APOD 4.8

In this image one can clearly see where the constellations are located. Most importantly, one can see the summer triangle, which is highlighted in orange. The stars that make up this triangle are Vega, Deneb, and Altair. This summer triangle can be seen throughout the summer near midnight from various different locations. A fun fact is that, even though from our point of view we see a triangle, these star are actually thousands of light years away, which means that the triangle is shaped only from Earth. 

APOD 4.7

This is the Whirlpool Galaxy at the end of the Big Dipper constellation. Certain astronomers have classified it as an original spiral nebula due to its spiral features.The other galaxy near the top is NGC 5195. These two galaxies are in the boundaries of the Canes Venatici constellation. Even though this image makes them look close together, they are actually 31 million light-years distant from each other.

APOD 4.6

The white looking ant on the left side of the moon is the International Space Station. Although it looks like the image was exposed for a long time, this was only exposed 1/1000 of a second. It is mind blowing how technology allows us to use precise timing to take this photograph. We can also see circular craters, highlands, and marias. If you wish to see the ISS, you can go online and check out when it will be near your area.

APOD 4.5

The constellation viewed here is Cygnus. This is also an imagine of part of the Gamma Cygni nebula. This nebula lies about 1,800 light years away. If you look closely to the right you can see the Barnard 344 cloud. Barnard looks like a black scattered cloud near the star Sadr. The emission nebula is seen in the center. This is the red gas from small nebulas.

APOD 4.4

This image was taken in Guatemala on top of the Santa Maria volcano. If you look at the bottom of the image you can see that there are more volcanos in this area. This area is called the Central America Volcanic Arc. The volcano of fire is seen erupt in the image. However, what draws the attention in this image is the Milky Way Galaxy. One can perfectly see the central band of the Milky Way in a horizontal view point.

APOD 4.3

What you see here is the shortest lunar eclipse of the century! Astronomers say that the moon was fully covered by the Earth's dark umbral shadow.

APOD 4.2

As you can tell, the imagine above is a total solar eclipse. The light that expands from the center is the Sun's light from its outer atmosphere. This is called the corona. Many say that seeing an eclipse is one of the most marvelous phenomenon to see. The fact that eclipses only appear certain times throughout a couple of years and in certain locations on the earth makes them difficult for the world to see. However, an eclipse is coming up within a few years so make sure you are able to see it.

APOD 4.1

Can you guess what constellation this is? Let me give you some hints. It has a Horseshoe Nebula and well as the stars Betelgeuse and Rigel. That's right, this constellation is called Orion the Hunter. The star Aldebaran can also be seen in this picture. Aldebaran is part of the Taurus constellation, which is right next to Orion. We will see more of these constellation now that spring has started. Therefore, keep looking up!

APOD 3.8

In this picture, we able to see the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper is not a constellation but an asterism so get it confused! It is part of the Ursa Major constellation. Astronomers have observed that the bright stars in the Big Dipper are actually close to one another,which means they were likely formed at the same time. Taken from France, this beautiful picture presents the exact shape of the Big Dipper. However, its shape might not be the same in the next decades.  

APOD 3.7

I bet you can recognize what those elliptical figures are. That's right, they are galaxies! Now think of this, Earth is part of the Milky Way galaxy and in the picture we can see more than 20 galaxies. This cluster of galaxies is called the Coma Cluster of Galaxies. Taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2006, astronomers have now been able to study how galaxies are formed. The Coma Cluster of Galaxies are many light years away, which is why astronomers have not been able to observe these galaxies until the Hubble Space Telescope. On the picture, one can see more fainter galaxies in the distance. This means that there are more galaxies that we are not able to see with a telescope and are just waiting to be discovered.

Maria Mitchell Biography

Angie Aramayo

Astronomy Per. 1

Percival

5 March 2015

Maria Mitchell Biography

A famous astronomer once said, “We especially need imagination in science. It is not all mathematics, nor all logic, but it is somewhat beauty and poetry”. This famous astronomer was the representation of imagination. At a young age she was able to master navigational computations as well as calculating the location of her home. Maria Mitchell, unlike many astronomers, did not just devout her life looking up but rather teaching young women about astronomy. The numerous awards she has received throughout her life demonstrate her success and dedication. This woman is the first American female astronomer due to her discovery of a new comet.

            Born and raised in Massachusetts, Maria Mitchell was the daughter of William and Lydia Mitchell. Since the day she was born, August 1, 1818, Mitchell was a rapid learner. Her father believed in equal education for both men and women, which is why he became a mentor to Maria Mitchell. William Mitchell taught Maria mathematics and the concepts of navigation. When Maria was 12 she calculated the locations of multiple places, including her home. When she was only 14 years old, Maria as able to do navigational computations for whaling journeys that usually professionals do. She primarily learned the basics of astronomy from her father and later on began to teach herself more about astronomy. Starting by observing the sky on the roof of her father’s office to becoming a librarian, Mitchell gave herself an advanced education. Maria continued her private study for 20 more years indicating that despite what society thought of women she was not going to stop her learning and study of the sky.

            The discovery of a new comet brought Maria Mitchell worldwide fame. What fascinated the audience the most was that she only used a 2-inch telescope to find a new comet. This discovery brought her a gold medal from the King of Denmark and an award from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1848.        However, Maria Mitchell was more than an astronomer, she was an activist. Due to her achievements she was nominated as president of the Association for the Advancement of Women in 1873. Her goal was to teach women to surpass stereotypes that were imposed on them by society. She wanted to achieve her goal by teaching women how to become successful astronomer like her. In the year 1865, she became a professor of astronomy in the Vassar College. As a professor, Maria Mitchell taught her students concepts her father taught her as well as how to direct observations. Her imagination of becoming a successful astronomer not only reflects her achievements but, most importantly, her goals.

            Today, Maria Mitchell has libraries and schools named after her. She has become the first woman to be elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac.  She has opened the first institution in America that gave a higher education for women. Maria Mitchell’s accomplishments are extraordinary for a woman who is living in a time where men and women were not equal. The Maria Mitchell Astronomical Observatory was built to portray Mitchell’s hard work and the imagination that she had. Her story shows what women are capable of achieving if they were given a chance.

   

M2-9, 2,000 light years away, velocity of gas is 200 miles per second, located in Ophiuchus


Butterfly Nebulae, 3,800 light years away,  its wingspan stretches across 3 light years, located in Scorpius

 
NGC 3918, 5,000 light years away, used to be a red giant, located in Centaurus

 
M57, 2,300 light years away, its angular size is 1.4 x 1.0 arc minutes, located in Lyra


IC 289, 4,000 light years away, its angular size is 40", located in Cassiopeia

 
ESO 456-67, 10,000 light years away, multiple layers that were expelled by the central star are visible, located in Sagittarius


NGC 7026, 6,000 light years away, it emits X-ray radiation, located in Cygnus


NGC 7027, 3,000 light years away, the remainders of a star like our sun, located in Cygnus


NGC 6210, 6,500 light years away, the green light represents the doubly ionized oxygen, located in Hercules


NGC 5189, looks like a red giant

Citation for Maria Mitchell

http://www.famousscientists.org/maria-mitchell/
http://www.mariamitchell.org/about/about-maria-mitchell
http://www.nwhm.org/education-resources/biography/biographies/maria-mitchell-bio/

APOD 3.5

This is the M106 galaxy. If you look closely you can see the red dust lanes near the nucleus as well as the blue dust surrounding it.The interesting thing about this galaxy is that many believe that the M106's glowing gas is collapsing into the center of a black hole. Astronomers have classified this galaxy as a perfect example of the Seyfert class of galaxies. Also, the reason why this picture was able to be taken was because M106 glows in radio ways and X-rays.

APOD 3.4

Have you heard about NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover? Well, for starters, Curiosity was the robotic machine that took this picture. And yes you guessed it, the picture is located in Mars (hence Curiosity Mars Rover) If you were wondering how come these Martian rocks are layered then you would be intrigued to know that it was because of the evaporation and refilling of an ancient Martian Lake. The cross-bending was likely caused by waves sand located in the Pahrump Hills. Curiosity is currently digging a hole and taking samples of the Mount Sharp, which is 5.5 km high.

Star Formation Links

http://aro.as.arizona.edu/docs/what_you_do_with_submillim.htm
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2015/02/11/Astronomers-catch-early-formation-of-multiple-star-system/5351423687019/
http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve/
http://www.space.com/57-stars-formation-classification-and-constellations.html
http://www.nrao.edu/pr/2012/clumpcores/

Observation

Last Saturday as I was walking my dog I noticed the sky was bright and clear. I stood outside to praise its beauty and to see if I could identify a few constellations. I was surprised to see that I could classify the constellation Orion because I usually was difficulties connecting the stars. I was able to identify its star Rigel and Betelgeuse although Betelgeuse was not too bright from my perspective.

APOD 3.3

This image demonstrates the perfect beauty of our sky. As you can probably see, above the wire there are red sprites. This is because of the low-altitude and conventional lightning bolt. Despite its technical reason behind it, this image is beautiful with or without the red sprites.

APOD 3.2

And the Atlas V rocket is off! This rocket is carrying the U.S. Navy satellite. Looking at the sky, one can see how the rocket passes through the one of the brightest stars, Sirius. This image also captures two constellations called Orion and Taurus. Above Taurus one is able to see the compact Pleiades star cluster. Also, if one looks closely one will be able to see the greenish coma and long tail of comet Lovejoy.

APOD 3.1

In this image the constellation Taurus is perfectly well illustrated. The V-shaped Hyades star cluster is pointing towards the direction of comet Lovejoy. What is interesting about this image is that the comet with the greenish coma, up the right corner, looks like it has been shot from Orion's bow. I truly appreciate this picture make sure you look carefully at each star.

APOD 2.8

Just about 2,700 light years away, these stars form the constellation called Monoceros the unicorn. This picture includes dark interstellar dust cloud and a blue reflection of nebulas. A few of these nebulas are the Fox Fur Nebula and the Cone Nebula. This cluster is commonly known as the Christmas tree cluster due to its triangular shape. The top of the triangle is the Cone Nebula and the opposite side of the triangle is S Mon.

APOD 2.7

Taken during the 1970s, this picture shows the Orion Nebula. As you can tell, there seems to be a dusty cloud near the center of the image. This cloud is Orion's giant molecular cloud, which is 1,500 light-years away. Many that have seen this picture suggest that it looks like a running man. Although only a portion of Orion is showing, this image perfectly captures its molecular cloud and its beautiful colors.

Bibliographic Citation

Bibliographic Citation

"Abbé Nicolas Louis De Lacaille (1713-1762)." Abbé Nicolas Louis De Lacaille. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Jan. 2015.

"Lacaille, Nicolas-Louis De." Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Vol. 7. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2008. 542-545. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 8 Jan. 2015.

Biography of Nicolas Lacaille

Angie Aramayo

Astronomy Per. 1

Mr. Percival

8 Jan. 2014

Biography of Nicolas Lacaille

            The French astronomer, Nicolas Lacaille, was known to be “the father of the southern astronomy”. Not just because of his great accomplishments in the Cape of Good Hope but also because of the impact he has made to the concept of astronomy during the 1730s.

            As a child Nicolas Lacaille stood out from the rest of his peers. His intelligence and maturity made him an outstanding student. Due his father’s wealth he was well educated and raised. During his teens he had the support from the Duke of Bourbon because of how remarkably well he was doing at school. Many that looked up to him called him abbé even though he did not practice as a clergyman. After exceling in school, Lacaille became involved at an observatory in Paris with Jacques Cassini. There he made his first astronomical observation. However, it was during the eighteenth century when he became well known. European countries were having issues with the geodetics due to the rapid expansion of navigation. In order to dissolve these issues, Lacaille was assigned to map the seacoast. Soon after, he was assigned to verify the great meridian of France due to the excellent work he had done with his previous assignment.  His new assignment had to deal with the controversy between the Cartesian and the Newtonian theories. Lacaille had to either conclude whether the earth was a spheroid or an equatorial bulge type of sphere.  After months and months of measuring the lines of latitude at Bourges and Arles and improving Picard’s measurements, which were 1/1,000 too long, he finally concluded that the great meridian has degrees of latitude that increase in length as they approach the equator making the Newtonian theory true. This discovery was the complete opposite of what French astronomers had believed. Due to his success Lacaille became a famous astronomer and was paid to write books about his observations such as Leçons élémentaires de mathématiques, Leçons élémentaires d’optique, and Leçons élémentaires de mécanique.

Although Nicolas Lacaille experienced fame, he never stopped having curiosity over the sky. One of the many subjects he was most interested about was the southern stars’ invisibility from the latitude of Paris. This is when his expedition to the Cape of Good Hope started. Driven by curiosity, Lacaille found himself exploring the sky from the southern hemisphere. The reason why Nicolas Lacaille was popular among astronomers was because of the rapid pace he worked in and accomplishing his observations with limited resources. During his exploration at the Cape of Good Hope he was given a small room measuring twelve feet square and few materials. However, his small workspace and few utensils did not prevent him from measuring the solar and lunar parallax. He also discovered the right ascensions and declinations of 1,942 out of 10,000 stars seen from the southern sky. After finding the stars’ location in the sky Lacaille named constellations. Some of these constellations were Sculptor, Pyxis, and Octans. He accomplished all of this within one year. In his later years, Lacaille shifted his research towards comets, including Halley’s comet, and revising the books other astronomers have written about the sky.

What astronomers around Nicolas Lacaille’s time remember the most about him was not just his multiple observations and calculations he made during his career of twenty-seven years but also his sincere honesty and decency towards astronomy. Lacaille was a devoted astronomer who never lost his curiosity of the sky throughout his time of fame. It did not matter what type of telescope he had near by, he always had to observe the sky.