Monthly Archives: February 2009

IYA

Listening to Stories of the Cosmos

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365 Days of Astronomy

Astronomy Podcasts!
Astronomy Podcasts!

If you aren’t listening to 365 Days of Astronomy podcasts, you’re missing some really terrific bits of science storytelling. This project is a collaboration of many, many people (at least 365 and actually many more) who love astronomy and want to share it with the world. It’s also an official project of the International Year of Astronomy, which has a major boatload of stellar activities going on throughout 2009.  There are also IYA 2009 presences in Second Life, there’s the Space Carnival (I hosted Carnival of Space 88 last week), Zoo’niverse, and many other activities that you can partake of online or in meat space.  As it turns out, today’s podcast on 365 Days of Astronomy is the second one that we (Mark and I) have produced for the project. It’s called We are All Star Stuff. Go have a listen. And then, listen to as many of the other podcasts as you can — they are an absolute treasury of good astronomy stories.  In fact, make it a point to listen every day and you’ll be glad you did! 

Knowing and Saving Your Skies
Knowing and Saving Your Skies

As long as I’m talking about IYA 2009, another event for 2009 is the Globe at Night. It’s a project to count how many stars you can see from your home location, and people around the world have been doing it for several years. This year it takes on added significance with IYA 2009. It’s easy to do — in fact, there’s a web page with activities and instructions for families, classes, teachers — anybody who wants to help preserve our dwindling night skies. Check it out and get with the IYA 2009 program!

astronomy, stargazing

What are You Lookin’ At?

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Stargazing Much?

Yes, I know it’s winter for those of us in the northern hemisphere, although the wintry weather should start giving way to the warmer stuff in a few weeks.  We had a taste of it this past weekend out here in the sticks where I live. The sky was clear and the Moon has been gorgeous.

Orion, courtesy Richard Drumm, the Astronomy Bum. (Click to enlargenate.)

This is the time of year when the winter constellations are starting to slip lower in the west earlier each evening. Orion’s still holding up his part of the sky — so, if you want to see a starbirth region and several bright stars, go check out the Mighty Hunter while he’s still available.

The starbirth region is the Orion Nebula (also called M42), and it’s the faint fuzzy patch located below the three Belt Stars in the center of the constellation. There are hundreds of young stars shining out in the Nebula, including the four brightest which are collectively called the Trapezium (the reddish blob in the image at left). They are relative newborn stars, still eating away at the cocoon of gas and dust that gave them birth.

A star map showing the constellation Orion and associated objects and stars. (Courtesy Wikimedia)
A star map showing the constellation Orion and associated objects and stars. (Courtesy Wikimedia--click to biggify.)

Astronomers have been studying the Orion Nebula in great detail, and have also found brown dwarfs and possible planetary systems in the region. What we can see easily through smaller telescopes and binoculars is part of a larger complex called the Orion Molecular Cloud, which contains a number of other objects you can see with medium-to-large telescopes. These would be the Flame Nebula, Barnard’s Loop, and the Horsehead Nebula. So, give that one a look, if you can, if for no other reason than the exotically named objects you can observe.

The bright stars are Betelgeuse and Rigel. Although not part of Orion (and not seen in this picture), you can’t miss Sirius (the three Belt Stars point right to it).  Sirius is the brightest star in the sky and is actually a binary star that’s really a white dwarf.  At 8.7 light-years distance, Sirius is one of the Sun’s closer neighbors.

Orion’s a good start for stargazing these chilly nights (and yes, it can get chilly even in warm climates), so go check it out. Bring along the binoculars if you can. And, if the Moon is bright, check it out AFTER you look at other parts of the sky (otherwise if you look at it first, you blow your dark adaptation).

Enjoy!