How Spectroscopy Can Detect Life in the Universe

March 9, 2010

Something a little different today… a video of a talk by professional astronomer Garik Israelian about how the science of spectroscopy might soon answer the question, “Is anyone out there?”  This sort of science is near and dear to us, because once upon a time we were involved in this sort of work… measuring and calculating how light of different wavelengths interacts with matter.  It’s a powerful and subtle technique, and Dr. Israelian makes a good case for how alien life might be detected this way.

(more…)

Posted in Science of Astronomy

The Sky This Month – March 2010

March 2, 2010

Overview

March is a “change over” month for the night sky.  The bright stars of the northern winter move westward and give way to the star-sparse nights of March, April, and May.  That’s because we’re starting to look out of the plane of the Milky Way and into intergalactic space.  So we see fewer stars and nebulae and open star clusters, but more galaxies become visible, especially those of the Virgo cluster and smaller collections like the M81 and Leo groups.

And of course, the seasons change this month.  The southern hemisphere begins fall and the northern hemisphere begins spring on March 20 at 17:32 UT.  At this time, the sun sits at the point where the celestial equator and ecliptic meet.  All points on the Earth receive an equal amount of sunlight, hence the term “equinox”, or “equal nights”.

(more…)

Posted in Celestial Objects

The “Vampire” Star

February 26, 2010

If you have a little time for stargazing this week, check out the tiny constellation Lepus just south of the great hunter Orion.   Often overlooked for more famous constellations, Lepus, the Hare, holds two delightful objects worth examining with a small scope or binoculars.

There are many legends of how Lepus came to be among the stars.

The Roman writer Hyginus wrote of a man who brought hares to the island of Leros to raise them for food.  A few escaped, and before long the island was overrun with voracious rabbits who consumed crops and caused a famine among the human population.  The hares were eventually driven out, but the inhabitants placed Lepus among the stars as a reminder of their experience.

The poor celestial hare forever runs from the Big Dog, Canis Major.  Perhaps that’s why he’s cowering in the hopes of a little protection at the feet of the great hunter.

(more…)

Posted in Celestial Objects

Percival Lowell’s Vision

February 23, 2010

More than 110 years ago, the wealthy American amateur astronomer Percival Lowell was certain Mars was inhabited by intelligent life.  And he set out to prove it.  Today, we take a look at this intriguing character who fired the public imagination for decades about the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life and left a lasting legacy for astronomy.

(more…)

Posted in History and Famous Astronomers

The Case for Life on Mars

February 19, 2010

While no one’s found palm trees and skyscrapers on Mars, there’s still a serious search going on for primitive forms of life on the Red Planet. After all, Mars isn’t all that different from Earth… it has a thin atmosphere and seasons and a source of water somewhere below the surface.

(more…)

Posted in Solar System Observing

« Previous Entries