Plasma Ball Observation on a Christmas night Astronomy Study Dec 21st to Dec 26th 2010 KLN

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The Astronomy Study of Visakhapatnam Sky and The Weather scenario of 21st to 26th December 2010

by
Professor Dr. Kotcherlakota Lakshmi Narayana
{Retd.Prof.of Physics, SU}
17-11-10, Narasimha Ashram, Official Colony,
Maharanipeta.P.O.Visakhaptnam-530002.

ABSTRACT:

The Northern Hemisphere ice bergs of Greenland have shown declination. The entire Greenland icebergs melt would raise the ocean heights by 6.5 meters submerging the most of the land on the Earth. There are signs of Himalayan Mountain Glacier melts at a faster rate than anticipated. The Dec 21st 2010 there would be a Moon Eclipse shadow affect that would make the Moon appear as in Dark Copper color. The total eclipse would occur in 372 years on a Tuesday, in western Africa, Pacific Ocean, East Australia, Philippines, North and East Asia countries. The winter Solstices also occurs on the Tuesday 2010 December 21st. The phenomenal apparent movement of Moon from the nearness to Hunter of Orion towards Visakha, the Serpens constellation happened in the days from 21st Dec 2010 to 31st Dec 2010. The 25th December 2010 around 2hAM the Gravity waves and the Air Glow produced by the Stratifications of the Clouds has been successfully image captured. This constitutes a first report of its kind on the Moon lit morning hours of the Christmas Day 2010.

keywords: Plasma Physics, Astronomy, Weather, Christmas Day 2010

Introduction:

Tue., December 21 Full Moon, 3:13 a.m The Full Moon of December is usually known as the Oak Moon. In Algonquian it is called Cold Moon. Other names are Frost Moon, Long Night's Moon and Moon before Yule. In Hindi it is known as Margashirsha Poornima. Its Sinhala (Buddhist) name is Unduvap Poya. The Full Moon rises around sunset and sets around sunrise, the only night in the month when the Moon is in the sky all night long.

From Google Search: Unseen in India Lunar Eclipse

“Mon./Tue., December 20/21 Total Lunar Eclipse The first hint of the shadow of the Earth falling on the Moon occurs at 29 minutes past midnight EST (9:29 p.m. PST). The umbra, the darkest part of the Earth's shadow, begins to encroach on the Moon at 1:32 a.m. EST/10:32 p.m. PST. Maximum eclipse is at 3:17 a.m. EST/12:17 a.m. PST. The umbra leaves the Moon at 5:01 a.m. EST/2:01 a.m. PST, and the eclipse ends at 6:05 a.m. EST/3:05 a.m. PST. In the hours before dawn on December 21st, the Moon undergoes its first total lunar eclipse visible from the UK for 3 years. Sadly, the timing is not optimal as, at mid eclipse at 08:16, the Moon will have virtually set and the sky will be brightening as the sun rises. The Moon begins to enter the penumbral shadow of the Earth at 5:29 when the Moon is just less than 30 degrees above the horizon. Slowly, the left hand side of the moon will darken until at 07:41 it will be within the umbra shadow. During this time it will appear to have a "bite" taken out of its lower left side. But, by then, it will only be a few degrees above the horizon and the, often beautiful, bronze color will be lost in the atmospheric haze. Binoculars will certainly be a useful aid and try to get to an un-light polluted spot with a good low north-western horizon to see it at its best. As implied above, before the Moon is fully within the umbra the Sun's dawn light will begin to diminish our view. “

Our Observations;

Most observed Jupiter is well placed all evening, dominating the southern sky. It is in the constellation Aquarius for the first half of the month moved into Pisces on December 17. It sets around midnight preceded by Mars and Mercury.

The month of Margasira started at 11hPM on Dec 5th, 2010 while the Sun entered the Dhanasu Zodiac sign on16th Dec 2010. Friday 24th Moon is with star Pushyami till afternoon 2h55m, then with Ashlesha till 25th Christmas Day 2010 afternoon 1h36m The Hunter was dominating the sky at Zenith by 22hours and the Moon could be followed in its apparent motion away from it via the Gemini stars the Pollux and Castor.

The Bright enough for the naked eye Saturn, now a morning "star" in Virgo. Its rings have returned to their usual glory after being on edge for the last two years. Venus continues to be a brilliant "morning star" all month. The fascinating star Sirius has coordinates RA, Dec = 06h45m09s, -16d42m58s.

The Christmas Day 2010 Morning gave a pleasant surprise and a bonanza of image capture of the White, Dark Bands multiples of them as well and the gravity waves stratifications. At 2h17m on 25th Dec 2010 I have observed the stratified clouds that have shown the Air Glow spectra in two different locations.

IMAGES:

Fig 1 IMG_1210Moon at the Head of the Hunter Invaka (Mrigasira). This Image shows also the Venus Cloud structure somewhat with a dark reflecting areas. They may be regarded as the cool cloud masses unlike the hot carbon dioxide cloud masses. The relative orientation of these clouds seems to be very intricate.

Fig 2 Moon near stars 20thdec2010at around 19h54m. Moon Moving away from the Head of the Hunter in Orion

Fig 3 IMG_1229kln Jupiter in Pisces with bright stars of Moon lit night. Lambda (λ) Orion, Meissa, is a double star, 3.7 and 6, pale white and violet, in the Hunter's head. Orion's body has many bright stars, but his head is marked with only three dim stars; lambda (Meissa), phi1 (φ1), and phi² (φ2);

Fig 4 IMG_1237kln Moon Sirius Hunter Head visible. Moon with its spectral Air Glows. Green and the Yellow have no marked ring formations of the lunar corona but the Red and Orange diffuse ring is a very fascinating physical phenomenon.

Fig 5 IMG_1260kln Moon far away from Head of Hunter in Orion Snaps. Moon spectrum with some dark bands and its contours of Sea Land masses

Fig 6 IMG_1263kln Moon away from Mrigasira Hunter of Orion. But with several stars around it crossing the Gemini constellation. B-V -0.22 Spectral Type B2III Bellatrix is the 22nd brightest star in the sky. RA 05 55 10.3 Dec +07 24 25 V 0.50 B-V +1.85 Spectral Type M1-2Ia-Iab Betelgeuse is the 12th brightest star in the sky. It is called Alpha Orion even though it is fainter than Beta Orion (Rigel). HD 34085: RA 05 14 32.3 Dec -08 12 06 V 0.12 B-V -0.03 Spectral Type B8Ia: Rigel is the 7th brightest star in the sky. It is called Beta Orion even though it is brighter than Alpha Orion (Betelgeuse). This is because Betelgeuse, a variable star, was misclassified.

Fig 7 IMG_1267kln Hunter Sirius south stars. Moon amidst several stars on 22nd Dec 2010 at 22h42m.

Fig 8 IMG_1276kln Moon in between Gemini and Hunter. Moon moving away from Betelguese approaches for a straight line orientation with Sirius the Dog Star of Hunter. The Christmas Evening on 25th Dec 201o the Sirius Dog Star was very predominant lurking majestically above the Bay of Bengal Sea waters. Slightly above it the full bloom of Hunter is very much visible to the naked eye as well. With Moon not yet raised on the East the Dark patch of the sky gave a good look at this constellation.

Fig 9 IMG_1285kln hunter and distant stars from it. Sirius and the near star of Moon in a straight line orientation Ashlesha with possible six bright stars around Moon as per the Indian Calendar. Pushyami of Cancer constellation of three bright stars

Fig 10 Moon in Blue filters Plastic and Spectrum. Contrast masses of the Moon surface with a blue plastic filter paper. The more intense blue areas are very striking.

Fig 11 IMG_1302kln Christmas Eve Sun Setting in Visakhapatnam 2010. The images show predominant yellow color of the sky Due to excessive use of Sodium Vapor lamps?

Fig 12 Spectrum Intensity profiles Moon and Sun. Striking difference in the Intensity profiles of the Sun and Moon

Fig 13 IMG 1312 1311 1313 1314 Moon and near stars with white band clouds. Prize worthy imager of the Moon in Clouds of dark and bright bands around it along with superimposed gravity wave striations. The near stars are bright enough for the Canon Digital camera record. Theses waves lasted hardly for few hours and the sky next day was again very clear relatively. There was a single gush of chilly wind on the evening of Christmas Dec 25th,2010 at 5h57m Is it an indication of a solitary wave propagation?

Fig 14 IMG_1315kln Moon Single Bright star and White Bands and the Gravity Waves. An amazing and contrasting image of the clouds affected by the Gravity Waves and as well the Diffraction rings of the Moon shine. The Dark ring is believed in India as an indication that it won’t rain for at least a period of fifteen days.

Fig 15 IMG_1325kln Hunter Orion on the Visakhapatnam Beach Christmas Evening. With Sirius it forms a straight line with a near star of the Moon.

Fig 16 IMG_1334kln Sirius with Star near Moon and the other far away. Makha is probably the Regulus of Leo, the lion, is just south of the zenith. This constellation is dominated by the bright star Regulus.

Fig 17 IMG_1340kln Moon with near stars and the diatant two bright stars

Fig 18 IMG_1348kln Moon and two bright stars at a distance.

RESULTS:

The most significant result obtained in this Astronomy study of the Visakhapatnam sky is the image capture of the event of Gravity Waves generated and that lasted hardly few hours in the Morning of Christmas Day 25th Dec 2010 around 2AM to 2h20mAM. The Air Glows that occurred in two different patch locations of the sky at hardly a height of 2 to 8kms is direct phenomenon of the Plasma Ball formations that gave vivid color spectrum of refraction of the Moon shine. The Plasma Balls would have formed due to the intense circulation of the air masses under the affect of the striated Gravity Wave clouds. The finding is of course, an observation of its first kind, at least in Visakhapatnam weather scenario. The last two days i.e. from the evening of 24th December 2010 the Chilly weather has gone and minimum temperature has at least rose by 2 to 3 deg C upward. The 26th December 2010 day was very bright with sunshine and quite warm in the winter season.

ACKNOWELDGMENT:

The author is deeply indebted to late Professor K Rangadhama Rao D.Sc.(Madras) D.Sc.(London) of JVD College of Science & Technology , Andhra University at Waltair for his initiation and sustained interest in me for the research in Modern Physics.