Nova Alert: Bright Nova Delphini 2013

There has been a new development over the past couple of days. A previously non distinct star near the constellation Delphinus has literally exploded in luminosity very recently.

 The sudden brightening of this star is called a nova, and this one is named Nova Delphini 2013. A nova is the result when a type of star, called a white dwarf, accumulates hydrogen on it's surface. The hydrogen ignites and causes an uncontrolled nuclear chain reaction and explodes in a powerful outburst. White dwarves are stellar remnants. They are the last phase in the stellar life cycle when a star does not have sufficient mass to go supernova and become a neutron star or black hole. Most stars will become a white dwarf, including our own Sun. 

 Most, if not all novae, are though to happen in binary star systems that include a white dwarf and a larger companion star. If the stars are very close, the strong gravitational influence of the dwarf can rip off stellar material from the companion and deposit it on it's surface. This material becomes compressed and heated until it undergoes nuclear fusion. This reaction can become unstable and lead to a massive explosion on the dwarf's surface. This is what causes the star to become much brighter than normal.

 A nova should not be confused with a supernova. A supernova results when the entire star explodes, whereas a nova is just a explosion on the surface. A white dwarf involved with a nova will still be intact and can repeat the process many times. In some cases, a white dwarf can accrete too much stellar material and explode as a type of supernova.

 Currently Nova Delphini 2013 is bright enough to be seen with the naked eye in dark sky areas. It's brightness is between magnitude +4 and +5 and is steadily brightening. For more information about this nova and how to find it in the sky, follow this link:Bright New Nova In Delphinus — You can See it Tonight With Binoculars

 Finally, here is an image of Delphini 2013 that I've recently taken:

 

The Perseids are coming!

  Wow it's been a while since I've put up a new post, been busy with a bunch of stuff over the past few months. I hope to be able to start posting on here a lot more often, we have some cool astronomy happenings coming up later this year. More on that in a later post.

 For now lets focus on what's going on in the near future: the Perseid meteor shower. It's that time of year again for one of the most spectacular meteor shows of the year, perhaps second only to the December Geminids. The Perseids run from mid July to late August, and peak on August 11-13. They originate from the tail remanents of Comet Swift-Tuttle and are notable for producing very bright meteor streaks in the sky. The Perseids appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus, from which they get their name, and the expected hourly rate this year is anywhere from 60 to 100 per hour.

 So when and where to look? Start this weekend on the night of the 11th/morning of the 12th. The young crescent moon will have set before midnight, so begin your search then. The radiant in Perseus will be low in the sky toward the northeast, but the meteors can and will appear from anywhere in the sky. The best times to watch will be in the early morning hours of the 12th and 13th.

 Have fun and get out your cameras. You might be able to get a quick pic of a meteor. Because it is impossible to anticipate when and where a meteor will appear, you will have to take many pictures over a long period and hope to capture one. Use a wide angle lens or set your zoom to it's widest point. Use a tripod or lay your camera on a flat surface pointing up. Set it to take several 10-20 second exposures at a high ISO setting. Afterwards, you can look though your images and hopefully you'll have a nice meteor surprise!

Chuckwalla Observatory is now on Night Skies Network

 As a broadcasting memeber of Night Skies Network, Chuckwalla Observatory will now be broadcasting live views of Solar System objects such as the Monn, Sun and planets.
 For those who don't know what NSN is, it is basically an outlet where people can broadcast live views of astronomical subjects by use of a specialized video imager or webcam. subjects include Solar System objects like planets, the Moon, comets and asteroids, as well as deep space objects like galaxies and nebulae.
 Visit www.nightskiesnetwork.com to watch the live broadcasts. There is a list of available channels at the bottom of the page, and you can either watch as a guest or register for an account.  

Update on Comet C/2011 L4 Pan-STARRS

If you have yet to see Comet L4 Pan-STARRS, you better take a look soon. It wont be long before she zooms out of sight.

Now the comet is still visible, but only with the help of some optical aid. Now at around magnitude +5, it is no longer visible to the naked eye. You will at the very least need some binoculars, but a small to medium powered telescope will afford you the best views. Although it's peak has come and gone and the huge, fan-shaped tail has started to fade, it is still a sight worth seeing.

For those who live in the higher latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, L4 is now circumpolar...meaning it does not set or rise anymore, but rather appears to rotate around the celestial north pole. This means for you lucky bunch, the comet is visible all night. Further south, the comet is not circumpolar but can still be seen twice in a 12 hour period. It will set in the north/northwest during the evening hours and rise in the north/northeast in the dark hours of early morning. The best time to look will be in those early morning

Update on Comet Panstarrs

 Well the time has come for stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere to check out Comet Panstarrs. Unfortunately the comet has not quite reached the brightness estimates predicted by scientists. Originally forecast to reach magnitude 0 or brighter, it is now hovering in the range of +1.5 and +2. While this is bright enough to make it a naked eye object, it's position in the sky has made this comet rather difficult to find with the unaided eye. Because of it's low altitude and proximity to the Sun, the sky glow at dusk is drowning out most of the details and making it difficult to pick out from the sky. The view should improve as the comet climbs higher in sky each passing day, but it was also slowly dim as it moves away from the Sun.
 If you want to try and take a peek at this long awaited snowball, your best bet is to pick an area with an unobstructed view of the western horizon. Start searching for the comet after sunset, and to improve your chances of finding it try using binoculars. On March 12 you will be able to get some help from a very young Moon...the waxing crescent Luna will be right next to the comet. Find the Moon and then scan to the left of it to spot the comet. Should make for an awesome photographic opportunity if you've got a camera on hand.
 If your not able to find it just yet, your chances will improve greatly by the end of the month. While it probably wont be a naked eye object then, a pair of binoculars or a small telescope will be able to find it easily in the darkened sky.

Major Comet Alert: C/2011 L4 PANSTARRS

 It seems that 2013 is the year of the comet, and indeed the first of two major comets this year is about to make it's presence known to those in the Northern Hemisphere.
 Comet C/2011 L4 PANSTARRS is currently zipping it's way through Southern Hemisphere, recently exiting the constellation Grus and about to enter Piscis Austrinus. L4 PANSTARRS has only been observable from the Southern Hemisphere thus far, but that's about to change in the very near future.
 Starting around the 2nd week of March, L4 will start to be visible low on the western horizon around sunset. Around March 10-11 the comet will pass closest to the Sun, and should appear the brightest during this time and will likely develop a long tail. It will continue the climb a little higher each day but will not seem to stray too far from the horizon.
 Early predictions of L4's apparent magnitude were set at magnitude 0 or brighter, perhaps as bright as -2. But current data suggests that L4 will only brighten as much as magnitude three. This is still well within the limits of naked eye visibility (the stars in the Big Dipper are around 3rd magnitude), however because of L4's proximity to the Sun and low position in the twilight sky the comet may be difficult to see. Binoculars and certainly a small telescope will be able to aid in observing L4 PANSTARRS.
 Keep in mind that comets are notoriously difficult to predict, and L4 may appear brighter or dimmer than predictions state. To add to the uncertainty, this is L4's first trip from the Oort Cloud, and therefore the first time it has been heated by the Sun.
 L4 PANSTARRS was discovered in June 2011 by the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii.

Asteroid Alert: 2012 DA14

 An asteroid is about to have a close encounter with Earth on February 15th.

 At 50 meters (160 ft) in diameter, asteroid 2012 DA14 will be making a close pass on the 15th of February at about 18,000 miles above the Earth's surface. That's below the orbit of geosynchronous satellites! Not to worry though, the asteroid is not a threat to Earth or the satellites orbiting above it. At it's closest approach at 19:25 Universal Time, it will brighten to around magnitude 8 and will be moving north in the sky at about 0.8° a minute.

 The best views of DA14 will be from East Europe to Asia and Australia while the asteroid moves through the constellation Virgo. By the time the sky darkens on the East Coast of North America, DA14 will have already fallen to magnitude 11. On the West Coast at dusk it will have dimmed to 12th magnitude and will be hanging around the constellation Ursa Minor.

It will still be possible to see DA14 from the USA but only with a larger telescope. And picking out a 11-12 magnitude rock from the background stars may be a bit difficult.

 To read more about 2012 DA14 and to learn how to observe it from your location follow this link:
 http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/highlights/Asteroid-DA14-to-Zip-Past-Earth-189052161.html

DA14's approximate location from Southern California on the night of Feb. 15, 9:00pm.