Venus rises in the morning to its greatest western elongation, after which it begins its fall back into the glare of the sun. Mars sets around 1am, a few hours after Jupiter rises, and Saturn remains high in the sky through the night and into the early morning hours. Where some saw the partial lunar eclipse two weeks ago with the rise of the last full moon, those fortunate enough to be within a narrow corridor at sunrise starting in Brazil and extending across the Atlantic, northern Africa, and central Asia, ending at sunset in western Mongolia, will see the new moon totally eclipse the sun on the 29th. Don't fret if you can't be there, as NASA's Sun-Earth Connection and The Exploratorium have once again teamed up to provide a live web feed of the event from Turkey. But don't forget, when the sun sets in Turkey, it's 3AM in Utah.
As we'll be approaching a new moon next week, the night skies will favor both the deep galactic treats found in the constellation Leo and the Swaner Nature Preserve's third snowshoe event of the season co-hosted with Utah Skies. Beginning at 7:30pm at the Swaner office at Redstone, the evening will feature naturalists leading a snowshoe tour into the preserve while describing its wonders, the beauty of the heavens, and the reasons to preserve each.
For more information on this event, how to protect the heritage of our night skies, or to find out what's in the sky on any night, check out www.utahskies.org, your ticket to the stars.
Astronomy News
From Around The World, and Beyond
Saturns Rings And 3 Moons
Friday, March 24th, 2006 - The orbiting Cassini Spacecraft recently snapped this gorgeous shot of Saturn's rings and three of its moons. Captured in this shot are Epimetheus (left), Pandora (right) and Mimas (center). Saturn is just outside the edge of the photo. Notice how Saturn casts a shadow onto a portion of the rings, rendering them invisible beyond a certain point. The planet Saturn is currently rising around 1:30pm and can be found high overhead as soon as it gets dark. Saturn is always a treat to observe, so if you have a telescope, be sure to point it towards the ringed planet the next opportunity you get.
The Great Red Spot (and Red Jr, too!)
Thursday, March 23rd, 2006 - Always a treat to watch, the planet Jupiter seems to be getting even more interesting lately. Pictured in this gorgeous shot from Christopher Go is Jupiter's famous Great Red Spot. Slightly above and to the right is the newest addition to the giant planets surface, Red Jr. . Jupiter is current rising about 10:20 pm. This means that the best time to view the giant planet is in the wee hours before sunrise. Jupiter is rising earlier each day... and will be well placed for evening observation in early May. Make it a point to get to know the solar system's largest planet in the coming months.
Zodiacal Light
Thursday, March 23rd, 2006 - Spring is the best time for northern skywatchers to view the Zodiacal Lights. They can be seen in the western sky shortly after the flow of sunset fades. Zodiacal Light or Gegenschein is the reflection of sun light off of interplanetary dust. They appear as a luminous column climbing up into the darkness just above where the sun set. This gorgeous shot was taken by Maui photographer Rob Ratkowski
NASA ST5 Micro-Satellites Successfully Placed in Orbit
Wednesday, March 22nd, 2006 - At 9:03 a.m. EST this morning, the Pegasus rocket carrying three ST5 micro-satellites dropped from its carrier jet, inserting all three of the ST5 satellites into Earth orbit. Once each of the spacecraft will be checked to ensure it's functioning properly, and will then begin its mission evaluating the use of micro-satellite technology and examining the planet's inner magnetosphere, a part of Earth's atmosphere that protects us from radiation from the sun. NASA's Space Technology 5 (ST5) Project is building and testing micro-satellites. These smaller-than-normal satellites will test and validate new technologies for future science missions. The hope is that ST5 will demonstrate the benefits of a group of small low-cost spacecraft taking measurements at the same time in different locations. ST5 is scheduled to operate in space for at least 90 days. ST5's objective is to demonstrate and flight qualify several innovative technologies and concepts for application to future space missions. The ST5 Project is a part of NASA's New Millennium Program, which was created to identify, develop, build, and test innovative technologies and concepts for use in future missions. Check out the ST5 pages on NASA's website for more interesting information. or Utah Skies' weekly report for February 24th, 2006 where we covered this mission program.
GLOBE AT NIGHT - Study Begins Tonight
Wednesday, March 22nd, 2006 - Skywatchers from around the world will be making observations relating to the magnitude of
stars visible in the sky where they live. Their observations will be recorded as part of the GLOBE at
Night program. There are no special skills or equipment required and there is no cost to participate in the program. GLOBE at Night organizers have set a target of 5000
observations worldwide in an effort to gauge the extent of light pollution. All it takes is a little of your time and clear skies between 7:00pm and 9:00pm between 3/22 and 3/29. Simply head outside and compare your view of The Constellation Orion with those presented on the GLOBE at Night website. Once you've made that determination, you simply fill out an online form and you're done. At this point though, you might as well take a moment and survey the night sky a bit further. Binoculars or a small telescope can really come in handy from this point onward. While you're out there, remember to have fun!
Quantifying Light Pollution
Monday, March 20th, 2006 - The National Park Services Night Sky Team recently released the results of a groundbreaking study of our nation's national parks. What they discovered will shock many. In even the wildest and most remote of our national parks, the night sky is negatively impacted by artificial light at night... light pollution. Physical scientists Chad Moore and Dan Duriscoe of the National Park Service sampled dozens of parks throughout the west and found virtually all suffered measurably. The ecological effects of all this artificial lighting are only now beginning to be understood. Recent studies have even shown this to be a mounting threat to our own health. These studies are stark examples of the incredible scope of the problem. Fully 2/3 of all Americans are now unable to see the Milky Way from their own backyards and 99% live under night skies tainted by light pollution. Checkout Science News for more on this story... and the Night Sky Team's Natural Lightscapes website.
Saturday, March 18th, 2006 - (NASA) Viewed from above, the Earth at night is a vast sea of darkness interrupted by bright areas of artificial light. From a more familiar perspective -- looking up from the Earth's surface -- the amount of light in the night sky impacts our ability to see stars and other objects in space. How much artificial light, from streetlights and other man-made sources, is polluting the night sky and where? To answer that question, the GLOBE program is having a party -- a star-hunting party, that is -- and you're invited. During March 22-29, 2006, students, teachers and families across the globe are invited to observe, record and report online the magnitude, or brightness, of visible stars. These measurements will help students and scientists determine how much light pollutes the night sky in various locations around the world. Through this activity, students will learn about the usefulness of latitude and longitude in mapping and analyzing data. They will also have the opportunity to locate the Orion constellation using stellar maps. Observations will be mapped at the GLOBE at Night Web site. This site includes detailed instructions on how to participate, tutorials on light pollution and finding Orion, and a list of national science, geography and math education standards addressed by the activity. The Web site will also provide access to all of the data collected to allow for further analysis. GLOBE is an international student observation campaign sponsored by NASA and the National Science Foundation. Participants record measurements of the atmosphere, land, water, and plant and animal life for use by students and scientists worldwide.
Super-sized Earth Discovered
Tuesday, March 14th, 2006 - Project OGLE (Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment) astronomers have detected a giant Earth-like planet orbiting a star some 9000 light years away. Using a technique known as gravitational microlensing, the team was able to detect the planet which is a much smaller size than more standard observing techniques. The planet is Earth-like only in as much as it is thought to be a rocky, terrestrial planet as Earth is. It's -330° temperature makes its climate (thankfully) very different than Earth. Checkout CNN.com/SPACE for more details..
Stardust Samples Show Evidence of Fire, Ice
Monday, March 13th, 2006 - Stardust samples of comet particles might seem like a strange place to find a big component of the green sand found on some Hawaiian beaches, but there it was. The spacecraft, which flew within 150 miles of the comet Wild 2 in January 2004, brought back samples that may provide new insights into the composition of comets and how they vary from one another, scientists said Monday. "Remarkably enough, we have found fire and ice," said Donald Brownlee, Stardust principal investigator and professor of astronomy at the University of Washington in Seattle. The returned samples show high-temperature materials from the coldest part of our solar system. This suggests that the early sun ejected material into the distant regions of the solar system, collecting in comets along with the ice, dust, and gases expected. Read the NASA's press release and see the Stardust website for more great info about this surprising discovery.
Mars Orbiter Successfully Inserted Into Orbit
Friday, March 10th, 2006 - (JPL/NASA) With a crucially timed firing of its main engines today, NASA's new mission to Mars successfully put itself into orbit around the red planet. The spacecraft, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, will provide more science data than all previous Mars missions combined. Signals received from the spacecraft at 2:16 p.m. Pacific Time after it emerged from its first pass behind Mars set off cheers and applause in control rooms at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., and at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver. "This is a great milestone to have accomplished, but it's just one of many milestones before we can open the champagne," said Colleen Hartman, deputy associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. "Once we are in the prime science orbit, the spacecraft will perform observations of the atmosphere, surface, and subsurface of Mars in unprecedented detail." The spacecraft traveled about 500 million kilometers (310 million miles) to reach Mars after its launch from Florida on Aug. 12, 2005. It needed to use its main thrusters as it neared the planet in order to slow itself enough for Mars' gravity to capture it. The thruster firing began while the spacecraft was still in radio contact with Earth, but needed to end during a tense half hour of radio silence while the spacecraft flew behind Mars. Check out the JPL press release and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter home page for more great info on this exciting mission.
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 News
Galaxy on Fire! NASA's Spitzer Reveals Stellar Smoke
Where there's smoke, there's fire -- even in outer space. A new infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows a burning hot galaxy whose fiery stars appear to be blowing out giant billows of smoky dust.
The galaxy, called Messier 82, or the "Cigar galaxy," was previously known to host a hotbed of young, massive stars. The new Spitzer image reveals, for the first time, the "smoke" surrounding those stellar fires.
"We've never seen anything like this," said Dr. Charles Engelbracht of the University of Arizona, Tucson. "This unusual galaxy has ejected an enormous amount of dust to cover itself with a cloud brighter than any we've seen around other galaxies."
The false-colored view, online at http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media, shows Messier 82, an irregular-shaped galaxy positioned on its side, as a diffuse bar of blue light. Fanning out from its top and bottom like the wings of a butterfly are huge red clouds of dust believed to contain a compound similar to car exhaust.
The smelly material, called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, can be found on Earth in tailpipes, barbecue pits and other places where combustion reactions have occurred. In galaxies, the stuff is created by stars, whose winds and radiation blow the material out into space.
"Usually you see smoke before a fire, but we knew about the fire in this galaxy before Spitzer's infrared eyes saw the smoke," said Dr. David Leisawitz, Spitzer program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
These hazy clouds are some of the biggest ever seen around a galaxy. They stretch out 20,000 light-years away from the galactic plane in both directions, far beyond where stars are found.
Previous observations of Messier 82 had revealed two cone-shaped clouds of very hot gas projecting outward below and above the center of galaxy. Spitzer's sensitive infrared vision allowed astronomers to see the galaxy's dust.
"Spitzer showed us a dust halo all around this galaxy," said Engelbracht. "We still don't understand why the dust is all over the place and not cone-shaped."
Cone-shaped clouds of dust around this galaxy would have indicated that its central, massive stars had sprayed the dust into space. Instead, Engelbracht and his team believe stars throughout the galaxy are sending off the "smoke signals."
Messier 82 is located about 12 million light-years away in the Ursa Major constellation. It is undergoing a renaissance of star birth in its middle age, with the most intense bursts of star formation taking place at its core. The galaxy's interaction with its neighbor, a larger galaxy called Messier 81, is the cause of all the stellar ruckus. Our own Milky Way galaxy is a less hectic place, with dust confined to the galactic plane.
The findings will appear in an upcoming issue of the Astrophysical Journal. Other authors who contributed significantly to this work are Praveen Kundurthy and Dr. Karl Gordon, both of the University of Arizona. The image was taken as a part of the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxy Survey, which is led by Dr. Robert Kennicutt, also of the University of Arizona.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at Caltech. JPL is a division of Caltech.
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.
A DETAILED LOOK AT SPIRAL GALAXY M101
A close cropping of spiral galaxy M101 shows an array of stunning details have never been seen before in this galaxy. Due to the high sensitivity and fine resolution of Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), individual dust lanes in the spiral arms are as clearly visible as rivers flowing through a mountain range here on Earth taken from an aerial photo. Bright, hot regions that are areas of active star formation also dot the spiral arms, akin to ground photos of the bright lights of major cities when photographed at night.
Several bright stars appear in this small section of M101 (also known as the Pinwheel Galaxy). They are in our own galaxy, superimposed in the line of sight and appear much brighter than the stars within M101 because they are so much closer. So too, a background spiral galaxy, millions of light-years behind M101, appears between two spiral arms.
The bright nucleus of M101 just off to the upper left appears brighter and redder than the rest of the galaxy seen in the image. Stars near the halo that surround the nucleus are older and redder compared to the blue, young, hot stars that delineate the spiral arms and populate the metropolitan-style star-forming regions.
M101 lies in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, at a distance of 25 million light-years from Earth. This image is a portion of the of a much larger mosaic of M101, created by combining Hubble data with ground-based images of the galaxy where Hubble data is not available. This cropping contains only Hubble ACS data from blue, green and infrared filters taken in November 2002.
Credit for the Hubble image: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) Acknowledgment: K.D. Kuntz (GSFC/JHU)
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 Leo the Lion. This is an easy constellation to find. The lion faces west. It's huge, backward question mark shaped head based on Alpha Leo or Regulus the 21st brightest star in the sky. This connects to a rectangular body which finally attaches to a triangular tail.
There are many beautiful sites in Leo including one with an associated event. The Leonid Meteor Shower appears to emanate from 2° NW of the star Gamma Leonis. This amazing event peaks every year on November 17th. Always a treat, the 2001 event was one of the most memorable in years. Meteor rates peaked in excess of 1000 per hour! It was an unforgettable experience.
The focus of our efforts this week will be the deep sky objects of Leo. Fortunately, or unfortunately, about the only deep sky objects you'll find in Leo are galaxies. If you like searching for and studying galaxies, you're going to love Leo. Leo can be found due east of the constellation Cancer which we visited last weekend. Leo has several bright stars outlining its figure... making it fairly easy to locate. This is one of my favorite constellations for several reasons. First off, it's arrival marks the beginning of spring. Secondly, and more importantly, Leo marks the arrival of the galaxies. Sure there are galaxies to be seen at any time of the year, but as Leo arrives on the scene, the number and diversity of galaxies grows considerably. Leo is home to many dozens of galaxies. Several of these will be visited in this weeks report.
Our first stop in Leo is it's brightest star, Alpha Leonis or Regulus(mag1.36). Regulus is known as the "heart of the lion" and lies some 85 light years away. It has a true luminosity that is over 160 times greater than our Sun. Regulus is actually a binary star. It's companion is an easy target at mag7.9. It's also easy to split at about 179".
Next on our list is Gamma Leonis(mag1.98). This is, without a doubt one of the finest double stars in the sky. It's components are both yellowish, have magnitudes of 2.14 and 3.39 and are separated by about 4.6". This beautiful pair requires a bit of magnification to split, but... it's definitely worth the effort. If you find yourself searching for deep sky treasures in Leo, make sure you checkout this beauty. Aperture is not a major requirement. Most telescopes should be able to split this on nights of good seeing.
This beautiful shot was taken by Jon Webdale of Colchester England.
Ok, our fist object is Spiral Galaxy M65(mag9.3). This is a beautiful spiral galaxy viewed at an intermediate angle. Located some 29,000,000 light years distant, this galaxy is believed to span roughly 60,000 light years across. The galaxy is believed to be an outer member of the massive Virgo Cluster of Galaxies which we'll visit again in a few weeks.
M65 can be found about 2.5° south of mag3.3 Theta Leonis. You can spy this galaxy with a pair of astronomical binoculars, but you'll need at least a 4-6" telescope to get a view you can appreciate. Larger apertures will reveal a bright, non-stellar core with an extended oval shaped outer section.
Next we'll hit another fine Spiral Galaxy M66(mag9.0). This galaxy (visible in the same low power field of view) is slightly larger and slightly brighter than M65. You'd never notice it visually, but that's what all the charts say. M66 is viewed from a more face-on position. It shows considerably more mottling than M65 which has a smoother appearance. The distance to M66 is also listed at 29 million light years.
Similar in optical requirement to M65, M66 will show a more mottled appearance visually. At higher powers and in larger apertures, you'll begin to see the spiral arms.
This beautiful shot was also taken by Robert Gendler. What a sweet shot. Robert always seems to be pushing the astro-photography envelope. In fact, he out does many observatories while imaging from his driveway in Connecticut!
Next we'll hit another fine Spiral Galaxy NGC3628(mag9.5) Also in the same field of view as M65 and M66, this galaxy is viewed almost edge-on. This one offers a very interesting view. Compared to NGC891 in Andromeda which has a pronounced cigar shape with a dust lane running through the middle. This object has the a less pronounced shape. It's dust lane is quite conspicuous, but the edges don't seem to terminate, they just fade into the background. When you look at this galaxy, you'll notice the bright core, partially hidden by intervening dust. As you'd probably expect, at mag9.5, aperture is becoming more and more important. Since this object is quite a bit larger, and a little bit fainter, the surface brightness is considerably lower. You'll still see this object in a 4-6" telescope, but you'll probably want 10-12" and dark skies to get the views you're looking for.
These three Spiral Galaxies occupy the same low power field of view. Collectively they are known as the Trio in Leo. This is an awesome sight. This is (with the possible exception of M81 & M82) the most sought after galaxy grouping in the sky. To see these distant island universes in the same wide field of view is simply amazing. Each of these galaxies contains hundreds of billions of Suns. It's simply mind boggling to see this site and attempt to pull the meaning of it together.
Since each of these galaxies are visible simultaneously, and all three of these galaxies are within a 1/2 magnitude range, this is a great view to study the contrasting appearance of galaxies. You could compare other galaxies, but none are viewed so closely as to allow you to move so quickly between them. In this picture, you have an edge-on, a face-on and an intermediately positioned spiral galaxy. Note their differing views offered be each aspect.
This shot of the trio was taken by Utah Skies own Anthony Arrigo on March 28, 2003 using a Canon Rebel 2000 loaded with Fuji Superia 800 film. It required a 20 minute unguided exposure through a 10" f/4.5 reflector.
Next we'll hit a Barred Spiral Galaxy M95(mag9.7) This is a cool looking galaxy. Doesn't it look like one of those Star Wars spaceships? Anyway, you should enjoy this object. Every increase in power and/or aperture seems to provide additional detail. If you can increase both under dark skies, you're in for a treat.
Next we'll hit a Spiral Galaxy M96(mag9.2) This has a somewhat elliptical appearance at first. This is especially true if you're just finding it with one of your low power eyepieces. Anyway, once you find it, and manage to decide which you're gonna view up close first, this galaxy handles magnification well; one can fill a good portion of an eyepiece with this galaxy.
Yea... yea... yea... another incredible shot from Robert Gendler. Have you visited his site yet? It's full of incredible stuff.
This time, we have a pair of galaxies for you, M95, M96. These look much more similar than the previous triplet. It is difficult telling which is which at first glance. Remember, M96 is brighter, while M95 has a pronounced bar. Too, M96 has a more condensed looking core. Also, M95 is to the west.
Next we'll hit an Elliptical Galaxy M105(mag9.3). Once you're done enjoying M105, move slightly to the northeast. There are several other galaxies in the area. In fact, in a wide field centered on M105, you'd most likely already have them in your sights. The brightest of these are NGC3384 and NGC3389.
Next up is a very interesting shot of Spiral Galaxy NGC2903(mag8.9). Is this cool show, or what? It was taken by Al Kelly and Arne Henden of the US Naval Observatory. Arne made 2 images, one with an Ha filter and one filtered for a nearby continuum region, using the 1.0-meter USNO telescope and a 1024x1024 SITe-chip CCD camera. Al took the CMY images which were made with an 8" SCT and a Cookbook 245 CCD camera. Arne's images were summed and processed to create the luminance layer for the L/CMY composite and were used to create the difference image for the Ha representation. Pretty cool, huh?
NGC2903 is located about 1.5° south of lambda Leonis(mag4.3). Given it's brightness and proximity to a bright star, this object ought to be a cinch.
Let's wrap things up with this weeks dual Utah Skies Challenge Objects, Spiral Galaxy NGC3190(mag11) and Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC3187(mag13.1). NGC3190 is the brighter galaxy in the center of the image, while NGC3187 is the odd shaped galaxy just up and to the right. Elliptical Galaxy NGC3185 is up and to the left. If you find one... and your scope has enough horsepower(aperture), you'll find them all.
Let me just tell you.. we've only scratched the surface on Leo's galaxies. There are many, many more. If you've enjoyed these, perhaps you should schedule some time to cover Leo in more detail. Finding, identifying and studying Leo's numerous galaxies can keep you busy for quite some time.
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.
All light emitting from a fixture should be directed downward.
Floodlighting and spotlighting should be accurately aimed away from roadways and adjacent property.
Lighting should be shielded so that glare is not visible from adjacent property or from the street or highway.
MODERATION OF INTENSITY
Lower lighting levels provide better vision and require less re-adaptation of the eyes.
Excessively bright light spills onto other property and can cause glare even when shielded.
Maximum brightness levels should be established and not exceeded.
ENCOURAGE ALTERNATIVES TO GLARING, EXCESSIVE LIGHTING
Motion detector-activated lighting uses less energy and provides better security than constant light.
Encourage low level lighting which works better with closed circuit television.
Encourage alarms and other security measurers -- more successful than constant lighting.
LIGHT TRESPASS
Light should not spill onto other's property unless they want it too.
Fixture design, placement, moderation of intensity, and aim can help provide needed control from light trespass.
SIGNS INCLUDING BILLBOARDS
Signs should only be lighted internally or from lights mounted on top pointed downward.
Billboards should not remained lighted overnight.
n-premise signs should not stay lighted late or overnight after a business closes.
Dark colored signs with light letters reflect less light than dark letters on light signs.
Lights that flash, pulse, rotate, move, or simulate motion can annoy and distract.
ALL-NIGHT LIGHTING
Only lighting intended for security should be on all night if the business is closed.
ROADWAY GLARE
No light should be installed such that it produces excessive glare or excessive brightness that interferes with the vision of drivers and pedestrians.
A FEW EXCEPTIONS
Sports lighting should be allowed more brightness for the playing field, but directed downward and not allowed to spill into other property.
Christmas lighting, porch lighting, and landscape lighting are usually low intensity lighting not a problem unless it creates dangerous glare or nuisance.
courtesy ICOLE - Indiana Council on Outdoor Lighting Education
This weeks
featured outdoor lighting product comes from the folks at the
Justice Design Group.
Pictured here is the
JDG-1800W. This beauty works nicely on decks and patios. It's smallish size
allows it to put some light on the situation without getting in the way. As with
virtually all of the outdoor fixtures from Justice, this one is available in an
array of
finish options. Whether you're looking to be night sky friendly, neighbor
friendly or wildlife friendly, this is one exterior light that plays by all the
rules.
As you'd expect, you can find
this attractive, dark sky friendly outdoor light in the
Ceramic Wall
Mounts section of your favorite
exterior lighting retailer,
www.StarryNightLights.com
Newsfeed
Sun
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Moon
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
The sun is a fascinating subject; it's appearance changes from day to day. In fact, it is the only star in the sky that we can see any details on at all! This week, however, the sun is quiet; there are no large sunspots visible.
Next on our list is Gamma Leonis(mag1.98). This is, without a doubt one of the finest double stars in the sky. It's components are both yellowish, have magnitudes of 2.14 and 3.39 and are separated by about 4.6". This beautiful pair requires a bit of magnification to split, but... it's definitely worth the effort. If you find yourself searching for deep sky treasures in Leo, make sure you checkout this beauty. Aperture is not a major requirement. Most telescopes should be able to split this on nights of good seeing.
Next we'll hit an Elliptical Galaxy M105(mag9.3). Once you're done enjoying M105, move slightly to the northeast. There are several other galaxies in the area. In fact, in a wide field centered on M105, you'd most likely already have them in your sights. The brightest of these are NGC3384 and NGC3389.
Let's wrap things up with this weeks dual Utah Skies Challenge Objects, Spiral Galaxy NGC3190(mag11) and Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC3187(mag13.1). NGC3190 is the brighter galaxy in the center of the image, while NGC3187 is the odd shaped galaxy just up and to the right. Elliptical Galaxy NGC3185 is up and to the left. If you find one... and your scope has enough horsepower(aperture), you'll find them all.
