April 17 bulletin

VOLUME 2, Nº 8

DATE: APRIL 2017

Reach the Sky Bulletin LIVE He was a German mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer who was born on 27 December in 1571 in Weil der Stadt, Württemberg.

He was a sickly child and his parents were poor.

Johannes was introduced to astronomy at an early age, and developed a love for it that would span his entire life. At age six, he observed the Great Comet of 1577, writing that he was taken by his mother to a high place to look at it. In 1580, at the age nine, he observed another astronomical event, lunar eclipse, recording that he remembered being "called outdoors" to see it and that the moon appeared quite red". However, childhood smallpox left him with weak vision and crippled hands, limiting his ability in the observational aspects of astronomy.. But his evident intelligence earned him a scholarship to the University of Tübingen to study for the Lutheran ministry. There he was introduced to the ideas of Copernicus and delighted in them.

There is to it, influenced by the professor of mathematics, Michael Maestlin and Kopernik’s theory. Kepler is immediately adopted Kopernik’s theory, as it is believed that it must be the ease of Kopernik’s rails, the work of god.

In 1594 he went from Tübingena in Graz. There he began work on a large geometric assumption, which is related to the distance of the planets.

In the year 1596 he published his first an astronomical work Mysterium cosmographicum.

This work is important because it represents the first clear and indisputable report of the geometrical advantages of Kopernik’s theory.

From in 1594 to 1600 was in the Graz professor of astronomy and mathematics, from which, however, was due to the protestant faith expelled and the shelter found in the mansion Kastelišče, whose remains can be found on the Petanjcih in

the Prekmurje region. On Petanjcih it was a few months before it has "repented," and converted back to the catholic faith.

He dead on November 1630 in Regensburg while on a journey from his home in Sagan to collect a debt.

WORK - Mysterium Cosmographicum (The Sacred Mystery of the Cosmos) 1596 - Astronomia nova (New Astronomy) - 1609 - De vero Anno, quo aeternus Dei Filius humanam naturam in Utero benedictae Virginis Mariae assumpsit 1614 - Eclogae Chronicae (1615, published with Dissertatio cum Nuncio Sidereo) - Nova stereometria doliorum vinariorum (New Stereometry of Wine Barrels) - 1615 - Epitome astronomiae Copernicanae (Epitome of Copernican Astronomy) - published in three parts from 1618 to 162 - Harmonices Mundi (Harmony of the Worlds) -1619 - Mysterium cosmographicum (The Sacred Mystery of the Cosmos), 2nd edition (1621) THE MOST IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES THREE HIS LAWS: 1) Planets move in ellipses with the Sun at one focus.

2) The radius vector describes equal areas in equal times.

The second Kepler’s law

3) The squares of the periodic times are to each other as

the cubes of the mean distances.

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Kepler laws apply not only to the movement of the planets around the Sun, but general for circulation to facilitate the body around a much heavier body, e.g. a satellite around a planet. Kepler experience laws are to be derived from the Newton of the general theory of universal gravitation. The constant in the third Kepler law, which is also called Kepler constant, is equal to 1 (light year)2(astronomical unit)-3 or 2,9747250431·10-19 s2m−3.

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SOURCES: https://www.britannica.com/biography/JohannesKepler https://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Kepler https://kepler.nasa.gov/Mission/JohannesKepler/ https://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keplerjevi_zakoni https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Kepler http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/art-90830/ Keplers-second-law-of-planetary-motiondescribes-the-speed-of Nejc Rudež - Slovenia

Ice on Ceres Ceres is a dwarf planet located in the main asteroid belt. While it may not look icy scientists have shown two distinctive lines of evidence for ice at the surface of the dwarf planet.

Researchers are going to present these findings at the 2016 American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco.

These studies support the idea that ice separated from rock early in Ceres’ history, forming an ice-rich crustal layer, and that ice has remained near the surface over the history of the solar system," said Carol Raymond who is the deputy principal investigator of the Dawn mission.

He even said that by finding bodies that were water-rich in the distant past we can discover clues where life may have existed in the early solar system.

Apparently the surface of Ceres us ruch in hydrogen, with higher concentrations of it at mid to high latitudes according to a new study in the journal Science.

On Ceres ice is everywhere and nearer to the surface with higher latitudes said Thomas Prettyman, who is the principal investigator of Dawn's gamma ray and neutron detector also known as GRaND. Researchers have used GRaND to determine to concentrations of hydrogen, iron and even pottassium in the highest uppermost meter of Ceres. On Ceres hydrogen is likely to be in the form of frozen water which is made out of 2 hydrogen and 1 oxygen atom.

It is said that the top layer of material coveris Ceres was altered by liquid water in Ceres' interior. Scientists theorize that radioactive elements inside of Ceres produced heat which made Ceres a planet with a rocky interior and icy

exterior.

Because meteorites called carbonaceous chondrites were also altered by water scientists are very interested in comparing them to Ceres. While these meteorites probably came from bodies smaller than Ceres they still may be able to provide clues to the interior history of Ceres. The study also showed that Ceres has move hydrogen than these meteorites but less iron perhaps because the components of Ceres may have formed in a different region of the solar system than the meteorites.

Another study led by Thomas Planck of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research was published in the journal Nature Astronomy. It focuses on craters than are in shadow in the northern hemisphere of Ceres.

Scientists examined hundreds of cold dark craters called ''cold traps''. They are so chilly that a very small amount of ice turns into vapor in the course of a billion years..

Researchers also found bright materials in 10 of these craters.

It is suggested that water ice can be stores in these cold traps. Ice has previously been spotted on Mercury and in a few cases, on the moon. Scientists believe that impactiong bodies delivered ice to Mercury and the moon but the origin of the ice on Ceres is more mysterious.

We are interested in how this ice got there and how it managed to last so long," said co-author Norbert Schorghofer of the University of Hawaii. It might have come from Ceres' ice-rich crust, or maybe it was delivered from space.

The brighest areas of Ceres in the northern hemisphere crater Occator doesn't shine because of ice but rather because of salt. A new video was produced by the German Aerospace Center in Berling which simulates the experience of flying around this crater.

"The unique interior of Occator may have formed in a combination of processes that we are currently investigating," said Ralf Jaumann. The crater was probably

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created because of an impact that triggered the upwelling of luqid from the inside of Ceres which left behind salt.

Sources and literature: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/where-is-the-ice-on-ceres-new-nasa-dawn-findings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_(dwarf_planet) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9zUqir1H2E Luka Jezovšek 9.a Slovenia

What Do Astronauts Do for Fun in Space?

Planning an astronaut's schedule at the International Space Station is actually quite difficult. There are several daily tasks and maintenance operations an astronaut must do, as well as scientific experiments. Every day astronauts must get 2.5 hours of exercise (mostly using resistive equipment) just to maintain normal muscle tone and ordinary fitness levels because without gravity they do not have to use their muscles like we do here on Earth. Scheduling the exercise time can be difficult because they can't exercise just before or just after a meal.

Living in space is not just all work and no play. Astronauts like to have fun, too. If you're staying on the International Space Station for a few months, it is certainly okay to look out the window, play with your food or tease your crewmates once in a while. Fun is an essential ingredient to the quality of life.

Astronauts need a break from their busy schedules when they are orbiting Earth. Days or even months of straight work are certain to cause stress among space workers. That is why flight planners on Earth schedule time each day for astronauts to relax, exercise and have some fun. Station crew members even manage to have fun while working.

Experiments in space sometimes involve ordinary toys and how microgravity affects them.

A popular pastime while orbiting Earth is simply looking out the window. Inside the International Space Station, crew members have numerous windows they can look out. Astronauts often comment on their fascination and awe as they look at Earth spin beneath them with its multiple shades and textures. Sunsets and sunrises are also very spectacular, occurring every 45 minutes above Earth's atmosphere.

Aboard the space station, crew members have many opportunities to relax and play. Like most people who work full time, astronauts get weekends off. On any given day, crew members can watch movies, play music, read books, play cards and talk to their families. They have an exercise bike, a treadmill and various other equipment to help keep their bodies in shape. During their off time, they certainly take time out to play games and generally have a good time.

Astronauts do indeed play musical instruments in space, it is a popular Saturday pastime aboard the space station!

Instruments should work just fine in zero gravity. The spacebound musician would only run into trouble if she tried to play outside of the shuttle or space station. Sounds waves need air to travel through, so even though the string of a violin would vibrate properly in the near-vacuum of space, it wouldn't produce any sound. Brass instruments would also fall silent: they produce sound because of air vibrating in-

side their metals bodies, so without air, there would be no sound!

Like us, astronauts have hobbies that they indulge in during their free time. Some astronauts enjoy cooking. Interestingly, when the astronauts aren’t cooking, few of the most popular fast food chains, like Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, are taking advantage of the ‘Space Crowd’ by make special orbital deliveries to the hard working and hungry spacemen. Others like to photograph their surroundings, and what better subject could there be?

It’s important to remember that despite all of the movies, documentaries, books and stories we hear about the ‘people in space,’ astronauts are human too. So, like the rest of us, they want to spend some of their time just having fun!

Webography: http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/about-us/151-people-inastronomy/space-exploration-and-astronauts/humanspaceflight-current-or-past/937-what-do-astronauts-do-allday-in-the-international-space-station-intermediate https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/stem-onstation/ditl_free_time https://astronaut.com/astronauts-fun-space/

Jurj Oana Romania

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KUPALA NIGHT In the past Life of former slavs largely depended on the cycle of astronomical phenomena.

During events like the vernal equinox or summer solstice the most important pagan ceremonies used to take place, for instance Kupala Night (Noc Kupały) celebrated at the shortest night of the year, summer solstice night. It was the festivity of fire, the Sun, the Moon, and also abundance, love and fertility. People used to celebrate it mainly in the middle east Europe, but it was known in other cultures too.

During Kupala Night Young men used to light a fire by rubbing pieces of Wood. Ir was a way to impress single girls with their strength. The bonfires were known as Sobótka. As time went by, the notion of Sobótka turned into another name of Kupala Night.

This ritual used to be one of the most important holidays for Polish Slavs. The tradition says that women and men were girded with artemisia, women also had to wear garlands. Garlands were made of herbs. Young people were singing, dancing around a bonfire and jumping over it. Dancing was one of the ways to exile evil spirits far from the villages and fields. Jumping through the fire used to be one of the main solemnities in tribute to de Sun — “bright god”, it had to provide purification of the soul from evil, every illness and bring happiness. It was believed that souls came back to warm up.

The mystical fern flower played a significant part in the Kupala Night festivities. According to legends, it blossomed at the summer solstice night.

Its extraordinary glow showed the way to hidden treasures. The one who found the flower could acquire whole wealth and happiness, but it was really hard to attain it. Sometimes it was even impossible.

One of the old legends describes a heroic trial to find this magical flower by Jack — one of the poor kids from the village.

Legend about fern flower Once upon a time Jack Heard about an extraordinary fern flower with mystical abilities. He decided that he needed to find it. He had been preparing for this adventure for a few months. At the Kupala Night teenagers from his village went on Sobótka ceremony, but Jack went to the forest to fulfil his dreams.

At the beginning of his journey he didn´t have any difficulties, but the further

he walked the harder it was. The flower was guarded by witches and Woody creatures. Jack was more worried about poverty tan monsters, so he continued his adventure. Just before the sunrise he found the flower. It had five petals and looked gorgeous. Jack wanted to pick the flower but suddenly the Sun rose and the flower disappeared. He didn´t give up and tried again the following year. Unfortunately, the same situation happened again.

His third trial was successful. He found the flower before the sunrise. The magical flower warned him that if he shares his belongings with someone, he will lose everything. Jack agreed to these terms and then the flower settled in his heart.

Then Jack could afford to fulfil his dreams He had everything he wanted. He had servants, lived in a huge castle and ate exotic food. He lived a life of a rich man and took part in a lot of parties, but he couldn´t stop thinking about his family.

One day decided to visit them. He went there, but no one could recognize him. He saw that they didn´t have much money, but he didn´t want to

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lose his goods, so went back to his castle. He tried to forget about that situation, but he rally missed them, so he went back there again. The trip finished with the same result. He went back to his old lifestyle, but he visited his family soon.

Then he found out everyone had died because of poverty and hunger. He realised he could have saved them and he felt guilty. He said that since the had died, he should have died too. Then the ground came apart and absorbed him. The evil flower ended up on a milk carton. Since then no one could find fern flower.

Nowadays In the 14th and 15th century bishops tried to ban Sobótka, but they realized it was impossible, because it was deeply rooted in the Slavs´culture so they changed the date to a more Christian one, which was 23/24 June, That is St John Baptist´s Day. That´s way the name changed to Bonfire Night. It doesn´t make any sense in English, but in Polish is Noc Świętojańska, which can be translated as Saint John´s Night.

Trivia  The famous festivities of Kupala Night in Europa took place at the Ślęża Mountain in Poland.  The name “artemisia” ultimately derives from the Greek goddess Artemis (Roman Diana), the namesake of Greek Queens Artemisia I

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and II. A more specific reference may be Artemisia II of Caria, a botanist and medical researcher who died in 350 BC.  In fact, ferns are no flowering plants. However, some experts think that the flowering fern myth has its roots in realty. In the past, the grouping of plants was not as exact as modern taxonomic ones. Numerous flowering plants resemble ferns, or have fern-like foliage, and some of them indeed open flowers during the night time. Also, certain true ferns, e.g., Osmunda regalis have sporangia in tight clusters (termed “fertile fronds”), which may appear in flower-like clusters, and as a result, they are commonly know as “flowering ferns”.  On this day in Latvia everyone has a day off work.  End up on a milk carton—in the United Stats during the mid-1980s, there was a practice of putting the faces of children who had gone missing (and were presumably kidnapped or abducted) on a milk carton, in an attempt to get neighbours of the person who had abducted the child to notice and report him or her.

Elaborated by: Paulina Barnowska Patrycja Wójtowicz