Three Draco Galaxies

These three galaxies are located in the constellation Draco, and lie approximately 100 million lightyears from earth. It is interesting to note the differences in the types of galaxies shown, as the galaxy on the far right is a front on spiral galaxy, while the one to its' left is more nebulous. It is fascinating to think of how far away thise galaxies are, and yet how clearly we can see them.

Observation Five

Date: 10/19/13
Time: 3:00-4:00 AM
I was restless and could not sleep, so I went out and observed. I could see Mars in the East. Orion dominated the sky, and was clearly visible. From Orion I found Taurus and Canis Major. The moon was also curiously bright, and upon further research, I discovered that it is around the time of the hunter moon, which is an extraordinarily bright moon.

Observation Four

Date: 10/18/13
Time: 8:00 to 10:00 PM
Tools: Naked Eye
The sky was different tonight, and more of the autumnal constellations were visible. I could also see the great square, and identify Pegasus. Moving from Pegasus, I identified Pisces Austrinus and Adromeda, both characteristic constellations of the autumn sky. I could also see the plane of the Milky Way.

Observation Three

Date: 10/12/13
Time: 9:00 to 11:00 PM
Tools used: Binoculars
At this hour I could make out a few summer constellations, one of which I believe was Scorpius, although it was hard to tell due to the light haze on the horizon. The moon that night was at its first quarter phase, and I observed it through the binoculars. I was able to see many craters, and the jagged nature of the moons' surface. near the end of my observations I observed Cassiopeia and Pisces Austrinus.

Observation Two

Date: 10/4/13
Time: 8:00 to 9:00
Tools: Naked Eye
During this time I was able to identify Venus, the Summer Triangle and its constellations, Scorpius, Sagittarius, Polaris and Ursa Minor, and a few dim stars of Ophiuchus. Unfortunately, unlike the week before, I was in a more heavily lighted area, and some of these stars were close to invisible. Most of these constellations were also low on the horizon to begin with, and some dissapeared during my observation time.

Observation One

Date: 9/28/13
Time: 8:00-10:00 PM
Tools used: Naked eye observations
I could easily see the constellations of Scorpius and Sagittarius, and could identify their brightest stars. Using these constellations I managed to find the rest of the Summer Triangle, and identified Cygnus, Lyra, and Altair. The Milky Way was also visible. Using a compass, I identified Polaris, and a small piece of Draco.

Works Cited for Astonomer Bio

1: Shank, Michael. "Regiomontanus (German Mathematician)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2013.

2:Mosley, Adam. "Regiomontanus." Starry Messenger: Biography. University of Cambridge, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2013.

3: Rosen, Edward. "Regiomantanus." Encyclopedia.com. Encyclopedia.com, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2013

Johann Regiomantanus

Johannes Muller Von Konigsburg was born in Bavaria during the mid-1400's. As a child, he was gifted in the areas of math and science, and quickly became involved with education. Johannes soon changed his last name to Regiomantanus, although he had many other names, as was customary for a scholar. At the ripe young age of eleven, Johannes enrolled at Leipzig University. Soon afterwards, Johannes moved to enroll at the University of Vienna, although he was too young to receive his masters degree. In his youth the brilliant scholar was also interested in astrology, and cast horoscopes for many high class patrons. However, he seems to have lost interest in the subject, and dropped it in his later years. While at the university, he met a professor by the name of Georg von Peuerbach, who would become a good friend of the young Johannes. Peuerbach had been approached by the Holy Roman Empire and asked to write a translation of Algamest, a book on astronomy that had been a central point of reference for hundreds of years for astronomers all over the world. However, Peuerbach did not get a chance to finish the book before he died, and entrusted Johannes to finish his work. Regiomantanus's finished book would be used by astronomers for many years after his death, and was used by Copernicus in order to reorient planets around the sun.

After finishing his late teachers final project, Regiomantanus turned his interest toward Greek and trigonometry. While he spent time lecturing in Italy, Regiomantanus published his most significant mathematical work. It was titled De Triangulis omnimodus, and was the first text to introduce a modern view of trigonometry. This work was hugely influential among the astronomic community, and was used as reference by both Copernicus and Tycho Brahe. Regiomantanus also lead a reformation in astronomy during his lifetime, using his press to produce several textbooks that would become standard teaching in many astronomical classes. Among these texts are Peuerbach's Theoricae novae planetarum, and Marcus Manilius's Astronomica. In his late life, the scholar was summoned to Rome by the pope in order to deal with issues regarding calendar reform. Unfortunately, he died of an unknown disease along the way, and never reached the city. A man with astounding contributions in the fields of mathematics and astronomy, is it remarkable that his name is as unfamiliar as it is. Without the vital works of Johannes Regiomantanus, many groundbreaking discoveries in astronomy would have not been made until much later, if at all.

This image is of NGC 891, a spiral galaxy. The view of this galaxy is edge on, giving us a view of only the outermost spirals framed by the copious sources of light emanating from the billions of stars that lie inside it. It is also possible to see patches of pink and blue, which are star birthing places and clusters of young stars respectively. This galaxy can be found in the Andromeda constellation, and lies approximately 30 million light years away.