Partial Solar Eclipse of October 23, 2014

Collage of Partial Solar Eclipse
Taken at OCC-OR, Farmingron Hills, MI

There was a viewing of the partial solar eclipse that happened on Thursday - October 23, 2014. Viewing started at 5:30 pm, outside of A-Bldg at OCC-OR. About 40% of the Sun was eclipsed by the moon, and despite the few clouds on the horizon, we were able to get a decent viewing of the event. The Moon started eclipsing the Sun at about 5:39 pm, and continued to cover the Sun throughout the evening as shown in the pictures in this post. Special solar filters were used in the Coronado solarscope, and the 6" Orion telescope. A projection of the sun on a screen was used with the 4.25" Astroscan. Overall, it was a great viewing and we're glad many people were able to witness this event at OCC!

Sun before the eclipse. Notice the size of the Sunspots
Taken by Samer Hariri, 10/23/2014 - Farmington Hills, MI

The beginning of the eclipse

Clouds on the western horizon didn't block our view through the telescopes.

Getting close to maximum eclipse in our area.

Almost at maximum. Notice the mountains on the edge of the Moon.

Projection of the Partial Solar Eclipse using the Astroscan.
Notice the tree line in the right picture as we were nearing the end.

A schematic of how a solar eclipse happens.
Source: http://astronomy.starrynight.com

Eclipse Timetable (EDT - for The Metro Detroit Area)

Eclipse Began – 5:39 pm
Max Eclipse – 6:31 pm

Sun Set - 6:36 pm

WARNING: Never look directly at the sun during a solar eclipse, or EVER! NEVER EVER look at the sun through binoculars or telescopes! Severe eye damage and blindness will most likely occur. Expert sky observers use proper precautions and specially designed solar filters in order to safely view the eclipse.

Total Lunar Eclipse of October 8, 2014

A collage of the Lunar Eclipse.
Note: Only the first half of the eclipse
was visible from Michigan. 

We had a very successful viewing of the Total Lunar Eclipse on October 8. It was great to see a dedicated group of people show up so early to witness the eclipse. The weather was a bit chilly, but the skies were clear and offered us a perfect view of the eclipse, Jupiter, and some winter constellations such as Orion, Canis Major, Auriga, and Taurus. We got the opportunity to view Uranus through the telescope as it was very close to the Moon. We also viewed the Orion Nebula, and Jupiter with it's 4 Galilean moons. Overall, it was an eventful early morning, that ended with the eclipsing moon setting in the west, and the crisp October morning sun rising.

The Lunar Eclipse Close to Totality
Notice the planet Uranus

The Orion Constellation - October 8, 2014
Notice the Orion Nebula

The Orion Nebula - October 8, 2014
Taken with Nikon D5100 w/ 18 mm Nikkor Zoom Lens

The eclipsing Moon setting as the Sun is rising.

Sunrise Animation - October 8, 2014

Sunrise - October 8, 2014
Oakland Community College - Farmington Hills, MI

Lunar Eclipse Viewing - October 8, 2014

Lunar Eclipse on February 20, 2008 - East Lansing, MI

UPDATE
10/7/2014, 11:00 pm EDT

Weather forecast is showing mostly CLEAR SKIES for tomorrow morning. Looks like viewing is a GO! Hope to see you there!

On Wednesday, October 8, there will be a Total Lunar Eclipse that will be visible for us in the Michigan area. The eclipse will happen in the dawn hours on Wednesday morning, and we will be gathering in front of A-Bldg at Orchard Ridge with telescopes and binoculars. Viewing will begin around 6:15 a.m. as the total eclipse will begin at 6:25 a.m. We will gather by the island in the traffic circle in front of A-Bldg.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth is located between the Moon and the Sun. This occurs during a full moon phase. The lunar eclipse begins when the Moon enters the partial shadow of Earth, the penumbra, and is greatest when the Moon is in the center of the full shadow of the Earth, the umbra.

Lunar eclipses usually last for a few hours, and are most exciting when seen entering/exiting the umbra. In addition to the Lunar Eclipse this Wednesday, we will also have the opportunity to look at the planet Uranus through the telescope, as it will be very close to the Moon in our sky during that time. Also, you will have the opportunity to view Venus and some other October morning constellations.

The Anatomy of a Lunar Eclipse.
 (Source: http://www.sunwheelgrove.co.uk/cosmos/the-moon)

Lunar Eclipse Time Table (EDT for the Detroit Area)

Partial Eclipse Begins - 5:15 a.m.

Total Eclipse Begins - 6:25 a.m.

Greatest Eclipse - 6:55 a.m.

Total Eclipse Ends - 7:24 a.m.

Moon Sets - 7:44 a.m. 

As always, this viewing is dependent on weather. If the forecast is too cloudy for that morning, there will most likely not be a viewing. If it's crystal clear, we hope to see you there! I will keep everyone posted as we get closer to the date, so WATCH THIS SPACE!

Clear Skies!!

- SHH

The Heart of the Scorpion

Full Moon - September 8, 2014
Taken w/ Nexus 5 through telescope.

The fall skies are upon us - and they're filled with stars (among other things)! We've had two opportunities to view so far, September 8th, and September 17th. The first night offered us the Harvest Moon, which flooded the skies with light and dimmed most of the stars. The second night however was one that started off with crisp n' clear skies, that got a bit hazy toward the end. 

Saturn and Mars are the two planets visible for us around this time, however they are about to dip below the western skies as they make their ways around the Sun. We were lucky to have viewed Saturn twice now, and perhaps we'll have a chance at viewing one, maybe two other times. For the early birds among you, Venus is another planet that is visible in the predawn skies and you're encouraged to have it in your sky journals! 

Scorpius with Mars and Saturn on September 17, 2014.
Also in view: Parts of the Teapot & Ophiuchus, and an airplane trail.

Mars (Ares) at this time is in the constellation Scorpius, visible for us low in the southern/southwestern sky. Antares (Anti-Mars) is one of the stars that stand out in our southern sky at the moment. Antares is the 17th brightest star in our skies, and it is considered a red supergiant. Its color and brightness resemble the planet Mars in the night sky, and due to its possible confusion with the red planet, it is said to have been named the anti-Mars.

Ryan looking at the Moon with the Big Dipper in the background. 

Samer looking for the Perseus Double Open Cluster w/ Big Dipper in Background. 

The sky is always changing, and there are quite a few stars and constellations that will rise in the East/Northeast throughout this semester. The fall semester provides a wonderful opportunity for us to experience how the sky changes as the seasons change. Stay tuned for some awesome events (i.e Lunar Eclipse) and remember to keep looking up!

Clear Skies!! 

-SHH

The Sun, The Moon, The Planets, and the ISS

Astronomy students w/ Moon,
getting ready to see the ISS.

June 5th was an eventful evening at Orchard Ridge. We had the opportunity to view the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, and end the day with a flyby of the International Space Station. In addition, we had the Solar System Event lab, which on it's own was another mind boggling experience that sheds some light on how vast and empty our solar system really is.  It is somewhat difficult for us to swallow the idea that a solar system with a unique planet such as Earth can be considered empty, in the cosmic perspective of things, it does seem that way. 

We started off the evening with a viewing of our Sun, and were able to see 3 sunspots and quite the number of flares, though "tiny" around the edges of our star. As always, we used our Coronado PST solar scope for safe viewing with an H-Alpha filter. It's always a treat when we are able to see not only the flares around the edges, but also the granules and some flares on the front side of the Sun. A lot of these flares may look tiny to us, but each can engulf up to 3-4 Earths!

Safely viewing the Sun on May 29.

Sun June 5 through the Coronado PST.
Sunspots didn't appear in photo.

Our first stop during the Solar System
Event, SOL. Joe is comparing the
size of Earth to the Sun.

After class, we started our Solar System Event lab. We constructed the solar system starting with SOL at Farmington Rd. Our scale model of the Sun (which by the way is very beautifully and brilliantly made) gives us a two-dimensional realization as to how large the Sun really is compared to Earth, and all the other planets. You can only imagine how a 3D model would look, and how even tinier it would make us feel. To me, this is the first part of a bigger realization of how truly small we are in our own neighborhood of planets. The Sun is massive, its flares would engulf us several times, and as Johannes Kepler once realized, it is in total control.

Sprinkling some asteroids.

Midway through, we stopped to sprinkle the asteroid belt. This is the part where it hits most people (or it should) on just how small asteroids and solar debris truly are in comparison to the solar system itself. We are sprinkling salt and pepper particles in an orbit that is roughly quarter of a mile away from Farmington Rd. Just imagine shrinking yourself to our scale model; Something the size of our space shuttle would be equivalent to the size of a bacteria. Now imagine you are that bacteria, venturing through the asteroid belt on our scale. What are the chances that you are going to run into one salt particle as you make your way to Jupiter?

At Jupiter, discussing
the scale of our
Solar System.

I believe the whole experience comes into perspective the moment we talk about our nearest star. On our scale, we are but nanometers tall (atomic scale); our buildings, space ships, and monuments are barely in the micrometers (bacteria, cells). We live on a planet that is the size of a small marble which is "floating" in space in an orbit around a star which without, we nano-particles wouldn't even exist. Our technology has ventured us to the outreach of our solar system, beyond the Kuiper Belt where a tiny bacteria we call Voyager 1 is moving at a pace of milimeters per year. On our scale, Voyager 1 is only at I-75, no where close to reaching our nearest star, and it's been 30+ years since we've launched it. As Joe put it, it would take many generations of people on a space ship to make it to our nearest star. In a way, it sort of is a lifestyle, one where the spaceship we build will be the only familiar home to the children that would be born on such a ship. Many will never know what it's like to be on Earth, and many will be born, live their lives and perish before the ship ever makes it back to tell whichever new civilization (if any still remains on Earth) about our nearest star. The saddest yet most humbling part of all this, is that there are billions of stars in our galaxy alone. I'll let that sink in. 

The Moon on June 5, 2014. First quarter phase.
Taken with Nexus 5 camera through Orion 6" SkyQuest.

Saturn through telescope.
Best image I got so far.

We decided to have an optional viewing after lab. The twilight sky was brilliant, the Moon, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn were immediately visible right after the Sun dipped below the horizon. We were not able to see Mercury as it was very low by the horizon and of course trees and such were in our way. Though the summer skies are still quite bright around dusk, we were still able to enjoy the views of the Moon and the planets through the telescope. 

Not long after, the stars began to appear. The brightest ones like Vega, Spica and Arcturus were among the first to be seen. It was a great evening for viewing. It was difficult to see any stars in the northern sky because the Sun had set in the northwest. It was still bright in that portion of the sky.

Fish-eye view of the ISS rising from the southwest and moving over our heads.
Top: Constellations, stars and planets labeled as the 15 second exposure made the stars show!
Note: ISS passing close to the Moon. Gaps in stream line are due to delay in taking photos
(I was busy watching the real thing!)

The grand finale of the evening was the flyby of the International Space Station. The ISS appeared in the southwest at 9:50 pm, and was visible for 6 minutes, reached an altitude of 84 degrees and disappeared in the northeast. It is always quite the sight, to see a bright star-like object zipping across the sky and knowing that there are 6 humans in that thing looking down upon us. 

Students in foreground watching as the ISS is setting in the northeast.
Again, the gap in the line is due to delay between photographs.

Animated GIF made of ISS flying over our heads.

In a nutshell, it was a great day for astronomy. Keep looking up! 

Clear Skies! 

- SHH

Cloudy with a hint of Moon - Jupiter, & Mars

Summer astronomy students practicing
how to measure altitude and azimuth.

The first observing session for our summer astronomy group was for the sole purpose of teaching how to measure altitude and azimuth in our sky. Unfortunately, the clouds where plentiful, the sky was bright, and the stars were either too faint to be seen in the breaks, or covered by the clouds. Luckily, the Moon was bright enough to present itself as a target for everyone to practice their measurements on. It was a waxing gibbous with craters and mountains that stood out along the terminator, and was quite the view despite the haze.
 

Measuring Altitude

In addition to the Moon, we were fortunate to see not one, but two planets! Jupiter was bright enough to shine through the clouds, yet through the telescope it was very difficult to see it's moons. The major reason the moons in the telescope were faint was because it was still the evening twilight, the sky wasn't dark yet! While the summer night sky is filled with spectacular stars and constellations, the Sun doesn't set until late in the evening , 8:40 pm in early May to around 9:15 pm in June. This means that the twilight period where the skies are still bright may go up to about 10:30 pm during the summer solstice.

In any case, the summer constellations are plentiful, and as we make our way through May, we're starting to see some new constellations rise in the East, and some familiar ones starting to set in the West.

Waxing gibbous phase on May 8th, 2014.
The sky was too cloudy and hazy.
Image captured through telescope.

We've had quite a clear nights since the start of the semester - and just this weekend we were predicted to have had an intense meteor shower, but the predictions were wrong, and as of this moment they have declassified the Camelopardalis Meteor Shower as a "non-shower" event with only a few meteors here and there (instead of the 100-200 per hour you might have read on the news). The sky however is always full of surprises, you may never know what to expect unless you keep looking up!

- SHH

All Good Things...

...Happen at the Soccer Field!

Our last viewing of the semester happened on a beautiful evening on April 9th as we made our way to the soccer field for the 2nd time in the semester. It started off with a blazing view of the International Space Station flying over our heads, and ended with a viewing of a brilliant waxing gibbous Moon.

10 second exposures of the ISS with Arcturus near the center right.

We also had the opportunity to look at Mars through the 6" telescope. While we don't see as pretty an image as we do Jupiter, we were still able to make out variations in the surface color, including the brighter (almost white looking) polar ice caps, and of course the prominent red color that is Mars. (Too bad I didn't take a picture >.< )

Waxing Gibbous taken with Nexus 5 phone camera through 6" telescope.

Waxing Gibbous Moon taken with Nikkon D5100 through 6" telescope.

The sky has changed a lot since we first saw it back in January. Orion, Taurus and the Pleiades are now setting in the western sky, and new constellations like Leo and Boötes are rising in the East. We already missed a lunar eclipse due to cloudy weather, but a lot more astronomical events are right around the corner this summer. We have one more week before sky journals are due, make sure you're looking up and making entries every time you can! 

- Clear Skies!! 
SHH 

April Skies

Spring is finally here, the weather is warming up and the snow on the soccer field has melted. I thought I'd post what to look for in April skies. The main event this month is the Total Lunar Eclipse on April 15th. It will occur on the night of Monday-Tuesday (technically a Tuesday). The eclipse will start at 1:58 a.m. EDT and the totality will begin at 3:06 am. The greatest part of the eclipse will occur at 3:46 a.m., and the whole thing will end at 5:33 a.m. It'll be a long night, but if you've never seen the full Moon go from that bright shade of white to that orangish/red hue, then it's totally worth it!

Some other things to look for this month:

- Venus in the morning sky before sunrise
- Crescent Moon one hour after sunset on April 1st
- Mars in the night sky (rises ~ 2 hours after sunset)
- Saturn and Scorpius one hour before sunrise
- Jupiter in Gemini still


Keep looking up, and do those sky journals!

Clear Skies!

A perspective of size ...

Professor Stoddard demonstrating how
small Earth is compared to our own
Sun during the second SSE.

The Solar System Event is one my favorite labs in this course. It is designed to give us an appreciation to how vast our own solar system is, a sensation that usually hits most people by the time we get to Jupiter on our scale. However, it all starts when we compare Earth's size to the size of our Sun. In general, we are already aware of how small we are in comparison to our own Earth. We stand next to mountains, valleys and canyons and we suddenly feel small, and yet that insignificance is suddenly multiplied by a million folds when compared to the Sun. Just try to imagine how many human heads would fit inside the Sun (in 2D first then in 3D) :o)

Location of Mercury at our second SSE.

Where it usually always hits me (I get goosebumps and all) is when I realize how far away the closest star to us is. The fascinating part about all this is knowing that each star in our galaxy is at least that far from the next if not more, and that there are approximately 200 billion stars in our galaxy - the distances are unthinkable!

At Earth ...

At Earth when the BLIZZARD started!

One thing we talked about last semester during the Solar System Event was where the Voyager probes would be right now on our scale. Here's a quick "back of the envelope" calculation:

As of this date, Voyager 1 is about 127 AU from the Sun. On our scale, we said that Saturn (~10 AU) was 1 mile away from the Sun (i.e on Orchard Lake Road). So if 10 AU is equivalent to 1 mile, then 127 AU is equivalent to 12.7 miles (call it 13). This means that on our scale, Voyager 1 right now would be close to Stephenson Highway, right before you hit I-75 if you were driving East on 12 mile. That's a speed of ~ 0.35 miles per year!!! (That's 2.5 inches per hour). Can you imagine driving down 12 mile road at 2.5 inches per hour?

For the first time ever, we had to do the Asteroid Belt inside!

All in all, the solar system is huge - and we have barely ventured out to gain any real perspective of how vast it truly is. While only at Jupiter, we remembered that Earth on our scale was that tiny blue marble in the parking lot close to Farmington Rd, and it is from that location the we were able to discover Pluto, which was all the way on Lahser Rd. It is only proper that I end this entry with the famous words of Carl Sagan from Cosmos:

“The size and age of the Cosmos are beyond ordinary human understanding. Lost somewhere between immensity and eternity is our tiny planetary home. In a cosmic perspective, most human concerns seem insignificant, even petty. And yet our species is young and curious and brave and shows much promise. In the last few millennia we have made the most astonishing and unexpected discoveries about the Cosmos and our place within it, explorations that are exhilarating to consider. They remind us that humans have evolved to wonder, that understanding is a joy, that knowledge is prerequisite to survival. I believe our future depends on how well we know this Cosmos in which we float like a mote of dust in the morning sky.” 

Keep looking up, CLEAR SKIES! 

-SHH

Moons Galore!

Waxing Crescent Moon - Taken Feb 5, 2014

This past week the astronomy class was fortunate to go out viewing twice. Despite the cold, most students appreciated being able to see the waxing crescent Moon, Jupiter, and the Perseus Double Open Cluster through the telescope. The details that non-full moons offer when observing them through telescopes bring to light the ruggedness and topography on the surface of the Moon; it is not smooth! Being able to see the crater shadows, have a sense of their depth, and making out the highlands is worth it. In my opinion, the coolest part of viewing a crescent through a telescope is the high craters and mountains that get illuminated by the Sun in a shadowed area.
This observation was amongst the first evidence that the lunar surface was not a perfect orb.

Jupiter taken with Nikkon D5100 using a 180 mm camera lens.
Feb 3, 2014 (This image was not taken through a telescope!)
Notice some of the moons in this image!

While Orion is still dominating the winter night sky, Jupiter is stealing the show for the time being. It has shifted slightly in its position in the constellation of Gemini, and perhaps it's only my imagination but it seems to get brighter every time we go out viewing. One of the major changes we see in Jupiter is its 4 major moons. the position of these moons changes drastically in a matter of days, and it was nice to see that change between Monday and Wednesdays lab. It is always a good idea to note the locations of these moons in your sky journals every time we look at Jupiter through the telescope.

The weather has been discouraging many of us from spending time stargazing, but don't let it take away from the enjoyment. It's only a matter of time before it starts warming up and we get to finally make our way to the soccer field, out usual observing location. Until then, keep looking up!

Clear Skies,
SHH

The Wolf Moon & The Hunter

Students viewing Orion
and Sirius.

Our first viewing this semester was on January 15 and it featured a full January Moon (aka The Wolf Moon) along with Jupiter and the constellation of Orion. The weather, while cold, was not as cold as some nights I've personally went out observing. Regardless, we deemed it dangerous to make our way to the soccer field, given the amount of icy snow that would have been in our path, but the hill outside of A-Building never seizes to disappoint (despite the parking lot lights).

Speaking of parking lot lights, it was tough to see anything in the Northern skies; wish we had control over when to turn these lights on and off. However, we were still able to make out Polaris, and the Big Dipper. For those of you who were in Astronomy last fall, you might remember how different the position of the Big Dipper is from where it was back in August.
(Check here for that picture).

Parking lot light obstructing our view of the Northern sky.
Notice the Big Dipper, and part of the Little Dipper.

Full Moon through telescope.
Taken by Samer Hariri, 1/15/14

We did have the opportunity to look at Jupiter through the AstroScan telescope, and we were able to see three of its four visible moons. It was around this time that some people started heading back into the building as it was getting colder. Those who braved the cold however got to see the full Moon through the telescope. I must note that I added a polarizing filter to the lens as to not damage our vision. Overall, it was a great first viewing - I hope you all come more prepared for the weather next time! DRESS WARMLY!

Clear Skies!

- SHH