Tag Archives: Astronomy

GAM 2015

Welcome April 1st

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Global Astronomy Month 2015

 

Astronomers Without Borders encourages you to join in our month long international celebration of astronomy. Beginning on April 1 through to April 30 we will be hosting a large amount of global events including the largest star party in the world, online star gazing and much more! Check the previous post for more information and links for the events..

Further updates on Twitter and AstrOceanOmy Facebook Page

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~ One People, One Sky ~

Mars Watch

Mars Watch

As Part of GAM 2014, It’s Mars Watch Event on 11th April 2014.

Mars will be in opposition – which is where the Earth falls between the Sun and Mars on the 8th, and Mars will be closest to us on April 14th at 12:54UT.

AWB invites you, me and everyone to hold a Mars viewing party on Friday April 11, and to take advantage of the good viewing due to these two events.  Don’t forget to register your event! For the rest, please join the nearst Event in your area.

In Oman/Muscat, AstrOceanOmy Observatory, will hold a Mars viewing party on Friday 11th April 2014 from 20:00 to 23:50 (UTC+4). Family and Friends are therefore invited for the event. Anyone else interested, please drop me a line in this post comments section. As I’ve got limited seats available.

Mars will be -1.5 magnitude with a diameter of 15.2” and a distance of 92.4 million kilometers making viewing quite favorable this April.

Even more: Name your very own crater on Uwingu’s map of Mars, and help create the world’s first crowdsourced Mars map.

Please visit AWB Mars Watch Page for more information

AstrOceanOmy Subscribers, please revisit this post at the end of the month for more updates and event pictures. 

Clear Skies

The GAM 2014

Global Astronomy Month, (GAM) each April is the world’s largest global celebration of astronomy since the unprecedented International Year of Astronomy 2009.

Each GAM brings new ideas and new opportunities, and again brings enthusiasts together worldwide, celebrating One People, One Sky.

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In April 2009, the 100 Hours of Astronomy (100HA) Cornerstone Project of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) showed what the astronomy community can do working together. As the first truly global outreach event, amateur astronomers, clubs, science centers and others held events by the thousands around the world, attracting the largest public audience ever. The excitement was contagious as this unified global event, encouraging everyone to look skyward, swept the world.
Everyone wanted the excitement to continue, and now it will. Not just repeating 100HA, but something even bigger, built on 2009’s global success.
Global Astronomy Month is Astronomers Without Border’s response. New ideas, new opportunities and more participation. Connecting people around the world in these events will create an even greater sense of sharing, just as in AWB’s motto and the slogan for GAMOne People, One Sky.
The global outreach community’s enthusiasm and innovation was critical in making 100 Hours of Astronomy successful, and GAM will continue to bring together all that tens of thousands of enthusiasts worldwide have to offer.

GAM 2014 Trailer Video

 

This Month is a busy month, I will try to cover and share some interesting topics and events in this blog as much as I can. At the mean time, please have a look at GAM2014 Program Schedule.

    For more information, please visit:

    Web: http://www.gam-awb.org/
    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gam.awb
    Twitter: http://twitter.com/GAM_AWB
    Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/globalastronomymonth
    Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/groups/gam/

    Clear Skies,

    Astronomy – State of the Art

    Astronomy – State of the Art Course by Professor Chris Impey

    Introduction

     

    About this course

    This course is for anyone who loves astronomy and wants to get up to date on the most recent astronomical discoveries.  Join Professor Chris Impey and our team of instructors from Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona to learn the science behind the latest astronomy news headlines, to enrich your understanding of the universe, and to glimpse the future of this exciting area of research. Courses runs from March 25 to May 10, with one major topic covered each week for seven weeks. Lecture material will be augmented by discussion, live Q&A, and guest lectures. Find us on Facebook, Google+, YouTube, and follow us on Twitter @AstronomySOTA.

    Category:Math and Science

    Tags:astronomy, space, science, research, math and science

    what’s in the course?
    Over 26 lectures and 2 hours of content!
    Become familiar with the cutting edge of astronomy research, from the Solar System and exoplanets to galaxies and the distant universe.
    Learn how astronomers are addressing profound issues such as the existence of life beyond Earth and black holes and the nature of dark matter and dark energy.
    Gain an appreciation for the technological innovations in telescopes and detectors that are transforming our view of the universe.

    Course requirements:
    Interest in Astronomy

    Who Should Attend?
    Everyone
    Amateur Astronomers
    Planetarium Educators
    Science Center and Museum Educators
    Science Teachers
    Astronomy Instructors
    Students of Astronomy

    This course runs from March 25 to May 10, 2013 for free. You can still register for this course if you were late. Completion Certificates Available. Register online: http://www.teachastronomy.com/mooc/

    Clear Skies

    GAM Ends

    Hope Everyone had a Happy Global Astronomy Month (GAM)

    GAM

    Unfortunately Been so busy with my work. Therefore I couldn’t post any planed articles during that golden month of Astronomy.. However I had a great time during GAM with the people around me..Family, Friends and Amateur Astronomers of course..

    During (GAM) and even in previous years, I had a hard conversation with some of the people including from family members and some friends..

    Some of there questions where like:

    What is the use of Astronomy?

    Why waste my time in this Hobby?

    Can you predict the future?!.. Well I’m not an Astrologist Smile

    Well, I answered them..but some of them are having a dry mind Smile . Sorry if you were one of them and reading this.. Winking smile

    In this blog of AstrOceanOmy, I will answer your questions in professional way.. Feel free to surf the blog and visit again for new posts.

    Well before that..lets have some fun in the following videos ;

    (Just for Fun:  Please Note that I am Amateur Astronomer & Mechanical Engineer ) I’m open minded for those people who hate Astronomy)

    Sleep-deprived amateur astronomer explains his new hobby to a co-worker.

    New Hobby: Amateur Astronomy

     

    Anyone that has taken up this hobby will find humor in this 2nd video! In fact, they and their significant other and close family members will enjoy this but unfortunately no one else will so enjoy!!!!

    My Hobby is Astrophotography

    Click here to know more about Astrophotography! I also suggest to check the comments made by others for the above video in Youtube.. Smile

    In addition.. some more videos on Amateur Astronomers

     

    Just one more thing

    Astronomy is a natural science and is one of the oldest sciences..(Click here to read more)

    If you still dislike Astronomy..then you dislike the nature and modern science as well. All of the technologies which you see and use today are developed because of Astronomy.. For the rest all I’ll say

    Clear Skies Smile

    Global Astronomy Month 2012

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    Yes, it’s GAM2012 on April. Get ready & Be prepared!

    (GAM2012) – Trailer

     

    If you have a close friend you’d love to take to a star party,
    a family member you’d like to show the sky,
    a colleague you’ve always wanted to understand the exciting things in the sky,
    a distant friend who shares your passion for astronomy,
    a stranger on the street you want to encourage to look up at the wonders that lie just above,
    this is your invitation to share the sky with them all.
    Take your family. Invite your friends. Share your sky.
    Be part of Global Astronomy Month.
    ~One People, One Sky~

    For more info and programs click here

    50 Amazing and strange Astronomy facts

    What do you think?

    1-Saturn would float if you would put it in water.
    2-If you would place a pinhead sized piece of the Sun on the Earth you would die from standing within 145 km (90 miles) from it.
    3-Space is not a complete vacuum, there are about 3 atoms per cubic meter of space.
    4-Only 5% of the universe is made up of normal matter, 25% is dark matter and 70% is dark energy.
    5-Neutron stars are so dense that a teaspoon of them would be equal to the weight of the entire Earth’s population.
    6-The Sun is 400 times larger than the Moon but is 400 times further away from Earth making them appear the same size.
    7-The star Lucy in the constellation Centaurus is a huge cosmic diamond of 10 billion trillion trillion carats.
    8-Seasons last 21 years on Uranus while each pole has 42 years of sunlight followed by 42 years of darkness.
    9-Venus,on the other hand, does not have any seasons at all.
    10-1 year on Mercury consists of less than 2 days on Mercury.
    11-There are as many oxygen atoms in a breath as breaths of air in the atmosphere.
    12-Helium is the only substance in the universe that cannot be in solid form.It can’t be cold enough.
    13-The coldest place in the universe is on Earth. In Wolfgang Ketterles lab in Massachusetts. 0.000000000001 degrees Kelvin.
    14-The pistol star is the most luminous star known 10 million times the brightness of the Sun.
    15-Saturn’s moon Titan has liquid oceans of natural gas.
    16-All the planets are the same age: 4.544 billion years.
    17-Earths moon was most likely formed after an early planet named Theia crashed into Earth.
    18-8000 stars are visible with naked eye from Earth. 4000 in each hemisphere, 2000 at daylight and 2000 at night.
    19-90-99% of all normal matter in the universe is hydrogen.
    20-Only 55% of all Americans knows that the Sun is a star.
    21-Because of the speed the Sun moves at, solar eclipses can last at most 7 minutes and 58 seconds.
    22-Lunar eclipses, however, can last 1 hour and 40 minutes.
    23-All the coal, oil, gas, wood and fuel on Earth would only keep the Sun burning for few days.
    24-A full moon is nine times brighter than a half moon.
    25-When the Moon is directly above your head or if you stand at the equator, you weight slightly less.
    26-A single Quasar produce the same amount of energy as 1 trillion suns.
    27-Just after the Big Bang, everything in the universe was in liquid form.
    28-A planet nicknamed “The Genesis Planet” has been found to be 12.7 billion years old making it the oldest planet found.
    29-The shape of the universe looks a lot like a brain cell.
    30-Every year, the Moon is moving away from Earth by 3.8 centimeters.
    31-The Moon spins around its axis in the same time it goes one lap around the Earth which makes us always see the same side of it.
    32-Upsilon Andromeda B also only face one side to its star. One side is hot as lava while the other one is cold below freezing.
    33-The average galaxy contains “only” 40 billion stars.
    34-While in space astronomers can get taller, but at the same time their hearts can get smaller.
    35-Mars surface is cowered with iron oxide (rust).
    36-Only half a billionth of the energy released by the Sun reaches Earth.
    37-Rogue planets are not bound by any star, brown dwarf or another planet which makes them free-float around the galaxy.
    38-Sweeps 10 is the planet with the shortest orbital period found. It orbits its star in only 10 hours.
    39-85% of all stars in our galaxy are part of multiple-star systems.
    40-Some brown dwarfs have liquid iron rain falling down on them.
    41-The light emitting from the Sun is actually 30.000 years old.
    42-Of the over 20 million meteors that are observable every day only one or two reach the surface of Earth.
    43-The United States have approximately 3.500 astronomers, but over 15.000 astrologers.
    44-The closest black hole to Earth is only 1.600 light-years away.
    45-There are at least 10^24 stars in the universe.
    46-Certain “star quakes” have been found to tear apart the surface of neutron stars.
    47-Any free-moving liquid in outer space will form itself into a sphere due to surface tension.
    48-The odds of being killed by falling space debris is 1 in 5 billion.
    49-Neutron stars can rotate up to 500 times in 1 second.
    50-The largest structure found in the universe is the Sloan Great Wall, a super cluster of galaxies 1.37 billion light-years wide.

    Very interesting facts from Astronomers & Scientists.. I still could not get it about fact number 18 ? Half of the stars are visible at daylight with naked eye from Earth? Could anyone explain!

    Astronomy in Quran

    1

    بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

    2

    In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

    We shall show them Our portents on the horizons and within themselves until it will be manifest unto them that it is the Truth. Doth not thy Lord suffice, since He is Witness over all things? (53)

    Surah Fussilat – سُوۡرَةُ فُصّلَت

    3

     

    4

    بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

    In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

    5

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    And when the heaven splitteth asunder and becometh rosy like red hide – (37)

    Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that ye deny? – (38)

    Surah Ar-Rahman – سُوۡرَةُ الرَّحمٰن

     

    6

     

    7

    8

    And verily in the heaven we have set mansions of the stars, and We have beautified it for beholders. (16)

    Surah Al-Hijr –  سُوۡرَةُ الحِجر

     

    9

    10

    Blessed be He Who hath placed in the heaven mansions of the stars, and hath placed therein a great lamp and a moon giving light! (61)

    Al-Furqan  –  سُوۡرَةُ الفُرقان

     

    11

    12

    And whomsoever it is Allah’s will to guide, He expandeth his bosom unto the Surrender, and whomsoever it is His Will to send astray, He maketh his bosom close and narrow as if he were engaged in sheer ascent. Thus Allah layeth ignominy upon those who believe not. (125)

    Al-Anaam – سُوۡرَةُ الاٴنعَام