Friday, March 27, 2015


See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download
 the highest resolution version available.

Apod 4.1
We have yet to learn about about the constellation shown in his photo, camelopardalis. It looks absolutely stunning and can't wait to learn more about this constellation

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Observation post 3.5-3.7
On Thurday 2/19 at 7:49pm  I observed the moon with Venus right next to i!
On Friday   2/20 at 9:56pm I went out and look at the beatific moon which was just awe-inspiring.

Monday, March 23, 2015


See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download
 the highest resolution version available.

Apod 3.8
I admire the little things in life and this is one of them. An aurora in someone's back-yard is just amazing

Observation Blog 3.8
Last night (3/22) the moon was a crescent and noticed Venus right next to the moon
On Monday 3/23 the sun in the morning was just beautiful, giving off  a crimson bright light, was very aesthetically appealing.

Friday, March 6, 2015


See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download
 the highest resolution version available.

Apod 3.7

Do you know what this is? It is a Dust Devil on Mars, which is a small whirlwind or air vortex over land, visible as a column of dust and debris. We started track this storm back in 2012, and now it's really picked up. It's plume reaches about 20km  above the surface  and has speeds up to 110km per hour. It is just insane, a dust devil on mars mengaroo.

Wednesday, March 4, 2015


Henry Draper Biography
1839 March 3rd, Henry Draper was born in Prince Edward County, Virginia. Henry Draper was born in a wealthy family, and was grateful for that his whole life. His father John William Draper was a well-established doctor and chemist at New-York University. Draper's mother was the former Antonia Coetana de Paiva Pereira Gardner. His family moved to New York when he was at the age of two.He was stimulated by his parent's amazing work. Henry Draper was stimulated by his parent's work. He pursued excellence and innovation, and even though he worked in the medical field, as did his father and brother, he actually desired to be an astronomer. He was  Henry Draper was a NAS member, medical doctor, and one of America's oustanding "amateur" scientists. In 1857, at age 20 he graduated  from New York University School of Medicine. Later he worked as a physician at Bellevue hospital. Then after working as a physician, he went on to become a professor and a dean of medicine at New York University. However he wanted to pursue astronomy, and became  one of the biggest pioneer's of astrophotography, and he specialized in a type of photography for recording images  of astronomical objects in the sky. Henry Draper married Anna Mary Palmer in 1867, and proved to be an excellent assistant to him and a hostess. In 1872 he took a stellar spectrum that showed absorption lines and many of his colleagues preceded him. One year later he resigned from his position at the medical department to continue in his own research on astrophotography. Another year later he directed an expedition to capture the transit of Venus and was the first person to photograph the Orion Nebula. Some of his more notable achievements and awards include: an honorary law of degree, a Congressional medal for directing the U.S. expedition to photograph the 1874 transit of Venus, and even having a small lunar crater named after him. In the fall of 1882 he resigned as a professor, so that he ensured himself free time to pursue in his studies. He embarked on a hunting trip two months later and was exposed to severe cold on the mountain. Five days later he died (1882) from a disease called pleurisy,which is a lung infection. After his death Henry's wife funded the Henry Draper medal in honor of his outstanding contributions to the astronomy world. Around 40 years later after his death, the Henry Draper Catalogue was created  giving spectroscopic classification for 225,000 stars and even later extended  in 1937 classifying over 350,000 stars! Henry Draper was a major contribution to the astrophysics world, and it would not be the same without him.

Resources:
http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/D/Draper_Henry.html
http://www.nasonline.org/about-nas/awards/henry-draper-medal.html
http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/draper-henry.pdf

http://tinyurl.com/pyuywl8

Monday, March 2, 2015

Planetary Nebula Blog
The Cat's Eye Nebula: Dying Star Creates Fantasy-like Sculpture of Gas and Dust

CAT - EYE NEBULA
Magnitude of 8.1, Apparent Magnitude 9.8
3000 Light years away from Earth
Size: 2/10 of a light year
Ring Nebula
Maginitude of 8.8
2300 Light years away from Earth
Size: 1.3 Light years
Egg Nebula.jpg
The Egg Nebula
Magnitude of 14
3000 light years from Earth
Size:  .2 Light years
Comets Kick up Dust in Helix Nebula (PIA09178).jpg
Eye Shaped Planetary Nebula
Magnitude of 6.7
700 light years from Earth
.7 Light years across
Hamburger hst.jpg
Gomez Hamburger Nebula
Magnitude of 8.8
900 light years away from Earth
.3 Light years across
M2-9 minkowski's butterfly.png
Butterfly Nebula
Opiuchus is in this nebula, aswell as scorpio
Considered a bipolar nebula
2100 light years away from Earth
.8 Light Years
Crab Nebula.jpg
Crab Nebula
Taurus constellation is in this nebula
Apparent Magnitude of 8.4
6500 light years from Earth
8 light years across
Ngc2392.jpg
Eskimo Nebula
Apparent Magnitude of 10.1
2870 light years away
.34 light years in size
Eagle Nebula 4xHubble WikiSky.jpg
Eagle Nebula
M16
7000 light years away
Pillars of creation
Contain a young open cluster of stars
5.5 Million years old
.4 Light years in size
Barnard 33.jpg
Horse Head Nebula
Monoceros Unicorn constellation
1500 light years away from Earth
Horse's head is given off from the gas and dust
.2 light years