Moore The Observer's Year

366 Nights in the Universe
2. Auflage 2005
ISBN: 978-1-84628-155-6
Verlag: Springer
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 376 Seiten

Reihe: The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series

For this new edition, the text has been brought fully up to date - and the period covered is from 2005 to 2010. Inevitably, this has meant that large sections of the book have been completely rewritten. Much has happened since the ?rst edition was published in 1998. Patrick Moore December 2004 v 00-OY2e_PRE(i-xvi).qxd 14/2/05 2:03 PM Page vii Contents Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix Phases of the Moon 2005-2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii January . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 February . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 March. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 April. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 May . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 June . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 July . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 August. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 September. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 October . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265 November. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 December. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325 Appendix A: The 88 Constellations. . . . . . . . . . . . 351 Appendix B: Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353 Appendix C: The Greek Alphabet. . . . . . . . . . . . . 363 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365 vii 00-OY2e_PRE(i-xvi).qxd 14/2/05 2:03 PM Page ix Introduction It was once said that 'the night sky always looks much the same'. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. There are 365 days in each year (366 in a Leap Year!), and from an astronomical point of view no two are alike.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Moore, Patrick

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Preface;6
2;Contents;8
3;Introduction;10
4;Phases of the Moon 2005–2010;13
5;January;17
5.1;January 1 The January Sky;22
5.2;January 2 The Two Most Famous Constellations;23
5.3;January 3 The Poles of the Sky;24
5.4;January 4 The Quadrantid Meteors;25
5.5;January 5 The Horse and his Rider;25
5.6;January 6 The Faintest Star in the Plough;26
5.7;January 7 The Little Bear – and the Guardians of the Pole;27
5.8;January 8 The Legend of the Bears;29
5.9;January 9 Lunokhod 2 on the Moon;30
5.10;January 10 Colours of the Stars;30
5.11;January 11 Phases of the Inferior Planets;31
5.12;January 12 Orion, the Hunter;33
5.13;January 13 Orion as a Guide;34
5.14;January 14 The Legend of Orion;36
5.15;January 15 Betelgeux;36
5.16;January 16 Rigel;38
5.17;January 17 Comets;39
5.18;January 18 Hare in the Sky;39
5.19;January 19 The Dove, the Graving Tool and Declination;41
5.20;January 20 The Belt and the Sword;42
5.21;January 21 Features of the Moon;43
5.22;January 22 Right Ascension;44
5.23;January 23 Clusters in Cassiopeia;45
5.24;January 24 Variable Stars in Cassiopeia;46
5.25;January 25 Tycho’s Star;47
5.26;January 26 Northern and Southern Lights;48
5.27;January 27 King Cepheus;49
5.28;January 28 Variable Stars in Cepheus;50
5.29;January 29 The Celestial Lizard;51
5.30;January 30 Introduction to Eridanus;52
5.31;January 31 Lunar History;53
6;February;55
6.1;February 1 The February Sky;60
6.2;February 2 Oppositions of the Planets;60
6.3;February 3 Touchdown in the Ocean of Storms;61
6.4;February 4 Gemini;62
6.5;February 5 Fra Mauro;63
6.6;February 6 The Non-Identical Twins;64
6.7;February 7 William Huggins and his Spectroscopes;64
6.8;February 8 The Castor Family;65
6.9;February 9 Variable Stars in the Twins;66
6.10;February 10 Messier’s Catalogue – and M35;67
6.11;February 11 The Eskimo Nebula;68
6.12;February 12 Messengers to Venus;68
6.13;February 13 Introducing the Milky Way;69
6.14;February 14 The Solar Cycle – and Solar Max;70
6.15;February 15 Lunar Insects?;70
6.16;February 16 Touchdown on Eros;71
6.17;February 17 Missions to the Sea of Crises;72
6.18;February 18 Twinkling Stars;72
6.19;February 19 De Revolutionibus;73
6.20;February 20 The Great Dog;74
6.21;February 21 The Celestial Pup;76
6.22;February 22 The Sun’s Surroundings;77
6.23;February 23 Messier 41;77
6.24;February 24 Supernovæ;78
6.25;February 25 Fritz Zwicky and his Supernovæ;79
6.26;February 26 Procyon and the Little Dog;79
6.27;February 27 The Little Snake;80
6.28;February 28 An Equatorial Star;81
6.29;February 29 Leap Years;81
7;March;83
7.1;March 1 The March Sky;88
7.2;March 2 The Celestial Crab;88
7.3;March 3 Back to the Moon;89
7.4;March 4 The Seas of the Moon;90
7.5;March 5 The Beehive;91
7.6;March 6 Binoculars and the Sky;92
7.7;March 7 X Cancri;93
7.8;March 8 ‘The Solitary One’;93
7.9;March 9 The Watersnake;94
7.10;March 10 The Giraffe and the Southern Pointers;95
7.11;March 11 The Planet-Hunter;96
7.12;March 12 Star Magnitudes;97
7.13;March 13 Solar System Anniversaries;98
7.14;March 14 The Greatest Globular Cluster;98
7.15;March 15 Choosing a Telescope;99
7.16;March 16 Procyon;100
7.17;March 17 The Owl Nebula;101
7.18;March 18 Space-Walking;101
7.19;March 19 XI Ursæ Majoris: the First Computed Binary;102
7.20;March 20 The Equinox;103
7.21;March 21 The Celestial Equator;104
7.22;March 22 The Origin of the Planets;104
7.23;March 23 The Hunting Dogs;105
7.24;March 24 The Whirlpool;106
7.25;March 25 Titan;107
7.26;March 26 Messier Objects in Canes Venatici;108
7.27;March 27 Monoceros;108
7.28;March 28 The Oldest Open Cluster;110
7.29;March 29 Miniature Worlds;110
7.30;March 30 Nu Hydræ;111
7.31;March 31 Van Maanen and the Galaxies;112
8;April;113
8.1;April 1 The April Sky;118
8.2;April 2 Leo, the Lion;118
8.3;April 3 The Royal Star;119
8.4;April 4 Algieba, the Double Star in the Sickle;120
8.5;April 5 Features of the Sickle;121
8.6;April 6 Denebola: a Fading Star?;122
8.7;April 7 R Leonis and the Purkinje Effect;122
8.8;April 8 Chort and Zosma: Radial Velocities of Stars;123
8.9;April 9 Galaxies in Leo;124
8.10;April 10 The Little Lion;125
8.11;April 11 Lynx;126
8.12;April 12 The Intergalactic Tr127
8.13;April 13 47 Ursae Majoris: a Planetary Centre?;127
8.14;April 14 The Mountains of the Moon;128
8.15;April 15 The Spin of the Moon;129
8.16;April 16 Méchain and the Nebulæ;130
8.17;April 17 Seas at the Moon’s Limb;131
8.18;April 18 Constellation Shapes – and the Southern Triangle;131
8.19;April 19 The Lunar Surveyors;132
8.20;April 20 The Lyrids – and Thatcher’s Comet;133
8.21;April 21 Apollo 16 and the Highlands of the Moon;134
8.22;April 22 Antlia;134
8.23;April 23 The Sextant;135
8.24;April 24 The Centaur and the Southern Cross;136
8.25;April 25 Features of the Centaur;137
8.26;April 26 The Southern Cross;138
8.27;April 27 The Jewel Box and the Coal Sack;139
8.28;April 28 Lupus;139
8.29;April 29 Ara;140
8.30;April 30 The Moon and Easter;141
9;May;143
9.1;May 1 The May Sky;148
9.2;May 2 Tracing the Zodiac;148
9.3;May 3 Areas of the Zodiacal Constellations;149
9.4;May 4 The Giant Planet;150
9.5;May 5 Meteorites over Britain;151
9.6;May 6 The Belts and Spots of Jupiter;151
9.7;May 7 The Satellites of Jupiter;152
9.8;May 8 Virgo;153
9.9;May 9 Spica;154
9.10;May 10 Arich;154
9.11;May 11 Star Names;155
9.12;May 12 A Missing Link?;156
9.13;May 13 The Bowl of Virgo;157
9.14;May 14 M87: a Giant Radio Galaxy;158
9.15;May 15 Minelauva and Stellar Evolution;159
9.16;May 16 Nu Virginis: Red Star in the Virgin;159
9.17;May 17 May 17;160
9.18;May 18 The Legend of Berenice’s Hair;160
9.19;May 19 The Coma Cluster;161
9.20;May 20 Nebular Objects in Coma;162
9.21;May 21 The Sun – from Beta Comæ;162
9.22;May 22 Jupiter’s Satellite Family;163
9.23;May 23 Corvus;164
9.24;May 24 The Antennæ;165
9.25;May 25 Crater, the Cup;165
9.26;May 26 The Sun – and Richard Carrington;166
9.27;May 27 R Hydræ;166
9.28;May 28 Lockyer and Stellar Evolution;167
9.29;May 29 Der Mond;167
9.30;May 30 The Lunar Atmosphere;168
9.31;May 31 Occultations of Mars;169
10;June;171
10.1;June 1 The June Sky;176
10.2;June 2 Dark Adaptation;176
10.3;June 3 The Hale Re.ector;177
10.4;June 4 Peculiar Pluto;177
10.5;June 5 Pluto and Charon;178
10.6;June 6 Boötes, the Herdsman;179
10.7;June 7 Arcturus;180
10.8;June 8 Transits of Venus;181
10.9;June 9 The Ophiuchids;182
10.10;June 10 Red Variable: W Boötis;183
10.11;June 11 The Vanishing Star;183
10.12;June 12 Double Stars in Boötes;184
10.13;June 13 Quadrans: the Forgotten Constellation;184
10.14;June 14 The Northern Crown;185
10.15;June 15 R Coronæ: the Sooty Star;186
10.16;June 16 T Coronæ: the Blaze Star;186
10.17;June 17 The ‘Leviathan of Parsonstown’;187
10.18;June 18 Scorpius;188
10.19;June 19 Antares: the Scorpion’s Heart;189
10.20;June 20 Neighbours of Antares;190
10.21;June 21 Globular Clusters in Scorpius;190
10.22;June 22 The Scorpion’s Head;191
10.23;June 23 The Scorpion’s Sting;191
10.24;June 24 Open Clusters in Scorpius;192
10.25;June 25 Scorpius X-1;192
10.26;June 26 Libra;193
10.27;June 27 Beta Libræ: a Green Star?;193
10.28;June 28 The First Point of Libra;194
10.29;June 29 Secchi’s Spectral Classi.cation;195
10.30;June 30 Meteorite Craters;195
11;July;197
11.1;July 1 The July Sky;202
11.2;July 2 Hercules;202
11.3;July 3 Zeta Herculis;204
11.4;July 4 Globular Clusters in Hercules;204
11.5;July 5 The Changing Moon;205
11.6;July 6 Rasalgethi;206
11.7;July 7 Telescopic Objects in Hercules;206
11.8;July 8 Ophiuchus;207
11.9;July 9 Poniatowski’s Bull;208
11.10;July 10 Ophiuchus in the Zodiac;209
11.11;July 11 Barnard’s Star;209
11.12;July 12 Serpens: the Broken Constellation;210
11.13;July 13 The Serpens Globular;211
11.14;July 14 The Serpent’s Body;211
11.15;July 15 The Eagle Nebula;212
11.16;July 16 The Central Bay;212
11.17;July 17 Sagittarius;213
11.18;July 18 Southernmost Sagittarius;214
11.19;July 19 The Star-Clouds of Sagittarius;215
11.20;July 20 The Centre of the Galaxy;215
11.21;July 21 Nebulæ in Sagittarius;216
11.22;July 22 Messier 22;217
11.23;July 23 The Missing Messier Objects;217
11.24;July 24 Corona Australis: the Southern Crown;218
11.25;July 25 The Summer Triangle;218
11.26;July 26 Lyra;220
11.27;July 27 Vega;221
11.28;July 28 The Changing Size of the Moon;222
11.29;July 29 Beta Lyræ;222
11.30;July 30 The Ring Nebula;223
11.31;July 31 Epsilon Lyræ, the Double-Double Star;224
12;August;225
12.1;August 1 The August Sky;230
12.2;August 2 Neptune: the Outermost Giant;230
12.3;August 3 The Perseids – and Comet Swift-Tuttle;231
12.4;August 4 Observing Neptune;231
12.5;August 5 Aquila;232
12.6;August 6 Antinoüs;233
12.7;August 7 Altair;233
12.8;August 8 Eta Aquilæ;234
12.9;August 9 Nova Aquilæ, 1918;235
12.10;August 10 The Moon from Orbiter;235
12.11;August 11 The Perseid Shower;236
12.12;August 12 Meteor Photography;236
12.13;August 13 Eros, the Cosmic Lozenge;237
12.14;August 14 The Shield and the Wild Duck;238
12.15;August 15 R Scuti;238
12.16;August 16 Cygnus, the Swan;239
12.17;August 17 Deneb: a Celestial Searchlight;240
12.18;August 18 The North America Nebula;240
12.19;August 19 Albireo, the Coloured Double;241
12.20;August 20 P Cygni, the Unstable Star;242
12.21;August 21 The ‘Flying Star’;243
12.22;August 22 Variable Stars in Cygnus;243
12.23;August 23 Clusters in Cygnus;244
12.24;August 24 Uranus;245
12.25;August 25 Giants from Close Range;246
12.26;August 26 Rings and Moons;246
12.27;August 27 The Migrating Star;247
12.28;August 28 Mars at its Nearest;248
12.29;August 29 Mars through the Telescope;249
12.30;August 30 Observing Mars;250
12.31;August 31 Close-Range Views of Mars;250
13;September;253
13.1;September 1 The September Sky;258
13.2;September 2 The First Four Asteroids;258
13.3;September 3 The Martian Scene;259
13.4;September 4 The Legend of the Dolphin;260
13.5;September 5 Doubles and Variables in Delphinus;261
13.6;September 6 The Delphinus Globulars;262
13.7;September 7 Equuleus;262
13.8;September 8 Sagitta, the Arrow;263
13.9;September 9 Vulpecula;263
13.10;September 10 The Sea of Tranquillity;264
13.11;September 11 Tracing the Zodiac: Continued;265
13.12;September 12 The Sea-Goat;265
13.13;September 13 The Flight of Luna 2 1959: Landing of Luna 2 on;266
13.14;September 14 Beta and Alpha Capricorni;267
13.15;September 15 Messier 30;268
13.16;September 16 Pegasus;268
13.17;September 17 The Light-curve of Beta Pegasi;269
13.18;September 18 Epsilon Pegasi: a Suspected Variable;270
13.19;September 19 Double Star Separations;270
13.20;September 20 The Planet of 51 Pegasi?;272
13.21;September 21 Remote Objects in Pegasus;272
13.22;September 22 Equal Day and Night;273
13.23;September 23 Aquarius, the Water-Bearer;274
13.24;September 24 Zeta Aquarii;275
13.25;September 25 Harvest Moon;275
13.26;September 26 Blue Moons ;276
13.27;September 27 Messier Objects in Aquarius;277
13.28;September 28 The Saturn Nebula and the Helix;278
13.29;September 29 Pisces;278
13.30;September 30 TX Piscium and Van Maanen’s Star;279
14;October;281
14.1;October 1 The October Sky;286
14.2;October 2 The Southern Fish;286
14.3;October 3 Sculptor;288
14.4;October 4 The Start of the Space Age;288
14.5;October 5 Cetus;289
14.6;October 6 The ‘Wonderful Star’;290
14.7;October 7 Tau Ceti: a Near Neighbour;291
14.8;October 8 Giants and Dwarfs of the Sky;292
14.9;October 9 Flare Stars;293
14.10;October 10 The Draconid Meteors;293
14.11;October 11 Objects in Cetus;294
14.12;October 12 The Chemical Furnace;295
14.13;October 13 Crater Linné;295
14.14;October 14 William Lassell and hisTelescope;296
14.15;October 15 Draco, the Dragon;297
14.16;October 16 Nearby Stars in Draco;298
14.17;October 17 The Old Pole Star;298
14.18;October 18 The Moving Pole;299
14.19;October 19 Gamma Draconis and Aberration;300
14.20;October 20 Andromeda;301
14.21;October 21 The Orionids – and Halley’s Comet;302
14.22;October 22 The Great Spiral;303
14.23;October 23 Spörer and his Law;303
14.24;October 24 The Distance of M31;304
14.25;October 25 The Other Side of the Moon;305
14.26;October 26 The Form of M31;305
14.27;October 27 The Other Side of the Moon;306
14.28;October 28 Companions of the Andromeda Spiral;307
14.29;October 29 Aries, the Ram;307
14.30;October 30 Triangulum;308
14.31;October 31 The Pinwheel Galaxy;309
15;November;311
15.1;November 1 The November Sky;316
15.2;November 2 Eridanus, the River;316
15.3;November 3 The Taurids;318
15.4;November 4 The South Celestial Pole;318
15.5;November 5 The Clouds of Magellan;320
15.6;November 6 Venus in the Morning Sky;320
15.7;November 7 The Rotation of Venus;321
15.8;November 8 Venus: the Phantom Satellite;322
15.9;November 9 The Ptolemæus Chain;322
15.10;November 10 Conditions on Venus;323
15.11;November 11 Perseus and the Sea-Monster;324
15.12;November 12 The Demon Star;325
15.13;November 13 The Light-curve of Algol;326
15.14;November 14 The Sword-Handle in Perseus;326
15.15;November 15 Objects in Perseus;327
15.16;November 16 Tracing the Equator;327
15.17;November 17 Leonid Night;328
15.18;November 18 Canopus;328
15.19;November 19 The Andromedid Meteors;330
15.20;November 20 Hubble and the Galaxies;330
15.21;November 21 Auriga, the Charioteer;331
15.22;November 22 Capella;332
15.23;November 23 The Mysterious ‘Kid’;333
15.24;November 24 Zeta Aurigæ;333
15.25;November 25 Clusters in Auriga;334
15.26;November 26 The Celestial Crane;334
15.27;November 27 Phœnix;336
15.28;November 28 Peacock and Indian;337
15.29;November 29 Tucana;338
15.30;November 30 The Brightest Lunar Crater;339
16;December;341
16.1;December 1 The December Sky;346
16.2;December 2 The Colours of the Stars;346
16.3;December 3 Stars of Many Kinds;347
16.4;December 4 Some Red or Orange Stars;348
16.5;December 5 Twinkling Planets?;348
16.6;December 6 Sizes of the Constellations;349
16.7;December 7 Space Pioneer;349
16.8;December 8 Occultation Series;350
16.9;December 9 Pluto: Planet or Not?;350
16.10;December 10 Taurus;351
16.11;December 11 The Hyades;352
16.12;December 12 The Seven Sisters;352
16.13;December 13 The Geminids;353
16.14;December 14 The Stars of the Pleiades;354
16.15;December 15 Lambda Tauri;354
16.16;December 16 The Crab Nebula;355
16.17;December 17 The Ringed Planet;356
16.18;December 18 The Rings of Saturn;356
16.19;December 19 Storms on Saturn;357
16.20;December 20 Space-craft to Saturn;358
16.21;December 21 The Satellites of Saturn;358
16.22;December 22 The Cassini Mission;359
16.23;December 23 The Ursids – and Tuttle’s Comet;359
16.24;December 24 The Barwell Meteorite;360
16.25;December 25 The Star of Bethlehem;361
16.26;December 26 The False Cross;362
16.27;December 27 Eta Carinæ;363
16.28;December 28 Beta Pictoris: a Planetary Centre?;364
16.29;December 29 Keeping Watch on the Sun;364
16.30;December 30 A Last Look Round;365
16.31;December 31 The End of the Century;365
17;The 88 Constellations;367
18;Glossary;369
19;The Greek Alphabet;379
20;Index;381

Leseproben

August (p. 214-215)

August 1
The August Sky

For the northern observer, the nights are lengthening. The Summer Triangle continues to dominate the scene, while the main autumn constellation, Pegasus, makes its entry in midevening. The Great Bear is rather low in the north-west, which means that the W of Cassiopeia is high in the northeast. Arcturus is setting, and Capella is so low over the northern horizon that any mist or light pollution will conceal it. We have lost the Scorpion, though Sagittarius remains on view very low in the south. In the early hours of the morning, the lovely star-cluster of the Pleiades appears in the east. By the end of August it rises well before midnight – a reminder that the hot days are over, and winter, with its frosts and fogs, lies ahead.

Remember that August is the ‘meteor month’. The Perseids, which peak on 12 August, may always be relied upon to give good displays, and even in the presence of the Moon quite a number of ‘shooting-stars’ can always be expected. The shower has already started at the beginning of the month, and goes on until near the end of the third week. From the southern hemisphere, the Vega-Deneb-Altair triangle is visible in the east, though only Altair is reasonably high from Australia or South Africa. Scorpius and Sagittarius remain prominent, though Scorpius is sinking in the west.

The Southern Cross is low, and so is Canopus, with the Southern Fish high up, and Pegasus appearing in the northeast. Of course the Perseids can be seen, but the radiant lies far in the north, so that for once Britons have the advantage over Australians. The Clouds of Magellan are gaining altitude, and this is a good time to pick out the admittedly rather confusing Southern Birds – Grus, Pavo, Phœnix and Tucana.


August 2
Neptune: the Outermost Giant

Throughout the period we are covering here, Neptune reaches opposition in the late northern summer – from 8 August in 2005 to 19 August in 2010; the synodic period is only 367.5 days. Throughout the period Neptune remains in Capricornus, around declination –19°; at the 2002 opposition it remains near the star Rho Capricorni, magnitude 4.8. Neptune’s mean opposition magnitude is 7.7.

This means that it is well below naked-eye visibility, but binoculars will show it in the guise of a starlike point. Telescopically it appears as a small, bluish disk, with an apparent diameter of around 2 seconds of arc. Ordinary telescopes will show no surface features, though markings have been recorded very distinctly from the Hubble Space Telescope – and of course from the one space-craft to have passed by it, Voyager 2 in 1989. There are 11 known satellites, of which 6 were found during and after the Voyager 2 encounter. Of the two attendants previously known, Triton is an easy telescopic object with adequate equipment, but Nereid is very faint indeed, and the recently-found satellites are beyond the range of Earth-based instruments.