APOD 2.2 Historical Supernove Remnant



RCW 86: Historical Supernova Remnant



What's 8,200 light-years away, 50 light-years across, and the remnant of a star newly noted in 185 AD? RCW 86 of course. What's intriguing is that its vastness seems nothing compared to the distances with which it is related (from our galaxy etc.). In addition to that this is only the remnant of the original star. Granted it is expanding both as a supernova shock wave and as interstellar dust, but even then it is incredible to consider that it is so old and still so large. Generally I think of things becoming smaller, less important with age. But here the older the remnant gets the more it expands, becoming both larger and more interesting to study. It's almost as if it is more interesting after its 'death' than while it existed as an actual star. Both hold importance of what must be at least equal amounts, and we will not know which holds more value study-wise until many, many years from now when the remnant begins to disappear.

APOD 2.1 Ghost of the Cepheus Flare

Ghost of the Cepheus Flare

This appropriately titled APOD was from Halloween day, and if you sort through the holiday-related phrasing and lingo there's quite a spectacle to be had. The picture is not actually a ghost... but it is a cloud of cosmic dust (interesting by itself) that is seen by reflected starlight. It is referenced as 'at the edge' of the Cepheus Flare molecular cloud complex, even though it is 1,200 light-years away. If that is 'at the edge', then I can't even imagine what is considered just 'close'. Maybe it's the brightness of the background stars that throws off the comprehending of the distance. From Earth you cannot see that many stars that bright at once except on very rare occasions during which you must by in an extremely remote place. They make it almost unreal. Most importantly, however, is the dark spot on the right side of the image. That spot could extremely easily be the beginning stages of a binary star forming. So in trying to capture one fraction of a second of a so-called 'ghost', the picture really captures the creation of something new.

Observation 2

This observation, on October 23, was the one at school from 8:00 to 10:00. The sky was perfectly clear to start off, with light thin clouds rolling in toward the middle but not interfering too much. This time I found Polaris, and from that Cepheus and Casseopeia. I was also able to see the constellation Sagittarius for the first time, which was admittedly pretty cool. I didn't realize the teapot would be so big either, or the square of Pegasus. The Andromeda galaxy we saw was interesting on a conceptual basis, definitely worth the look. Jupiter seemed higher on the horizon earlier as well.

Observation 1

On Saturday night, October 22, from 8:00 to 11:00 I was outside on Siesta Beach observing the stars. I was able to see Delphinus and Job's coffin, the square of Ursa Minor (but not Polaris), and Aquila and Hercules. Throughout the night it was super easy to see Jupiter trace the path from east to west across the sky. Altair in Aquila was clear and bright, but I had a hard time finding Cygnus or the Northern Cross. For some reason Delphinus was the easiest one for me to spot, and I noticed it multiple times over the course of the night as the sky darkened. I looked for Polaris, but the handle of the dipper that it is a part of was obscured by light and trees.

APOD 1.8 Draconid Meteors Over Spain

Draconid Meteors over Spain

As far as the aesthetics this image is nice, but not really noteworthy as far as rising above the other week's posts. What is interesting is the interactive portion where the constellations are connected and labelled for you when you scroll over the image with the mouse. The unusually productive amount of meteors that streamed from the constellation Draco, the dragon, produced this image. They were caused by pebble-sized chunks from the debris of the comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner and occur in October every year. The interactive part, being the  most interesting to me, is helpful when I'm trying to reference the constellations from a map and locate them in the sky. I like it because the image overlay puts the map in the sky for you, but doesn't have to connect the dots unless you choose to. It doesn't force either image into your mind to obscure the ability of locating the constellations in the night sky.

al-Biruni

Al-Biruni

               Abu Rayhan al-Biruni was a man noted for many things. Among works in geography, chemistry, physics, history, and mathematics al-Biruni contributed heavily to the field of astronomy. His contributions were not inventions or theories but what could be considered the much more impressive offering of knowledge. Nothing is known about his ancestry or childhood, but what is known about his life has actual dates because of al-Biruni’s constant tracking of the locations of the stars. Between his contributions to astronomy and other subjects and the applicability of the new information he discovered al-Biruni’s importance is indisputable.

               Even from a young age al-Biruni showed a great aptitude for learning as well as a distinctive lean towards astronomy. Born in 973 in Khwarazm, south of the Aral Sea, he calculated the terrestrial latitude of at Kath, a nearby large city, using a graduated ring to measure the meridian solar altitude. Al-Biruni then planned on doing the same with other major cities but was interrupted when a civil war broke out. Having been taught by Abu Nasr Mansur, a prince of the Banu Iraq family, he was a highly unwanted person seeing as the civil war was intended to overthrow that exact family. In great need of a safer place to reside al-Biruni was forced into hiding and eventually fled the area. Luckily enough this worked out extremely well for him as a want to learn more worldly concepts was sparked. Al-Biruni travelled for somewhere close to seven years learning multiple languages along the way, including Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Sanskrit, Hebrew, and Syriac. This travelling allowed him to follow through on his studies of geography and history, and gave way to him writing The Chronology of Ancient Nations- one of the only books of his era to be translated into material easily referenced in history and geography today.

               After these extensive travels al-Biruni returned home to Kath in 997. This year is particularly notable because on May 24 he arranged an observation of a lunar eclipse with a colleague by the name of Abu’l-Wata. In comparing notes al-Biruni was able to determine the longitudinal difference between his location in Kath and Abu’l-Wata’s location in Baghdad. Techniques such as this were favored by him as they overlapped into the differing subjects he was interested in, such as geography and mathematics. Al-Biruni’s astronomical calculations were varied, but almost all of relevance to measurement and mapping. In 1009 he had returned to Khwarazm as a man highly regarded in the Islamic world. His encyclopedic writings were well known and appreciated at the time and lent more than a slight push toward his positions later in life. Upon this return to Khwarazm such positions were taken up. Al-Biruni became the councilor and court official to successors of Ma’mun the usurper. In addition to all of this he was made the court astrologer to Mahmud, where he was content for a few years before moving on to new studies.

               Throughout his life al-Biruni made a myriad of contributions to astronomy. He invented the orthographical astrolabe, to view the globe’s hemisphere as it would be seen from outer space, and wrote over a hundred and forty five books, thirty six of which were astronomy-related. Al-Biruni has been honored in many ways. To name just a few there is the crater on the moon called al-Biruni, the renaming of Khwarazm as Biruni, and stamps bearing his image. Even to this day al-Biruni retains such high regards in the astronomical world because of the value of the information that he was able to provide.

APOD 1.6 Asteroids Near Earth

Asteroids Near Earth

So... Wait a minute. Basically what I get from this APOD is that with all of the new technology and information we have gathered recently we are actually finding less data than before? I suppose the results from NEOWISE could be seen as more precise, but what I'm seeing is that all these updated tools are finding close to 40% less near-Earth asteroids bigger than 100 meters than previously thought. So either the instruments that were used before were extremely less on target than thought, or the new instruments that are supposedly way better are just finding less asteroids. Okay... Precise is good, particularly when concerning near-Earth asteroids, but why would these results not have been challenged before and why were they taken as truth so readily? It seems as if something that detected 40% more asteroids in the past than now was way too easily taken as reliable.

Al-Biruni Sources

Nowlan, Robert. "Muhammad Al-Biruni." A Chronicle of Mathematical People by Robert A. Nowlan. Web. 29 Sept. 2011. <http://www.robertnowlan.com/>.

 "The Biography of Abu Rayhan Al-Biruni. A Forgotten Great Scholar | Sky To Earth." Sky To Earth | GIS, Mapping and Remote Sensing. Morad Ouasti. Web. 29 Sept. 2011. <http://skytoearth.com/biography/the-biography-of-abu-rayhan-al-biruni-a-forgotten-great-scholar/>.

Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Vol. 9. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2008. p83-85.

APOD 1.5 Dry Ice Pits on Mars

Dry Ice Pits on Mars

This image reflects the ice on Mars as it begins its annual thaw according to the approaching Martian summer. The ice melts and refreezes with every year, which makes me realize the similarities that the separate parts of the universe are all connected through. Generally I don't think of the other planetary bodies as having season-like effects but this proves that they do. Also, the melted areas draw connections in my mind to individual cells and in so draw together the vastness of the planets with the minuteness of each cell. The picture isn't necessarily very aesthetically pleasing but mentally speaking it's a nice thought to understand just how much the universe we live in is interrelated. I suppose in a way the pits are similar to cells in that the outer edges that are thawing and the cell walls a cell has both lead to more intricate inner functions- the cell wall to organelles and the pit walls to caverns and tunnels under the surface of Mars. This, to me, reinforces the concept that no matter how big the object is it is related in theory and composition to something we already know.

APOD 1.4 September's Aurora

September's Aurora

This picture is puzzling to me. The caption clearly states that the aurora was seen form outer space as well as here on Earth, yet the stars appear to be in between us and the lights? How could that happen? The colors of the gases and the shapes do however invoke a scientific curiosity within me. Based on the linked view of the lights from space the color is still there, even when viewed from a place not affected by our atmosphere. This being the case the magnetized gases have to have the color before crossing through our atmosphere, and if this is true then what would have caused it? Magnetized gases from the sun which would typically appear yellow or brownish in their normal state seem shades of green and red when they cross with Earth's magnetic field. Assuming the composition of the gases and their shape are the same, then what causes the viewable difference?

APOD 1.3 Rollback from GRAIL's Rocket

Rollback from GRAIL's Rocket

So as it turns out this image was taken of Complex 17 as it retreated back from the cancelled launch of GRAIL. In a sort of poetic way the time-lapse captures the last time it will roll back with the hope of launching again as once this launch of GRAIL is complete it will be retired. Complex 17 has been in use since 1957, which is quite amazing when you think about it. The idea that we have had the ability to launch things into space for the past fifty four years, and that the equipment is still fully functioning attests to the passion with which the space program is handled. It has an artistic edge to it, pulling the complex back in after the sun, just like the complex's career, is set. And the way that the use of time-lapse here captures the last moments of the retreat, almost as if to hold the last breath of the launch pad before it is gone forever, makes it that much more meaningful. The GRAIL mission will improve the knowledge of the moon's composition greatly. In doing this it pushes us forward, while nicely tying into the use of Complex 17 for the last time- effectively prolonging the life of the pad through what it helps accomplish.

APOD 1.2 A Star That Should Not Exist

"SDSS J102915+172927: A Star That Should Not Exist" A star that shouldn't exist because the literal elements which this star is composed from should not be able to be combined in this way. Especially because it is expected to have, at minimum, fifty times more lithium than it does. What i want to know is how a star like this would form without such levels of lithium when the environment does not provide those conditions. It has less than .00007% lithium, the heavy metal that is supposed to far outweigh the amounts of He and H. It's curious that with just one discovery like this, and when nobody was even looking for it in particular, can shake the most basic of assumptions about how and from what these stars are formed. One hypothesis is saying that the lithium may have been destroyed due to the temperatures in the star's center but if that's true then it doesn't make sense why more stars, hotter stars, don't have this same composition ratio. Also, with no elements heavier than He and H it's interesting to see how the star keeps itself together. Would it have to avoid the heavier elements while orbiting the galaxy and if so, how?

APOD 1.1 Hickson 44 In Leo

Hickson 44 In Leo

As one member of the Hickson Compact Groups, the Hickson 44 group shown in this picture in Leo is astounding. I had no idea that such clarity over such distance was possible. It's amazing to see the dust trails in the spirals and imagine what all would be possible with more powerful telescopes etc.The content of this, while amazing, isn't really what gets me though. It's the fact that even back in 1994 when technology wasn't as far-reaching as today we were able to see and acknowledge groups of galaxies to the extent that they were named and put into different groups. Hickson 44 is 100 million light-years away and we can capture images of it with this kind of clarity. I'm astounded. The idea itself is just mind-blowing to me.