Wednesday, March 23, 2011

#10 A Few Inconspicuous Constellations


Good Evening Everyone!  This is the Coma Galaxy in the Coma Star Cluster!

Just a quick check in between visits from the 'rents.

Took a nice respite to the backyard this evening to view the Coma Star Cluster and some of the less well-known Spring constellations between Leo and The Big Dipper.

First is another set of stars, somewhat dim, yet easily found hanging out in the darkness between The Big Dipper and Leo the Lion.  These stars are the Herding Dogs, or Canes Venatici.  These are thought to be Bootes the Herdsman's dogs.  Unlike Orion's hunting dogs, these dogs are linked to the Herdsman and are meant to shepherd in the flocks.

The next star cluster is within the constellation of Coma Berenices, or Berenice's Hair.  This is one of the few named after a historical figure.  This constellation is meant to symbolize the hair of queen Berenice II of Egypt.  She was known for her long golden hair, and she cut it when her husband was victorious in a war campaign and gave it to Aphrodite as a sacrifice.  It was placed in the sky by Aphrodite.  Through the binoculars, this star cluster looks kind of like a coat hangar.  It is neat to think that while looking at this star cluster, I am looking out to some of the deeper galaxies of the universe.  I am still super excited to get to the galaxies and constellations of Leo and Virgo.

There is a Little Lion, Leo Minor, that looks like a triangle under the Big Dipper's ladle.  Kind of looks like a mini-Leo.  There is no real significance to this constellation, other than to say we have checked it off the list of viewing in the night sky.

Also had the opportunity this past weekend to check out the Full Moon for the month of March. The Full Worm Moon/Lenten Moon is he last Full Moon of Winter!  It is named so for the start of Spring and the time when the ground thaws and earthworm casings are prevalent.  This weekend was the closest biggest moon to been seen in the last 18 years.  My mother and father and I enjoyed the bigger than life Moon rising slowly above the horizon.

Saturn is on the horizon as well.  In the binoculars you can see the shape of the planet and wonderful tan coloration.  I was tempted to pull out the telescope, well next time! :)

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

#9 A Few Planets

Hello Stargazers!  That is Venus and it's beautifully gold cloud cover; the cloud cover gives it the brightness that we have come to dub the morning/evening star.

You may have noticed a bit of a lapse in the blogging; I've been busy visiting with my parents this week!  Also, each time I have wanted to pull out the telescope prior to their arrival or during their visit, it has been hazy and/or partially cloudy.  I get so frustrated with the weather, but I should be grateful that most of the time the night sky out here in Arizona is beautiful!

So, I have been just in the practice of viewing a few of the planets currently in the night and dawn sky.  This past week I have been able to spy Jupiter and Mercury on the western dusk horizon just after sunset.  The brightest "star" in the Western sky is Jupiter at this time; keep a keen eye on the horizon and you will see Mercury.  Our Winter sky is slowly retiring to the Western horizon, making way for the Spring and Summer night spectacles.

I also enjoyed a quick viewing of Venus, our morning and evening "star," on last Friday morning while carpooling with my colleague and friend V.  Pulling out of the housing community, I took a quick look towards the dawn Eastern sky and spied the bright planet adding to the beautiful sunrise of the morning.

So that leaves only Mars and Neptune to write about; Mars (Ares) will show up in the night sky in February 2012 and Neptune (Poseidon) in the night sky in early August.  Mars is sitting in the early evening sky right now and is not visible through the abundant sunshine, so patience is key to viewing Mars next year.  We will attempt a viewing of Neptune in August.

Venus (Aphrodite) is the Greek goddess of love and beauty, and Mercury (Hermes) is the Greek god of travel, correspondence, and messages.  Hermes is the messenger of the Gods to the humans, sharing this role counterpart Iris.  He is also a guide to the underworld.  Aphrodite was married to Vulcan (Hephaestus) due to her extreme beauty causing intense jealousy amongst the Greek gods.  It is interesting to equate the Greek goddess of love and beauty to Venus; as Venus is quite beautiful from afar, but quite a dangerous and stormy place upon further inspection.  Mercury really is just a piece of superheated rock, and the only planet that does not rotate on its axis due to the intense gravity of the Sun, but it is the quickest to circle the Sun.

I have been trying to set up the telescope for a viewing of the late evening Eastern sky for the emergence of Saturn just below Leo the Lion.  I have also wanted to view a few galaxies below Leo and share about the Lion, so keep an eye out for this in the coming weeks.  Virgo and the galaxies of Virgo are also upcoming, and a small but densely star-populated area called the Coma Berenices to the left of Leo the Lion houses a few star clusters, especially the Coma star cluster.

I'm excited for the end of this week, as currently I am looking at a bright blue sky and enjoying warm weather in the Spring evenings!  My wife reminds me that the night sky is not going anywhere and there is no rush to viewing the gems upcoming in the Spring.  So, I am reminded to pause and enjoy the pace of nature.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

#8 The Dippers and Sisters

Hello Friends,

I'ts been a few more days than I have wanted to update you on our night sky; I apologize.  However, I have finally bested this head cold, and I know I am looking forward to going out this weekend to view Leo and Leo's galaxies physically well and clear headed again.

It seems that the seasons are slowly turning to Spring.  The sky ladles; the Big Dipper and Little Dipper, are taking their place; the Little Dipper spilling its contents into the Big Dipper.  See the picture above; an easily remembered trick to find the North Star Polaris is shown above.  Polaris is our celestial north.  A very clear night and non-polluted sky will produce the full handle of the Little Dipper and the bowl of the Dipper.  Surprising our North Star is so dim, huh?

From the handle of the Big Dipper, you can trace further down to the bright Spring star Arcturus, part of the constellation Bootes the herdsman.  We will visit with the herdsman in the future, when he has awoken from the low horizon of the Eastern sky.   For now, he guides either the bears or plows we visit with this week, and will be mentioned as the young gentleman Arcas in our star story tonight.

The Dippers have also been known by the ancients as either bears or plows.  The Big Dipper is by far the most known and familiar constellation in the night sky.  If we take a moment to see them as plows, it is quite simple: the long handles with the square box blades.  As for bears, it is a bit more of the imagination to see, but the square boxes would give us the bear's body, and the handles the tails.

If the handles are the tails, why are they so long?  Thomas Hood, a writer and astrologer made mention that they were perhaps stretched by Zeus when he flung them to safety into the night sky.

The Big Bear is actually Callisto, a paramour of Zeus.  Sometimes the Small Bear gets recognized as Arcas, her demi-god son by Zeus, but more often Arcas gets given the honor of being seen in the constellation Bootes, known as a great hunter.  How did Callisto become a bear, and find her way as this bear in the night sky?

Callisto was well noticed by the Gods of Olympus, especially Artemis.  Artemis was moved so by Callisto's grace and beauty that she appeared to her and asked her to join her hunter's troupe.  She accepted and joined Artemis' hunters.  This troupe was well-known for two things: it was all women and these women took a vow of chastity for life, to stay pure and true to the commitment they swore to.  Callisto became accustomed to placing a tied white bow in her hair and wearing a white tunic with beautiful brooch.  She soon became Artemis' best hunting partner due to her hunting skill and true companionship.

Then, in moves Zeus to disrupt this beautiful friendship and peace.  Zeus saw Callisto lying in the field one day and disguised himself as Artemis.   He put his arms around her and took her.  Callisto was most ashamed and hid the fact that she was pregnant until one day the hunting troop came to a bathing site.  She disrobed and bathed in a spring, thus showing her pregnancy.  Artemis thus banished her from the troupe, and shared Callisto's ravaging by Zeus with Hera, Zeus' wife.

Callisto later gave birth; all this time Hera had been aware of another of Zeus' transgressions, and she was ready and infuriated.  Hera tackled Callisto to the ground and cursed her to become the shape of a bear.  Callisto roamed the forest he had hunted and become familiar with for a great time until coming across her son Arcas, who had become a great hunter and was that day tracking in the forest.  Callisto recognized her son Arcas immediately and headed towards him.  Arcas readied his spear and may have succeeded in taking Callisto's life, but Zeus intervened with a whirlwind and carried them into the sky as Big Dipper and Little Dipper.

Lastly, back we go to the Pleiades, or the Seven Sisters, which we mentioned briefly gazing at with the in-laws a bit ago during their visit.  I realized that I had not finished the story telling regarding these important sisters.

The Greeks used the Pleiades as a mini-constellation and calendar marker.  When the Greeks saw them peeking above the horizon, it meant a start to harvest.  They are the seven daughters of the titan Atlas and oceanid Pleione.  The Pleiades gained their name from either pleos, the Greek word meaning full, or the Greek word peleiades, meaning flock of doves.  Both are fitting to this beautiful open star cluster.

The names of the seven sisters: Alcyone, Asterope, Celaeno, Electra, Maia, Merope, and Taygete. The sisters were well-liked by the Gods of Olympus. Poseidon wooed Alcyone and Celaeno.  Zeus wooed Maia (she birthed Hermes and was the foster mother of Arcas), Electra, and Taygete.  Asterope was ravished by Ares.  So as you may realize, six became the gods paramours; the last one Merope married a mortal Sisyphus who eternally rolls boulder up the hill in Hades due to his wily of cheating the Lord of Death Hades.

So see?  There are six visible sister stars, and one not so visible.  It is thought to be Merope because she married a mortal, but astronomers named Asterope the faintest.

See you next week!  In the meanwhile, enjoy the warmer nights that are becoming more available; I know I will!