Friday, January 25, 2008
Comet McNaught Over Chile 3.3
This week I chose to do the picture of the comet McNaught in Chile. Considered the most photogenic comet of our time, it has developed an unusually long and visible dust trail as it passed over Chile. The tail at the time dominated the entire picture, but the comet has now faded as it passed into the outer solar system, and now is only visible as a small dot visible through a telescope.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Double Supernova Remnants DEM L316 3.2
This week I chose to do the picture of a pair of supernova remnants known as DEM L316. The smaller shell appears to be the remnants of a White Dwarf supernova, while the larger one seems to be the leftovers of a massive normal star. The two supernova remnants do not appear to be colliding, so it is assumed that one is behind the other and they merely appear in the same location. Also, the two stars live on very different time scales, so they are not actually related. The remnants are located in the Dorado constellation, the swordfish.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Guided Observation 1/11
Date: 1/11/08
Time: 7:00-9:00
Location: Church off Clark
Tools used: Naked Eye, Binoculars, Telescope, Laser
Light Pollution: Minimal
Cloud Coverage: Very little as the night started, later it began to get worse.
Temperature: 70
Moon: Waxing Crescent
Constellations: Andromeda, Orion, Casseiopeia, Pegasus, Perseus, Eridanus, Cetus
Planets: Mars
Stars: Achernar, Pollux, Sirius, Capella, Rigel, Betelgeuse
Misc: M31, M41, M35, M36, M37
Time: 7:00-9:00
Location: Church off Clark
Tools used: Naked Eye, Binoculars, Telescope, Laser
Light Pollution: Minimal
Cloud Coverage: Very little as the night started, later it began to get worse.
Temperature: 70
Moon: Waxing Crescent
Constellations: Andromeda, Orion, Casseiopeia, Pegasus, Perseus, Eridanus, Cetus
Planets: Mars
Stars: Achernar, Pollux, Sirius, Capella, Rigel, Betelgeuse
Misc: M31, M41, M35, M36, M37
Friday, January 11, 2008
Colin Johnson
Astronomy Honors
Mr. Percival
January 8, 2008
Joseph Louis Lagrange
Joseph Louis Lagrange was born as Giuseppe Lodovico Lagrangia on January 25, 1736, in Turin, Italy. He was an astronomer and a mathematician who made valuable contributions to a number of fields throughout his life.
Lagrange was born under the name Lagrangia in January of 1736.His father had a large fortune and was in good social standing, but he lost much of his money on speculations before Lagrange was fully grown, so Lagrange had to rely mostly on himself. He was educated at the college of Turin, and when he entered mathematical school, he was already an accomplished mathematician. His interest in mathematics was spurred by a paper he read by Edmund Halley.
Lagrange’s first well-known publication was his letter to Leonhard Euler, in which he solved the isoperimetric problem which had puzzled thinkers for half a decade, while he was only 19. Because of this, Lagrange is widely recognized as the inventor of calculus.
In 1758, Lagrange created a society with the aid of his pupils, and through them, he created a collection of his first five writings, the Miscellanea Taurinensia. These five volumes solved a number of problems through the use of his calculus of variations, including laying down the principle of least action.
In 1761, Lagrange stood at the top of his field, but the labor of his previous works had taken a toll on his health. Doctors helped him to recover, but he was forced to frequently exercise, which took up a large amount of the time he would have otherwise spent working on his mathematics. From this point in his life onward, he lapsed into periods of depression and melancholy.
His next work was published in 1764, when he explained the libration of the moon and why the same face of the moon always faced the Earth. Later Lagrange was brought to Prussia to serve King Frederick, where he met his wife. He married her because he believed that it would lead to his happiness, but the marriage was an unhappy one and she died soon after.
While he spent the next twenty years of his life with the king of Prussia was when he made his most important contributions to science and mathematics. He made significant discoveries in algebra, geometry, differential equations, and number theory. He also created the Mécanique analytique, which is a principle so elegant that it has been described as a “scientific poem.” The most pertinent discoveries to our interests, however, were the advances he made in the field of astronomy.
Joseph Lagrange solved a number of problems that had been puzzling astronomers. He solved the three-body problem, and thereby invented the Lagrange Points, the points at which a satellite can be in geosynchronous orbit around a celestial body. He also made discoveries in the study of planetary orbits, with his paper on the motion of the nodes of a planet’s orbit. He discovered the variations in the elements of the planets, and indeed his work was as advanced as was possible with the knowledge of the time. He also clearly explained a method of determining the orbit of comets by using merely three observations.
When King Frederick died in 1786, Lagrange found himself dissatisfied with the direction society was taking, and so when Louis XVI offered to bring him to Paris, he gladly accepted. He was inducted into the French Academy of Sciences, but he also lapsed into a two-year period of depression, during which he did no work whatsoever. He was only roused from this when he was struck by a curiosity of the results of the French Revolution. Upon discovering what was happening with it, though, he was shocked and alarmed.
His period of unhappiness, as well as the trials he had been through in his life, led a young girl to take pity on him, and she insisted on marrying him in 1792. He very quickly fell in love with her, and she proved to be an excellent match for him.
When a decree ordered all foreigners out of France in 1793, he was specifically exempted from this law. However, he was still planning on making his escape, when he was offered presidency of a commission formed to enact reforms in weights and measurements of the country. In 1795, he became one of the founders of the Bureau des Longitudes, the group that, among other things, standardized global-keeping, astronomical discoveries, and oversaw nautical navigation.
In 1797, Lagrange was offered a professorship at the École Polytechnique, and his lectures there were described as perfect in both form and matter. He also made discoveries in calculus while there formed the basis for a number of discoveries by other men that followed him.
In 1808, Napoleon named Lagrange a Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour, and also appointed him a Count of the Empire. In 1813 he was awarded the Grand Croix (Cross). However, a week later he died, and was buried in the Pantheon. The inscription on his tomb reads “JOSEPH LOUIS LAGRANGE. Senator. Count of the Empire. Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour. Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Réunion. Member of the Institute and the Bureau of Longitude. Born in Turin on 25 January 1736. Died in Paris on 10 April 1813.”
Works Cited:
http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/L/Lagrange.html
http://lagrange-bio.net/
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=HpE8NHVm58EC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=joseph+lagrange&ots=udhfMDsoFV&sig=2I_UWBAHWJy5FycrSZeosD4nOdY
(As all of his writings were in French, Google Scholar had little to offer me, however I was able to find information about his mathematical discoveries.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Lagrange#Middle_years
Astronomy Honors
Mr. Percival
January 8, 2008
Joseph Louis Lagrange
Joseph Louis Lagrange was born as Giuseppe Lodovico Lagrangia on January 25, 1736, in Turin, Italy. He was an astronomer and a mathematician who made valuable contributions to a number of fields throughout his life.
Lagrange was born under the name Lagrangia in January of 1736.His father had a large fortune and was in good social standing, but he lost much of his money on speculations before Lagrange was fully grown, so Lagrange had to rely mostly on himself. He was educated at the college of Turin, and when he entered mathematical school, he was already an accomplished mathematician. His interest in mathematics was spurred by a paper he read by Edmund Halley.
Lagrange’s first well-known publication was his letter to Leonhard Euler, in which he solved the isoperimetric problem which had puzzled thinkers for half a decade, while he was only 19. Because of this, Lagrange is widely recognized as the inventor of calculus.
In 1758, Lagrange created a society with the aid of his pupils, and through them, he created a collection of his first five writings, the Miscellanea Taurinensia. These five volumes solved a number of problems through the use of his calculus of variations, including laying down the principle of least action.
In 1761, Lagrange stood at the top of his field, but the labor of his previous works had taken a toll on his health. Doctors helped him to recover, but he was forced to frequently exercise, which took up a large amount of the time he would have otherwise spent working on his mathematics. From this point in his life onward, he lapsed into periods of depression and melancholy.
His next work was published in 1764, when he explained the libration of the moon and why the same face of the moon always faced the Earth. Later Lagrange was brought to Prussia to serve King Frederick, where he met his wife. He married her because he believed that it would lead to his happiness, but the marriage was an unhappy one and she died soon after.
While he spent the next twenty years of his life with the king of Prussia was when he made his most important contributions to science and mathematics. He made significant discoveries in algebra, geometry, differential equations, and number theory. He also created the Mécanique analytique, which is a principle so elegant that it has been described as a “scientific poem.” The most pertinent discoveries to our interests, however, were the advances he made in the field of astronomy.
Joseph Lagrange solved a number of problems that had been puzzling astronomers. He solved the three-body problem, and thereby invented the Lagrange Points, the points at which a satellite can be in geosynchronous orbit around a celestial body. He also made discoveries in the study of planetary orbits, with his paper on the motion of the nodes of a planet’s orbit. He discovered the variations in the elements of the planets, and indeed his work was as advanced as was possible with the knowledge of the time. He also clearly explained a method of determining the orbit of comets by using merely three observations.
When King Frederick died in 1786, Lagrange found himself dissatisfied with the direction society was taking, and so when Louis XVI offered to bring him to Paris, he gladly accepted. He was inducted into the French Academy of Sciences, but he also lapsed into a two-year period of depression, during which he did no work whatsoever. He was only roused from this when he was struck by a curiosity of the results of the French Revolution. Upon discovering what was happening with it, though, he was shocked and alarmed.
His period of unhappiness, as well as the trials he had been through in his life, led a young girl to take pity on him, and she insisted on marrying him in 1792. He very quickly fell in love with her, and she proved to be an excellent match for him.
When a decree ordered all foreigners out of France in 1793, he was specifically exempted from this law. However, he was still planning on making his escape, when he was offered presidency of a commission formed to enact reforms in weights and measurements of the country. In 1795, he became one of the founders of the Bureau des Longitudes, the group that, among other things, standardized global-keeping, astronomical discoveries, and oversaw nautical navigation.
In 1797, Lagrange was offered a professorship at the École Polytechnique, and his lectures there were described as perfect in both form and matter. He also made discoveries in calculus while there formed the basis for a number of discoveries by other men that followed him.
In 1808, Napoleon named Lagrange a Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour, and also appointed him a Count of the Empire. In 1813 he was awarded the Grand Croix (Cross). However, a week later he died, and was buried in the Pantheon. The inscription on his tomb reads “JOSEPH LOUIS LAGRANGE. Senator. Count of the Empire. Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour. Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Réunion. Member of the Institute and the Bureau of Longitude. Born in Turin on 25 January 1736. Died in Paris on 10 April 1813.”
Works Cited:
http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/L/Lagrange.html
http://lagrange-bio.net/
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=HpE8NHVm58EC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=joseph+lagrange&ots=udhfMDsoFV&sig=2I_UWBAHWJy5FycrSZeosD4nOdY
(As all of his writings were in French, Google Scholar had little to offer me, however I was able to find information about his mathematical discoveries.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Lagrange#Middle_years
Polaris Dust Nebula 3.1
For this week I chose to do a picture of dust clouds close by Polaris. These dust clouds are relatively unfamiliar to us, high above the milky way. The light of the stars is reflected by the dust, resulting in a reflecting nebula. Also, there is red light visible in the picture as well, which comes as a result of complex organic molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which are believed to give off the light.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Observation 1/9
Date: 1/9
Time: 6-7
Location: Osprey, Fl
Tools used: Naked Eye
Light pollution: Lots. I could barely see the stars. And I couldn't find our binoculars.
Cloud Cover: Very little.
Temperature: 70 degrees
Moon: Waxing Crescent (36 hr)
Constellations:Orion, Cepheus. Couldn't find any others because of the light.
Time: 6-7
Location: Osprey, Fl
Tools used: Naked Eye
Light pollution: Lots. I could barely see the stars. And I couldn't find our binoculars.
Cloud Cover: Very little.
Temperature: 70 degrees
Moon: Waxing Crescent (36 hr)
Constellations:Orion, Cepheus. Couldn't find any others because of the light.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Observation 1/3
Date: 1/3
Time: 10:00-12:00
Location: Smoky Mountain, Maggie Valley, North Carolina
Tools Used: Naked Eye, Binoculars
Light Pollution:None
Cloud Coverage: Very little, about 5%
Temperature: 8 degrees
Moon: Waning Gibbous
Constellations: Orion, Pleiades, Perseus, Cepheus, Casseopeia, Pegasus
Misc: Watched the Quadrantids meteor shower from our cabin on the mountain in North Carolina.
Time: 10:00-12:00
Location: Smoky Mountain, Maggie Valley, North Carolina
Tools Used: Naked Eye, Binoculars
Light Pollution:None
Cloud Coverage: Very little, about 5%
Temperature: 8 degrees
Moon: Waning Gibbous
Constellations: Orion, Pleiades, Perseus, Cepheus, Casseopeia, Pegasus
Misc: Watched the Quadrantids meteor shower from our cabin on the mountain in North Carolina.
A Galaxy Is Not A Comet 2.8
For this week I chose to do the picture of the comet and the galaxy close together. This picture was taken on December 30th, over Hovergeen, Netherlands. It was taken with a 60x60 second exposure, and it contains the Comet Tuttle, as well as the Triangulum Galaxy. Triangulum, or M33, is a spiral galaxy about 3 million LY away, and the comet Tuttle is just bright enough to be seen with the naked eye, and it is about 2 light minutes away.
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