DocumentaryStorm is pleased to recommend a handful of great astronomy documentaries for your viewing pleasure.  The fine website, DocumentaryStorm.com, a curated resource for documentaries online, put together a list of some suitable documentaries especially for Astronomy for Everyone.

Birth of the Moon: Cosmic Journeys has released the latest in their very popular science series. BIRTH OF THE MOON tells the story of how Earth’s moon came to be.

Violent Universe: Violent Universe leaps into the future. Five billion years from today the universe will be a very different place.

Time Lapse From Space: Around the world in 80 days? How about around the world in 7 minutes!  This short video footage is space eye candy. Using time lapsing technology, you can try to spot your house from 250 miles above the Earth. This film was shot by the International Space Station while it journeyed around the Earth at an incredible speed of 17,500 miles per hour.

The Blue Planet: The IMAX film Blue Planet offers an eloquent reminder–and a cautionary warning–that the planet Earth is a delicate living organism, constantly reshaped and rejuvenated by the awesome forces of nature.

Thanks to Lydia and the team at DocumentaryStorm for this special list just for my readers!

Clear skies,

Ms Galaxy

There are a lot of good astrobloggers out there. They do an excellent job of staying right on top of that flood of information. Me, not so much. Geez, some days it’s all I can do to fluff my hair. And that’s saying a lot, believe me.

I like focusing on the little things in astronomy, rather than the big things. The big things, like the discovery of the biggest black hole yet (“biggest” isn’t exactly the word for it… see why I don’t write that stuff?) should be front page news across the globe. Heck, the instrumentation and science that allowed the discovery should be front page news! Should be, but it’s not. I see a problem there. What is that problem?

Andromeda Galaxy

The problem as I see it is that we have become inured to astonishing discoveries in science in general. Medical and technological breakthroughs, advancements in space exploration (do most people even KNOW about the twin probes to the moon, GRAIL A and B?), and archeological and anthropological discoveries, just to name a few, rarely even enter the general population’s awareness. What is going on here?

The decay of education and the decline of wonder. Yep, that’s how I see it. Our science education, in particular, is alarmingly eroded and continues to decline. We are raising a new generation of children who have little to no interest in the amazing phenomenae that occur in our labs, on our planet, in our solar system and out into the observable universe. Some people will even read that last bit as “and there is more [supernatural] than we can see that is bigger than the universe” rather than “our instruments can only see so far because of the limitations of physics”. It’s not the fault of the children. It’s what the parents are wanting them to be taught. Don’t even get me started.

This is exactly why I focus on the little things in astronomy. This is why one of the things I love to do is speak at schools, libraries, public star parties, community classes and the like. Because somewhere inside us all is the spark of curiosity, of wonder of the natural world, of primal amazement at the universe all around us. If I can reach just one child who decides to study science because of something I’ve inspired in them, I will feel like I’ve changed the world just a little bit.

There is nothing more satisfying to me than giving someone the opportunity to look through a telescope, perhaps for the first time, and be truly excited at what they see. When they get even a little bit of information about whatever we’re observing, the excitement level rises. Their human experience has just been elevated.

Then I mention what, to me, is one of the most awe-inspiring bits of information I can share. And it’s this:

Millions of years ago some photons, little packets of light, left the surface of a star in a distant galaxy. They traveled in a relatively straight line across empty space at the speed of light for millions of years. The very first thing those photons hit is the rods and cones on your retina at the back of your eye as you gaze up at the night sky and spot the Andromeda Galaxy.

And that, my friend, is real magic. That is what excites me, the little things in astronomy.

A Fantastic Winter Constellation: Orion the Hunter

Okay, I admit it. I’m wimpy when it comes to cold weather telescope observing. But since I don’t let that stop me, I’d like to share with you some tips on how to, well, weather the weather so you can enjoy the sparkling winter constellations.

First, if there’s a lot of moisture in the air, like mist, fog, rain, or just plain dampness, go ahead and stay inside and stay warm. The moisture will only get your telescope, eyepieces, books, finder charts, red lights, and you, wet. Might as well practice a little armchair astronomy by the fire instead. One of my favorite reads on nights like this is The World Treasury of Physics, Astronomy, and Mathematics, edited by Timothy Ferris. This is a fantastic collection from over 90 of the best writers from the 20th century. If you don’t have this book, go get it. Seriously.

This pic has no relation to the blog post. Wait! What NOT to wear...

Now if, instead of any of the aforementioned moisture-inducing conditions, it is crystal clear and dry, you can’t ask for better astronomical observing weather. The air is incredibly still and the “seeing”, or observing conditions, are just right. This is where the preparation comes in.

One word: Layers. Yep, if it’s 30 degrees out and the seeing is fine, you’ll want to put on plenty of layers. One big difference in astronomy observing, compared to other freezing outdoor activities, is how still you are. You can’t depend on keeping warm by skiing down a hill, slogging over snow covered trails in snow shoes, or even jogging next to a frozen creek. You have to depend on your clothing to keep you warm.

I like to start, top and bottom, with a good thermal layer. Sometimes the bottoms are just leggings, if it’s not actually freezing, but otherwise I wear long johns. On top I wear one of those undergarments for skiing, even though I don’t ski. It should fit snugly and feel good against your skin.

Next I put on another, also kind of snug, layer, like a thick t-shirt and sweat pants that aren’t too baggy. Finally, again depending on the temperature, I wrap a warm scarf around my neck, put on thick wool socks, and top it all off with a warm hooded coat. I pull on the lined boots and warm gloves, plop a wool cap on my head, and I’m almost ready.

Of course, having something warm to drink is awesome. This time of year is great for hot mulled cider, one of my favorite winter treats anyway. Top off a thermos with this yummy drink, throw in a stick of cinnamon, and I’m good for the evening. I can’t drink coffee late at night, or there would never be sleep for me at all. I also love a good cup of tea, though. It seems that I can drink black tea at night, but not coffee. Also, a fragrant, spicy herbal tea with honey is a top pick for me. Of course, the standard hot chocolate is always nice (for others; I don’t like chocolate). The point is, have something warm in a thermos to stave off the cold. Pour it into a mug so you can keep your fingers warm as you browse your star map.

Lastly, try to avoid standing right on the ground. If you have an old piece of carpet, or fake grass, or tarp, or piece of cardboard even, put it between you and the earth. Your feet will be glad you did. And put a pillow on your chair. That layer between you can the cold, frozen ground makes all the difference in the universe.

When it’s very cold, it’s extra important for you to let your telescope come to equilibrium with the ambient temperature. Set your telescope and eyepieces out early, take off any covers and caps, and let the cold air circulate down into the tube (for Dobs) or lenses (for others). This will allow all the heat to radiate from your telescope, giving you the best possible views of the wicked winter night sky!

Okay, well, stay warm, observe well, and keep looking up!

~ Ms Galaxy ~

November is a delightful and enchanting month, a month of transition between the cool, crisp days of early autumn and the deep, biting cold of winter. It inspires in us that automatic desire to nest, to cozy up and prepare our homes and our bodies for the long shadowy nights of winter.

This is also the time of year that many people notice a very bright, glittering star in the northeast, rising with shining pride, as though it was the only important star of the fall sky. This star is named Capella, meaning goat-star, and belongs to the constellation Auriga. Auriga was the crippled son of Vulcan, the god of fire. It was difficult for Auriga to get around easily, so he invented the first four-horse chariot. He was honored for this invention by being placed in the heavens. Auriga is depicted as a chariot driver seated in his chariot, with a mother goat, Capella, snuggled against his right shoulder. Her three kids are represented by a triangle of stars called, appropriately, The Kids.

M36 Open Cluster in Auriga

Capella is the fourth brightest star in the northern hemisphere, and the sixth brightest in the entire sky. Look for it rising in the northeast, extremely bright and colorful. Modern astronomers have discovered that Capella is an eclipsing binary, or double star system. This means that it is actually two stars orbiting around a common center of gravity. The two stars pass in front of each other from our line of sight, hence the “eclipsing” term. This star system is about 45 light years away.

Auriga lies in an intriguing direction in our galaxy. It is almost directly opposite the nucleus of the Milky Way and therefore lies toward the outer edge of the starry spiral arm we are tangled in. This means that there is a jewelry box full of galactic, or open, clusters found in this region. Open clusters are loosely bound groups of stars that are gravitationally associated with each other. They remind me of a loose handful of brilliant white diamonds casually scattered across a velvet black background. The prominent clusters in Auriga are M36, M37 and M38. M36 is a fairly concentrated group of about 60 sparkling white stars and is one of the younger of the galactic clusters. It is best viewed with low power eyepieces or binoculars.

M37 is one of the finest open clusters, with about 150 glittering stars strewn across a diameter of about 25 light years. If you look carefully, again with low power, you may spot several yellowish and reddish giant stars in this fascinating cluster, making it appear very different from M36. In fact, the brightest of these colored stars stands out near the center of the cluster like a ruby red point amidst sparkling white jewels. This cluster is about 4,600 light years distant.

M38 is a large, loose open cluster with about 100 members and is easily seen with binoculars. In fact, M38 and M36 may be viewed in the same field of a wide-angle low power telescope, which makes for a great sight in backyard telescopes!

There are several other small galactic clusters in Auriga, making it a treasure trove for binocular and small-power scope observers alike. Bundle up, hot cocoa in hand, and enjoy the transparent November nights! Clear Skies.

Maybe it’s because I really really like the name Cassini. This craft was named for astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini, born in 1625. According to Wikipedia he was an Italian/French mathematician, astronomer, engineer, and astrologer. He is in the illustrious line of astronomers in history who allowed us to have the knowledge we now have about the night sky.

The Cassini has been functioning at its optimum health since it arrived at Saturn in 2004 after a seven year journey across the solar system. NASA has a great site explaining Cassini’s ongoing missions here.

Since Saturn is visible in the night sky right now in the constellation of Virgo, be sure to get out and take a peek. Here’s how to find it:

Look for the Big Dipper in the north. Then follow the curve of the Dipper’s handle until you find the very bright red star Arcturus (“arc to Arcturus”). Continue on this line toward the south, where you’ll find the bright blue/white star Spica (“spike to Spica”). The only other bright object in this part of the sky, westward from Spica, is Saturn. Even in the smallest backyard telescopes you can see the rings of Saturn.

Larger scopes will resolve details on Saturn’s surface. If the timing is right you can even see transits of some of Saturn’s moons! They will appear as shadows on the surface of this spectacular gas giant.

Enjoy these warm summer nights under the stars, and remember, keep looking up!

Clear skies,
Ms Galaxy

Ceres had a beautiful daughter named Persephone (Per-SE-fon-ee). Hades, the god of the underworld, also known as Pluto, fell in with Persephone. Against her mother’s wishes, he took Persephone away to live with him in his underworld as his queen. This left Ceres distraught. She fell into a deep depression, and ignored her duty as goddess of the harvest. The world turned cold; famine threatened. The king of the gods, Zeus, saw what was happening. He convinced Hades to allow Persephone to come back to the Earth for six months out of each year to visit her mother, then return to Hades for six months. Now, while Persephone visits her mother, the Earth enjoys a warm growing and harvest season (spring and summer, with Virgo in the night sky), then, when Persephone returns to the underworld, her mother mourns again for six months (fall and winter, when Virgo is not visible).

Virgo is one of many constellations that looks nothing like what it represents. In fact, Virgo has only one bright star, Spica. Spica means “ear of wheat.” To find the star, begin at the handle of the Big Dipper. Follow the curve of the handle down to a bright red star, Arcturus, or “arc to Arcturus”. Then continue on this path until you reach the bright blue star Spica (“spike to Spica”). It is the only bright star in this area of the sky, even though Virgo covers twice as much area of sky as does her neighbor to the west, Leo. Spica is quite an interesting star. It is called a spectroscopic binary star. By a method called spectroscopy, astronomers found that Spica is actually two stars orbiting around a common center of gravity. The primary star is about 2,300 times more luminous than our Sun and almost eleven times more massive. The smaller star is about half the size of the primary star. In addition, the primary star is a “pulsating variable” star; it grows and shrinks several times a day!

Look for Saturn in Virgo, visible until late July. This naked eye planet will be the steady-light object, as opposed to the twinkle from stars like Spica. In small telescopes Saturn is truly one of the most spectacular visions for backyard astronomers!

Even though there is not much to see by the naked eye in Virgo besides Saturn, it is by no means an empty area of sky. In fact, the apparent barrenness of stars belies the incredible telescopic objects visible in very deep space. This is home of the famous Virgo Cluster of Galaxies, an immense group of more than a thousand galaxies!

A galaxy is an enormous swirl of billions upon billions of stars spiraling around a massive black hole at the heart of the galaxy. Galaxies come in several sizes and shapes: pinwheel, fried egg, spherical, irregular, elliptical and many more. We live in the Milky Way Galaxy, which is shaped like a flattened pinwheel. The Virgo Cluster of Galaxies contains galaxies of almost every imaginable shape and size. One of the most famous, and one of my personal favorites, is M104, the Sombrero Galaxy. It has a very bright central bulge and a prominent dark lane cutting across its outer edge nearest us, giving it the appearance of a sombrero hat. Even though this distant galaxy is about 40 million light years away it, and in fact all the galaxies of the cluster, are considered near neighbors of ours. We are part of what is called a supercluster of galaxies, Mind-boggling stuff, this! Caution: astronomy is addicting! Clear skies!

Leo the Lion

Leo is easily recognizable as he rises in the east after dark. He comes up out of the eastern horizon majestic head first, followed by his rectangular body and finally the triangular haunches. There are two prominent naked-eye features of Leo. One is the pattern of stars that is shaped like a backwards question mark and defines his head and mane. This asterism (a star grouping within a constellation) is called the “Sickle”. The other shiny is the bright star Regulus, “the Heart of the Lion”. Regulus is a beautiful bluish white star that lies almost exactly on the ecliptic, which is the path across the sky that the Sun appears to travel.

In Greek mythology, Leo was a powerful and nearly invincible lion. After coming down from the Moon, Leo stalked the forests near the ancient Greek city of Cleonae, terrorizing the people of the town. His pelt and hide were so solid that nothing could pierce his skin when the people tried to kill him.

M95, M96

The first of the noble Greek hero Hercules’s twelve labors was to kill Leo. After several attempts, Hercules was finally able to accomplish this task by first stunning Leo with a small oak tree which he pulled from the ground, then crushing him to death in his enormous arms. Hercules was so proud of achieving this task that from then on he work the hide of Leo as his armor.

M65 M66

This stunning spring constellation holds many wonders for telescope viewers. Most prominent are the many galaxies found in this region of the sky, starting with NGC 2903 found just off the “tip” of the sickle. Messier objects M95 and M96 form a pair of galaxies east of Regulus. M95 is a pretty, barred spiral galaxy. The large, brighter M96 is a three-quarter view spiral with a visible dust lane. Nearby M105 is a fairly bright elliptical galaxy and looks like a fuzzy dust ball (or DFO, Dim Fuzzy Object!). The showpiece galaxies in Leo are M65 and M66, both spiral galaxies. M66 has spiral arms that are among the most easily seen of all galaxies!

The answer to this blog’s question: All the zodiac constellations lie along the ecliptic, the path in the sky on which the Sun seems to travel. (Zodiac “signs” refer to astrological uses and are not addressed as such in this blog.) A year is defined as the time required for the Sun to complete a full circuit of the celestial sphere. Of course, it’s not the Sun that moves; the Earth revolves about the Sun. But it appears, from our view here on Earth, that the Sun moves. If we could “turn off” the Sun’s light for a minute, we would see that, behind the Sun, lies a zodiac constellation. The Sun travels in front of each zodiac constellation in the course of one year. This band of constellations is also known as the ”Circle of Life”, because every zodiac constellation but one represents a living creature. The one exception is Libra the Scales.

Keep looking up!
~ Ms Galaxy

There’s so much more to do. I’m working diligently on developing the online courses for beginning astronomers. This is the core of the site, and we think it’s going to be so much fun for our students! The courses will be heavily video-based, with text and quizzes mixed in for different learning styles. Please check back as we add content and develop the site into our dream.

Thanks are in order to Lars and Jenica of Chee Studio for designing the site and being so easy to work with; Erik Anderson of astrostudio.org, who is dedicating a huge amount of time creating personalized illustrations just for Ms Galaxy; Jamie for helping type up blog posts; all my friends and fans who have watched the process and cheered me on, and most of all to my sweetie ~Ed, who held (and continues to hold) my hand during the long process of development. ~Ed is also the magic man who produces video, helps with scripting, keeps me inspired and just pretty much pulls it all together.

Ms & Mr Galaxy, Jessica and ~Ed

There’s so much more to come. We’ll see you soon!

~Ms Galaxy

The Sun is neither the largest, the hottest, nor the brightest star in the sky. Fortunately for us though, it is the nearest, and so the most important. The Sun dictates what parts of the Earth will be barren desert or wild rainforest or dry chaparral. It influences what we wear, what time we get up, and when we plant our flowers. But the Sun is in reality a fairly run-of-the mill star. It is of average size, temperature, and brightness. But it is because of our huge, gaseous, life-giving star that we exist at all to wonder about it.

The Sun rotates on an axis, just as the Earth and all other planets in our solar system do. But it is much more complicated a rotation than our solid terrestrial planet. Because the Sun is made of liquid gases, it doesn’t rotate at the same rate all over. The polar regions rotate more slowly than the equatorial region does! If you followed the path of a sunspot around the Sun’s equator, you would find that it takes about 25 days to go around one time. A sunspot near the north pole may take as long as 35 days to go around once. The is called differential rotation.

Differential rotation causes many phenomena that are detected on the Sun’s surface, like sunspots. The Sun, like the Earth, has a magnetic field. But because of the different rates of rotation on its surface, this magnetic field becomes entangled with itself under the surface of the Sun, eventually creating a mass of spaghetti-like magnetic fields. The fields will eventually twist and stretch so much that they finally break through the solar surface. Where this happens, there is less “boiling” of the hot solar gases, so there is actually a drop in temperature where the rupture occurred. When there is a drop in temperature, there is also a reduction in the amount of light emitted, so sunspots appear darker than their surrounding areas. And speaking of dark, let’s now turn our attention to the night sky. ( How’s that for smooth!)

As we approach spring, the days will once again grow longer as the bitter cold winter nights grow warmer and shorter. The best sure sign of spring is the appearance of Leo the Lion, rising in the east head and mane first, passing majestically across the night sky. Leo has its share of bright suns, including the “heart of the lion”, Regulus. Regulus is a beautiful bluish white start that lies almost exactly on the ecliptic, which is the apparent path the Sun takes across the sky.

In Greek mythology, Leo was a powerful and nearly invincible lion. Stalking the forests near the ancient city of Cleonae, he terrorized the people of the town. His skin was so hard and tough that no sword or arrow could penetrate it.

The great Greek hero Hercules had the unenviable task of slaying the lion to protect the people of the city. When the lion and Hercules faced off, Hercules pulled up a small oak tree with which he struck the lion over the head, stunning him. He then finished the lion off by crushing him to death in his enormous arms. Hercules was so proud of his achievement that from then on he wore the skin of the lion as his armor.

Leo holds many wonders for telescope observers. Among the prominent objects is the awesome pair of galaxies M95 and M96, east of Regulus. M95 is a pretty, barred spiral galaxy. The larger, brighter M96 is a three-quarter view spiral with a visible dust lane. Nearby M105 is a fairly bright elliptical galaxy and looks like a fuzzy dust ball.

The sky will change rapidly as we hurtle toward the point in the sky where the plane of the earth’s equator crosses that of the sun’s equator and we once again enjoy longer, warmer days.

There are many wonderful constellations the winter sky has to offer. I can’t miss this opportunity to expound on the marvels of Orion, the Hunter. Orion is one of the best know of the constellations and dominates the winter sky. It is one of the constellations that looks much like the figure it represents: The great hunter is striking a handsome, warrior-like pose, with his right arm hefting a club high over his head and his right arm out in front of him, holding his heavy shield.

In classic Greek mythology, Orion was the human son of Poseidon and a mortal. He was the most handsome man who ever lived and notorious womanizer. His father Poseidon, jealous of Orion’s intended bride, blinded Orion to prevent him from laying eyes on his beautiful woman. His eyesight was eventually restored when he gazed at the sunrise. Meanwhile, the goddess of the Moon (and Apollo’s sister) Dianna forgot to carry the Moon across the sky for several nights running. This angered her duty-conscious brother, so Apollo tricked Dianna into slaying Orion with an arrow. The distraught Dianna, realizing what she’d done and that her brother Apollo tricked her, begged Zeus to restore Orion to life. Zeus refused but did decide to honore Orion by placing him in the heavens as the dominant figure in the winter sky.

Orion is very easy to recognize. All through February it will be prominent high in the southern sky. All of its stars are bright and the pattern is well-defined. Look for the three stars of Orion’s belt. They are almost in a straight line and equally spaced. This is the center of the constellation. (The belt happens to pass through the celestial equator, so Orion is as well-known in the southern hemisphere as in the north, albeit upside-down.) Once you find the belt, look for the shape of the whole constellation, which is rather like an hourglass.

The radiant star at the top left, Orion’s right shoulder, is the bright orange giant star Betelgeuse; blue-white supergiant star Rigel marks the lower right of the hourglass, denoting Orion’s left knee. Compare the very different colors of these two stars. Betelgeuse (pronounced Beetlejuice) is a cool red giant which pulsates irregularly. It is about 1400 light years away from Earth and is unimaginably large. As it has cooled, it has swollen in size to about four times the distance between the Earth and the Sun! Rigel is a hot blue supergiant about the same distance as Betelgeuse. It is burning its nuclear fuel at a prodigious rate. It is about 57,000 times more luminous than our Sun and contains as much matter as about 50 suns. It is about 50 times larger than our Sun, too! This is the type of star to collapse and create a supernova explosion, possibly resulting in a black hole.

There are numerous other wonders in Orion, so I’ll just touch on one more. The show-piece of Orion is the Great Orion Nebula, or M42. This is one of the few emission nebulae visible to the naked eye. It is the center of the “sword” hanging from the left hand star in Orion’s belt. In a telescope, this object becomes truly awesome. It shows a greenish glow around a central group of stars called Trapezium. The more powerful the telescope the more astounding the details become. This nebula is also a stellar nursery where stars are formed from the swirling gases contained in its core. It’s no wonder that Orion casts a magical spell over observers of the winter sky!

Clear skies!
~ Ms Galaxy ~