The Hubble Ultra Deep Field Image (see description on the right, below)

The Hubble Ultra Deep Field Image
(10,000 galaxies in an area 1% of the apparent size of the moon -- see description on the right, below)

Friday, June 9, 2017

2017 June

AEA Astronomy Club Newsletter June 2017

Contents
AEA Astronomy Club News & Calendar p.1
Video(s) & Picture(s) of the Month p. 3
Astronomy News p. 10
General Calendar p. 19
    Colloquia, lectures, mtgs. p. 19
    Observing p. 21
Useful Links p. 22
About the Club p. 23

Club News & Calendar.

Club Calendar

Club Meeting Schedule:
1 June
AEA Astronomy Club Meeting
Astronomy DVD or Online Video/Lecture
(A1/1735)
6 July
AEA Astronomy Club Meeting
Pizza Party & Video Presentation
(A1/1735)




AEA Astronomy Club meetings are now on 1st  Thursdays at 11:45 am.  For all of 2017, the meeting room is A1/1735. 


Club News:  


The club has recently acquired the following, in preparation for the Aug. 21 eclipse:

The Solarscope Wooden Standard Traveler version is ideal for group observation of sun spots on a daily basis and also for transits of Mercury and Venus, and solar eclipses. The visual demonstration brings the topic to life and makes the subject much more lively and impressive. It is designed for teachers and presenters. It can be assembled assembled/disassembled in minute. It is also convenient for continued outdoor uses as it withstands the weather. It does also include the education kit.




Baader Planetarium Visual AstroSolar Safety Film - 19.7 cm x 39.4 cm Sheet 

iOptron SkyGuider Pro EQ Camera Mount 



PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS
·         Equatorial Camera Tracking System
·         11-Pound Payload Capacity (can attach 2 DSLR cameras)
·         Right Ascension Tracking Motor
·         Tracking Rates: Solar/Lunar/Celestial/Half-Celestial
iOptron 1.25" Stainless Steel Tripod for SmartEQ and SkyTracker


100 Pairs of eclipse glasses from the Astronomical League



Astronomy Video(s) & Picture(s) of the Month
(from Astronomy Picture of the Day, APOD: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html

VIDEO: Approaching the Bubble Nebula 
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170531.html
 Visualization Credit: NASA, ESA, and F. Summers, G. Bacon, Z. Levay, and L. Frattare (Viz 3D Team, STScI); 
Acknowledgment: T. Rector/University of Alaska Anchorage, H. Schweiker/WIYN and NOAO/AURA/NSF, NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Explanation: What would it look like to approach the Bubble Nebula? Blown by the wind and radiation from a massive star, this bubble now spans seven light-years in diameter. The hot star inside is thousands of times more luminous than our Sun, and is now offset from the nebula's center. The visualization starts with a direct approach toward the Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635) and then moves around the nebula while continuing the approach. The featured time-lapse visualization is extrapolated from images with the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope and the WIYN telescope on Kitt Peak in Arizona, USA. The 3D-computer model on which this visualization is based includes artistic interpretations, and distances are significantly compressed.
VIDEO:  Approaching Jupiter https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170523.html
 Video Composition & Copyright: Peter Rosén et al.; Music: The Awakening by Clemens Ruh
Explanation: What would it look like to approach Jupiter? To help answer this, a team of 91 amateur astrophotographers took over 1,000 pictures of Jupiter from the Earth with the resulting images aligned and digitally merged into the featured time-lapse video. Image taking began in 2014 December and lasted just over three months. The resulting fictitious approach sequence has similarities to what was seen by NASA's robotic Juno spacecraft as it first approached the Jovian world last July. The video begins with Jupiter appearing as a small orb near the image center. As Jupiter nears from below, the planet looms ever larger while therotation of its cloud bands becomes apparent. Jupiter's shrinking Great Red Spot rotates into view twice, at times showing unusual activity. Many white ovals are visible moving around the giant planet. The video ends as the imaginary spacecraft passes over Jupiter's North Pole.
VIDEO:  Lightning Storm Moves Across the USA   
 https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170515.html
 Image Credit: NOAA, NASA, Lockheed Martin, GOES-16, GLM
Explanation: Watch a huge lightning storm move across the eastern USA. The huge storm caused much damage and unfortunately some loss of life for people in its path. Seen from space, the lightning is seen as momentary flashes in the featured time-lapse video recorded last month by the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) aboard the GOES-16 satellite. The outline of North America is most evident during the day, while the bright lightning strikes are most evident at night. Inspection of the video shows that much of the lightning occurred at the leading edge of the huge tail of the swirling storm. Because lightning frequently precedes a storm's most violent impact, lightning data from GLM holds promise to help reduce the harm to humans from future storms.

A Zodiacal Sky over Horseshoe Bend 
 Image Credit & Copyright: David Lane
Explanation: What's causing the unusual ray of white light extending upward from the central horizon? Dust orbiting the Sun. At certain times of the year, a band of sun-reflecting dust from the inner Solar Systemrises prominently before sunrise and is called zodiacal light. The dust originates mostly from faint Jupiter-family comets and slowly spirals into the Sun. Pictured, in front of the zodiacal light, is a spectacular view ofHorseshoe Bend of the Colorado River. Emitted from well behind the zodiacal light is a spectacular sky that includes many bright stars including Sirius, several blue star clusters including the Pleiades, and an assortment of red nebulas including Barnard's Loop in Orion. The 30-image composite was taken earlier this month in nearly complete darkness only six inches from the edge of a dangerous cliff.
Wolf-Lundmark-Melotte 
 Image Credit: ESO, VST/Omegacam Local Group Survey
Explanation: Named for the three astronomers instrumental in its discovery and identification, Wolf - Lundmark - Melotte (WLM) is a lonely dwarf galaxy. Seen toward the mostly southern constellation Cetus, about 3 million light-years from the Milky Way, it is one of the most remote members of our local galaxy group. In fact, it may never have interacted with any other local group galaxy. Still, telltale pinkish star forming regions and hot, young, bluish stars speckle the isolated island universe. Older, cool yellowish stars fade into the small galaxy's halo, extending about 8,000 light-years across. This sharp portrait of WLM was captured by the 268-megapixel OmegaCAM widefield imager and survey telescope at ESO's Paranal Observatory.

Galaxy Group Hickson 90 
 Image Credit: NASA; ESA, Hubble Legacy Archive; Processing: Oliver Czernetz
Explanation: Scanning the skies for galaxies, Canadian astronomer Paul Hickson and colleagues identified some 100 compact groups of galaxies, now appropriately called Hickson Compact Groups (HCGs). This sharp Hubble image shows one such galaxy group, HCG 90, in startling detail. Three galaxies -- two visible here -- are revealed to be strongly interacting: a dusty spiral galaxy stretched and distorted in the image center, and two large elliptical galaxies. The close encounter will trigger furious star formation. On a cosmic timescale, the gravitational tug of war will eventually result in the merger of the trio into a large single galaxy. The merger process is now understood to be a normal part of the evolution of galaxies, including our own Milky Way. HCG 90 lies about 100 million light-years away toward the constellation of the Southern Fish (Piscis Austrinus). This Hubble view spans about 40,000 light-years at that estimated distance. Of course, Hickson Compact Groups also make for rewarding viewing for Earth-bound astronomers with more modest sized telescopes.

UGC 1810: Wildly Interacting Galaxy from Hubble 
 Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; Processing & Copyright: Domingo Pestana
Explanation: What's happening to this spiral galaxy? Although details remain uncertain, it surely has to do with an ongoing battle with its smaller galactic neighbor. The featured galaxy is labelled UGC 1810 by itself, but together with its collisional partner is known as Arp 273. The overall shape of the UGC 1810 -- in particular its blue outer ring -- is likely a result of wild and violent gravitational interactions. This ring's blue color is caused by massive stars that are blue hot and have formed only in the past few million years. The inner galaxy appears older, redder, and threaded with cool filamentary dust. A few bright stars appear well in the foreground, unrelated to UGC 1810, while several galaxies are visible well in the background. Arp 273 lies about 300 million light years away toward the constellation of Andromeda. Quite likely, UGC 1810 willdevour its galactic sidekick over the next billion years and settle into a classic spiral form.

Ancient Ogunquit Beach on Mars 
 Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS;
Explanation: This was once a beach -- on ancient Mars. The featured 360-degree panorama, horizontally compressed, was taken by the robotic Curiosity rover currently exploring the red planet. Named Ogunquit Beach after its terrestrial counterpart, evidence shows that at times long ago the area was underwater, while at other times it was at the edge of an ancient lake. The light peak in the central background is the top ofMount Sharp, the central feature in Gale Crater where Curiosity has been deployed. Curiosity is slowly ascending Mount Sharp. Portions of the dark sands in the foreground have been scooped up for analysis. The light colored bedrock is composed of sediment that likely settled at the bottom of the now-dried lakebed. The featured panorama (interactive version here) was created from over 100 images acquired in late March and seemingly signed by the rover on the lower left. Currently, Curiosity is carefully crossing deep megaripples of dark sands on its way to explore Vera Rubin Ridge.

The Perseus Cluster Waves 
Image Credit: NASA, CXC, GSFC, Stephen Walker, et al.
Explanation: The cosmic swirl and slosh of giant waves in an enormous reservoir of glowing hot gas are traced in this enhanced X-ray image from the Chandra Observatory. The frame spans over 1 million light-years across the center of the nearby Perseus Galaxy Cluster, some 240 million light-years distant. Like other clusters of galaxies, most of the observable mass in the Perseus cluster is in the form of the cluster-filling gas. With temperatures in the tens of millions of degrees, the gas glows brightly in X-rays. Computer simulations can reproduce details of the structures sloshing through the Perseus cluster's X-ray hot gas, including the remarkable concave bay seen below and left of center. About 200,000 light-years across, twice the size of the Milky Way, the bay's formation indicates that Perseus itself was likely grazed by a smaller galaxy cluster billions of years ago.

Cooling Neutron Star 
 Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/UNAM/Ioffe/D.Page, P. Shternin et al; Optical: NASA/STScI; 
Illustration: NASA/CXC/M. Weiss
Explanation: The bright source near the center is a neutron star, the incredibly dense, collapsed remains of a massive stellar core. Surrounding it is supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A), a comfortable 11,000 light-years away. Light from the Cas A supernova, the death explosion of a massive star, first reached Earth about 350 years ago. The expanding debris cloud spans about 15 light-years in this composite X-ray/optical image. Still hot enough to emit X-rays, Cas A's neutron star is cooling. In fact, years of observations with the orbiting Chandra X-ray Observatory find that the neutron star is cooling rapidly -- so rapidly that researchers suspect a large part of the neutron star's core is forming a frictionless neutron superfluid. The Chandra results represent the first observational evidence for this bizarre state of neutron matter.


Astronomy News:
(from http://esciencenews.com/topics/astronomy.space)

Surprise! The Universe Has A Third Way To Form Black Holes

Starts With A Bang
The Universe is out there, waiting for you to discover it  
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
Ethan Siegel, Contributor
Aaron Smith/TACC/UT-Austin

In addition to formation by supernovae and neutron star mergers, it should be possible for black holes to form via direct collapse. For the first time, we caught one red-handed, not just in simulations as shown here.
When a massive enough star runs out of fuel in its core and collapses, the resulting Type II supernova will produce a black hole.

Cassiopeia A in X-ray light from the Chandra X-ray Observatory. It is conceivable that there is a black hole remnant at the core of this object, although the evidence is not indisputable.
Supernovae that aren't quite massive enough will produce neutron stars instead, which themselves will make black holes if they either accrete more matter or collide with another neutron star.

Dana Berry, SkyWorks Digital, Inc.
Two neutron stars colliding, which is the primary source of many of the heaviest periodic table elements in the Universe. About 3-5% of the mass gets expelled in such a collision; the rest becomes a single black hole.
These two processes both enrich the Universe with heavy elements: supernovae with elements like iron, silicon, sulphur and phosphorous, while neutron star collisions create gold, mercury, lead and uranium.

Dana Berry/NASA
Illustration of a black hole tearing apart and devouring a star. Supernova explosions or neutron star mergers (which create gamma ray bursts) should expel or kick a binary companion. The observations of black hole binaries hint at a third way.
But in theory, there should be a third way: through direct collapse.

J. Wise/Georgia Institute of Technology and J. Regan/Dublin City University
Distant, massive quasars show ultramassive black holes in their cores. It's very difficult to form them without a large seed, but a direct collapse black hole could solve that puzzle quite elegantly.
If a massive enough gas cloud collapses under its own gravity, it should form a black hole directly, without any intervening star.

X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ of Michigan/R.C.Reis et al; Optical: NASA/STScI
An ultra-distant quasar showing plenty of evidence for a supermassive black hole at its center. How that black hole got so massive so quickly is a topic of contentious scientific debate.
This is one of the leading theories for how supermassive black holes begin, including at such early times in the ultra-distant Universe.

L. Mayer et al. (2014), via https://arxiv.org/abs/1411.5683
Simulations of various gas-rich processes, such as galaxy mergers, indicate that the formation of direct collapse black holes should be possible. But none have ever been directly observed until now.
If direct collapse is possible, we should see some massive stars with just the right properties disappearing with no explosion.

NASA/ESA/C. Kochanek (OSU)
The visible/near-IR photos from Hubble show a massive star, about 25 times the mass of the Sun, that has winked out of existence, with no supernova or other explanation. Direct collapse is the only reasonable candidate explanation.

NASA/ESA/P. Jeffries (STScI)
There was a brief brightening in the optical, corresponding to a 'failed supernova', but then the luminosity plummeted to zero, where it has remained.
Direct collapse is the only explanation possible.

LIGO, NSF, A. Simonnet (SSU)
The 30-ish solar mass binary black holes first observed by LIGO are very difficult to form without direct collapse. Now that it's been observed, these black hole pairs are thought to be quite common.
As many as 30% of massive stars should become black holes in this way, which is now verified for the first time.
Mostly Mute Monday tells the astronomical story of an object, process or phenomenon in images, visuals and no more than 200 words.
Astrophysicist and author Ethan Siegel is the founder and primary writer of Starts With A Bang! Check out his first book, Beyond The Galaxy, and look for his second, Treknology, this October!


 General Calendar:

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.  . Click here for more information.

1 June
AEA Astronomy Club Meeting
Astronomy DVD or Online Video/Lecture
(A1/1735)






2 June
Friday Night 7:30PM SBAS  Monthly General Meeting
in the Planetarium at El Camino College (16007 Crenshaw Bl. In Torrance)
Topic:  “Why String Theory” Tim Thompson, JPL/LAAS

June 25 DR. FRANK KYTE

ELTANIN, THE LARGEST METEORITE OF WHICH INTACT FRAGMENTS ARE PRESERVED

Location: UCLA Geology 3656
Time: 2:30PM
The largest recovered meteorite was discovered at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean about 1500 km west of the southern tip of South America. It has been documented by sediment cores collected during a series of German oceanographic cruises. About 2.5 million years ago a one-kilometer-diameter asteroid impacted the ocean and deposited more than one kilogram of meteorites per square meter over thousands of square kilometers. About 90% of this was melted by the shock of the impact, but 10% is undamaged meteorite fragments.

6 July
AEA Astronomy Club Meeting
Pizza Party & Video Presentation
(A1/1735)
July 13 & 14 The von Kármán Lecture Series: 2017

Five Years of Exploring Gale Crater with the Curiosity Mars Rover
Nearly five years after its celebrated arrival at Mars, the Curiosity rover continues to reveal Mars as a once-habitable planet. Early in the planet’s history, generations of streams and lakes created the landforms that Curiosity explores today. The rover currently is climbing through the foothills of Mount Sharp, a 3-miile-high mountain formed from sediment brought in by water and wind. This talk will cover the latest findings from the mission, the challenges of exploration with an aging robot, and what lies ahead.
Speaker:
James K. Erickson, Mars Science Laboratory Project Manager, JPL
Dr. Ashwin R. Vasavada, Mars Science Laboratory Project Scientist, JPL

Location:
Thursday, July 13, 2017, 7pm
  Click here to add the date to your online calendar
The von Kármán Auditorium at JPL
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA
› Directions 

Friday, July 14, 2017, 7pm
  Click here to add the date to your online calendar
The Vosloh Forum at Pasadena City College
1570 East Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA
› Directions

Observing:

The following data are from the 2017 Observer’s Handbook, and Sky & Telescope’s 2017 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 June:

  

Moon: June 1 1st quarter, June 9 full, June 17 last quarter, June 24 new               
Planets: Venus visible at dawn all June in east.  Mars out of sight all June.  Mercury  not visible all month.  Saturn visible all month morning hours, SE to SW. Jupiter all June dusk to early morning south to west.
Other Events:

3 June
LAAS Public  Star Party: Griffith Observatory Grounds 2-10pm

3 June Venus greatest elongation west

7,14,21,28 June
LAAS The Garvey Ranch Observatory is open to the public every Wednesday evening from 7:30 PM to 10 PM. Go into the dome to use the 8 Inch Refractor or observe through one of our telescopes on the lawn. Visit our workshop to learn how you can build your own telescope, grind your own mirror, or sign up for our free seasonal astronomy classes.

Call 213-673-7355 for further information.
Time: 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Location: Garvey Ranch Obs. , 781 Orange Ave., Monterey Park, CA 91755

15 June Saturn at opposition

 
17 June
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/

20 June Venus 2 deg north of Moon

21 June solstice

24 June
LAAS Private dark sky  Star Party

24 June
SBAS out-of-town Dark Sky observing – contact Greg Benecke to coordinate a location. http://www.sbastro.net/.  


Internet Links:

Telescope, Binocular & Accessory Buying Guides


General


Regional (Southern California, Washington, D.C. & Colorado)
Southern California & Beyond Amateur Astronomy Organizations, Observatories & Planetaria
Mt. Wilson Observatory description, history, visiting


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/. 

 
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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