How do we get around

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From Ann Arbor To the Universe
University Lowbrow Astronomers
March 14th, 2009
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• 1. Practical astronomy and how we find our way
  around the sky.
• 2. How we use our eyes and telescopes to do this.
• 3. The objects that we look at, and show you.
• 4. Our club, and public out reach and
  involvement.

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Navigating the Night Sky Introduction to
Practical Stargazing
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Stargazing Sightseeing in the Night Sky

• You will need
• Plan Where to visit / What to observe
• Map / Guidebook Star charts / guidebooks
• Vehicle Telescope, binoculars
• Preparation Basic knowledge of night sky
• Prepare for observing session

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How the Sky Works(Basics of Night Sky)
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Stars Appear to Move
E
W
N
S
apod.nasa.gov
? Because the earth rotates (stars are
stationary)

• But why?

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• Celestial Sphere
• Imaginary sphere outside earth (the Earth spins
  inside of it)
• Celestial N-S poles are extension of earths N-S
  poles
• All stars are stuck on the surface, regardless of
  true distance

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Earths Coordinate Systems

• Expressed in two numbers
• E-W Position
• ? Longitude
• N-S Position
• ? Latitude

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Coordinate System of Celestial Sphere
E-W Position ? Right Ascension (R.A.) From
vernal equinox, going E hour(h), min(m),
sec(s) 1 hour 15 N-S Position ?
Declination (DEC) From equator, going N or S
deg(), arcmin(), arcsec() 1 60
3600
Equatorial Coordinate System
Ecliptic
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Local Coordinate System (Observer Oriented)

• Altitude Height of object, in degrees () from
  horizon
• Azimuth Direction of object, in degrees () CW
  from North
• Altitude Azimuth change with time!

Horizontal Coordinate System
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Star Maps Projection of Sphere into Plane

• Celestial coordinates (R.A. DEC.) are used
• Image is distorted for wide area map, especially
  near poles

Declination (degrees)
http//en.wikipedia.org
Right Ascension (hours)
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Constellations (Classical definition)
(1) http//en.wikipedia.org

• A group of stars that appear to have a physical
  proximity in the sky(1)

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Constellations (Modern definition)
(1) International Astronomical Union

• 88 areas with exact boundaries, defined by IAU(1)

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More about Constellations

• Three letter abbreviation is often used
• Example
• Ori Orion
• CMa Canis Major
• UMa Ursa Major
• Asterism ? Constellation
• Big dipper is an asterism it is a part of larger
  constellation Ursa Major (big bear)

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Names and Catalogs of Celestial Objects
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Why do we need to name / catalog them?
? There are too many of them
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Stars
Star Names Bayer Designation
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• Star Names
• Most bright stars have proper names
• Often derived from Arabic

Procyon
Aldebaran
Betelgeuse
Rigel
Sirius
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• Bayer Designation
• Greek Alphabet Constellation Name
• Normally, from the brightest within the
  constellation, a, ß, ?

a CMi
a Tau
a Ori
b Ori
a CMa
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Deep Sky Objects
Messier Catalog NGC (New General
Catalog) Nicknames
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• Messier Objects
• Listed by 18th century French astronomer Charles
  Messier
• M1 M110, including bright star clusters,
  nebulae, and galaxies
• Observable with small telescope

http//en.wikipedia.org
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• NGC (New General Catalog)
• Compiled by J. L. E. Dreyer, based on works of
  Herschels
• Includes 7840 objects, in order of RA
• Includes objects seen from southern hemisphere

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• Nicknames
• Named after their shape, location,
  characteristics, etc.
• Easy to remember, we love them!

http//en.wikipedia.org www.noao.edu
North American Nebula (NGC7000)
Pinwheel Galaxy (M33)
Ring Nebula (M57)
Veil Nebula (NGC6960)
Dumbbell Nebula (M27)
ET Cluster (NGC457)
Eskimo Nebula (NGC2392)
Swan Nebula (M17)
Crackerjack Cluster (M22)
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Now you can read star charts!
Star Name
Constellation name
Constellation boundary
NGC Objects
Star Catalog Name (Bayer)
Messier Object
www.astronomytoday.com
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Magnitude and Angular Size
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Star Magnitude (Apparent Magnitude)
gt
Magnitude 5
Magnitude 0
100 times brighter !
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• Apparent Magnitude Examples
• Object Magnitude Brightness (vs
  Vega)
• Sun -26.7 x 49 billion
• Full Moon -12.6 x 100,000
• First quarter moon -10 x 10,000
• Venus (brightest) -4.7 x 76
• Jupiter (brightest) -2.8 x 13
• Sirius (brightest star) -1.4 x 3.6
• Vega 0 x 1
• Faintest star visible with naked eyes 6.5 x 1/
  400
• Faintest star visible with binoculars 11 x 1/
  25,000
• Faintest star visible with 10 scope 15.5 x 1/
  1.5million
• Faintest star visible with 24 scope 18 x 1/
  15million
• Faintest star visible with HST 26 x 1/ 25billion

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Angular Size (Apparent Size)

• Expressed in
• Degrees (), arc minutes (), arc seconds
  ()
• 1 60 3600

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Angular Size

• Use your hand to estimate angles

Extend your arm
www.daviddarling.info
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How to find objectsObserving conditionsPreparati
on
Stargazing in Practice
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How to find objects (classical method)

• Find constellations, stars, and objects manually
  with star maps
• Need to know a few major constellations and
  bright stars
• You will learn the night sky much faster this
  way!

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How to find objects (new quick and easy
method)

• Let computers do the work for you
• Use GO TO or PUSH TO telescope
• Use Star Finder product

Go To telescope
Push To telescope
Star Finder products
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• Orient yourself
• Find Polaris (North Star) to locate North
• Once you find N, you can find S (opposite side),
  then E and W.

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• Identify constellations
• Knowing a few constellations and bright stars
  helps!
• You can also use Planisphere

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/FilePlanisphere.jpg
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• Start with these Asterisms/Constellations
• Northern (all seasons)
• Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Cassiopeia
• Winter
• Winter Triangle, Orion, Canis Major, Taurus,
  Gemini, Auriga
• Spring
• Spring Arc, Spring Triangle, Leo, Virgo, Bootes
• Summer
• Summer Triangle, Tea Pot, Lyra, Cygnus, Aquila,
  Scorpius
• Autumn
• Great Square, Pegasus, Andromeda, Perseus

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• Select Your Targets
• Use guide books or star charts to select targets
• Make a list of targets before observing

www.astronomytoday.com
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• Using star maps to find objects
• Start wide, then zoom in
• Use finder / low power eyepiece
• Use Geometry Method
• Use Star Hopping Method

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Geometry Method Example

• How to find whirlpool galaxy (M51)

M51
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Star Hopping Example

• How to find Andromeda galaxy (M31)

Great square
Cassiopeia
M31
Andromeda
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Conditions for Stargazing

• Light Pollution
• Transparency
• Seeing
• Moonlight

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Light Pollution

• ? Excessive / unwanted artificial light
• Local light pollution
• General light pollution

http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_pollution
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Local Light Pollution

• Unwanted nearby light
• Not able to dark adapt
• Difficult to see celestial objects

Downtown Ypsilanti
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General Light Pollution
City lights brighten background (skyglow)
No Light Pollution
Light Polluted
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_pollution
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General Light Pollution
Skyglow washes away the contrast ? Difficult to
see dim objects (esp. nebulae galaxies)
Original image taken from www.Astroimages.org
No Light Pollution
Highly Light Polluted
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www.cleardarksky.com
Light Pollution map of North America
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Flint
Lansing
Detroit
Were Here!
Toledo
www.cleardarksky.com
Light Pollution map of Michigan
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Transparency Clarity of Atmosphere

• Low transparency
• Light from objects is blocked ? Object is
  obscured
• City light is reflected ? Worsens light pollution

outdoors.webshots.com
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Seeing Atmospheric Stability
Turbulence causes the image to get blurry
http//homepage.ntlworld.com/dpeach78/seeing2002.h
tm
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Moonlight
Moonlight brightens the sky Brightness changes
with phase
astronomy.nmsu.edu
outdoors.webshots.com
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Getting Information
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Get Information from Books, etc.

• Star maps (atlas)

Guidebooks
Magazines
Reference books
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Astronomy Software (some are FREE!)

• Make custom star charts, etc.

Carta De Ciel (free)
Stellarium (free)
Wikisky (web based, free)
Celestia (free)
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Get Information from Websites

• Weather and sky condition
• Information for planets, comets, satellites, and
  asteroids
• Solar activity and aurora prediction
• Online object catalog, etc

www.cleardarksky.com
www.heavens-above.com
www.spaceweather.com
www.skyandtelescope.com
www.sunrisesunset.com
www.seds.org
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Can we improve our vision?

• The Eye and the Telescope

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The Human Eye

• How Our Eye Works
• Designed for survival in daytime environment
• Simple lens focuses light on a screen (Retina)
• Retina contains light sensors (Rods Cones)
• Retina connected to brain via optic nerve

www.macula.org
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Cones provide color vision and the best
acuityThey dominate the central area of the
retinaRods provide more light sensitivity and
better motion detectionThey dominate the outer
regions of the retina
www.phys.ufl.edu
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AVERTED VISION

• Looking slightly to the side of our target
• Places image more on the rod area of the retina
• Makes dim objects look brighter
• Required to see some objects at all

www.capella-observatory.com
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Dark Adaptation

• Pupil dilates to allow more light to enter
  the eye
• This change happens rapidly
• Maximum pupil opening is 7 MM for younger people
  diminishes with age
• Chemical change in retina
• Increases light sensitivity, color perception
  diminishes
• Takes 20 to 40 minutes depending on environment
• Easily destroyed by even brief glimpse of light
• Red light is much less destructive

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Our built in personal computer system

• Our brain corrects optical faults in our eye
• Image projected on retina is inverted
• Correction is made for color aberration caused by
  lens
• Brain processes and interprets the visual signal
  it receives
• We can train our subconscious to use our eyes to
  their best ability

www.fotosearch.com
http//www.brainconnection.com
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Why do we need a telescope?

• The aperture of our eye is at most 7 mm this
  limits the amount of photons that can be received
• More aperture gathers more photons
• More photons produce brighter and more detailed
  images
• We need more Light Gathering Ability
• All telescopes gather and concentrate light down
  to a point that will fit through our pupil

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The Refractor Telescope
www.universetoday.com

• First type of telescope used by Galileo
• Lens in front bends light into cone
• Light reaches focus at back of scope
• Not all colors bent by same amount
• Produces inverted image

http//en.wikipedia.org
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The Reflecting Telescope

• Invented by Isaac Newton
• Uses parabolic mirror to gather the light flat
  secondary mirror to deflect light
• No chromatic aberration
• Contrast loss due to obstruction of secondary
  mirror
• Produces inverted and reversed image

http//en.wikipedia.org
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Some Other Types

• Combines lens and a mirror (lens called
  corrector)
• Most compact design

http//starizona.com/
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• HOW ABOUT A COOL DEMO?

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Where the Eye Meets the Telescope

• Focal length determines magnification
• Large variance in apparent field of view
• Typically employ 3 to 8 lens elements
• Some types better suited for specific objects
  than others
• Some types work better in certain types and
  sizes of telescopes
• For these reasons we have

http//users.zoominternet.net/matto/M.C.A.S/
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• GREAT JUSTIFICATION TO SPEND MONEY COLLECTING
  LOTS OF THEM!

Sirius
Betelgeuse
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• Magnification Truth and Consequences
• Rarely use more than 200 or 300 X
• 25 X to 150 X more typical
• Magnification increases size, but decreases
  brightness
• Magnification also magnifies faults in telescope
  and seeing conditions
• We use the magnification that best frames our
  target and provides the best contrast that the
  conditions will allow

http//starizona.com/acb/basics/equip_magnificatio
n.aspx
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• Filters
• Color filters enhance specific features on
  planets
• Moon filters reduce brightness
• Polarizing filters reduce brightness and Glare
  (some types are adjustable)

Doug Scobel, University Lowbrow Astronomers

http//marswatch.astro.cornell.edu/gif/mars/hst/
Feb95_CM270.gif
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• Light Pollution (Nebula) Filters
• Reduce or block wavelengths emitted by artificial
  lighting and skyglow
• This reduces the background sky brightness, which
  improves contrast
• Different types work better on specific objects
  (best for emission nebulae)

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Solar Filtersare the most critical and
necessary filter we useMust be installed
securely at the front of the telescopeMust be
in good conditionNEVER view the Sun without
one!!! otherwise it may be the last thing
that eye ever sees
http//apod.nasa.gov/
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• How about a HOT demo this time?

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• Altitude-Azimuth Mounts
• Simplest type of mount Moves the telescope
  horizontally and vertically
• No alignment required
• Usually operated by hand (hey, no batteries
  required!)
• Must be sturdy and stable

http//en.wikipedia.org
http//www.helix-mfg.com/herculesgallery.htm
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• Equatorial Mounts
• Compensate for tilt of Earths axis
• Moves telescope in Declination and Right
  Ascension
• Tracks objects with RA axis
• Polar alignment required
• Must be sturdy and stable

http//www.mathis-instruments.com/l
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki
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• Who Needs A Mount?

• Use both eyes (more relaxed and sensation of
  depth)
• Correctly oriented image
• No setup or alignment, and very portable
• Very wide field of view (best view of some
  objects)
• Highly recommended for beginners

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Whats Up There?

• Solar system objects
• Stars
• Deep sky objects
• Special phenomenon

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• Solar System
• The Sun, 8 Planets, Moons, Comets, Asteroids,
  Kuiper Belt Objects

www.msnbc.msn.com
upload.wikimedia.org
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Saturn
David Tucker Michigan February 8,
2006
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More Saturn
John Kirchhoff
Michigan February, 2005
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Jupiter
Doug Scobel
Michigan May 6, 2006
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More Jupiter
Ann Arbor Michigan September 10, 1996
Ann Arbor, Michigan September 11, 1998
Mark Deprest
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The Sun
http//www.macnmotion.com
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The Moon
John Kirchhoff
Hudson, Michigan March 29, 2007
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Designation of Comets
http//en.wikipedia.org
www.spaceweather.com
1P/1682 Q1 Halley
C/2007 N3 Lulin
Name of Discoverer, Observatory or Spacecraft
Month and order of discovery A 1st half of
January, B 2nd half of January, etc.
Year of Discovery
Type of Comet P Periodic, C Long or not
periodic, X Orbit unknown, D Disappeared Establi
shed Periodic comets are preceded by sequence
number.
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Comets (C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp))
Doug Warshow Peach Mountain, Dexter,
Michigan April 1, 1997
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Comets (C/2007 N3 (Lulin) )
http//www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/2007N3/picture
s.html January 19, 2009
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Stars

• Double Stars
• Multiple Stars
• Red (Carbon) Stars

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Double Multiple Stars
? Ophiuchus
Mizar Alcor
Albireo
http//www.itchysastro.net
http//www.m109.co.uk
http//casa.colorado.edu
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Carbon Stars
Hinds Crimson Star
http//www.kellysky.net
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Deep Sky Objects

• Nebula
• Open Clusters
• Globular Clusters
• Galaxies

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How do they look?

• Photos vs Views Through Eyepiece

www.wikipedia.org
home.comcast.net/kurtfriedrich/DSOlist.htm
M17
M57
www.blackskies.org
www.perezmedia.net
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How do they look?

• Photos vs Views Through Eyepiece

www.perezmedia.net
M101
skytour.homestead.com
t
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Nebula (NGC 7000)
Doug Scobel
Texas April, 1998
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Nebula (Orion Nebula)
Clayton Kessler
Michigan
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Emission, Reflection Dark Nebulae
http//en.wikipedia.org
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Planetary Nebulae and Supernova Remnants
http//en.wikipedia.org
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Open Clusters (Pleiades)
http//www.pbs.org/seeinginthedark/astrophoto-gall
ery/pleiades.html
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Open Clusters (NGC6530)
http//www.univie.ac.at/webda/cgi-bin/ocl_page.cgi
?dirnamengc6530
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Globular Clusters (M13)
Dave Tucker Howell,
Michigan August, 2005
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Galaxies (M51 NGC5195)
Jim Thrush
Manchester, Michigan May 3, 2002
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Galaxies (M59)
http//www.nao.ac.jp/Gallery/Messiers/m59.jpg
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More Galaxies
http//en.wikipedia.org
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Milky WayOur Galaxy
http//www.lavonardo.net
http//zuserver2.star.ucl.ac.uk
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Special phenomenon

• Aurora (Northern Lights)
• Meteors (Shooting Stars)

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Aurora
Mark Deprest Ann Arbor,
Michigan October, 2000
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More Aurorae
Oregon August 12, 2000 John Flinn
Denali State Park, Alaska October 31, 1991
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Aurora Forecasts
http//www.gedds.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/
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Meteors
Doug Scobel
Texas April, 1998
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Meteor Activity
http//www.cloudbait.com/science/showers.html
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University Lowbrow Astronomers
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Peach Mountain Observatory - Aerial View
85 foot Radio Telescope
24 McMath Telescope
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Summer
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out
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• Writers/Presenters
• Yasu Inugi
• Charlie Nielsen
• Dave Snyder
• Jack Brisbin
• Coach
• John Causland
• Jury
• Mike Radwick
• Yumi Inugi
• Jim Forrester

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Introduction
Introduction

• First, we want to thank the University of
  Michigan Physics Department for the honor and
  opportunity to speak to you today. The University
  Lowbrow Astronomers is not a group of
  professional astronomers. Well, some of us are,
  but not the ones before you today. What our club
  is, is a diverse group of individuals that love
  astronomy and observing the various objects in
  the sky above us. Many of us also very much enjoy
  showing and teaching others our hobby. One of the
  most difficult tasks we had in preparing this
  talk was keeping what we wanted to tell you to an
  hour, but we may succeed. We will present this in
  4 segments

First, we want to thank the University of
Michigan Physics Department for the honor and
opportunity to speak to you today. The University
Lowbrow Astronomers is not a group of
professional astronomers. Well, some of us are,
but not the ones before you today. What our club
is, is a diverse group of individuals that love
astronomy and observing the various objects in
the sky above us. Many of us also very much enjoy
showing and teaching others our hobby. One of the
most difficult tasks we had in preparing this
talk was keeping what we wanted to tell you to an
hour, but we may succeed. We will present this in
4 segments