December 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
Bartlesville Public Library Meeting Room
6:45 p.m. Setup and Conversation
7:00 p.m. Club Business
7:15 p.m. Current Astronomy News
Object of the Month
7:30 p.m.
Comets
by Karen Cruce
Karen Cruce will present a short program on comets - what they are made of, where they come from, and what causes them to become comets. She will also explain how they are named, both in the past and currently, and what scientific research has been done on comets recently.
Comet ISON should at its best in early December 2013, climbing up the eastern dawn sky as it fades following its solar swingby. The comet symbols are probably very exaggerated; they're to show the area of sky to examine; bring binoculars.
The chart is drawn for skywatchers near 40° north latitude (Denver, New York, Madrid) but will do for most north temperate latitudes. The blue 10° scale is about the width of your fist held at arm's length. Click for high-res version. (Illustration may be reprinted if you credit Sky & Telescope magazine. Online use must also include a link to SkyandTelescope.com.)
For more detailed charts, see the November and December issues of Sky & Telescope.
Sky & Telescope diagram
Comet ISON SURVIVES ! As comet ISON c/2012 S1 reached perihelion ( its closest point to the Sun ) around noon of Thanksgiving day it appeared and the comet had disintegrated and only a faint trail of dust remained in its wake. But by Friday Nov 29 satellites are picking up a bright diffuse spot moving along its orbit away from the sun. It certainly is diminished but at least some part or parts of the comet have survived.
The composition of a comet is often described as a “Dirty Snowball” A rubble pile of small rocky bits and dust frozen up in a matrix of ices. In this case an ICE is a substance in a solid form that would normally exist as a gas or liquid at ordinary Earth temperatures. In the vacuum of space these ices sublimate by changing directly from the solid form to a gas. The two primary Ices are Water ice and Carbon Dioxide Ice ( Dry Ice ) but in the near absolute zero temperatures of deep space beyond Neptune even the nitrogen common to our atmosphere can freeze. As these gases “boil” off into space they form a large cloud around the nucleus called the coma. Often times the coma of a comet can be larger than the planet Jupiter even though the nucleus of the comet may be less than 5 miles across.
So in the case of comet ISON, I guess we can say that if you have a “Dirty Snowball” big enough and moving fast enough ( over 800,000 mph ) at perihelion. We can say that a “Snowball does have a chance in hell” of surviving the hellish temperatures near the sun.
A great HD movie from the SOHO ( Solar Heliospheric Observatory ) at http://vimeo.com/80568171
A bit of explanation of the images. SOHO orbits the L 1 point a million miles in front of the earth and continuously monitors the sun. SOHO uses an occulting disk to protect the telescope from looking directly at the sun. In the blue images the disk is Five times the diameter of the sun. The filed of view of the whole blue image is about half the distance to Mercury.
In the red close up images the disk is Two solar diameters.
Regular updates at http://spaceweather.com/
More Details and videos at
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/Comet-ISON-Updates-193909261.html
Graphics showing where to locate the comets can be found at http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance?
Read more details as the baffled Scientist’s try to figure out what is the comet is doing at
http://www.isoncampaign.org/karl/schroedingers-comet
From Astronomy Club of Tulsa
By John Land
November is the yearly renewal dues date for all members. If you haven't paid you dues, bring them to the December meeting. Membership amounts for dues for each member will be available at the November meeting. Also you may ask for details and treasurer mailing address if needed at miltvend@sbcglobal.net or at the meeting.
BAS tries to synchronize all memberships to renew every year on November 1st. That is why I am asking members who joined in a month other than November to bring their next renewal date forward to November, 2014, by paying prorated dues at this time. This prorated amount will be less than the usual yearly dues amount. Please do not feel obligated to extend unless you wish to do so. This practice places all members on the same renewal date to simplify dues collection. Thank you.
The 2014 Deep Sky Mysteries calendars are in, and I will have them at the meeting on Mon (and again at the meeting in Dec if need be).
Thanks, Karen Cruce
Current News from Sky and Telescope
Downsizing a Black Hole — November 26, 2013
Astronomers have revealed a supposedly monster black hole to be rather ordinary in size.
Oddball Pulsar Origin? — November 26, 2013
A few whirling neutron stars might get their start as very different objects, at least if a new analysis is correct.
Comet ISON Becomes a Nail-Biter — November 25, 2013
Is the comet dying, just three days before its closest pass by the Sun? There are signs that its nucleus has stopped producing anything.
Monster GRB Challenges Theories — November 21, 2013
Observations of one of the most powerful supernovas ever recorded suggest that the standard model for gamma-ray bursts might be missing a piece of the puzzle.
Will This New Technology Transform Astronomy? — November 11, 2013
Astronomy is ready for the next generation of detectors, and superconductors are at the heart of the coming revolution.
New Chelyabinsk Results Yield Surprises — November 7, 2013
The mega-meteor that exploded over Russia last February has provided impact specialists with some surprising — and sobering — revelations.
Kepler Mission Hits 3,500 Candidates — November 6, 2013
The Kepler team has released its analysis of the mission’s first three years of observations. The haul includes 10 Earth-size (and probably rocky) exoplanets in their stars’ habitable zones, and the stats show such planets are common.
Indian Mars Mission Launches — November 5, 2013
India's first mission to the Red Planet launched successfully November 5th from a barrier island off the country's coastline. The mission will study Mars's atmosphere and surface and is an important milestone for the country's space agency.
Two Blows for Dark Matter Model — October 30, 2013
Two recent experiments limit physicists’ favorite candidate for the elusive and invisible matter lurking in the universe.
Skyweek from Sky and Telescope Magazine also presents a variety of astronomical events for the naked eye as well as telescope viewing.http://www.skyandtelescope.com/videos/skyweek
November 28 - Comet ISON Closest Approach to the Sun. Newly discovered comet ISON will make its closest approach to the Sun on November 28. If the comet survives its encounter with the Sun, it could be one of the brightest comets in recent memory. Some astronomers estimate that it could even be bright enough to be seen during daylight hours. In August and September, the comet will begin to be visible in the morning sky in dark locations with telescopes. In October it will start to be visible to the naked eye and will continue to get brighter until November 28. If the comet survives, it will be visible in the early morning and early evening sky and could be nearly as bright as the full Moon. Some astronomers are already calling it the comet of the century.
December 3 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 00:22 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
December 13, 14 - Geminids Meteor Shower. The Geminids is the king of the meteor showers. It is considered by many to be the best shower in the heavens, producing up to 120 multicolored meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by debris left behind by an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon, which was discovered in 1982. The shower runs annually from December 7-17. It peaks this year on the night of the 13th and morning of the 14th. The waxing gibbous moon will block out some of the meteors this year, but the Geminids are so bright and numerous that it should still be a good show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Gemini, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
December 17 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 09:28 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Cold Moon because this is the time of year when the cold winter air settles in and the nights become long and dark. This moon has also been known as the Moon Before Yule and the Full Long Nights Moon.
December 21 - December Solstice. The December solstice occurs at 17:11 UTC. The South Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its southernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.44 degrees south latitude. This is the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the Southern Hemisphere.
December 21, 22 - Ursids Meteor Shower. The Ursids is a minor meteor shower producing only about 5-10 meteors per hour. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Tuttle, which was first discovered in 1790. The shower runs annually from December 17-25. It peaks this year on the the night of the 21st. This year the second quarter moon will be bright enough to hide all but the brightest meteors. If you are patient, you might still be able to catch a few good ones. Best viewing will be just after midnight from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Ursa Minor, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
January 1 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 11:14 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
January 2, 3 - Quadrantids Meteor Shower. The Quadrantids is an above average shower, with up to 40 meteors per hour at its peak. It is thought to be produced by dust grains left behind by an extinct comet known as 2003 EH1, which was discovered in 2003. The shower runs annually from January 1-5. It peaks this year on the night of the 2nd and morning of the 3rd. The thin crescent moon will set early in the evening leaving dark skies for what could be an excellent show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Bootes, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
(Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2014.html)
2013 BAS Programs
Next Meeting
January 6, Monday. Bartlesville Public Library Meeting Room (tentative)
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