Bright Supernova in M82

On January 21st, 2014, a supernova, classified as SN 2014J, was seen from the University College London Obesrvatory. This special supernova was seen in the M82 Galaxy, which is also known as the Cigar Galaxy. This specific galaxy can be seen with the naked eye near the Little Dipper constellation. Since the galaxy is 12 Million Light-Years away, this supernova actually occured 12 million years ago, and the light from it is just now reaching Earth. It is one of the closest supernovas to be seen in recent decades. 

Lovejoy in the New Year

This year, Comet Lovejoy graced us to open the new year on January 1st, 2014. This magnificent sighting was most clear just before dawn on the New Year's Night. Lovejoy made one of its closest passes to Earth, only coming 6.7 light-minutes away from our planet. This comet didnt quite make it close to the sun, however it did come fairly close on the night of December 22nd. This sighting was especially wonderful, as we were graced with extraordinary green comas and exceptionally long tails.

Observation Logs Q2

November 1, 2013
Time: 10:00-11:00 P.M.
Place: Home
Sky: Partly Cloudy, 90% visibility

Instruments: Celestron 40 mm Refractor Telescope

Planets: Venus, Jupiter

Bright Stars: Polaris, Antares, Vega, Deneb, Altair, Thuban

Constellations: Lyra, Cygnus, Draco, Scorpio, Corona Australis, Aquila, Hercules

Binary Stars: Epsilon Lyrae (Vega)

Deep Sky: M13 (Globular Cluster in Hercules), M57 (Ring Nebula in Lyra)

Other: Houses in the way of other constellations that were possibly in the sky, couldn't really tell what they were



November 5, 2013
Time: 9:00-11:00 P.M.
Place: Rothenbach Park
Sky: Clear

Instruments: Celestron 40 mm Refractor Telescope

Planets: Venus, Jupiter, 2 satellites

Bright Stars: Vega, Deneb, Altair, Fomalhaut, Delta CVephei, Polaris, Thuban, Andromeda, Gamma, Alberio

Constellations: Lyra, Cygnus, Draco, Aquila, Cepheus, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Ursa Minor, Delphinus, Aquarius

Binary Stars: Epsilon Lyrae (Vega)

Deep Sky:  M57 (Ring Nebula in Lyra), M31, M103

Other: Milky Way in Aquila


November 7, 2013
Time: 10:1200 P.M.
Place: Rothenbach Park
Sky: Partly Cloudy, Approx. 80% visibility

Instruments: Celestron 40 mm Refractor Telescope

Planets: Venus, Jupiter blocked by clouds

Bright Stars: Vega, Deneb, Altair (clouds), Polaris, Alpha Capricornus, Antares, Mira, Algol

Constellations: Lyra, Cygnus, Aquila, Ursa Minor, Capricorn, Scorpius, Cetus, Perseus

Binary Stars: Epsilon Lyrae (Vega) Blurry

Deep Sky: N/A

Other: Milky Way throughout the sky


November 21, 2013
Time: 9:00-11:00 P.M., 1:00-2:00 A.M.
Place: Home
Sky: Clear

Instruments: Celestron 40 mm Refractor Telescope

Planets: Venus next to moon

Bright Stars: Vega, Deneb, Altair, Fomalhaut, Gamma, Andromeda, Algol, Mira, Antares, Delta Cephi, Polaris,Thuban, Alberio, Epsilon Lyrae

Constellations: Lyra, Cygnus, Draco, Aquila, Cepheus, Andromeda, Piscis Austrinis, Cetus, Perseus, Draco, Ursa Minor, Saggitarius, Hercules, Vulpecula

Deep Sky:  M8, M20, M13, M27, M57, M31

William Lassell Biography Q2

       William Lassell, born in 1799 in Lancashire, England, was an amateur astronomer that is attributed with the discovery of Ariel and Umbriel of Neptune, Triton of Neptune, and Hyperion of Saturn. Before Lassell got into the field of Astronomy, he began a brewery business in 1825 after starting an apprenticeship in 1818. In 1844, Lassell found his love with Astronomy and began building his own 24-inch reflecting telescope. On October 10, 1846, Lassell made the discovery of Neptune's moon, Triton, which was his first discovery. This discovery was made only 17 days after the planet itself was discovered. Two years later, he discovered Saturn's moon Hyperion. On that same day, the Bond brothers  also discovered Hyperion, they never had any contact with each other. In 1851 and 1852, Lassell discovered Umbriel and Ariel, he also constructed a larger reflector telescope, which was 48 inches. He used this large telescope to make observations of nearby nebulae. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1849 and was president of the Royal Astronomical Society from 1870 to 1872. He later died on October 5, 1880 in Maidenhead, Berkshire. Although William Lassell is not the most known astronomer out there, he has made several significant discoveries and is also known for his creativity and innovation in his constrction of his telescopes.

Works Cited

 

Chapman, Allan. "William Lassell (1799-1880) and the Discovery of Triton, 1846." William Lassell (1799-1880) and the Discovery of Triton, 1846. Liverpool Astronomical Society., 4 Oct. 2005. Web. 10 Jan. 2014. http://www.mikeoates.org/lassell/lassell_by_a_chapman.htm.

 

 

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "William Lassell (British Astronomer)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2014. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/331026/William-Lassell>.

NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula

Aquarius, a sun-like star that is located at about seven hundred light-years away from Earth, is slowly  dying. However, in its last few thousand years of life, it has produced the Helix Nebula, which is a very studied Planetary Nebula. This picture took a total of 28.5 hours of exposure to create the deep view that we see in the picture. The span of the nebula is about six light-years across. The center white dot is the Nebula's hot, central star that created the Nebula. This beautiful picture deserves recognition by everyone.