Meteor Crater, AZ

I recently visited the Meteor Crater in Arizona. It was interesting to peer inside the massive crater and fathom that magnitude of the explosion that must have rocked this region. Located about 45 miles east of Flagstaff, it has a blast diameter of approximately 4000 feet. The crater was created about 50,000 years ago. Please keep in mind you will have to pay a moderate fee to access the museum and viewpoints - well worth the visit!

Edge of the Universe?

A recent image taken by the Hubble Telescope offers a glimpse at what scientists are calling the oldest object so far discovered in the Universe – a young Galaxy. Well, it was a young Galaxy: Estimated at 13.1 billion years old, it may be just 600 million years of age. Remember, when looking at star light, one is really looking back in time as it takes millions if not billions of years for light to cross the galaxy and find Earth (depending on the lights origin). Our solar system did not even exist when this Galaxy was formed. Looking at light signatures of cooling hydrogen gas, Astronomers can determine the age of stars based on the heavy metals that accompany stars – especially as they age. Coupled with Red Shift, one can estimate not only the age of a specific group of stars but also where they reside in the universe. The farther away, the younger they are (or were). This specific galaxy yet to be named, sits nears what scientists coin the edge of the Universe. According to current Big Bang calculations, the Universe may only be 100 million years old from the onset of this galaxies formation – truly the infant stage of our universe.


This means we could be close to taking our first glimpse of the edge of the universe. What then? Is that God? What exists beyond the edge? Is there an edge? According to Stephen Hawking, a renowned astrophysicist, “It obviously matters because if there is an edge, somebody has to decide what should happen at the edge. You would really have to invoke God.” He also has remarked, “if you want a complete theory, then we would have to know what happens at the edge. Otherwise, we cannot solve the equations”.

I have read several theories that speak about a gravitational boundary at the edge of the universe. This gravitational boundary actually causes light to bend, arc or even reflect in a circular path around that invisible border. In theory this idea would be similar to the way that light hypothetically tries to escape the event horizon of a black hole? It certainly could explain an edge.

Are we living in the confines of a black hole? A Universe within a Universe? Is the center of the Big Bang a point in space or a point in time? According to a Sten Odenwald's article, "the center of the Big Bang was not a point in space, but a point in time! It is a center, not in the fabric of the balloon, but outside it along the 4th dimension...time. We cannot see this point anywhere we look inside the space of our universe out towards the distant galaxies. You can't see time after all. We can only see it as we look back in time at the ancient images we get from the most distant objects we can observe. We see a greatly changed, early history of the universe in these images but no unique center to them in space."

Hawking has also been on record stating, “At the moment there's not much evidence either way. It seems that we can explain the present state of the universe on the assumption that there wasn't any edge”. Another statement expresses this,” It's very difficult to prove that there isn't any edge, but if we could show that we can explain everything in the universe on the hypothesis that there is no edge. I think that would be a much more natural and economical theory”. The Universe is infinite right? Therefore in theory, there would be no edge? Yet, recent observations show that very little exists before 13 billion years ago; And what about before the Big Bang? Is that space before what would constitute an edge? What defines space that is made up of nothing?

I am confident that in my life time, we will be able to see to the edge of the Universe. What will we learn? What conclusions might we find? I am sure there will be many theories abound – many unexplainable ideas and concepts. Make no mistake, not only is this the final frontier, it is the key to understanding everything – it may even prove or disapprove the concept of God. Though, maybe such concepts are not meant to be understood. How is one to exist in a world with no unknown? What would be left to live for?

Double Stars do not suck!

9/13/2010
8:30pm CST
Partly Cloudy - Calm
65 degrees
10" Dobsonian
Wauconda, IL


Last night at dusk it was clear and calm - well, at least until I got my GPS dialed in and I was ready to computer navigate the summer heavens for the first time in a couple months - then, enter the clouds... Before, I was able to dive deep into the Messier catalog, a cloudy haze revealed itself first coming from the west and slowly carpeting the heavens to the east. After a quick accidental bump of the telescope mount, knocking it out of alignment, I had about 5 minutes before the clouds overtook the sky. Still, the Big Dipper remained unscathed, and I instinctly scanned the telescope to the second star from the handle tip - Mizar. Mizar is a double star: Its smaller pair is called Alcor. I have read that on a dark night and with keen eyes, one can make out the seperation between the two stars which are thought to be seperated by as many as 3 light years (the pair sits about 78 light years from Earth) - I had no such luck with the naked eye. With a 25mm lense using my 10" Dob, I could easily make out the seperation. Then using a Barlow I rolled on the the pair with 5mm power and really got a nice view of the two. Mizar is clearly larger and both exhibit similar color. Mizar and Alcor are not binaries - though, Alcor actually is itself a binary, consisting of Alcor A and Alcor B, and that this binary system is most likely gravitationally bound to Mizar, bringing the full count of stars in this complex system to six. Always a nice view!

I also struck luck and caught the International Space Station zooming west to east as the sun just set. It was difficult, but I was able to track it with my 25mm lense panning the telescope as it raced across the sky. I could easily make out a rectangle shape which was clearly the solar panels.

A glass of red wine, the space station and a double star... I guess life could be worse...

Waxing Crescent

3/23/2010

8:35pm cst

Clear - Calm

51 degrees F

10"

10mm
moon filter 13% T

Mars revisited

3/23/2010

7:35pm CST

Clear - Calm

52 degrees F

10"

10mm

3/23/2010

7:35pm CST
Clear - Calm
52 degrees F

10"

10mm

with #25 Red Filter

Images by Ethan Bader (8 years old)

Copernicus

"So far as hypotheses are concerned, let no one expect anything certain from astronomy, which cannot furnish it, lest he accept as the truth ideas conceived for another purpose, and depart from this study a greater fool than when he entered it." - Copernicus

Mars sits high in the evening sky

Spring has greeted the midwest with warmer weather and the planet Mars in the eastern sky near zenith. After sunset the orange/red planet is easily spotted as it tracks to the south west before midnight. Mars is in retrograde motion and resumes an eastward motion through April as it nears conjuction with M44 next month.
Using a 10" Dob with a 5mm eyepiece, the red planet is impressive in size but unimpressive in its detail. Though viewing conditions have been terrible, I was unable to make out any dark or light patterns or the pre-noted polar ice caps. Nevertheless, Mars is unmistakable and beautiful even without detail. Darker skies will no doubt reveal more secrets.

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. It is also referred to as the "Red Planet" because of its reddish appearance, due to iron oxide prevalent on its surface. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere, having surface features reminiscent both of the impact craters of the Moon and the volcanoes, valleys, deserts and polar ice caps of Earth. Unlike the Earth, Mars is now a geologically inactive planet with no known tectonic activity. It is the site of Olympus Mons, the highest known mountain in the Solar System, and of Valles Marineris, the largest canyon - wikipedia

The Andromeda Galaxy Re-Visited

Viewing Session: December 9th, 2009
Location: Kekaha, HI
Time: 7:36PM HWT
Weather: Clear - Calm
76 temp
12" Dob
25mm eyepiece

This was a night to remember: A dark moonless night on a rural beach in Kauai. My focus was the Andromeda Galaxy in all her glory. I have already cataloged M31 in October, 2008. For an amateur observer, M31 is an easy object to target and enjoy. More evasive is its neighbors M32 and M110. Using a 12” Dob with a 25mm eyepiece, M32 was small but noticeable within the haze of M31. Almost a pinpoint of light, M32 a dwarf elliptical galaxy and seen at 9.2 magnitude. Normally difficult to find in light polluted skies, M32 was easily targeted in Kauai. Also found was M110 another dwarf elliptical galaxy and also a satellite of Andromeda. M110 has a similar magnitude like M32 but sits off on the periphery of M31 and has been elusive up until this dark night.  M110 is visually much larger than M32 but not as brilliant – thus why the two objects have similar magnitudes. Aloha Kauai and Mahalo until next time.

Kauai

The Island of Kauai boasts some of the darkest nights in America. Couple that with warm weather, few bugs and many clear views and this is the place for observational astronomy. My viewing area was in Kekaha on the west side of the Garden Island. There at Kekaha Beach Park most of the horizon is all ocean and unobstructed for thousands of miles, thus; some of the most amazing stellar vistas. With the moon waning the night sky was spectacular! It was almost as if the constellations of Orion, Taurus and Cassiopeia were in 3-D; jumping off the fabric of the sable heavens above.

I was fortunate enough to get in contact Roz Reiner, a Kauai resident and astronomy educator. Also known as "Rocket Roz", she is the webmaster for Astro Events -Stargazing Kauai http://rozhome.com/astroevents/?view. Roz hosts guided sky tours and offers an impressive variety of observational astronomy and Hawaiian celestial knowledge. If you are in Kauai and want to do some star gazing, contact Roz for a great viewing session. Thanks Roz!

Jupiter was impressive and we stole a look at Mercury as the sun set over the ocean. The Milky Way was like a swath of glowing light that looked like a painted stripe across the sky. Unlike my suburb viewing location here in Port Barrington the sky in Kauai is so dark that that open clusters in Cassiopeia could be seen with the naked eye. This included the Andromeda Galaxy and M42 in Orion which were even more impressive with binoculars. Orbiting satellites could be seen whizzing across the heavens and errant meteors were commonplace.

Barrington Moon

My wife Annamarie took this picture with our new Canon PowerShot SX10IS. The image was photographed at dusk in South Barrington on November 30th, 2009. It is always a bonus when the better half takes an interest in Astronomy.

M30

Due to inclement weather, this is the first night out to observe in over a month. Having scoured the skies last Fall, I did find M30 last night: A faint but pronounced globular cluster. Used my 10" Dob and a 10mm eyepiece to easily make out the core. Found in Capricornus, I used 41 Cap as a reference star to help find this 8.5 mag. object.

11/8/09
5:45pm CST
Clear - Calm
68 degrees
10"
10mm
Port Barrington

Neptune

9/16/09
8:15pm CST
Clear - 5-10 mph winds
62 degree temp
C8
10mm

I had some difficulty finding Neptune with my 10" Dob. Star jumping only worked so well as Neptune itself looks just like a star in low magnification. On a trial run with my new C8 advanced series GOTO Telescope (review to come later), I was able to target the mysterious blue planet with ease. Located to the southeast of Jupiter - less than a couple degrees infact - in the south eastern sky right after dusk one will find Neptune, the 8th planet from the Sun.  In a 25mm eyepiece, one could make out the blue color which already sets it off from typical star spectrum colors. When using a 10mm eyepiece, the disc is attainable and thus Neptune was confirmed. A bluish green disc - probably more blue than green when you really focus on it. Confirmation can also be made by slewing out and comparing it to nearby stars within the field of view. It is then you can make out the disc like feature that seperates it from the stars in the background.

Neptune, named for the Roman God of the sea, is the forth largest planet by diameter and third largest by overall mass. Neptune has 17 times more mass than Earth and sits about 30.1 AU from the sun or about 30 times the Earth-Sun distance.

As I get beyond the learning curve of my new C8 and the new CCD camera recently purchased, I will begin posting more astro images of both the planets and DSO objects. Please visit DSOcatalog.com for more information.

Plenty of views in Sagittarius

My first visit was with M21, an open cluster in Sagittarius. I also viewed M22, a Globular Cluster at magnitude 6.5. M22 is supposedly the 3rd brightest Globular in the northern hemisphere; Hard to agree due to the interstellar dust that resides in this region. I also viewed M24, an open cluster in the same region. M24 appeared as a dense bundle of stars within the Milkyway. Finally, I viewed M28, a dim, dusty Globular also residing in Sagittarius. I was unable to see M20 (Trifid Nebula) or M8 (Lagoon Nebula) - mostly due to interstellar dust in this region and poor seeing conditions due to light pollution.

I also attempted to view Neptune tonight but failed to locate its small bluish disc. Jupiter was spectacular as usual in the Southern sky.

The Wild Duck Open Cluster

8/22/09
9:05pm to 10:24pm cst
partly cloudy to clear
mid 50s
Whitewater, WI

I viewed M26, an open cluster in Delphinus. At magnitude 9.5, it was not very exciting from my dark vantage point. M11 was the center piece of the night: at 250 million years old, M11 (also known as the Wild Duck Cluster) has about 3000 stars and is considered a open cluster. With a 25mm eyepiece, this deep sky object was impressive. M25 was another nice looking open cluster. Tough to miss at 4.90 magnitude, M25 has approx. 600 stars. M14 is a dim Globular in Ophiuchus, resolved in a 10mm eyepiece. M9 was another dim Globular resolved best in a 25mm eyepiece, located in Ophiuchus. M107 was difficult to view at 10 magnitude. Another Globular in Ophiuchus, it was dim though discernable using a 10mm eyepiece. M10 was a nice, though modest Globular in Ophiuchus. At magnitude 7.50, it was easy to view the dense core using a 10mm eyepiece. M16 is known as the Eagle Nebula. At 6.0 magnitude, it was easy to find, but difficult to draw: dusty, dim and hard to discern the actual shape. Best seen using a 10mm eyepiece. M17 was another dim, dusty looking Nebula that was easily found at 7.0 magnitude but difficult to draw. Finally, I viewed M18, a open cluster in Sagittarius. Worth noting you could see the dim "Milkyway" tonight.

M27, Planetary Nebula in July

M12 is a distant, faint globular cluster in Ophiuchus. At magnitude 8.00 this was viewed with a 10mm eyepiece. Also viewed was M23, in Sagittarius, a nicely detailed open cluster at magnitude 6.0 - best viewed with a 10mm eyepiece (object filled the entire field of view). M23 is approx. 4,500 light years from Earth. M27 is a planetary nebula found in Vulpecula. Using a 10mm eyepiece, I was able to just make out the dumbbell shape at magnitude 7.50. This nebula is about 1,250 light years away. M56 is a distant looking globular cluster in Lyra which is 40,000 light years away. I also found M71 in Sagitta, about 8,500 light years away. Difficult to view, this globular is about magnitude 8.5. Finally, I viewed M92, a globular in Hercules. Not as impressive as M13, this magnitude 7.50 object is still a worthwhile sight at 28,000 light years away.

South Barrington, IL
7/24/09
9:45-10:30pm CST
Clear - Calm
70 degrees
10"
10mm

The Great Hercules Globular Cluster

On June 25th, I viewed the impressive Hercules Globular Cluster, also known as M13. It was a balmy night in low 80s. Unfortunately, the mosquito's were terrible so it was a short night. M13 is a monster globular and at magnitude 7.0, a real eye stopper. With a 10mm eyepiece, I was able to discern actual individual stars. Found in the constellation Hercules, this cluster is comprised of about 400,000 stars and is 25 million light years away.

I also viewed M29 in Cygnus, a small open cluster. At magnitude 9.0 it was just an ordinary open cluster with about 6-7 primary alpha stars.

6/25/09
10:00pm-10:30pm CST
Partly Cloudy - Calm
79 degrees F
10"
10mm

The Blackeye Galaxy

5/11/09
9:00-10:30pm CST
Clear Skies
Calm Wind
53 degrees
10" Dob
10mm eyepiece

My first observation tonight was M5, a globular cluster in Serpens Capot. I used 5 Serpentis as a reference star. This was a giant dusty sphere easily seen in the night sky (magnitude 7.0). Visited M60, an elliptical galaxy at 11.5 magnitude and its barely visible companion galaxy NGC 4647. M49 was another elliptical galaxy in Virgo – just outside of the Virgo cluster of deep space objects. At magnitude 10, this was a large dusty sphere. Also viewed M85, a round Lenticular Galaxy (a cross between a spiral and elliptical galaxy)10.50 magnitude in Coma Berenices. Finally, viewed M64, the Blackeye Galaxy, which was a nice finish for the evening. M64 was a bright Spiral Galaxy in Coma Berenices. I look forward to seeing this galaxy again in darker nights as there is a dark lane visible near its center – yet not visible tonight in the suburbs.

Note: so far all astronomical notes and observations have been taken from Port Barrington, IL. In two weeks, I will be making the trip to the Indiana countryside where darkness is ample. It is there I will dive into the deep space grouping of Messier objects between Virgo and Coma Berenices – over 13 Messier objects alone within this small region!

M51 and seven other Spring Galaxies

It was a beautiful night: April 16th, 2009. As the sun set, I searched and found the planet Mercury (see earlier blog). As darkness fell, it was one of the clearest nights in recent memory. It was also one of the warmest since acquiring my new 10" Dobsonian - mid to lower 50s with calm wind. I found the following deep space objects between the 9:00 and 10:00pm CST hours.

I found M95 and M96, a pair of Galaxies in Leo. With a 10mm eye piece, both objects can be found in the same view. Both are considered Spiral Galaxies though they both were too dim and distant to effectively make out spiral structure. M96 is brighter and easier to find. Both objects range around 10-11 magnitude.

Next found was M104, the Sombrero Galaxy. I could definitely make out the central bulge on this edge on galaxy using a 5mm eye piece. I look forward to seeing this object in darker skies as more detail could be revealed. At 9.5 magnitude, this Spiral Galaxy in Leo was easily found.

Another worthy pair in Leo is the Leo Triplet which includes M65 and M66. I could not find the third object: NGC3628. Both M65 and M66 are spiral galaxies with a 10 magnitude. Both Messier objects could also be found together within a 10mm eye piece.

I found the Spindle Galaxy, M102 in Draco - a fat dusty oval. A 10 magnitude object considered a spindle galaxy. M102 appeared to be edge on using a 10mm eye piece.

Also cataloged was M51 (whirlpool galaxy), an impressive spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici. At magnitude 8, this object is easily spotted as well as its neighbor NGC 5195 - technically both objects are connected with a bridge of nebulosity - though I could not make out any such bridge at my location. This is another object worth seeing again in darker skies.

The final object was M63, the Sunflower Galaxy. A barred spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici. At magnitude 8.5 this object was very distinct through a 10mm eye piece.

Mercury

Mercury is a tough planet to spot. Not because of size or distance, but its orbit in relation to the Sun and Earth. Mercury is a challenge due to its small angular separation from the Sun. Being that Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, it is never far from the Sun's blinding glare. This means that only a few windows throughout the year allow for decent viewing - normally less than a hour after sunset or just before sunrise - and that window only happens for a few weeks.

Mercury moves around the sun faster than any other planet. Mercury travels about 48 km (30 miles) per second and it takes 88 Earth days to orbit the sun. The Planet Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system. It is named after a roman god. Mercury is dry, extremely hot and almost airless. The planet Mercury is too small for its gravity to retain any significant atmosphere over long periods of time. The weak atmosphere contains hydrogen, helium, oxygen, sodium, calcium and potassium. The surface of Mercury consists of cratered terrain and smooth plains and many deep craters similar to those on the moon - non of this was evident in my observations though.

On a clear evening on April 16th at dusk, I found Mercury while probing the western horizon just after the sunset. Due to the bumpy atmospheric conditions near the horizon, Mercury was jumping in and out of focus and was impossible to photograph with any reasonable results. The view was still impressive. A 3/4 crescent (much like Venus) with discernible orange and yellow coloring. Mercury was viewed using a 10mm and 5mm lense. Due to after glow from the sun and its relation to the horizon, even with a magnitude of .90, Mercury is tough to spot with the naked eye. I had to create search patterns with my view finder scope until the planet was discovered. Again, a worthy and rare find.

Some info from http://www.aerospaceguide.net/

Spiral Galaxies and Globulars

3/19/09
8:45pm-9:24pm CST
Clear
5-10 mph winds
27 degree temp

I viewed M53 in Coma Berenices, an 8.5 magnitude Globular Cluster using a 10mm eyepiece. M3 through a 10mm eyepiece was probably the most impressive object found tonight: At magnitude 6.5 this Globular Cluster found in Canes Venatici . M3 was a very pronounced dusty sphere of about 500,000 stars. I also viewed M94 considered a spiral galaxy but also cataloged as an elongated galaxy. At magnitude 9.5 this object was more or less a dusty sphere – no spiral construction was determined. I Cataloged HIP62700 as a reference star near by in Canes Venatici. M94 was best seen using a 5mm eyepiece. I also viewed M106 in Ursa Major, another dusty and dim Spiral Galaxy. Best seen using a 10mm eyepiece this object has a 9.5 magnitude. Saturn was very impressive tonight in the East, North East sky – The rings are still edge on and several moons where visible. Using a 5mm eyepiece, I was able to make out cloud bands and some interesting ring detail.