Документ взят из кэша поисковой машины. Адрес оригинального документа : http://www.princetonastronomy.org/papers/jaworski.doc Дата изменения: Sun Apr 27 19:28:09 2003 Дата индексирования: Mon Oct 1 19:56:00 2012 Кодировка: Поисковые слова: universe

A Rose and a Witch's Brew
or
A day and a night in the life of an itinerant observer.

By: Mark Jaworsky

During September's new moon dark cycle, I finally had the opportunity to
observe at the S*T*A*R Astronomy Club's dark sky observing site, deep in
the heart of the Pine Barrens. Because of the site's remoteness from
civilization and its apparent similar scenery to the recent "horror" movies
of the same name, S*T*A*R's Dan Pontone gave the site the sobriquet Blair
Witch II. The night I was there turned out to be a fantastic night of
observing and meeting new friends even if my Alzheimer's prevents me from
remembering everyone's name. To Greg Cantrell and S*T*A*R, thanks for the
gracious invite and thanks for arranging for the special sky show. What can
I say except WOW!

However before I journeyed into the heart of desolation, I traveled to the
heart of civilization. Namely I participated as an astro-guide and
interpreter for the Hopewell Township sponsored trip to the Frederick
Phineas and Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American
Museum of Natural History in New York City. The other AAAP members who
participated were Rex Parker (organizer of the AAAP effort), Gene Ramsey,
Larry Smith and Rich Armington.

About 30 Hopewell Township residents departed for New York on Saturday
morning September 7th, 2002. During the bus ride, Rex gave a brief overview
of what we could expect at the center and then threw the aisle open to the
rest of us. All of us brought various materials for the participants to
peruse (books, magazines, astronomical drawings, AAAP and UACNJ brochures)
which were passed around the bus. In addition, Gene and I had brought
specimens of meteors that we own. We walked up and down the aisle answering
questions from all the residents.

After arrival at the Rose Center, the township trip organizer, Michael
Hritz, was able to secure tickets for the next space show in the New Hayden
Planetarium in the top of the 87-foot sphere that is the centerpiece of the
Rose Center. The show narrated by Harrison Ford is called, "The Search for
Life: Are We Alone?"

The show attempts to answer the age-old question. Does life exist anywhere
else in the universe? Ancient mythologies and contemporary science fiction
have presented imaginative possibilities, but how does modern science
approach this question? The audience embarks on a journey from the depths
of Earth's oceans, to the surface of Mars and then to under Europa's icy
crust to stellar nurseries and exoplanets discussing the potentialities of
life in each of these environments.

After the show we exited onto the Scales of the Universe display which
attempts to model all of existence - from the enormous expanse of our
observable universe to the smallest subatomic particles - by using the 87-
foot Hayden Sphere as a basis for comparison to various walkway rail
mounted models. This display followed the powers of ten from 1026 meters to
10-21meters. Some examples shown were if the Hayden Sphere represented the
size of the observable universe then a spheroid roughly the size of a beach
ball represented the all of the galactic superstructure that has been
mapped. If the Hayden Sphere represented this mapped superstructure then
another basketball-sized spheroid represented the local super cluster. If
the Hayden Sphere represented the local super cluster then a walkway-
mounted disk represented the Milky Way galaxy and two adjoining disks
represented the largest spirals of the local group of galaxies , M31 and
M33.

And on down it went through the various powers of ten , briefly stopping at
the solar system - if the Hayden Sphere represented the sun then a ten-inch
ball was the Earth with three other balls representing the terrestrial
planets. Mounted next to the sphere were a realistically rendered 9-foot
model of Jupiter and a model Saturn with 17-foot rings along with smaller
models representing Uranus and Neptune. However noticeably missing was
Pluto from this display.

But the model didn't stop here. It continued on into the microscopic
domain. If the Sphere is the size of a raindrop, then a rail-mounted model
is the relative size of a red blood cell. If the Sphere is the size of a
red blood cell, then a model is the relative size of a rhinovirus. If the
Sphere is the size of a rhinovirus, then a model is the relative size of a
hydrogen atom. All in all it was a very effective demonstration of
everything.

The Scales of the Universe ended at the entrance of the Big Bang Theater in
the lower part of the Hayden Sphere. A computer animated simulation of the
big bang and subsequent evolution of the universe was dramatized here.
After the presentation you were invited to journey down the Cosmic Pathway,
a gently sloping 360-foot walkway, which winds one and one-half times
around the Hayden Sphere. This is another scale model but instead of size
this models 13 billion years of cosmic evolution. An average human stride
covers 75 million years in the course of cosmic evolution. Walking down the
Pathway, you pass by a photographic record of cosmic history: astronomical
images as they appeared at that time of the universe corresponding to that
place on the Pathway. Also included were various specimens from the solar
systems life span, diamond dust from before the solar system was formed; a
meteorite that dates from the birth of our solar system; samples of the
oldest rock formation on Earth; stromatolites; trilobites; and the
fossilized serrated tooth of a giant carnivorous dinosaur. The Cosmic
Pathway concludes with the Age of Dinosaurs, which became extinct 65
million years ago - less than two feet from the end of the Pathway, and the
duration of recorded human history, portrayed as the thickness of a human
hair.

The Cosmic Pathway emptied onto Hall of the Universe an exhibit that
illuminates the discoveries of modern astrophysics. The hall examines such
questions as how the universe evolved into, galaxies, stars and planets and
how the atoms from which we are made were created in the hearts of stars.
The centerpiece is the 15-ton Willamette Meteorite.

At this point the tour group broke up to explore the Center and the Museum
of Natural History on our own. After lunch I went with Gene and Larry to
the Hall of Meteorites to see the famed Cape York Meteor a 34-ton chunk of
iron recovered in Greenland. After touring the Hall we returned to the
Willamette meteor to meet David Zurek a staff Astrophysicist who told us
about his work in the Hayden and research into globular clusters.

Soon it was time to depart and we boarded the bus for the return trip home.
Much to short a time to fully explore and appreciate the Rose Center but
adequate to whet the appetite for a future return.

We arrived back in Hopewell at about 4:45 PM. Since I already had my
telescope packed in my truck and was armed with directions I headed
straight down to the BWII observing site so I could find my way to the site
in the light. Blundering about the Pine Barrens on totally unfamiliar
tracks in the middle of the night was not overly appealing to me. From the
directions from the S*T*A*R web page, it appeared that the Blair Witch II
site is approximately 30 miles south of Allentown, NJ. Overall the
directions were pretty good except the road in from 539 doesn't T as
claimed but you take the right after 1.6 miles. I know that now so the next
time I won't go straight again until it does T. Luckily it was light and
easy to correct the minor blunder. On the road in from 539 I passed
multitudes of deer, which were smart enough not to run into my path.

Anyway I arrived at arrived a bit after six after stopping at the New Egypt
WAWA on the corner of Rts. 528 and 539 to fill my thermos full of coffee
and grab a sandwich and water for dinner. Blair Witch II turned out to be
a small clearing in the woods roughly half the size of a football field at
the intersection of two dirt tracks. I then began to set up. After I set up
my scope and gear and started to enjoy my sandwich, S*T*A*Rs Fred Block
rolls up with his 20" Obsession followed a bit later by Charles Kirby and
his 4.7" Astrophysics. Right about sunset or we were joined by a few ASTRA
folks (Paul Gitto his son Anthony (?) and some other gentleman whose name
escapes me) followed by S*T*AR's Greg Cantrell and John Heidema.

Now it was time to do some observing. I could tell this was going to be a
great night and a very dark site since the Milky Way was easily
distinguishable in the twilight. Its appearance at this point rivaled the
best views of it in the deep of night from my home. The first object that I
saw in the bright twilight was the open cluster M11. After it got a little
darker I started visited a Scorpius to view the southern Messiers under
dark sky conditions. By this time the Milky Way was "blazing" from the
Cygnus Rift overhead through the "steam" from the spout of Sagittarius'
teapot. I was observing the globular cluster M4 when Fred calls me over to
look at the globular M22 in his 20" scope. I saunter over put my eye to the
eyepiece and the next thing I know I hear the sound of my jaw dropping to
the sand below. As Fred put it, the "quote" most appropriate for this sight
would have been: "My God it's full of Stars". I quickly put the same
cluster in my mere 10" and the view was not as good. Where I had gaps and
dark lanes in my scope, Fred's view filled these with stars and they
wouldn't quit right down to the core. It was one of the most amazing
sights I have ever seen. Thank you Fred that is one heckuva scope.

After this I explored around Sagittarius a bit looking at the Lagoon (M8)
and the Triffid (M20) Nebulae, which were easily visible without a OIII
filter. The only advantage the OII offered was that it made the Triffid's
dark lanes more easily distinguishable. I then switched to some smaller
globulars (NGC 6293 and NGC 6356) in the area.

By this time I figured the skies got dark enough to go hunting for the
comet C/2002 O4 Hoenig that is making an appearance at this time. I was
scanning through Ursa Major trying to find the comet when all of a sudden
the field of view in my eyepiece experiences a complete white out. I was a
bit startled and confused when all around me erupt shouts of "HOLY COW!
WILL YOU LOOK AT THAT!" (This narrative contains an editorialization of the
actual expression used. The only thing that the actual expression had to do
with cows is commonly used as fertilizer.) Anyway, I looked up and saw what
appeared to be a search light beam in Ursa Major. In the next few minutes
this display developed multiple pillars of greens and blues and sheets of
red. All of us stopped what we were doing and for about the next 40 minutes
just ignored our equipment and stood around and observed the display. At
its peak it extended through Ursa Major to Cassiopeia from horizon to the
zenith. It was totally awesome. Fred also kept me out of the doghouse by
lending me his cell phone and I called home and left a message on my
machine telling my wife to get outside ASAP and look north. (Fortunately
Cindy arrived home about 10 minutes later and was able to catch the tail
end of the display from Hopewell in Northern Mercer county).

(The next day ASTRA's Paul Gitto posted a message on the Star BBS with a
link to an image of the auroral display. The images shown below were taken
By Karl Kuehn in Greene NY using an Olympus C-700, at f/2.8, and a 16
second exposures and are remarkably similar to what was visible to us.)

[pic]

[pic]

[pic]

After the display ended we went back to slumming in our eyepieces. Some of
the things I saw were the Veil (in Fred's and my scope), the Double-double,
Alberio and the Butterfly cluster (M6) courtesy of Charles, fantastic views
of NGC 891s dust lane (this is the first time I saw this as all my attempts
from Washington crossing using the C-14 were unsuccessful) and a "Oh my
Lord" view of M27 again courtesy of Fred.

After this I went back to my scope and found the prototypical planetary
"nebula". It actually was the planet Uranus a small light greenish blue
ball followed by Neptune a smaller bluer ball. Looking at Uranus you can
really see why Herschel named the expelled outer shells of dying stars
planetary nebulae.

I then found the Helix and had the best view of NGC 253 in Sculptor that I
ever saw in my scope. It was definitely there in all its glory with
evidence of dust lanes and a spiral structure with no averted imagination
necessary to see it. Afterwards looked at M33 and saw hints some of the
"horls" of the spiral structure as Greg said they are called. Finished off
the night with the galaxies M74, NGC 7479 and NGC 7814.

Most of us started packing up at about 1:30 or so. I left with Fred and
Charles at about 2 but I believe John stayed on for a bit more.

Overall it was a fantastic night and BWII is a great site. To me it seemed
darker that the Jenny Jump (Starquest) area (M31 was a blazing naked eye
object) but also a bit more dewy. (But I didn't have a speck of dew on my
corrector plate although just about everything else was sopping wet).

Thank you S*TA*R for being such gracious "hosts" and it was a pleasure to
meet you ASTRA folks also. I'll definitely make an effort to go back on the
next cycle.


Dark skies,
Mark