[AstroNet] Astronomy evening in Louis Trichardt on the 14th November 2009

[Kos Coronaios]

Hi everyone, come and join me on Saturday the 14th from 19:00 onwards for a 
fun filled evening looking at the stars, planets and deepsky objects such as the one on the left, imaged early in November with a Canon 30D attached to a LX 90 at prime focus.  Total exposure time was 10 minutes.

This face-on spiral galaxy in the constellation Cetus the Whale is a Seyfert galaxy first identified by American astronomer Carl Seyfert in 1943.  These galaxies have an active nucleus that are brighter than normal with apparently weak spiral arms.  

Designated M77 (NGC 1068) of the type Sb, it is vast, measuring 170 000 light years in diameter (our own galaxy the Milky Way is 100 000 light years across), 50 million light years away.  Light from this galaxy has travelled 300 000 000, 000 000, 000 000 miles through space before reaching us.

One of my favourite deepsky objects is also in Cetus, the 8th magnitude planetary nebula NGC 246.  The fairly large but faint disk contains three stars of equal brightness, of which one is the "central" star.

* So grab the kids, bring a cooler and some snacks if you like and lets do some astronomy. *
Call me on 079 148 4934 for directions.

     


Sunspot # 1029 imaged during the Mvelelo Spring Show as the audience enjoyed views of the Sun.  More on the sunspot below.