An Astronomical Science Man's Worship Journey

"I have been trying to break through the limitations of my own situation and try to live a full life. My thoughts have traveled all over the world, from the extremely cold South Pole to the zero-gravity sky, and there are footprints of my thoughts. " Stephen william hawking.

When we look up at the deep starry sky, we often have a lot of imagination and curiosity: the universe is so big, what's in it?

When it comes to astronomy, many people may think of a picture of an observatory on a lonely mountain top with a huge telescope in its dome. While observing the changes of celestial bodies, researchers use tables to record something. This seems to be a lonely and mysterious career.

However, Wang Kaixiang, who is engaged in astronomical research, will tell you that this is not a cold subject, and astronomy is not so far away from our life. For thousands of years, human exploration of the universe has been inseparable from the pursuit of beauty. Because of this love, he began to embark on a meteor trip and began to travel thousands of miles to pursue solar eclipses, meteors and aurora, and thus he liked a variety of outdoor sports such as mountain climbing, skiing and surfing.

His "idolization" footprint began with curiosity and will eventually follow the heart of exploration to the depths of the universe.

The Daily Life of an Astronomical "Scientific Man"

My name is Wang Kaixiang, and I am currently studying PhD at the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics in Li Kewei, Peking University. My current research objects are mainly dwarf galaxies and globular clusters in the Virgo cluster. It may sound strange to you, but in 20 19, a very popular scientific event happened on the internet-astronomers published "the first black hole photo ever obtained by mankind". The black hole in the photo is a supermassive black hole in the center of the M87 galaxy, which is the central galaxy in the Virgo galaxy cluster (the Virgo galaxy cluster is composed of about 2,000 member galaxies with colorful structures and different sizes).

In 20 19, astronomers from many countries around the world jointly published the first black hole photo ever obtained by human beings. Map of International Research Project of Horizon Telescope (EHT)

It's not what you think. Astronomical researchers often make "night owls" and observe the stars at night. Observatories all over the world have large telescope equipment. We occasionally go there to observe, but most of the time we sit in front of the office computer and process the collected data from morning till night. According to these data, we can analyze the nature, movement and changing laws of celestial bodies, and transform the information into physical laws that we can understand, recognize and analyze.

Through the data of large telescopes, I can often see some galaxies hidden in the distant depths of the universe. These dim galaxies are deep-space scenes that ordinary cameras can't take, but through some technical processing, we can restore the beautiful colors and true appearance of galaxies as much as possible by synthesizing monochrome images taken by filters with different colors.

M88 galaxy in the Virgo cluster. (Unless otherwise specified, the pictures in this article are all of Wang Kaixiang. )

That unforgettable total solar eclipse

When I was in primary school, I just caught the launch of Shenzhou 5 and Shenzhou VI in China. At that time, I often saw news about this on TV. From then on, I became interested in astronomical knowledge, like reading some popular science magazines and learning about the dynamics of various planetary probes at home and abroad. But the turning point that really set me on the road to astronomy was in 2009.

In July 2009, a rare total solar eclipse occurred in the Yangtze River valley of China. At that time, I lived in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, which happened to be in the total solar eclipse zone that day. I remember standing in front of my house and watching this very shocking total solar eclipse. It is unforgettable until today (Note: From 8: 00 a.m. on July 22nd, 2009, in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China, Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Hefei, Hangzhou, Shanghai and many other big cities witnessed the most important and longest-lasting total solar eclipse in this century. This solar eclipse is also called "total solar eclipse in the Yangtze River").

On the morning of July 22, 2009, a shocking total solar eclipse was staged in the Yangtze River Basin. At that time, CCTV 10 Science and Education Channel also launched a multi-point live program of "Wonders of the Sky-Live Total Solar Eclipse". Video screenshot

Later, I entered high school, and the school formed an astronomical society. I signed up out of interest. Under the leadership of the teacher, we began to take astronomy classes and participate in the national astronomy knowledge competition on behalf of the school. It can be said that from this time on, I began to study astronomy systematically.

In 20 12, he won the first prize when he participated in the National Astronomical Olympiad for the first time, and was later selected to represent China in the Asia-Pacific Astronomical Olympiad. At that time, I often participated in astronomical activities at school and deeply felt my love for astronomy.

The brightest galaxy in the night sky

For thousands of years, human beings have never stopped pursuing the beauty of nature. Meteor shower, super moon, solar eclipse and other natural phenomena all represent a very pure beauty. In a complicated and troubled world, I believe that it is an emotional adjustment for everyone to capture such beautiful things, which is why people who usually live in cities occasionally want to walk into the mountains and look up at the stars.

I like outdoor travel very much. I like to use satellite maps and travel notes to search for relatively unpopular scenic spots and plunge into Shan Ye to feel the original charm of nature, which is often the most beautiful place in the starry sky.

For thousands of years, human beings have never stopped pursuing the beauty of nature.

So I often take a mountaineering bag, a tripod, a SLR, a wide-angle large aperture lens suitable for shooting the starry sky, and sometimes I take a drone to climb the mountain alone.

Juchuanjian is now a national 3A scenic spot, located at Yulingguan at the junction of Zhangzhou, Hangzhou and Zhou Mu at 30 north latitude. The picture shows the Milky Way at the tip of the ship.

Yayakou, Heishicheng, Lenggacuo and Aobaoliang Ya Dan near Gongga in western Sichuan are very popular shooting places for starry sky in China, attracting many photographers at home and abroad every year.

I remember that in 20 17, I climbed a mountain in Nibao Yuze, Qinghai, and stayed at the base camp at an altitude of about 4000 meters. The weather was particularly good that night, and it was particularly dark. The Milky Way I saw that night was also the cleanest and brightest one I have ever seen with the naked eye, and I was very impressed.

In fact, the location of starry photography is not complicated, as long as there is less light pollution and high transparency. In addition, from the perspective of photography, it is best to have a good landscape and relatively convenient traffic conditions, and then choose a sunny night to avoid moonlight. If the light pollution is particularly serious, even the best camera can't shoot beautiful starry sky.

Compared with starry sky photography, the location of the observatory is much more complicated. Less light pollution is the most basic condition, and high altitude can relatively avoid the water vapor in the lower atmosphere and obtain better transparency and infrared observation window. Atmospheric quietness (visibility: related to the resolution and clarity of the telescope observation target) and the average number of clear days and nights are crucial indicators to consider the position of the observatory. In addition, other meteorological conditions, such as wind and humidity, as well as transportation (transportation and installation of large telescopes) and logistics support, should be considered. At present, Ali in Tibet, Mustag in Xinjiang, and Daocheng in Sichuan are all places where China is going to build a large telescope in the future.

The beauty of the Milky Way at the tip of the ship. Wang Kaixiang video Weibo @Kvalvik(00: 13)

Some people may think that starry photography is a luxury hobby and a "burning money". This impression is mainly caused by the pursuit of the ultimate image quality. Deep space photography really costs more than ordinary Hoshino photography. But if you just want to appreciate the beauty of the starry sky, ordinary equipment in your hand can also shoot beautiful starry sky. As long as the starry sky conditions are good enough and your composition and scenery are well chosen, this is not a high-threshold hobby.

Because the starry sky is around us, even if we live in a big city, as long as the weather is normal, we can find the Big Dipper, Scorpio, Orion and Venus, the brightest stars in the southwest after sunset.

Starry shooting is not a high-threshold hobby.

The most shocking scene in the polar region

If I had to choose the three most shocking astronomical phenomena in my mind, they would be the total solar eclipse and the meteor shower explosion (for example, the Leonid meteor shower explosion at 200 1 is famous) and the aurora.

I like shooting aurora very much and have been to northern Europe three times.

The first time was in 20 17, and I went to the Lofoton Islands in northern Norway. It is a beautiful island in the Arctic Circle, with snow-capped mountains, lakes, beaches, aurora and fishing villages ... everything from natural scenery to Viking culture, and it is also one of the world-famous "light-chasing" resorts.

Lena Town, Lofton Islands

Panorama of Rein Bringhen Peak in Lofton Islands.

v？ r？ Island Y is a part of the Lofton Islands and an unknown treasure secret in the Atlantic Ocean.

At first sight, I was attracted by the beauty of the aurora, and the green belt danced in the night sky, looming and unpredictable. Aurora is a luminous phenomenon that charged particles from the solar wind collide with atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere near the polar regions of the earth under the action of the earth's magnetic field. Fortunately, at that time, I saw the aurora in an explosive state. The light band keeps flashing in the whole night sky, and it also presents all kinds of wonderful colors: blue, purple, red, green, and sometimes some yellow, floating in the night sky like a curtain blown by the wind. Another impressive experience was last September, when I was driving in Iceland. One night, when the aurora broke out, I happened to be driving on the road and accidentally glanced out of the window. The green aurora dances on the horizon not far away. This painting is so wonderful that it is difficult to describe it in words.

Aurora in Iceland.

In recent years, "aurora travel" has become more and more popular, and more and more tourists go to Alaska, Finland, Canada and other places to pursue aurora. But besides the aurora, there are two other special natural phenomena in the polar regions: extreme night and extreme day.

After watching the aurora in winter in the Lofoton Islands, I went back there one summer. This time, I experienced 20 days of extreme life.

During that time, I often went climbing alone at two in the morning. Although it is midnight, the sun still shines slightly on the sea level due north, just like the sunset in the evening. The light is soft and dreamy. At three or four o'clock, the sun began to rise slowly. Locals often sit on the beach, listening to the sound of the waves, bathing in the midnight sunshine and enjoying the beauty of nature.

Weibo @Kvalvik(00:57)

Compared with the extreme day, the experience of the extreme night is a little different, because unless you are quite close to the north and south poles, it is difficult to experience complete darkness for 24 hours. 2065438+In February 2007, I traveled in Longyearbyen, the northernmost city in Norway. At noon, the sun is close to the horizon, but it won't rise. There was some light in the sky, but after two o'clock in the afternoon, the whole city was shrouded in darkness. (Note: Longyearbyen is the capital of Spitsbergen, the largest island in Svalbard, Norway. It is only1.300km away from the North Pole, and 1 16 days a year are in the polar night. It is the northernmost city in the world with a large population. It is said that in Longyearbyen, death is forbidden because people find that bad weather can prevent corpses from rotting.

Experience the extreme night in Longyearbyen, the northernmost city in Norway.

Longyearbyen is the capital of Spitsbergen, the largest island in Svalbard, Norway, and it is 1 16 days in a year.

World outlook in astronomy

People often ask me, "Do you astronomy students believe in aliens?"

Every time I encounter such a problem, I will explain that there are about 200 billion stars in the Milky Way, including tens of billions of stars like the sun. According to our current observation of stars outside our solar system, many stars are surrounded by a planetary system similar to our solar system, which means that our solar system is not unique. There may be tens of billions of "solar systems" in the Milky Way, and the Milky Way is just one of hundreds of billions in the whole universe.

So, do you think our earth is unique? Do you think that only our earth can produce intelligent life?

Rocket noctilucent cloud.

Astronomy is a very good subject, which can reshape our world view, teach us new ways of thinking, and let us separate our eyes from the world in front of us from time to time and divergent our thinking. For me, by studying astronomy and paying attention to the scale of the universe, I found a more wonderful world. Besides curiosity, I also want to discover something and explore more laws of the universe through my own efforts, which is probably one of the main motivations for my long-term astronomical research.

The life span of a star is several billion years. For our human life, the starry sky is eternal.