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PazMiniBits FOR JANUARY 2012 -------------------------- John Pazmino NYSkies Astronomy Inc www.nyskies.org nyskies@nyskies.org Introduction
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PazMiniBits welcomes news about home astronomy and other matters
of concern to home astronomers in and near New York City. You may send
PazMiniBits items to 'nyskies@nyskies.org', send them into the NYSkies
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You may ask for previous PazMiniBits thru 'nyskies@nyskies.org'
because only the current issue is in the website. It is replaced by
next month's issue.
Current news
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NYSkies Astronomy Seminar on 2011 Dec 2 prepared for possible
aurorae in winter months. Session discussed magnetosphere, Sun-Earth
interaction, aurora oval and latitude effects, prediction methods,
aurora forms and movement, false display from terrestrial lights in
sky. Takeaways included magnetosphere and atmosphere charts and
description of northern light displays.
NYSkies in 2011 Dec renewed its room for he Astronomy Seminar for
2012 with only minor increase of rent but with 1/2 longer session. It
now meets 6:30PM-9:30PM. We probably will not use the extra time
regularly but it does allow for some socializing after the meeting and
before supper.
NYC astronomers in Queens on 2011 Dec 22 reported large aurora
late night! Red & orange flickering glows low in north sky lasted
couple hours, then subsided. No, not an aurora but a major fire on
Hart Is in Long Is Sound a kilometer east of City Is. Island is not
inhabited and FDNY assessed the fire was suspicious.
Comet C/2009-P1 (Garradd) brightened in 2011 Dec into a good
target from NYC. It's in higher northeast in predawn in Jan. It runs
north thru Her, N and W thru Dra, W & S thru UMa. Elements and
ephemeris from Minor Planet Center:
--------------------------------------
Epoch 2011 Dec 25.0 TT = JDT 2455920.5
PeriT 2011 Dec 23.6776 TT PeriAU 1.550537
ArgPeri 90.7477 AscNode 325.9977
Excenty 1.001052 Inclin 106.1775
From 4943 observations 2009 Aug 13-2011 Dec 4, mean residual 0".4.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Date, 0h UT R. A. (2000) Decl. Geo AU Sun AU Elong Phase Mag
----------- -------------------- ------ ----- ----- ----- ---
2012 01 01 17 30 06.8 +26 50 10 1.9357 1.5548 52.9 30.3 7.4
2012 01 04 17 29 52.5 +27 46 30 1.9045 1.5584 54.7 31.0 7.3
2012 01 07 17 29 31.5 +28 47 34 1.8713 1.5631 56.6 31.7 7.3
2012 01 10 17 29 02.3 +29 53 44 1.8364 1.5689 58.7 32.4 7.3
2012 01 13 17 28 23.2 +31 05 24 1.7998 1.5757 60.9 33.0 7.3
2012 01 16 17 27 32.1 +32 23 02 1.7619 1.5835 63.2 33.7 7.2
2012 01 19 17 26 26.4 +33 47 05 1.7228 1.5924 65.6 34.2 7.2
2012 01 22 17 25 03.0 +35 18 03 1.6829 1.6023 68.1 34.8 7.2
2012 01 25 17 23 18.0 +36 56 26 1.6425 1.6132 70.8 35.2 7.2
2012 01 28 17 21 06.7 +38 42 42 1.6018 1.6250 73.5 35.5 7.1
2012 01 31 17 18 23.3 +40 37 15 1.5613 1.6377 76.3 35.8 7.1
-------------------------------------------------------------------
NYC astronomers during 2011 Dec started watching comet Garradd in
predawn sky. At first passed up as dim incomvenient target, comet
blossomed into a pleasing sight in binoculars. Most trouble in seeing
it came from bright twilight and horizon mists but comet is edging
into higher darker sky well before dawn.
Intl Earth Rotation Svc declared in 2011 Dec that there is NO
leapsecond added to the end of year 2011. The final minute of 2011 Dec
31, 23:59 UTC, has 60 seconds and the difference between Coordinated
Universal Time and International Atomic Time is (UTC)-(TAI) = -34sec.
The last prior leapsecond was added at end of 2008 Dec 31. None will
be added until further notice :
NYSkies Astronomy Seminar on 2011 Dec 16 examined various methods
of finding distances in space. Audience studied radar and radio within
solar system, classical parallax, delta Cephei stars, HR diagram
alignment, Hubble redshift. Much dialog on parallax for planets and
work of Kepler, Galileo, Cassini. Takeaways included descriptions of
several distance methods, base plot of HR diagram.
Kepler spaceprobe on 2012 Dec 20 announced first two Earth-size
planets, Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f! News media garbled 'size' and
'like', some saying we discovered other 'Earths'. Star, 12.5 magn,
390pc dist, is very similar to Sun and has 3 other large planets found
earlier in 2011. All planets are much closer to the star than the
Goldilocks zone. Specs of all five planets:
----------------------------------------------------------
planet | mass | S M A | period | diameter
-----------+-----------+----------+-------+-----+---------
Kepler-20b | 0.027 Jup | 0.045 AU | 3.696 day | ---
Kepler-20c | 0.051 Jup | 0.093 AU | 10.854 day | ---
Kepler-20d | 0.06 Jup | 0.345 AU | 77.012 day | ----
Kepler-20e | 0.0097 Jup | 0.051 AU | 6.098 day | 0.87 Earth
Kepler-20f | 0.045 Jup | 0.111 AU | 19.577 day | 1.03 Earth
------------------------------------------------------------
Update on S&T magazine [PMB 11 Dec] showing effects of Depression.
Page count is held to 88. Advertisers stayed low. Dec 2011 issue
showed lapse of press run and circulation under 2010.
+----------+--------+-----+-----+ +--------+---------+---------+
| issue | close | pgs | adv | | issue | copies | sold |
+----------+--------+-----+-----+ +--------+---------+---------+
| 2007 Aug | 07 May | 104 | 114 | | 06 Dec | 151,204 | 86,437 |
| 2007 Sep | 07 Jun | 104 | 112 | | 07 Dec | 144,859 | 89.687 |
| 2007 Oct | 07 Jul | 114 | 110 | | 08 Dec | 142,362 | 86,656 |
| 2007 Nov | 07 Aug | 106 | 116 | | 09 Dec | 100.835 | 76,717 |
| 2007 Swx | 07 Sep | 114 | 116 | | 10 Dec | 116,471 | 81,947 |
+----------+--------+-----+-----+ | 11 Dec | 111,012 | 77.229
| 2008 Jan | 07 Oct | 114 | 118 | | |
| 2008 Feb | 07 Nov | 106 | 118 | | |
| 2008 Mar | 08 Dec | 106 | 104 | | |
| 2008 Apr | 08 Jan | 98 | 118 | +--------+---------+---------+
| 2008 May | 08 Feb | 98 | 118 |
| 2008 Jun | 08 Mar | 98 | 118 | 'issue' is the cover month.
| 2008 Jul | 08 Apr | 106 | 110 | 'close' is month when issue is
| 2008 Aug | 08 May | 98 | 108 | sent out for printing
| 2008 Sep | 08 Jun | 98 | 110 | 'pgs' is page count, with covers
| 2008 Oct | 08 Jul | 98 | 96 | but not wraps and inserts
| 2008 Nov | 08 Aug | 106 | 98 | 'adv' count from "List of adver-
| 2008 Dec | 08 Sep | 114 | 102 | tisers' in each issue
+----------+--------+---------- +
| 2009 Jan | 08 Oct | 114 | 100 | 'copies' is 'Net press run' in
| 2009 Feb | 08 Nov | 98 | 96 | December issue
| 2009 Mar | 09 Dec | 90 | 96 | 'sold' is 'Total paid circula-
| 2009 Apr | 09 Jan | 88 | 84 | tion' in December issue
| 2009 May | 09 Feb | 84 | 84 |
| 2009 Jun | 09 Mar | 88 | 66 | The Depression set in during
| 2009 Jul | 09 Apr | 88 | 70 | fall 2008 and persisted so far in
| 2009 Aug | 09 May | 88 | 66 | this current month.
| 2009 Sep | 09 Jun | 88 | 66 | S&T is only one of the many
| 2009 Oct | 09 Jul | 88 | 68 | astronomy businesses suffering
| 2009 Nov | 09 Aug | 88 | 68 | from the Depression.
| 2009 Dec | 09 Sep | 88 | 68 |
+----------+--------+---------- +
| 2010 Jan | 09 Oct | 88 | (no advertiser index)
| 2010 Feb | 09 Nov | 88 | 76 |
| 2010 Mar | 09 Dec | 88 | 64 |
| 2010 Apr | 10 Jan | 88 | 70 |
| 2010 May | 10 Feb | 88 | 72 |
| 2010 Jun | 10 Mar } 88 | 68 |
| 2010 Jul | 10 Apr | 88 | 68 |
| 2010 Aug | 10 May | 88 | 62 |
| 2010 Sep | 10 Jun | 88 | 68 |
| 2010 Oct | 10 Jul | 88 | 64 |
| 2010 Nov | 10 Aug | 88 | 72 |
| 2010 Dec | 10 Sep | 88 | 70 |
+----------+--------+---------- +
| 2011 Jan | 10 Oct | 88 | 70 |
| 2011 Feb | 10 Nov | 88 | 70 |
| 2011 Mar | 10 Dec | 88 | 60 |
| 2011 Apr | 11 Jan | 88 | 64 |
| 2011 May | 11 Feb | 88 | 68 |
| 2011 Jun | 11 Mar | 88 | 66 |
| 2011 Jul | 11 Apr | 88 | 62 |
| 2011 Aug | 11 May | 88 | 62 |
| 2011 Sep | 11 Jun | 88 | 60 |
| 2011 Oct | 11 Jul | 88 | 66 |
| 2011 Nov | 11 Aug | 88 | 62 |
| 2011 Dec | 11 Sep | 88 | 66 |
+----------+--------+---------- +
| 2012 Jan | 11 Oct | 88 | 68 |
+----------+--------+-----+-----+
Dr Philippe Jetzer, U of Zurich, Switzerland, &a on 2011 Dec 22
showed 1sr-ever low-mass star in glob clus. It, 1/5 Sun mass, is in
M22, Low-mass stars are way too dim for regular imaging in glob cl due
to remoteness but are assumed to exist by standard models of star
evolution. Star revealed itself when it passed in front of farther
known star and microlensed it, Details of the lensing fixed the mass
of the low-mass lensing star. Team used VLT at Paranal Obsy.
Charles Krauthammer on 2011 Dec 29 is his column in many
newspapers has 'Are we alone in the universe?'. He discusses the
recent Kepler discoveries of potential life-supporting planets and
asks if there really are any other sapient beings out there. Given the
number of planet yet to be found why haven't we heard from any one
else? He suggests that people don't last long enough, by internal
destruction, to reach beyond their planets. The silence may be a
lesson for humanity that it, too, before long-range spacefaring, may
die out and become silent.
NYC Mayor Bloomberg on 2011 Dec 27 announced that the City reached
a meterstone in life expectancy. Newborn babies can live to 80.6 year,
exceding national average and surpassing every other world city on
Earth. He credits many city features such as fewer deadly fires and
accidents, suppressed crime, reduced air pollution, better nutrition,
decline is smoking and risky sex, preserving city water purity.
dr Sang-Woo Kim, Kyoto U, Japan, &a on 2011 Dec 22 developed model
that suggests how universe came to have only 3 spatial dimensions.
They applied superstring theory and supercomputer simulation that
created universe with all 9 superstring dimensions and saw that 6
collapsed right after creation. Remaining three, the ones we live
with, then went into rapid expansion comparable to Guth inflation
theory. This is first time superstring theory and general relativity
theory seem to work together.
Austria on 2011 Dec 6 enacted regulations for use of outer space
applying to individuals and companies. Based on the UN treaties
covering nations, it prescribes penalties for violating various
principles of exploring and exploiting outer space resources. Written
in an Austrian dialect of German, it reminds many spacefaring fans of
Austria's space travel heritage of the early 20th century.
China on 2011 Dec 28 fired up its global position satellites,
ending dependence on US GPS. Initial set of 10 satellites cover Asia-
Pacific region with 6 more to launch in 2012. Complete 30-unit system
will encompass the entire world by 2020. China's system frequency band
overlaps Europe Galileo geoposition network, still under dispute.
Kepler spacecraft on 2011 Dec 7 announced smallest-yet planet in
habitable zone of host star! It, Kepler-22b, is 2.38 Earth diam but
may be mostly gaseous with little hope of Earth-like life on it. Orbit
is uncertain but mass is about 124 Earths.
Dr Rosemary Killen, Goddard SFC, &a on 2011 Dec 6 showed 1st-ever
quantified measure of solar ablation of lunar surface. Solar corona
mass ejection can sputter off 100-200 tons of volatile atoms from Moon
in typical 2-day pass of plasma cloud across Moon. Moon gets full
blast effect because it has no protective atmosphere or magnetosphere.
Normal solar wind has ~4% helium and slow speed. CME has ~20% He at
higher speed and density to better strip off surface atoms.
Darksky advocates in 2011 fall-winter voiced fears over new
vicious threat to observing sites. Energy firms are using hydraulic
fracturing to free gas from rock formations. Process pumps pressurized
water into rock to crack it, letting gas escape to wells. Gas could
leak into other rock cavities to later explode, suffocate victims,
poison water supplies. Well works are industrial facilities with
restricted access in darksky regions, often with trash lighting.
Natl Space Soc reported in 2011 Dec that many of its chapters,
including those in NYC, LI, and NJ North, lost their nonprofit status
with IRS due to red-tape mixup. NSS sent instructions ot chapters to
regain status and continue as chapters, else leave NSS as separate
space clubs. NSS NYC chapter temporarily suspended joint meeting with
NYSkies at Seminars to comply with nonprofit room agreement, but will
resume when status is restored.
Darksky leaders on 2011 Dec 31 were set back by reduction of
federal light pollution rewards! Program, TransitChek, pays for
avoiding lifestyles favoring luminous graffiti. Maximum benefit was
$230/month, which expired on Dec 31 without renewal. As at 2012 Jan 1,
max lapsed to $125/mo. Loss of higher possible reward may cause some
people to revert to light-polluting activities.
Dr Mercedes Filho, U de Porto, Portugal, &a on 2011 Dec 7 showed 8
galaxies whose active galactic nuclei are reactivated. They have
properties of dormant AGNs, where central blackhole is quiet from
exhausting its supply of infall material, and also active ones, the
blackhole acquiring a fresh supply. Team studied 13,000 galaxies to
find these rare specimina in optical, IR, radio bands.
ESA on 2011 Dec 2 ended efforts to contact Russia Phobos-Grunt
spacecraft [PMB 11 Dec]. Craft is stuck in Earth orbit due to failure
of its rocket to send it toward Mars. Plan is to somehow get rocket to
to work and boost probe to higher orbit out of air drag. Russia will
wait for 2014 Mars launch window. ESA caught some signal from Phobos-
Grunt but NASA's DSN did not. With no adjustment of orbit, now
200x340km, probe may fall into destructive reentry by 2012 Feb.
Dr Alan Stern, SWRI, &a on 2011 Dec 20 reported hydrocarbons on
planet Pluto. They are likely formed by sunlight and cosmic rain
interacting with simple organics on surface. Evidence comes from UV
spectra from HST. Group also found that Pluto chemistry may vary over
time based on past measurements in 1990s
Dr Terry Herter, Cornell U, &a on 2011 Dec 20 showed IR pictures
of Ori Neb taken with SOFIA aircraft [PMB 11 Jan]. They show dustdiscs
around protostars and hotspots within dense dust clouds that could be
embryo stars. Team combined data with Spitzer obsy at many IR bands.
Design for new residence in Seoul, South Korea, unveiled on 2011
Dec 12 resembles the exploding World Trade Center! It, The Cloud, is a
pair of towers 280m and 300m tall with clumps of cubic apartments
wrapped around it 1/3 way up. They look like debris ejected from WTC.
MVRDV architect firm claims it knew nothing about the WTC incident and
design is only a chance likeness. Project is part of larger plan with
Daniel Libeskind, designer of the new WTC, on its team.
National PowerBall lottery rules change on 2012 Jan 15. Price of
ticket goes to $2 but odds and min prize increase. Comparison:
---------------------------
feature | old | new
-------------+--------+----
ticket price | $1 | $2
pick range | 1-39 | 1-35
jackpot odds | 1:195M | 1:175M
2nd prize | $200K | $1M
min prize | $3 | $4
overall odds | 1:35.1 | 1:31.8
------------------------------
NYC astronomers in 2011 Dec cheered the visits of both Mars and
Venus! Mars begins retrograde loop in late Jan, then heads to
opposition on Mar 3 Venus climbs into high sky in twilight on way to
her transit of the Sun on Jun 6. Generally clear skies in Dec gave
good views of both by eye and telescope.
NYC Transit on 2012 Jan 9-12 shuts down entire Lexington Av line
from Atlantic Av to Grand Central! Action speeds up repairs and upkeep
on line in cheaper safer setting. Trains stop at 10PM and turn or
reroute away from closed segment. Service resumes at 5AM on next day,
Other services at closed stations are not affected but Lexington Av
line platforms are roped off. www.mta.info.
Dr Reinhard Genzel, Max Planck Instt, Germany, *a on 2011 Dec 14
showed1st=ever nonstellar body orbiting Milky Way's blackhole. It's in
strongly excentric orbit that in mid 2013 brings it to 40 billion km
of the BH, about 36 lighthours. Object seems to be a dust/gas cloud
~280C temp, ~3 Earth mass, traveling 8 million km/h relative to BH.
Cloud will distort, fragment, heat under BH gravity, 1st-ever evidence
of BH effects on objects falling toward it. Team studied BH with VLT.
Dr Thomas Reiter, ESA ISS director, on 2011 Dec 13 urged that
China become a ISS partner as a natural addition to the space
station's work. In exchange, China will take ESA into its own space
station, now in orbit [PMB 11 Dec]. China is recent months became more
receptive to having foreign partners in its space program.
Dr Donald Wegel, Goddard SFC, &a on 2011 Dec 14 unveiled a
harpoon. to spear a comet from a nearby spacecraft and collect a core
sample. He thinks it's simpler and safer than trying to land a
spacecraft on a rugged or hazardous comet. A Roman ballista made of
modern steel parts, fires test harpoons into simulated comet soil.
Dr Francesco Giordano, U of Bari, Italy, &a on 2011 Dec 7
suggested that supernova remanents may create cosmic rain, based on
profile of gamma-rays them emit. Hi-erg cosmic particles interact with
atoms in remnanet to produce gamma-rays. Rain particles are diverted
by magnetic fields, making them impossible to backtrace to origin, but
gamma-rays come straight from source. Group studied gamma-radiation
from Tycho's star with Fermi gamma-ray satellite.
Dr Martin Fisk, Oregon S U, &a on 2011 Dec 15 showed microbes
living in ice sealed from normal energy sources in Cascade Mts.
Metabolism is based on oxidized iron from surrounding olivine in
conditions similar to warmer areas of Mars. Microbes are a simple
variation of common terrestrial bacteria.
Dr Kaylan Burliegh, U of Arizona, Ua on 2011 Dec 15 revealed
landslides and dust clouds on Mars caused by meteor impacts. With thin
air, Mars can't stop a meteor crashinginto the ground, shaking it. It
may also cause aerial shocks. Shock and shaking can cause landslides
on nearby hills and local upswirls of dust. Mars gets ~20 new meteor
craters per year, seen by MRO orbiting Mars, ranging up to 50 meters
diameter.
NYSkies Astronomy Seminar on 2011 Dec 16 presented moderator John
Pazmino a prepaid credt-card as yearend gift. Under NYSkier Eileen
Rhenda and several members whom she chanced to know chipped in for the
gift. John bought books, which he'll show at the 2012 Jan 6 Seminar.
They were historical edition of Norton's Star Atlas, textbook of
general relativity based on blackhole physics, Planetary position
tables for 17-18 century, and data reference book for planetary
science.
Dr Anton Zensus, Max Planck Instt,Germany, &a on 2011 Dec 8
reported coupling RadioAstron's 10m diam antenna [PMB 11 Aug] with
ground antennae in an interferometer. RadioAstron during the 2011 Nov
15 run was 100,000km away in its Earth orbit. Target was quasar
0212+735 with nominal ang res of 1/30,000 arcsec at 18cm wavelength.
Last update on 07 Jan 2012 Copyright 2007, NYSkies Astronomy Inc General inquiries: nyskies@nyskies.org |
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