SCAAA & ASTRONOMY

Pursuing Observational Astronomy

2017-10-26T17:49:00.002+05:30

Where is Andromeda Galaxy? Where is Orion Nebula? Where is Sirius the brightest Star located? How I can find out where is the planet Saturn, Jupiter and other astronomical Objects? What instrument I should use for observation?

Andromeda Galaxy from a very clear sky and far from light polution area

These are the question I observed in common people/ students, who love to find some astronomical things in sky. But they don't know the way to peruse that. There are so many basic rules and ideas to follow in order to start observing the sky. Today I will try to explain you those ways and will help you to became a beginner celestial observer.

First things first

There is nothing like impossible. It depends how much dedicated you are and how much intelligent you are. Initially you will feel like you can't find the star or nebula, you will give up and after that your ambition for astronomy will vanish in the course of time. So you have to try again and again without loosing faith in yourself.

What you need at the time of observation ?

You need some basic things to start with observation.

A dark Filed from where horizon is clearly visible.
The Place must be far from light pollution area.
A flash light with red filter on it.
A Notebook and a Pencil
A skymap or Mobile Apps (Like Sky Safari, Google Skymap or Stellarium)
A binocular
A laser Pointer

Instruments for observation (My Nikon 16x50 Binocular, My Celestron Astromaster 130eq Telescope)

What you need on before observation ?

Before going for an observation session, you must be prepared. There are certain things you must understand before going to an observation session.

You are going to a dark area for approx 2 hour observation.
Try not to go alone. Always go with relatives or friends who love astronomy so that you observation will be entertaining and you will not feel alone.
Be careful for wild animals. Don't go to very interior place where there are risk of animals or reptiles.
Carry food and water bottle in case you feel hungry
Prepare your observation chat carefully and list down what you are planning to observe tonight.
Draw rough map of sky for your reference.
If you are doing observation in Winter, then carry winter cloths.
Clean your optics carefully

Basic rules of Observation

Observing sky is not a limited job. Starting from Galileo to Hubble Telescope, all are observing the sky for objects which we can see in naked eye. But basic observational astronomy started with no instruments except our own eyes. So to know your sky better, you first need to observe the sky with your own eye. There are some steps to be done initially.

Try to remember the name of Brightest Starts.
Taking reference to those Brightest stars, and taking help of online software, try to remember the name of constellation they belongs to.
Try to draw those constellation maps again and again so that while looking the night sky you will imagine the structure of the constellation in your mind.
Try to know about those constellations and bright starts from internet. (There name, composition, size, structure, distance from our sun, etc.)
Try to understand basic astronomy Principles (Color, Temperature, Distance, Optics, etc.)
Try to follow every day sky map and record movement of every planet in the sky.

Your first instrument of observation

When you become expert in naked eye observation, when you memories all the constellations visible in your sky, when you remember all the planetary and stellar motion according to days, months and year, when you figure and confidently say at what time which planet or which bright star is at what direction or which position of sky easily then you jump to the second step of observation i.e. Optical Astronomy.

Optical astronomy is the most fundamental observation platform which is nothing else but observing the sky in visible spectrum. Which is visible in the sky but not enough big to observe by naked eye, we use optical instruments like telescopes, binoculars and spotting scopes.

Before entering into Optical World, You must understand one thing very carefully that Optical Astronomy consumes a lot of money from you. You better start making group or join any association or astronomy club where you can access different type of powerful Optical Instruments.

Optical astronomy starts with a small binocular which is the best Observational instrument after your own eye for observation. Which helps you to learn how to keep your hands steady and strong for observation. Makes you sharp and focused. There are many companies which are producing Magnificent Binoculars. I am giving here 3 type of binoculars according to price range I used personally . You can choose any one of them.

CELESTRON 10X50 (Below 5000 INR)

This is a mostly used binocular by basic observers. Light weight, and affordable.

Features:

10x magnification multi-coated optics increase light transmission resulting in brighter and sharper images with high contrast levels
Ergonomic thumb indents and finger ridges for extra non-slip comfort and ease of use
7.01m close focusing distance
Stylish rubber covered aluminium body protects from rough handling
50mm objective lens diameter
117.53m field of view at 1000m

Preference Level : 10/10

Nikon 16x50 (Below 15,000 INR)

Objective Diameter: 50 mm
Magnification: 16 x
Real Field of View: 4.2 degree
The black 16x50 Aculon A211 Binocular with Magnification: 16x from Nikon is a handheld fixed-magnification optic with multicoated aspherical lenses and an ergonomically-designed housing. For the redesigned Aculon series, Nikon packages the Aculon A211 binoculars with environmentally-friendly Eco-Glass elements composed of responsibly-sourced arsenic-free material. The Aculon binocular's Porro prism design delivers enhanced depth of field, and its multicoated aspheric optical path with 50mm objective lenses deliver the image clarity, brightness, and flat FOV demanded by nature observers. Also new to the 2013 version of the Aculon binocular is a sculpted rubber-armored housing that is designed to fit comfortably into the observer's hand and provide non-slip handling. Grooved ridges atop the housing and a generously-sized focusing wheel enable adjustments to the interpupillary distance and the point of focus even while wearing gloves. Nikon's Turn-and-Slide eyecups allow quick adjustment to the eye relief. The combination of image quality and user-friendly design make the 16x50 Aculon A211 a cost-effective option for long-range glassing.

Preference Level : 8/10

Heavier than celestron 10x50,

Costs higher than celestron 10x50,

Field of view is lesser than celestron 10x50 hence cover less area in sky

Steiner 10x 42mm (Below 40,000 INR)

CAT Color Adjusted Transmission amplifies contrast in the peak human vision sensitivity range, to spot game in any environment
Optimized Light Transmission with latest generation advances in low light performance and brighter images and up to 3-4% better light transmission
Lightweight Roof Prism Design has less bulk to fit in your pack and stay out of the way while hunting
Fast-Close-Focus central focusing wheel requires minimal rotation for quick, absolute sharpness from close up to infinity
Makrolon housing is durable polycarbonate with NBR Long Life rubber armoring, creating a lightweight, rugged chassis that withstands 11 Gs of impact

Preference Level : 6/10

Very high Cost

Amazing quality and light weight

Celestron 52250 80mm Ultima Zoom Spotting Scope (Below 25,000 INR)

Brand	Celestron
Model	52250
Model Year	2012
Item Weight	2.2 Kg
Product Dimensions	50.8 x 17.8 x 15.2 cm
Item model number	52250
Has Image Stabilization	No
Optical Zoom	60 X
Min Aperture	80 Millimeters
Min Focal Length	500 Millimeters
Batteries Included	No
Batteries Required	No
Real Angle Of View	50 Degrees
Includes Rechargable Battery	No
Has Tripod Mount	Yes

Preference Level : 9/10

Highly recommended for those who like to observe deep sky objects for hours.
Amazing Optics, Higher Zoom for planets and nebulae.
Lil Bit costly but you won't regret

These are the instruments which will help you to go beyond naked eye. There are some nebula, galaxy and clusters which will be very clearly visible through these instruments. Observing through these instruments you will

Pleiades open star cluster

find more amount of stars in a specific area rather than naked eye. For example

when you watch Pleiades open star cluster without any optical instruments, you will see a group of stars (roughly 10 stars in a very dark sky)are there

When you use a 10x50 binocular, you will find more than 30 stars.

But using more than 10x binocular, more magnification you have, less area you will cover resulting less part of the sky you will observe unless you use instruments with more area for gathering light and that is the time when you will need a telescope.

celestron astromaster 130eq

Observation with Telescopes

Milky Way Galaxy

Telescopes are the instruments which are next level instruments after binoculars. After gathering better knowledge about deep sky objects location and position, you will jump to the next step i.e. observation through larger instruments to analysis the structure of celestial objects better way.
Where you were observing with binoculars having 10x magnification, now you will be able to see the sky with 100 to 300x magnificaiton !!!

In order to master with such huge magnification, long time practice needed. This is not a task of one hour or one day. It will take months of dedication and effort which will make you able to find objects through telescope within seconds. There are a lot more to discuss. On my next blog I will share some more ideas about Night Sky observation. Please share your ideas and views about the post and replay if any mistake you found. If you are interested to learn Telescope observation techniques, you can contact me and come to my place. I can help you with that.

Why Astronomy?

2016-09-02T17:48:00.001+05:30

During these busy days, traveling from place to place came in contact with so many people, so many enthusiastic persons and among them most are just kids asking me why we should do astronomy? What are the benefits and what will be the outcomes?

Actually if you think deeply, these questions matters. Why in a country of more than 1.2 billion population where every one is fighting for survival and a job for life, some one will spent time and money for something which has no ending, no conclusion and beyond our reach? Astronomy is just a curiosity, the answer of which leads to another question and questions never stops coming.

So here are some answers I used to give them about there queries. The basic point of doing astronomy is to involve yourself with the highest and the deepest level of knowledge ever exists. You will study, you will observe, you will cultivate the pure form of knowledge. Once you enter into the world of astronomy, trust me, you will never find time and interest for other useless things.

Stephen Hawking- Most respected Cosmologist

Mission Control -NASA

Academically if you are preparing your kid for astronomy, he/she will one day become the most prestigious person of the world as an astronaut like Neil Armstrong or cosmetologist like Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking, or as an astronomical engineer of NASA, ISRO, ESA like most famous astronomical research centers who are responsible for all the groundbreaking breath taking discovery of entire human race.


Neil Armstrong- The first Astronaut to Moon

But the fact is Everyone ain't so lucky to get these chances. According to the calculation, its 12.1 million to 1 for astronaut and 10 million to 1 for the president of USA!!! This statistics may not be completely true, but partially its something close to the odds.

So this is the blog for those who are not that much lucky. What they gets from astronomy? Only for fun? NO.

Every one on this beautiful planet is the part of this cosmos. When this universe created, form the dusts and gases of the early solar system each and every leaving and non- leaving beings are created. We all are created by star dusts of some dead star burst known as supernova. Hence we all must have that curiosity to know who we are, what is our existence and what is the future of all the mankind.
After all this is all about survival. 66 million years ago a 6 mile sized asteroid crashed on Earth and entire Dinosaur generation got extincted. almost all the life on Earth got lost and once again life started on Earth. So what if history repeats once again? Are we prepared? So every one should know about the facts and stories of the place where we born, where we leave and where we die.
People involved in astronomy who does not gets a chance to prove there knowledge and curiosity, now a days can get opportunity to participate in real astronomical discovery. Government and other astronomical association now a days are giving scope to common citizen, students to elaborate data about stars and galaxy which not only can provide the amateur astronomers happiness, but also vast amount of research level knowledge and recognition if they find anything new to the researchers. Like our own association (SCAAA), there are so many organization which allows common people to participate in research level programs with which you can make yourself rich with many new ideas of the cosmos and observe the unseen unbelievable objects of the universe through many sophisticated telescopes.
Development is dependent upon knowledge which must be pure and away from blind believes In the case of Developing country like India, knowledge is still in the pressure of blind believes and myths. From the ancient age of more that 3000 years ago, astronomy fights to prove its identity in India till now. We left behind the generation which forbids watching solar eclipse in this country due to astronomy. With proper astronomical instruments and observational rules, we are now able to observe Solar Eclipse-the most beautiful astronomical phenomenon of the universe.So why we do astronomy? Here the answer is very transparent. We do this to help people understand what is wrong and what is right. So that the upcoming generation follow the correct path not the unknown, unjustified myths. To take our next generation to that level of transparency where they think about going to the Sun, not hide themselves during the occasion of Solar events.

So with so many explanations i want to come to the poin that, you may choose astronomy as your career or not. But like you every day eat, drink, sleep, you must find some time for the home you are staying, the home planet where you born, the home universe which is responsible for your existence.

Sally Ride, First American Woman in Space, Passes Away

2012-07-24T12:39:00.001+05:30

Sally Ride, First American Woman in Space, Passes Away

A Rare Celestial Spectacle of the Century

2012-07-24T11:50:00.000+05:30

A rare celestial spectacle of the century, the transit of Venus occurred on 5^th & 6^th June, 2012 and was visible to most parts of the globe. While revolving round the Sun, when the planet Venus remains between the Sun and the Earth in a straight line and on the same plain, we notice the Venus appear as a small dark disk crossing on the face of the bright Sun. Transits of Venus are among the rarest of predictable celestial phenomena and occur in pairs, eight years apart, which are themselves separated by more than a century. The previous transit of Venus took place on 8 June 2004 after a gap of 121 ¹/₂ years. The previous pair of appearances of transit of Venus were on the 9^th December 1874 and 6^th December 1882. Again after 105 ¹/₂years the next pair of transits will occur on 10–11 December, 2117 and in December 2125.

On June 6^th from sunrise to 10.22 A.M. the people of our country witnessed the century’s last transit of Venus. The planet Venus appeared as a small, dark disk moving across the face of the Sun. In India the transit began in early morning and observers across the country cannot see the first contact of transit. The transit already started at the time of sunrise. As the Venus completely removed from the disk of the Sun at 10.22 A.M., the transit observers got a chance of more than 5 hours to witness the event. The Astronomers, Amateur Astronomers, Scientists, Students, Teachers and Common people (once in life time for many of them) observed the last transit of the century with great interest.

In our state of Odisha many organisations like Pathani Samanta Planetarium, Samanta Chandrasekhar Amateur Astronomers’ Association (SCAAA), Institute of Physics, Regional Science Centre, Vigyan Chetana Manch (Cuttack), C.V. Raman Science Academy (Jajpur) and many colleges and schools conducted transit observation programmes. SCAAA in collaboration with Institute of Physics jointly arranged the transit observation programme in the premises of Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar. The image of the transit of Venus was projected on a screen using telescopes for safer observation. Simultaneously LCD projector was used to present the event through computer software. Besides above, safe viewing goggles, wielding glass (point 14 shade), mirror projection etc. were used for safe observation of the transit.

The members of SCAAA started witnessing the event from the beginning i.e. from the sunrise. Scientists and staff members of Institute of Physics and their family members participated in the programme and witnessed the event. The students and faculties of NISER and general public observed this rare event with great interest. Similarly in Pathani Samanta Planetarium, Regional Science Centre, Ravenshaw University campus and other places people witnessed the movement of the planet Venus over the disk of the Sun.

TRANSIT OBSERVATION PHOTOGRAPHS

Kids using there equipments

Enjoying the Venus transit with a solar filter

Myself Projecting sun over the screen by a telescope

Venus over Sun

Our equipments

Prof. L Satpathy using a welding glass watching Venus transit

Hand made filter set to watch the event

Worldwide observation of the Transit of Venus

Visibility map

The entire transit was visible from the western Pacific Ocean, northwesternmost North America, northeastern Asia, Japan, the Philippines, eastern Australia, New Zealand, and high Arctic locations including northernmost Scandinavia, and Greenland. In North America, the Caribbean, and northwestern South America, the beginning of the transit was visible on 5 June until sunset. From sunrise on 6 June, the end of the transit was visible from South Asia, the Middle East, east Africa, and most of Europe. There were a number of live online video streams with footage from telescopes around the world.

In Los Angeles, crowds jammed Mount Hollywood where the Griffith Observatory set up telescopes for the public to view of the transit. In Hawaii, hundreds of tourists watched the event on Waikiki Beach where the University of Hawaii set up eight telescopes and two large screens showing webcasts of the transit. The transit was also observed and photographed by a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station, Don Pettit. High-definition images of the event were provided by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, from 36,000 km above the Earth.

Astronomical events of this year

2012-07-23T23:02:00.001+05:30

· January 3, 4 - Quadrantids Meteor Shower.

· January 9 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 07:30 UTC.

· January 23 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 07:39 UTC.

· February 7 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 21:54 UTC.

· February 21 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 22:35 UTC.

· March 3 - Mars at Opposition. The red planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view and photograph Mars.

· March 8 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 09:39 UTC.

· March 14 - Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter. The two bright planets will be within 3 degrees of each other in the evening sky.

· March 20 - March Equinox. The March equinox occurs at 05:14 UTC. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the southern hemisphere.

· March 22 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 14:37 UTC.

· April 6 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 19:19 UTC.

· April 15 - Saturn at Opposition. The ringed planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view and photograph Saturn and its moons.

· April 21 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 07:18 UTC.

· April 21, 22 - Lyrids Meteor Shower. The Lyrids are an average shower, usually producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak.

· April 28 - Astronomy Day.

· May 5, 6 - Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Eta Aquarids are a light shower, usually producing about 10 meteors per hour at their peak.

· May 6 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 03:35 UTC.

· May 20 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 23:47 UTC.

· May 20 - Annular Solar Eclipse. The path of annularity will begin in southern China and move east through Japan, the northern Pacific Ocean, and into the western United States. A partial eclipse will be visible throughout parts of eastern Asia and most of North America.

· June 4 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 11:12 UTC.

· June 4 - Partial Lunar Eclipse. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, and the Americas.

· June 5, 6 - Transit of Venus Across the Sun. This extremely rare event will be entirely visible throughout most of eastern Asia, eastern Australia, and Alaska. A partial transit can be seen in progress at sunrise throughout Europe, western Asia, and eastern Africa.

· June 19 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 15:02 UTC.

· June 20 - June Solstice. The June solstice occurs at 23:09 UTC. The North Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its northernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Cancer at 23.44 degrees north latitude.

· July 3 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 18:52 UTC.

· July 19 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 04:24 UTC.

· July 28, 29 - Southern Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Delta Aquarids can produce about 20 meteors per hour at their peak.

· August 2 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 03:27 UTC.

· August 6 - Curiosity Rover at Mars. NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is scheduled to land on the red planet between August 6 and August 20, 2012.

· August 12, 13 - Perseids Meteor Shower. The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 meteors per hour at their peak.

· August 17 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 15:54 UTC.

· August 24 - Neptune at Opposition. The blue planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun.

· August 31 - Full Moon.

· September 16 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 02:11 UTC.

· September 22 - September Equinox. The September equinox occurs at 14:49 UTC. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world.

· September 29 - Uranus at Opposition. The blue-green planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun.

· September 30 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 03:19 UTC.

· October 20 - Astronomy Day Part 2. Astronomy Day is an annual event intended to provide a means of interaction between the general public and various astronomy enthusiasts, groups and professionals.

· October 15 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 12:02 UTC.

· October 21, 22 - Orionids Meteor Shower. The Orionids is an average shower producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak.

· October 29 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 19:49 UTC.

· November 13 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 22:08 UTC.

· November 13 - Total Solar Eclipse. The path of totality will only be visible in parts of extreme northern Australia and the southern Pacific Ocean.

· November 17, 18 - Leonids Meteor Shower. The Leonids is one of the better meteor showers to observe, producing an average of 40 meteors per hour at their peak.

· November 27 - Conjunction of Venus and Saturn. These two bright planets will be within 1 degree of each other in the morning sky. Look to the east around sunrise.

· November 28 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 14:46 UTC.

· November 28 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of Europe, eastern Africa, Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, and North America.

· December 3 - Jupiter at Opposition. The giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view and photograph Jupiter and its moons.

· December 13 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 08:42 UTC.

· December 13, 14 - Geminids Meteor Shower. Considered by many to be the best meteor shower in the heavens, the Geminids are known for producing up to 60 multicolored meteors per hour at their peak.

· December 21 - December Solstice. The December solstice occurs at 11:12 UTC. The South Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its northernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.44 degrees south latitude. This is the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the southern hemisphere.

· December 28 - Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 10:21 UTC.

For more info.... Log on to http://www.seasky.org

Explor the universe with scaaabbsr.com

2012-07-21T10:24:00.002+05:30

Scaaa published its new website named www.scaaabbsr.com. Hope you will find some shorts of information about astronomy and astrophysics along with the regular activitys of our association. Also you can participate in the organizing programs by SCAAA.www.scaaabbsr.com

CONTACTS

2010-12-02T20:23:00.000+05:30

Prasant kumar dash
Phone no. - 9438304687
E-Mail id- pdandromeda@gmail.com
prasant_nasa@hotmail.com

NEWS

2010-12-02T18:42:00.000+05:30

1.Celebrate the Holidays, From Space! Dec 1st 2010

Its December, so many people are getting ready to celebrate … something, be it Hanukkah, Christmas, Winter Solstice, National Pie Day (today!), Emily Dickinson’s birthday (Dec. 10) or National Wear Plunger on Your Head Day (Dec. 18), or just being able to get together with family or having some time off work.

To help you celebrate, there are lots of online spacey goodies. The Zooniverse started theZooniverse Advent Calendar, similar to the one-a-day-chocolate-treat calendars we all love, but this calendar includes a surprise each day such as special images, downloads and even a couple of very big pieces of news (since no one has figured out how to send chocolate over the web, yet.

for more info log on to http://www.universetoday.com/80990/celebrate-the-holidays-from-space/#more-80990

2.Lockheed Martin Wants to Launch Orion Spacecraft – on a Delta IV Heavy Dec 1st 2010

If everything goes according to their plan - Lockheed Martin would have their Orion spacecraft launch on a Delta IV Heavy rocket. Image Credit: NASA

After the announcement of the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) one of the proposals to reduce the space flight ‘gap’ between the shuttle program and the Constellation Program was to attach the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) to a Delta IV Heavy rocket. With all the political wrangling this simple solution appeared lost – or so it was thought. The idea of man-rating a Delta IV heavy never seemed to quite fade away and now a plan is under way to launch theOrion spacecraft on top of one of these massive launch vehicles – within the next three years.

for more info follow the link http://www.universetoday.com/80968/lockheed-martin-wants-to-launch-orion-spacecraft-on-a-delta-iv-heavy/

2.First Super-Earth Atmosphere Observed DEC 1ST 2010

Artist’s impression of GJ 1214b

With the recent milestone of the discovery of the 500th extra solar planet the future of planetary astronomy is promising. As the number of known planets increases so does our knowledge. With the addition of observations of atmospheres of transiting planets,astronomers are gaining a fuller picture of how planets form and live.

Thus far, the observations of atmospheres have been limited to the “Hot-Jupiter” type of planets which often puff up, extending their atmospheres and making them easier to observe. However, a recent set of observations, to be published in the December 2nd issue of Nature, have pushed the lower limit and extended observations of exoplanetary atmospheres to a super-Earth.

for more info follow the link

http://www.universetoday.com/80687/first-super-earth-atmosphere-observed/

4.Red Dwarf Discovery Changes Everything! Dec 1st 2010

Artists Impression of a Red Dwarf (courtesy NASA)

Its often said that the number of grains of sand on Earth equals the number of stars in the Universe. Well it looks like a recent study by astronomers working at the Keck Observatory in Hawaii have found that its more like three times the number of grains of sand on Earth! Working with some of the most sophisticated equipment available, astronomers from Yale University have been counting the number of dim red dwarf stars in nearby galaxies which has led to a dramatic rethink of the number of stars in the Universe.

for more info follow the link

http://www.universetoday.com/80955/red-dwarf-discovery-changes-everything/#more-80955

5.ε Eridani’s Dust Disc Dec 1st 2010

Add caption

This artist's conception shows the closest known planetary system to our own, called Epsilon Eridani. Credit: NASA/JPL/Caltech

Many stars have been discovered to have narrow discs of warm dust surrounding them. Since dynamical effects with the star‘s solar winds should clear these out over long timescales, it’s presumed that these must be recently formed, likely through collisions of small rocky bodies in an asteroid or Kuiper belt. Such a disc has been detected around the nearby star ε Eridani. However, ε Eridani is also known to harbor one planet at a distance of 3.4 AU, and a second one at 40 AU is suspected. Because of this inner planet, any asteroid belt that close would be dynamically unstable as well and should have been cleared out long ago rendering the system incapable of producing dust in this region. So where did ε Eridani get this dust? A new studyinvestigates this.

for more info follow the link http://www.universetoday.com/80948/eridanis-dust-disc/

6.Falcon 9 Ready for Second Flight – Dragon for First Dec 1st 2010

SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft is set to launch from Cape Canaveral on Dec. 7. Image Credit: SpaceX

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is preparing to conduct the first demonstration launch for NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, utilizing its Falcon 9 rocket. This first test flight appears to be holding solid for its targeted liftoff on Tuesday, Dec. 7. Launch will take place from the company’s launch site at Launch Complex 40 located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

for more info follow the link http://www.universetoday.com/80872/falcon-9-ready-for-second-flight-dragon-for-first/#more-80872

7.Secret Mini Space Shuttle Could Land on Friday Dec 1st 2010

The X-37B spaceplane sits on a runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base during prelaunch taxi tests. Credit: U.S. Air Force

The US Air Force announced that the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, a miniature, unmannedspace shuttle could return to Earth as soon as this Friday, December 3. It has been in Earth orbit for about nine months on a classified mission for the military. It will land at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Los Angeles sometime between Friday and Monday, Air Force officials said in a statement. The exact time of touchdown will depend on weather conditions and technical factors.

ASTRONOMY

2010-11-28T21:15:00.000+05:30

The term astronomy derives from the ancient Greek phrase meaning the laws of science governing the stars. However,astronomy is not just the study of stars, rather it is the study of all celestial phenomena. It combines all the other Earth sciences and applies them to study of all the matter existing outside our own planet, making it the widest ranging science.

In short astronomy is the science of understanding everything that goes on beyond Earth's boundaries. Astronomy is also one of the oldest of sciences. Every cevilization,through antiquity to the recent past,had stunning views of the stars night, as sightings of the cosmoss would not have been hampered by light pollution and an indoor lifestyle,both of which hide much of the heavens from observers today. All over the world some short of understanding of the celestial sphere was an integral part of civilization, whether or not they opted for scientific explanations of the observed phenomena.

ABOUT SCAAA

2010-11-27T00:39:00.000+05:30

I joined an amateur astronomers association named SCAAA (Samanta Chandra Sekhar Amateur Astronomers' Association) . SCAAA was formed on 17 July 1993 by a resolution adopted in a meeting of a group of zealous members from Institute of Physics, Department of Physics, Utkal University and Pathani Samanta Planetarium. The meeting was held at the Department of Physics, Utkal University. The Association was given the present name in a subsequent meeting held at Pathani Samanta Planetarium on 28 August 1993. The Association got registered under the Societies Registration Act in June, 1994.The registration number is 5907-125 of 1994/1995.

SCAAA has strived hard to spread the excitements of astronomy in the state. It holds regular monthly meetings on Sunday , following the second Saturday each month , where educative items of astronomy, astrophysics and space science are discussed . The Association has organized two Telescope making workshops in Pathani Samanta Planetarium , in which students from various parts of the state have participated.The 5th AIAAM (All India Amateur Astronomers' Meet) is one of the major events in the life of SCAAA held in the year of 1995.

Prof. L. Satapathy, President, SCAAA� - Chairman

SCAAA celebrated its 16^th Annual Day Function on 8^th February, 2009 under the Chairmanship of Prof. L. Satapathy, President, SCAAA in the auditorium of Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar. Two eminent scientists Prof. M.K.Pal, Ex Director, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata and Prof. Y.P.Viyogi, Director, Institute of Physics attended the function as Chief Guest and Chief Speaker respectively.

During the year 2009 the Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar have sanctioned an amount of Rs.3,00,000.00 in favor of SCAAA to acquire equipments like telescopes, binoculars, LCD Projector, Laptop, overhead projector, digital camera, public address system, UPS etc. In the mean time SCAAA has acquired such equipments for its outreach programs in remote villages of the state of Odisha. After well equipped with sophisticated telescopes, LCD Projector etc., the members of SCAAA are now regularly visiting different places in the state and organizing night sky watching programs through telescopes and popular lectures on astronomy.

Observation of partial solar eclipse in KISS

using specially made goggles

Observation of partial solar eclipse in KISS campus projected through telescope

Series of lectures on solar eclipse by SCAAA members

a student watching moon