Check back soon for a lesson plan on the lifecycle of a star that I am writing as my semester long project for class!
Happy star gazing!
*Picture courtesy of: http://www.technochitlins.com/mt-archives/030807_hubble_collisions_04.jpg
Friday, April 3, 2009
The End
So that's it...I finished my scavenger hunt! I learned a lot about the sky over the course of the semester and I can't wait until it gets warmer so I can take my telescope out and actually enjoy it. I'm also excited that I can point out different objects, especially Iridium flare's because not a lot of people have heard of them, so I feel like I am expanding their knowledge of the universe.
Check back soon for a lesson plan on the lifecycle of a star that I am writing as my semester long project for class!
Happy star gazing!
*Picture courtesy of: http://www.technochitlins.com/mt-archives/030807_hubble_collisions_04.jpg
Check back soon for a lesson plan on the lifecycle of a star that I am writing as my semester long project for class!
Happy star gazing!
*Picture courtesy of: http://www.technochitlins.com/mt-archives/030807_hubble_collisions_04.jpg
Satellite - Cosmos 2369 Rocket
Date Observed: April 3, 2009 at 10:53 pm
Weather:
• Temperature: 39 ˚F
Sky Conditions: Very clear, no clouds in sight.
Object Observed: Satellite – Cosmos 2369 Rocket
Magnitude: 3.3
Location:
• Altitude: 87˚ and moving up
• Azimuth: 310˚
Observations: It was neat that two satellites were visible basically right after each other tonight. This satellite looked just like the other one and it was moving at basically the same speed toward the zenith, though it was at a higher altitude.
Weather:
• Temperature: 39 ˚F
Sky Conditions: Very clear, no clouds in sight.
Object Observed: Satellite – Cosmos 2369 Rocket
Magnitude: 3.3
Location:
• Altitude: 87˚ and moving up
• Azimuth: 310˚
Observations: It was neat that two satellites were visible basically right after each other tonight. This satellite looked just like the other one and it was moving at basically the same speed toward the zenith, though it was at a higher altitude.
Satellite - SeaSat 1
Date Observed: April 3, 2009 at 10:47 pm
Weather:
• Temperature: 39 ˚F
Sky Conditions: Very clear, no clouds in sight.
Object Observed: Satellite – SeaSat 1
Magnitude: 3.2
Location:
• Altitude: 69˚ and moving up
• Azimuth: 30˚
Observations: The sky was beautiful tonight. I wish I could have gone out somewhere where they were not a lot of lights out, because the stars are much more incredible without so much background light. The SeaSat 1 looked just like a small moving star. It seemed to be moving towards the SW and towards the zenith.
Weather:
• Temperature: 39 ˚F
Sky Conditions: Very clear, no clouds in sight.
Object Observed: Satellite – SeaSat 1
Magnitude: 3.2
Location:
• Altitude: 69˚ and moving up
• Azimuth: 30˚
Observations: The sky was beautiful tonight. I wish I could have gone out somewhere where they were not a lot of lights out, because the stars are much more incredible without so much background light. The SeaSat 1 looked just like a small moving star. It seemed to be moving towards the SW and towards the zenith.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunset
Date Observed: March 21, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Sky Conditions: Cloudy
Object Observed: Sunset
Location:
• Altitude: 30˚
• Azimuth: 260˚
Observations: The sky was really blue all day. We were driving home from the conference and we happened to be in Mississippi when the sun was setting. The sun was peeking out from behind the clouds, and it was kind of hard to see behind the trees but the sky was turning orange/pink. It was really pretty!
** Sorry it's blurry. It's hard to take good pictures inside a moving car.
Sky Conditions: Cloudy
Object Observed: Sunset
Location:
• Altitude: 30˚
• Azimuth: 260˚
Observations: The sky was really blue all day. We were driving home from the conference and we happened to be in Mississippi when the sun was setting. The sun was peeking out from behind the clouds, and it was kind of hard to see behind the trees but the sky was turning orange/pink. It was really pretty!
** Sorry it's blurry. It's hard to take good pictures inside a moving car.
Moon 4
Date Observed: March 19, 2009 at 7:58 am
Sky Conditions: Clear, no clouds
Object Observed: Waxing Crescent Moon (Age: 23 days)
Location:
• Altitude: 60˚
• Azimuth: 100˚
Observations: Today we were walking to the conference center in New Orleans and the moon was really visible in the sky.
Sky Conditions: Clear, no clouds
Object Observed: Waxing Crescent Moon (Age: 23 days)
Location:
• Altitude: 60˚
• Azimuth: 100˚
Observations: Today we were walking to the conference center in New Orleans and the moon was really visible in the sky.
Moon 3
Date Observed: March 18, 2009 at 8:57 am
Sky Conditions: No clouds
Object Observed: Waxing Crescent Moon (Age: 22 days)
Location:
• Altitude: 45˚
• Azimuth: 165˚
Observations: About an hour after sunrise we decided to stop at Cracker Barrel to eat some breakfast. We were still in Mississippi at this point in time and the sky had cleared up tremendously. The moon was very visible and there were no clouds around at all.
Sky Conditions: No clouds
Object Observed: Waxing Crescent Moon (Age: 22 days)
Location:
• Altitude: 45˚
• Azimuth: 165˚
Observations: About an hour after sunrise we decided to stop at Cracker Barrel to eat some breakfast. We were still in Mississippi at this point in time and the sky had cleared up tremendously. The moon was very visible and there were no clouds around at all.
Sunrise
Date Observed: March 18, 2009 at 7:06 am
Sky Conditions: Partly cloudy, partly foggy
Object Observed: Sunrise
Location:
• Altitude: 20˚
• Azimuth: 85˚
Observations: We were driving on highway 55 heading South to the NSTA conference in New Orleans. When the sun was rising we were in Mississippi. It was pretty cloudy out and we were driving through patches of fog. The sky was a bluish/gray and as the sun got higher it became a great shade of pinkish/orange.
**Sorry, no picture :(
Sky Conditions: Partly cloudy, partly foggy
Object Observed: Sunrise
Location:
• Altitude: 20˚
• Azimuth: 85˚
Observations: We were driving on highway 55 heading South to the NSTA conference in New Orleans. When the sun was rising we were in Mississippi. It was pretty cloudy out and we were driving through patches of fog. The sky was a bluish/gray and as the sun got higher it became a great shade of pinkish/orange.
**Sorry, no picture :(
Monday, March 16, 2009
Iridium Flare
Date Observed: March 16, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Weather:
• Temperature: 39.8 ˚F
Sky Conditions: It was pretty cloudy out.
Object Observed: Iridium Flare
Location:
• Altitude: 50˚
• Azimuth: 186˚
Observations: I was looking across the cloudy sky and all of a sudden I saw a white spot that I hadn’t noticed before. It started getting brighter and brighter and then it got dimmer and dimmer and then it was gone. It took me a few seconds to figure out that I was actually observing an Iridium Flore because it was just a bright spot of light for a few seconds.
Weather:
• Temperature: 39.8 ˚F
Sky Conditions: It was pretty cloudy out.
Object Observed: Iridium Flare
Location:
• Altitude: 50˚
• Azimuth: 186˚
Observations: I was looking across the cloudy sky and all of a sudden I saw a white spot that I hadn’t noticed before. It started getting brighter and brighter and then it got dimmer and dimmer and then it was gone. It took me a few seconds to figure out that I was actually observing an Iridium Flore because it was just a bright spot of light for a few seconds.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Waxing Crescent Moon
Date Observed: March 2, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Weather:
• Temperature: 14.7 ˚F
Sky Conditions: It was semi cloudy, I was unable to see many stars, but the moon was very visible.
Object Observed: Waxing Crescent Moon (Age: 6 days)
Location:
• Altitude: 50˚
• Azimuth: 250˚
Observations: The moon was pretty bright tonight.
*It's a little blurry, sorry.
Weather:
• Temperature: 14.7 ˚F
Sky Conditions: It was semi cloudy, I was unable to see many stars, but the moon was very visible.
Object Observed: Waxing Crescent Moon (Age: 6 days)
Location:
• Altitude: 50˚
• Azimuth: 250˚
Observations: The moon was pretty bright tonight.
*It's a little blurry, sorry.
Venus
Date Observed: March 2, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Weather:
• Temperature: 14.7 ˚F
Sky Conditions: The sky was very clear. I could see a lot of stars.
Object Observed: Venus
Location:
• Altitude: 20˚
• Azimuth: 260˚
Observations: Venus was so bright tonight! It was all by itself in the sky, and it was by far the brightest and biggest object in the sky, besides the moon.
*Venus is pretty small in the picture, but it was much brighter in the sky.
Here is a picture of Venus up close courtesy of: http://zuserver2.star.ucl.ac.uk/~idh/apod/image/9705/venus_pvo.jpg
Weather:
• Temperature: 14.7 ˚F
Sky Conditions: The sky was very clear. I could see a lot of stars.
Object Observed: Venus
Location:
• Altitude: 20˚
• Azimuth: 260˚
Observations: Venus was so bright tonight! It was all by itself in the sky, and it was by far the brightest and biggest object in the sky, besides the moon.
*Venus is pretty small in the picture, but it was much brighter in the sky.Here is a picture of Venus up close courtesy of: http://zuserver2.star.ucl.ac.uk/~idh/apod/image/9705/venus_pvo.jpg
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Astronomical event: A comet!
Date Observed: February 24, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Weather: 27 ˚F
Sky Conditions: Tonight was pretty clear. Many stars were visible, as well as the moon.
Object Observed: The comet Lulin
Location:
• Altitude: 105˚
• Azimuth: 45˚
Observations: In order to see Lulin I had to use binoculars, it was not visible with the naked eye. The comet was to the right and just above Saturn. According to the Grand Rapids Press Lulin is called the “Green Comet” because it is slightly green, and I was able to see its green color when I looked through the binoculars. The press also said that it’s about 38 million miles away, which is 160 times farther than the moon. I think it’s pretty sweet that we can see that from here on Earth with only a small pair of binoculars.
*Again, I didn't have my camera :( and you wouldn't be able to see it since you can't see it with the naked eye.
Here is a picture courtesy of: http://www.admit-one.net/wp-content/lulin.jpg
Weather: 27 ˚F
Sky Conditions: Tonight was pretty clear. Many stars were visible, as well as the moon.
Object Observed: The comet Lulin
Location:
• Altitude: 105˚
• Azimuth: 45˚
Observations: In order to see Lulin I had to use binoculars, it was not visible with the naked eye. The comet was to the right and just above Saturn. According to the Grand Rapids Press Lulin is called the “Green Comet” because it is slightly green, and I was able to see its green color when I looked through the binoculars. The press also said that it’s about 38 million miles away, which is 160 times farther than the moon. I think it’s pretty sweet that we can see that from here on Earth with only a small pair of binoculars.
*Again, I didn't have my camera :( and you wouldn't be able to see it since you can't see it with the naked eye.
Here is a picture courtesy of: http://www.admit-one.net/wp-content/lulin.jpg
Saturn
Date Observed: February 24, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Weather: 27 ˚F
Sky Conditions: Tonight was pretty clear. Many stars were visible, as well as the moon.
Object Observed: Saturn
Location:
• Altitude: 100˚
• Azimuth: 45˚
Observations: It still surprises me that the planets just look like regular stars in the sky. They are not any brighter than stars, and not any larger. Saturn was visible just over some trees in my neighborhood.
*I didn't have my camera :(
Here is a picture of Saturn courtesy of: http://cas.lgl.lu/Saturn_ring_system/saturn%20_rings/planet_saturn.gif
Weather: 27 ˚F
Sky Conditions: Tonight was pretty clear. Many stars were visible, as well as the moon.
Object Observed: Saturn
Location:
• Altitude: 100˚
• Azimuth: 45˚
Observations: It still surprises me that the planets just look like regular stars in the sky. They are not any brighter than stars, and not any larger. Saturn was visible just over some trees in my neighborhood.
*I didn't have my camera :(
Here is a picture of Saturn courtesy of: http://cas.lgl.lu/Saturn_ring_system/saturn%20_rings/planet_saturn.gif
The Moon #1
Date Observed: February 10, 2009 at 9:30 pm
Weather:
• Temperature: 46.6 ˚F
Sky Conditions: It was semi cloudy, I was unable to see many stars, but the moon was very visible.
Object Observed: Full Moon (Age: 15 days)
Location:
• Altitude: 45˚
• Azimuth: 90˚
Observations: The moon was extremely bright on this night. It was pretty much due East and halfway up in the sky. According to the Almanac there was a full Snow Moon on February 9, 2009, which would explain why the moon was so bright.
Weather:
• Temperature: 46.6 ˚F
Sky Conditions: It was semi cloudy, I was unable to see many stars, but the moon was very visible.
Object Observed: Full Moon (Age: 15 days)
Location:
• Altitude: 45˚
• Azimuth: 90˚
Observations: The moon was extremely bright on this night. It was pretty much due East and halfway up in the sky. According to the Almanac there was a full Snow Moon on February 9, 2009, which would explain why the moon was so bright.
Friday, January 16, 2009
New Beginnings
So here's my first post. This blog is for my Astronomy class I'm taking this semester. We're doing a scavenger hunt over the course of the semester where we have to find certain things in the sky...how exciting!
I will be using this awesome telescope and SkyScout:
...that I got for Christmas to help me find everything! Stay posted for cool pictures and descriptions throughout the semester.
I will be using this awesome telescope and SkyScout:
...that I got for Christmas to help me find everything! Stay posted for cool pictures and descriptions throughout the semester.
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