VOLUNTEER NEEDED.....

The Quadrantids is the first major meteor shower of the year. It is usually active between the end of December and the second week of January, and peaks around January 2 or January 3. However, unlike other meteor showers that tend to stay at their peak for about two days, the peak period of the Quadrantis is only for a few hours.

 The shower owes its name to the now defunct constellation Quadrans Muralis. The constellation was left off a list of constellations drawn out by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1922, but because the shower had already been named after Quadrans Muralis, its name was not changed. The Quadrantids is also sometimes called Bootids after the modern constellation, Boötes.

In 2014, the Quadrantids will peak on January 3. A new Moon on January 1, 2014 will create ideal viewing conditions for those in the Northern Hemisphere. According to astronomers, those in the eastern part of Asia will be the best situated to view the shower.

(data taken from timeanddate.com)

 

email: abudhabiastronomy@gmail.com if interested to lead for the activity

 

METEOR SHOWER PEAK ON FRIDAY 13, 2013

Amateur Astronomers get out your warm jackets and witness the one of the best meteor showers of the year.

The 2013 Geminid meteor shower is expected to peak on the night of Friday, Dec. 13, and continue into Saturday morning for viewers in the Northern hemisphere. The window of peak activity runs from 1 p.m. GMT Friday (8 a.m. EST) to 10 a.m. GMT Saturday (5 a.m. EST).

COMET ISON 2013

Comet ISON, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope in April.
The comet was near Jupiter's orbit at the time.  NASA

One of the most loudly topics among astronomers and astronomical enthusiasts or sky watchers is the Comet ISON or Comet C/2012 Si. Comet ISON, or C/2012 S1, was discovered in 2012 and is considered a sun- cropping comet, as it will pass to the sun so closely. Around November, ISON was predicted to be one of the brightest object in the sky that it would be visible in broad daylight. NASA production editor Tony Phillips had said, “If the comet survives the encounter with the sun, it could emerge glowing as brightly as the moon, visible near the sun in the blue daylight sky. On Nov. 28th, Comet ISON will fly through the sun's atmosphere little more than a million kilometers above the sun's fiery surface. This raises a question: Is Comet ISON racing toward its end? Thus this comet gives a bad effect to the earth? Astronomer Matthew Knight of the Lowell Observatory thinks the comet might withstand the heat: The comet's dusty tail stretching into the night would create a worldwide sensation.” For us amateur astronomers, we don't know what will be happen or what it can give to us but we know it can give excitement to us as we follow it's movement. 

Hybrid Solar Eclipse, snap shot from UAE's capital - Abu Dhabi

HYBRID PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE NOVEMBER 2013

A total solar eclipse will occur this November 3, 2013. It is a hybrid eclipse of the Sun with a magnitude of 1.0159. Total eclipse will be visible from the northern Atlantic Ocean (east of Florida) to Africa (Gabon (landfall), R. Congo, DR Congo, Uganda), with maximum of 1 minute and 39 seconds visible from the Atlantic Ocean south of Ivory Coast and Ghana. This solar eclipse will happen simultaneously with 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and it will be possible to observe a partial solar eclipse in Abu Dhabi before the sunset while the F1 race take place.

This eclipse is special because it is a hybrid eclipse (also called annular/total eclipse) shifts between a total and annular eclipse. At certain points on the surface of Earth it appears as a total eclipse, whereas at other points it appears as annular. Hybrid eclipses are comparatively rare.

In Abu Dhabi, this rare solar eclipse will last for seconds to minute only. So, for the amateur astronomers and photographers grab your cameras run into cornice side and wait till sunset.  The scenery of the sunset will give a beautiful subject plus the magic of the eclipse added.

The group will be gathered near gate 1 (public beach) in cornice.

OBSCURE EVENT SET TO THRILL CITY STAR GAZERS - ABU DHABI WEEK MAGAZINE

Sun-worshippers in the capital should brace themselves for partial disappointment on Sunday 3rd November, but astronomy fans will be rejoicing as a solar eclipse is due to cast its shadow across the city.

Star-gazers can expect to see this solar spectacle from 1.21pm on Sunday with the partial eclipse ending at 3.05pm. And even though this is only a partial eclipse, Andy Palado from the Abu Dhabi Astronomy Society is still excited by the event.

“For us, every sky event is amazing. Even though one third of the sun will be covered, it will still make for spectacular viewing,” said Palado.

The solar eclipse, which is the alignment of the Sun, Moon and Earth, will be an amazing spectacle, but as Palado explained, it can still be harmful to an observer’s eyes.

“Of course looking directly at the sun is going to damage your eyes. If you want to see the eclipse, we suggest using a solar glass or X-ray paper. We will be using our telescopes, which will not be focused directly on the eclipse,” said Palado.

The astronomy club will be gravitating to the Corniche beach to watch the spectacle and the society’s founder also explained that anyone planning on attending should get in touch with him.

“We will be at the beach on the 3rd November. You will see me with my telescope! Please come and say hello and feel free to ask about the society and the eclipse,” Palado added.

-http://abudhabiweek.ae/obscure-event-set-to-thrill-city-star-gazers/#sthash.3kaGg9bk.mJzbqS38.dpbs

TWO COOL ANDROID APPS FOR AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS

SKY MAP

STAR CHART


SKY MAP AND STAR CHART ARE FREE APPS FOR ANDROID

You can now have a virtual planetarium in your pocket! Look through the eyes of your Android device, to see a virtual window into the whole visible universe.

All you have to do is point your Android device at the sky and the Sky Map and Star Chart will tell you exactly what you are looking at.

Using state of the art GPS technology, an accurate 3D universe, and all of the latest high tech functionality, Sky Map and Star Chart puts you in real time to the current location of every star and planet visible from Earth.

So download either of these two apps and install it to your device then point out in the sky and see what's out there!

Click the link below to download:

Sky map
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.stardroid

Star chart
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.escapistgames.starchart

PERSEIDS METEOR SHOWER, THE YEAR'S MOST SPECTACULAR METEOR SHOWER

One of the year's best astronomical events will light up the sky for the next few nights.  it's really easy to observe. You don't need telescopes or cameras, just a deckchair, blankets and a cooling drinks to fight the warm night.

The Perseids meteor shower is expected to peak in the early time skies on both 12 and 13 August.

Perseids meteor shower will be seen in the constellation of Perseus (the hero).

SUPERMOON, SUPER FUN

June 23, 2013, the day of "Supermoon", everybody are talking about this. Facebooks, twitters, text massages. Abu Dhabi Astronomy organized an event for this. SMS was sent to it's members plus email was also sent. We are excited to capture this event where the moon came to it's closest distance to the earth. Our call time for the group was 6pm and many people responded to this. They came on time and excitedly waited for the appearance of the moon. Telescope and cameras are with us. We talked about astronomy topics while waiting for the moon. We are in one language, the language of the universe.

Sun was set already but the moon did not showed up yet. But we are still patiently waiting with excitement. In front of us are huge building that may be blocked us from seeing the moon in the beginning. The light from the sun was already disappear and we almost lost our excitement. My intuition told me to go in front of the place where are and checked that maybe the moon hiding behind those buildings, and I wasn't mistaken. I took my cellphone and take a shot and went back to the group and showed it to them. Everybody almost jumping to their excitement for in few moment the moon rise up from those giant buildings.

We set-up once and  WALLAH!!!! here comes the moon, yellowish in color. So big, so beautiful.

Finally we capture one of the historical event in 2013. Supermoon, super fun.

JUNE 2013 SUPER MOON

        

 

       What it is super moon? And how special is the June 23, 2013?

Full moon falls on June 23, 2013 at 11:32 universal time (15:32 Abu Dhabi time). This full moon is not only the closest and largest full moon of the year. It also presents the moon’s closest encounter (221853 miles) with Earth for all of 2013 . The moon will not be so close again until August, 2014.

Astronomers call this phenomenon as perigee full moon. This describes the moon’s closest point to Earth for a given month. Last year, we heard this term again to describe the year’s closest full moon on May 6, 2012. Now the term super moon is being used a lot. Last month May was was also a super moon but the June full moon is even more bigger. In other words, the time of full moon falls even closer to the time of perigee, the moon’s closest point to Earth.

BASIC ASTRONOMY LECTURE

The Abu Dhabi Astronomy with Emirates Astronomy Society will give a free "Basic Astronomy" Lecture
on June 18, 2013 at New York University, Khalifa St. Abu Dhabi - the lecture is in English and will
start at 7:00 pm.

PLANETARY TRIO

DATES TO REMEMBER WITH THIS AWESOME PLANETARY TRIO:

On May 23, Jupiter and Venus converge to less than 5 degrees apart, close enough for simultaneous binocular viewing.

On May 24, Mercury passes Venus less than 2 degrees from Venus in right ascension. Around this time, the three planets will begin to look like a triangle in the twilight.

On May 26, the triangle of Venus, Jupiter and Mercury will be most compact.

By May 27, the triangle is beginning to disperse, but wait … keep watching.

On May 28, Venus passes Jupiter in right ascension, at a distance of 1 degree. The two brightest worlds 1 degree apart! It’ll be an awesome sight.