Weekly Observation Post 18

This week wasn't that good for any kind of observations. I did get to see Jupiter high overhead and I also saw the moon each night. Besides that the only other thing I saw were clouds. Once the coldfront came in, it got real bad. I hope that next week will have better days for observing.

APOD 3.5 The Rosette Nebula

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120214.html
This is actually a 2012 picture but I has to use it anyway. Since we just learned about the constellation of Monoceros in class, I wanted to use a picture of this nebula. I have seen this nebula before when I was doing my Hubble project and this nebula caught my eye. It's definitley the most beautiful nebula I have ever seen and if I had to pick a favorite, this is it.
This nebula is 5,000 light years away and is shaped by the energy of young stars. These stars are only a few million years old which is very young for a star. It is 50 light years across and can be seen with a small telescope. If I ever am to get a telescope for myself, I will surely try to see this nebula.

Weekly Observation Post 17

This week was good for observing the stars, besides Thursday night. I was able to view the ISS just a little before 7 PM on Wednesday, which I was really looking forward to. I almost could not see it due to some trees, but it was still visible. I was going to look for it again on Thursday and show my sisters but it was very cloudy and we weren't able to see it which was very disappointing. I'm going to try to get them to look for it another time, though.

APOD 3.4 LL Ori and the Orion Nebula

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130203.html

This is a picture of some stellar gas from LL Ori interacting with the gases in the Orion Nebula. The winds in this nebula are even more powerful than the winds that our own sun puts out. The is a clear wave traveling though this nebula, and is traveling at supersonic speeds. This whole nebula just looks magical and is one of the most esthetically appealing nebulas I've ever seen.

Moon Atlas

Moon Atlas

Weekly Observation Post 16

This week's observations were good. Over the weekend I viewed the moon which when I viewed early enough looked slightly orangish or redish. As it got higher in the sky, the moon returned to its normal white color. I eventually learned from class this was due to it first rising. I could see Orion and Orion's Belt, as I do every week, and I believe I also so Casseiopia. This was a decent star gazing week and I wish I could go to the observation night on Saturday but I just can't due to my schedule for the day. Maybe next time.

APOD 3.3 In The Center of The Trifid Nebula

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130128.html

This picture shows the incredibly complex and brightly colored Trifid Nebula. The various clouds of colorful gas are in close proximity with the constellation Sagittarius. There are three promininces in this nebula which intersect at the middle, thus giving the nebula it's name. This nebula is also known as M20 and is only estimated to be about 300,000 years old- which compared to the length of time since the origin of the universe, is quite short. This beautiful nebula is 9,000 light years away and is 10 light years across. This is one of the most fascinating nebulas I have ever seen.