Brian Ventrudo

Spring Spiral Galaxies and the Expanding Universe

June 16, 2017 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Science

The Andromeda Galaxy, the nearest major spiral galaxy. Image by Terry Hancock at Downunder Observatory and Grand Mesa Observatory.

A few weeks ago you had a look at the justly famous Sombrero Galaxy in the constellation Virgo. In a small telescope, the galaxy looks like a silver shard, a faint sliver of light with a star-like core obscured from end to end by a sharply defined lane of dust. It’s one of the prettiest galaxies in the night sky, and it was also a favorite of the Indiana-born astronomer Vesto Slipher, who paused to admire it from time to time as he analyzed its light to make one of the great discoveries of the 20th century. Let’s examine a few more photogenic galaxies on Slipher’s observing list from more than a century ago, and understand just what it was that he unexpectedly discovered [Read more…] about Spring Spiral Galaxies and the Expanding Universe

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Astronomy on the National Mall 2017

June 3, 2017 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Stargazing

Hofstra University held their annual Astronomy Festival on the National Mall on June 2, 2017 at the foot of the Washington Monument and adjacent to the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. The weather was ideal for stargazing, and the lines were long but enthusiastic behind the telescopes. There were views of the Sun through solar telescopes, the Moon, and Jupiter, as well as displays of science and technology from many educational organizations. It was a fine night of stargazing, and it was heartening to see so many come out to leave aside the distractions of everyday life and enjoy a view of the heavens.

(All images © Brian Ventrudo/CosmicPursuits.com)

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The Sky This Month – June 2017

June 1, 2017 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Celestial Events

1 June 2017. First Quarter Moon, 12:42 UT

3 June. A waxing gibbous Moon lies about 2º from the planet Jupiter. For most of June, the big planet lies a fist’s width to the west of the bright star Spica in the constellation Virgo. It’s two months past opposition, so the planet is growing smaller and fainter, yet at magnitude -2.3 to -2.o it still far outshines any star. The planet has been retrograding, which means it’s moving westward each night against the stars. On June 9, it resumes eastward motion once again and moves closer to Spica for the next couple of months. [Read more…] about The Sky This Month – June 2017

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The Sombrero Galaxy

May 26, 2017 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Deep Sky

Striking in photographs and picturesque in a telescope, the Sombrero galaxy offers a fine, if unusual, example of an edge-on spiral galaxy. This is a lovely object, with a huge and brilliant central galactic bulge likely caused by the machinations of a massive black hole, and an inky-dark dust lane that resembles the brim of the traditional Mexican hat that lends its name to this distant island universe [Read more…] about The Sombrero Galaxy

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The Sky This Month – May 2017

May 2, 2017 by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Celestial Events

A superb image few Eta Aquarid meteors, some random meteors, and a bright Iridium flare taken on May 5, 2013 by David Kingham. This image was captured over three nights with two cameras!

2 May. Look for Venus in the eastern sky about an hour before sunrise. The planet in early May is preposterously bright, shining at about magnitude -4.7, enough to cast a shadow in very dark conditions. At the beginning of the month, in a telescope, you see about 1/4 of the planet’s face lit by the Sun. By the end of the month, you see the planet half lit as it dims slightly to magnitude -4.5. A truly beautiful ‘Morning Star’.

3 May. First-Quarter Moon, 02:47 UT [Read more…] about The Sky This Month – May 2017

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