Astronomy fanatica

last SG · 2005-02-27T00:18:37+00:00

u'll find it on page 4 of this thread

poon cho tang SG

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2005 June 14

Gliese 876 System Includes Large Terrestrial Planet

Explanation: Is our Earth unique? In continuing efforts to answer this question, astronomers have now discovered an Earth-like planet orbiting a distant normal star. Previously over 150 gas-giant planets like Jupiter had been so discovered. Slight, fast, but regular wobbles of nearby small M-dwarf star Gliese 876 showed evidence for a planet with a likely mass slightly higher than a minimum six times the mass of Earth. The planet's small mass indicates that it is likely terrestrial in nature, similar in composition to the inner planets of our Solar System. If indeed made predominantly of rock, the planet's surface gravity would not even be able to contain the gasses of a Jupiter-like planet. The newly discovered planet would not make a good vacation spot for humans, however, as it orbits so close that the surface temperature probably tops a searing 200 degrees Celsius. The system is illustrated in the above drawing as seen from a hypothetical moon orbiting one of the two Jupiter-like planets already known. The newly discovered terrestrial-like planet is depicted in the insert. Gliese 876 lies only 15 light-years away and is visible with binoculars toward the constellation of Aquarius.

Illustration Credit & Copyright: Lynette Cook (spaceart.org);
Discovery Credit: E. Rivera (NASA's ARC) et al., HIRES, Keck Obs., NASA, NSF

poon cho tang SG

Very Long Baseline Array

The Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) is a system of ten radio telescopes controlled remotely from the Array Operations Center in Socorro, New Mexico (USA). The array works together as the world's largest dedicated, full-time astronomical instrument. Its construction began in February of 1986, and was completed in May of 1993. The first observation using all ten sites occurred in May 29, 1993. The total construction cost was US$85 million.

Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) locations.

Each VLBA station consists of an 82 foot (25 metre) diameter dish antenna and an adjacent control building which houses the station computer, tape recorders and other equipment associated with collecting the radio signals gathered by the antenna. Each antenna weighs 240 tonnes and is nearly as tall as a ten story building when pointed straight up. Altogether the array spans 5,000 miles.

The VLBA radio telescopes are located as follows:

- Mauna Kea, Hawaii
- Owens Valley, California
- Kitt Peak, Arizona
- Pie Town, New Mexico
- Los Alamos, New Mexico
- Fort Davis, Texas
- Brewster, Washington
- North Liberty, Iowa
- Hancock, New Hampshire
- St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands

Issue #113

poon cho tang SG

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2005 June 15

Cassiopeia A Light Echoes in Infrared

Explanation: Why is the image of Cassiopeia A changing? Two images of the nearby supernova remnant taken a year apart in infrared light appear to show outward motions at tremendous speeds. This was unexpected since the supernova that created the picturesque nebula was seen 325 years ago. The reason is likely light echoes. Light from the supernova heated up distant ambient dust that is just beginning to show its glow. As time goes by, more distant dust lights up, giving the appearance of outward motion. The above image is a composite of X-ray, optical, and infrared light exposures that have been digitally combined. The infrared light image was taken by the orbiting Spitzer Space Telescope and was used in the discovery of the light echo. Cassiopeia A spans about 125 light years and lies 10,000 light years away toward the constellation of Cassiopeia.

Credit: O. Krause (Steward Obs.) et al., SSC, JPL, Caltech, NASA

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Zond 3

Zond 3, a member of the Soviet Zond program, was the first Zond spacecraft to successfully complete its mission (a Lunar flyby) and took a number of amazing photographs for its time, though it is believed that it was initially intended to fly by Mars with Zond 2 but missed its window.

The spacecraft, a Mars 3MV-4A, was launched from a Tyazheliy Sputnik (65-056B) earth orbiting platform towards the Moon and interplanetary space. The spacecraft was equipped with an f106 mm camera and TV system that provided automatic inflight film processing. On July 20 lunar flyby occurred approximately 33 hours after launch at a closest approach of 9,200 km. 25 pictures of very good quality were taken of the lunar farside from distances of 11,570 to 9,960 km over a period of 68 minutes. The photos covered 19,000,000 km² of the lunar surface. Photo transmissions by facsimile were returned to Earth from a distance of 2,200,000 km and were retransmitted from a distance of 31,500,000 km (some signals still being transmitted from the distance of the orbit of Mars), thus proving the ability of the communications system. After the - lunar flyby, Zond 3 continued space exploration in a heliocentric orbit.

Mars 3MV-4A

The spacecraft design was similar to Zond 2, in addition to the imaging equipment it carried a magnetometer, ultraviolet (0.25 to 0.35 micrometre and 0.19 to 0.27 micrometre) and infrared (3 to 4 micrometre) spectrographs, radiation sensors (gas-discharge and scintillation counters), a radiotelescope and a micrometeoroid instrument. It also had an experimental ion engine.

It is believed that Zond 3 was initially designed as a companion spacecraft to Zond 2 to be launched to Mars during the 1964 launch window. The opportunity to launch was missed, and the spacecraft was launched on a Mars trajectory, although Mars was no longer attainable, as a spacecraft test.

- Launch Date/Time: 1965-07-18 at 14:38:00 UTC
- On-orbit dry mass: 960 kg

Issue #114

poon cho tang SG

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2005 June 16

APOD Is Ten Years Old Today

Explanation: Welcome to the eleventh year of Astronomy Picture of the Day! In a decade of editing the APOD web pages, the industrious Robert Nemiroff (left) and persistent Jerry Bonnell (right) have enjoyed exploring compelling images of the cosmos that are not limited to those taken from earth orbit, much less to those taken by professional astronomers. In fact, seen in this recently released Vermeer, the editors are extremely grateful for the continued large volume of gracious e-mail and APOD submissions. Today, they would like to offer a sincere thank you to all. And while these APOD editors are definitely not getting any younger, tomorrow's picture may actually be ...

Apologies to: Vermeer's Astronomer and Geographer
Image Composite: Richard Taillet (Univ. de Savoie, LAPTH, LPNHE)

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Cheomseongdae astronomical observatory

Cheomseongdae astronomical observatory is an astronomical observatory which was built circa 647 in Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. It was constructed under the rule of Queen Seondeok near Gyeongju, the capital of the kingdom.

Cheomseongdae Astronomical Observatory in Gyeongju, South Korea

Cheomseongdae means "star gazing tower". The observatory is built out of 362 pieces of cut granite which represent the 362 days of the lunar year. As can be seen from the photograph, it has 27 circular layers of stones (Queen Seondeok was the 27th ruler of the Silla Dynasty) surmounted by a square structure. 12 of the layers are below the window level and 12 are above. There are 12 large base stones set in a square, with three stones on each side. These sets of 12 may symbolize the months of the year.

The tower is 5.7 meters wide at the base and 9.4 meters tall, and filled with dirt up to the level of the window. Its construction style parallels that used at the Bunhwangsa Temple in Gyeongju and was likely a product of contact with the Tang Dynasty of China, with which Queen Seondeok allied her country.

Cheomseongdae is the oldest surviving observatory in its geographic region. It has been designated by the South Korean government as the country's 31st national treasure since December 20th, 1968.

Issue #115

poon cho tang SG

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2005 June 17

The Small Cloud of Magellan

Explanation: Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan and his crew had plenty of time to study the southern sky during the first circumnavigation of planet Earth. As a result, two celestial wonders easily visible for southern hemisphere skygazers are known as the Clouds of Magellan. These cosmic clouds are now understood to be dwarf irregular galaxies, satellites of our larger spiral Milky Way Galaxy. The Small Magellanic Cloud pictured above actually spans 15,000 light-years or so and contains several hundred million stars. About 210,000 light-years distant in the constellation Tucana, it is the forth closest of the Milky Way's known satellite galaxies, after the Canis Major and Sagittarius Dwarf galaxies and the Large Magellanic Cloud. This gorgeous view also includes two foreground globular, star clusters NGC 362 (top left) and 47 Tucanae. Spectacular 47 Tucanae is a mere 13,000 light-years away and seen here to the right of the Small Magellanic Cloud.

Credit & Copyright: Josch Hambsch, Robert Gendler

poon cho tang SG

Dominion Astrophysical Observatory

Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, located on Little Saanich Mountain, in Saanich, British Columbia, was completed in 1918 by the Canadian Government. Proposed and designed by John S. Plaskett in 1910 with the support of the International Union for Cooperation in Solar Research, when the 72" aperture telescope was constructed, it was very briefly the largest telescope in the world.

Dominion Astrophysical Observatory. Front of the main telescope building.

The building that houses the telescope was built by McAlpine-Robertson Company of Vancouver for a price of $75,000. Both the building and dome, made by Warner and Swasey Co, are double walled.

The mirror weighs 1,960 pounds and was made by the St. Gobain in their Charleroi glass works in Antwerp, Belgium and shipped only a week before the start of World War I. It was then ground in the United States at the John A. Brashear company in Pittsburg. The mirror had to be reground twice, once due to a mysterious scratch and the 2nd time due to a flaw in the grinding. This added 2 years to the completion time of the telescope, pushing the date back to 1918. The completed mirror was hauled up Little Saanich Mountain by horse and wagon.

Following completion, Plaskett remained the head of the observatory until 1935.

In 1957, a 48" optical telescope was added to the observatory. The mirror, ordered in 1957, was made by Howard Grubb Parsons of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England.

In 1995, the observatory was made the headquarters of the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, which operates several Canadian telescopes, both optical and radio, as well as shares in international telescopes, such as the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope.

The telescope still stands today and is open for visitors year round. An interpretive centre called the Centre of the Universe was recently opened.

As of 2005, the current director was Dr James E Hesser.

Issue #116

poon cho tang SG

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2005 June 18

Visitors' Galaxy Gallery

Explanation: A tantalizing assortment of island universes is assembled here. From top left to bottom right are the lovely but distant galaxies M61, NGC 4449, NGC 4725, NGC 5068, NGC 5247, and NGC 5775/5774. Most are spiral galaxies more or less like our own Milky Way. The color images reveal distinct pink patches marking the glowing hydrogen gas clouds in star forming regions along the graceful spiral arms. While Virgo cluster galaxy M61 is perhaps the most striking of these spirals, the interesting galaxy pair NGC 5775/5774 neatly contrasts the characteristic spiral edge-on and face-on appearance. The one exception to this parade of photogenic spiral galaxies is the small and relatively close irregular galaxy NGC 4449 (top middle). Similar to the Large Magellanic Cloud, companion galaxy to the Milky Way, NGC 4449 also sports young blue star clusters and pink star forming regions. All the galaxies in this gallery were imaged with a small (16 inch diameter) reflecting telescope and digital camera by public participants in the Kitt Peak National Observatory Visitor Center's Advanced Observing Program.

Credit: Courtesy Adam Block (KPNO Visitor Program), NOAO, NSF

poon cho tang SG

Griffith Observatory

The Griffith Observatory is located in in Los Angeles, California, United States. Sitting atop a hill in L.A.'s Griffith Park, it commands an incredible view of downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood and all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The observatory is a favorite attraction for tourists and locals alike, and features an extensive array of space- and science-related displays.

Contemporary view of L.A. from behind the Griffith Observatory.

The observatory was featured in the climax of the James Dean film Rebel Without a Cause, and more recently appeared in the movies Bowfinger and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. One of its earliest roles was as the palace of Emperor Ming the Merciless in the late Flash Gordon movie serials of the 1930s.

In the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas video game this landmark is featured and is identical to it in real life.

History

The land on which the observatory sits was donated to the City of Los Angeles by Col. Griffith J. Griffith in 1896. In his will, Griffith donated funds to build an observatory, exhibit hall, and planetarium on the donated land. Construction began on June 20, 1933 using a design developed by architect John C. Austin based on preliminary sketches by Russell W. Porter. The observatory and accompanying exhibits were officially opened on May 14, 1935. In its first five days of operation the observatory logged more than 13,000 visitors.

Vintage postcard view of the Observatory.

During World War II the planetarium was used to train pilots the skill of celestial navigation. The planetarium was again used for this purpose in the 1960s to train Apollo program astronauts for the first lunar missions.

The planetarium was renovated in 1964 and a Mark IV Zeiss projector was installed.

The observatory was closed in 2002 for renovation and expansion with a re-opening date of 14 May 2006. Among the renovations being done is the replacement of the Zeiss Mark IV with a Zeiss Mark IX Universarium star projector.

Exhibits

The first exhibit visitors encountered in 1935 was the Foucault pendulum, which was designed to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth. The exhibit also included a twelve-inch Zeiss telescope, a solar telescope, and a thirty-eight foot relief model of the moon's north polar region.

Col. Griffith requested that the observatory include a display on evolution which was accomplished with the Chosmochron exhibit which included a narration from Caltech Professor C. Stock and an accompanying slide show. The evolution exhibit existed from 1937 to the mid 1960s.

Also included in the original design was a planetarium. The first shows covered topics including the moon, worlds of the solar system, and eclipses.

Issue #117

poon cho tang SG

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2005 June 19

Noctilucent Clouds

Explanation: Sometimes it's night on the ground but day in the air. As the Earth rotates to eclipse the Sun, sunset rises up from the ground. Therefore, at sunset on the ground, sunlight still shines on clouds above. Under usual circumstances, a pretty sunset might be visible, but unusual noctilucent clouds float so high up they can be seen well after dark. Pictured above, a network of noctilucent clouds casts a colorful but eerie glow visible above the dark. Although noctilucent clouds are thought to be composed of small ice-coated particles, much remains unknown about them. Recent evidence indicates that at least some noctilucent clouds result from freezing water exhaust from Space Shuttles.

Credit & Copyright: Pekka Parviainen (Polar Image)

poon cho tang SG

Issue #118

poon cho tang SG

Hat Creek Radio Observatory

The Hat Creek Radio Observatory (HCRO) is operated by the Radio Astronomy Laboratory (an Organized Research Unit of the Astronomy Department at the University of California, Berkeley). It is located approximately 290 miles north-east of San Francisco, in Shasta County, California. It is sited at an elevation of 1,280m.

Hat Creek Radio Observatory, with 85-foot dish and 3-element millimeter array.

History

HCRO was founded in the 1950's by the newly created Radio Astronomy Laboratory. An 85-foot antenna was built in 1960 and operated until 1993, when it collapsed during a wind storm.

Constructing the 85-foot dish

The earliest experiments in millimeter-wave astronomy were performed at this site starting in the 1970s when a 2-element interferometer was constructed. From 1980 to 1985, a 3-element interferometer was constructed, with another 3 antennas added between 1990 and 1992. After the 85-foot dish was lost, another 3 antennas were added to the millimeter array for a total of 9 elements. This came to be known as BIMA. The BIMA telescopes were moved in the spring of 2005 to be combined with other milli-meter antennas as part of the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA) project and to make way for the Allen Telescope Array (ATA).

Aftermath of 85-foot collapse during a wind storm

Artist rendering of completed ATA-350

Issue #118

poon cho tang SG

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2005 June 20

Sunset Over Gusev Crater

Explanation: What would it be like to see a sunset on Mars? To help find out, the robotic rover Spirit was deployed last month to park and serenely watch the Sun dip below the distant lip of Gusev crater. It was a tough job, but some robot had to do it. Now on Earth a red sunset is caused by two effects -- by blue light being preferentially scattered out of sunlight by oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere, and by scattering off a small amount of impurities like volcanic dust. (The magnitude of the first effect was computed in one of Albert Einstein's most cited papers.) Although Mars lacks oxygen and nitrogen, it is covered in red dust frequently hoisted into the atmosphere by fast but thin winds. Analyses of images like the above photograph show that at least some Martian days are capped by a sunset significantly longer and redder than typical on Earth. For up to two hours after twilight, sunlight continued to reflect off Martian dust high in the atmosphere, casting a diffuse glow. The result helps atmospheric scientists understand not only the atmosphere of Mars, but atmospheres across the Solar System, including our home Earth.

Credit: Mars Exploration Rover Mission, Texas A&M, Cornell, JPL, NASA

poon cho tang SG

Lick Observatory

The Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory, owned and operated by the University of California. It is situated on the summit of Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range near San Jose, California, USA. The observatory is managed from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where its scientific staff moved to in the mid-1960s.

The Lick Observatory. The main observatory building and the North (small) Dome, home of the Nickel Reflector

General Information

Organization: University of California
Location: San Jose, California, USA
Coordinates: 37° 20' 35" N 121° 38' 14'' W
Altitude: 1,300 m (4,300 ft)
Weather: 300 clear nights/year
Webpage

Telescopes

C. Donald Shane telescope: 3 m reflector
James Lick telescope: 91 cm refractor
Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope: 76 cm reflector
Anna L. Nickel telescope: 1 m reflector
Crossley telescope: 0.9 m reflector

Early history

Lick Observatory was the world's first mountain-top observatory.

The observatory was constructed between 1876 and 1887, from a bequest from James Lick. In 1887 Lick's body was buried under the future site of the telescope, with a brass tablet bearing the inscription, "Here lies the body of James Lick."

Before construction could begin, a road to the site had to be built. All of the construction materials had to be brought to the site by horse and mule-drawn wagons, which could not negotiate a steep grade. To keep the grade below 6.5%, the road had to take a very winding and sinuous path, which the modern-day road still follows. Tradition maintains that this road has exactly 360 turns. (This is approximately correct, although uncertainty as to what should count as a turn makes precise verification impossible). Even those who do not normally suffer from motion-sickness find the road challenging.

Original observatory building and the South (main) Dome, home of the Great Lick Refractor

The 91-cm refracting telescope on Mt. Hamilton was Earth's largest refracting telescope from when it saw first light on January 3, 1888, until the construction of Yerkes in 1897. In April, 1888, the observatory was turned over to the Regents of the University of California, and it became the first permanently occupied mountain-top observatory in the world. The location provided excellent viewing performance due to lack of ambient light and pollution; additionally, the night air at the top of Mt. Hamilton is extremely calm, and the mountain peak is normally above the level of the fog that is often seen in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Looking east from south-central San Jose, Lick Observatory atop Mount Hamilton (left) can be seen on reasonably clear days.

With the growth of San Jose, and the rest of Silicon Valley, light pollution became a problem for the observatory. In the 1970s, a site in the Santa Lucia Mountains, southeast of Monterey, was evaluated for possible relocation of many of the telescopes. However, funding for the move was not available, and in 1980 San Jose began a program to reduce the effects of lighting, most notably replacing all streetlamps with low pressure sodium lamps. The result is that the Mount Hamilton site remains a viable location for a major working observatory.

Significant discoveries

The following astronomical objects were discovered at Lick Observatory:

- Several moons of Jupiter
-- Amalthea
-- Ananke
-- Elara
-- Himalia
-- Lysithea
-- Sinope (disputed)

- Several extrasolar planets
-- Triple planet systems
--- Upsilon Andromedae (with Whipple Observatory)
--- 55 Cancri
-- Double planet systems
--- HD38529 (with Keck Observatory)
--- HD12661 (with Keck)
--- GJ876 (with Keck)
--- 47 Ursa Majoris

- Near-Earth asteroid (29075) 1950 DA

Equipment

Current equipment and locations:

- the C. Donald Shane 3 m (120-inch) reflector (Shane Dome, Tycho Brahe Peak)
- the Great Lick 0.9 m (36-inch) refractor (South Dome, Main Building, Observatory Peak)
- the Carnegie 0.5 m (20-inch) twin refractor (Double Astrograph Dome, Tycho Brahe Peak)
- the Anna L. Nickel 1 m (40-inch) reflector (North (small) Dome, Main Building)
- the Crossley 0.9 m (36-inch) reflector (Crossley Dome, Ptolemy Peak)
- the 0.6 m (24-inch) Coude auxiliary telescope (just South of Shane Dome, Tycho Brahe Peak)
- the Tauchmann 0.5 m (22-inch) reflector (Tauchmann Dome atop the water tank, Huyghens Peak)
- CCD Comet Camera 135 mm Nikon camera lens ("The Outhouse" Southwest of the Shane Dome, Tycho Brahe Peak)
- the Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope (KAIT) 76 cm reflector (24-inch Dome, Kepler Peak)

Issue #119

poon cho tang SG

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2005 June 21

The Cygnus Wall of Star Formation

Explanation: The North America Nebula in the sky can do what North Americans on Earth cannot -- form stars. Specifically, in analogy to the Earth-confined continent, the bright part that appears as Central America and Mexico is actually a hot bed of gas, dust, and newly formed stars known as the Cygnus Wall. The above image in representative colors shows the star forming wall lit and eroded by bright young stars, and partly hidden by the dark dust they have created. The part of the North America nebula (NGC 7000) shown spans about 15 light years and lies about 1,500 light years away toward the constellation of Cygnus.

Credit & Copyright: Michael Sherick

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Lowell Observatory

Lowell Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. It was founded in 1894 by astronomer Percival Lowell.

Percival Lowell observing Mars from the observer's chair of the 61-centimeter (24-inch) refracting telescope at the Lowell Observatory he established in Flagstaff, Arizona (USA).

The observatory operates nine telescopes at two locations in Flagstaff. The facility at Mars Hill houses the site's original 24-inch (.61-meter) refractor telescope, although its role today is as a public education tool and not research. The telescope, built in 1896 for $20,000, was assembled in Boston by Alvan Clark and then shipped by train to Flagstaff. The telescope is listed as a national historic landmark. The second observation site, at Anderson Mesa, houses four telescopes, including a 72-inch (1.8-meter) Perkins telescope that it shares with Boston University, the 42-inch (1.1-meter) Hall Telescope and the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer (NPOI). The Perkins telescope was moved to Lowell in 1961 from Perkins Observatory in Delaware, Ohio.

Notable discoveries

- Evidence for the expansion of the universe was discovered between 1912 and 1915
- The planet Pluto was discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh.
- The planetary ring system of Uranus observed in 1977

Issue #120

poon cho tang SG

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2005 June 22

Saturn's Rings from the Other Side

Explanation: What do Saturn's rings look like from the other side? From Earth, we usually see Saturn's rings from the same side of the ring plane that the Sun illuminates them. Geometrically, in the above picture taken in April by the robot Cassini spacecraft now orbiting Saturn, the Sun is behind the camera but on the other side of the ring plane. Such a vantage point gives a breathtaking views of the most splendid ring system in the Solar System. Strangely, the rings have similarities to a photographic negative of a front view. For example, the dark band in the middle is actually the normally bright B-ring. The ring brightness as recorded from different angles indicates ring thickness and particle density of ring particles. Images like these are also interesting for what they do not show: spokes. The unexpected shadowy regions once recorded by the Voyager missions when they passed Saturn in the early 1980s are not, so far, being seen by Cassini. Extra credit: Can you spot the small moon (Prometheus) among the rings?

Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA

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Mauna Kea Observatory

The Mauna Kea Observatory is one of the world's premier astronomical research facilities located on Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawai'i, USA. Founded in 1967, the Mauna Kea Observatory is part of the University of Hawai'i System and consists of various multi-national astronomical instruments. Located on a dormant volcano, the facilities are at an altitude of 13,796 feet (4,205 meters) above sea level. The altitude and isolation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean allows for unobstructed views of space without the interference of man-made light sources. The seeing statistics show that Mauna Kea is the second best location for optical and infrared astronomy after Dome C, Antarctica.

The Mauna Kea Observatory, an institute of the University of Hawai'i, is considered one of the most important land-based observatories in the world for its isolated, unobstructed views of space without interference from man-made light sources.

University of Hawaii System Small Seal

Dormitories and a cafeteria are located below the summit at 9,300 feet (2,835 meters) above sea level, and a visitor information station is located at 9,200 feet (2,775 meters). The Mauna Kea Observatory is so high, scientists and other visitors are required to stay at the lower level for a day to acclimate to atmospheric conditions before reaching the summit.

Telescopes

Telescopes found at Mauna Kea Observatory are funded by government agencies of various nations. The University of Hawai'i itself directly administers two telescopes. In total there are twelve telescopes at or around the summit of Mauna Kea.

- California Submillimeter Observatory (CSO): Caltech
- Canada France Hawai'i Telescope (CFHT): Canada, France, University of Hawai'i
- Gemini North Telescope: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Chile, Australia, Argentina, Brazil

Gemini North telescope is administered by scientists from United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Chile, Australia, Argentina, Brazil.

- Infra-Red Telescope Facility (IRTF): NASA
- James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT): United Kingdom, Canada, Netherlands
- Subaru Telescope: Japan

The Subaru Telescope and one of the Keck Telescopes.

- Sub-Millimeter Array (SMA): Taiwan, United States
- United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT): United Kingdom
- One receiver of the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA): United States
- W. M. Keck Telescopes: University of California, California Institute of Technology and the NASA

Issue #121

poon cho tang SG

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2005 June 23

Moonrise, Cape Sounion, Greece

Explanation: The Moon was full this month on June 22nd, only a day after the northern hemisphere's summer solstice. Since this solstice marked the northernmost point of the Sun's annual motion through planet Earth's sky, the full Moon rising near the ecliptic plane opposite the Sun was at its farthest south for the year. Only a month earlier, on May 23rd, astronomer Anthony Ayiomamitis recorded this picture of another southerly full Moon rising above Cape Sounion, Greece. The twenty-four hundred year old Temple of Poseidon lies in the foreground, also visible to sailors on the Aegean Sea. In this well-planned, single exposure, a long telephoto lens makes the Moon loom large, but even without optical aid casual skygazers often find the full Moon looking astonishingly large when seen near the horizon. That powerful visual effect is known as the Moon Illusion.

Credit & Copyright: Anthony Ayiomamitis

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