Coincidences, coincidences, coincidences. It's all coming together on Sunday for THE astronomical event of the year.

Why is it that we are not further along with 'space travel' despite over 60 years of steady effort? It's very simple! For interstellar travel we have dreams but no technology, while for interplanetary travel we have technology but no dreams!

Jeff Sullivan

Photographer, author, astrophotographer and insomniac. Restless traveler and incurable explorer.

The problem, as with most astronomical phenomena, is the huge timescales in which things happen. We therefore rely on supercomputers to feed them data and get simulations which show us what happens in thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions, or billions of years.

So this brings us to the Blue Moon. What is it and how does it effect us? This occurs when there are two full moons in a single month. There was a full moon July 1 and there will be one on July 31. This calendar occurrence does not happen every year.

Summer is here and all over the world, people take the roads, airways, exploring the world around them. But our travels aren't just limited to terrestrial destinations this year. Exploration, be it of space or thought is one of the great natural human impulses. It can lead us anywhere, often with the help of mathematics.

Dan Rockmore

William H. Neukom '64 Professor of Computational Science, Director of the Neukom Institute for Computational Science, Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science, at Dartmouth College, Santa Fe Institute External Faculty

Scientists at Caltech have confirmed the distance of the furthest galaxy known in the Universe as of today. The light from this very early celestial comes just 570 million years after the Big Bang.

The first impressions you glean from the released New Horizons high-resolution images is that Pluto is vastly different from its dwarf planet cousin Ceres. Ceres lives in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and its surface has been pummeled by asteroids, leaving behind thousands of craters from meters to tens of kilometers across.

How can we help often fractured and segregated communities come together? One way is to foster organic interactions through innocuous shared experiences. Public astronomy is one way of giving every type of person a chance to connect and better understand each other.

Viva Dadwal

Visiting Scholar at Johns Hopkins University

Next week on July 14, the NASA spacecraft New Horizons will have completed its nine-year journey to Pluto. There is no telling what we will discover when we get there, but it will certainly be both alien and exciting!

Much to the delight of scientists and technicians, the frigid sky over the snow-covered Siberian fields and villages remained clear as dawn approached.

Mark Boslough

Physicist; Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry

The Big Rip, the Big Crunch, the Big Freeze, it pretty much sounds like a list of 'big' Hollywood B-movies. Funny as they may sound, these are some of the most fundamental theories for the beginning and the ending of the Universe.

What are those two bright stars on the West after sunset? They are actually planets, Venus and Jupiter coming into conjunction, in other words, near each other as seen from Earth.

You've probably seen them in the evening: two suspiciously bright lights in the western sky. What are they? Planes? UFOs? No, they're the two brightest planets and they're heading for a dramatic conjunction Tuesday night.

Don't call them planets.This year two unmanned spacecrafts are taking us to worlds we have never seen up close. The Dawn mission has been in orbit around Ceres, the largest asteroid in the solar system since March, and the New Horizons spacecraft will make a close fly-by of Pluto on July 14.

Could it be that no one is out there? Are we now free to declare ourselves the acme of brain power in this part of the cosmos, and certify that everything out to 50 million light-years is Klingon-free?

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Astronomy: Pictures, Videos, Breaking News

Everything to do with Astronomy:

A hobby of humanity since the dawn of time, and the scientific study of celestial objects.

"Astronomy compels the soul to look upward, and leads us from this world to another."

"We are a way for the cosmos to know itself."

Looking for your first telescope?

Here are a few articles to help you make an informed decision:

More helpful information

What to view tonight

What Was That Bright Object Flying Over My House?

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Rage/Meme Comics, Spam links and disrespectful comments will be removed.

Repeat and/or serious offenses will earn you a ban.

The downvote button is disabled until further notice. Too many newcomers were having their posts downvoted into oblivion. If a post doesn't belong here (rage/meme comics, blog spam, etc.), please use the "report" button.

Please avoid multiple exclamation marks, excessive CAPS, or editorialize in your submission titles. Nine times out ot ten, the actual article title is perfectly usable.

If you plan to post a pic, ask yourself "Would this appear in an Astronomy Magazine?" If the answer is no, submit to /r/pics instead. What this means is that your self-taken photos of stars, planets, etc are welcome, but refrain from posting pics that are tangentially related to astronomy, at best.

Remember, keep looking up!

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Astronomy /r/Astronomy - reddit

; Robert A. Schommer Astronomical Observatory Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Next Public Open Night Thursday, 08 October 2015, 08:30 p.m. EDT to 10:30 p.m. EDT

Status (as of 25 September 2015, 02:45 a.m. EDT): Will be held, weather permitting. If you have any questions, please call 732-735-5483 and leave a message. Your call will be returned.

For general information, please call 848-445-8973 or 848-445-8785 (08:30 a.m. to 04:30 p.m.).

October 2015 second Thursday (the 08th): M13, Vega, Deneb, Albireo, M57, M11, M31, Almach, NGC 457, h & χ Persei, M45, Neptune, and Uranus (near opposition) third Thursday (the 15th): M13, Vega, Deneb, Albireo, M57, M11, M31, Almach, NGC 457, h & χ Persei, M45, Neptune, and Uranus (near opposition) fourth Thursday (the 22nd): M13, Vega, Deneb, Albireo, M57, M11, M31, Almach, NGC 457, h & χ Persei, M45, Neptune, Uranus, and the Moon (waxing gibbous)

November 2015 second Thursday (the 12th): Vega, Deneb, Albireo, M57, M11, M31, Almach, NGC 457, h & χ Persei, M45, M42, Betelgeuse, Neptune, and Uranus third Thursday (the 19th): Vega, Deneb, Albireo, M57, M11, M31, Almach, NGC 457, h & χ Persei, M45, M42, Betelgeuse, Neptune, Uranus, and the Moon (first quarter) fourth Thursday (the 26th): Thanksgiving Day (we will not be open)

December 2015 second Thursday (the 10th): M31, Almach, NGC 457, h & χ Persei, M45, M42, Betelgeuse, Sirius, Neptune, and Uranus third Thursday (the 17th): M31, Almach, NGC 457, h & χ Persei, M45, M42, Betelgeuse, Sirius, Neptune, Uranus, and the Moon (first quarter) fourth Thursday (the 24th): Christmas Eve (we will not be open)

January 2016 second Thursday (the 14th): M31, Almach, NGC 457, h & χ Persei, M45, M42, Betelgeuse, Sirius, Uranus, and the Moon (waxing crescent) third Thursday (the 21st): M31, Almach, NGC 457, h & χ Persei, M45, M42, Betelgeuse, Sirius, Uranus, and the Moon (full) fourth Thursday (the 28th): M31, Almach, NGC 457, h & χ Persei, M45, M42, Betelgeuse, Sirius, and Uranus

February 2016 second Thursday (the 11th): M31, Almach, NGC 457, h & χ Persei, M45, M42, Betelgeuse, Sirius, Uranus, Jupiter, and the Moon (waxing crescent) third Thursday (the 18th): M31, Almach, NGC 457, h & χ Persei, M45, M42, Betelgeuse, Sirius, Uranus, Jupiter, and the Moon (waxing gibbous) fourth Thursday (the 25th): M31, Almach, NGC 457, h & χ Persei, M45, M42, Betelgeuse, Sirius, Uranus, Jupiter, and the Moon (waning gibbous)

March 2016 second Thursday (the 10th): Almach, NGC 457, h & χ Persei, M45, M42, Betelgeuse, Sirius, and Jupiter (near opposition) third Thursday (the 17th): Almach, NGC 457, h & χ Persei, M45, M42, Betelgeuse, Sirius, Jupiter, and the Moon (waxing gibbous) fourth Thursday (the 24th): Almach, NGC 457, h & χ Persei, M45, M42, Betelgeuse, Sirius, Jupiter, and the Moon (full)

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Rutgers Astronomy: Serin Observatory Public Nights

Learn and research space and astronomy, Geology, Earth Science, science, chemistry, biology, physics, math, electronics, and much more. 101science.comis the internet science PORTAL to more than 20,000 science sites. This site is FREE!

This free astronomy web links page is provided for your personal educational and research purposes.

Don't head out to your dark sky site without checking here for current cloud conditions. You won't be able to see a thing if it is overcast so save yourself a frustrating trip and check here first.

Search 101science.com pages:

THEN: VERY IMPORTANT!! Use you browser's "Find on this page" capability to search for words on a page. Usually Ctrl + F will work.

CURRENT UTC TIME: http://www.time.gov/timezone.cgi?UTC/s/0/java

UTC to LOCAL Time Converter

Converter Chart (Feel free to print a copy out for your personal use.)

What is Universal Coordinated Time - UTC?

Converting Coordinated Universal Time to (winter) U.S Local Time

Eastern Standard Time

UTC -5

Central Standard Time

UTC -6

Mountain Standard Time

UTC -7

Pacific Standard Time

UTC -8

Alaska Standard Time

UTC -9

Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time

UTC -10

GENERAL ASTRONOMY TOPICS

Astrometry.net: http://astrometry.net/

Sloan Digital Sky Survey - http://cas.sdss.org/dr2/en/ This website presents data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, a project to make a map of a large part of the universe. We would like to show you the beauty of the universe, and share with you our excitement as we build the largest map in the history of the world.

AstroWeb Links: http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/astroweb.html

Below you can learn all you need to know about the Earth and Universe.

1. SPACE 2. NASA 3. SHUTTLE 4. UNIVERSE 5. ASTRONOMY 6. MAPS

ScienceIQ

(ScienceIQ.com) Delivers fascinating and engaging science facts daily to your email, and offers an extensive science facts online archive. Topics are diverse and range from the human mind to nanotechnology, and from basic scientific concepts to the latest discoveries.

First Person A video series profiling JPLers and their work. + View video in RealPlayer Senior robotics engineer Dr. Edward Tunstel describes how rovers are developed and tested on Earth and how the current Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, are put to work on the red planet. Please visit the Mars Exploration Rover site for more rover information.

Courtesy JPL/NASA

Best general astronomy book for amateur astronomers and those wanting an easy to read description and understanding of astronomy.

Best in-depth introduction to astrophysics book below. Requires some math abilities to fully appreciate.

FORMULAS

Astronomy Formulas by James Q. Jacobs Astronomy Formulas II, By James Q. Jacobs Yahoo! Directory Astronomical Calendars > Formulas and Constants SCI.SPACE FAQ No. 04 - space/math Graham Pattison's CCD Astronomy - Telescope Formula's Astronomy Formulas Definition of Astronomy - wordIQ Dictionary & Encyclopedia [DOC] FORMULAS FOR ASTRONOMY

[DOC] FORMULAS FOR ASTRONOMY

EARTH'S SOLAR SYSTEM

Calculate distances (REAL TIME) between solar system planets and the sun. Click HERE. Solar System Live

Solar System Running Dynamics - Orbital data (java). Click Here

Interactive Java Solar System Model with data. Click HERE

Solar X-rays: Geomagnetic Field:

From http://www.n3kl.org/sun/

Link to current sun image at high resolution. http://umbra.nascom.nasa.gov/eit/images/latest_eit_304_full.gif

SUN STORMS - The Movie!! - HERE

About the Sun by the High Altitude Observatory (a good website for beginners)

Sunblock '99 Edinburgh International Science Festival. Take some tours to explore various aspects of the Sun. Middle School Level.

Boundless Universe - What's the Sun

Yohkoh Public Outreach Page Tour of the Sun- Surfing for Sunbeams! (Lockheed). Also see Yohkoh below.

Curious About Astronomy? The Sun Cornell University.

SOHO Explore Page More about SOHO on the Solar Missions Page.

Why the Sun Shines by Wesley Colley, September 25, 1997, Suite101.Com

How the Sun Shines Nobel Prize website article.

Here Comes the Sun BBC Weather Centre Online

Here Comes the Sun Plymouth State College Weather Center

Information about the Sun Astrocappella

Astronomy in Motion: The Sun (grade school level)

The Sun Athena, Earth and Space Science for K-12

See Time & Navigation. The Sun Peoria Astronomical Society

The Sun Curtin University of Technology (Perth, Australia) (At a high school level.)

Listening to the Sun Australian Broadcasting Corp. Solar radio observing in 1952.

Pulse of The Planet, January 2000 - Sounds of the Sun

Solar Max 2000.com - Presented By the Exploratorium

Sunspots- The Exploratorium's Guide to Sunspots

Sunspots and the Solar Cycle NASA sponsored website.

The Sunspot Cycle Mount Wilson Observatory

Sunspots and the Solar Maximum NASA Earth Observatory website.

Sunspot Index Data Center Royal Observatory of Belgium.

ASTRO 201 General Topics (Cornell Univ. course), Structure and Evolution of Star:

Nick Strobel's Astronomy Lecture Notes

Astronomy 162: Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology Univ. of Tennessee

ASTR1120-002 General Astronomy II: Stars & Galaxies Course notes by Richard McCray @ Univ. of Colorado:

ASTR 103 - Astronomy Supplement Text Contents George Mason University

The Sun: An Introduction to Magneto Hydrodynamics (MHD) St Andrews University (UK) Notes for an advanced undergraduate course. The Introduction section has a nice overview of our knowledge of the Sun.

UCSB Astrophysics Web SunSpots Interactive Lab the UC Santa Barbara Interactive Astrophysics Arcade

A Virtual Tour of the Sun

Layers of the sun Plasmas - the 4th State of Matter

Scientific American: Ask the Experts: Astronomy:

by Leon Golub and Jay M. Pasachoff. May 2001. Harvard University Press.

Gunther Groenez's Solar Observing and Astrophotography An amateur solar observer in Belgium with his work and many useful links.

Tony Smith:

Beginner's Radio Propagation Primer AE4RV A.R.T.S. Club Technet

Solar Oscillations Investigations (Stanford)

Helioseismology:

The Sun, The Solar Wind, and The Corona SPARTAN

The Solar Wind The Exploration of the Earth's Magnetosphere

Solar Flare Tutorial NASA GSFC Laboratory for Astronomy and Solar Physics

Overview of Solar Flares High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (HESSI)

National Solar Observatory / Sacramento Peak

Cosmic and Heliospheric Learning Center associated with the ACE spacecraft:

BASS 2000 - French solar data base Includes images and solar spectrum data.

Space Weather.Com NASA

Lycos Link Directory- Science - Astronomy - Solar Astronomy

The Solar Neutrino Problem

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Astronomy - Mobile Friendly

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EnchantedLearning.com is a user-supported site. As a bonus, site members have access to a banner-ad-free version of the site, with print-friendly pages. Click here to learn more.

Our solar system consists of the sun, eight planets, moons, many dwarf planets (or plutoids), an asteroid belt, comets, meteors, and others. The sun is the center of our solar system; the planets, their moons, a belt of asteroids, comets, and other rocks and gas orbit the sun.

The eight planets that orbit the sun are (in order from the sun): Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. Another large body is Pluto, now classified as a dwarf planet or plutoid. A belt of asteroids (minor planets made of rock and metal) lies between Mars and Jupiter. These objects all orbit the sun in roughly circular orbits that lie in the same plane, the ecliptic (Pluto is an exception; it has an elliptical orbit tilted over 17 from the ecliptic).

Easy ways to remember the order of the planets (plus Pluto) are the mnemonics: "My Very Excellent Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pizzas" and "My Very Easy Method Just Simplifies Us Naming Planets" The first letter of each of these words represents a planet - in the correct order.

The Inner Planets vs. the Outer Planets The inner planets (those planets that orbit close to the sun) are quite different from the outer planets (those planets that orbit far from the sun).

Density of the Planets The outer, gaseous planets are much less dense than the inner, rocky planets.

The Earth is the densest planet. Saturn is the least dense planet; it would float on water.

The Mass of the Planets Jupiter is by far the most massive planet; Saturn trails it. Uranus, Neptune, Earth, Venus, Mars, and Pluto are orders of magnitude less massive.

Gravitational Forces on the Planets The planet with the strongest gravitational attraction at its surface is Jupiter. Although Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are also very massive planets, their gravitational forces are about the same as Earth. This is because the gravitational force a planet exerts upon an object at the planet's surface is proportional to its mass and to the inverse of the planet's radius squared.

A Day on Each of the Planets A day is the length of time that it takes a planet to rotate on its axis (360). A day on Earth takes almost 24 hours.

The planet with the longest day is Venus; a day on Venus takes 243 Earth days. (A day on Venus is longer than its year; a year on Venus takes only 224.7 Earth days).

The planet with the shortest day is Jupiter; a day on Jupiter only takes 9.8 Earth hours! When you observe Jupiter from Earth, you can see some of its features change.

The Average Orbital Speed of the Planets As the planets orbit the Sun, they travel at different speeds. Each planet speeds up when it is nearer the Sun and travels more slowly when it is far from the Sun (this is Kepler's Second Law of Planetary Motion).

The Planets in Our Solar System

Another Planet? In 2005, a large object beyond Pluto was observed in the Kuiper belt.

A few astronomers think that there might be another planet or companion star orbiting the Sun far beyond the orbit of Pluto. This distant planet/companion star may or may not exist. The hypothesized origin of this hypothetical object is that a celestial object, perhaps a hard-to-detect cool, brown dwarf star (called Nemesis), was captured by the Sun's gravitational field. This planet is hypothesized to exist because of the unexplained clumping of some long-period comet's orbits. The orbits of these far-reaching comets seem to be affected by the gravitational pull of a distant, Sun-orbiting object.

Planet Activities and Quizzes Planet Coloring pages

An interactive puzzle on the Solar System.

Find It!, a quiz on the planets.

A fill-in-the-blank (cloze) activity on the Solar System - or go to the answers.

Solar System Model to make.

Solar System calendar to print out and color.

Solar System Crafts

How to write a report on a planet - plus a rubric.

Astronomy: K-3 Theme Page

The Planets A Book With Tabs

The Solar System Book

Solar System Diagram

Earth's Atmosphere

Earth Diagram

Celsius Bar Graph Questions #2: Printable Worksheet

Enchanted Learning Over 35,000 Web Pages Sample Pages for Prospective Subscribers, or click below

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Planets - Zoom Astronomy - ENCHANTED LEARNING

Although MIT does not have a formal Astronomy Department, undergraduate academic programs in astronomy at MIT reside both in the Department of Physics (astrophysics) and the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (planetary astronomy), which offer a variety of courses in astronomy and astrophysics. An undergraduate choosing Physics as a major can pursue the study of astronomy in either the Flexible or Focused option. To study astronomy when majoring in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, one would choose the Planetary Science option. An astronomy minor is jointly offered by both departments, and undergraduates can participate in research under the auspices of MIT's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP).

Prospective graduate students in astronomy have the same choice: those with particular interest in planetary astronomy should apply to the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, and those interested in other areas of astronomy should apply to the Department of Physics. A variety of graduate courses are offered by both departments. Graduate work in exoplanets can be pursued in either department.

MIT operates two observatories, both located in Westford Massachusetts: (1) the George R. Wallace Jr. Astrophysical Observatory, which is devoted to undergraduate teaching and research that can be accomplished with small telescopes and (2) the Haystack Observatory, which is an interdisciplinary research center focused on radio astronomy, geodesy, and atmospheric science. MIT is also a 10% partner in the two Magellan optical telescopes at Las Campanas Observatory, which is a two-hour drive north of La Serena, Chile.

Research in astronomy by members of the Physics faculty is carried out in the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, while astronomy research by members of the Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences faculty is carried out in one of several laboratories: the Planetary Astronomy Laboratory, the MIT-NASA IRTF Remote Observing Laboratory, the Planetary Dynamics Laboratory, and the MIT Exoplanet Institute.

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Astronomy at MIT

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Buy My Stuff Keep Bad Astronomy close to your heart, and help make me filthy rich. Hey, it's either this or one of those really irritating PayPal donation buttons here.

I feel obliged to right these wrongs when I can. The Bad Astronomy web pages are devoted to airing out myths and misconceptions in astronomy and related topics. At the moment, I have no desire to tackle here such thorny topics as astrology, alternate views of the universe that are clearly in contradiction to observations, and the like. I may add something like that eventually, when I have more time (translation: "never").

But enough from me. Mark Twain said it best:

"In the space of one hundred and seventy-six years the Lower Mississippi has shortened itself two hundred and forty-two miles. Therefore ... in the Old Oolitic Silurian Period the Lower Mississippi River was upward of one million three hundred thousand miles long... seven hundred and forty-two years from now the Lower Mississippi will be only a mile and three-quarters long... There is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact."

2008 Phil Plait. All Rights Reserved.

Buy my book!

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Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy: Home Page

Astronomy is the study of celestial objects, phenomena, and origins. One of the oldest sciences, astronomy has been practiced since prehistoric times. Modern astronomy depends highly on accepted physical theories, such as Newton's Laws of Motion and general relativity. In the past, astronomy was something anyone could do, and many seers and sages made reputations for themselves by using the stars for useful functions, such as telling what time of the year it is, or navigating the seas. Columbus and his contemporaries used the stars to navigate across the Atlantic ocean.

It wasn't until the Renaissance that the theory of heliocentricity in astronomy, the idea that the Earth orbits the Sun rather than vice versa, began to acquire popular currency. Reflecting telescopes were invented in the early 1600s, and Galileo Galilei used them to take detailed observations of our Moon, which he revealed was mountainous, and observe Jupiter's four largest moons, now named the Galilean moons in his honor. Newton improved on Galileo's design, inventing the reflecting telescope, which is still used in optical telescopes to this day.

IN 1781, Sir William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus. In 1838, parallax the slight difference in stellar position due to Earth's location in its orbit was used to precisely determine the distance of stars. Neptune was discovered shortly thereafter. Pluto was discovered only as recently as 1930.

Modern astronomy is very complicated and expensive. Instead of only observing light rays, we observe radar, infrared, x-rays, and even cosmic rays. Orbital observatories such as the Hubble Space Telescope have produced the best images, include extremely high-resolution photographs of other galaxies.

In the mid-20th century, it was discovered that the universe was expanding. This, along with other evidence, led to the theory of the Big Bang, that the entire universe began as a point particle of extreme density. Later observations of the cosmic microwave background confirmed this, and the Big Bang continues as the primary theory of cosmological origins to this day.

The future of astronomy lies in the development of new observational technologies. One of interest is interferometry, sometimes called "hypertelescopes," which use a network of telescopes working cooperatively to resolve images. These could develop to the point where we can observe extrasolar planets with telescopes directly, instead of just detecting them from their gravitational signature.

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What is Astronomy? (with pictures) - wiseGEEK

Astronomy (ISSN0091-6358) is a monthly American magazine about astronomy. Targeting amateur astronomers for its readers, it contains columns on sky viewing, reader-submitted astrophotographs, and articles on astronomy and astrophysics that are readable by nonscientists.

Astronomy is a magazine about the science and hobby of astronomy. Based near Milwaukee in Waukesha, Wisconsin, it is produced by Kalmbach Publishing. Astronomys readers include those interested in astronomy, and those who want to know about sky events, observing techniques, astrophotography, and amateur astronomy in general.

Astronomy was founded in 1973 by Stephen A. Walther, a graduate of the University of WisconsinStevens Point and amateur astronomer. The first issue, August 1973, consisted of 48 pages with five feature articles and information about what to see in the sky that month. Issues contained astrophotos and illustrations created by astronomical artists. Walther had worked part time as a planetarium lecturer at the University of WisconsinMilwaukee and developed an interest in photographing constellations at an early age. Although even in childhood he was interested to obsession in Astronomy, he did so poorly in mathematics that his mother despaired that he would ever be able to earn a living. However he graduated in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, and as a senior class project he created a business plan for a magazine for amateur astronomers. With the help of his brother David, he was able to bring the magazine to fruition.[citation needed]. He died in 1977.

AstroMedia Corp., the company Walther had founded to publish Astronomy, brought in Richard Berry as editor. Berry also created the offshoot Odyssey, aimed at young readers, and the specialized Telescope Making. In 1985, Milwaukee hobby publisher Kalmbach bought Astronomy.

In 1992, Richard Berry left the magazine and Robert Burnham took over as chief editor. Kalmbach discontinued Deep Sky and Telescope Making magazines and sold Odyssey. In 1996 Bonnie Gordon, now a professor at Central Arizona College, assumed the editorship. David J. Eicher, the creator of "Deep Sky," became chief editor in 2002.

The Astronomy staff also produces other publications. These have included Explore the Universe; Beginners Guide to Astronomy; Origin and Fate of the Universe; Mars: Explore the Red Planet's Past, Present, and Future; Atlas of the Stars; Cosmos; and 50 Greatest Mysteries of the Universe. There also was, for a time in the mid-2000s, a Brazilian edition published by Duetto Editora called Astronomy Brasil. However, due mainly to low circulation numbers, Duetto ceased its publication in September 2007.

Astronomy publishes articles about the hobby and science of astronomy. Generally, the front half of the magazine reports on professional science, while the back half of the magazine presents items of interest to hobbyists. Science articles cover such topics as cosmology, space exploration, exobiology, research conducted by professional-class observatories, and individual professional astronomers. Each issue of Astronomy contains a foldout star map showing the evening sky for the current month and the positions of planets, and some comets.

The magazine has regular columnists. They include science writer Bob Berman, who writes a column called Bob Bermans Strange Universe. Stephen James OMeara writes Stephen James OMearas Secret Sky, which covers observing tips and stories relating to deep-sky objects, planets, and comets. Glenn Chaple writes "Glenn Chaples Observing Basics", a beginners column. Phil Harrington writes "Phil Harringtons Binocular Universe", about observing with binoculars. "Telescope Insider" interviews people who are a part of the telescope-manufacturing industry.

In each issue of Astronomy Magazine, readers will find star and planet charts, telescope observing tips and techniques, and advice on taking photography of the night sky.[2] The magazine also publishes reader-submitted photos in a gallery, lists astronomy-related events, letters from readers, news, and announcements of new products.

Astronomy may include special sections bound into the magazine, such as booklets or posters. Recent examples have included a Messier Catalog booklet, poster showing comet C/2006 P1 (McNaught) and historical comets, a Skyguide listing upcoming sky events, a Telescope Buyer's Guide; a poster titled "Atlas of Extrasolar Planets"; and a poster showing the life cycles of stars.

Astronomy is the largest circulation astronomy magazine, with monthly circulation of 114,080.[3] The majority of its readers are in the United States, but it is also circulated in Canada and internationally.[4]

Its major competitor is Sky & Telescope magazine with a circulation of 80,023.[3]

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Astronomy (magazine) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Night sky puts on a meteor shower to celebrate Rosettas closest approach to the sun

Introductory level Duration 5 mins Updated 11 Aug 2015

The Perseids coincide with Rosetta making its closest approach to the Sun, explains Monica Grady.

Introductory level Duration 30 mins Updated 10 Aug 2015

The Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak on 13th August 2015. Find out more about meteors, Perseus and what meteors have to do with ancient Egypt...

Introductory level Duration 5 mins Updated 14 Jul 2015

After a journey of over four and a half billion miles, New Horizons gets some face time with Pluto. But not too much.

Introductory level Duration 5 mins Updated 13 Jul 2015

New Horizons is giving us the chance to see Pluto, close-up, for the first time. But familiarity won't restore Pluto's planet status.

Updated 15 Jun 2015

As part of the consortium that brought Philae to life, we're delighted that it's sending messages once again. Here's a quick round-up of reactions...

Introductory level Updated 23 Apr 2015

Free learning resources in astronomy, relating to light, as part of The Open University's International Year of Light celebrations.

Introductory level Duration 30 mins Updated 19 Mar 2015

On Friday 20 March 2015, thewhole of the UK will be able to viewa partial eclipse of the Sun.

Introductory level Duration 5 mins Updated 19 Mar 2015

Follow our safety advice when looking at the sun

Introductory level Duration 10 mins Updated 19 Mar 2015

Dr. Lucie Green has more safety advice when looking at the sun

Introductory level Duration 5 mins Updated 06 Mar 2015

With jokes, with panic, with searches for religious meaning: A collection of contemporary responses to eclipses from 18th Century publications.

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Astronomy - OpenLearn - Open University

Astronomy, derived from the Greek words for star law, is the scientific study of all objects beyond our world. It is also the process by which we seek to understand the physical laws and origins of our universe.

Over the centuries there have been countless innovators that have contributed to the development and advancement of astronomy. Some of these key individuals include:

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 - 1543): He was a Polish physician and lawyer by trade, but is now regarded as the father of the current heliocentric model of the solar system.

Tycho Brahe (1546 - 1601): A Danish nobleman, Tycho designed and built instruments of greater power and resolution than anything that had been developed previously. He used these instruments to chart the positions of planets and other celestial objects with such great precision, that it debunked many of the commonly held notions of planetary and stellar motion.

Johannes Kepler (1571 - 1630): A student of Tychos, Kepler continued his work, and from that discovered three laws of planetary motion:

Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642): While Galileo is sometimes credited (incorrectly) with being the creator of the telescope, he was the first to use the telescope to make detailed studies of heavenly bodies. He was the first to conclude that the Moon was likely similar in composition to the Earth, and that the Suns surface changed (i.e., the motion of sunspots on the Suns surface). He was also the first to see four of Jupiters moons, and the phases of Venus. Ultimately it was his observations of the Milky Way, specifically the detection of countless stars, that shook the scientific community.

Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727): Considered one of the greatest scientific minds of all time, Newton not only deduced the law of gravity, but realized the need for a new type of mathematics (calculus) to describe it.

His discoveries and theories dictated the direction of science for more than 200 years, and truly ushered in the era of modern astronomy.

Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955): Einstein is famous for his development of general relativity, a correction to Newtons law of gravity. But, his relation of energy to mass (E=mc2) is also important to astronomy, as it is the basis for which we understand how the Sun, and other stars, fuse hydrogen into Helium for energy.

Edwin Hubble (1889 - 1953): During his career, Hubble answered two of the biggest questions plaguing astronomers at the time. He determined that so-called spiral nebulae were, in fact, other galaxies, proving that the Universe extends well beyond our own galaxy. Hubble then followed up that discovery by showing that these other galaxies were receding at speeds proportional to their distances away form us.

Stephen Hawking (1942 - ): Very few scientists alive today have contributed more to the advancement of their fields than Stephen Hawking. His work has significantly increased our knowledge of black holes and other exotic celestial objects. Also, and perhaps more importantly, Hawking has made significant strides in advancing our understanding of the Universe and its creation.

There are really two main branches of astronomy: optical astronomy (the study of celestial objects in the visible band) and non-optical astronomy (the use of instruments to study objects in the radio through gamma-ray wavelengths).

Optical Astronomy: Today, when we think about optical astronomy, we most instantly visualize the amazing images from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), or close up images of the planets taken by various space probes. What most people dont realize though, is that these images also yield volumes of information about the structure, nature and evolution of objects in our Universe.

Non-optical Astronomy: While optical telescopes are sometimes considered the only pure instruments for doing astronomy research, there are other types of observatories that make significant contributions to our understanding of the Universe. These instruments have allowed us to create a picture of our universe that spans the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from low energy radio signals, to ultra high energy gamma-rays. They give us information about the evolution and physics of some of the Universes most dynamic treasures, such as neutron stars and black holes. And it is because of these endeavors that we have learned about the structure of galaxies including our Milky Way.

There are so many types of objects that astronomers study, that it is convenient to break astronomy up into subfields of study.

Planetary Astronomy: Researchers in this subfield focus their studies on planets, both within and outside our solar system, as well as objects like asteroids and comets.

Solar Astronomy: While the sun has been studied for centuries, there is still a significant amount of active research conducted. Particularly, scientists are interested in learning how the Sun changes, and trying to understand how these changes affect the Earth.

Stellar Astronomy: Simply, stellar astronomy is the study of stars, including their creation, evolution and death. Astronomers use instruments to study different objects across all wavelengths, and use the information to create physical models of the stars.

Galactic Astronomy: The Milky Way Galaxy is a very complex system of stars, nebulae, and dust. Astronomers study the motion and evolution of the Milky Way in order to learn how galaxies are formed.

Extragalactic Astronomy: Astronomers study other galaxies in the Universe to learn how galaxies are grouped and interact on a large scale.

Cosmology: Cosmologists study the structure of the Universe in order to understand its creation. They typically focus on the big picture, and attempt to model what the Universe would have looked like only moments after the Big Bang.

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Astronomy - Introduction and History of the Study of Stars

Astronomy is a science that studies celestial objects such as the Sun, planets, moons, stars, nebulae & galaxies.

It is often referred to as the final frontier. Astronomy is an exciting field that most people have at least some interest in. There are literally hundreds of facts that we could go through, below we narrow it down to 10 major facts in no particular order:

1. The night sky appears to be moving when you look at it. All of the stars and points of interest seem to be moving from east to west. This appearance of movement is due to the fact that the earth is rotating. The speed at which the earth is rotating is approximately 1,000 miles per hour. This is the cause of setting and rising of objects at night. You would also be able to see it during the day, as if it were six months ago, if you were able to turn the sun off like a light bulb.

A year is known as 365 days, but the earth actually takes 365.25 days to orbit the sun. This is why we had to come up with a leap year every 4 years, to account for the extra .25 that is otherwise not accounted for. Most people are aware of that, but did you know that once every 400 years we also do another leap year in addition? This is because the earth rotates around the sun a little over 365.25 times, just a fraction if you will. We compensate that by having another leap year every 400 years.

2. Certain areas of the sky are marked by constellations. The charts that you see these days will have the sky broken up into 88 constellations. A constellation of stars is a group of stars that is found to have a pattern, and is named after a mythological figure or by which form it takes. The constellations were first identified by the Greeks over 2500 years ago. They have since seemingly changed positions to where we see them today. This has caused quite the stir in the astrology world, and most people have had to acknowledge the shift in positions.

One of the most common constellations is the Big Dipper. It is one of the constellations that make up the Ursa Major. You will also be able to tell people that you know the Little Dipper is part of the Ursa Minor. The smallest constellation is known as the Crux, whereas there are several larger constellations, Ursa Major is among them. Most of the constellations that you will see were named because they look like something, although more often than not they dont look like what they are named after .

3. There are nine planets that have been named in our solar system, although Pluto was named a dwarf planet in 2006, so it is no longer classified in the same group as the other planets that we have come to know. Earth, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Uranus, Saturn, and Neptune are the other eight planets. Pluto was first discovered to be a planet, but the astronomers all over the globe were going back and forth on whether or not it should be classified as one or not for years. Finally they came to the dwarf planet conclusion.

The largest planet in our solar system is Jupiter. The closest planet to the sun is Mercury. Saturn is known for the magnificent rings that accompany it. A planet is defined as a celestial body that is orbiting around a star. It also has to be big enough that it forms the shape of a sphere through gravity. If it is too big and causes thermonuclear fusion, it is not considered a planet anymore.

4. The exact number of stars is always going to be changing, therefore an exact number is essentially impossible. It is extremely hard to even guess the number of stars. You could say that there is trillions of them, and you would still be way off on the low end. A lot of the stars that you can see without a telescope, just with your eyes at night, were named as far back as ancient times. A lot of the traditions and customs that they used back then to name stars have since dramatically changed. We now have a much different process in choosing the names for our stars.

You will find that a lot of stars have Arabic names. This is because in medieval times the Islamic nations had a very developed interest in astronomy. In fact, the Big Dipper has 7 stars that are named in Arabic. Some time later, Latin became a popular choice when Europeans started to develop their strong interest in astronomy. Polaris, otherwise known as the north star, is one prime example of this.

5. It is impossible to try and name or memorize all of the stars outside of our solar system. There are tons of catalogs though at many research centers that have captured and documented hundreds of thousands of them. You will find that in most of the constellations, the star that is named with an A at the beginning of it is the brightest star. The next brightest would start with a B, and so on. One good example of this is Librae, which is the brightest star in Libra. The only downside to this methodology is that the Greek alphabet only has 24 characters. So, if a constellation has more than 24 stars, it will be impossible to name them in order of diminishing brightness.

Without the help of technology, the naked eye can see approximately 6,000 stars at night. In the northern hemisphere this number falls down to about 3,000. This is going to be the case no matter where you are at, because you are never going to be able to see the entire sky. Some sources have noted that it could be up to 7,000 stars in the entire sky and 3,500 that you can see at one time. Although there seems to be no exact number, this should give you a good estimate of how many stars you can see.

6. Catalogs have played a large role in our ability to effectively name stars and keep track of the ones that are already named. Since most astronomers are not able to efficiently use the Greek method of naming stars, they designate names and add them to these catalogs. One of the most important catalogs that you will find was created by F.W. Argelander in Germany in the mid 1800s. It was named Bonner Durchmuterung. It was at the Bond observatory and listed hundreds of thousands of stars.

In the U.S. around 1920, another very important catalog was created in order to help the astronomy field keep track of stars. It was known as the Henry Draper catalog. The listings in this catalog go by HD numbers. You can think of it as a library book number. It is not exactly the same but will help you put it in perspective. Henry Draper was a physician that died, and his widow is the one that funded the catalog and named it after him.

Many people forget that there is also a few catalogs that were started for non-stellar objects. This can include star clusters, nebulae, galaxies, etc. You can find a 100 or so of the brightest ones in a catalog that was created by Charles Messier, a French astronomist, in the 18th century. The objects that are in this catalog are going to be referred to by their M numbers.

7. Astronomy and time have always gone hand and hand. Ever since there has been a need to keep track of time, there has been astronomy behind that. Even in ancient times they needed to be able to keep track of the seasons in order to properly plan religious events and when there would be dramatic weather changes. Today, we still rely on this information to plan our vacations, religious events, and many other things that we need to know the weather ahead of time for. We know what weather is likely to come our way depending on what season we are currently in.

Those that wanted more specific time measurements had to look to the position of the sun in the sky. Just about all of the people on earth sleep when it is dark and are active when it is light. The sun is what tells us when that is happening. One of the best inventions to keep track of this was the sundial. It was meant to help keep extreme accuracy for those that used it. For the most part, it was extremely accurate. It was the equivalent to our phones and alarm clocks now days.

To get nearly exact measurements of time, astronomers would turn to the meridian. For those of you that dont know, the meridian is the circle on the celestial sphere that passes through both celestial poles and the zenith. You would be able to tell when noon has occurred when you are able to identify the sun crossing over the meridian above the horizon. Midnight would happen when the same thing occurred in the opposite direction, but below the horizon.

8. People eventually found out that the sun is not the most accurate way to keep time. There are a couple of reasons why. The earths orbit is an eclipse, not a circle. The sun is the reason why one of the points in which you would focus is blocked out. Because of this, the earth will move closer to the sun during part of the orbit, and it will move further away during the other part. The earth will then proceed to speed up during the part when it is closest to the sun, and it will slow down when it is at the part of the orbit that is furthest from the sun.

The ecliptic is the next reason, as it is inclined by 23.5 degrees. That is in relation to the celestial equator. A large portion of the suns motion around the equinoxes is in a north-south direction, rather than the majority of the time being in the east-west direction. The easterly progression from day to day during the solstices is faster than that of the equinoxes. Because of this, it is more like the earth is rotating normally, rather than in an ecliptic motion. The tropic of cancer and the tropic of capricorn are great examples of that. When the sun is over the equator, it moves slowly. When it is over the two tropics mentioned above, it starts to move faster.

They were able to solve this problem by the creation of the mean sun. The mean sun is the rate at which the sun would appear to be rotating around the earth if it were uniform. It keeps moving at a constant rate and is a much better way to keep accurate time. This way people can keep time without having to account for all of the variables that would cause time to slightly alter. It would be impossible to create a way to keep track with all of these variables.

You may hear of the term, a mean solar system day. This is the interval in which it takes the sun to cross the meridian transit of the mean sun successively. This time is also measured to be exactly 24 hours. It is meant to be the exactly equivalent to a normal solar system day. Our sense of time can be linked to this mean solar system day.

9. The mean solar system time and the apparent solar system time can be different by up to 15 minutes during the different seasons. The equation of time is what you call this difference. Astronomers have come up with graphs that will allow you to correct this equation of time. You would have to use a sun dial to accomplish this. It is going to be the apparent solar system time minus the mean solar system time. This should give you the margin of error that you can use with the sundial to come up with the appropriate time.

Time zones were invented to help make it easier on those that were dealing with commerce and transportation. It was also a great help to those that were communicating as well. All of the clocks are set to the mean solar system time. First though, you have to make sure that the meridian runs through the center of that time zone in order for it to be accurate. The earth is comprised of 24 time zones. Four of these time zones are located across the United States. These four time zones result in a 3 hour difference between the west coast and the east coast.

Sidereal time is when you base your time measurement off of the stars, and not the sun. Astronomers have been focusing on this instead of the sun for measuring time. You are able to use this sidereal time to help you aim telescopes before you go gazing into the heavens above. Just about every astronomer out there is going to have a sidereal clock to use while they are star gazing. If you are looking for a technical definition, sidereal time is the right ascension of an object on the meridian. Besides astronomers, navigators have always benefited from sidereal time. They have used it in their travels for quite some time. It might not be that useful to you and me, but that doesnt mean that it doesnt have a very distinct and useful purpose.

10. Gravitational pull is exerted by both the moon and the sun to the earth. This is the reason why the earth rotates the way that it does. Because of this, there is a large bulge near the equator. There is a 27 mile difference when the earth is measured by the equator, rather than pole to pole. This is why you will hear the earth referred to as a oblate spheroid, instead of a sphere. The gravitational pull does have an affect on the bulge and the earth which causes a change in the axis rotation.

If you compare the earth to a spinning top, it is a lot easier to understand. The top has to spin otherwise it is going to fall on its side. Similarly, the earth would do close to the same thing. Gravity would cause the bulge to be tugged and it would have the earth straighten out. The earth is always spinning though, so luckily there is no chance of that every happening.

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What is astronomy? 10 astronomy facts - The Time Now: What ...

Astronomy (Greek: = + , astronomia = astron + nomos, literally, "law of the stars") is the science of celestial phenomena that originate outside Earth's atmosphere. It gives us the context for our existence in an evolving universe of untold numbers of galaxies and complex structures at all scales. It studies the origins, evolution, and physical and chemical properties of celestial objects. In short, astronomy is about finding out what is going on beyond Earth.

Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences, with a scientific methodology existing at the time of Ancient Greece and advanced observation techniques possibly much earlier as seen in the study of archaeoastronomy. In ancient cultures astronomical observations were often connected to religious thought, a remnant of which we find in astrology today.

The earliest observations of the heavens were by naked eye, but even this method allows the celestial objects to be cataloged and assigned to constellations. A knowledge of the constellations has been an important navigational tool since the earliest times. The emergence of astronomy as a science following the scientific method is very important to the development of science in general. It was through astronomy with the development of the heliocentric (sun-centered) view of the solar system that we find the early seeds of conflict between Christian thought and science (see Galileo Galilei).

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Astronomy is one of the few sciences where amateurs can still play an active role

Astronomy is one of the few sciences where amateurs can still play an active role, especially in the discovery and monitoring of transient phenomena.

In ancient Greece and other early civilizations, astronomy consisted largely of astrometry, measuring positions of stars and planets in the sky. Later, the work of Johannes Kepler and Isaac Newton, whose work led to the development of celestial mechanics, mathematically predicting the motions of celestial bodies interacting under gravity, and solar system objects in particular. Much of the effort in these two areasonce done largely by handis highly automated nowadays, to the extent that they are rarely considered as independent disciplines anymore. Motions and positions of objects are now more easily determined, and modern astronomy is more concerned with observing and understanding the actual physical nature of celestial objects.

Since the twentieth century, the field of professional astronomy has split into observational astronomy and theoretical astrophysics. Although most astronomers incorporate elements of both into their research, because of the different skills involved, most professional astronomers tend to specialize in one or the other. Observational astronomy is concerned mostly with acquiring data, which involves building and maintaining instruments and processing the resulting information; this branch is at times referred to as "astrometry" or simply as "astronomy." Theoretical astrophysics is concerned mainly with ascertaining the observational implications of different models, and involves working with computer or analytic models.

The fields of study can also be categorized in other ways. Categorization by the region of space under study (for example, Galactic astronomy, Planetary Sciences); by subject, such as star formation or cosmology; or by the method used for obtaining information.

Other disciplines that may be considered part of astronomy:

Main article: Observational astronomy

In astronomy, information is mainly received from the detection and analysis of electromagnetic radiation and photons, but information is also carried by cosmic rays, neutrinos, meteors, and, in the near future, gravitational waves (see LIGO and LISA).

A traditional division of astronomy is given by the region of the electromagnetic spectrum observed:

Optical and radio astronomy can be performed with ground-based observatories, because the atmosphere is transparent at the wavelengths being detected. Infrared light is heavily absorbed by water vapor, so infrared observatories have to be located in high, dry places or in space.

The atmosphere is opaque at the wavelengths used by X-ray astronomy, gamma-ray astronomy, UV astronomy and (except for a few wavelength "windows") Far infrared astronomy, so observations must be carried out mostly from balloons or space observatories. Powerful gamma rays can, however be detected by the large air showers they produce, and the study of cosmic rays can also be regarded as a branch of astronomy.

In early times, astronomy only comprised the observation and predictions of the motions of the naked-eye objects. Aristotle said that the Earth was the center of the Universe and everything rotated around it in orbits that were perfect circles. Aristotle had to be right because people thought that Earth had to be in the center with everything rotating around it because the wind would not scatter leaves, and birds would only fly in one direction. For a long time, people thought that Aristotle was right, but now some people think that Aristotle accidentally did more to hinder our knowledge than help it.

The Rigveda refers to the 27 constellations associated with the motions of the sun and also the 12 zodiacal divisions of the sky. The ancient Greeks made important contributions to astronomy, among them the definition of the magnitude system. The Bible contains a number of statements on the position of the earth in the universe and the nature of the stars and planets, most of which are poetic rather than literal; see Biblical cosmology. In 500 C.E., Aryabhata presented a mathematical system that described the earth as spinning on its axis and considered the motions of the planets with respect to the sun.

Observational astronomy was mostly stagnant in medieval Europe, but flourished in the Iranian world and other parts of Islamic realm. In the late ninth century, Persian astronomer al-Farghani wrote extensively on the motion of celestial bodies. His work was translated into Latin in the twelfth century. In the late tenth century, a huge observatory was built near Tehran, Persia (now Iran), by the Persian astronomer al-Khujandi, who observed a series of meridian transits of the Sun, which allowed him to calculate the obliquity of the ecliptic. Also in Persia, Omar Khayym performed a reformation of the calendar that was more accurate than the Julian Calendar and came close to the Gregorian. Abraham Zacuto was responsible in the fifteenth century for the adaptations of astronomical theory for the practical needs of Portuguese caravel expeditions.

During the Renaissance, Copernicus proposed a heliocentric model of the Solar System. His work was defended, expanded upon, and corrected by Galileo Galilei and Johannes Kepler. Galileo added the innovation of using telescopes to enhance his observations. Kepler was the first to devise a system that described correctly the details of the motion of the planets with the Sun at the center. However, Kepler did not succeed in formulating a theory behind the laws he wrote down. It was left to Newton's invention of celestial dynamics and his law of universal gravitation to finally explain the motions of the planets. Newton also developed the reflecting telescope.

Stars were found to be faraway objects. With the advent of spectroscopy, it was proved that they were similar to our own sun but with a wide range of temperatures, masses, and sizes. The existence of our galaxy, the Milky Way, as a separate group of stars was only proven in the twentieth century, along with the existence of "external" galaxies, and soon after, the expansion of the universe, seen in the recession of most galaxies from us. Modern astronomy has also discovered many exotic objects such as quasars, pulsars, blazars and radio galaxies, and has used these observations to develop physical theories which describe some of these objects in terms of equally exotic objects such as black holes and neutron stars. Physical cosmology made huge advances during the twentieth century, with the model of the Big Bang heavily supported by the evidence provided by astronomy and physics, such as the cosmic microwave background radiation, Hubble's Law, and cosmological abundances of elements.

All links retrieved May 22, 2014.

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Astronomy - New World Encyclopedia

Inspiring people to look up and wonder for 125 years

On a chilly February evening in 1889 in San Francisco, astronomers from Lick Observatory and members of the Pacific Coast Amateur Photographic Association fresh from viewing the New Years Day total solar eclipse north of the City met to share pictures and experiences. Edward Holden, Licks first director, complimented the amateurs on their service to science, and proposed to continue the good fellowship through the founding of a Society to advance the science of Astronomy, and to diffuse information concerning it. Thus the Astronomical Society of the Pacific was born.

Through more than a century of operation, as human understanding of the universe has advanced, so has the ASP connecting scientists, educators, amateur astronomers and the public to share astronomical research, conduct professional development in science education, and provide resources that engage students and adults alike in the adventure of scientific discovery.

As a non-profit membership organization, international in scope, the ASPs mission is to increase the understanding and appreciation of astronomy through the engagement of our many constituencies to advance science and science literacy. We invite you to explore our site to learn more about us, to check out our resources and education section for the researcher, the educator, and the backyard enthusiast, to get involved by becoming an ASP member and to consider supporting our work for the benefit of a science literate world!

Media inquiries: media {at} astrosociety.org or 415-715-1406

The ASP is proud to participate in the Annual Combined Federal Campaign (CFC #10651), a workplace giving program supported by Federal civilian, postal, and military donors around the world. Thank you!

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Astronomical Society

Do you think global warming is something that only affects us sometime in the future, decades or centuries from now?

Think again. Our planet heating up is affecting us now, and has been for decades. Were already seeing a lot of serious problems due to it: extreme weather, more devastating hurricanes, wildfires, and sea level rise.

Of all these, the last seems most like science fiction. Seriously, the levels of the ocean are going up? It cant be much, right?

Think again, again. NASA just released results from several satellite observations going back to 1992. Those 23 years of data show that the oceans of the planet have risen substantially in that time: more than 6 centimeters (2 inches) on average, with some places on Earth seeing more than 22 centimeters (9 inches)!

This animation shows where the levels are going, and by how much:

The global sea level rise is driven by two major factors: One is that as water warms, it expands, raising the sea level. The other is that Greenland and Antarctica are melting, dumping 450 billion tons of water into the oceans every year. Every year.

Photo by NASA Earth Science News Team

So overall sea level is rising, but in some places its rising faster than others. For example, in the Pacific, heat travel east to west, so the eastern coasts of the Philippines and Japan have seen huge jumps in sea level the past two decades. Interestingly, sea levels have dropped in some places. Off the northeastern shore of the U.S. you can see a drop. But in that case its because the Gulf Stream, a major warm ocean current, has shifted north somewhat, so levels have risen in the north but dropped in its wake to the south.

But those drops are highly localized. Globally, levels are on the rise.

Drawing by Skeptical Science

The cause of all this is obvious and very real: global warming. As human activityprimarily dumping 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every yearcauses the Earths surface temperature to go up, a lot of that energy is absorbed by the oceans, causing them to expand. Some of it is absorbed at the poles, melting ice there.

Sea ice melting at the North Pole is bad enough, but the land ice melting is nothing short of catastrophic. Climatologists have already shown that the melting of the West Antarctica ice sheet may be unstoppable. We may be locked inthat is, inevitably going to suffer froma full meter of sea level rise, 3 feet. This may take a century or more, but its coming. And while that may seem like a long time, think of it this way: A meter per century is a centimeter every year, an inch every 2 years.

Mind you, thats vertical rise. Look at the slope of a beach and you can see that a small rise vertically means a lot of horizontal reach to the ocean, too. Well see beaches disappear, coastlines changed. More immediately, well see storm surges do far more damage as it takes less rise in the water levels to inundate cities. Remember what the surge from Hurricane Sandy did to NYC? Well be seeing more and more of that.

This is the new normal. And the scary thing is not so much that the new normal is bad, its that with more warming, rising sea levels, and changing weather patterns, the new normal will continue to get worse. There may not be a normal any more.

Just as a reminder: With only a single exception, none of the GOP presidential candidates has a reality-based view on global warming (the exception is George Pataki, who has no chance of winning), and those views range from unsupportable by facts to unhinged in the extreme. Even those of them who admit its real think its not human caused, or that we cant do anything about it without hurting the economy (and that is 100 percent ultra-grade fertilizer; its worse to wait). Even this far out it seems certain the House will go GOP again in 2016, so having a climate-change-denying president will mean at least four more years of inaction bolstered by the smoke and mirrors of the noise machine.

And dont forget that the GOP in the House is still trying to eviscerate NASAs Earth science budget, which goes in large part to monitoring the effects of global warming. Why? Simply put, they deny the reality all around them.

And all that time, the temperatures will rise, the glaciers will melt, the sea levels will rise, and well be that much deeper into a catastrophe that is already well under way.

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Bad Astronomy - Slate Magazine

We are open to all levels of interest from beginners to professionals, babies to retirees! All are welcome to join!

Atlanta Astronomy Club, Inc. PO Box 76155 Atlanta GA 30358-1155 Timely information on the night sky and astronomy in the Atlanta area.

Posted on July 4th, 2015 by dherron

The July edition of the Focal Point is now available for Download here

Table of Contents

Page 1 July General Meeting, Woodruff Scout Summer Camp Page 2 June Meeting Report & Photos Page 3 CEA Summer Mtg, DSOs, Night Sky Network, 2015 PSSG Page 4 Its Been a Long Road Getting From There to Here Page 5 Countdown to Pluto - Encounter! Page 6 Recent updates on New Horizons Page 7 AAC Online, Memberships, Contact Info Page 8 Calendar, AAC List Serv Info, Focal Point Deadline

Posted on April 3rd, 2013 by dherron

New to astronomy and have a few question on where to start? Check out our new Beginners Guide to Astronomy. Check back frequently as we add more information and tips.

Posted on November 29th, 2012 by dherron

Posted on June 21st, 2011 by dherron

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Atlanta Astronomy Club

The Atlanta Astronomy Club (AAC) is one of the largest organizations of beginner and amateur astronomers in the South Eastern United States. The club seeks to provide enjoyment and education to the public through amateur astronomy.

Dr. William Calder, who came to Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia from the Harvard College Observatory, founded the Atlanta Astronomy Club in 1947 to promote the collaboration of professional and amateur astronomers and to provide a venue for non-professionals to share their interests.

The AAC incorporated in 1963 as a nonprofit organization. It is educational, literary and scientific in nature and is dedicated especially to promoting the public knowledge of and interest in astronomy.

Membership

Membership in the AAC is open to anyone with an interest in astronomy. Peter Herdvary, a Hungarian-born geologist and AAC member, had a lunar crater named for him by the International Astronomical Union, in recognition of his work as an amateur astronomer.

In 1994, AAC members Jerry Armstrong and Tim Puckett discovered a supernova in the Whirlpool Galaxy (Messier object M51). Another Club member, Alex Langoussis, assists Tim Puckett in his supernovae searches and now has over a dozen to his credit. Official recognition by the IAU brought worldwide attention to this pair of Georgia amateur astronomers. They were featured on CNN, as well as other news media around the globe.

Events

Monthly meetings are held at 3pm on the 2rd Saturday usually at the Fernbank Science center (always check the club calendar for updates and locations). Amateur and professional speakers from all over the country present topics and then club business is briefly discussed.

Also scheduled is a Dark Sky Observing (DSO) event every new moon weekend, so that observers can have an opportunity to pursue their own observing agendas.

Sessions for beginners and the public are also scheduled through the year.

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Atlanta Astronomy Club About

Star light, star brightMommy, I want to see the stars tonight! If you have a little Galileo on your hands, fear not. New Jersey is home to a myriad of majestic outdoor star gazing locations, as well as many public observatories and, yes, even astronomy clubs for the truly dedicated. With the proper equipment, information and planning, your family will get an up-close look at planets, star clusters and the Moon. Happy star-gazing, NJ!

The Great Outdoors For outdoor star gazing, youll want to choose an area in Northwest NJ, the shoreline or Southern NJ. To optimize your adventure, select a secluded location away from bright shopping mall lights, condo complexes or busy highways.

Here are some places to kick start your star gazing habit:

High Point State Park (Sussex, NJ) is open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, unless you visiting one of the campsites. Hike up to the High Point Monument for breathtaking views and an endless sky of stars.

New Jersey Pine Barrens National Reserve includes Allaire State Park (Farmingdale, NJ), Bass River State Forest (Tuckerton, NJ), Belleplain State Forest (Woodbine, NJ) Double Trouble State Park (Bayville, NJ)and Wharton State Forest (Hammonton, NJ). Each location offers a unique star gazing post, but check locations for hours of operation and special events.

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (Columbia, NJ) offers endless options for beautiful star gazing views and nearby Jenny Jump State Forest (Hope, NJ) hosts public programs on Saturday evenings from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm.

The crest of Sunrise Mountain at Stokes State Forest (Branchville, NJ) not only offers breathtaking views, but its the ideal location for evening star gazing. Please call (973) 948-3820 with any questions.

Indoors Activities New Jersey has several public observatories to view the Milky Way or Orions Belt. Most are equipped with state of the art telescopes and will have staff on hand for assistance. Observatories are usually small spaces, dark and may require some stairs, so this may not be a good activity for young children.

Please call ahead for details, especially as many events are weather permitting. All of the observatories listed below are free to the public!

John Crowley Nature Center and Astronomical Observatory at Rifle Camp Park (Woodland Park, NJ) will be hosting a childrens, for ages 8-12, astronomy workshop ($8 per child) on Saturday, October 13 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Each child will build their own telescope and view the night sky.The observatory is open to the public on selected dates throughout the month. Click here for the current schedule. For questions, please call (973) 523-0024.

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Star Gazing in NJ: Where to find the best views ...

Astronomy celebrated with annual open house in Manoa
Hundreds turned out for the UH Institute for Astronomy open house.

By: KHON2 News

Excerpt from:

Astronomy celebrated with annual open house in Manoa - Video

By Tony Hoffman

As the iOS version of a longstanding desktop astronomy software program, Redshift (for iPad) is one of the better apps of its kind that we've come across. It combines a planetarium view, which shows the stars and constellations as they really appear in the direction your iPad is pointing, with the ability to send you on three-dimensional virtual voyages across the solar system and beyond. Although it's priced higher than some iPad apps of similar quality, it's a worthwhile addition to any astronomy buff's repertoire.

Redshift is compatible with the Apple iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. I tested it with an iPad Air 2, as the app seems ideally suited for a device with generous screen area.

The Night Sky at Your Fingertips By default, the app shows a virtual view of the night sky, even in daytime; as you turn the iPad, new constellations will slide into view. A horizontal line marks the horizon; as you pan downward, you see a representation of the grounda lake, sand, and grassbut the stars below the horizon still shine faintly through. To zoom, you can either spread two fingers apart while touching the screen, or double-tap the screen with one finger. By double-tapping several times, you can zoom through three levels of magnification. For a wide-field view, you pinch two fingers together or double-tap the screen with two fingers. In testing, the screen wasn't always responsive to the tapping gestures; I found that a light touch works best.

At the upper-left-hand corner of any screen you're on is a Home icon. Rather than the usual house, it's a globe with a pin stuck in it. It takes you to the default view of the night sky. At the upper right is a Search (magnifying glass) button. You can either enter the name of an object, or search for one from a drop-down menu classified by type (star, comet, asteroid, and dwarf planet, for example). At lower left, a Gear icon takes you to the Sky Settings menu, which lets you alter the view's appearance (such as how constellations are shown) and the type of data displayed. At lower right, a Tool icon lets you take 3D flights, return to the default sky view, and download new objects, such as comets.

When navigating in the sky view, if you tap on a star or other object, a red circle will pulse around it, and its name (or, in most cases, designationsuch as the star HIP 2927) will appear next to it, as well as at the top of the screen, where it also identifies the type of object. Tap a down arrow at the top of the screen next to its name, and a menu with a row of about five icons (depending on the type of object being viewed) appears below the name. The first icon, a lowercase "i," brings up basic information, such as the type of object, its magnitude, its position in both Earth-centered (altitude and azimuth) and celestial (right ascension and declination) coordinates, its position, and rising and setting times. The second icon is the Wikipedia W, which takes you to the object's Wikipedia page (if any). A faint, undistinguished star like HIP 2927, as well as the vast majority of the roughly 100,000 stars in the database, lacks a Wikipedia page, but the brighter stars, galaxies, and nebulas do. For example, tapping the star labeled Sadalsuud brings up the (rather detailed) Wikipedia page for its alternate designation, Beta Aquarii. The third icon, the image of a rocket, takes you on a virtual 3D journey to the object. Tapping on a new icon, a sphere with an object orbiting it, puts you in orbit around the object. An icon with a curved, two-headed arrow stops the object's motion.

Have Spaceship, Will Travel The 3D journeying function is Redshift's most distinctive feature, although we have seen similar features in some other astronomy apps, such as Star Chart (for iPad). By tapping the Take 3D-Flight entry in the Tools menu, you get a menu of flight targets: Sun; Moon; Earth; Planets and their Moons; Asteroids; Solar System View; Stars, Deep Sky; and Grand Tour. Planets and their Moons, Asteroids, Stars, and Deep Sky all have submenus that let you choose individual objects to journey to.

Each 3D voyage has two stages. First, the sky view pans until the target is in the center of the field of view. Then the camera zooms in on the object. The voyages vary in quality. The ones in our solar system (Sun, Moon, Planets, and Asteroids) are pleasing, as is the one open-star cluster, the Hyades, but stars and deep-sky objects are less impressive. The nebulas I tried to explore looked like fuzzy point clouds rather than celestial objects. The 3D voyages are best considered as an educational tool, as after watching them a few times, the novelty wears off.

Redshift is one of the better planetarium-type astronomy apps, with a detailed view of the night sky and a good range of objects to view. I didn't find its Search function as thorough as those of the Editors' Choice SkySafari 3, which offers more categories and individual objects to peruse. Redshift does add the 3D journeying function, which is a fun extra. The app is priced higher than SkySafari 3 and other similar programs we have looked at, without adding enough value to justify the extra cost. It's a very good app, but there are more economical choices that are just as good or better.

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Redshift (for iPad)