Alo.

Look out the window, sometimes.

Leonids Meteor Shower 2009

TheSkyX™/Software Bisque  

Come this 17th and 18th, we will get to welcome the LeonidsMetoer Shower. Normally showering us with around 20 or 30 meteors an hour, this time it's expected in the hundreds. 

For us here in Asia, it's an added bonus as we would have the best seat to view them. The added fact that it would be moonless also makes it for better viewing. 

Read my earlier posts on Meteor Showers for best viewing ideas and some basic dos and don'ts. Happy viewing!

Iridium Flares

image : quezi.com

Iridium flares are a little harder to observe but a lot more fun.

Imagine a scenario (like I've experienced many times before), where you are standing along the streets somewhere and you are staring up into space. People are walking past you and they are wondering what you are looking at. They look in the same direction and they see nothing except empty space. And they think maybe that's what you have between your ears, too much empty space.

For the few who'd dare, they'd probably walk up to you and ask you what it is you are looking at. You tell them to hang on for a couple of seconds and keep watching at that exact location in the sky. Just then, a bright light suddenly appears! It lingers for a few seconds as it streaks across the sky and then it vanishes. Everyone is a little surprised and they are all wondering what that was. As they turn back to ask you, they realise that you have already walked away. Cool? Well I think so.

What they don't know is that they have just witnessed a flare from one of the many Iridium satellites we have up there. Basically it's just a reflection from the sun on one of it's antenna panels. These flares reach a magnitude of -8. In effect making them the third brightest object in the sky after the Sun and the Moon!

Iridium Satellite and what causes the Flare.

image : satobs.org

Go ahead and make this a hobby. It is really fun. You can locate the next flare in your area at http://www.heavens-above.com/. Just key in your location and you are done. Absolutely free. Amaze your friends with perfect prediction. Every time. Remember, some of this flares are so bright, they can even be observed in the daytime! Read more about them at that site or even Wikipedia.

To observe, you only need a basic compass and the simple ability to gauge inclinations or altitude.

Enjoy.

Star-chasers Inc.

      I guess that's good enough a way to describe one of the many things I enjoy doing. Star chasing.   

      Actually I chase satellites more often and I'll explain in a while. As most of my friends (everyone of them in fact) will attest to the fact that I'm an avid nature lover. Everything that has anything to do with the great outdoors. Even the neighbourhood teenagers that I occasionally get to meet. I try my best to introduce them to the marvels of nature and astronomy.

       Now, satellite chasing or tracking is precisely just that, chasing, tracking and watching the satellites as they zoom past above us in the night sky. O.K I can almost hear some of you going "hey, that's not nature, it's man made!' That's what Ling says to me all the time. But you see, to me that IS the wonder of it all. If we didn't have satellites, it be impossible for us to see, know and admire the universe beyond. Think about the Hubble Space Telescope and you'd understand. If we don't send these satellites out there, we're practically saying goodbye to mankind. More on that another time.

Satellite tracking is a marvelous way to admire how far we as the human race have come. Every time I see one, I go 'Whao, that is so cool'. Allow me to share with you how you too can observe these satellites. Frankly it is really easy. If you have a basic understanding of the night sky, you'd have no problems. For those who are really new to this, here's a general rule of thumb. If it twinkles, it's a star. If it stays constant, it's a planet. 

Chances are you've probably seen most of our neighbours in the Solar System already. You just didn't realise what you were looking at. If you are in this part of Asia as I am writing this now, step outside (at night of course) and look straight up. You'd see this really bright 'star' It's the brightest thing around except for the moon which will rise much later. What you are looking at is in fact planet Jupiter
  Jupiter and its 4 moons image : utahskies.org

  Now, if you have a pair of binoculars, use them and have a look at Jupiter. If you can stabilise your hands and observe very carefully you'd be able to see 4 of it's largest moons. The other planets that are easily visible to the naked eye are the brightest of them all, Venus. The red planet Mars. The ringed giant Saturn and the little one Mercury. Here's a good free website to download. You only need to key in your approximate location and it'll point out to you what is exactly above you in real time. It is at http://www.stellarium.org/ .

  You can also use this site to observe stars, galaxies and constellations. Ever wondered what your Zodiac sign actually looks like in the sky? Well go ahead and find out. Satellite are a little different. Mainly because they zoom past so fast. In about 6 minutes or less, it's all over. You need to study the sky chart a little better to really know where to look. The placements of each bright star is vital as you need to use them as markers.

image: xyberlog.com

  Get yourself a compass though quite frankly you wouldn't need it if you observe the sky charts and stars. A good watch is a must. O.k, any watch will do, just that you have to set your time accurately. Down to the second. Satellites, just like all celestial objects in the sky are measured in Magnitudes. That basically means brightness. It's rather easy if you understand golf, where a negative number is a good thing. For example, the brightest object in our sky is obviously the Sun. It's magnitude is minus 26.7 (-26.7). Then we have the moon at minus 12.7 (-12.7). The brightest planet, Venus , is at minus 4.4 ( -4.4). So you see, the more positive a number, the more difficult it will be to see it

. The International Space Station. Image: flashladybug.com

  Last week, I got to see the International Space Station twice. On most days it's magnitude is around minus 2.0 (-2.0). Here's the best part. The Space Shuttle Discovery was docked to it! So I saw it at mag. -3.1. The excitement of watching it was amazing. To think that there were 13 people up there at that time and the possibility that 2 of them may have been doing maintenance outside as they space walked! Of course I couldn't see the astronauts but the thought that I was watching them from down here was great

! image: galaxywire.net

  Yes, sure, there are people out there who see a satellite once and say "So, is that it?" I've had some people say it looks no different from a plane as it approaches the runway for a landing at night with it's main lights on. May be true. May look the same. But to know it's not is the point. I do feel sad when they say that to me. Not for myself but for them. For they don't seem to appreciate what they are seeing. Well to each, his own.

  Here's where you can get those sky charts and information on when the next satellite will be zooming over your night sky. Once again, it is a free website and once again you'd only need to key in your location. You'd also be able to track a whole list of other celestial objects from here. Do try to track the ISS if you can. Or better yet Iridium Flares. I'll write about them later. Go to http://www.heavens-above.com/ .

  I just saw 2 satellites yesterday and 3 today. How many will you see?

August Perseids Meteor Showers

Here's an image taken in the 2007.

Credit Fred Bruenjes.

August the 12th.

The best meteor shower of the year is upon us. For those of you who may have missed out on last months show, you'd have no excuse to miss this. Meteor showers are basically graded in three categories (four, to be precise). Cat 1 is for most of us amateurs, that's when you may see over 60 meteors per hour. Then we have Cat 2. Here we go intermediate astronomers, with the possibility to see around 20 per hour. Cat 3 is for the professionals. These showers produce no more then 10 per hour, so patience is key. We actually have a Cat 4 and that is for those astronomers who use really amazing equipment to track day time meteor showers. The Delta Aquarids and Capricornids of last month are what you'd call a Cat 2. Still I'd have to say that Ling and I did enjoy the both of them and we saw around 6 per hour. Sometimes she missed a few, sometimes I'd miss a few. Just as I take another sip of my beer, she goes ' There's another one!'. I go, 'Bloody Hell!'. Anyhoo, late Tuesday night, all through the dawn of Wednesday, and again Wednesday night after sunset, would be the best time to catch the Perseids shower. Although you'd still be able to catch it a few days before and a few days after. Remember, this is a Cat 1, so unless you've got a bad sky, you'd definitely be able to enjoy this show. You only need to find a place with as little light pollution as possible. I know that it is next to impossible here in Singapore but I'm sure you'd still make do. Once you've found a good spot, set up camp to lie down (that road in front of your house is not a good idea).

Here's basically where you'd need to look out to.

Astronomy: Roen Kelly

Bring with you someone you'd like to lie next to and a simple floor mat. Then give yourselves about 15 to 20 minutes to let your eyes get adjusted to the night. You do not need any binoculars or telescopes. You'd be better off without them. Oh and yes, bring along some refreshment and some insect repellent. Just in case. Now here's a little history about this particular shower. The ancient Chinese recorded them first some 2000 years ago around A.D.36. They are the debris left behind in the trail of Comet Swift-Tuttle which flies from deep space into the inner solar system every 130 years on its long, looping orbit around the sun, where it remains for several years. Every year in August, Earth passes through this trail of debris and they hit into Earth's upper atmosphere. Shock waves from their impact cause them to flare into brightness and they show as long streaks of light and sometimes as brilliant fireballs.Their meteor tails all seem to radiate from one point, known as the radiant, within the constellation Perseus - hence their name.

The comet was discovered by astronomers Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle in 1862.

Well there you have it. Don't miss this for you'd need to wait for a whole year to watch it again.

Besides, it's not often you get to see the stars raining down on Earth.

The Excitement of July

July has always been a very special month for me. I look forward to it every year but at the same time I wish it wouldn't come around too fast. You see, July is my mum's birth month - the 23rd to be exact - and we always make it a point to celebrate it. Though usually it's always only specifically a family affair. But this month however, it's going to be a little extra exciting. We are in for a rather busy month. That is if you are also an avid amateur astronomer like myself. To get things rolling, space shuttle Endeavour blasted off into space on the 15th. Their mission, to dock with the International Space Station and deliver the last piece of a Japanese laboratory called Kibo. They should be docking some time later today. They're scheduled to stay on the ISS for 11 days. You can track the Endeavour and the ISS at Tracking Endeavour and The ISS. Remember, this IS in real time! So if at the right time of the night they pass over your region, do step outside and try to have a look. They aren't that difficult to detect, especially the ISS. You can spot it with your naked eye. It looks like a very bright star but it doesn't blink (twinkle) though it tends to wobble. And it moves pretty fast. The International Space Station image www.astronomy-pictures.net You should also try out http://www.heavens-above.com/. Here you just need to click your current observation location on a map and you'd immediately be given a listings of the satellites that would be visible to you then! Cool Huh? Another really great event taking place would be on the 22nd. That's when the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century will take place. That's right, if you miss this one, you better wish you are alive on the 13 th of June 2132! THAT is NOT a typo! image www.dailygalaxy.com Of course there will be other total eclipses, but non will last as long as this till 2132. This will last for about 6 minutes and 39 seconds. There are various websites that would be showing this live if you are not on this side of the planet. If you are , it's between 8.40 a.m to about 9.44 a.m. local time. The maximum eclipse at 9.11 a.m. The next show in store for this month would be 2 meteorite showers. The first, Delta Aquarids would be between the 28th and 29th. You should be able to see about 20 bright yellow meteorites per hour. The 2nd is called Capricornids and that would be on the 29th till the 30th. Amazing, 2 shows overlapping each other! Here's what a fireball might look like. I have personally seen a few like this myself. image Arne Danielsen/Astrophile.net The Capricornids is of a slightly lesser frequency. About only 15 meteorites per hour. And you'd need a really dark night, but for those with patience, this is well rewarding for they are known to produce brilliant fireballs in the night sky. Anyhoo, if you can't see them, you can still hear them at http://spaceweatherradio.com/. So there you have it. A really amazing month ahead. Do find the time to enjoy these great events in the sky. Think about it, it's free! And God designed it.

Meteor Showers 3

Meteor Showers 2

Wow! What a night! Ling and I really had fun last night watching the shower. But the real fun was when dawn broke and the crescent moon came out. And right behind it Venus was chasing. That was Spectacular! Never have I seen the sky so vibrant. So much activity came to live just when we were giving up and thinking we'd go home. Then suddenly at around 5 in the morning, it all started! Unbelievable!

The Lyrid Meteor Shower

I am looking forward to watching the meteor shower tonight with Ling. Hopefully we'd be able to get a decent viewing from where we'd be. The Lyrid meteor shower is the oldest known and probably the most famous meteor shower that exist, about 2600 years ago was when it was 1st recorded. Look to the northeast to find the meteors appearing to radiate out of the constellation of Lyra the harp. And no, you do not need to use a bino to watch it. Though I may be bringing my telescope down to watch the eclipse of Venus. The source of the meteor shower is Comet Thatcher. Every year in late April, Earth passes through the comet's trail of debris. Another interesting thing tonight would be the eclipse of the second brightest object in the night sky by the brightest night time object. Yes, the moon will cover Venus for about an hour or so. So if you're awake at those wee hours of the morning, you can join me and Ling and enjoy one of the greatest shows created by the Almighty God. And you don't have to pay a cent for it. http://wowzaweb.streamguys.com/~spaceweather/ You can listen to it here 'live' too! Enjoy!

Geocaching

Geocaching is a global sport (if you can call it a sport) that has taken the world by storm ( well, almost. More like creeping into our lives actually.) It's more of a treasure hunting game that just about anyone in the world can play. It's one of those few things left in this world that's free. Well almost, you may need to invest in a handheld GPS device. I say you may because there are times you may not even need that, although that is rare. A GPS (global positioning system) device is basically a thingamajig that connects you with the 29 or so satellites that are roaming out there in space (maybe more, maybe less, I don't care, as long as they do what they're meant to and not fall on my head). So, as you move around with this machine in your hand, it picks up signals bouncing off these satellites. And as soon as you get a good clear signal from at least 3 satellites, you're in business. Well that basically means you now have a very good idea of your position on this great planet of ours, i.e. your bearings. That's the northing's and easting's and other such methods of identifying any one point on earth (think maps). All this within an accuracy of 15 m (even lesser with newer models). That's freaking amazing! O.K, now imagine if I have such a device and I go out, say to somewhere in the most ulu part of this country (lets not play the whole world first ok, baby steps first, next time we can go learn to fly, can?). Ok so now I'm out there somewhere and I have a small plastic container and in that container I have a bunch of goodies (can be as little or as much as I want, that doesn't really matter). And in that container, I've also placed a pen and a little notepad. So now I place that container, say under a tree that would have little or no chance of anyone stumbling upon it. I cover it up with some small rocks and maybe a bit of camouflage of leaves or some stuff like that. I then use my GPS device to get my bearings as I stand on that spot. I take note of it and I go home. Alright so now I'm at home and I go to this special website, http://www.geocaching.com/, dedicated to geocachers around the world and I key in the coordinates of that place I hid the box. I include some basic description of the area (making sure not to give away too much) and some advice and warning about the general terrain and difficulty. This cache is now considered published and anyone in the world will be able to view it. Now your mission, should you choose to accept it (heck, I always wanted to say that), is to key in those same coordinates into your GPS unit, bring a friend or two, get some sandwiches made, bring your water bottles( this you REALLY need!) and get on your way to finding that treasure! And once you've found it, you could take one(or all) of those little gifts in there just like a little treasure. But remember, you have to replace them with some of your own stuff. It's only fair that the next hunter has something to exchange too. You then write a little log in that tiny notepad that I left behind , giving thanks or just commenting on the cache or anything. You can then do a little dance around the tree and sing some Hindi song if you like, but that's up to you. Once you are done, you go home, log in to that website and declare your find. The more you find , the more numbers you have under your belt. They don't mean anything, but what the hoo! I know, I know. I can almost hear some of you saying, "What? Like that only ah? So tiring and so waste of time to go find one stupid box?" But think about it this way, after the initial amount of no more then $200( I believe it's a lot cheaper now) you will hardly need to spend anything to get out there (even on your own if you like) and have a hell of an adventure. Remember what they said 'It's not the destination, it's the journey that matters.' I mean you could just spend your time (and money) every weekend going to the pubs with your friends or catching movies with your girlfriend, then buying her dinner. Then nearing the end of the month, when your bank account is just about to dry up, you could spend your weekends with your girlfriend window shopping at Orchard Road. But how many windows do you need?