Astronomy

Comet Linear C/2012 X1

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I finally got a chance to edit and post the shots I managed to get with the BRT of Comet Linear from late 2013, early 2014. As of this article, the comet is already on its way out of the solar system almost to Jupiters orbit and thus, not really visible or worth photographing anymore (for the casual astronomy person that is). Even so, I wanted to share what I did get of this one as it came through.

Below, you'll find 3 different pictures of the comet, make sure to click on the picture for the full version of the image. The first two are from November 20th and 21st 2013 (respectively) and were taken with a wide field camera, the equivalent of your mid-grade DSLR which is why the comet appears to be so small. In the two pictures where it is small, I've included a red arrow pointed at the nucleus of the comet.

Black and white version – November 20th, 2013

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Color version – November 21st 2013

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Black and white with galaxy camera – March 1st, 2014

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Camelopardalid Meteor Shower May 23rd to 24th

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In an extremely rare treat, anyone with clear skies overnight tonight may get the opportunity of a life time. A brand new, one chance to see, meteor shower! Comet 209P/LINEAR has left a stream of debris in the Earths path and researchers expect us to hit the most dense part of the debris field (otherwise known as the peak of the meteor shower) at between 2 AM and 4 AM EST on May 24th.  Since this is being posted on the 23rd, that means overnight tonight!

Current estimates say this shower could be as little as 200 per hour all the way up to a whopping 1,000 per hour and those of us in North America will have the best visibility to the peak of the shower.

The reason for the name Camelopardalid is actually quite simple, as with other meteor showers, it is named for the area in which it originates in the night sky.  In this case, the constellation Camelopardalis (The Camel) which is near the Dippers and Cassiopeia in the Northern sky.  This is known as the radiant, the position in the sky where the meteors will appear to originate.

Camelopardalis

It is important to note that in most cases, that you certainly can see meteors by toward the radiant, you should not need to look at or toward the radiant to see meteors from a shower, especially if the rate is as high as predicted so if you are not in an ideal spot to see the constellation, don't let that discourage your viewing attempt.

Now, in the event that you're not in North America, or, you simply don't want to go outside to check out this show, you can sit back and watch from a computer or mobile device at the link below.  The Slooh network will be streaming the view from equipment set up to watch the shower.

http://live.slooh.com/

Accuweather has also provided a general viewing guide taking into consideration the weather anticipated for North America.  You can find that information here:

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/viewable-for-the-first-time-ne/27352068

Another good resource is a page direct from NASA setup for this event that can be found here:

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/watchtheskies/may-camelopardalids.html

Hopefully some of you may get a chance to view this potentially spectactular event!  Happy viewing everyone!

R.I.P. John Dobson (Dobsonian Telescope Inventor)

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I just heard the news that John Dobson, among many other things, the inventor of the Dobsonian telescope, passed away yesterday, January 15th 2014, at the age of 98.  I had the pleasure of two instances of significance with Mr. Dobson over the years.  The first, exposure to The Astronomer's book and video series from the early 90's which he had a clip in.  This clip was one of my very first exposures to astronomy (much thanks to Jim Lewis for sharing this back then) and certainly helped inspire my drive and desire to pursue astronomy and make it a part of my life in some manner (mainly toward a degree in the field).

JohnDobson_01The second, was an opportunity to actually meet him at an ASKC (Astronomical Society of Kansas City) event where he gave a presentation.  His presentation was good and I'm sure inspired and encouraged people in the room which he excelled at doing throughout his life.  It was a pleasure to know of and understand his contribution to the astronomical community and to have actually had the chance to meet him.

He leaves behind significant contributions to the community that are, pun and more intended,… astronomical in their impact.  The invention of the Dobsonian telescope is a monolithic contribution from the stand point that, for the first time, it placed small and especially large aperture telescopes into a price range that even casual hobbyists could afford.  Even today, a 16" dobsonian style telescope (this is huge) runs roughly $2,000 while other 16" aperture telescopes will typically run from $10,000 to $20,000 as a starting price.

The second and, in my opinion, even more important contribution was his personal one.  The amount of public outreach and interaction that John Dobson had over the years of his involvement, and founding, of the San Fransisco Sidewalk Astronomers is staggering to consider.  The shear number of people that he encouraged to look through his telescopes and share enjoyment of the universe around us is simply astounding.  As the AAL (Astronomy Associates of Lawrence) so aptly puts it "Astronomy IS the people's science" and John Dobson was a true master at bringing basic, awe inspiring, astronomy to the people.

John, after the run that you've had with life, and all the positive contributions you managed to make, I'd say you certainly deserve the break.  You'll definitely be missed for those contributions and your willingness to engage and share the spectacle with people, it's with great thanks and joy that I can say I had the opportunity to meet you.

RIP John Dobson (1915-2014)

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Links to Additional Articles

http://earthsky.org/space/r-i-p-john-dobson

http://www.universetoday.com/108150/john-dobson-inventor-of-the-popular-dobsonian-telescope-dead-at-98/

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/John-Dobson-1915ndash2014-240456881.html

http://www.sidewalkastronomers.us/id31.html

Comet ISON Disintegrates

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We held out hope that Comet ISON not only made it around the Sun intact but that it would offer a spectacular December view.  Much to everyone's dismay it now appears that Comet ISON has finally met the end.

The Comet was once thought to be lost on Thanksgiving Day as it passed very close to the Sun only to come into view gain and brighten as it went.  This left hope that the comet might be able to make a showing for eager observers throughout the world.  As of this morning, it now looks like the comet has gone complete dim and may have completely disintegrated.

My attempt at observing the comet early the morning of November 30th and December 1st were both uneventful and given that reports currently put the comet beyond naked-eye magnitude (6.5+) it is unlikely that much of this comet remains.

The view from the SOHO satellite shows it passing through a jet of material ejected from the Sun and beginning to fade substantially after that.  The image below is courtesy of NASA/ESA/SOHO.  As you can see in the upper right corner of the picture, the fuzzy smudge is what remains of Comet ISON.

2013-11-30-soho

In the event that something changes, I'll be sure to send out another update with that new information.  Beyond that, this will be the final update on Comet ISON.

It should be noted that if you have a set of binoculars or telescope there are still a few comets strolling through that are still visible.  The main one being Comet Lovejoy which is still visible with  off the handle of The Big Dipper (Ursa Major) near the top of the constellation Bootes starting at around 3:00 AM.  Comet Lovejoy should be visible approximately 1 degree lower in the sky than the star Nekkar which is the top star in Bootes.

Below is a sky chart which may provide helpful information on locating Comet Lovejoy the morning of December 2nd at the time it rises.

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Comet ISON Viewing for December 1st

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Viewing of Comet ISON should begin to be possible for U.S. observers beginning tomorrow morning.  See below for chart images that may provide additional help in locating the comet.

You'll be looking for a fairly bright object in the Eastern sky right before dawn.  From experience, I recommend being outside with a very clear view to the Eastern horizon about 15 minutes before the comet is ready to come above the horizon.  The first thing you'll probably see is the Sun lighting up airplane contrails as it gets closer to rising.  Don't mistake these for comet tails!  Comet ISON (even though it's traveling away from the Sun) will look like it's pointed at the sun (tail shooting up into the sky toward the zenith.

For the midwest (and probably transferable to the rest of the U.S.) you should expect the comet rise time to be around 6:40 AM local time.  Since it will cross the horizon at that time, I would expect it to become visible sometime between 6:55 AM and 7:10 AM local time.  Comet ISON should be about 7 degrees above the horizon at around 7:20 AM local time.  Keep in mind, this may vary due to any number of factors of your locale but should be close.  If you've not seen the comet by around 7:25 AM local time, there's a good chance it's not going to be visible as the Sun's brightness will drown out the ability to see ISON.

I have added two images from Stellarium which show the sky configuration at 6:39 AM and 7:20 AM respectively.  I have also added the latest pictures of the Moon, Jupiter, Mars and a sunrise to the album for November 29th.

Comet ISON position at 6:39 AM CST in Lenexa, KS (Kansas City Metro)

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Comet ISON position at 7:20 AM CST in Lenexa, KS (Kansas City Metro)

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Happy comet hunting everyone!