Book Review

Posted on March 5, 2023 by ST Editors

by Rich Sherman

Before the Big Bang:  The Origin of the Universe and What Lies Beyond

By Dr. Laura Mersini-Houghton

Grade:  A-

Theoretical physicist, Dr. Laura Mersini-Houghton takes us on a journey through quantum physics and shows us that six signatures of a multiverse—which she predicted—really do exist in our cosmos.  It is a remarkable revelation.

The book is demanding for the layman, especially those of us who are not well-versed in quantum physics.  Thankfully, there are intermittent respites along the way, where Dr. Houghton shares the stories of her life and the life of her brilliant father during the difficult communist years in her native Albania.  At just over 205 pages, the book seems longer due to the complexity of the subject and Dr. Houghton’s effort to build her argument for a multiverse, requiring references to complex math and properties of quantum physics.

So is the book worth it?  Absolutely.  But like all long journeys, there are moments of fatigue when you feel like giving up.  But in the end, you discover the multiverse and that is really cool.   

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Aram Friedman, AAAP member, Astro-photographer, in his own words

Posted on March 5, 2023 by ST Editors

I have been a member of AAAP for many years but I have not been able to attend meetings lately due to my schedule. I have been broadcast engineer for most of my career but in 1998 I was contracted to supervise the design and construction of the Hayden Planetarium in NYC. It changed my life. In 2011 I joined the staff of Evens & Sutherland, assisting them with building planetariums internationally. While there I build my own small 4’ diameter portable planetarium based on the Digistar software and started teaching in public schools. I also taught for Northrop Grumman at conferences and public events about the JWST.

Teaching 8th grade Astronomy: https://youtu.be/dk2PPXop9-E
World Science Fest NYC JWST: https://youtu.be/MwuTRCAeOME

Along the way I met and became close friends with the late Prof. Jay Pasachoff of Williams College who asked me to build a planetarium as well. Jay invited me to my first Total Solar Eclipse in China in 2009 where I captured several videos of the event. It was my first time using a $100 equatorial mount for the live video camera.

TSE 2009 Fisheye: https://youtu.be/XLdb1b72GVM
TSE 2009 Realtime: https://youtu.be/LebZjhmE0_Q

In 2012 Jay invited me to join his team atop Haleakala to make a time lapse video of the last Transit of Venus in our lifetime. I purchased my first real mount and scope and just barely managed to align it in time for the 6.5 hour event.

Transit of Venus 2012: https://youtu.be/YKjm6QZRunA

On returning from the TOV I did a presentation for the AAAP where I met Robert Vanderbei. Robert approached me and asked if I could find a single image from Maui that matched images he shot from Princeton. We found two that were time stamped the same moment. Robert published a paper showing how it was possible to measure the AU from the two images.

Venus Transit Parallax Measurement
https://vanderbei.princeton.edu/tex/VenusParallax/ms4a_small.pdf

Over the years Robert has inspired and mentored me in refining my ability to align my scope to the point of being able to image deep space objects. My equipment is modest but I have a lot of fun.

Along the way I have continued to make time lapse videos of celestial events.

Here is a sample.
Transit of Mercury 2019: https://youtu.be/ghvZzkw86c4
Jupiter Rising 2012: https://youtu.be/fL1fciYQnMQ
TSE 2017 360deg: https://youtu.be/yq44Pcq7SvI (this works with google cardboard)
Winter Milky Way Haleakala: https://youtu.be/D95HouSvWT4
TSE 2012 Cairns, Australia:   https://youtu.be/6YVocuUyQek (we were clouded out)

Presently I am upgrading two new planetariums, one for me and one for Williams College. They are based on the new E&S D7 software and will run in 4K. I have a lot of software to update and will need to re-render many of the videos. When I finish the upgrade perhaps I can do a demo for the AAAP, it will be few months yet.

With the help of Jay Pasachoff, I was given access to 4k frames from the SDO to do some studies of various Solar structures. Here is just a tiny taste: https://youtube.com/shorts/6_Z6nPPUNy8?feature=share I have many more but have not posted them.

If you are interested, I have also posted recordings I made of the Voyager II flyby of Neptune.
Voyager is one of my many obsessions. https://youtu.be/Xp22IEmotRU

Here are the two recent videos I posted on YouTube of the “Green Comet”

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Introducing New Student Member

Posted on March 5, 2023 by ST Editors

YugandharaLuthraHi, I am Yugandhara Luthra, a junior attending Princeton High School in New Jersey. My passion lies in the fields of science and mathematics, with a particular fascination for space exploration and its endless possibilities. As a participant in the PHS Research Program, I am fortunate enough to delve into research projects centered around stars, exoplanets, and particle accelerators. I continuously challenge myself with advanced courses from Harvard University in the field of astronomy and physics.  

I am dedicated to making a positive impact on the world beyond my academic pursuits. As a leader and participant in PHS Food Aid and PHS IDEAS Center initiatives, I work on projects that benefit our community and address critical issues facing humanity. Additionally, I hold the roles as Vice-President for Odyssey of the Mind and VP-Logistics for the Science by the Scoop club at PHS. Through these various leadership positions, I am able to contribute my skills and expertise to diverse projects and collaborate with others to create positive change.

Regarding my extracurricular pursuits, I find solace in golf and reading, which provide me with a serene retreat to unwind and reconnect with myself–after a busy day or a demanding week.

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Marshall Space Flight Center

Posted on March 5, 2023 by ST Editors

by S. Prasad Ganti

Huntsville, Alabama is known as the Rocket City. This is where the rocket scientist Wernher Von Braun worked on designing rockets to fly to the moon. At what is now named as Marshall Space Flight Center, named for the late Secretary of State George Marshall.

In the 1940s, Huntsville was selected as a location for chemical weapons manufacturing for the war effort, and the Army established the Redstone Arsenal. After World War II, the base became the rocket and missile facility where Wernher Von Braun guided the development of the Redstone, Jupiter, and Pershing missiles. And the rockets that sent the first U.S. satellite into orbit and the first astronauts to the moon. 

Von Braun had the idea of creating a space center open for the public so that they can better appreciate what the rocket scientists do. The state of Alabama agreed with him and thus was born the US Rocket and Space center. I had the good fortune of visiting there recently. The pictures shown below have been taken using my iPad pro. The picture below shows the main building and the parking lot. 

The picture below shows the Saturn V rocket which boosted the Apollo spacecraft towards the moon. The scale of the rocket is evident from the other objects in the background. It dwarfs everything else. The Saturn V rocket is also there in Kennedy Space Center in Florida and Johnson Space Center in Houston. But in Huntsville, it stands towering and is visible from neighboring roads and highways for miles. 

The picture below is of the same Saturn V rocket lit up as it was getting dark. The dimmer spot of light slightly to the left of the upper tip of the rocket is the planet Saturn !. The main building has a cross section of the Saturn V laid end to end horizontally. And each section explained in detail. 

Unlike Kennedy Space Center in Florida where the Spacecraft and rockets are assembled and launched, and in Johnson Space Center where astronaut training and mission control exists, in Huntsville, the rockets and spacecraft are designed and different components like the engines are tested. It is basically an engineering shop for rockets and spacecraft. Marshall Space Flight Center is where the work gets done while the US Rocket and Space Center is where the exhibits educate the visitors. They are just a few miles apart. 

Given below is a picture of a mockup of the Artemis spacecraft which recently went to the moon and came back to the earth. While Apollo is the history of the space program, Artemis is the future. The Artemis was launched using SLS (Space Launch System) which is a recent version of Saturn V. SLS along with SpaceX’s Starship rocket represent the future heavy launch vehicles.   

The picture given below is a mock up of the Russian module of the International Space Station called Zarya. Given the current geopolitical situation, it is difficult to imagine a Russian component being part of an international endeavor. 

The US Rocket and Space Center also runs a space camp for anyone interested in getting a hang of how the astronauts are trained. Three day camps and week long camps are the most popular ones. I hope to attend one of these camps some day! 

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From the Lens of Lisa

Posted on March 5, 2023 by ST Editors

by Lisa Ann Fanning

Most of my attention was turned to Venus and Jupiter for the month of February (clouds permitting.) Here’s hoping for clear skies for the conjunction.  

An almost full Moon – February 4, 2023
Not the best, but a doc shot of Comet ZTF and Mars
February 24, 2023 – Waxing Crescent Moon, Jupiter and Venus
Closeup of the 26% Waxing Crescent Moon – February 24, 2023
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Snippets

Posted on March 5, 2023 by ST Editors

compiled by Arlene & David Kaplan

-ESO

Telescopes and Instrumentation As set out in its convention, ESO provides state-of-the-art-facilities for Europe’s astronomers and promotes and organises cooperation in astronomical research. Today, ESO operates some of the world’s largest and most advanced observational facilities at three sites in northern Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor…more

-BBC

Dark sky: Could Wales soon be home to four zones? A swathe of the north-east Wales uplands could soon be recognised as a hotspot for gazing at the stars. The Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) plans to submit a bid for global recognition as a dark sky zone…more

-NYT

A Doodle Reveals da Vinci’s Early Deconstruction of Gravity Long before Galileo and Newton used superior mathematics to study a fundamental natural force, Leonardo calculated the gravitational constant with surprising accuracy…more

-NYT

New Auroras Found Glowing in the Skies of Jupiter’s Moons A sightseeing alien touring our solar system would do well to check out the emerald and blood orange-red ribbons of Earth’s auroras. But our world isn’t the only one with spectacular light shows in its atmosphere. New research shows auroras can also be seen on the Galilean moons of Jupiter…more

-NYT

Killer Asteroids Are Hiding in Plain Sight. A New Tool Helps Spot Them. Ed Lu wants to save Earth from killer asteroids. Or at least, if there is a big space rock streaking our way, Dr. Lu, a former NASA astronaut with a doctorate in applied physics, wants to find it before it hits us — hopefully with years of advance warning and a chance for humanity to deflect it…more

-NYT

Webb Telescope Spots a Distant Spiral Galaxy Like Our Own In the unfathomable darkness and time that is the universe, every star is an omen of hope, a promise of life and shelter, like the lights of a distant ship on a cold sea. And so, courtesy of the James Webb Space Telescope, here is another reminder of the fecundity and generosity of nature: thousands of galaxies…more

-BBC

Nasa’s Mars rover Perseverance completes rock depot Nasa’s Perseverance rover has finished building a rock depot on Mars. It’s laid down a series of tubes on the ground containing a variety of rock and environmental specimens. The depot will serve as a reserve cache to be brought back to Earth in the event Perseverance is unable to complete the next stage of its mission…more

-NYT

There’s a Ring Around This Dwarf Planet. It Shouldn’t Be There. A small icy world far beyond Neptune possesses a ring like the ones around Saturn. Perplexingly, the ring is at a distance where simple gravitational calculations suggest there should be none. “That’s very strange,” said Bruno Morgado, a professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Dr. Morgado is the lead author…more

-BBC

James Webb telescope traces arcs of dusty star formation It’s another stupendous image from the new super space telescope James Webb. The picture shows NGC 346, a region about 200,000 light years from Earth where a lot of stars are being created.Webb’s Near Infrared Camera traces the knots, arcs and filaments of gas and dust that are feeding this stellar nursery….more

-BBC

Space and Astronomy: What to Expect in 2023 As years in space and astronomy go, 2022 is going to be a tough act to follow. NASA wowed us with cosmic scenes captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. The DART mission slammed an asteroid into a new orbit. Artemis I set humanity on a course back to the moon. China finished building a new space station in orbit…more

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