APOD 4.1

This is a picture of the constellation Orion setting in the sky. Spring is approaching the northern hemisphere and this constellation is a winter constellation so it will set earlier and earlier. The frame at the bottom of the picture shows trees which fit in with the constellation. The constellation Orion in English is "Hunter". So the trees add very nicely to the hunter persona of Orion. In the middle of the three diagonal stars is the stellar nursery and the star Beetelgeuse is the golden star at the very top inside the branches. Orion is a very recognizable constellation and one of the most popular during the  winter. 

APOD 3.8

Around 1,500 light years away is the Great Orion Nebula. This picture is able to capture the entire span of this fascinating constellation. To the left of the center is the Horsehead nebula. The three stars in a diagonal row makeup Orions belt. Betelgeuse is located at the hunters right shoulder is is a gold looking star in the photo. Rigel is the bright blue star located at the foot. Interstellar gas and dust block the view of the unaided eye for most stars. A hydrogen alpha filter was used with broadband telescopic images. Orion is one of the most well known constellations and is also one of my favorites.

APOD 3.7

      This is a picture of the pelican Nebula which is located in the constellation Cygnus. Stars are newly formed in this nebula but hard to see because of all the interstellar dust. Instellar dust floats around everywhere and are scattered by stellar winds and explosions. On the star on the right is a Herbig-Haro Jet which is helping to destroy a dust pillar. Small amounts of ionizednitrogen, oxygen , and sulfur can be found in the light from the nebula. This nebula is about 2000 light years away and is northeast of the star Deneb. 

Nathaniel Everett Green Biography

Nathaniel Everett Green was born in Bristol, England on August 21 1823. He was the third son of Benjamin Green and Elizabeth Everett. In the mid 1830’s England was experiencing industrial growth especially in its railroad industry and Nathaniel was going to try to benefit from the growth. He was educated for a short while by his Uncle Reverend Everett, but then decided to work in a merchant’s office. However, the busy and unpredictable life of a merchant wasn’t for him so he decided to attend the Royal Academy in London. At the Royal Academy in London Nathaniel was able to tap into his artistic talent and meet other artists that were interested in the same topics as himself. He met other famous artists there such as John Millais and Dante Rossetti. In 1847, Nathaniel married Elizabeth Gould of Ireland. They settled in London to where they would live for the next 49 happy years together, and where Nathaniel focused on his Art and Astronomical studies.

            In 1859 Nathaniel Green constructed a telescope by himself and discovered that Astronomy was his passion. He purchased a much finer French telescope later on and observed planetary landscapes.  He had met a friend named Mr. Banks of Ealing who he acknowledged as being the one that attracted to astronomy. And whom later on in Nathaniel’s life he named part of Mars after Mr. Banks called “Cape Banks”. The two wrote a joint paper of their observation of Mars during its opposition in 1862 as well as in 1864. These papers were sent to the Astronomical Register for publication. In 1879 Nathaniel Green wrote a book about Mars and its opposition that occurred in 1877. Nathaniel was one of the first members of the Selenographical society. He also met the Royal Astronomy Secretary and corresponded with him as well.

            Green was called to Balmoral in 1880 to paint for Queen Victoria of England which was a great honor. He was very adept at watercolor painting and it happened that Queen Victoria’s favorite form of art was water color painting. So he was able to present water colored drawings of his astronomical observations and terrestrial landscapes to Queen Victoria, Princess of Wales, and other members of the royal family. His work was also featured in the Royal Astronomy Society and also the Royal Academy. When painting these astronomical pictures Green had a certain way that he liked to draw them. He first placed the subject in an elliptical vignette. He also liked to put together complementary colors instead of using contrasting colors. Finally, Nathaniel liked to achieve the “Unity of effect” which is when the same scene is sketched with two different effects.

            After several years of his observations Green finally asked to join the Royal Astronomical Society in December of 1874. He was permitted to join in February of 1875 and met Edward Maunder in the society. Maunder and Green would later work very closely together. Nathaniel only served on the RAS council during the 1888-1889 session. In 1882 Nathaniel Green built an 18 inch reflecting telescope at his house in London. The telescope was used to aid Nathaniel in his watercolor paintings and then was loaned out to the Royal Astronomy Society to make observations.  

            Nathaniel Green traveled to Madeira where he hoped to observe the perihelic opposition. In the hills of Funchal Green began observing Mars. He made 41 pastels of Mars, 12 of which were lithiographed. In 1888 Green was able to submit a map of Mars. His map contained very fine detail of the planet. It included dust clouds and “supposed to be water” markings. This began the great Canal debate of which Green was an avid enthusiast for. Green also enjoyed observing Jupiter. He submitted a paper to The Astronomical Register which was about the changes that occurred from 1859 to 1887, and he was one of the first astronomers to recognize the global changes occurring there. From 1896 to 1898 Green served as President of the BAA.

Green died on November 10 1899. He was buried in St Marks Churchyard and in 1901 the clock in the church tower was made as a memorial to him.  A crater on Mars was also named in his honor.

                          Picture of his drawing of mars   

Example of his mars map on a sphere

          

Picture of Nathaniel Everett Green

Planetary Nebulae Research

 This is the Butterfly Nebula, It has a wingspan that is 3 light years long, it is about 3800 light years away. It is located in the constellation scorpius. Name given because the Nebula looks like a butterfly.

 This is the Owl Nebula, name given because the nebula looks much like an owls eye. It is located about 2,030 light years away. It is located in Ursa Major. The owl eye is about 1820 light years long.

This is the cats eye Nebula (NGC 6543) . It is located within the constellation of Draco, about 3300 light years away, it has a radius of 910,000 km.

 This is NGC2467, located in the constellation of puppis, it is about 17000 light years away.

 This is NGC 7027 it is located about 3000 light years away , and located in the constellation Cygnus. it has a size of .1 by .2 light years which makes it unusually small.

 This is NGC 6326 , is located in Ara , it is about 11000 light years away. 


 This is NGC 6369 aka the little Ghost Nebula, it is located in ophiucus, about 2000 light years away. 

  This is NGC 6210 it is located about 6,500 light years away. It is located in the constellation Hercules. 

 This is the Egg nebula, located in cygnus. It is about 3000 light years away. 

This is the Bug Nebula located in scorpius, about 1500 light years away, it is about 1/3 lightyear across