Monthly Archives: June 2014

The Sun Online and solar activity. June 30, 2014

There are currently 8 sunspot groups visible, with NOAA 2104 and NOAA 2107 the most complex and having a small delta. These two regions, together with an active area near the northeast limb, produced most of the C-class flares observed during the last 24 hours. The strongest event was a C3.4-flare peaking at 04:19UT on 30 June. No CMEs with an Earth directed component were observed. Further C-class flares are expected, with a chance on an M-class flare in particular from NOAA 2104. The solar wind speed was around 350 km/s over the last 24 hours. Bz was negative between 22:00 and 02:00UT (max. value around -8 nT), then mainly positive at +5 nT. Geomagnetic conditions were quiet with an usettled period around midnight. A small equatorial coronal hole passed the central meridian early on 27 June and may influence the geomagnetic field on 1 July.
Quiet geomagnetic conditions are expected, with locally a brief active episode possible.
SIDC

Equipment: Coronado 90 + Imaging Source DMK + LX75
Processing: Photoshop, Avistack 300 frames
Date: 06/30/14
Time UT: 16:00
Exposure 1/500 sec.

Observatory Sponli

Peculiar Elliptical Galaxy Centaurus A

Image Credit & Copyright: Roberto Colombari

What’s happened to the center of this galaxy? Unusual and dramatic dust lanes run across the center of elliptical galaxy Centaurus A. These dust lanes are so thick they almost completely obscure the galaxy’s center in visible light. This is particularly unusual as Cen A’s red stars and round shape are characteristic of a giant elliptical galaxy, a galaxy type usually low in dark dust. Cen A, also known as NGC 5128, is also unusual compared to an average elliptical galaxy because it contains a higher proportion of young blue stars and is a very strong source of radio emission. Evidence indicates that Cen A is likely the result of the collision of twonormal galaxies. During the collision, many young stars were formed, but details of the creation of Cen A’s unusual dust belts are still being researched. Cen A lies only 13 million light years away, making it the closest active galaxy. Cen A, pictured above, spans 60,000 light years and can be seen with binoculars toward the constellation of Centaurus.

APOD NASA 30-Jun-14

Pleiades

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The nine brightest stars of the Pleiades are named for the Seven Sisters of Greek mythology: Sterope, Merope, Electra, Maia, Taygeta, Celaeno, and Alcyone, along with their parents Atlas and Pleione. As daughters of Atlas, the Hyades were sisters of the Pleiades. The English name of the cluster itself is of Greek origin (Πλειάδες), though of uncertain etymology. Suggested derivations include: from πλεῖν plein, “to sail,” making the Pleiades the “sailing ones”; from πλέος pleos, “full, many”; or from πελειάδες peleiades, “flock of doves.”

**Pleiades bright stars**
Name	Pronunciation (IPA & respelling)	Designation	Apparent magnitude	Stellar classification
Alcyone	/ælˈsaɪ.əniː/ al-sy-ə-nee	Eta (25) Tauri	2.86	B7IIIe
Atlas	/ˈætləs/ at-ləs	27 Tauri	3.62	B8III
Electra	/ɨˈlɛktʃrə/ i-lek-trə	17 Tauri	3.70	B6IIIe
Maia	/ˈmeɪə/, /ˈmaɪə/ may-ə, my-ə	20 Tauri	3.86	B7III
Merope	/ˈmɛrəpiː/ merr-ə-pee	23 Tauri	4.17	B6IVev
Taygeta	/teɪˈɪdʒɨtə/ tay-ij-i-tə	19 Tauri	4.29	B6V
Pleione	/ˈplaɪ.əniː/ ply-ə-nee	28 (BU) Tauri	5.09 (var.)	B8IVpe
Celaeno	/sɨˈliːnoʊ/ sə-lee-noh	16 Tauri	5.44	B7IV
Sterope, Asterope	/ˈstɛrɵpiː/, /əˈstɛrɵpiː/ (ə)-sterr-ə-pee	21 and 22 Tauri	5.64;6.41	B8Ve/B9V
—	—	18 Tauri	5.65	B8V

Imaging telescopes or lenses: TMB 92SS
Imaging cameras: SBIG ST-8300C, SBIG ST-8300M
Mounts: Sky-Watcher HEQ5
Guiding telescopes or lenses: TMB 92SS
Guiding cameras: QHYCCD QHY5
Focal reducers: Teleskop-Service TS 2.5″ flattener
Software: Maxim DL, photoshop
Filters: Baader Planetarium UV/IR Cut Filter, Hutech IDAS LPS-P2
Accessories: Teleskop-Service OAG 9mm
Dates: Sept. 17, 2012, Sept. 24, 2012
Frames:
Hutech IDAS LPS-P2: 40×600″ bin 1×1
Baader Planetarium UV/IR Cut Filter: 25×600″ bin 1×1
Integration: 10.8 hours

Author: Jacek Bobowik
AstroPhotography of the day by SPONLI 30 June 2014

The Sun Online and solar activity. June 29, 2014

The ARs rotating over the east limb into the visible disk are producing most of the activity at present. The strongest flare was a C4.9 with peak at 11:52 UT, originating in NOAA AR 2104 (no Catania number). This AR, and NOAA AR 2102 (no Catania number), will most likely produce more C-class and probably M-class flares.With solar wind speeds around 350 km/s and interplanetary magnetic field with a magnitude of 3 nT geomagnetic conditions are quiet and expected to remain so.
SIDC

Equipment: Coronado 90 + Imaging Source DMK + LX75
Processing: Photoshop, Avistack 300 frames
Date: 06/29/14
Time UT: 16:00
Exposure 1/500 sec.

Observatory Sponli

Galaxy Cove Vista Revisited

Image Credit & Copyright: Rogelio Bernal Andreo (Deep Sky Colors)
To see a vista like this takes patience, hiking, and a camera. Patience was needed in searching out just the right place and waiting for just the right time. A short hike was needed to reach this rugged perchabove a secluded cove in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in California, USA. And a camera was needed for the long exposure required to bring out the faint light from stars and nebulae in the background Milky Way galaxy.Moonlight illuminated the hidden beach and inlet behind nearby trees in the above composite image taken last month. Usually obscured McWay Falls is visible just below the image center, while the Pacific Ocean is in view to its right. The above image is a high-resolution sequel to a similar image that appeared last year.

APOD NASA 29-Jun-14

NGC 4236 in Draco

NGC 4236 (also known as Caldwell 3) is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Draco. NGC 4236 is a member of the M81 Group, a group of galaxies located at a distance of approximately 11.7 Mly (3.6 Mpc) from Earth. The group also contains the well-known spiral galaxy Messier 81 and the well-known starburst galaxy Messier 82.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Orion Optics UK CT8
Imaging cameras: SBIG ST-8300C, SBIG ST-8300M
Mounts: Losmandy G11
Guiding telescopes or lenses: Orion Optics UK CT8
Guiding cameras: Starlight Xpress Lodestar guide camera
Focal reducers: Baader Planetarium RCC
Software: Maxim DL, photoshop
Filters: Hutech IDAS LPS-P2
Accessories: Celestron Radial Guider
Dates: May 6, 2014
Frames: Hutech IDAS LPS-P2: 40×600″ bin 1×1
Integration: 6.7 hours

Author: Jacek Bobowik
AstroPhotography of the day by SPONLI 29 June 2014

The Sun Online and solar activity. June 28, 2014

Solar activity continues at the C-class flaring level. Returning NOAA AR 2088 (no Catania number) produced a C3.4 flare with peak at 07:44 UT. More C-class and probably M- class flares can occur as this region and NOAA AR 2082 (no Catania number) rotate today into the visible solar disk. Geomagnetic conditions are quiet. The arrival of a fast solar wind stream today will increase conditions to unsettled to active levels.
SIDC

Equipment: Coronado 90 + Imaging Source DMK + LX75
Processing: Photoshop, Avistack 300 frames
Date: 06/28/14
Time UT: 16:00
Exposure 1/500 sec.

Observatory Sponli

Orion Arising

Image Credit: NASA, ISS Expedition 40, Reid Wiseman

Orion’s belt runs just along the horizon, seen through Earth’s atmosphere and rising in this starry snapshot from low Earth orbit on board the International Space Station. The belt stars, Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka run right to left and Orion’s sword, home to the great Orion Nebula, hangs above his belt, an orientation unfamiliar to denizens of the planet’s northern hemisphere. That puts bright star Rigel, at the foot of Orion, still higher above Orion’s belt. Of course the brightest celestial beacon in the frame is Sirius, alpha star of the constellation Canis Major. The station’s Destiny Laboratory module is in the foreground at the top right.

APOD NASA 28-Jun-14

NGC 1491 in Perseus

NGC 1491 (also designated SH2-206 and LBN 704) is a bright emission nebula and HII region, located on the edge of a vast cloud region of neutral gas, about 10,700 light-years away in the Perseus arm of our Milky Way Galaxy in the constellation Perseus.

Imaging telescopes or lenses: Orion Optics UK CT8
Imaging cameras: SBIG ST-8300M
Mounts: Losmandy G11
Guiding telescopes or lenses: Orion Optics UK CT8
Guiding cameras: Starlight Xpress Lodestar guide camera
Focal reducers: Baader Planetarium RCC
Software: Maxim DL, photoshop
Filters: Baader Planetarium OIII 8.5nm, Baader Planetarium 7nm H-Alpha
Accessories: Celestron Radial Guider
Dates: Oct. 8, 2013, Oct. 11, 2013
Frames:
Baader Planetarium 7nm H-Alpha: 38×900″ bin 1×1
Baader Planetarium OIII 8.5nm: 20×900″ bin 2×2
Integration: 14.5 hours

Author: Jacek Bobowik
AstroPhotography of the day by SPONLI 28 June 2014

The Sun Online and solar activity. June 27, 2014

There were two partial halo CMEs in past 24 hours. The first one at 21:38 UT (LASCO-C2, related to a CACTus alert) on June 26 in the northeast and the second one at 06:12 UT on the northwest. Both events are backsided and not expected to arrive to the Earth.
SIDC

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