Rosette Nebula By Space.by.jase

We sure have been experiencing this around here. Not only has it affected temperatures, but the percentage of time the sky is cloudy. Our observatory takes images and hosts events less often in part because of the conditions of our sky.

So many people do not understand the relationship between climate change and cold weather.

Uranus and some of its moons on October 20, 2023 // Louis Fico

I think the moons in this image could be Titania, Umbriel, Ariel, and Oberon, tho which points of light they are is hard to say

"The Imperfect Angel Nebula", NGC 2170 // zombi

2023 October 4

IC 2118: The Witch Head Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: Abdullah Alharbi

Explanation: Does this nebula look like the head of a witch? The nebula is known popularly as the Witch Head Nebula because, it is said, the nebula’s shape resembles a Halloween-style caricature of a witch’s head. Exactly how, though, can be a topic of imaginative speculation. What is clear is that IC 2118 is about 50 light-years across and made of gas and dust that points to – because it has been partly eroded by – the nearby star Rigel. One of the brighter stars in the constellation Orion, Rigel lies below the bottom of the featured image. The blue color of the Witch Head Nebula and is caused not only by Rigel’s intense blue starlight but because the dust grains scatter blue light more efficiently than red. The same physical process causes Earth’s daytime sky to appear blue, although the scatterers in planet Earth’s atmosphere are molecules of nitrogen and oxygen.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231004.html

2023 October 18

Dust and the Western Veil Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: Jiang Wu

Explanation: It’s so big it is easy to miss. The entire Veil Nebula spans six times the diameter of the full moon, but is so dim you need binoculars to see it. The nebula was created about 15,000 years ago when a star in the constellation of the Swan (Cygnus) exploded. The spectacular explosion would have appeared brighter than even Venus for a week - but there is no known record of it. Pictured is the western edge of the still-expanding gas cloud. Notable gas filaments include the Witch’s Broom Nebula on the upper left near the bright foreground star 52 Cygni, and Fleming’s Triangular Wisp (formerly known as Pickering’s Triangle) running diagonally up the image middle. What is rarely imaged – but seen in the featured long exposure across many color bands – is the reflecting brown dust that runs vertically up the image left, dust likely created in the cool atmospheres of massive stars.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231018.html

A personal item was found on the observatory decks the day after our public night. If you lost something, check with the Dean's office in the DMF Science and Math Center!

Each fall and spring season, we host a set of public observatory nights on Wednesday evenings. This spring, we're set to start on March 19, weather allowing. Schedule coming soon!

Picture of the Day!

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured a stunning image of the iconic Pillars of Creation, a region where new stars are being born within thick clouds of gas and dust. The three-dimensional pillars resemble towering rock formations, yet they are much more porous. Composed of cool interstellar gas and dust, they sometimes appear semi-transparent in near-infrared light.

July 2024 Public Nights

The observatory will be open to the public, weather allowing, on Wednesdays July 24 and 31 from 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm. Please check back the afternoon of the event for our weather decision!

Wed. 7/31: We'll be closed tonight due to clouds. Stay tuned for updates about August!