TAAS Fabulous Fifty Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita Saturday August 8, 2015 2000 MDT (8:00 pm) All...
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Transcript of TAAS Fabulous Fifty Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita Saturday August 8, 2015 2000 MDT (8:00 pm) All...
TAAS Fabulous Fifty
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
Saturday August 8, 2015
2000 MDT (8:00 pm)
All TAAS and other new and not so newastronomers are invited
Scorpius
Evening Events
8:00 pm – Meet inside Dee’s house for overview of summer sky.
9.00 pm – View night sky outside.
9:30 pm – Social session inside Dee’s house.
10:00 pm – Optional additional viewing outside.
1. Provide new astronomers a list of 50 night sky
objects that can locate with the naked eye.
2. A list that will showcase the night sky for an entire year.
3. A list that the beginning astronomer will remember from one observing session to the next.
4. A list that once observed will be the basis for knowing the night sky well enough to perform more detailed observing.
Objectives
1. Divide the observing activities into the four
seasons: a. winter –Jan-Feb-Mar b. spring –Apr-May-Jun c. summer – Jul-Aug-Sep d. fall –Oct-Nov-Dec
2. Begin with the bright and easy to locate and identify stars and associated constellations.
3. Add the other constellations for each season.
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
Methodology
Lyra
4. Add a few naked eye Messier Objects.
5. Include planets as a separate observing activity.
6. Include the Moon as a separate observing activity.
7. Include meteor showers as separate observing
activity.
Methodology (cont.)
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
M 8 “The Lagoon Nebula”
A star forming area
Visible to the naked eye
Star Charts
• Free on-line
http://www.skymaps.com/downloads.html
Tonight’s process
1. We will first look at a “free” Skymap.
It can be downloaded at
http://skymaps.com/
2. Then we will examine each constellation and its bright star(s) in detail.
3. Observe outside.
The Evening Sky Map
We will examine how to best use the Sky Map
We begin by locating the four cardinal directions:
a. South
b. North
c. West
d. East
Next we will learn how to hold or “orient”the Sky Map as we observe.
It is very simple.
As you observe, you hold the chart
so that the direction that you are looking
is at the bottom of the chart.
We will now use the Evening Sky Map to find some objects in the night sky.
This lesson will use the Northern Hemisphere August Sky Map.
The Messier objects are a set of over 100 astronomical objects first listed by French astronomer Charles Messier in 1771.
Messier was a comet hunter, and was frustrated by objects which resembled but were not comets, so he compiled a list of them in collaboration with his assistant Pierre Mechain, to avoid wasting time on observing them.
The number of objects in the catalog is currently 110.
The Messier objects are the first deep space objects (outside of our solar system) that amateur astronomers will attempt to observe after observing the moon and the planets.
All of the Messier objects are visible in small telescopes and many are observable in binoculars.
A few are visible to the naked eye.
What Are the Messier Objects (M)?
Constellations Stars Messier Object
Ursa Major Dubhe
Merak
Leo Regulus M 44 “The Beehive”
Boötes Arcturus M 3
Review of
Spring
Spring
Photo Courtesy of N
aoyuki Kurita
Constellation
Ursa Major
“the Big Bear”
Two bright stars
Dubhe
Merak
North Star“POLARIS”
Pointers to theNorth Star
Spring
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
Constellation
Leo
“the Lion”
Bright star
Regulus
“The backward question mark”
This constellation actually “LOOKS LIKE” a lion.
Spring
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
Constellation
Bootes
(bow-OH-tease)
“the herdsman”
Bright star
Arcturus
Spring Objects in August SkyMap
Ursa Major
Bootes
Leo
Looking west
Summer Objects
Constellations Stars Messier Object
Lyra Vega
Cygnus Deneb
Aquila Altair
Scorpius Antares M 4
Sagittarius Nunki M 8
Summer
Summer
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
Constellation
Lyra
“the Lyre”
Bright star
Vega
“The leaning over” parrelogram
The Summer Skymap Lyra
Hold your Skymap
with EAST on the bottom
and view to the EAST.
Lyra
Summer
Cygnus
“the Swan”
Deneb (DEN-ebb)
Albireo (double star)
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
The Summer Skymap Cygnus
Hold your Skymap
with EAST on the bottom
and view to the EAST.
Cygnus
Summer
Constellation
Aquila
Bright star
Altair
The “eagle”
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
The Summer Skymap Altair
Hold your Skymap
with EAST on the bottom
and view to the EAST.
Aquila
A crowded sky
These three constellations are very close to each other.
Lyra
CygnusAquila
Three Bright Stars
Three bright stars in three separate constellations
create a very visible pattern.
Lyra
CygnusAquila
Three Bright Stars (cont.)
Three bright stars in three separate constellations
create a very visible pattern.
Lyra
CygnusAquila
Summer Triangle
Summer
The Summer Triangle
Is an asterism
Photo Stellarium
A prominent pattern or group of stars,
typically having a popular name
but smaller than a constellation.
Asterism
The Summer Triangle is
NOT a constellation
it is an asterism.
The Summer Triangle
The summer triangle is one star from
three different constellations.
Visible for almost 7 months.
The Summer Triangle
June looking EAST December looking WEST
Asterism
The Big Dipper is
NOT a constellation
it is an asterism.
The constellation is called “URSA MAJOR.”
The asterism is called “THE BIG DIPPER.”
The constellation called URSA MAJOR
The constellation called URSA MAJOR
The constellation is called “URSA MAJOR.”
The asterism is called “THE BIG DIPPER.”
Summer
Scorpius
“the scorpion”
Antares
M 4 globular cluster
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
M 4
The Summer Skymap Scorpius
Hold your Skymap
with SOUTH on the bottom
and view to the SOUTH.
Scorpius
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
Summer has a very big star
Summer has a very big star
Antares
A SMALL star
A very BIG star
Sun
So, how BIG is Antares?
864 million miles ------------------------.= 9. 3 93 million miles
9.3 x distance to the sun
Summer
Photo Wikipedia
Constellation
Sagittarius
Bright star
Nunki
The “teapot”
Nunki
The Summer Skymap Sagittarius
Hold your Skymap
with SOUTH on the bottom
and view to the SOUTH.
Sagittarius
The Center of the Milky Way Galaxy
The Summer Skymap
Hold your Skymap
with South on the bottom
and view to the South.
Sagittarius
Scorpius
GalacticCenter
The Center of the Milky Way Galaxy
Star hopping to find objects
1. Learning how to move from a know object
to an unknown object.
2. Looking for “geometric situations”
half-way between two visible stars is the object I want to view
Summer
Sagittarius
“the teapot”
Nunki
M 8 Lagoon Nebula
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
Nunki
M 8
How to Find M 8
Nunki
M 8Top of the Pot
Almost equal distance
In a dark sky M 8 visible to naked eye
Almost always visible in binoculars
Two stars of the bowl always point to Polaris (north)
Review
ScorpiusAquila
Triangleof
Summer
Cygnus
Lyra
Coming in the Fall
Stars Constellations Messier Schedar Cassiopeia
Alpheratz Pegasus / Andromeda
Alpheratz Andromeda / Pegasus
Mirach Andromeda M 31
Mirfak Perseus
Fomalhaut Piscis Austrinus
Fall
Cassiopeia
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
TAAS Fabulous 50 (cont.)
Fall
Cassiopeia
Schedar
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
Fall
Pegasus
Alpheratz
in Andromeda
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
Fall
Andromeda
Alpheratz
Mirach
M 31 Andromeda Galaxy
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
Pegasus
Fall
Perseus
Mirfak
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
Fall
Piscis Austrinus
Fomalhaut
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
Fall Objects in August SkyMap
Looking east
Perseus
Andromeda
Cassiopeia
Pegasus
Review
ScorpiusAquila
Triangleof
Summer
Cygnus
Lyra
The End of Dee’s mumblings
Begin to dark adapt by
closing one eye before
you go outside.
Bring with you
1. A red light (cell phone app)
2. Sky Map
The Summer Triangle
“an asterism”
Star Constellation Vega Lyra
Deneb Cygnus
Altair Aquila
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
The Summer Triangle
Spring
Photo Courtesy of N
aoyuki Kurita
Constellation
Ursa Major
“the Big Bear”
Two bright stars
Dubhe
Merak
BUT this photo is actually just an ASTERISM
North Star“POLARIS”
Pointers to theNorth Star
The Summer Skymap
Hold your Skymap
with EAST on the bottom
and view to the EAST.
Lyra
CygnusAquila
Summer Triangle
Constellations Stars Messier Object
Virgo Spica
Lyra Vega
Cygnus Deneb
Aquila Altair
Scorpius Antares
Sagittarius Nunki M 8
Summer
Summer
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
Constellation
Virgo
“the Virgin”
Bright star
Spica
The Summer Skymap
Hold your Skymap
with EAST on the bottom
and view to the EAST.
Lyra
CygnusAquila
Summer Triangle
Summer
Aquila
(ack-WILL-lah)
“the eagle”
Altair
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
Summer
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
Constellation
Cygnus
“the Swan”
Bright star
Deneb
“The Northern Cross”
Summer
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
Constellation
Scorpius
Bright star
Antares
Looks like a scorpion
Summer
Stars Constellations Messier
Spica Virgo
Deneb (DEN-ebb) Cygnus
Altair Aquila (ack-WILL-lah)
Antares Scorpius M 7
Nunki Sagittarius M 8
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita
ScorpiusTAAS Fabulous 50 (cont.)
“Summer triangle”
Summer
Cygnus
“the Swan”
Deneb (DEN-ebb)
Albireo (double star)
Photo Courtesy of Naoyuki Kurita