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Andromeda By Kaitlyn Ferreri
Andromeda’s Black Hole • Scientists now know from some measurements that there is a super massive black hole in the galaxies center of Andromeda. They discovered that it is 30 million times heavier than the Sun. The black hole does not show up on radios or in X-ray imaging. This contrasts with the active black holes in other galaxies, which are avidly consuming material and producing bright radio waves and X-rays. Most large galaxies have a super massive black hole in their center, and most of them are don’t show up either. Galaxies with bigger bulges usually have heavier black holes.
The Stars In Andromeda • Andromeda is a very easy galaxy to find in the sky because of it’s constellations surrounding it, Cassiopeia is a constellation right above Andromeda and is easily found because of its W shape. The Great Square of Pegasus is close to Andromeda. The brightest star in the Great Square of Pegasus is actually considered part of Andromeda. The magnitude of this star is 2.06 the star is called Alpheratz. Alpheratz lies 97 light-years away. Another magnitude 2.06 star, Mirach, sits at the upper left of Alpheratz. Mirach lies 199 light-years away. The third brightest star in Andromeda is magnitude 2.1 Almach, it sits at the upper left of Mirach. Almach lies 354 light-years away.
Andromeda’s History • Andromeda is named for the daughter of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia of Ethiopia. When Cassiopeia bragged that Andromeda’s beauty went beyond that of the sea nymphs, they prevailed against Neptune, the god of the sea, to punish Cassiopeia. Neptune sent the sea monster Cetus (just simply a whale) to ravage the kingdom of Cepheus. When Cepheus consulted a speech for advice, he was informed that only the sacrifice of Andromeda to Cetus the Sea Monster would please the gods. So, chained to a rocky cliff, she was rescued by Perseus, who turned Cetus into a stone by flashing the face of Medusa right before the monster’s eyes. Perseus was carried away just in time by the winged horse Pegasus. All of these have constellations and are located in the same region of the sky as the others.
Polar Planes In Andromeda • Polar Planes containing many of the Milky Way's companion galaxies were found about three decades ago by William Kunkel and Donald Lynden-Bell. One theory is that such satellite galaxies are left-over's from the break-up of a bigger galaxy which has since been swallowed. A second possibility is that the observed alignment with the poles of spiral galaxies' disks traces the invisible distribution of non-luminous, dark matter around these galaxies. It is also possible that the observed orientation along a plane is a consequence of the in fall of one or more satellites along dark matter, as cosmological models predict density fluctuations or matter concentrations which would attract neighboring clumps and continued growth that lead to streams of dark and luminous matter along filamentary features of the cosmic web.
Facts • Andromeda is wider and could be brighter than our own Milky Way. • Andromeda’s disk is now believed to span as much as 228,000 light years in width. • Andromeda’s disk is also about twice as large as the Milky Way’s. • The brightest star cloud in Andromeda is NGC 206. • There are two “dust rings” in Andromeda’s disk caused by a head on collision with a neighboring dwarf planet. • Andromeda’s core has a super massive black hole of around 140 million solar masses. • Andromeda’s surrounding galaxies include galaxy M32 and galaxy M110, two dwarf elliptical galaxies. • Using the Hubble Space Telescope astronomers have discovered that there are about 300,000 stars in Andromeda’s Halo. • Only one supernova has been discovered in Andromeda so far, Supernova 1885 • There has been evidence of a warp in Andromeda’s spiral disk that scientist has found overtime.
Constellation: Taurus (Section 2) By: Kaitlyn Ferreri
The History Of Taurus • Years ago in ancient Egypt, archaeologists unearthed the tomb of the Apis-bulls and couldn’t believe what they had found. Leading to the tomb was a paved avenue lined by lions that were carved out of stone. To enter the tomb they had to walk through a long and high arched narrow passageway cut into the rock. It extended for about 2,000 feet and was only 20 feet wide and 20 feet tall. Many inside parts along each side of the corridor had been carved into the rock and each held the remains of Apis-bulls.Spring was the time when festivals honoring the Apis-bulls were held. It was also a time when the Nile River gently overflowed onto its banks and brought water onto the land. At this time in history was in that constellation we now recognize as Taurus, the Bull. So for many centuries Taurus was to be the first and most important constellation of the Zodiac. Some have suggested that Taurus may have been the first Zodiac constellation ever invented.
What Makes Up This Constellation • The constellation shows mainly the horns. The left (southern) horn starts from the group of stars known as The Hyades, of which Aldebaran seems to be a member of. It extends to the eastern edge of the constellation. The right horn lifts up just to the west of the constellation from delta Tauri through tau Tauri and finally to its tip at beta Tauri.The rest of the bull is made up of a slender body and two long, thin legs.
The Stars In Taurus • Taurus' eye is very bright. It is made up of an giant orange star about 40 times the size of the Sun. It is named Aldebaran, Aldebaran is a very old star. For billions of years it has burned hydrogen until there was little left. Its future won't be as spectacular as a supernova but rather a dimming into a dwarf star. If you follow the lower horn out to its tip you will find zeta Tauri. This is a shell star. Shell stars are stars which rotate constantly, causing them to lose matter to an always-expanding shell. The stars to the west of Taurus are The Hyades.
When It Can Be Seen • From October the 12th till December the 2nd the northern branch of the Taurids can be seen. The maximum of the shower activity occurs from November 4th to November 7th. The Southern Taurids can be seen from September 17th to November 27th. The Beta Taurids come out during the day. You can see them on June 5th and lasting till July 18th.
How Taurus Is Shaped • Taurus is marked by a V-shaped pattern of stars that outlines the bull's face. Bright red Aldebaran, the "eye" of the bull, stands at one point. This is part of a cluster of stars called the Hyades — the second-closest cluster of stars to Earth. It consists of several hundred stars that lie about 130 light-years away from us. Aldebaran outshines all the other stars that outline the face. But Aldebaran isn't a member of the Hyades cluster, it just lies in the same direction as it. It's about 70 light-years away.
Bibliography • “Andromeda.” Hsic. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2009. <http://hsci.cas.ou.edu/exhibits/exhibit.php?exbgrp=3&exbid=20>. • “Andromeda The Galaxy.” Solstation. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2009. <http://www.solstation.com/x-objects/andromeda.htm>. • “Black Holes - Andromeda.” Hubblesite. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2009. <http://hubblesite.org/explore_astronomy/black_holes/encyc_mod1_q9.html>. • “The Constellation Andromeda.” Stargazing Suite101. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2009. <http://stargazing.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_constellation_andromeda>. • “Constellation Taurus.” Coldwater. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2009. <http://www.coldwater.k12.mi.us/lms/planetarium/myth/taurus.html>. • “Taurus Constellation.” Crystalinks. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2009. <http://www.crystalinks.com/taurus2.html>. • “Taurus, The Bull.” StarCate Online. N.p., 2009. Web. 30 Oct. 2009. <http://stardate.org/nightsky/constellations/taurus.html>. • “Taurus - The Constellation.” Dibonsmith. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2009. <http://www.dibonsmith.com/tau_con.htm>.
