The Night Sky Companion: A Yearly Guide to Sky-Watching 2009 (The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series)
Language: English
Pages: 418
ISBN: 0387795081
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
T. Plotner, The Night Sky Companion, DOI 10. 1007/978-0-387-79509-6_1, 1 Springer ScienceþBusiness Media, LLC 2009 2 TheNightSkyCompanion Welcome,fellowtravelertothestars!Forthenextyearwewilltakeajourneytogetheracrossthenight sky. In these pages you will find lunar features, planets, meteor showers, single and multiple stars, open and globular clusters, as well as distant galaxies. There will be astronomy history to explore, famous astronomers to meet, and science to learn. You’ll find things here for those who enjoy stargazing with just their eyes, binoculars, or even the largest of telescopes! Although these observing tips are designed with all readers in mind, not everyone lives in the same time zone―or the same hemisphere―and certainly no one has clear skies every night. But no matter where you live, or who you are, it is my hope that somewhere here you find something of interest to keep you looking up! LearningtheNightSky If you are new to astronomy, it might seem difficult to learn all those stars. Relax! It’s much easier than you think. Just like moving to a new city, everything will seem unfamiliar at first, but with a little help from some maps, you’ll soon be finding your way around like a pro. Once you become familiar with the constellations and how they appear to move across the night sky, the rest is easy. If you do not have maps of your own, try visiting your local library or one of many online sites thatcangeneratethem. Theygiveobjectpositionsingreatdetail,andmosthaveakeyofGreekletters to help you understand star hop instructions.
Galaxies: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
The Tunguska Mystery (Astronomers' Universe)
The Edge of the Sky: All You Need to Know About the All-There-Is
Understanding Our Universe (2nd Edition)
Within an impact basin, it’s similar to Earth’s Siberian Traps—great upwellings of lava from our shared primeval history. Oceanus Procellarum’s name could refer to its vivid volcanic past, but it originated from a myth claiming stormy weather ahead if it was visible during the second quarter. Although the Moon doesn’t play a role in our Earthly weather, what could cause such a myth to arise? Factually, if skies are clear enough to see the Ocean of Storms during the night, they’ll allow heat to.
Three separate areas of emission and reflection nebulae that seem to be visually connected, 1,500-light-year-distant NGC 1977/1975/1973 complex would be spectacular on its own if weren’t so close to M42! The conjoining nebula is whispery soft, its dark lanes created by interstellar dust and fine needle-like shards of carbon. Illuminating the gases is its fueling source, the multiple star 42 Orionis—a prized double on many lists. Through a telescope, this lovely triangle of bright nebulae and its.
Members. The brightest, A/B, is one of the most massive binaries known and ignites the surroundings in a glow of interstellar gas. The D and E members are nearly identical in magnitude, yet E is, oddly, a helium-rich star, likely related to Cor Caroli types. Nearest to the primary A/B pair is C—a totally normal dwarf. As part of a larger grouping, Sigma’s fate is unclear. The A/B union is solid, but the orbits of its companion stars are highly unstable. Chances are that when the A/B pair has.
Locate another unusual feature, Montes Recti , or the ‘‘ Straight Range .’’ You’ll find this curiosity tucked between Plato and Sinus Iridum, on the north shore of Mare Imbrium. To binoculars or small scopes at low power, this isolated strip of mountains will appear as a white line drawn across the gray mare. It is believed this feature may be all that is left of a crater wall from the Imbrium impact. It runs for a distance of around 90 kilometers and is approximately 15 kilometers wide. Some of.
Opposite the Sun in our sky and the surface is totally illuminated—Full Moon. At this time, Earth is between the Sun and the Moon. Most of the time, the Moon’s orbit will either carry it north or south of Earth’s shadow, but about every 6 months it will slip inside that shadow and a lunar eclipse will occur. When it passes only partially into the cone of shadow, it is known as a penumbral eclipse, and when it is directly aligned, it is called a ‘‘full’’ or umbral eclipse. Now the Moon is heading.