Astronomy Online Resource For Beginners and Kids

Planet Saturn

2009-02-20T06:49:00.001+07:00

The dominant gas in planet Saturn's atmosphere is hydrogen, but small amounts of helium and methane are also present. If life support on Saturn came into discussion, we'd have to agree that the conditions are very different from those on Earth. Saturn has a density level inferior to that of the water; thus, were there a lake or ocean, Saturn would be vanished in it. The possibility to sustain life has not been excluded in reference to Saturn's satellites, though, but studies are in progress, and until we have more conclusive data, all remains pure speculation.

Another planetary feature that attracts one's attention on Saturn is the high wind; just think of wind blowing at about 1,100 miles per hour in in low and central latitudes. But at first glance, nothing seems as spectacular on Saturn as the ring system that surrounds the planet. Three different sectors have been identified in the rings: we can actually speak of three rings in fact, with two brighter and one fainter. Space probes sent to study this unique planetary characteristics have revealed that each so-called ring consists of a large number of smaller ones, and that there are gaps between or inside the main ones too.

The very source of the rings of Saturn remains a mystery for the moment; what renders them so special is that many of them are icebergs of different sizes, including a significant amount of water. Other ring areas are made of dust mainly that show properties specific to electrostatic charging, thus allowing for the appearance of spokes. They are made of very fine dust particles, which are usually short-lived as the spokes merely dissipate. Then, there is a close relationship between some of the rings and smaller Saturn moons that seem to influence the dust presence in certain sectors. Moreover, the revelations science had with the discovery of planet Saturn's moons are neither the first nor the last, who knows what will show up next?

Shooting Star

2009-01-31T10:41:00.000+07:00

The beauty of a shooting star crossing the night sky is undeniable, but while for some people this is very romantic, for others it just suggests a bad omen. The understanding of the shooting star in different parts of the world implies diverse meanings associated with old beliefs sometimes. Thus, westerners commonly make a wish when they see a falling star, while in other parts of the globe, any shooting star represents a sign that someone has passed away. Yet, even if popular beliefs give different explanations to these cosmic phenomena, they have a very reasonable and easy to understand scientific background. The fact is that we incorrectly call it a shooting star, as the thing in itself has nothing of the attributes of a real star.

A shooting star is a meteoroid, or some form of debris that enters Earth's atmosphere and gets on fire. The friction of the air masses, the ram pressure and the presence of the oxygen associated with the high velocity of the meteoroid cause the star-like appearance. Thus, the shooting star often doesn't even get to touch the ground as it burns completely in the atmosphere. Larger meteoroids that don't burn completely because of their size fall on the ground causing crater formations. This time they are called meteors.

The light specter as well as the trajectory of the shooting star allow scientists to speculate on the structure or chemical composition of the falling body. Though noticeable with the naked eye only at night, meteoroids and meteors have been reported during the day, but this time they are detected only by radio signals, with the sunlight preventing their observation otherwise. Thus, scientists have determined that the weight and structure of a shooting star can vary a lot from snowball lightness to metal heaviness. A very unusual phenomenon is that of a shooting star that passes through just a sector of the atmosphere without burning completely before resuming its journey in outer space.

A very bright shooting star is called a fireball and the measurements result from comparing the light intensity of the meteor with the light normally reflected by a planet. As beautiful as it may look, a shooting star can often cause great damage on Earth's surface if it is not totally burned during the passage through the atmosphere. Past collisions were devastating for ecosystems, with vegetation and animal losses; if such a shooting star fell in a city, the impact would be that of a bomb attack, with the intensity of the explosion varying according to the size of the meteorite.

Name A Star

2009-01-25T20:36:00.003+07:00

In the old times people spent a lot more time looking at the sky and searching for the answer to their various problems and preoccupations among the stars. Magical stories, myths and legends about stars abound in every culture. At the time, people could name a star according to the symbolism or meaning they attached to it. Presently, official astrological institutions only name bigger stars, while the smaller ones are simply cataloged by numbers. Comets and asteroids are also given names, but the entire domain tends towards a perfectly organized structure to facilitate the identification of a celestial body on the sky map.

Little by little, a popular trend grew out to name a star after a person dear to you; people want to show love or respect and assign names to already classified stars found in Astrophysical Observatory Catalogs. The company that offers any name a star service should be registered with the copyright office in order to have legal support for the activity ; yet, keep in mind the fact that even if you name a star, it is not official, but personal and highly sentimental. Although commonly used by non-astronomers, this type of service still requires the use of the official coordinates for a specific celestial body in order to pass a certificate.

The scientific references taken as background for star identification and popular naming include the Smithsonian catalog, the Hubble Space Telescope catalog and the Messier catalog. The star naming company has to specify the resource used so as to allow for differentiation both between the stars and between the other businesses with the same range of activity. When you name a star you do not create a scientific designation but rather a meaningful gesture that is understood by a few people close to you. It is also possible to take a pick at the constellation you want to name a star from, and many service providers have created fill-in forms with this option included.

The basis on which the star choice is made includes brightness and closeness to our planet; the higher the proximity, the more visible the star. Therefore, The best choice is a star with a magnitude below ten so that you may watch it with a good telescope if it is little visible with binoculars or the naked eye. Very polluted regions are not the best place to watch stars, and only cold winter days with little dust in the atmosphere would allow for a good observation. One thing that also needs a special mention is the fact that individual star selection is not possible, you only have freedom as far as the choice of the constellation.

Current Events In Astronomy

2009-01-21T20:52:00.001+07:00

Astronomy can be like a professional sport. A lot of people love to keep up with it on a day to day basis. There's breaking news every day. This includes new discoveries in tools and techniques for astronomy, as well as interesting images of all the objects and phenomena in the sky.

One of the best places to keep up with current events in astronomy is NASA's web site. NASA stays on top of all the latest events, and even makes a lot of the news itself. In November of 2008, NASA listed these events.

Tops on the list of current events in astronomy was the shuttle Endeavor's launch. Refueling the International Space Station was its goal. This included a number of space walks to perform routine maintenance on the outside of the station. Space walks not only accomplish a purpose, they teach NASA a lot for the future. While some might argue that the space station is more space related than necessarily astronomy related, there is a lot of science going on there, including observations of outer space which definitely falls under the heading of astronomy.

Another of the current events in astronomy discussed by NASA in November was a staggering discovery made by the Hubble Telescope. For the first time, a planet was seen orbiting another star in the visible light spectrum. Back in the early 1980s an infrared telescope called IRAS saw dust around the star. That was a tell tale sign that planets might orbit this star located about 25 light years away from our own little planet.

Current and events in astronomy can also be about what happened a long time ago. The Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project is set to restore images taken of the moon by Lunar Orbiter spacecraft in 1966 and 1967. This data was taken from tape drives. NASA has already shown off some of these images.

Current Hapenings In Astronomy

2009-01-11T21:05:00.001+07:00

Astronomy has been with the human race as long as we can remember. Today it is a applied science based on carefully gathering and analyzing data, but there was a time it was little more than charlatan magic. Astronomy is something too many people ignore, but those who keep their eyes on current happenings in astronomy find a wealth of interesting information.

NASA dropped a bomb shell, nearly literally on Australia in late 2008 when a fourteen hundred pound tank of Ammonia was dumped off a space station. It was tossed into space when it was deemed too dangerous to carry down to Earth on a shuttle. By good luck most of the pieces, no larger than fifteen pounds, were expected to fall harmlessly into the ocean. On the plus side the Ammonia vapor that might result would clean people's windows. Luckily none of the pieces struck Paul Hogan, famous as the Crocodile Hunter. Unfortunately, according to the Daily Mail in the UK, Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, remained deceased after this incident.

In September of 2008 China sent up its third successful manned space mission that included the first space walk by Chinese astronauts in history. Youtube video showed the festivities before the launch took place. The flight did take place. China simply thought the event so important that they carefully staged a video log as public relations.

Still in China, a gigantic telescope is being erected near the site of the 2008 Olympic games. Revolutionary is the way this telescope tracks the sky – with two moving mirrors. The resulting look is something of a curiosity. It's not a dome but rather something like a an uneven arch or pi symbol. The Chinese have a knack for making the simple complex.

November 2008 also saw the launch of a satellite, in Kazakhstan. Astra-1M as it's called is set to help with telecommunications. The launch vehicle was called Proton-M. The satellite was designed and built in Europe.

Astronomy hobbyists will love Worldwide Telescope. It was designed by Microsoft. It works in windows to call images from all over the world, delivered to the user. It's a computer observatory, basically. It may even be possible to make new discoveries when millions of eyes pour over representations taken from old data.

Now you know some of the current happenings in astronomy.

Recent Astronomy Articles

2009-01-08T20:44:00.000+07:00

Both magazines and the Internet are excellent sources for recent astronomy articles. People write when new images are taken. New space missions result in articles. There is a constant stream of conversation. Here's just some of the most recent astronomy articles.

Bumpy space dust, of all things, generated many recent astronomy articles. Why is that? Scientists know that hydrogen is the universe's basic building block. However, larger molecules require that hydrogen bonds. But a special medium is required in the cold of space. Scientists now realize that bumpy molecules may fit that bill. Imagine that.

One of Saturn's moons is known as the Death Star. It looks like the Star Wars space station, with a huge crater on one side. In August 2008 it became a subject of many recent astronomy articles when the Cassini spacecraft passed near the moon, Mimas. We gained a lot of compelling data from this mission, including stunning images. Folks loved to see this news. This information will help shed light on the number of impact objects that pass through Saturn's orbit. There's still a lot to learn about traffic through the solar system, and how the giants Jupiter and Saturn help keep things clear.

Dark matter is something scientists have known about for years. It helps the universe expand, but it's not clear how it does this. Dark matter was a popular headline in recent astronomy articles. SNAP, the SuperNova/Acceleration Probe, was planned to help solve dark matter by examining many distant supernovae. It's important because about 70% of the stuff in the universe is dark matter.

Before our sun was really a star it was a condensing mass of space matter called a protosun. But scientists wondered if this protosun emitted any heat or light or a solar wind enough to effect the formation of life on Earth. Recent astronomy articles answer this question with a resounding yes. Better technology has shown that the proto-sun did send out solar winds as well as a great deal of heat and light. So the sun helped create life before it ever became a sun.

The Internet is a great source for learning about recent astronomy articles.

Astronomy Picture Of The Day

2009-01-08T13:40:00.002+07:00

Examining objects and phenomena in space such as nebulae, galaxies and comets is Astronomy. It's important science, but for many people an enjoyable hobby. Thus whenever an astronomy picture of the day is offered to people, they grab it. There are so many things to see, that browsing such images will never become boring.

The first place to look for and astronomy picture of the day is NASA's website. Their web site, nasa.gov, presents a new photo every day. The multimedia section shows both images and videos. These could be great sources for a person to create their own site that offers a new image each day. November 5, 2008 showed a close view of Saturn's moon Enceladus. The photo was taken by a passing spacecraft. The image is so detailed that features about the size of a bus are viewable. The ice on this moon reflects nearly 100% of all the light that hits it. Talk about bright. The moon is so interesting that Cassini will continue to fly by for more images later in its mission.

NASA's images of the day go all the way back to June 16, 1995. It was a representation of the earth as if it were as dense as a neutron star. This astrophotography was created by the computer. One interesting element is that the constellation Orion in his visible twice. Even light from behind a neutron star is visible because the dense star bends the light all the way around it. This distortion causes double images of some objects.

September 8, 1995 was an amazing image of the central part of the Milky Way galaxy taken by NASA's COBE satellite. This image would normally not be visible because the dust in the galaxy obscures it in the visible spectrum. But COBE's infrared imaging captured this amazing image.

January 1 in 2000 and 2001 had the very same astronomy picture of the day. The reason both dates shared this image is that most people considered the year 2000 as the first year of the third millennium. However the third millennium actually began on January 1, 2001. Instead of arguing NASA used both dates. the picture now online at http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010101.html is an indication of the universe as it is progressed in the mind of man.

There are countless days each with their own astronomy picture of the day. You'll find them on NASA's website.

Astronomy Today

2009-01-07T21:25:00.002+07:00

Scientists study it like never before and many people enjoy astronomy today. Every day something new happens in the world of astronomy to gather the attention of millions of fans worldwide. It can also be a lot of fun. So here are a few of the latest and greatest astronomy facts, figures and happenings.

On any day meteors are a key element of astronomy today for that day. The last half of 2008 was no different as meteors were certainly on the menu. In November the Taurids and Leonids were active in the night sky. The Gemenids had their peak in mid December, but unfortunately during a full moon phase that would make them difficult to see. No need to worry. Meteor showers can continue for as long as four weeks. So there's a lot of clear time to view these falling chunks of space debris.

A moon return was often discussed for astronomy today in the year 2008. The talk is of this as a world wide effort rather something any one country or agency would endeavor to accomplish. The goal may be to establish a moon base or even a colony on the moon. Hard to believe. Space 1999, a TV show from the 70s, may be about to become a reality.

2008 was a year of a lot of astronomy news. For much of the year many astronomy today columns were filled with news of some space garbage – a colling ammonia tank from the space station. Its long orbit had finally decayed to the point it would fall to Earth. Some people were concerned that pieces might fall into populated areas. But thankfully that didn't happen.

Now for perhaps the biggest news of Astronomy today in 2008, it's all about the Hubble. First the telescope was damaged when some instrument control and data formatting modules failed in September. Those were brought back on line in October. Hubble then took the first visible light images of a planet orbiting another star. What a busy year for one piece of technology.

Astronomy today isn't hard to follow. Keep up with everything on the Internet.

Astronomy Fun Facts

2009-01-05T10:31:00.000+07:00

Astronomy fun facts abound in this interesting science that explores the universe. Everything from the size and temperature of our own star, the Sun, to the makeup of distant planets is recorded. Bees facts can be entertaining and enlightening.

There are many astronomy fun facts about this sun. Our own star that supplies our heat and light is between 91 and 94.5 million miles from Earth. It's not that nobody knows for certain. The Earth's orbit isn't circular. The distance fluctuates throughout that orbit.

The sun is only average size for a star, yet it's size is another terrific source of astronomy fun facts. It's contains 98% of all the stuff in the solar system, even though it's not large for a star. Everything else, counting the earth and all the planets, is a tiny 2%. It would take about 100 Earths to make it across this average sun. An AU is the distance from the Earth to the Sun. The solar winds extend 50 AU's from the sun.

Are all astronomy fun facts about the sun? Isn't the moon interesting? It's the only other space object, besides the earth, over which man has walked. And one human man actually traveled to the moon but never left it. Dr. Eugene Shoemaker loved the moon but was rejected as an astronaut. After his death he was cremated and his ashes scattered over the moon by the Lunar Prospector spacecraft in 1999.

The moon abounds with more astronomy fun facts. Ralph Kramden, in the hit TV series Honeymooners, constantly threatened to send his wife to the moon. In 1988 13% of people questioned believed the moon is made of cheese. And finally the suits worn by the moon walking astronauts weighed 180 pounds on Earth but only 30 pounds on the moon. That is a big difference.

There are astronomy fun facts about faraway objects too. Looking at stars is like looking into the past. It can take millions of years foe light from some stars to reach us. Some of those stars you see may really be images of stars a million years old that aren't even there in the present. The number of stars in the sky is a one followed by 22 zeros. Oh boy that's a lot.

Astronomy fun facts can go on forever. However, this article must come to an end. Learn more for yourself.

Astronomy News

2009-01-04T22:37:00.000+07:00

Astronomy is as vast as the universe it seeks to study. It's due to the fact that astronomy is all about the universe. So it's no surprise that astronomy news is so popular. Here are some of the latest stories.

A lot of astronomy news can be found in the magazine ”Astronomy”. IBEX the Interstellar Boundary Explorer from NASA was in the news. Just as weatherman study winds in fronts, IBEX studies outer space fronts. To be exact it is the solar wind and how it interacts with space beyond the reach of the sun. IBEX is also set to map the boundaries of our solar system.

Astronomy news has also covered the discovery of a unique aurora on Saturn. An aurora results when charged particles stream along the planet's 'magnetic fields. The solar winds create the auroras on earth. Jupiter produces the particles and the magnetic field that creates its auroras. Saturn's aurora, which covers a very large area, has been seen in infrared and will teach scientists a lot about this phenomenon.

”Universe Today” is yet another great source of astronomy news. It carried some good news in November of 2008 when contact was reestablished with the Mars rover. The rover had lost contact after running through a massive dust storm. But the rover came through with shining colors even though it lacked power. Its solar panels couldn't get sun in the dust storm, and scientists feared it would go into a low power coma-like mode from which it would not wake. But it recovered and now it's back on the job.

that the Allen telescope array which is part of the SETI project will find intelligent life in only a little over a decade is staggering astronomy news. The array is set to grow up from its current 42 antennas to over 350. Well before 2025 people reached so far into space that it can't help but find intelligence.

Finding another intelligent race somewhere out there sure would be huge astronomy news.

The Connection Between Stonehenge and Astronomy

2009-01-02T10:39:00.001+07:00

Most everyone has heard of Stonehenge, the stone circle in England that has been portrayed as an astronomers' tool, a grave yard, a druidic sacrificial altar, and even in some movies and television programs as a portal to other dimensions and other worlds. It's the most well known, but not the only one. The world is full of other similar circles, some with one astronomy henge stone, others with many. In fact the word henge is an old English word that's part of the Stonehenge name. Oddly, henge doesn't mean circle or even stone, it means hang. It refers to the Stonehenge site specifically as horizontal stones were hung around the circle by placing them on top of vertical stone pillars. Over time the hanging part of the concept was lost, so any such stone circle was referred to as a henge. But a henge only refers to stones set within an earthen circle. Without the earthen circle, either raised or dropped to be lower than the surrounding ground, it isn't a henge, but rather a stone circle.

All of these stone henges have some astronomical purpose, even though they're considered burial grounds or sites for sacrifices. Even today scientists marvel at the precision contained within these structures. Astronomy aspects often have to do with seasonal shifts in the sun or moon, or phases of the sun during certain important times – spring harvest for example. This could include an opening, like a lens, coinciding with the sun's position. There are many exact ratios and aspects built into Stonehenge. Whether they were built in from the beginning or added at a future time is of little importance. They're still amazing.

A lesser known but no less spectacular henge is the Avebury Henge located in Wiltshire. Many small stone circles surround it, and the town of Avebury is inside it. Because so many of the now downed stones were in precise locations, it's well known the henge was used for astronomy. In addition there were elements of ancestry and gender concerns in the design, because it had male and female looking stones. Some archaeologists dispute this, however, claiming the stones were chosen for no other reason than their beauty and size.

Some may think it would be cool to steal an astronomy henge stone to use in their home. Not only would you never be able to lift them, they aren't really important when taken away from their setting. Make a replica instead.

A Brief History Of Galileo Galilei Astronomy For Beginners

2008-12-30T21:05:00.001+07:00

Near the end of the 16th century, a man named Galileo was born in Italy. He first became a math teacher even though he had no degree in the subject, and here he began his path to greatness. A baby step towards Galileo Galilei astronomy was when he demonstrated to students that different weight objects fell at the same speed, counter to Aristotle's teachings. He lost his position for this perceived insult of a respected great, so he moved on to the University of Padua. His entry into astronomy would come to fruition there.

In Padua, Galileo invented the compass and began studying physics. He expanded his work on falling bodies, writing formula to describe them as well as the parabolic path of projectiles. These two ideas were key to astronomy as it progressed. However except for an allegiance to the work of Copernicus over Ptolemy and Aristotle, Galileo claimed to be disinterested in astronomy. It was Copernicus who first described a solar system in which planets orbit the sun. Aristotle and Ptolemy held that the solar system was centered around the Earth, and even the sun rotated around our home. As time went by Copernicus, and Galileo, were proven correct.

When the spyglass was invented in Holland, Galileo learned of it and made his own telescope which he turned to the sky. He used it to see features on the moon such as mountains and craters. He also learned that the milky way was made up of individual stars. He went on to discover Jupiter's four largest moons. These discoveries brought him fame enough to earn the position of Florence's court mathematician. No longer having to earn a living teaching, he could spend more time exploring. In only 9 months he determined that other planets had phases. This was another nail in the coffin for Ptolemy's and Aristotle's ideas about the solar system.

Galileo most disagreed with Aristotle. Because so many agreed with Galileo his theories were widely published. But the powerful church was inclined to believe Aristotle's theories which placed man at the center of creation. Galileo Galilei astronomy fell into disfavor and was denounced by the Church in 1614. Galileo's response was a letter stating that science was above the bible. A cardinal demanded Galileo stop talking about a moving Earth. Galileo complied, continuing his study of falling objects, comets, and methods to determine longitude at sea based on the phases of Jupiter's moons. It was upon signing a document stating the Earth is stationary Galileo uttered a famous quote. "I would say here something that was heard from an ecclesiastic of the most eminent degree; "And yet ... it moves."

Piscess Constellation Astronomy For Beginners

2008-12-30T09:32:00.001+07:00

There was a time when astronomy, and in fact all science, was a mixture of strange ideas and even superstition along with any real provable ideas. But stalwart men of science continued to look up into the night sky and consider the universe beyond the world upon which they stood. These were men such as Ptolemy who imagined the solar system way back in 100AD, as well as Galileo who was the first to turn a telescope to the heavens. Astronomy includes the entire universe as its subject – that's incredibly huge. Thus an enthusiast has to decide the limits of their interest in the subject. This article will zero in on Pisces constellation astronomy.

How can there be a whole discussion of a constellation and its astronomy? Constellations are more than just imaginary images in the sky. Constellations are made up of a large number of interstellar objects like stars and galaxies. Pisces, for example, contains very few bright stars but does contain a unique galaxy from our point of view. M74, also known as galaxy NGC 628, is a face on spiral galaxy. We see all of it's arms extending out from its center. To us it looks like a spiral someone might draw. That doesn't mean we can view it unaided. Even with a hobbyist's telescope it would look like a tiny, blurred spot. However, the spiral details come to life with a professional telescope.

When Pisces was first seen the sun didn't take the same important path through it that it now takes. Pisces (Aries specifically) sees the sun pass through it, over the equator, as it makes its way north. This happens at the Vernal Equinox, the first day of spring for the Northern hemisphere of the planet. Aries' first point was some distance from Pisces when it was first drawn. But over the years it has moved west into Pisces. The drift of celestial objects as seen from Earth is called precession. The Earth and everything in the universe move. Our sun and our galaxy are moving at incredible speeds. For instance our sun and solar system move at about 220 kilometers per second around the center of the Milky Way. In all of human history, the solar system has moved 1/1250th of a complete revolution. The entire galaxy is also on the go. So the constellations are always moving and changing. Pisces and the First Point of Aries are a great example of this.

See how interesting Pisces constellation astronomy can be?

List Of Astronomy Magazines For Beginners

2008-12-29T10:49:00.000+07:00

Astronomy is a serious science and a popular hobby all over the world. As do other interests astronomy generates millions of words of information every month. An astronomy magazine can be a wealth of information including amazing imagery, and guides to help with home telescope use. It's even better now that so much of this is also on the web.

A top astronomy magazine in the UK is “Astronomy Now”. Both professionals and hobbyists will enjoy this magazine that's going on 20 years in existence. A typical issue has dozens of features and even focus articles that delve more deeply into specific subjects. Reader images, star charts and book reviews are standard in every issue of this magazine. The web site includes most of this information including a much better presentation of the sky chart than can be delivered in any paper magazine. Many variables can be set to view the star chart on a particular day or time. This is a great resource for astronomers.

Sky and Telescope is another excellent astronomy magazine. It says it's like having an astronomy professional by your side. Imagine if Carl Sagan could help you in your nightly gazing. The magazine also presents stunning images each and every month. One exciting piece of imagery Sky and Telescope delivered in November of 2008 was images of a planet orbiting another star. If these images hold up, it would be the first time astronomers have taken images of a planet in another star system.

One of the first websites people find when searching for astronomy magazines is the website for Astronomy. The latest information presented by this publication, online via its web site, is truly stunning. For example there are images of the first visible light view of another solar system. Also posted is an audio tour, in the form of a podcast, of the constellation Cassiopeia. The site also has constant, permanent information such as a guide to the night sky for beginners, tips and information for kids who want to delve into astronomy, equipment guides, and guides to astronomy in an urban sky. It's a great magazine to have, and a great web site to visit.

A cheapskate may want to stick to the Internet when information is free compared to paying for a magazine subscription. One way or another the information is at your fingertips.

Astronomy Software For Amateurs

2008-12-28T23:01:00.000+07:00

Many people love Astronomy. Some are serious scientists who study it for a living, or who even teach it. Others are regular people who enjoy it as a hobby. A number of amazing discoveries have been made by amateurs. In the old days it was the job of telescopes. Today however, computers make it possible to practice astronomy without them thanks to astronomy software. The list of programs is almost endless.

One popular application is SETI@Home. The idea behind this software was to create supercomputer made up of many small computers connected via the Internet. SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, scanned through space with a radio telescope seeking intelligent patterns. Supercomputers on site were used to analyze the data. But now all that computing power is distributed online. People at home won't be having discussions with aliens when they're found. But if SETI does find alien intelligence then there are going to be a lot of happy people.

A simple type of astronomy software is the 3D screen saver. These bring space objects to life when you're not using your computer. This can include simple views as well as navigable planets, solar systems or other objects that the user can explore from any angle and distance. Search “3D Space Tour” on Google or Yahoo to find some of these fun programs.

F.I.T.S is something not many people have heard of. It's Flexible Image Transport System, which is a NASA and IAU endorsed format to store and deliver not only images but spacial data and multi-dimensional arrays such as 2-D and 3-D images. Many programs use this standard. there's freeware such as FITSview and professional programs like AstroArt. Google can help you find more. Try Duke University's website.

There is even software that helps adjust for imperfections in telescope lenses. By comparing the image seen through the telescope with the image displayed in the software, the user can make adjustments to gain the best possible view of these vastly distant objects.

These are only a small sample of the astronomy software available. Install some today.

Astronomy Facts For Beginners

2008-12-28T10:21:00.000+07:00

How many astronomy facts are there for all the objects and phenomenon in the entire universe? To count the stars in the universe we need a one followed by 22 zeros. Now realize that many of those stars are surrounded by plants. Then consider the moons that surround the planets, the asteroids, the nebula, the galaxies, and all the other stuff the universe contains. That's a lot of data and facts and figures. This short discussion won't cover everything. Walked is here, however, is interesting.

The data on the brightest star as seen from Earth are good astronomy facts. That's discounting the Sun which is about 250,000 times closer than the next nearest star. We get so much light from the sun that when it shines none of the other stars can be seen. In a the brightness scale we'll use, lower numbers are brighter. The sun would be about -26.73, while the full moon is -12.6. And now to the top five.

#5 is the Arabic word for eagle or vulture, Vega. As seen from Earth its magnitude is .03. Just because a star looks brighter from Earth doesn't mean it's really brighter. The Sun is not the largest or brightest star in the universe or even the galaxy, yet it appears so bright because it is so near compared to other stars.

#4 goes to Rigel Kentaurus, or foot of the centaur. It's about four light years from Earth with a magnitude of -.01.

At #3, is Arcturus, according to the astronomy facts we know. That's the Greek word for Guardian on the bear. It's 37 light-years distant from our home on Earth.

#2 is Canopus. Of these top five Canopus, a Greek name for the pilot of the vessel Argo made famous in the stories about Jason and the Argonauts, is the brightest. But it's 313 light years from Earth so it's just second on this list as seen from Earth. From earth its magnitude is -.62.

#1 is reserved for serious, meaning scorching in the Greek language. Because it's the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major, it's also called the Dog Star.. It's only 9 light years from Earth. That's second closest of these top five. But from Earth it has a magnitude of -1.44. That makes it easily the brightest star as seen in the night sky.

Astronomy facts go way beyond this. But consider it next time you see the stars in the night sky.

Astronomy For Kids

2008-12-26T09:34:00.001+07:00

Astronomy is a serious science. It's a good hobby for younger people, too. This exciting science can provide hours of learning, that's why astronomy for kids is popular. Kids naturally gravitate to many aspects of astronomy. These include the moon, the stars and far distant galaxies.

The moon is Earth's only satellite. It orbits our planet once every 27.3 days. Being so near, it has hosted the only human footsteps on a space object other than the Earth. Gravity between the moon and Earth causes the tides. It's brightness in the night sky attracts many children to learn more about it and the overall subject of astronomy.

Then there's our sun. Earth is quite far from the sun. We are between 91 and 94 million miles from the sun. The reason for the variance is Earth's elliptical orbit. Without the sun there would be no life on Earth. Our light and heat comes from the sun. A little known fact is that the sun contains about 98% of the mass in the solar system. Talk about the big bully on the block.

We live in the Milky Way Galaxy. It's full of space stuff. Most of the area in a galaxy is filled with nothing, just empty space. At over 100,000 light years wide and 3,000 light years high, that means the galaxy contains a whole lot of nothing. The center of our galaxy is about 30,000 light years from Earth. The nothingness is broken up by over 100 billion stars. In fact the galaxy was named for the thick group of stars in the main portion of it. People thought it looked like a stream of milk, so called it the Milky Way. It's a spiral galaxy, one of four major types of galaxies in the universe. The others are elliptical, lenticular and irregular.

You can find a wealth of resources for astronomy for kids on the world wide web. From dictionaries and encyclopedic references, to programs that show different planets, solar systems and objects right on the computer, there's more information than a kid would ever read.

Star Astronomy For Beginners

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Astronomy, like the universe, is a vast subject. Limiting to star astronomy still leaves a lot of things to cover. There is more than a single person could study in a lifetime just in our own solar system. That's why many people decide to focus their attention on the stars.

Our sun is 94,000,000 miles from Earth, and that's the closest star we know. Its heat is staggering when the amount of heat the earth receives from it over that great distance is realized. Our own sun contains just over 98% of the total mass in the solar system. That takes into account everything, the rocks, material, even the very large Jupiter and Saturn in all their moons. The sun could hold over 1.3 million Earths. The sun's core has 340 billion times the pressure of the earth and temperatures there reach 27,000,000°F. That would burn toast to a crisp instantly.

Since it's so close to Earth, relatively compared to other suns, the Sun is the most thoroughly studied star. It would take 250,000 times longer to get to the next nearest sun. But when you travel far from Earth star astronomy really starts to hum. A human can see about 5000 stars, all in our own Milky Way galaxy, from Earth. More of the 1x10^22 stars in the universe can be seen through a telescope. For those who care that's a 1 followed by 22 zeros. In fact, even a small telescope opens the eyes of an amateur star astronomy enthusiast to hundreds of thousands of stars. Imagine that! Professionals using larger telescopes can see other galaxies that contain over 200 billion stars. It's a project of generations just to count each one.

Through star astronomy, scientists have now shown that many stars have plants. Planets cause stars to wobble, and that can be measured. And in late 2008 astronomers finally took the first pictures of planets orbiting other stars, and even of entire solar systems. We are ever closer to finding intelligent life.

Will we have a run-in with Romulans next month? Probably not. Star astronomy continues, however. Maybe it also continues somewhere on another planet!

Welcome To Astronomy Online Resource For Beginners

2008-12-25T09:44:00.003+07:00

Welcome to Astronomy Online Resource For Beginners. This blog is dedicated to provide one stop resource for beginners to learn astronomy. If you have any question or any other problems on astronomy, please contact me at rahmat.ditto@gmail.com (This is my personal email, so please spare me from any spam mails, ok? :) )