APOD 3.5:Aurora in Alaska

The photo, taken by Todd Salat, shows a reflection of Aurora borealis over a lake in Alaska; the red part of the Aurora could only be seen with a camera (after a 20-second exposure) while the green was visible to the unaided eye. The human eye takes in light for a fraction of a second at a time but a camera shutter is left open for much longer. Auroras are created by the Sun's energetic particles, which impact Earth's magnetosphere. These particles case electrons and protons to rain down near the planet's poles, which shows in the air. The red and green are made by excited oxygen atoms. The scene from last autumn is near Anchorage, and lovely lily pads dot the lake encircled by trees. The sky annotations outline such sights as the Pleiades star cluster, and Jupiter, right above the clouds. 

APOD 3.4: Shadow at Point Lake on Mars

The picture was taken by NASA's Curiosity rover, which has landed on Mars in August, on Gale Crater. Curiosity has been looking for more signs that water once ran through the planet, and also clues that life existed. The picture, taken in November, shows its shadow in the direction opposite the sun at "Point Lake." There are some areas near there that appear to have been dried streambeds. In the next few years, Curiosity is to climb Mt. Sharp, which has been a spot scientists have long been wanting to study.

Moon Surface Features

I labeled parts on the moon :)

Astro-Observation Log 3.1 (2.2.13)

Last night, in the crisp air, my stargazing group identified a number of objects and constellations in the sky with the help of the binoculars we were afforded, the telescope, and the instructor's profound knowledge of the cosmic neighborhood.

Jupiter was found in the constellation of Taurus, and through the telescope I actually was able to see some of its red patterns! It was found overhead as were the Pleiades, in the horns of the Bull, although they were less easily visible than they were at the last stargaze.

I hadn't realized that the belt of Orion was so easily identifiable, and that Betelgeuse and Rigel emitted different colors. Rigel is a blue supergiant and Belegeuse is a red supergiant.

I also learned that Betelgeuse, one of the most notable stars in Orion, is very unstable and likely to become a supernova within 10,000 years. Although it is unlikely, Betelgeuse may reach the end of its lifetime during my lifetime, and when it does so, it may even leave an impact on our solar system and what we see and the sky and our Sun.

Cassiopeia, Leo, and Perseus were among the other constellations I saw. My instructor informed us that  the north star Polaris and the two dippers were more unreliable than usual to use as references at their current locations, as they were harder to observe.

Through the telescope, I observed a few pairs of binary stars (Sirius being one of them), and also, albeit faintly, the Andromeda Galaxy, which is the nearest one to our Milky Way Galaxy. I also saw some other "M" numbers such as M42, the Orion Nebula.

On my sky calendar beforehand, I observed that the moon was apparently very near Spica (the brightest star in the constellation Virgo)- but this occurrence was only visible in Madagascar and southern Africa. From the calendar map, however, I also discerned that tonight, the moon is to be seen very near Saturn and it will also be a last quarter moon, meaning it will look half-illuminated.

APOD 3.3: Andromeda Galaxy

The infrared image displays a view of the Andromeda Galaxy from the Herschel Space Observatory. As I have just learned, this galaxy (which is more than roughly twice the size of the Milky Way Galaxy) is the closest large spiral galaxy to our Milky Way, at a distance of 2.5 million light-years. On Messier's list, the Andromeda Galaxy is M31. Cool dust lanes and clouds comprise the galaxy, which is shown in false color in the picture. The red hues on the exterior parts designate starlight-heated dust, while the blue colors in the interior designate hotter dust warmed by stars in the central core. The dust is a tracer of molecular gas, and reveals that Andromeda Galaxy is stocked with a huge supply of material for future star formation.

APOD 3.2: The Antikythera Mechanism

I liked this particular "astronomy picture of the day" because of its incredible historical connection. the "Antikythera Mechanism" was found in an ancient Greek ship at the bottom of the sea, which most likely sank around 80 BC. Such a gear was not thought to have been created for another 1,000 years later- it was a sort of mechanical computer. The wheels and gears create a sort of orrery of the sky; although some of its functions are unknown, one use was probably to predict events such as eclipses. It is about the size of a large book.

• Moon (silver)
• Mercury (turquoise)
• Venus (lapis lazuli)
• Sun (gold)
• Mars (red onyx)
• Jupiter (white crystal)
• Saturn (obsidian).

APOD 3.1- Stickney Crater

The surreal-looking, enhanced-color picture, belonging to NASA, displays Stickney Crater, which is the largest crater on the martian moon Phobos. It was taken by the WiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2008. The crater was named for the wife of the astronomer Asaph Hall, who was responsible for discovering both of Mars' moons.

Stickney Crater is half the diameter of Phobos; whatever created it likely could have destroyed the moon in fact. The streaks are probably from loose material sliding down the walls of the geological feature (although Phobos' gravity is less than 1/1000th Earth's gravity), and the bluish regions denote exposed surfaces. There are many groves in Stickney Crater, created during the impact that produced the feature.