Primary Sources

How do we know that the sun is a star? -- and, that we live in a galaxy full of stars?

How do we know what the distances between those stars are?

How did we conclude that the moon and planets are illuminated by reflected sunlight, and, not through their own, intrinsic illumination?

How do we know how big the universe is, and, of what materials it is composed?

By guesswork? By simple reasoning? By concluding what we want to conclude?!

No -- never...

Vintage Engraving, Early Spectroscopy Using Prisms -  Drawing by Luisa Vallon Fumi

The answers to some of those questions come by way of Newton, Galileo, Herschel, the telescope, and the spectroscope - (and, yes - true, genuine, unadulterated genius, at least, in the case of Newton).

To understand these things, one has got to have some grasp, of the long hours of hard work, done by many people - sometimes, extended out, over several generations.

But, all of it was done, methodically, one step at a time. Those steps are preserved in records - written at the time, by the very people who took those steps - and exist in the various university libraries, public archives, etc. These documents, and others like them, are known as, "Primary Sources", or, "Original Sources". One notable example of an original source document, is Galileo Galilei's letter to the Duchess of Tuscany, on what he had observed through his telescope, which, has been, ever since, preserved by the Royal Archives, in Great Britain, and is available for public view. Most any college or university has a Primary Source repository, or access, to one.

One, major distinction, in perusing any primary source, is its wonderful lack of hype, sensationalism, opinions, fake news, and, perhaps, best of all (in my opinion) -- no "pseudo scientists"!

Insight Observatory's network of remote robotic telescopes - ATEO-1, ATEO-2A, and ATEO-3.

Astronomers - professional, amateur, and citizen, alike - are, still, today needed to make observations, visually, or photographically of the night sky. One way to do this is by the use of remote, robotic telescopes and astrographs, like those, here at Insight Observatory.

Dale Alan Bryant
Senior Contributing Science Writer

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Introducing "Starbase"

There has been a new module added to Insight Observatory's ATEO Portal. This new module has been designated "Starbase". Starbase is a repository of images captured by the Astronomical Telescopes for Educational Outreach (ATEO), organized by the image target into image “sets”. These image sets can be purchased (referred to as “subscribing” to) and downloaded.

M13 - Globular Cluster in Hercules processed from Starbase Image Sets by subscriber Utkarsh Mishra.

An "image set" is composed of one or more images of a specific deep-sky target or subject. Images captured as part of an image set will typically be imaged within the timespan of a few months. On the Starbase portal page, the "Image Sets" tab will display a list of all the available image sets in Starbase.

After the ATEO Portal was rolled out last year, Insight Observatory started receiving requests from image processors asking to deliver image data from the ATEO remote telescopes. Although there are a few avid ATEO Portal users who take advantage of the Scheduler and Telescope Console to gather image data, we also realized there were many image processors that simply wanted the image data from the telescopes. They had no interest in reserving time and imaging on the telescopes themselves. Therefore, we came up with an intuitive design for a new portal module that would allow portal users to browse, purchase, and download previously imaged image sets. 

Screenshots of Insight Observatory's newly released Starbase image datasets repository accessed thru the ATEO Portal.

In the midst of developing Starbase, we were simultaneously populating the image library and by doing so taking requests of deep-sky targets from image processors.  We called the process "Image Sets on Demand". As we continue to populate Starbase with image sets, we are continuing to take image data requests through our "Image Sets on Demand" form.

Starbase Subscription Rates:

Subscription rates are determined by whether you registered with Insight Observatory as a Standard or as an Educational user.

The rates as of January 2020 are as follows:

ATEO-1

• Standard: $0.10 per minute of image set exposure time
• Education: $0.08 per minute of image set exposure time

ATEO-2A/2B

• Standard: $0.18 per minute of image set exposure time
• Education: $0.15 per minute of image set exposure time

ATEO-3

• Standard: $0.20 per minute of image set exposure time
• Education: $0.17 per minute of image set exposure time

To access Starbase, log into your Insight Observatory ATEO Portal account. If you don't have a portal account, you may sign up for one HERE at no cost. Once you are logged into Starbase, there is a "Support" tab to the right on the portal page that explains in-depth how to use the new Starbase module.

Log In or Sign-Up Here!

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"On the Moon Again!"

On July 20th, 1969, 600 million people on all the continents followed the first step of a man on the Moon, together with their family or friends, around a radio, and sometimes a television set. Fifty years later, "On the Moon Again" was created to share this enthusiasm for the Moon again in a global, universal movement, transcending all borders.

Insight Observatory and Blake Planetarium collaborated on the evening of July, 12th 2019, by participating in the global event "On the Moon Again".

Scientists worldwide gathered behind "On the Moon Again" and invited Insight Observatory to participate in this unifying event. Their support committee promoted the values of sharing and cooperation. "On the Moon Again" was an initiative of French scientists who coordinated this event with the contribution of thousands of volunteers. Once Insight Observatory was invited to join this global event, we immediately approached the Blake Planetarium located in Plymouth, MA to see if they would have an interest in putting on a joint event with Insight Observatory. The planetarium was very responsive, to say the least. Being that this event was for public outreach, the planetarium was kind enough to offer four showings of the planetarium's program "Earth, Moon, Sun", every half-hour, free of charge to the public. This collaboration with Insight Observatory was highly publicized, and the result was many reserving their spot ahead of time.

Interior view of the Blake Planetarium theater before the evening's event "On the Moon Again".

While the programs were running in the planetarium theater by Blake Planetarium Program Provider, Steven Davies, I represented Insight Observatory's contribution by providing a small Celestron 2.4" refractor telescope set up in the front of the school where the planetarium is located. Using this small instrument would make it easy to pick up and run inside in the event the skies opened up. Although the telescope was small and designed for novice astronomers, it still provided decent views of the moon. There was also a backup plan in case we were completely clouded out in Plymouth, MA. John Evelan, the owner of SkyPi Remote Observatory, had his Insight Observatory affiliate telescope ATEO-2B, the Celestron 11" f/10 planetary telescope, ready to broadcast images of the moon into the planetarium theater. Unfortunately, he was challenged by cloud coverage in western New Mexico and could only provide a few images of the moon.

Yours truly giving a thumbs-up after the clouds gave way to the moon, Dr. Patt Steiner providing views of the moon through her refractor telescope, and a quick shot of the moon through the Celestron refractor using my iPhone.

As folks were arriving and departing the planetarium, I had the waxing gibbous moon in the telescope's eyepiece for all to see. The weather started out unsettled; however, fortunately cleared out for most of the outdoor part of the event. Nearly all of the attendees who stopped by to look through the telescope had never seen the moon up so close before. The groups of adults and children of all ages were amazed by the detailed view of the craters, mountain ranges, and mare (seas) they could see with such a small backyard telescope. It was most rewarding guiding them where to look through the telescope for Mare Tranquillitatis (the Sea of Tranquility), the landing spot of Apollo 11.

Blake Planetarium has many public programs throughout the year. You can see what programs they have to offer by visiting bit.ly/BLAKEPLANET.

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Messier 63 - The Sunflower Galaxy

As the spring night sky looms overhead, there are a plethora of galaxies and galaxy clusters for targeting with the Astronomical Telescopes for Educational Outreach (ATEO) at Insight Observatory. One such galaxy is Messier 63, the "Sunflower Galaxy" located in the constellation Canes Venatici. One of Insight Observatory's Starbase dataset subscribers, Utkarsh Mishra, processed roughly 10 hours (color) and 6 hours (monochrome) of data integration of the galaxy acquired by ATEO-1, the 16" f/3.7 Astrograph reflector located in New Mexico. Utkarsh's processed image of Messier 63 is one of the best we at Insight Observatory have ever seen. We were very excited to see his final processed color and monochrome images of the galaxy. It is the first time an image from ATEO-1 has been processed with so many integration hours.

Color LRGB image of Messier 63, The Sunflower Galaxy - 6 hours of data from ATEO-1 processed by Utkarsh Mishra.

Although M63 only has two spiral arms, many appear to be winding around its yellow core. The spiral arms shine with the radiation from recently formed blue stars and can be more clearly seen in infrared observations. By imaging flocculent spiral galaxies like M63, astronomers hope to gain a better understanding of how stars form in such systems.

Messier 63 or M63, also known as NGC 5055 was discovered in 1779 by the French astronomer Pierre Méchain and was the first of 24 objects that Méchain would contribute to Charles Messier’s catalog. The galaxy is located roughly 27 million light-years from Earth. It has an apparent magnitude of 9.3 and appears as a faint patch of light in small telescopes. The best time to observe this galaxy is during the month of May.

Monochrome Luminance image of Messier 63, The Sunflower Galaxy - 6 hours of data from ATEO-1 processed by Utkarsh Mishra.

In 1971, a supernova with a magnitude of 11.8 appeared in one of the arms of M63. It was discovered on May 24, 1971, and reached peak light around May 26. The spectrum of SN 1971 I is consistent with a supernova of type I. However, the spectroscopic behavior appeared anomalous.

Sources: NASA.gov and Wikipedia

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Featured Deep-Sky Objects - NGC 884 and NGC 869

The Double Cluster is the name for two open clusters, NGC 884 and NGC 869, and are located close together in the Perseus constellation. Also known as h Persei and χ Persei (h and Chi Persei), the open clusters both lie at an estimated distance of 7,600 light-years from Earth and are roughly 12.8 million years old. The Double Cluster is circumpolar (continuously above the horizon) from most northern latitudes. These deep-sky wonders are in proximity to the constellation Cassiopeia and are approximately the radiant of the Perseid meteor shower, which peaks annually around August 12 or 13.

The Double Cluster - NGC 884 (left) and NGC 869 (right) - Imaged by Michael Petrasko on Insight Observatory's Astronomical Telescope for Educational Outreach (ATEO-1.

NGC 884 and NGC 869 cover an area of 60 arc minutes of the apparent sky, which is twice the size of a full Moon making it a suitable target for backyard telescopes and binoculars. Individually, the clusters have a mass of 3,700 solar masses (NGC 869) and 2,800 solar masses (NGC 884), but as each cluster is surrounded by an extended halo of stars, the total mass of the Double Cluster is at least 20,000 solar masses. The two clusters are separated by only hundreds of light-years.

Each open cluster contains 300 to 400 stars and the brightest stars shine at 7th magnitude. NGC 869, appears slightly brighter, richer, and more compact than NGC 884.

Hipparchus, a Greek astronomer, catalogued the object as a "patch of light" in Perseus as early as 130 B.C. However, the true nature of the Double Cluster wasn’t discovered until the invention of the telescope many centuries later. In the early 19th century William Herschel was the first to recognize the object as two separate clusters. The Double Cluster is not included in Messier's catalogue but is included in the Caldwell catalogue of popular deep-sky objects, designated Caldwell 14.

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Insight Observatory Introduces ATEO-2

On Wednesday, May 16, 2018, Insight Observatory Project Developer, Michael Petrasko traveled to the southwest for his first annual trip for servicing the 16" Astronomical Telescope for Educational Outreach (now called ATEO-1). This voyage turned out to be more successful than he could ever imagine. Besides the laundry list of minor adjustments and enhancements that were slated to be made to the 16" remote imaging telescope, a new telescope was added to Insight Observatory's network.

ATEO-2: Williams Optics 5" f/7 Refractor Remote Imaging System going live in July 2018.

Wednesday evening after I arrived, SkyPi Online Observatory's (where the ATEO-1 is hosted) managing member, John Evelan and I were discussing in detail how Insight Observatory came about choosing SkyPi for its hosting solution for the telescope. I explained options the company had explored, such as becoming an affiliate on another remote telescope whereas the imaging system would simply plug into the telescope's network online portal. Seeing that Insight Observatory was already underway with developing its own portal, they continued searching for the ideal hosting location that would fit their exact needs. That location was SkyPi Online Observatory and after our first full year of hosting the ATEO-1 there, Insight Observatory could not be happier with their final choice!

After Michael finished his story, John asked: "So the online portal you have developed for your telescope can run any telescope like a refractor?" Michael replied "Yes... The portal developed by Insight Observatory's System's Engineer, Muir Evenden, can add any remote setup implementing a config file to the online portal with the imaging systems specifications and as long as it runs on TheSkyX in the background." John proceeded to get up and grab a set of keys from the house. John then walked me to his small observatory off the deck and unlocked the door. There was a Williams Optics 132 (5") f/7 FLT apo refractor mounted to a Paramount GT100S Equatorial mount equipped with the following:

• Atik 490EX Color CCD Camera
• Orion 80 guide
• Starlight Express Loadstar guide camera

ATEO-2 pictured with its complete imaging equipment listed above in Omega Observatory
at SkyPi Remote Observatory.

This is when ATEO-2 was born! Michael and John worked out an agreement where the remote imaging system will be added to Insight Observatory's network of online telescopes for education and the general public as Insight's first affiliate member.

Insight Observatory was actually planning their next remote telescope (ATEO-2) to be a refractor with a one-shot color CCD camera to compliment the 16" astrograph imaging telescope installed just over a year ago. Michael and Muir are very excited to be partnering up with John and SkyPi Online Observatory in this endeavor. As of now, the telescope is expected to be on Insight's telescope network in July 2018.

Besides the efforts that John and his team at SkyPi went above and beyond with during Michael's stay, they recently constructed an observatory that houses an 18" Dobsonian telescope that can be used by their hosting clients during their visit on site. As John and Michael were scanning galaxies in the constellation Virgo one night, they could hear the ATEO-1 slewing in the distance collecting imaging data for an 8th-grade class research project. That definitely added to the ambience!

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ATEO Public Image Request Form Released

Insight Observatory is pleased to announce the release of its Public Image Request (PIR) form for use with its Astronomical Telescope for Educational Outreach (ATEO). The purpose of the form is to allow the general public to request (in a few easy steps) an image to be taken of a deep-sky object, such as a galaxy, nebula, or star cluster of their choice, with the organization's remote robotic telescope located in New Mexico. The service is free; however, donations can be made via PayPal in any amount to support the maintenance and hosting of the telescope.

The Public Image Request (PIR) form is the "lite" version of the telescope's portal that is nearly completed and scheduled to be released for beta testing at the end of this year. The ATEO Portal will allow users to reserve telescope time and have full control of the telescope and all of its imaging equipment.

Screenshot of the Public Image Request Form for Use with Insight Observatory's
Astronomical Telescope for Educational Outreach.

What can be imaged with the PIR form?

Currently, only deep sky objects can be imaged using the Public Image Request form. This means no planets, asteroids, comets, or other objects that cannot be found in the SIMBAD object database. Why is this? This is because the wide field of view that the ATEO captures means that, in most cases, targets like planets would simply appear too small in our images to be satisfactory. Als,o please be aware that due to the wide field, small objects (like the Ring Nebula) will appear smaller than a larger objects (like the Orion Nebula) - this may seem obvious, however, when you are used to seeing certain objects (like the Ring Nebula) close up it can be disorienting to view them on a wider scale.

How long will it take to capture and receive an image?

The total turnaround time can range from a week to a month. A lot can depend on the weather - an unusually cloudy month can slow down the capture of images.

The Rosette Nebula (also known as Caldwell 49) - 300-Second Color
Image by Colin Stephens via the ATEO Public Image Request form.

What is the final product that will be received after the image request?

When your image is ready to download, it will be in the form of a JPEG (JPG) file that can be retrieved from Dropbox (no account is required to download your image). You will receive an email notification with a link to the Dropbox folder with your file when it is ready. Your image files will remain on Dropbox for 30 days after you are notified and then removed.

Is there a restriction on the number of images that can be requested?

Yes... Simply because we want to give everyone a reasonable chance of requesting an image. Current restrictions limit the number of open (waiting to be imaged) requests to 2 per month per person, and there is a cap limit of 50 total open requests in our queue. This cap is put in place because we don't want to be in a position where our backlog of images grows beyond what we are able to capture within a reasonable timeframe.

Access Telescopes Here!

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Solar Eclipse Activities for Everyone

Of the people who will be viewing an eclipse (total or partial) on August 21st, many will be young. Young enough that you'll want to double and triple-check their solar viewers before letting them look up at the Sun, and young enough, too, that you'll want other activities for them (and you!) as the Sun makes its way through the long partial phases. Not to mention, young enough that this will be their very first eclipse, and you'll want to make every moment count!

During the partial eclipse, two crossed hands create many holes that act as pinhole projectors.
Photo by J. Kelly Beatty.

Viewing the Eclipse with Kids

The first and simplest activity is to make an eclipse viewer see the Sun. Note: Don't look at the Sun directly or through anything other than safe solar viewers or No. 14 arc welder's glass during the partial phases of the eclipse. It's completely safe to look at the blocked Sun during totality though.

If you weren't able to procure a pair of glasses, there are other options: Pinhole projectors work just as well, if not better, to view the Sun, and they come with the side benefit that they only work when you face your back to the Sun — eye safety guaranteed.

Find a cereal box, scissors, some tin foil, a pushpin or toothpick, and tape, and you'll have everything you need to make a pinhole projector to view the solar eclipse. Watch NASA's video for easy-to-follow instructions...

See the full Source Article by Monica Young at http://www.skyandtelescope.com/2017-total-solar-eclipse/solar-eclipse-activities-kids-families/

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Observers Track the Next New Horizons’ Target

January 1, 2019, is still several months away, however, for members of NASA's New Horizons team, it's hurtling toward them like a freight train. That's when the spacecraft will fly past the distant Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69 at close range.

Astronomers guess that it's between 25 and 45 km (15 and 30 miles) across, but the exact size depends on the reflectivity of its surface — and that's unknown. In fact, they needed the Hubble Space Telescope to discover this incredibly dim speck (magnitude 27½). It's some 6½ billion km (43.3 astronomical units) from the Sun, a third farther out than Pluto is.

The stellar "shadow" cast by 2014 MU69 took about 11 minutes to sweep across Earth,
so from any given location, the star would disappear for no more than about 2 seconds.

"This object has so far proven to be impossible to detect from the ground," laments Marc Buie (Southwest Research Institute). "100% of the data we have directly on 2014 MU69 is from HST, starting with the discovery images and then onward to additional images for astrometry."

To learn more and guess less, Buie and the New Horizons team have turned to an observing technique that can be even more powerful than HST: stellar occultations. It turns out that 2014 MU69, currently drifting among the rich star fields of Sagittarius about 5° northeast of the Teapot, passes directly in front of three stars this year: June 3rd, July 10th, and July 17th. That's good news. The bad news is that these stars are themselves very faint, and (as the maps below show) getting into the predicted tracks presents plenty of challenges.

Read Full Source Article at http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/solar-system/observers-track-new-horizons-next-target/

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What Are Astronomical Artifacts?

In a nutshell, Astronomical Artifacts are objects erected or constructed by ancient civilizations that were used in conjunction with the visible celestial bodies that orbited the planet outside the Earth's atmosphere. Objects such as the stone circles at Nabta Playa in Egypt, as well as the pyramids and the construction of Stonehenge, are all considered ancient Astronomical Artifacts. The civilizations that built these monuments often used these objects for both religious ceremonies and astronomical purposes. There are some theorists who claim the enormous statues on Easter Island also had astronomical symbolism. Theories and debates over how these objects were created and what they were intended to be used for range from the simple to the extreme. Some believe these monuments were erected by civilizations that were far superior in intelligence for their time in history, while others believe they provide evidence of extraterrestrial visitation and interference with human history.

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England - Image Credit: Joel Connors.

The pyramids of ancient Egypt were constructed in alignment with the pole star, and the Great Temple was built in alignment with the rising of the midwinter sun. These monuments assisted the Egyptians with determining different natural occurrences, such as the annual flooding of the Nile river basin. They also assisted the temple astronomers with following the different phases, conjunctions, and rising of such celestial bodies as stars, planets, and their natural satellites, or moons.

Stonehenge is another Astronomical Artifact. This monument has a much-storied history dating all the way back to 8,000 B.C. There is significant evidence suggesting that at some of its earliest moments in history it was used as a burial facility. Archaeologists have uncovered several gravesites around the area where the stones are actually erected. They have also found evidence to suggest that several different generations of people used the area for different purposes. Religious rituals and ceremonies were also conducted at this historical site, and several theories exist as to how the stones were actually aligned and what they were intended for, most of which surround religious theories as well as astronomical symbolism in the formation of reading and charting stars and planets.

The Antikythera Mechanism was discovered in 1900 by sponge divers off the coast of the Greek Island Antikythera when they came across an ancient Roman-era shipwreck. This bronze device is about the size of a shoebox and baffled scientists and archaeologists for years. It wasn't until very recently that a British researcher, exploring the evidence and inscriptions on the mechanism, was able to identify and establish it as the oldest surviving astronomical computer. It has 30 wheels and dials that are covered in astronomical inscriptions and texts which have been used to decipher and translate ancient Greek languages that haven't been seen or used in over 2,000 years.

One of the oldest educated and intelligent civilizations in the history of humans is the Sumerians, who were also steeped in the knowledge of Astronomy for their period in time. The Mul Apin tablet is an artifact that dates back to the time of the Sumerians. This device contained astronomical information, as well as significant dates for the rising and setting of specific constellations. It also included a record of omens that were predicted by the reading and mapping of celestial objects.

If you're new to the wonderful world of astronomy or stargazing, a great start would be Asynx Planetarium Software.

To download the software and start your observations today, visit http://www.asynx-planetarium.com an invaluable source of information for beginners.

Christian Nuesch Article Source: What Are Astronomical Artifacts?

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ATEO Telescope Installation Journey

The time is FINALLY arriving! Our dream of installing the Astronomical Telescope for Educational Outreach (ATEO) is soon to become a reality. The plan is set for delivery of the ATEO and all of its imaging equipment the week of May 20, 2107. Insight Observatory co-founder Muir Evenden and I will be taking a 3-day road trip to Pie Town, New Mexico, where we will be installing and testing the 16" astrograph imaging telescope at its hosting facility, SkyPi Online Observatories. The telescope pier is ready for the deep-sky imaging system to be mounted on in SkyPi's Gamma Pod.

The pier where the ATEO will be installed on the week of May 20th, 2017.
The image was taken by a webcam located in the Gamma Pod.

The observatory structure is designed to house two telescope setups as pictured above. At the time ATEO is installed we will have a neighbor from Arkansas who will also be imaging with a 12.5" Newtonian astrograph. John Evelan, managing member of SkyPi Remote Observatories quoted "I'm personally excited to see the 2 together in that pod as they will be our first "Newts".

The trip is mapped out to take us on a 12-hour journey on day 1 just over the Indiana border with day 2 taking another 12-hour excursion just past Oklahoma City. The road trip will then commence on day 3 with a 10-hour drive taking us to our final destination of Pie Town, New Mexico. Our goal is to arrive by mid-afternoon on Monday, May 22th, 2017. Muir and I will be staying on the observatory grounds for 5 days to install, configure and test the ATEO. We will be assisted by the staff at SkyPi to get the telescope online. We will then return the moving truck to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and fly home to Boston, MA on the 28th of May.

Satellite image of the SkyPi Online Observatory Campus 
Image captured from Google Earth.

We are very excited to see our plan go into action after having this vision 6 years ago when Insight Observatory was founded. Muir and I plan on documenting the trip and the progress of the ATEO installation on this blog throughout the week of May 20th.

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Comet 41P/T-G-K Slingshots Across the Big Dipper

With St. Patrick's Day this week, green naturally comes to mind. I'm usually the one chastised by my co-workers for not wearing green. Just forgetful, that's all. When it comes to comets, we know that when one starts "greening up," it's a sign that it's getting closer and brighter. Only two weeks ago, before departing the evening sky, 8th-magnitude Comet 2P/Encke glowed pale emerald in my telescope. I hated to see it go.

Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak pairs up with the beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 3198 on March 14. Chris Schur.

But as often happens, when one astronomical objects depart the scene, another takes its place. This week, periodic comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak begins the best part of its 2017 apparition, dashing across the circumpolar sky and brightening as it goes. Its timing couldn't be better. It's visible almost the entire night from anywhere in the northern hemisphere, so if you play your Moon-cards right, you can see 41P/T-G-K in dark skies part of every night now through about April 8th.

That's more than 3 weeks to catch the comet! And if you're like me, living in a region prone to spring clouds, you'll need it. A week ago, the comet shone at magnitude +9.2 and appeared moderately condensed with a 7′ coma. With a magnification of 64× in my 15-inch telescope, the nuclear region was a bright pip (not quite stellar) at center. Photographs are taken a few nights ago hint at a southward coma extension which may be the start of a tail.

By March 14-15, the coma had swelled to at least 12′ across but appeared less compact and more diffuse through my scope. Apparently, I was only seeing the core. Other observers using 10x50 binoculars and modest, wide-field instruments are now reporting coma diameter estimates of at least 30′ (Full Moon size) and a magnitude closer to +8. When you attempt 41P, know that its large coma will appear more obvious in a smaller, wide-field instrument than in a larger instrument with a smaller field of view.

Read the full source article at  http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/comet-41pt-g-k-glows-green-for-st-paddys-day/

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Fighting for Visibility

In the heady days of the space race, the Mercury Seven astronauts were celebrities, and the Moon’s silver face seemed, for the first time in human existence, close enough to touch. For many, space was a tantalizing promise of a wonderful future, beyond the strife of an increasingly divided Earth. For others, supremacy in space was the answer to the Cold War. And for yet others, space was a sign of profligate spending of time and energy on dreams, when reality desperately needed America’s attention.

Melba Roy Mouton, pictured next to an electronic computer, was
the leader of a group of human computers that helped track
 Echo satellites in the early 1960s. NASA.

NASA achieved its most spectacular first steps in those days, making heroes out of men and women who dared to push harder, dream bigger, and be smarter than anyone before them. Those moments created titans in American history, such as rocket pioneers Robert Goddard and Wernher Von Braun, or astronaut adventurers John Glenn and Neil Armstrong.

But many of the actors in this play remain hidden in the wings. Now, decades after the work that should have made them legendary, the black women who helped put the United States in space are finally having their stories told.

These women, though not the faces memorialized in crowded mission-control room photos or seen waving from catwalks before launching beyond Earth's grip were nonetheless stars in their own right. And one of the brightest was Katherine Johnson.

Read Full Source Article at http://astronomy.com/bonus/hidden-figures

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Don’t Underestimate Tiny Telescopes

In a period of ever-larger observatories, you may imagine that there's no longer a place for small-aperture ground-based telescopes. However, small ground-based telescopes have been in charge of the disclosure and portrayal of around 250 exoplanets so far — and these are the objectives that are particularly valuable for exoplanet science, as they are more effectively followed up than the swoon revelations made by telescopes like Kepler.

The KELT-North telescope in Arizona. 
Courtesy Vanderbilt University.

The Kilogree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT) comprises two telescopes — one in Arizona and one in South Africa — that each has a 4.2-centimeter opening. Altogether, KELT watches around 70% of the whole sky hunting down planets traveling brilliant hosts. Furthermore, it's as of later discovered a significant intriguing one: KELT-16b. In a publication led by Thomas Oberst (Westminster College in Pennsylvania), a group of researchers introduces their find.

KELT-16b is what's known as a hot Jupiter. Utilizing the KELT information and follow-up perceptions of 19 travels, Oberst and colleagues assess KELT-16b's sweep at about 1.4 circumstances that of Jupiter and its mass at 2.75 circumstances Jupiter's. Its balance temperature is a burning 2453 K — brought about by the way that it circles so near its host star that it finishes each circle in an unimportant 0.97 days!

This brief period is amazingly irregular: there are just five other known traveling exoplanets with periods shorter than a day. KELT-16b is circling near its host, making it subject to extraordinary light and solid tidal powers.

In light of KELT-16b's circle, Oberst and colleagues gauge that the planet started a runaway inspiral by the age of 1 billion years. Presently, at ~3.1 billion years of age, KELT-16b is circling at a sweep of a little more than 3 stellar radii over its host's surface. The creators appraise that KELT-16b's proceeding with internal winding could end in the planet's annihilation by tidal powers in as meager as an additional 550,000 years.

Artist’s impression of a transiting hot-Jupiter planet. The recently discovered KELT-16b orbits so close to its host that it zips around it in less than a day! 
NASA/ESA/G. Bacon (STScI)

This exceptionally lighted world makes for a particularly valuable focus because of its brief period (which implies we can watch many travels) and brilliant host (which implies follow-up perceptions are more advantageous and have a vast flag-to-clamor proportion). Specifically, with follow-up perceptions of KELT-16b from missions like Hubble, Spitzer, and in the end the James Webb Space Telescope, we can take in more about open inquiries in exoplanet air forms — like how warmth is exchanged vertically through the air, or what occurs at the day-to-night eliminator line on such a profoundly lighted planet.

What's more, by studying KELT-16b, we can want to increase our general knowledge of hot Jupiter arrangement and movement. The simplicity of watching this planet and the abundance of data it can give will probably make it one of the top considered exoplanets. KELT-16b has a ton to show us before it's torn and separated!

Article Source: Thomas E. Oberst et al 2017 AJ 153 97. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/153/3/97

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Deep Sky Image Database - M81 and M82 Galaxies

As the crew of Insight Observatory works on getting the Astronomical Telescope for Educational Outreach (ATEO) ready for first light in 2017, it is now time to start compiling databases of deep-sky images as well as designing a curriculum for teaching deep-sky imaging using remote robotic telescopes. As the Insight Observatory deep-sky image database accumulates, it will be available for educational purposes as well as material for software publications. 

Seeing that the ATEO will be hosted in the mountains of New Mexico, we thought it would be a good idea to start the deep-sky image database using the remote robotic telescopes on the iTelescope network hosted at their Mayhill, New Mexico facility. Their dark-sky site is very comparable to the site the ATEO will be hosted at the SkyPi Remote Observatory located in Pie Town, New Mexico.

M81 (left) and M82 (right) were imaged on T20 by Insight Observatory.

On the morning of November 10, 2016, we compiled raw data of the galaxy pair M81 and M82 located in the constellation of Ursa Major. The two objects were nearly perfectly placed at the meridian when the images were acquired. The telescope system that was used is known as T20 on the iTelescope network. The instrument is a very wide-field telescope, typically used for wide-field RGB / Narrowband Imaging, but also carries a Photometric V filter.

T20 is a great platform for wide-angle imaging and can also do valuable scientific research with its photometric V filter. This small Takahashi FSQ could also serve as a tool for scanning for asteroids and working on variable stars. Nothing can match its very wide field portraits and its performance on the sky's larger extended objects such as large nebula, clusters, bright comets and even catching fast-moving Near-Earth Objects.

T20 - iTelescope.net.

After the raw data was taken on T20, it was then stacked and processed using a CCD imaging software package called PixInsight. The images of M81 and M82 that were stacked consisted of five Luminance (clear) images at 300 seconds, four Red filtered images at 180 seconds, four Green filtered images at 180 seconds, and four Blue filtered images at 180 seconds. After the images were processed in PixInsight, the final image was then post-processed using Photoshop CS6.



A few Facts about M81 and M82:

• Messier 81 was first discovered by Johann Elert Bode on December 31, 1774. Consequently, the galaxy is sometimes referred to as "Bode's Galaxy". In 1779, Pierre Méchain and Charles Messier reidentified Bode's object, which was subsequently listed in the Messier Catalogue.


• Only one supernova has been detected in Messier 81. The supernova, named SN 1993J, was discovered on 28 March 1993 by F. Garcia in Spain. At the time, it was the second brightest supernova observed in the 20th century.


• Messier 81 is located approximately 10° northwest of Alpha Ursae Majoris along with several other galaxies in the Messier 81 Group. Messier 81 and Messier 82 can both be viewed easily using binoculars and small telescopes. The two objects are generally not observable to the unaided eye, although highly experienced amateur astronomers may be able to see Messier 81 under exceptional observing conditions with a very dark sky. Telescopes with apertures of 8 inches (20 cm) or larger are needed to distinguish structures in the galaxy. Its far northern declination makes it generally visible for observers in the northern hemisphere. It is not visible to most observers in the southern hemisphere, except those in a narrow latitude range immediately south of the equator.


• Messier 82 (also known as NGC 3034, Cigar Galaxy or M82) is a starburst galaxy about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. A member of the M81 Group, it is about five times more luminous than the whole Milky Way and has a center one hundred times more luminous than our galaxy's center. The starburst activity is thought to have been triggered by interaction with neighboring galaxy M81. As the closest starburst galaxy to our own, M82 is the prototypical example of this galaxy type. SN 2014J, a Type Ia supernova, was discovered in the galaxy on January 21, 2014.  In 2014, in studying M82, scientists discovered the brightest pulsar yet known, designated M82 X-2.


• Messier 82 was previously believed to be an irregular galaxy. In 2005, however, two symmetric spiral arms were discovered in near-infrared (NIR) images of M82. The arms were detected by subtracting an axisymmetric exponential disk from the NIR images. Even though the arms were detected in NIR images, they are bluer than the disk. The arms were previously missed due to M82's high disk surface brightness, our nearly edge-on view of this galaxy (~80°), and obscuration by a complex network of dusty filaments in its optical images. These arms emanate from the ends of the NIR bar and can be followed for the length of 3 disc scales. Assuming that the northern part of M82 is nearer to us, as most of the literature does, the observed sense of rotation implies trailing arms.

Sources: Wikipedia M81 and M82

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Remote Telescope Fundraising

Now that all of the components for Insight Observatory's remote Astronomical Telescope for Educational Outreach (ATEO) have been acquired, our organization has officially launched a fundraising effort to cover the cost of hosting and maintenance of the telescope.

The instrument is slated for installation at the SkyPi Online Observatory located in New Mexico in 2017.  Once up and running at the remote hosting site Insight Observatory will be assessed a monthly fee that will cover the hosting and maintenance. This is where we need help. If we want to accomplish our goals of bringing the universe into the classroom it is essential to call upon the generosity of those who are willing to pledge their support to keep the ATEO operational.

Students Studying Astronomy Online.

Fundraising is being accomplished through Patreon, a crowdfunding platform ideally suited for organizations like ours. By supporting Insight Observatory via Patreon you not only provide much-needed funds, but your generosity is also amply rewarded. Depending on how much you choose to give you can receive rewards ranging from recognition on our website to accessing our image database to actual reservation time on the telescope itself. Please visit our Patreon page for more information and details on how to become a patron of Insight Observatory's remote Astronomical Telescope for Educational Outreach.

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Remote Robotic Telescope Update - June 2016

Hello, all! A quick post on the state of Insight Observatory's robotic telescope project. For those of you "in the dark" (ha!) here is a short recap: ever since the beginning of Insight Observatory, we have had plans to set up and run a robotic telescope for use on IO-sponsored projects. We have the majority of items needed to fulfill this endeavor and are continuously looking for means to complete the acquisition of the remaining equipment so the project can finally be realized.

As of June 2016 we possess the following items:

• Dream Aerospace Systems 16" f/3.75 Astrograph: The telescope itself provides a fast optical system and coverage of large CCD imaging sensors
• Software Bisque Paramount ME: This type of mount has been widely used for robotic telescopes for years, so we know we have a battle-proven solution
• Astrodon MMOAG: Off-axis guider for guiding the Paramount
• HP Server: Need a computer to run all this stuff!

What is needed to complete the project? Here's a breakdown:

• Finger Lakes Instruments (FLI) ProlinePL 16803 Imaging Camera: This has a large 16MP CCD and is ideally suited for our scope (also considering the FLI Microline series as well)

• Starlight Express Ultrastar Guiding Camera: Used with our off-axis guider this will assist with the tracking of the Paramount

• Finger Lakes 10 Position Filter Wheel: This will hold the imaging filters

• Filters: We will need LRGB filters at first, and then later will acquire other types (Hydrogen-Alpha, photometric, etc) when funds become available

Of course. let's not forget that we need a place to host this telescope! Last year we had some discussions with SkyPi and found them to be excellent people to work with, so we hope to be able to use them when it comes time to get our scope set up and hosted.

That's all, for now, folks, keep your eye on this site for further updates!

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