Auburn University Astronomy Terrace captures transit of Jupiter’s moon Io

On the evening of Saturday, Nov. 4, Jupiter’s moon Io crossed the face of the gas giant in an astronomical phenomenon known as a “transit,” which occurs when a smaller celestial body, such as a moon, passes in front of a larger one. Auburn University physics faculty Uwe Konopka, Melissa Halford and Stuart Loch captured images of the transit from Auburn’s rooftop astronomy terrace. They compiled these images into a movie showcasing Io and the shadow it cast on Jupiter.

This astronomical event became an educational opportunity for students enrolled in the introductory astronomy class, PHYS 1150, taught by Konopka and physics graduate student Mason Sake. The students learned data analysis skills by processing images of the transit to enhance their quality.

Auburn postdoc uses James Webb Space Telescope to detect carbon dioxide for the first time in a Centaur

Olga Harrington Pinto, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Physics, was granted access to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) where she calculated the CO₂ detection for the first time from Centaur 39P/Oterma.

“A centaur is a small planetary body in space with an orbit located between Jupiter and Neptune that has both characteristics of a comet and an asteroid,” said Harrington Pinto.

They are named after the creature from Greek mythology because of their dual traits.

View previous issues of COSAM Today.

We want to hear from you! Share your good news with us.

COSAM Today is published by COSAM's Office of Communications and Marketing. Questions? Send an email to mcg0052@auburn.edu.