APOD 2.3

A Colorful Side of the Moon
2011 November 18

Pink Floyd was right to assume that "the dark side of the moon" could be colorful! Every month the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter uses its wide angle lens to capture the moon's surface that is not visible from Earth, then it uses stereo overlap to provide information regarding lunar topography. The process might seem redundant but each month the lighting on the moon changes; therefore we can methodically build up data on how different rocks react under different lighting conditions. The image displayed below should show the range of elevations portrayed with this false coloring, from highest elevation to lowest: white, red, green, and purple.

As you can see there is a large depression in the moon's surface near its southern pole, this is the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin. The basin reveals the moon's deepest minerals including its rich deposits for iron. If the moon holds minerals, it would be in our best interest to fund space programs and more shuttle missions.

Quarter 2/ Observations #2

Nov.15, 2011
7:00 P.M. - 7:20 P.M.
In the North/ Northeastern sky I saw one of our constellations of the week, Cassiopeia. Just above Cassiopeia I saw Andromeda and off to Cassiopeia's left was the upside-down house of Cepheus. Then I turned around and faced South and picked out the square of Pegasus. From that point I was able to jump to Aquarius the Water Bearer and then to Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish, which was just above the horizon. The Summer Triangle was directly above me during this time and Jupiter was in the Eastern sky.
Total time observed = 20 minutes

Nov.16, 2011
5:30 P.M. - 6:10 P.M.
HALLELUJAH, I FINALLY SAW MERCURY! It has been fifteen days since my last trip to the beach and I was worried I would miss it again. My mum and I managed to catch the sunset and a couple of dolphins on camera while we were there. More importantly, we managed to make out Mercury just below Venus in the southwestern sky at precisely 6:10 P.M. It could not of been more opportune because we had just decided to leave before any sketchy people could show up on the dark beach! Also Jupiter was the most visible object in the eastern sky and the moon was waning gibbous today.
Total time observed = 40 minutes

Cumulative time observed = 1 hour

APOD 2.2

2011 November 9
Asteroid 2005 YU55 Passes the Earth
On November. 8, 2011, the asteroid 2005 YU55 passed through our moon's orbit. Thankfully we suffer no negative effects form this occurrence, but if the asteroid had hit Earth there would be varying degrees of damage depending on its impact site. If YU55 had hit land it would have caused a category nine earthquake and a city-size crater; however, if the impact site had been the ocean then the result would have been a tsunami. An asteroid hitting the sea would cause all the environmental damage an asteroid hitting land would but the energy being passed through a medium like water would cause mega-tsunamis capable of wiping out many different areas. Objects like YU55 are so faint and fast that they are hard to detect. This is a frightening realizations because it means that other potentially hazardous may still be out there. Perhaps an asteroid hitting the Earth in 2012 isn't such a ludicrous notion after all.

APOD 2.1

2011 November 2
NGC 7380: The Wizard Nebula

Why is NGC 7380 titled "The Wizard Nebula"? Did a self-proclaimed magician discover it, is it magic, or was there something "wizardly" about this nebula? Actually the open cluster was discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1787 and was given its name due to its appearance being reminescent of a medival sorcercer! The only powers it weilds are entirely scientific and based off the properties of gravity and solar wind; these powers include the production of new stars, and the ability to create/dissolve towers of gas that are light years in length! The Nebula itself resides in the constellation Cepheus -the King of Aethiopia- so we should be able to see this beautiful nebula year round.

Quarter 2/ Observations #1

At 6:40 P.M. I left my house and proceeded to drive three miles to Manasota Beach. The sky was completely clear except for a dark cloudy haze that covered the sunset. While I was hoping to see the sunset, my priority was seeing Mercury and Venus in the southwestern horizon. To pass the time I decided to skip shells on the waves in a manner similar to the way x-rays are focused  using paraboloid/ hyperboloid surfaces in a telescope. I found that a smaller incident angle would produce more shell skips. By applying this method I managed to reach a record of four shell skips that evening.. At ten minutes past seven I could see Venus through the cloud coverage. Unfortunately, Mercury did not shine as bright and I could not see it with the naked eye. I stayed on the beach till 7:20 and then decided to head home.

After finishing my homework for the night I went outside for one last look at the sky at around 8 P.M. Initially I could hardy make out any constellations; however, twenty minutes passed and my eyes adjusted to the darkness. Directly overhead  the Summer Triangle and its respective constellations were visible. Due east in the sky I saw the square of Pegasus hanging upside down.

Additionally, the moon was waxing crescent, but tomorrow it will be First Quarter.
Total observed time = 1 hour