APOD 1.8

This is an image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope of the Helix nebula, a planetary nebula formed from a dying star. This is the nearest planetary nebula to Earth, about 700 light years away toward the constellation Aquarius. Nebulae such as these can give us clues about how our sun will act when it finally goes supernova. Studies using both the HST and the Blanco Telescope in Chile, however, have revealed that the nebula contains an astonishing combination of geometric shapes that combine to form an intricate pattern, and scientists cannot determine how a single star could create such patterns. Questions like these are why people study astronomy.

Quarter 1 Observations

Sorry about the huge dump of info, but here it is. So far this year I have:

• Observed the Perseid meteor shower from a houseboat in Minnesota (I counted 8 meteors)
• Observed the changing position of the moon day by day
• Observed Venus and Jupiter when they were at their closest in the morning sky near the moon
• Observed many constellations, asterisms, and bright stars in the sky including:
• The summer triangle and associated constellations(Aquila, Cygnus, Lyra)
• Many of the prominent summer constellations (Sagittarius, Scorpius, Hercules, Ursa Minor, Cepheus, Ophiuchus)
• In the morning: Orion as well as some first magnitude stars such as Rigel and Sirius
• Observed the lunar eclipse on October 8th, but was only able to see a partial eclipse before the clouds covered it
• Observed Mars and Antares in the night sky when they were at their closest

Astronomer Biography - Azophi

Astronomer Biography – Azophi

Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, called Azophi in the west, was born in the Persian city of Rayya, also known as Ray, in the year 903 CE.  He died in the year 986 CE. He was a subject in the court of Emire Adud ad-Daula in Isfahan, Persia. In Isfahan, Azophi performed astronomical studies for Emire Adud. Much of his work was focused on expanding the work of Greek astronomers such as Ptolemy. He identified a “cloud” in the sky that turned out to be the Andromeda galaxy, M31. He also identified a group of stars that would become known as the Large Magellanic Cloud. His work sparked interest in astronomy throughout the Arab world at the time, and has had a lasting impact on the astronomical community to this day.

Azophi’s most noted work is the Kitāb Stnrar al-kawākib al-thābita, which translates to “Book on the Constellations of the Fixed Stars”, which reviews and revises Ptolemy’s catalogue of the stars, the Amalgest, adding his own work to that of Ptolemy. This book was so popular that it spread into the medieval Western world and was translated into Spanish by Judah Moses ha-Kohen of Toledo in 1256. This is where the westernized version of his name, Azophi, came from. His book organizes his thoughts on the constellations by discussing all the stars contained in the constellation, adding his own thoughts and observations as to the brightness, color, and position of each star as compared to those of Ptolemy, correcting him in several cases; associating the Arabic names for the stars with the western ones, a difficult task given that the Arab constellations were completely different than those of the west; drawing the constellations as seen in the sky and as seen on the celestial sphere; and giving a table of all stars in the constellation, giving the magnitude and position of each one, according to his own observations. The significance of his work lay in the fact that his data was based on real observations of the sky. Many medieval astronomers simply added constant values to those obtained by Ptolemy, to account for the progression of the Earth, but Azophi actually observed and made adjustments to Ptolemy’s figures.

He also wrote several other manuscripts, including a long, involved manual on how to use an astrolabe, including many different uses developed by himself. He also created an instructional book for a celestial globe, describing in detail all of the starts and constellations shown on its surface. He is even believed to have produced astronomical instruments of his own, such as a silver celestial globe that was supposedly of his design reported to have been found in Egypt around 1043, nearly a hundred years after his death. His lasting work in the field of astronomical instruments has been a major contribution to the widespread study and interest in astronomy for many centuries.

Azophi’s works have had a lasting impact on the astronomical community, his book on the positions of the stars is still used today to study the long-term movements of the stars. There is a crater on the moon named after him, surrounded by a ring of mountains twenty-six miles wide. He also inspired many other astronomers throughout the centuries, and his research has contributed to that of many other prominent astronomers throughout history.

APOD 1.7

This image was taken in Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. The two large rock structures are the temple of the sun and the temple of the moon. Using panoramic photography, images of the sky were linked together to show the arch of the Milky Way connecting the two temples. Some features of the night sky are also labeled, such as the galaxy Andromeda and the summer triangle. This photograph depicts an answer to a question that has been asked throughout the centuries: how are the sun and moon connected?

APOD 1.6

This is an image of the sky above Lake Storsjön, in Sweden, on the autumnal equinox. The picture is centered on the zenith overhead, with the lake horizontally adjacent to the camera along the edges. The milky way is prominently visible in the sky, running east to west, and along the left-hand side of the horizon, an aurora is visible. Fall is a good time to observe auroras because of an increase in magnetic storms.