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In this issue of SpaceTides

Winter holiday edition...

Seems many people are away on leave, probably gone to find warmer climes in the bushveld and KwaZulu-Natal!  But this issue of SpaceTides is overdue for some time now; it has been a few hectic weeks.

Good news is that Shuttle Discovery made a successful launch towards the ISS on 4 July 2006.  It's been a controversial few days at NASA it seems, with one of the top engineers resigning before launch due to apparent safety issues.

There's a new section in SpaceTides called "Observatories of the World". We'll put one of the most prominent observatories under the spotlight. Sections will alternate in issues, keeping the maximum number of sections 9 to 11.

Welcome to all the new subscribers who subscribed at Fascination Book store in Bloemfontein on 1 July 2006 and in Kroonstad on 24 June 2006.

Remember that there is still opportunity to complete the feedback form for SpaceTides.

Until the next issue!

Gerrit Penning
Editor

Total subscribers as at 6 July 2006: 555 (+27 from previous issue #44)

1. Spaceflight news from around the world

Image credit: NASA.

Launch of Shuttle Discovery successful

The space shuttle Discovery blasted off towards the International Space Station on 4 July 2006 after a few days of delay. This is the first shuttle launch in nearly a year! The shuttle will deliver supplies, equipment and experiments to the station and test shuttle safety procedures. Although a small crack was discovered in Discovery’s external fuel tank, NASA decided the risk was small enough and proceeded with launch. The shuttle will also bring a 3rd crew member to the station, astronaut Thomas Reiter. The station has had a two-person crew since May 2003.

More at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

Artist impression: JPL/NASA.

Cassini mission reaches half-way mark
JPL/NASA news release. 27 June 2006.

The Cassini spacecraft is reaching its halfway mark on its four-year visit of the Saturn system. The satellite has been orbiting Saturn since 30 June 2004, studying the planet, its rings and moons.  Cassini has made 15 separate flybys of Saturn's largest moon Titan and 30 more are planned for the second half of its mission ending June 2008. Scientists are particularly keen on investigating Titan as it might tell them something about the early Earth.

Well done Cassini, looking forward to the next two years of research!

Homepage: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm

Full scale model of the JWST at GSFC in 2005. Source page.

The James Webb Space Telescope of 2013
Information obtained from the JWST website.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will be a large infrared telescope with a 6.5-meter primary mirror. It will be the premier space observatory of the next decade. The telescope will be placed in an orbit at a distance of about 1.5 million km away from the Earth and will study every phase in the history of our Universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after its formation, to the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth.  Launch is planned for no sooner than 2013.

There will be four science instruments on JWST: a near-infrared (IR) camera, a near-IR multi-object spectrograph, a mid-IR instrument, and a tunable filter imager.

Website: http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/

2. Astronomy news from around the world

Supernova Remnants from Chandra's camera.  Chandra News Release, 3 July 2006

These four separate images were photographed by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, orbiting in space.

The remains of four supernovas (exploded stars) in the nearby Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy puts up a display of some of nature's most explosive events.

These X-ray images show multi-million degree gas that has been heated by shock waves from the explosions. Moving clockwise from the upper left to the lower left, the approximate ages of the remnants are 600 years, 1,500 years, 10,000 years and 13,000 years, respectively.

More information about Supernovas:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernova

Image credit: Chandra

Image credit: Hubble

Two Disks of Dust around Beta Pictoris
Hubble News Release. 27 June 2006

Detailed photos of the star Beta Pictoris (63 light years away) taken by Hubble show that it is circled by two disks of dust and not just one. The best explanation for the observations is that a suspected unseen planet, about one to 20 times the mass of Jupiter and in an orbit within the secondary disk, is using gravity to sweep up material from the primary disk. Additional material is attracted to the planet, and is shaped into a second disk.  The images offer tantalizing new evidence for at least one Jupiter-size planet orbiting Beta Pictoris.

3. Interesting Space Facts

The Space Shuttle

-The outside skin of the shuttle can reach temperatures of up to 1 650 °C upon re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.

-After lift-off, it takes only about eight minutes for the Space Shuttle to accelerate to its orbital speed of more than 27,300 kilometers per hour!

-The turbopump on the main engine of the Shuttle is so powerful that it can drain an average family-sized swimming pool in only 25 seconds.

-The main engine of the Space Shuttle weighs only 1/7th as much as a train engine does, but delivers as much horsepower as 39 locomotives.

-The Shuttle, on top of its launch pad, is transported by the so-called "Crawler" vehicle, weighing an incredible 2 721 metric tons!  But, it travels at only 1.6 km/h when loaded…  It takes the vehicle almost five hours to travel from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to the launch pad.  (The two shuttle launch pads are respectively 5.5 and 6.8 km away from the VAB).

4. Sky Observation Log

Not sure where to start with the night sky? Contact SpaceTides for assistance!


Orion 8 inch Dobsonian reflector with Intelliscope.

Planets visible - July 2006
Mercury is visible just after sunset, for the first two weeks, after which it comes too close to the sun's glare for observation. It reappears as a morning object at the end of the month.
Venus is the bright morning object towards the east. You can't miss it!
Earth is not too far away. In fact, it is known to come by once every 24 hours. It also offers its inhabitants one free ride around a star every 365 days. What a lot of fun. Hold on!!
Mars is situated in the evening sky in the north-west, shining with an evident red colour.
Jupiter is also an evening object, shining very bright almost right above you.
Saturn is setting in the north-west; it will only be visible until the 3rd week. If you have a telescope, catch it while you still can!

Constellations and stars - July 2006
Some of the major early winter constellations now visible in the sky, on or approaching the meridian in the evenings include:
To the North: Bootes (the Herdsman), Corona Borealis (the Northern Crown),
Mid-sky: Serpens Caput (the "left" snake), Ophiuchus (the Serpent Carrier),  Libra (the Balance) Scorpius (the Scorpion)
To the South: Lupus (the Wolf), Centaurus (the Centaur), Ara (the Altar).

Deep sky Objects - July 2006
Some of Scorpius's best objects include:
Binocular: M6 (the butterfly cluster), M7, NGC 6231 and surrounding star field, NGC 6281 - a large star field/cluster. Telescope: NGC 6124 - a large open cluster with scattered stars of apparently equal brightness. The globular cluster M4 is absolutely fantastic! Use a 6 inch and up - simply superb.
Other constellations: find the globular cluster NGC 6397 in Ara and search for the Messier globulars in Ophiuchus. For a real challenge (and if you have a strong telescope with lots of patience and time), try your hand at the galaxies and planetary nebulas in Lupus (magnitude 10 to 13!).

Other events
Full moon on 11 July 2006. New moon on 25 July 2006.
There are quite a few small meteor showers peaking during the month (Sky Guide p. 74).

5. Amateur Astronomers' Corner

Image credit: Hannes Pieterse
More info about the Bloemfontein Centre's outreach activities at www.assabfn.co.za/education.htm.

Popularisation: The Amateur Astronomer as an "Interface"

There are many practical activities that an amateur astronomer can undertake, e.g. solar observations, deep sky, occultations, astrophotography, history etc. There is another activity though, that is fast becoming an important component. That is "the popularisation of astronomy".

The amateur astronomer can act as the ideal interface between the professional and the public. Amateurs usually have a crazy passion for the subject, which comes in handy when you want to convey enthusiasm. Reaching out to the layman and informing him/her about the wonders of science is a very fulfilling experience - and you don't need to be a scientist.  Amateurs should join with professionals in the sense that both can contribute to popularisation to a large extent, especially when done together.

Motivate your astronomy club to get involved in public outreach activities and build contacts with professional astronomers. Many ASSA Centres have frequent public open days or evenings.

6. Astronomy Events in the City of Bloemfontein

Volksblad Kunstefees Sterre-vertonings / Arts Festival star shows

"Jy gaan jou sterre sien!" Letterlik! ASSA Bloemfontein bied aan gratis sterrekunde vertonings op 12 en 13 Julie 2006 (Woensdag en Donderdagaand), om 19h00 voor die Regsfakulteit (C.R. Swart-gebou) op die kampus van die UV. Daar sal verskeie teleskope wees sowel as 'n videoprojektor wat projeksies gaan maak van die konstellasies. Kom kyk ook hoe laserwysers gebruik word om die sterre en planete uit te wys. 

ASSA Bloemfontein Centre will present free star shows on the campus of the UFS, in front of the Law Faculty (C.R. Swart building). Telescopes will be available and a video projector simulating the constellations. It will take place from 19h00 on both 12 and 13 July 2006. (Wednesday and Thursday evening) Come and have a look how lasers are used to point out the stars and planets.

7. Astronomy & Science in Southern Africa

Cederberg Astronomical Observatory

The Cederberg Astronomical Observatory is situated in the Cederberg Mountains about 240 km north of Cape Town, on the farm Dwarsrivier. It is privately owned, driven by 7 partners and has been in existence since the early 1980's.  The observatory has the advantage of unpolluted dark skies and a magnificent mountain view to recommend it. It's also an amateur astronomer's paradise and members of the public are welcomed.  There are a wide range of various telescopes and other astronomical equipment.

More information at  http://www.cederbergobs.org.za/

8. Observatories of the World

Subaru telescope at far left, Keck telescopes centre and right. Photo credit: W.M. Keck Observatory.

W. M. Keck Observatory

The Keck Observatory is located in a remote outpost on the summit of Hawaii's dormant Mauna Kea volcano. The main instruments used are the twin Keck Telescopes, the world's largest optical and infrared telescopes. Each telescope's mirror is 10 meters in diameter and is comprised of 36 hexagonal segments that work together as a single piece of reflective glass.

 The Observatory is operated by the California Association for Research in Astronomy (CARA). The Keck I telescope began its observations in May 1993 and the Keck II began in October 1996. Each telescope is eight stories high and weighs 300 tons!  In addition, there are the 8.3 m Subaru Japanese telescope and the 8.1 m Gemini North (Gillet) telescope. There are also other infrared/optical telescopes, with a 3.8 meter aperture and smaller.

Website: http://www.keckobservatory.org/

9. Photo Sense

The dome of the South African Large Telescope (SALT). This photo was taken by Colin Doyle (Somerset-West), during a visit to Sutherland in the Northern Cape where the SAAO's observatory complex is situated. Camera used: Sony DSC-W5, F/6.3. SALT website: www.salt.ac.za.

10. Web Links

Spaceflightnow: for the latest in spaceflight and astronomy news, subscribe to Spaceflightnow (they also have a free e-mail service). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for any astronomy enthusiast - www.spaceflightnow.com

SpaceWeather.com: for up to date information about the Sun-Earth environment. No doubt one of the BEST astronomy websites on the internet. www.spaceweather.com

CBS Sci-tech News:  http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/tech/main205.shtml

The Nature of the Stars: everything about stars and more - http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/star_intro.html

NASA World Wind: a software application featuring Landsat satellite imagery and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data. It lets you experience our planet's terrain in visually rich 3D. It's a large download!  http://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/download.html

Getting started in Astronomy: http://www.r-clarke.org.uk/starting_astro1.htm