Woohoo! It's Time to Star Party!

Greetings, astronomy fans!

Ah, the summer star party.  Sounds like a contradiction, doesn't it?

Actually, we're really excited about our summer star parties.  We'll have time in the early part of the evening to view the Sun, which is pretty awesome right about now.  We're in solar maximum, so there's almost always something cool to see.  And by cool, we mean about 8,000 degrees Fahrenheit.  That's the rough temperature of the average sunspot, a cool, dark region on the solar surface.  I know, it doesn't exactly sound cool...but with the rest of the solar surface hovering around 10,000 degrees, suddenly 8,000 doesn't sound so bad.

The Sun today, June 5, 2013.  Image courtesy NASA and Spaceweather.com

Once the Sun sets, we'll be treated to some wonderful sights in the evening sky.  Saturn is prominent right now, and looking awesome.  At a recent overnight event at the museum, we saw 4 moons (out of Saturn's many dozens), Cassini's division (a large gap in the ring system), and even some faint banding in the clouds of the giant planet (yellow and white clouds generally don't make for great contrast, so when you can see them, it's quite lovely).  Saturn is truly a sight to behold in a telescope, and well worth the wait for the darkness of night.  Beyond Saturn, expect to see some beautiful double stars, like Alberio, in the head of Cygnus the Swan...and perhaps a nebula or two, like the the Ring Nebula in Lyra the Harp.

Still from a video of Saturn shot June 2, 2013.  Image by Dash One using Raspberry Pi.

While you're waiting for the darkening sky to reveal it's secrets, we've got a special treat for you.  The United States Air Force Heritage Combo, the Blue Aces, will be rockin' it out in the Conservation Garden from 6-8pm (if the weather is inclement, they'll move into the lobby of the main museum building).  Trust me, you're going to enjoy that!  And did I mention that everything we've talked about so far is free? No really, FREE!

The Blue Aces.

Beyond the freebies, you can support the Virginia Living Museum and see some amazing stuff this Saturday night.  Only during the three evening star parties of summer can you visit our stunning summer exhibit, Bodies Revealed, without paying admission to the museum as well.  Stand alone tickets to Bodies Revealed will be available for $15 for adults and $12 for kids.  Members, of course, are only $7.  The exhibit is an incredible journey through the human body - you won't want to miss it.

Also available is an expanded slate of shows in the Abbitt Planetarium!  At 5:30pm, you can see Microcosm, our show about the parallel developments of space exploration and medical technology that will also propel you into a possible future where human beings can go inside the human body to cures diseases.  At 6:30pm, take a break and rock on with Laser Pop, featuring pop music across the decades.  At 7:30pm, catch a preview of the evening sky with Virginia Skies, a live sky talk with one of our staff astronomers.  At 8:30pm, the rock and roll goes on with Laser Vinyl, a mix of classic rock hits you won't want to miss. Rounding out the night is a Pink Floyd double feature - The Wall at 10pm and The Vision Bell at 11:30pm.  The Wall features selections from that classic album, while The Vision Bell is a fabulous mix of old and new Pink Floyd favorites inspired by the release of The Division Bell.  It's a double header you won't want to miss.  Shows in the planetarium are $6 each, or catch a double feature (any two shows on the same night) for $10.  Members are always half price!

Besides all this fun, the Wild Things Museum Store and the Wild Side Cafe will be open for your shopping and eating pleasure!  Plus enjoy the beautiful gardens as the Sun goes down and the evening cools off.  All in all, our summer star parties should be a blast!  Our first one is this Saturday, June 8, and will be your only chance to see the Blue Aces.  Come out and join us!

Until next time,
Carpe noctem!
Kelly

What's Up?

Well, hello.

It's been an eventful time in the astronomy business, thanks to a chunk of rock that decided to scare the living daylights out of a whole lot of people living in Siberia.  Amazingly, they seem to like air-bursting asteroids...once again, just like in 1908, a chunk of space rock exploded rather than impacting.  Since this one did so over a city, many people were injured when they rushed to look out their windows to see what the bright flash of light was.  Once the shock wave hit, the windows shattered, glass went flying, and many people were hurt.  But fortunately, I do not believe there were any deaths associated with the event.  But my goodness, it must have been quite scary to experience that first hand.  We talked about the 1908 event in our previous chat...when I wrote that I had no idea it would be happening again so soon!

The fireball over Siberia on February 15, 2013.

Anyway, let's turn ourselves to a calmer exploration of the sky.  It's been a while since I wrote a nice, simple post about things appearing in the skies above, so I think it's time to do that again.

The early evening skies are currently dominated by the largest planet in the solar system - Jupiter.  Shining brighter than all the visible stars, Jupiter is easily seen high in the southwest after sunset.  It's currently located in the constellation Taurus the Bull, right behind the bull's V-shaped face.  Taurus, of course, is facing off with Orion the Hunter, brightest constellation of our sky and easily visible high in the south.  So just by looking southward after sunset you should be able to quickly find the seven bright stars of Orion.  Use the belt of Orion (three stars in an almost perfect straight line) to find Taurus by following the line it makes away from Orion towards the right.  The belt will point you to the brightest star of Taurus, reddish Aldebaran.  This is the upper left point of the V of Taurus' face.  Right next to the V will be Jupiter, almost shocking in its brightness.

Following Orion's Belt to Aldebaran, the red right eye of Taurus the Bull.  In February of 2013, Jupiter is located between the V of Taurus' face and the Pleiades.

Jupiter is an incredible world.  Ten times bigger than our own planet Earth, Jupiter is a gas giant and the largest of the solar system's planets.  Even so, it is still much too small to be a star...Jupiter would have to be 10 times again as big as it is to become a star like the Sun.  The gravity of mighty Jupiter holds over 60 moons in orbit around the massive world, and even supports a tiny, thin ring system, completely invisible from Earth.  Only visiting spacecraft have the opportunity to see the rings of Jupiter, and they have fortunately sent lovely pictures back to us here on Earth.  Known from ancient times, Jupiter has long fascinated us, and it has been the target of numerous missions including the Voyager space probes and the Galileo spacecraft.  Another mission, Juno, is on its way, with a planned arrival in July of 2016.

The giant planet Jupiter.

The only other planet currently visible to us is Saturn, which graces the early morning sky before the dawn.  You'll see Saturn as a golden-yellow star-like object shining in the south before the Sun rises.  A pair of binoculars is all that is needed to reveal the lovely Saturnian rings, but you will need to hold them very steady.  A tripod will serve you well.  And be prepared to get up quite early - 5AM is the best time to see Saturn these days.  If you'd rather see it at a more convenient time...wait a few months.  Later in the year, Saturn will become an early evening object rather than an early morning one.

Saturn and its amazing ring system.

So everyone take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy the sky.  I promise, despite the events of recent days, the world is not coming to an end.  Hopefully the sky will give us a few days to catch our breath before the next potential big event - Comet PANSTARRS.  If the comet becomes something worth venturing outside to see, I'll put out a Cosmic Strings Alert to let you know.

Barring that, I'll see you in two weeks!
Carpe noctem!
Kelly

Keep Looking Up

Greetings all!

I know, I know, I'm a day late again.  Once again, the internets refused to let me in to my blog if I'm not at work.  I'm not sure what's broken, but I think I'm going to stop trying to fix it.

Things are still a little shaken up here at the museum as we work on recovering from the flood, but overall, we're trying to get everything settled down into something resembling a routine.  So I thought I'd go back to a routine here as well and just talk about what's visible in the sky right now.  Sometimes doing the "normal" things helps the most when things are decidedly not normal.

We're getting ready to make the transition into fall, with longer nights and cooler temperatures, thank goodness.  It's a pleasure to be outside in the evenings now...you might even find you need a light jacket if you plan to stay outside for any length of time.  What a wonderful thing!

It will still be a couple of months before the brilliant stars of winter begin to grace the evening skies, but until then you can enjoy the last hurrah of summer - The Summer Triangle.  Three bright stars form a brilliant triangle that sits high overhead just after sunset and descends towards the west as the evening passes on.  To the East, you'll find the familiar Great Square of Pegasus - four stars in an almost perfect square dominate the eastern sky and mark the location of the legendary winged horse.  Two simple bright shapes that are pretty tough to miss.

The Summer Triangle and its surrounds.  Courtesy the University of Illinois.  Note that the Milky Way passes directly through the center of the triangle.

Looking westward at sunset might allow you a final quick glimpse of the planets Mars and Saturn, both sinking rapidly towards the Sun.  By the end of the month, both planets will be lost to our view.  Mars will still be in the news regularly however, as Curiosity really gets rolling on its mission to explore the Red Planet.  Sadly, with Mars and Saturn so low, and both relatively dim, you might miss them if you have anything other than a totally clear flat western horizon...hard to come by on the east coast of the United States.

However, don't get too downcast just yet.  If you can stand an early morning wake up call, you can see a pair of beautifully brilliant planets in the early morning sky.  Head outside around 5am and look to the east to see Venus and Jupiter dominate the pre-dawn sky.  Jupiter stands high in the east (almost to the south) with Venus lower but still plenty high enough to be seen quite easily.  These two are the brightest of the planets visible to the unaided eye, and make a stunning pair.  Well worth the effort of rising before the Sun to enjoy them.

Venus, The Moon and Jupiter in the early morning sky.  Photograph by Alan Dyer.  The Moon is the brightest object in the field, with Venus slightly up and to the left.  Jupiter stands up towards the top of the image to the right of the Moon and Venus.

Ah.  Just talking about the beautiful skies of fall helps me feel a bit better.  There's plenty of work still to be done, but taking the time to enjoy the simple things in life really does renew your spirit.

See you in two weeks...and until then...
Carpe noctem!
Kelly

Let My Armies Be the Rocks and the Trees and the...Reptiles of the Sky?

A long title, isn't it?  And those who enjoy the Indiana Jones movies know what it's based on.  Although apparently, Charlemagne never said anything of the kind.

Reptiles of the sky?  Really?  You betcha.

Reptiles are much on our minds these days at the Virginia Living Museum, as this coming weekend is Reptile Weekend at the museum.  If you're in the area, and ever been fascinated or frightened by reptiles, I suggest you come check it out.  Those who love reptiles will find amazing and wonderful species to delight you...and those who are not such big fans might just learn a little, and discover that reptiles are a vital part of the Earth's ecosystem.

But what does any of that have to do with the sky?  Lots!

The night sky is filled with images seen by people who lived thousands of years ago.  We call these images constellations.  Many, but not all, come from the ancient Greeks.  Today there are 88 officially recognized constellations, and among them, you can find 5 reptiles in the sky.  I thought you might interested in meeting them.

Of the five reptiles in the sky, three are snakes...probably the reptile which elicits the strongest response from people.  Snakes are fascinating creatures. Their most important job is keeping us all from living hip deep in rodents, and for that, I thank them (I confess I'll take a snake over a mouse ANY day - especially in my house).  So let's check out the snake constellations first.

Serpens the Serpent is kind of intertwined with another constellation - the now-infamous zodiac intruder Ophiuchus the Serpent-Handler.  While the Sun doesn't linger for many days in this constellation near the ecliptic, it does so in the winter, meaning that the best time to see Ophiuchus and Serpens is in the summer.  Look to the south around 9pm during the summer months and see if you can spot a kind of coffin shape.  That's Ophiuchus.  The serpent is wound around him, and extends out as a trail of faint stars to either side of the coffin.  I don't know what kind of snake Serpens is supposed to be, but he's big...maybe he's a Reticulated Python?

Above: The constellations Ophiuchus and Serpens from Urania's Mirror.  Courtesy Wikipedia.

Below: Reticulated Python.  Courtesy Wikipedia.

Two more snakes can be found in the sky - but you'll only see one of them in Virginia.  Hydra and Hydrus - the Female and Male Watersnakes are widely separated on the sky, and Hydrus can only be seen in the southern hemisphere.  Any readers in Australia - can you find Hydrus in your sky?  It's a fairly small and dim constellation, so it could be quite a challenge.  For local readers, look for Hydra stretching across the southern skies of spring - she'll be visible nicely by 9pm in late March.  Look to the left of Sirius, the brightest star in the nighttime sky, for a small kite-shape.  This is Hydra's head.  Her body is, like Serpens, a long winding trail of stars extending off the kite-shaped head to the left (the image below is left-right reversed, as most constellation images were made in the 18th century - this was God's point of view).  You could even see Hydra at this time of year, if you are out late enough - she'll be in the southern sky tonight by midnight.  There are numerous snakes that you can find swimming about in Virginia...perhaps Hydra is the Brown Water Snake.  As to Hydrus, I'm not sure...maybe the Olive Sea Snake?

 Top: The constellation Hydra by Hevelius.

 Middle-top: Brown Sea Snake.  Courtesy Wikipedia.

 Middle-bottom: The constellation Hydrus by Hevelius.

Bottom: Olive Sea Snake.  Courtesy Wikipedia.

Another reptile in our sky is Lacerta, the Lizard.  Lacerta is almost circumpolar, meaning that it can be seen in our sky on almost every night of the year.  The best time to look for it is, however, in the fall.  The lizard is little more than a tiny, faint squiggle of stars between Cygnus the Swan and Andromeda the Princess.  Since it is so tiny, perhaps this lizard is a Five-Lined Skink...my husband's personal favorite lizard.  Why?  Because they like to live in the garage and yard and eat the bugs!

Above: The constellation Lacerta by Hevelius.

Below: A juvenile five-lined skink.  Courtesy Wikipedia.

Finally, our last reptile can only been seen from the southern hemisphere again...it is the beautiful Chamaeleon the Chameleon.  If ever you get the chance to travel below the equator, be sure to spend some time checking out the sky - the differences are amazing!  Sadly, not only can we not see the constellation, there are no species of chameleon native to North America (although sometimes people mistakenly call a green anole a chameleon).  So if you want to see one of these amazing creatures in the wild, your best bet is Africa!

 Above: The constellation Chamaeleon by Bode.

Below: A chameleon.  Courtesy Wikipedia.

Or...come to the Virginia Living Museum this weekend!  We'll be featuring a fun game-show style planetarium show "A Sky Full of Scales" where you'll get to see both the constellation and a video of a real chameleon!  Plus you might win a prize!  And you'll get to see some amazing reptiles up close and personal.  Don't miss out on the fun!

Until next time...
Carpe noctem!
Kelly

The Fast and the Norovirus

Hello folks.  Sorry to be so late in posting, but last Tuesday night, my daughter came down with the stomach flu.  So I've been a very good mommy for the last couple days, but a very bad blogger.  It's amazing how much stuff you have to catch up on when this kind of thing happens!  But I'm back, and since I've just spent a couple days with my kiddo, let's talk a little about astronomy with kids.

Some kids are totally into astronomy, and are willing to stand around in the cold waiting for that perfect view of Jupiter.  They'll watch with amazement as you realign the telescope four or five times in a night.  They'll ask you great questions about the Moon, black holes, galaxies, and half a dozen other astronomy topics.

And then there's my daughter.


Don't get me wrong - she loves to look at the sky!  She loves that her mom is an astronomer, and knows lots of things about objects in space.  But being outside in the cold is not her idea of fun.  And standing and waiting while I get everything set up is REALLY not her idea of fun.  She's a typical (gorgeous, brilliant, fun-loving...sorry, that's the mom in me again!) seven-year-old girl.  Space is cool...but not if you have to stand around waiting for it.

So how do you share astronomy with a kiddo who may not want to sit still for it?  Simple!  Try a little "drive-by astronomy."  Headed to the car to go out for dinner?  Challenge your child to identify a bright celestial object (Margaret now knows the Moon, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn by sight.  This spring we'll work on Mars!).  Walking back to the car after grocery shopping?  See if your little one can identify a bright constellation (Margaret knows Orion and Leo...and almost Taurus).  It's a really easy way to get a kid interested in looking up, and it's kind of a fun game to play too!  Try to identify the bright objects in the photo below...and click here for the solution.

The sky of January 9, 2009 by Tamas Ladanyi.  Courtesy Astronomy Picture of the Day.

If the "drive-by" sparks a question or two...or maybe if the little one seems willing to stand and look up for a couple moments - expand on the idea.  Did you just show your tyke how to spot Taurus?  Show them the Pleiades - the little open cluster of stars on Taurus' back.  How many tiny stars can they see there (you'll be amazed how much better their eyesight is!)?  The Pleiades is the tiny bright blue cluster in this image:

 The Pleaides above Morby Castle by P-M Heden.  Courtesy Astronomy Picture of the Day.

We call those stars the Seven Sisters...so why can't we see 7 of them anymore?  And now you can talk about outdoor lights, light pollution, and how much more we used to be able to see in the night sky.

Not sure you know enough yourself to teach your kiddo?  Come on out to our monthly star parties.  We've got astronomers on site who will be happy to spend time with you and your kids.  Telescopes will be set up and ready to go (minimal waiting!), and everyone always has a great time, no matter what their age.  Our next star party will be on February 11th, and on the second Saturday of every month thereafter.  Mark it on your calendar and plan to join us!  Got a telescope that you and your little one need help figuring out how to use? - bring it along!  We'll be glad to give you a primer on your new equipment.

Until then - how about a question or two from you?  Please leave me a comment and ask anything you like.  I love taking questions from people - and it lets me speak to things that you're really interested in.

Carpe noctem!
Kelly

The Dog Days are Back

Hey everyone!

Well, here we are again.  It's August.  The weather is hazy, hot, and humid.  Going outside for more than about 4 seconds results in sticky wet clothes, lots of sweat, and generally feeling nasty really fast.  It is not, by any stretch of the imagination, an astronomer's favorite time of year.

And yet, there's still stuff to talk about, even if we'd rather stay inside while we do it!

Traditionally, August days are called the Dog Days of Summer.  The phrase refers not to the lolling tongues of dogs desperately trying to stay cool, but to the brightest star in the nighttime sky, Sirius.  It's the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major, the Big Dog, and therefore it is often called the Dog Star.

The star Sirius.  NASA

The ancient Greeks noticed that in August, when things were getting pretty hot, the star Sirius rose in the East just before the Sun, meaning that Sirius shares the sky with the Sun virtually all day.  Since Sirius is so bright, the Greeks figured it must be pretty close, and the extra heat in August was caused by Sirius adding its light and heat to the powerful rays of our own Sun.  The Romans and the Egyptians also shared this same belief - and in fact, the Egyptians were especially attentive to Sirius, as the Dog Days occured just before the annual flooding of the Nile.  Score one for the ancients, no?

Well, the ancients were unaware of just how far away stars are.  They were correct in their assumption that Sirius is pretty close to us - it's about 8 light years away, or 47 trillion miles.  As close as that is as stars go, that's still much, much too far away for Sirius to have any kind of effect on our weather.  The Sun is only 93 million miles away, and that's the cause of our weather changes.  The heat at this time of year is the result of the Earth's tilt - the Northern Hemisphere is tipped towards the Sun during summer, giving us long days and lots of intense sunlight.  No additional stars required.

Don't feel too bad for the ancients.  They might not have been right about everything, but they did hand down some wonderful stories and ideas that are still fun to share.  Take the exciting tale of Perseus, son of Zeus and legendary hero.  His story is best known today as the campy classic film Clash of the Titans (trust me, for maximum enjoyment, stick to the original, not the sad modern remake).  You might want to rent it around August 12, and enjoy a midnight movie at home.  When the film is over, head outside and look up.  You should be just in time to catch some of the annual Perseid meteor shower, which will peak around 2AM on the morning of August 12.  Meteors will seem to come from the direction of the constellation Perseus, so put him at your back if you can. 

The constellation Perseus.  NASA

Staying away from bright sources of light will also help...and the best way to enjoy any meteor shower is from the comfort of a lawn chair so you can watch the sky as long as possible.  The beautiful streaks of light you see are bits of Comet Swift-Tuttle disintegrating in the Earth's atmosphere.  Want more information on meteor-watching.  Come by the museum any day at 1:30PM for our Virginia Skies program - one of our staff astronomers will be happy to help you with your questions about meteor showers, or any other astronomical topic!

And, just in case you were wondering...that bright golden star in the West in the early evening is Saturn, still nicely visible.  Out a bit late and noticing a bright white star in the East?  That's Jupiter.  Enjoy!

Carpe noctem!
Kelly