OAS Ezine October 2013

THIS MONTH: The Mars Project part 3 Double Stars

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ALASTAIR LEITH - OAS FOUNDER

Hi, my name is Alastair Leith, I am founder and director of Online Astronomy Society and the Academy.

Having been interested in astronomy since Halley's Comets close approach in 1986 I have been an active amateur astronomer since. Laying dormant during my college and university years when I took a degree in Chemistry (Don’t Ask!). Since then and settling down I got back into my astronomy.

I felt that after 20 odd years in the hobby (has it really been that long, I do feel old!) I decided it was time to specialise as such I decided as I had a Meade Coronado PST I would choose Solar Astronomy, and then Spectroscopy as a second, something I am still trying to get my head around!

Other equipment I have is an 8inch Meade LX10 DSLR 1000D Toucam Pro 2+ camera SA 100 Spectroscopy Grating Various eyepieces

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MARK WOODLAND F.R.A.S—ASSOCIATE EDITOR

My name is Mark Woodland. I am currently an undergraduate in Extreme Environment Astrophysics with the Open University, and a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

I have been interested in in physics and astronomy for many years. My earliest memories of the night sky are from when I was very young, and my parents pointing out the constellation Orion in the sky above our home. I had always known that I wanted to go to university, but when my A-level grades came back, that plan seemed out of reach.

The universe works in mysterious ways, and it was possibly the best thing that could have happened. I am now in my 7th year with the OU, I am a member of the Wells & Mendip Astronomers, have affiliations with a number of observatories, and as mentioned above, I was elected a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in March this year.

In the coming year I hope to begin research into Supernovae, and to also begin a study of black holes, a specific area of interest, utilizing an impressive amateur radio telescope run by one of the observatories which I am involved with. Watch this space.

Follow me on twitter @mw5868 or my blog underdarkenedskies.wordpress.com

JASMINE EVANS - ASSISTANT EDITOR

CON-

Outreach volunteer and astronomer at the Kielder Observatory in Northumberland UK. Since 2012 she has been part of a team that have shown thousands of members of the public, the pristine dark skies through a range of telescopes at the award winning visitor attraction. A member of the UK Young Astronomers group, Jasmin's published work has included articles for Popular Astronomy as well as maintaining her own blog on astronomy and physics. Active in science communication and passionate about engagement of women in science, she is currently studying Physics at the University of Central Lancashire and hopes to specialise in Astrophysics.

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Rhodri Evans

I have a PhD in astrophysics; my main research area being Airborne Astronomy using NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). I am the only UK based astronomer working on SOFIA. I lecture in astrophysics, physics and maths, and am also a frequent contributor on astronomy and physics to radio and TV. I have been on the BBC and ITV in the United Kingdom, and CBS, ABC and PBS in the United States. I have given talks at conferences and astronomical societies around the World.

Having decided not to apply to Oxbridge, I obtained a BSc with 1st class honours in Physics from Imperial College London, consistently rated the best Physics department in the United Kingdom. I obtained my PhD in Astrophysics from Cardiff University, my thesis was on the amount and extent of dust in normal spiral galaxies. I have worked as a post-doctoral researcher at theUniversity of Chicago and was a Professor of Physics and Astrophysics atSwarthmore College, one of the top rated 4-year undergraduate liberal arts colleges in the USA. I have a wide range of interests outside of astrophysics; including science in general, music, sport, running, photography, movies, reading and politics. I will try to update this blog 3-4 times a week with random thoughts about life, the Universe, or anything.

Rhodri blog http://thecuriousastronomer.wordpress.com/

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John Bozeman

John is retired from a 35 year career in automation and robotics. He took up astronomy again in 2008 and developed and marketed long exposure mod circuit cards for webcams within the year. He progressed into OSC CCDs and SCT Hyperstar, then evolved into traditional LRGB and hybrid narrowband imaging with refractors.

He is a Select Volunteer with Three Rivers Foundation Comanche Springs Astronomy Campus near Crowell, Texas. John is a member of the 3RF Imaging Team and has made CSAC his primary imaging location, averaging 150 nights per year there. He has beta tested Celestron and QHY products at that site.

John was a speaker at NEAIC 2013 and attended NEAF with the QHY US distributor and Dr. Qiu. He will be presenting three talks at the Okie -Tex Star Party 2013.

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Aprill Harper

As a youngster I used to sit in the back garden with my Dad while we discussed the latest sci-fi / fantasy book in our combined collection (of near 2000 books) and look at the stars while Jean Michel Jarre played on the record player.

My Dad taught me the basic constellations and combined with everything sci-fi, sparked my early interest in astronomy.

My work life has always been in engineering, predominately electronic but after years working for a company and progressing nowhere I shifted and started a career in procurement, becoming a member of the Charted Institute of Purchasing and Supply.

I now work for a major UK airline as an engineering contract’s specialist and decided to finally invest in two hobbies of photography and astronomy, with the optimistic hope of combining the two. These do not compliment my primary hobby as I am a keen motorcyclist. I am also a published children’s author with designs of actually publishing a sci-fi novelette, most likely through Kindle.

Aware this is a long road, I am at the beginning of my journey in astronomy and have yet to learn the night sky or even the landmarks the moon, but I am an enthusiastic and a quick learner. Don’t know where this is going to take me but I look forward to the trip.

You can follow me on twitter @AprillHarper

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I imaged all of these double stars on the evening of Saturday 20th April 2013 when there was a 69% waxing Moon. They make a great observing project even when a bright moon or lingering daylight drowns out more faint galaxies and nebulae. Double stars are visually beautiful with a wonderful range of separations, position angles (orientation in the sky) and subtle colours. Their proximity exaggerates any differences in colour although people will often perceive the colours differently. Even double stars with identical colours have their own particular beauty. 61 Cygni is a great example, likened to viewing a pair of approaching headlights:

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I find the language of double stars can be a bit confusing.

At the simplest level a double star is two stars close together in the sky. If the two stars actually lie at very different distances from us then their proximity is an accident of our line of sight and they are known as an optical double. If they are in reality close to each other then they are a true binary star, orbiting around their common centre of gravity. If a binary star can be resolved into two stars in a telescope then it is known as a visual binary. If the stars are too close together to be separated in a telescope then the binary is described by the technique which best reveals its true nature: an eclipsing binary, an astrometric binary or a spectroscopic binary.

If you want to search for it then behind the visual beauty is some beautiful science, accessible to amateurs. You can make your own measurements of the separation and position angles of double stars using an astrometric eyepiece with graduated linear and angular scales. Or you can consult double star catalogues such as the Washington Double Star Catalog (WDS) at http://ad.usno.navy.mil/wds/.

And a moment's thought

about the comparative colour and brightness of the two stars leads to some fascinating science behind the lives of stars.

The orbits of visual double stars typically have very long periods spanning many hundreds or thousands of years. But a few pairs are close enough to us to provide simple, visual evidence of their orbital motion on a sensible timescale. Here are images of the binary star Porrima (Gamma Virginis) that I captured two years apart. At a distance of 38 light years and with an orbital period of just 169 years their growing separation is just becoming visible in the more recent image:

3rd June 2011

27th April 2013

1.7‖ separation

2.0‖ separation

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There are thousands upon thousands of bright double stars in the sky observable with modest amateur telescopes, and many catalogues have been made since the first by William Herschel in the late 18th century. But surely most double stars are just chance alignments? It turns out that the opposite is the case. The probability of a chance alignment of two bright stars is actually quite low, depending on the population of similarly bright stars in the same region of the sky. This was first worked out by John Mitchell in 1768 who calculated the probability that the double star Beta Capriocorni was a chance alignment was only 1 in 80. There are just far too many double stars for most of to be chance alignments. Indeed it is now estimated that around half of all stars are double stars! The formation of double stars is a natural product of the processes by which stars are born inside collapsing clouds of gas and dust. And not just double stars but multiple star systems too. I'll leave you with a couple of the beautiful multiple star systems that are easily observed with amateur telescopes - get out there and enjoy them!

Epsilon Lyrae, the famous doubledouble star system

40 Eridani, a visual triple star system

Note: All of the double star images in this article were taken by Hugh Allen using an 8" Meade LX90 reflector telescope and a Meade DSI II colour CCD camera. The typical focal ratio was f/10.

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To understand the formation of the Royal Society, it is necessary to go back more than 60 years before it’s foundation. Francis Bacon and other academics were deeply concerned for the way in which Science was not only taught but practised. Based on the philosophies of Aristotle and Ptolemy, assumptions made based on their theories and ideas and conclusions drawn. Without questioning the original teachings in the first place.

Bacon wrote the Atlantis in 1626 he suggested a scientific college, Salaman’s house, in which scientific apparatus, experimenters and thinkers were assembled to formulate natures laws. The book aroused great interest among academics and thinkers of the day but could Salaman’s house be realised?

Prior to this Thomas Gresham concerned by the state of education among adults left a large sum of money, in 1597 Gresham College was founded in his name. The aim of the college was to promote the study of Mathematics, Geometry, and Astronomy as we’ll see later the college had a pivotal role to play in the formation of an organisation that would itself change science forever.

Gresham College still operates today and is possibly the oldest society in the world, founded in November 1660 and granted royal charter by King Charles II as the Royal Society, London.

The society was founded as an organisation for the improvement natural knowledge.

The Society is governed by its Council, which is chaired by the Society's President, according to a set of Statutes and Standing Orders. The members of Council and the President are elected from and by its Fellows, the basic members of the Society, who are themselves elected by existing Fellows. There are currently 1,314 Fellows, allowed to use the post nominal title FRS (Fellow of the Royal Society), with 44 new Fellows appointed each year. There are also Royal Fellows, Honorary Fellows and Foreign Members, the last of which are allowed to use their post nominal title ForMemRS (Foreign Member of the Royal Society). The current Royal Society President is Sir Paul Nurse, who took up the position on 30 November 2010.

You cannot apply for membership to the Royal Society as you would say for the British Astronomical Association Founding of the Royal Society The society itself was founded from a group of physicians and natural philosophers who used to meet at various locations around London, including Gresham College.

Inspired by new science of Francis Bacon from approximately 1645 onwards.

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A group known as The Philosophical Society of Oxford by the Bodleian Library. After the English Restoration, there were regular meetings at Gresham College. It is widely held that these groups were the inspiration for the foundation of the Royal Society.

On 28 November 1660, a committee of 12 announced the formation of a "College for the Promoting of Physico-Mathematical Experimental Learning", which would meet weekly to discuss science and run experiments. At the second meeting, Sir Robert Moray announced that the Kings approval of the gatherings, and a Royal Charter was signed on 15 July 1662 which created the "Royal Society of London", with Lord Brouncker serving as the first President. A second Royal Charter was signed on 23 April 1663, with the King noted as the Founder and with the name of "the Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge"; Robert Hooke was appointed as Curator of Experiments in November. This initial royal favour has continued, and since then every monarch has been the patron of the Society.

The societies early meetings including experiments by Hook some important, others quite trivial then by Denis Papin, who was appointed in 1684.

By the 18th century the society had begun to fade a little, with little of note being done. The government consulted with the society on matters of scientific relevance for advice. Something that despite the non partisan nature of the Society spilled into politics in 1777 over the question of lightening conductors namely Benjamin Franklin had invented pointed ones whereas Benjamin Wilson invented the blunted ones. The question was fought over which ones to use. The debate raged on which caused the then President of the Royal Society Robert Pringle to resign. It was during the same period that it became customary for fellows of the Society to serve on Government committees where science was a concern. Something which continues to this day.

The 18th century also saw an increase in the number of fellows from 110 to 300 by 1739.

Sir Isaac Newton was appointed President of the Royal Society from 1703 and remained in office until his death in 1727. Editions of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society were appearing regularly. During his time as President, Newton arguably abused his authority; in a dispute between himself and Gottfried Leibniz over the invention of infinitesimal calculus, he used his position to appoint an "impartial" committee to decide it, eventually publishing a report written by himself in the committee's name. In 1705, the Society was informed that it could no longer rent Gresham Col-

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lege, and began a search for new premises. After unsuccessfully applying to Queen Anne for new premises, and asking the trustees of Cotton House if they could meet there, the Council bought two houses in Crane Court, Fleet Street, on 26 October 1710. This included offices, accommodation and a Collection of Curiosities. Although the overall Fellowship contained few noted scientists, most of the Council were highly regarded, and included at various times John Hadley, William Jones and Hans Sloane. Because of the laxness of Fellows in paying their subscriptions, the Society ran into financial difficulty during this time; by 1740, the Society had a deficit of ÂŁ240. This continued into 1741, at which point the Treasurer began dealing harshly with Fellows who had not paid. The business of the Society at this time continued to include the demonstration of experiments and the reading of formal and important scientific papers, along with the demonstration of new scientific devices and queries about scientific matters from both Britain and Europe.

19th Century to the present The 19th Century saw a decline in the Society 662 fellows in 1830, only 104 had contributed to the Philosophical Transactions.

The same year, Charles Babbage published Reflections on the DeThe Entrance of the Society - Image cline of Science in England, and on from Wikipedia Some of Its Causes, which was deeply critical of the Society. The scientific Fellows of the Society took action on this and eventually James South established a Charters Committee "with a view to obtaining a supplementary Charter from the Crown", aimed primarily at looking to restricting membership. The Committee recommended that the election of Fellows take place on one day every year, that the Fellows be selected on consideration of their scientific achievements and that the number of fellows elected a year be limited to 15. This limit was increased to 17 in 1930 and 20 in 1937; it is currently 44. This had a number of effects on the Society: first, the Society's membership became almost entirely scientific, with few political Fellows or patrons. Second, the number of Fellows was significantly reduced—between 1700 and 1850, the number of Fellows rose from approximately 100 to approximately 750. From then until 1941, the total number of Fellows was always between 400 and 500.

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The period did lead to some reform of internal Society statutes, such as in 1823 and 1831. The most important change was the requirement for the Treasurer publish an annual report, along with a copy of the total income and expenditure of the Society.

These were to be sent to Fellows at least 14 days before the general meeting, with the aim to ensure the election of competent Officers by making it readily apparent what existing officers were doing. This was accompanied by a full list of Fellows standing for Council positions, where previously the names had only been announced a couple of days before. As with the other reforms, this helped ensure that Fellows had a chance to vet and properly consider candidates. The Society's financial troubles were finally resolved in 1850, when a government grant-in-aid of £1,000 a year was accepted. This was increased to £4,000 in 1876, with the Society officially acting merely as the trustee for these funds, doling them out to individual scientists.

By 1852, the congestion at Somerset House had increased thanks to the growing number of Fellows. Therefore, the Library Committee asked the Council to petition Her Majesty's Government to find new facilities, with the advice being to bring all the scientific societies, such as the Linnean and Geological societies, under one roof. In August 1866, the government announced their intention to refurbish Burlington House and move the Royal Academy and other societies there. The Academy moved in 1867, while other societies joined when their facilities were built. The Royal Society moved there in 1873, taking up residence in the East Wing. The top floor was used as accommodation for the Assistant Secretary, while the library was scattered over every room and the old caretaker's apartment was converted into offices. One flaw was that there was not enough space for the office staff, which was then approximately eighty. When, for example, the Society organised the British contribution to the International Geophysical Year in 1954, additional facilities had to be found for the staff outside Burlington House.

On 22 March 1945, the first female Fellows were elected to the Royal Society. This followed a statutory amendment in 1944 that read "Nothing herein contained shall render women ineligible as candidates", and was contained in Chapter 1 of Statute 1. Because of the difficulty of coordinating all the Fellows during the Second World War, a ballot on making the change was conducted via the post, with 336 Fellows supporting the change and 37 opposing. Following approval by the Council, Marjory Stephenson, Kathleen Lonsdale and Edith Bülbring were elected as Fellows.

Residencies of the Royal Society 1660-1710 Gresham House 1710-1780 Crane Court 1780-1857 Somerset House 1857-1967 Birlington House 1967-present Carlton House 2010-present Chicheley Hall, home of the Kavli Royal Society International Centre Click here for more information

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The Royal Society today The Royal Society continues to act as adviser to the government on scientific matters ranging from climate change to other matters.

Fellows are still elected to the Royal Society from the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth from mathematical, engineering, and medical science. Fellows need to have made substantial contribution to their field to be accepted and elected as fellows.

New fellows are elected for life, have the right to stand as council, a duty to contribute to the society, and elect new fellows. Of which 44 new fellows are elected annually of which there are 1314 in total. Fellows are elected by a section committee each covering a subject area.

Famous Fellows Other than those mentioned there are also Stephen Hawkings Bernard Lovell Martin Rees Patrick Moore Jocelyn Bell Burnell Richard Dawkins Harry Kroto Royal Fellows Of which the Queen is Patron HRH Prince Andrew, Duke of York [2013] HRH Prince William of Wales [2009] HRH The Duke of Kent [1990] HRH The Princess Royal [1987] HRH The Prince of Wales [1978] HRH The Prince Philip, Duke Of Edinburgh [1951] The Royals Society also boasts more than 80 Nobel Laureates (winners of the Nobel Prize) References Royal Society Website Wiki Royal Society

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CROSSING INTO THE DARK SIDE AN INTRODUCTION TO ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY

By John Bozeman picture. ―What is this Dark and Flat, anyway?‖ I found Adobe Photoshop too intimidating when I first opened it. Online tutorials and YouTube videos made it even more confusing. It became apparent that I wasn’t going to make any progress until I could find other imagers who would take the time to show me what I needed to know.

This is the photograph that launched me headlong into the hobby!

Olympus D-460 Camera at Prime Focus Celestron Nexstar 130SLT Telescope Celestron Blue Filter April 2008 I bought this little refractor as a gift for my grandson. Little did I know that it was the beginning of a new career in astroimaging! This was a lucky shot through the eyepiece with a simple point and shoot camera. I don’t think I could duplicate the clarity and composition again in a hundred attempts.

This aspect of the hobby has two neverending learning curves; the mechanical and optical acquisition of data and postprocessing the results. The first problems that beset a beginner usually is ―garbage in - garbage out‖. Try as one might, the stars are never round, there is too much gradient; always something in the data that is undesirable. Then there is that Wall of Ignorance that must be conquered with calibration, stacking, stretching and all the other tricks to produce a decent .

I discovered the best kept secret in amateur astronomy when I attended the Deepest South Texas Star Party at Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, in 2009.

It was sponsored by an organization known as ―3RF‖; the Three Rivers Foundation. 3RF has a 700+ acre campus in Northwest Texas only 132 miles from my front door! It is called Comanche Springs Astronomy Campus. 3RF has the largest private collection of Obsession telescopes in the world. Twenty-eight, to be exact, ranging from 15-30‖. The facilities are fantastic; electrified star field, bunkhouses that can sleep 62 people, a 15‖ f/12 D&G refractor, three robotic imaging domes, and more. I found imagers with experience! I knew I was in the right place.

My mentor was Jay Ballauer. He showed me how to keep my head above water in Photoshop. Jay and the other 3RF imagers made quick work of bringing me up to speed on the mechanical and optical aspects of data collecting, too. I will be forever grateful!

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This is truly a ―Pay It Forward‖ hobby. I always have an apprentice. I just took one on a few weeks ago. I told him, ―Jerry, you are my new BFF!‖ Jerry replied, ―What about David?‖ I answered, ―He outgrew me. He has evolved.‖ I hope to make ―Crossing Into the Dark Side‖ a monthly feature; I will try to include something for the beginner, intermediate, and advanced level imager.

OAS and I are in the process of creating both PDF and DVD video tutorials that will be available for download in the near future. I strongly recommend learning PixInsight and Adobe Photoshop for your processing needs. Adobe has recently gone to a monthly lease business model. PixInsight is 171 Euros and well worth it. I will be producing tutorials on both, as I use both in every image I process. There are good freeware graphics processors, but I know you will want to be fluent in Photoshop and PI in the future. Think of them as languages. Not many good imagers speak The Gimp or MS Paint; most converse in Photoshop and PixInsight.

Find A Mentor! Only then can one progress to the next level Should I buy a Meade or Celestron?

I hear this over and over at star parties.

The correct answer is, ―Neither.‖ Don’t buy anything for six months and attend all the events you can. Astronomers are thrilled to let you look through their telescopes and eyepieces. Imagers love to teach when someone shows some interest. This is the sane way to approach purchasing one’s equipment. I didn’t do it that way, of course!

Should I spend most of my money on a telescope, or camera?

The answer again, is neither. Most people try to establish a budget when they start gathering a kit. My quick tips for success: Buy used equipment over new. Swap meets, reputable online sites and individual club members are good resources. ―Someone always knows someone who has what you are looking for. I rank, in order of importance: The mount. A German Equatorial mount capable of excellent tracking is the most important piece of the kit. Be prepared to spend most of your budget on this item.

Don’t skimp; if one model can handle 28 lbs payload, and another 45 lbs, go with the heavyweight. It will be a few quid more. Pay it. It doesn’t hurt once it is behind you.

Now what about the camera or telescope?

Do you own a DSLR? Most Canon, Nikon and Olympus products make excellent astro cameras. They can be modified with simple clip-on filters and are ready for deep space. The CCD cams require a choice between monochrome with filters, or one shot colour. I urge the beginner to buy OSC. You will be imaging sooner because you will have enough petrol to get to the dark site.

The most forgiving telescopes are short focal length rich field refractors around 80mm aperture and f/5. Tracking isn’t as demanding as the f/10 SCTs. Short tubes are great for nebulae. Galaxies and planetary nebulae require longer focal length. A good all around compromise would be a refractor with about 120-130mm aperture and a focal length around 700-900mm.

This would be about f/7. Achromats are the least expensive and take pretty good images. APO Triplets are much more expensive and something to buy later.

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Space Is The Place - by Antonia Santiago When I first started spending more time on my Facebook account I began seeking out others that were also interested in space. As time went by, other ―space people‖ started finding me too. I don’t quite remember how Beverly Rother and I became Facebook friends, but I will say, she was hard to miss. Beverly’s daily greeting, ―Space Is The Place‖ became instantly recognizable to me.

I have been watching Virgin Galactic’s progress for many years now. Going to space has been a life long dream. Needless to say, my hopes of becoming an astronaut were dashed long ago, until Virgin Galactic and Beverly Rother came into my life. Beverly is a steadfast space advocate. ―Space Is The Place‖ is not just a slogan for her; it’s a reality. People like Beverly Rother are important because we can relate to her. Not so different from you and I, she went to the same schools we went to, she lives where we live and she leads a somewhat normal life, but for one exception. She could sell you a ticket to space! Beverly Rother connects us to a possibility that may seem absurd to many. I asked Beverly Rother if I could interview here for this magazine.

She graciously, and instantly, accepted. Here is what she had to say.

Beverly S Rother

Spaceport America in New Mexico

Me—What is your name?

B—In grammar school, our class wrote to NASA Astronaut John Glenn who orbited our Earth as the first American in 1962 <and 5th person> and he sent back signed autographs to each of us!! AND we all watched the 1st moon landing with Apollo 11 on television (with the rest of the world) in 1969 with Alan Shephard, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins on Apollo – a totally thrilling event!

B—Beverly S Rother Me—Where are you originally from?

B—Chicago, IL. Me—Where do you reside now?

B—In Toledo, OH …BUT If I was to get a full time space job, I’d move out to Mojave, CA or New Mexico in a heartbeat!!

Me—How long have you been interested in space?

Me— How did you first learn about Virgin Galactic?

B—I had read about the Ansari Xprize contest in 2004 when Burt Rutan and the Scaled Composite teams won $10 million dollar prize in a space contest for the first non-government organization to launch a reusable manned spacecraft, into space twice within the needed two week timeframe.<SpaceshipOne, which is

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hanging now in the Smithsonian National Air & Space Musuem!> After the contest, Sir Richard Branson approached Burt Rutan to join “forces”. Sir Richard had registered the name “Virgin Galactic” in 1999 but didn’t have the “right stuff” needed to go to Space!

Me—How are you associated with Virgin Galactic?

B—In 2009 I applied and was lucky enough to be chosen as 1 of 83 people authorized to sell Space Travel in the America’s, as a Virtuoso (travel consortium who has the exclusive rights) Accredited Space Agent for 2+ years. I was so lucky to train AND see the inaugural rollout of VG in December 2009. (photo above) Me—How do you see the future of space tourism unfolding?

Only 500 people have ever been to space and Virgin Galactic plans to fly 500 passengers the 1st year of service (planned 2014)Robert Bigelow is designing space habitats, you can now purchase space insurance, there will be mining of Asteroid’s & Planets plus much, much more!!

And as I mentioned above, this is really happening!

Me—What would you like to see happen with space tourism in the future?

B—The prices WILL go down in the years to come and that will open space tourism to many more people. This WILL become commonplace, just like the airplanes opened the world of travel to the everyday person. Travel! By Air, Land, Sea and Space!

Me—Do you see another purpose for Virgin Galactic besides space tourism?

B—Yes, Virgin Galactic provides sub-orbital spaceflights to space tourists, as well as suborbital launches for space science missions and orbital launches of small satellites.

Further in the future Virgin Galactic hopes to offer orbital human spaceflights as well and will change the face of aviation by flying point to point. Example? US to UK in under an hour by flying at (or higher) than 50,000 ft.

Me—Do you think you will get to experience space tourism?

B—Someday perhaps, but I’m hoping my 8 month old Granddaughter will be traveling into Space as a regular occurrence in her lifetime!!

I have left Beverly’s answers as they were given to me.

The multitude of exclamation points are all hers. Her passion and excitement are palpable in this article, and contagious.

Thank you Beverly Rother.!

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Asteroids, Comets, Meteoroids, Meteors and Meteorites!!!

by Aprill Harper Stars are not the only objects that we search for in the clear night sky and there are other cosmic events that capture our imagination. As astronomers (amateur or professional) the looking up and seeing with your own eyes can capture you and you can almost (very nearly) ignore the cold hands and numbing toes as you stand for hours in the dark winter nights (…hmmmm… no wonder Hawaii is a great destination for astronomy…).

2013 has provided for some wonderful observations, but for a novice I asked the question ―What is the difference between asteroids, comets, meteoroids, meteors and meteorites?‖ And here is the answer….

Asteroids Asteroids are essentially large lumps of rock and metal. They may or may not rotate.

They may or may not be orbiting another body. They can sometimes be referred to as ―small planetary bodies‖ or even ―planetoids‖. And they can even have their own moons.

Asteroids are of particular interest to astronomers, as they can provide insight into the makeup of our solar system and galaxy. And (one popular theory) is that they are to be blamed for the extinction of the dinosaurs, evidence by the impact crater in Mexico.

On the 15th February 2013 (my son’s fourth birthday), an asteroid measuring about 17 meters in length exploded above the skies of Chelyabinsk, Russia injuring over 1500 people and captured from many angles by the numerous drivers with dash cams in the area. This stunning event was reported to be the largest such object to hit Earth’s atmosphere since 1908 when another object flattened around 80 million trees in Tunguska, Siberia.

Later on that same day another asteroid passed within the ring of weather and communication satellites orbiting Earth passing at a distance of approximately 17,200 miles (27,681 km).

For the amateur astronomer, to discover an asteroid is a goal to aspire to.

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Comets Comets are chunks of ice (not necessarily water ice) and dust, and are often referred to as ―dirty snowballs‖. As they get closer to a star the solar energy melts the ice and the comet emits melted gas and dust clouds which form spectacular coma and tail.

In 2013 we have already been watching the passing of PANSTARRS C/2011 L4 and later this year ISON C/2012 S1 will be within viewable range with alleged reports of the comet being ―brighter‖ than the moon.

Assuming that the comet ISON survives following its close encounter with the sun (perihelion will see it pass at a distance of about 1.8m km from our sun) and continues on its predicted path then the closest point to Earth will be about 64.2m km on the 26th December 2013

Meteoroids Meteoroids can be fragments of asteroids or comets that have become detached from the main body as it travels, either as a result of impacts with other objects or as a direct result from being part of a comet’s tail. Or they can be collision debris ejected from impacts on other bodies such as Mars of the Moon.

As small as a grain of sand or as large as 1 meter wide.

Meteors Meteors sometimes referred to as ―shooting stars‖ are meteoroids that have entered Earth’s atmosphere and are often distinguished by their bright streaks across our night sky.

Most meteoroids that cause meteors are about the size of a pebble. There are several peak seasons for meteor showers, one of the best known being the Perseids.

And thanks to ISON we can expect to see another around the 14–15 January 2014 as Earth’s orbit passes through the past orbit of the comet, but with the moon near to full (full moon is on the 16th) opportunities for imaging this event maybe limited due to lunar glare.

The size or composition of the meteoroid will determine the brightness of the glare and colour as it burns up in our atmosphere and if it turns into fireball. And spectacular examples whistle as they pass overhead.

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2013 is almost gone but here is a link to the 2014 meteor calendar: http://www.imo.net/files/data/calendar/cal2014.pdf Okay, so it has broken off from the comet / asteroid. It has travelled through space. It has entered our atmosphere and if we are lucky we have seen it burn up with spectacular sparkles and fizzes. If it survived all of that and makes it to the Earth’s surface, then any remnants we are left with are meteorites.

Some meteorites have left substantial craters, with very little left to be collected and examined to determine the exact composition You can go on meteorite hunts. And if you do, then make sure you have the land owner’s permission.

Meteorites tend to be very dark coloured rocks, so the best placed to search for them are in areas which are relatively barren of vegetation and where the soil is light coloured (as in a sand desert).

There are numerous online guides to meteorite hunting.

There a numerous meteorites on online auction sites for sale.

And there are societies dedicated to the subject such as The British and Irish Meteorite Society (BIMS) Either way – I wouldn’t mind owning a piece of 4million year old cosmos. Next time I am not looking up I may just start looking down!

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Dr Caleb Scharf : Director of Astrobiology at Columbia University. Author of the best selling book â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gravities Enginesâ&#x20AC;?

Dr Phil Metzger : Physicist/ Planetary scientist at NASA. Currently Lead working on Asteroid Mining Mission.

Dr Sheila Kanani Doctor of planetary science, TV presenter and science teacher.

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Keep an eye out for Uranus peaking in brightness on the 3rd. This month also keep an eye for the Orionids peaking on the 21st. There will also be a penumbral lunar eclipse on the 18th/19th. We are all now awaiting the arrival of comet ISON to our skies, which will peak during November and December. Keep you eyes on the skies!

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