APOD 2.8

This is a portion of today's APOD. The picture is a horizon to horizon view, taken in Beg-Meil France on December 13th. The photo covers 210 degrees in 21 seperate exposures. This full coverage shot makes me feel as though I am actually outside. The picture allows you to look from horizon to zenith to a different horizon and it gives it a realistic view. The scientist writing on the picture, points out different constellations and stars in his summary and then gives a link to the picture with each specific thing labeled. This was such a useful tool and it really helped identify and understand specifically what he was talking about. Seeing the stars and identifying constellations is alot different than identifying constellations on a sheet of paper. The star Sirius rising and the Orion constellation are easiest to identify.

Observation 2.2

Guided Observation

Date: December 6th 2007
Time: 7:00 - 8:40 PM
Location: Clark Rd, east of the interstate
Sky Conditions: Clear skies

Instruments used: Naked eye, binoculars, telescope

Planets: Mars, Uranus, Jupiter

Bright stars noted: Polaris, Vega, Deneb, Arcturus, Altair, Fomalhaut, Mira, Algol, Aldebaran, Beetlejuice

Constellations noted: Perseus, Cygnus, Andromeda, Scorpius, Capricorn, Pisces, Ophiuchus, Lyra, Aquila, Orion, Cepheus, Ursa Minor, Draco, Pegasus, Cassiopeia, Hercules, Sagittarius, Delphinus

Binary stars: Epsilon Lyra, Polaris, Pleiades, Hyades, Gamma Andromeda, Alpha Capricorn

Deep Sky objects: M57, M27, M31, M103, M36, M37, M38, M45

Other: Milky Way, Comet Holmes

APOD 2.7

This weeks Apod is of an analemma which is a figure-8 curve that you get when you mark the position of the Sun at the same time each day throughout the year. 26 separate exposures were recorded to illustrate the regular solar motion. This was done mostly during the 2006 calender year. Each picture was taken at 8 am in the northern New Jersey sky. They were digitally composed with one single foreground later on. Other planets follow the same shape if you were to do this for the sun. Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto all have a figure-8 shape. Mars is teardrop shaped whereas Jupiter and Venus form ellipses. For Mercury if done it would form a straight line going east to west.

APOD 2.6

This picture is of stardust in the constellation Perseus (by far the best constellation of all time ahem). This cosmic expanse of dust, gas, and stars covers some 4 degrees of the constellation. Other reflection nebulae are scattered around, along with remarkable dark dust nebulae and the faint reddish glow of hydrogen gas.Perseus, the Hero, can be found in the sky during the winter in the Northern Hemisphere. With a little imagination, you can see the image of a man in the stars. He has a sort of triangular body, with two legs and feet that look like they are curling up towards the head. There are also two arms stretching out, possibly carrying some sort of weapon or the head of Medusa.

APOD 2.5

Discovered in 1955 this nebula was thought to be a supernova remnant until the 1980's. However subsequent observations revealed that a lower than expected radial velocity of the 'debris cloud' and lack of a neutron star could not support the hypothesis for a supernova remnant. This is a large faint planetary nebula about 790 light years distant in the direction of the constellation Gemini. The Medusa Nebula, also known as Abell 21, represents a final stage in the evolution of low mass stars such as the sun, as they transform themselves from red giants to hot white dwarf stars. The Medusa Nebula is estimated to be over 4 light-years across. The Medusa's transforming hot central star is the small blue star on the left at the top of the the crescent shaped figure.