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Astronomy News |
In the News April
This is NOT an April Fools Joke!April 1st, Who wouldn's like to witness a NOVA event first hand? Once every 80 years, this star goes Nova--again! That's right, again! This white dwarf is one of only ten or so known recurring novae in our galaxy. Given its current behavior, it is predicted to go nova again before August of this year. The upshot? The stars of Corona Borealis are easily seen by 10pm in April. Now may be a good time to practice finding the Blaze Star in your telescope! To learn more about this star and others like it, visit this story in Universe Today. Speaking of Active Stars...
What a difference between solar minimum and solar maximum! Check out this Astronomy Picture of the Day image APOD which contrasts the corona of the sun during the North American 2017 eclipse (solar minimum) with the Western Australia 2023 eclipse as the sun progressed toward solar maximum. I can's wait to see the 2024 corona! In the Shadow of the Moon!
April 8th, Practice Safe Solar Eclipse Observing! Visit our club's Eclipse page for safe solar eclipse observing suggestions. Note the list of recommended sites that will be streaming the Total Solar Eclipse live from areas around the country that are in the path of totality--the umbra, the area of deepest moon-shadow. Detroit area observers will see the moon nearly eclipse the sun but will not experience the sights that are available to viewers within the path of totality. Consider safely observing the progress of the eclipse first-hand and then switching to an on-line source to better experience those few amazing minutes of totality. Did you know?
The meaning of the word eclipse can be traced back to the ancient Greek word ekleipsis; the word literally described that "the sun failed to appear!" (Sounds a lot like Winter in Michigan, doesn't it?) For those etymologically inclined, visit the website etymonline for the Etymology of Eclipse. Triangles in Triangles!
Of course there is a Spring Triangle! Lacking the notoriety of the Summer and Winter Triangles which mark the beginning and end of the Milky Way, the Spring Triangle's claim to fame is that it is the welcome harbinger of warmer days. So, which stars catch our eye in this "Rodney Dangerfield" of triangles? The "official" triangle consists of these three first magnitude stars: Arcturus, Spica, and Regulus. Within this acute triangle, some observers also note the smaller triangle of bright stars by substituting Denebola for Regulus. Well, that is the beauty of asterisms, isn't it! The shapes we see are ours to relish! Want to learn another fun word? Visit NASA's website to enjoy an explanation of pareidolia!! April's Lunar Cycle:
The Last Quarter Moon occurs on the 1st, New Moon on the 8th, First Quarter on the 15th, and the Full Moon is on the 23rd. On-Line Programs to enjoy on a cloudy night!
--Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Image of Aristarchus Crater released Dec 1st, 2022 LROC,.
--The McDonald Observatory Archive of livestreams can be found Here.
--The STSCI lecture series archives can be found Here.
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