Sky Wise

Banana Astronomy

Normally you can't use the words "Astronomy" and "Banana" in the same sentence.  This week is different.  We are entering the season of "Star Parties" and this weekend I'm off to North Bay for the "Frozen Banana Star Party".

In reality, a star party is a camping trip for astronomers.  Usually, these events are held at relatively remote campsites with little to no light pollution.  The Frozen Banana offers decent skies if the weather is good.  Of course if the skies are clear it's likely to be colder --hence the name Frozen Banana.

There are a number of Star Parties held in the Ontario region each year but the biggest is "Starfest" which is held each summer near Mt. Forest, Ontario.  Close to 900 astronomers from all over North America attend Starfest.  In addition to the usual exploration of the night skies, it's a chance to check out other astronomers' equipment and there are presentations by professionals within the astronomical community. 

My wife refers to it as "Woodstock for Nerds". 

The Unseen Moon

Click on the Moon!

Moon Animation courtesy of Laurent Laveder: http://www.photoastronomique.net

We take the Moon for granted.  It inspires lovers and lights the way through the darkness and is regarded as a bright nuisance by astronomers trying to view faint fuzzy objects.  Yet, the Moon is very poorly understood by the general public.  For instance people often think of the far side of the moon as the "dark side".  Don't believe it.  The far side gets as much sunlight as the side facing us.  The Moon goes through phases.  When we see a full moon, the far side is in darkness.  When we see a crescent moon, part of the far side is lit as well.  When we have a "New Moon" and the side facing us is in darkness, the rear side of the moon is bathed in sunlight. 

Another interesting aspect of moon-watching is "Libration".  You can see it in this wonderful animation created by french astronomer and photographer Laurent Laveder.  It is a series of 12 consecutive pictures of the full moon throughout the year.  If you look closely you will see that the the moon seems to wobble a bit showing a little more of its surface on the right and then on the left.  This is due to the Moon's slightly elliptical orbit around the Earth.  As a result, 59% of the Moon's surface is visible to us over time.  You will also notice that the Moon seems to grow and then shrink.  This is also due to the elliptical path the Moon takes as it orbits our Earth.  It is closer to us at some times and further away at others.  We don't notice this because it happens gradually and also because we judge the size of objects by reference to other objects close by.

The Moon presents the same face to us because it takes as long for it to rotate as it does to revolve around us.  This is due to the tidal forces of Earth pulling on the Moon. 

Once again mankind is looking at the Moon with the thought of setting foot and perhaps establishing a manned research station on its surface.  The USA and China have both announced their intentions to go there.  It's a hot topic amongst the scientific community because of the huge monetary commitment which some say drains precious funding dollars from other space science projects.  Whatever happens, we can still enjoy our friendly cosmic neighbour.

Momma's Little Babies

Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, J. Hester and P. Scowen (Arizona State University)

In honour of Mother's everywhere, I've chosen this picture of a stellar nursery.  It's a famous Hubble Space Telescope picture of the "Eagle Nebula".  Stars are being created here inside these columns of dust and gas.  Deep inside these columns are denser globular-shaped regions where the stars are coalescing and coming to life.  When a star does this it blows away the surronding dust cloud and reveals itself to the universe.  Awww.  Isn't that cute.  Baby took his first steps!

The tallest pillar in this photo is about four light-years from its base to its tip.  This is just a portion of the Eagle Nebula!

I'm excited about getting my telescope out again this summer when I see more of this type of nebula (albeit not in as much detail as hubble).  Beginner stargazers are first confused and then impressed and amazed at what these faint fuzzy objects really are.  This is the creation of many solar systems and we are seeing this process as a group of the priviledged few in human history.  Only a few hundred years ago there were no telescopes looking into the sky and no one saw a nebula.  When grandpa was born we didn't really know what these objects really were (but we were beginning to figure it out).  Today we are starting to understand the processes which drive the birth of stars.  We are fortunate to be able to see these majestic objects and comprehend their role in the galaxy.   It's the reason I do this. 

Happy Mother's Day and don't forget to look up!

Astronomy Day is Saturday, May 6th

The sky on May 6th, 9 PM

Sky Chart:  (c) Image made with Starry Night Software

This is the Saturday I look forward to every year.  International Astronomy Day is an opportunity for us "star crazed" individuals to share the skies with the general public. Of course, my family might emphasize the "crazed" when describing my devotion here.  This special day of astronomical public outreach was first started in California in the early 1970's and since then has grown to become an internationally celebrated event.  Astronomy clubs and associations everywhere set aside this day to show everyone how much fun astronomy can be.

On Saturday May 6th, the organization I belong to, the Durham Region Astronomical Association will be showcasing all manner of astronomical things, from storms on the sun through safely filtered telescopes (don't try this at home kids) to fabulous pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope, to great views of Saturn, the Moon and Jupiter through our telescopes.  In Oshawa you'll find this event at the Parkwood Estate, 270 Simcoe Street North from 1 PM - 11 PM.  If you see me there, please stop by and say hello!

It's a Gas, Gas, Gas!

This week is a great time for looking at the largest planetary member of our solar system.  Jupiter is one of four gas giant planets out beyond the orbit of Mars.

The Jolly Giant will be at its closest point to Earth this week and you can't miss it.  Just look in the southeast after dark to see what appears to be an extremely bright star!  Those of you with a steady hand and binoculars may even detect up to four of Jupiter's many moons!  Up the ante and look at this behemoth, you'll see at least two bands of clouds and maybe even a huge swirling storm known as the Great Red Spot! --The GRS is visible in the picture above.  Look on the left hand side!

Earth is tiny compared to this planet.  You could line up ten Earths across its diameter.  Even the Great Red Spot is bigger!

If you don't have a telescope but would like to see Jupiter up close, plan on coming out to "Astronomy Day", presented by Durham Region Astronomical Association on Saturday May 6th.  There will be indoor and outdoor displays and telescopes, all sorts of info on astronomy and more than I can list here.  Starting at 1 PM, there will be safe viewing of storms on our sun and in the evening, Saturn and Jupiter --note, Jupiter comes up later than Saturn. The outdoor stuff is weather permitting of course.

It all happens at The Parkwood Estate, 270 Simcoe Street North in Oshawa.  The event is free.

Picture Credit:  NASA STScI