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Category Archives: Astronomy

New Agreement Signed with UNESCO on Astronomy & World Heritage

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The International Astronomical Union (IAU) and UNESCO have renewed their Memorandum of Understanding at UNESCO's Headquarters. The agreement has been concluded in the framework of the thematic initiative Astronomy and World Heritage, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary. The purpose of the initiative is to reinforce the links between science and culture by highlighting the importance of heritage linked to astronomy.

The participants at the signing ceremony included Professor Thierry Montmerle, General Secretary of the International Astronomical Union (IAU); Mr. Kishore Rao, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center; Professor Clive Ruggles, IAU Special Advisor, UNESCO Liaison, Ms. Anna Sidorenko, Coordinator, thematic initiative Astronomy and World Heritage, World Heritage Center.

Professor Thierry Montmerle expressed the IAU's commitment to ensuring the implementation of the initiative and said: "I would like to convey our gratitude to the UNESCO World Heritage Center for its efforts in promoting astronomical heritage. Thanks to this initiative and our collaboration astronomy exists now in the third dimension -- the history of astronomy is documented both through time and across continents."

Mr. Kishore Rao expressed appreciation for the fruitful collaboration, and congratulated the IAU on having made all the necessary efforts to enhance collaboration between the scientific and cultural communities, in support of the World Heritage Convention; and provide an opportunity to raise public awareness about this particular type of heritage.

The three-year agreement commits UNESCO and the IAU to promote astronomical sites and provide states party to the World Heritage Convention with expertise, as they prepare nominations for locations to be included in the World Heritage List of exceptional sites that bear witness to major breakthroughs in the development of scientific knowledge. This is a step towards the recognition of the importance of the worldwide astronomical heritage, and its role in enriching lives throughout history and promoting international exchange.

UNESCO and the IAU signed a first memorandum within the framework of the thematic initiative on Astronomy and World Heritage in 2008. It was renewed in 2010 and implemented through close cooperation between UNESCO's World Heritage Center and the IAU, sparking off a series of activities entitled "Astronomy and World Heritage; across time and continents." It also led to the publication of a thematic work on astronomical heritage, compiled in cooperation with the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), to the creation of a web portal (http://www2.astronomicalheritage.net) on the history of astronomical heritage and to the organization of numerous seminars and conferences on the subject.

Contacts: Lars Lindberg Christensen IAU Press Officer Garching bei Muenchen, Germany +49 89 320 06 761, cell: +49 173 38 72 621 lars@eso.org

Thierry Montmerle IAU General Secretary Paris, France +33 1 43 25 83 58 montmerle@iap.fr

Thematic Initiative Astronomy and World Heritage: http://whc.unesco.org/en/astronomy/

The IAU is an international astronomical organization of more than 10,000 professional astronomers from more than 90 countries. Its mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in all its aspects through international cooperation. The IAU also serves as the internationally recognized authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and surface features on them.

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New Agreement Signed with UNESCO on Astronomy & World Heritage

How astronomy solved a Civil War mystery

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Why did Confederate troops shoot their own general, 'Stonewall' Jackson? The position of the moon played a big role, an astronomer discovers.

Thanks to astronomy, the 19th century mystery surrounding the death of Confederate general "Stonewall" Jackson during the Civil War may finally be solved.

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Lieutenant General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson was a majorfigure in the Civil War, second in command to Confederate general Robert E. Lee, when he was shot by friendly fire during the Battle of Chancellorsvilleon May 2, 1863. Shortly after that battle in northeastern Virginia, Jackson died of his wounds, leaving the Confederate army without one of its boldest military strategists just two months before the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg.

But exactly how Jackson's own troops could have mistaken him for the enemy has been unexplained until now. [Astronomy Detectives Solve Civil War Mystery (Photos)]

Firsthand accounts of the Chancellorsville battle describe how Jackson kept his troops fighting into the night a rarity at the time. That same day he had accomplished a major victory, squashing the Union's Twelfth Corps in a famous "flank attack." When the sun set that night and the sky darkened, Jackson pressed on, continuing the fighting by moonlight. It was then that a Confederate officer on the left wing of the 18th North Carolina regiment spotted Jackson and a group of riders coming toward him.

Mistaking his commander for advancing enemies, Major John Barry ordered his troops to fire. Jackson was hit with bullets in his right wrist and left arm, which had to be amputated, and died of complications from pneumonia eight days later.

Hi death has been described as a blow of bad luck, and Barry reportedly "felt extreme guilt over giving the command to fire," according to historian James Gillispie's book "Cape Fear Confederates" (McFarland, 2012).

But now, astronomers say they know why Barry couldn't identify his commander it's all because ofthe moon. Astronomer Don Olson of Texas State University and Laurie E. Jasinski, a researcher and editor at the Texas State Historical Association, report their findings in the May 2013 issue ofSky & Telescopemagazine.

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How astronomy solved a Civil War mystery

The Curious Channel 37 — Must-see TV For Radio Astronomy

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The Very Large Array, one of the worlds premier astronomical radio observatories, consists of 27 radio antennas in a Y-shaped configuration 50 miles west of Socorro, New Mexico. Each antenna is 82 feet (25 m) in diameter. The data from the antennas is combined electronically to give the resolution of an antenna 22 miles (36 km) across. Image courtesy of NRAO/AUI and NRAO

Thanks to Channel 37, radio astronomers keep tabs on everything from the Sun to pulsars to the lonely spaces between the stars. This particular frequency, squarely in the middle of theUHF TVbroadcast band, has been reserved for radio astronomy since 1963, when astronomers successfully lobbied the FCC to keep it TV-free. Back then UHF TV stations were few and far between. Now there are hundreds, and Im sure a few would love to soak up that last sliver ofspectrum. Sorry Charley, the moratorium is still in effect to this day. Not only that, but its observed in most countries across the world.

Channel 37, a slice of the radio spectrum from 608 and 614 Megahertz (MHz) reserved for radio astronomy, sits in the middle of the UHF TV band. Click to see the full spectrum. Credit: US Dept. of Commerce

So whats so important about Channel 37? Well, its smack in the middle of two other important bands already allocated to radio astronomy 410 Megahertz (MHz) and 1.4 Gigahertz (Gz). Without it, radio astronomers would lose a key window in an otherwise continuous radio view of the sky. Imagine a 3-panel bay window with the middle pane painted black. Who wants THAT?

The visible colors, infrared, radio, X-rays and gamma rays are all forms of light and comprise the electromagnetic spectrum. Here you can compare their wavelengths with familiar objects and see how their frequencies (bottom numbers) increase with decreasing wavelength. Credit: ESA

Channel 37 occupies a band spanning from 608-614 MHz. A word about Hertz. Radio waves are a form of light just like the colors we see in the rainbow or the X-rays doctors use to probe our bones. Only difference is, our eyes arent sensitive to them. But we can build instruments like X-ray machines and radio telescopes to see them for us.

Diagram showing what how Earths atmosphere allows visible light, a portion of infrared and radio light to reach the ground from outer space but filters shorter-wavelength, more dangerous forms of light like X-rays and gamma rays. To study the cosmos in these varieties of light, orbiting telescopes are required.

Every color of light has a characteristicwavelengthandfrequency. Wavelength is the distance between successive crests in a light wave which you can visualize as a wave moving across a pond. Waves of visible light range fromone-millionth to one-billionth of a meter, comparable to the size of a virus or DNA molecule.

X-rays crests are jammed together even more tightly one X-ray is only as big as an small atom. Radio waves fill out the opposite end of the spectrum with wavelengths ranging from baseball-sized to more than 600 miles (1000 km) long.

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Dire says astronomy on Kaua‘i is looking up

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Kauais unique topology and weather allows some of the best star gazing conditions at sea level, said Dr. James Dire.

The vice-chancellor for Academic Affairs at the Kauai Community College will speak on those conditions during his Astronomy on Kauai is Looking Up free presentation 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Hanapepe Public Library.

The combination of strong trade winds nine months of the year, 4,000 to 5,000 foot mountains throughout the center of the island, and the Mana plain, located along the leeward side of the island produces an abundance of clear skies along the 17-mile beach, Dire said in a press release.

Dire said Kauai is also free of the outdoor light restrictions found on Maui and the Big Island, but the islands small population and strong sense of preserving environment allows islands skies to be free of major light pollution.

Kauais location 22 degrees north of the equator allows sighting of all celestial objects in the northern half of the celestial sphere and a major fraction of southern hemisphere objects, he said.

The Kauai Educational Association for Science and Astronomy maintains the islands largest observatory and hosts public viewing events at various locations throughout the island.

Dire will describe the KEASA activities and explore the heavens as seen by telescopes on Kauai.

Part of the monthly Hawaiian Marine Environment lecture series, Dires presentation is sponsored by the Friends of the Hanapepe Library.

The Hanapepe Library is at 4490 Kona Road.

Information: 335-8418

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Dire says astronomy on Kaua‘i is looking up

Faith helped steer astronomy professor who made planet discovery

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It was a Friday afternoon, Aug. 31 of last year, that Eric Agol, a 42-year-old associate professor of astronomy at the University of Washington, looked at his computer screen and saw something astounding.

The algorithm Agol had put together and run had found an Earthlike planet 1,200 light-years away.

It was orbiting its own sun, in a "habitable zone," nicknamed the "Goldilocks zone," meaning its temperatures are suitable for liquid water. And possibly life.

You could say Agol's work puts him at the crossroads of some complex questions, which he answers with faith.

These days, astronomers don't really peer through giant telescopes.

They look at computer data.

This new planet - 40 percent bigger than Earth, with a 267-day year-showed up as a dip in a bunch of dots across the screen. The dip was from a shadow created as the planet crossed the star it was circling.

Agol's finding had been missed by the numerous other scientists studying the digital information from NASA's orbiting Kepler telescope, named for 17th century astronomer Johannes Kepler and launched in 2009 specifically to discover stars in our galaxy that are orbited by habitable, Earth-size planets.

Agol is a low-key guy, but he admits, "I definitely was excited."

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Faith helped steer astronomy professor who made planet discovery

How the Solar System Formed Pt 1 – Astronomy with Higgins – Solar System – Video

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How the Solar System Formed Pt 1 - Astronomy with Higgins - Solar System
Mr. Higgins talks about Nebular Hypothesis, Pre-solar Nebula, Gravity, and Accretion in the early Solar System. I love questions, ask them in the comments (I...

By: Justin Higgins

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How the Solar System Formed Pt 1 - Astronomy with Higgins - Solar System - Video

Astronomy Day Attracts Stargazers

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SPARKS, Nev. It's something that comes up everyday but thanks to the Astronomical Society of Nevada, some lucky people got a peak at the Sun as well as some other celestial bodies.

"The first reaction is 'Wow', the second reaction is 'Cool', and 'I didn't know you guys existed," Jim Fahey of the Astronomical Society of Nevada said.

As a clear sky and warm weather drew people out to the Sparks Marina, many were surprised to see a handful of telescopes scattered across the grass.

It was all part of the National Astronomy Day, a nationwide out reach designed to give access to telescopes to the general public.

During the day, people were given a chance to look at the moon, as well as the sun through the use of special telescopes.

"It was really cool, because we saw the sun as kind of red, I mean kind of orange, and the outside is black," eleven year old Aisha said.

The event sparked the interest of people of all ages.

"Through the telescope, I could see the craters on the moon, I could see the different parts of the moon," Adam Fliess said.

Fliess, along with many other people, came back to the Marina as night fell to get a peak at some other astronomical bodies as well.

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Astronomy Day Attracts Stargazers

Astronomy Update: Planet Walk gives space perspective

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Editor's note: Astronomy Update is a column provided by the Chippewa Valley Astronomical Society, Hobbs Observatory and the L.E. Phillips Planetarium, compiled by Lauren Likkel of the UW-Eau Claire department of physics and astronomy.

Talk about an exciting time for space and astronomy.

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