THE OWL CLUSTER... or is it?

Last month I wrote about the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen.  September is generally the time where we have most number of clear nights in Cincinnati and I've been seeing a lot of Cassiopeia.  When I aim my telescope or binoculars at the "W" shape I always see more stars than I bargained for.

When you look at Cassiopeia you are really peering into a thicker patch of stars that is really plane of our galaxy, the Milky Way.  From cities, you can't see the Milky Way at all but binoculars and telescopes allow you to cut through the light pollution and see a lot of stars.

One of my favorite little star clusters is there too.  It's informally called the Owl Cluster because so many people can picture a bird in this clump of stars.  The two brightest stars are the eyes, a group of stars make up the body and little claws while another group look like outstretched wings.  Can you see it in the picture?

Other people use their imaginations differently.  They see E.T., the Extra Terrestrial from the Steven Spielberg movie.  And others think the wings give it more of a bat shape.

The cluster was first charted by William Herschel in 1787 but he didn't say what it looked like to him.  So create your own mythology with this little cluster.  
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CASSIOPEIA THE QUEEN

(This is the short version of the Greek legend.  For the longer version, see Get Ready for the Huge, Fall Sky Saga posted 10/13/11 on this blog)

Cassiopeia was thought to be the Queen of Ethiopia (or the kingdom around Northeast Africa). She had a bad habit of bragging about her beauty. She believed that she was the most beautiful woman in the whole world - the most beautiful woman who ever lived - and the most beautiful woman that would ever live. And she told people these views about every twenty seconds. Like if you visited the palace and rung the doorbell, Cassiopeia would answer and sing-song, “Come on in, I’m so beautiful. Come in, I’m beautiful…” And if you’re with her at the dinner table she’d ask politely, “Can you please pass the salt? I’m beautiful over here.” Her subjects grew weary of this but what could they do? After all, she was the Queen.

One day, the Queen went too far. She proclaimed that she was more beautiful than all the mermaids in the sea, put together... Now this is no big deal to you and me, but to the god of the seas, Poseidon, this was the ultimate outrage. "My mermaids are more beautiful than that ugly old hag," his trident cleaner overheard him say. So Poseidon punished this boastful Queen by placing her up in the sky to sit on her throne. 

Wait a second, that sounds like a great honor! 

The trick Poseidon played was that he placed her near the Pole Star.  As the night rolls on, the stars move slowly around Polaris.  Poor Cassiopeia makes this circle too and spends half the night upside-down, clinging to that throne for dear life.  And so here is the punishment - her ultimate hell - can you be upside-down and beautiful at the same time? 

Cassiopeia is one of the easiest constellations to recognize in the sky.  You can find her 5 moderately-bright stars making an "M" shape in the northern sky after sunset.  I know this looks nothing like a Queen sitting on her throne, but I usually think of these 5 stars as her crown.  Since one of the stars is a little off line, I always think her crown must be bent from when she hits her head on the ground every time she circles Polaris.   
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SAGITTARIUS THE ARCHER

August evenings are the best time to find part of this constellation low in the southern skies.  Sagittarius represents Chiron the Centaur, who is half man, half horse. Chiron was a great teacher of just about everyone in ancient Greece including Hercules.

Just after sunset you should see medium-bright stars that resemble a tea pot or coffee pot.  That's his body, out-stretched arm, bow and arrow.  Let you imagination figure that one out!

The constellation can be broken up into two smaller sections. The four stars that make up the very tiny dipper are also called the Milk Dipper because they lie in a thick patch of the Milky Way. Unfortunately, we have to go way out in the country to see this dipper scooping up milk. When you peer at Sagittarius, you are looking at the center of our galaxy. Imagine being in the center of the Milky Way - there would be so many stars nearby that night might be as bright as day.  And you might have to watch out for black holes!

The other part of Sagittarius is his bow and arrow. Three stars curve to form the bow and one sticks out to the right forming the arrow. Look at what he’s aiming that arrow at! It is aimed directly at the Scorpion’s heart, the red star Antares. But I still think the whole thing looks more like a coffee pot than a Centaur.

Try to find Sagittarius’ second brightest star. It was named Nunki about 5000 years ago by the Sumerians, but today we have no idea what Nunki means. Since the translation is lost to history you should invent your own for this blue-white, mystery star.

Hercules Part II

The ancient Sumerians who began studying and charting the heavens thousands of years ago thought this kneeling figure represented Gilgamesh, their version of Superman. The epic of Gilgamesh the warrior is one of the oldest surviving texts.

The Greeks had a Superman of their own named Hercules. Hercules started early. At only eight months of age, he strangled two serpents that tried to mess with his teddy bear. He was taught by the greatest teacher in Greece, Chiron the centaur. Chiron can be seen in the constellation Sagittarius low in the southern sky during the summer.

Hercules (or Heracles in Greek) was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, Alcmene. His name was a slap in the face to Zeus' wife Hera (Heracles means, "Glory of Hera"... ouch), and she did everything she could to make young Herc pay. Hera drove him stark raving mad - mad enough to kill his wife and kids. As punishment Hercules was forced to do twelve labors for king Eurystheus. At the completion of these labors, Hercules would achieve immortality. But these labors were not like taking out the garbage and mowing the lawn. Hera made sure they were the most impossible things imaginable.

Hercules’ first job was to slay the terrible Neamean Lion represented by the constellation Leo (see Leo). Another labor involved the slaying of the fierce and deadly Hydra. Hercules was rewarded for his valor and obedience by the god Zeus and was taken up to heaven where he lived happily ever after shining down on us.

Adding to his legend, Hercules was also married four times (once after death).
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Hercules Isn't Too Bright

This month is all about the guys in the sky. First we'll talk about Hercules and later in the month we'll explore Ophiuchus the Serpent Wrestler.
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As strong as Hercules was, he sure has some dim stars in the sky. Hercules is not an easy guy to find up there - his brightest stars being only of third magnitude. The best way to find Hercules is to look for the keystone, or four sided figure that makes up his body. Hercules is said to be kneeling. Unfortunately for him (and our imagination), he is kneeling upside-down. Look for the brighter constellations around Hercules - Draco is above, Lyra to the left, Corona Borealis to the right, and Ophiuchus the Serpent Charmer below him.

The brightest star in Hercules is Ras Algethi which means, in ancient Arabic, "Head of the Kneeler." This must be some acrobatic kneeler standing on his head! The star is a red supergiant 600 times the diameter of our sun. that varies in brightness. Aim a small telescope at Ras Algethi and you will discover that it is really two stars in one.

The most interesting feature in the figure of Hercules is fuzzy area in the sky called M 13. M 13 is a globular cluster - a cluster of around 300,000 stars - the brightest of its kind in the northern skies. M stands for Messier object, and these are nebulae and galaxies charted by the French astronomer Charles Messier. This cluster is number 13. You can see M 13 with the naked eye but try viewing it through some binoculars to achieve a sparkling effect.
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A Korean Star Myth with Aquila and Lyra

Once upon a time a cowherd fell deeply in love with a woman weaver. They would see each other so often that the cows were neglected and the spinning wheel scarcely turned. The father of the weaver became so enraged by this slacking off (even in the name of love) that he banished the couple into the sky.

Their love was so strong that they fell into the sky hand in hand as if gravitationally attracted. It looked as if they would finally be together until a flock of magpies flew in between the two. Their hands separated and their bodies glided slowly but surely away from each other.  The lovers struggled to reconnect but it was no use. When they stuck to the heavens, the weaver was on one side of the great river in the sky (The Milky Way) and the cowherd fell on the opposite shore. The cowherd turned into the stars Altair, Tarazed, and Alshain in the constellation Aquila - the weaver turned into Vega and stars in Lyra.

According to this Korean legend, the couple could meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month. Only then could they cross the river because of the magpies. Magpies in Korea flocked like crazy in July - and to atone for their role in separating the lovers, flew up to the stars to build a bridge across the river.  Only then could the couple meet on the backs of the magpies.  In Korea, children were taught to stone any magpies they saw not helping build that bridge.

When the meeting occurs on the seventh day of the seventh month, Altair and Vega shine in 5 colors to symbolize their happiness. Unfortunately, if it rains on July 7th, the couple fails to meet at all. 

Look for Vega high in the east and Altair lower in the southeast after dark.  And check out the lovers on July 7th to see them shine happily.  

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SUPERMOON 2013

Not all moons are created equal.  The full moon on Saturday June 22, 2013 will appear bigger and brighter than any other moon this year.  But the question is, “Can you tell the difference?”

As the Moon orbits the Earth, it slowly changes its distance from us.  It varies from about 252,000 miles at its farthest, to around 220,500 miles at its closest.  When you combine the night when the full moon is also closest to us, that is called a SUPERMOON.

The Moon’s distance changes very slowly.  You can’t tell the difference from night to night.  But if you compare Saturday’s Supermoon to the farthest full moon, the so-called Wimpy Moon of January 15, 2014, the difference is dramatic.  The Supermoon is over 31,000 miles closer, appears 14% larger in diameter and 30% larger in surface area than the Wimpy Moon.  Open the picture above in a new window to see more details.

The best time to see the Supermoon is just as it rises.  In the Cincinnati area, the Moon will rise over the eastern horizon at 8:20pm.  You may have trouble seeing it right away since the sky won’t be completely dark.  Keep looking because as the Sun sets, the full Moon will rise.  The Moon always looks larger near the horizon but it’s merely an illusion.  Technically, the Moon will be over one thousand miles closer around 1:30am on Sunday morning when it will be higher in the south.  That would be the Super-est Moon.       

Since the changing Moon distance is a slow process, Sunday night will provide an encore.  The full moon rising at 9:20pm on June 23 will be less than 1% farther than that of June 22. 

Look for the Supermoon(s) this weekend and see if you can spot the difference.