March 2011 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

Patrick's jet
by Joe Bauman 27 Mar '11

27 Mar '11

Hi, after a few days I found some time to work with Patrick's images of M87, and this is the result. Thanks, Joe http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=4173&g2_imageViewsIndex=1

3 5

Quasar 3C 273 Jet
by Jay Eads 27 Mar '11

27 Mar '11

I've enjoyed the conversation on the Jet in M87 and the images and practicing stacking them. So now a follow up question. Quasar 3C 273 is in the constellation of Virgo. It should be visually possible to see this quasar since it varies from around mag. 11.7 to 13.2, http://spider.seds.org/spider/Misc/3c273.html and Hubble has recorded the jet coming from it. This next Thursday is looking really good and if the weather forecast holds I'm heading out and this is on the list to try for. My question is has anyone visually viewed this and has anyone captured an image of it just to say you've bagged a quasar? For anyone interested the bottom page here has a finder chart for the star field around 3C 273. http://www.rasnz.org.nz/Stars/Virgo.htm -- Jay Eads

2 4

Comet C2010 X1 Elenin - a possible late summer bright comet
by Canopus56 25 Mar '11

25 Mar '11

Comet C02010 X1 may be a comet to make a note for tracking over the summer and to make sure that it is updated to your planetarium programs: Yoshida's Entry on Comet C2010 X1 Elenin http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/2010X1/2010X1.html NASA NEO Orbit Diagram for C2010 X1 Elenin http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2010+X1&orb=1 Based on this thread in Cloudy Nights - http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/4381243/pa… - Comet C2010 X1 Elenin is currently predicted to peak at between magnitude 3.8 to 6.0 near September 10. Elinen looks like it may be similar in apparent presentation from SLC, but less brillant than, Comet McNaught of a few years ago. On September 10, 2011 in SLC, C/2010 X1 Elenin will be close the western horizon and visible just after the Sun sets. Currently the comet is at mag 16. - Clear Skies - Kurt

1 0

Re: [Utah-astronomy] Golden Age of Solar System Exploration
by Canopus56 25 Mar '11

25 Mar '11

Whatever its form - manned or robotic - hopefully our children will continue this spirit of exploration as we have done from the 1800s. - Kurt

1 0

Re: [Utah-astronomy] Golden Age of Solar System Exploration
by stormcrow60＠xmission.com 25 Mar '11

25 Mar '11

Dave Gary Wrote: We shouldn?t waste our resources on manned exploration. At least, not until we develop warp drive. Voyager is just now heading for the heliopause and it?s been traveling for decades. Our probes take years to reach the outer planets and the nice thing is that they don?t complain, they don?t ask for a pay raise, they don?t miss their families, they don?t fight over scarce resources, they don?t fight, they don?t have psychologic breakdowns and their missions are a lot cheaper. Do you, really, think that a manned mission to Saturn would get any better data than Cassini? I mean, after the crew fought over that last hot dog? Veggie bowl, in Patrick?s case. I agree Dave, that robotic probes are by far the least expensive and most efficient method of gathering scientific data. However, if humans want to survive long term, then we need to start developing ways to get to Mars and terraform it. Waiting for warp drive is obviously impractical, but perhaps refining ion propulsion may reduce the travel time to the red planet. It may take a couple of hundred years to get to Mars, establish a self sustaining base and terraformn the atmosphere. Although, I'm not sure what can be done to alleviate the radiation and cosmic rays, since Mars has no magnetic field. But we have to start somewhere. Hell... given the opportunity, humanity is always willing to trash another planet. Jon

1 0

Golden Age of Solar System Exploration
by Canopus56 25 Mar '11

25 Mar '11

The Golden Age of Solar System Exploration As Messenger pulled into Mercury orbit last week. I was reminded of Carl Sagan's description of the modern era of solar system exploration as the ``Golden Age of Exploration'' I am taking an introductory astronomy course at a local university and I just finished the first 500 pages of the course text: Chaisson's _Astronomy Today_ (7th Ed) on the solar system. It dawned on me that almost everything I had read in the course text about solar system exploration had been discovered through satellite exploration since the mid-50s and shortly after my birth. Through over 30 planetary missions by many countries, through the United States and Russian lunar explorations of the 1960s and 1970s, by solar missions like Ulysses, SOHO and Solar A and B, and from comet and asteroid missions (such as Deep Impact, Stardust, NEAR, Giotto and Vega), our knowledge of the planets and their moons has exploded in the last 60 years. In the 1910s to 1920s, Mt. Wilson Observatory started a golden age of galactic exploration that revamped our understanding of structure of the universe. Similarly, between 1955 and the present, our understanding of the solar system has been completely revamped. I wonder if people in the Renaissance knew that they were living in special age of exploration, and if they took it for granted. - Clear Skies - Kurt Table: 50 years of satellite exploration of the solar system >From Chaisson, Astronomy Today, Table 4, and The-Moon-Wiki. Notes: Moon missions are summarized by series and not individual missions per the Moon-wiki source. Only a few Earth missions (concerning the magnetosphere) are listed for brevity. Body Year Satellite Body Star Sun 1990-2009 Ulysses (US) Sun 1995inprg SOHO (ESA, US) Sun 1994inprg GGS Wind (US) Sun 1997inprg ACE (US) Sun 1998 TRACE (US) Sun 2006inprg STEREO A and B (US) Planets Mercury 1974-1975 Mariner 10 (US) Mercury 2008-2011 Messenger (US) in progress Venus 1967 Venera 4 (USSR) Venus 1970 Venera 7 (USSR) Venus 1978-1992 Pioneer Venus (US) Venus 1983 Venera 15 and 16 (USSR) Venus 1990-1994 Magellan (US) Venus 2006 Venus Express (ESA) Earth 1958 Explorers 1 and 3 (US) Earth 1979-1980 Magsat (US) Earth 2000-2005 IMAGE (US) Earth 2000inprg Cluster (ESA, US) Earth 2003-2007 Tan Ce 1 and 2 (ESA, China) Moon 1959 Pioneer 4 (US) Moon 1959-1976 Luna Series (USSR) Moon 1964-1965 Ranger Series (US) Moon 1965-1970 Zond Series (USSR) Moon 1966-1968 Surveyor (US) Moon 1966-1967 Lunar Orbiter Series (US) Moon 1967-1973 Explorer 35 (US) Moon 1968-1972 Apollo Series (US) Moon 1973 Mariner 10 (US) Moon 1990-1992 Galileo (US) Moon 1991-1993 Hiten (Japan) Moon 1994 Clementine (US) Moon 1998-1999 Lunar Prospector (US) Moon 2003-2006 SMART-1 (ESA) Moon 2007-2009 Kaguya (Japan) Moon 2007-2009 Chang'e-1 (China) Moon 2008-2009 Chandrayaan-1 (India, US) Moon 2009 LCROSS (US) Moon 2009inprg Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) (US) Moon 2010inprg Chang'e-2 2010 (China) Mars 1965 Mariner 4 (US) Mars 1969 Mariner 6,7 (US) Mars 1971 Mariner 9 (US) Mars 1976-1982 Viking 1,2 (US) Mars 1997 Mars Pathfinder (US) Mars 2001 Mars Odyssey (US) Mars 1997-2006 Mars Global Surveyor (US) Mars 2003- Mars Express (ESA) Mars 2004- Mars Exploration Rover (US) Mars 2006- Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter (US) Mars 2008 Mars Phoenix (US) Jupiter 1973 Pioneer 10 (US) Jupiter 1974 Pioneer 11 (US) Jupiter 1979 Voyager 1 (US) Jupiter 1995-2003 Galileo (US) Saturn 1979 Pioneer 11 (US) Saturn 1981 Voyager 1 (US) Saturn 1982 Voyager 2 (US) Saturn 2004- Cassini Huygens (US, ESA) Uranus 1986 Voyager 2 (US) Neptune 1989 Voyager 2 (US) Dwarf planets Ceres 2015inprogress Dawn (US) Pluto 2015inprogress New Horizons (US) Comets and Asteroids Halley's Comet 1986 Vega 2 (USSR) Halley's Comet 1986 Giotto (ESA, Japan) Wild 2 Comet 2006 Stardust (US) Tempel 1 Comet 2005 Deep Impact (US) 433 Eros Asteroid 2001 NEAR Shoemaker (US) 25143 Itokawa Asteroid 2005 Hayabusa 2005 (Japan) Vesta Asteroid 2011 Dawn (US) in progress July-2011

5 4

Royal Observatory Greenwich Astro Photographer of the Year
by Jay Eads 24 Mar '11

24 Mar '11

The Royal Observatory Greenwich is holding its annal Astro-Photographer of the Year award. I know there are some terrific astro-photographers who I think should enter their work because it is such first rate. Here is the page with the information if someone is interested. http://www.nmm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/astronomy-photographer-of-the-year/ If your not interested in entering you can still go there and view the favorites so far or all the entrants. -- Jay Eads

1 0

Ever Wonder how a Hubble Galaxy is Made
by Jay Eads 24 Mar '11

24 Mar '11

Well, if you have, then watch this video on YouTube from the HubbleSite Channel. It is really cool and I love the music selection they put with it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5c1XoL1KFs&feature=player_embedded Enjoy! -- Jay Eads

1 0

Interdisciplinary National Science Project Incorporating Research and Education Experience
by Jay Eads 24 Mar '11

24 Mar '11

NASA has a program for high school students where students can apply to: *The selected students and their parents will participate in an online learning community with opportunities to interact with peers, NASA engineers and scientists. The online community also provides appropriate grade-level educational activities, discussion boards and chat rooms for participants to gain exposure to careers and opportunities available at NASA. **Students selected for the program also will have the option to compete for unique grade-appropriate experiences during the summer of 2012 at NASA facilities and participating universities. The summer experience provides students with a hands-on opportunity to investigate education and careers in the STEM disciplines. The Web link is at: * http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/descriptions/INSPIRE_Project… I know there are teachers here and if you have an interested student(s) this could be a very cool thing to apply for, or if you know of a high school student that could be interested let them know about this. -- Jay Eads

1 0

Test message
by Patrick Wiggins 24 Mar '11

24 Mar '11

Move along. Move along. Nothing to see here. :)

2 1