October 8, 2017 ALP Monthly
Meeting Report
by James
Kevin Ty
Last October 8,
Astronomical League of the Philippines held its monthly
meeting at Alice Villa-Real's residence in Quezon
City. Members who were present were ALP President James
Kevin Ty and son Kendrick Cole KC Ty; Secretary
Christopher Louie Lu, director John Ray Cabrera ,
Robert Gascon , Alice Villa-Real and Singaporean guest
Remus CJ.
Meeting started at
around 3:30pm with Christopher Louie Lu sharing the
current astro events calendar for the month of October.
This month of October, our planet will be moving through
a debris field of dust that is left by Halley's Comet
(1/P Halley). In so doing it brings one of several
spectacular celestial events on Earth called the Orionid
Meteor Shower. Peaking around October 20 - 22, this
meteor shower will have an average of 20 - 30 meteors an
hour. Halley's Comet makes its way towards the Sun every
75 years, the last time was on June of 1986.
Along the way
comet Halley leaves behind a trail of ice & dust that
crosses the orbit of the Earth. When the Earth does
cross this debris field, the small particles of dust &
ice burn up in the upper atmosphere of our planet
creating what we call meteors. Meteors are any of the
small particles of matter in the solar system that are
directly observable only by their incandescence from
frictional heating on entry into the atmosphere.
Tips for viewing
Orionid meteor shower:
1. Choose a spot that is far away from bright lights;
open country is preferred.
2. Naked eye observation is best.
3. A reclining lawn chair is a good piece of equipment
to have, as it prevents neck strain caused by constantly
peering skyward.
4. Check the weather forecast and be prepared for chilly
weather with proper clothing or a blanket. Hot chocolate
can add to the enjoyment.
5. Before the big night, observers should have studied a
star chart and perhaps located the constellation Lyra in
the real sky so that time is not wasted getting oriented
when the big night comes.
It was followed by ALPer John
Ray Cabrera who discussed on gravitational waves and
how the GW observatory works, particularly LIGO.
Gravitational waves are
ripples in the space time fabric, and the detectable
waves are caused by some of the most violent
energetic activities in the universe. Einstein once
predicted it, but regarded it as one that can’t be
practically observed due to its weakening waveform
as it passes through greater distances.
When you change the entropy,
by changing its direction or adding more energy, the
object accelerates and thus ripples are formed.
Scientists framed the observatories with a
characteristic vibrational signature defined in the
parameters of the interferometer. Cataclysmic events
compact binary such as merging or spiraling Black
Holes or Neutron Stars, Gamma Ray Burst, Supernovae,
and other hugely energetic processes (e.g.,Inflation)
in the universe are the major causes of detectable
waves.
Detecting the wave makes use of a simpler yet
extremely sensitive detection technology. A laser
beam passes though a beam splitter (mirror) which
splits the beam into two identical beams signified
as the X and Y arm derived from a Cartesian
coordinate system. At the end of each arm, the
mirror reflects back the beam to the beam splitter,
where the two beams co-mingled and cancel each other
out. In some cases though, under the gravitational
wave detected, the beam doesn’t arrive at the same
time as a direct result of the change in length in
the mirror, causes by the slight squishing of the
Earth as gravitational wave passes though it. As a
result, interference patterns is observed from the
intensity of light. The delta is then measured to
indicate change in length of each ams.
In the pursuant to further
advance the study of gradational wave, scientists
are expecting the unfolding of some data that will
help us dispel puzzles that we come across in the
understanding of our universe— the acceleration of
the expanding universe, how much more Dark Energy is
present, or what is inside the Supernovae, or
perhaps the existence of the cosmic string as a
component of the universe.
The meeting ended at around
7:00pm .
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