Monthly Stargazing Calendar for September 2011
This month you can witness a supernova with just binoculars or a small telescope. The supernova is called SN 2011fe and has been discovered by astronomers on August 24 within hours of its explosion. It is located within the Messier 101 galaxy 23 million light-years away in the constellation of Ursa Major.
Aquarius Constellation
Aquarius is one of the oldest of the recognized constellations along the sun’s apparent path, also known as the zodiac. It was among the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. Its name is Latin for “water-bearer” or “cup-bearer”. It is found in a region often called the Sea because of all the constellations named after a water reference, such as Cetus the whale, Pisces the fish or Eridanus the river. In illustrations, the brightest stars of Aquarius are represented as the figure of a man, while the fainter stars barely visible to the naked eye are represented as…
Andromeda Constellation
Andromeda is a constellation in the northern sky. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations today. The Andromeda Galaxy is named after the constellation, as it appears within its boundaries. Mythology The constellation is named after Andromeda, the princess and daughter of of Cepheus and Cassiopeia, monarchs of the kingdom of Ethiopia. Cassiopeia boasted that her daughter Andromeda was more beautiful than the Nereids, the nymphs of the sea that often accompany Poseidon. To punish the Queen for her arrogance, Poseidon sent a whale called Cetus to ravage the coast of Ethiopia. According to…
Astronomy Picture of the Week – Eagle Nebula
From afar, this nebula looks like an eagle, but a closer look however reveals the bright region is actually a window into the center of a larger dark shell of dust, where a whole cluster of new stars is being formed. The Eagle emission nebula, also known as M16, lies about 6500 light years away towards the Serpens constellation and spans about 20 light-years. Image credit: T. A. Rector & B. A. Wolpa, NOAO, AURA
Astronomy Picture of the Week – M27 Or Dumbbell Nebula
This greenish nebula was discovered by Charles Messier, a French astronomer of the 18th century. Originally he did not know what the object was, except that it was neither a star nor a comet. Now we know that it is a planetary nebula. It was formed by the explosion of a sun-like star (nova). It is officially designated as Messier Object 27 (or M27), while it is commonly known as the Dumbbell Nebula. This beautiful nebula is located over 1,200 light-years away in the Vulpecula constellation. Image Credits: ESO, the European Southern Observatory.
Astronomy Picture of the Week – Sombrero Galaxy
This stunning picture of the Sombrero Galaxy in infrared was taken by the Spitzer Space Telescope. The Sombrero Galaxy, also known as M104, is 50,000 light years across which makes it one of the largest galaxies of the Virgo Cluster of Galaxies. It is 28 million light years away from us. Image Credits: NASA, Spitzer Space Telescope.
