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Phil Harrington's Cosmic Challenge
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If you're like me, you have probably seen Jupiter, Saturn, the Orion Nebula, and all of the sky's showpiece objects more times than you can count. And while they are truly spectacular and well worth revisiting, you may be looking for something new, something challenging to observe.
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Cosmic Challenge: Satellites of Uranus
Nov 01 2019 05:00 AM |
PhilH
in Phil Harrington's Cosmic Challenge
Of the 27 known satellites in the Uranian family, four stand out, just as the four Galilean satellites do among the Jovian clan. William Herschel discovered the first two Uranian moons on January 11, 1787, six years after he had discovered the planet itself. The next two remained undetected until the British astronomer William Lassell (1799-1880) spotted them on October 24, 1851. It is these four that we hope to catch through our own telescopes.
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Cosmic Challenge: The Deer Lick Group
Oct 01 2019 05:03 AM |
PhilH
in Phil Harrington's Cosmic Challenge
The autumn sky abounds with little bundles of galaxies scattered throughout its stars. One of the best known is the group of 7 galaxies that surround the magnificent spiral NGC 7331 in Pegasus, the Flying Horse. An observer could easily spend an hour or more just soaking in all that this small patch of sky has to offer.
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Cosmic Challenge: Emission Nebula Simeis 57
Sep 01 2019 10:16 AM |
PhilH
in Phil Harrington's Cosmic Challenge
Simeis 57 is one of the most intriguing emission nebulae in the late summer sky, yet it is almost unknown to visual observers. Photographers, however, know it as a pair of opposing arcs of reddish light, one extending to the north, the other to the south, that appear to be spinning symmetrically away from a common center. Its unusual appearance has led to its two nicknames: the Propeller Nebula or the Garden Sprinkler Nebula.
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Cosmic Challenge: Planetary nebula IC 4732
Aug 01 2019 04:55 AM |
PhilH
in Phil Harrington's Cosmic Challenge
M22 is right in the thick of it, not far from the galactic center of the Milky Way. As such, it has lots of company. One particular planetary nebula proves a worthy adversary through 10- to 14-inch scopes: IC 4732. IC 4732 lies just 1.4° north-northwest of M22. Cataloged at magnitude 12.1, its tiny disk is difficult to pick out from the mob of field stars -- difficult, but not impossible.
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Cosmic Challenge: Lunar craters Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins
Jul 05 2019 11:22 AM |
PhilH
in Phil Harrington's Cosmic Challenge
Last month, I challenged you to find all six of the Apollo landing sites. This month, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong's and Edwin Aldrin's historic landing and moon walk, we return to Mare Tranquilitatis, the scene of Apollo 11, to find three small craters that bear the names of that historic mission's crew members.
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Cosmic Challenge: Apollo Landing Sites
May 31 2019 11:46 AM |
PhilH
in Phil Harrington's Cosmic Challenge
Between July 1969 and December 1972, six teams of United States astronauts ventured across the gap between Earth and Moon to land and walk on that distant world. Have you ever visited their landing sites? If not, let's do so now.
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Cosmic Challenge: M51's spiral arms
Apr 30 2019 07:52 AM |
PhilH
in Phil Harrington's Cosmic Challenge
Of the thousands of spiral galaxies visible through backyard telescopes, one stands above the rest in terms of visual interest: M51, the famous Whirlpool Galaxy in Canes Venatici. Everything adds up in M51's favor. We are seeing it very nearly face-on, its spiral arm halo is bright and peppered with star clouds and vast regions of nebulosity, and it brings with it a friend in the form of a smaller companion galaxy that can even be seen through giant binoculars.
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Cosmic Challenge: Leo III
Mar 30 2019 09:54 AM |
PhilH
in Phil Harrington's Cosmic Challenge
A springtime rite of passage started here two years ago. It started in the April 2017 edition of this e-column, when I challenged readers to find the dwarf galaxy Leo I. Leo I is one of many dim dwarf galaxies gravitationally bound to the Milky Way. The fact that its surface brightness rates only 15th magnitude, coupled with its position just 20' north of Regulus makes Leo I a tough challenge to land.
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Cosmic Challenge: NGC 2363 and NGC 2366
Feb 28 2019 04:59 PM |
PhilH
in Phil Harrington's Cosmic Challenge
Will the real NGC 2363 please stand up? For years, there has been an ongoing debate over the true identity of the 2,363rd entry in the New General Catalog.
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Cosmic Challenge: Sharpless 2-301
Feb 01 2019 02:39 PM |
PhilH
in Phil Harrington's Cosmic Challenge
While a few of Sharpless's entries, such as Sh2-25 (better known as M8, the Lagoon Nebula) and Sh2-49 (M16, the Eagle Nebula), are well known to visual observers, most are among of the most challenging objects to see visually. If you have never made a concerted effort to see some of the lesser known Sharpless objects, then this challenge, Sh2-301 in Canis Major, is a good introduction to the sport.
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