Observation 3 (10.2.10)

A bit after I observed, but here it is. On Saturday the 2nd, I went out around 8:00 and saw Scorpius very low on the horizon to the South-West, with Sagittarius a bit above and farther to the South. Almost directly above me was the Summer Triangle, with Altair, Vega, and Deneb all very clearly visible, along with their respective constellations; Aquila, Lyra, and Cygnus. Ophiuchus and Hercules were also very visible. To the west, only 5 degrees above the horizon was Venus, and to the North East around 18 degrees was Jupiter.

Astronomer Biography: Jean Picard

Jean Picard was a notable French astronomer who made several noteworthy contributions to Modern Astrology. Picard was born in on the 21st of July in 1620 in La Fleche, a town in France. He died on July 12th of 1682 in Paris. It is safe to say he was probably French. Not much is known about his early childhood, but rumor has it that his father was a book seller and a local merchant. Jean began his formal education at the Jesuit College in La Fleche around 1636, which was probably one of the best educations a young man could receive at the time, the college being run by the Jesuits and all. It is further noted that graduated from the University of Paris in 1650 with an MA in astronomy. Interestingly enough, he also became a Catholic Priest, ordained in 1650. I'm not sure how he graduated from college and was ordained as a priest in the same year, but these are the cited facts. Later in 1666 (a very holy year, I'm sure) he founded the French Royal Academy of Sciences in Paris. It is disputed whether he was actually a founding member, but regardless he was inducted into the leading ranks in 1667 and provided a pension by the Academy, so it is more than likely he was involved in the founding. He also had a crater on the Moon named after him.

Picard is considered the founder of modern astronomy in France. His big claim to fame is being the first astronomer (or anyone for that matter) to use of Tycho Brahe's Quadrant to correctly measure the length of a degree on one of the Earth's Meridians. After successfully measuring a single degree via use of said Quadrant, Picard was then able to establish a Telescopic Positioning Measuring System. He did this using Brahe's Quadrant after attaching a telescopic lens which would be inclined (and rotated) by very small amounts at a time. The Quadrant was so finely graduated, he could observe angles down to the quarter of a minute (not the time minute). He was therefore able to use the stars as a frame of reference given a certain time (which he based off his contemporary Dutch physicist Christiaan Huygens' new pendulum clock). This method became the standard for measuring 'right ascension'. He also was able to use this mapping system to figure out how to supply Versailles with water, since he was able to map it's location in comparison to nearby water sources. On a different note, during his observations he discovered the 4th Trapezium star in M object 42.

Unlike many scientists of his time, Picard had a knack for collaborating with his contemporaries. He worked with both Issac Newton, Tycho Brahe, and even Giovanni Cassini, who most considered his arch-rival. His work with Newton is largely unnoticed, and is very important. His measurements of Earth's size through the measurement of the Meridians was able to be used in Newton's calculations to determine whether his law of Gravity was correct. He also had more collaboration with Brahe then just using his Quadrant, he also visited Brahe at his observatory in Sweden to measure his exact location on Earth so that Brahe's observances might be able to be correctly applied to other Astronomers in Europe.  

Astronomer Biography Words Cited

"Jean Picard." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 01 Oct. 2010 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/459252/Jean-Picard>.
"Abbe Jean Picard (1620 - 1682)." SEDS. Web. 01 Oct. 2010. <"Jean Picard." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 01 Oct. 2010 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/459252/Jean-Picard>.
The Galileo Project. Web. 01 Oct. 2010. <http://galileo.rice.edu/Catalog/NewFiles/picard.html>.
"Jean Picard." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 01 Oct. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Picard>.

APOD 1.5

The astronomical find I for you today is probably the most exciting discovery I've heard in my life time. Recently, astronomers have finally discovered another inhabitable planet!! Even better, it's really close. Relatively speaking. It's 'only' 20 light-years away, which is MUCH closer than most of the other systems in our Galaxy. Although it was only recently announced to the public, there is already a LOT known about this new planet (Well, relatively speaking). 

Gliese 581g; most Earth-like planet known to man.

This new planet, designated Gliese 581g, is one of several planets that orbits the star Gliese; a dwarf star in the constellation Libra. Designated Zarmina's World by one of the astronomers who found it (naming it after his wife), the planet is one of three planets that orbit Gilese in what is known as the 'inhabitable zone'. However, 581g is the most accommodating to human needs. Not too cold, not to hot, but just right. This led to the media labeling it the 'Goldilocks Planet'. This better be improved, because currently all three names suck in my opinion. However, this is not our primary concern. We probably should consider figuring how to get there, so we can try and colonize it!

APOD 1.4

The subject of today's picture might be better suited for Valentines Day, but here it is now: The Heart Nebula. The picture from NASA (below) shows a zoomed in view of the Nebula, whose label is IC 1805, where false color imaging has rendered hydrogen in green, sulfur in red, and oxygen in blue. 

False Color Imaging shows the different gas composition.

Within this region, there are currently stars forming, and have been for the past 1.5 million years, from all the gases. The notable shape that the gases take influenced by the 'solar winds' and other emission released by the forming gases. The Nebula spans approximately 40 light-years in width. 

The Heart Nebula (right) and the Soul Nebula (left).

The Heart Nebula has a neighbor, as seen above, name the Soul Nebula. Now, it is apparent why the Heart Nebula is called so, because it has a shape similar to one. It is also referred to as the 'Running Dog' nebula, because it takes the shape of a dog running right across the sky.

Observation 2 (9.26.10)

Sunday morning, I was out around 5:30 before leaving for a regatta I had that day. It was moderately overcast, and it seemed more foggy than cloudy. While I was unable to observe any constellations, an object of high magnitude was approximately 25 degrees above west, which I assumed to be Jupiter.