The Sky This Month
Welcome to our night-time sky . Please enjoy this monthʼs tidbits of knowledge . We are lucky to live in a dark-sky area where the heavens can shine through . I hope you enjoy the sky and perhaps learn a thing or two . Happy star gazing ! I Can See Clearly Now – Have you ever looked across a hot grill and noticed the air roiling around and obscuring your view ? Through the dawn of the telescope until about 1990 , astronomers had to simply accept that the atmosphere obscures star-gazing . Some nights are better than others , but every night has some amount of disturbance which throws lights rays hither and thither . In 1953 , a gentleman named Horace Babcock dreamed up an idea to remove the atmospheric disturbance . He dubbed the concept Adaptive Optics . If the movement of the atmosphere could somehow be measured and the telescope mirror could somehow be adjusted to counteract the atmospheric motion , then an undisturbed view through the sky could be obtained .
In the 1990s , all of the pieces came together to bring the concept to life . A laser is pointed at a guide star close to the viewing area . The laser measures the tiny atmospheric movements , and computers calculate the adjustments that are required . A deformable telescope mirror is used , and adjustments are made to counteract the atmosphere . This remarkable accomplishment can increase a telescopeʼs resolution by 15 to 30 times . When Will the Rain End ? – In case youʼre aching for another shower , the Quadrantids meteor shower should peak around January 3-4 . The best viewing time will be after midnight , when you might see as many as 40 meteors per hour . The Quadrantids are named after the obsolete Quadrans Muralis constellation which was near the handle of the big dipper , but the name is no longer in use . The constellation was named in 1795 by a French astronomer who used an astronomical tool called a “ Mural Quadrant .” Neither the tool , the constellation , nor the astronomer are around anymore , but you can enjoy the meteor shower anyway .
– Brian Biggs Amateur Astronomer
Theresa deSoto
6 January 2017 pccnews