Archive for the ‘Astrophotography’ Category

The supernova I didn’t discover

Saturday, August 27th, 2011

SN 2011fe in M101

By now, most of the astronomy world is aware of the type Ia supernova discovered this week in Ursa Major’s M101 galaxy. This is an exceptional discovery in that the early catch of the supernova and the host galaxy’s close proximity offer scientists an unprecedented look at the processes of type Ia supernovae. In addition, M101 just happens to be a popular target under darker skies, potentially making this bright new supernova, formally designated SN 2011fe, an easier-than-most target.

Shortly after this discovery, I began receiving congratulations as the independent discoverer. But, I did not discover SN 2011fe; I merely confirmed its existence, and I didn’t do it alone. And while the misinformation was an innocent and probably not uncommon mistake made during a flurry of reports, I should personally correct the record.

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Fact-a-Day Countdown: GRAIL and the Royal Observatory

Friday, August 19th, 2011

With just 20 days remaining until the launches of NASA’s GRAIL mission and the Royal Observatory Greenwich’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2011 exhibition, I thought it might be fun to “count down” with one new fact each day about GRAIL and the Royal Observatory. I’ll include links in each post, for further learning.

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Decisions, decisions …

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

Oh, how I do love our international Space and Astronomy communities, with all of their opportunities to participate. Last month, I was notified that my “Moonfishing” image has been shortlisted for the Royal Observatory at Greenwich’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2011 competition, and last week I received invitations to attend the launch event of that exhibition and the (literal) launch of NASA’s GRAIL mission – both of which are slated for September 8. What a fun dilemma, having to choose between the two!

I’ve decided to attend the GRAIL launch. It’s more within my budget, and more importantly, it is an event that my children will especially enjoy.  I regret the missed opportunity in not attending the ROG ceremony, but I also know that witnessing a final Delta II rocket launch, with twin spacecraft headed to the Moon, will be an unforgettable experience. (I’ll share our #GRAIL adventure, here, when we return.)

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An Image Mystery

Tuesday, January 4th, 2011

Tonight, I discovered a mysterious object in two of my “Jupiter with Uranus” images.  Perhaps, someone can help me to determine what it is.

Some points to consider:

1) Both images are 30-sec exposures.  The first was taken at 18:49; the second was acquired at 18:50.  (Thirty seconds elapsed between the end of the first exposure and the start of the second exposure.)

2) Although the mystery object appears as a mere dot against the extended trails of the background stars, a close-crop reveals that the mystery object is also trailed, as would be expected with a long exposure and as would not be expected with typical image noise.

3) The stars’ trails extend from upper-left to lower-right, in the direction that the stars are actually moving, but the mystery object’s trail extends in a direction perpendicular to the stars, yet it appears to move (from one image to the next) in a direction exactly opposite that of the stars (from lower right to upper left.)

4) As luck would have it, my dog bumped the tripod during one of the exposures.  Oddly enough, it was actually “good luck”, because the mysterious object reveals the same “bump” seen in all of the stars – something one would not expect to see with typical image noise.

5) A satellite would show a much longer trail with a 30-sec exposure and it would have traveled much further between the two exposures.

6) A satellites check in Stellarium shows one craft, AO7, at 15-degrees beneath Jupiter and Uranus three-minutes after the second exposure.  Less than one-degree separates Jupiter and Uranus.

The images: (These can be enlarged by clicking on the images. Images 2 and 3 are especially large, to show more detail, and should be closed using the “close” tag in the bottom right corner of the image.  If you click the “X” in the top right corner of your browser, you will close the web page.)

This first image is an animated gif of four frames: original image, labeled, crop insert, and apparent movement.

Animation - 4 frames

This second image is the first of the two original images. This is the dog-bumped image, acquired at 18:49.

Original Image #1 - EST 18:49

This third image is the second of the two original images.  This image was acquired at 18:50.

Original Image #2 - EST 18:50


Alien Worlds are not so Distant

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010

We are so anxious to discover planets beyond our Solar System, though we have such fascinating worlds to explore right here in our own neighborhood.

These extraordinary animations, created from images obtained by Voyager 1 and New Horizons, have been around for awhile, but I had not seen them until they were recently “tweeted” by @NASA_Hubble and @skysketcher.  (You can click on each of the animations to learn more.)

Jupiter, as imaged by Voyager1 in 1979:

"Blue Movie"

Jupiter’s Io, via Centauri Dreams, as imaged by New Horizons in 2007:

"Tvashtar Plume"

Tavi Greiner: Finalist in the “International Observe the
Moon Night” Photo Contest!

Monday, September 27th, 2010

Moon Light Moon Bright: Finalist in the ImOMN Photo Contest

Vote for Tavi!

I know Tavi is too humble to blow-her-own-horn, so I thought I would take on the job.

If you aren’t familiar with “International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN)” you should read Tavi’s post here on our site.

One of the components of the InOMN is the photo contest. Tavi has been nominated as one of the 5  finalists in the “Beginner-Landscape Category.” If you like the remarkable image above as much as I do, please cast a vote for it at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/inomn_photo_contest. You can find her photo in the very first listing, it is called “Moon Light Moon Bright.”

Those of you who are familiar with Tavi’s portfolio, know that this moon image isn’t some lucky exposure. Tav is out all the time, in all sorts of weather, in all seasons, taking hundreds of exposures. If you follow her on Twitter (@tavigreiner), then you are used to frequently seeing her stunning images, taken with modest equipment, and with the creativity of a dedicated and passionate photographer.

Personally, I think this should have been in the “Experienced” category, but I am very glad to see recognition of this outstanding photographer of the sky.

I keep waiting for some of her talent to rub off onto me!