Observation 4.8

This past week I went outside and looked at the night skies for one hour. The moon was in waning gibbous phase and I was able to see the constellation Leo the lion with major star Gamma Leonis.

APOD 4.8

This is a photo of the Flame Nebula in the crowded and dusty star forming regions near Orion's belt. It was compiled with x-ray data from the Chandra Observatory and infrared images from the Space Spitzer Telescope. The composite image spans 15 light years across the Flame's center. The youngest stars are concentrated toward the middle of the cluster.

David Levy Biography

David Levy, born in Montreal on May 22, 1948 is most well-known for his studies regarding comets, namely Shoemaker-Levy 9. Levy was interested in Astronomy from a young age, but majored in English when he attended Acadia University in Nova Scotia. Despite his English studies, he was able to discover twenty comets just from his interest in astronomy and by keeping his eyes on the sky. He met with the Shoemakers when they were tracking one of the comets he had discovered. Together, they worked at the Palomar Observatory where the three watched the comet they discovered named Shoemaker-Levy 9. He is considered the most acclaimed amateur astronomer ever to walk this Earth as a mortal. He is the author of many books and is known for popularizing astronomy to the layman. Levy is very well known and appears on television talk shows and leads many astronomy societies. Currently he lives in Vail Arizona with his wife where the two run an observatory and to facilitate astronomy education.

Observation 4.7

This past week I went outside and viewed the night sky for approximately one hour. The moon was in the waxing gibbous phase and I was able to see Betelgeuse and Rigel in the constellation Orion, Orion's belt, as well as Virgo and Spica.

APOD 4.7

This is a photo of cosmic dust scattered across the nighttime sky. This stream of dust was left behind the comet Halley during the annual meteor shower known as Eta Aquarids. The exposure captures a meteor streak moving from left to right through the frame. It trails from the Milky Way to the constellation Aquarius. Eta Aquarid meteors are known to be extremely fast, entering the atmosphere at around 66 km per second. This photo was taken near a small pond in Albion, Maine. The water reflects the stars and the glow of nearby artificial lights.

Observation 4.6

This past week I went outside and looked at the night sky for one hour. I saw the moon in its waxing crescent phase. I also was able to see Jupiter, Mars, and the constellations Orion (with the three stars that make up Orion's belt), Leo, and Ursa Major.

APOD 4.6

Astrogropher John Chumack saw this unusual aurora while on his usual aurora tour with a group in Fairbanks, Alaska last month. It appeared to change shape into a jumping dog with a curly tail. He was able to capture the image with a 15-second exposure through a wide-angle lens. He also captured the background sky filled with familiar highlights. We can see planets Jupiter and Mars through the dog's apparent legs. Within a few minutes the dog morphed into other shapes.