Mon Apr 24, 2023 NAME THAT CONSTELLATION: APRIL
Can you identify the seventeenth largest constellation? It is bordered on the north by Auriga and Perseus, on the south by Eridanus, on the west by Aries, and on the east by Orion. The Crab nebula, the Pleaides star cluster and the Hyades star cluster are here as well. The red giant Aldebaran is its brightest star. One of the oldest star patterns, in mythology this animal is often seen as a representation of Zeus, who carried the princess Europa across the sea to Crete; or as the seventh labor of Hercules. Tonight the crescent moon and the planet Venus are caught up in its horns. Can you name this star figure, the second constellation of the zodiac? The answer is Taurus the Bull, currently visible in the western evening sky.
Tue Apr 25, 2023 SHAPLEY-CURTIS DEBATE, ASTRONOMY CLUB MEET
On April 26, 1920, a debate took place between two astronomers - Heber Curtis and Harlow Shapley – about galaxies. Shapley was right when he said that our Milky Way galaxy was bigger than people thought, and that we were not at its center, but a little over halfway out. Curtis was right when he said that there were many other galaxies in our Universe – hundreds of billions, it turns out. Science is at its best when healthy debate is practiced, and if you’re interested in this kind of healthy dialogue about telescopes and astronomy, you should come to Tuesday’s meeting – that’s tonight - of the Treasure Coast Astronomical Society, which will be held at 7:30 pm at the Science Center on Indian River State College’s Fort Pierce campus.
Wed Apr 26, 2023 DEATH OF MARK TWAIN
Sam Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, died on April 21st, 1910. Twain was born the same year that Halley’s Comet appeared in the sky. In 1909 he wrote, “I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's Comet.” The comet’s orbit brings it close to the sun every seventy-six years on average, but it wasn’t visible to most folks until a week or so after his death in 1910. But there was a brighter comet in 1910, which could be seen in the daytime, in the months just before he died. Perhaps he was thinking of this comet when he wrote, “Death is the starlit strip between the companionship of yesterday and the reunion of tomorrow.”
Thu Apr 27, 2023 ONWARD CAME THE METEORS!
On April 26th, 1803, there was a great bombardment of meteorites in France, which was so spectacular, it convinced astronomers that these rocks had come from outer space. When a rock is out in space, before it hits the atmosphere, it’s known as a meteoroid. When it does enter our atmosphere, it’s called a meteor, or more commonly, a shooting or falling star. Most meteors are just tiny bits of dust that burn up. Their heat lights up the air around them, causing those brief flashes of light that you see. If a larger rock, something as large as a bowling ball, say, comes through, there's a good chance it won't burn up completely, but strike the ground, and become a meteorite, a rock from outer space. That’s what they got back in 1803.
Fri Apr 28, 2023 WAXING GIBBOUS MOON
Last night the first quarter moon appeared well up in the south after sunset. As it grew dark, you could see it nestled among the faint stars of the constellation Cancer the Crab. The moon looked like a half circle, and you could call it a half-moon. But it’s also a quarter moon, because the moon has now traveled a quarter of the way around the earth in its orbit since it was new. It’s the only example I can think of where one quarter equals one half. Tonight, the moon will have drifted a little farther to the east and will be seen near the star Regulus in the front end of the constellation Leo the Lion. It will also be a little fuller, appearing as a new gibbous moon. And less than a week from now the moon will be round and full.
