Professional Astronomers Research Articles

TREADING CAREFULLY: V.M. SLIPHER, C.O. LAMPLAND, E.C. SLIPHER AND THEIR AMBIVALENT RELATIONSHIP WITH PERCIVAL LOWELL'S MARS

V.M. Slipher joined Lowell Observatory as an assistant in 1901, C.O. Lampland the following year, and E.C. Slipher, V.M.'s younger brother, in 1907. All three were to remain loyal to the observatory's founder Percival Lowell, and thus avoided the fate of Andrew Ellicott Douglass, who was dismissed in 1901 for having developed independent views (guestioning the reality of the markings Lowell had seen on Mars and especially Venus). Because of Lowell's tendency to generate controversy, the observatory was largely ostracized by professional astronomers during Lowell's lifetime, though his assistants—especially V.M.—managed, by eschewing controversial views and publishing rather sparsely—to gradually build up respect for the observatory in the years after Lowell's death in 1916. After a draining legal battle with Lowell's widow, the observatory's finances were stabilized and in 1927 Roger Lowell Putnam took over as Sole Trustee, marking a new era of relative prosperity for the observatory. Putnam's priorities were to revive the founder's unfinished legacies: to update Lowell's Mars theories, and to search for Planet X. The first priority called on the three senior staff members to write what I have called the "Great Lowell Observatory Mars Book," and considerable effort was expended. For reasons explained here, it was never completed, though rather belatedly, E.C. Slipher did produce a book on Mars in 1962 that comes as close as anything to its fulfillment.

The IAU Strategic Plan 2020–2030, a blueprint for forging a new social revolution in astronomy and for using astronomy as a tool for building a progressive society

AbstractI discuss the second IAU Strategic Plan for the decade 2020–30 in the context of the overall evolution of the IAU in recent past decades. This article shows how the IAU has evolved dramatically since WW2. It is hardly recognizable in terms of its original organization and goals of a century ago. What was once an inward-looking body engaged purely with the procedures of astronomical research is now a dynamic and outward-looking organization, interacting with people, especially students and the public.A large part of this success must be attributed to the IAU’s unique body of individual members, whose number has grown strongly in recent decades. It is the individual members, especially through the Commissions and Working Groups, who have promoted these enormous changes in the outlook of the Union. This is a model for other scientific unions to follow, and especially for the work to promote the careers of women in science, for promoting the careers of young astronomers, for bringing students into astronomy or into science in general, for helping people with disabilities to have careers in astronomy, for engaging with the public, and for helping to develop astronomy and science in developing countries.Looking to the future, the IAU’s new Strategic Plan for the years 2020 to 2030 has five major goals for the coming decade: 1. The IAU leads the worldwide coordination of astronomy and the fostering of communication and dissemination of astronomical knowledge among professional astronomers. 2. The IAU promotes the inclusive advancement of the field of astronomy in every country. 3. The IAU promotes the use of astronomy as a tool for development in every country. 4. The IAU engages the public in astronomy through access to astronomical information and communication of the science of astronomy. 5. The IAU stimulates the use of astronomy for teaching and education at school level.Future developments will also be engaging with the large number of amateur astronomers and helping to promote astro-tourism, which is perhaps the new frontier now growing rapidly around the world. The Strategic Plan is a blueprint for forging a social revolution in astronomy and for using astronomy as a tool for building a progressive society.

TUIMP: The Universe In My Pocket

AbstractTUIMP is an outreach and educational project providing astronomical booklets that can be folded from one single sheet of paper. The booklets are written by professional astronomers and are intended for a broad audience. They can be downloaded for free from www.tuimp.org and used in classrooms, planetariums and in astronomy festivals. Presently they are available in 11 languages. Participation for writing new booklets or translating in any language is very welcome.

The vigorous development of data driven astronomy education and public outreach (DAEPO)

AbstractAstronomy education and public outreach (EPO) is one of the important part of the future development of astronomy. During the past few years, as the rapid evolution of Internet and the continuous change of policy, the breeding environment of science EPO keep improving and the number of related projects show a booming trend. EPO is no longer just a matter of to teachers and science educators but also attracted the attention of professional astronomers. Among all activates of astronomy EPO, the data driven astronomy education and public outreach (abbreviated as DAEPO) is special and important. It benefits from the development of Big Data and Internet technology and is full of flexibility and diversity. We will present the history, definition, best practices and prospective development of DAEPO for better understanding this active field.

IAU Strategic Plan 2020–2030 and Division C Education, Outreach and Heritage

AbstractThe IAU Strategic Plan 2020–2030 identifies five goals to guide the Union’s activities through this decade: to lead the global coordination of professional astronomy, to promote inclusive advancement of astronomy, to promote astronomy as a tool for development, to promote public engagement in astronomy, and, to stimulate using astronomy for primary and secondary education. Education permeates through all these goals – professional development, informal education and formal education for the very young through to the PhD level. For the IAU’s Division C, Education, Outreach and Heritage, the plan provides the foundation for supporting teachers worldwide who use astronomy as a tool for teaching science, the humanities and the arts, to promote astronomy education research, to engage life-long learners, and to engage everyone with our collective history and heritage to understand the Universe. I describe Division C’s remit, where we are now in this 3rd decade of the 21st century.

A Meteor Struck the Moon During the Total Lunar Eclipse

Telescopes around the world detected an impact event on the lunar surface just before totality on Monday. Amateur and professional astronomers are starting to coordinate data.

TUIMP: The Universe In My Pocket. Free astronomy booklets in all languages

TUIMP (www.tuimp.org) is an international project to produce little astronomy booklets. These booklets, folded from just one sheet of paper, can be used in classrooms, at open public conferences, or during visits of observatories and planetariums. They are free to download from the internet, the only thing which is needed is a color printer (in absence of a printer, the booklets can also be directly consulted on line, even with just a mobile phone). The booklets are intended for children from nine years old and for anyone curious of astronomy. They are written in a simple language, amply illustrated, revised and translated by professional astronomers. So far, they are being published in six languages, others languages are to come. Everyone is invited to download the booklets and use them in their outreach activities.

Формирование представления о шарообразности Солнца в греческой философии и науке

According to a standard idea of Greek science and philosophy, the shape of the sun is spherical. Such an idea appears already in Aristotle who offers, however, no good account for it, and only Stobaeus cites an authority, or rather collective authority, the Pythagoreans, for an early recognition of the idea in question. The ancient tradition left no direct evidence of how the sphericity of the sun was recognized, and the issue attracted very little attention in modern scholarship. I propose that in the late sixth century new empirical knowledge about the sun reached the Aegean and Italy. Some people who crossed the northern tropic repeatedly observed the sun from its ‘other’ side, for in the height of the summer an observer located south of the northern tropic saw the midday sun in the north. This made impossible Anaximander’s idea of the sun as a body containing fire and having one aperture and triggered a search for a better version. Since the sun invariably displayed a circular outline at any time, at any place and on all sides of the horizon, one had to consider the possibility that its shape was either spherical or ‘bowl-like’. The study of lunar light that led to the discovery of the sphericity of the moon was also helpful. The doctrine of a spherical sun was firmly established by the consensus of professional astronomers rather than due to an initiative by an outstanding thinker; however, one may think that Parmenides contributed to it. A spherical sun cannot be a sphere of fire – without a container, fire would have dispersed. This problem brought about a number of theories that treated the sun as a kind of mirror, etc. Further, a spherical sun that issues a reflected light was recognized to have been a solid and hence a heavy body, which contributed to approaching the spheres of the Sun, Moon and Earth in a similar way and making the Earth a planet.

Developing Astronomy in Madagascar – the impact of the IAU Support

AbstractDuring its XXXth General Assembly, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) welcomed the island of Madagascar, under the Malagasy Astronomy & Space Science (MASS), as one of its new National Members. Founded in 2016, MASS is a non-profit association, a community of young professional astronomers and graduate students from Madagascar. As various organizational structures are gradually being established towards the development of Astronomy & Astrophysics in the country, the IAU has played a vital role and is still actively involved in achieving such ambitious goals.

The IAU in the 21st Century

AbstractBeginning in year 2000 the IAU undertook a number of initiatives that changed the Union from being primarily an inward-focused organization whose emphasis was the world of professional astronomy, to being more outward looking in engaging with the public. These initiatives included proposing to the United Nations and then leading the International Year of Astronomy IYA 2009, and the formulation of a Strategic Plan that included creation of the Office of Astronomy for Development. Additional programs are being undertaken by the Union that continue to broaden IAU engagement with the public.

Astronomers have an outsize passion for outreach

The vast majority of professional astronomers surveyed globally said they engage with the public about science — and few are motivated by prizes. The vast majority of professional astronomers surveyed globally said they engage with the public about science — and few are motivated by prizes.

Bustling public communication by astronomers around the world driven by personal and contextual factors

Astronomers have a long tradition of outreach to satisfy public enthusiasm about stars and the Universe. Anecdotal evidence shows that astronomers love to popularize1, and their efforts reach millions around the world2,3. Yet no systematic comparisons of these activities may be performed without robust evidence. The general literature on scientists’ outreach finds barriers that discourage outreach, such as lack of fun, time, skills or recognition, or the perception that it lies outside of the professional role4 and is a risk to reputation—the ‘Carl Sagan effect’. It also finds that outreach is generally more frequent among the most senior and academically productive male scientists5–7. Here, we present a study of n = 2,587 members of the International Astronomical Union with a 30% response rate. This is the largest systematic study of astronomers’ outreach activities beyond local case studies8–10, which reveals how these factors compare within this community and in different research systems and environments. We show regional variations of outreach activity, with higher activity among astronomers in South America and Africa, and find that personal factors are important, yet contextual factors matter too. Among astronomers, gender, rewards and fear of peer criticism do not matter. Future research should focus on explanatory factors inherent to the ecology of scientific work, to better understand what drives scientists within their specific cultural and research environments. The largest survey of n = 2,587 professional astronomers reveals regional variations and the drivers behind the most actively engaged communicators.

Could a Hexagonal Sunspot Have Been Observed During the Maunder Minimum?

The Maunder Minimum was the period between 1645 and 1715 whose main characteristic was abnormally low and prolonged solar activity. However, some authors have doubted this low level of solar activity during that period by questioning the accuracy and objectivity of the observers. This work presents a particular case of a sunspot observed during the Maunder Minimum with an unusual shape of its umbra and penumbra: a hexagon. This sunspot was observed by Cassini in November 1676, just at the core of the Maunder Minimum. This historical observation is compared with a twin case that occurred recently in May 2016. The conclusion reached is that Cassini's record is another example of the good quality observations made during the Maunder Minimum, showing the meticulousness of the astronomers of that epoch. This sunspot observation made by Cassini does not support the conclusions of Zolotova and Ponyavin (Astrophys. J. 800, 42, 2015) that professional astronomers in the 17th century only registered round sunspots. Finally, a discussion is given of the importance of this kind of unusual sunspot record for a better assessment of the true level of solar activity in the Maunder Minimum.

The Second Revival of Astronomy in the Tenth Century and the Establishment of Astronomy as an Element of Encyclopedic Education

Abstract In the fourth/tenth century a great number of new intellectual centers appeared in the Islamic world, and an increase in the number of persons involved in production of written works on mathematics and astronomy took place. One such new center was Aleppo under the Ḥamdanid ruler Sayf al-Dawla. According to al-Qabīṣī the generosity of Sayf al-Dawla led to the situation that ignorant people pretended to be astronomers or astrologer. Therefore, al-Qabīṣī argued, exams should be established for testing the level of competence and the completeness of knowledge of a candidate. Al-Qabīṣī was engaged in teaching by giving lectures based on a textbook, the Fuṣūl of al-Farghānī. This was a novelty in teaching astronomy, since before memorizing didactic poems and operating with astronomical instruments was the preferred method. While al-Qabīṣī’s aim in teaching astronomy was to train future professional astronomers and astrologers, in other contexts astronomy was a propaedeutic subject as part of the quadrivium. The philosopher Muḥammad Ibn al-Haytham (not to be confused with the mathematician al-Ḥasan Ibn al-Haytham) wrote a commentary of the Almagest, in which his intention was “to elucidate subtle ideas for the benefit of students”, and not to go into technical details of calculation. Obviously his aim was to educate future philosophers in the “philosophical sciences” (mathematics, natural sciences and metaphysics). Some generations earlier, al-Fārābī wrote a commentary on the Almagest with similar intentions. His preferred subject was the geometric proof, while observations and calculations were of little interest. Astronomy was incorporated into a curriculum of general scientific knowledge, – similar to the curriculum of the Alexandrian schools in late antiquity –, and ancient Greek texts on astronomy were preferred. This development was indeed a renaissance in the sense Jacob Burckhardt used the term.

Stellar Variability: from Citizen Science to Citizen Astronomy

AbstractThe contribution of citizens to research is irrefutable. Especially this century with the outburst of all-sky surveys, professional astronomers use citizen-science projects to engage the public in analysing and sorting large quantities of data, often leading to noteworthy discoveries. From crowdsourcing to acquiring data, citizens are leaving a significant mark in the science landscape, assisting professional astronomers with their work. In turn, citizen science is a means of increasing science literacy and public understanding of science. At the same time, the time domain enables a more active engagement of backyard observers in research. Citizen astronomers not only take data, but also reduce and analyse them, and participate in preparing scientific manuscripts.

Records of sunspots and aurora candidates in the Chinese official histories of the Yuán and Míng dynasties during 1261–1644

Abstract Records of observations of sunspots and auroras in pre-telescopic historical documents provide useful information about past solar activity both in long-term trends and short-term space weather events. In this study, we present the results of a comprehensive survey of the records of sunspots and aurora candidates in the Yuánshĭ and Míngshĭ, Chinese Official Histories spanning 1261–1368 and 1368–1644, based on continuous observations with well-formatted reportds conducted by contemporary professional astronomers. We then provide a brief comparison of these data with Total Solar Irradiance (TSI) as an indicator of the solar activity during the corresponding periods to show significant active phases between the 1350s–80s and 1610s–30s. We then compared the former with contemporary Russian reports concerning naked-eye sunspots and the latter with contemporary sunspot drawings based on Western telescopic observations. Especially some of the latter are consistent with nitrate signals preserved in ice cores. These results show us some insights on and beyond minima and maxima of solar activity during the 13th–17th centuries.

The Planetary Virtual Observatory and Laboratory (PVOL) and its integration into the Virtual European Solar and Planetary Access (VESPA)

Since 2003 the Planetary Virtual Observatory and Laboratory (PVOL) has been storing and serving publicly through its web site a large database of amateur observations of the Giant Planets (Hueso et al., 2010a). These images are used for scientific research of the atmospheric dynamics and cloud structure on these planets and constitute a powerful resource to address time variable phenomena in their atmospheres. Advances over the last decade in observation techniques, and a wider recognition by professional astronomers of the quality of amateur observations, have resulted in the need to upgrade this database. We here present major advances in the PVOL database, which has evolved into a full virtual planetary observatory encompassing also observations of Mercury, Venus, Mars, the Moon and the Galilean satellites. Besides the new objects, the images can be tagged and the database allows simple and complex searches over the data. The new web service: PVOL2 is available online in http://pvol2.ehu.eus/, contains a fully functional search engine and constitutes one of the many services included in VESPA (Virtual European Solar and Planetary Access). Data from PVOL2 can also be served from the VESPA portal using the EPN-TAP protocol. PVOL2 also provides long-term storage for amateur observations containing about 30,000 amateur images starting in the year 2000. Current and past observations from the amateur community provide a global view of the Solar System planets over the years with several possibilities for scientific analysis and amateur astronomers involvement in planetary science.

The Aesthetics of Astrophysics: How to Make Appealing Color-composite Images that Convey the Science

Astronomy has a rich tradition of using color photography and imaging, for visualization in research as well as for sharing scientific discoveries in formal and informal education settings (i.e., for “public outreach”). In the modern era, astronomical research has benefitted tremendously from electronic cameras that allow data and images to be generated and analyzed in a purely digital form with a level of precision that previously was not possible. Advances in image-processing software have also enabled color-composite images to be made in ways that are much more complex than with darkroom techniques, not only at optical wavelengths but across the electromagnetic spectrum. The Internet has made it possible to rapidly disseminate these images to eager audiences. Alongside these technological advances, there have been gains in understanding how to make images that are scientifically illustrative as well as aesthetically pleasing. Studies have also given insights on how the public interprets astronomical images and how that can be different than professional astronomers. An understanding of these differences will help in the creation of images that are meaningful to both groups. In this invited review, we discuss the techniques behind making color-composite images as well as examine the factors one should consider when doing so, whether for data visualization or public consumption. We also provide a brief history of astronomical imaging with a focus on the origins of the “modern era” during which distribution of high-quality astronomical images to the public is a part of nearly every professional observatory’s public outreach. We review relevant research into the expectations and misconceptions that often affect the public’s interpretation of these images.

The future of planetary defense

AbstractAsteroids and comets have impacted Earth in the past and will do so in the future. While the frequency of impacts is reasonably well understood on geologic timescales, it is difficult to predict the next sizeable impact on human timescales by extrapolation from population statistics alone. Fortunately, by identifying and tracking individual objects, we can make precise predictions of any potential close encounters with Earth. As more advance notice is provided, the range of possible mitigation options expands. While the chance of an impact is very small, the potential consequences can be severe, meaning that sensible risk reduction measures should be undertaken. By implementing surveys, the risk of an unforeseen impact can be greatly reduced: the first step is finding the objects. Fortunately, the worldwide community of professional and amateur astronomers has made significant progress in discovering large near‐Earth objects (NEOs). More than 95% of NEOs capable of causing global devastation (objects larger than ~1 km in diameter) have been discovered, and none of these pose an impact hazard in the near future. Infrastructure is in place to link observations and compute close approaches in real time. Interagency and international collaborations have been undertaken to strengthen cooperative efforts to plan potential mitigation and civil defense campaigns. Yet much remains to be done. Approximately 70% of NEOs larger than 140 m (large enough to cause severe regional damage) remain undiscovered. With the existing surveys, it will take decades to identify the rest. Progress can be accelerated by undertaking new surveys with improved sensitivity.

HST/WFC3 observations of Uranus’ 2014 storm clouds and comparison with VLT/SINFONI and IRTF/Spex observations

In November 2014 Uranus was observed with the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) instrument of the Hubble Space Telescope as part of the Hubble 2020: Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy program, OPAL. OPAL annually maps Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune (and will also map Saturn from 2018) in several visible/near-infrared wavelength filters. The Uranus 2014 OPAL observations were made on the 8/9th November at a time when a huge cloud complex, first observed by de Pater et al. (2015) and subsequently tracked by professional and amateur astronomers (Sayanagi et al., 2016), was present at 30–40°N. We imaged the entire visible atmosphere, including the storm system, in seven filters spanning 467–924 nm, capturing variations in the coloration of Uranus’ clouds and also vertical distribution due to wavelength dependent changes in Rayleigh scattering and methane absorption optical depth. Here we analyse these new HST observations with the NEMESIS radiative-transfer and retrieval code in multiple-scattering mode to determine the vertical cloud structure in and around the storm cloud system.The same storm system was also observed in the H-band (1.4–1.8 µm) with the SINFONI Integral Field Unit Spectrometer on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) on 31st October and 11th November, reported by Irwin et al. (2016, 10.1016/j.icarus.2015.09.010). To constrain better the cloud particle sizes and scattering properties over a wide wavelength range we also conducted a limb-darkening analysis of the background cloud structure in the 30–40°N latitude band by simultaneously fitting: a) these HST/OPAL observations at a range of zenith angles; b) the VLT/SINFONI observations at a range of zenith angles; and c) IRTF/SpeX observations of this latitude band made in 2009 at a single zenith angle of 23°, spanning the wavelength range 0.8–1.8 µm (Irwin et al., 2015, 10.1016/j.icarus.2014.12.020).We find that the HST observations, and the combined HST/VLT/IRTF observations at all locations are well modelled with a three-component cloud comprised of: 1) a vertically thin, but optically thick ‘deep’ tropospheric cloud at a pressure of ∼ 2 bars; 2) a methane-ice cloud based at the methane-condensation level of 1.23 bar, with variable vertical extent; and 3) a vertically extended tropospheric haze, also based at the methane-condensation level of ∼ 1.23 bar. We find that modelling both haze and tropospheric cloud with particles having an effective radius of ∼ 0.1 µm provides a good fit the observations, although for the tropospheric cloud, particles with an effective radius as large as 1.0 µm provide a similarly good fit. We find that the particles in both the tropospheric cloud and haze are more scattering at short wavelengths, giving them a blue colour, but are more absorbing at longer wavelengths, especially for the tropospheric haze. We find that the spectra of the storm clouds are well modelled by localised thickening and vertical extension of the methane-ice cloud. For the particles in the storm clouds, which we assume to be composed of methane ice particles, we find that their mean radii must lie somewhere in the range 0.1−1.0μm. We find that the high clouds have low integrated opacity, and that “streamers” reminiscent of convective thunderstorm anvils are confined to levels deeper than 1 bar. These results argue against vigorous moist convective origins for the cloud features.