Thursday, January 28, 2016

30th Anniversary: Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster


NASA Space Shuttle Challenger (Mission STS-51-L) crew ---
Front Row: Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair;
Back Row: Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, Judith Resnik.
(Image Sources: NASA, Wikipedia.org , "Challenger flight 51-l crew" by NASA - NASA Human Space Flight Gallery (image link). Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Challenger_flight_51-l_crew.jpg#/media/File:Challenger_flight_51-l_crew.jpg )

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

Thirty years ago this morning (1986 January 28), the NASA Space Shuttle Challenger (Mission STS-51-L) broke apart 73 seconds after the 11:38 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) / 16:38 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Seven astronauts perished following the spacecraft's break-up and fall into the ocean.

It was the second of three major tragedies where NASA astronauts died during, or in preparation for, a space mission. In a cruel irony, all three tragedies occurred within one week of the calendar ---

1967 January 27: Fire in the Command Module of Apollo 1, which killed three astronauts while they were preparing for the launch of the first manned Apollo mission: Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Ed White (first American to walk in space in 1965), and Roger Chaffee.

1986 January 28: Break-up of the Space Shuttle Challenger (Mission STS-51-L), shortly after launch, which included seven astronauts: Francis (Dick) Scobee, Michael Smith, Judy Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, Ronald McNair, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe (who was to become the first Teacher-in-Space).

2003 February 1: Explosion of the Space Shuttle Columbia (Mission STS-107), during re-entry, which included seven astronauts: Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Dr. Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, and Ilan Ramon.

Originally, the Mission STS-51-L had been scheduled to launch on 1986 January 22 at 2:42 p.m. EST / 19:42 UTC. However, a series of delays, due to a conflict with the launch of a previous mission (Mission STS-61-C on Space Shuttle Columbia, which had launched just 10 days earlier), poor weather conditions, and technical problems with the spacecraft's exterior access hatch, led to the launch on the morning of 1986 January 28.

Shortly after the January 28 launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger, an O-ring seal in the right solid rocket booster failed, which led to the escape of burning gas from within the rocket motor. This damaged the solid rocket booster and caused a structural failure of the large external fuel tank. .

Then, aerodynamic forces broke-up the spacecraft, which fell into the Atlantic Ocean with the crew members. A crew escape system had not been included with the design of the Space Shuttle.

U.S. President Ronald Reagan addressed the nation on radio and television that evening, regarding the disaster. He appointed a blue-ribbon commission, the Rogers Commission, to investigate the accident. NASA did not return to flying the Space Shuttle in space for 32 months.

When the Rogers Commission Report was released, on 1986 June 9, the findings included:

  1. The failure of the O-rings in sealing the aft field joint on the right solid rocket booster was the primary technical finding. This was considered a design flaw, as their performance could too easily be compromised by several variables, including the temperature at launch time. The temperature at Cape Canaveral had dropped overnight prior to launch, uncommonly, to well below the freezing point: +18 degrees Fahrenheit / -7.77 degrees Celsius. In the morning before launch, the temperature was still below freezing: +29 degrees F / -1.66 degrees C.
  2. "An accident rooted in history." The Commission determined that as early as 1977 both NASA and the private contractor, Morton Thiokol, had known about the design flaw and the potential for catastrophe, yet did nothing about it.
  3. NASA's decision-making process, which led to the Challenger launch, was also flawed. Several Morton Thiokol engineers had expressed misgivings regarding the O-rings, and Rockwell International (prime Space Shuttle contractor) engineers were concerned that the ice build-up all over the launch pad could damage the spacecraft during a launch. Although both company's engineers urged a launch delay, NASA managers decided to go-ahead with the launch.
Some people speculate that, since President Reagan had planned to speak to the American people on the evening of January 28 anyway (the annual State of the Union address before the U.S. Congress), and wished to mention the successful launch with the first Teacher-in-Space (launching a Teacher-in-Space as the first citizen astronaut had been President Reagan's idea), NASA management had an extra incentive to go-forward with the launch.

This particular mission had been more closely followed by the American people than other Space Shuttle missions due to the launch of New Hampshire school teacher Christa McAuliffe as the first Teacher-in-Space. This included special viewings by school children of the launch in schools, planetaria, and Science museums throughout the country.

At Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), Public Relations Director Jo Lee arranged for school children, from the nearby St. Peter's Elementary School, to view the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger with the first Teacher-in-Space, live, in Buhl's Little Science Theater / Lecture Hall. A satellite dish received the “NASA Select” satellite television channel, which was shown on the Lecture Hall's large projection screen. The previous week, Buhl had shown images, to the general public, from Voyager 2's encounter with Planet Uranus via “NASA Select.”

In addition to these school children, approximately 20 Buhl staff members, some with their children, also assembled that Tuesday morning in the 250-seat Little Science Theater to view this launch (at this time, Buhl Planetarium did not open to the general public until 1:00 p.m. on weekdays). While the Cable News Network (CNN) broadcast the launch live, none of the major broadcast television networks interrupted normal programming for coverage of this launch (except on the West Coast, when the network morning news programs were still airing).

After the spacecraft broke-apart, for a couple minutes no one watching the transmission knew what was happening, as there was unusual silence on “NASA Select.” It was when Buhl staff member Glenn A. Walsh quickly obtained his portable, transistor radio that the staff learned what had happened.

The students were quickly moved out of the Little Science Theater. Audrey Williams, a Buhl Planetarium Lecturer who managed Buhl’s chapter of the Young Astronauts, had prepared some special activities for the students following the launch. So, these special activities went on as scheduled to take the students’ minds off of what they had just witnessed.

"The Challenger Disaster Viewed at Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium" A Personal Remembrance by Glenn A. Walsh: Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/bio/2006ChallengerBuhl.htm

Recollection of Challenger Tragedy from Eyewitness at Cape Canaveral:
Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/bio/2006ChallengerBuhl.htm#clark

Recollection of Challenger Tragedy from the West Coast:
Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/bio/2006ChallengerBuhl.htm#noreen

More on the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster ---
Link 1 >>> www.nbcnews.com/id/3077897
Link 2 >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster
Link 3 >>> http://fas.org/spp/51L.html

Report of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident (Rogers Commission):
Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogers_Commission_Report

More on the Space Shuttle Challenger:
Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger

Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.
              2016 January 28.

                                                               Historic 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.
        2016: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Observatory
                     Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com

Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Full Moon High Tides Worsen NE U.S. Blizzard

Tides
"Spring Tides" occur during Full Moon and New Moon phases, when the
gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun are combined, making high
tides higher than normal. "Neap Tides" occur during First Quarter and Last
Quarter Moon phases when the gravity of the Moon and the Sun work at
right-angles to each other, essentially canceling each other-out.
(Image Source: http://home.hiwaay.net/~krcool/Astro/moon/moontides/ )

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

High tides caused by tonight's Full Moon are worsening the blizzard now hitting the coastal regions of the northeastern United States. The Full Moon occurred, at the moment of the posting of this blog post: Saturday Evening, 2016 January 23 at 8:46 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) / January 24 at 1:46 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

On Saturday morning, the high tide of 8.98 feet at Cape May, New Jersey at 7:51 a.m. EST / 12:51 UTC exceeded the record of 8.9 feet set on 2012 October 29 during Super-storm Sandy. Hence, major flooding is occurring along the New Jersey and Delaware coast lines.

A high tide of 9.27 feet at Lewes, Delaware is higher than the 9.2 feet record from March of 1962. National Weather Service Meteorologist Patrick O'Hara said, “All the factors that affect the tides, it’s all happening at once.”

The barrier islands in Atlantic County, New Jersey, near Atlantic City, had significant tidal flooding. Flooding is typical during Nor'easter storms, but the current situation is more dangerous than usual, according to Atlantic County Public Information Officer Linda Gilmore. She added that she expects the situation to grow more severe with each high tide through Sunday morning.

Coastal areas of New York's Long Island are also expecting flooding, due to the higher-than-usual high tides.

However, thus far, there have been no reports of evacuations of people, like there were along the New Jersey shore during Super-storm Sandy in 2012.

High tides during Full Moon and New Moon phases, known as “Spring Tides” (which have nothing to do with the season of Spring), are always stronger than normal high tides. During these two Moon phases, the Sun, Earth, and Moon lie in a straight line (known as syzygy), which results in the gravitational forces of the Moon and Sun combining; hence, high tides are higher than normal.

“Neap Tides,” which are especially weak tides, occur during the First Quarter and Last Quarter Moon phases. Then, the gravity of the Moon and the Sun are perpendicular to one another (in relation to the Earth), and tend to cancel each other-out.

Even though the Moon's gravitational force is just one ten-millionth that of the Earth, the Earth's centrifugal force, created by the Earth's rotation, helps to create tides. While the Moon's gravity is pulling upward on the ocean water, the Earth's gravity is pulling downward on the water; yet, the Moon's gravity does have a slight advantage, hence causing tides.

Due to the Sun's great distance from the Earth (on average, 92.96 million miles), versus the Moon's comparatively closer distance (on average, 238,855 miles), the Sun's gravitational force on the Earth is only 46 percent that of the Moon. So, while the Sun's gravity does contribute to ocean tides, this contribution is much less than that of the Moon.

“Tractive Force” is defined as the type of gravitational force which causes tides.

Due to the Earth's daily rotation on its axis, the Moon appears to move around our sky about once every 25 hours. So, there are two high tides every day, each separated by about 12 hours.

Since the Moon is also moving, in its orbit around the Earth, the Moon is not in the same place at the same time each day. So, on average, the times of both high tides and low tides change each day by about 50 minutes.

Away from coastal areas, in the deep ocean, the difference in the size of tides is usually less than 1.6 feet. However, tidal effects are amplified at beaches. The highest tides in the world are at the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, Canada, where tides are known to have a range of 44.6 feet !

To most Native Americans, the Full Moon of January was known as the Wolf Moon (although some references refer to the December Full Moon as the "Wolves" Moon). Of course this refers to the hungry wolf packs howling on cold and snowy nights outside Indian villages.

The Full Moon in January, in the Northern Hemisphere, was also known as the Old Moon, the Moon After Yule, Difficulty Moon, and Black Smoke Moon. And, some Indian tribes referred to this Full Moon as the Snow Moon, although most tribes used the Snow Moon name for the Full Moon of February.

 In the Southern Hemisphere, the Full Moon of January was known as the Hay Moon, Buck Moon, Thunder Moon, and Mead Moon.

More on "Spring Tides" and "Neap Tides" ---
Link 1 >>> http://home.hiwaay.net/~krcool/Astro/moon/moontides/
Link 2 >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tide#Range_variation:_springs_and_neaps
Link 3 >>> http://earthsky.org/earth/tides-and-the-pull-of-the-moon-and-sun

More on Tides:
Link 1 >>> https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/restles1.html
Link 2 >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tide

More on Syzygy: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syzygy_%28astronomy%29

More on the Full Moon: Link >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_moon

More on Full Moon names ---
Link 1 >>> http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/full-moon-names
Link 2 >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_moon#In_folklore_and_tradition
Link 3 >>> http://www.farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names/

Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.
              2016 January 23.

                                                               Historic 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.
        2016: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Observatory
                     Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com

Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Alien 'Mega-Structure' Around Star KIC 8462852 ?

KIC 8462852 in IR and UV.png
Two photographs of Star KIC 8462852; first in infrared, and the second one in ultraviolet.
(Image Sources: Wikipedia.org , "KIC 8462852 in IR and UV" by Infrared: IPAC/NASAUltraviolet: STScI (NASA) - http://aladin.u-strasbg.fr/AladinLite/?target=TYC%203162-665-1&fov=0.27&survey=P%2F2MASS%2Fcolor and http://aladin.u-strasbg.fr/AladinLite/?target=TYC%203162-665-1&fov=0.27&survey=P%2FGALEXGR6%2FAIS%2Fcolor. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:KIC_8462852_in_IR_and_UV.png#/media/File:KIC_8462852_in_IR_and_UV.png )

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

Since late September, there has been speculation that an alien-built “mega-structure” may explain unusual fluctuations in light from Star KIC 8462852. Now, a new study seems to disprove another major explanation for these light fluctuations: comet fragments.

The Star KIC 8462852 is an F-type main sequence star, located in the Constellation Cygnus the Swan. Though this star has been observed for more than a century, recent observations by NASA's Kepler Space Telescope have found peculiar light fluctuations in 2011 and 2013, not seen with any other star.

The Kepler Space Telescope uses the dimming of stars to find extra-solar planets that may be orbiting those stars. However, the unusual dimming of Star KIC 8462852 was not compatible with the dimming usually found when an exo-planet blocks some of the star's light

On October 19, the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute announced that they would start looking for extraterrestrial infrastructure surrounding Star KIC 8462852. Their interest peaked by the unusual light fluctuations of this particular star. Thus far, the SETI Institute has found no intelligent radio signals from this star..

The speculation regarding a possible alien-built “mega-structure” has been one explanation for the unusual light dimming with this star. It has been proposed that such a “mega-structure” could be a “Dyson Sphere” or “Dyson Swarm,” which would be artificial structures that surround a star in order to collect most or all of the star's solar energy. It is suggested that an advanced civilization would need to build such a “mega-structure,” to meet the increasing energy needs of their growing society. Finding, and confirming the existence of, such a “mega-structure” could be a confirmation that an advanced civilization resides near this star.

In an October 23 interview with the radio program, “Essential Pittsburgh” on Pittsburgh's WESA-FM 90.5, Point Park University Professor and Astrophysicist Brendan Mullan (formerly Director of the Henry Buhl, Jr. Planetarium and Observatory at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Science Center) said “It’s probably not gonna be a mega-structure. It’s more likely something natural that the universe is throwing at us just to say ‘Hey, I’m a crazy universe, there’s new stuff out there every day.’”

One of the natural explanations hypothesized for this unusual dimming was a family of comets with a long, eccentric orbit around the star. This hypothesis was supported in a November 24 news release from NASA.

Now, a new study by Bradley E. Schaefer, Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Louisiana State University, greatly questions the comet hypothesis. According to this new study, more than a century of observations of this star seem to indicate that comet fragments cannot explain the unusual dimming of the star, as viewed from Earth.

Professor Schaefer reviewed archival photographic plates, from 1890 to 1989, containing this star, at Harvard University. He found that the light coming from Star KIC 8462852 had consistent and noticeable dimming for at least a century.

In the abstract of his professional paper (submitted to Astrophysical Journal Letters), published on Cornell University Library's pre-print Internet web site “http://arxiv.org,” Professor Schaefer states, “This century-long dimming is completely unprecedented for any F-type main sequence star. So the Harvard light curve provides the first confirmation that KIC 8462852 has anything unusual going on.”

He goes on to say, “Within the context of the comet-family idea, the century-long dimming trend requires an estimated 648,000 giant comets (each with 200 km diameter) all orchestrated to pass in front of the star within the last century. I do not see how it is possible for something like 648,000 giant comets to exist around one star, nor to have their orbits orchestrated so as to all pass in front of the star within the last century. So I take this century-long dimming as a strong argument against the comet-family hypothesis to explain the Kepler dips.”

Massimo Marengo of Iowa State University has now suggested that the next-best explanation may be that Star KIC 8462852 has a ring around it, as do four planets in our solar system (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune). He notes that other stars, such as Fomalhaut, do have such rings.

In the October radio interview, Professor Mullan said, “As an astronomer, [aliens] is the last explanation you should be seeking when you see something anomalous like this star.” He added that the existence of an alien-built “mega-structure” could, still, not be entirely ruled-out: “It’s probably not aliens but he, who knows? Might be fun.”

More on Star KIC 8462852: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KIC_8462852

Professor Schaefer's pre-print abstract: Link >>> http://arxiv.org/abs/1601.03256

More on a Dyson Sphere: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyson_sphere

More on a Dyson Swarm: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyson_sphere#Dyson_swarm

Professor Mullan's Radio Interview:
Link >>> http://wesa.fm/post/anybody-out-there-astrophysicists-turn-attention-potential-megastructure-space

Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.
              2016 January 19.

                                                               Historic 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.
        2016: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Observatory
                     Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com

Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Friday, January 15, 2016

Mystery Celestial Explosion More Powerful Than Typical Supernova


The bright spot in the lower left is Supernova SN 1994D, which is a Type 1a
supernova in the Galaxy NGC 4526. A recently discovered celestial explosion,
which may be a supernova, is about 200 times more powerful than a typical
supernova.
(Image Sources: Wikipedia.org , "SN1994D" by NASA/ESA. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SN1994D.jpg#/media/File:SN1994D.jpg )

By Nell Greenfieldboyce, National Public Radio

A mind-boggling stellar explosion is baffling astronomers, who say this cosmic beast is so immensely powerful that no one's sure exactly what made it go boom.

The recently discovered inferno is about 200 times more powerful than a typical exploding star, or supernova, and 570 billion times brighter than our sun. It was first spotted in June by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae, nicknamed the "Assassin" project, so it's called ASASSN-15lh.

Astronomers describe their finding in a study published Thursday in the journal Science. 

Even though it's the brightest supernova on record — if indeed it is a supernova — it can't be seen with the naked eye from Earth, since it is 3.8 billion light-years away.

Even telescopes don't help much. "It looks like a little smudge," says Subo Dong, an astronomer at the Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at Peking University. "This is because it's so far away. It doesn't look so spectacular."

And if you could get into a spaceship and fly closer, you wouldn't want to, says astronomer Ben Shappee, at the Carnegie Observatories. That's because this monster puts out a lot of ultraviolet radiation, so if you actually got close enough to get a good look, "you would be dead right away," he points out.

More - Link >>> http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/14/462710274/record-busting-star-explosion-baffles-sky-watchers

Science Magazine on-line article regarding ASAS-SN-15lh:
Link >>> http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/01/universe-s-most-luminous-supernova-was-50-times-brighter-milky-way

More on Supernovae: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernova

Source: National Public Radio: "All Things Considered."
              2016 January 15.

                                                                Historic 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.
        2016: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Observatory
                     Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com

Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Friday, January 8, 2016

165th Anniversary: Foucault Pendulum

Cub Scouts viewing the Foucault Pendulum at The Buhl Planetarium 
and Institute of Popular Science
This photograph shows the Foucault Pendulum in the Great Hall of Pittsburgh's original Buhl
Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science, in the mid-1950s. In the photograph, Buhl
Planetarium Floor Staff member Dewitt Peart explains the Science of the Foucault Pendulum to
a pack of Cub Scouts visiting Buhl Planetarium that day. This Foucault Pendulum, erected in
1939, continues swinging in the original brass and marble Pendulum Pit in the Buhl Planetarium
building, now used by the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh.
(Image Source: Friends of the Zeiss)

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

It was 165 years ago today (1851 January 8) that Jean Bernard Leon Foucault of Paris invented an instrument that would provide a conclusive physical demonstration that the Earth rotates on its axis. In fact, January 8 is now known as Earth's Rotation Day.

The fact of Earth's rotation was known well before the 19th century. However, it was the Foucault Pendulum that physically demonstrated this fact for the first time, using laboratory-type apparatus rather than astronomical observation.

A Foucault Pendulum is any pendulum that is designed to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth. A small model of a Foucault Pendulum may be used to simulate a larger Foucault Pendulum. Typically, a Foucault Pendulum is composed of a fairly long wire (the longer the wire, the easier to observe the Foucault Pendulum effect) with a heavy Pendulum Bob at the bottom of the pendulum. The Foucault Pendulum is started swinging in one direction, and often an electromagnetic device at the top of the Pendulum Wire briefly attracts the wire to keep it from slowing down, but without disturbing the direction of the swing. The Pendulum Bob then, periodically, knocks down small pegs or pins as the Foucault Pendulum appears to change direction of swing.

When any pendulum begins swinging, the motion or direction of swing of the pendulum always remains the same; the swing never moves or changes direction of swing unless directly affected by an outside force. By the constant swinging in one direction, and one direction only, this is how a Foucault Pendulum can demonstrate the Earth's rotation.

Over a time period, an observer watching the swing of the pendulum would note that the pendulum's direction of swing appears to change in reference to the observer. However, the direction of swing of the pendulum has not changed; it continues to swing in the same direction as when it started swinging. What is actually happening is that the Earth is rotating the floor beneath the pendulum, and the observer is also moving with the floor, causing the observer to detect an apparent change in the direction of pendulum swing.

Thus, knowing that a pendulum swing is always in the same direction, unless directly acted upon by an outside force, it is clear that the floor is moving beneath the pendulum and hence, the Earth is rotating on its axis.

Mr. Foucault first built a Foucault Pendulum in his basement, early on the morning of 1851 January 8. On 1851 February 3, he demonstrated his new device to other scientists in the Meridian Room of the Paris Observatory. On 1851 March 31, French President Louis Napoleon (a Science buff) arranged for Mr. Foucault to give a public demonstration of his new pendulum under the roof of the Pantheon in Paris.

The public was enthralled by this demonstration. President Napoleon, who soon became Emperor Napoleon III, gave Mr. Foucault the position of Physicist Attached to the Imperial Observatory.

Jean Bernard Leon Foucault was actually a citizen-scientist, when he created the Foucault Pendulum. Although originally studying medicine, he gave up a medical career when he realized he could not stand the sight of blood. He worked as a lab assistant and on-his-own studied Science and tinkered with new technologies such as photography.

For a couple centuries, scientists had been trying to devise a way to physically demonstrate that the Earth rotates on its axis. They had tried dropping objects from tall towers, to measure a drift in their fall due to the planet's spin. However, these experiments were too crude, with too many interfering variables, to be conclusive.

So, professional scientists were not, at all, happy when a citizen-scientist discovered a simple and elegant solution to this problem. In fact, Mr. Foucault was rejected several times for membership in the French Academy of Sciences, before finally receiving admission to the Academy in 1865, three years before his early death at age 49.

According to Jean Bernard Leon Foucault's journal, he invented the Foucault Pendulum at 2:00 a.m. In honor of Mr. Foucault, this blog post has been posted precisely at 2:00 a.m.

Today, Foucault Pendulums can be found in many planetaria and Science museums, throughout the world. A Foucault Pendulum can also be found in, at least, one Children's Museum (in the historic Buhl Planetarium building, as part of a complex of three historic buildings now operated by the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh) and, at least, one public library (Rotunda of the Central Library of the Lexington, Kentucky Public Library).

Buhl Planetarium's historic Foucault Pendulum started its public display on 1939 October 24, with the formal dedication of The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science. The weight of the Pendulum Bob (weight at the lowest end of the Pendulum Wire) used on this Pendulum is 150 pounds.

The Pendulum Wire, which holds the Pendulum Bob for Buhl Planetarium's Foucault Pendulum, is 35 feet in length. This steel wire was produced at the Jones and Laughlin Steel Mill on the South Side of Pittsburgh. A special truck permit was required to transport this 35-foot steel wire, completely straight (coiling the wire could have produced a bias in the pendulum's swing), to Buhl Planetarium's North Side location.

For a Foucault Pendulum's swing (in the Northern Hemisphere) to appear to make a complete clockwise revolution around the compass below the swing (as the Earth, underneath it, moves counter-clockwise, or from west to east) depends on the Pendulum's location on the Earth; it takes longer, the further the pendulum is located away from the poles. If the Foucault Pendulum is located at the North Pole or South Pole, it would take 24 hours. At the Equator, there would be no observable shift in the direction of the pendulum's swing, while south of the Equator the pendulum would appear to shift the swing in the opposite direction (counter-clockwise).

For Pittsburgh's Foucault Pendulum, at +40 degrees North latitude, it would take about 37 hours for the apparent shift of the pendulum swing to finish one clockwise revolution around the compass below the pendulum. The pendulum's apparent shift is 10 degrees per hour. The pegs, set-up along the cardinal points of the compass below the pendulum, were usually set-up 2.5 degrees apart, resulting in one peg being knocked-down by the Pendulum Bob about every 15 minutes.

For some of the years when the Buhl Planetarium building was not being used (1994 to 2004), this Foucault Pendulum was displayed on the second floor of Pittsburgh's Carnegie Science Center. On 2005 February 23, the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh re-dedicated this Foucault Pendulum, in the original brass and marble Pendulum Pit of the Buhl Planetarium building, now used by the Children's Museum.

A large Foucault Pendulum was displayed for many years in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington. In late 1998, this Foucault Pendulum was removed to make room for the Star-Spangled Banner Preservation Project. Regrettably, this grand Foucault Pendulum remains in storage with no current plans for it to be re-installed.

Jean Bernard Leon Foucault, near the end of his life, also invented the Siderostat-type Telescope. In such a telescope arrangement, the telescope is mounted, horizontally and permanently, on concrete piers; the telescope does not move, save for the movement of the Earth. A flat, first-surface mirror, mounted on a Sidereal Coelostat (a.k.a. Siderostat) unit feeds light from the sky into the telescope; with a motorized clock-drive the mirror can follow a celestial body, feeding the light from the body continually into the telescope.

Mr. Foucault passed-away before he had a chance to build such a telescope. However, a small one was built shortly after his death, and a very large one was built for a Paris exhibition in 1900.

Through most of the 20th century, two large siderostat-type telescopes existed in the United States: a 15-inch refractor in suburban Philadelphia, and a 10-inch refractor at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science. Regrettably, at this time both are dismantled and in storage. The Philadelphia telescope, which was produced by Pittsburgh's John Brashear Company, is now in the possession of an amateur astronomer in Jacksonville, Florida. The Buhl Planetarium telescope, produced by the Gaertner Scientific Corporation of Chicago, may be reinstalled some time in the future in an expansion of The Carnegie Science Center.

More about the Foucault Pendulum: Link >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foucault_pendulum

More about Jean Bernard Leon Foucault ---
Link 1 >>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9on_Foucault
Link 2 >>> http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2830901485.html

More about Buhl Planetarium's Foucault Pendulum:
Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/Buhlexhibits.htm/#foucault

More about the Lexington KY Public Library's Foucault Pendulum:
Link >>> http://www.lexpublib.org/ceiling-clock-foucault-pendulum

Photograph of the Smithsonian Institution's Foucault Pendulum, while still in use:
Link >>> http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmah/pendulum.htm

More on Earth's Rotation Day:
Link >>> http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/fun/earths-rotation-day

Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.
              2016 January 8.

                                                               Historic 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.
        2016: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Observatory
                     Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com

Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Astronomical Calendar: 2016 January

               2016: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Observatory
http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/observatory/pix/Siderostat_A.jpg
The People's Observatory (shown in photograph) of The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science / Buhl Science Center:
10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope - 1941 November 19 to 1991 August 31

 

Henry Buhl, Jr. Planetarium and Observatory at The Carnegie Science Center:
16-inch Meade LX200 Schmidt-Cassegrain Reflector Telescope - 1991 October 5 to Present

 

With the beginning of 2016, it is well into the 75th year of operation of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Observatory. The 75th anniversary of the Buhl Planetarium Observatory will be on November 19. This photograph, from the late 1970s, shows former Buhl Planetarium Director Paul Oles looking through the historic 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope. When observing the Sun, the solar image would be projected from the telescope onto a large projection screen (not shown in this photograph).

 

More information on The People's Observatory: Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/
(Image Source: Francis G. Graham, Professor Emeritus of Physics, Kent State University)

 

Astronomical Calendar for 2016 January: 
Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium4.tripod.com/astrocalendar/2016.html#jan

Source: Friends of the Zeiss.
              2016 January 2.
                                              

                                                               Historic 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.

        2016: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Observatory
                     Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com 

Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >