1. Starry Monday at Otterbein Astronomy Lecture Series -every first Monday of the month- November 5, 2007 Dr. Uwe Trittmann Welcome to

2. Today’s Topics Recent Advances in Astronomy - Introduction The Night Sky in November

3. Feedback! Please write down suggestions/your interests on the note pads provided If you would like to hear from us, please leave your email / address To learn more about astronomy and physics at Otterbein, please visit –http://www.otterbein.edu/dept/PHYS/weitkamp.asp (Obs.)http://www.otterbein.edu/dept/PHYS/weitkamp.asp –http://www.otterbein.edu/dept/PHYS/ (Physics Dept.)http://www.otterbein.edu/dept/PHYS/

4. Recent Advances in Astronomy Data Theory Instruments Space Flight Space probes

5. Introduction In the last 15 years cosmology has become a (very) exact science –1970ies: Age of the universe is 10-20 billion yrs –Now: the universe is 13.7±0.1 billion years old Eagerly anticipated results have been obtained –“Temperature” of the universe is 2.725 K, isotropic 1 part in 100,000 Unexpected discoveries occurred –Acceleration of cosmological expansion –The universe contains strange & unknown stuff Changing of space exploration agencies –Commercial spaceflight –China, Japan, India –Bush’s Moon-Mars initiative changes NASA’s objectives Instrumentation has improved dramatically –CCD cameras –Adaptive optics New “Astronomies” –Neutrino, X-ray, IR,...

6. Recent Advances in Astronomy: Space Probes Cassini / Huygens Chandra Mars Rovers WMAP Galileo Hayabusa Deep Impact Many more …

7. Deep Impact – The Comet Crasher Comet Impact: July 4, 2005 Impact Velocity: 23,000 mph Spacecraft Size: Flyby spacecraft - nearly as large as a Volkswagen Beetle automobile. Impactor spacecraft - about the same dimensions as a typical living room coffee table.

8. Comets - Traveling Dirty Snowballs Small icy bodies, “dirty snowballs” Develops a “tail” as it approaches the Sun

9. Comet Anatomy Tail may be up to 1 A.U. long

10. Halley’s Comet – Now and then Halley’s Comet in 1910 Top: May 10, 30° tail Bottom May 12, 40° tail Halley’s Comet in 1986 March 14, 1986

11. Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 HST image (1994); Earth added to show scale

12. Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 Headed for Jupiter…

13. Impact on Jupiter

14. Deep Impact – The Comet Crasher Comet Impact: July 4, 2005 Impact Velocity: 23,000 mph Spacecraft Size: Flyby spacecraft - nearly as large as a Volkswagen Beetle automobile. Impactor spacecraft - about the same dimensions as a typical living room coffee table.

15. Temple 1 Coordinate System

16. “Deep Impact” crashes into comet Temple 1 This is how a comet looks like!

17. Viewed from the flyby spacecraft from Hubble Space Telescope

18. Spirit at Gusev Crater –Sol: 1365 Time: 21:18 –Sols past warranty: 1275 Opportunity at Meridiani Sinus –Sol: 1345 Time: 9:17 –Sols past warranty: 1255

19. Martian Surface Iron gives the characteristic Mars color: rusty red! View of Viking 1 1 m rock Sojourner

20. Martian Panorama Note: the sky is not black as on the moon, but pale pink of the dust in the atmosphere! “Twin Peaks” – about 1-2 km away

21. Mars Panorama: Opportunity has landed!

22. Landing Sites A couple of 1000 miles apart!

23. Meteorite ALH 84001 Discovered in Antarctica in 1984 –2 kg, 17 cm across Chemical analysis indicates it came from Mars In 1996, a team of scientists argued that it contains fossilized evidence of bacteria that came from Mars

24. Cassini/ Huygens Spectacular data from Saturn, Titan, and the Rings

25. Titan Titan is the only moon in the solar system known to have an atmosphere Infrared picture shows surface details

26. Titan from Cassini

27. Haze and Atmosphere

28. Methane Clouds

29. False Colored Image

30. Map of Titan

31. Methane Rain & Lakes

32. Huygens sees Shoreline descending

33. SOHO The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) monitors the Sun (launched 1995). It provides crucial early warnings of impending space weather that can destroy satellites and knock out power grids. Scientists credit SOHO with allowing forecasts that prevent damage and losses that might otherwise occur. Erupting prominence

34. Hubble Space Telescope Launched 1993 Above the atmosphere 2.4m Mirror

35. HST: Planets

36. Hubble Ultra Deep Field

37. HST: M51 Spiral Galaxy

38. The Night Sky in November The sun is past autumn equinox -> longer nights! Autumn constellations are coming up: Cassiopeia, Pegasus, Perseus, Andromeda, Pisces  lots of open star clusters! Mars is visible later at night

39. Moon Phases Today (Waning Crescent) 11/ 9 (New Moon) 11 / 17 (First Quarter Moon) 11 / 24 (Full Moon) (Last Quarter Moon)

40. Today at Noon Sun at meridian, i.e. exactly south

41. 10 PM Typical observing hour, early October Mars Uranus Neptune

42. Star Maps Celestial North Pole – everything turns around this point Zenith – the point right above you & the middle of the map 40º 90º

43. West The summer triangle lingers on …

44. Due North Big Dipper points to the north pole

45. High up – the Autumn Constellations W of Cassiopeia Big Square of Pegasus Andromeda Galaxy

46. “PR” Foto Actual look

47. South- East Perseus, Auriga & Taurus with Plejades and the Double Cluster

48. South- West – 2006 Planets –Uranus –Neptune Zodiac: –Capricorn –Aquarius

49. South- West – 2007 Planets –Uranus –Neptune Zodiac: –Capricorn –Aquarius

50. Mark your Calendars! Next Starry Monday: February 4, 2008, 7 pm (this is a Monday ) Observing at Prairie Oaks Metro Park: –Friday, November 16, 6:30 pm –Friday, January 11, 6:00 pm –Friday, February 15, 6:30 pm Web pages: –http://www.otterbein.edu/dept/PHYS/weitkamp.asp (Obs.)http://www.otterbein.edu/dept/PHYS/weitkamp.asp –http://www.otterbein.edu/dept/PHYS/ (Physics Dept.)http://www.otterbein.edu/dept/PHYS/

51. Mark your Calendars II Physics Coffee is every Wednesday, 3:30 pm Open to the public, everyone welcome! Location: across the hall, Science 256 Free coffee, cookies, etc.