Philippine Astronomical Society - July 2009 Appulse Issue

the

APPULSE

Official Newsletter of the Philippine Astronomical Society

PROPELLING ASTRONOMY EDUCATION TOWARD THE ACHIEVEMENT OF SCIENTIFIC EXCELLENCE AMONG FILIPINOS

Vol. 41 No. 63

July 2009

ONCE A DREAMER... A Prelude on History’s 2nd Longest Total Solar Eclipse

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e are now aboard the plane en route to Asia’s motherland, the historic communist stronghold on this side of the world. Once we touch down we will acclimatize ourselves to the Chinese air and skyline, where ultra-modern urbanization has caused the night sky to be completely washed out leaving only the Moon as the celestial object visible in its night sky. But we are not seeing the Moon at night, in fact, the night sky is useless to us. In the dead of the night, just a few hours before sunrise we drag our weary bodies off the bed, force our face into the cold morning water and dress up for the day’s main event. We have our checklist of things and leave no stones unturned, then grab a bite of quick breakfast and leave Suzhou for Jiaxing, the site reserved for visitors to view the eclipse. For in a few more hours past nine in the morning, the morning shine seems paler than usual, the wind gets colder, and an eerie atmosphere starts to replace the lively morning chatter and festivities. The Sun’s shadow appears crescent through the pinholes of the leaves of the trees. The Earth, it seems will stand still, perhaps caught napping as well, along with the morning souls that went into hiding, the cocks crow, the creatures of the night take their heads out of the burrows, and 100 million chinkyeyed people living along the eclipse path, plus an assortment of united colors of Benetton, red, white, black, green, strain their necks counting precious seconds from a few minutes of arrested anticipation, praying darn hard that no clouds would spoil the perfect day. Just then, a running shadow wavers through the ground like a shockwave of an impact, impossible to miss, and more impossible to photograph. Take a moment to observe

by Allen Yu

the ground too, folks. And if you want some weird experiment, try to let an egg stand during totality. Debatable theory has it that the combined gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun is enough to make an egg stand… SOME OF THE PAS DELEGATES TO THE Hmmmm….I 2009 CHINA TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE wonder if I can stand my egg as This is a remarkable coincidence having well hehehe, but hey, don’t laugh, they atthe size of the Moon and Sun almost the tempted it in Thailand in the 90’s - just one same is the magic behind it. This wouldn’t of those powerful eclipse myths around. be possible plus or minus a few tens of thousands years from now, as the Moon Seconds before, the feeble light of the once continues to go farther and farther from mighty Sun came to naught as the spectacle the Earth. And O’Sole Mio…O’Sole Mio, now shows the Diamond Ring and the BaiSta n’fronte a te, sta n’fronte a te!...Andrea ley’s Beads. I want to observe these shows Bocelli bellows his diaphragm till kingdom personally, and photography might spoil comes/ this opportunity; so if you have a videocam aimed at the vastness of the lands, a rushAfter 5 minutes, the first rays of the mighty ing gigantic shadow crashes in turning day Sun leaks out of the Moon’s edge, and finalinto that artificial darkness we all spent ly the land claims back its glory. The show money, effort, tears and sighs, uneasiness is over. Long live this expedition trip! and discouragement, and despair preying on our souls. and all what we waited for So what is so exciting about an eclipse any- the Totality! way? What’s the fuss of being under the Moon’s shadow for a few minutes? Nothing The crowd erupts, cheers and tears flowing I guess, only my sane part can answer that; as we see the Sun’s corona dancing, and and I now know life and God are wonderful suddenly we realized, the long-forgotten in many weird ways. I will sleep soundly Sun is a wonderful sight to behold! The coand smiling tonight. A dream I have dared rona is a story of beauty and danger. Promto live to see, and finally, ever worthwhile. inences arc their way back to the Sun’s surface, and when they snap, they release coronal mass ejection. Spaceweather relies heavily on it.

Volume 41 No. 63



jUNE

mEETING

rEPORT by FFSIrlandez

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s part of its vision to promote astronomy education to the Filipino people, the Philippine Astronomical Society visited and held its June monthly meeting at the Universidad de Manila, Lawton, Manila last June 20. The program started with Mr. Ronald Tanco who gave an overview lecture of how deep the subject of Astronomy is. After him, Mr. Edmund Rosales presented to the students tips on observational astronomy; the audience was awed with his simulation of the upcoming Total Solar Eclipse in China in July. It was like Edmund took us there to experience that spectacular event. After the lectures, the BS Education students were all very thankful for the fun experience of PAS meeting. They even requested that PAS holds a stargazing for them. And PAS

THE

APPULSE

Editorial Adviser Edna Azucena Editorial Staff Victoria Evarretta Editor-in-Chief

Francis Ferdinand Irlandez

John Nassr Joel Linao Victoria Evarretta Allen Yu Francis Ferdinand irlandez Contributors

The Appulse is published monthly by the Philippine Astronomical Society. The Appulse © 2009. All rights reserved. Please send articles, letters, observations, reports to Email: [email protected] or to [email protected] Website: www. philastrosoc.org

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Appulse - July 2009

Images by Jenny Baltazar

Layout Editor

will surely answer their call. Mr. Ian Allas then called the delegates of the “Astronomy Educational Tour in China”. They discussed certain things like the design of their shirt, streamers, etc. When all were agreed upon on the China trip, it was Mr. Hernan Dizon’s turn to present the qualified members who may run for the Board in the July election. The meeting ended about 5:00PM.

A DATE WITH THE STARS by Victoria Evarretta

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hese days when the skies are all but clear and there seem to be no let up with the afternoon and night rains, casual observing seems impossible. But I got the break last week of June when the usual scorching heat here in Tuguegarao took its normal course. The sky was clear and everything seemed to be a paradise astronomically for me. Clear, clear, clear blue skies in the morning (see pictures) with unbelievably no speck or streak of clouds at all west, east, north, south. And the night became the jeweled sky any stargazer would hanker to see. Luckily, I felt no body aches those days; it was thus just right and perfect condition for a date with the stars. I went up the roof deck, pulled out my Starry Night Guide, my binoculars, sleeping mat, red flashlight, and laser pointer from the observatory and readied myself for a two-hour stargazing while lying down at the cement floor. I told myself that this is just a night for the constellation hunting as the constellations presented in the sky from 8:00 to 10 PM. Beyond that time, I begged off - for the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, as they say. (This reminded me of our PAS out-of-town-stargazing sessions in Noveleta, Cavite and once in Sampaloc, Rizal.) Our two coconut trees still block the eastern view, but I cannot get myself to cut these down. Doing so would mean harsh heat and no shady comforts and breeze in the mornings. Waiting for the stars until they are in the zenith or in the western horizon is good enough for me.

Day of Cagayan). The sweet music of the Bee Gees, Cascades, and the Beatles all-the-more heightened the beauty of the breezy night with festive atmosphere brought about by the town’s night activities. Perfect night indeed for a date with the stars.

Note the completely blue sky west of the mini-semi observatory with the early morning shadows from the coconut trees.

Northeast instantly showed the Ursa Minor with its Little Dipper and Polaris. Then came Cygnus, Cepheus, Draco while Ursa Major was already girding close to the western horizon. Up in the zenith are Corona Borealis, Bootes, Hercules, Ophiucus, Virgo, and Libra. Leo is seen prominently near the western horizon while Scorpius and Lupus in the southeast are still taking their turn going up the zenith.

a big responsibility for me and would greatly diminish my enjoyment, for that would mean work for me trying to entertain them. In between this constellation hunting, I liked teasing the groups chatting near the barangay hall by aiming the laser pointer with the light show at them. One kid cried and ran to his mother when I did so. Ha ha ha.

You noticed that I did not mention the waxSo what’s the big deal with the constella- ing crescent moon yet. I did observe that tions for me? I guess I like to be fully fa- - its dark lowland plains contrasting the miliar with the constellations and the sto- bright highlands. While I was mentioning ries/legends that each tell. This is good for the marias and highlands to our helper who the kids, and there’s still the kid fire in me occasionally came up, he saw instead the wanting to know all. I am not into that gear two eyes, nose, and white teeth of the moon - something I failed to notice before. He even thought the moon looked like a skull then (days after when it was already the first quarter. Bending one’s imagination, indeed, it looked like one. The Mare Serenitatis, Mare Crisium looked like the moon’s two eye sockets; and Mare Tranquillitatis, its nose. Wonder what the supposed “teeth “ were - I guess they are the highlands surrounding Mare Nectaris (don’t think I’m Sky completely blue indeed (with the observatory at foreground) that turned this familiar with the moon’s into a jeweled cloudless sky at night. The big space in front of the observatory is where I usually stargaze. features; I’m just looking at my reference book).

I like looking northeast because this has no obstruction in our roof deck. While southwest has no obstruction either, the glaring lights from the nearby tennis courts dim the view of the southern side. It so happen that the end week of June is also the week of province-wide festivities here in the City because the provincial government celebrates the Aggao Nac Cagayan (literally,

yet where every night with clear sky is a night to observe throughout until the sun rises. Why didn’t I invite friends for more company? Inviting friends around would mean

Anyway, come August, I will observe whatever planets and deep-sky objects will be observable by then. I hope that I will have the energy to stay whole night for the observation.

Volume 41 No. 63



GREETINGS FROM DUBAI!

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t’s really been a long time since I last participated in the forum discussions, but I assure you that I’ve been lurking around for quite a while now, just listening in on the latest news, events, and general chikachika in our beloved PAS. Reading your posts really livens up my otherwise bland day here in the office. It feels so good to hear about your monthly meeting sessions, observation programs, and other activities...most of the time, I just pretend that I’m also there, enjoying the dark skies of the Philippines with you guys. I’m happy to see that there are lots of discussions on different topics taking place, and that people are actively participating. So how’s everyone? How’s the PAS gang? Brother Dennis, Brother Leo, Sis Mitz, Sis Nelli? What’s up with you, guys? I heard recently that Allen has rejoined PAS...welcome back, man! Sir Milo, Sir Hernan, Ate Agnes, Ate Edna, Kuya Berns, the Wonder Kids --- Leo Minor, Jane, et al --- and everyone else that I’ve had the opportunity to rub shoulders with when I was still in the Philippines...kumusta na kayong lahat? I miss you all so much! I really need to do a lot of catching up; for the past few years, I’ve always tried to make it a point to visit you guys whenever I’m on vacation in the Philippines, but my personal commitments just won’t allow me to spare some time, even for just a few hours. That’s how my vacations are. They’re hardly relaxing. I think Brother Dennis knows about that already. But I hope to set things right on my next annual vacation, because I really want to meet up with all of you again, and maybe catch a few planets and constellations while I’m there. I also want to finally meet Ate Vicky...lagi na lang po napo-postpone ang pagkikita natin, ma’am! And Mr. John Nassr...sir, champion ang mga astrophotos mo! Very inspiring, breathtaking, and mind-expanding talaga sila! I hope I’ll get the chance to personally shake your hand, and maybe visit Stardust Observatory, in the near future! Well, as for me, I can’t really share anything with regard to urban observations, since the only celestial bodies that I can see from my flat’s balcony are the Sun, Moon, the brighter planets like Venus and Jupi-

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Appulse - July 2009

ter, a handful of bright stars like Sirius, and the Big Dipper asterism in Ursa Major. Quite pathetic, isn’t it? Too bad that I’m in a part of the world where the nights are --- at least within the city limits --- an astronomer’s worst nightmare. On any given night, the sky above my flat glows with an eerie orange hue so bright that one would think that twilight just set in...at midnight. Living just a few kilometers away from one of the world’s most busiest airports also doesn’t help much. The rural desert skies are a completely different story altogether, but I don’t really get to go camping in the boonies that much anymore since I’m virtually bogged down with office work for much of the week. Until recently, I used to drive into the desert in the wee hours of the morning just to escape the glare of Dubai, armed only with a pair of binoculars, my old starmap, and a red LED flashlight. Those nights were truly unforgettable, not just because of the fact that the Milky Way was so bright in the middle of the desert that I could see the dark knots of obscuring dust within it without using averted vision, but also due to the exciting, funny, and scary experiences that I’ve had as I tried to look for dark skies farther and farther away from the city limits. I’ve had my fair share of hits and misses because of my penchant for getting into sticky situations just so I can get my astronomy fix. Come on, guys, let’s admit it...we’re all addicted to the stars! For instance, there was this time when I was all alone in the desert about 60-70 kilometers away from Dubai, and everything was pitch black...it was so dark that whenever I activated my watch’s light function so I could see what time it was, I would get temporarily blinded for a few short seconds. It was also very quiet, and it was a spooky sort of silence, the kind that you only get to experience in the movies just before some hideous thing hiding in the bushes suddenly snatches the scantily-clad

by Joel Linao

heroine away and rips her guts out. That’s how creepy it was. From somewhere in the dark, I hear a few short snorts a few meters away, and I suddenly jump into my car for fear of being eaten by some unseen monster. I turn on my headlights and I see...a small group of wild donkeys blinking in the harsh glare of my headlights while lazily grazing away. Then there was this time when I was in a different patch of desert near the border with Oman about 150 kilometers away from Dubai. Unlike before, it wasn’t completely dark because it was almost 5:30 in the morning, and the eastern horizon was already awash in hues of blue, rose, and orange. It was wintertime, and beautiful Venus floated serenely to the east. I sighed to myself, “Ahhh...what a nice end to a perfect evening of observation...” I was sipping from a cup of hot chocolate, and I already felt chilled to the bone so I was about to pack up for the evening when, from out of nowhere, a loud boom that sounded like something exploded nearby shattered the silence of the early morning sky, followed closely by two slightly lesser booms. Shortly afterwards came a persistent deep rumbling that sounded like rolling thunder, with vibrations so intense that I felt them deep inside my chest. I looked around me in disbelief; seeing nothing out of the ordinary, my eyes were drawn reflexively to the skies. And then I saw them! To the northeast and relatively close but climbing swiftly at almost the speed of sound were the bright glows of engine exhaust pipes

Continued on page 5

Greetings..

July - August Meteor Shower Watch

from page 4

on full afterburner --- the aircraft spotter in me kicks in, and I spy an American B-1 bomber and two unidentified F-16 fighter aircraft (most likely from the US Air Force, as well) escorting it. I’ve just been buzzed by UAE-based American military aircraft at a height of less that 150 feet, in the middle of winter while in some desert near the Omani border, while enjoying a cup of hot chocolate! It doesn’t get any stranger that that! I could still smell the aviation-grade kerosene hanging in the air long after they disappeared into the morning sky. Talk about closing an uneventful night of observation with a bang. Or rather a boom. Or three booms. Later that week, due to extreme curiosity, I found out that American and UAE military aircraft based at an airfield near the UAE capital city of Abu Dhabi were conducting a month-long joint military exercise near the patch of desert that I chose for my “quiet” night of stargazing, and that they were using laser targeting systems to simulate attacks on random targets instead of using actual bombs. I have a weird feeling that my car became one of their unwilling “targets” during their training maneuvers. Hmmm... Anyway, I’ve still got a lot of stories to tell about my astronomy adventures here in the UAE, stories that have accumulated for the past five years. There’s this story involving the border police, another story about a car stuck in the sand until noontime, and yet another story about a crazy Indian building watchman who mistook a telescope for a “cannon”, among other stories. But those stories will be for a different time, when I’m no longer swimming neck-deep in office paperwork (when would that be, Brother Dennis is probably asking himself right now...hehe). As for now, I’m cutting this post short because it’s starting to become a short novel. I would just like to say that it really, really feels good to be finally posting something in our forum again after an absence of almost four years. From this point in time onwards, I don’t think I can afford to sit by the sidelines any longer...it’s time to jump in once more. Active Mode: ON! Mabuhay ang astronomiya sa Pilipinas! Long live the Philippine Astronomical Society!

M

eteors, also called falling or shooting stars, occur when the Earth passes through debris fields left by passing comets. What we are witnessing when we see a shooting star is a small piece of interplanetary matter, called a meteor, entering the Earth’s atmosphere and ‘burning up’ at a height of about 100 km. While most look white, some can appear blue, green, yellow, orange, or red. Some may even explode at the end of its visible flight. Most showers produce about 20 or more meteors per hour , but there are showers which can produce hundreds of meteors in less than an hour. Such shows are, unfortunately, very rare. Meteor showers are named after the radiant - the constellation from which they appear to radiate.

under dark sky conditions, the Capricornids are noted for producing brilliant fireballs.

DELTA AQUARIDS

PERSEIDS

This shower favors the southern hemisphere (Southern Delta Aquarids) and the tropical latitudes in the northern hemisphere (Northern Delta Aquarids). From northern temperate latitudes, the maximum hourly rate may reach 15-20 meteors. Like most meteor showers, the best observing time for this shower is before dawn. Unlike most meteor showers, the Delta Aquarids does not have a very definite peak, despite the date given below. Instead, these medium-speed meteors ramble along fairly steadily throughout late July and early August. The waxing gibbous moon around the peak of the Delta Aquarids won’t really tarnish the luster of these fainter than average meteors, because the shower is best in the wee hours before dawn. An hour or two before dawn presents the most favorable view of the Delta Aquarids. Because the peak of the Delta Aquarid shower is so broad, the expected meteor rates (15-20 per hour) may be about the same from July 2830. The meteors will appear to radiate from the southern part of the sky. Peak date: July 28. Radiant: Constellation Aquarius.

Like a messy tourist, the comet SwiftTuttle passed through our solar system in 1992 (as it did in 1863) leaving behind its trash: tiny grains of ice, dust, rock, and other debris. As the Earth makes its trip around the sun, we pass through this debris field with some spectacular results - the Perseid meteor shower..

ALPHA CAPRICORNIDS The Capricornids are characterized by their often yellow coloration and their frequent brightness. They are also slow interplanetary interlopers, hitting our atmosphere at around 15 miles per second. Though you can expect only 15 meteors per hour at best

The duration of this shower extends from July 15 to September 11. The shower has the reputation of producing some of the brightest meteors. The Alpha Capricornid meteor shower occurs every year from about July 15 to September 11. The shower’s maximum is usually July 31 and August 1. The maximum rate is about ten meteors per hour. Astronomers have not identified the object responsible for producing the Alpha Capricornids. Since 1953 at least three comets and one asteroid have been suggested, but none perfectly fits the orbit of the meteor stream that causes the shower.

The Perseids is the most reliable and still very spectacular as they create 50 to 150 meteors an hour on average, and increasing at times as high as 400 an hour. It can be a most spectacular display. The Perseid meteor shower is named after the constellation Perseus (located near Cassiopea) from which it first appeared to have come. These typically fast and bright meteors radiate from a point in the constellation Perseus, and like all meteors in annual showers, they cover a large part of the sky. The Perseids are considered by many people to be the year’s best shower when the moon is out of the way during the shower’s peak. Unfortunately, this year’s moon is not to-

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Volume 41 No. 63



July - August...

from page 5

tally out of the way during the Perseids. The slightly waning gibbous moon rises around midnight – just as the Perseids start to pick up steam. Nonetheless, you should be able to catch some Perseid meteors before moonrise and even after. The Perseids tend to strengthen in number as midnight ebbs toward dawn. Although not a favorable year, these meteors are often bright and frequently leave persistent trains. From late night on Tuesday August 11 till dawn on Wednesday August 12, a decent sprinkling of Perseid meteors may adorn this summer night, despite the pesky moon. Lie back and watch meteors until dawn’s light washes the stars, moon, and planets from the sky. Peak date: August 12

ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY

by John Nassr

Sources: Earth Sky, and Skyscrapers, Inc., Total Escape, About.com

Astronotes

AR 1024 through a hydrogen alpha filter showing the sunspot on the outer solar chromosphere

Thank you for the latest issue of Appulse which I enjoyed a lot as usual. I found the introduction of the editorial staff especially timely and well presented. I commend and salute the editorial staff because without all of you, the Appulse would simply not be possible! John Nassr Stardust Observatory Baguio City I saw your design in the May Appulse 2009 (the paper was very well prepared!). Dr. Jesus Torres Rizal Technology University Mandaluyong City

WATCH: “THE UNIVERSE” (NEW SEASON) AT THE HISTORY CHANNEL EVERY MONDAY AT 9 PM!!!

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Appulse -- July May 2009 2009 Appulse

AR 1024 in white light taken through a Herschel wedge showing the sunspot in the lower solar photosphere region Date Imaged: L e n s : C a m e r a : E x p o s u r e : F i l t e r : M o u n t : Location:

July 6 - 7, 2009 Astrophysics 5” f/8 Starfire Dragonfly 2 15 seconds H a , B a a d e r H e r s c h e l We d g e AP600 Stardust Observatory

Astronomy Update Source of Cosmic Rays Pinned Down By Clara Moskowitz Staff Writer posted: 25 June 2009 02:18 pm ET

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s astronomers have long expected, exploding stars called supernovas can accelerate particles up to almost the speed of light, a new study shows. The discovery helps explain where the extremely energetic cosmic rays we find near Earth come from. Cosmic rays are charged particles, mostly protons, that come swooping through space from beyond the solar system. They carry such an energetic punch they can knock out electronics systems on Earth if they manage to make it past our atmosphere. Until now, scientists couldn’t be sure how cosmic rays acquire their energy and speed. “It has long been thought that the superaccelerators that produce these cosmic rays in the Milky Way are the expanding envelopes created by exploded stars, but our observations reveal the smoking gun that proves it,” said Eveline Helder of the Astronomical Institute Utrecht of Utrecht University in the Netherlands, leader of the new study. When a star dies in a supernova, the blast releases a huge amount of energy. Much of that energy is used to heat up a bubble of gas that expands around the remnant of the star. Some energy, though, goes toward speeding up the particles that become cosmic rays, the researchers determined. “When a star explodes in what we call a supernova a large part of the explosion energy is used for accelerating some particles up to extremely high energies,” Helder

Cosmic rays originate in supernova, like the one that created this remnant, Cassiopeia A, photographed by the Chandra X-ray observatory. Credit: NASA/CXC/MIT/UMass Amherst/M.D.Stage et al said. “The energy that is used for particle acceleration is at the expense of heating the gas, which is therefore much colder than theory predicts.” Helder and team looked at the leftovers from a supernova called RCW 86 with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope. The star exploded about 8200 light-years away in AD 185, and was recorded by Chinese astronomers. The modern researchers measured the temperature and speed of the gas behind the shock wave created by the stellar explosion. They found that the gas, at 54 million degrees Fahrenheit (30 million degrees Celsius), was much lower than would be

expected given the shock wave’s velocity. Rather than heat up the gas, some of the supernova’s energy went toward speeding up particles to near the velocity of light, the astronomers concluded. “The missing energy is what drives the cosmic rays,” said collaborator Jacco Vink, also from the Astronomical Institute Utrecht. Helder and team describe their findings in the June 26 issue of the journal Science. http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/090625-cosmic-accelerator.html

Volume 41 No. 63



Monthly Star Map – August 2009

This map shows the sky at 9pm on August 15, 2009 as seen from the latitude of Metro Manila, Philippines with North on top and the zenith at the center. The large circle represents the horizon. Star limiting magnitude is 5.5. Deep sky limiting magnitude is 7.0. Prepared by PAS Observation Committee using SkyMap Pro 9 software.

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Appulse - July 2009