I'm giving a talk for the Smithsonian

I wanted to let you know that I'll be giving a talk about black holes for the Smithsonian Associates this coming January. Details and how to get tickets can be found here: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/black-holes-new-look.

Black Holes: A New Look
Monday, January 13, 2020 - 6:45 p.m.

S. Dillon Ripley Center
1100 Jefferson Dr SW
Metro: Smithsonian (Mall exit)

Astronomers and computer scientists recently made history by accomplishing what was previously thought to be impossible: They captured an image of a black hole’s silhouette. Carrie Fitzgerald, professor of astronomy and director of the Montgomery College Astronomical Observatory, explains the nature of black holes by delving into the major ideas of relativity and the fundamentals of gravity.

From spacetime to time dilation, travel through a cosmic journey to the center of a black hole. Learn how scientists test the predictions of general relativity and about the latest research into gravitational waves. Fitzgerald also explores the threshold between science and science fiction with a brief look at hyperspace, wormholes, and warpdrive.

Thank you for a stellar Fall 2019 semester!

Thanks to everyone for visiting the observatory this semester. Although the summer had us in a pattern of rainy Fridays, fall gave us clear skies for every night that we had an event!

Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and all the great questions. Please know that it truly is a privilege and a joy for me to be able to share the observatory and my love of astronomy with you.

We're shutting down for the winter season, but new events will be scheduled once the Spring 2020 semester begins. I will post the dates right here as soon as I have them.

As always, thank you for your interest in our observatory. I hope to see you next semester.

Observing log for Friday 1-Nov-2019 (and Nov/Dec star map)

We had another clear (and chilly!) night at the observatory. The observing log hasn't changed significantly since the beginning of the semester. What we looked at is listed below.

If you want to explore the sky on your own, here is a link to the November/December star map.

Through the 14-inch scope

• Waxing crescent Moon
• Saturn (and four of its 82 formally named satellites- Titan, Rhea, Dione, and Tethys.)
• M31 (Andromeda Galaxy): M31 is a neighboring galaxy located about 2.5 million light-years from us. It's a spiral galaxy like our own Milky Way, but it's larger. M31 is about 220,000 light-years across compared to the Milky Way's 100,000 light-year diameter.
• NGC 6826 (the "blinking planetary"): NGC 6826 is planetary nebula located in the constellation of Cygnus. It's called the blinking planetary because when you have it centered in the eyepiece, it appears to blink "on" when you look away from it and "off" when you look directly at it. The effect happens because our peripheral vision is more sensitive than our forward vision.

Through the 8-inch scope

• Waxing crescent Moon (Thanks, Viga, for helping folks get such great images of the Moon!)
• Jupiter (and the four Galilean satellites- Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.)
• Albireo: Albireo is a double star system in the constellation of Cygnus. The two stars (one blue, one gold) can't be resolved with the naked eye, but through our telescopes we are able to see the pair. The system is about 430 light-years distant.
• M13 (the Hercules cluster): M13 is a globular cluster in the constellation of Hercules. It is about 22,000 light-years from Earth.

Sincere thanks to Iadviga. The events would not be possible without her skillful collaboration.

And as always, thank you to everyone who attended!

Observing log for Friday 4-Oct-2019 (and Oct/Nov star map)

Oh my goodness, last night made it the sixth clear observatory night in a row! The stars sparkled and the cool air made us feel like fall had finally arrived. The observing log still hasn't shifted much over the past few weeks, but what we looked at is listed below.

If you want to explore the sky on your own, here is a link to the October/November star map.

• Waxing crescent Moon : We looked at the nearly first quarter Moon through the 8-inch scope. It seemed like lots of folks got some nice photos of our satellite companion (thanks, Viga!).
• Jupiter : Once again, heat coming off the roof made the image a little fuzzy, but we were able to make out cloud bands on the planet and three of the four Galilean satellites- Io, Ganymede, and Callisto. This time Europa was behind Jupiter and not visible while we were watching.
• Saturn : Saturn looked lovely and we were easily able to make out the moons Titan and Rhea. Dione and Tethys were fainter, but also visible.
• M57 (the Ring Nebula): After Saturn, we went to the Ring Nebula. I've described this lovely planetary nebula in earlier posts. Last night I was asked how long the nebula has been expanding. According to NASA, the star at the center of the Ring Nebula ran out of its nuclear fuel about 4,000 years ago. The nebula will continue to expand for another 10,000 years, after which time the material will be returned to our galaxy to create new stars and planets.
• M31 (Andromeda Galaxy): The last thing we looked at was the Andromeda Galaxy. This object is a neighboring galaxy located about 2.5 million light-years from us. It's a spiral galaxy like our own Milky Way, but it's larger. M31 is about 220,000 light-years across compared to the Milky Way's 100,000 light-year diameter. Through the telescope M31 looked like a small fuzzy ball with a star-like center. The bright center is the core of M31 and the fuzziness is the light from the hundreds of billions of stars that make up the galaxy.

Sincere thanks to Iadviga. The events would not be possible without her skillful collaboration.

And as always, thank you to everyone who attended. Your kind words about the observatory nights mean more to me than I can express.

Observing Log for Friday 20 September 2019

This was our fifth observatory night in a row that wasn't clouded out! Woo hoo!

Earth hasn't moved that much around the Sun since our last event (and the one before that), so the observing log is the same as it has been, save for the Andromeda Galaxy. Here's what we saw:

• Jupiter : Heat coming off the roof made the image a little fuzzy, but we were able to make out cloud bands on the planet and three of the four Galilean satellites- Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Io was behind Jupiter and not visible while we were watching.
• Saturn : The lovely ringed planet was also a little low, but even still, we could make out the brightest of its moons (Titan, Rhea, Dione, Tethys, and possibly Enceladus.)
• M13 (the Hercules cluster): Next we looked at the globular cluster, M13. M13 can be found in the constellation of Hercules and is about 22,000 light-years from Earth. There are about 150-160 globular clusters located in the halo of our galaxy. These clusters contain some of the oldest stars in the Milky Way.
• M57 (the Ring Nebula): After M13, we headed to M57. The Ring Nebula is located in the constellation of Lyra and is about 2,300 light-years from Earth. Planetary nebulae are the remnants of lower mass stars (like our Sun) after they've used up their nuclear fuel. The Ring Nebula appeared as a delicate smoke-ring in the eyepiece.
• M31 (Andromeda Galaxy): We looked at M31 through the 8-inch scope on the deck. This object is a neighboring galaxy located about 2.5 million light-years from us. It's a spiral galaxy like our own Milky Way, but it's larger. M31 is about 220,000 light-years across compared to the Milky Way's 100,000 light-year diameter. Through the telescope M31 looked like a small fuzzy ball with a star-like center. The bright center is the core of M31 and the fuzziness is the light from the hundreds of billions of stars that make up the galaxy.
• The Albireo System: We finished the night with a double star in Cygnus. The stars of Albireo (one blue, one gold) can't be resolved with the naked eye, but through our telescopes we are able to see the pair. The brighter yellow star is also a binary system, but these two stars are two close for our telescopes to resolve. Albireo is about 430 light-years distant.

Sincere thanks to Iadviga and Ryan for their assistance with the event.

And as always, an astronomical-sized thank you for everyone who attended. Your enthusiasm for the night sky is a joy to witness!

Fall 2019 schedule available!

Observatory nights for Fall 2019 are below:

Friday 6-Sep-2019 : 8 - 9 p.m.
Friday 20-Sep-2019 : 8 - 9 p.m.

Friday 4-Oct-2019 : 7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Friday 18-Oct-2019 : 7:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Friday 1-Nov-2019 : 7 - 8 p.m.

Events are free, but because of occupancy limitations on the roof, we require guests to make reservations via Eventbrite.

Reservations can be made here:
https://mcobservatory-fall2019.eventbrite.com.

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Events will be cancelled for bad weather. I will make the call as soon as I am able, usually about 2 hours prior to the event start time. An announcement will be sent to the email address you registered with Eventbrite and I will post the status on this website.

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About the Guest Nights:

During Observatory Guest Nights we use Montgomery College telescopes to view and learn about visible solar system objects, star clusters, and nebulae. We also spend some time looking at the sky with just our eyes in order to locate constellations and planets that can be seen this time of the year.

You'll leave with a star chart and the ability to find celestial objects on your own.
Astronomy faculty will be on hand to answer questions about the universe.

Some things to note:

• Dress for the weather. The observatory is located outside on the roof of the Science Center.
• We meet in Science Center room 406 (SC406). We go up to the roof as a group. If you're late, there will be a staff member or student in SC406 to escort you upstairs.
• Children are welcome (and encouraged!) to attend, although campus policy prohibits children younger than five years of age on the roof.
• Parking is free.

I want to continue to improve the observatory nights. If you have suggestions or comments, please let me know.

Observing Log for Friday 16 August 2019

Well, we're two for two! The clouds moved off and we had a clear, but humid evening. The observing log is below. The sky doesn't change that much over two weeks, so it's about identical to the last one. :)

• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Albireo: Albireo is a double star system in Cygnus. The two stars (one blue, one gold) can't be resolved with the naked eye, but through our telescopes we are able to see the pair. The system is about 430 light-years distant.
• M13 (the Hercules cluster): M13 can be found in the constellation of Hercules and is about 22,000 light-years from Earth. There are about 150-160 globular clusters located in the halo of our galaxy. These clusters contain some of the oldest stars in the Milky Way.
• M57 (the Ring Nebula): M57 can be found in the constellation of Lyra and is located about 2,300 light-years from Earth. Planetary nebulae are the remnants of lower mass stars after they've used up their nuclear fuel. The Ring Nebula appeared as a delicate smoke-ring in the eyepiece.

Thanks to Iadviga for assistance with the event, and for getting us to try some cell phone astrophotography.

And as always, thanks to everyone for attending!

Observatory night for Friday 16-Aug-2019 is on (with cloudy caveats)

For folks who have reservations for tonight, the event is a go, with the warning that we might have clouds, and even if it clears up, the seeing will likely be below average. Please note, that if there are clouds, we won't be able to see anything through the telescopes.

We'll get started at

8:30 pm

in Science Center (SC) room 406.

As always, sincere thanks for your interest in the observatory!

Observing log for Friday 2 August 2019

Yay! We were able to open! The weather last night turned out to be far better than what was forecast. Here's what we were able to see:

Through the 14-inch scope

• Albireo: Albireo is a double star system in Cygnus. The two stars (one blue, one gold) can't be resolved with the naked eye, but through our telescopes we are able to see the pair. The system is about 430 light-years distant.
• M13 (the Hercules cluster): We also looked at the globular cluster, M13. M13 can be found in the constellation of Hercules and is about 22,000 light-years from Earth. There are about 150-160 globular clusters located in the halo of our galaxy. These clusters contain some of the oldest stars in the Milky Way.
• M57 (the Ring Nebula): M57 can be found in the constellation of Lyra and is located about 2,300 light-years from Earth. Planetary nebulae are the remnants of lower mass stars after they've used up their nuclear fuel. The Ring Nebula appeared as a delicate smoke-ring in the eyepiece.
• NGC 6826 (the "blinking planetary"): NGC 6826 is a another planetary nebula, but this one is located in the constellation of Cygnus. It's called the blinking planetary because when you have it centered in the eyepiece, it appears to blink "on" when you look away from it and "off" when you look directly at it. The effect happens because our peripheral vision is more sensitive than our forward vision.

Through the 8-inch scope

• Jupiter : We were able to make out cloud bands on the planet and the four Galilean satellites- Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
• Saturn : The lovely ringed planet also made an appearance.

Sincere thanks to Iadviga and Ryan for their assistance with the event.

And of course, an astronomically-sized thank you to everyone for attending! I loved all the enthusiasm and the great questions.

August schedule available!

Observatory nights for August 2019 are below:

Friday 2-Aug-2019 : 9:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Friday 16-Aug-2019 : 8:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Friday 30-Aug-2019 : 8:30 - 9:30 p.m.

Events are free, but because of occupancy limitations on the roof, we require guests to make reservations via Eventbrite.

Reservations can be made here:
https://mcobservatory-summer2019.eventbrite.com.

---

Events will be cancelled for bad weather. I will make the call as soon as I am able, usually about 2 hours prior to the event start time. An announcement will be sent to the email address you registered with Eventbrite and I will post the status on this website.

---

About the Guest Nights:

During Observatory Guest Nights we use Montgomery College telescopes to view and learn about visible solar system objects, star clusters, and nebulae. We also spend some time looking at the sky with just our eyes in order to locate constellations and planets that can be seen this time of the year.

You'll leave with a star chart and the ability to find celestial objects on your own.
Astronomy faculty will be on hand to answer questions about the universe.

Some things to note:

• Dress for the weather. The observatory is located outside on the roof of the Science Center.
• We meet in Science Center room 406 (SC406). We go up to the roof as a group. If you're late, there will be a staff member or student in SC406 to escort you upstairs.
• Children are welcome (and encouraged!) to attend, although campus policy prohibits children younger than five years of age on the roof.
• Parking is free.

I want to continue to improve the observatory nights. If you have suggestions or comments, please let me know.

Save the date(s) for events in August!

Thanks to everyone for your patience as I work out the observatory night schedule for the summer and fall months. We will host events in August (as well as in September and October, I promise!). Events in August will be held on Friday 2-Aug-2019, 16-Aug-2019, and 30-Aug-2019, starting around 9 pm. I will open up reservations on Eventbrite as soon as I get the go-ahead from the college.

In the meantime, you can click here to access a handy star chart and calendar of celestial events for July and August.

Also, I am super excited to be speaking at this event for the Smithsonian:

Astronomy 101: An Amateur's Guide
Saturday, July 27, 2019 - 10 am to 3 pm

I'll be giving the first talk- "The Basics: How To Read the Sky". There will also be talks on telescopes and astrophotography. More information can be found here.

Finally, I've been working on a couple of astronomy / observatory projects that I am eager to share. I'll be posting here again soon!

Wishing you clear skies and exceptional seeing,
-Carrie

Spring 2019 event schedule is available!

Observatory nights for Spring 2019 are below:

Friday 22-Mar-2019 : 8 - 9 PM
Friday 29-Mar-2019 : 8 - 9 PM

Friday 12-Apr-2019 : 8:30 - 9:30 PM
Friday 26-Apr-2019 : 8:30 - 9:30 PM

Friday 3-May-2019 : 9 - 10 PM
Friday 10-May-2019 : 9 - 10 PM

Events are free, but because of occupancy limitations on the roof, we require guests to make reservations via Eventbrite.

Spring 2019 reservations can be made here:
https://mcobservatory-spring2019.eventbrite.com.

If I'm able to add dates, I will.

---

Events will be cancelled for bad weather. I will make the call as soon as I am able, usually about 2 hours prior to the event start time. An announcement will be sent to the email address you registered with Eventbrite and I will post the status on this website.

---

About the Guest Nights:

During Observatory Guest Nights we use Montgomery College telescopes to view and learn about visible solar system objects, star clusters, and nebulae. We also spend some time looking at the sky with just our eyes in order to locate constellations and planets that can be seen this time of the year.

You'll leave with a star chart and the ability to find celestial objects on your own.
Astronomy faculty will be on hand to answer questions about the universe.

Some things to note:

• Dress for the weather. The observatory is located outside on the roof of the Science Center.
• We meet in Science Center room 406 (SC406). We go up to the roof as a group. If you're late, there will be a staff member or student in SC406 to escort you upstairs.
• Children are welcome (and encouraged!) to attend, although campus policy prohibits children younger than five years of age on the roof.
• Parking is free.

I want to continue to improve the observatory nights. If you have suggestions or comments, please let me know.