A little ramble through Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish

This constellation has been known since ancient times and is often represented as a fish drinking the flow of water from the urn of the neighbouring Aquarius the water bearer. The fish has been identified with the Babylonian fish god Oannes and is said to be the parent of the zodiacal fish Pisces.

Arabic astronomers called the constellation Al Hut al Janubiyy or the Large Southern Fish.

There is only one bright star in Piscis Austrinus. Alpha or Fomalhaut which means the fish’s mouth. To some early Arabic astronomers, it was Al Difdi al Awwal or the First Frog. The Chinese knew the sat as Pi Lo Sze Mun the meaning is unknown.

 is the most southerly of the 1st magnitude stars from that can be seen from Britain, it is seen autumn can be found by using the two right hand stars of the square of Pegasus.

 Fomalhaut is of magnitude 1.2 and is an A class star with a temperature of 8,000’C and lies at a distance of 25 light years.

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A little ramble through the Astronomical Register June 1863 - Jupiters' Satellites

TO THE EDITOR OF THE ASTRONOMICAL REGISTER. Sir, -At 8h. 44 m. on Sunday evening, the 26th of April, when the 2nd Satellite of Jupiter was occulted by the Planet, a most extraordinary phenomenon took place: the Satellite was distinctly seen to be projected clearly inside the limb of Jupiter for near twenty seconds. (Aperture 8 inches, power 250.) Has this ever been noticed before? I have seen this in occultations of Stars by the Moon, but never before with the Satellites of Jupiter.

I am, Sir, truly yours,

Highgate Hill, May 5, 1863. W. WRAY

 

We observed the same occultation at Clapton, telescope 4 ft. focus, 3in. aperture power 100. Although no projection on the disc was noted, the Satellite seemed to disappear and appear again several times before it was finally occulted by the Planet. Arago says, (vol. 2, p. 347.) It has often been remarked indeed that a Star before disappearing was projected on the apparent disc of the Moon, and very curiously this phenomenon , often visible to an able observer furnished with good instruments , was not perceived by an observer situated close beside , and employing a comparatively inferior instrument . " The two observations would seem to confirm this. -Ed

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Cooke Telescope Tales - Venus in 1863

On October 22^nd 1863 turning my 6 inch Cooke telescope upon Venus I was much surprised to see almost the whole of the unilluminated disc pf the planet; it was so striking I appearance, that I thought it must be the resemblance of the Moon, which made me fancy that I could see the unilluminated portion. 

My sister in law, whom I called to witness the planet, but without telling her what to look for, said she instantly saw the whole disc. The atmosphere was beautifully clear, but still the planet was so far past conjunction, that I should scarcely have imagined the phenomena would be visible. 

J F Barber Stanton by Dale Nottingham

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The Astronomy Show on Drystone Radio

 Join me, Martin Lunn MBE every Monday evening from 7.00 pm-9.00 pm on the award-winning Astronomy Show on Drystone Radio, probably the only regular astronomy show on any radio station in the country. 

I will take my weekly look at the night sky and look at all the latest news in astronomy. There will be the astronomical anniversaries this week plus the latest news from the astronomical societies in the north of England.

The Astronomy Show every Monday evening only on Drystone Radio live online at www.drystoneradio.com DAB radio in Bradford and East Lancashire, or 102 and 103.5 FM and can also be heard later on the Drystone Radio Podcast.

A little ramble through Pisces the Fishes

 Pisces the Fishes

An ancient constellation representing a pair of fishes tied by their tails, the knot being marked by the star alpha. One legend identifies the constellations with Venus and her son Cupid, who turned themselves into fishes and swam away from the attack of the monster Typhon.

Pisces was known as a fish to the Babylonians who called it Nunu, the Persians called it Mahik while to the Turkish astronomers it was Balik. The Chinese called it Tseu Tsze and the Arab astronomers knew it as Al Samakah.

The constellation’s most celebrated feature is that it contains the vernal equinox – the point at which the Sun moves across the celestial equator into the northern hemisphere each year. The point originally lay in Aries, but has now moved into Pisces because of precession, eventually it will move onto in Aquarius. It is still called the First Point of Aries.

Pisces can be seen in the autumn, and it is a zodiacal constellation. None of the stars that form Pisces are very bright

Alpha or Alrisha which means Cord has a magnitude of 3.8 is actually made of two stars of magnitude 4.3 and 5.2, a small telescope will show both stars. Alpha is 311 light years away and is an A class star.

Eta the brightest star in Pisces was known to the Babylonians as Kullat Nunu or The Cord of the Fish. Eta has with a magnitude of 3.6, it lies 350 light years away and is a G class giant star with a temperature of 4,700’ C

Gamma magnitude 3.7 is a G class stars with a temperature of 4,600’C and is 138 light years away

FL19 or TX Pisces is a deep red irregular variable.  One of the reddest stars that can be seen by the naked eye. TX varies between magnitude 4.9 – 5.5 in a period of between 224-450 days. Its 900 light years distant.

M74 a spiral galaxy called the Phantom Galaxy is 32 million light years away It has a magnitude of only 10 discovered meaning you would need a telescope to see it. M74 was discovered by  Messier in 1780, it is one of the most elusive of the Messier objects.

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A little ramble through the Astronomical Register May 1863 - colonial astronomy

 We learn from the Melbourne Argus of the 23d of February that the new observatory, for which a grant of £ 4500 was recently voted by the Colonial Legislature, is nearly completed, and the colonists are proud of it, as they may well be.

The transit instrument will be second only to those at Greenwich and Capetown; and Airy's zenith sector is at present in constant use in connexion with the survey of the colony, and the determination of the boundary between Victoria and South Australia.

 It has been determined to provide this observatory with a telescope of much greater optical power than any previously used in the southern hemisphere, to be employed chiefly in observations of nebulæ; and the advice of the Royal Society was desired as to the best instrument to be used.

 We believe that it has been decided that a reflector as large as, and similar to Lord Rosse’s, to be constructed in this country, should be employed. Should this course, which really seems rather a hazardous one, be adopted, we trust that the effects of the long voyage, and extremes of temperature, and loss of figure and polish, may all be avoided, and that the colony may reap all the laurels it deserves.

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Cooke Telescope Tales - BA meeting in York in 1881

 Messrs Thomas Cooke and Sons of York had a display of scientific instruments for the meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. It was the 50th anniversary meeting in York. The first was held in York in 1831. 

Cookes had on display an achromatic telescope OG of 15.5 inches in a brass cell. In addition, there was a transit instrument and a large fixed equatorial telescope for the Spanish Transit of Venus expedition in 1882. 

There was also an electrically controlled chronograph for recording astronomical observations. In addition, a solar spectroscope with 5 prisms and double ray reversion equal to 20 prisms.

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