46 Astronomy • June 09 www.Astronomy.com 47 One of the largest domes atop the 9,157-foot (2,791 meters) mountain is where Block will bring his group face to face with the awesome universe. They’ll observe spiral galaxies, binary star sys- tems, star clusters, stellar nurseries, plan- etary nebulae, supernovae, planets, and, if in view, a Moon so close you can almost walk on it. From this lofty vantage point, Block describes sunset phenomena while directing the group to Venus and dam Block is passionate about astronomy, and he’s contagious. Block leads Mount Lemmon SkyCenter’s SkyNights program for up to 20 people nightly. The SkyCenter, 17 miles from Tucson as the crow flies, also offers an all-night Visiting Astronomer session and various other programs. Block spreads his astronomy infection to willing participants. Mount Lemmon is a destination for hikers, campers, birders, geologists, bota- nists, and even skiers (the mountain hosts the nation’s most southerly ski resort and gets some 180 inches of snow annually). Block, however, sees the location as a “destination in and of itself,” and astron- omy is yet another great reason to visit. At age 36 with a Bachelor of Science in both astronomy and physics, Block has a mission: “promote public outreach in astronomy and offer premier access to the universe.” The preeminent astroim- ager gained his reputation from the pub- lic program he brought to success at Kitt Peak National Observatory. He was the lead observer and educator with Kitt Peak’s public programs for 9 years. Today he is known for his 40 images in NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day, frequent contributions to Astronomy’s “Reader Gallery,” and workshops and lec- tures at both astronomy clubs and confer- ences. Block also shares his image processing skills in his 4-volume DVD series Making Every Pixel Count. Teaching others Tonight Block, the SkyCenter’s Public Observing Programs coordinator, will bring 10 nascent sky gazers closer to the universe than they’ve ever imagined. The coordinator begins the evening with an introductory “Astronomy 101” accompa- nied by a light dinner at the SkyCenter’s Learning Center. Before heading to the dome, visitors learn the tools of the trade along with an appreciation of time, scale, and the concept of billions. After this preparation for the marvels that lie ahead, they step outside and walk to the dome. Most have never viewed anything through a telescope. As they head for the telescope the SkyNights group will use, Block points out the Catalina Sky Survey telescope, which is leading the search for near- Earth asteroids. Meanwhile, the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute’s 1-meter robotic telescope springs to life. From an Arizona mountaintop, Adam Block introduces amateur astronomers to cutting-edge imaging. by Tom Polakis Astroimager profile Tom Polakis is an aerospace engineer living in Tempe, Arizona, who is interested in visual observing and sky photography. Adam Block’s awesome universe Adam Block, a top astroimager, is seen here with the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter’s 24-inch Ritchey- Chrétien telescope. Block used it to capture all astroimages in this article. Courtesy Adam Block The dome that houses the SkyCenter’s 24-inch telescope dwarfs the scope. Soon a 32-inch scope will replace the 24-inch instrument. Inset: The RC Optical Systems 24-inch scope is silhouetted against the dark Arizona sky. Tom Polakis The Sombrero Galaxy (M104) is a nearly edge-on spiral galaxy located some 29 million light-years distant. Can you see the other galax- ies in this image? A number cluster to the left of M104, and one sits to the bottom right. Adam Block/ Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona The spiral galaxy M77 is roughly 47 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus. It has a bright core and extremely faint peripheral spiral arms. Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona A
Transcript
46 Astronomy • June 09 www.Astronomy.com 47
One of the largest domes atop the 9,157-foot (2,791 meters) mountain is where Block will bring his group face to face with the awesome universe. They’ll observe spiral galaxies, binary star sys-tems, star clusters, stellar nurseries, plan-etary nebulae, supernovae, planets, and, if in view, a Moon so close you can almost walk on it. From this lofty vantage point, Block describes sunset phenomena while directing the group to Venus and
dam Block is passionate about astronomy, and he’s contagious. Block leads Mount Lemmon
SkyCenter’s SkyNights program for up to 20 people nightly. The SkyCenter, 17 miles from Tucson as the crow flies, also offers an all-night Visiting Astronomer session and various other programs. Block spreads his astronomy infection to willing participants.
Mount Lemmon is a destination for hikers, campers, birders, geologists, bota-nists, and even skiers (the mountain hosts the nation’s most southerly ski resort and gets some 180 inches of snow annually). Block, however, sees the location as a “destination in and of itself,” and astron-omy is yet another great reason to visit.
At age 36 with a Bachelor of Science in both astronomy and physics, Block has a mission: “promote public outreach in astronomy and offer premier access to the universe.” The preeminent astroim-ager gained his reputation from the pub-lic program he brought to success at Kitt Peak National Observatory.
He was the lead observer and educator with Kitt Peak’s public programs for 9 years. Today he is known for his 40 images in NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day, frequent contributions to Astronomy’s “Reader Gallery,” and workshops and lec-tures at both astronomy clubs and confer-ences. Block also shares his image processing skills in his 4-volume DVD series Making Every Pixel Count.
Teaching othersTonight Block, the SkyCenter’s Public Observing Programs coordinator, will bring 10 nascent sky gazers closer to the universe than they’ve ever imagined. The coordinator begins the evening with an introductory “Astronomy 101” accompa-nied by a light dinner at the SkyCenter’s Learning Center. Before heading to the dome, visitors learn the tools of the trade along with an appreciation of time, scale, and the concept of billions. After this preparation for the marvels that lie ahead, they step outside and walk to the dome. Most have never viewed anything through a telescope.
As they head for the telescope the SkyNights group will use, Block points out the Catalina Sky Survey telescope, which is leading the search for near-Earth asteroids. Meanwhile, the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute’s 1-meter robotic telescope springs to life.
From an Arizona mountaintop, Adam Block introduces amateur astronomers to cutting-edge imaging.by Tom Polakis
Astroimager profile
Tom Polakis is an aerospace engineer living in Tempe, Arizona, who is interested in visual observing and sky photography.
Adam Block’s awesome universe
Adam Block, a top astroimager, is seen here with the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter’s 24-inch Ritchey-Chrétien telescope. Block used it to capture all astroimages in this article. CourtesyAdamBlock
The dome that houses the SkyCenter’s 24-inch telescope dwarfs the scope. Soon a 32-inch scope will replace the 24-inch instrument. Inset: The RC Optical Systems 24-inch scope is silhouetted against the dark Arizona sky. TomPolakis
The Sombrero Galaxy (M104) is a nearly edge-on spiral galaxy located some 29 million light-years distant. Can you see the other galax-ies in this image? A number cluster to the left of M104, and one sits to the bottom right. AdamBlock/
MountLemmonSkyCenter/UniversityofArizona
The spiral galaxy M77 is roughly 47 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus. It has a bright core and extremely faint peripheral spiral arms. AdamBlock/MountLemmonSkyCenter/UniversityofArizona
A
48 Astronomy • June 09 www.Astronomy.com 49
others are observing,” says Block as he leads his observers, with their newly honed binocular and planisphere experi-ence, outside to locate binocular treats M13, M11, and the Coathanger asterism. By now, the Milky Way blazes across the sky overhead.
Back inside the dome, guests take turns at the telescope witnessing the stunning number of stars in globular cluster M13. Block continuously teaches,
explains, and nurtures newfound inter-ests in astronomy.
The final object guests observe is the edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 891. Then Block brings the group to the monitor to see his images of each of the 15 objects they viewed that night. After hearing explanations of CCD imaging, the soft-ware and hardware involved, and the amount of time each image takes, these new observers are quite content with
their newly found visual treasures. Block leaves them with an encore view of the color-contrasting double star system Iota (ι) Cancri, and they leave him with five-star ratings.
Premier imagingThe Visiting Astronomer program begins soon after the SkyNights guests depart. Utilizing Mount Lemmon’s dark moun-taintop site, the SkyCenter’s equipment,
Jupiter with a quick lesson on their assigned binoculars.
The Milky Way is already apparent in early twilight. Before entering the dome, Block uses his laser pointer to connect the dots to make Cygnus into a swan. This dome previously housed a damaged 40-inch telescope. Its size dwarfs the 24-inch Ritchey-Chrétien telescope that RC Optical Systems loaned pending comple-tion of the SkyCenter’s 32-inch. Even
with the addition of a warm room and tonight’s group, the cavernous dome has plenty of space for others. Block takes a moment to demonstrate time and date alignment on the planispheres that local retail company Starizona donated.
Block instructs a visitor to move the telescope to Jupiter using TheSky soft-ware. The guests are amazed with their unprecedented view of the gas giant, and the visiting scope operator is impressed
with himself. The next stop is Albireo. After viewing this single star in Cygnus with their naked eyes just moments ear-lier, the guests now understand what tele-scope magnification can do as they split Albireo into the blue and gold pair.
Never a fan of “checklist” observing, Block rotates between naked-eye, bin-ocular, and telescopic viewing. And he always includes explanations. “There should be no sitting and waiting while
The Eagle Nebula (M16) is an emission nebula some 7,000 light-years away. An open cluster with active star formation floats within the nebula. AdamBlock/MountLemmonSkyCenter/UniversityofArizona
The Witch’s Broom Nebula (NGC 6960) is the western end of the much larger Veil Nebula, a supernova remnant 6 times the angular size of the Full Moon. The supernova remnant is about 1,400 light-years distant toward Cygnus. Adam
Block/MountLemmonSkyCenter/UniversityofArizona
NGC 7354 is a planetary nebula some 4,200 light-years away in Cepheus. At the end of a red giant’s life, the star sheds its outer layers. Those outer layers then glow from the leftover white dwarf star’s radiation. AdamBlock/MountLemmonSkyCenter/
UniversityofArizona
The Cat’s Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) is a struc-turally complex planetary nebula with knots and jets. This image shows both the bright inner nebula and the extended halo of material. Adam
Block/MountLemmonSkyCenter/UniversityofArizona
NGC 5364 is a beautiful face-on galaxy with long spiral arms. It’s located some 70 million light-years distant in the constellation Virgo. AdamBlock/MountLemmon
SkyCenter/UniversityofArizona
A bit more information
50 Astronomy • June 09 www.Astronomy.com 51
and Block’s experience, guests produce professional-grade astroimages.
There’s a vacancy tonight, so Block takes a 10-minute exposure of Gyulbud-hagian’s Nebula. Even though observers could see this object with a 10-inch aper-ture only 2 years ago, the variable nebula has recently been too faint for telescopes as large as 25 inches. Block’s 10-minute image brings it out of hiding with incred-ible detail, but he doesn’t stop there. With
his mantra in mind — promote public outreach in astronomy and offer premier access to the universe — Block captures and compiles a 190-minute image that totally knocks the socks off this 30-year amateur astronomy veteran.
Without a Milky Way to spark curios-ity under light-polluted skies, astronomy is a difficult hobby to promote. It’s much different to view an object on a monitor in the comfort of home than to peer bil-
lions of miles into space on a dark moun-taintop. One such magnified view through a telescope or a naked-eye view of a dark, starry sky is often all it takes to step into a lifelong love of amateur astronomy. And Block knows how to flaunt the majesty of the universe and excite new observers.
Interested in learning more about Adam Block, the SkyCenter, or the institution that runs it? Then check out these web sites:
Adam Block’s personal home page: http://www.caelumobservatory.com
Mount Lemmon SkyCenter site: http://skycenter.arizona.edu
Steward Observatory: http://www.as.arizona.edu
University of Arizona College of Science: http://cos.arizona.edu
See more of Adam Block’s images at www.Astronomy.com/toc.
Gyulbudhagian’s Nebula is a variable reflection nebula related to the star PV Cephei. For more than 2 years it’s been too faint to see with telescopes as large as 25 inches. On an autumn night, Adam Block turned the SkyCenter’s 24-inch scope on the nebula and created this 190-minute image.AdamBlock/MountLemmonSkyCenter/UniversityofArizona
The Hercules Cluster (M13) has an apparent magnitude of 5.8 and is visible with the naked eye from a dark site. To see detail like this, however, you’ll have to break out the telescope.AdamBlock/SidLeach/MountLemmonSkyCenter/UniversityofArizona
Two interacting galaxies make up Arp 273 (UGC 1810) some 200 million light-years away. Gravita-tional interactions between the two galaxies create tidal tails and other distortions that make for an intriguing display for onlookers. AdamBlock/MountLemmonSkyCenter/UniversityofArizona
Supernova remnant Cassiopeia A sits about 11,000 light-years away. While it’s the brightest radio source in the sky, it’s extremely faint optically. Astronomers recently observed the supernova’s light echo and determined the supernova was a type IIb — a massive star that undergoes a violent col-lapse and then explosion. AdamBlock/MountLemmonSkyCenter/UniversityofArizona
