Spring's Realm of Galaxies

Small section of the Virgo Cluster

My blog last week was about Saturn and how big and beautiful it is. I'm going to pitch you again this week on a second reason to get outside and observe. April and May are the best months to observe galaxies. Matter of fact the largest collection of galaxies in the sky is just above Saturn. It's called "The Realm of Galaxies".

The Realm contains LOTS of galaxies. Nowhere else in the sky is the concentration even remotely as high. On the boundary between Virgo [the Girl] and Coma Berenices [Berenice's Hair] is the enormous Virgo Cluster. The Virgo Cluster is 60 million [give or take 10 million] light-years away. The Local Group (including our Milky Way) has fewer than forty galaxies. The Virgo Cluster has more than a thousand (the Realm is the heart of the cluster). A typical Virgo galaxy is the size of our own Milky Way. Since the Milky Way contains about 200 - 400 billion stars, the Virgo Cluster must hold trillions of stars. You can't really see these galaxies with binoculars and they're very faint with a small telescope. What you need is "big glass" like a large telescope at an observatory.

Observatories all over the US are now opening for the 2011 year. Saturn continues to get fainter and smaller each week as the Earth moves away from it. Don't get me wrong, Saturn is still big and beautiful, but the longer you wait the less you will see of it.

If you live in Kansas, here are the closest observatories and their viewing schedules.

Kansas City - http://www.askc.org/Documents/2011%20Powell%20Observatory%20schedule.pdf

Topeka - http://www.washburn.edu/cas/physics/openhouse.html

Eskridge - http://www.nekaal.org/doku.php?id=schedule

Wichita - http://webs.wichita.edu/lapo/events.html

Next blog - next week

Look up - Saturn!

Christopher Go

I've been a volunteer instructor at Powell Observatory - http://www.askc.org/powell.htm
in Louisburg, KS for about 15 years (note on the website under 2011 Observing Schedule that Powell officially opens May 7). The object that the public always asks about is Saturn. The main question is can you see Saturn's rings in a small telescope? The answer is YES!

Saturn is big and bright in the evening sky for the rest of April and all of May. Go outside about 10:00 PM CT and face southeast. Look up about 45 degrees (remember 90 degrees is straight overhead) and the bright star you'll see is Saturn. Directly below Saturn (about 30 degrees) is another bright star - Spica. Spica is in the Virgo constellation and Saturn is now drifting through Virgo. Spica is 250 light years away and 1900 times more luminous than our Sun. Actually, Spica consists of 2 stars that are very close together.

If you own a small telescope or have a friend who owns one, go out and take a look at the rings of Saturn. I'm guessing you'll need at least 25X magnification. Majority of binoculars are just not powerful enough. Most store bought binos are 7X35 (7 is the magnification) and these numbers are imprinted on the binos. I own a pair of 10X50 binos and I can't see the rings.

The picture (above) of Saturn was taken April 16. This is how the rings will be oriented when you see them. If you are looking through a more powerful scope - you may notice tiny stars around Saturn. These are Saturn's moons. On a real good clear night I can see 6 - 9 moons in my telescope (Saturn has at least 62).

I just added a new picture of me standing next to my telescope. I want to thank Tom Martinez for taking the picture. Tom is an observing buddy and great astrophotographer.
Check out Tom's blog - http://tomjmartinez.blogspot.com/

Next blog - next week

Kansas Giant Centipede

My daughter - Grace Anne and I decided to do some snake hunting this weekend in the Flint Hills at Camp Wood YMCA near Emporia, Kansas. We found colorful Milk Snakes, Common Garter Snakes, Ringneck Snakes and lots of Great Plains Skinks (lizards).

One of the most interesting animals we typically find in that area is the Common Desert Centipede also known as the North American Tiger Centipede (Scolopendra polymorpha). These typically grow approx. 4"- 5" in length. Scary to look at but fascinating to watch. The photo above is the specimen we found, taken by Grace Anne.
She also took the photo of the colorful collared lizard at the very top of the blog.

Centipedes use structures called gnathosomes or gnathopods to inject venom into their prey. These are paired pincer-like appendages in front of the legs. The “bite” is actually a pinch. In general, centipedes can live in a wide variety of habitats. They can be found not only in a desert habitat, but also in the tropics, and at the seashore. Desert centipedes are found throughout the southern US including Kansas. They are carnivores eating such foods as insects, lizards, frogs, and rodents. During the daytime desert centipedes will spend their time underground or under rocks concealed from the sun. Although this species typically live in dry terrain they will dry up and die easily if left exposed to the sun. Little is known about life span but estimated they can live 5+ years. 

Interesting fact: Centipede mothers take care of their eggs coiling around and grooming them. They may do this to protect them from mold and bacteria. Once the young hatch, she will care for them for a few more days until they disperse. A great website that shows the mother w/babies - http://cacoseraph.exofire.net/centis/index.php

What happens if you're bitten? I've read the bite can be intensely painful to mildly sore.

Want to see an actual bite and the write up about it?  I searched all over and found this website. If you're squeamish, avoid! 

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?postid=521021#poststop

Next blog - next week

First Toads of Spring

When the weather begins to warm up, the first amphibians I hear are Chorus Frogs and Spring Peepers (see my 3/20 & 3/27 blogs).

Well, toads like it a bit warmer. The American Toad began it's mating calls about 2 weeks ago. I walked by a local pond about 8:00 PM this weekend and they are loud!
Remember, just the males call. This is a relatively small toad, about 2 -3" with a mating call that can best be described as a "trill". Want to hear?
Go to http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recNum=AR0006

American Toads range south in the East to Louisiana, north through Tennessee and Kentucky, west through Indiana to ne. Kansas, and north to Canada. They can be found only in eastern Kansas.

Woodhouse Toads are the largest toads in Kansas, grow 2.5" - 4". If you're outside and see a "big, fat hop-toad" it's probably a Woodhouse. These toads like it even warmer. Typically come out several weeks after the American Toads emerge.
These toads have one of the strangest sounding calls I've heard. Reminds me of a "funny sounding baby wailing".
Listen to the Woodhouse - http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recNum=AR0012

Woodhouse Toads range from e. Montana and North Dakota, south through the plains states to c. Texas, and west of the Rocky Mountains from Idaho south to Colorado and Arizona, with isolated populations in w. Texas, se. California, and the Oregon-Washington border. They are found throughout the state in Kansas.

A sure-fire way to tell them apart other than by size is look at their bellies. American's are the only toad's in Kansas with spots on their bellies. Woodhouse's like all the other Kansas species have plain white bellies.

Next blog - next week

The Eagle has gone Viral!

Chat lines have been buzzing about the webcam - Decorah Eagles.
This is an eagle's nest 80 ft high, built 4 years ago in a cottonwood tree near Decorah, Iowa. Decorah is located in NE Iowa.

Raptor Resource Project maintains the 24 hr. webcam w/sound. You can even watch at night! (The cam switches to infrared)
Watch as the cam pans, tilts and zooms on the parents, babies, surrounding area and even the prey that has been freshly caught.
(I watched flies walk over the carcass of a bunny as it lay in the nest. Remember flies need to eat too!)

Eggs were laid in late Feb. and have been hatching over the last several days. One more egg is expected to hatch in the next couple of days.

122,000 viewers were watching as I typed this blog on Sunday @ 3:30 PM CT.

Look below the cam and read the FAQ's - interesting!
Check it out - http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

Next blog - next week

Answers - Second Frog of Spring

Photograph by Suzanne Collins - CNAH

In the Midwest typically the first frog mating call you'll hear is the Boreal Chorus Frog. The SECOND mating call comes shortly after.

This second frog lives throughout the eastern US, north from Canada, south to Central Florida, west to the Kansas/Missouri border. This species doesn't live in Kansas City, but just south of KC along the border to Oklahoma. The mating call sounds like the call of a baby bird. This species can be identified by the faint X on its back. If you see/hear this creature you're lucky. This is a threatened species!

Second frog -  pictured above.

What is this species?
1) Cricket Frog
2) Spring Peeper
3) Leopard Frog
4) None of the above

Answer - #2 - Spring Peeper

What makes this species interesting?
1) Cannibalistic
2) Females lay over 10,000 eggs
3) Males fight for territory
4) All the above

Answer - #3 - Males fight over territory!

Want to hear the mating call of the male spring peeper? http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recNum=AR0014
Hit the listen tab.

Next blog - next week

Second Frog of Spring

Photograph by Suzanne Collins - CNAH

In the Midwest typically the first frog mating call you'll hear is the Boreal Chorus Frog. The SECOND mating call comes shortly after.

This second frog lives throughout the eastern US, north from Canada, south to Central Florida, west to the Kansas/Missouri border. This species doesn't live in Kansas City, but just south of KC along the border to Oklahoma. The mating call sounds like the call of a baby bird. This species can be identified by the faint X on its back. If you see/hear this creature you're lucky. This is a threatened species!

Second frog -  pictured above.

What is this species?
1) Cricket Frog
2) Spring Peeper
3) Leopard Frog
4) None of the above

What makes this species interesting?
1) Cannibalistic
2) Females lay over 10,000 eggs
3) Males fight for territory
4) All the above

Answers to this week's blog in the next several days.