4.9 Astronomer Biography: Kip Thorne

Kip Thorne's tremendous legacy to the realm of theoretical physics and astrophysics in the 20th century is practically second to none. Having trained a generation of scientists and made innumerable contributions to these fields, Kip Thorne is one of the best in his field and also one of the leading experts on the implications of Einstein's theory of general relativity.
Born in Logan, Utah in 1940 to a college professor father and chemist/economist mother, Thorne was raised in a highly academic environment and excelled in his schoolwork. Thorne's academic prowess allowed him to achieve his high educational goals at a relatively young age, receiving his BS at 22 from Caltech and his PhD from Princeton at 25. In 1967, Thorne returned to Caltech as one of the youngest full professors to teach theoretical physics. Throughout his many years of teaching at the institution, Thorne has mentored as many as 50 physicists who now work in the observational and experimental fields.
Overall, Kip Thorne's research has centered on astrophysics and gravitational physics, leading him to study such phenomena as relativistic stars, gravitational waves, and black holes. He is also credited with the somewhat controversial assertion that wormholes can be used for time travel. However, his contributions to the field largely concern Einstein's theory of general relativity, namely the general nature of space, time, and gravity.
Several of Thorne's discoveries are of great worth to astronomy. F0r example, Thorne proposed the idea of hoop conjecture, which describes the mechanism for black hole formation and also eliminates the view of a black hole as a naked singularity. Thorne along with his friend and colleague Stephen Hawking, believe that there is instead a singularity at the interior of the black hole.

4.8 The M81 Galaxy Group

In this deep field view, both bright galaxies and faint nebulae are visible. The largest visible galaxy is M81 and is in the center of the field of view. M81 is gravitationally interacting with M82 below it. M82 is an interesting galaxy due to its unusual halo of red gas. These galaxies are in the Virgo supercluster.

4.7 The Dark Tower in Scorpius

In this crowded starfield lies a dusty cosmic cloud nicknamed the "Dark Tower." Star formation is likely occurring in this dark nebula that is nearly 40 light-years across. This swept-back cloud is termed a cometary globule and is created by intense UV radiation from an OB association. This structure is about 5,000 light-years away.

4.6 Observation Log

Date: May 5, 2008
Time: 8;30-10:30
Location: 270 15' 29.35" N, 820 23' 44.36" W; My Home
Sky Conditions: Clear and great visibility after sunset.

Instruments: None (I forgot to come back and pick up binoculars)

Planets: Mars, Mercury

Bright Stars Noted: Capella, Castor, Pollux, Sirius, Procyon, Regulus, Spica, Arcturus, Betelgeuse

Constellations Noted: Hydra (Hydra's Head only), Gemini, Canis Major, Canis Minor, Ursa Minor, Auriga, Leo, Leo Minor, Corvus, Virgo, Bootes

Binary Stars: Capella (However, could not distinguish separate stars as no instruments were used)

Deep Sky Objects: Hyades, Pleiades

Asterisms: Winter Triangle, Hydra's Head, The Scythe, Big Dipper

4.5 Shaping NGC 6188

In the constellation Ara, NGC 6188 sits beside what is otherwise a large, dark molecular cloud. It is about 4,000 light-years away and very large as this image spans about 300 light-years. NGC 6188 is relatively young, having been formed only a few million years ago, and bright, young massive stars can be seen dotted throughout the image. The false coloring of this image shows the placement of certain elements such as oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur.

4.4 M86 in the Virgo Cluster

Near the center of this picture is M86, a bright galaxy in the Virgo Galaxy cluster. M84 is also visible in this photo as is a pair of interacting galaxies, Markarian's eyes. The Virgo Galaxy cluster is the closest large galaxy cluster, with well over 1,000 members. The cluster is about 50 million light-years away and covers nearly 10 degrees on the sky.

4.3 Messier 63: The Sunflower Galaxy

Deep in the Northern Sky, the Sunflower Galaxy is about 25 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici, or the Hunting Dogs. It has a bright yellowish core and blue spiral arms and is dotted with pink regions of star formation. It is about the size of the Milky Way Galaxy. Extended features can be seen in this photograph, which are a result of the gravitational interactions between M63 and other galaxies.