tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79889848810321352112024-02-02T15:22:28.373+05:30vinayastro.blogspot.com - The Astronomy Blogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-36539514338564172892012-07-03T11:46:00.000+05:302012-07-03T11:46:06.412+05:30What is a black hole?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span>A "simple" definition of a black hole would be "A body with escape velocity greater then the speed of light." OK, now let me try to explain this with example.</span><br />
<span font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span font-family: inherit;">Theoretically anything with mass can be turned into a black hole. Its all depends upon the Escape Velocity(EV). EV is the speed needed if you want to "escape" from the gravity of a body. For example, escape velocity of earth is 11.2 km/s. If you shoot something(a rocket, cannonball etc) in the sky with less then this speed, it will fall back. But if you shoot it on higher speed then EV, it will be able to go out of the gravitational bounds of the earth. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;background-color:white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTcRHNcxfLosklvkOcSp2kbS7t98j70vtwg35xHJASBJesN8lmZOolDEiArob1srg3M1e2w-D6MIx0AwhNV7VO5xkYCjDlTnpBmUhz1ThJMdMCZwANbm4RwUnSVeNpM4ovLH7oYLDbqw9I/s1600/Newton_Cannonpng.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTcRHNcxfLosklvkOcSp2kbS7t98j70vtwg35xHJASBJesN8lmZOolDEiArob1srg3M1e2w-D6MIx0AwhNV7VO5xkYCjDlTnpBmUhz1ThJMdMCZwANbm4RwUnSVeNpM4ovLH7oYLDbqw9I/s200/Newton_Cannonpng.png" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Escape velocity(source: wikipedia)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span font-family: inherit;">Now if we keep "squeezing" the earth(told you, theoretically its possible :)) Mass will stay the same but EV will keep increasing. Eventually when you squeeze it down till somewhere about ~0.35 inches(Derived from formula to calculate escape velocity), the escape velocity of earth would be 3,00,000 km/s, i.e. the speed of light. Now according to Einstein's General theory of relativity, nothing can travel faster then light. Thus our squeezed earth is now a black hole. Nothing can escape the gravity of it. Not even light. Our Sun can achieve the same EV if its radius is squeezed to ~2.5 km.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Black holes have immense gravity. Once you are close enough of it, there is no way back. The Universe is full of unbelievable stuffs, the more we learn, the more we get blown off.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<br /></div>ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-87339421608084020972012-05-29T10:36:00.001+05:302012-05-29T10:36:30.164+05:30Watch out for the Venus Transit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Venus transit of 2012 :</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This time its literary once in a lifetime event.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Venus transits occur in pairs that are eight years apart, but these dual events take place less than once per century. The last transit happened in 2004, and the next won't come until 2117. So next month's transit is the last chance for skywatchers to see Earth's so-called sister planet trek across the solar disk.</span><br />
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<img height="213" src="http://news.utoronto.ca/sites/default/files/Venus_Transit-12-04-23_0.jpg" width="320" />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dont miss it if weather permits. There are less chances to see from Mumbai as the sky is mostly covered in clouds in June. Lets hope for the best :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-88633328228784078012012-03-13T15:08:00.001+05:302012-03-13T16:42:06.322+05:30Jupiter and Venus setting TimeLapse<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Wblz7e4Pefo" width="420"></iframe><br />
</div>Jupiter and Venus heading towards conjunction...This timelase was taken on 12th March, 3 days before conjunction date.ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-82091162237044673602012-02-07T17:01:00.000+05:302012-02-07T17:01:50.327+05:30Random nightsky,moon pics<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QB0OgZ2Mgko" width="420"></iframe></div>ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-12759392536064961942011-12-12T17:38:00.003+05:302011-12-12T17:58:52.340+05:30Lunar Eclipse on 10th December 2011<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Year's last lunar eclipse provided excellent views of moon. I took some pics and then set the camera to take images for timelapse..final video is below. This is my first time lapse of night sky and I do not have any tripod or mount therefore I just put camera on the ground facing moon..I had to move camera every 5 minutes of so to keep moon in the view..Click <a href="http://vinayastro.blogspot.com/p/gallery.html" target="_blank">here </a>to see some of the pics I took..Please share your comments/suggestions. Thanks for watching.<br />
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-<br />
Vinay<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YhaN_bdRem8" width="420"></iframe></div>ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-20990677705703265352011-11-09T13:20:00.000+05:302011-11-09T13:20:35.842+05:30New pics uploaded<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Hi Friends,<br />
I have uploaded few night sky pics in my gallery. please <a href="http://vinayastro.blogspot.com/p/gallery.html">click</a> here to see.<br />
<br />
-<br />
Vinay</div>ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-6387039844822262542011-09-23T15:39:00.000+05:302011-09-23T15:41:35.649+05:30Summer Triangle<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfy8XJkrmhTqENWZofovIPxJXM0JFsaYvWdkvitrjlYP-zKoIDuAx6E9SBL-5keoV7PL3hZHcYDXfABHa__S0QPoOj2UH3qrSHUBeC8liljdQ0yv5yKLeV_uI8rZ3aHRgniPIM-QDKnYxn/s1600/IMG_2131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfy8XJkrmhTqENWZofovIPxJXM0JFsaYvWdkvitrjlYP-zKoIDuAx6E9SBL-5keoV7PL3hZHcYDXfABHa__S0QPoOj2UH3qrSHUBeC8liljdQ0yv5yKLeV_uI8rZ3aHRgniPIM-QDKnYxn/s320/IMG_2131.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Summer triangle from my balcony. it was around midnight and sky was getting clearer. <br />
===========================<br />
Camera: Canon SX130 IS <br />
ISO: 200<br />
Exposure:40sec<br />
f/3.4<br />
<br />
-<br />
Vinay<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br /></div>
ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-86876234727110802112011-08-31T11:20:00.000+05:302011-08-31T11:20:43.771+05:30Canon SX130 with CHDK - HD Time Lapse Video 2 - Traffic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="400" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/o24kKFa6rw0" width="500"></iframe><br />
<br />
2 sec exposure each..total 150 photos taken with 3 second interval.. </div>ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-14219438621962484872011-08-27T06:41:00.002+05:302011-08-27T06:42:45.613+05:30Canon SX130 with CHDK - Time Lapse Video 1 - Clouds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="400" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/h8mWWbsk860" width="500"></iframe><br />
<br />
I created this Time lapse with Canon SX130- CHDK enabled.<br />
total 207 shots were taken with 4 seconds exposure each and Merged with windows live movie maker. </div>ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-33981222937355529872011-06-13T16:13:00.001+05:302011-07-16T18:08:11.314+05:30countdown begins...one of the darkest lunar eclipse coming up..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Hi,<br />
The lunar eclipse of 15th June is going to be one of the darkest eclipse of the century. moon will turn blood red and then black for some moments..(for more info on Lunar Eclipse click <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_eclipse">here</a>)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://science1.nasa.gov/media/medialibrary/2007/02/12/12feb_lunareclipse_resources/Murray1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://science1.nasa.gov/media/medialibrary/2007/02/12/12feb_lunareclipse_resources/Murray1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ef/Lunar_eclipse_chart_close-2011jun15.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">(image <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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Keep looking up...</div>ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-75143649478516402792011-05-27T17:50:00.008+05:302011-05-27T18:24:36.481+05:30Night sky images<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Hi Guys,<br />
<br />
<div multilinks-noscroll="true">I installed chdk in canon A700.(CHDK is excellent hack which enables many DSLR-like features in canon digital cameras.you can find all info about CHDK <a href="http://chdk.wikia.com/" multilinks-noscroll="true" target="_blank">here</a>).With CHDK I could take exposures upto 64 seconds. results are better then expected. See images below. Click the Image for larger version.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8emX9kIh-LU20GUALF7IiAp0QeWldz7n0HI0l35mdddTU1pQ9Fwbp2nIZ1EyQMQ3NvwK91FHC0XA4EhxArwD8oB-MFR_aoNTzI_O0ogPPQjllaClR5HyJKQm730KDVNZur63IMOukLPYx/s1600/IMG_2787%2528Modified%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8emX9kIh-LU20GUALF7IiAp0QeWldz7n0HI0l35mdddTU1pQ9Fwbp2nIZ1EyQMQ3NvwK91FHC0XA4EhxArwD8oB-MFR_aoNTzI_O0ogPPQjllaClR5HyJKQm730KDVNZur63IMOukLPYx/s400/IMG_2787%2528Modified%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Draco</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZZgys3qlVP6r719-yHG6Cr8UyTR7Q2Lmq55AcN-512WEQ2_e-852b_3UybIXF-53sRcO5cCxa3aYAwUhSEaN_lYKmSP1lYifF4ts79pARj7R9x-RGu0irbh2W8cD3fdSfnZIGWCsOTk8/s1600/IMG_2775%2528Modified%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZZgys3qlVP6r719-yHG6Cr8UyTR7Q2Lmq55AcN-512WEQ2_e-852b_3UybIXF-53sRcO5cCxa3aYAwUhSEaN_lYKmSP1lYifF4ts79pARj7R9x-RGu0irbh2W8cD3fdSfnZIGWCsOTk8/s400/IMG_2775%2528Modified%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hercules,Coma Boralis & Part of Bootes</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcQLwEuYdUVZOHVLpxp9Uwr0OCPo2zlNdGDynDaw_efHoSpprAPrMuiab2iVhPkpkX_bHsmr-XQRngAhE6Ch-1xdkq39BPT83TABtuPqb4COk-g2OLoJ24q-CPNugUlTMJ0wV4eU-6D1G/s1600/IMG_2785%2528Modified%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcQLwEuYdUVZOHVLpxp9Uwr0OCPo2zlNdGDynDaw_efHoSpprAPrMuiab2iVhPkpkX_bHsmr-XQRngAhE6Ch-1xdkq39BPT83TABtuPqb4COk-g2OLoJ24q-CPNugUlTMJ0wV4eU-6D1G/s400/IMG_2785%2528Modified%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lyra,Hercules & Part of Ophiuchus</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsjUXbYsMPFeF4Kaw2lj9NCLqOdkEfeTIc_UbA7Ou7GwHYr_t89vtPm_6NBNjb7e4A9qxSYYYoO12GcpZ94NuqoA8GnAPDm9wg6FZ0SUQXG86P8aMIbnR9bXtj87PkAu0ppVqeUU8cbkh/s1600/IMG_2770%2528Modified%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsjUXbYsMPFeF4Kaw2lj9NCLqOdkEfeTIc_UbA7Ou7GwHYr_t89vtPm_6NBNjb7e4A9qxSYYYoO12GcpZ94NuqoA8GnAPDm9wg6FZ0SUQXG86P8aMIbnR9bXtj87PkAu0ppVqeUU8cbkh/s400/IMG_2770%2528Modified%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scorpius</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWL5sYeBv_mZygT8-WIeVNjoU_Wsg1tALt7vw4P3EHAj0rpP__9ryCsZ2T-QcfeGceqosSLNA_7Um-Tm5kEVHneTlX6ROjVxup2GP6TjS5_D2cypg8kByya8UYoCBV6DB4QzrHJam5CYhO/s1600/IMG_2786%2528Modified%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWL5sYeBv_mZygT8-WIeVNjoU_Wsg1tALt7vw4P3EHAj0rpP__9ryCsZ2T-QcfeGceqosSLNA_7Um-Tm5kEVHneTlX6ROjVxup2GP6TjS5_D2cypg8kByya8UYoCBV6DB4QzrHJam5CYhO/s400/IMG_2786%2528Modified%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hercules,Draco,Lyra & Part of Cygnus</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVz2Ehx0BVfE9plpELfNo5daUwss93Sp9iV3GeYeOp-k0A6aseOln1y7R9zboLtD0cRux3Se2vEzc_dNHyxv0sh_4u-jU0v8yJNgAWtibX4PPblI0zDp1OyOMOSxCh4Ay5Vs-DSLJ-jmYJ/s1600/IMG_2788%2528Modified%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVz2Ehx0BVfE9plpELfNo5daUwss93Sp9iV3GeYeOp-k0A6aseOln1y7R9zboLtD0cRux3Se2vEzc_dNHyxv0sh_4u-jU0v8yJNgAWtibX4PPblI0zDp1OyOMOSxCh4Ay5Vs-DSLJ-jmYJ/s400/IMG_2788%2528Modified%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hercules,Coma Borealis,Bootes & Part of Ophiuchus</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Hjelk-txSVBa-1ew7mWV35wlyHAy6NwHN_t77hvSHLs_2gU_NRSgnLmWt42VKj60AgMFcAwVVFZwNzxV8ik0R9XjLiV_YxwWDUwPZj0c6MJ-ZUbYaUpuKPp83l09C4MgOCkXYrFe67f8/s1600/IMG_2737%2528Modified-Edited%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Hjelk-txSVBa-1ew7mWV35wlyHAy6NwHN_t77hvSHLs_2gU_NRSgnLmWt42VKj60AgMFcAwVVFZwNzxV8ik0R9XjLiV_YxwWDUwPZj0c6MJ-ZUbYaUpuKPp83l09C4MgOCkXYrFe67f8/s320/IMG_2737%2528Modified-Edited%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ursa Major</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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</div></div>ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-3564539894836826292011-04-30T12:32:00.000+05:302011-04-30T12:32:47.058+05:30New Equipment Added<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_LrR7k3pFvTe4KPmUWCoMQjqiU-_unJjja833huLAz1VO9DhBoR1CGaajjAb4Qy9oO75aeDsTQjzx0XIS6O-fBJ2QblcUdq8YCtzsZwC9HQ4mdaQ34nxM7-SiDvGOZHnxlTv6Z8OZ-MZ/s1600/eyepiece.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_LrR7k3pFvTe4KPmUWCoMQjqiU-_unJjja833huLAz1VO9DhBoR1CGaajjAb4Qy9oO75aeDsTQjzx0XIS6O-fBJ2QblcUdq8YCtzsZwC9HQ4mdaQ34nxM7-SiDvGOZHnxlTv6Z8OZ-MZ/s200/eyepiece.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>I added new 25mm GSO Plossl(click <a href="http://agenaastro.com/gso-25mm-plossl-eyepiece.html?SID=iaeajhttqv0rnol8i1ucj3ha73" target="_blank">here</a> for details) to my collection..its giving excellent results..taking pics of planets and moon through digital cameras will be easier now. will try and upload the pics soon..stay tuned..</div>ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-90451877811765387372011-04-15T16:48:00.000+05:302011-04-15T16:48:00.097+05:30Moon Images(Processed with Registax)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Hi guys,<br />
<br />
Yesterday night sky was clear so I tried record moon. With cheap webcam I was not getting satisfactory results, therefore I tried to process the images with a great freeware called Registax(you can download it from <a href="http://www.astronomie.be/registax/" target="_blank">here</a>). Though it was my first ever attempt with registax, I found it very easy to use and effective. Results are as below.<br />
<br />
<b>Before Processing</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzXeZG9Nw04mZ3JTEcNvLn0ngGOcNTifhry_YGoqFtXUVo0I4ynbc1CMr-tBI9p2cBzJQz8BI32MeWm6MosKkgZkZr6JThoJL9GxaGWPtjxRmqoPCLZ4X3CNig6h5DhkHiKF55wet9LnS/s1600/Moon_R_15_04_2011_015414.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzXeZG9Nw04mZ3JTEcNvLn0ngGOcNTifhry_YGoqFtXUVo0I4ynbc1CMr-tBI9p2cBzJQz8BI32MeWm6MosKkgZkZr6JThoJL9GxaGWPtjxRmqoPCLZ4X3CNig6h5DhkHiKF55wet9LnS/s320/Moon_R_15_04_2011_015414.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><br><br />
<b>After Processing</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQomih_Nvtto_eBpQ7ZsfmTjWimH7vWvD2pi8mZJv0K7S8RjSqSvXS7i2ZNjyEE_pbKODxzCxc8cG6PcUT6Ai-VKA4BR7qIP6XE4CyrxITFoEesIK2FyG4O0rtDooJpG0QIX3m7xHr9Da/s1600/Moon_R_15_04_2011_02103111.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQomih_Nvtto_eBpQ7ZsfmTjWimH7vWvD2pi8mZJv0K7S8RjSqSvXS7i2ZNjyEE_pbKODxzCxc8cG6PcUT6Ai-VKA4BR7qIP6XE4CyrxITFoEesIK2FyG4O0rtDooJpG0QIX3m7xHr9Da/s320/Moon_R_15_04_2011_02103111.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><br><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl12ScQEOIL4JMDYTxUtGUdo_qjYRT9yWdaoU2nVuEy5FdjPJy5qfdKf8_GLWLvnbGHDiRbJL6pODxOtitJ7IOQC_5P7YqeZIU4d2BIfRlmjU2ZDIHxHZvfvX_Qa6VL3v1pusTbC1JaXJ7/s1600/Moon_R_15_04_2011_0210311.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl12ScQEOIL4JMDYTxUtGUdo_qjYRT9yWdaoU2nVuEy5FdjPJy5qfdKf8_GLWLvnbGHDiRbJL6pODxOtitJ7IOQC_5P7YqeZIU4d2BIfRlmjU2ZDIHxHZvfvX_Qa6VL3v1pusTbC1JaXJ7/s320/Moon_R_15_04_2011_0210311.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div>ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-84802844009761355662011-03-31T11:42:00.000+05:302011-03-31T11:57:37.342+05:30Moon through telescope and webcam<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">few weeks before I tried to record moon and other planets through my 4 inch reflector telescope and a webcam..results are following...videos are bit shaky as it was my 1st attempt...<br />
</div><br />
<b>Moon</b><br />
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="500" height="400" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/raBmvQsXzAA?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Saturn</b><br />
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="500" height="400" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Q5zPAwPNbtk?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Jupiter & its Moons</b><br />
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="500" height="400" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RuefUJ3v1Bw?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-51676570392827437612010-11-08T10:44:00.000+05:302010-11-08T10:46:29.054+05:30New Supernova Lights Up Leo<a href="http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/snLeo.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-77619" height="505" src="http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/snLeo.jpg" title="snLeo" width="502" /></a><br />
<br />
A new <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/46644/supernova/" rel="external" title="">supernova</a>? Darn right. Lighting up <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/21173/leo/" rel="external" title="">Leo</a>? Well… not without some serious visual aid, but the fact that someone out there is watching and has invited us along for the ride is mighty important. And just who might that someone be? None other than Tim Puckett. <span id="more-77618"></span><br />
Less than 24 hours ago, the American Association of Variable <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/24184/stars/" rel="external" title="">Star</a> Observer’s Report #222 stated:<br />
“Bright Supernova in UGC 5189A: SN 2010jl<br />
November 5, 2010<br />
We have been informed by Tim Puckett and by the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams (CBET 2532, Daniel W. E. Green, Ed.) of the <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/53090/discovery-space-shuttle/" rel="external" title="">discovery</a> of a bright supernova in UGC 5189A by J. Newton and Puckett, Portal, AZ, on November 3.52 UT at unfiltered magnitude 13.5. Confirming images (limiting magnitude 19.1) by Puckett on Nov. 4.50 UT showed the object at magnitude 12.9.<br />
Spectroscopic observations (CBET 2536, Daniel W. E. Green, Ed.) by S. Benetti and F. Bufano, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, on behalf of a larger collaboration, and by J. Vinko, University of Szeged, G. H. Marion, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/50818/astrophysics/" rel="external" title="">Astrophysics</a> and University of Texas, T. Pritchard, Pennsylvania State University, and J. C. Wheeler and E. Chatzopoulos, University of Texas, show that SN 2010jl is a type-IIn supernova. Vinko et al. also report that simultaneous measurements with Swift/UVOT in the <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/34588/ultraviolet/" rel="external" title="">ultraviolet</a> bands confirm that the transient is ultraviolet-bright, as expected for young, interacting <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/52416/supernovae/" rel="external" title="">supernovae</a>.<br />
Coordinates: 09 42 53.33 +09 29 41.8 (J2000.0) This position is 2.4″ east and 7.7″ north of the center of UGC 5189A. This AAVSO Special Notice was prepared by Elizabeth O. Waagen.”<br />
<a href="http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/UGC5189A.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-77621" height="200" src="http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/UGC5189A-250x250.jpg" title="UGC5189A" width="200" /></a> <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/dss_search.gif"><img alt="" class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-77622" height="200" src="http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/dss_search-250x250.gif" title="dss_search" width="200" /></a><br />
While magnitude 12-12.9 isn’t unaided eye bright by a long shot, it’s well within the reach of most of today’s backyard <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/14424/telescopes/" rel="external" title="">telescopes</a>. The image you see here on the right is of UGC 5189A before the event and the lefthand image was taken at the time of the supernova report. Visually the SN event outshines the <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/30168/galaxies/" rel="external" title="">galaxy</a>! While chasing a faint supernova event might not be everyone’s cup of tea, Mr. Puckett’s devotion is absolutely legendary and I strongly encourage you to have a look if you have the the tools and talent.<br />
So many supernovae… So little time!ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-5735639834956091512010-09-30T16:54:00.000+05:302010-09-30T16:56:16.566+05:30New Earth-sized Exoplanet is in Star’s Habitable Zone<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_23338" style="width: 500px;"><a href="http://c2431622.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/070424_gliese581c_02.jpg"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-23338" height="390" src="http://c2431622.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/070424_gliese581c_02-580x417.jpg" title="Artist illustration of a super Earth around Gliese 581" width="500" /></a><br />
<div class="wp-caption-text">Artist illustration of a super Earth around Gliese 581</div></div>An enticing new <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/53074/earth-like-planets/" rel="external" title="">extrasolar</a> <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/35923/planet/" rel="external" title="">planet</a> found using the Keck Observatory in <a class="iAs" href="http://www.universetoday.com/74640/new-earth-sized-exoplanet-is-in-star%e2%80%99s-habitable-zone/#" style="background-color: transparent ! important; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0.2em dotted rgb(43, 101, 176) ! important; color: rgb(43, 101, 176) ! important; font-size: 100% ! important; font-weight: normal ! important; padding-bottom: 0px ! important; padding-left: 0pt; padding-right: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none ! important;" target="_blank"><nobr id="itxt_nobr_3_0" style="color: #2b65b0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;">Hawaii<img name="itxt-icon-0" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif" style="border: 0pt none; display: inline ! important; float: none; height: 10px; left: 1px; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; position: relative; top: 1px; width: 10px;" /></nobr></a> is just three times the <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/14482/mass-of-the-earth/" rel="external" title="">mass of Earth</a> and it <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/34665/orbit/" rel="external" title="">orbits</a> the parent <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/24184/stars/" rel="external" title="">star</a> squarely in the middle of the star’s “Goldilocks zone,” a potential habitable region where liquid water could exist on <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/15502/planets-in-the-solar-system/" rel="external" title="">the planet</a>‘s surface. If confirmed, this would be the most <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/14367/earth/" rel="external" title="">Earth</a>-like <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/42537/exoplanet/" rel="external" title="">exoplanet</a> yet discovered and the first strong case for a potentially habitable one. The discoverers also say this finding could mean our <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/30168/galaxies/" rel="external" title="">galaxy</a> may be teeming with prospective habitable <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/35923/planet/" rel="external" title="">planets</a>.<br />
<span id="more-74640"></span><br />
“Our findings offer a very compelling case for a potentially habitable planet,” said Steven Vogt from UC <a class="iAs" href="http://www.universetoday.com/74640/new-earth-sized-exoplanet-is-in-star%e2%80%99s-habitable-zone/#" style="background-color: transparent ! important; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0.2em dotted rgb(43, 101, 176) ! important; color: rgb(43, 101, 176) ! important; font-size: 100% ! important; font-weight: normal ! important; padding-bottom: 0px ! important; padding-left: 0pt; padding-right: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none ! important;" target="_blank">Santa <nobr id="itxt_nobr_12_0" style="color: #2b65b0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;">Cruz<img name="itxt-icon-0" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif" style="border: 0pt none; display: inline ! important; float: none; height: 10px; left: 1px; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; position: relative; top: 1px; width: 10px;" /></nobr></a>. “The fact that we were able to detect this planet so quickly and so nearby tells us that planets like this must be really common.”<br />
Vogt and his team from the Lick-Carnegie Exoplanet Survey actually found two <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/34725/new-planets/" rel="external" title="">new planets</a> around the heavily studied red <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/73810/dwarf/" rel="external" title="">dwarf</a> star <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/57213/gliese-581/" rel="external" title="">Gliese</a> 581, where planets have been found previously. Now with six known planets, <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/57213/gliese-581/" rel="external" title="">Gliese 581</a> hosts a planetary system most similar to our own. It is located 20 <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/56474/light-years/" rel="external" title="">light years</a> away from Earth in the <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/19516/constellations/" rel="external" title="">constellation</a> <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/21741/libra/" rel="external" title="">Libra</a>.<br />
The most interesting of the two new planets is Gliese 581g, with a mass three to four times that of <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/14367/earth/" rel="external" title="">the Earth</a> and an orbital period of just under 37 days. Its mass indicates that it is probably a rocky planet with likely enough gravity to hold on to an atmosphere.<br />
The planet is also tidally locked to the star, meaning that one side is always facing the star in <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/47751/sunlight/" rel="external" title="">sunlight</a>, while the side facing away from the star is in perpetual darkness. One effect of this is to stabilize the planet’s surface climates, according to Vogt. The most habitable zone on the planet’s surface would be on the <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/73622/terminator/" rel="external" title="">terminator</a>, the line between shadow and light, with surface temperatures decreasing toward the dark side and increasing toward the light side.<br />
“Any emerging life forms would have a wide range of stable climates to choose from and to evolve around, depending on their longitude,” Vogt said.<br />
There has been debate about the other planets found previously around Gliese 581, whether they could be habitable or not. Two of them lie at the edges of the habitable zone, one on the hot side (planet c) and one on the cold side (planet d). While some astronomers still think planet d may be habitable if it has a thick atmosphere with a strong <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/71985/greenhouse-effect/" rel="external" title="">greenhouse effect</a> to warm it up, others are skeptical. The newly discovered planet g, however, lies right in the middle of the habitable zone.<br />
“We had planets on both sides of the habitable zone–one too hot and one too cold–and now we have one in the middle that’s just right,” Vogt said.<br />
The researchers estimate that the average surface <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/73696/what-is-temperature/" rel="external" title="">temperature</a> of the planet is between -24 and 10 degrees Fahrenheit (-31 to -12 degrees Celsius). Actual temperatures would range from blazing hot on the side facing the star to freezing cold on the dark side.<br />
If Gliese 581g has a rocky composition similar to the Earth’s, its diameter would be about 1.2 to 1.4 times that of the Earth. The surface gravity would be about the same or slightly higher than Earth’s, so that a person could easily walk upright on the planet, Vogt said.<br />
The planet was found using the HIRES spectrometer (designed by Vogt) on the Keck I <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/14424/telescopes/" rel="external" title="">Telescope</a>, measuring the star’s radial velocity. The gravitational tug of an orbiting planet causes periodic changes in the radial velocity of the host star. Multiple planets induce complex wobbles in the star’s motion, and astronomers use sophisticated analyses to detect planets and determine their orbits and masses.<br />
“It’s really hard to detect a planet like this,” Vogt said. “Every time we measure the radial velocity, that’s an evening on the telescope, and it took more than 200 observations with a precision of about 1.6 meters per second to detect this planet.”<br />
In addition to the radial velocity observations, coauthors Henry and Williamson made precise night-to-night brightness measurements of the star with one of Tennessee State University’s robotic <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/14424/telescopes/" rel="external" title="">telescopes</a>. “Our brightness measurements verify that the radial velocity variations are caused by the new orbiting planet and not by any process within the star itself,” Henry said.<br />
The researchers also explored the implications of this <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/53090/discovery-space-shuttle/" rel="external" title="">discovery</a> with respect to the number of <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/24184/stars/" rel="external" title="">stars</a> that are likely to have at least one potentially habitable planet. Given the relatively small number of stars that have been carefully monitored by planet hunters, this discovery has come surprisingly soon.<br />
“If these are rare, we shouldn’t have found one so quickly and so nearby,” Vogt said. “The number of systems with potentially habitable planets is probably on the order of 10 or 20 percent, and when you multiply that by the hundreds of billions of stars in <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/21563/milky-way/" rel="external" title="">the Milky Way</a>, that’s a large number. There could be tens of billions of these systems in <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/32288/first-extra-galactic-planet-may-have-been-detected/" rel="external" title="">our galaxy</a>.”<br />
Source:<a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/emb_releases/2010-09/uoc--ndp092810.php"> University of California – Santa Cruz</a>ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-31126653178515342102010-09-29T19:05:00.001+05:302010-09-29T19:06:53.296+05:30ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS FOR OCTOBER 2010<div class="post-header"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9qspZLUs86PqMd4RnshaFQ7OzTiiBQchbBdHkw502zNHVz7gnCd9hNAdRoP5uk7Gx2cwQX27vCiFd9enYpSdOAxcydAlz30Tf1Cajk7_XXp4n1HAeS7tX2uA5-sj8oN64N2Kz2hIgp2O/s1600/wholeskychart.ashx.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9qspZLUs86PqMd4RnshaFQ7OzTiiBQchbBdHkw502zNHVz7gnCd9hNAdRoP5uk7Gx2cwQX27vCiFd9enYpSdOAxcydAlz30Tf1Cajk7_XXp4n1HAeS7tX2uA5-sj8oN64N2Kz2hIgp2O/s320/wholeskychart.ashx.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<br />
<b>Oct 1</b>: Comet 103P Hartley is just 1 deg 37’ from Alpha Cassiopeia<br />
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<b>Oct 1</b>: Saturn Conjunction<br />
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<b>Oct 1</b>: Last Quarter Moon<br />
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<b>Oct 5</b>: A Waning Crescent Moon stands within 6 degrees from Regulus in East just before dawn<br />
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<b>Oct 7</b>: Mars is just 41’25” from a 2.7th mag star Alpha Librae after sunset in West<br />
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<b>Oct 7</b>: Comet 103P Hartley is just 1.5 deg away from “Double Clusters” in Perseus. Great opportunity for astro-photographers!!<br />
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<b>Oct 8</b>: New Moon<br />
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<b>Oct 8-9</b>: Draconids Meteor Shower will peak in a New Moon night. Expect a peak rate of 10 meteors per hour under clear, moonless conditions.<br />
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<b>Oct 11</b>: A Waxing Crescent Moon is just 2 degrees from Antares in West at the time of evening<br />
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<b>Oct 15</b>: First Quarter Moon<br />
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<b>Oct 17</b>: Mercury Superior Conjunction<br />
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<b>Oct 18</b>: Comet 103P Hartley is within 3 degrees south of brilliant Capella<br />
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<b>Oct 20</b>: The Moon is within 8 degrees from Jupiter<br />
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<b>Oct 20</b>: Comet 103P Hartley is closest to Earth by distance of 0.12 AU.<br />
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<b>Oct 21-22</b>: Orionids Meteor Shower will peak in presence of a Waxing Gibbous (95% illuminated) Moon. This shower produces a peak rate of 20 meteors per hour.<br />
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<b>Oct 23</b>: Comet 103P Hartley is just 1.5 deg from the Open Cluster M37 after midnight<br />
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<b>Oct 23</b>: Full Moon<br />
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<b>Oct 25</b>: The Moon is just about 4 degrees from M45<br />
<br />
<b>Oct 26</b>: Comet 103P Hartley is 3 degrees from a rich open cluster M35 in Gemini after midnight<br />
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<b>Oct 29</b>: Venus Inferior Conjunction<br />
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<b>Oct 30</b>: Last Quarter Moon<br />
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<div style="border: medium none;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">THIS MONTH’S PLANET ROUND-UP</span></b></div><div style="border: medium none;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="border: medium none;"><b>VENUS</b>: Very low in the evening sky. The planet will be on Inferior Conjunction on 29th October.</div><div style="border: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border: medium none;"><b>MARS</b>: Along with Venus, Mars is very low in the evening sky at West. Mars will be just 41’25” from a 2.7th mag star Alpha Librae on 7th.</div><div style="border: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border: medium none;"><b>JUPITER</b>: Jupiter will be visible for most of the time of night during October. The planet <b>URANUS</b> will remain close with Jupiter.</div><div style="border: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border: medium none;"><b>SATURN</b>: The ringed world will emerge from the early morning eastern sky around 20th August. The planet will be very close to Gamma Virginis star.</div><div style="border: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border: medium none;"><b>MERCURY</b>: Mercury will be on Superior Conjunction on 17th.</div>ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-79762659547500648592010-09-03T15:06:00.000+05:302010-09-03T15:09:01.098+05:30Supernova Spews Its Guts Across Space<object height="385" width="450"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4AT71_n7CFQ?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4AT71_n7CFQ?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="450" height="385"></embed></object><br />
The recently refurbished Hubble Space Telescope has taken a new look at Supernova 1987A and its famous "String of Pearls," a glowing ring 6 trillion miles in diameter encircling the supernova remnant. The sharper and clearer images are allowing astronomers to see the “innards” of the star being ejected into space following the explosion, and comparing the new images with ones taken previously provides a unique glimpse of a young supernova remnant as it evolves. They found significant brightening of the object over time, and also evident is how the shock wave from the star’s explosion has expanded and rebounded.<br />
<br />
Kevin France from the University of Colorado Boulder and colleagues compared the new Hubble data on the SN1987A taken in 2010 with older images, and observed the supernova in optical, ultraviolet and near-infrared light. They were able to look at the interplay between the stellar explosion and the 'String of Pearls' that encircles the supernova remnant. The gas ring — energized by X-rays — likely was spewed out about 20,000 years before the supernova exploded, and shock waves rushing out from the remnant have been brightening some 30 to 40 pearl-like "hot spots" in the ring — objects that likely will grow and merge together in the coming years to form a continuous, glowing circle.<br />
<a href="http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Hubble-image.jpeg"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-72696" height="400" src="http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Hubble-image.jpeg" title="Supernova 1987A and a glowing gas ring encircling the supernova remnant known as the "String of Pearls." Credit: NASA" width="420" /></a>ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-19436941136450518842010-09-03T14:53:00.000+05:302010-09-03T14:55:45.875+05:30Ultraluminous Gamma Ray Burst 080607 – A "Monster in the Dark"<div class="PostContent"><div class="wp-caption alignleft" id="attachment_54205" style="width: 500px;"><a href="http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Shedding-Light-on-Dark-Gamma-Ray-Bursts.jpg"><img alt="Shedding Light on Dark Gamma Ray Bursts" class="size-medium wp-image-54205" height="400" src="http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Shedding-Light-on-Dark-Gamma-Ray-Bursts-580x435.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<div class="wp-caption-text"><br />
</div></div><a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/34652/gamma-rays/" rel="external" title="">Gamma Ray</a> Bursts (GRBs) are among the most energetic phenomena astronomers regularly observe. These events are triggered by massive explosions and a large amount of the energy if focused into narrow beams that sweep across the <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/36425/the-universe/" rel="external" title="">universe</a>. These beams are so tightly concentrated that they can be seen across the visible universe and allow astronomers to probe <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/36425/the-universe/" rel="external" title="">the universe</a>'s history. If such an event happened in <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/32288/first-extra-galactic-planet-may-have-been-detected/" rel="external" title="">our galaxy</a> and we stood in the path of the beam, the effects would be pronounced and <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/10399/gamma-ray-bursts-could-have-led-to-extinctions/">may lead to large extinctions</a>. Yet one of the most energetic GRBs on record (<a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/44992/grb/" rel="external" title="">GRB</a> 080607) was shrouded in cloud of gas and dust dimming the blast by a factor of 20 – 200, depending on the wavelength. Despite this strong veil, the GRB was still bright enough to be detected by small optical <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/14424/telescopes/" rel="external" title="">telescopes</a> for over an hour. So what can this hidden monster tell astronomers about ancient <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/30168/galaxies/" rel="external" title="">galaxies</a> and GRBs in general?<span id="more-72710"></span><br />
GRB 080607 was discovered on June 6, 2008 by the <i>Swift</i> satellite. Since GRBs are short lived events, searches for them are automated and upon detection, the <i>Swift</i> satellite immediately oriented itself towards the source. Other GRB hunting <a class="iAs" classname="iAs" href="http://www.universetoday.com/72710/ultraluminous-gamma-ray-burst-080607-a-monster-in-the-dark/#" itxtdid="22896847" style="background-color: transparent ! important; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0.2em dotted rgb(43, 101, 176) ! important; color: rgb(43, 101, 176) ! important; font-size: 100% ! important; font-weight: normal ! important; padding-bottom: 0px ! important; padding-left: 0pt; padding-right: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none ! important;" target="_blank"><nobr id="itxt_nobr_13_0" style="color: #2b65b0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;">satellites<img name="itxt-icon-0" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif" style="border: 0pt none; display: inline ! important; float: none; height: 10px; left: 1px; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; position: relative; top: 1px; width: 10px;" /></nobr></a> quickly joined in and ground based observatories, including ROTSE-III and Keck made observations as well. This large collection of instruments allowed astronomers, led by D. A. Perley of UC Berkley, to develop a strong understanding of not just the GRB, but also the obscuring gas. Given that the host <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/30168/galaxies/" rel="external" title="">galaxy</a> lies at a distance of over 4 billion <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/56474/light-years/" rel="external" title="">light years</a>, this has provided a unique probe into the nature of the environment of such distant galaxies.<br />
One of the most surprising features was unusually strong absorption near 2175 °A. Although such absorption has been noticed in <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/30525/other-galaxies/" rel="external" title="">other galaxies</a>, it has been rare in galaxies at such large cosmological distances. In the local universe, this feature seems to be most common in dynamically stable galaxies but tends to be "absent in more disturbed locations such as the SMC, nearby <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/30872/starburst-galaxy/" rel="external" title="">starburst galaxies</a>" as well as some regions of the <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/21563/milky-way/" rel="external" title="">Milky Way</a> which more turbulence is present. The team uses this feature to imply that the host galaxy was stable as well. Although this feature is familiar in nearby galaxies, <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/46219/observing-news-nova-eridani-flash-fire/" rel="external" title="">observing</a> it in this case makes it the furthest known example of this phenomenon. The precise cause of this feature is not yet known, although other studies have indicated "polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and graphite" are possible suspects.<br />
Earlier studies of this event have shown other novel spectral features. A paper by Sheffer et al. notes that <a class="iAs" classname="iAs" href="http://www.universetoday.com/72710/ultraluminous-gamma-ray-burst-080607-a-monster-in-the-dark/#" itxtdid="22971023" style="background-color: transparent ! important; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0.2em dotted rgb(43, 101, 176) ! important; color: rgb(43, 101, 176) ! important; font-size: 100% ! important; font-weight: normal ! important; padding-bottom: 0px ! important; padding-left: 0pt; padding-right: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none ! important;" target="_blank">the <nobr id="itxt_nobr_21_0" style="color: #2b65b0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;">spectrum<img name="itxt-icon-0" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif" style="border: 0pt none; display: inline ! important; float: none; height: 10px; left: 1px; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; position: relative; top: 1px; width: 10px;" /></nobr></a> also revealed molecular hydrogen. Again, such a feature is common in the local universe and many other galaxies, but never before has such an observation been made linked to a galaxy in which a GRB has occurred. Molecular hydrogen (as well as other molecular compounds) become disassociated at high temperatures like the ones in galaxies containing large amounts of <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/24190/how-does-a-star-form/" rel="external" title="">star formation</a> that would produce regions with large <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/24184/stars/" rel="external" title="">stars</a> capable of triggering GRBs. With observations of one molecule in hand, this lead Sheffer's team to suspect that there might be large amounts of other molecules, such as carbon monoxide (CO). This too was detected making yet another first for the odd environment of a GRB host.<br />
This unusual environment may help to explain a class of GRBs known as "subluminous optical bursts" or "<a href="http://www.universetoday.com/32153/%E2%80%9Cdark%E2%80%9D-gamma-ray-bursts-shed-light-on-star-formation/">dark bursts</a>" in which the optical component of the burst (especially the afterglow) is less bright than would be predicted by comparison to more traditional GRBs.<br />
Sources:<br />
<a href="http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/1009/1009.0004v1.pdf">Monster in the Dark: The Ultra Luminous GRB 080706 and its Dusty Environment</a><br />
<a href="http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/0907/0907.1285v1.pdf">The Discovery of Vibrationally-Excited H2 In the Molecular Cloud Near GRB 080706</a></div>ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-6925705047258751962010-09-01T10:56:00.001+05:302010-09-01T10:56:24.642+05:30Sky Calender for September<h3 class="post-title entry-title"> </h3><div class="post-header"> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk23qnRfuTDk40M4iJg6NeVQ9DKcU0cXv36ZxUW4XPNfSvskL2JcDDX-W1QY-aRsqZBAi9hbcmQ09HyQ1DNeuBETmLiTQvOVEvUg9jADZAKXzbM9Hff6fTQKh70QZrWi9hys-kf3ecvtHB/s1600/wholeskychart.ashx.gif" imageanchor="1" linkindex="19" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk23qnRfuTDk40M4iJg6NeVQ9DKcU0cXv36ZxUW4XPNfSvskL2JcDDX-W1QY-aRsqZBAi9hbcmQ09HyQ1DNeuBETmLiTQvOVEvUg9jADZAKXzbM9Hff6fTQKh70QZrWi9hys-kf3ecvtHB/s320/wholeskychart.ashx.gif" /></a></div><b><br />
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</b> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS FOR SEPTEMBER 2010</span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Sept 1</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">: The Moon is nearly 2 degrees SW of Pleiades after midnight <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Sept 1</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">: Venus is </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">just 1 degree SW of Spica in the west after sunset<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Sept 2</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">: The Moon is within 8 degrees North of Aldebaran<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Sept 3</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">: Mercury Inferior Conjunction<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Sept 8</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">: New Moon<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Sept 11</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">: A Waxing Crescent Moon (only 14% illuminated) is just 1 degree away from bright Venus at 8:00pm in the western sky<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi097nN2vU8ovLP9b-QvGtMztiPBxwlzT6NuOhSkjae3G8LMhDxnmgssZcbJI7g-3kp-AriwHeoj9ispEhvlks8sq0xL0w9-wfEB201SSQZ1kNgwv1QILD9aGvBcocdQZr93QZnkNyKRF3o/s1600/moon-venus+on+11th.jpg" imageanchor="1" linkindex="20" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi097nN2vU8ovLP9b-QvGtMztiPBxwlzT6NuOhSkjae3G8LMhDxnmgssZcbJI7g-3kp-AriwHeoj9ispEhvlks8sq0xL0w9-wfEB201SSQZ1kNgwv1QILD9aGvBcocdQZr93QZnkNyKRF3o/s320/moon-venus+on+11th.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Sept 14</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">: The Moon stands within 4.5 degrees from Antares<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Sept 15</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">: First Quarter Moon<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Sept 19</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">: Mercury Greatest Western Elongation<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Sept 21</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">: Both Jupiter (Angular dia. 50 arc sec) and Uranus (Angular dia. 3.7 arc sec) are at opposition. Both the planets will be just 49’35” apart in the constellation Pisces.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Sept 23</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">: Full Moon<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Sept 28</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">: The Moon and Pleiades are 5.5 degrees apart<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">SEPTEMBER 2010 PLANET ROUND-UP</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Saturn</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">: Very low in the western evening sky and will be lost in the glare of sun after mid September.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Mars</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">: In the western evening sky in the constellation Virgo. The planet shines at mag. 1.5. The planet will be nearly 2 degrees from Spica on 5<sup>th</sup>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Venus</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">: The brightest light in the western evening sky for the whole month. On 1<sup>st</sup> September the planet will be just 1 degree from Spica. On 11<sup>th</sup> the planet will be again 1 degree from beautiful Crescent Moon making a lovely scene fits in almost any wide-field instrument. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:place w:st="on"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Neptune</span></b></st1:place><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">: Shines at mag. 7.8 throughout the month in the constellation Capricornus. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Jupiter & Uranus</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">: Both planets will be at opposition on September 21<sup>st</sup> and will be just 49’35” apart at that time. It will be great opportunity to see both planets together in one field of view when both are at opposition.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Mercury</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">: The planet will emerge from the eastern morning sky around 10<sup>th</sup> September. Mercury will be at greatest Western Elongation on 19<sup>th</sup>. At that time the planet will be 18 degrees from sun. <br />
</span>ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-85178797312936916802010-08-28T13:05:00.000+05:302010-08-28T13:05:23.769+05:30Weird Crater on Mars is a Mystery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/mars-crater-580x325.jpg" imageanchor="1" linkindex="17" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/mars-crater-580x325.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="wp-caption-text">Orcus Patera is an enigmatic elliptical depression. Credits: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum</div>This is one of the strangest looking <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/54726/craters/" linkindex="18" rel="external" title="">craters</a> ever found on <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/14701/mars/" linkindex="19" rel="external" title="">Mars</a>, and this platypus-tail-shaped <a class="iAs" classname="iAs" href="http://www.universetoday.com/72269/weird-crater-on-mars-is-a-mystery/#" itxtdid="22823881" style="background-color: transparent ! important; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0.2em dotted rgb(43, 101, 176) ! important; color: rgb(43, 101, 176) ! important; font-size: 100% ! important; font-weight: normal ! important; padding-bottom: 0px ! important; padding-left: 0pt; padding-right: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none ! important;" target="_blank"><nobr id="itxt_nobr_5_0" style="color: #2b65b0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;">depression<img name="itxt-icon-0" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif" style="border: 0pt none; display: inline ! important; float: none; height: 10px; left: 1px; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; position: relative; top: 1px; width: 10px;" /></nobr></a>, called Orcus Patera, is an enigma. The term ‘patera’ is used for complex or irregularly shaped <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/27732/what-are-volcanoes/" linkindex="20" rel="external" title="">volcanic</a> craters, but planetary scientists aren’t sure if this landform is volcanic in origin. Orcus Patera lies between the <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/27333/types-of-volcanoes/" linkindex="21" rel="external" title="">volcanoes</a> of Elysium Mons and <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/41510/olympus-mons/" linkindex="22" rel="external" title="">Olympus Mons</a>, but its formation remains a mystery. This is the latest image of the object, taken by ESA’s Mars Express.<br />
<span id="more-72269"></span><br />
It could be an <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/35533/impact-crater/" linkindex="23" rel="external" title="">impact crater</a> that originally was round, but then subsequently deformed by compressional forces. Or, it could have formed from two craters next to each where the adjoining rims eroded. However, the most likely explanation is that it was made in an oblique impact, when a small body struck the surface at a very shallow angle.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/mars-crater-relief-580x324.jpg" imageanchor="1" linkindex="24" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/mars-crater-relief-580x324.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="wp-caption-text">Relief image of Orcus Patera. Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum)</div>It is 380 km long by by 140 km wide, and has a rim that rises up to 1,800 meters above the surrounding plains, while the floor of the depression lies 400–600 m below the surroundings. The floor of the depression is unusually smooth.<br />
The image above was created using a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) obtained from the High Resolution Stereo <a class="iAs" classname="iAs" href="http://www.universetoday.com/72269/weird-crater-on-mars-is-a-mystery/#" itxtdid="23583604" style="background-color: transparent ! important; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0.2em dotted rgb(43, 101, 176) ! important; color: rgb(43, 101, 176) ! important; font-size: 100% ! important; font-weight: normal ! important; padding-bottom: 0px ! important; padding-left: 0pt; padding-right: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none ! important;" target="_blank"><nobr id="itxt_nobr_12_0" style="color: #2b65b0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;">Camera<img name="itxt-icon-0" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif" style="border: 0pt none; display: inline ! important; float: none; height: 10px; left: 1px; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; position: relative; top: 1px; width: 10px;" /></nobr></a> on ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft. Elevation data from the DTM are color-coded: purple indicates the lowest-lying regions, and beige the higher elevations. The scale is in meters.<br />
Source: <a href="http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMDV9BO3DG_index_0.html" linkindex="25"> ESA</a>ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-88033549829598083032010-08-28T13:03:00.000+05:302010-08-28T13:03:42.017+05:30Watch Titan Occult a Binary Star System<div class="wp-caption-text"><a href="http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/titan.jpg" imageanchor="1" linkindex="48" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/titan.jpg" width="320" /></a>Titan passing in front of the binary star system named NV0435215+200905. Credit: Palomar Observator</div>Scott Kardel from the Palomar Observatory just posted something extremely cool on his <a href="http://palomarskies.blogspot.com/2010/08/astrophoto-friday-saturns-moon-titan.html" linkindex="49">Palomar Skies website. </a> Back in 2001, a group of astronomers used the 200-inch Hale <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/14424/telescopes/" linkindex="50" rel="external" title="">Telescope</a> equipped with <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/41901/adaptive-optics/" linkindex="51" rel="external" title="">adaptive optics</a> to observe <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/15298/saturn/" linkindex="52" rel="external" title="">Saturn</a>'s <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/46646/moon/" linkindex="53" rel="external" title="">moon</a> <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/48806/titan/" linkindex="54" rel="external" title="">Titan</a> pass in front of a <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/40939/binary-star/" linkindex="55" rel="external" title="">binary star</a> system. The two <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/24184/stars/" linkindex="56" rel="external" title="">stars</a> are separated in the sky by just 1.5 arc seconds, but because of the fantastic resolving power of the Hale and its adaptive optics, visible in the image above is the light of the <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/24184/stars/" linkindex="57" rel="external" title="">star</a> nearest to <a class="iAs" classname="iAs" href="http://www.universetoday.com/72273/watch-titan-occult-a-binary-star-system/#" itxtdid="23158043" style="background-color: transparent ! important; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0.2em dotted rgb(43, 101, 176) ! important; color: rgb(43, 101, 176) ! important; font-size: 100% ! important; font-weight: normal ! important; padding-bottom: 0px ! important; padding-left: 0pt; padding-right: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none ! important;" target="_blank"><nobr id="itxt_nobr_11_0" style="color: #2b65b0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;">Titan<img name="itxt-icon-0" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif" style="border: 0pt none; display: inline ! important; float: none; height: 10px; left: 1px; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; position: relative; top: 1px; width: 10px;" /></nobr></a> being refracted by Titan's dense atmosphere. As Scott said, such events are rare but valuable. <a href="http://www.mikebrownsplanets.com/" linkindex="58"> Mike Brown </a>(of <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/59099/eris/" linkindex="59" rel="external" title="">Eris</a> fame) was among the astronomers and on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/plutokiller" linkindex="60">Twitter</a> today, he <a href="http://bit.ly/a0HmJz" linkindex="61">linked to a video </a> the team created from their observations, which is just awesome. Not only did they see the occultation, but they also found out that Titan has jet stream-like winds in its atmosphere. <a href="http://bit.ly/a0HmJz" linkindex="62"> Watch the movie</a>, (or see below, someone has now YouTubed it) and <a href="http://ao.jpl.nasa.gov/Palm3K/Publications/Scientific/bouchez_adaptive_optics_2003.pdf" linkindex="63">then read their paper about the event! </a><br />
<object width="450" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/POt7rk9kY2k?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/POt7rk9kY2k?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="450" height="385"></embed></object>ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-85848704273265724042010-08-19T15:22:00.000+05:302010-08-19T15:23:21.092+05:30Massive Mega-Star Challenges Black Hole TheoriesAstronomers have discovered a massive star that once dwarfed our sun and is now challenging theories of how stars evolve, die and form black holes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.space.com/images/neutron-star-black-hole-theory-1-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" linkindex="16" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://i.space.com/images/neutron-star-black-hole-theory-1-02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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The star is a peculiar cosmic object known as a magnetar. Magnetars are extremely dense, super-magnetic stars that can form from supernova explosions.<br />
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The newly discovered magnetar is perplexing, because astronomers have calculated that its progenitor likely weighed at least 40 times as much as the sun. Large stars in this mass category are thought to become black holes, not magnetars, when they explode in supernovas.<br />
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"This therefore raises the thorny question of just how massive a star has to be to collapse to form a black hole if stars over 40 times as heavy as our sun cannot manage this feat," said researcher Norbert Langer of the Universität Bonn in Germany and the Universiteit Utrecht in the Netherlands. <br />
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When massive stars reach the end of their lives and die in supernovas, they leave behind remnants. If the star is very massive, that remnant is a black hole – an extremely dense collection of mass with such a strong gravitational pull, not even light can escape.<br />
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If the original star was slightly less massive, the supernova remnant will become a neutron star. These objects, made of mostly neutrons, are more dense than a regular star but less dense than a black hole.<br />
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Magnetars are a type of neutron star with colossal magnetic fields that are about a million billion times stronger than that of Earth.<br />
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<b>Perplexing magnetic star</b><br />
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This unusual magnetar star was discovered in the star cluster Westerlund 1, located 16,000 light-years away in the southern constellation of Ara (the Altar).<br />
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This special clump of hundreds of massive stars was formed in a single event, which means that all its stars are roughly the same age – between 3.5 and 5 million years old.<br />
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The age and characteristics of the cluster allowed astronomers to estimate the mass of the magnetar, which is one of only a few magnetars known in the Milky Way. Its mass puts it well within the range expected to create a black hole.<br />
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<b>How massive stars die</b><br />
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Scientists have thought that stars with initial masses between about 10 and 25 suns would form neutron stars when they die, while stars above 25 times that of the sun would produce black holes.<br />
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The researchers think the magnetar in question must have lost much of its mass before it died to have ended up the way it did.<br />
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"These stars must get rid of more than nine tenths of their mass before exploding as a supernova, or they would otherwise have created a black hole instead," said researcher Ignacio Negueruela of the Universidad de Alicante in Spain. "Such huge mass losses before the explosion present great challenges to current theories of stellar evolution."<br />
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The researchers observed the magnetar with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile. They detailed their findings in a paper to be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-91092101188535583522010-08-09T12:06:00.000+05:302010-08-09T12:06:55.864+05:30This Week in Space<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8Iz4rWHqq48&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8Iz4rWHqq48&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988984881032135211.post-70728800974716498252010-08-06T10:24:00.000+05:302010-08-06T10:24:49.910+05:30Space Telescopes Team Up to Capture Spectacular Galactic Collision<div class="PostContent"><div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_70532" style="width: 581px;"><a href="http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/galaxy-hubble.jpg" linkindex="53"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-70532" height="500" src="http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/galaxy-hubble-571x580.jpg" title="A new image of two tangled galaxies has been released by NASA's Great Observatories. The Antennae galaxies, located about 62 million light-years from Earth, are shown in this composite image from the Chandra X-ray Observatory (blue), the Hubble Space Telescope (gold and brown), and the Spitzer Space Telescope (red). The Antennae galaxies take their name from the long antenna-like arms seen in wide-angle views of the system. These features were produced in the collision. Image credit: Chandra: NASA/CXC/SAO, Spitzer: NASA/JPL-Caltech, Hubble: NASA/STScI " width="571" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text">A new image of two tangled galaxies has been released by NASA's Great Observatories. The Antennae galaxies, located about 62 million light-years from Earth, are shown in this composite image from the Chandra X-ray Observatory (blue), the Hubble Space Telescope (gold and brown), and the Spitzer Space Telescope (red). The Antennae galaxies take their name from the long antenna-like arms seen in wide-angle views of the system. These features were produced in the collision. Image credit: Chandra: NASA/CXC/SAO, Spitzer: NASA/JPL-Caltech, Hubble: NASA/STScI</div></div><a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-257&rn=news.xml&rst=2693" linkindex="54"><em>From JPL: </em></a><br />
A new image of two tangled <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/30168/galaxies/" linkindex="55" rel="external" title="">galaxies</a> has been released by <a class="iAs" classname="iAs" href="http://www.universetoday.com/70531/space-telescopes-team-up-to-capture-spectacular-galactic-collision/#" itxtdid="6311172" style="background-color: transparent ! important; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0.2em dotted rgb(43, 101, 176) ! important; color: rgb(43, 101, 176) ! important; font-size: 100% ! important; font-weight: normal ! important; padding-bottom: 0px ! important; padding-left: 0pt; padding-right: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none ! important;" target="_blank"><nobr id="itxt_nobr_4_0" style="color: #2b65b0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;">NASA's<img name="itxt-icon-0" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif" style="border: 0pt none; display: inline ! important; float: none; height: 10px; left: 1px; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; position: relative; top: 1px; width: 10px;" /></nobr></a> Great Observatories. The Antennae galaxies, located about 62 million light-years from <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/14367/earth/" linkindex="56" rel="external" title="">Earth</a>, are shown in this composite image from the Chandra X-ray Observatory (blue), the Hubble <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/25406/space/" linkindex="57" rel="external" title="">Space</a> <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/14424/telescopes/" linkindex="58" rel="external" title="">Telescope</a> (gold and brown), and the Spitzer Space Telescope (red). The Antennae galaxies take their name from the long, antenna-like arms seen in wide-angle views of the system. These features were produced in the collision.<br />
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The collision, which began more than 100 million years ago and is still occurring, has triggered the formation of millions of <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/24184/stars/" linkindex="59" rel="external" title="">stars</a> in clouds of dusts and gas in the galaxies. The most massive of these <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/25295/young-stars/" linkindex="60" rel="external" title="">young stars</a> have already sped through their evolution in a few million years and exploded as <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/52974/supernovas/" linkindex="61" rel="external" title="">supernovas</a>.<br />
The X-ray image from Chandra shows huge clouds of hot, interstellar gas, which have been injected with rich deposits of elements from <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/46644/supernova/" linkindex="62" rel="external" title="">supernova</a> explosions. This enriched gas, which includes elements such as oxygen, iron, <a class="iAs" classname="iAs" href="http://www.universetoday.com/70531/space-telescopes-team-up-to-capture-spectacular-galactic-collision/#" itxtdid="22820294" style="background-color: transparent ! important; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0.2em dotted rgb(43, 101, 176) ! important; color: rgb(43, 101, 176) ! important; font-size: 100% ! important; font-weight: normal ! important; padding-bottom: 0px ! important; padding-left: 0pt; padding-right: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none ! important;" target="_blank"><nobr id="itxt_nobr_12_0" style="color: #2b65b0; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal;">magnesium<img name="itxt-icon-0" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif" style="border: 0pt none; display: inline ! important; float: none; height: 10px; left: 1px; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; position: relative; top: 1px; width: 10px;" /></nobr></a> and silicon, will be incorporated into new generations of stars and <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/35923/planet/" linkindex="63" rel="external" title="">planets</a>. The bright, point-like sources in the image are produced by material falling onto <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/33552/black-holes/" linkindex="64" rel="external" title="">black holes</a> and <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/24219/what-is-a-neutron-star/" linkindex="65" rel="external" title="">neutron stars</a> that are remnants of the <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/24336/massive-stars/" linkindex="66" rel="external" title="">massive stars</a>. Some of these black holes may have masses that are almost one hundred times that of <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/16338/the-sun/" linkindex="67" rel="external" title="">the sun</a>.<br />
The Spitzer data show <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/34504/infrared-light/" linkindex="68" rel="external" title="">infrared light</a> from warm dust clouds that have been heated by newborn stars, with the brightest clouds lying in the overlap region between the two galaxies. The Hubble data reveal old stars and <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/24184/stars/" linkindex="69" rel="external" title="">star</a>-forming regions in gold and white, while <a class="alinks_links" href="http://www.universetoday.com/47662/filament/" linkindex="70" rel="external" title="">filaments</a> of dust appear in brown. Many of the fainter objects in the optical image are clusters containing thousands of stars.</div>ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16476000140897504072noreply@blogger.com0