Summary Reflection of Astronomy Blog

I would say that my overall experience doing this astronomy blog was a good. I feel like I learned a lot of information about different astronomical areas and field through my observations. I have never studied anything related to astronomy before, so having the opportunity to look into to a new area of science was very interesting. The two main areas that I focused on the most were the different Zodiac constellations and the moon phases. I have always been interested in these different constellations. I felt like I was able to learn more about the history and meaning behind the constellations. Also, the information that I looked up about these constellations, I was surprised to learn that these constellations contained so many stars with known planets. I was not aware that there were so many other planets in the universe that are not really mentioned. I would like to why these other planets are just not categorized like the other big planets we are aware of. I also found it interesting that of the forty-eight constellations, all of them were discovered by the same second century astronomer, Ptolemy. On the nights where it was clear to see, it was interesting to observe the different constellations in the sky. It was interesting to navigate through the Mircoobservatory too. In class, we discussed that astronomy is the only area of science solely based on observation. It was nice to have the opportunity to discover a completely different area of science. Another thing that I found interesting was how much pollution and the warming up of planets is affecting the universe. The observations and the different articles I read while looking up information was interesting to read because it focused so much on the pollution problems there are. Overall, the astronomy blog was a good learning experience and helped me understand a different area of science I was not familiar with. 

Word Count: 320

The constellation pictured is known as Bootes. The brightest stars in this constellation form a cone shape. Bootes is also referred to as the Herdsmen. The name Bootes comes from a Sumerian word the means "man who drove the great cart." "The Great Cart" is said to be the Big Dipper. The star, Arcturus, which is the fourth brightest star in the night sky. This star is about twenty times bigger than the sun. Researchers, have reported that Arcturus is coming to the end of its life. Bootes was first categorized by the second century astronomer Ptolemy. Bootes is the thirteenth largest constellation. It is located in the third quadrant of the northern hemisphere. Bootes contains five stars. There are three known meteor showers associated with the constellation Bootes: January Bootids, the June Bootid, and Quadrantids. Bootes has a galaxy associated with it called the Bootes Dwarf Galaxy, which is a spheroidal galaxy. 

http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/bootes-constellation/

The constellation pictured is known as Cygnus. Cygnus is the sixteenth largest constellation. Cygnus contains ten stars total. There are two meteor showers associated with this constellation. Cygnus is a constellation located in the northern hemisphere along the Milky Way. In Latin, Cygnus means swan. This constellation contains an asterism known as the Northern Cross. The constellation is among the 48 constellations that was discovered by the second century astronomer Ptolemy. This constellation contains a star called Denab. This star is one of the brightest in the sky and is part of the Summer Triangle. In Arabic, Denab means "the tail." This constellation is also known very well for having X-ray sources. The Cygnus X-1 is a binary containing X-ray containing a supergiant and unseen possible black hole.  This constellation lies 1,500 light years away from the Earth.  

http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/cygnus-constellation/

 

The constellation pictured is known as Canis Major. It has been said that Canis Major follows closely behind Orion. This constellation is located in the second quadrant of the southern hemisphere. The brightest star in Canis Major is known as Sirius, which is also the brightest star in the sky. This constellation is approximately 8.6 light years away. Sirius is also called the "dog star." Sirius is actually a double star. This is also as massive and hotter than the sun itself. Canis Major's second brightest star is known as Adhara. One interesting thing about Canis Major is that there is a star cluster known as M41. There is a total of seven stars within Canis Major. The Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy is an irregular galaxy, roughly elliptical in shape, that is believed to be the nearest neighboring galaxy in the solar system.  This constellation also contains a lot of red giants. These were first discovered in 2003.

http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/canis-major-constellation/

The constellation that is pictured is Piscis Austrinus. Piscis is located in the southern hemisphere. In Latin Piscis means "the southern fish." Piscis is the first discovered by the second century astronomer Ptolemy. The constellation is relatively faint, but this constellation has a very bright star. The brightest star in the constellation is called Fomalhaut. This star is also one of the brightest stars in the sky. In the late sixteenth century, a Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius divided some of the stars to create a new constellation called, Grus. Piscis contains three stars and confirmed planets as well. Piscis is usually depicted as a great fish swallowing the water that is flowing from the jar held by, Aquarius. In ancient Egypt, the constellation is associated with the fish that saved goddess Isis, 

http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/piscisaustrinus.htm

 http://www.topastronomer.com/StarCharts/Constellations/Piscis-Austrinus.php    

 

The constellation pictured is Cetus. This constellation is located in the northern hemisphere. This constellation was named after the Cetus, the sea monster from the Greek myth about Andromeda. The constellation Cetus is located in the region of the sky called the Water. Cetus contains the barred spiral galaxy Messier 77 and contains several well-known stars. The stars contained in Cetus: Deneb Kaitos, Menkar, Tau Ceti, and Mira. Cetus is the fourth largest constellation is the sky. Cetus lies in the first quadrant of the southern hemisphere. Cetus has fourteen known stars and contains one Messier object. There are three meteor showers associated with Cetus: the October Cetids, the Eta Cetids, and the Omicron Cetids. 

http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/cetus-constellation/

http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/cetus.htm

The constellation pictured is called Capricornus. This constellation is located in the south hemisphere. Capricornus represents the mixture of a fish and goat and the name actually means "goat horn" in Latin. This is one of the zodiac constellations that was identified by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the second century. Capricornus is one of the fainter constellations. Capricornus contains two stars with known planets. It is located very close to the constellation Aquarius. Capricornus contains three bright stars: alpha-2 Capricorni, beta Capricorni, and omega Capricorni. These three stars form a triangle making it easy to find. The constellation originates from the cultures of Sumeria. 

http://earthsky.org/constellations/capricornus-heres-your-constellation 

The nebula pictured is known as the Dumbbell Nebula. The Dumbbell Nebula can be called Apple Core Nebula. The Dumbbell Nebula is a planet nebula in the constellation Vulpecula, The Little Fox. This nebula is the second brightest nebula discovered. This nebula is approximately 1360 light years away. This object was the first planet nebula discovered. The Dumbbell Nebula was first discovered by Charles Messier in 1764. The overall structure of the nebula is said to be prolate spheroid. This nebula is most easily viewed along the equator. Many nebulas contained knots. Patterns of dark and bright knots mark the central region of the nebula. Knots appear is varied in the shapes of their objects. There is a central star within the Dumbbell Nebula, which is known as a white dwarf. 

http://messier.seds.org/m/m027.html

http://www.messier-objects.com/messier-27-dumbbell-nebula/ 

The star pictured is called Regulus, which is the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion. The star at its brightest magnitude shines a bright blueish color. Regulus can be found towards the bottom of the star pattern within the constellation Leo, called the The Sickle. Regulus is centered towards the middle of this pattern and has been called the Heart of the Lion. Regulus is located on the ecliptic, which means that is follows the pattern of the moon, sun, and planet, so it can be seem around the world. Regulus is approximately 77 light-year away. Regulus rotates and spins rapidly. Regulus completes a single rotation within 15 hours, If you observe Regulus it is actually composed of 2 different stars, Altair and Achernar. 

http://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/best-regulus-the-heart-of-the-lion

http://www.space.com/22890-regulus.html

This constellation pictured is known as Cephus. Cephus "the King" is not a very well-known constellation other than the fact that is contains a well-known star Alderamin. Alderamin is also called Alpha Cephei. This star is the brightest in the constellation Cephus. One very interesting thing about this star is that is rotates very rapidly on its axis. Alderamin is a white star, it is considered a Class A star, which is now evolving off of the main sequence into a supergiant. Researchers believe that this star is on its way to becoming a red giant because of its low hydrogen supply. According to scientists this star shines 18x brighter than the Sun. This star rotates so rapidly that it goes through one revolution in less than 12 hours. Cephus lies very close to the north pole, so the star Alderamin is considered a pole star. This constellation is home to the famous red supergiant known as Garnet Star, Cephus is the 27th constellation to be discovered by the second century astronomer Ptolemy. 

http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/cepheus-constellation/