APOD 2.1

Astronomy Picture of the Day: Mirach's Ghost 2010 Oct. 28th

This is a good example of the effect diffraction and glare can have on a picture and viewing sample.  In actuality Mirach is a faint and fuzzy star considering it is nearly 10,000,000 light years away.  It itself is larger (yet cooler) than our sun and so we can't see it very well from where we are.  However, the diffraction and glare make the star seem extraordinarily bright.  This star is part of the constellation Andromedae and constitutes NGC 404. This is a completely different galaxy which is obvious considering its distance from us.

APOD 1.8

APOD October 18th: It Came From The Sun

This picture documents one of the largest solar prominences ever recorded.  A solar prominence is a large bright feature extending from the Sun's surface out into it's corona.  Depending on how stable the specific the prominence can sometimes last up to multiple months in the suns corona.  The largest prominence was 216,000 miles long which is 28 times the diameter of the Earth!  This picture illustrates the holding of the solar prominence to the sun by the sun's magnetic field.  That is how they stay for such a vast period of time.  There is a magnetic attraction between the two objects.  This picture documents an explosive prominence which don't last as long as quiescent prominences.   There are more volatile and have the ability to explode and dispel hot gas through out the surrounding atmosphere within a matter of minutes.  Because the prominences are slightly cooler than the surface of the sun when viewed through a telescope there appear dark.

APOD 1.7

Astronomy Picture of the Day on October 15th 2010: Vista with NGC 2170

This picture takes place in Monoceros, a one horned constellation.  It is photographing part of Monoceros's star forming region which explains the amount of activity in this picture.  NGC 2170 is the prettiest part of the picture.  It is a nebula with a blueish tint.  When viewed through a near infared spectrum there are signs that indicate there are many new stars forming, giant stars.  Winds and radiation from the star forming are changing the surrounding clouds and space.  This is a very volatile area of out universe.  The picture is incredible in appearance which is why I chose to do it.  Not too much is actually going on besides what has already been mentioned.  It's simply a perfect illustration of the beauty of the universe.

Tycho Brahe Biography

Tycho Brahe

      Brahe was born in Denmark (now a part Sweden) in 1546.  His father was a nobleman and he was always part of a higher class throughout his entire life which was necessary at the time in order to have the money and power to make his future discoveries.  At one point Brahe was said to have owned one percent of the entire wealth of Denmark. 

      Brahe was alive prior to the invention of the telescope and therefore was never capable of observing the heavens through a telescopic eye piece.  Through his observation he developed the Tychonic System.  In this system the Earth was the center of the universe which we clearly know now as not being true.)  Regardless, the moon and the sun revolved around the Earth.  Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn (the only observable planets without a telescope) revolved around the sun in a seperate revolution.  Although this system was soon discredited in Brahe's defence he was doing all of his experimenting and observation with the naked eye.  In 1572 Brahe observed a change in the heavens with the unexpected appearance of a star in the constellation Cassiopeia.  Prior to this event the heavens were regarded as unchangeable.  He proved that the object was farther away than the moon because parallax could not be observed.  Thus, this was the appearance of a star in the distant heavens which proved that the heavens are always changing.  This caused a large problem with the church at the time because the heavens were thought to be perfect and unchanging.  Brahe figured out that this was not true.  This was one of many contributions to astronomy made by Brahe.   

     Brahe's biggest legacy was his precise and accurate way of measuring the heavens.  He made a major contribution to the scientific method and set a standard for scientific review and observation.  Even though his theories about the composition of the universe were incorrect, he still did a lot for the scientific community.  In his own time he was not just known for his astronomical observation but also for his contributions to medicine and his creation of a higher education institution in Denmark.    

Interesting Fact: Tycho's first published piece of work was a Latin writing that he wrote for his brother who died before being baptized, not a astronomical discovery or hypothesis.  





Observation 10/11/10

I just went out into the clearing behind my house away from most external lighting to try and get a good view of some of the constellations. It was 10:11. (Thats right, 10:11 10/11/10)

The moon just passed a New Phase and is clearly waxing crescent tonight.

I am still having trouble locating constellations. I get lost. I think I saw the keystone, the popular asterism of Hercules.  Although I was not sure.

APOD 1.6

Astronomy Picture of the Day: Globular Star Cluster NGC 6934 October 9th 2010

The beauty of this picture is astounding.  The star cluster is estimated to have several hundred thousand stars.  Thinking about this in respect to there being an infinite universe that is expanding makes the human brain seem incompetent.  It makes me feel so small.  It makes the Earth feel so insignificant.  It's really a cool feeling to be put in perspective with the rest of the universe.  This picture does it well.  This cluster lies 50,000 light years away from the constellation Delphinus.  The picture itself spans 50 light years and was captured by none other than the Hubble Space Station.

This picture is my favorite yet. *set as background*

APOD 1.5

Astronomy Picture of the Day: Zarmina's World October 1st 2010

What a compelling article. The picture can't be taken too seriously as it is just an artist's rendition of what he/she thinks the real thing looks like. However, it puts it into perspective and helps me be able to visualize Zarmina's World which is potentially a habitable planet a " mere 20 light years away".  I find it comical how they prefence a distance of 20 light years with the word mere, but I guess in the context of an infinite universe, 20 light years isn't too far of a distance.  It is absolutely incredible that science is making such leaps and bounds into the discovery of a possibility of human life in our Milky Way galaxy.  Because this planet is so close astronomer's think that there are very possibly many more instances in our galaxy where life could be possible. With an orbital period of only 37 days, and an AU of .15, Zarmina's World is very different from Earth but it is in the star named Gliese 581's habitable zone so life is technically possible.

Absolutely fantastic.

Sources!

Dictionary of Scientific Biography, C Gillispie, editor. Charles Scribner's son. 1981

Encyclopedia of World Biography. Vol. 2. 2^nd ed.  Detroit: Gale, 2004. p489-490. http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=fl_sarhs&tabID=T003&searchId=R2&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=1&contentSet=GALE%7CCX3404700853&&docId=GALE|CX3404700853&docType=GALE&role=