Volume I, Issue 2 February 2012

SUPARCO - ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS

These ancient constellations are still in use in modern astronomical studies. A constellation for an ancient civilization was just a loose grouping of prominent stars, leaving out the fainter stars. A constellation can be defined as “An apparent association of stars in the sky which are given symbolic or mythic significance by associating figures to their pattern in the sky.”

Pakistan Space Vision 2040, was approved by the Prime Minister of Pakistan which inter-alia included augmentation / strengthening of the Astronomy and Astrophysics programmes of SUPARCO.

SUPARCO`s astronomy and astrophysics program is mainly focused on theoretical and observation research. For this an astronomical observatory is planned to be established. Research studies pertaining to deep space objects including galaxies, nebulae and variable stars are also being initiated. Search for earth like planets is a hot topic in astrophysics nowadays. It is planned to conduct research studies in this field also.

Inside this Issue:Constellations

Software Review

Web Review

Book Review

Sky this Month & Events

Astronomy News Round up

Monitoring of Solar flare

Observation of Jupiterand its Moon

1

2

3

4

4

5

6

7

Events of MonthDate Time Event\Direction

After Sunset Venus at 13.6 W 01 Feb

The astronomical heritage of the constellations used in contemporary astronomy began about 2500 BC with the ancient stargazers of Mesopotamia. These early astronomers used the stars to tell stories, to honor heroes and ferocious creatures—such as Orion the hunter and Ursa Major (the Great Bear)—and to remind each new generation that the heavens were the abode of the gods. In these Mesopotamian societies (naked eye) astronomy, mythology, religion, and cultural values were closely interwoven. Early Greek astronomers adopted the constellations originating in Mesopotamia, embellished them with their own myths and religious beliefs, and eventually created a set of 48 ancient constellations.

BULLETIN

SUPARCO - ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS Bulletin is a monthly publication

06:25Closeness to Moon-

Spacia: 0.4 N (Visible subject to darkness)

02 Feb

16:31 Moon-Jupiter: 1 N18 Feb

11:36Neptune Conjuction

(Not visible due to daylight)21 Feb

Orion Constellation depiction

Orion Constellation shown in star charts

Orion Constellation as seen in the sky

Constellations

Page II

Created by Chris Laurel, Celestia is a 3D astronomy educational software program which is based on the Hipparacos Catalogue (HIP). This software allows its users to look at view of the Universe from different directions in space and moving through different speeds. It also allows travel through the historical astronomical views of the past time.

Celestia is free software available for downloading under the GNU General Public License. It is also avaialbe for various operating system like Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows. Graphic screen-shots and movies can be captured in classic or HD resolutions (up to 1920x1080) on Windows and Linux platforms.

Celestia displays features such as detailed atmospheres on planets and moons, sunshine on orbiting satellites, sunsets and sunrises, moving

Software Review

Celestia

SUPARCO - ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS Bulletin is a monthly publication

The German astronomer Johan Bayer published Uranometria in 1603. This book was the first major star catalog for the entire celestial sphere. Expanding the legacy of constellations from ancient, Bayer named 12 new southern hemisphere constellations. Using the newly invented astronomical telescope, the Polish-German astronomer Johannes Hevelius filled in some of the empty spaces in the Northern Hemisphere of the celestial sphere by identifying new constellations. Then, in the 18th century the French astronomer Abbé Nicolas-Louis De Lacaille described 14 new constellations in the Southern Hemisphere and named some of them after scientific artifacts and instruments emerging during the period.

Keeping view of this, and to remove certain ambiguities while locating a star at any proper place in the sky, astronomers have added 40 modern constellations, and in 1928 the International Astronomical Union established 88 official constellations with clearly defined boundaries. Consequently, a constellation now represents not a group of stars but an area of the sky, and any star within the region belongs to one and only one constellation. It also helps in locating objects in the sky. For instance, saying that Mars is in Leo helps locate that planet, just as saying that Karachi is in Sindh helps locate the city.

In addition to the 88 official constellations, the sky contains a number of less formally defined groupings called asterisms. An asterism is defined as “A small collection of stars (part of a constellation) that appear to be connected in the sky but form an association too small to be called a constellation.” The Big Dipper, for example, is a well-known asterism that is part of the constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear). Another asterism is the Great Square of Pegasus, which includes three stars from Pegasus plus Alpheratz from Andromeda.

Page III

The website chosen for the month of February is a famous photography website and is called “Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD)”. This website is jointly owned by NASA and Michigan Technological University (MTU).

In 1996, in a meeting of the American Astronomical Society, the idea of APOD was presented. This initiative then received support from NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and MTU. From that time up to now, this website has received several international awards including the Scientific American Sci/Tech Web Award in 2001. In 2003, the two authors published a book titled “The Universe: 365 Days” by Harry N. Abrams, which is a collection of the best images from APOD. This website was also featured in the November 2004 issue of the D-Lib Magazine.

Each day a new stunning photograph of our universe is uploaded on the website with a brief explanation usually written by a professional astronomer. The photograph shown at any particular date does not mean that it was actually taken at that date. Links are available which categorize all the pictures that have appeared on the website in the past in a single category. Past images are stored in the APOD archive. The first image was uploaded in archive on June 16, 1995. Not only still images but sometimes videos are also uploaded.

This is a very good website for those who are interested in collecting pictures of our awe-inspring universe.

Web Review

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/

-

clouds, planetary rings, eclipses and ring shadows constellation lines, borders and illustrations, night-side lights (of cities), detailed surface textures, specular reflections off water and ice, nebula gases and star flares.

Information about the objects that Celestia draws can also be displayed: the radius, the distance, length of the sidereal day and average blackbody temperature of the planets are shown and the distance, luminosity relative to the sun, spectral class, surface temperature and radius of stars are indicated.

This software has been used by NASA and ESA in their education and outreach programs and other technical tasks.

SUPARCO - ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS Bulletin is a monthly publication

Software Review

Book Review

February 7, 2012 - Full MoonEarth will be between the Sun and Moon, and therefore, the Moon will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase shall take place at 21:54 UT.

February 9, 2012 A conjunction will take place in the west direction from 1945 hours (PST) to morning, when Venus and Uranus will aligne themselves with the Earth in their orbits.

February 13, 14, 2012Another conjunction will take place in the west direction when Mercury and Neptune will be aligned with the Earth. The view will be observable after sunset.

February 23, 2012 - New Moon Chances of the new moon will be high as the moon will be directly between Earth and Sun.

Planet Watch:

February 10, 2012The morning of 10th of February gives another nice view of the red planet, Mars with the moon. Looking a bit south of the west direction our eyes could catch the waxing gibbous moon and just above it with a little eye movement in the westerly direction, we would find the red glittering dot in the sky which is the planet Mars. Watching a little up in the sky and in Southwest direction, we would be able to see Saturn.

February 13, 2012If the planet Saturn is not found, wait for two days when on the 13th of this month in the morning sky, the moon would be in the first quarter and will be in proximity of the ring planet Saturn. Both moon and Saturn will appear close to the southern direction.

Sky this Month

Page IV

The Universe Series book “Stars and Galaxies” is written by Roger A. Freedman and William J. Kaufmann III. This book takes readers to a journey of the universe from relatively closer distances (the planets) to the far reaches of the universe (the galaxies).

The writers beautifully answer all the popular questions which agitate the human mind such as how the universe began and how did it evolve into its present state? How stars form and evolve? What are the strongest sources of light and gravity? How did galaxies form and evolve? And are there any other intelligent beings out there besides us?

In Part I, the basic concepts are highlighted with pictures and graphs. Part II and in Part III are about planets and stars formation, and evolution. Part IV contains profound knowledge of galaxy formation, types, active galaxies, quasars, gamma ray bursts, introduction to Cosmology and the search for Extra-terrestrial life.

The most captivating and astounding concept in the book is the one known as “The Drake Equation” given by Frank Drake from which one can calculate “number of technologically advanced civilizations in a galaxy”.

The book is available in the market and for online purchase on the Internet. It also includes complimentary CDs of Starry Night and Deep Space Explorer softwares.

SUPARCO - ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS Bulletin is a monthly publication

February 28, 2012The month of February marks a brilliant sky view of the three brightest objects in the nightsky i.e the moon, Venus and Jupiter. Looking in the westerly direction, we would first find Venus and then Jupiter right above it. The first quarter moon will be very high in the sky and will give an overhead observation.

Sky this Month

Page V

February 24, 2012On the 24th of this month another beautiful astronomical alignment of heavenly bodies will take place. Mercury will join this gathering in the sky. Mercury would be lying close to horizon. It may be difficult to spot Mercury as it will remain visible in the sky only for a few minutes after sunset. Above Mercury shall lie our natural satellite, the moon. And above the moon, Venus and Jupiter will be visible dazzling the evening sky. The view will be visible right after sunset in the west direction.

SUPARCO - ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS Bulletin is a monthly publication

Mystery of Source of Supernova in Nearby Galaxy Solved

Using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have solved a longstanding mystery so-called progenitor, which caused a supernova seen in a nearby galaxy.

NASA's Hubble Breaks New Ground with Distant Supernova Discovery

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has looked deep into the distant universe and detected the feeble glow of a star that exploded more than 9 billion years ago. The sighting is the first finding of an ambitious survey that will help astronomers place better constraints on the nature of dark energy, the mysterious repulsive force that is causing the universe to fly apart ever faster.

Astronomers find three smallest Planets outside Solar System

A team of astronomers led by scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have discovered the three smallest confirmed planets ever detected outside our solar system. The three planets, which all orbit a single star, are smaller than Earth and appear to be rocky with a solid surface. Until now, astronomers have found at most only four other rocky planets, also called terrestrial planets, around other stars.

Planets with Double Suns are Common

Astronomers using NASA's Kepler mission have discovered two new circumbinary planet systems -- planets that orbit two stars, like Tatooine in the movie Star Wars. Their find shows that planets with two suns must be common, with many millions existing in our Galaxy.

Strange New 'Species' of Ultra-Red Galaxy Discovered

In the distant reaches of the universe, almost 13 billion light-years from Earth, a strange species of galaxy lay hidden. Cloaked in dust and dimmed by the intervening distance, even the Hubble Space Telescope couldn't sight it. Astronomers can't explain what makes it so ruddy.

Astronomy News Round up

Page VI

SUPARCO - ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS Bulletin is a monthly publication

The Space Weather Monitoring Facilities at SUPARCO recorded magnetic storms after the two solar flares (M3 & M-8.7) which occurred on Jan 19, 2012 around 20:15 PST & on Jan 23, 2012 at 08:59 PST. The following magnetograms show disturbances recorded by Abdus Salam Geomagnetic Observatory at Sonmiani.

The medium intensity earthward solar erruption caused distrubences in HF communication. Transpolar flights were also rescheduled and rerouted during the magnetic storms.

Solar Flares and Magnetic Storms monitored by SUPARCO

Disturbance in the ionosphere (charged region from 80 to 800 Km above the earth) due to solar flare eruption on the Jan 23, 2012 is shown in the following height (Km) v/s frequency (MHz) profiles

Image of the Sun taken by NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory on Jan 23, 2012

The magnetograms, showing disturbed magnetic field, recorded by Geomagnetic Observatory at Sonmiani

Rizla ZareenGeneral ManagerGulzar-e-Hijri, SUPARCO RoadSector 28, SUPARCO, Karachi, PakistanTel: 021-34690765-74Fax 021-34690795Email: sckhi@suparco.gov.pkC

onta

ct In

form

atio

nPage VII

SUPARCO - ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS Bulletin is a monthly publication

Winter nights have always been very advantageous for stargazing. During this time of year most of the bright stars make their appearance in the sky. Among these bright stars some other glowing points of light are also visible, that move across the background of stars and change their position weekly/ monthly. These objects are called planets.

Observation of Jupiter and its moons

Jupiter showing bands of gases, two of such are visible

SUPARCO observed the planet Jupiter and its moons on Jan 19, 2011. The telescope used for the observation was LX200 8” with 40mm and 32 mm eyepieces.

Jupiter and its four moons observed at Jan 19, 2011 from SUPARCO HQ, Karachi. One of the moons of Jupiter is about to transit the planet.

Jupiter is the largest planet of the solar system, weighing more than twice as much as all the other planets put together. It spins on its axis faster than any other planet, one rotation takes less than 10 hours. The visible surface of Jupiter consists of swirling, distinctive banded clouds. Beneath that the planet is mainly composed of liquid hydrogen and helium.