Friday, November 6, 2009

The end is nigh!...or not.

Okay, I’m confused.

Find an online discussion group, chances are pretty good that you’re going to find someone touting one end-of-the-world scenario or another. According to one, it’s Planet X, the other it’s some “grand alignment” of the Sun, Earth and galactic core, other’s still it’s this government or other with their Illuminati, Masons, Lizard Space Aliens vaccination, death camps, injected mind-control device, invasion of the body snatchers…take your pick! There’s so many scenarios, you’re almost faced with an embarrassment of riches for ways in which to shout “The End is Nigh!!!!” They even clash and contradict…”It’s the Illuminati,” “No, it’s the space aliens,” “Pole shift!” “No, they do,” “Yes, they don’t.”

And as the calendar shuffles through the 20-aughts, a veritable doomsday “religion” is growing out of the belief that 2012 is the year that it all comes to a crashing end. A smaller group contends it’s a shift in “consciousness,” the details of which are, of course, a tad sketchy. But the ones getting the most traction are the big “We’re all going to Die!!” scenarios. Nice to have something to look forward to, isn’t it?

Want someone to blame it on? How about the Mayans?

Bit of background: Centuries ago, a large Central American civilization developed as civilizations do, growing, coming to prominence and then dying out for a variety of sociological factors. The Maya were a people who were superb astronomers, mathematicians and obsessed with time-keeping. They developed a calendar that relied on several cycles of the passage of time, culminating in the “long count” calendar. The latest cycle expected to end in what, by our calendar, corresponds to 2012.

For years, this has spawned a minor cottage industry of doomsayers who are convinced any one of these scenarios is going to mean the end of everything. Books have been written and a quick scan through the Internet will find no shortage of sites with some whacky predictions. So let’s take a look at these

One of my favourites is “Planet X.” This is the idea that an unseen companion to the sun – a “brown dwarf” by many accounts - is on its way to the inner solar system and will cause all manner of disruption to Earth’s orbit and the alignment of the poles. The problem with that is, there’s absolutely NO evidence for such a companion.

Of course, there are those that argue that the “government” is hiding the truth. Of course, this ignores a considerable amount of actual astronomy. Particularly laughable is the idea that an object the diameter of Jupiter and with a mass eight times or greater could “hide” in the outer solar system. And let’s not forget the thousands of amateur telescopes pointing with access to the night sky.

Then there’s the “grand alignment” of the sun with the galaxy’s core. On Dec. 21, 2012, the sun is supposed to miraculously align with the center of the galaxy, resulting in some strange channel of “energy” opening up, etc., etc.

Okay, some basic information: Core of the galaxy (RA refers to "right ascension" in hours, minutes and seconds, Dec refers to "declination" in degrees, minutes and seconds)
RA 17h45m40.04s, Dec -29deg 00' 28.1" Sun's position on Dec. 21, 2009 will be RA 17 h, 59m 44 s, Dec -23deg 26' 28". On Dec. 21, 2012, the sun’s position will be RA 18h 0m 57s, Dec. -23 deg 26' 22"

So the sun's position will be more than one hour of arc further east from the relative position of the centre of the galaxy's position in the sky in RA, and less than 6 seconds of arc further north in declination. In the meantime, the sun doesn't come closer than 6 degrees of the known galactic centre's relative position. Again, remembering that we are 26,000 light years away from the galaxy's true centre...thankfully. By comparison, Jupiter is the largest planet in the sky and subtends just 45 arc seconds across the sky while the moon covers half a degree.

Most mysterious of all is the “pole shift.” Some how, either Earth’s magnetic field is supposed to spontaneously flip over night or the Earth itself is expected to flip end-over-end, either through magnetic flux from the sun or gravity of said Planet X. Magnetic flips of polarity do occur but they take time and, of course, life has continued onward throughout the eons as it has. So strike that one. In the meantime, nothing has ever actually “flipped” so how it’s supposed to happen now is beyond comprehension.

Of course, one might find such stuff little more than entertaining diversion and, for most of us, they’d be right. What worries me is the small groups, like those who upon learning of a “Saturn-like object following” Comet Hale-Bopp (it was actually a star distorted by the photographic process) decided the mothership had arrived to take their souls and they committed suicide.

The general interest in such doomsday scenarios also speaks to a more fundamental flaw in humanity…the obsession with our own demise. We seem obsessed with death, an obsession that plays out in any number of disturbing and destructive ways.

Me, I prefer to look to the future. Like, Jan. 1, 2013.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Sun activity ramping up

Is it possible? Could it be true? The sun's drought of sunspots is coming to a close?

Are we finally starting to see "activity?" Recent indications from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory satellite (sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov) seems to be indicating that's the case. Maybe.

Keep in mind folks, the sun usually has something "happening." It is, after all, the largest nuclear fusion reactor we have anywhere near us. Nature's way of lighting up the cosmos. Seething, searing and lately...well...boring!

For those of us who know how, looking at the sun (safely, but more on that later) can be an exciting affair. Sunspots that would dwarf the planet Jupiter, giant filaments of superhot gas extending high off the planet, giant planet-sized "bubbles" of hot plasma boiling to its surface.

Over the last couple of years, though, the sun has been anything but!

It works like this. The sun is essentially just very hot gas. Deep in its core, atoms of hydrogen are squished together to form helium and energy. As the energy of this process makes its long, million-year way out from the center of the sun, it causes the layers of gas above to bubble and boil and generate electrical fields. Like a bar magnet, these fields have a "north" and "south" orientation that generally flips once every 11 years or so. When it does...weird things happen. We see "black spots."

Sunspots aren't really "black" of course. In white light, they're incandescent as the rest of the sun. In a properly filtered view, that means they look "black" compared to the rest of the sun.

In 2002, we experienced the last "peak." However, with every peak there is a valley and this one started about 2006 or 2007 when the last of the previous cycle's "big" sunspots began to fade. And that's where it's got just plain "weird."

Over the last two years, the sun has experienced unusually long periods of "spotlessness." It begs the question...what's going on?

The sun has gone through similarly long periods of low sunspot numbers. But astronomers have only been studying the sun for about 400 years, beginning when Galileo turned his primitive telescope to the sun and projected its bright image onto a white piece of paper.

From 1645 to 1715, the sun experienced a prolonged period without significant numbers of sunspots. During that time, Europe also experienced a "mini ice age" of unusually cold temperatures. Other data has begun to hint that, maybe, there is a link between sunspot activity and climate. Ironically, the sun's brightness actually increases with increased sunspots.

So indications seem to be that the sun is returning to greater activity. But the scientific effort to find answers continue. In the meantime, the hope - at least, for those of us who like to look at the sun - is that we're finally seeing the first of a continuing trend of increased activity.

Can you see it? Well, yes, if you're very careful. It's all about protection because viewing the sun without proper protection WILL result in blindness.

Here's some very UNSAFE methods of viewing the sun: through clouds, smoked glass, film negatives and sunglasses. Safe ways: Proper designed-for-solar viewing "eclipse glasses," Thousand Oaks or other astronomy related solar filters (glass or mylar) or minimum #14 welder's glass.

Failing that, if you own a telescope, there is also eyepiece projection. But make sure it's a telescope and eyepiece combo you didn't spend too much money. The concentrated sunlight from an unfiltered telescope is hot enough to melt tin. The exposed eye would end up in a lot worse condition, to say the least.

Of course, the best way to view the sun now is through websites like SOHO mentioned above, Big Bear Solar Observatory (http://www.bbso.njit.edu/) or even the STEREO spacecraft) http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/spacecraft.shtml). No special protection required.

Clear and sunny skies!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Morning spectacle

I'm not a morning person.

Okay, maybe that's a bit of an understatement. I loathe mornings. Despise 'em. Detest them with a passion usually reserved to animal rights activists towards the cosmetics industry or the relationship between Michael Ignatieff and Stephen Harper.

But the weather people are calling for clear skies this week. Which means I might just have to, as some of my Facebook friends are fond of saying, "suck it up, buttercup!"

You see, there's some interesting goings-on in our eastern sky these mornings. Mercury, Venus and Saturn have been doing a little planetary dosey-doe with Saturn rising up from it's passage behind the sun to greet the descending Mercury and Venus. Well, Saturn is now passing Venus to within a single binocular field of view for the next few days.

To make things even more interesting, a very thin crescent moon joins the celestial tableau Thursday and Friday mornings. All of this visible less than an hour before sunrise.

These types of groupings are hardly unique, nor are they terribly "significant" in the way that astrologers, etc., would like you to believe. However, they are great because they present great opportunities to delve into the "3D" nature of our solar system.

Consider this...the moon is roughly about 320,000 kms from us. Venus, however, is over 120 million. And Saturn over a billion. To say these scales boggle the mind is a little like saying lightning is going to give you a "jolt!"

So now I'm thinking, there may be a good reason to get up in the morning. But if I do and the weather people are wrong, take note. I'll be...um...VERY annoyed!

Clear skies!

Monday, October 5, 2009

Ready, aim...BOOM!

NASA is taking aim at the moon and zero-hour is fast approaching.

At 7:30 a.m. EDT on Friday, a NASA-launched Atlas 5 rocket upper stage will crash into the southern hemisphere of the moon, in a crater called Cabeus followed by the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) probe it launched? Why, you might ask? What has the moon ever done to us?

Well, funnily enough, there are those out there who believe those mysterious "powers that be" who have nothing better to do but cover things up and generally do nasty things to civil liberties and aliens alike, have concocted yet another nasty plan, this time to attack the moon and its requisite alien residents. It took me about three seconds of searching to find this prime example: http://tinyurl.com/ybtzgzj

For the rest of us though, it's about the science and the purpose of this particular experiment is to further confirm the existence of water on the moon.

"Why," you might ask. "Didn't they just say there was water on the moon?" Well, yes they did. However, it never hurts to confirm one observation with another. Besides, the previous methods were generally passive scanning methods. Picking up "signals" of a sort from radiation coming from the moon that tell of water. With this method, material will be "kicked up" by the impact of the two-ton upper stage, followed by the LCROSS probe itself. LCROSS will see the first impact while the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) that went up with LCROSS in June will observe the second impact. This is the same LRO that has brought us some stunningly "up close" images of the moon, including photographs of past Apollo sites, including equipment and even tracks left by the astronauts.

Sadly, we're going to miss it here in Ontario since the impact will be occurring just as the sun is coming up. However, professional and amateur telescopes out west will be pointing skyward in a hopes to catch the double plume of debris. Although the impact would theoretically be visible in backyard telescopes, it will still be relatively dim. Amateur astronomers with telescopes 10 inches across and larger are nevertheless being encouraged by NASA to aim their backyard scopes at the moon, just to see what they can see.

It just goes to show that there are still ways that amateur astronomers contribute to the science. Meanwhile, the pros will be scanning the debris cloud with spectrographs to find evidence of water molecules kicked up by the impact.

Needless to say, everyone's going to have something to talk about, come Friday afternoon. Astronomers will be chatting happily about results and what it means to possible human visitation and even colonization of the moon. Conspiracy nuts will be forewarning the coming doom of the "retaliation from the moon." I expect it to be entertaining, either way.

Clear skies!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Bringing funny to space

A lot of people seem to think space is serious business, but they might change their mind after this week.

Very, VERY early Wednesday morning, at about 3:14 a.m. EDT, billionaire space tourist Guy Laliberte, famous for founding the Cirque du Soleil will be getting a little closer to the soleil on the top of a Soyuz rocket.

Word has it, the former clown and street performer is planning on bringing several clown noses for his fellow astronauts and pulling various pranks. And, no joke, this trip is costing him about $35 million dollars...yup, you read that right. Thirty. Five. Million!

But it won't just be fun and games. Every space tourist who visits the Space Station, in addition to having to pass a long series of tests for fitness and readiness to travel to space, are expected to be a contributing member of the team even if it is only as a guinea pig.

So have fun on the ride, Guy. I'm going to be sleeping.

Clear skies!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Water, water

Well, now it’s official. There really is water on the moon.

Needless to say, you haven’t been able to go far without hearing the news practically being trumpeted from the rooftops, the most recent confirmation coming from India’s contribution to lunar exploration Indian Space Research Organization's Chandrayaan-1 and NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper, or M3 ("M-cubed").

Of course, this isn’t the first time the presence of water has been detected. In fact, space scientists have been studying the moon for years and finding evidence for water. The difference is, however, that this is the first time NASA has stated definitively that there was, in fact, water in one of the otherwise driest places of the solar system.

However, we’re not going to see astronauts doing the backstroke in the Sea of Tranquility anytime soon. We’re not talking that much water. In fact, according to NASA, if one could wring all the water out of a ton of moondust, you’d get 32 whole ounces. Thirst quenching yes, but a lot of work. And there are areas of the moon where it is more prevalent such as the moon’s polar regions. Again, it’s not terribly surprising since radar studies and other probes such as Lunar Prospector have seen hints of the water.

If it shows anything, however, its that our solar system is one wet place. Water seems to be everywhere. Earth, Mars, the moon, several moons in the outer solar system including a couple that shows indications of possible liquid water. And liquid water is absolutely essential as a solvent for the chemicals of life.

It’s also important for where it figures in the manned exploration of space. And that’s pretty much everything from something to drink to making rocket fuel.

So now there is the confirmed existence of water on the moon which makes it, not only a great place to visit, but maybe even stay awhile. Perhaps now that they know they’ll be able to take a shower, perhaps we’ll be astronauts going to the moon and staying.

Clear skies!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Goodbye summer. Hello fall.

So I have to admit, fall is a bittersweet time for me, stargazing-wise.

Let’s face it…May, June and July are not super-duper astronomy times. You get maybe two or three hours of “darkness” and the rest is that “in-between” time. Then there’s those biting bugs…oh, they love me! I apply the DEET and I swear I can hear the mosquitoes laughing either from huffing the fumes or just from me being foolish enough to think that will deter the little bloodsuckers!

So fall is coming and, as a result, the nights get longer, the bugs dwindle away and…well, winter is just around the corner. Great…just great!

Of course, turns out there’s another reason to look forward to fall. Researchers into such things have discovered that the equinoxes are the best time to view aurora. And no one knows why. Sure, this is the time of year when the sun stands directly overhead of Earth’s equator at local noon and north and south poles receive equal amounts of day and night.

But auroras are the result of the interplay between the sun’s outflow of charged particles and our own magnetic field. Is it something to do with the orientation of our own magnetic field? Or something else? No one is sure.

In the meantime, the nights are getting oh so much cooler! In fact, I was out the other night and I was playing with the idea of digging our a parka and gloves. Gloves!! Not to mention the fact that the last few years have not exactly given us great or clear weather. So what does this year have in store?

If the weather cooperates, we’ve got some great constellations. W-shaped Cassiopeia, Andromeda and the naked eye behemoth 2.5 million light years away, Aquarius and it’s plethora of deep sky wonders…there’s certainly lots to see. This year, we also have Jupiter making a great appearance. And Mars is just around the corner, now rising in Gemini shortly after midnight.

So time to pull out the woolies and hope that the weather cooperates. Failing that, there’s always…um…well, there’s always the fall TV line-up. Yeah, here’s hoping for really good weather!

Friday, September 4, 2009

Spacecraft in tandem

Next week begins a series of great evening opportunities to watch the International Space Station and the space shuttle Discovery as they sail overhead.

Check out Heavens Above (http://www.heavens-above.com) website if you want to know what they are from your home. Go to the website and set up a (free) account with your local latitude and longitude.

Together, the ISS and the shuttle look pretty much the same as the ISS on its own: a moving dot of light against the background sky. And, with how large the ISS has become, 240 feet by more than 300 feet, it gets pretty bright. A lot of its brightness comes from those spanning wing-like solar panels.

At its brightest, the ISS gets only a little less bright than Venus. However, on occasion and if the geometry between the sun, the ISS and you is right, you might see it get very bright. There are also other satellites that do this, sometimes spectacularly, called Iridium. More about that at another time.

Right now, the ISS is hosting the USS Discovery, with two crews totalling 13 people sharing close, if weightless quarters. Space flight is a friendly affair.

However, the 13-day mission to resupply and enhance the ISS's science capabilities is set to end at the end of next week when the shuttle returns to Earth. In the meantime, about Tuesday, it should on-dock with the station and begin preparations for its return. From our vantage point, we will actually be able to watch as the ISS and the shuttle cross our night sky.

Whatever you might think of the ISS, beachhead to space or orbiting white elephant, it makes an impression. Joined by the shuttle, there's no doubt human beings are at least on their way into space.

Clear skies!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

What a show!

Wow, what a night! That's the kind of thing we amateur astronomers live for.

One of Jupiter's rarest shows was scheduled to begin. I had a choice of two scopes, my prized 200mm Schmidt-Cassegrain catadioptric telescope or my less-used 80mm refractor. I decided to give the refractor a workout this time around and it was well worth it!

Of course there are some, well, not rules so much as guidelines one should follow in basic backyard astronomy and one near the top of the list is don't observe over nearby buildings if you can help it. They radiate heat and that can muddy the view. Sadly, a large strip mall sits to my south and, since I don't have a car, I have to contend with it and that giant sodium lamp. Oh, how I wish I had an air rifle...um, not that I would condone acts of vandalism. That would be wrong, of course.

Anyway, I got my first look at Jupiter around 10:30 p.m. Three of Jupiter's moons remained in sight. Io was heading towards eclipse behind Jupiter and Europa and Ganymede were paired off and heading on their way to pass in front. Callisto was nowhere in sight. And just a hint of the Great Red Spot, a very difficult thing to make out in a small 'scope.

I settled in for the long haul.

By 11:45, Io began to kiss the edge of Jupiter as I watched it slowly slide in behind...a tiny bud of light that melted into the main body of the planet. That was followed on the other side about 15 minutes later by Europa beginning its incursion in front of Jupiter. It slowly melded its light into the body of the planet, however, I was able to follow it past the merger for several minutes.

That left Jupiter with only one moon visible: Ganymede. Ganymede is further out from Jupiter than Io or Europa so, naturally, it moves a little slower. By 12:45 a.m., it was starting to move in front of Jupiter but it wasn't in a hurry. After getting up and moving around a bit, I went back and watched as the bright dot of Ganymede against the backdrop of space became the dark spot of Ganymede against the white clouds of Jupiter.

However, there was something "odd" about this spot. It seemed...elongated. Of course, as Ganymede began to cross Jupiter's disk, so did Europa's shadow so the two of them moved together in tandem for a while, separating after about an hour or so.

I continued to watch the show, occasionally looking up at the occasional snap or rustle nearby. I kept an open nostril to the air with the possibility of a malodorous visitor in mind. It's amazing how still one can become when one sees that black and white flash nearby. Luckily, such was not the case. But a representative of my vote for the next dominant species did amble across the fence - a racoon. Opposable thumbs make all the difference.

Needless to say, by 2 a.m., I was getting tired. But the show continued. I would occasionally take a look at the moon floating nearby. Talk about your contrasts. The solar systems largest planet a mere spark of light while our own, relatively insignificant moon dominating the night sky. But it's all perspective. After all, the moon has the advantage, being only 300,000 kms away. Jupiter is over 600 million kms.

The 'seeing' was mediocre at best and Jupiter experienced brief moments of clarity between jumping around in the air currents. I've seen astronomy described as being like birdwatching from the bottom of a pool. It's an apt description.

I had my best views at around 91-times magnification. I also experimented with filtering, finding the Wratten 11 still my favourite Jupiter filter. The clouds band details just seem to "pop."

By 2:21 a.m., Io was beginning to re-emerge and Jupiter was about to cease its "moonlessness." Meanwhile, Jupiter was heading for some trees, so I decided it was time to pack it in and go to bed.

As I'm writing this, it's now later in the morning and I'm feeling a bit sleep deprived and waiting for my first cup of tea to kick in. Still, it was an awesome show and I wouldn't have missed it for the world! Or worlds, as the case may be.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

It's the Jupiter show!

Turns out, Jupiter can do magic tricks. In particular, it's going to make all of its moons disappear! Eat your heart out Chris Angel!

Jupiter actually has about three dozen moons ranging in size from larger than our moon (Ganymede) to objects no bigger than a city block. However, four have been known since the first time Galileo spied them with his small telescope: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Not surprising, they're called the Galilean moons.

Most nights, even a pair of binoculars will show Ganymede and Callisto out of Jupiter's glare, and even a small telescope will show all four. They make their slow and steady way, turning never-ending circles around the solar system's largest planet.

From time to time, they seem to disappear as they pass either in front or behind Jupiter. One missing is certainly common. Seeing Jupiter with only two of its retinue is even common. However, it's not nearly so frequent to see three of the moons disappear. Only a few times a century will all four disappear. In my 30 years looking skyward, I've never seen it happen.

What makes tonight even more exciting is that rarest of commodities: clear weather! Actual clear skies!!!

So excuse me while I prepare to tune out this world and tune in on Jupiter and it's amazing disappearing moon show. No cover, no minimum...and everyone has a front row seat!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Moonstruck!

A lot of us amateur astronomers don’t think much of the moon.

Well, it’s there. It’s big and bright. It washes out our usual targets, those faint fuzzy things that lie in the spaces between (and beyond) the stars. Besides, it’s already been visited and people have been looking at it for years. So what’s the big deal? I know, when the moon’s out, my telescope tends to stay in.

It’s actually too bad. I remember my first view of the moon blew me away and I’ve met many skywatchers who have had a similar experience. It can be a disconcerting view through a telescope, with the craters and the mountains looming in the eyepiece. It’s almost like you’re falling in. And there is so much detail, it can almost be overwhelming.

Okay, a bit of science content here. The predominant theory for the origin of our moon is the “the big splash” or “the big whack” in which a collision of the proto-Earth with a Mars-sized object sent material into orbit and coalesced into our moon. For your next dinner party or game of Trivial Pursuit, this object has been dubbed “Theia,” after the Greek legend of the Titan that mothered the moon.

Earth is unique in the rocky worlds of the inner solar system. It is the only one that has such a big moon. Mars has a couple of captured asteroids in its orbit and Mercury has nothing. It’s theorized that perhaps Venus might have had one, but that it might have collided with Venus. That might explain the planet’s odd slow, backward rotation and the fact that “something” virtually resurfaced the planet in lava some unknown time ago.

Yes, we did go there. Don’t get me started on that whole stupid “conspiracy” thing, please! And a lot was learned about it.

But the moon offers a simply stunning view. Sharp-eyed viewers can pick out the main features with their naked eye like the “seas” which were once oceans of impact lava. Even binoculars will show the largest craters and mountain chains like the Appenines. A telescope shows even more, especially as the curving day/night boundary or “terminator” crosses the moon’s disk. This is where the 3-D nature of the moon as a separate orb becomes evident. Even some “colour” is visible if you know what to look for, although they are very muted browns and blues. It’s an amazing sight!

So maybe it’s time to give the moon a little more of the respect it deserves. Maybe become, not just a stargazer, but a ‘lunagazer,’ too.

Clear skies!

Friday, August 28, 2009

From Earth to the Blogosphere

“So why don’t you do your own astronomy blog?”

I have to admit, the question took me a bit aback. It’s not that I hadn’t considered it. It just seemed, well, a little contradictory to my background. After all, I have and continue to work from time to time as a “professional” writer. In short, I write and I get paid for it. I even did an astronomy column for years for a northern Ontario community newspaper. Again, money was involved.

But a blog? As in write? For free? About astronomy?

Then something in the back of my mind said…yes! Why not?!

I haven’t written about astronomy in a while and I’ve discovered I kinda missed it. Okay, I really missed it. Both writing for the sake of writing, as well as writing about astronomy.

As many of you know, I do have something of an interest in astronomy. It’s been a lifelong passion that has never ceased to amaze and inspire me for over 30 years. Over the last few years, I’ve acquired better and better equipment to pursue the hobby but even my first little department store “nope scope” was a portal to the wonders of the natural world. When it was finally retired, it owed me absolutely nothing!

But the hobby continues to be a source of never ending learning and amazement. Not just from the intellectual side of things…all that wonderful esoterica of science. There’s the aesthetic side of things too. A night sky, filled with stars, is and has been a source of artistic inspiration a’ la Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night.

So I hope you enjoy this blog. I’ll do my best to write interesting stuff about the science and hobby of astronomy. And, if you have a question, please feel free to email me at wareinga@hotmail.com. If I know the answer, I’ll let you know. If not, then perhaps there’s something we both can learn.

Clear skies!