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60 ONLINE
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JULY
HIGHLIGHTS
Interview: Searching for Earth 2.0
Astronomer Chris Impey discusses exoplanets and the
hunt for habitable worlds beyond our Solar System.
86 34
40 66
Will an Asteroid
Destroy Earth? telescope software
In this episode of The Download planetary
Sky at Night, Maggie observing forms and
DQG&KULVƅQGRXWDERXW access software to help
This month’s contributors asteroid detection and
planetary defence.
you with this month’s
Deep-Sky Tour (page 56).
Jenny Winder Stuart Atkinson Govert Schilling
Science writer Seasoned observer Science writer
The Virtual Planetarium
“Over its “The “We still
ƅUVW\HDURI Summer don’t know
operations Triangle was what 95 per
JWST has one of the cent of the
provided us not just YHU\ƅUVWDVWHULVPV Universe is made of.
with breathtaking I learned as a kid. Now I look forward to seeing
images, but with the I’m grown up, it keeps what Euclid discovers
groundbreaking science me company on warm after it launches this
that underlines them.” summer nights.” Stuart summer.” Govert
Join Jenny for a shows us the top sights explores the new
deeper look at JWST’s in summer’s iconic mission to study the Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel guide us through
discoveries on page 28 asterism, page 40 dark Universe, page 66 the best sights to see in the night sky this month.
here’s a lot to unpack in this These are infant stars HR 5999 and HR you see around them. It’s also enough for
stunning image, which was 6000, formed around a million years ago. stars and nebula alike to shine out brightly
captured recently by the Dark Yet to achieve the mass needed for nuclear in the middle of the apparently featureless
Energy Camera at NOIRLab’s fusion to start taking place, their heat and dark nebula Lupus 3. This region, 600
Cerro Tololo Inter-American light is derived from gravity alone. That’s lightyears away in the constellation
Observatory in Chile, but the stars of the enough, though, for them to light up the Scorpius, may look empty, but in reality
show – literally – are the two bright white gas and dust in their vicinity, thus creating it’s a cloud of dust and gas so dense that it
dots left of centre. UHƆHFWLRQQHEXOD%HUQHVŚWKHEOXHKD]H blocks the light from the stars beyond.
Seeing red Z
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This picture shows part of Gum 10, one of over 80
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Colin Stanley Gum, who published a catalogue of his
discoveries in 1955. The region is densely packed with
hot blue stars; it appears reddish due to ultraviolet
radiation from those stars ionising the huge clouds
of hydrogen that surround them, while the darker
areas in the picture are dust clouds.
U New visions
VISIBLE AND INFRARED SURVEY TELESCOPE
FOR ASTRONOMY, 11 MAY 2023
This infrared image of HH 909 A, a region of dust
and gas clouds in the Chamaeleon constellation,
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as part of its VISIONS survey, using the VIRCAM
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usually obscured by dust.
MORE ONLINE
Explore a gallery of these and more
stunning space images
This was
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A generation ago, a woman named Sylvia made But it doesn’t have to be like this. You can change
a promise. As a doctor’s secretary, she’d watched the story, just like Sylvia did, with a gift in your Will.
stroke destroy the lives of so many people. She was All it takes is a promise.
determined to make sure we could all live in a world
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BULLETIN
Comment
by Chris Lintott
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scenarios for what
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planets has long
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notion that if a giant
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S Planetary picnic: ZTF SLRN-2020’s brightness but low temperature suggest it ate the Jupiter-sized world
DZD\E\WLGHV
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S The Pinwheel Galaxy, M101 is a favourite target of amateur astrophotographers, several of whom found they’d captured the
supernova. The above sequence was made by astro imager Martin Bracken from Essex, UK and shows (from left to right) the galaxy
before SN 2023ixf’s first appearance on 19 May and then through its subsequent changes over the next three days
supernova discoveries to his name. He 16 May showed no sign of the stellar $VRODUPDVVUHGVXSHUJLDQW
ƅUVWQRWLFHGWKLVODWHVWHYHQWZKHQLWZDV explosion at all. LGHQWLƅHGLQ6SLW]HU6SDFH7HOHVFRSH
mag. +14.9. It grew to mag. +13.5 just 11 “I was lucky enough to be imaging M101 images of M101 taken between 2012 and
hours later and by 21 May it had reached on the day it was discovered and the 2019 could potentially be the origin of the
mag. +11.0, where it seems to have subsequent three days,” says Bracken, a supernova, although this star didn’t
plateaued. Itagaki quickly reported his regular contributor to the Gallery pages H[KLELWWKHW\SLFDOƆXFWXDWLRQVVHHQLQD
ƅQGZKLFKZDVWKHQJLYHQWKH of BBC Sky at Night Magazine. “The pre-explosion star. Further analysis will be
designation SN 2023ixf and sent out to image clearly shows the progression of required to establish if it is actually
the observing community, triggering both the supernova over those three days.” connected to the supernova.
professional and amateur astronomers to Spectral analysis indicates the explosion If the supernova follows the typical light
race to their telescopes. was a Type II supernova. These are curve of a Type II supernova then it should
Located just 21 million lightyears away catastrophic explosions that occur when a remain above magnitude +13.0 for several
in the constellation of Ursa Major, the massive star with a mass between eight more months and at a good altitude for
photogenic Pinwheel Galaxy is one of the and 40 times that of the Sun no longer has UK observing. Most deep-space imaging
most imaged deep-sky objects, meaning enough fuel to support itself against setups should be capable of recording the
several astronomers were able to consult gravity and collapses to form a neutron supernova, although the light summer
their astrophotos from the previous nights star or a black hole. The close proximity of nights may make this challenging for
to discover they too had captured the SN 2023ixf gives a unique opportunity to some basic systems.
brightening star. Fellow amateur study these stellar explosions. The
astronomer David Kennedy and Bronco supernova occured in the southwest X Turn to page 8 to see a full image
Oostermeyer’s images of the star taken region of M101, close to prominent of the supernova in M101
ILLUSTRATION
was previously hidden
from view by its
ILLUSTRATION
steamy atmosphere
Water survives on rare main belt comet launched a new £50 million
fund to grow the British
space industry, currently
Comet 238P/Read spends its lifetime worth £17 billion a year.
much closer to the Sun than most comets in 7KH6SDFH&OXVWHUVDQG
the asteroid belt, yet has managed to hold on
Infrastructure Fund will help
to its water, according to recent observations
improve research and
by the James Webb Space Telescope.
development facilities across
“In the past, we’ve seen objects in the main
the UK, which will be used to
belt with all the characteristics of comets, but
build and test new satellites
only with this precise spectral data from Webb
and space hardware.
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creating that effect,” says Michael Kelley from
the University of Maryland, who led the study.
Plutonium paucity
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survived the relative warmth of the asteroid 1$6$PD\QRWKDYHHQRXJK
Water vapour on
ILLUSTRATION
belt, the same does not appear to be true for its plutonium-238 to power a
a main belt comet
carbon dioxide. The molecule usually makes up is another JWST mission to Uranus the
10 per cent of similar comets, but JWST failed GLVFRYHU\ƅUVW agency hoped to begin in
WRƅQGDQ\RQ35HDG7KLVFRXOGEH &XUUHQWO\1$6$DQG
because carbon dioxide vapourises more easily GLR[LGH"(LWKHUZD\LWZLOOEHH[FLWLQJWRƅQG the Department of Energy is
than water ice or it could indicate that 238P/ out,” says Heidi Hammel, lead for JWST’s on track to produce 1.5kg a
Read formed in a warm pocket of the Solar guaranteed time observations of Solar System \HDUŚVXIƅFLHQWIRUDOO
System, free from carbon dioxide. The team objects. webbtelescope.org spacecraft in production,
hopes to determine which is more likely by but delaying the Uranus
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“Do other main belt comets also lack carbon -:67ŝVJUHDWHVWGLVFRYHULHVRIWKHODVW\HDU
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Catalina Sky Survey have Rubin Observatory coming online in
asked citizen scientists to the next few years, we are hoping to
look through high-resolution discover more events like this,” says
images and help uncover the Philip Wiseman from University of
leftovers from the formation A huge eruption in the distant Universe has Southampton. “It could be that these events,
of our Solar System. Visit QRZEHHQLGHQWLƅHGDVWKHEULJKWHVWFRVPLF although extremely rare, are so energetic that
zooniverse.org to take part. explosion ever witnessed. The event, AT2021lwx, they are key parts of how the centres of galaxies
ZDVƅUVWGLVFRYHUHGLQE\WKH=ZLFN\ change over time.” www.southampton.ac.uk
Russia commits to ISS
The Russian space agency,
Roscosmos, has committed
to remaining on the
International Space
UK is first to detect supernova radio emissions
Astronomers have successfully
Station until at least 2028. Radio emissions
detected radio emissions from a help sift Type Ia
The nation had previously
7\SH,DVXSHUQRYDIRUWKHƅUVWWLPH supernovae from the
made plans to leave the
after decades of trying, thanks to companions they
station next year, but suck matter from
e-MERLIN, a network of radio
has now announced it
dishes across the UK operated
will support continued
from Jodrell Bank.
station operations.
A Type Ia supernova occurs when
DOTTEDHIPPO/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES, JOHN A. PAICE, ESO/M. KORNMESSER
Call 0203 553 9879 | Visit hurtigruten.co.uk | Contact your preferred travel agent
CUTTING EDGE process the host stars undergo when they transform
Surprising numbers of
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planets could survive the
turbulence of having JLDQWDFFRPSDQLHGE\DƅHUFHVRODUZLQGLVFHUWDLQO\
twin white-dwarf suns very disruptive for any planet orbiting them. But some
ought to be able to survive the ordeal, especially gas
giants on wide orbits around the binary pair.
However, while a number of exoplanets have been
discovered orbiting binary stars, and there is one
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haven’t yet found a single example of a planet
orbiting a binary pair of white dwarfs. Is this because
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in detecting such exoplanets?
Columba and his team ran computer models
simulating the life stages of the binary stars, from
the main sequence, through red giant to white dwarf,
and the effects these transformations have on a
single orbiting gas giant. Overall, they simulated over
20,000 different systems, varying the initial masses
of the binary stars and orbital distance of the planet.
They ran each virtual planetary system until one of
ILLUSTRATION
I
Q'RXJODV$GDPVŝVSRSXODUVFLƅVHULHV systems they simulated ended up
surviving planet
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the with a surviving planet around a
ZDQGHULQJFKDUDFWHUVƅQGWKHLUZD\WRD around a double double white dwarf, most often on
mysterious world named Magrathea that was white dwarf” a wide orbit. They also found that of
once at the centre of the custom planet- their modelled planetary systems which
building industry. In the story, Magrathea is described resulted in the planet on an unstable orbit,
LEV SAVITSKIY/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES, DZIKA MROWKA/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
as an ancient planet orbiting around twin suns in the the planet was much more likely to become
heart of the Horsehead Nebula. But how common ejected from the system altogether rather than
might such planets actually be in our Galaxy? end up crashing into either of the binary stars. And so
Gabriele Columba, a PhD student in the such evolving binary star systems may represent
department of physics and astronomy at the DPDMRUVRXUFHRIIUHHƆRDWLQJSODQHWVLQWKH*DOD[\
University of Padua, Italy, and his colleagues have This is important work in preparation for the
been investigating. The type of planetary system upcoming Laser Interferometer Space Antenna
they’re interested in is an exoplanet orbiting a binary Prof Lewis Dartnell (LISA) mission, which is expected to discover
pair where both partners are white dwarfs – which is an astrobiologist tens of thousands of white dwarf binaries – and
they dub Magrathea worlds. (Although, here they’re at the University KRSHIXOO\WKHƅUVWH[DPSOHRIDŜ0DJUDWKHDŝ
considering gas giants rather than the sort of of Westminster exoplanet orbiting them.
terrestrial planet that features in Hitchhiker’s.)
A white dwarf is the slowly-cooling remnant left Lewis Dartnell was reading… Statistics of Magrathea Exoplanets beyond
behind after a star has reached the end of its lifetime the Main Sequence by Gabriele Columba et al
on the main sequence, puffed up as a red giant and Read it online at: arxiv.org/abs/2305.07057
blown away a great deal of its outer gas layers. The
T
ravel is all very well, but sometimes to have many more stars than we might otherwise
you can learn more by staying close on The Sky at Night expect for galaxies of their mass. Put another way,
to home. As astronomers get excited something the size of the Local Group would
by the views of distant galaxies provided typically have one large galaxy, the mass of the
by JWST, it’s good to be reminded 0LON\:D\Ś$QGURPHGDLVVXSHUƆXRXVWR
WKDWZHFDQEHQHƅWIURPSD\LQJFORVHDWWHQWLRQ “Big denizens requirements, and yet here it is.
to our surroundings. McGaugh hints that this is another
Some of the most exciting areas of
of the Local Group problem that dark matter can’t solve.
research happening at the moment consider seem to have many Others will point to the possibility that the
our local galaxies as if they were observed more stars than we particular history of Local Group’s galaxies
from a distance, something that can be done might otherwise may have led them to have particularly
thanks to extensive surveys of stars in the HIƅFLHQWVWDUIRUPDWLRQRUSHUKDSVWKDWWKHUH
expect for galaxies
Milky Way and deep imaging of other is some subtlety to our studies of distant
members of our Local Group of galaxies. of their mass” galaxies we have yet to understand. Either way,
Considering our own home in this way allows us it’s another reminder to look around us, and not
to test the accuracy of techniques used to study always to seek answers in distant realms.
the distant Universe – though in the case of the
Milky Way, living in our object of study does make If our Local Group followed
things slightly more complicated at times. the models, by rights
In this month’s paper, Stacy McGaugh takes Andromeda shouldn’t
a close look at the relationships between how stuff even be there
moves in Local Group galaxies and the way that mass
in those systems is distributed. This is crucial if you’re
LQWHUHVWHGLQZKHUHWRƅQGWKHP\VWHULRXVGDUNPDWWHU
that most cosmologists believe makes up most of the
mass in the cosmos. These measurements are even
more important if, like McGaugh, rather than invoking
the presence of dark matter to explain some of the
oddities we observe in the Universe, our observations
are best explained by modifying Newton’s equations
of gravity. Differences between our local galaxies and
more distant neighbours may, he reckons, suggest
problems with the dark matter model that we
should pay attention to.
Things start off looking good for lovers of dark
matter. One of the fundamental rules that seems to
govern how galaxies are assembled is the Tully–Fisher
relation, which says that if you know the mass of a
spiral galaxy you can work out how fast the material
in it should be rotating around the centre. Make these
measurements for the Milky Way, Andromeda and a Chris Lintott was reading… Local Group Galaxies from an External
host of the small dwarfs that share the Local Group Perspective by Stacy McGaugh Read it online at: ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/
ZLWKXVDQG\RXƅQGWKDWWKH\IROORZWKHVDPHUXOHDV abs/2023arXiv230500858M/abstract
distant galaxies. No signs of anything untoward here.
June’s episode of The Sky at Night looked at the booming UK spaceflight S Vera Rubin
Observatory, due
industry, but Andrew Lawrence warned of some of the consequences online in 2024, will
be scanning skies
S
pace is booming. Satellites monitor the hooked ever since. Soon I was obsessed with stars increasingly filled
climate, connect us to the internet and help and galaxies and quasars. As I emerged from my with satellite mega-
us to study the Universe. Someday soon education into a PhD in X-ray astronomy, it was constellations.
ZHFRXOGJHWEDFNWRWKH0RRQ6SDFHƆLJKW wonderful to see how my love for science and my Inset: NOIRLab’s
image of star
is getting cheaper as new commercial love for space meshed together. Over the years,
Albireo, streaked
companies build rockets and spacecraft, while new and more wonderful astronomy space missions with Starlink
dangling the promise of space tourism. appeared – IRAS, the Hubble Space Telescope, satellite trails
This is all very exciting, but at the same time, both XMM-Newton, Gaia – culminating in the astonishing
scientists and industry workers are nervous about the James Webb Space Telescope, partly built where I
potential dangers of uncontrolled proliferation. now work, the Royal Observatory Edinburgh.
RAFAEL SCHMALL, BRUNO C. QUINT, BRIAN DONOVAN/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO,
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE/HEARST NEWSPAPERS/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
was painted with bright streaks from Starlink concentrated on public awareness, writing a book
satellites passing by. Soon, people all over called Losing the Sky, but also getting tangled up
the astronomical community were reporting other in legal and regulatory cases. I’ve become aware of
issues, including huge streaks in Hubble images. the broader issues – space junk, commercial fairness,
Over the last few years, the number of active liability, space advertising – and see the issue as one
satellites has more than doubled. By the end of of space environmentalism. The sky is perhaps the
the decade there could be tens or hundreds of last pristine wilderness. We know that it is unrealistic
Andrew Lawrence is thousands, outnumbering stars in the sky. to preserve it as completely untouched, and we
the Regius Professor
A series of workshops led by US astronomers SRVLWLYHO\ZDQWWKHEHQHƅWVWKDWFDQFRPHIURP
of Astronomy at the
studied the problem and eventually led to the commercial space activity. But how do we balance
Royal Observatory
Edinburgh and the creation of the Center for the Protection of the WKHEHQHƅWVDJDLQVWWKHGDPDJHDQGPDNHVSDFH
author of Losing Dark and Quiet Sky, endorsed by the International a happy playground for everybody? These are
the Sky Astronomical Union. In the last few years, I’ve questions we’re still looking for answers to.
Looking back:
The Sky at Night JULY
21 July 1984 Is There Anybody Out There?
The Sky at Night follows Dr Douglas
On the 21 July 1984 episode P/Crommelin, a similar class Vakoch on a visit to the UK. Vakoch
of The Sky at Night, of comet to Halley but believes we should be sending messages
Patrick Moore was VLJQLƅFDQWO\IDLQWHU out into space to signal our existence to
looking ahead to the – reaching a mere advanced alien civilisations. We meet the
arrival of Halley’s mag. +9.0 compared VFLHQWLVWVZRUNLQJWRƅQGDODQJXDJHWR
Comet as it made to Halley’s +2.0 – communicate with aliens and investigate
LWVƅUVWUHWXUQWRWKH that was passing how we might get the message out there.
Solar System in 77 along a very similar
Four, 10 July, SP ƅUVWUHSHDWZLOO
years. Though its path across the night
be on Four, 13 July, 7pm)
closest approach sky, making it a
Check www.bbc.co.uk/skyatnight
wasn’t expected until perfect trial run. Their
for more up-to-date information
1986, astronomers were observations
already keeping an eye highlighted several
on the comet. It was S Scientists scrambled to issues. For instance,
prepare for Halley’s 1986 visit
ƅUVWVLJKWHGRQ JPL’s Table Mountain
October 1982 by the 200-inch Hale Observatory struggled to see the comet
Telescope at Palomar Observatory, against the light pollution coming from
when it was no more than a faint dot nearby Los Angeles, a problem the
on an image. teams could then iron out ahead of
Wanting to make the most of the time. Perhaps just as importantly, it
event, a group of astronomers called also let the astronomers learn how to
the International Halley Watch, made communicate and share data with such
up of over 700 astronomers from 42 a wide group of people – a much more
countries, had already begun rehearsing daunting prospect in the 1980s than it is S Douglas Vakoch is president of the
their observations. Between 25 and 31 today – leaving them fully prepared for Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence
March 1984, they focused on Comet the big event in two years’ time. (METI) programme
MESSAGE
Email us at inbox@skyatnightmagazine.com OF THE
MONTH
Supernova
NGC 5462 IDOOVRIIWRZDUGVWKHHGJHVRIWKHƅHOG may help
SN 2023ixf of view and is most obvious in deep-sky images. As a result,
stars of equal magnitude appear dimmer at the edges of the
ƅHOGWKDQDWWKHFHQWUH
Vignetting is often caused by the telescope’s secondary
mirror being a little too small to fully illuminate larger sensors,
but coma correctors can also cause the effect. There is little
ON FACEBOOK that can be done to stop the vignetting at source but
IRUWXQDWHO\FDOLEUDWLQJ\RXULPDJHVZLWKƆDWFDOLEUDWLRQ
WE ASKED: What are the best ways you know of
frames will resolve the issue in your captured images.
to prove Earth isn’t flat?
EDITORIAL
Copyright query
Editor Chris Bramley If you process images taken by the James Instagram
Content Editor Iain Todd Webb or Hubble Space Telescopes (FITS
Features Editor Ezzy Pearson
Art Editor Steve Marsh
ƅOHVIRUH[DPSOH ZKRRZQVWKHFRS\ULJKW astro.midnight • 22 May
Production Editor Jane Williamson RIWKHƅQDOLPDJH"'RHVLWUHPDLQDVWKH
Reviews Editor Paul Money property of the person or organisation Here is what I consider a unique version
CONTRIBUTORS who originally captured the data, or the of M101, without the supernova.
Stuart Atkinson, Jamie Carter, Anita Chandran, Unfortunately I wish I got it, but I was a
person who has processed it and edited
Charlotte Daniels, Lewis Dartnell, Glenn Dawes, few days early. Goodbye galaxy season,
Ben Evans, Bray Falls, Gabriella Goddard, Tim Jardine, WKHGDWD",WIHHOVOLNHDELWRIDJUH\DUHD welcome back Milky Way season!
Andrew Lawrence, Pete Lawrence, Chris Lintott, Mary as anyone who processes FITS data does #darkskies #space #nightsky
McIntyre, Chris North, Steve Richards, Katie Sawers,
it their own way and adds their style to it. @bbcskyatnightmag
Govert Schilling, Stephen Tonkin, Jenny Winder,
Paul Wootton Luke John Emmett, via email
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Advertising Executive Andy Williams
Images taken by both of these space
+44 (0)117 300 8803, Andy.Williams@ourmedia.co.uk telescopes are in the public domain and
Inserts Laurence Robertson +353 (0)87 690 2208 individuals can use them for commercial
PRODUCTION and non-commercial purposes. However,
Production Director Sarah Powell they are also copyrighted by NASA and ESA,
Production Coordinator Katty Skardon
Ad Services Manager Paul Thornton which means they must be credited, and
Ad Coordinator Charles Thurlow their rights and restrictions in the images
Ad Designer Parvin Sepehr
remain, even when adapted by individuals.
Reprographics Tony Hunt, Chris Sutch
Additionally, if an individual substantially
LICENSING
alters the original image it might be
Director of Licensing and Syndication Tim Hudson
International Partners’ Manager Anna Genevier considered a new work and eligible for its
own copyright. – Ed.
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Head of Marketing Jacky Perales-Morris
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Press and PR Manager Emma Cooney
CORRECTIONS
PUBLISHING & MANAGEMENT In the caption to the image in June 2023 issue’s Bulletin (‘Dark skies champion Bob Mizon
Associate Publisher Rob Brock
Managing Director Andrew Davies
passes away’, page 14), the image shows Bob Mizon at the presentation of a Commission
Group Managing Director Andy Marshall for Dark Skies personal award to Cranborne Chase AONB director Linda Nunn. Also,
CEO Tom Bureau Cranborne Chase achieved Dark Sky status in 2019, not 2017.
BBC STUDIOS, UK PUBLISHING
Chair, Editorial Review Boards Nicholas Brett
Stephen Kirkman, the writer of June 2023’s Field of View (‘Fighting for the dark side’, page
Managing Director, Consumer Products
and Licensing Stephen Davies 25), is a member of the West Yorkshire Astronomical Society, not Association as printed.
Director, Magazines and
Consumer Products Mandy Thwaites
Compliance Manager Cameron McEwan
UK Publishing Coordinator Eva Abramik
UK.Publishing@bbc.com; www.bbcstudios.com
SOCIETY IN FOCUS
EDITORIAL REVIEW BOARD Airdrie Astronomical Association (AAA)
Andrew Cohen, Head, BBC Studios Science Unit; was founded in 2009, when we were
Martin Smith, Executive Editor, BBC Radio Science Unit;
Steve Crabtree, Executive Producer, BBC Studios;
thrilled that Sir Patrick Moore accepted
Dr Erica McAlister; Dr Jessica Wade our invitation to be honorary president. We
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S Apollo 15 command module pilot Al
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Worden visited Airdrie Observatory in 2011
21,760 (combined, Jan–Dec 2022) clockwork-drive telescope. They share
© Our Media Ltd (an Immediate Group Company) 2023 their knowledge and enthusiasm on open societies, giving talks on topics such as
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PDQDJHG)6&nFHUWLƅHGIRUHVWVDQGRWKHUFRQWUROOHGVRXUFHV7KLVPDJD]LQHLVSULQWHGRQ September until May, where we learn three Apollo astronauts: Dick Gordon, Al
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gravitational waves or planet of the Aileen Malone, AAA Secretary
month. We also visit other clubs and X www.airdrieobservatory.com
Bluedot Festival
Jodrell Bank, Cheshire, 20–23 July
The much-loved music and science
festival returns. Science speakers include
Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Chris Lintott and
ESA’s Libby Jackson, while music comes
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Roisin Murphy and more. Day tickets
from £42.90; weekend passes £229.25
including camping.
www.discoverthebluedot.com
S Pop along to meet industry experts and hear about job opportunities in the space sector
How It Began
Lincoln Astronomical Society, Space for Everyone UK tour
Lincoln, 4 July, 7:30pm Various locations, June–September
Peter Rea from Cleethorpes & District
Astronomical Society presents a talk on The UK Space Agency is on the road this • Leicester: 29 June–3 July
the origins of planetary exploration from summer, travelling the UK to promote the • Bradford: 6–10 July
1961 to 1981. Non-members £5. space sector and showcase how it can • Belfast: 20–24 July
lincolnastronomy.org improve life on Earth. Space for Everyone: • Aberdeen: 3–7 August
The Tour will see a 22-metre replica of the • Newcastle: 10–14 August
Sun and Stars Celebration LauncherOne rocket make its way around • Hull: 17–21 August
Holworthy Farm, Brompton Regis, the country, accompanied by industry • Great Yarmouth: 24–28 August
Somerset, 15 July, 2pm–late experts seeking to inspire the next • Hastings: 31 August–4 September
A stargazing and solar observing event for generation of astronauts and engineers. spaceperson.co.uk/rocket-tour
all the family, hosted by local astronomer
Jo Richardson FRAS. Accommodation
is available at the farm itself. £18–£40. The Herschels in their Family Evening
Booking essential. own Words The Observatory Science Centre,
holworthyfarm.co.uk Church Green Road, Bletchley, Herstmonceux, East Sussex,
28 July, 8pm 29 July, 5:30pm
Exoplanets: Finding Earth 2.0 Royal Astronomical Society archivist Discover a wide range of science and
Royal Institution Theatre, London, and librarian Dr Sian Prosser, who has astronomy exhibits and activities both
20 July, doors 6.30pm been digitising the journals of German indoor and outdoor at this family event
Professor Richard Nelson of Queen astronomer Caroline Herschel, discusses that lasts from the afternoon into the
Mary University of London and the the contributions she and her brother evening. Tickets cost £18 for adults and
International Astronomical Union William made to the history of astronomy. £15 for kids, which includes admission to
UK SPACE AGENCY
outlines the latest discoveries and Hosted by Milton Keynes Astronomical an out-of-this-world planetarium show
theories in exoplanet science. Tickets £16 Society, admission is free and non- and a bag of French fries. The cafe and
(concessions £10; RI members £7). members are welcome. catering van will also be open.
www.rigb.org mkas.org.uk www.the-observatory.org
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Available from
The perfect addition to your stargazing, BBC Sky at Night
Magazine is your practical guide to astronomy, helping you
to discover the night skies, understand the Universe around
us and learn exciting techniques for using your telescope.
SkyMAGAZINE
at Night
To celebrate JWST’s first year of operation,
Jenny Winder takes a look at some of the landmark scientific
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he Summer Triangle is one can be found inside and around it, all
of the best-known asterisms newcomers to astronomy identify, of which are visible to the naked eye or
in the night sky. Made out because it’s so obvious to the naked through binoculars. Wait until the darkest
of three bright stars – Deneb, H\H0RUHH[SHULHQFHGREVHUYHUVORYHLW time of the balmy summer nights and
Vega and Altair – it’s often because a host of celestial summer sights look out for these 10 of the best…
1 8
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Stuart Atkinson
is a lifelong amateur
astronomer and
author of 11 books
on astronomy
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Lyrae
Vega
CHART BY PETE LAWRENCE, WWW.CCDGUIDE.COM X 7, SATORU S/
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16-PAGE
CENTRE
PULLOUT
JULY 2023
SUMMER
STUNNERS
PETE LAWRENCE
About the writers Also on view Red light friendly Get the Sky
this month… Guide weekly
Astronomy Steve
expert Pete Tonkin is ✦ A chance to spot For weekly updates on
NLC displays what to look out for in
Lawrence is a a binocular
skilled astro observer. ✦ Perseid activity begins To preserve your night the night sky and more,
imager and a Find his tour ✦ Jewelled Handle vision, this Sky Guide sign up to our newsletter
clair-obscur effect can be read using a red at www.skyat
presenter on The Sky at of the best sights for
visible on the Moon light under dark skies nightmagazine.com
Night monthly on BBC Four both eyes on page 54
1
All month Mag. –4.3 Venus
June and July appears low in
are the best the west-northwest around
months for spotting elusive 23:00 BST (22:00 UT).
noctilucent clouds (read Binoculars show the orange-
more on page 47). hued dot of mag. +1.7 Mars and
mag. +1.3 Regulus nearby.
Monday Wednesday
10 12
Locate This
Venus low morning’s
in the west-northwest 29%-lit Moon rises
as darkness falls, with just after 01:00 BST
mag. +1.7 Mars 4.8° to the west (00:00 UT), accompanied by
of it. This evening, Mars is 0.7° mag. –2.1 Jupiter, 2.9 ° to the
from Regulus (Alpha (α) Leonis). southwest.
Wednesday Saturday
19 22
Tuesday
18
Just after Dwarf
Minor sunset it planet
planet may be possible to Pluto reaches
4 Vesta passes 1° spot mag. –4.3 Venus, opposition.
north of Aldebaran mag. –0.3 Mercury and a Currently shining at mag.
(Alpha (α) Tauri), visible in slender 4%-lit waxing crescent +14.4, Pluto is in Sagittarius,
the early hours around Moon, very low above the around 1.5° south of mag.
03:00 BST (02:00 UT). Vesta west-northwest horizon. +8.6 globular cluster M75.
is currently mag. +8.3.
Wednesday
26
Mag.
–0.1
Aldebaran Mercury is
located 5.2 ° north
of mag. –4.3 Venus. The pair
are hard to see, being very
low above the western
horizon after sunset.
EERIK/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES, PETE LAWRENCE X 6
Family stargazing
On the evening of 27 July, a look at the Moon through
binoculars or a telescope will show an arc of light
extending into the dark part of the Moon’s disc. The
arc is caused by the light of the lunar dawn hitting the lofty
peaks of the Jura Mountain range, which borders a lava bay
called Sinus Iridum, the Bay of Rainbows. This is what’s known
as a clair-obscur effect – a trick of the light. If you have clear
skies on 27 July, why not suggest using a piece of paper and a
pencil to make a drawing of this lovely sight?
www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/stargazing
6 9
The Moon’s See Venus Universal Time (UT)
northern over towards and British Summer
polar region is currently the west-northwest after Time (BST)
tilted towards us, sunset. Today, the planet Universal Time (UT) is
thanks to lunar libration. approaches maximum the standard time used
Friday
7
brightness at mag. –4.4. by astronomers around
Mag. +0.6 Its position isn’t optimal the world. British
Saturn sits at present. Summer Time (BST) is
4° north of the 81%-lit one hour ahead of UT
waning gibbous Moon
in the early hours. RA (Right ascension)
and dec. (declination)
These coordinates are the
Thursday night sky’s equivalent of
13
Monday longitude and latitude,
17
The
20%-lit The Perseid describing where an object
waning crescent meteor is on the celestial ‘globe’
Moon sits 4.2 ° shower begins to
southwest of the Pleiades show activity, Family friendly
open cluster. Catch them although rates will be very Objects marked
above the northeast horizon low at the moment. The with this icon are perfect
around 02:00 BST (01:00 UT). peak is on 13 August, for showing to children
when conditions look
favourable. Naked eye
Allow 20 minutes
for your eyes to become
dark-adapted
Monday
24 Ninth-
magnitude comet
C/2020 V2 ZTF
has been close to Uranus
and Jupiter over past weeks,
Photo opp
Use a CCD, planetary
camera or standard DSLR
Binoculars
10x50 recommended
but unfavourably positioned.
This is now changing. Check
page 47 for details.
Small/
medium scope
Reflector/SCT under 6 inches,
refractor under 4 inches
Friday
28
Large scope
Thursday
27
Find the Reflector/SCT over 6
Moon inches, refractor over 4 inches
around 18:30 BST
The lunar
(17:30 UT), low in the
clair-obscur
southeast. Using binoculars or
effect known as the
a telescope, can you spot the
Jewelled Handle is
mag. +1.0 star Antares just
visible this evening,
south of its southern limb?
appearing as an arc
of light near the
northern terminator.
29
The end
of July sees
IN ASTRONOMY
If you’re new to
the peak of the
astronomy, you’ll find
Southern Delta
two essential reads on our
Aquariid meteor shower,
website. Visit bit.ly/10_
although a bright Moon will
easylessons for our
interfere this year.
10-step guide to getting
started and bit.ly/buy_
scope for advice on
choosing a scope
CAUTION
Use extreme
caution when
viewing Venus during
the day, due to its
close proximity
to the Sun
Follow the
crescent
BEST TIME TO SEE: All month
seen under steadier conditions. A blue sky after sunset. This offset decreases all After 20 July, daytime viewing is
also reduces contrast. Together these month, and on 31 July Venus sets at the UHFRPPHQGHG2Q-XO\DW%67
factors make observing Venus in daytime same time as the Sun. On 1 July, the (13:26 UT), Venus appears due south at an
skies a better prospect all-round. planet appears separated from the Sun altitude of 44° (half-way up the sky).
Locating Venus by day can be done by by 41.8°. Through the eyepiece it appears Separated from the Sun by 20.3°, through
eye but does take a bit of practice. It’s as a 31%-lit crescent 33 arcseconds across a telescope it will appear as a stunning
essential that you are aware of solar safety – a very beautiful sight. OLWFUHVFHQWDUFVHFRQGVDFURVV
20 Jul
h CETUS
V2 ZTF TAURUS
j
k
30 Jul
_
a
Menkar
b
E
BEST TIME TO SEE: Last week of July, a
h 9 Aug
then mid-August
C/2020 V2 ZTF
Comet C/2020 V2 ZTF is currently
19 Aug
visible through a telescope or large i
29 Aug
binoculars in pre-dawn skies. At the start 8 Sep
18 Sep
of July, it is near Uranus, but the bright d
post-solstice sky may thwart attempts
Comet C/2020 V2 ZTF’s path c /
to see it properly. As darkness returns, from 1 July to 20 September.
the comet shyly heads south to end the /DWH-XO\LV\RXUƅUVWJRRG ERIDANUS
¡
month east of the distorted pentagonal chance to see it o
shape representing the head of Cetus, b
the Whale. Although it does brighten, the position of the comet before morning will be out of the way in mid-August,
bad news is that it’s not by much, starting twilight engulfs it should make it a when the Perseids reach their peak). As
the month at mag. +10.0 and ending it at potential target in the early hours. The the Moon moves out of the way again in
+9.8. The balance between position and 0RRQLVLQLWVƅUVWTXDUWHUSKDVHRQ August, the comet will be in a better
sky brightness will be a tricky one and it’s July and although it tries to encroach on observing position, attaining a higher
probably not going to be a viable target the comet at the very end of July, it altitude in darker skies around mid- to late
until the last week of July. Even then, it should be possible to grab a short window August. Throughout much of August, the
will remain challenging to view from more of relative darkness after moonset. comet is predicted to reach a magnitude
northerly locations. The Moon will then interfere badly at of around +9.1, continuing its southern
As the end of the month approaches, the start of August (something we can motion and ending the month near the
the darker sky and the more elevated happily put up with because it means it mag. +3.9 star Eta (d) Eridani.
MONTH
g a
d
Moon
11 Jul
k
c
Jupiter Moon
¡
12 Jul Jupiter
b 1 Jul j
Moon
Best time to see: 31 July Pleiades 13 Jul
1 Jul 31 Jul
Altitude: 30° 31 Jul
Uranus j
Location: Aries
+
Direction: East-southeast CETUS
Features: Complex atmosphere, h
i
Galilean moons a
Recommended equipment: ¡ Hyades TAURUS j
k
75mm or larger a h Menkar _ b
_
worth paying for the spectacle to come. above the southeast S Jupiter is a fine planet raise the planet above the
During July, Jupiter’s position slowly horizon under brightening to observe, showing an turbulent atmosphere that
improves. On 1 July it rises just before twilight. Consequently, this abundance of detail in FDQRWKHUZLVHEOXUƅQHGHWDLO
02:00 BST (01:00 UT) above the east- is an excellent time to start its complex atmosphere in its atmosphere.
The planets in July The phase and relative sizes of the planets this month. Each planet is
shown with south at the top, to show its orientation through a telescope
Mercury
1 July
Mercury
15 July
Mercury
31 July
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
ARCSECONDS
NO
STAR CHARTS 1 July at 01:00 BST
TH R
Arcturus STAR NAME 15 July at 00:00 BST
TR
EA
IA a
31 July at 23:00 BST
ST
PERSEUS
N
CONSTELLATION
GU
NAME On other dates, stars will be in slightly different positions
LU
GALAXY because of Earth’s orbital motion. Stars that cross the
M
sky will set in the west four minutes earlier each night.
OPEN CLUSTER
_
GLOBULAR
How to use this chart
_
AR
CLUSTER
`
IES
M3
1. Hold the chart
3
PLANETARY
`
NEBULA so the direction
you’re facing is
DIFFUSE at the bottom.
NEBULOSITY
2. The lower half
of the chart
b
DOUBLE STAR
shows the sky
Alph
VARIABLE STAR ahead of you.
erat
3. The centre of
z
THE MOON,
_
the chart is the
SHOWING PHASE
point directly
over your head.
COMET TRACK
Sunrise/sunset in July*
E A ST
PE
PISC
GA
ASTEROID Date Sunrise Sunset
SU
TRACK
1 Jul 2023 04:46 BST 21:42 BST S E
Gr of P
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ea eg
11 Jul 2023 04:55 BST 21:35 BST
t S as
STAR-HOPPING
qu us
PATH 21 Jul 2023 05:08 BST 21:24 BST
ar
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31 Jul 2023 05:24 BST 21:08 BST
METEOR
RADIANT
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Moonrise in July*
Ci
rcl
et
et
rcl
Moonrise times
Ci
ASTERISM
Stee
QUASAR
el
MAG. +2
FULL MOON
MAG. +3 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
SO
Pea
k 29 J
UT
MAG. +4 uly
& FAINTER
HE
5º N
A
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
ST
E W COMPASS AND
FIELD OF VIEW NEW MOON
CHART: PETE LAWRENCE
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
S
MILKY WAY
29 30 31
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sky guide
SAG Teapot
ITTA a
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July 2023 BBC Sky at Night Magazine 51
SOUTH
MOONWATCH July’s top lunar feature to observe
N
distinct features to the unaided eye. In angular terms,
Mare Tranquillitatis Serenitatis appears 349 arcseconds, Tranquillitatis 376
Type: Lunar Sea arcseconds and Nectaris 188 arcseconds across. The
Size: 700x700km eye can’t resolve features smaller than 60 arcseconds.
Longitude/latitude: 30.8 ° E, 8.3 ° N The distinctive and non-joined Mare Crisium (620km
Age: Older than 3.9 billion years
x 570km, 333 arcseconds) appears immediately east
Best time to see: Five days after new
and slightly north of Mare Tranquillitatis.
Moon (21–24 July) or four days after
Binoculars will show the region well and reveal the
full Moon (7–9 July)
amazing contrast between the old surface of Mare
Minimum equipment: Naked eye
Tranquillitatis and slightly younger Mare Serenitatis.
In particular, look at the region between the two seas
Fifty-four years ago, or more precisely on 21 July 1969, where the surface contrasts are particularly dramatic.
1HLO$UPVWURQJZDVWKHƅUVWKXPDQWRVHWIRRWRQWKH 7KHZHVWHUQERUGHURI7UDQTXLOOLWDWLVLVZHOOGHƅQHG
Moon, the culmination of the successful Apollo 11 its curving arc starting from the sharp point of
mission. The craft in which he and Buzz Aldrin Promontorium Archerusia in the north, close to the
descended to the lunar surface landed near the distinctive 43km crater Plinius. As you head south,
southwest shore of Mare Tranquillitatis, the Sea of T The shores of the you’ll encounter the jagged irregular form of 100km x
Sea of Tranquillity
7UDQTXLOOLW\)URP(DUWKLWŝVRQHRIWKHGHƅQLQJGDUN 70km Sinus Honoris, the Bay of Honour, sitting just
are littered with
regions of the Moon’s familiar face, the central sea of fascinating targets, north of the equally irregular 90km crater Julius
three dark patches in a row, with 650km Mare including both the Caesar. Just south of here is the beautiful Rima
Serenitatis to the northwest and 350km Mare ƅUVWDQGWKHODVW Ariadaeus, a 7km wide linear rille that runs for 220km
Nectaris to the southeast. All three are visible as Apollo landing sites across the lunar surface.
Continue past the amazing rays of 18km Dionysius
towards the twin craters, in appearance anyway,
31km Ritter and 30km Sabine,WŝVLQWKHƆDWWHUUHJLRQ
to the east of these craters that Neil Armstrong
made his giant leap into history in 1969.
A gap in Tranquillitatis’s border sits above dramatic
MARE 101km Theophilus. Continuing to the east, there’s an
SERENITATIS LUUHJXODUURXJKDUHDZKHUHƆDWODYDLQWHUPLQJOHVZLWK
Taurus–Littrow Valley jagged outcrops of highland. Highlights here include
the small 50km x 20km mountain range of Montes
Promontorium Secchi and the large 56km crater Taruntius.
Archerusia Continue north to where the border approaches
Apollo 17 0DUH&ULVLXP$ƅQJHURIGDUNODYDKHUHIRUPVNP
x 100km Sinus Concordiae, the Bay of Harmony.
Sinus Honoris Mons Argaeus MARE
Plinius CRISIUM
Rough highland forms the area to the north of
&RQFRUGLDHWKLVHYHQWXDOO\JLYLQJZD\WRƆDWGDUN
lava before we meet the gap between Mare
Rima
Ariadaeus Tranquillitatis and Serenitatis again, this time on the
Julius Caesar Sinus
eastern side. Here there’s a similar pointed feature to
Concordiae
Promontorium Archerusia, the 50km x 20km
MARE
Arago elongated mountain Mons Argaeus. Just northeast
TRANQUILLITATIS
Taruntius of this mountain is the Taurus–Littrow Valley region,
Dionysius Montes Secchi where the last Apollo mission, Apollo 17, landed.
Much to the chagrin of the International
Secchi
Apollo 11 Astronomical Union, a number of the features here
Ritter ZHUHQDPHGXQRIƅFLDOO\E\WKHH[SORUHUVRIWKHWLPH
Consequently features such as Bear Mountain
Sabine MARE (named after its similarity to a mountain near Silver
NECTARIS City, New Mexico, where astronaut Jack Schmitt
grew up), Family Mountain and the Sculptured Hills
can be found in the region. These were astronaut-
named features, as are the craters Frosty, Rudolph
and Elves, the latter being a cluster of craters. In case
Theophilus
you’re wondering; yes, Apollo 17 did take place in
December, in the run-up to Christmas!
j
Sadr 1 Rasalhague _
NGC 7000 a d CYGNUS HERCULES 109
i
M29
NGC 6871
` Albireo
OPHIUCHUS
m 110
VULPECULA _ 111
IC 4665
o Gienah
13 1
`
W
¡
N
41
Veil Collinder 399
5º
52
¡
Complex
3 Okab NGC 6633
S
NGC 6940
E
M27 _ c
c 32 2 a
b
31 ` IC 4756
30
SAGITTA
SERPENS
29 4 CAUDA
B142/B143
g Tarazed d
a
_ Sualocin _
Altair
Rotanev
b
1 a
b ` Alshain `
¡ ` _
DELPHINUS d M11 ¡
d 5
9 h 12 b
PEGASUS 6 AQUILA SCUTUM
M15 a
b
EQUULEUS e
¡
Enif Kitalpha
_
1. Sadr, the Heart of Cygnus 3. The Dumbbell Nebula, M27 5. Eta Aquilae
10x The mag. +2.2 star Sadr (Gamma (a) 10x Our next stop is the easiest 10x What was the first Cepheid variable
50 Cygni) is sometimes called ‘the heart 50 planetary nebula for binoculars, 50 star to be discovered? Answer: Eta
of Cygnus’, but it is really only part of the visible even in moderately light-polluted (d) Aquilae (mag. +3.5 to +4.4) – not Delta
story. If you look carefully, you’ll notice skies. If you place Gamma (a) Sagittae at (b) Cephei, the star that gave its name to
that Sadr is merely the point of inflexion in the south of a 5° field of view, the mag. this class of variables. Edward Piggott
a cardioid-shaped asterism of 11 mostly +7.4 Dumbbell Nebula will be just north found variability in the former a month
6th-magnitude stars. It has a diameter of of centre, looking like a tiny luminous before John Goodricke found it in the
a little less than 2° and offers a wide cloud. Initially it will appear rectangular, latter. In 1912, Henrietta Leavitt discovered
variety of colours, from deep orange but with patience you should make out their period-luminosity relationship – the
through yellow and white, to an intense the narrowing in the middle that gives it ‘standard candles’ Hubble then used to
blue-white. SEEN IT its common name. SEEN IT measure galactic distances. SEEN IT
As you study the 2,700-year-old glow, dust will appear to you as an uppercase and only the central 7 arcminutes is visible
you should be able to resolve eight or so ‘E’ or an underlined ‘C’, depending on sky in 70mm binoculars. SEEN IT
stars of this very pretty cluster, depending clarity. The easiest bit to see is the
on your sky conditions. SEEN IT middle bar of the E. SEEN IT Tick the box when you’ve seen each one
S Globular cluster M75 is a good starting point to find Pluto, whose path is shown here against its 14th-magnitude background star field
names including Graff’s Cluster and the Tweedledee blue-white stars It’s bright at mag. +6.1 and large with an
Cluster as it’s paired with NGC 6633 (below). It’s also apparent diameter of 39 arcminutes, but it’s also very
sometimes referred to as the Secret Garden Cluster. sparse and easy to pass over without realising you’ve
It’s a large object with an apparent diameter of 1°. It seen it. It is located approximately 1° south of mag.
sits in the open part of a wedge pattern formed from +3.8 Gamma (γ) Ophiuchi, itself 2.1° south-southeast
stars between mag. +7.0 and +6.3. The cluster is best of Cebalrai. Two brighter stars sit either side of the
suited for low powers. With an integrated magnitude cluster: mag. +7.5 HIP 87244 and +6.6 HIP 86969. The
of +4.6, it can be seen with the naked eye. SEEN IT cluster sits southwest of a ‘lobe’ of the Milky Way
extended towards Ophiuchus, Collinder 350’s size
3 NGC 6633 DQGVSDUVHDSSHDUDQFHKHOSLQJLWWRFDPRXƆDJHLQWR
The Tweedledum Cluster, NGC 6633 lies 3° the background. Using a low power, a small scope will
north-northwest of IC 4756, a small distance reveal around 15 members of this cluster. SEEN IT
but enough to put it across the border into
Ophiuchus. Like IC 4756, NGC 6633 has several 6 M11
informal names, including the Captain Hook Cluster No tour of bright summer open clusters
and Wasp-Waist Cluster. It appears half-a-degree would be complete without a visit to the
across and like IC 4756 has an integrated magnitude spectacular Wild Duck Cluster, M11. This is easy to
of +4.6. A small scope shows around a dozen stars ƅQGE\FRQWLQXLQJWKHDUFRIVWDUVDWWKHVRXWKHUQ
brighter than 10th magnitude. The region is very end of Aquila: mag. +4.4 Althalimain (Lambda (λ)
star-rich, hiding the true nature of both clusters. Aquilae), mag. +4.0 12 Aquilae and mag. +4.8 Eta (d)
Scuti. A 150mm scope will show around 150 stars, the
More brightest around 11th magnitude. The stars appear
This Deep-Sky Tour has been automated ONLINE clumped together with dark lanes between the
ASCOM-enabled Go-To mounts can now Print out this clumps, almost as if something has cracked the
take you to this month’s targets at the chart and take an
cluster into pieces. Larger apertures offer a stunning
touch of a button, with our Deep-Sky Tour automated Go-To
tour. See page 5 view of M11’s 2,900 or so stars, 500 of which are
ƅOHIRUWKH(47285DSS)LQGLWRQOLQH for instructions brighter than 14th magnitude. SEEN IT
0m
m
a
0° 5°
00
+15 M71
h3
VULPECULA
19h
° NGC 6802
19
b
9
0m
_ 1
SAGITTA
m
`
h0
+2
30
Collinder 399
5°
20
18h
113
a 110
_ Tarazed
Altair 106
+10 111 109
° Okab
c
¡ +2
0°
+
+0 NGC 6738
5° HERCULES
5º
AQUILA NGC 6709 N
0m
E 2º +15
h3
°
19
b
NGC 6755
m
i W
+0
00
0° S
18h
e Alya 2
IC 4756 72
NGC 6633
+10
3 71 °
74 +0
5°
-0 Poniatowski’s
73
4
5° h
Althalimain
Bull 66
IC 4665
12 67
70
d 6 `
SERPENS +0 Cebalrai
`
m
0°
00
68 a
M11
19h
d
m
Collinder 350
00
-10 ¡ 5
18h
NGC 6664
° M26
m
m
b _ c
30
30
SCUTUM -05
18h
17h
Trumpler 34
° OPHIUCHUS
c
AT A GLANCE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
How the Sky Guide events will appear in July
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M
The Moon
Mercury SC
Venus
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
7 July: 81%-lit
Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower
waning Moon
near Saturn
13 July: 19 July: 4%-lit waxing Moon
20%-lit waning near Mercury and Venus
Calendar Moon near
highlights the Pleiades 28 July: 79%-lit waxing
12 July: 29%-lit waning
Moon near Antares
Moon near Jupiter
Perseid meteor shower
Moonwatch
Deep-Sky Tour
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M
KEY
Observability Inferior conjunction Full Moon
IC
(Mercury & Venus only)
Optimal Poor
CHART BY PETE LAWRENCE
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the world.
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Stargazing in
T
he Sun had set by the time Viewpoint in eastern Utah’s canyonlands. of times – shining brightly, barely a degree
we pulled into a parking lot The station wagon was already there. above the horizon. Above it is bright Venus
just outside Moab, Utah. This It belonged to our host, Alex Ludwig at and the Pleiades, Aldebaran and the stars
is where we agreed to meet RedRock Astronomy, who was already of Orion. But there’s something strange
our host for an evening under unloading collapsible chairs and parts of about them. They’re not twinkling. They
WKHVN\DQGVXUHHQRXJKZHDUULYHWRƅQG the mount for a 9.25-inch refractor. glow. We’re on high ground here, about a
a convoy of four cars waiting for us. At “Let’s set up by this bush – it will help mile up, and it shows. Utah can take your
the front was a large station wagon with reduce the wind,” says Ludwig as we breath away in more ways than one.
decals on it that gave away the subject construct a crescent of chairs around
of this night-time expedition: “Have the telescope. But I can’t take my eyes Out into star country
telescopes, will travel!” off something twinkling due west across Aside from Utah having the highest
We followed the convoy along lonely the fast-fading red rock landscape: it’s FRQFHQWUDWLRQRIFHUWLƅHG,QWHUQDWLRQDO
roads before parking in La Sal Mountains Mercury – a planet I’ve seen only a handful Dark Sky places in the world – there are X
X 24 spread across the state – Utah’s Utah. Ludwig tells me that Bryce Canyon, Utah is also one of the best places
high elevation and resulting thin air is a one of the most popular national parks in for capturing the Milky Way in North
major reason why it’s a dream dark-sky the US, reaches 2,700 metres elevation. America, but it matters when you go. The
destination. The state occupies a large Utah has some of the darkest night best time for astrophotography is around
part of the Colorado Plateau, a high skies visible anywhere in the world. The the new Moon, when the skies are as dark
desert zone that centres on the Four easiest places to go are, of course, the as possible, but late March to June has
Corners region of the southwestern US: vast network of International Dark Sky milder temperatures, clear skies and the
Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. Parks. It’s the national parks – Arches, Milky Way rising in the night sky.
“The higher you go, the clearer it’s going Canyonlands, Bryce, Zion and Capitol
to be and the more you see,” says Ludwig Reef – that get the most attention, but Photo op heaven
about Utah’s position above the warmest, don’t overlook the state parks. Spread Canyonlands National Park has
densest part of Earth’s atmosphere. He across the state, these tend to have perhaps the biggest draw of all for
hands out blankets as I reach for my better and cleaner camping facilities astrophotographers in the form of Mesa
gloves, my hands already cold from than their larger siblings, with the pick of Arch, which is an easy 10-minute walk
clutching my binoculars. The Utah desert the International Dark Sky Parks being from a parking area.
around here gets cold at night all year, but Antelope Island, Dead Horse Point, Goblin “Everybody wants to get the Milky Way
even colder – and clearer – elsewhere in Valley, Goosenecks and Kodachrome. above it in May, or the sunrise through it,”
Navajo constellations
The dark skies hold great importance for one of the region’s native tribes
Utah gets its name from the Ute Bi’kà’), who protects and leads his
tribe, although it’s been inhabited people. The stars of Cassiopeia
for thousands of years by various form his counterpart, the Female
tribes, including the Puebloans Revolving One (Náhookòs Bi’áád),
RYAN ANDREASEN/NIGHTSKYSCIENCE.COM, CHINLE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT,
area around Polaris, the North Star, The Pleiades asterism, known as
is a family hearth, with a mother Dilyéhé, acted as a timekeeper for
figure on one side and the hunter- the Navajo, as the timing of its
father on the other side,” says disappearance from the evening
RedRock Astronomy’s Alex Ludwig. night sky in May to its reappearance
The Navajo word for in June or July marked out the
constellations is So’Dine’é, planting season. This purpose was
meaning Star People, and like represented in one story about the
many cultures around the world, cluster, which saw the stars as
they are closely linked with the seven youths who would sneak out Some Navajo tales
people’s history and mythology. and steal people’s seeds, leading to depict the Pleiades
The Big Dipper is known as the the traditional saying “Don’t let as naughty children
Male Revolving One (Náhookòs Dilyéhé steal your seeds”.
STATE FORESTS
Great 18
Salt 1$7,21$/3$5.6ƙ13ƚ
Lake Ogden
1 9
80
Flaming
Utah’s dark
80
Salt
Lake
City
15
20 Gorge
21
8 sky sites
15
22 Certified stargazing
Strawberry
Utah
Provo Reservoir locations across the state
Lake
1. Antelope Island State Park
2. Arches National Park
3. Bryce Canyon National Park
13
4. Canyonlands National Park
5. Capitol Reef National Park
Sevier
Lake 6. Cedar Breaks National Monument
(dry) 7. Dead Horse Point State Park
15 8. Dinosaur National Monument
70 9. East Canyon State Park
70 10. Fremont Indian State Park
ARCHES NP 2 11. Goblin Valley State Park
10
7 12. Goosenecks State Park
11 13. Helper (town)
Moab
23 4 14. Hovenweep National Monument
CANYONLANDS NP 15. Jordanelle State Park
CAPITOL 16. Kodachrome Basin State Park
REEF NP 17. Natural Bridges National Monument
5
18. North Fork Park
15
19. Rainbow Bridge National Monument
BRYCE 17
6 20. Rockport State Park
3 CANYON NP
14 21. Steinaker State Park
16 Lake 12 22. Timpanogos Cave National Monument
ZION NP Powell 50km 23. Torrey (town)
24
19 24. Zion National Park
Provo
/XQDU2EVHUYDWRU\ ZKHUHJXHVWVFDQJHW
Compass Rose Lodge
a guided tour of the night sky through a
in Huntsville even has
16-inch Ritchey–Chrétien telescope. I’ve
its own observatory
offering guided tours watched the Moon for decades, but never
seen its craters in such stunning detail.
May is perfect for seeing the Milky Way
above the red rocks, while a March trip
means you can get some skiing in during
the day if you wish. If you come during the
late spring, summer and early autumn,
book well ahead and expect crowds,
particularly in Zion, Bryce and Arches. But
if you’re after an audience with the stars,
then Utah has endless possibilities.
ş,GRSUHIHUWRƅQGSODFHVWKDWQRERG\
really goes,” says Andreasen, who has
worked as an astrophotographer for the
Utah State Park Service. “To be able to
go into these areas and connect with the
night sky without anyone else around is
just phenomenal – and it excites me every
time I return,” he says. Even those who live
Astro tourism in Utah under it never get tired of the dark skies
found over Utah.
Bureau of Land Management www.blm.gov
Jamie’s trip was paid for by VisitUtah.com
USDA Forest Service www.fs.usda.gov
International Dark-Sky Association www.darksky.org
America’s Scenic Byways scenicbyways.info Jamie Carter is
RedRock Astronomy, Moab moab-astronomy.com • call (001) 435-210-0066 a science writer and
Compass Rose Lodge & HALO Observatory, Huntsville www.compassroselodge. the author of
com • call (001) 385-279-4460 A Stargazing Program
Dark Ranger Telescope Tours, Bryce Canyon www.darkrangertelescopetours. for Beginners: A
com • call (001) 435-590-9498 Pocket Field Guide
ESA/ATG MEDIALAB, J. CARRETERO (PIC) P. TALLADA (PIC) S. SERRANO (ICE) AND THE EUCLID
'XHWRODXQFKLQWRVSDFHLQWKHƅUVWKDOI
L
eaf through this issue of project manager Giuseppe Racca at
BBC Sky at Night Magazine, of July from Cape Canaveral in Florida, ESTEC (ESA’s science and technology
look at the numerous eye- this ambitious space telescope will focus centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands),
catching photographs and on the dark Universe by mapping and “This combination is the unique selling
marvel at the beauty of the studying no less than two billion galaxies. point of Euclid”.
cosmos. Then realise that everything we “Nothing like this has ever been done
can see with astronomical telescopes before,” says Euclid’s independent legacy The road to launch
– stars, nebulae, galaxies – amounts to scientist Ivan Baldry of Liverpool John The Euclid mission was selected in 2011 CONSORTIUM COSMOLOGICAL SIMULATIONS SWG
a mere 5 per cent of the total content Moores University. and formally adopted by ESA in the
of the Universe. The remaining 95 per Euclid’s observations will reveal the summer of 2012. NASA became a partner
cent is composed of two mysterious expansion history of our Universe (which in the project in early 2013. At present,
components: dark energy – the ‘force’ is governed by dark energy) and the the Euclid consortium has about 2,000
behind the accelerating expansion of the three-dimensional distribution of mass members from 13 European countries
Universe – and dark matter. We know (which mainly consists of dark matter). plus the United States.
they exist, but their true nature eludes us. As a bonus, the mission will check The original plan was to launch the
Enter Euclid, the next space mission in whether Albert Einstein’s general theory spacecraft from French Guiana on
the Cosmic Vision science programme of relativity is the right formulation of a Russian Soyuz rocket in late 2022,
of the European Space Agency (ESA). gravity on cosmic scales. According to but after Russia invaded Ukraine, the X
ILLUSTRATION
found itself in need of an alternative launcher. Before
long, given the repeated delays of the ongoing
development of the European Ariane 6, the choice The Sun
fell on the commercial Falcon 9 rocket of Elon
Musk’s SpaceX.
“We had to get used to a whole different working
environment,” says Racca. “At SpaceX, I hardly met
150 Moon
anyone who was older than my own children,” he mill
ion k
m Earth
quips. Meetings were held without detailed minutes Moon orbit
being kept. Changes in the launch strategy to L2
accommodate the relatively low mass of Euclid were 1.5 m
illio n
made almost overnight. But it all went very smoothly km
ESAS. CORVAJA, ESA, NASA/ESA AND JOHAN RICHARD (CALTECH/USA), ESA/GAIA/DPAC/EUCLID
and fast. “Yes, I’ve been worried,” Racca admits, “but Earth orbit
,ŝPFRQƅGHQWQHYHUWKHOHVV$IWHUDOOWKH)DOFRQKDV
only had two failures on more than 200 launches.”
The Euclid spacecraft was constructed by Thales
Alenia Space in Italy. Measuring 4.5 metres tall and After launch, Euclid will take about a month to S Like the James
CONSORTIUM/ACKNOWLEDGMENT: EUCLID CONSORTIUM SURVEY GROUP
3.1 metres in diameter, the launch mass is about two reach its halo orbit around the second Lagrange Webb Space
tonnes. The payload module, built by Airbus Defence point, 1.5 million kilometres beyond Earth as seen Telescope, Euclid
will conduct its
and Space in France, consists of a 1.2-metre telescope from the Sun, in the same region of space as the
science from
(with an optical quality superior to anything like it, James Webb Space Telescope. Once per day it will Lagrange point
DFFRUGLQJWR5DFFD DQGWZRVFLHQWLƅFLQVWUXPHQWV transmit up to 850 gigabits of data to ESA ground L2, 1.5 million
a camera operating at visible wavelengths (VIS) and stations in Argentina and Spain. kilometres out
a near-infrared spectrometer and photometer (NISP). from Earth
During the six-year mission, the 600-megapixel VIS Making a 3D inventory of space
camera will capture Hubble-quality images of one- Like a cosmic version of Google Maps, Euclid will
WKLUGRIWKHVN\ZLWKDƅHOGRIYLHZRIKDOIDVTXDUH provide astronomers with the most comprehensive
GHJUHHDERXWWZLFHWKHDSSDUHQWVL]HRIWKHIXOO three-dimensional inventory of the Universe ever.
Moon. Meanwhile, NISP will measure the brightness What ESA’s Gaia mission (launched in 2013) did
and the accurate shape of about 1.5 billion galaxies for the majority of stars in our Milky Way Galaxy,
in three near-infrared wavelength bands, and take Euclid will do for a huge number of galaxies in the
detailed spectra of some 25 million bright galaxies. ZLGHU8QLYHUVHSUHFLVHO\GHWHUPLQHWKHLUSRVLWLRQ
S Lensing – the distortion of galaxies by an invisible foreground mass – is the giveaway clue for dark matter that Euclid is looking for
on the sky, their shape and their distance. How will least four brightness measurements at various optical
it do this? Well, a galaxy’s distance follows from its wavelengths, obtained by existing large ground-
VRFDOOHGUHGVKLIWWKHORQJHUWKHOLJKWIURPDJDOD[\ based telescopes such as the Canada-France-Hawaii
has travelled through expanding space to reach our Telescope, Subaru Telescope and Pan-STARRS (all in
telescopes, the further the light waves are stretched Hawaii), and by the future Vera Rubin Observatory in
to longer wavelengths, corresponding to a redder Chile. From the resulting spectral energy distribution,
colour. For the 25 million brightest galaxies observed astronomers can deduce a photometric redshift,
by Euclid, the redshifts can be directly measured from albeit less precise than NISP’s results.
the spectra obtained by NISP. As Euclid’s project scientist René Laureijs at
For 1.5 billion fainter and more distant galaxies, ESTEC explains, mapping the three-dimensional
for which no detailed spectra are available, Euclid’s distribution of galaxies at different redshifts sheds
near-infrared measurements are combined with at light on the cosmic expansion history. After all, X
“This high-
“This high-fidelity imaging of ƅGHOLW\LPDJLQJ
of one-third
one-third of the sky at optical of the whole
sky at optical and
and near-infrared wavelengths near-infrared wavelengths is
completely new territory,” says Baldry. “The archived
is completely new territory” data will be used by many scientists in years to come
and will have a lot of legacy impact.”
Universe, Euclid will also measure a parameter known No one knows for sure whether or not Euclid will
as gamma, which describes the growth of structures UHDOO\EHDEOHWRƅJXUHRXWWKHWUXHQDWXUHRIGDUN
like clusters of galaxies. If this parameter doesn’t matter and dark energy, although astronomers will
match predictions from general relativity, that would certainly learn more about their spatial distribution
VXSSRUWDOWHUQDWLYHWKHRULHVRIJUDYLW\OLNH0RGLƅHG and behaviour over time. “It also depends on what
Newtonian Dynamics (MOND). exactly you mean by ‘the nature of’,” says Racca. But
even if these puzzling cosmic components remain
Digging deeper enigmatic, Euclid’s six-year mission will revolutionise
Studying the wealth of imaging data from both of our detailed knowledge of the Universe.
Euclid’s instruments may also reveal huge numbers of As for eye-catching photographs: dark matter
brown dwarf stars, as well as low-surface-brightness can’t be seen and dark energy can’t be imaged,
galaxies. Both may be much more numerous than but Euclid will capture absolutely stunning pictures
presently known. Many additional discoveries are of the Universe, with almost the same resolution
Govert Schilling is
an astronomy writer expected from the three or four ‘Euclid Deep Fields’ as Hubble Space Telescope images (one-tenth of
and the author of (adding up to more than 50 square degrees), areas DQDUFVHFRQG EXWZLWKDPXFKZLGHUƅHOGRIYLHZ
The Elephant that will be repeatedly imaged by Euclid at hundreds Before the end of the year, they will probably grace
in the Universe of times more sensitivity than the main survey. the pages of this very magazine. Stay tuned!
ONOME
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Ezzy Pearson celebrates a scientist whose legacy can be felt across all astronomy
Onwards to NASA
Despite these landmark discoveries, Yerkes
Observatory refused to grant a woman a permanent
position, so in 1954 Roman moved on to the Naval
Research Laboratory in Washington DC to work in
WKHHPHUJLQJƅHOGRIUDGLRDVWURQRP\+HUHVKH
mapped out the Milky Way in new wavelengths,
became head of microwave spectroscopy and
N
ancy Grace Roman (16 May 1925 consulted on the Vanguard satellite programme.
–25 December 2018) not only laid the With radio astronomy still in its infancy, the
groundwork for our understanding of instrumentation was inadequate for Roman’s needs,
how galaxies grow but also founded and she didn’t want to retrain as an electronics
NASA’s space astronomy programme, engineer to build her own. So in 1959 she moved on to
becoming ‘the mother of Hubble’. the National Aeronautics and Space Administration,
Roman’s love of the stars was evident from an early NASA, as the head of observational astronomy, just
age, and she set up an astronomy club for her friends one year after the agency had been established.
when she was just 10. However, when she told her This new role effectively brought an end to her
guidance counsellor she wanted to be a professional UHVHDUFKEXWZLWKLW5RPDQEHFDPHWKHƅUVWZRPDQ
NASA ARCHIVE/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, NASA, GSFC/SVS
Roman explains
the Advanced Orbiting
Solar Observatory to
Buzz Aldrin in 1965
many of her colleagues advocated for NASA to build complete the project, but the telescope launched in
a large space telescope, she dismissed the plans as 1990, renamed the Hubble Space Telescope.
premature, instead electing to fund a series of smaller Although Roman was heavily involved in
satellite observatories. overseeing the mammoth project’s early years, she
Only in 1968, after a decade of success proved retired from NASA in 1979 as chief of astronomy,
NASA’s capability, did Roman return to the idea of a returning occasionally as a consultant. She continued
bigger mission, though it took another three years of outreach work as part of her own lifelong mission to
IHDVLELOLW\VWXGLHVDQGIXQGLQJEHIRUHVKHFRXOGƅQDOO\ champion the inclusion of women in astronomy. Her
establish the Large Telescope Steering Group. It YLVLRQDQGPDQ\OHJDFLHVERWKVFLHQWLƅFDQGFXOWXUDO
would take dozens of institutions 20 years to continue to shape astronomy to this day.
<RXUƅQLVKHGPRGHOLVDJUHDW EXWDOVRZK\VRPHDUHDVDUHYHU\JUHHQDQGOXVK
ZD\WRVKRZKRZ(DUWKDQGWKH ZKLOHRWKHUVDUHEURZQDQGDULG7KHUHDUHPDQ\
0RRQPRYHUHODWLYHWRWKH6XQ
SKRWRJUDSKVRI(DUWKDVVHHQIURPVSDFHRQOLQHVR
FKRRVHRQHWKDWVKRZVWKHFRQWLQHQWZKHUH\RXOLYH
T
he concept of lunar and planetary orbits G\QDPLFSODFHWKH6XQLV'UDZLQJWKRVHVRODU
FDQEHGLIƅFXOWIRUEHJLQQHUVWRJUDVS IHDWXUHVLVPRUHDVWURQRP\VNHWFKLQJSUDFWLFH
7KLVVLPSOHƆDWPRGHOZLOOKHOS\RXWR Once it’s made, you can use this model to
LQWURGXFHWKHVHLGHDVE\VKRZLQJWKDW GHPRQVWUDWHKRZWKH6XQ(DUWKDQG0RRQVSLQRQ
the Moon is in orbit around Earth, but WKHLURZQD[HVDQGKRZWKHRUELWVRIWKH0RRQDQG
WKH(DUWKŚ0RRQV\VWHPLVDOVRRUELWLQJWKH6XQ7KH (DUWKZRXOGORRNLIZHREVHUYHGWKHPIURPDERYH
PRGHOLVHDV\WRPDNHXVLQJMXVWRQHVKHHWRI$FDUG $OOWKUHHRIWKHVHERGLHVURWDWHRQWKHLUD[HVLQD
VRPHSDSHUIDVWHQHUVDQGDGDVKRIDUWLVWLFƆDUH Mary McIntyre is FRXQWHUFORFNZLVHGLUHFWLRQDQG(DUWKŝVDQGWKH
$OWKRXJK(DUWKDQGWKH0RRQLQRXUPRGHODUHWKH an astronomy 0RRQŝVRUELWVDUHDOVRFRXQWHUFORFNZLVH<RXFDQDOVR
educator and
FRUUHFWVL]HVUHODWLYHWRHDFKRWKHULWJRHVZLWKRXW use the model to demonstrate the position of the
teacher of
VD\LQJWKDWWKHVL]HRIWKH6XQDQGWKHGLVWDQFHV 6XQ(DUWKDQG0RRQGXULQJGLIIHUHQWOXQDUSKDVHV
astrophotography
EHWZHHQWKHERGLHVDUHQRWWRVFDOH,IWKH\ZHUH 7KHODPLQDWLRQVWHSLVRSWLRQDOEXWODPLQDWLQJWKH
RXU6XQZRXOGKDYHDGLDPHWHURIPHWUHVWKH SLHFHVZLOOPDNH\RXUPRGHOPRUHUREXVWDQGHDVLHU
GLVWDQFHEHWZHHQ(DUWKDQGWKH0RRQZRXOGEH WRNHHSFOHDQVR\RXŝOOEHDEOHWRHQMR\LWIRUORQJHU
PHWUHVDQGWKHGLVWDQFHEHWZHHQWKH6XQDQG(DUWK
ZRXOGEHNP,IWKH6XQDQG(DUWKZHUHWKHFRUUHFW
VL]HVUHODWLYHWRWKHGLVWDQFHLQRXUPRGHOWKH6XQ What you’ll need
ZRXOGKDYHDGLDPHWHURIDSSUR[LPDWHO\PPDQG
WKH(DUWKDGLDPHWHURIDSSUR[LPDWHO\PP7KH X 1 x white A4 card thick enough to hold its shape, but not too thick
(we used 240gsm card)
VXUSULVLQJVL]HRIWKHVHQXPEHUVLVDJUHDWWHDFKLQJ
RSSRUWXQLW\FRQYH\LQJWKHIDFWWKDWVSDFHLVELJ X Pair of compasses for drawing 2.5cm, 10cm and 15cm circles. If you
don’t have compasses, just draw around circular household objects
0RGHOVDQGGLDJUDPVFRPPRQO\XVHGWRVKRZRXU
ALL PICTURES: MARY MCINTYRE
of a similar size
6RODU6\VWHPDUHQHYHUWRVFDOHEHFDXVHWKHUHODWLYH
VL]HVDQGGLVWDQFHVDUHIDUWRRODUJH X Coloured pencils or felt-tip pens, and HB pencils for drawing and
colouring the features on the Sun, Earth and Moon
7KHUHDUHVHYHUDOPRUHOHDUQLQJRXWFRPHVIURP
FUHDWLQJWKLVSURMHFW:KHQGUDZLQJ(DUWKWKHUHLV X Paper fasteners. We used small, coloured ones but any will do
PXFKWROHDUQDERXWWKHJHRJUDSK\RIRXUKRPH X 1 x A4 laminating sheet and a laminating machine (optional)
SODQHWŚQRWMXVWWKHVKDSHVRIWKHFRQWLQHQWV
FP
FP
FP
FP
FP FP
Step 1 Step 2
On the white card, draw two rectangles for the arms: one Using a full Moon photo for reference, sketch and blend the lunar
measuring 1.5cm x 11cm and the other 24cm x 2cm, then put a dot surface features. Then find a photo of Earth from space and
1cm from each end. Use the compasses to draw three circles with colour in the world’s features. Finally, add the solar features
diameters of 2.5cm, 10cm and 15cm. using photos from the Solar Dynamics Observatory as a guide.
Step 3 Step 4
Carefully cut out all of the shapes, making sure to cut around Lay the pieces out on the laminating sheet, making sure each
any prominences that protrude from the limb of the Sun. Using piece has plenty of space around it (we secured them in place
the compass point, pierce a hole through the centre of each with a tiny piece of double-sided tape). Carefully guide the sheet
circle and through the dots you marked on the straight pieces. through the laminator. Let it cool before picking it up.
Step 5 Step 6
Cut the pieces out again, leaving a sealed border around each With paper fasteners, attach the short and the long arms to the
piece. If you cut too close to the edges, the sheet will delaminate. back of the Earth piece. Attach the Moon to the end of the short
The thicker your card, the wider the border will need to be. Once arm and the Sun to the end of the long arm. All the pieces should
your pieces have cooled, pierce the holes again. freely rotate. Your model is now ready to use.
ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY
CAUTION
Never observe or
image the Sun with
the naked eye or any
XQƅOWHUHGRSWLFDO
How to safely capture the drama now that solar activity is picking up
SODJHVSRWVVSLFXOHVƅODPHQWVƅEULOVGDUN
PRWWOHVSURPLQHQFHVDQGƆDUHV
&DOFLXP.ƅOWHUVJLYHYLHZVVLPLODUWR
white light, enhanced with elements of the
solar chromosphere. This can include
bright prominences. Active sunspot
regions are particularly clear with a
FDOFLXP.ƅOWHUDVDUHWKHEULJKWSODJH
UHJLRQVDVVRFLDWHGZLWKWKHP+DOSKD
views are the most dynamic and can
change noticeably over the course of hours
DQGVRPHWLPHVPLQXWHV&DOFLXP.
IHDWXUHVH[KLELWFKDQJHVRYHUWLPHVFDOHV
T
he Sun has been showing increased S The same Sun VLPLODUWRWKHZKLWHOLJKWYLHZ
activity over recent months and with its photographed :KLFKHYHUƅOWHU\RXXVHWKHJRDOLVWRUHGXFHWKH
position in the sky now optimal from the through three intensity of the Sun to a level suitable for direct
different filters
UK, this is a great time to review some of imaging. Once that’s done, the approach is then no
(H-alpha, white-
the techniques required to image it. Solar light and calcium-K) different to that required for, say, the Moon. Here,
imaging isn’t without risk, and concentration needs reveals markedly PRQRFKURPHKLJKIUDPHUDWHFDPHUDVDUHNLQJWKHLU
to be high at all times to avoid accidents. It goes different views rapid capture rates helping to overcome seeing
without saying that you should never look directly of our star effects. In addition, the essentially monochromatic
at the Sun nor point any instrument at it without QDWXUHRIQDUURZEDQGƅOWHUVUHPRYHVWKHHIIHFWVRI
XVLQJDSSURSULDWHƅOWHUV atmospheric dispersion where lower altitudes spread
The two most common ways to view the Sun an object’s light into a spectrum of colour, effectively
using a telescope are in white light or with a solar PXGGOLQJWKHYLHZ6LPLODUUHƅQHPHQWFDQEH
QDUURZEDQGƅOWHU5HDG\PDGHZKLWHOLJKWƅOWHUVDUH DFKLHYHGLQZKLWHOLJKWE\XVLQJDJUHHQƅOWHUZKLFK
available or you can make your own (following increases the contrast of the slightly magenta
instructions provided by the supplier). GLYLGLQJOLQHVEHWZHHQVRODUJUDQXOHVWKHƅQH
1DUURZEDQGƅOWHUVDUHPRUHH[SHQVLYHDQGFDQ ULFHSDSHUOLNHSDWWHUQWKDWFURVVHVWKHSKRWRVSKHUH
be either built into a dedicated solar telescope or 6RODUDFWLYLW\ZD[HVDQGZDQHVRYHUDSHULRGRI
VXSSOLHGWRFRQYHUWDQLJKWWLPHWHOHVFRSHW\SLFDOO\ DURXQG\HDUV1HDUVRODUPD[LPXPVXQVSRWVOLWWHU
a refractor, into a speciality narrowband instrument. WKH6XQŝVGLVFRQDGDLO\EDVLV7KHQH[WVRODU
&RPPRQQDUURZEDQGƅOWHUW\SHVRIIHUYLHZVLQ PD[LPXPLVSUHGLFWHGIRU-XO\ SOXVRUPLQXV
K\GURJHQDOSKDRUFDOFLXP.WKHIRUPHUEHLQJWKH eight months), making this a great time to begin your
most common. Other wavelengths are also available. visual record of our nearest star.
:KLWHOLJKWƅOWHUVVKRZSKRWRVSKHULFSKHQRPHQD
ALL PICTURES: PETE LAWRENCE
✗
STEP 1 STEP 2
Before fitting a white-light filter, hold it up to the Sun and check Adjust camera levels so the middle of the Sun appears bright, but
its integrity. If it has any rips or breaks, discard it and get a new not overexposed – around 80–90% peak level. Focus is critical. If
one. Make sure all finders are capped or removed before spots are seen, use these. If the disc is blank, use the Sun’s edge
pointing the scope towards the Sun. For larger scopes with to achieve focus. You may or may not see the photosphere’s
secondary obstructions, use a filtered offset aperture mask. granular texture, depending on scope size and seeing conditions.
STEP 3
Dedicated H-alpha Tuning ring
scopes are easiest
to use, requiring
little more than
focusing and filter
tuning. H-alpha
adaptor kits come
in different forms.
A forward-fitting
etalon requires a
matching blocking
filter at the Tuning dial
eyepiece end.
A rear filter such
as the DayStar
Quark is a single
unit that fits in the
eyepiece holder. STEP 4
Always consult The H-alpha Sun shows more detail than the white-light view.
manufacturer’s With a correctly tuned filter, contrast should be good enough to
guidelines for your show features that you can use for accurate focusing. A mono
setup before use. camera is highly recommended; the internal filter matrices of a
colour camera greatly reduce its efficiency and image quality.
STEP 5 STEP 6
H-alpha features can have a wide brightness range, so aim for For active, rapidly changing solar features, you can take still
peak levels of 70–90%. For bright prominences, peak at 90–95%, images at regular intervals and combine them into an animation.
process, then cut and paste the surface into a separate layer for Process each shot in a similar way before building the animation,
processing. Inverting the surface can improve joins. Faint otherwise flickering may occur as the sequence is run. For very
prominences may require surface overexposure. active features, consider using intervals of 20–60 seconds.
ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY
I
n 2022, my image of NGC 6888, the These steps removed artefacts from QDUURZEDQGƅOWHUVZKLFKJDYHWKHƅQDO
Crescent Nebula was shortlisted the raw data and averaged together a image much more contrast.
for the Astronomy Photographer of large dataset to remove random noise
the Year competition. In this article IURPWKHƅQDOLPDJH7KLVZDVDEVROXWHO\ Stretch the histogram
I hope to give you an idea of how necessary because the signal in any single Now, while these images were colour-
the image was created. capture is very faint. We had to average combined, they didn’t look like this right
7KHƅUVWVWHSZLWKDQ\DVWURSKRWRLV together many images to improve it, and after capture. They were ‘linear images’,
to collect the data. This stage is crucial WKLVKDGWREHGRQHIRUHDFKƅOWHUXVHG which means the data within them was
because the quality of the starting data ,QWKHFDVHRIWKLVLPDJHWKHUHZHUHƅYH still how the camera perceived it. I had
ALL PICTURES: BRAY FALLS
Ha
Green
3 QUICK TIPS
1. If you skimp on image calibration,
you will pay for it in post-processing.
2. Your raw images must be stretched
Olll to see the data within; it is normal if
they look all black.
3. Narrowband colours are not ‘true’
and HOO isn’t the only colour palette.
<RXFDQJHWFUHDWLYHDQGWU\ƆLSSLQJ
Blue
it to OOH!
Bray Falls is a
full-time
astrophotographer
specialising in
sharing the process
of creating images
of deep-sky objects
ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY
More
ONLINE
A gallery containing
these and more
of your images
PHOTO
OF THE
MONTH
U Solar eclipse
Chirag Upreti, South Lefroy Bay, Western Australia, 20 April 2023
Chirag says: “The solar Equipment: Sony a7R III mirrorless eclipse, the ‘diamond ring’ effect is a
eclipse achieving totality FDPHUD6RQ\ŚPPOHQV3HDN phenomenon that occurs just before and
was a fantastic experience Design Travel Tripod MXVWDIWHUWRWDOLW\)RULPDJHVOLNHWKLVRQH
– albeit it only lasted about Exposure: each image ISO 320 f/9.5, I always shoot in raw format with a focal
one minute, and that was the Š length of 400–600mm. This gives details of
fastest minute of my life! I was motivated to Software: Photoshop the solar surface such as solar prominences
capture the transition from the diamond ring and the chromosphere, and also allows me
WR%DLO\ŝVEHDGVDQGƅQDOO\WKHVXUUHDOEODFN Chirag’s top tips: “For solar imaging or WRJHWHQRXJKRIWKHZLVS\FRURQD0\
Sun. Watching it occur in real time, it almost REVHUYLQJPDNHVXUH\RXŝUHXVLQJVRODUƅOWHUV technique is I tend to use a sunspot as my
IHOWOLNHWKH0RRQZDVVQDSSLQJLQWRSODFH from reputable suppliers, or eyeglasses that SRLQWRIIRFXVDQG,NHHSFKHFNLQJP\IRFXV
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Chris Morriss, Bay of Plenty,
New Zealand, 23 March 2023
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refractor to the test
HOW WE RATE
(DFKSURGXFWZHUHYLHZLVUDWHGIRUSHUIRUPDQFHLQƅYHFDWHJRULHV
@THESHED/PHOTOSTUDIO
+HUHŝVZKDWWKHUDWLQJVPHDQ
PLUS: new books on the art of NASA,
Matrix-style simulations and diversity
+++++ Outstanding +++++Very good
in space, and astro gadgets galore +++++Good +++++Average +++++Poor/avoid
FIRST LIGHT
RVO Horizon
102 ED doublet refractor
A seriously smooth performer for both high-quality views and impressive images
WORDS: CHARLOTTE DANIELS
T
he Horizon 102 ED Doublet is the latest an early note of the Horizon 102 ED’s weight of
VITAL STATS addition to the Rother Valley Optics (RVO) 5.8kg without accessories; unsurprisingly, given the
• Price £1,095 family of Horizon refractors, which includes substantial optics, this is not an OTA suitable for
• Optics the Horizon 60, 72 and 80 doublets. It lightweight or star-tracker mounts. With a CCD and
Air-spaced offers both the largest aperture and ƅQGHUVFRSHDWWDFKHGWKHWRWDOVHWXSZHLJKHGNJ
FPL-53 ED longest focal length of the series at 714mm, giving a which, particularly for imaging, is more suited towards
doublet focal ratio of f/7. We received the standard package mounts with a payload of at least 15kg. This member
• Aperture (carry case and telescope with tube rings and bar), of the Horizon family is therefore likely to appeal to
102mm
along with a suite of optional accessories to help with seasoned imagers who possess heavy mounts.
• Focal length
714mm, f/7 RXUWHVWLQFOXGLQJDƅQGHUVFRSHUHGXFHUƆDWWHQHUDQG
• Focuser 2-inch VWDQGDORQHƅHOGƆDWWHQHU Reliably round stars
dual-speed Adorned with the smart-looking RVO Horizon logo, That isn’t to say that setting up the Horizon 102 ED
rack and pinion WKHWHOHVFRSHJDYHDQH[FHOOHQWƅUVWLPSUHVVLRQQRW for our visual and imaging test wasn’t a breeze; the
• Extras least because of the unique blue, red and orange substantial Losmandy bar supplied with the OTA
Losmandy detailing on both the optical tube assembly (OTA) made balancing on our pier-mounted Sky-Watcher
mounting bar, and matching optional 50mm guidescope. A closer (45TXLFNDQGHDV\2XUƅUVWFOHDUQLJKWZLWKWKH
Vixen-style top
LQVSHFWLRQFRQƅUPHGH[FHOOHQWEXLOGTXDOLW\ZLWK Horizon 102 ED coincided with an 80%-illuminated
accessories
not a hint of plastic in sight and all parts machined Moon and so, popping a diagonal and eyepiece in,
bar, aluminium
flight case
ZLWKDQDWWUDFWLYHEUXVKHGPHWDOƅQLVK:HPDGH we swung over and enjoyed some lovely crater detail X
ALL PHOTOS: @THESHED/PHOTOSTUDIO
• Weight 5.8kg
• Supplier Rother
Valley Optics
• Tel 01909
Ample aperture
774521 Its 102mm aperture – relatively large for a refractor
– places the Horizon 102 ED firmly in the heavyweight
• www.rother
valleyoptics.
range, ensuring that as much light as possible hits the
camera sensor and granting astrophotographers
co.uk
access to fainter, more delicate objects. This glass,
coupled with a focal length of 714mm, also means
more detailed captures of popular Messier and
NGC classics. The addition of the optional,
specially designed 0.8x reducer/flattener provides
a wider field of view should you wish to image
larger objects.
Meanwhile, the FPL-53 glass is designed to limit
chromatic aberration (such as colour fringing and
halos) over legacy FPL-51 glass. Rother Valley Optics
bench-tests each OTA before delivery to ensure it
meets the highest optical standards. A summary of
this test is included with each Horizon 102 ED.
The Horizon 102 ED’s aperture and focal length also
make it suitable for lunar and planetary photography
when coupled with a fast-frame-rate camera.
Rack and
pinion focuser
The robust, dual-speed focuser with 10:1 microfocus is fully
rotatable, allowing us to alter camera position without losing focus.
It has a 2-inch barrel yet also comes with a 1.25-inch adaptor.
The tension adjuster and focus lock reduce the risk of slippage, while
the annotated measurement scale is an excellent addition, allowing
users to note focus positions.
+HDG1HEXODXVLQJ
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VERDICT DQGWLPLQJV
FIRST LIGHT
Altair Astro
Hypercam 533M mono camera
Making the move to mono? This superior sub-£1,000 camera could tempt you
WORDS: TIM JARDINE
T
he Hypercam 533M is an interesting ƆDQJHRIWKHFDPHUDDQGWKHLPDJLQJVHQVRU
VITAL STATS addition to the Altair Astro family 5LJKWIURPWKHVWDUWRXUH[SHULHQFHZLWKWKLV
of astronomy cameras, with a camera was very positive. After downloading the
• Price £999
• Sensor Sony medium-sized sensor that allows for driver package and the latest version of the
IMX533 BSI a cooled, high-performance unit in AltairCapture app, we powered up the camera and
• Resolution an affordable price range. The model we received SOXJJHGLWLQWRRXUODSWRSZLWKWKHLQFOXGHGPHWUH
9MP, 3,000 for review was the mono version, a colour model also 86%FDEOH$IWHUVHOHFWLQJWKH0DVRXU
x 3,000 pixels being available, but we matched the mono camera FDPHUDZHFRQƅJXUHGWKHWKHUPRHOHFWULFFRROLQJWR
• Exposure range WRRXUƅOWHUZKHHOWRXVHRXUFRORXUDQGQDUURZEDQG our desired target of –5°C, then set the resolution to
0.1ms–3,600 ƅOWHUV:HXVHGLQFKƅOWHUVEXWLQFKƅOWHUV ELWDQGZHZHUHJRRGWRJROLYHLPDJHVVWDUWHG
seconds
could also be suitable without causing vignetting, rolling in. On our system we achieved frame rates of
• Connectivity
depending on the spacing and telescope involved. IUDPHVSHUVHFRQG ISV ZKLFKURVHWRISV
USB 3.0 and
USB 2.0 hub, It would be prudent to take advice from your dealer ZLWKDŜ5HJLRQRILQWHUHVWŝDUHDVHWDWSHUFHQWRI
12V DC power ZKHQFRQVLGHULQJƅOWHUFKRLFHV the full sensor size.
port 1LFHO\PDFKLQHGDQGƅQLVKHGWKHEXLOGTXDOLW\
• Size 107mm RIWKHPP[PPFDPHUDLVH[FHOOHQW,WIHHOV Moon movies
x 85mm surprisingly heavy in the hand, the unit weighing in :KLOHWKH0LVSHUKDSVQRWLGHDODVDSODQHWDU\
• Weight 630g DWJ7KHWKUHDGRQWKHIURQWLVDVWDQGDUG0[ or lunar camera with those frame rates, we did try
• Extras Carry PPDQGFDQEHXVHGZLWKWKHVXSSOLHGQRVHSLHFH UHFRUGLQJDFRXSOHRI$9,ƅOHVRIWKH0RRQLQIXOO
case, 12V DC
RUDVZHGLGDWWDFKHGGLUHFWO\WRRXUƅOWHUZKHHO UHVROXWLRQ$VHFRQGYLGHRXVHGRYHU*%RI
power supply,
DOORZLQJIRUWKHPPVSDFLQJEHWZHHQWKHIURQW storage, but the result was very pleasing, with good X
software
@THESHED/PHOTOSTUDIO X 5
• Supplier Altair
Astro
• Email info@
altairastro.com
Sony IMX533 CMOS sensor
• www. While many astro cameras have rectangular sensors,
altairastro.com the Hypercam 533M uses a Sony IMX533 CMOS sensor with
a 3,000 x 3,000-pixel array, making a square image-acquisition
area. When you think about it, telescope optics produce a round
image, and until someone makes a round sensor, a square makes
the best use of the available image area. We found the square
format was especially effective on targets like globular
clusters and that framing other deep-sky objects required
a little less nudging the position and rotation of the camera
than usual to get the best composition.
The back-illuminated sensor has 3.76-micron square
pixels, yielding 14-bit, 9MP images, although these pixels can
be combined through true hardware binning to act as larger,
even more sensitive pixels; on some telescopes this would allow
a sensible image scale. The sensor is 16mm across diagonally,
has a quoted quantum efficiency (Qe) of >80% and can acquire
images of between 0.1 milliseconds and one hour in duration.
Software
A one-year licence for SharpCap
Pro is provided free of charge,
along with Altair Astro’s own
software called AltairCapture.
This simple app provides full
camera control, allows capture
of both single FIT images and
$9,ƅOHVDQGRSHUDWHVWKH
cooling, window heating and
gain settings of the Hypercam.
VERDICT
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New astronomy and space titles reviewed
BOOKS
weather can be applied to exploring the
Universe at large. If the idea of computer
Interview with
coding feels technical, you need not worry the author
ŚWKLVERRNLVDERXWWKHVFLHQWLƅF
Andrew Pontzen
principles involved and the practicalities
of their implementation. If you’re looking How long have
for details of RAM, threading and astronomers been
VXSHUFRPSXWHUV\RXZRQŝWƅQGLWKHUH using simulations?
This is for the best, since such discussions If we mean
would likely date it scarily quickly. mimicking the
Once it’s done with simulations evolution of the
following the laws of physics we all know cosmos inside a
digital computer, then the 1970s.
and love, The Universe in a Box delves into But the precedents extend far further
more conceptually challenging stuff. back. In the 1940s, one eccentric
There are very accessible explanations of astronomer, Erik Holmberg,
things like dark matter and dark energy, recreated colliding galaxies using
involving bath toys and Rudyard Kipling’s dozens of light bulbs moving about
Just So Stories. There’s a nice dive into inside a darkened laboratory. Ada
Lovelace wrote about the possibility
Bayesian logic, one of a number of times
of simulations in the 19th century.
we see how these topics are relevant to And clockwork mechanisms to
the author’s own research. And tips on predict the orbits of planets date
how to beat a computer at tennis…
The Universe Of course, you don’t have to cast more
back to antiquity.
now an incredibly own life and career the world are building simulations
Pontzen explores cosmic simulations
common way to explore feels very personal, with new flavours of dark matter and
past, present and future dark energy, ready to compare with
the Universe: using heart-warming and
simulations. It’s one thing this book does even touching – and I don’t think that’s what’s in the real Universe as seen
through astonishing new telescopes
brilliantly, keeping complex topics just the 90s nostalgia talking! ★★★★★
like the Vera Rubin Observatory.
grounded – what, after all, is more familiar
than a weather forecast? Chris North is Head of Public Andrew Pontzen is a professor
0RVWRIWKHERRNŝVƅUVWKDOIDVNVKRZ Engagement at Cardiff University of cosmology at University
the principles used when predicting the School of Physics and Astronomy College London
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Increase contrast and cut out light pollution when
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ILLUSTRATION
examples of them. the most popular, but the
SUREOHPKDVEHHQƅQGLQJ
What makes them such evidence. Even within our
mysterious objects? sample, not every quasar galaxy had signs of mergers,
S Fast and furious:
Supermassive black holes are roughly the size of shortlived, ultra- so there’s got to be something else that can cause
a solar system. This is very small relative to a full powerful and quasar activity. One theory is that gravitational
galaxy, which could contain hundreds of millions to super-bright structures within spiral galaxies (spiral arms or bars,
trillions of stars. There’s lots of gas in galaxies, but quasars give us for example) could channel gas towards the centre.
the mystery lies in how this can get down to the clues about There is also the idea that in the early Universe, at
how the earliest
central black hole regions to provide fuel for a quasar. larger distances away from us, there may have been
galaxies formed
One of the leading ideas is that when galaxies collide, giant gas clouds within galaxies that could have
the net effect is to throw a large amount of material collided and thrown material towards galaxy cores.
towards the galactic centres, an attractive means of
getting fuel to the black hole. What do quasars tell us about the Universe?
Quasars are the most powerful objects in the
How do astronomers study quasars? Universe, so they’re extremely interesting. The sheer
Quasars and active galactic nuclei can emit across amount of energy output by quasars can greatly
the full electromagnetic spectrum, from X-rays or disturb the gas in a galaxy and so its ability to form
gamma rays all the way to radio waves, so there are new stars. We want to understand what happens
many ways to study them. We have amazing throughout a galactic life cycle, and this effect
telescopes operating at different wavelengths. There PHDQVWKDWTXDVDUVFRXOGLQƆXHQFHWKHLUHYROXWLRQ
are two main approaches: you can look at triggering Quasars can also be detected at large distances
– what sets off or ignites a quasar – or you can look because they can emit light at a comparable level to
at the effects caused by feedback, where the energy a whole galaxy. Instruments like the James Webb
output from the quasar impacts gas and dust within Space Telescope can pick up on them, pushing the
the galaxy. Jonathon Pierce is boundaries of how far back we can see and allowing
a postdoctoral us to learn more about the early Universe.
research fellow at
What approach did your team use?
the University of
We focused on triggering, and particularly on What’s next for your investigation?
Hertfordshire,
galaxy mergers. We imaged a large sample of specialising in :HZDQWWRFRQƅUPWKDWLIZHXVHGDVDPSOHVHOHFWHG
quasar-hosting galaxies with enough sensitivity to galactic mergers, in, for example, the X-ray or infrared, our results still
NIMA ABKENAR
pick up on faint, distorted structures that indicate active galactic hold. It’s a question of verifying that mergers are
whether a galaxy is or has been going through a nuclei and radio important for igniting all quasars, regardless of how
merger. We also looked at a group of non-quasar astronomy they’re selected.
NO
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When to use this chart
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1 July at 00:00 AEST (14:00 UT) The chart accurately matches the sky on the
dates and times shown for Sydney, Australia.
15 July at 23:00 AEST (13:00 UT) The sky is different at other times as the stars
31 July at 22:00 AEST (12:00 UT) crossing it set four minutes earlier each night.
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JULY HIGHLIGHTS STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS
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Early in the month, Venus and Mars Of the many mythical creature
travel together towards Regulus constellations, two are centaurs:
_
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twilight. Mars has its closest approach on in winter evening skies. Located in the
PISC
10th, 0.7° from Regulus, with both a similar southern Milky Way, these half-horse, W
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brightness. The planets separate as Venus half-humans are not really recognisable. el
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path, passing within 0.5° of Regulus on the Southern Cross. Even the famous Teapot
29th. Mercury will be brighter than the star, asterism mainly marks Sagitarrius’s bow
with Venus easily outshining them both. and arrow, not the beast itself.
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THE PLANETS
Venus continues to dominate the will transit in the morning hours. Turning to
western twilight sky, with Mars the morning, Jupiter arrives in the early
nearby. Mercury reappears in the evening, hours (rising at 02:00 mid-month),
reaching a fair altitude by mid-July. Saturn followed by Uranus an hour later. These
is now rising around 21:00 mid-month, are best observed in the predawn, allowing
b
followed by Neptune two hours later. Both them time to reach a reasonable altitude.
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DEEP–SKY OBJECTS
b Kait
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of Lupus, the Wolf. Phi1 (q1) Lupi (RA 47’) is its bright, wide, 5-arcminute core
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£159 114mm f/5 £199
£139 £109 PARABOLIC £179
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EXPLORER-130P £649 STAR DISCOVERY
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SKYHAWK-1145P 127mm (5”)
(AZ-GO2) f/11.8 Wi-Fi
114mm (4.5”) GO-TO Maksutov-
f/4.4 Wi-Fi GO-TO SRP Cassegrain
Parabolic Reflector SRP £529 SKYMAX-127 (AZ-GTI)
SRP
SRP £399 £599
127mm (5”) f/11.8 Wi-Fi GO-
£339 TO Maksutov-Cassegrain
EXPLORER-
SRP
200P (EQ5)
200mm f/5
£659
PARABOLIC SKYLINER-
EXPLORER-150PL REFLECTOR 250P CLASSIC
SRP
(EQ3-2) 254mm f/4.7
£449 PARABOLIC
150mm f8 PARABOLIC
REFLECTOR DOBSONIAN
SKYLINER-
200P CLASSIC
SRP SRP 203mm f/5.9
£399 £749 PARABOLIC
DOBSONIAN
HERITAGE-150P
SRP
FLEXTUBE™
£219 SRP
(VIRTUOSO GTI) £289
150mm f/5 Wi-Fi
GO-TO PARABOLIC
DOBSONIAN SKYMAX-127
(VIRTUOSO GTI)
SRP 127mm f/11.8 Wi-Fi GO-TO
£599 MAKSUTOV-CASSEGRAIN HERITAGE-150P
SRP FLEXTUBE™
£449 HERITAGE-130P FLEXTUBE™ 150mm f/5 PARABOLIC
130mm f/5 PARABOLIC DOBSONIAN DOBSONIAN