What is the difference between “Dark Nebula” & “Nebula”?
Published on 29 Jul 2010 at 00:00.
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Thursday 29th July 2010
See the bright-orange ”Neo-Clouds” where it was reflected by the sunsets below the horizon, it was captured by myself on Tuesday 27th July 2010 at 21:00 / 9pm. This example in meanings of nebula in the Universe – the word nebula is Latin for `cloud`.
And see the dark shadow clouds – against sun light from below the horizon and bright-orange ”Neo-Clouds”. This happens in the Universe, the cloud of gas and dust that is not bright (illuminated) and can be seen only in against stars and bright nebula beyond.
See for an example.
What is Space?
Published on 28 Jul 2010 at 00:00.
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Wednesday 28th July 2010
What is Space?
Space is the name to give the region beyond our planet, Earth which may stretch forever. Space is made of nothing at all! – but it has lots of things in it, such as planets and stars! That contents are called the Universe.
How was the Universe made?
Many scientists believe that the Universe is the result of explosion called the Big Bang that what happened back to 14 billion years ago.
What was the Big Bang?
The Big Bang was an explosion of all the matter in the Universe that squashed into a tiny area at more than 10 billion ‘C. The matter exploded so quickly that within a hundredth of second that how the Universe was as big as the Sun! It carried growing.
Is the Universe still getting bigger?
Yes, Scientists have discovered that matter and groups of stars are still moving further away from each other – however they are now moving much more slowly than just after the Big Bang.
The Wild Duck Cluster (Messier 11)
Published on 27 Jul 2010 at 00:00.
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Filed under Deep Sky Objects.
Tuesday 27th July 2010 @ 23:00 / 11pm
Click here for enlarge image.
Messier 11 – The Wild Duck Cluster (M11)
It is an Open Cluster, readily seen with binoculars and is a magnificent object with high magnifications by a small telescope that possible to see the V-Shape.
M11 is one of the richest and most compact of the known open clusters, containing about 2900 stars. Its age has been estimated to about 220 million years. Its name derives from the brighter stars forming a triangle which could represent a flying flock of ducks in the constellation of Scutum (The Shield).
Scutum is a small constellation that lies in a rich area of the Milky Way between Aquila (The Eagle) and Sagittarius (The Archer). This constellation is visible from JUne to September and the best seen the highest in the sky at 23:00 / 11pm (BST) from July to August.
See the SkyMap for M11 – The Wild Duck Cluster.
After Sunset tonight
Published on 26 Jul 2010 at 00:00.
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Filed under Constellation, Mars, Mercury, Saturn, Venus.
Monday 26th July 2010
Sunset Planets
Mars and Saturn are meeting at a particular place with Venus to form a skinny triangle in the sunset sky in the West. When the sun sets tonight, go outside and look West.
Venus pops out of the twilight first, followed by Saturn, then Mars by binoculars or a small telescope.
See the SkyMap for tonight (Monday 26th July 2010), also Friday 30th July 2010 and Saturday 31st July 2010 when Saturn and Mars are only 2o apart.
Moon – Did you know?
Published on 25 Jul 2010 at 00:00.
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Sunday 25th July 2010
Could people live on the Moon?
There is no atmosphere on the Moon, so you would not be able to breathe. It is possible to set up scientific bases there, but anyone walking on the Moon would need a spacesuit.
Moon Facts:-
An astronaut last walked on the Moon in 1973.
The Moon is bigger than the planet Pluto.
The Moon is about 230,000 miles from Earth, it would take you more than 9 years to walk to arrive the Moon!
Why is the Moon covered in craters?
Most of the Moon’s craters were caused about three billion years ago by meteorites – these lumps of rock and iron hurtled through Space and crashed into the Moon at high speed – they are continually being hit by objects from Space, most however are smaller than a golf ball.
See the video, the flashing white light was hit the Moon by a small rock.
Does the Moon affect Earth?
Yes! – the Moon has its own gravity that pulls Earth’s seas towards it, making them bulge because of the Earth spins making that bulge moves around the Earth’s surface.
When the Moon is overhead, the sea reaches highest level that when the Moon is over the coast, there is a high tide. It is called Spring Tide.
More information :- Understanding how Tide Cycles follow the moon.
Look for Crater – Schickard Moon
Published on 24 Jul 2010 at 00:00.
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Saturday 24th July 2010
Look for crater – Schickard on the Moon tonight.
Schickard is a large old crater with a diameter of 142 miles. When observing Schickard through a telescope, you will immediately notice the absence of central peaks or peak rings. You will also see that there are some large patches of dark and light material on the crater floor.
Schickard is very shallow compared to other craters of this size, only about 1 mile deep. The original crater floor probably has been flooded with lava which covered the central peaks completely. After that a thin layer of bright highland material was thrown like a blanket over the dark crater floor. This bright layer is still visible in the centre of Schickard. Near the edges of the crater (upper left and lower right) there was some additional lava flooding later on. These are the dark patches that can be seen in Schickard.
Wargentin is a very mysterious crater. It seems as if this 53 mile wide crater is filled right up to the rim, looking like a kind of plateau. Wargentin indeed is completely filled, probably with volcanic material, and covered with a layer of brighter highland material. You can see the rim of Wargentin very clearly as well as one or two wrinkled ridges on its flooded floor.
Click here for above enlarge image.
The Moon sits the teapot!
Published on 23 Jul 2010 at 00:00.
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Friday 23rd July 2010 @ 23:00 / 11pm
Click here for enlarge image for tonight you will see the Moon sitting on the top of the teapot in the constellation of Sagittarius (The Archer).
See Derekscope’s archives :- Thursday 22nd July 2010 & the SkyMap, that you will see the Moon has moved.
Look for the Teapot
Published on 22 Jul 2010 at 00:00.
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Thursday 22nd July 2010
The Teapot
A group of eight stars that form the outline of a teapot shape – see the SkyMap for tonight with helping by the Moon to recognise the constellation of Sagittarius (The Archer).
See Derekscope’s archives :- Friday 14th July 2010.
The Gaia Satellite from the UK.
Published on 21 Jul 2010 at 00:00.
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Filed under Equipments, Features of Interest.
Wednesday 21st July 2010
The Gaia Satellite from the UK to be launched in 2012 that the new mission to create the largest and most precise three dimensional (3D) chart of our Galaxy by providing unprecedented positional and radial velocity measurements for about one billion stars in our Galaxy and throughout the Local Group.
Click here for movie showing by ESA (European Space Agency) the deployment of Gaia’s solar array and sunshield.
The main structure of the spacecraft was moved this week from the UK factory at EADS Astrium, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, where it has been for a year to undergo tests on its propulsion system then transported by the road to Ampac-ISP at Aylesbury for checks on its cold gas micro-thrusters then after that work is complete – it will move to Astrium at Toulouse in France for final preparations, it will be due for launch in 2012 by a rocket – Soyuz Rocket from the new Sinamary Spaceport in French Guiana, northeast of South America.
Did you know?
Published on 20 Jul 2010 at 00:00.
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Filed under Features of Interest, Stars.
Tuesday 20th July 2010
Did you know?
Stars would explode if gravity were not holding their material together!
Atom have gravity, which means that they pull things towards them.
After the Big Bang, gravity made atoms clump together to form stars and planets.
Stars are made of hydrogen and helium atoms but solid planets (Earth, Mercury, Venus & Mars) are made of carbon and iron atoms.
