Cosmic Pursuits

Basic astronomy and night sky information

Archives for September 2016

The Blinking Planetary Nebula

by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Deep Sky

A Hubble Space Telescope image of the Blinking Planetary Nebula NGC 68226 (with additional processing by Judy Schmidt)
A Hubble Space Telescope image of the Blinking Planetary Nebula NGC 6826 (with additional processing by Judy Schmidt)

While the Milky Way along the backbone of the constellation Cygnus, the Swan, offers many fine targets for stargazers, the wings of the constellation are also well worth exploring, especially in the months of July through October when the constellation lies near the meridian. In this short tour, let’s tiptoe through the western wing of the Swan and inspect the remarkable Blinking Planetary, NGC 6826, and a few more intriguing deep-sky objects [Read more…] about The Blinking Planetary Nebula

Share This:
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Mini-Documentary Shows Incredible View of the Night Sky

by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Astronomy Images and Video

Infinity ² from Uncage the Soul Productions on Vimeo.

Here’s an incredible video that’s as close as it comes to the actual feeling of being under a clear dark sky. Created by Ben Canales and John Waller of Uncage the Soul Productions, this short work features 20 high-school students at a summer astronomy camp in Oregon. The producers simply ask, “What do you feel?” The film also visits the Oregon Star Party where 600 astronomers camp out with their scopes.

This isn’t a timelapse. It’s a video of the night sky in real time. It shows what’s possible with current camera technology, in this case a Canon MH20f-SH set at ISO400,000, along with a fast 20 mm Sigma Art lens.

In this video, along with wide-field views of the late-summer sky, you can see stars reflected in the primary mirror of a big Dob as it turns, a live view of the star Capella through an eyepiece, and a view of the Perseid meteor shower. Just amazing.

Share This:
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Touring the Backbone of Cygnus, the Swan

by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Deep Sky

The Milky Way through the constellation Cygnus. The dark cloud bisecting the Milky Way is the Great Rift.
The Milky Way through the constellation Cygnus. The dark cloud bisecting the Milky Way is the Great Rift.

In the late days of northern summer, the constellation Cygnus lies nearly overhead in the mid-evening hours. A long, conspicuous constellation, Cygnus stretches along the diffuse arc of the Milky Way and is packed full of lovely deep-sky objects for stargazers of all skill levels.

Cygnus is an ancient star group and goes back at least 2,000 years. In Greek legend, Cygnus was a friend of Phaeton, the son of Helios, the Sun god. Phaeton met his demise while foolishly trying to drive his father’s sun-chariot across the sky. When Phaeton fell into the river Eridanus, Cygnus begged Zeus to turn him into a swan so he could fly down to retrieve his friend’s body. In doing so, however, he gave up his immortality. Zeus was touched by the selfless act of Cygnus in honoring his friend, so he cast the swan in a place of honor in the night sky [Read more…] about Touring the Backbone of Cygnus, the Swan

Share This:
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Almost Heaven (Star Party), West Virginia

by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Stargazing

The late summer Milky Way from the Almost Heaven Star Party, West Virginia, on Sept. 4, 2016.
The late summer Milky Way from the Almost Heaven Star Party, West Virginia, on Sept. 4, 2016. Click image to enlarge.

Once in a while, you have to get yourself to dark skies. Forget the excuses, the lost sleep, the long drive. Just go. It will regenerate you, reconnect you to the cosmos, and help you remember why you became a stargazer in the first place.

Which is why I powered down the computer and packed a simple Dobsonian telescope, a binoviewer, and a couple of eyepieces and headed out to the Almost Heaven Star Party (AHSP) in West Virginia, an event held this year on September 2-6, 2016 [Read more…] about Almost Heaven (Star Party), West Virginia

Share This:
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

The Sky This Month – September 2016

by Brian Ventrudo Filed Under: Celestial Events

The zodiacal light as seen from La Silla, Chile (credit: ESO).
The zodiacal light as seen from La Silla, Chile (credit: ESO).

Jupiter finally fades from view this month but it goes out in style, attended in the west after sunset by brilliant Venus and, at the beginning of the month, by a slender crescent Moon. Mars lingers in the starry sky of Scorpius and Sagittarius, and finally starts to move eastward and pull away from Saturn and Antares. And the Sun reaches the September equinox and marks the changing of the seasons. Here’s what to see in the night sky this month… [Read more…] about The Sky This Month – September 2016

Share This:
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail