Steve’s Virtual Planet

AL Astronomy Outreach Master Level Award

Many of us in the Atlanta Astronomy Club have found a real calling in sharing our love of science and astronomy with the public. And at dozens of events through the year, we do what we can to enrich the lives of people through our love of this activity. A little over a year ago, I received the first and second level award for astronomy outreach from the Astronomical League, the Outreach and Stellar Outreach Astronomical League Award

The previous award was an accumulation of 60 hours logged in 2009. Most of these hours were from my observatory sessions at Fernbank Science Center. There were several outreach events with the Atlanta Astronomy Club as well. Well now, after an additional two years of volunteering at the Fernbank Observatory, I have accumulated an additional 250 hours of logged time. This qualifies me for the Astronomical League’s Master Level Outreach Award.

The announcement was in the June 2012 edition of Reflector magazine, published by the Astronomical League. In receiving this, I join a group of dozens of astronomy enthusiasts that have reached this level of achievement in bringing astronomy to the public. The essay that accompanied my submission is found here, “Astronomy Outreach Techniques”

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Stellarium planetarium software

Over the last decade or so, the internet has brought forth many great resources for the hobby of astronomy. Amongst the many pieces of free software I have found, one of the most useful is Stellarium, a downloadable “planetarium” program. Stellarium runs on Windows, Mac and even Linux and gives you a view of the sky that easy to configure and use. Sometimes, just the basic features are all you need and version 10 of Stellarium is perfect for use in the field for astronomy outreach or just showing a simple view of the sky to your friends.

Well, as with many things, the best gets even better. Stellarium version 11 is out and a new stable version has just been announced this month. You start at the Stellarium website and download the program, then install it. The new version still has the same look and feel to version 10, however, its worth working through the list of features on their web site.

I am not going to be able to do a full review of the program in this article, but I still highly recommend the program. The interface is not what you may typically find in Windows programs, but this tool is more universal than what our GUI friends might call “standard”. Nevertheless, take the time to explore the screen once you’ve installed it. And dig into the help feature to see what the mouse and keyboard shortcuts are. Admittedly, this program is a bit of a challenge to get used to but it’s not a very complex interface.

The help screen now has hyperlinks that take you to the documentation wiki, where you can get the full user’s guide. The documentation was there before, but now it’s much easier to get to it from the program. You just have to have a live internet connection when you use it.

Stellarium is a great example of how people get together in hyperspace and create and support a great product. Consider downloading and using this resource for your astronomy outreach and even your personal enjoyment.

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SVC Tip #4 - Going in circles with the Big Dipper

The northern sky has several memorable asterisms and the favorite one is probably the Big Dipper. It’s actually only part of Ursa Major, the Great Bear. It’s easy to spot when it swings into view in the early evening this time of year. And the further you are to the north when observing, the better the view will be.

The Big Dipper will contain stars which will be visible at some time on most nights. As those stars move counterclockwise around the northern polar star Polaris, they are said to be “circumpolar”. In other words, if we are at a certain minimum latitude (around 41 degrees), a specific star in the dipper will make a great circle in the sky and never go below the horizon.

Of course, around the suburbs you might be dealing with the tree line but not to worry. You can plan for this using Sky View Cafe (SVC) and on of its options on the Sky tab - the Horizon to Zenith view. Look for the list of options over on the right hand side when using the Sky tab. The first option is probably set to a full sky view, but click the don arrow to list the others and choose Horizon to Zenith. Then, look for the “Select a direction …” button near the Insolation tab and change it to N, for north.

Now you’re looking at a full slice of the northern sky from the horizon to the zenith. By adjusting the time and date values up in the time field, you can preview what your view of the dippers will be. If you also mark the names of the stars for the constellations, you can refer to the chart made in the previous blog on the dippers. And remember, you can print from Sky View Cafe and get a simple chart to use in the field for the exact time and date you’ve selected.

Have a great time with SVC and check out the other tips here SVC Tip #1 & SVC Tip #2 & SVC Tip #3.

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SVC Tip #3 - Planets and trees

This season, the planets are coming around into view again in the evening sky. But, what about trees in the title of this blog? Ahh, if you’re viewing from the suburbs, trees tend to get in the way of objects only a short angular distance from the horizon. The point is that your plans for planet watching need to take your neighborhood tress into account. The tree line will be a factor in determining when your best line of sight will give you access to any of the planets.

Here is a great reason to use one of several interactive planetarium tools to give you a view of the sky you can plan for. My favorite is Sky View Cafe (SVC). (see the other tips here SVC Tip #1 & SVC Tip #2). With Sky View Cafe, you can set your time and date and check in advance how the night’s sky will progress. You can move the time forward and backward to see where the planets will be. And by hovering the mouse pointer over the object, you will see the coordinates in the info band at the bottom. In the case of planets, right ascension and declination aren’t really useful since the planets are drifting across the background of stars. But the altitude and azimuth are very helpful because you can predict where to look for the planets in relation to the horizon and any trees in your viewing site.

Use the azimuth and altitude values of your target and compare with the height of the treeline in that part of the sky. Tweak the time settings to get your target planet in a portion of the sky that is easily viewable. You can even print a sky map from SVC and use that to make an observing plan. Then you can even go one step further and measure the height of the treeline in degrees altitude every 15 degrees of azimuth and make a plot on a circle the same size as the SVC printout. That becomes your reference to use when picking the best time for viewing any object.

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Jupiter’s Back

This past couple of months have granted some great views of Jupiter. We’ve had better seeing than normal the preceding two months in the Atlanta area. I had two exceptional views of the GRS through the Fernbank 36 inch on December 1st and 8th.

When I drew a bead on Jupiter early that first night, I couldn’t believe the seeing had improved that much from the week before. I kept looking, looking, and sure enough, it was crisp, more detailed than most nights. In the suburbs already! Early on, the GRS was coming around the east and it was already looking distinct, if not fully visible. By 9:00, it was going to be right on the meridian. And boy was it ever there! Not very bold in color but a very distinct football shaped outline. The boundary of the oval was very crisp.

We had a fairly big crowd at the observatory that night, well over 120 people. I felt like a kid at Christmas announcing to the visitors, many of them students, that this was a treat! And the seeing just kept up. I couldn’t believe we had such a sustained steady sky that evening. That kind of view registers almost permanently and you just don’t forget it for a while. What a nice memory!

In any case, there are still plenty of days left to catch Jupiter this apparition. And you get some extra dark hours when daylight savings time kicks in on March 11. Jupiter will rise back up 15 degrees at the same time the next evening and give you a double bonus with Venus right next to it! Our largest planetary neighbor will hang around through most of March.

Have fun with Jupiter and good luck hunting the GRS!!

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Winter targets sans planets

These last few weeks have seen the gradual westward track of Jupiter. In the evening hours, Venus has been working it’s way easterly. They are always fun to explore. But the evening are much longer now, so, why not work on finding nice objects to look at once the planets have been thoroughly checked out. Hmmm, what to do!?!?

Well, check the Messier list first. A few choices there. And maybe a planetary nebula or two. Check. Galaxies? not much right now. How ’bout stars with color. Yep. Several of those to enjoy. Of course, there’s always the standby - double stars! You never run out of them. So, here goes.

First, the Messier objects - M79, the only globular up right now; M81, one of the few galaxies you can catch in suburban skies; M36, M37, M38 in Auriga, good wide angle objects for binoculars or low power scopes; M45, The Pleiades and the Hyades too, great wide open clusters that look good even in 7 power binoculars; And don’t forget M42, The Orion Nebula.

There’s Caldwell 59 (or NGC3242), The Ghost of Jupiter, a nice planetary in Hydra, about 30 degress south of Regulus. For colorful objects, there Hind’s Crimson Star, a very red carbon variable star about 8 degrees below Rigel; there’s also Betelgeuse, obviously orange at just about any magnification.

Finally for doubles, there’s Castor, Rigel, Mintaka, Alcor/Mizar, Algieba. Since winter time brings longer nights, you might as well hop around and visit some of these charmers. Whether they are old favorites or your catching up for the first time, they are all easy enough to catch even with a small scope and in suburban skies.

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Happy New Year 2012

Hello again and welcome to Steve’s Virtual Planet for another year. Time for me to get these long overdue articles out on the bloggosphere. I got so darn busy last year with work and other commitments I had to put this site on hold for a while. Anyhow, I’ve accumulated lots of ideas so I’ll be attempting to catch up a bit over the winter months.

Lots of news to come about another great year at Fernbank and my new role as instructor at Emory Center for Lifelong Learning. The Fall 2010 class went very well and the Spring class is starting in late March. More on that in the coming week or so.

But sky watching is what it’s about. I already have some upcoming articles on winter time objects so those will be online real soon. Keep your eyes open for more astro stuff.

Clear skies all!

Steve

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Back from the shadows, again!

Man! I can’t believe I’ve been away from things so long. Had a bit of a detour down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon but it’s time to get back in tune with the sky. Work, PC problems, overseas visitors. Everything requires time. So now it’s back to astronomy stuff.

Longest day of the year today. Hot weather good for catching up on things though. More articles and viewing tips forthcoming.

Clear skies, all! Talk at ya soon. Watch this space.

Steve

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Dobsonian project alive again

Well, I have finally worked my way through other priorities and I now have some time for astro projects. I am reviving the 12.5 inch Dobsonian telescope build project for the AAC Charlie Elliot Chapter. Here’s the project link - Charlie Elliot Chapter 12.5″ Dobsonian Project

I have received the parts to make the alt az bearings and the pivot for the base. Next step will be to begin the fitting of the mirror box assembly. Most of the wood pieces had been cut some time ago but I needed time and some space to lay everything out again. The mirror box is sort of taped together so I can do some trimming and shimming to make the pieces fit together.

I am pleased to be moving forward again. Once the mirror box is setup. I’ll be adding the aluminum sections. All of this is geared toward having the OTA ready to perform the balancing. That then leads to the construction of the altitude bearing pieces and the sides for the base.

Anyhow, one step at a time. It’s best to enjoy the journey. There will be another update when I get far enough to take some pictures of finished assemblies. … some time this decade, I am sure!!!

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First glimpse of Saturn for 2011

I just happened to be up in the wee hours of the morning last Sunday after a long night at work making computers happy. It was 2:30 AM by the time I got out to the parking lot and it was really nice and clear. (oh yes, the computers were happy too). But this work was planned so I knew by the time I finished, Saturn should be up high enough to clear the trees. Such a pretty night was forecast, I made sure I would take a peek as soon as I got outside.

In my hazy state of mind, I thought “The big bright thing towards the west had to be Sirius” and it was really quite bright too. But I couldn’t find Betelguese in the thin veil of clouds. Anyhow, that gave me a rough orientation so I spun on my heal back about 90 degrees to head over to the eastern hemisphere and there was .. yes, I think that was it! Saturn! Back in town like a savy traveler you only see now and then. Ahhh, yes. It’s back. A little off white perhaps, a little yellow-ish maybe. Strange that I didn’t catch Spica but I may have just stopped at the first thing that looked like a planet!

In any case, I am now making plans to revisit my glorious friend over the coming months. I am sure I’ll be making notes in the early spring about planning my suburban driveway viewing. And of course, I’ll be anxious to get views of the ringed planet through Fernbank’s 36 inch Cassegrain. The more glass, the better! The rings are up past a 10 degree tilt so it will certainly look a bit more ring-ish this apparition. Already have the Saturn observing guide handy for some more preparation. Can’t wait!!

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