Astro Biography: Dr. Eugene N. Parker

Matthew Lawlor

Dacey

Hon. Astro

25 May 2014

Biography: Dr. Eugene N. Parker

Life outside science:

            Born June 10, 1927 to an average American family, Eugene Parker grew up in Michigan. Eugene received his B.S. degree in physics from Michigan State University in 1948 and Ph.D. from Caltech in 1951. Parker was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1967. As of early 2005, he was still engaged in active research at the University of Chicago. At the University of Chicago he has held positions in the physics department, the astronomy and astrophysics department and the Enrico Fermi Institute. He is the leading authority on the solar wind and the effects of magnetic fields in the heliosphere.

Contribution to science:

           In the mid-1950s Parker developed the theory on the supersonic solar wind and predicted the Parker spiral shape of the solar magnetic field in the outer solar system. In 1987, Parker proposed that the solar corona might be heated by myriad tiny "nanoflares", miniature brightenings resembling solar flares that would occur all over the surface of the Sun.

Legacy:

Eugene Parker’s work has greatly increased understanding of the solar corona, the solar wind, the magnetic fields of both the Earth and the Sun, and their complex electromagnetic interactions. The theoretical models which he developed in part by looking at comet tails have in recent years been confirmed by spacecraft. His books, especially Cosmical Magnetic Fields, have educated generations of investigators. His most recent book includes the effects of magnetic fields of planets, stars, and galaxies on X-ray emissions.

Virtual View of a Black Hole

 In the center of a swirling whirlpool of hot gas is likely a beast that has never been seen directly: a black hole. Studies of the bright light emitted by the swirling  gas rotating frequently indicate not only that a black hole is present but another dence object either a neutron star or another black hole is there too. The gas is seen to be rotating at about 450 times a second.

Got Milky Way?

This photograph was taken at Panama's Vary Large Telescope. In order to get this crazy shot, a semisphereical lens was used to capture 180° of the telescope and also to get a unfiltered shot at the center of our galaxy.

The Biography of Dorothea Klumpke Roberts - Matthew Lawlor

Early Life: Dorothea Klumpke Roberts was born August 9, 1861 in San Francisco, California. Her father came to San Francisco during the Gold Rush and was also a successful realtor. She was one of four daughters and two sons. Dorothea studied at the University of Paris and received a PhD of Astronomy. In 1887 she began work for the Paris Observatory where she worked with other leading astronomers of her time. Here she began observing minor planets (asteroids), along with the measuring of star positions, processing astrophotographs, studying stellar spectra. Contribution to Astronomy: Dorothea Klumpke Roberts is best known for her work with astrophotography and he measurements of asteroid positions and movements. Dorothea’s work led to the Carte du Ciel project which required photographing the entire sky. Dorothea was able to contribute and her photography tables were able to show stars and stellar objects as faint as the 14th magnitude. Her work and her ferocious reputation secured the post of Director of the Bureau of Measurements at the Paris Observatory despite being a woman in the face of fierce competition from fifty men. Through this position she was able to take photographs of many, if not all of the fifty two m objects at the time. She later wrote many papers which included her m objects with Isaac Newton’s notes. For this she was awarded the Hèléne-Paul Helbronner prize in 1932 from the French Academy of Sciences for this publication. Legacy She was the first recipient of the "Prix de Dames" from the Sociétié des Astronomique de France in 1889, and in 1893 was made an Officer d'Académe of the French Academy of Sciences - up to that time, these honors had not been awarded to a woman. Her main subjects of influence were mathematics and mathematical astronomy; her work influenced many later astronomers. There are two asteroids named in her honor.

Observations: Deerfield Beach Observations

Time: Two Hours
Location: Deerfield Beach
Conditions: Moderate Light Pollution, still able to see all first, second, and a few third magnitude stars.
Instruments: Two nice pairs of Binoculars

Info.
I was visiting Deerfield Beach with my girlfriend and her parents. We were out on the back porch with two binoculars which we all shared. I wasn't able to bring a star chart and the light pollution was blocking most of the interesting details. This observation time was not very formal nor was meant to cover everything. It was more of the parents relaxing as I showed them the heavens.

Planet: Jupiter (Gemini)
Bright Stars:Procyon, Aldebaren, Betelgeuse, Rigel, Sirius, Archenar, Capella, Algol, Castor, Pollux.
Constellations noted: Taurus, Orion, Leo, Canis Major+Minor, Perseus, Auriga, Hydra, Cassiopeia, Eridanus, Ursa Major+Minor

The Milky Way, a Comet, and a Shooting Star walk into a bar.

This is a picture of our galaxy over an entire night. What is interesting about this shot is that there is a comet and a shooting star that was recorded.

Polar Ring Galaxy

NGC 2685 is a confirmed polar ring galaxy - a rare type of galaxy with stars, gas and dust orbiting in rings perpendicular to the plane of a flat galactic disk. This is strange because most observed orbiting bodies orbit along the galactic plane. What is even more strange is that the structure seems to be old and stable. This structure is thought to be caused by a galactic merger and the daughter galaxy's stars ended up in this position.

Astronomy Night: Observations

Time: Two hours, counts as four.
Location: PV Service Road.
Instruments used: Big Bertha Mr. Percival's 12'' Telescope, 10'' telescope, 8'' telescope, 10x50 Binoculars.
Conditions: Clear skies, New Moon, minimal light pollution, at Night.  

Observations:
Jupiter retrograde in Gemini (naked eye, binoculars, and through Mr. Percival's 10'')
Gemini: Castor, Pollux, Jupiter.
Pegasus:
Andromeda
Ursa Major: Big dipper
Orion: Betelgeuse, Rigel, Horse head nebula (faint blue haze in telescope).
Taurus with the Pleiades and the Hyades(binoculars) .
Perseus: Double Cluster and Algol (through telescope)
Canes Venetici.
Open Cluster m41

Matthew Lawlor - Biography of Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers

Early Life

                Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers was born on October 11, 1758 in Arbergen Germany. He studied to be a physician in Göttingen, Germany where he attended college. Afterwards he practiced medicine in his hometown. Being an avid astronomer, he transformed the second story of his house into an observatory where he spent most of his time at night. He died on March 02, 1840, at the age of eighty-one.

Contribution to Astronomy.

                Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers has three main contribution to science and astronomy. His first major contribution involves his leading role in the search for a planet between Mars and Jupiter. In his search, he discovered Pallas, the second asteroid ever discovered and re-identified Ceres. Bode’s law states that there should be a medium size planetary body. Olbers was the first to propose that these asteroids were stray parts to this undiscovered planet. Later Olbers was also the first to propose the idea of an asteroid belt that would contain the mass of this lost planet that never condensed. His second major contribution involved the tails of comets. In 1811 Olbers proposed that the tails of comets always pointed away from the sun due to radiation pressure from the sun. This was almost two centuries before we could experimentally show its effect in a laboratory. Olbers also discovered a new comet now named Olbers Comet. Later, he also predicted the path of a comet and too much dismay showed that the Earth would pass through the comet’s tail. Olber’s last major contribution involves why most of space is dark at night. Olbers proposed what is now known as the Olbers Paradox. It states that if space is both endless and uniformly populated, then every line of sight must eventually terminate at the surface of a star. This is contrary to observation where we only see a few bright spots compared to the vast darkness of space. This paradox implies that every we look we will see a star and the entire night sky should be bright, with no dark spaces between the stars.

               

Legacy.

                Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olber’s legacy remains largely with his work with asteroids a comets. The paradox he suggested still remains current but he is better known for his dedication to comets. His discovery, Pallas, still retains the same name. In memoration of his accomplishments, there is a comet and a lunar crater named after him. The mathematical calculation were the precursors to modern day asteroid tracking and many of the formulas remain the same.