APOD 2.4

No, this is not a landscape shot of Manhattan island. This is actually a super small snapshot of the sky using an observatory and camera. The picture corresponds to about 2 degrees in length which is very small considering there are thousands of stars in this picture.The little nebula is LDN 988. This nebula is about 2000 light years away from us here on earth. This little nebula has a star being formed inside of it called V1331 Cygni. It looks so small from here yet its actually a massive star even in early years of formation. Its believed that the star is a T Tuari star which means its young and in early stage of formation. This is just two degrees out of the whole 360. Just imagine how many stars there are.

APOD 2.3

      November 12 2014 was a very exciting day in astronomical history. On that day humanity made its first attempt to land a probe on a comet. The probe's name was Philae. It was attached to the Rosetta space craft, once dislodging from the space craft it would land on the moon and then harpoon itself down. However the philae experienced some technical difficulties while landing and landed on its side. This could end up ruining the mission since now the spacecraft is not getting enough light for its batteries that it needs. This probe contains the most recent advancement in technology. It contains tools able to measure for organic materials. Has cameras that can send back footage of the comet. Has tools to measure the magnetic field around the comet. There is a gas analyzer inside the probe as well. Hopefully the probe is able to fix its position and receive more sunlight so it can take advantage of these awesome tools and measuring instruments.

APOD 2.2

Raise your hands in the air like you just don't care! This photo shows a hiker reaching the top of Autnesfjorden Ford near the town Svolvear in Norway. Climbing a mountain is quite an accomplishment, people train their whole lives in order to accomplish such a feat. Imagine the reward when you reach the top and not only is there this small town with dazzling lights below you but you can look up and almost touch the aurora. This photo was taken in early march of this year. The sun is approaching its maximum surface activity in the magnetic cycle, which happens every 11 years. This causes spectacular light shows in the sky! So next time you decide to climb a mountain , or at least go outside,  look up. You might be surprised.

Great World Wide Star count

 I decided to participate in the Great World Wide Star count on October 31 while handing out candy. The magnitude was about a 4 because I live in a neighborhood where they fall asleep. I was looking for Cygnus the swan and found it. Some of the neighbors were also participating in the study and we observed together. This was a very interesting activity and I would enjoy participating again.  

APOD 2.1

Tonight is Halloween! So I decided to choose a picture that matches the mood for tonight. Below is a picture of the sun, however there are many different, exciting and maybe even spooky things that are happening. This picture could almost be used as the begging of a horror story. First is a plane that is flying through the clouds. This was purely by chance but still adds to the effect of the picture. Then the clouds and atmosphere tend to give a spooky mood. They are mysteriously drifting in front of the sun, the same kind of sky you would see in horror movies when the characters look up at the sky.  Next, there is also a partial solar eclipse happening at the top right corner of the sun where the moon is passing in front top corner of sun. This almost looks like a bite was taken out of the sun adding more to the effect. Next there are mysterious spots in the middle, of the sun right above the airplane. This is a current sunspot that is occurring called AR2192. This is one of the largest ever recorded and will last for a few more days. So while walking from house to house, take a look up, because the sky may have some tricks...or treats. 

Observation Post 5

We were waiting in line to go on a haunted trail ride and during the line I decided to look up and observe the stars. It was on 10-25-14 around 945 pm. The skies were fairly clear and there was only slight light pollution since we were in Oscar Scherer park. We observed Orion's belt. We looked at the constellation cygnus and also the constellation scutum. It was fun observing the stars with the family.

Observation Post 4

On October 18 around 10 pm I went to look up at the sky. There was no cloud coverage and there was minimal light pollution. I went to look for M11 which is from the constellation Scutum. M11 is amazing because it is a cluster of a few hundred stars. Alberio had a slight yellow and blue tinge to it when I tried looking at it. Mars had a red color. I also tried looking again for the Andromeda galaxy but couldn't find it.