sun pillars are caused when sun light reflects off of tiny ice crystals suspended in the air.
Have You Seen The Light?
Wednesday, February 22nd, 2006 - The northern lights put on a surprise show recently... triggered by a high speed solar wind. Andre Clay of Harding Lake, Alaska snapped this gorgeous shot of the event on Feb. 20th. Things have quieted down again, but... could flare up at any time as Earth remains within the wind stream. Checkout the Aurora Gallery at Spaceweather.com for more incredible shots!
Nova Reaches Naked Eye Visibility
Monday, February 20th, 2006 - Astrophotographer John Chumack recently snapped this shot of recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi during a recent outburst. RS Ophiuchi usually spends its time as a faint mag 12 star in the constellation Ophiuchus. However, it recently jumped to mag 4.5, an easy naked eye target. Checkout all the details at the American Association of Variable Star Observers website. Be sure to checkout Galactic Images when you get a moment. This is John's website. It's full of incredible deep sky images.
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!
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.
Deep Sky
NASA Space Place
This article was provided by the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a
contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Micro-sats
with Macro-potential
By Patrick L. Barry
Future space telescopes might not consist of a single satellite such as
Hubble, but a constellation of dozens or even hundreds of small
satellites, or “micro-sats,” operating in unison.
Such a swarm of little satellites could act as one enormous telescope
with a mirror as large as the entire constellation, just as arrays of
Earth-bound radio telescopes do. It could also last for a long time,
because damage to one micro-sat wouldn’t ruin the whole space telescope;
the rest of the swarm could continue as if nothing had happened.
And that’s just one example of the cool things that micro-sats could do.
Plus, micro-sats are simply smaller and lighter than normal satellites,
so they’re much cheaper to launch into space.
In February, NASA plans to launch its first experimental micro-sat
mission, called Space Technology 5. As part of the New Millennium
Program, ST5 will test out the crucial technologies needed for micro-sats—such
as miniature thrust and guidance systems—so that future missions can use
those technologies dependably.
Measuring only 53 centimeters (20 inches) across and weighing a mere 25
kilograms (55 pounds), each of the three micro-sats for ST5 resembles a
small television in size and weight. Normal satellites can be as large
and heavy as a school bus.
”ST5 will also gather scientific data, helping scientists explore
Earth’s magnetic field and space weather,” says James Slavin, Project
Scientist for ST5.
Slavin suggests some other potential uses for micro-sats:
A cluster of micro-sats between the Earth and the Sun—spread out in
space like little sensor buoys floating in the ocean—could sample
incoming waves of high-speed particles from an erupting solar flare,
thus giving scientists hours of warning of the threat posed to city
power grids and communications satellites.
Or perhaps a string of micro-sats, flying single file in low-Earth
orbit, could take a series of snapshots of violent thunderstorms as each
micro-sat in the “train” passes over the storm. This technology would
combine the continuous large-scale storm monitoring of geosynchronous
weather satellites—which orbit far from the Earth at about 36,000
kilometers’ altitude—with the up-close, highly detailed view of
satellites only 400 kilometers overhead.
If ST5 is successful, these little satellites could end up playing a big
role in future exploration.
The ST5 Web site at nmp.jpl.nasa.gov/st5 has the details. Kids can have
fun with ST5 at spaceplace.nasa.gov, by just typing ST5 in the site’s
Find It field.
This article was provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California
Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration.
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 Confirms New Moons of Plut
Anxiously awaited follow-up observations with NASA's Hubble Space
Telescope have confirmed the presence of two new moons around the
distant planet Pluto. The moons were first discovered by Hubble in
May 2005, but the science team probed even deeper into the Pluto
system last week to look for additional satellites and to
characterize the orbits of the moons.
Though the team had little
doubt the moons are real, they were happy to see the moons show up
very close to the locations predicted from the earlier Hubble
observations. The initial discovery is being reported today in
this week's edition of the British science journal Nature.
The
confirmation reinforces the emerging view that the Kuiper Belt, a
swarm of icy bodies encircling the solar system beyond Neptune,
may be more complex and dynamic than astronomers once thought.
Pluto resides inside the Kuiper Belt and is about 3 billion miles
from the Sun. Pluto was discovered in 1930.
The moons' orbits
are in the same plane as the orbit of the much larger satellite
Charon (discovered in 1978). This likely means the moons were not
captured, but instead were born, along with Charon, in what is
commonly theorized to have been a titanic collision between two
Pluto-sized objects over 4 billion years ago.
A team of
astronomers, led by Hal Weaver of the Johns Hopkins University
Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., and Alan Stern of the
Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo., made the new
observations on Feb. 15, 2006, with Hubble's Advanced Camera for
Surveys (ACS).
The team used the sharp vision of the ACS to do a
targeted search of the region around and inside the orbits of the
twin moons. In addition to confirming the reality of the new
moons, the observations also rule out the possibility of other
satellites of roughly similar size orbiting Pluto inside the
orbits of the two moons. The moons, provisionally designated
S/2005 P 1 and S/2005 P 2, are approximately 40,000 and 30,000
miles away from Pluto, respectively.
Astronomers believe that
the formation of the Pluto system is similar to that of our Earth
and Moon. In both cases a comparable-sized body slammed into the
parent planet. Simulations show that debris from the collision
would go into an orbit around the planet and coalesce to form one
or more satellites. Investigating how Pluto ended up with three
moons while the Earth has only one should yield valuable insights
into the processes by which satellite systems form around planets.
The team will use Hubble again on March 2 to study the new moons.
They hope the follow-up observations will provide information on
the moons' color, as well as their size and shape, which could
yield further clues about the formation and evolution of the Pluto
system.
In the Hubble image, Pluto is in the center and Charon
is just below it. P 1 is to the right and just below Charon. P 2
is to the right of Pluto and Charon.
Credit: NASA, ESA, H.
Weaver (Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory), A.
Stern (Southwest Research Institute) and the HST Pluto Companion
Search Team
For images and additional information about this
research on the Web, visit:
http://hubblesite.org/news/2006/09 http://www.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/pressreleases/2006/060222.asp
http://www.swri.org/9what/releases/2006/Pluto.htm
For more information, contact: Donna Weaver, Space Telescope
Science Institute, Baltimore, Md., (phone) 410-338-4993, (e-mail)
dweaver@stsci.edu; or Hal Weaver, The Johns Hopkins University
Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md. (phone) 443-778-8078,
(e-mail) hal.weaver@jhuapl.edu.
The Hubble Space Telescope is a
project of international cooperation between NASA and the European
Space Agency. The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore
conducts Hubble science operations. The Institute is operated for
NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy,
Inc., Washington.
Credit:NASA,
ESA, H. Weaver (JHU/APL),
A. Stern (SwRI), and the HST Pluto Companion Search Team
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
Lynx
the Lynx.
This is a faint constellation of stars around mag 6. Even Alpha and Beta Lyncis are magnitudes 3.5 and 4.5 respectively. The remainder of the constellation requires good eyesight and very dark skies to make out it's shape. The Lynx is a modern constellation created by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius in 1687. There is no classical mythology associated with the constellation.
The focus of our efforts this week will be the deep sky objects of Lynx. The Lynx can be found (with good eyesight) due east of the constellation Auriga which we visited a few weeks back and west/southwest of Ursa Major (the big dipper) which we'll visit again in the next few weeks. Don't look for any bright stars to guide you.. there aren't any. A lynx is a sly, secretive creature... and so is this weeks constellation.
Ok, let's work south to north and start things off with the southern most object in this weeks report,
Spiral Galaxy NGC2683(mag9.75). This beautiful galaxy is also this weeks brightest object. It is a spiral galaxy viewed nearly edge-on, so we get a very compressed view. You'll notice a bright core region and a bit of the spiral arms, but... nothing like the classic views offered by the face-on galaxies which are up next.
To find this galaxy, travel about 4.5° north of Alpha Cancri. With an apparent size of about 9.3'x2.5', this is not a tiny object. Still, its mag9.7 is enough to give this a fairly high surface brightness. Once you've found it, it should handle magnification fairly well. Telescopes in the 4-6" range should be able to detect a bit of mottling near the center. Increasing the aperture will bring about a substantial increase in detail.
Next we'll hit a nice
Globular Cluster NGC2419(mag10.4). This is globular has the distinction of being the most distant globular cluster known in the Milky Way Galaxy. At an estimated 250,000 light years distant, this cluster is actually located in intergalactic space. It is believed to have a highly eccentric orbit which brings it relatively close to us and then hurls it far off into space.
This cluster will appear as a star-like object at low powers in smaller telescopes. Look for it's two companion stars which seem to point to it. Higher magnification will clearly revel this object as a non-stellar object. However, it will remain a smudge of light in all but the largest telescopes. This is due to its great distance from us. Most of it's brightest stars are reported to be in the mag17 range... well beyond most amateur telescopes. The best most large telescopes can hope for is to detect a bit of mottling across the face of this object.
Moving on we come to
Spiral Galaxy NGC2782(mag11.5). This is a very interesting galaxy. You'll note a nebulous cloud to the left of the galaxy. This is one of the spiral arms of the galaxy. It was apparently torn away from the main body of the galaxy during some long ago encounter with another passing galaxy.
Continuing, we come to another
Spiral Galaxy, NGC2776(mag11.7). This is a classic spiral viewed almost perfectly face-on. These are, IMHO, some of the most beautiful of all deep sky objects. They have a delicate structure to them... almost like a work of art. They aren't always the easiest objects to observe, but... when you get a good look at one... you'll know what I mean!
Let's wrap things up with this weeks
Utah Skies Challenge Object, Barred Spiral Galaxy IC2233(mag13). Unlike our previous galaxy, this galaxy is viewed almost perfectly edge-on. This is a tiny galaxy, spanning a mere 4.7' by 0.6'. Fortunately, it's small size gives it a reasonably high surface brightness. Unfortunately... it's pretty far from any bright stars. You'll have your work cut out for you with this one. But... if and when you find it, you're in for a treat. This beauty is located over 30 million light years away... meaning that you're looking way back in time. Also, edge-on galaxies have that sleek... sports car kind of look to them. These are always crowd pleasers.
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 lantern 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
Wall
Lanterns section of your favorite
outdoor lighting retailer, Starry Night Lights!
"It is a good morning exercise for a research scientist to discard a pet hypothesis every day before breakfast." - Konrad Lorenz (1903-89), Austrian zoologist and pioneer of ethology
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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.
Ok, let's work south to north and start things off with the southern most object in this weeks report,
Spiral Galaxy NGC2683(mag9.75). This beautiful galaxy is also this weeks brightest object. It is a spiral galaxy viewed nearly edge-on, so we get a very compressed view. You'll notice a bright core region and a bit of the spiral arms, but... nothing like the classic views offered by the face-on galaxies which are up next. 
Next we'll hit a nice
Globular Cluster NGC2419(mag10.4). This is globular has the distinction of being the most distant globular cluster known in the Milky Way Galaxy. At an estimated 250,000 light years distant, this cluster is actually located in intergalactic space. It is believed to have a highly eccentric orbit which brings it relatively close to us and then hurls it far off into space.
Moving on we come to
Spiral Galaxy NGC2782(mag11.5). This is a very interesting galaxy. You'll note a nebulous cloud to the left of the galaxy. This is one of the spiral arms of the galaxy. It was apparently torn away from the main body of the galaxy during some long ago encounter with another passing galaxy.
Continuing, we come to another
Spiral Galaxy, NGC2776(mag11.7). This is a classic spiral viewed almost perfectly face-on. These are, IMHO, some of the most beautiful of all deep sky objects. They have a delicate structure to them... almost like a work of art. They aren't always the easiest objects to observe, but... when you get a good look at one... you'll know what I mean!
Let's wrap things up with this weeks
Utah Skies Challenge Object, Barred Spiral Galaxy IC2233(mag13). Unlike our previous galaxy, this galaxy is viewed almost perfectly edge-on. This is a tiny galaxy, spanning a mere 4.7' by 0.6'. Fortunately, it's small size gives it a reasonably high surface brightness. Unfortunately... it's pretty far from any bright stars. You'll have your work cut out for you with this one. But... if and when you find it, you're in for a treat. This beauty is located over 30 million light years away... meaning that you're looking way back in time. Also, edge-on galaxies have that sleek... sports car kind of look to them. These are always crowd pleasers.
