X8 Post flare loops

The X8 flare in AR12673 was not seen - with the group now just behind the limb. But the coronal loops acted as conduits for plasma condensing on them to reach the chromosphere. As the fields changed the loops evolved. "Elegant" was how Zirin ("Astrophysics of the Sun", 1986) described them. 

LMC Blue Filaments (Dragon unbound!)

This sketch covers a bright field 2 deg. N of LMC centre. The fov is 3 full moons wide and 4 high. It's a big field! The two filaments alpha-alpha and beta-beta are, apparently, anonymous. They are very blue in H-beta. It's presumed they are distorted galactic blue-knots or arms of mainly OB stars. The named features are listed l.h.s. Why did the filaments take this strange shape? They are visible in small binoculars. The 'Dragon's Head' is the only thing with a common (and appropriate) name. The whole looks like an Oriental dragon!

Nu Scorpii: the 'double double'

The writer has always enjoyed viewing double stars, particularly if they are ‘tight’ ones: that is, close pairs that are hard to separate. Although my ‘scopes are not dedicated to the task, ‘tricks’ like using aperture masks and simple orthoscopic eyepieces will often succeed, though the most important factor is steady seeing, that usually occurs later at night.

A favourite example is the ‘double-double’ Nu Scorpii, aka “Jabbah” (Arabic for the Scorpion’s forehead) close to bright star Beta Sco, refer to star maps (P82, Astron 2017). A ‘double-double’ is a quaternary system with two pairs of stars gravitationally bound in a four-star system. As Agnes Clerke wrote (1905): it is “perhaps the most beautiful quadruple group in the heavens.” 

LMC: The Tarantula Nebula and its clusters

A first 'shot' at this most complex of all nebulae: it showed wonderful detail despite 8 day Moon. The Lucke-Hodge Catalogue numbers are used for two of its clusters _ and the NGC has three numbers for the major nebulae components. When a darker night offers, I hope to develop the fainter detail of the vast extensions. The bright star in LH100 is 30 Dor. The 'little' cluster TM5 is 'anonymous': I guess not catalogued. Who is TM? The brighter bits drawn here are about 800ly across. Fainter outliers extend the whole to almost 2000ly diameter. Hubble views 30Dor and environs! - http://cloudsofmagellan.net.au/photos/hst-r136.jpg

LMC nebula N11: Mega-bubble!

 NGC1760 to 1769 is a grouping sited NW of the LMC’s densest parts at 4h57m, -66°32’. Bino’s showed a featureless round glow at the site – but the 10in ‘scope told another story! N11dissected. The biggest single unit of N11 is N11B on the west side (Fig). It is a bean-shaped bright nebula ‘excited’ by some twenty O-type stars in chains, at least 10 are sketched. The stars of N11B are stellar assembly LH10.  N11C, the second brightest part of the complex, is round with a dark notch or two on its east side. I saw only two stars in this part, but research shows at least 10 O-types here. To the SW is N11E with two or more O stars: ‘deep’ images show six. To the northeast N11F completes the circle – a faint nebula with still more O-stars. The whole thing is 1100ly across, about 14 times the size of M42!

Thanks Karen!

Link:   http://www.karenwhittingham.com.au/about-me/

Thanks for the great talk Karen! Shoalhaven Astronomers were treated to a feast of solar animations on 21st Oct 2016. The challenges in getting time-lapse of solar transients can be daunting: but Karen succeeded. We watched hard-to-see events unfold in amazement, as 'roos grazed the lawns outside. The low density solar chromosphere is dominated by magnetic fields: matter flows sedately - then abruptly plunges to the surface or 'pops' into space without warning. Incredible physics! A great night.

NGC1532 'Woomera'

Most galaxies are ‘poker-faced’ – giving little away: featureless ovals with faint nuclei; but some offer a glimpse of a more dramatic existence –when galaxies collide.  One such is N1532 (Dunlop 600) in the constellation of Eridanus, the River.

On first impression this is a big edge-on spiral with, seemingly, two nuclei! Higher power shows a small bright elliptical ‘object’ almost in contact with the edge-on’s nucleus. Are these interacting galaxies? References suggest they are: although there is no extended disc to be seen around the small galaxy, NGC1531. The common name for this galaxy pair is ‘Woomera’, the long thin Aboriginal spear-thrower.

In fact, this object seems to still have the ‘spear’ attached! Repeat viewings showed a thin strand of galaxy ‘arm’- aimed at a nearby field star. The whole scene was much like a ‘Mimi’ art figure from Arnhem Land in Australia’s north (Fig).