Tag Archive for 'astronomy'

How a Star is Born (Mar. 12)

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Barbara
on March 11, 2010
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“How a star is born: Making the gas and dust soup in molecular clouds from which stars are born” will be presented on Fri., Mar. 12 @8pm in Upham Hall 140, followed by public viewing at the UWW Observatory @9:15pm (weather permitting). It’s the Physics Dept’s first spring Whitewater Observatory Lecture.

The Origin of Stars coverLike to learn more? Andersen Library can help! Search the HALCat online catalog for books such as The origin of stars (3rd-floor Main Collection, QB806 .S6 2004). Search article databases to find articles including “On the timescale for star formation in galaxies” (The Astrophysical Journal, Nov. 1, 2009, vol.705, pp. 650-658) and “Cloudy with a chance of stars” (Scientific American, Feb. 2010, vol.302:no.2, pp. 34-41).

Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.

Mark your calendars for the rest of the observatory lectures:

  • April 9: From Dust to Majority (taking a star from initial collapse in a molecular cloud to the onset of nuclear fusion)
  • April 16: The Making of a Supernova (the evolution of stars more massive than eight solar masses to their demise in titanic explosions)
  • April 30: The Making of a Celestial Flower (the evolution of stars less massive than eight solar masses to their demise as planetary nebulae)
  • May 7: When Fusion Stops, What Follows (the long retirement of stars as white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes)

Pluto: Planet! Not!

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Barbara
on December 4, 2009
in campus connection
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The Physic Dept.’s final Fall 2009 Whitewater Observatory Public Lecture, “Is Pluto a Planet? We debate; you decide!” will take place at 8pm on Fri., Dec. 4, in Upham Hall 140. Physics faculty Robert Benjamin and Paul Rybski will deliver a mini-lecture/mock debate. A public viewing session at Whitewater Observatory will follow the lecture at 9:15pm, weather permitting.

Pluto Files coverIf you are interested in more information about Pluto, Andersen Library has resources. Search HALCat, the library catalog, to find titles such as The Pluto files: The rise and fall of America’s favorite planet (3rd-floor Main Collection, QB701 .T97 2009). Search article databases, such as the Institute of Physics electronic journals, to find articles, e.g., “What is a Planet” (The Astronomical Journal, vol. 132, no. 6, 2006, pp. 2513-2519).

Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.

Perseid meteor shower

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Susan
on August 11, 2009
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If you’re a fan of stargazing, check out the Perseid meteor shower. The best time for viewing these “shooting stars” is from midnight to dawn tonight and again late tomorrow night. According to NASA’s website, this meteor shower is an annual event in August as the tail of the comet, Swift-Tuttle, intersects with the earth’s orbit.

Want to read about meteors and comets? Below are just a few books that are available in Andersen Library on these topics.

  • Cosmic Pinball: The Science of Comets, Meteors, and Asteroids by  Carolyn Sumners and Carlton Allen (QB721 .S85 2000, main collection, 3rd floor).
  • Comet Science: The Study of Remnants from the Birth of the Solar System by Jacques Crovisier and Thérèse Encrenaz ; translated by Stephen Lyle (QB721 .S85 2000, main collection, 3rd floor).
  • Cosmic Phenomena by Gabriele Vanin (QB500 .V36 1999, main oversize collection, 3rd floor).

To find more books on astronomy, search the library catalog.

Milky Way lecture 3/20

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Barbara
on March 18, 2009
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Next in the UWW Observatory Lecture Series is “Mapping the Milky Way” by UWW Physics Professor Robert Benjamin at 8 p.m. on Fri., March 20, in Upham Hall 141, followed by (weather permitting) a public viewing session at the Whitewater Observatory. Both events are free and open to the public.

Interested in more information? A search of the Library’s article databases such as Academic Search Premier and MasterFILE Premier (both available via EBSCOhost) would find articles such as “How astronomers glimpse the naked galaxy” (Astronomy, Feb. 2007, vol.35, no.2, pp.58-63). Also see “The Milky Way Remapped” (Sky & Telescope, June 6, 2008).

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The International Astronomical Union has declared 2009 the International Year of Astronomy, dedicated to bringing the universe down to Earth through lectures, exhibits and observing sessions for people of all ages.

Comets: Multimedia Event 2/20

Published
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Barbara
on February 19, 2009
in campus connection and info.gov
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The UW-W Physics Dept.’s first 2009 Observatory Public Lecture will be Dr. Paul Rybski’s one-hour multimedia presentation “Comets and the International Year of Astronomy” (Fri., Feb. 20th, 8 pm, Upham 141), followed by (weather permitting) a public viewing session at Whitewater Observatory at about 9:15 pm. Both events are free and open to the public.

Anyone interested in additional information about comets, Galilei, or astronomy in general will find a wealth of material in the University’s Library. A search of the Library Catalog would find books such as Comet by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan (3rd-floor Main Collection, QB721 .S34 1985) or Galileo: his science and his significance for the future of man (3rd-floor Main Collection, QB36.G2 D48 1996). More about comets may be found online, e.g., the blog “The transient sky – comets, asteroids, meteors” or NASA’s web site (“Green comet approaches Earth”).

Galileo Galilei imageLECTURE ABSTRACT: “Four hundred years ago this spring, a feisty Italian physics professor Galileo Galilei heard about the invention of the telescope in what today is Holland and set about building his own. By Summer 1609, he was showing it to important people; and by Fall 1609, he was making the first recorded astronomical observations with this telescope. These observations obtained the first real evidence that astronomical objects were not perfect and unchangeable and that the Earth probably revolved around the Sun.

In celebration of this important event, the International Astronomical Union has declared 2009 the International Year of Astronomy, dedicated to bringing the universe down to Earth through lectures, exhibits and observing sessions for people of all ages. Whitewater Observatory begins its participation in the IYA with a lecture about the significance of Galileo’s first observations and about the most recent observations of Comets Lulin and Kushida, both visible in the night sky this month.”

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