Sky & Telescope - March 2013

7/30/2019 Sky & Telescope - March 2013

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GREAT COMET IN MARCH?T H E E S S E N T I A L G U I D E TO A S T R O N O M Y

COSMICEXTREMESThe fastest planet & other odditiesp.

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The Brightest GalaxyYouve Never Seen p. Cosmic Jets in YourBackyard Scopep.

Titans RainMystery p.

Club Meetingsof the Futurep.

Northern Exposure:Take AmazingAurora Photosp. 7

ARCH 2013


2/88

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March sky & telescope

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M VOL. 125, NO. 3

Vol 125, No 3. SKY & TELESCOPE (ISSN 0037-6604) is published monthly by Sky & Telescope Media, LLC, 90 Sherman St., Cambridge, MA 0214 0-3264, USA. Phone: 8 00-253-0245 (customer service/subscriptions), 888-253-0 230 (product orders), 617-864-7360 (all other c alls). Fax: 617-864-6117.Website: S kyandTelescope.com. 2013 Sky & Telescope Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, Massachusetts, andat additional mailing offices. Canada Post Publications Mail sales agreement #4 0029823. Canadian return address: 2744 Edna St., Windsor, ON,Canada N8Y 1V2. Canadian GST Reg. #R128921855. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sky & Telescope, PO Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. Printed in the USA.

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Robert NaeyeSpectrum

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Editor in Chief

I write these words

Eclipses Past & Future

S&T:ROBERTNAEYE


7/88


8/88

8 March sky & telescope

Letters

Write to Letters to the Editor, Sky & Telesco90 Sherman St., Cambridge, MA 02140-326

or send e-mail to [email protected] limit your comments to 250 words

Arnmia FaT pu f P Cll l-

lu D u Expl-

T O-N S Clu

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p (Astacus astacus, uful

f x l).

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v.

I p u

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u qu S .Nils Olof CarlinSkvde, Sweden

SkyWeekCbriI ju p u l lf

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pll l SkyWeek

fu T Fl.

T - u

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p .Dwight Wells

Shanahan Middle SchoolLewis Center, Ohio

Editors Note:Were tickled pink to think ofTony as a rock star. Around here hes more

often seen as the man who r ides his scooterdown the hall.

Mui UnivrI ll j Cll Cll ul-

v l (D u, p 20).

I l v I l xp l f uj, I v

ul u

fll lp u Cll l, p

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v, ulv.

Darryl DavisAlbany, Oregon

I u f

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Andrew Smith

Delamere, United Kingdom

I u ulv f

( fl ll ), u u lfi f

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1980, Scientific American

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Tom SalesSomerset, New Jersey

Authors Note:No, the quantum multi

and the cosmological one are not the saSeveral different developments in theore

physics have raised the multiverse issue

each theory envisions the multiverse in ways. (Apparently, there are multiple winvoke multiple universes.) For exampl

some versions of the many worlds intetion of quantum mechanics, every time

experiment is run and we see one resultus, another reality splits off from ours ina different result occurred. Its unclear w

that reality would exist concepts sunext door or far away dont really a

On the other hand, the pocket universethe cosmological multiverse I discussed

distinct patches of spacetime that camebeing independent of one another. From

perspective inside our bubble universe, t

other bubbles are infinitely far away. Oway to think of the difference between th

frameworks might be to compare a bubbath and a branching tree. I recommenBrian Greenes book T H Rlmore information: he looks at several mverse theories and talks about their diffe

I lv Cll Cll l C

Cll. S xpl j

pu u l lp

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T uv . . . []

1,000 uv

ull v. H u

v S&T: LEAH TISCIONE


9/88

75, 50 & 25 Years Ago Roger W. Sinnott

March 1938

Od-Fahind Winr

Th Landr MCrmiObrvar [in Char-vi, Virginia] . . . i a U.S.Wahr Burau Sain.Th dirr himf mah wahr brvainah da. . . .

Th ag f [narb] Mni, ThmaJffrn, wa himf an indfaigab wahrbrvr . . . [and wr in an 1804 ubiain]: Ahang in ur ima i aing a vr ur.

Bh ha and d ar bming mr mdrawihin h mmr f vn h midd-agd, andnw ar frqun and d. . . .

Fr Charvi, bh h ummr andh winr rrd hw unmiaab ignha h mraur ar n h avrag nwwarmr han h ud b in 1900. . . . Afar a n an ff-hand, hr i n ranwhavr fr hi ninuu inra.

Samuel Alfred Mitchell, an expert on stellar

parallaxes, directed McCormick Observatory from

1913 to 1945.

March 1963

Siriu B [T]h fainmanin f Siriu hardd far nugh frm idazzing brigh rimar bm viib in mdra-iz . F. Hdn,f Lw Obrvar,rr . . . h ud

Siriu B fain bu adi wih a 6-inh ar ur n h 24-inh Car rfrar, a 330.

During h nx fw ar, h air wininu widn. Evn wih arg ,xn ing and fir-a i arrquird hw h uiv Siriu B.

This note in the Observers Page is also apt

now: Sirius Bs period is 50.09 years, and it has

returned to the same point in its elongated orbit

as it was when this note appeared in 1963.

March 1988

Phanm in M31 A hCnra Burau fr Ar-nmia Tgram w arrnib fr annuning h wrd divri franin arnmia h-nmna. . . . L m harwih u h vn f a

Nvmbr 24h, a da I a . . . Ba Tuda.[M] agu Dan Grn hw m a x

aiming h divr hr da arir f an11h-magniud urnva in M31, h Andrm-da gaax, b Criman arnmr NaaiaMva. . . . Th rumr rad i widfir,and n arnmr vrwhr aar bgaring u brv h urnva. . . .

I ur m ha mr arnmr

mu hav wad mr im n Ba Tudahan n an hr ing da a bau nrrnu rr wa ad h inifimmuni bfr i wa nfirmd. I wrr hada inan mmuniain and wid-rad u f mur infrmain nwrud ai ad man imiar fia.

Brian G. Marsdens worry came true many

times in his long career at the t elegram bureau.

He died in 2010.

f l v (l)

B B?

Joel MarksNew Haven, Connecticut

Authors Note:Basically, we dont observe

the real edge of the universe, we only observeu . There are two points. First, the

cosmic microwave background isnt a real

edge: its a glow suffusing the whole universe,coming at us from all directions. Second,

light has only had about 13.7 billion years totravel, so we can only see parts of the universe

from which photons have been able to reachus in that time. A loose analogy would bestanding on Earths surface, where you only

see whats within your horizon. It might look

like the world has an edge, but thats becauseyou can only see the light that reaches you.

The same thing goes for the surface of theCMB: its an edge in the sense of being a hori-

zon. The physical radius of this horizon isnot 13.7 billion light-years, but about 45 bil-

lion light-years. However, inflation requiresthat the observable universe is a tiny patch ofa larger region of spacetime. How large that

region is, we dont know.

Fr h Rrd The Byurakan Observatory mentioned on

page 38 in the December issue is in Armenia,not Georgia as stated.

Asteroid 6 Hebe occulted a star, not theother way around (December issue, page 29).

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10/88


News Notes

IRON PLANETI Mercurys Polar Ice ConfirmedNASAs Messenger fillfi p-

l pl

f l Mu, p

l Nv 29 Science.

I 1991, pp Mu

fi -

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(S&T: Apl 2012, p 26).M fill v

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pulv vll jul f

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Lu Sp 2011, GRAIL

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LUNARIGravity Probes See Moons Interior p -

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lll .

NASA GRAIL M

D f ful uppl

J. KELLY BEATTY

T g arnm nw a i br

vii ub.m/nwbg.

Graviaina fid dviain aud b bh h Mn bum urfa and i um inrir (f)

qui diffrn frm a ma wih grahi ff rmvd rva dni variain undr-

nah h urfa (righ). Th viw hw h unar farid, nrd n 120 w.

Fr-air gravi ma Bugur gravi ma

Hrzrung

Orina

Suh P-Ain

NASA/GSFC/SCIENCEVISUALIZATIONSTUDIO

Surd n imag f Mrur nr

radar daa (w) rva ara f high r

A arg di i n h flr f ra

L) l f

20 (50 ) p. All l, M

pl l 100 ll

ll f

L T L E

J. KELLY BEATTY

KandinKandin

PrfivPrfiv

NASA / JHU APL / CARNEGIE INST. OF WASHINGTON


11/88

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12/88

NASAs recently launched Van An

Prb, frmr nwn a h Radiain

B Sa Prb (Dmbr iu, ag

12), hav dd dramai hang in

h Van An b arund Earh di a

raiv qui Sun, ini annund

a h Amrian Ghia Unin. A

ar f hir w-ar miin, h rb

ar maing h aiud abv Earh

amhr whr nrgi ari

fl and hw h ari ar ar-

ad. Surriing variain hav hwn

u in h high f h ur Van An

rn b. Th hang ud aff

GPS ai, whih nd nidrab

amun f im in ha nvirnmn. Th

miin aim dihr h nnin

bwn h ar wind and b aivi.

MONICA YOUNG

NASA has announced an fr an

xndd Mar rgram, inuding a -

nd in rvr mdd afr Curii.

Th rgram a inud uring h

urrn aiv Curii and Oruni

rvr, a 2013 aunh fr h amhr-

uding MAVEN rbir, h inrir-

xring Inigh miin ad fr 2016

(Dmbr iu, ag 16), and ariia-

in in h Euran Sa Agn 2016

and 2018 ExMar miin. Th nwrvr wud aunh in 2020, i miin

a- undrmind. Th an aum

n budg hiu.

CAMILLE M. CARLISLE

Even little faid ar an frm an,

a ud in h Dmbr 20hAstrophysi-

cal Journal Letters ugg. Uing ar

f h grwing Aaama Larg Miimr/

ubmiimr Arra, Lua Rii (Cah)

and hi agu brvd h brwn

dwarf Rh Ohiuhi 102, whih h

a hin du di f ga. Rh Oh 102

ma ma, 60 Juir, had uggd

ha i di wud b un frm

an. Bu h ALMA ud rva ar-

i hav arad grwn miimr

iz, maning grain migh n da i

ghr nugh ma r an.

JOHN BOCHANSKI

IN BRIEF

News Notes

GALAXIESI Hubble Finds Faraway Galaxies

Astronomers v u Hul SpTlp u f uv

fi lx. T ul, p

Astrophysical Journal Letters, fi lx f ull

l uv pu.

T u fu -f fil

Hul W Fl C 3

f -f lx u 400 600

ll f B B. T p

f 100 u qu f

Fx u - f

M, Hul Ul Dp

Fl (HUDF). T

v 2009 HUDF

pu ul.

C xp f

lx l l vl,

l f lx vl l

f vl. Ju

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fil, lul

lxphotometric redshifts

f u p xp lx .

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v lx fi .

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l f B B) 9.5

ll ). O ul p

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. T l

lx fil,

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CAMILLE M. CARLISLE

Hiding in hi Hubb Ura D Fid imag ar vn gaaxi n a h aard n

fw hundrd miin ar afr h Big Bang. Th numbr rfr h imad rdhif.

March 2013 sky & telescope

11.98.8

8.8

8.6

8.6

9.5

9.5


13/88

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March 2013 sky & telescope

Scientists mightb r han h hugh dir ding graviaina wav in

aim, a rdiin f Einin h-

r f gravi. Wa graviaina-wav ri

hud b rad b an araing ma.

Arnmr hav n indir vidn f

hir xin far, bau i a a arg,

dn ma araing raid ma

rng graviaina wav. Bu nw wr ug-

g hr n h hrizn. San MWiiam

(Prinn) and hi agu and Abr

Sana (Max Pan Iniu fr Graviaina

Phi, Grman) ugg ha arfu im-ing f uar bi frm a arund h

naur m ri ud rva

rran ba aud b aim ri in

h nx fw ar. MWiiam am n-

ud ha uh igna migh vn b d-

ab in urrn daa. If maurd w nugh,

graviaina wav ud n a wh nw

n vn in h univr, h wa brv-

ing nw wavngh bnd viib igh did

during h 20h nur. CAMILLE M. CARLISLE

NASAs Curiosity roverha dd war

var and im rgani mu in am-

f Marian and, ini annund

a h Dmbr 3rd Amrian Ghia

Unin ming. Th rgani mu ar

am rain brdu f h ing

r, rad whn h rvr in vn

rad diffrn mund frm had

grain. Bu h war var i naura Mar

and hw fiv im a muh durium hdrgn a Earh awar. Tha a

xd: ini hin ha, vr h n,

uravi unigh ha adi brn dwn

war mu a h f Mar am-

hr, and h ighr hdrgn am rf-

rnia ad a whi h havir

durium am mr fn ad u. In

rini, hi fiv-fd durium nri

an b ud figur u ju muh wa

Rd Pan ha . J. KELLY BEATTY

Simulations byan Amrian and Finn

am ugg ha wid arad bin

ar frmd n a win bu a ri

binari ar igh nugh ha h u

frmd in h am inrar ud

bu m ar far wid fr ha. R

Dmbr 13h in Nature, h nw im

in fwd h vuin f nwbr

m. Mr han 90% f m w

dirud; h ha urvivd a rindd u wih w ar rbiin

hr and h hird flung a far dian

h rd dwarf Prxima Cnauri ha dr

far frm h Aha Cnauri AB air. Fr

awa, m f h m wud

wid binari, h auhr ugg.

CAMILLE M. CARLISLE

IN BRIEF

After 35 years p, NASA l-- pl p V 1 fi

lf up f lv Su

ul.

Af u f u

pl 1970 80, V 1 2 u. M

p ul

p l u p

u l f helio-sphere, Su p ul,

u ll p. Bu

l lp

ul .

N 120 l u

f Su, V 1 ll

lp u ppl f l.

Pj E S (Cl)

llu u D3 V 1

uxp pu -

p f ll p.

S l 2004 V 1

f l-

v l- pl,

MISSIONSI Voyagers On-ramp to Interstellar Space

l pl p. Bu u

2012, V 1 u

ppu p u f l-

pl p . I

ulul u

v f ll p. T- fl l.

T v ll,

S K (J Hp

Uv Appl P L),

ppl v f V L-

E C Pl (LECP) u-

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u l

f. W l u .

Ol, ul

u f l l

f f l-

l p. Bu lu uu fil fi ll,

-, l

- ul l lp. (I

, xp -

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-u.)

M l

p ll fi

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pl fl fl

u. T l f l

f l p.

S uxp

ll pv V

pu u f

upl f . H xp p

ll p pp

Fu u ll

ful f

NASA J Ppul l

fiu ll u l

u ul u 2020.

Au 100 .u. f Su, V

2 l p v, u

l xp

. T p pp

f

-p ll p.

J. KELLY BEATTY

News Notes


15/88

SandT.m March

Volunteer for Dark SkiesThe U.S. National Park Service is seeking volunteers with

amateur astronomy and outreach experienceto help share and protect dark night skies

Commitments of 4 weeks are preferred in one ofseveral parks around the country

[email protected]

www.nature.nps.gov/night/volunteer.cfm

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16/88

In Memoriam

Timothy A. Lyster

Alas, No MoorePatrick Moore was the face of astronomy for

many in Britain and around the world.

D 9

u El; 89. B

lful f BBC The Sky at Night, l-

u p lv

p, ju f 721 l

p (v pl -fl

f f p Jul 2004). M l

l f f u f ll f

B, qull El -u lv, u -

, u u, l l

fil v .

P Alf Clll-M M 4, 1923,

Mlx, El. H pqu l,

u l qu 3- Bu Cl f-

v M pul fi fi

pp, Sll Cl M Cu, 13,

Journal of the Brit ish Astronomical Association. Tu lfl f E ll.

Af v v B C

u Wl W II, M u vl lf

u v f . F

v, pp lu fu u

12- fl, ul p

u NASA Sv U u l

f p .

Fll pp lv u

UFO, pl p fTheSky at Night 1957. Ov x 55 , M

uqu pl ul l u

plx uj l l f

ul u f fuu , u

ul . A p,

f l v f , f fi p Cu M, v f

l l f p xpl.

J M, p p f B Al

A, M f 44 f p-

p. H l p,

f u, . P

l. Mll u l p

up p . I lv

Sir Patrick Moore


ppul f v l

A l f, T Ml, f

P f I Al A,

M f A

Plu N Il f 196568.

p ll j

, pll .

Dp l uvll lv fi

M ul ll u v,

f p,

BBC u . A f

I u f u, u I ul

u u ul E f v l

Of u fil, ClCl fl (S&T: D1995, p 38), ll f 109 p- j

M l ju M l. I

fi u p

f pul

FormerS&T managing editorTimothy A. Lysterwor

Patrick Moore on the British periodicalA


17/88

Backyard Astronomers: Get Ready for

COMETPANSTARRS

BACKYARD DESERT OBSERVATORY

Comet Photo Credit: Sebastian Voltm

SHARE YOUR EXPERIEN

Scan with your smartphone or v

w w w . c o m e t - w a t c h . c

YOUR ADVENTURE STARTS H

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YOUR GUIDE : HOW AND WHERE TO VIEW COMET PANSTARRS

In late March, just after sunset, Comet PANSTARRS promises a spectacular show for North American

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18/88


Universal Records

Cosmic

ExtremesTh univr i far,dr, and wair

han anhing w anib mrhnd.


19/88

SandT.m March

Bryan Gaensler

Reprinted fromEx C by Bryan Gaensler, Ph.D., by

arrangement with Perigee, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Copyright (c) 2011 by Bryan Gaensler.

The universe extends far beyond our everyday experien

every imaginable way. But at the same time, its truly r

able that we can actually measure some of the universe

properties. Whats more, we think we understand whatof these objects are, how they formed, and why they hav

incredible characteristics.

Below I run through some of the concepts we experi

a daily basis: speed, temperature, gravity, density, and

For each example there are extremes in our own experi

we all feel blazing heat and bitter cold, we see a jet plan

overhead, and we watch a snail creep through a garden

what are the absolute extremes that the cosmos can offe

Fa Sinning SarNu ll p 30 50

. Bu pful fil ull p . Mll f f

u p l v 5 10

ll ulul p p p

u lll l f u .

Bl, u v

p-. Dp u f ll

ll f l, p pl

pvu p lv. T u l

u Su PSR J17482446,

p 716 p ! A ,

f p l p u

ll f, l l ll. A ll

f , PSR J1748 ll pl ll p

500 p f l

Su u ll

l . If uffi l ll,

x v ll p ff p

uf uf. A

l u p u

f, ull ul u,

u p f f. Gv u

f u f p .

WHIRLING DERVISH Thi iurain di a uar ha

ihning maria frm a manin ar. Th ga frm a diarund h uar and vnua ira in, gradua inning

rain ra. A uar namd PSR J17482446ad i h fa

ning ar nwn; i ra an inrdib 716 im r nd

h hria maximum ra i an in wihu braing aa

NASA


20/88


Universal Records

Fa Knwn Sar:Nu l l f f-

v . If upv xpl p-

fl pl , ul u vl ll , l pu

u ul .

Bu f ll ul

u, f -

l l u -

f . Ev f

, xpl l

f l l p

, u

pp x p

T f u ,

f f , PSR B2224+65,

6,000 l- Cpu.

PSR B2224+65 pvl

f 1.5 p . Bu l

p up f p. If

u, pul u

p l 3.6 ll l p u.

T 4,700 p f u E

p, 50 f E l

p u Su, u f

l v ppul f pvl

v j f Ml W

l u l upv

l l. PSR B2224+65 vl fN Y L Al v 2.5 ,

E-M v 4 u.

Fa Knwn Obj Ohr Than Ligh:Trillions of cosmic rays crash into Earth every second. Cosmic raare not actually rays per se; they are subatomic particles and at

nuclei that typically travel at around 99% of the speed of light. Tfaster than almost anything else in the universe, but its still alm

million miles (11 million kilometers) per hour slower than light But a tiny fraction of cosmic rays makes 99% of light-speed seem

downright sluggish. This rare population of ultrahigh-energy corays approaches the fastest speeds possible under the laws of ph

The definitive record for the fastest speed ever measured in thuniverse, except for light itself, was set at 1:34:16 a.m. local time Tuesday, October 15, 1991, at the High Resolution Flys Eye Cosm

Ray Detector near Dugway, Utah. A cosmic ray slammed into Eaatmosphere, detonating into a spectacular shower of secondary pticles. Using the pattern and extent of this debris, scientists reco

structed the speed at which this proton or atomic nucleus must h

SHAMICHATTERJEE/JAMESCORDES(CORNELLUNIVERSITY)/PALOMAROBSERVATORY

GUITAR NEBULA Top of page: Th uar PSR B2224+65

ra hrugh a a an imad 3.6 miin mi r

hur, maing i h fa nwn ar. A i w hrugh

inrar ga, i rdu a bw-h nbua rmbing

a guiar. Thi imag wa an hrugh a hdrgn-aha

fir b h 200-inh Ha T n Pamar Munain.


21/88

SandT.m March

hit our planet, and the result was astonishing: it was moving at99.9999999999999999999996% of the speed of light! Put another

way, suppose this particle raced a light ray over a length of a mil-lion light-years. The light ray would beat the proton to the finish

line by only about 1.5 inches (4 cm). Talk about a photo finish!The cosmic ray seen in October 1991 earned its own moniker:

the Oh-My-God Particle. This particles energy was staggering:more than 12 calories of energy when it arrived at Earth. To put

this in perspective, consider the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) the most powerful particle accelerator ever constructed. The LHCcan boost subatomic particles up to a maximum energy of only

around 0.0000002 calorie. Some unknown natural process in thecosmos can accelerate a tiny particle to an energy 50 million timesgreater than we humans can achieve. Such particles carry the

same energy as a baseball thrown at 60 miles per hour.

Fa Orbiing Pan:Th rrd fr h fa nwn rbia mi

f an an g HD 80606b. A fw im

mr maiv han Juir, HD 80606b ra

u a high ngad, mar- rbi,

ming i ah arund i arn ar v

16 w. Fr ar f i rbi, HD 80606b mraiv w, and i abu a far frm i

ar a Vnu d frm h Sun. Bu fr a bri

inrva in vr rbi , i wing inward, vnu

ing 13 im r i ar han Mrur

dian frm h Sun. A aag, HD

80606b hi a d f 529,000 mi r

hur, r am 150 mi vr nd.

San Gr

Larg Obj:Th arg nwn ru-ur in h univr ia a fiamn fhuand f gaaxinwn a h San Gra

Wa, divrd in 2003.Th San Gra Wa iarxima 1.4 biinigh-ar ar, and runbhind h nainf Hdra, Sxan, L, andVirg, rhing aram a quarr f h. I n a ing inarhrad; inad, i wrihand wi, vn i-ing u in w arandri fr a fw hundrd

miin igh-ar, whihhn rjin farhr ang.

THE 2DF GALAXY REDSHIFT SURVEY TEAM

ASPERA / NOVAPIX / L. BRET

BLAZING SPEED An ari di a mi ra hwr. A high-d

ari r ami nuu mah in Earh ur amhr a

nar-igh d and diingra, bu n bfr i ini nrg rig-

gr a aad f ndar ari ha rah h urfa. B uing

ari dr maur h dbri, ini an rnru h

nrg (and hu h d) f h rigina ari. A mi ra ha hi

h amhr vr Uah n Obr 15, 1991, wa raving fa ha iarrid h nrg f a baba hrwn a 60 mi r hur.


22/88


Srng Eria Currn:Ab 426 j rdu h ga vibrain ai-

ad wih a d n. Bu h j frm man hrurmaiv ba h rav unimdd fr a

miin igh-ar. Fu f hargd ari flinguward a high d, h j arr h highbrvd urrn in h univr, ia a h

v f 1 miin riin am. Thir wr uu i arg ha in a ing miind, n f h j

ud rvid nugh rii vr humaninrg nd fr h nx 20 riin ar.

thus which note is playing. Fabian and his colleagues reachconclusion that Abell 426 is humming in B flat.

But this B flat is unlike any note youve heard. The sound

waves have an oscillation rate of once every 9 million years, is 57 octaves below the B flat thats above middle C, or abou

6,000 trillion times deeper than the lowest note that the hum

ear can hear. You would need to add another 635 keys to theend of a piano keyboard to play a note this low!

D Knwn N:The deepest note in space yet identified belongs to the galaxycluster Abell 426, often nicknamed the Perseus Clusterbecause of its location in that constellation. Abell 426 is about

250 million light-years away.Although we can never directly hear Abell 426s tune, we

can see the pressure waves it generates. The gas that perme-

ates the cluster, is incredibly hot, with a temperature exceeding50,000,000F. At this extreme heat, this gas becomes incandes-cent, and radiates extremely energetic and copious X rays.

In 2002 Andrew Fabian (University of Cambridge, U.K.)

used NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory to make a detailedimage of the X-rays produced by Abell 426s hot gas. These

observations surprisingly revealed a series of concentricripples like those we see around a stone thrown into a pond.Fabian and his colleagues showed that these ripples corre-

spond to places in the cluster where the gas density is slightlyhigher than the average. In the gaps between the ripples,

they found that the gas density is slightly lower than average.Since a higher density means a higher pressure (and a lower

density means a lower pressure), these ripples are oscil lationsin pressure, a giant sound wave that thrums throughout thisvast cluster.

The origin of this racket is a supermassive black hole atthe clusters center. This black hole blasts out two oppositely

directed high-speed jets of material that travel outward overmillions of light-years at nearly the speed of light. These twin

jets must force their way through the clusters hot gas. Like agarden hose running underwater, the jets collision with theclusters gas generates a series of bubbles that inflate under

the jets power, and then break off and drift outward. As thesebubbles expand, they shove the surrounding gas outward, set-

ting up the pressure oscillations that ring through the cluster.Determining the pitch of the corresponding note is rela-tively easy. The speed of sound in this 50,000,000F gas is

about 2.6 million miles per hour, and the spacing betweeneach ripple is about 36,000 light-years. We simply need to

divide the speed of the wave by the spacing of the ripples todetermine the rate at which the pressure wave oscillates, and

Universal Records

AN ULTRADEEP B FLAT Th main imag, frm NASA Chandra

Obrvar, hw hw a gian ba h in gaax NGC 1275 i aing h nir gaax ur Ab 426. Th ba h h u w

wrfu j (n n in hi iur), whih bw hrugh h h

miing inrgaai ga, raing bubb ha uh aid urrun

ga. Thi nrgi inrain gnra und wav ha ia

hrugh h ur and ra ri (inset). In muia rm, h

ing f h ri i a B fla 57 av bw h B fla abv midd

NASA / CXC / IOA / J. SANDERS

Hru A


23/88

SandT.m March

Lw DniF u, l fu lv

pu l l , v

fi v. T u f ,

vlv xp vl , ul

f ju 500 1,000 p u -

. B ll l u,

-pf vuu. Bu uv ffll

lv f l .Glx ufl uu

uv, u pul f

, fil, ll. T ll f -

l p ul u l f

lx. Bu ul ul,

fl p. I v l, f

p f 100 ll l-

, f l

l f .

T f pl v l l

0.00000002 p u . T p

v vlu f l , u ul

lu fi l . Pu , f u l ll vul u

, u ul v p v vlu 4 l-

l l v

v. T v uv f uv

v u v l 20 v vl

v up u 90% f vlu f

uv, v l .

Cd Knwn PaT l pu ll l f p -

lu , 459.67F (273.15C). L xp v pu ll f f lu

, u ulvl f p qu p

xpv qup. T ul uv u

qup pl, l ?

T uul v u (CMB

fl f B B. T CMB -

pu f 454.76F, ju 2.73C v lu , up p f v u pl p-

u. Bu B Nul v l.

T B ppl ul, ul f l

f f lf. T

ul xl . F

l 1,500 f lf, l

l p l 370,000 l (590,000 ) p u

T u 70,000,000,000,000,000 f l

u v . B p, ll

l xp pl fl u. T p xp-

u p pu ll v f ff u xp u l pup

up u qu .

T ul B Nul -l

457.8F (272.1C), v l CMB. Alu l p B Nul v ,

f -p p xp pu

l ul pl f uv, p-

u v l x ll f uu p.

COSMIC FREEZER Svra Hubb Sa T viib-igh

imag an hrugh arizain fir wr mbind rdu

hi fa-r imag f h Bmrang Nbua. Th nra ar iaing ff i ur ar, whih xand and ju 2F (1C)

abv abu zr. Eah b i abu a igh-ar ng.

AVOID THE VOIDS Ma f mi arg-a ru-

ur, uh a h i frm h San Digia S Surv,

rva ha mar i umd in h and fiamn ha

urrund va rgin (dar ara) f virua m a.

Suh vid hav n an aina am r ubi mr.SLOANDIGITALSKYSURVEYCOLLABORATION


24/88


Universal Records

Wa Gravi:Bl l x pful vl f,

u l f pu?

H v ? O p

qu full, l pull

j uv x,

ll l f ?

M ll lx v pl

v. Bu f l- lx l

f p u v u

ff l lx, u

fl v up fl

u .

Of p f ll lx

f, p u

l u u

SDSS J113342.7+482004.9 SDSS

J113403.9+482837.4, I l ll ,

Npl Jp. T lx

139 ll l- f E U

Mj. Npl Jp 40,000

f , v

u lp, u-

pv upl. E lx u u

l v Ml W,

pp ul u p -

l .

Bu up u lx

f v

l . T l

f , Npl, 370,000

l- p vl

900 ll l pplxp fll f . If u v-

p f Npl pp

ppl Jp, u ul v

ppl f 50,000 f l up

p f u p , ll

f l. W 4 ll

, ul v up u l-

p.

N upl, l

v , lx

u . I f,

ll f lx f,

v pl p u l -fif f fi . A ull ll

v pl . T vl -

Npl Jp

l f f

lx lp p u

u v

pu , -

l p .

Exrm CmT u u x fi ffi ul

p. Bu l p, uv x

l pl, u u u vl ul

u l f v. Dp l pl

u l u plf uv, u u f

A ffl f fi ulv f

, pp u ul pl vl

xpl pp u v .

Bryan Gaensleris an Australian Laureate Fellow at the University of Sydney ais the Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for All-

Astrophysics. Follow him on Twitter at@SciBry.

HEADING FOR DIVORCE Th w ird ga-

axi ha h auhr ha ninamd Jhin

() and Nan aar a fain mudg in

hi San Digia S Surv imag. Th gaaxi

ar ju bar bund ah hr graviain-

a. Ohr in f igh in hi fid ar ihr

frgrund ar r bagrund gaaxi.


25/88

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26/88


Titans Soggy Enigma

W GDonald F. Robertson

I . A f u u l ll. I fi-

u l l .

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pl. T fll l l l v-

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: (CH4).T v f Su T pu

fi. S p NASA C pf ESA

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Ju 2005, p 20), v v

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p l f f

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fiu pull ,

pl v ju u p T

l- l l.

If ll T, lu

ul pp f p. T p

pp v ul fll, qu


27/88

SandT.m March

Saturns moon Titan has amysterious weather cycle.Illustration by Casey Reed

100 v 1,000 f l

pl f u

lu ul up f v

f . Hv , pl

ul pl p u f

pl l p .

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lu pp f

ll l x

ul, H. If vl f lqu l, ul v p

u l vp p. L

, v pl ufl

-l qu, p f

p lqu l f p ll up

f u (O u, p 12). Cful u f

O Lu, l l u pl, l u-

p fill f

l, pl f u ( ,

u ).

Hv, v-l l

fll l. A v f l pl

fill f uuf v f p,vp u ll pl l, H xpl. T

u p ,

. T l ff lqu -

uuf ( fl pu

u -) f vp,

vp l f pl lqu.

El C , Ml B

(Cl) llu fu v f

HAZY MOON Largr han h an Mrur, Tian hid a

fainaing anda bnah i rang haz, viib hr in a

naura-r mi frm NASA Caini araf.

NASA/JPL-CALTECH/

SPACESCIENCEINST.


28/88


D bw Tian i urfa ud i a iquid war-

ammnia an. Ana f Caini brvain

ugg ha an an ar mwhr bwn and

m bw h ru and i ib m hi.

SUBSURFACE OCEAN?

Titans Soggy Enigma

vp, f f ff f -

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pl . L-ff lu f l fl

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T p f vp f uf

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f C Vl If Mpp

Sp (VIMS) fu vl . E

p ff lu. T

l f p fu vl uf

vl p.

Af full v 9,000

fu fu l-l p O L

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pp. T fi

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u T

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ul xpl f

f-l fu f l pl, u

fu lu pp,

pl f f f

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F l l p. Tl f

f pu l upl

f p, pu v

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l u l, v u

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lqu ul f vl

xpl pu ul p f-u

, lu.

Alu pu ul vp T

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l vp, p l

ull ffv vp f

S l pl

f x , ul l

l l u xpl u

. T l 29 E

l l vl E .

ALIEN LAKE Caini augh hi flah f unigh ff a

a urfa in 2009. Thi gin, ad a uar rfl-

in, nfirmd h rn f iquid in h mn

nrhrn hmihr.NASA/JPL/UNIVERSITYOFARIZONA/DLR

FOG RISING Fg-

i faur aar

in h f Tian

urfa (near right)

and a in h

wr rhr

(center), bu ar

n a rnund

highr u.

MICHAEL E. BROWN ET AL. /

ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL

Surfa fir Trhr firLwr rhr fir


29/88

Dnd wih Hugn hrugh Tian haz and mr awm Tian igh a ub.m/TianUnvid.

Sll, l v l 20% l f pl

u u; vll, up f

p f l uf. W

vp f l ul l

l p qu.

B Land, N b SaT u T l, up

v, F. Ml Fl (NASA GSp Fl C). O Ju 14, 2005,

ju Hu p fi

vl lfll u l (S&T:Apl 2005, p 34).

Hu qul l (10.2S, 192.4W)l l fl pl, ju ff u l

ll A. R l f Hu

p 12--p l

l, u u l l

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f p. T , pl f l l u, upp pl

pp u l

E.

Du l, G Cp M

Sp l u v

u , ll

. Rlp L (J Hp

Uv Appl P L) u GCMS

l pp uf

ffv , plul u

p lqu . E K

M T ( f Uv f A

Lu Pl L) p

v v p fll f

l ffl .

T p f u l

lu l f

pl u f f. T

Hu lfll, u H p u

l v l ll f f T uf.

Yu v u l uf f pll

u, . S, f lqu v

uf, l vlu f vp ul

v v l uf

l p.If vp f u, u-

l pull f l ul p v l

, ul u l pu

pu, Tu T (Uv f

Saturns moon Titan features many Earth-like landscapes: elevatedcut by what look like rain-fed streams and river canyons, the larges

fields discovered in the solar system, and lakes that rival those on EEven the atmosphere is often described as similar to Earths.

Its not. Titans atmosphere is predominately molecular nitrogensupports cumulus clouds in the troposphere, like Earth, but that is any resemblance ends. The second most abundant gas is not the chhyper-reactive oxygen, or even water vapor, but methane with th

tion of a lot of smog-like complex organic chemicals.Relative to the planets size, Earths atmosphere is about as thin

eggshell. Three-quarters of the gas lies within 11 kilometers of the s

and space is defined as beginning at 100 kilometers.Titans atmosphere is deep: the atmosphere extends more than 6

meters, over one-fourth of the moons radius. Most of Titans rain creside above 10 kilometers, many times higher than on Earth. The mall that gas on this small world, even in Titans low gravity, results iface pressure 50% higher than Earths.

War ud

100

10

1

10 1

102

103

Temperture (Kelvin)

Pressure(millibars)

190170 230 270 310

Stratosphere

Mesosphere

Thermosphere

Troposphere

Ozn ar

80

100

1

102

104

106

100 120 140Temperature (Kelvin)

Pressure(millibars)

160 180

Stratosphere

Thermosphere

Main hazar

Mesosphere

Dahd haz

Hugn arahudd

Mhan drd

b uravi igh

Mhan udTroposphere

A Frign Amhr

TWINS? NOT SO MUCH Tian amhr (top) ha im

i Earh (bottom), bu ni h aiud: Tian ra

hr rah rugh ix im highr han Earh d.

S&T:GREGGDINDERMAN


30/88


Cl, G), u l l l

u T l p

T ul u

u pl v . S

f lu v

pp O Lu, u

u l f . H

pul fu f f O Lu

v T

Ice Volcanoes

SIMULATED FLYOVER In a 3-D computer model ofTitans surface, created from Cassini data, scientists dis-covered a 1-km-high peak and a 1.5-km-deep pit (shown)in a region called Sotra Facula. Green marks possible volcanic areas, including potential flows that spread outwardfrom the pit. A blend of water, ammonia, and methaneerupting from the pit could explain the features, though

scientists still debate whether Titan has cryovolcanism.

NASA/JPL-CALTECH/USGS

Titans Soggy Enigma

NORTHERN

LAKES Radar

swaths of Titans

north pole reveal

lakes and seas (blue-

black). The heart-

shaped Ligeia Mare

is the second largest

sea on Titan and isslightly larger than

Lake Superior.

PEELING THE PEACH Titans fuzzy orange glow is the onl

thing visible in a natural-color composite (left), but the surfac

appears in images taken in near-infrared light (middle) and in

composite of visual and infrared wavelengths (right).


31/88

SandT.m March

p ul ll l.

A ul fuu. B

llu v u 3-D ul T

l. T u uu-

l pl u u,

vl l uf llu vp. T l p

, v l lu, u

l lu ul f u pl

x , p u-

. W lu ul pp,

l lvl v x 15 . T

ul ll vl C.

D fil T

l v f uf

. NASA l pp T M

Expl f l f Dv-l ppl, u

Eup l f xpl-

l pj l T . Cll TL I-u Spl Ppll Expl (TALISE),

ul p fl L M,

f l . Pp fuu

v, p C pl , ll

lp lv f T u vp.

Donald F. Robertson is a freelance writer based in San Fran-

cisco. See www.donaldfrobertson.com for more of his work.

Backyard Titan ObserveAmateur astronomers an h mnir Tian wahr, , a

Rah Lrnz. A h mmn Tian aar fainr han magni-

ud 9, and ahugh i abv h hrizn m f h nigh i

n 0.8 arnd wid, maing i a hanging arg rv

Shr-xur and vid imaging an irumvn ing rb

ia if u a imag. Undr gd i a id baa

brvr wih a uiab ju migh rv Tian di

a Lrnz.

Amaur brvain ud bridg h ga bwn Caini a

whavr m nx. I inraing i ha ga wi b a

n flaghi-a maing miin ar n NASA budgar h

zn. In h manim, a 20-nimr wih a mm

CCD an bain ufu ra f ana hang in Tian ha

Svra ar ag Annin Buhz (Cah), hn a grad udding CCD hmr wih a 35-m in Paadna, u

fu d Tian igh urv frm nigh--nigh variain

a h mn rad, ahugh h wan ab nuiv d

min ha h ranin brigh h aw wr ud. Am-

hri ruur an a b maurd during ar uai

Yu an find u mr abu brving Tian wih amaur qui

mn n Lrnz wbi: www.lpl.arizona.edu/~rlorenz.

RAIN-FED RIVERS Cassinis radar revealed this canyon system on Titan in 2009. The channels flow from high plateaus to lowland areas, and

many tributaries suggest that rainfall erodes the surface.

NASA/JPL


32/88


Long-Distance Astronomy

Webinars can add variety and depth

to your club gatherings without

breaking the budget.

RevitalizeYour


33/88

SandT.m March

Tom FieldW u f

f Olp p? Su

v p -

f u lu . I u j fppl . W u lv ul

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f l.

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p v u v

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xp, v l v vl

pv qul f p.

Wu lv ffi , Iv p f f

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v. M fl l I

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lu - u,

u Q&A . I v u f

I ffi Sl.

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; ul u ?

WWW: World Wide WebinarsL , lu Sl

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. S Il D-S A/D S

N, Sl Al S,

T Al S v Pu p v

. Wu lv G, Pu

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, u l ll f j, ll ll vlv. Af, lu -

p qu T - Q&A .

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fl p , xpl Dv I, f

. W v

p ppv, u -

full. I l l T u.

Ou ll x v

l u p ll-

xp, I . I f, pp

Club Meetings


34/88


Long-Distance Astronomy

u pl u v f p

fuu.

Pu fl p, fi

, l. I ull up

lu f f p-

, Pu u. I f

v . I v

f fuu.

W v lu -

, ju U.S. I p , Iv

lu fu , lu

N L Ov, U.K., Sp-X

Su Af, vl lu Aul

f, xp p f

lu D U I vl up f ff

up l f !

Making Webinars Work for Your CluW p lu , u

, u u v .

l, p f u lu

v ll f f u u v

f u , u pl v

. I f, lv v

pll ll , u

v l full- v ll

I , lu p

f. Sp ul

pu, l f f f

p. O p Skype, v- f

p. If p ll Skype Premium, PowerPointl, l lv v

lv. Pll, I pf u l p

pfill f , u Cisco Weu up qul p

ff flxl. O p

Citrix GoToMeeting, Adobe Connect, TeamViewer.

f p u v l

f ll qu. A ull fi

f f f l u.

NOT SO REMOTE Tom Field has used Cisco WebExto talk

with clubs across four continents from the comfort of his

Seattle offi ce. The software shares his slides, shows his video

image, and allows him to highlight important features just as

one would do with a laser pointer. He can even see and hear

the audience as he speaks.

TOM

FIELD


35/88

Of u, Mup L v -

l. S v f , I l

lu up p f PowerPointfil. If pp u l l, lu

p u p lu pu

l I v ll p l up p

f pul- . Iv v

u up, u f

v fl-f f f ll pl.

Putting it all togetherN u lu f

l, u v u p pl

f. T fi p ul ll pp

l, u v . U u v.

S l l, p uv

NEAF, W S P,

p. Yu ul l u f l

uv l S&T. Yu v u lfu f u l , u

pp u ll f. (Of u,

v xp ll p. Yu

f 5-u f f

up v p p.)

O u lp u fi p

f lu fl v ff A

Ou N. Fu S R f Expl

Sfi, Lu p l v

f p (www.astronomyoutreach.net). Clu l

f p f p

l u vll. (B

, f u p, ul l , I u-

u l ulf .)S lu p f f; f

u. O u-fl pl

up lu , up, v l

fil v p. W

f, lu v v pl

u ff l ( ff

pu) l p.

Ov x vl , I ll u

lu u

p . W p up l

l f pl p f u lu. T

l j , u lu

ll u f v - f u .

Tom Fieldof Field Tested Software is the developer of thereal-time spectroscopy programRSp. He enjoys giving talks

over the web and has spoken to dozens of astronomy clubs andscience classrooms around the world. You can see a recordedvideo demonstration of one of his webinars atwww.rspecastro

.com/outreach.

Have you given a talk to your local club that you think othclubs might enjoy? Giving a presentation via the web isnthat different from giving one in person. A few tips will hyou make the transition.

Practice, practice, practice. Once youve selected thwebinar software youll use, learn the basics of how to st

meeting, share your slides, and transmit your video imagwebcam. Then practice giving your presentation over theto your spouse, your children, or your friends anyone wwill listen.

Prepare a demo. Clubs will want to know beforehandyoure a good speaker. When making contact with a club,to do a short demonstration talk for the decision-makers vide a demo reel showing a short clip of your presentat

Test it out. Its always a good idea to conduct a test sewith the host well before the actual webinar. Make sure t

meeting room has adequate bandwidth to support your ptation, and confirm that the host clubs computer can hoto the public-address system.

Decide how to do Q&A. Although not absolutely necits helpful if a microphone and webcam are built into theing rooms computer so that you can see and hear the auence. But even if a clubs computer doesnt have a microthe host can conduct Q&A with a cell phone. Ive done thseveral occasions with good results.

Make eye contact. Look directly into your webcam duyour presentation.

Keep your audience engaged. Most webinar prograoffer drawing capabilities, so you can circle, highlight, or arrows for your audience to see on the screen. Highlightipoints focuses your audiences attention in the same waylaser pointer does.

Ask for feedback. The day after your talk, ask your coat the club what you could improve in your next presenta

Preparing for Your 45 Minutes of FaPreparing for Your 45 Minutes of Fa


36/88


,

u u v l. W u

p f l l, p f

lx, f u v

pj l u . I

.

M ff pu

ufl , l ff

f ll f . Ivul qu

j u f. T f l lx

l p f l.

T f j l . T

u l fll v -

l . Ifll uull f l, f f

u f lpl: ul u u

v. If vl, p

j x f pl p

x , fil up l

u , . T p plx,

l l, pll u.

T u uful ffi p p ll v

up. Bu f l f v,

vl f j u p .

Protostar: Rosette HH1Protostar: Rosette HH1T j f pl ll l pful, u f lp u, v -

v f lvl .

A ll f

u f f. Dp

, p pll uu p-

pl . T l l v

ul v u

fu ffi ll u . Bu l

Astrophysical jets

Backyard Astrophysics

COSMICJETS ul l

ll fll l, u

-

f. T f

p x pl

(ppl p) j.

Su j uull

l u-

u . A pp- x

v R Nul M

, v . T R

p 39, j

T j p fRosette HH1, H-H

T f l f ll ul f GH Gull H, u 80

. T pv j f p, f

l ll j p u

u. T ju f

Tv R, Uv f Al

A, u R HH1 2003

j l vl lpll. A 1

u, 8- 12- l

u . W 15- fl

l , u l--l , I fu

u fl l.

R R HH1 f ju f

p j l vT u ll f ll u

v l u uul u

l. Tu, j ll l f

vl vl .

A l p f j V-p Gyulbudhians Nebula Cpu, f vp PV Cp. T ul ll p

ll f l lu, p p

Dave Toste

A crucial phenomenon throughout the universe

is visible in amateur scopes, but just barely.

My Hunt for


37/88

Above: Big, bright NGC 5128, also named Centaurus A, emits a

powerful pair of jets blazing in radio (purple above) and X-rays

(shown as blue-white, green, yellow, and orange). This compos-

ite image also includes a visible -light view. Below: In this deepvisible-light image, only a few thin outer traces of the northeast-

ward jet show at all. But the little arrowed streak can be detected

in very large amateur telescopes. Youll also need a very dark sky,

high magnification, and this image to find the exact spot.

l lu ll H-H ufl. T

ufl lf vl, u ul l

p . Au 1 , fv f l-p

v u p l f

. I 25- f/5 fl.

Yu p l l u ff--

- j . A l u f

ll-p- v D S Suv

(DSS), Pl Ov S Suv.E u j stdatu.stsci.edu/

cgi-bin/dss_form, .f .fi f,

u v f l 1 qu u p. Gulu Nul

20 45 58, l +67 58 30(2000.0).Active galaxy: Centaurus AActive galaxy: Centaurus AT u lx NGC 5128, l u Cuu A, l v lx u

12 ll l-. I ulu l

f . I j, v, l

f pul X- . U

32- u f 2011 Tx S P,I vl-l f j

f p vl u l. W I l

ll l.

EUROPEAN SOUTHERN OBSERVATORY

NASA/CXC/CFA/R.KRAFT;NSF/VLA/UNIV.HERTFO

RDSHIRE/M.HARDCASTLE;ESO/WFI/M.REJKUBA


38/88


Backyard Astrophysics

Active galaxy: M87 in VirgoActive galaxy: M87 in VirgoAv l ul u upv l

l f lx, pll f lx

up vl ,

Cuu A. T lx

uuluu p, l pl.

M87, fi ll p 10 u, f llpl lx

f V Clu, 55 ll l- , u v f . I

f v l l (6 7 ll l

) f fu vl-

l j l p f l. R u

Hul Sp Tlp v vl

, ll ul f uu .

T j vl l u p. I

25- Tx S P, I ul M87 j

661 u . I x f

- f lx vl .

Microquasar: SS 433Microquasar: SS 433O , vl SS 433 Aqul fi qu v. I -

p f u

llp j u l l

X-- u llp j

j qu p f l. T x

u v f pp l up-

v l l qu v l ulu

ju ll f ll.

SS 433, l 18,000 l- ,

f fu, lu l j

v f u. Tuul j

50 ll lv f lf l- f

. T j p l p 16

p, , ll

f p.

Au , l ll u lp

pu f p f

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p f vl vl (u 0.6 u). T

v l l 6- p.

SS 433 lvl f x

v u u 14.0. Alu I

25- p f , pp

I f j.

I v l v qu

u lx: V1487 Aqul, GRS 1915+105, l

f . T v f j 40

u p. Bu

u vl l. A u 20-plu, v

l p u f 32-.

Quasar: 3C 273Quasar: 3C 273T qu (u

) 3C 273 V. I v u 13, f 2.0 ll l-,

l

p. Qu v l ul

u uu lx

fu j f 3C 273 . I 25-

Tx S P 8-l uu x

f qu, l

Qu u plful uv

6755

Aair

19

22

A Q U I L A

+10

+5

19h 20m19h 40mStarmagnitudes 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

At 14th magnitude, the microquasar SS 433 in Aquila is a

unique pickup for your observing list. No sign of its relativistic

corkscrew radio jets were visible. On the chart above, the little

black box between 19 and 22 Aquilae shows the field of the

Digitized Sky Survey view at right, which is wide. The radio

image of the jets (inset) is from the Very Large Array. Watch a

movie of radio blobs being expelled along the inner parts of the

precessing jets at www.nrao.edu/pr/2004/ss433.NRAO


39/88

SandT.m March

u, l . T

pv f qu u 3C 273

u l pp l-l qup

lx v, p f

l v .

Ex-quasar: IC 2497 & Hannys VoorwerpEx-quasar: IC 2497 & Hannys VoorwerpA qu u ff v l, ll

p, u l IC 2497, 15-ulx u 650 ll l- L M.

T pl lx x uu H

Vp (H Oj), ul

l Du l fu 2007 Sl

Dl S Suv l vlu GlxZ pj (S&T: Nv 2011, p 28). T j

fi qu ul fiu IC

2497, qu

l ul 200,000 v

f E. W ll qu l

Vp f , l f f

l l . T Vp l pp v

p pl j f qu-

. A 2012 Tx S P, vl ppl p

Vp u 36- p. I l 20u f

lx, l 9 41 04.8, +34 43 55.

Gamma-Ray BurstsGamma-Ray BurstsT vl j uv, f

pful v f , -

u (GRB). T j u

pl f -llp upv. N

f v ju u p f l

pu f u f ; ll p-

l . W

- u f pp

E. L l f ,

p f p ll f

l- , f vl uv.

Svl u, lu f T P,

v vull v GRB fl u AAVSO Il H E N (www.

aavso.org/aavso-international-high-energy-network),

up u pl. S v

v f fl u f vl f

. S f Iv u u p

j xluv lu.

Bu ju lu. O M 19, 2008,

- GRB ff f 0.937, l-

f 7.5 ll lf

B B. A u uv u

p l vul u 5.8 f vl

. H ju p

B, ul v jv f f 3,000

l l j v !

Dave Tosteson, a family-practice physician in Chisago City,

Minnesota, has used his giant scopes to see brown dwarfs,gravitationally lensed arcs, globular clusters in the VirgoGalaxy Cluster, high-redshift quasars, and galaxies in the

Hubble Deep Field.

Almost lost in the vast Rosette Nebula in Monoceros, the protostellar jet Rosette HH1 (arrowed)

can be spotted with medium-large amateur scopes. The protostar thats squirting it may end up as

a red dwarf or brown dwarf. Outlined here is the Rosettes central boxy asterism of 6th- to 8th-

magnitude stars, long, as well as the field of the inset blowup. North is up in all images.

At a distance of 2.0 billion

light-years, 3C 273 in

Virgo is the farthest thing

you can see with a 6-inch

telescope. A much larger

scope is needed to detect

its jet as a very thin streak

running from 12to 20to

the quasars southwest.

NASA / ESA / WIL

NASA/JOHNBAHCALL

12Mon


40/88


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OBSERVINGMarch 2013

SkyandTelescope.com March 20

In This Section

44 S a a Gan

44 Nrhrn Hmihr S Char

45 Binuar Highigh: Mir Marahn San

46 Panar Amana

47 Nrhrn Hmihr S:Fanaian Si

48 Sun, Mn Pan:Gian in h Dar

50 Cia Candar 50 Cm PanSTARRS a Du

51 Th Zdiaa Ligh52 Ain a Juir53 Lunar Ouain53 Phnmna f Juir Mn

54 Exring h Sar Sm: A Lunar Curii

55 Lunar Pha and Librain

56 D-S Wndr: Saiing Suh

58 Wb Lin: Thi W S a a Gan

Additional Observing Stories:

36 M Hun fr Cmi J

60 Ging D: Cia Firwr

The remarkable planetary nebula NGC 2818 is discussed

in the Deep-Sky Wonders column on page 58.

PHOTOGRAPH: NASA / ESA / HUBBLEHERITAGE TEAM / STSCI / AURA


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MIDNIGHT SUNRISE

Mercury

Venus

Mars

Jupiter

Saturn

SUNSET

Planet Visibility SHOWN FOR LATITUDE 40NORTH AT MID-MONTH

Visible with binoculars in late March

Hidden in the Sun's glow all month

Hidden in the Sun's glow all month

SWSE

NWSW

E

24

31

3

10

17

24

31

4

11

18

5

12

19

26

6

13

20

7

14

21

1

8

15

22

27 28 29

2

9

16

23

30

S U N M O N T U E W E D TH U F R I S AT

Moon Phases

25

OBSERVINGSky at a Glance

EXACT FOR LATITUDE40 NORTH.

Galaxy

Double star

Variable star

Open cluster

Diffuse nebula

Globular cluster

Planetary nebula

Using the Map

Go out within an hour of a timelisted to the right. Turn the maparound so the yellow label for thedirection youre facing is at thebottom. Thats the horizon. Aboveit are the constellations in front ofyou.The center of the map isoverhead. Ignore the partsof the map above horizons

youre not facing.

17h

14h

11h

UR

SA

MA

JO

R

A

CO

CAN

ES

VEN

A

TICI

HYDRA

LEO

LEO

M

INOR

C

O

M

A

B

EREN

IC

ES

BOT

ES

HE

RC

UL

ES

AN

TL IA

VE

CRATER

CORVUS

SEXTANS

VIRG

O

Mizar

&Alcor

Thuban

Big

Dipper

M51

Regulus

Sickle

M3

Arcturus

Alph

`

a

s

+i

_

b

d

_

c

a

`

a

_

a

`

`

_

_

`

a

d

o

_

a

`b

c

e

a

`

_

d

c

_

Facing

SE

Facin

g

East

Fa

cing

NE

Moon

March23

Moon

March 26

New March 11 3:51 p.m. EDT

Full March 27 5:27 a.m. EDT

Last Qtr March 4 4:53 p.m. EST

First Qtr March 19 1:27 p.m. EDT

MARCH 2013b. 27 EARLY EVENING: The zodiacal light is on excellentar. 12 display from dark locations at mid-northern lati-

tudes. Look west starting about 80 minutes aftersunset for a huge, tall, left-sloping pyramid of lightreaching up toward Jupiter; see page 51.

12 NIGHT TO DAWN: Saturn rises around 11 p.m.on the night of the 1st roughly 5 left or lower leftof the waning gibbous Moon. The pair remainsclose for the rest of the night.

710 DUSK: Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) shouldbecome visible through binoculars, and possibly tothe unaided eye, somewhere in this time frame.Look very low in the west shortly after sunset; seepage 50 for details.

10 DAYLIGHT-SAVING TIME STARTS at 2 a.m. formost of the U.S. and Canada.

1218 DUSK: Comet PanSTARRS is expected to be mostprominent this week. Its immediately left of a

very thin crescent Moon on the 12th and well belowa more substantial crescent on the 13th.

17 EVENING AND NIGHT: Jupiter is spectacularlyclose to the waxing crescent Moon amid Aldebaran,the Hyades, and the Pleiades.

20 SPRING BEGINS in the Northern Hemisphere atthe equinox, 7:02 a.m. EDT.

28, 29 NIGHT: The Moon, just past full, rises upper rightof Saturn on the 28th and below Saturn on the 29th.


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Starmagnitudes

23h

2h

5h

E QU

A TO R

E CL I

PT

I C

ERIDA

NU

S

C A N I SM A

J O R

O N O CE R O S

P U P P IS

C OL U

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LEPU

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TR

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PER

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AN

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CAME

LOPA

RDAL

IS

AU

RIG

A

GEMIN

I

C ANIS

MI NOR

C

E

T

U

S

Sirius

M41

M47

M93

M50

NGC

2244

Rigel

Bellatrix

Betel

geus

e

M42

Ald

eb

aran

Ple

iad

es

Hy

ades

Algol

M33

M31

M34

Dou

ble

Clust

er

M52

Po

Cape

lla

M35

M37

M38

M36

or

yon

_

a

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b

jk

/

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Fac

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Fac

ing

West

Facing

SW

uth

Jupiter

Moon

March

16

Moon

March19

Gary SeronikBinocular Highlight

SandT.m March

To watch a video tutorial on how to use themap on the left, hosted by S&T senior ed

Sky & Telescope - March 2013

Documents

Transcript of Sky & Telescope - March 2013