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Skies to Stars: Nothing Stays the Same
By Ed Downs
The Giant Red Spot on Jupiter. (NASA.gov)This amateur astronomer decided that it was time to dabble in the rapidly expanding field of astro photography and bought a new gadget. Sort of like flying, there is always another accessory to buy. That gadget is designed to hold a simple, digital, point and shoot class of camera in the correct position to actually take photos of distant objects. This is a long way from the more advanced levels of amateur astro-photography, which can challenge Hubble Telescope photos, but it is a fun and cheap place to start.
The timing is also good as a favorite local, Jupiter, is positioned for the best viewing in two years. The gas giant Jupiter and it’s four largest moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Calisto make for terrific photos. Even a small telescope will give the amateur a great view, and a telescope such as owned by this writer (12” reflector) will allow one to resolve some surface details on the moons. Yes, these are big moons, the least of which (Europa) is a bit smaller than our moon and the largest (Ganymede) being bigger than the planet Mercury. But why, one might ask, bother taking a rudimentary photo when incredible images are already available from the likes of the Hubble Space Telescope, the Galileo and New Horizons spacecraft plus highly advanced ground based telescopes?
Skies to Stars: Christmas Stars
By Ed Downs
No, there is no mistake in titling this column in the plural, that is to say “stars” as opposed to “star.” To be sure, the “Star of Bethlehem” is a cherished part of the Christmas tradition, as are the Three Wise Men. These three searchers are said to have used that star to guide them in their search for the Savior. Biblical historians have long argued as to who these “Wise Men” might have been and how it was that they, presumed to be of Babylonian origins, would have known about Hebrew prophesies of a coming of a Savior. Some have guessed that these “scholars” may have been what we would today call astrologers, a possibility often shunned by those who think of astrology as a superstitious form of divination.
From Skies to Stars - April 2013
The Comet Cometh
By Ed Downs
First a meteor smacks into Russia, and then, just a few days later, we get a close flyby of a good sized asteroid. In cosmic terms, that asteroid came close enough to give “doomsday preppers” reason to celebrate their decisions. It was close. But it is not all scary news. Astronomers who work with visible light, versus those light bands that can be seen only through the use of special instrumentation, have something to celebrate. It seems as though the summit of Haleakala on the Hawaiian island of Maui, at 10,000 feet above sea level, now sports a telescopic array that promises to be the most powerful survey telescope ever built. “Survey” means a telescope that specifically looks for things, all sorts of things, which may be heading our way. It’s called Pan-STARRS, short for Panchromatic Survey Telescope And Rapid Response System. And is the first of a four telescopes array planned.
From Skies to Stars
By Ed Downs
Member, Astronomy Club of Tulsa
Ed Downs with his Orion Dobsonian telescope.From Skies to Stars is a new feature appearing in In Flight USA for the first time. In Flight USA is keeping our promise made in the August 2011 editorial regarding the downfall of America’s manned space program. At that time we committed to keeping the flame of space exploration alive by bringing our readers regular information about astronomy, space exploration and space sciences. We have joined up with the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium (TASM) and the Astronomy Club of Tulsa (ACT), a dedicated group of professional and amateur astronomers, science enthusiast and professional educators who have generously offered to share their ongoing outreach program with our readers. We invite readers to participate and let us know what you would like to read. The staff at In Flight USA may be reached at editor@inflightusa.com. Read on, and discover the universe!