Starry Monday at Otterbein

1. Welcome to Starry Monday at Otterbein Astronomy Lecture Series -every first Monday of the month- November 5, 2007 Dr. Uwe Trittmann

2. Today’s Topics • Recent Advances in Astronomy - Introduction • The Night Sky in November

3. Feedback! • Please write down suggestions/your interests on the note pads provided • If you would like to hear from us, please leave your email / address • To learn more about astronomy and physics at Otterbein, please visit • http://www.otterbein.edu/dept/PHYS/weitkamp.asp (Obs.) • http://www.otterbein.edu/dept/PHYS/ (Physics Dept.)

4. Recent Advances in Astronomy • Data • Theory • Instruments • Space Flight • Space probes

5. Introduction • In the last 15 years cosmology has become a (very) exact science • 1970ies: Age of the universe is 10-20 billion yrs • Now: the universe is 13.7±0.1 billion years old • Eagerly anticipated results have been obtained • “Temperature” of the universe is 2.725 K, isotropic 1 part in 100,000 • Unexpected discoveries occurred • Acceleration of cosmological expansion • The universe contains strange & unknown stuff • Changing of space exploration agencies • Commercial spaceflight • China, Japan, India • Bush’s Moon-Mars initiative changes NASA’s objectives • Instrumentation has improved dramatically • CCD cameras • Adaptive optics • New “Astronomies” • Neutrino, X-ray, IR, ...

6. Recent Advances in Astronomy: Space Probes • Cassini / Huygens • Chandra • Mars Rovers • WMAP • Galileo • Hayabusa • Deep Impact • Many more …

7. Deep Impact – The Comet Crasher Comet Impact:July 4, 2005Impact Velocity:23,000 mphSpacecraft Size:Flyby spacecraft - nearly as large as a Volkswagen Beetle automobile.Impactor spacecraft - about the same dimensions as a typical living room coffee table.

8. Comets - Traveling Dirty Snowballs • Small icy bodies, “dirty snowballs” • Develops a “tail” as it approaches the Sun

9. Comet Anatomy • Tail may be up to 1 A.U. long

10. Halley’s Comet – Now and then • Halley’s Comet in 1910 • Top: May 10, 30° tail • Bottom May 12, 40° tail • Halley’s Comet in 1986 • March 14, 1986

11. Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 • HST image (1994); Earth added to show scale

12. Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 Headed for Jupiter…

13. Impact on Jupiter

14. Deep Impact – The Comet Crasher Comet Impact:July 4, 2005Impact Velocity:23,000 mphSpacecraft Size:Flyby spacecraft - nearly as large as a Volkswagen Beetle automobile.Impactor spacecraft - about the same dimensions as a typical living room coffee table.

15. Temple 1 Coordinate System

16. “Deep Impact” crashes into comet Temple 1 This is how a comet looks like!

17. Viewed from the flyby spacecraft from Hubble Space Telescope

18. Spirit at Gusev Crater • Sol: 1365 Time: 21:18 • Sols past warranty: 1275 • Opportunity at Meridiani Sinus • Sol: 1345 Time: 9:17 • Sols past warranty: 1255

19. Martian Surface Iron gives the characteristic Mars color: rusty red! View of Viking 1 1 m rock Sojourner

20. Martian Panorama Note: the sky is not black as on the moon, but pale pink of the dust in the atmosphere! “Twin Peaks” – about 1-2 km away

21. Mars Panorama: Opportunity has landed!

22. Landing Sites A couple of 1000 miles apart!

23. Meteorite ALH 84001 • Discovered in Antarctica in 1984 • 2 kg, 17 cm across • Chemical analysis indicates it came from Mars • In 1996, a team of scientists argued that it contains fossilized evidence of bacteria that came from Mars

24. Cassini/ Huygens • Spectacular data from Saturn, Titan, and the Rings

25. Titan • Titan is the only moon in the solar system known to have an atmosphere Infrared picture shows surface details

26. Titan from Cassini

27. Haze and Atmosphere

28. Methane Clouds

29. False Colored Image

30. Map of Titan

31. Methane Rain & Lakes

32. Huygens sees Shoreline descending

33. SOHO • The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) monitors the Sun (launched 1995). It provides crucial early warnings of impending space weather that can destroy satellites and knock out power grids. Scientists credit SOHO with allowing forecasts that prevent damage and losses that might otherwise occur. Erupting prominence

34. Hubble Space Telescope • Launched 1993 • Above the atmosphere • 2.4m Mirror

35. HST: Planets

36. Hubble Ultra Deep Field

37. HST: M51 Spiral Galaxy

38. The Night Sky in November • The sun is past autumn equinox -> longer nights! • Autumn constellations are coming up: Cassiopeia, Pegasus, Perseus, Andromeda, Pisces  lots of open star clusters! • Marsis visible later at night

39. Moon Phases • Today (Waning Crescent) • 11/ 9 (New Moon) • 11 / 17 (First Quarter Moon) • 11 / 24 (Full Moon) • (Last Quarter Moon)

40. Today at Noon • Sun at meridian, i.e. exactly south

41. 10 PM Typical observing hour, early October • Mars • Uranus • Neptune

42. Star Maps 40º 90º Celestial North Pole – everything turns around this point Zenith – the point right above you & the middle of the map

43. West The summer triangle lingers on …

44. Due North • Big Dipper points to the north pole

45. High up – the Autumn Constellations • W of Cassiopeia • Big Square of Pegasus • Andromeda Galaxy

46. Andromeda Galaxy • “PR” Foto • Actual look

47. South-East Perseus, Auriga & Taurus with Plejades and the Double Cluster

48. South-West – 2006 • Planets • Uranus • Neptune • Zodiac: • Capricorn • Aquarius

49. South-West –2007 • Planets • Uranus • Neptune • Zodiac: • Capricorn • Aquarius

50. Mark your Calendars! • Next Starry Monday: February 4, 2008, 7 pm (this is a Monday ) • Observing at Prairie Oaks Metro Park: • Friday, November 16, 6:30 pm • Friday, January 11, 6:00 pm • Friday, February 15, 6:30 pm • Web pages: • http://www.otterbein.edu/dept/PHYS/weitkamp.asp (Obs.) • http://www.otterbein.edu/dept/PHYS/ (Physics Dept.)