• Total Lunar Eclipse

                                       Goodsell Observatory
                              Carleton College Observing Event

                                                         Total Eclipse of the Moon
                                                              October 8, 2014
                                                                4:15-6:45 am

    We will have the opportunity to see a total eclipse of the Moon before sunrise on Wednesday, October 8.  The eclipse will actually begin at 3:17am, but it won’t be noticeable until the Moon touches the Earth’s umbral shadow at 4:17 am. If it is clear, come view a lunar eclipse at Goodsell  or watch it at home!  Goodsell will be open (only if clear) Wednesday morning October 8 from 4:15-6:45 am.  Totality is from 5:27 to 6:22am when the Moon is fully within the Earth’s umbral shadow and the Moon usually turns a beautiful red. The Moon will set while still partially eclipsed.  If it is clear, Goodsell telescopes will be open in the domes and several other telescopes and binoculars available outside the Observatory.  If you don’t want to come all the way to Goodsell so early in the morning, binoculars at home will do quite well for observing !

    Further details of the eclipse can be found at http://www.skyandtelescope.com/ 

    The image below from the above website helps to visualize the event.   Sunrise will be at 7:20am, so the eclipsed Moon will be setting in the west when the Sun is rising in the east.

         

                     Lunar Eclipse 

    Image courtesy of Sky & Telescope on-line.

  • The Frank G. and Jean M. Chesley Lectureship: Cornelia Lang’s Department Talk

    The Frank G. and Jean M. Chesley Lectureship has invited Cornelia Lang to speak in the Physics and Astronomy Department on Thursday, Oct. 9th during common time (12:00-1:00 pm) in Olin 04.  All physics students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend. 

    Observations of Giant Molecular Clouds in the Galactic Center: The Past, Current and Future of Star Formation

    The center of the Milky Way harbors a supermassive black hole and is surrounded by clouds of dense gas, densely packed massive star clusters, and magnetic filaments that appear to be tracing a strong and well ordered magnetic field. This environment is much different than the environment near the Sun and is likely to be common in the centers of most normal galaxies. Therefore, understanding how these clouds remain stable, collapse and eventually form the next generation of stars is crucial to understanding how astrophysics works in this unique region of the Galaxy. I will describe the results of recent observations with the (upgraded) Very Large Array have revealed in great detail the physical conditions in a sample of molecular clouds that have formed stars in the past, are currently in the vicinity of massive stars and that might be forming massive stars in the future.

     

     Click the ‘permalink’ for a link to a great article about the galactic center; it’s a suggested read before attending this noon talk.

  • The Frank G. and Jean M. Chesley Lectureship 2014: Cornelia Chesley Lang

    This lecture open to the public will be Thursday, 10/9/14 in Olin Hall 149 beginning at 7:00 pm(with telescopic observing following the lecture, if clear, at Goodsell Observatory) ALL Physics and Astronomy students, faculty, and staff are strongly encouraged to attend. 

    Journey to the Center of the Milky Way

    The Center of our Milky Way Galaxy is vastly different than the place where the Sun resides (the “Solar Neighborhood”). The physical conditions are significantly more extreme in the Galactic center: denser molecular clouds (which are the birth place of new stars), star clusters more closely packed than in the rest of the Galaxy, and a 4 million solar mass black hole confirmed to be at the very core. Detailed observations of our own nucleus provides us with a window into understanding other galaxies in our universe. Cornelia Lang (from the Department of Physics & Astronomy at University of Iowa) will describe her observations using telescopes like the Very Large Array radio interferometer, the Spitzer infrared space observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope that reveal the extreme astrophysics of this unusual environment.

  • Cornelia Lang Office Hour

    Cornelia Chesley Lang, our visiting Chesley Lecturer, will hold office hours from 10-11:30 am on Friday of this week in Olin 202 (the 2nd floor conference room).

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