AEA Astronomy Club
Newsletter March 2015
Contents
AEA Astronomy Club News & Calendar p.1
Video(s) & Picture(s) of the Month p. 2
Astronomy News p. 7
General Calendar p.9
Colloquia, lectures, mtgs. p. 9
Observing p. 12
Useful Links p. 13
About the Club p. 14
Club News & Calendar.
Club Calendar
AEA Astronomy Club News & Calendar p.1
Video(s) & Picture(s) of the Month p. 2
Astronomy News p. 7
General Calendar p.9
Colloquia, lectures, mtgs. p. 9
Observing p. 12
Useful Links p. 13
About the Club p. 14
Club News & Calendar.
Club Calendar
Club Meeting Schedule:
5 March
|
AEA Astronomy
Club Meeting
|
Using the 8-inch Dobsonian, Backpack Observatory &
Eyepiece Cameras
|
Club
Members
|
A1/1735
|
2 April
|
AEA Astronomy
Club Meeting
|
Pizza Party,
Astrophotos & Videos
|
Club
Members
|
A1/1735
|
AEA
Astronomy Club meetings are now on 1st Thursdays at 11:45am. For all of 2015, the meeting room is A1/1735. Jan. 8 is an exception (2nd
Thursday) due to New Year’s Day).
Our March 5 meeting will feature demonstrations
of using the club’s 8-inch computerized Dobsonian, and GoTo Backpack
Observatory, as well as some of the eyepiece cameras.
Club
News:
The latest ideas for spending our budget for
2015 include a Canon DSLR that is rated highly for astrophotography, and
image-stabilizer binoculars. Other last
suggestions before we spend it?
A reminder that for most of us, our club membership expired Dec. 31 (except those who joined in the last few months and likely paid also for 2015). If you haven’t yet, we invite you to renew for 2015 at your earliest convenience & in time for the pizza lunch Jan. 8 (the first of our quarterly pizza parties of the year) -- we must have your $12 dues payment (& pizza order -- see the menu above) by Thursday, Jan. 8 to get member credit. See the club website for the many other benefits of membership. Please submit the renewal form (available on Aerolink at https://aerolink.aero.org/cs/llisapi.dll?func=ll&objId=13659520&objAction=browse&viewType=1, or attached) with your payment ($12 check made out to AEA Astronomy Club) to Alan Olson at M1-107.
Astronomy Video(s)
& Picture(s) of the Month
(from
Astronomy Picture of the Day, APOD: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html) 
Fibrils
Flower on the Sun
Image Credit & Copyright: Big Bear Solar Obs., NJIT, Alan Friedman (Averted Imagination)
Explanation: When does
the Sun look like a flower? In a specific color of red light emitted by
hydrogen, as featured here, some regions of the solar chromosphere may resemble a rose. The color-inverted image was taken
in 2014 October and shows active solar region 2177. The petals
dominating the frame are actually magnetically confined tubes of hot plasma called fibrils, some of which extend longer
than the diameter of the Earth. In the central regionmany of these fibrils are seen
end-on, while the surrounding regions are typically populated with curved
fibrils. When seen over the Sun's edge, these huge plasma tubes are called spicules, and when they occur in passive
regions they are termed mottles. Sunspot region 2177 survived for several more days before
the complex and tumultuous magnetic field poking through the Sun's surface evolved yet again.Image Credit & Copyright: Big Bear Solar Obs., NJIT, Alan Friedman (Averted Imagination)
M100: A
Grand Design Spiral Galaxy
Image Credit: Hubble Legacy Archive, NASA, ESA - Processing & Licence: Judy Schmidt
Explanation: Majestic on
a truly cosmic scale, M100 is appropriately known as a grand design spiral galaxy. It is a large galaxy of over 100
billion stars with well-defined spiral arms that is similar to our own Milky Way Galaxy. One of the brightest members of the Virgo Cluster of
galaxies, M100 (alias NGC
4321) is 56 million light-years distant toward the constellation of Berenice's
Hair (Coma Berenices). This Hubble Space Telescope image of M100 was made in 2009 and reveals bright
blue star clusters and
intricate winding dust lanes which are
hallmarks of this class of galaxies. Studies of variable stars in M100 have played
an important role in determining the size and age of the Universe. If you know exactly where to look, you can find a
small spot that is a light echo from a
bright supernova that was recorded a few years before the image was taken.Image Credit: Hubble Legacy Archive, NASA, ESA - Processing & Licence: Judy Schmidt
Layered
Rocks near Mount Sharp on Mars
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS
Explanation: What caused
these Martian rocks to be layered? The leading hypothesis is
an ancient Martian lake that kept
evaporating and refilling over 10 million years -- but has now remained dry and
empty of water for billions of years. The featured image, taken last
November by the robotic Curiosity rover, shows one-meter wide Whale Rock
which is part of the Pahrump Hills outcrop at the base
of Mount Sharp. Also evident in the
image is cross-bedding -- rock with angled
layers -- which were likely facilitated by waves of sand. Curiosity continues to find
many layered rocks like this as
it continues to roll around and up 5.5-km high Mount Sharp.Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS
The Dark
River to Antares
Credit & Copyright: Jason Jennings
Explanation: Connecting
the Pipe Nebula to the
colorful region near bright star Antares is a dark cloud dubbed the Dark River, flowing from the picture's left edge. Murky
looking, the Dark River's appearance is caused by dustobscuring background starlight, although the dark nebula
contains mostly hydrogen and molecular gas. Surrounded by dust, Antares, a red supergiant star, creates an unusual bright
yellowish reflection nebula. Above it,
bright blue double star Rho Ophiuchi is embedded
in one of the more typical bluish reflection nebulae,
while red emission nebulae are
also scattered around the region. Globular star cluster M4 is just
seen above and right of Antares, though it lies far behind the colorful clouds, at a
distance of some 7,000 light-years. The Dark River itself is about 500 light years away. The colorful skyscape is a mosaic of telescopic images spanning
nearly 10 degrees (20 Full Moons) across the sky in the constellation of the
Scorpion (Scorpius).Credit & Copyright: Jason Jennings
Palomar 12
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA
Explanation: Palomar 12 was not born here. The stars of the globular
cluster, first identified in the Palomar Sky Survey, are younger
than those in other globular star clusters that roam the halo of our Milky Way Galaxy. Palomar
12's position in our galaxy and measured motion suggest its home was once the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy,
a small satellite of the Milky Way. Disrupted by gravitational tides during close encounters the
satellite galaxy has lost its stars to the larger Milky Way. Now part of the
Milky Way's halo, the tidal capture of Palomar
12 likely took place some 1.7 billion years ago. Seen behind spiky foreground
stars in the sharp Hubble image, Palomar 12 spans nearly 60 light-years. Still
much closer than the faint, fuzzy, background galaxies scattered throughout the
field of view, it lies about 60,000 light-years away, toward the constellation
Capricornus.Image Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA
Astronomy
News:
Big Bang, Deflated? Universe May Have
Had No Beginning
by Tia
Ghose, LiveScience Staff Writer | February 27, 2015
10:52am ET
 |
If a new theory turns out to be
true, the universe may not have started with a bang.
In the new formulation, the universe was never a singularity, or
an infinitely small and infinitely dense point of matter. In fact, the universe
may have no beginning at all.
"Our theory suggests that the age of the universe could be
infinite," said study co-author Saurya Das, a theoretical physicist at the University
of
Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada.
of
Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada.
The new concept could also explain what dark matter — the
mysterious, invisible substance that makes up most of the universe — is
actually made of, Das added. [The Big Bang to Civilization: 10
Amazing Origin Events]
Big Bang under fire
According to the Big Bang theory, the
universe was born about 13.8 billion years ago. All the matter that exists
today was once squished into an infinitely dense, infinitely tiny, ultra-hot
point called a singularity. This tiny fireball then exploded and gave rise to
the early universe.
The singularity comes out of the math of Einstein's theory of general
relativity, which describes how mass warps space-time, and another
equation (called Raychaudhuri's equation) that predicts whether the trajectory
of something will converge or diverge over time. Going backward in time,
according to these equations, all matter in the universe was once in a single
point — the Big Bang singularity.
But that's not quite true. In Einstein's formulation, the laws
of physics actually break before the singularity is reached. But scientists
extrapolate backward as if the physics equations still hold, said Robert
Brandenberger, a theoretical cosmologist at McGill University in Montreal, who
was not involved in the study.
"So when we say that the universe begins with a big bang,
we really have no right to say that," Brandenberger told Live Science.
There are other problems brewing in physics — namely, that the
two most dominant theories, quantum mechanics and general relativity, can't be
reconciled.
Quantum mechanics says
that the behavior of tiny subatomic particles is fundamentally uncertain. This
is at odds with Einstein's general relativity, which is deterministic, meaning
that once all the natural laws are known, the future is completely
predetermined by the past, Das said.
And neither theory explains what dark matter, an invisible
form of matter that exerts a gravitational pull on ordinary matter but cannot
be detected by most telescopes, is made of.
Quantum correction
Das and his colleagues wanted a way to resolve at least some of
these problems. To do so, they looked at an older way of visualizing quantum
mechanics, called Bohmian mechanics. In it, a hidden variable governs the
bizarre behavior of subatomic particles. Unlike other formulations of quantum
mechanics, it provides a way to calculate the trajectory of a particle.
Using this old-fashioned form of quantum theory, the researchers
calculated a small correction term that could be included in Einstein's theory
of general relativity. Then, they figured out what would happen in deep time. [8 Ways You Can See Einstein's Theory
of Relativity in Real Life]
The upshot? In the new formulation, there is no singularity, and
the universe is infinitely old.
A way to test the theory
One way of interpreting the quantum correction term in their
equation is that it is related to the density of dark matter, Das said.
If so, the universe could be filled with a superfluid made of
hypothetical particles, such as the gravity-carrying particles known as
gravitons, or ultra-cold, ghostlike particles known
as axions, Das said.
One way to test the theory is to look at how dark matter is
distributed in the universe and see if it matches the properties of the
proposed superfluid, Das said.
"If our results match with those, even approximately,
that's great," Das told Live Science.
However, the new equations are just one way to reconcile quantum
mechanics and general relativity. For instance, a part of string theory known
as string gas cosmology predicts
that the universe once had a long-lasting static phase, while other theories
predict there was once a cosmic "bounce," where the universe first
contracted until it reached a very small size, then began expanding,
Brandenberg said.
Either way, the universe was once very, very small and hot.
"The fact that there's a hot fireball at very early times:
that is confirmed," Brandenberg told Live Science. "When you try to
go back all the way to the singularity, that's when the problems arise."
The new theory was explained in a paper published Feb. 4 in
the journal Physical Letters B,
and another paper that is currently under peer review, which was published in
the preprint journal arXiv.
Follow Tia Ghose on Twitter and Google+. Follow
LiveScience@livescience,& Facebook & Google+. Originally
published on Live Science.
General
Calendar:
Colloquia, Lectures, Seminars, Meetings, Open Houses & Tours:
Colloquia, Lectures, Seminars, Meetings, Open Houses & Tours:
Colloquia: Carnegie (Tues.
4pm), UCLA, Caltech (Wed. 4pm), IPAC (Wed. 12:15pm) & other Pasadena (daily
12-4pm): http://obs.carnegiescience.edu/seminars/
Carnegie
astronomy lectures
– only 4 per year in the Spring www.obs.carnegiescience.edu. Visit www.huntington.org for directions. For more
information about the Carnegie Observatories or this lecture series, please
contact Reed Haynie. This year's
Astronomy Lecture Series will take place at A Noise
Within on March 30, April 13, April 27, and May
11. Click here for more information.
All four lectures this year will be held at A Noise Within, the
theater located at 3352 East Foothill Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107 (just
North of the 210 Freeway, take the Madre street exit). Free parking is
available in the Metro Gold Line parking structure just South of the theatre.
Enter the structure East off Sierra Madre Villa Ave. (if you are traveling
North on Sierra Madre Villa) or West off Halstead Street. Click here for a map which
depicts the site with the theatre, parking structure, and surrounding streets.
Visit www.anoisewithin.org for directions and
more information. All lectures are free and open to the public, but
seating is limited. Please arrive early. Doors open at 6:45 PM and all lectures
start at 7:30 PM. Light refreshments will be served in advance of the lectures.
The 2015 Astronomy Lecture Series is organized by Dr. John Mulchaey, Interim Director of the
Observatories. For more information, please contact 626.304.0250 or visit www.obs.carnegiescience.edu.
Monday, March 30th 2015
The Multiwavelength Universe
Dr. John Mulchaey
Staff Scientist
Carnegie Observatories
The Multiwavelength Universe
Dr. John Mulchaey
Staff Scientist
Carnegie Observatories
The light we see with our eyes only tells a small part of the
Universe's story. To get a complete picture of how the Universe works,
astronomers must study objects over the full range of light, the
electromagnetic spectrum. This includes gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet,
visible, infrared, micro- waves and radio waves. Each type of light requires
different instruments, and provides unique information about the source that
emitted it. Dr. Mulchaey will explain how Carnegie astronomers and their
colleagues are combining observations across the electromagnetic spectrum to
help solve the mysteries of the Universe.
Monday, April 13th 2015
The Genes That Built You
Dr. Matthew P. Scott
President,
Carnegie Institution for Science
The Genes That Built You
Dr. Matthew P. Scott
President,
Carnegie Institution for Science
Carnegie Astronomy is also part of Carnegie Science and the
study of all living species. From ancient single-celled organisms evolved
multicellular animals whose immense numbers of specialized cell types—skin,
muscle, nerve—allow division of labor. Each cell type forms in the right place,
is suited to its task, and activates certain genes. Powerful cell-to-cell
communication systems organize structured tissues such as lungs, limbs and
brain. Dr. Scott will discuss half-billion-year-old genes that have been
gradually modified to give rise to the vast diversity of animals.
Monday, April 27th 2015
At the Edge of Reason: The Black Holes in the Universe
Dr. Juna Kollmeier
Staff Scientist,
Carnegie Observatories
At the Edge of Reason: The Black Holes in the Universe
Dr. Juna Kollmeier
Staff Scientist,
Carnegie Observatories
Black holes remain among the most enigmatic objects in the
universe. Using both computer simulations and traditional analytic theory, Dr.
Kollmeier is making major discoveries showing how tiny fluctuations in density
in the early universe have become the galaxies and black holes that we see
after 14 billion years of cosmic evolution. In this Lecture, Dr. Kollmeier will
review our basic knowledge of black holes and explore outstanding
mysteries
regarding their formation and structure.
regarding their formation and structure.
Monday, May 11th 2015
The Accelerating Universe
Dr. Robert P. Kirshner
Clowes Professor of Science,
Harvard University
The Accelerating Universe
Dr. Robert P. Kirshner
Clowes Professor of Science,
Harvard University
The expanding universe was discovered at Mount Wilson almost 100
years ago. But there is something new! In the past 20 years, astronomers have
found that cosmic expansion is speeding up, driven by a mysterious “dark
energy” whose nature we do not understand. Dr. Kirshner, one of today”s
preeminent astrophysicists, is the recipient of many prestigious awards,
including the 2014 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics (sponsored by
Google, among others), as well as the 2014 James Craig Watson Medal of the
National Acad- emy of Sciences for “service to astronomy.”
5 March
|
AEA Astronomy
Club Meeting
|
Using the 8-inch Dobsonian, Backpack Observatory &
Eyepiece Cameras
|
Club
Members
|
A1/1735
|
6 March
|
Friday Night 7:30PM SBAS Monthly General Meeting
in the Planetarium at El Camino College (16007 Crenshaw
Bl. In Torrance)
Topic:
|
9 March
|
LAAS
LAAS General Meeting.
|
Griffith
Observatory
Event Horizon Theater 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM |
March 26
& 27 The
von Kármán Lecture Series: 2015
Adventures From the Field - (Down and
Dirty) Stories of Pursuing JPL Science from the Ground up to Space
JPL regularly sends research teams to the most important planet
in the Solar System - our Earth. Join Remote Sensing Calibration Specialist
Mark Helmlinger (a.k.a. Hellwinger) as he shares pictures and stories about the
research efforts he has been a part of. From calibrating satellites to using
the desert as an analog for Mars; on foot, from towers, carts, cycles, cars,
and airplanes, Hellwinger has been honored to help out in some fairly obscure
corners of the Earth. The purpose of particular field campaigns and what that
means to Planetary and Earth Science will be discussed. There will also be a
demonstration of some of the science behind Remote Sensing.
Speaker:
Mark Helmlinger - Remote Sensing Calibration, Characterization, and Validation Specialist, Imaging Spectroscopy Group, JPL
Mark Helmlinger - Remote Sensing Calibration, Characterization, and Validation Specialist, Imaging Spectroscopy Group, JPL
Locations:
|
Thursday, March 26, 2015, 7pm
The von Kármán Auditorium at JPL 4800 Oak Grove Drive Pasadena, CA › Directions Friday, March 27, 2015, 7pm The Vosloh Forum at Pasadena City College 1570 East Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA › Directions |
|
Webcast:
|
We offer two
options to view the live streaming of our webcast on Thursday: › 1) Ustream with real-time web chat to take public questions. › 2) Flash Player with open captioning If you don't have Flash Player, you can download for free here. |
|
Observing:
The
following data are from the 2015 Observer’s Handbook, and Sky & Telescope’s
2015 Skygazer’s Almanac & monthly Sky at a Glance.
Current
sun & moon rise/set/phase data for L.A.:
http://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/usa/los-angeles
Sun,
Moon & Planets for March:
Moon: March 5 full, March
13 last quarter, March 20 new, March 27 1st quarter
Planets:
Venus & Mars are visible in the W for a couple hours after sunset. Mercury is visible in the SE
just before sunrise. Jupiter
is up all night until just
before dawn. Saturn
rises about midnight.
Other
Events:
8 March Daylight Savings Time begins
11 March Mars 0.3 deg N or Uranus
14 March?
|
SBAS
Saturday Night In Town Dark Sky Observing Session at Ridgecrest Middle School– 28915 North Bay Rd. RPV, Weather
Permitting: Please contact Greg Benecke to confirm that the gate will be
opened! http://www.sbastro.net/
|
17 March Mercury 1.6deg S. of Neptune
20 March Vernal Equinox
21 March Uranus 0.1deg S of Moon, Mars 1deg N of Moon
21 March
|
LAAS Dark Sky Night : Lockwood Valley (Steve Kufeld Astronomical Site; LAAS members and their guests only)
|
21 March?
|
SBAS
out-of-town Dark Sky observing – contact Greg Benecke http://www.sbastro.net/.
|
28 March
|
Public Star Party: Griffith Observatory Grounds 2-10pm
|
Internet
Links:
Telescope, Binocular & Accessory Buying
Guides
General
About the
Club
Club Websites: Internal (Aerospace): https://aeropedia.aero.org/aeropedia/index.php/Astronomy_Club It is updated to reflect this newsletter, in addition to a listing of past club mtg. presentations, astronomy news, photos & events from prior newsletters, club equipment, membership & constitution. We have linked some presentation materials from past mtgs. Our club newsletters are also being posted to an external blog, “An Astronomical View” http://astronomicalview.blogspot.com/.
Club Websites: Internal (Aerospace): https://aeropedia.aero.org/aeropedia/index.php/Astronomy_Club It is updated to reflect this newsletter, in addition to a listing of past club mtg. presentations, astronomy news, photos & events from prior newsletters, club equipment, membership & constitution. We have linked some presentation materials from past mtgs. Our club newsletters are also being posted to an external blog, “An Astronomical View” http://astronomicalview.blogspot.com/.
Membership. For information, current dues & application, contact Alan Olson, or see the club website (or Aerolink folder) where a form is also available (go to the membership link/folder & look at the bottom). Benefits will include use of club telescope(s) & library/software, membership in The Astronomical League, discounts on Sky & Telescope magazine and Observer’s Handbook, field trips, great programs, having a say in club activities, acquisitions & elections, etc.
Committee Suggestions & Volunteers. Feel free to contact: Mark Clayson, President & Program Committee Chairman (& acting club VP), TBD Activities Committee Chairman (& club Secretary), or Alan Olson, Resource Committee Chairman (over equipment & library, and club Treasurer).
Mark Clayson,
AEA Astronomy Club President
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