The Thirty-Something Collection

On December 29th I had a chance to give my new telescope mount a spin. I decided to take images of the "thirty-something" Messier objects (M31 - M39, less M30 which is not visible).

Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I had viewing and imaging them.


M31, The Andromeda Galaxy is the brightest galaxy visible from Earth and is an easy naked-eye and binocular target for star gazers. M31 has two close neighbors, M32 and M110, both of which are much smaller and will eventually be absorbed by M31. This Grand Galaxy lies 2,900 light years (ly) from Earth and is due to collide with our galaxy, The Milky Way in about 1-Billion years. M31 was referred to as the "little cloud" to famous Persian astronomer Al-Sufi who depicted the object in his Book of Fixed Stars in 905AD.

M32 (at center, M31 is lower-right) is a companion galaxy of M31 and will eventually be absorbed by its huge neighbor.

M33 the Triangulum Galaxy (also the Pinwheel) is a spiral galaxy that is a companion of its much larger neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy. M33 is 3,000 ly from Earth and is moving toward our solar system at a rate of 240 km/s. Don't worry though, at that rate it will take a billion years or so to get here.

M34 is an open star cluster in the constellation Perseus. It consists of about 100 stars and lies about 1,400 ly away from Earth. The object is naked-eye visible under dark sky conditions and can be seen any evening in the Fall, Winter and early Spring.

M35 is an impressive open star cluster that lies in the constellation Gemini. The cluster consists of several hundred stars, many of which are brighter than magnitude 13. M35 covers an area larger than the Moon, is 24 lyacross and is about 2,800 ly from Earth.

M36 is one of three bright open clusters in the constellation Auriga. M37 and M38 are the other clusters. From our perspective M36 measures 14 ly across and is 4,100 ly from Earth.

M37 is the brightest of the three Auriga open clusters. It contains over 500 stars, 150 of which are brighter than magnitude 12. M37 is 4,400 ly from Earth and spans 24 ly across.

M38 is the last of three open clusters in Auriga. Lying very close (2.5 degrees north) of M36, this is 4,200 ly from Earth and 25 ly across. It contains a very large yellow star that would dwarf our meager Sun many-fold. Some astronomers have seen a 'cross' pattern in some of the brightest stars while others have seen the math symbol 'Pi'. I will leave you to decide what pattern, if any you see in M38.

M39 is an open cluster in the constellation Cygnus. The cluster is 800 ly away and a about 7 ly in diameter. M39 contains 30 proven member stars, though some star catalogs put the number closer to 50.

My next outing (when the rain stops & clouds part) will include a journey through the constellation Orion.

There are several sky treasures to discover in that group of stars.

I just need to wait for the weather to cooperate.

Clear Skies


@@@

M42 - The Great Orion Nebula

Pictured is: The Great Orion Nebula.

This deep space object is the brightest and most recognizable Nebula visible from Earth.

Here are a few facts about The Great Orion Nebula, also known as Messier 42 (M42):

* The nebula is located in the constellation Orion, specifically the Belt of Orion.

* It is located 1,270 light years from Earth and measures 24 light years across.

* The nebula is the nearest active star-forming region to our solar system.

* Orion is one of the most easily recognized constellations in the winter night sky.

* The Great Orion nebula is visible to the naked eye.

M42 is one of my favorite astrophotography targets, because even an amateur like me can produce a robust picture.

The picture is RAW and was not manupulated in software except to enhance brightness. Equipment used to produce the image included:

Orion (Celestron) 9.25" Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope
Celestron f/6.3 Focal Reducer/Corrector
Orion Atlas GoTo Mount (tracking via SkyScan)
Nikon D80 DSLR (Unmodified)
Sensitivity: ISO-500
Exposure: 85 Seconds

Check back in a couple of days for my next post which will include a whole series of Messier objects that I photographed recently.

Clear Skies!

StarPilot

***

The Star of Bethlehem

I begin this blog entry with Bible scripture concerning the birth of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chapter 2
1. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying,
2. "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him."
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared;
8 and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him."
9 When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy;
11 and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Star of Bethlehem announced the birth of Jesus Christ and then guided the wise men to find Him. The origin of Bethlehem's Star has long been the topic of discussion to scientists, astronomers, theologians and curious folks like us ever since the event occurred.

I watched a Science Channel special on the origin of the Bethlehem Star tonight and will share some of their conclusions.

First off, I must say that the show was very respectful to the birth of Jesus. Unlike the atheistic dribble that the National Geographic channel puts out in their religious programs, this show never casts doubt on the existence of Jesus or his birth. Thank you Science Channel for respecting our right to 'believe'. Anyhow, on to the origin of the Star of Bethlehem.

There are several theories regarding the origin of the Star that announced Jesus birth, so in no particular order here are the four most prominent:


Theory 1: A Comet

Some experts believe the Bethlehem Star to be a comet traveling through the solar system. Could be, but for certain it is not Halley's Comet or other 'known' ice balls. It could have been a comet that only passed through the solar system one time, and having fulfilled its purpose (announcing Jesus birth) may never be seen again.


Theory 2: An Alignment of Planets

Astronomers have calculated the placement of the planets for the past several thousand years. Some believe the Bethlehem Star to be a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn that occurred near the time Jesus was born. An alignment of the two gas-giant planets would be spectacular, may be visible for several months and could catch the eye of Magi (wise men).

Theory 3: Dancing Moons & Planets

Another scientist believed it was Jupiter playing hide and seek with the Moon and going through a retrograde (backward) orbit where it would appear to stand still for several weeks. Naaaa! I didn't buy that one either.

Besides, if the wise men went from Persia (modern day Iran) to Bethlehem every time a planet did a dance in the sky, they would earn a lot of 'frequent camel miles'. The planets routinely perform retrograde orbits and play peek-a-boo with the Moon. Nothing noteworthy for announcing the birth of the Savior of all mankind.




The Star of Bethlehem had to be much more special to catch the eye of wise men from the East.


Theory 4: An Exploding Star (Nova)


One British scientist believes the Star of Bethlehem was a Nova. Hmmm! Now that is quite possible. Only one problem: "Which one of the quadruple billions of stars could it be ?

A strong candidate is Nova 60 1927 Aql. So where in the cosmos is this star, and why suspect it over all others ?

Nova 60 1927 Aql is a binary star (two stars locked in orbit around one another) located in the constellation Aquila. The star went nova (exploded) in 1927.






One reason stars in binary systems go Nova is because they syphon 'matter' off the other star in the binary (An example of a binary star system is pictured below). In these binary systems, a red or yellow star is locked in orbit with a white dwarf. The white dwarf gets has a veracious appetite and draws matter from the red or yellow star. When the white dwarf reaches critical mass (cannot hold any more matter) it explodes to shed the extra matter. Stars can go nova several times in their lives before going super-nova where they have one giant, final explosion.



Nova explosions can occur every 10, 100, 1000 or more years. When stars go nova, the visible light from the explosion can be seen for days, weeks or months before fizzling out.


The reason Nova 60 1927 Aql is a good candidate is because it is a known nova and it is located in a part of the sky that would be located in the Eastern sky about the time Jesus was born. It would also be located directly overhead when the wise men would have arrived in Bethlehem to worship the King of Kings.




One Final Theory:

Then again, the Star of Bethlehem could have been a special sign from God that science will never explain. Besides, the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus is a matter of faith and not of science.

Following is a picture of the Northern Cross I took in Spring 2008. This region of the sky includes the constellation Aquila. Nova 60 1927 would be located just left of center of the picture.




Merry Christmas

StarPilot

*

Conjunction Junction

If you noticed two bright stars near the moon on the evening of December 1st, what you saw was a conjunction of the the crescent-Moon and planets Venus (the brighter object) and Jupiter.

The alignment of the two planets (from Earth's perspective) will not occur again until 2015.

In case you missed it here is a picture I took of the event from northern-Virginia.




Starpilot

Finally! A Clear Night

If you live in Northern Virginia and are sick of the cloudiness, I apologize. It was all my fault. How dare I buy a new telescope and hope for clear skies to actually enjoy the darn thing.

A couple nights ago the clouds parted, so I high-tailed it outside to do some star-gazing. I squeezed in a couple hours of observing time before the clouds rolled in.

Here are some pictures from my outing.


M34 (Open Cluster )is located in the constellation Perseus. M34 is 1,400 light years from Earth and contains around 100 stars.

M39 (Open Cluster) is located in the constellation Cygnus. The object is an estimated 800 Light Years from Earth.

M42 (The Great Orion Nebula) is the brightest diffuse nebula visible from Earth. Located on the sword of the constellation Orion, M42 is a favorite target for amateur and professional astronomers alike.

-For the amateur, M42 can make even the cheapest telescope look good.

-For the professional, M42 is one of the most active star-forming regions in the night sky.

@@ Weather permitting I will photograph the entire Orion Nebula some evening and post a special blog featuring M42's many treasures.

M45 (The Pleiades) is a prominent Fall and Winter open cluster that is located in the constellation Taurus. M45 is also called the "Seven Sisters" named for the seven hot blue-stars that dominate the cluster.

M31 (Andromeda Galaxy) is a favorite target of mine. Visible from early Fall to late Winter, this galaxy is a popular target of astronomers, because it is easy to find and is visible in even cheap, department store telescopes. Within proximity of M31 are M110 (looks like a bright-fuzzy star just left of M31) and M32 (faint galaxy to the lower-right of M31). You will see me include many pictures of M31 in my postings.

Hope you enjoy the images as much as I did taking them.

StarPilot

Second Glance

First Light with my new telescope was great, but not ideal because of haze and humidity in the air, along with light from a Hunters Moon. I had a chance to go out again the night of October 19th. I took additional pictures of M31/M110, M32, M33, and the Double Cluster (NGC869 & NGC884). They turned out much better without all the light pollution. Here are the pictures.

This picture of M31 (galaxy at left), M110 (appears as a star in M31's star cloud) and M32 (smaller galaxy to the right of M31) is untouched and unmodified. I should get better shots as I learn to track better, because I will be able to take longer exposures.





M33, The Pinwheel Galaxy actually showed up in the frame, which even surprized me. There is a lot of light pollution in my neighborhood, so it is almost impossible to see faint objects when viewing from my front yard. I eneded up shooting this picture in the dark, and was surprised when M33 appeared in the frame.




This 1.5 minute exposure of NGC869 (half of the Double Cluster) reveals many more stars than my original picture taken 10/11/08. (See my previous posting)

This 1.5 minute exposure of NGC884 (other half of the Double Cluster) reveals many more stars than my original picture taken 10/11/08. (See my previous posting)

All in all it was a successful evening under the stars. I will post more as time permits. I hope to catch Jupiter and Venus later in the week.

Enjoying Clear Skies!

StarPilot

P.S. - I have to pick a new name, because my wife said StarPilot sounds corny. Actually, she said it sounded 'gay'. I am taking suggestions.

Jim a.k.a. (soon to be formerly) StarPilot

@

First Light with the Orion (Celestron) 9.25" SCT

First Light with the Orion 9.25" Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope (made by Celestron) actually occured a week ago at the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club - Star Gaze 2008.

That night, I did not take any astro pictures, but instead enjoyed looking at deep space and solar system objects with my new telescope tube.

The views were beyond my expectations, and better than anything I have owned before.

First Light was on Jupiter as twilight gave way to night. The atmospheric bands were clearly visible, but alaas the Great Red Spot was on the other side of the planet. Other objects that I viewed were M8&M20, M16, M17, M31, M32, NGC869&NGC884 (Double Cluster), M11 and of course, the Moon.

The most spectacular sight was M11 (The Wild Duck Cluster). I had a Baader Hyperion 17mm eyepiece attached at the time, and many attendees could not believe the clarity of the stars, and even saw deep into the clusters center. They felt like they were walking in space.

On Saturday, Octover 11th I finally had a chance to test the Orion 9.25" SCT's astrophotography abilities. I was dealing with a near-full Moon and haze in the sky, along with some dew on the corrector lens, so the pictures aren't the greatest. Also, I only took 30-second shots, which do not bring out faint deep-space objects.

Below, are a few shots that I took. (Click on the pictures for a larger image)

This has to be the most crisp Moon picture I have ever taken.

NGC869 is one of two star clusters visible in what is called the Double Cluster. This was a 30-second shot. An exposure of 1 - 2 minutes would reveal several more faint stars.



NGC884 is the other star cluster visible in the Double Cluster.




The last picture is of one of my favorite space objects: The Andromeda Galaxy. This galaxy is our closest neighbor and is made up of three galaxies. The bright main galaxy, M31 is at-left, M110, a small galaxy is a faint object 1inch to the left of M31. M32 is a small galaxy on the right-side of the picture. A longer exposure on a moonless night will reveal much more detail on all three galaxies. The hazy granular texture on M31 is caused by dew forming on the corrector lens.




As time permits, I will take additional pictures with my old and new telescope and add them to this Blog.

Clear Skies!

StarPilot

@