Seen above is the planet Venus, making its way in front of the sun from a viewpoint from Earth. This picture does a nice job of putting the relative sizes of venus and the sun in perspective.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
APOD 1.8
I chose this picture because I think it shows a really fascinating aspect of Saturn that is not usually observed. At times, Saturn's rings can be used as a sundial. However, they are only accurate to tell what season it currently is on that planet.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
APOD 1.7
In this picture, an image of a supernova was captured. This picture alludes to the amount and type of energy that resides in the universe. For years scientists have theorized that dark energy is a core component of space and this supernova gave physicists insight to that energy.
APOD 1.6
Seen in this picture above, is a CME (coronal mass ejection) erupting from our sun. I chose this picture because it does a great job of putting many things in perspective. First, the Earth is shown in this picture to show how small this solar event is, compared to our planet, and it also shows how devastating something like this would be.
APOD 1.5
Shown above is the Pleiades star cluster, it is more commonly referred to as the Seven Sisters. It's notable property is that even in a largely light polluted area, it can still be clearly seen and identified.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Biography Sources
"Tycho Brahe." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tycho_brahe>.
Chaisson, Eric, and Steve McMillan. Astronomy Today. 5th ed. Vol. 1. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2005. Print. Astronomy Today.
Chaisson, Eric, and Steve McMillan. Astronomy Today. 5th ed. Vol. 1. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2005. Print. Astronomy Today.
Tycho Brahe Biography
To most, Tycho Brahe was probably known as a skilled astronomer who made a name for himself through his observations. Brahe was born on December 14th, 1546 into a wealthy family in Denmark. Tycho had a few siblings, two younger sisters, and a brother (who died very early in his life). When Tycho was just a boy, his uncle appeared in his life and took Tycho away to become a "scholar". According to records, Tycho was taken away with no contest to his uncle's place of residence. Tycho's uncle enrolled him in school at a young age where he studied the basics. Later on in life, Brahe attended the university in Copenhagen. However, there was a dispute concerning young Tycho's education. His uncle wanted him to study law and serve the community, and during his time at university, Tycho developed a love for astronomy. Because of this, Brahe's uncle sent him on a tour across europe where his mentor Sorenson Vadel was to teach him law. Without much effort, Brahe was able to convince Vadel to give up law and take up astronomy.
From this point in his life on, Brahe dedicated his life to finding knowledge of the heavens, and to do this, he realized, required consistent and accurate measurements of the sky. Brahe's real work began at an observatory called Herrevad Abbey, and then moved on to William Landgrave's observatory where he was offered an island and funds to build his own. Many astronomers, alchemists, and astrologers worked in the Uraniborg observatory. Here at this observatory, Brahe witnessed the supernova of 1572 and the Great Comet of 1577. Soon after his observations, his appeal to the higher powers steadily declined and subsequently, Brahe went his separate way.
From here, Brahe traveled to Prague where he met Johannes Kepler. Brahe worked with Kepler for some time, and continued to make his detailed observations, while Kepler tried to find a way to decipher Brahe's data and create a unifiable theory for these measurements. Kepler and Brahe worked well together, and each played an important role, however one long-standing disagreement was the battle of a heliocentric or geocentric universe. Kepler tried to convince Brahe that the heliocentric model was correct, but Brahe would not budge on his belief in the geocentric ideal. Just a few years after Brahe met Kepler, in 1601, Brahe contracted some type of urinary disorder. Kepler made note that Brahe badly wanted to leave at a certain banquet, but refused to leave saying "it would be a breach in etiquette" which wound up furthering his symptoms. Long story short, Brahe was not able to urinate and died from kidney failure.
From this point in his life on, Brahe dedicated his life to finding knowledge of the heavens, and to do this, he realized, required consistent and accurate measurements of the sky. Brahe's real work began at an observatory called Herrevad Abbey, and then moved on to William Landgrave's observatory where he was offered an island and funds to build his own. Many astronomers, alchemists, and astrologers worked in the Uraniborg observatory. Here at this observatory, Brahe witnessed the supernova of 1572 and the Great Comet of 1577. Soon after his observations, his appeal to the higher powers steadily declined and subsequently, Brahe went his separate way.
From here, Brahe traveled to Prague where he met Johannes Kepler. Brahe worked with Kepler for some time, and continued to make his detailed observations, while Kepler tried to find a way to decipher Brahe's data and create a unifiable theory for these measurements. Kepler and Brahe worked well together, and each played an important role, however one long-standing disagreement was the battle of a heliocentric or geocentric universe. Kepler tried to convince Brahe that the heliocentric model was correct, but Brahe would not budge on his belief in the geocentric ideal. Just a few years after Brahe met Kepler, in 1601, Brahe contracted some type of urinary disorder. Kepler made note that Brahe badly wanted to leave at a certain banquet, but refused to leave saying "it would be a breach in etiquette" which wound up furthering his symptoms. Long story short, Brahe was not able to urinate and died from kidney failure.
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