Contents
AEA Astronomy Club News & Calendar p.1
Video(s) & Picture(s) of the Month p. 2
Astronomy News p. 5
General Calendar p. 7
Colloquia, lectures, mtgs. p. 7
Observing p. 11
Observing p. 11
Useful
Links p. 13
About the Club p. 14
Club News & Calendar.
Club Calendar
About the Club p. 14
Club News & Calendar.
Club Calendar
Club Meeting Schedule:
--
4 June
|
AEA Astronomy Club Meeting
|
TBD -- Great Courses video “Special Relativity & Interstellar
Travel"
|
(Skype)
|
||||
|
AEA Astronomy Club Meeting
|
TBD -- Great Courses video?
|
Skype or
A1/1735?
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AEA
Astronomy Club meetings are now on 1st Thursdays at 11:45 am. For 2020:
March 5 & April 2 in A1/2906 and for the rest of 2020 (Jan., Feb., May-Dec),
the meeting room is A1/1735.
Club
News:
We have received our AEA funding for the year -- $4,000 as
requested. We had some ideas how to
spend it, but if you have any additional ones, feel free to share.
This year’s annual night at Mt. Wilson Sept. 12, on the 100-inch
telescope, has a full roster, and a few on the waiting list. But we sometimes
have several drop out as the time approaches, so we can still add you to the
waiting list. Next year will be the 60-inch telescope – we alternate between
the 2 telescopes. The evening often includes a tour of the Aerospace MAFIOT facility,
and a Mt. Wilson docent tour.
We need volunteers to help with:
·
Assembling
our new 16-inch Hubble Optics Dobs
·
Installing
our new software on our tablet & laptop
·
Populating
our club Sharepoint site with material & links to the club’s Aerowiki
& Aerolink materials – Kaly Rangarajan has volunteered to help with this
·
Arranging
future club programs
·
Managing
club equipment & library (Kelly Gov volunteered to help with the
library)
Astronomy Video(s)
& Picture(s) of the Month
(generally from
Astronomy Picture of the Day, APOD: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html)
VIDEO: Journey into the Cosmic Reef https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200518.html
Video Credit: NASA, ESA, and Viz3D
Team (STScIi)
Explanation: What would you see if you could fly into
the Cosmic Reef? The nebular cloud NGC 2014 appear to some like an ocean
reef that
resides in the sky, specifically in the LMC, the largest satellite galaxy of
our Milky
Way Galaxy.
A detailed
image of this
distant nebula was taken by the Hubble Space
Telescope to
help commemorate 30 years of investigating the cosmos. Data
and images of this cosmic reef have been combined into the
three-dimensional model flown through in the featured
video. The
computer animated sequence first takes you past a star cluster highlighted by bright blue stars,
below pillars of gas and dust slowly being destroyed by the energetic light and winds emitted by these massive stars.
Filaments of gas and dust are everywhere, glowing in the red light of hydrogen and nitrogen. The animation next takes you to the blue-colored
nebula NGC 2020, glowing in light emitted by oxygen and surrounding a Wolf-Rayet star about 200,000 times brighter than
our Sun -- a nebula thought to be the ejected outer atmosphere of this stellar
monster. As the animation
concludes, the
virtual camera pivots to show that NGC 2020 has a familiar hourglass shape when viewed from the side.
VIDEO:
Earth Flyby of BepiColombo https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200504.html
Image Credit & License: ESA, BepiColombo, MTM
Explanation: What it would look like to approach planet
Earth? Such an event was recorded visually in great detail by ESA's and JAXA's robotic BepiColombo spacecraft last
month as it swung back past Earth on its journey in to the planet Mercury. Earth can
be seen rotating on approach as it comes out from behind the spacecraft's
high-gain antenna in this
nearly 10-hour time-lapse video. The Earth is so bright that no
background stars are visible. Launched in 2018,
the robotic BepiColombo used
the gravity of
Earth to adjust its course, the first of nine planetary flybys over the next
seven years -- but the only one involving Earth.
Scheduled to enter orbit in 2025, BepiColombo will take images and data of
the surface and
magnetic field of Mercury in
an effort to better
understand the early
evolution of our Solar System and its innermost planet.Image Credit & License: ESA, BepiColombo, MTM
Posters of the Solar System
Image Credit: NASA
Explanation: Would you like a NASA
astronomy-exploration poster? You are just one page-print away. Any of the
panels you see on the
featured image can
appear on your wall. Moreover, this
NASA page has,
typically, several more posters of each of the Solar System objects depicted. These posters
highlight many of the places humanity, through NASA, has explored in the past 50 years,
including our Sun, and planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Moons of Jupiter that have been
posterized include Europa, Ganymede, Callisto,
and Io, while moons of Saturn that can be framed
include Enceladus and Titan. Images of Pluto, Ceres, comets and asteroids are also presented,
while six deep space scenes -- well beyond our
Solar System --
can also be prominently displayed. If you lack
wall space or
blank poster sheets don't despair -- you can still print many of these out
as trading
cards.Image Credit: NASA
Jupiter in Infrared from Gemini
Image Credit: International Gemini Observatory, NOIRLab, NSF, AURA; M. H. Wong (UC Berkeley) & Team;
Acknowledgment: Mahdi Zamani; Text: Alex R. Howe (NASA/USRA, Reader's History of SciFi Podcast)
Image Credit: International Gemini Observatory, NOIRLab, NSF, AURA; M. H. Wong (UC Berkeley) & Team;
Acknowledgment: Mahdi Zamani; Text: Alex R. Howe (NASA/USRA, Reader's History of SciFi Podcast)
Explanation: In infrared, Jupiter lights
up the night. Recently, astronomers at the Gemini North Observatory in Hawaii, USA,
created some of the best infrared photos of Jupiter ever taken from Earth’s
surface, pictured. Gemini was able to produce such a clear
image using a technique called lucky
imaging, by taking many images and combining only the clearest ones
that, by chance, were taken when Earth's
atmosphere was the most calm. Jupiter’s jack-o’-lantern-like appearance is
caused by the planet’s different layers of
clouds. Infrared light can pass through clouds
better than visible light, allowing us to see deeper, hotter
layers of Jupiter's atmosphere, while the thickest clouds
appear dark. These pictures, together with ones from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Juno spacecraft, can tell us a lot about weather
patterns on Jupiter, like where its massive, planet-sized storms form.
Astronomy
News:
Half the universe’s ordinary matter was missing — and may have
been found
The long-sought
matter appears to have been hiding in the gaps between galaxies
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/universe-missing-matter-found-fast-radio-bursts
Observations of brief, brilliant flashes of radio waves from other galaxies, detected by the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (pictured), indicate that all of the universe’s “missing matter” is lurking in intergalactic space.
CSIRO, ALEX CHERNEY
At long last, all of the universe’s
ordinary matter seems to be present and accounted for.
Astronomers have taken a new census of
matter in the universe by examining how bright flashes of radio waves from
other galaxies, called fast radio bursts, are distorted by particles on their
way to Earth. This analysis shows that about half of the universe’s ordinary
matter, which has eluded detection for decades, is lurking in intergalactic
space, researchers report online May 27 in Nature.
The mystery of the missing matter has
vexed cosmologists for some 20 years. This elusive material isn’t the
invisible, unidentified dark matter that makes up most of the mass in the
universe. It’s ordinary matter, composed of garden-variety particles called baryons, such as
protons and neutrons (SN: 10/11/17).
Observations of light emitted when the
universe was young indicate that baryons should make up roughly 5 percent of
all the mass and energy in the cosmos. But in the modern universe, all the
matter that astronomers can easily see, like the stars and gas in galaxies,
adds up to only about half of the expected amount of matter.
Scientists have long suspected the
missing matter is hiding between galaxies, along filaments of gas strung
between galaxy clusters in a vast cosmic web (SN: 1/20/14). “But we haven’t
been able to detect it very well, because it’s really, really diffuse, and it’s
not shining brightly,” says Jason Hessels, an astrophysicist at the University
of Amsterdam not involved in the new work.
Some intergalactic matter is detectable
by how it absorbs the light of distant, bright objects called quasars (SN: 10/25/02). But the only way to
take inventory of all the baryons hanging out in intergalactic space relies
on mysterious blasts of radio waves from other
galaxies, possibly generated by energetic activity around neutron stars or
black holes (SN:
2/7/20).
Even though no one knows what causes
these blasts, called fast radio bursts or FRBs, they can make useful baryon detectors (SN: 7/25/14). A burst’s
high-frequency, high-energy radio waves zip through intergalactic matter faster
than its low-frequency waves. The more intergalactic matter that a radio burst’s
waves pass through, the farther its lower-frequency waves fall behind —
creating a detectable smear in the radio signal by the time it reaches Earth.
Astrophysicist J. Xavier Prochaska of the
University of California, Santa Cruz and colleagues examined five fast radio
bursts from five galaxies, all detected by the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (SN: 6/27/19). For each FRB, the
researchers compared the arrival times of radio waves of different frequencies
to tally up the number of baryons that the burst encountered on its journey
through intergalactic space. Then, using the distance between the FRB’s host
galaxy and the Milky Way, Prochaska’s team could calculate the baryon density
along that path.
Bright
blasts of radio waves from other galaxies, called fast radio bursts or FRBs,
have helped astronomers find previously undetectable ordinary matter. FRBs make
good matter detectors because radio waves are affected by the particles they
encounter as they cross the universe. Although radio waves all travel at the
same speed through empty space, higher-frequency waves (shown in purple) zip
through intergalactic matter faster than lower-frequency waves (shown in red).
By measuring when radio waves of different frequencies arrive on Earth,
astronomers can figure out how many particles of matter the FRB encountered on
its journey through the cosmos. That has allowed them to identify matter in the
shadowy regions between galaxies that was previously considered missing.
The average density of matter between the
Milky Way and each of the five FRB host galaxies came out to about one baryon
per cubic meter. The material in the Milky Way is about 1 million times as
dense as that, Prochaska says, making the intergalactic stuff “a very wispy
medium.” But all that wispy material, taken together, is enough to account for
all the universe’s missing matter — bringing ordinary matter up to about 5
percent of the modern universe’s overall matter and energy, the researchers
say.
Astrophysicist J. Michael Shull of the
University of Colorado Boulder cautions that “five is an awfully small number”
of FRB observations from which to draw conclusions about the number of baryons
throughout the modern universe. But “once they get their error bars beaten down
with many, many more bursts … I think that will really be the nail in the
coffin on this baryon problem,” he says.
Using more fast radio bursts as cosmic
weigh stations will also be useful for pinpointing exactly where all the matter
in the universe is located, says Shami Chatterjee, a radio astronomer at
Cornell University not involved in the work.
Right
now, all the researchers can say about the lost-and-found matter is that it’s
between galaxies. But with thousands of FRB observations, astronomers could
start teasing out the slight variations in baryon density along the sight lines
between the Milky Way and other galaxies to map out the cosmic web, Chatterjee
says.
CITATIONS
J.-P.
Macquart et al. A census of baryons in the universe from localized fast radio
bursts. Nature.
Published online May 27, 2020. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2300-2.
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/
|
AEA Astronomy Club Meeting
|
TBD -- Great Courses video “Special Relativity & Interstellar
Travel"
|
Skype
|
||||||||
June
5?
|
Friday Night 7:30PM SBAS Monthly General Meeting
in the Planetarium at El Camino College (16007 Crenshaw
Bl. In Torrance)
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June
18 The von Kármán Lecture Series: 2020
Making
a Mars Rover
We're preparing to launch the Perseverance rover to Mars, but what's involved in getting the Mars 2020 rover mission ready to head to Mars, and how do we prepare for operations once we're there? In this month's show, we'll talk with one of the researchers working on Mars 2020 to get a scientist's perspective on what it's like to develop a Mars rover mission. We'll then transition to hear about how NASA-JPL uses unique testing facilities on Earth for developing Mars rovers — testbeds for mechanical components, software, and even full-size test rovers that roll about our Mars Yard to try out new systems and approaches for landing and operating on Mars.
This webcast show will be conducted via video conference, with
speakers joining remotely from home. Watch live via YouTube and Facebook and
submit your questions via the chat.
Host:
Preston Dyches
Preston Dyches
Cohost:
Sarah Marcotte
Sarah Marcotte
Time: 7 p.m. PDT (10 p.m. EDT; 0200 UTC)
Speaker(s):
Dr. Briony Horgan — Scientist, Mars 2020 mission and professor, Purdue University
Armen Toorian — System testbed lead for the Mars 2020 mission, NASA-JPL
Dr. Briony Horgan — Scientist, Mars 2020 mission and professor, Purdue University
Armen Toorian — System testbed lead for the Mars 2020 mission, NASA-JPL
Location(s):
View online here: https://www.youtube.com/nasajpl/
View online here: https://www.youtube.com/nasajpl/
Webcast:
For educational content related to this talk, explore these
videos and activities for kids, plus resources for teachers from JPL Education:
› Explore Mars – Activities for Kids
› Explore Mars – Lessons for Educators
› Explore at Home – Learning Space
* Only the Thursday lectures are streamed live.
› Explore Mars – Activities for Kids
› Explore Mars – Lessons for Educators
› Explore at Home – Learning Space
* Only the Thursday lectures are streamed live.
8 June
|
LAAS General Mtg. 7:30pm Griffith Observatory
(private)
|
June 14
|
UCLA Meteorite Gallery
DR. FRANK KYTE
SPHERULES IN SEDIMENT DEPOSITS FROM ASTEROID IMPACT
EJECTA
Location:
https://ucla.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0ud-yppzkpH9zTgL43K75yP73wYub-w6ET
Time: 2:30PM
This talk will
discuss formation of impact spherules and their occurrence in impact deposits
ranging in age from 0.8 Ma (million years before present) to 3400 Ma. When
asteroids impact the Earth with cosmic velocities (about 20 km/sec) they
release enormous amounts of kinetic energy. A large portion of this energy is
transferred to the Earth’s surface that results in seismic waves and
excavation of a crater many times the asteroid’s volume. Materials ejected
from this crater are deposited mostly near the crater, but in large impacts
the ejecta with the highest velocity can travel above the atmosphere and
return as a global deposit. The famous dinosaur-killing impact at the K/Pg
(a.k.a. KT) boundary produced a global deposit that was probably only a few
mm thick. It is well known that this K/Pg layer has lots of iridium from the
asteroid but its most distinctive characteristic on a macro level is that it
is composed mainly of small spherical particles known as impact spherules.
Impact spherules are a common feature of distal impact deposits (those
deposited far from the impact site). Large impacts can melt significant
amounts of crustal rocks in the impact crater, producing spherules around the
crater. The highest velocity ejecta likely comes from a supercritical*
“ejecta plume” composed of a mixture of crustal and asteroidal materials. As
this ejecta plume expands, melt droplets will form, some condensing from a
vapor, and these will solidify to form the silicate spherules common in
impact deposits.
 |
2 July
|
AEA Astronomy Club Meeting
|
TBD
|
(Skype or
A1/1735)
|
Observing:
The
following data are from the 2020 Observer’s Handbook, and Sky & Telescope’s
2020 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 5 Full, June 13 last
quarter, June 21 new, June 28 1st quarter
Planets:
Venus
reappears at dawn on the 10th. Mars is a bright, predawn
object throughout June Saturn &
Jupiter roughly 5 deg apart all month, rise in the late evening and climb
high before dawn. Mercury
visible at dusk to the 14th.
Other
Events:
4 June Mercury
greatest elongation East (24 deg)
8 June Jupiter 2deg N
of Moon
3,10,17,24 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
|
?
|
SBAS In-town
observing session – In Town Dark Sky Observing Session at
Ridgecrest Middle School– 28915 NortbBay Rd. RPV, Weather Permitting: Please
contact Ken Rossi or Ken Munson to confirm that the gate will be opened. http://www.sbastro.net/. Only if we get
permission to use the school grounds again and CDC guidelines are reduced
|
20 June Solstice
20 June
|
LAAS Private dark
sky Star Party
|
?
|
SBAS
out-of-town Dark Sky observing – contact Greg Benecke to coordinate a
location. http://www.sbastro.net/.
|
27 June cancelled
|
LAAS Public
Star Party: Griffith Observatory Grounds 2-10pm See http://www.griffithobservatory.org/programs/publictelescopes.html#starparties for more information.
|
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, Walt Sturrock, VP, Kelly Gov club Secretary (& librarian), or Alan Olson, Resource Committee Chairman (over equipment, and club Treasurer).
Mark Clayson,
AEA Astronomy Club President
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