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Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project at L5P Starbucks Sept 2014 – Video

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Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project at L5P Starbucks Sept 2014
Please support The Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project with your tax deductible donation at http://www.charliebates.org (a nonprofit 501c3 corp. in Atlanta, GA) http://www.solarastronomy.org for more info.

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Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project at L5P Starbucks Sept 2014 - Video

5 Missing Flights That Eerily Echo MH370

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Nearly seven months after its disappearance, officially, what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370) remains almost as much of a mystery as in the wee hours of March 8th.

Theories about the Boeing777-200s losson a routine flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing continue to proliferate. Yet it may still go down as one of commercial aviations worst unsolved tragedies.

Over the decades, however, ; including:

The Star Tiger and Star Ariel Bermuda Triangle disappearances

On a stormy, windy afternoon in late January 1948, an Avro York Tudor IV aircraft dubbed Star Tiger departed Santa Maria in the Azores for a 2000 mile trip to Bermuda. The flight was operated by British South American Airways (BSAA), a post World War II offshoot of U.K. national carrier BOAC that served Latin America from Britain. And the Star Tiger was simply on the second leg of a scheduled journey from London to Havana. It disappeared with a crew of six and 26 passengers on January 30th.

Pan American World Airways Boeing 377 Stratocruiser N1033V Clipper Seven Seas arriving at London (Heathrow) (Credit: Wikipedia)

But because the Star Tiger was reportedly flying at only 2000 feet to avoid high winds, that doesnt give you that much room to maneuver if theres a problem, Bob van der Linden, Chairman of the Aeronautics Department at the Smithsonians National Air and Space museum told Forbes. The lower cruising altitude would have also made the aircraft susceptible to burning fuel at an accelerated rate.

According to the official U.K. Accident report at 3.15 am the next morning; a radio bearing was given from Bermuda and acknowledged by the Star Tiger when she was 340 nautical miles [out]. But thirty-five minutes later, the aircraft couldnt be raised.

In a storm, theres really no visible horizon, so you are really off instruments anyway, said van der Linden. It also sounds like their radio was out.

Van der Linden says its also possible high winds simply blew the Star Tiger so far off course they had no recourse. As he points out, after Bermuda, there was nowhere to divert.

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5 Missing Flights That Eerily Echo MH370

You Are in Command as NRAO's 'Milky Way Explorer' Tours the Solar System

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Newswise Imagine seeing the Sun, planets, and a myriad other objects in our Solar System as you have never seen them before in invisible radio light! That is the experience you will get through the National Radio Astronomy Observatorys (NRAO) newly released Solar System installment of its popular Milky Way Explorer, an online tour of our interstellar neighborhood guided by the actual astronomers who explore it using radio waves.

Through an entertaining and informative series of videos, NRAOs Science Visualization Team presents multimedia-rich tours of the radio Sun as well as many of the planets, moons, and asteroids that orbit it. At each stop along the way, planetary radio astronomers reveal the new science and exciting details we have learned about our Solar System neighbors through the use of radio telescopes.

Unlike familiar optical telescopes, which can only study objects illuminated by our Sun and other stars, radio telescopes can see the otherwise invisible cold, dark features in space. This includes the faint radio light that is naturally emitted by the molecules and chemicals that make up the atmospheres of planets and certain moons in our Solar System.

Radio dishes, when paired with powerful radar transmitters on Earth, can also reveal hidden landscapes, such as the Moons dust-layered surface and Venuss alien features shrouded behind its thick clouds.

The Milky Way Explorer, which was launched in 2013, also includes dozens more videos showcasing the diverse radio astronomy studies of our spiral island of stars, stellar nurseries, and dark matter. A third set of interviews and animations is scheduled for 2015 to share more radio astronomy discoveries made inside our Galaxy and among the nearest neighboring galaxies of our Universe.

https://public.nrao.edu/explorer/milkyway/TheMilkyWayExplorer.php

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation, operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

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You Are in Command as NRAO's 'Milky Way Explorer' Tours the Solar System

Asteroid named for University of Utah makes public debut

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What's rocky, about a mile wide, orbits between Mars and Jupiter and poses no threat to Earth? An asteroid named "Univofutah" after the University of Utah.

Discovered on Sept. 8, 2008, by longtime Utah astronomy educator Patrick Wiggins, the asteroid also known as 391795 (2008 RV77) this month was renamed Univofutah by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

"It's neat," Wiggins says. "There aren't too many other universities on the whole planet with asteroids named after them. So that puts the U in rather rarified company."

"We are very honored," says Carleton Detar, the university's chairman of physics and astronomy. "Patrick Wiggins has been a dedicated champion of Utah amateur astronomy. Next, we'll need student volunteers to install a large block U on our asteroid."

Wiggins, who now works as a part-time public education assistant in the university's Department of Physics and Astronomy, had submitted the naming request in July as "Univ of Utah" but the naming agency changed it to Univofutah - much to the dismay of university marketing officials, who would have preferred "U of Utah." Wiggins says names must be limited to 16 characters, ruling out the university's full name.

The asteroid "is no more than 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) across," Wiggins says. Because of its small size and distance, it is "too far away for even the Hubble Space Telescope to determine the shape."

"Thankfully, this one will not be coming anywhere near the Earth," he adds. "It's a loooong way out. It is in the main asteroid belt. It stays between the orbits or Mars and Jupiter."

As a NASA solar system ambassador to Utah since 2002, Wiggins this year won NASA's Distinguished Public Service Medal, the space agency's highest civilian honor.

More than 655,500 Asteroids Now in the Main Belt Thousands of asteroids are discovered each year, with the total now exceeding 655,500. More than 52,000 have been found so far this year and more than 5,000 so far this month, according to the Minor Planet Center. Near-Earth asteroids, which have orbits that can bring them near Earth, are much less common, with more than 40 discovered so far this year, 897 so far this month and 11,473 found in total.

Wiggins discovered Univofutah using a 35-centimeter (18.8-inch) optical telescope at his home observatory in Toole, Utah.

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Asteroid named for University of Utah makes public debut

ISRO should take up outreach programmes

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Members of Planetary Society, India (PSI) on Tuesday said that there was a need for Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to take up outreach programmes that will go a long way in inspiring youngsters to take up astronomy.

In an interaction session on ISROs Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) and Planet Mars, astronomy enthusiasts from PSI felt that more interaction between the apex Indian space agency and school students is the need of the hour.

NASA has excelled in outreach activities. In fact, it has managed to reach out and inspire students around the globe who now dream of joining the cutting edge space research of NASA. Our students do not have similar ambitions when it comes to ISRO. There is a definite need for Indian space agency to set up a special outreach programme for children, said Director, PSI, N. Sri Raghunandan Kumar.

As part of spreading awareness activities on ISROs mission to mars, the PSI members said that they have organised a series of awareness campaigns in city schools since November, 2013. We have received very good response from school students who have displayed a lot of interest on astronomy. A concerted effort along with government agencies to make astronomy popular is needed, Mr. Raghunandan felt.

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Gazing the night skies over the San Pedro Valley

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BENSON Saturn was the big attraction Saturday night at a stargazing event hosted by Kartchner Caverns State Park, with support from the Huachuca Astronomy Club.

About 100 people gathered at the park for the fourth annual Sky Party, an event where participants look at celestial bodies through astronomers telescopes. On this night, most were focused on that ringed planet more than a billion miles from earth.

Sponsored by the Huachuca Astronomy Club and Astronomers of Verde Valley, the event kicked off with an Afternoon Solar Viewing from 2 to 5 p.m. But cloudy conditions through the afternoon shielded the sun from view, with the exception of an occasional appearance when clouds would drift off and allow brief, intermittent viewing opportunities.

I think the overcast sky scared people off, smiled Ken Duncan a member of the Huachuca Astronomy Club who was at the solar viewing with his telescope. As the sun goes down this evening, it could clear. You just never know what Mother Nature has in store for us. Duncan, a Sierra Vista resident, says he participates in as many of the clubs public night viewing events as possible.

The evening stargazing fared much better than the solar viewing, as the clouds dispersed, revealing the Milky Way Galaxy and vast clusters of stars and constellations that filled the night sky. Using red lights as pointers, the astronomers identified Mars, Saturn, Polaris and the three bright stars of the summer triangle. The Big Dipper is visible in the northwest sky this time of year.

I like Saturn the best, said 12-year-old Andrew Blankenship, whose family happened to be visiting the area from Phoenix and learned about the Star Party from friends. I like looking at all the stars and planets, but Saturn is really cool.

Another out-of-town visitor, Judy Leeson, was in the area from Ottawa, Canada. This is so exciting, she said after viewing Saturn. Leeson also is in awe of how beautiful rural Arizonas dark skies are. This is the second star watching event Ive attended and I think theyre wonderful. The evening skies here are absolutely spectacular.

Protecting the dark sky from light pollution was the focus of the evenings presentation by guest speaker Connie Walker of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory. Light pollution is washing out the night sky, she said in her opening remarks. Three fourths of people growing up in cities have never seen a true night sky, she added. Walker spoke of work being done by the International Dark-Sky Association to educate industries, government officials and communities about the impact that unshielded light has on the nighttime sky, as well as steps that can be taken to help alleviate that impact. Unshielded light washes out the cosmos, costs a tremendous amount of money and is an unwise use of lighting, she said. In her presentation, Walker showed satellite images taken of the earth in 10-year increments that demonstrated light pollutions advancement across the globe. She spoke of a phenomenon referred to as sky glow, the illumination of night sky created by upward directed lighting.

Reducing light pollution involves controlling the careless use of artificial light through action, education and outreach, said Robert Gent, a member of the Huachuca Astronomy Association and past board president of the International Dark-Sky Association. Gent says Cochise County has initiated lighting ordinances to help reduce light pollution representing an important first step in preserving the night sky, considered a vital natural resource for future generations.

Walkers presentation offered practical solutions for eliminating wasted lighting, with steps that can start right at home. Shield and lower the wattage of all outdoor lighting, she said. Use light only when needed and use timers, dimmers and sensors to help darken unoccupied areas.

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Gazing the night skies over the San Pedro Valley

University of Pennsylvania Library’s LJS 191 – Astronomy and astrology (Video Orientation) – Video

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University of Pennsylvania Library #39;s LJS 191 - Astronomy and astrology (Video Orientation)
Video Orientation to the University of Pennsylvania Library #39;s LJS 191 - Treatise on astronomy and astrology. Summary: England, ca. 1496. Treatise in nine chapters addressing ephemerides, astrologi...

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University of Pennsylvania Library's LJS 191 - Astronomy and astrology (Video Orientation) - Video

Roger Ptak: 1938-2014: Physics professor at BGSU led astronomy department

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Published: Monday, 9/22/2014

BY JIM SIELICKI BLADE STAFF WRITER

BOWLING GREEN Retired Bowling Green State University physics professor Roger Ptak, who directed the university's astronomy department and was sought after for his insights on celestial events, died Friday in Corning, N.Y., in an accident.

Mr. Ptak, 76, was struck by a vehicle outside a restaurant where he had stopped while returning home to Northport, Maine, from a visit in Ohio, his wife, Donna said.

He joined BGSU in 1968 after teaching two years as an assistant professor at Depauw University in Greencastle, Ind. He taught and conducted research into quasars and related galaxies at BGSU for nearly 30 years.

In retirement, he continued to write a monthly astronomy column, Stardust, for newspapers in Bryan and Bowling Green and in Maine, said his wife.

His last column touched on the October skies and the upcoming lunar eclipse.

His true passion was the celestial sky and communicating his love of the stars to the public in his monthly column, his daughter Marcianna Ptak Delaney wrote in a tribute to her father.

After moving to Northport, Maine, in 1998, he kept two telescopes at the house: one for nighttime viewing and a second to examine the sun, his wife said.

He liked to travel and he loved to read and listen to music of all kinds, Donna Ptak said.

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Roger Ptak: 1938-2014: Physics professor at BGSU led astronomy department


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