Over the next few days, the planet Venus will transit the Pleiades star cluster. Tonight sees the planet about two degrees from the cluster center, tomorrow the planet will have closed to just over a degree from Merope. April 2nd and 3rd will see the planet essentially among the primary stars of the cluster. On the 2nd the planet will be only 25′ from Merope, on the 3rd it will be 14′ from Atlas.
At -4.4 magnitude the planet will be far brighter than the brightest stars of the cluster which are 3rd and 4th magnitude. Still, it should be an interesting sight to see the brilliant Venus surrounded by a cluster of stars.
The W.M. Keck observatory operates two of the largest and most scientifically productive optical/infrared telescopes in the world. The twin 10-meter telescopes are located amidst several other world class observatories on the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii, one of the premier sites for astronomy.
The observatory seeks an experienced computer systems administrator manager to lead a talented team of technical professionals responsible for the computer and network systems at the observatory. The networked computing environment is distributed over multiple locations and includes well over one hundred Unix nodes, several hundred Windows desktops, tens of Windows servers, and extensive video conferencing. Unix systems are primarily used for controlling the twin telescopes and science operations while the Windows systems are primarily used for office, administration and engineering functions. Desired competencies include: proven computer and networking skills, demonstrated ability to plan, manage and implement use of new computer and network technologies for a 24/7 operation.
The ideal candidate should be a creative and highly motivated, self-starter who can manage multiple projects and priorities within a fast paced environment and is expected to have the ability to lead the systems administration team in adopting new technologies to deliver cost effective best-in-class service to 120 plus customers. The successful candidate is expected to have significant hands-on systems management and deployment experiences with Linux operating systems. An understanding of virtualized computing infrastructures and experience migrating to virtualized solutions is highly desirable.
Finally, a night where… A) The sky is clear. B) The wind is not howling through the palm trees. C) I am not exhausted by working the summit. D) I do not have to get up early the next morning.
A + B + C + D = Astrophotography from the driveway!
Comet C/2009 P1 Garradd on 29 March 2012 showing both tails, sum of 50 x 1 min exposures CoolSNAP ES and 180mm f/2.8 lensThus, under a very pretty sky, I rolled the photo rig out of the garage and spent some time getting everything back together. I was not in a hurry, time to let a bright crescent Moon set a little and my primary target rise a little. The target at the top of the list? Comet C/2009 P1 Garradd.
The comet is nicely placed in Ursa Major, transiting late in the evening, available for several hours of exposures. And expose I did, with the auto-guider locked on the a dim star beside the comet, the shutter open for well over two hours. I was shooting my Canon 20Da and the AT6RC, a combination that framed the comet nicely.
It will take a while to get the resulting images processed. In the meantime I did a quick process on a set of images taken with the wide field/finder CCD camera. The results of which can be seen at the right. I also shot a few quick images of the M95 area with the CCD to capture SN2012aw.
You are invited to attend a free Keck Observatory lecture…
A view of the Earth compiled from nighttime shots from the DMSP satellites during October 1994 to March 1995. Image credit NASA/Goddard Space Flight CenterCity Dark: Search for Night on a Sleepless Planet
Dr. Richard Wainscoat
University of Hawai’i Institute for Astronomy
The advent and spread of electrical lighting has made it ever harder to find the dark skies valued by professional and amateur astronomers, not to mention lovers of starry skies in general. Dr. Wainscoat tells the story about light pollution and astronomy, with special emphasis on light pollution’s effects on the world’s best astronomical observing site: Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawai’i. Dr. Wainscoast is an astronomer as well as an accomplished photographer.
There is no charge for admission to any events in the Makana series.
I didn’t spot it this time either. It was Mark who was pointing at the coral. I looked, looked again… Oh! There is something there. The camouflage these fish utilize is impressive, even from quite close they blend amazingly well with the coral and algae. I wonder how many times I have drifted past one of these fish without seeing it.
As Olivier and I got closer to take a few photos, the fish began to walk away. Yes, I said walk. The fish would walk several feet on its pectoral fins then try to sit still and hide again. A truly weird thing, watching a fish walk across the reef.
Devil Scorpionfish (Scorpaenopsis diabolus) on the reef at O'oma
This evening a pretty crescent Moon will be just over 4° from the Pleiades star cluster. The Moon will be just 19% illuminated, a pretty companion for the bright star cluster. The pair will set after 10pm allowing plenty of time to appreciate.
While Jupiter and Venus are now drawing apart after their rendezvous a few days ago one more pretty dance will liven the evening sky. With the two only 10° apart a crescent Moon will slide between them. The 11% illuminated Moon will make a nice match for the two brilliant planets, creating a lovely trio in the evening sky.
Tomorrow night the Moon will have moved to the other side of Venus, still quite close at about 4° separation, creating another pretty view.
I was determined to get out and use the telescope during the March new Moon, but had planned to go observing with the guys at Hale Pohaku on Mauna Kea. At the last minute I decided to accept an invitation from the Hilo group to observe from Mauna Loa instead. The guys planned on running a Messier Marathon, something I have enjoyed many times before.
Our usual observing location is Hale Pohaku, at 9,000ft on the south side of Mauna Kea. Hale Pohaku is a great observing site, high enough to be above the clouds, but well below the summit where thin air, wind and frigid temperatures can be miserable. It is impossible to do a complete Messier Marathon from Hale Pohaku, the bulk of Mauna Kea blocks too much of the northern sky making a few objects, most notably M52, difficult to impossible.
The Mauna Loa access road, carved through the lava and paved with red cinder asphaltThe road and climate research station on Mauna Loa sit on the northern face of the mountain, offering a perfect vantage point for the Messier catalog objects given our 20° latutude. The only issue is the road. While Hale Pohaku is reached by six miles of quite nice state highway, Mauna Loa requires navigating an 18 mile drive up a single land paved road. Use of the word “paved” is somewhat casual, as is the maintenance on the road. The first few miles feature new pavement. Beyond that? Not so much, the road becomes a pothole obstacle course. Driving the road with a delicate telescope in the back is rather nerve-wracking.
The planet Uranus as it appears in a mid-sized telescopeToday, at 07:45HST, the planet Uranus will pass through superior conjunction with the Sun. The planet will reappear in the dawn around mid-April.
