APOD 4.7

In this photograph, taken in Gunma, Japan, it is very easy to see the asterism known as the Summer Triangle. The triangle is made up of three stars (the brighter ones visible in the photograph which somewhat border the tree). From left to right they are Deneb of the constellation Cygnus, Vega of the constellation Lyra, and Altair of the constellation Aquila. Also visible in the photograph are smaller constellations that appear within and around the triangle, including Lacerta the lizard, Delphinus the dolphin, Vulpecula the fox, and Sagitta the arrow.

APOD 4.6

Pictured here is the spiral galaxy NGC 2841. While this galaxy is only 46 million light years away, it is humongous, with a diameter of over 150,000 light years, larger than our Milky Way Galaxy. This galaxy is found in the Northern Constellation Ursa Major, and exhibits beautiful pink arms which are star forming regions. Also visible are patches of blue, where clusters of newly formed, young stars begin their life cycle. This image was captured as a composite, merging exposure from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Subaru Telescope.

APOD 4.4

Here is a photograph of an usual spiral galaxy. While most spiral galaxies have 2 arms, this galaxy, NGC 4725, only has one. This galaxy is also very large; 100,000 light years across, longer than our Milky Way Galaxy. NGC 4725 lies 41 million light years across from our home galaxy, and appears to be rotating clockwise, due to the trailing single arm of the galaxy.

APOD 4.3

Photographed is the spiral galaxy NGC 2903, about 20 million light years away from our solar system. This galaxy is visible in the Spring constellation Leo, and is very popular among astronomers. The galaxy features many beautiful colors with innumerable star clusters, producing new stars at a very rapid rate. This galaxy is very similar in size to our own, measuring 80,000 light years across.

APOD 4.2

Sweden is known worldwide as an ideal viewing location for Aurorae, and this stunning Aurora in Kiruna, Sweden proves this perfectly. This aurora greatly resembles an immense flag hanging over the countryside. This aurora was the result of a recent Coronal Mass Ejection, which passed through a channel in the Earth's Magnetic Field. The result- a beautiful aurora featuring a variety of vivid colors.

APOD 4.1

As we are now transitioning into the spring, the familiar constellation Orion is beginning to set in the early evening. Photographed here is Orion, late in the sky. Visible are the two first magnitude stars Betelgeuse and Rigel, along with the asterism known as Orion's belt, and the Horsehead Nebula, M42. Also visible is Aldebaren, the alpha star in the constellation Taurus which borders Orion.

Quarter 3 Astronomer Biography

Edward E Barnard

Edward Emerson Barnard was a noted American astronomer from the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries. Barnard grew up in a relatively un-wealthy family, and thus lacked much formal education. At the young age of 9, Emerson began his career as an assistant photographer. From here, his career as an astronomer commenced. His interest in photography led Emerson to find a desire to study the heavens. In 1876, Emerson purchased his first telescope, a 5 inch refractor telescope, with which he discovered his first comet in 1881, and another later that year. In 1889, Emerson made one of his first major astronomical observations; he observed the moon Lapetus pass behind the rings of Saturn. Also, he had unwillingly and without taking notice, discovered spokes in Saturn’s ring, which would then be proven to exist by Voyager 1. In addition to these observations, Barnard was the first to discover the 5^th moon of Jupiter, Amalthea, the first discovery of a new Jovian moon since Galileo in 1609. This was also the last discovery of a satellite simply by naked-eye observation. Barnard’s career as a professional astronomer had launched. In 1895 he became a professor of Astronomy at the University of Chicago. While teaching there, he was able to use the 40 inch telescope at the Yerkes Observatory, with which he took many photographs of the Milky Way, discovering that dark, seemingly empty regions of the galaxy were actually clouds of dust and gas that obscured distant background stars. Barnard photographed many dark nebulae, and he catalogued them with numerical designations, similar to Messier’s catalog. These became known as Barnard objects, and are labeled Barnard 1 – Barnard 370. A few years after the publication of his objects, Barnard died at the relatively young age of 65. Many of Barnard’s photographs are still used to this day, and his catalog allows for the simple classification of dark nebulae today. In addition to this, Barnard discovered a faint star, now known as Barnard’s star. This star is the second closest star to the Earth, following the Alpha Centauri system. The discoveries and observations of Edward E Barnard helped to reshaped astronomy and have allowed for the benefit of astronomers today.