Hello, my ardent astronomy admirers, and welcome to this fall semester’s first edition of Observatory Corner for Friday, September 18, 2015! Initial weather forecasts for the coming week look favorable, with light cloud cover Monday and Thursday. However, this is Michigan, in case you weren’t already aware, and the weather is as changeable as my opinions on the 2016 presidential candidates. So, rather than take my word for it, you can look for yourself at http://www.wunderground.com/US/MI/Grand_Rapids.html. As we progress into the fall, the Sun is setting earlier and earlier, so the observatory opens earlier too, as we open just a half hour after sunset on clear nights, Monday through Thursday. Currently, we’re open around 8:45, so be sure to stop on by to get a glimpse of the glory of the heavens!
Saturn is drifting lower and lower in the sky, so the next few weeks are the last opportunity to see it in all its splendor! It’s below the horizon as early as 9:30 now, so hurry and see it while you can. The Summer Triangle, an asterism (mini-constellation) comprised of Vega, Deneb and Altair, sits high in the night sky, giving a view of some of the northern sky’s brightest stars. Altair also serves as the tail of Cygnus, the swan, whose flight path traces the galactic plane across the sky. The Moon is also waxing through this next week, resulting in a beautiful full moon Saturday the 26th, so now is the perfect time to get a glimpse of some of the craters on its lustrous surface.
The featured Calvin astronomy image of the week is of M31, the Andromeda Galaxy. Returning readers might be familiar with this one, although the significance of this image cannot be overstated, thus I am featuring it again for all incoming first-years.
The image is comprised of some 2,700 images covering 98 fields, and took over 4.5 years to complete! The best cameras today can take around a 20 megapixel images, but this is a 50 megapixel image, and the most high-resolution full image of Andromeda in existence. Andromeda is our sister galaxy, and sits a “mere” 2.5 million light-years from us. If we could see its full size in the sky with the naked eye, it would be as long as six full moons. That’s how close it is. Comprised of over 100 billion stars, the beautiful galaxy is actually on a collision course with our own, although this won’t happen for four billion years, so don’t hold your breath. Or, if you can hold your breath that long, contact the Guinness Book of World Records. I’m sure they’d be interested. If you so desire, you can learn more about Andromeda here: http://www.calvin.edu/academic/phys/observatory/images/M31/.
Let’s hear it for Calvin alumni Jess Vriesema, Melissa Dykhuis and Dan Van Noord for their amazing work on this project! Space is a very big place, and there’s always more to see. Tune in next time for another edition of Observatory Corner!
