Topic: Frantic Comet Massacre Taking Place at Fomalhaut

[sam]

There may be some frantic activity going on in the narrow, dusty disk surrounding a nearby star named Fomalhaut. Scientists have been trying to understand the makeup of the disk, and new observations by the Herschel Space Observatory reveals the disk may come from cometary collisions. But in order to create the amount of dust and debris seen around Fomalhaut, there would have to be collisions destroying thousands of icy comets every day.

http://www.universetoday.com/94532/frantic-comet-massacre-taking-place-at-fomalhaut/


-- this link includes a cool, real, picture of another solar system from Herschel

[Clive]

It's always been a very interesting star!   

[sam]

Yeah, also was one of the first direct images of an exoplanet.. well something orbiting in a blob at the least .

[Clive]

And so easy to find in the sky despite being so low on the horizon.  I think it's the most southerly 1st magnitude star visible from the UK if my memory serves me correct. 

[Simon]

Wonderful image!

[chorsonn]

Thought the Northern Star was the brightest, guess I’m wrong. It looks the same when you the red planet were seen on the Earth.

[sam]

That's one of those - it must be but its far from the case. The north star is quite easy to find but its pretty faint compared to some of the huge bright ones out there. Sirius is the brightest star visible from the Northern Hemisphere.

You'll notice Sirius in the southeast – south – or southwest on evenings from winter to mid-spring. It ascends in the east before dawn on late summer mornings.

Though Clive might argue that is should be Arcturus, in Bootes, due to the constellation map lines.

[Clive]

I like Arcturus because not only is it the brightest star in the northern hemisphere, it's very unusual because it orbits in the halo of the Galaxy and has moved a considerable distance across the sky since Roman times.  Most stars orbit in the plane of the Galaxy which is effectively the Milky Way.

[sam]

So arcturus is your suggestion then?

[Clive]

Sorry Sam,I don't understand the question...

[sam]

So you say Sirius isn't in the northern hemisphere?

[Clive]

Ah - now I understand.  No, it's well below the celestial equator which runs through Orion's belt.  Arcturus takes the prize for being the brightest star in the northern hemisphere.

[sam]

Ok then. What is the brightest star, you can see at some point in the year from the UK.... (before Rik gets any ideas, neglecting the Sun).

[Rik]

I don't read the Sun or the Star, Sam.

[sam]

No one reads the Sun.