Orionid Meteor Shower

Orionid meteors are debris from Halley's Comet burning up in the atmosphere that appear to come out of the constellation Orion. and are best seen from midnight to dawn. Over the course of this weekend, I was only able to see one, and it was by mistake! I was sitting outside early Saturday morning, looking up, and I just turned my head and woah! So that was what I was looking for! Friday night, I had been watching for one, and wasn't sure whether or not I had seen one, because I wasn't sure what it would look like. I would see stars flicker or disappear; but it was probably just my brain messing with me. But when I saw it for real, I knew. It was a quick flash, light streaked across the sky. But it was near Cassiopeia...to the north...Orion was to the south. I knew there'd only be approximately 18 meteors an hour, so I knew my chances of seeing a lot were slim, but I found it odd that the only one I did see came from the "wrong" part of the sky.

I didn't take any measurements because I just wanted to watch for another shooting star (negative), but I did get to see new stars and constellations like Sirius and Taurus that I hadn't seen before.

Of course I wish I'd seen more of the Orionids (next year!!), but it was a beautiful sky and a peaceful and memorable experience.


read my previous post about the Draconoid Meteor Shower here: http://northstargazer.blogspot.com/2017/10/draconid-meteor-shower.html

Waning Crescent

I was unable to do the Third Quarter phase, because it's been so cloudy lately. But luckily, I caught the Waning Crescent in the morning. When I had looked at the sky earlier that same morning, the stars were so clear; but now, it had gotten lighter and cloudier so I couldn't see any surrounding stars. I also found it a little odd that the crescent was at the bottom rather than the side of the moon, but maybe that was because of the time I did my observation.

Cygnus and the Summer Triangle

This night, I met my class outside around 10 pm. The sky was so dark and clear, the stars so bright. There were not many trees around so I was able to see a much larger portion of the sky than I can at home. This allowed me to see and be able to recognize a few new constellations: Cepheus, the Northern Cross and Summer Triangle. After I got back home, I looked up, and there they were - I saw them on my own, without the aid of a teacher, map, or app! And there they were again the next night! I need to research why the moon was below the horizon - must be the positioning of the earth this time of year, but I had never thought that was something that happens...

Draconid Meteor Shower

This past weekend marked the annual Draconid Meteor Shower seen in the higher latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. The best time to look is right at nightfall near Draco the Dragon (constellation between the two Dippers); and no telescope is needed, as it could be seen with the naked eye. The 'shooting stars' you may have seen across the sky are dust and rocks from the comet 21P ("Giacobini-Zinner") that burn up in the atmosphere as the Earth passes through the debris.

"During the 2011 Draconid shower, more than 600 meteors per hour were visible in the sky" (Science Alert), but "although the Draconids have been responsible for some of the most spectacular meteor showers in recorded history, most recently [...] star gazers consider these to be one of the least interesting meteor showers" (Time and Date).

While I was in a location without much light pollution over the weekend, there was still a presence of ambient light around me and also coming from the bright moon. Additionally, it has been a fairly rainy week, so the sky wasn't clear enough for me to be able to observe the Draconids. But luckily, there will be a second opportunity to see a meteor shower - the Orionids - on October 21st. I was disappointed that the cloudy weather ruined my chance to see (as Time and Date called it) these "majestic celestial fireworks" ... but I look forward to the upcoming Orionid shower.

Works Cited

"Draconid Meteor Shower." Timeanddate.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2017.

MacDonald, Fiona. "Don't Miss The Draconid Meteor Shower Peaking This Weekend."ScienceAlert. N.p., 7 Oct. 2017. Web. 7 Oct. 2017.

Waning Gibbous

Three days later, the moon had moved a little bit southward and higher in the sky since Full. Its azimuth changed from 105° to 120° and altitude from 12° to 20°. I'm not sure if this had something to do with the fact that the sky wasn't super clear or if it's normal, but I found it odd that it was more the top corner than a side sliver that made up the Waning Gibbous Moon.

Full Moon

This is my first entry for the phases of the moon. It was a cloudy night, but I was still able to see how bright the full moon was. It was in the southeastern part of the sky (azimuth = 105°) and 12° above the horizon. I'll be looking at the moon every few days to watch its complete cycle as it rotates around the Earth.

azimuth & altitude project

This was just a little project we had in Space Ex to practice the skills in measuring azimuth and altitude of celestial objects. 

azimuth = the angle of an object along the horizon from due north, measured with a compass 

altitude = the angle of an object above the horizon, measured with quadrant/astrolabe 

For the objects that I did repeat, I think it's cool to see how they changed position in the night sky. The morning I saw Orion was amazing because it was the first time I'd seen it in a while, and (of course) I was excited about Cassiopeia as well. I've also come to be able to recognize Altair, Polaris, Vega, and Dubhe. 

I've learned so much from these observations and it just makes me feel so happy and good inside!!! 
                   keep learning
                                never stop star gazing
                                                   never stop dreaming
                                                                                          🌟

Image of the Sun (pt. 1)

For a few spaced-out days (no pun intended), I'll be looking at the image of the Sun, looking for any changes. I'm not sure what, if any, changes I'll see - maybe size, shape, altitude ... we'll have to see! This one was super simple - just position the folder/paper/hand and the quadrant in the right spot so that the image of the sun is reflected onto the screen. I've only done it a few times but it's so simple and quick - anyone can do it! In the comments section of my report, I noted that the image was not spherical - I really want to look more into this and find out why.

Polaris, Cassiopeia, and the Big Dipper

For this task, I had to draw Polaris, Cassiopeia, and the Big Dipper (part of Ursa Major), relative to each other and the horizon. Unfortunately, trees were blocking my full view of the Big Dipper, but I still had so much fun going out and figuring out what was where and drawing it all out. I think it's really cool that now I am able to recognize another constellation. Not sure if this is a weird way to feel, but I really like the constellation Cassiopeia and now I get excited each time I see it (not sure if that's because it was my first new constellation or if I actually love it). It also made me feel really good that I was able to accurately identify Vega even though I was in a different location than when I'd seen it before. I used my quadrant and compass to determine the locations of Polaris, Dubhe (the top right star of the bowl of the Big Dipper), and the center of the triangle of Cassiopeia. Their altitudes are (respectively): 30°, 13°, 40° (azimuths are labeled in the diagram). It's so relaxing and peaceful going out at night looking at the stars, learning and becoming confident with identifications. I hope that I will continue to look at constellations in the night sky, beyond the extent of this class, so that I will always be able to easily identify some of these great celestial sights.


Related Observations:
Polaris, Cassiopeia, and the Big Dipper Later in the Year  http://northstargazer.blogspot.com/2017/12/polaris-cassiopeia-and-big-dipper-later.html?m=1
Polaris, Cassiopeia, and the Big Dipper Later in the Night  http://northstargazer.blogspot.com/2017/12/polaris-cassiopeia-and-big-dipper-later_29.html?m=1

Altitude of Polaris

At 8:45 pm EDT on October 1, 2017, Polaris (the North Star) was 32° above the horizon.

this was calculated using the quadrant/astrolabe again (for the altitude; azimuth is measured with a compass), looking directly through the straw at the star, as opposed to looking at an image of the sun

Altitude of the Sun

First off, please excuse the horrible drawings...I am a writer, not an artist!!

 

This is the first observation I made. We did this one in class so that we could learn how to use the quadrant. When measuring the altitude of the Sun, it is important not to look directly at the sun, so you have to stand with your back to it and hold up your hand or a paper and look for an image of the Sun to appear as a ring around the straw's shadow. 

 

At 10:00 am EDT on September 26, 2017, the Sun was 28° above the horizon.