The song Old Tin Star was written by Canadian songwriter Murray McLauchlan and sung by fellow Canadian John McDermott. It’s one of my favourites, and I hope you and your family enjoy it too.

If you get a chance, wander outside just after sunset on December 26 to see brilliant Venus and the slender crescent Moon in the western sky. It will be a beautiful sight.  And southern-hemisphere observers may get a glimpse of Comet Lovejoy in the pre-dawn sky…

Merry Christmas from One-Minute Astronomer!

First, two how-to guides…

Nightwatch, by Terence Dickinson. The perennial how-to guide for new stargazers, this book is packed with knowledge and recommendations for things to see, along with an overview of astronomical knowledge for the casual stargazer. I still learn new things every time I read it.

Turn Left at Orion, Guy Consolmagno. A close runner-up to Nightwatch, this guide includes a hundred bright deep-sky objects to find in the night sky throughout the year, and what to expect when you see them.

For those who enjoy a good story…

The Day We Found the Universe, Marcia Bartusiak. An well-researched and engrossing tale of astronomers in the late 19th and early 20th century who discovered the nature of galaxies and the distance scale of the universe.

The Sun Kings, Stuart Clark. Another great story of how scientists in the 19th and 20th centuries discovered how solar activity affects the Earth (this was once a preposterous idea). Full of colourful characters: obstinate, brilliant, and tragic.

A More Perfect Heaven, Dava Sobel. The latest historical non-fiction from Dava Sobel, author of Longitude and The Planets. I had a Q&A about this book last month.

Journey To Palomar (Video). The best video about astronomical history I’ve seen in years. It recounts the story of George Ellery Hale, a remarkable man who fought physical and mental health problems to build the three biggest telescopes in the world during the peak era of industrialization in the United States, a time when it seemed anything was possible. Based on the book The Perfect Machine by Ronald Florence.

For armchair astronomers and cosmologists…

The Fabric of the Cosmos, Brian Greene. A great introduction to the current understanding of the structure and origin of the universe. There are some quite mind-bending ideas here, all well explained by a professional cosmologist. There’s a video version also, produced for the PBS show Nova.

For skeptics and pop-culture fans…

Bad Astronomy, Phil Plait. An amazingly entertaining book that debunks astronomical fallacies, urban myths, and other nonsense that reinforce misunderstandings of astronomy and physics.

For those who want to a full survey of astronomical knowledge…

Coming of Age in the Milky Way, Timothy Ferris. An absurdly ambitious and equally successful book that recounts how mankind discovered its place in the universe. Ferris enlivens the science with crystal-clear analogies and engaging stories of scientists, from Ptolemy and Copernicus to Hubble and Gell-Mann, who made the key discoveries that led to our current understanding of the cosmos. This is one of the best works of popular science of the past century.

Seeing in the Dark interweaves these three main themes with an elegant tapestry of ideas, stories, and inspiration.  Ferris begins with a warm personal retrospective of how he became a stargazer, growing up poor in south Florida at the dawn of the space age, when the future seemed “…pregnant with possibility”.  He tells of all-night stargazing sessions with his boyhood friends in the late ’50′s and early ’60′s, which were sometimes punctuated by the sight of a nighttime launch of an experimental Thor or Atlas missile from Cape Canaveral just up the coast.  And he recounts his discovery of another passion- the master works of deep-southern blues music, picked up while stargazing from late-night broadcasts on distant radio stations scattered by the “ozone” of the upper atmosphere.

Ferris goes on to recount the early days of astronomy as a science, when every astronomer was an amateur.  While professionals “took over” early last century, the amateur has made a comeback.  Ferris explains the revolution, fueled by low-cost large telescopes, CCD imaging, and the internet, which allows backyard stargazers to make real contributions to scientific research.

Seeing in the Dark also weaves into its narrative an unillustrated but riveting tour of astronomical science, from a survey of our own modest solar system to the largest structures in the universe– gigantic bubble-like formations a quarter-billion light years across.

The book is interspersed with short essays that connect astronomy to music and history and computer science.  And there are a dozen vignettes of crack amateur stargazers, including amateur astrophotographers Jack Newton and Don Parker, comet hunter David Levy, and Brian May, an astronomy Ph.D. and once lead guitarist for the ’70′s glitter-rock group Queen.  The finest is Ferris’ affecting tale of his meeting with Sir Patrick Moore on his home turf in Selsey, U.K., a meeting that includes a friendly wine-fueled lunch, a tour of Moore’s famous telescopes, and a poignant introspection by Moore about his life’s unusual path.

While there are star maps and how-to advice in the appendices, Seeing in the Dark is not a how-to book.  It is rather, “a poetic love letter to science and to the skies”.  Ferris’ lucid prose and his flare for metaphor make this book accessible to beginners, and rewarding to battle-weary stargazers like me who must, from time to time, consider to the “why” of stargazing, not just the “how”.

NB: Ferris also produced a superb video called “Seeing in the Dark” that serves as a fine complement to the book.  Here’s a video preview from PBS…
]]> http://www.oneminuteastronomer.com/2958/astronomy-books-seeing-in-the-dark/feed/ 0 http://www.oneminuteastronomer.com/1353/herschels-night-music/ http://www.oneminuteastronomer.com/1353/herschels-night-music/#comments Fri, 02 Apr 2010 00:47:25 +0000 admin http://www.oneminuteastronomer.com/?p=1353 Read More]]> Music has soothed many a deep thinker over the centuries.  Pythagoras discovered the principles of musical harmony. Einstein played the violin.  And Thomas Edison tried his best to master the piano.   This is unsurprising, perhaps, as both science and music are, at their best, creative arts.  But while many scientists have become excellent amateur musicians, few musicians have made ground-breaking discoveries in astronomy.  The exception?  William Herschel.  This great astronomer was surely one of the few to excel in both fields.  We’ve already outlined his scientific work. Today, a sample of his music…

As an astronomer, Herschel discovered infrared radiation and the planet Uranus, cataloged hundreds of nebulae and galaxies, and built the most sophisticated telescopes of his era.  But his musical work is not as well known.

Before his days as an astronomer, Herschel mastered the violin, cello, oboe, harpsichord, and organ.  And he composed a number of pieces of church music, as well as concertos and 24 symphonies.

Though his music isn’t played much today, a few modern musicians have kept Herschel’s works alive.  One of our subscribers, Bruce Whitson, is an accomplished amateur astronomer and a professional violist.  He’s organized several recordings of Herschel’s music.  And he’s generously supplied us with a recording of a recent concert in Germany by the The Kapellsolisten of Dresden, with Helmut Branny conducting.  The music is excellent, and Bruce has given us permission to post a sample here.

Click on the link below to listen to the Allegro from Herschel’s 8th symphony.  Then head outside and gaze up at the galaxy fields of Leo and Virgo to see many sights first seen and cataloged by this extraordinary scientist and musician.

Click here to download Herschel Symphony 8 – Allegro Assai

We’ve finally posted the entire 20-part video series about choosing telescopes and observing equipment.  We’ve had so many requests about telescope advice over the past couple of years, we thought this was the best way to get all the information in one place.  These videos are produced by Anacortes Telescope; they are the best brief summaries we’ve seen about how to select a telescope and accessories.

When we first posted these videos, some readers complained we are selling telescope for Anacortes.  I assure you we are not.  We have no affiliation with Anacortes: you can walk into their showroom with a wheelbarrow full of cash and gold coins and buy out their entire stock, and we won’t get a dime.  We post this information for your benefit, not ours.

* * *

Thanks to all who wrote in to give us your thoughts on our idea of producing “premium information”, mostly interviews with professional astronomers about their latest research, presented in a way that’s understandable to lay persons (us included).  The consensus seems to be for us to keep our information the way it is now: short and sweet.  So we’re not going to pursue this idea in a big way over the coming year.  Though we will post such interviews and insights in shorter formats when the opportunity presents itself.

***

Don’t forget the “blue moon”, which is the second full moon of the calendar month.  It happens Dec. 31 at 19:13 Universal Time.  It probably won’t look blue.  But it may light up your New Year’s Eve and show you the way home.

***

Finally, you might like to check out this video from the American Museum of Natural History.  It shows the scale and composition of the known universe, starting at Mount Everest and moving out to the edge of cosmic horizon.  It’s a nice piece of video.

We wish you a happy and prosperous new year, and hope you’ll stay with us through 2010.

“To the naked eye, to binoculars, and to the telescope, Orion is a gold mine of wonders. This great constellation embraces almost every variety of interesting phenomena that the heavens contain. Here we have the grandest of the nebulae, some of the largest and most beautifully colored stars, starstreams, star-clusters, nebulous stars, variable stars.”

If the first seasonal appearance of mighty Orion fails to stir your imagination, it may be time to turn in your telescope. But not this year, I hope.

* * * * * Take a Tour of The Sights of the Deep Sky * * * * *

Tired of observing the moon and planets? See further into the universe than ever before with Secrets of the Deep Sky, the complete guide for observing the night sky beyond the solar system. Includes a free audio version.

* * * * *

We’ll turn to Orion and its “gold mine of wonders” in more detail in the coming weeks. But the good stuff for viewing this month in the deep sky lies west of Orion. Cassiopeia is still well-placed overheard, as is the constellation Andromeda with the magnificent M31, the closest major galaxy to Earth. And M33 in Triangulum, the second-closest galaxy, lies nearby. M33′s low surface brightness means it reveals itself only in dark sky. And the Hyades star cluster, the V-shaped group of stars that makes up the head of Taurus, are always worth careful inspection in binoculars.

If you only have time for a quick peak in the night sky after dinner, try the double stars gamma Andromeda (Almaak), gamma Arietis (Mesarthim) and, the gold-reddish pair of eta Cassiopeiae. Very nice sights for a brief observing session with a telescope. If you have a little more time, peruse the open star clusters in this region, including the double cluster and M34 in Perseus, and M52 and M103 in Cassiopeia (see the image below). These sights are accessible with a small scope or binoculars, in rural areas and in cities.

The rich region of Cassiopeia and Andromeda, with the double stars Almaak (left), η (eta) Cass (lower right, near Shedir), and the star clusters M34 (upper left), the Double Cluster (upper middle), and M52 (lower right). Click to enlarge.

In the southern hemisphere, where the pleasant weather of late spring is upon you, Orion springs a handstand over the eastern horizon, and the star-poor galaxy fields of Fornax and Scupltor lie high in the sky. Try to spot the Silver Coin galaxy in Sculptor. It’s between Fomalhaut and Diphda, the bottom star in the belly of Cetus [see map]. Also known as NGC 253, this galaxy is hard to see from the northern hemisphere. But it’s right overhead this month after sunset for latitudes around 30-35 degrees south. The Silver Coin is the largest galaxy in the nearby Sculptor Group, which is just beyond our own Local Group.

The Sculptor Galaxy, NGC 253, between lower Cetus and the star Fomalhaut… click to enlarge.

Moon

An unusual event this month… two full moons. Because of an error in Sky and Telescope in 1946, this second full moon of a calendar month is now called a “Blue Moon”. The next occurs in August 2012.
• Full Moon: December 2, 7:30 Universal Time (UT… same as Greenwich Mean Time)
• Last Quarter: December 9, 00:13 UT
• New Moon: December 16, 12:02 UT
• First Quarter: December 25, 17:36 UT
• Full Moon (Blue Moon): December 31, 19:13 UT

Planets

Mercury. Well placed for northern observers this month, especially after mid-month. Look for this tiny planet about 5-6 degrees above the southwestern horizon just after sunset.

Venus. The beautiful planet is lost in the sunrise this month.

Mars gives the best show of all planets this month. In starts December in Leo, rising 5 hours after sunset. Then it moves into Cancer by months end, when it rises just 3 hours after sunset. You can’t miss it… it shines red, bright, and steady in the eastern sky after midnight, and high in the northern sky before dawn. And it’s getting closer to Earth, doubling in brightness by month’s end, making its closest approach at the end of January. This time, the planet will show a disk only half the size of the great opposition of August 2003. But a good telescope in steady sky will reveal some surface features, especially the white polar cap of the northern hemisphere.

Jupiter. Hovering in the southern sky, the king of planets still shines at an impressive -2.2 magnitude. Have a look early in the evening when the planet is at its highest. Jupiter is just 0.6 degrees from Neptune on December 20 and 21st.

Saturn. An ideal target for very early risers or insomniacs, Saturn rises around 1:30 a.m. local time in early December. It shines at magnitude 1.0 in western Virgo not far from Spica. The ring are still at just 4-5 degrees from edge on, but they present a lovely view in a telescope just before sunrise this month.

Uranus is lingering near the Circlet of Pisces this month.

Celestial Events

• Another major meteor shower this month… the Geminids. The peak occurs on the night of December 13-14. You will see meteors on the night before and after. The Geminids can be as rich as the Perseids for those willing to venture into the December chill and lucky enough to get a clear night. North American and European observers should get the best view this year.

• In eastern and southern North America, the waxing gibbous moon covers part of the Pleiades from 7-10 p.m. EST.

• There’s a “Blue Moon” this month on December 31 (see above).

• December 21 is the shortest (longest) day of the year in the northern (southern) hemisphere. The solstice occurs at 17:47 Universal Time.

Happy Holidays!

All of us at One-Minute Astronomer wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday. Thanks very much for subscribing to our humble astronomy newsletter. We hope to keep writing our little articles into the new year, as time and fate permits.

Meditation.  Exercise.  The “Okinawa Diet”.  De-stress.  Keep your mind active, and so on.  All good ideas, no doubt.

But it got me thinking… doesn’t stargazing help you live a healthy lifestyle worthy someone who might live to 100 years old… and beyond?

Hmmm… that got us thinking.  Can stargazing help you live a longer life?  Let’s see… here are five thing astronomy can do for you that match up with the advice of the health gurus…

1. Build Muscle Mass
Scientific studies of longevity say maintaining muscle mass and bone density may help you live longer and enjoy the years you have left.  Makes sense.  While amateur astronomy isn’t exactly the decathlon, it does take a little muscle to drag your telescope and mount around the backyard, or set it up at your favorite dark-sky observing site.

So don’t think of setting up your scope each night as a chore… think of it as a healthful workout.

And if you have a too-small telescope, tell your spouse you need to upgrade to a bigger scope because it’s good for your health.  Hey… it’s worth a try…!

2. Don’t Be A Loner
This one seems to be one of the most important: good relationships are critical to a long and healthy life.

As a hobby or profession, astronomy can be as solitary or as sociable as you want it to be.  While it’s nice to sit alone at a telescope and ponder the stars from time to time, it’s a lot more fun to share your enjoyment with others.  If you’ve ever been to a star party or local gathering of amateur astronomers, you know what I mean.  The positive energy of dozens or hundreds of people doing and sharing what they love is infectious.  At the end of the night, you’re tired but happy.

There are many pleasant opportunities for socializing and establishing friendships around your interest in the night sky.  Take advantage of them when you can.

3. Manage Your Stress
Apparently, pleasure is good for you. Really good. Not only does it counteract stress, it also causes your cells to release a natural antibiotic called enkelytin.  Pleasure from chocolate, coffee, or a dram of fine whiskey can serve as self-medication.

Life is fair sometimes, is it not?

And there’s not much more pleasurable than looking up into the night sky and finding your way to one of the thousands of stunning objects that await your inspection night after night.  If it makes you happy, it can’t be that bad.

4. Eat Healthy
If nothing else, stargazing will keep you away from the couch, the T.V., and a bowl full of junk food.  And you don’t want to have your fingers in a bag of Cheetos before handling a $400 eyepiece.  Fine optics and greasy snacks do not mix.

5. Exercise Your Brain
Cognitive research shows that boosting your mental horsepower might have as potent an effect on your brain as drugs used for dementia.  For an amateur astronomer, there are endless possibilities for deep thought… from learning how to read a star map to understanding how stars evolve, to figuring out how to take a really good picture of the night sky.

And just try to wrap your mind around how big the Milky Way really is: if the galaxy was scaled down so the Earth was just 1 inch from the Sun, Pluto would be 1 meter away, the nearest star would be 4 miles away, and the Milky Way would span 100,000 miles… almost halfway to the moon.  And the Milky Way is just one galaxy among hundreds of billions!

If that doesn’t get your brain moving, nothing will.

Now we can’t promise stargazing will help you live to the age of 100.  But it will certainly make your remaining years more rewarding.  If you’re new to astronomy and want to get started right, our own Stargazing for Beginners is worth a careful look.  Or if you already know your way around the sky, learn how to see further into the cosmos with Secrets of the Deep Sky.

And it certainly can’t hurt to eat your broccoli.  At least once in a while.

Well, that’s it for today… except don’t forget the Leonid meteor shower, which is supposed to peak early on November 17.  It might be a good show this year.  While the radiant of the shower is in Leo, you’ll can see the meteors anywhere in the sky.

But these sights are nothing compared to what you’ll find in the deep wilds, far away from city lights.

I was reminded recently of a classic astronomy story, written by Jerry Lodriguss, the creator of the excellent Beginner’s Guide to DSLR Astrophotography. It seems Jerry had an unexpected– and quite unwelcome– visitor while photographing the night sky, completely alone in the Arizona desert and miles from anywhere.

But I’ll let him tell you the story right here.

Thanks to subscriber L. R. for calling this classic encounter to my attention.

Some feedback from our loyal subscribers…

Brian-

Interesting.  I had not heard of that possible association between sun activity and global warming.  Turns out there’s a good reason for that….

Since I happen to know a preeminent astronomer, I asked him.  He said that there has been a correlation of sunspot activity and European temperatures in the past, though there is no current theory or hypothesis that can explain that with thorough scientific rigor.  HOWEVER, the solar astronomers have shown that there is NO link between current sun spot activity and global warming.  Why you are blowing this hot air, I can’t imagine.  Again, the scientific consensus is that global warming is happening, humans are causing it, and recent data suggests that it may be WORSE that the models are predicting.

There is a potential grain of truth that extremes of sunspot activity, and even the 11 year cycle, may affect the climate.  But there is no scientific reason to suggest that it is sun spot activity and not greenhouse gases that are causing global warming.  None.  Zip.  Zero.  And yet, this is what you are suggesting, all the while trying to sound like a reasonable sceptic (a strategy I’ve seen before).  But, in my opinion, the “Healthy and open skepticism should be directed at YOU, not the conclusion of the entire scientific community.  You may have a grain of truth in your email, but it turns out it is sitting on top of a pile of poo.  Seems like kind of a shame that you as an apparent hobbyist would stick your neck out like that.

-Subscribers J.A. and M.A.

P.S. A good bullshit meter, in my opinion, is to see if Rush Limbaugh has said anything about this.  Indeed he has.  Bing Bing Bing!  Bullshit meter just went off!

One-Minute Astronomer (OMA): You miss the point.  We are skeptical.  Of every point of view.  That’s the proper attitude of a scientist.  And remember… despite what Al Gore says, there is no “Law of Climate Change” similar to Newton’s “Law of Gravity”.  We don’t claim to be climate scientists.  We are simply humble reporters of science, and we cited two recent studies of the effect of the sun on Earth’s climate, both of which are published in reputable scientific journals.  We do understand and we have been (through firsthand professional experience) humbled by nature’s complexity.  Call us all the nasty names you wish, but remember… the best computer model in the world cannot tell you with any certainty what the weather will be next week, never mind what the climate will be like in 100 years.  It’s simply the nature of coupled non-linear dynamic systems.  Even when all the variables are known, the only thing that can be predicted about complex systems like the Earth’s climate is that they are unpredictable.  Re: Look up the 3-variable model of the Lorenz oscillator.  Only 3 variables.  Totally unpredictable result.

And sure, we’re “hobbyists”.  But it’s a sad day indeed when educated citizens like us should feel intimidated and ashamed to venture a considered opinion about matters of global importance.  We’ve seen what mischief “experts” can do to the world when left unattended.  Squashing debate does no one any good at all…

***

Dear Brian

That was an interesting article and a theory I haven’t heard before, although I have long been a disbeliever that greenhouse gases are the sole cause of global warming. Some 25/30 years ago, (I’m not sure of the year) but it was long before the current hype about climate change, I saw a new year lecture about Climate change and how Global Warming occurred in cycles, so as a result, I am a firm believer that the Governments of the world are using  scaremongering tactics about this in order to increase taxes. Although I also believe that it is not a bad thing to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that we emit into the atmosphere.

- Subscriber A. T.

OMA: Agreed.  The world was warmer 70 million years ago, through natural causes.  But there are many excellent reasons to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  And you’ll find no editors of One-Minute Astronomer driving gas-guzzling SUV’s, that’s for sure.  No Rush Limbaugh fans here either.

***
Hello, the One Minute Astronomer Team

Your commentary suggesting sunspots may be linked to rises and falls in the Earth’s temperature was a breath of fresh (possibly cool) air in a world currently blowing a lot of hot air out of its collective nether regions. If only we could get all those loonies currently spewing so-called words of wisdom at the UN to understand such a basic law of nature (that is, the sun is king), we, those poor folks in the real world, might just be able to live out our lives without suffering unnecessary and massive tax increases and huge curtailments in our standard of living in order to save us from a perfectly natural process. Remember all that nonsense about the coming ice age in the seventies? Okay, perhaps you’re not that old. As for “loonies currently spewing so-called words of wisdom,” the Spanish prime-minister (excuse my laughter) informed the world that the current recession was caused by global warming. I live in Spain, and he’s no joke… believe me.

Love your work. Keep it up.

Regards,

- Subscriber T. J. V.

OMA: We are certainly old enough to remember the “global cooling” scare of the 1970′s.  It was the scientific consensus  of the day.  We recall a long report in Newsweek, citing eminent scientists that the glaciers were coming.  Common knowledge.  A sure thing.  All bunk.  That’s why we retain a healthy skepticism about all scientific opinion.  Experience (and nature) is a good teacher.

***

Sir or Madame,

You are totally wrong..

The reason for Global warming in the 1900′s was all the hot air that was constantly coming out of  Washington DC.

I am surprised you missed this factor!

-Subscriber  J. C. W.

OMA: You, um, comment on matters outside our expertise.  But you may have something…

***

There were just 66 years between the first flight of the Wright brother’s wood-and-cloth glider with a strapped-on 30 horsepower engine to the 3,300 ton Saturn V rocket that carried Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins to the moon.  The event still staggers the imagination.

And in the last 40 years… what?  Not much in terms of manned spaceflight.  Perhaps that’s what amazes me most of all about the moon landings: that we lost interest in such achievements so quickly.  Not sure if it’s true, but I’ve read the moon landings are one of the few historical technological achievements that we cannot repeat, even if we wanted too.  The full complement of know-how and infrastructure to put humans on the moon no longer exists.

But take heart.  Though it will be a long time until astronauts walk on the Moon or Mars, there were (and are) dozens of unmanned spacecraft exploring the solar system.  Every planet has been explored to some extent.  Even Pluto will get a visit by the New Horizons spacecraft in 2015.  And the Pioneer 10, 11 and the Voyager 1 spacecraft are venturing beyond the solar system into interstellar space.  Voyager 1 will have enough power to continue radio transmission to Earth until 2025, 48 years after it was launched.  Darned impressive.

***

On July 22, the moon passed between the Earth and the sun, causing a total solar eclipse.  Visible in a narrow band from China and India and into the Pacific Ocean, the eclipse passed right over the city of Shanghai.  Millions looked up to see one of the most magnificent sights in nature.  Here’s a video of the event from an Indian news agency.

Solar eclipses occur when the moon is “new”.  The eclipse happened more than 2 days ago, which means the moon is now a waxing crescent and perfectly positioned for summer viewing with a telescope or binoculars.  You can discover more about the moon’s movements and surface features with Lunar Phase Pro.

***

And an unexpected even this week… something big crashed into Jupiter.  Australian amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley discovered the impact site with his 14.5-inch telescope and imaging system.  He almost missed the discovery when he went back inside to watch the British Open golf tournament.  But his work ethic prevailed.  Here’s a link to Wesley’s image of the impact.  It was likely a small comet or asteroid that hit Jupiter, dredging up material from the planet’s lower atmosphere.

You can see Jupiter for yourself in the southeastern sky after 11 p.m. or so.  It’s the brightest thing in that part of the sky.  You’ll likely not see the impact site, however, at least not visually.  But as Wesley’s discovery proves, there are many unexpected and beautiful things for amateur stargazers to discover.

Next week… the “Mars Hoax”; and we’ll start a series of short articles on how to safely observe the Sun.