For those who saw Michael Jefferson’s talk on his Sudden Ionospheric Disturbance detector at the last meeting (and for those who didn’t) the same apparatus is currently featured on the SpaceWeather web site. There were recently a couple of strong solar flares that showed well on the SID graphs. Nice to see that Mike’s network is getting some publicity. Follow the link below to see the article and graphs. And yes, Mike’s apparatus recorded the same information very well too!
http://www.spaceweather.com/

UPDATE:

The SpaceWeather page has updated to new stories, but here is the text and image from th site:

“IONOSPHERIC DISTURBANCE: An M2-class solar flare on Jan. 19th bathed Earth’s upper atmosphere in X-rays and caused a wave of ionization to sweep over Europe. This improved the propagation of low-frequency radio signals, which use the ionosphere as a reflector to skip over the horizon. A SID monitor operated by Rudolf Slosiar in Bojnice, Slovakia, recorded a surge in signal strength:
“SID” stands for Sudden Ionospheric Disturbance, and a “SID monitor” is a radio receiver that monitors ~20 kHz signals from distant transmitters. “My system clearly detected the effects of the solar flare,” says Slosiar. “The decay of the signal shows that it took about 72 minutes for the ionosphere to recombine [and relax to its pre-flare state].”
With solar activity on the rise, sudden ionospheric disturbances will become more common. Interested? Stanford University tells you how to build your own SID monitor.”

Target Earth: Impacts Large and Small – Feb. 9

This one is for the week of our February meeting. If you are in the area
you might consider taking it in.

Peter Brown is an excellent speaker. I hope he will address our club in the future.
Here’s the annoucement for your pleasure.

February’s ?Classes without Quizzes” lecture is called Target Earth: Impacts Large and Small. The Earth is constantly bombarded by asteroids and comets. Peter Brown, physics & astronomy associate professor at Western, will discuss the threat these extraterrestrial impacts pose, and how they also offer researchers unparalleled opportunities to better understand our solar system and how it formed. The lecture takes place on Tuesday, February 9 at the Medway Community Centre, Sherwood Forest Square, Wonderland Road North, London. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the lecture begins at 7 p.m.

“Classes without Quizzes” is a complimentary lecture series for the community offered by The University of Western Ontario. Join us for topical, entertaining and insightful monthly lectures by some of Western?s leading faculty, each taking place in different London locations through to Spring 2010. For more information or to RSVP for a lecture, please email programs@uwo.ca, call 519-661-2111 ext. 85739 or visit http://communications.uwo.ca/CWQ/

Jim, John and I arrived about 7 PM and set up what equipment we had brought.

I also started shifting my weight from foot to foot to keep them warm. Boy, it was cold out there. The sky was clear, but the transparency was not good. It was still a pretty bright background.

Camelopardalis was almost at the zenith. That’s the worst place to find something with an alt-az. I brought my Big Black Binoculars with me. They are not good at the zenith but would do a fine job elsewhere in the sky. Orion was my first target.

I decided to snap some sky photos to get ‘warmed up’ and noted that as usual, focus was going to be an issue. Without the moon in the sky, the auto focus on my camera does not work, and manual focus means trying over and over.

Jim was using a 9.25 inch SC.

John had his binoculars trained almost on the zenith, at Kemble’s Cascade. What a nice view it was. I could see how it would earn a name instantly if someone spotted that in binoculars.

We eventually got Jim’s scope focused on NGC1502 at the end of the cascade. What a lovely set of matched pairs of stars it has. It’s like a special star-stamp was used to put pairs on the sky over and over.

After a while another member arrived and we shared views of Orion, and a few double stars.

At 9 PM or so, it was so cold, we decided to retire to Tim Horton’s at Nebo Road, and discuss all manner of interesting topics, while our feet warmed up.

It was our first outing of the year, and high time too. I don’t think i was out in November or December.

It can only get better now. Those long-johns are starting to sound like a good idea. John and Jim were cosy as teddy bears in them.

Our next outing is no later than January 22nd or 23rd, at Burlington. By then the half moon will make a great target, and mars will rise in the east.

Steve

————————-
Update By KerryLH

While the crew was out at Tyneside I was able to capture that pretty cluster NGC1502 from home. The entire Kemble’s Cascade was too large to fit in the field of view of the 8in and QHY-8 but it was nice to get some resolution on this small cluster at the end of it. Next time I’ll give the entire cascade a try with a different setup.

Large version: http://www.weatherandsky.com/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=7568&g2_imageViewsIndex=3

Hi Everyone

Some HAA members will be setting up telescopes and binoculars at the Alternate Site on Tyneside
tonight from about 7 PM until about 9 PM. It’s cold so dress warm. Please
bring some of your equipment or you can share mine.

Cheers,
Steve Germann

Sent to me via Facebook. I thought some club members might be interested in this. Sounds interesting.

ASX?s 7th Annual ?Expanding Canada?s Frontiers? Symposium

The Astronomy & Space Exploration Society (ASX) at the University of Toronto invites you to this exciting event!

Featuring:
* Prof. Peter Schultz (NASA LCROSS mission): Water on the Moon – a new oasis for life in space
* Prof. Sara Seager (MIT): seeking the stuff of life beyond our solar system
* Dr. Firouz Naderi (NASA JPL): engineering the future of robotic space exploration
* Dr. Narendra Bhandari (Indian Space Res. Org.): India’s Space Program finds water in the lunar desert

DATE & TIME: Friday, January 29, 2010, 6:30 PM
(Doors open at 5:30 PM, reception at 10 PM)

LOCATION: Convocation Hall, University of Toronto (31 King?s College Circle, Toronto)

ADMISSION:
General Public: $20 ($15 until Jan 7, 5pm) from UofT TIX:
http://uofttix.ca/view.php?id=579
Phone #: (416) 978-8849

** This event has attracted over 1,000 attendees in the past, so do book your ticket early!

ABSTRACT: The search for habitable worlds other than our own, from nearby in our solar system to far away exoplanets, is one of the greatest scientific endeavors of human history. The discovery of many exoplanets in recent years as well as the astonishing discovery of water on the moon has propelled this quest to the forefront of today?s scientific research. With these discoveries in mind, ASX is pleased to present a truly inspiring cast of speakers who are at the forefront of this field. Please come out on January 29th to hear these speakers talk about their latest work and accomplishments as well as their perspectives on the search for other worlds and space exploration.

More info: http://asx.sa.utoronto.ca/symposium/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=233912979487

About ASX:
The ASX is a student group at the University of Toronto that is committed to bringing about awareness of astronomy and space exploration news, research, initiatives and opportunities in Canada and around the world, to the students and the greater public.

Today marks the 400th anniversary of the discovery of Jupiter’s moons, and the start of a whole new chapter in the history of science.

Despite the fact that last year was the International Year of Astronomy in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the first astronomical use of the telescope, it was actually in early 1610 that Galileo made many of his most important discoveries and announced them in his book, the Sidereus Nuncius.

From the Sidereus Nuncius, By Galileo Galilei:

“On the seventh day of January in this present year 1610, at the first hour of the night, when I was viewing the heveanly bodies with a telescope, Jupiter presented itself to me. And because I had prepaped a very excellent instrument for myself, I perceived (as I had not done before on account of weakness of my previos instrument) that there were three starlets beside the planet, small indeed, but very bright.”

And with those words began the era of modern observational astronomy…

Page showing Jupiter observations from ‘Sidereus Nuncius’

This chart is new data from the LOFAR antenna, and sent by Mike Jefferson.

On Friday, December 18, 2009, LOFAR detected a C7.6 solar flare in the blue (negative voltage area)

LOFAR Data for December 18, 2009 [24 hour period]

The night of Sunday, Dec 13/2009 and into the morning of the 14th marks the height of the Geminid meteor shower. Peak is expected around midnight EST (04:00 UTC).

On average this is the best meteor shower of the year, with rates of up to 120 meteors per hour or more from a dark location. A nearly new moon will result in dark skies allowing you to see more of the fainter displays.

This meteor shower is dust and ice left over from the extinct comet 3200 Phaethon which crossed Earth’s orbit more than a century ago. It’s called an extinct comet since all of the ice has sublimated from multiple passes around the sun and no longer produces a tail.

This is a “broad” shower meaning the show will last for hours or even days on either side of the peak. Some have already reported seeing some Geminids and it will only get better as we get closer to the 13th. If it’s cloudy on Sun, then consider venturing out the night before or after.

While the Geminids back in the 19th century were rather unimpressive, they have continued to get better each year to become the most prolific shower of the year. Some scientists believe that Jupiter’s gravity has caused the debris stream from 3200 Phaethon to drift so that we are penetrating deeper into the stream, resulting in the better shows we now enjoy.
More info here

As the name suggests, these appear to originate from the constellation Gemini. At this time of year for North America, Gemini is visible most of the night. From our location, it is just east of Orion. Here’s a skymap showing you where to look.

The full size chart can be found here.

Needless to say, now that we’re into winter, it’s likely to be cold. (Current forecast for Sun night is for a low of -1C, cloudy and a chance of showers or wet snow. Sat night might be the clearest night.) So be sure to dress warmly and bring lots of hot chocolate to stay comfortable. As with all good meteor showers, the best way to observe these is to lay back on a lounge chair to take in the whole sky. Perhaps bring a sleeping bag to help keep you warm.

Back on Nov 16, I saw more than 70 Leonids and 20 sporadics from our observing location at Tyneside and thought this was a pretty good show. The Geminids should be even better. Hopefully you’ll brave the cold and enjoy this display.

Tonight the moon is full and certainly worthy of a good look (technically, the moon is full on December 2nd, but in the early morning hours. why not look tonight and tomorrow?). This being December 1st, we will have the opportunity to observe two full moons this month. The second full moon will occur on December 31st, the last night of the year.

As has been described by others, the full moon of each month carries several names. Autumn’s Harvest Moon is best know, followed by the Hunter’s Moon. Tonight’s full moon is known as the Cold Moon, or the Long Night Moon, both very appropriate names. It is also known as the Moon before Yule. The next full moon, on New Year’s Eve, will be the Moon after Yule, not surprisingly.

I went out late last night (really early this morning; I almost forgot all about it!) to have a look at the moon, as November 30th marked the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first telescopic observation, and the first thing he looked at was naturally the moon (it was a waxing crescent, and he watched it set). I took a photo to commemorate the occasion, and you can see it below.

Have a look at the moon this month, and think of the passing seasons, how we are treated to two full moons this month and how after so many years, Galileo’s first steps into a new science still carry so much meaning for us.

The moon sets 400 years after Galileo first observed the same thing on November 30th, 1609

This Announcement / Report is from HAA member Jeff Lillycrop:

JOURNEY TO THE AMNH

If anyone is planning a trip to NYC (aka: the big apple) soon , you are in luck. I was lucky enough to be in New York over the past weekend and took the time to check out the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) and the Hayden Planetarium. The planetarium is just one part of many wonderful earth and space exhibits at the AMNH. I took in the planetarium show ?journey to the stars? which was narrated by Whoopi Goldberg ?! ( she did an excellent job ) and was presented on a 67 foot wide hemispheric dome in a room that held 250 people +/-. The show was supported in a partnership with NASA Science Mission Directorate, Heliophysics Division. It presented information to keep everyone riveted from beginners to full blown space junkies. Here is the description of the planetarium from the web site, to give you a measure of the experience

?The Hayden Planetarium is unlike any other such facility in the world. In the top half of the Hayden Sphere, the most technologically advanced Space Theatre in existence will use advanced visual technology (including a customized, one-of-a-kind Zeiss Star Projector) to create shows of unparalleled sophistication, realism, and excitement. With this high-definition system, the Hayden Planetarium is the largest and most powerful virtual reality simulator in the world.

The bottom half of the Hayden Sphere houses the Big Bang, where visitors will be transported to the beginning of time and space, experiencing a dramatic, multisensory re-creation of the first moments of the universe. From here, visitors continue on an awe-inspiring journey that chronicles the evolution of the universe by following the Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn Cosmic Pathway ? a sloping walkway that takes them through 13 billion years of cosmic evolution

The Digital Dome System takes the astronomical information of the Digital Galaxy and stores it on a Silicon Graphics® Onyx2? InfiniteReality2? visual workstation, one of the largest supercomputers ever dedicated to creating visual simulations and equivalent in power to those used by NASA or the largest military research laboratories. When the Digital Galaxy software is booted, the Hayden Planetarium’s supercomputer generates a three dimensional map of the galaxy that is so realistic that the dome itself seems to disappear. Thirty times a second, the Onyx2 calculates the real location and visualizes the appearance of every star and nebula that is about to be seen by the audience. The Onyx2 has 28 central processing units and can store up to two terabytes (2,000 gigabytes) and simultaneously process 14 gigabytes of data ? the equivalent power of about 200 desktop computers.

The Digital Dome’s computer graphics are composited with the output of several other instruments, including the Zeiss Mark IX star projector and an Omniscan all-dome laser that provides images of superior color and brightness. The central platform, which holds the Zeiss projector, a “2PI” All-Sky slide projection system, and the Omniscan laser, can be lowered to create more space inside the theatre. A state-of-the-art spatial sound system controls the direction of sounds, enhancing visitors’ experiences of moving objects, and subwoofer speakers are wired into each seat giving a sense of vibration and “lift off” at the start of the presentation.?

All I can say is WOW!! I was blown away , but that was just the start of many excellent exhibits offered including:

Scales of the Universe, let?s you investigate the vast range of sizes in the universe.

Cullman Hall of the Universe, let?s you examine how the universe evolved into galaxies, stars, and planets

Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth, let?s you explore how our own Earth took shape over 4.5 billion years ago

And the crowning jewel

Arthur Ross Hall of Meteorites which features Ahnighito the largest meteorite on display in the world , its huge !! weighing in at a mere 34 tons standing 5? tall 10? long, very cool !!!!

And all this was located in Rose Centre for Earth & Space, that is just one wing of this amazing place. I had planned on doing a tour of the entire Museum but spent 4 ½ hours in this wing alone , then they gave us the boot because they were closing. I had completely lost track of time. I highly recommend this experience to everybody , it will not disappoint. The funny thing is that admission is a suggested $28.00 USD but you can pay what you like. The planetarium show is an extra $4.00. It is the best deal in the city.