The Big Dipper Ursa Majors Most Star Configuration

The Big Dipper is one of the most well-known configuration of stars in the northern celestial sky   and the first one many people learn to identify. It is not actually a constellation, but rather an asterism consisting of seven of the brightest stars of the constellation, Ursa Major (Great Bear). Three stars define the handle of the dipper, and four stars define the bowl. They represent the tail and hindquarters of Ursa Major. The Big Dipper is well-known in many different cultures, although by different names: in England it is known as the Plough; in Europe, the Great Wagon; in the Netherlands, the Saucepan; in India it is known as the Saptarishi after the seven ancient holy sages.   The Big Dipper is located near the north celestial pole (almost the exact location of the North Star) and is circumpolar in most of the northern hemisphere beginning at 41degrees N. latitude (the latitude of New York City), and all latitudes farther north, meaning it does not sink below the horizon at night. Its counterpart in the southern hemisphere is the Southern Cross. Although the Big Dipper is visible all year in northern latitudes its position in the sky changes - think â€Å"spring up and fall down.† In the spring the Big Dipper rises higher in the northeast part of the sky, but in the autumn it falls lower in the northwestern sky and may even be hard to spot from the southern part of the United States before it sinks below the horizon. To see the Big Dipper completely you need to be north of 25 degrees S. latitude. The Big Dipper’s orientation also changes as it rotates counterclockwise around the north celestial pole from season to season. In the spring it appears high in the sky upside down, in summer it appears to be hanging by the handle, in autumn it appears close to the horizon right side up, in winter it appears to be hanging by the bowl. BIG DIPPER AS A GUIDE Because of its prominence The Big Dipper has played a key role in navigational history, enabling people throughout the centuries to easily locate Polaris, the North Star, and thereby plot their course. To find Polaris, you need only extend an imaginary line from the star at the bottom of the front of the bowl (furthest from the handle), Merak, to the star at the top of the front of the bowl, Dubhe, and beyond until you reach a moderately bright star about five times that distance away. That star is Polaris, the North Star, which is, itself, the end of the handle of the Little Dipper (Ursa Minor) and its brightest star. Merak and Dubhe are known as the Pointers, because they always point to Polaris. Using the Big Dipper as a starting point can also help you locate multiple other stars and constellations in the night sky. According to folklore the Big Dipper was instrumental in helping fugitive slaves of the pre-Civil War era from Mobile, Alabama in the southern United States find their way north to the Ohio River and freedom, as portrayed in the American folksong, â€Å"Follow the Drinking Gourd.†   The song was originally published in 1928, and then another arrangement by Lee Hays was published in 1947, with the signature line, â€Å"For the old man is awaiting for to carry you to freedom.† The â€Å"drinking gourd,† a water dipper commonly used by slaves and other rural Americans, was code name for the Big Dipper. Although the song has been taken at face value by many, when looked at for historical accuracy there are many weaknesses. STARS OF THE BIG DIPPER The seven major stars in the Big Dipper are the brightest stars in Ursa Major: Alkaid, Mizar, Alioth, Megrez, Phecda, Dubhe,and Merak. Alkaid, Mizar, and Alioth form the handle; Megrez, Phecda, Dubhe, and Merak form the bowl. The brightest star in the Big Dipper is Alioth, at the top of the handle near the bowl. It is also the brightest star in Ursa Major and the thirty-first brightest star in the sky. Five of the seven stars in the Big Dipper are believed to have originated together at the same time from a single cloud of gas and dust and they move together in space as part of a family of stars. These five stars are Mizar, Merak, Alioth, Megrez, and Phecda. They are known as the Ursa Major Moving Group, or Collinder 285. The other two stars, Dubhe and Alkaid, move independently of the group of five and of each other. The Big Dipper contains one of the most famous double stars in the sky. The double star, Mizar and its fainter companion, Alcor, are known together as â€Å"the horse and rider,† and are each themselves actually double stars, as revealed through a telescope. Mizar was the first double star to be discovered through a telescope, in 1650. Each has been spectroscopically shown to be a binary star, held together to its companion by gravity, and Alcor and Mizar are binary stars themselves. This all means that in the two stars that we can see in the Big Dipper side by side with our naked eye, assuming it is dark enough that we can see Alcor, there are in reality six stars present. DISTANCES TO THE STARS Although from Earth we see the Big Dipper as though it is on a flat plane, each of the stars is actually a different distance from earth and the asterism lies in three dimensions. The five stars in the Ursa Major Moving Group - Mizar, Merak, Alioth, Megrez, and Phecda - are all about 80 light years away, varying by â€Å"only† a few light years, with the greatest difference between Mizar at 78 light-years away and Phecda at 84 light-years away. The other two stars, however are further away: Alkaid is 101 light-years away, and Dubhe is 124 light-years away from Earth. Because Alkaid (at the end of the handle) and Dubhe (at the outer rim of the bowl)   are each moving in their own direction, the Big Dipper will look noticeably different in 90,000 years than it does now. While that may seem like a very long time, and it is, it is because planets are very far away and revolve very slowly around the center of the galaxy, seeming not to move at all during an average human lifespan. However, the celestial skies do change, and the Big Dipper of our ancient ancestors 90,000 years ago was vastly different from the Big Dipper we see today and the one that our descendants, if they exist, will see 90,000 years from now. RESOURCES AND FURTHER READING Admin, Big Dipper, Constellation Guide, http://www.constellation-guide.com/big-dipper/Beatty, Kelly, The Big Dipper Adds a Star, Sky and Telescope, Dec. 11, 2009 http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/the-big-dipper-adds-a-star/Bresler, Joel, Follow the Drinking Gourd: A Cultural History, http://www.followthedrinkinggourd.org/index.htmByrd, Deborah, Can you find the Big Dipper?, Tonight, EarthSky, October 1, 2017,  http://earthsky.org/?p2806Fort Worth Astronomical Society, The Big Dipper - Roadmap of the Northern Sky, http://www.fortworthastro.com/beginner2.html, 04/03/2014King, Bob, The Big Dipper in the Year 92,000, Universe Today, phys.org,   Sept. 13, 2016,  https://phys.org/news/2016-09-big-dipper-year.htmlMcClure, Bruce, Mizar and Alcor, famous double star, Brightest Stars, EarthSky.org, April 12, 2017,   http://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/mizar-and-alcor-the-horse-and-riderRao, Joe, See the Big Dipper in the Summer Night Sky, SPACE.com, June 22, 2012,  https: //www.space.com/16270-big-dipper-night-sky-stargazing-tips.htmlRao, Joe, Skywatching Battle Royale: The Big Dipper Vs the Southern Cross, SPACE.com, April 22, 2016,  https://www.space.com/32674-big-dipper-southern-cross-skywatching.html

Dehumanization and Alienation in Night and The Metamorphosis

Bailey St. Germain St. Germain Tonya Morris 4/5th block 7 November, 2014 Dehumanization and Alienation For generations society has been separating and categorizing mankind into stereotypes. Everyone and anyone on earth has been placed within a prospective category. If not by race, then appearance, income, or by social standing. Although sometimes mankind takes these separations to an extreme, like trying to dispose of a thousands of people, just because of their religion and beliefs. These separations and categorizations can wreak havoc on the human mind. Some even hallucinating in order to cope with the stress of†¦show more content†¦Upon waking the next morning Elie was alarmed to find another inmate sleeping on his father’s bed. He soon discovered that his father had died the night before and was taken to the crematorium. By this time, he had already endured so much that he says â€Å"I did not weep, and it pained me that I could not weep, but I was out of tears. And deep inside me, if I could have searched the recesses of my feeble conscience, I might have found s omething like; free at last†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Wiesel, 112). Elie had already experienced so much turmoil within the confines of the camp, that he was unaffected by the death of his own father. He was relieved that he no longer had the responsibility of keeping his father and himself alive. Elie had once been appalled at the men who abandoned their loved ones in order to ensure their own survival. He had watched in horror as a man killed his elderly father for a crumb of bread, and vowed he would never become one of those appalling men. Yet when he thinks of his father’s undeserved death, he feels relief. In The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, a successful business man named Gregor awakens one morning and finds himself transformed into a giant roach bug. He responds to his change in appearance relatively calm, for his biggest concern is being late for his door to door salesmen job. 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Either there is no God or else God stands apart from man, leaving him free will to make his own choices. From this basic idea of man being alone in an uncertain and purposeless world, many related ideas have developed. One great worry of existentialist writers is that life is becoming too complicated and too impersonal. People become more and moreRead MoreAnalysis Of Franz Kafka s The Metamorphosis 3979 Words   |  16 PagesAustin Day Professor Imali Abala English 357 18 February 2015 The Theme of Alienation in Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis The Metamorphosis written by Franz Kafka in 1915 is said to be one of the greatest literary works of all time and is seen as one of Kafka’s best and most popular works of literature. A relatively short novel; the story explains how the protagonist, Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a vermin which completely estranges him from the world even moreRead MoreThe Metamorphosis Is About A Traveling Salesman Gregor Samsa1056 Words   |  5 PagesTaylor Scott Mr. Flora December 16, 2015 Mid-Term The Metamorphosis The Metamorphosis is about a traveling salesman Gregor Samsa who was the money provider to his family, and was metaphorically transformed. 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Inflation was dramaticallyRead MoreMetamorphoses Within Frankenstein14861 Words   |  60 Pagesor, The Vamp ire’s Victim (1849) Like Coleridge’ s Ancient Mariner , who erupts into Mary Sh elley’s text as o ccasionally and inev itably as th e Monster into Victor Frankenstein’s lif e, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometh eus passes, like night, from land to land and w ith stang ely ad aptable powers of speech addresses itself to a critical aud ien ce that is larger and mor e diverse than that of almo st any oth er work of liter atur e in Eng lish : Mary Shelley’s Franken stein is famously

Lakes Free Essays

Lakes are basically water bodies that are enclosed by land, majority of which consist of fresh water. They can be classified based on the nature of their formation process. Lakes can be formed by landslides, glacial blockages, depressions created by tectonic uplift of mountains and several other natural phenomena. We will write a custom essay sample on Lakes or any similar topic only for you Order Now The size and shape of lakes also vary to a great extent depending upon their type (Lake Access). Also, the diverse variety of aquatic life inhabiting these lakes is determined by their type and geographic location. A subglacial lake is one which is found under the surface of ice caps and glaciers. The water in such lakes remains in liquid state, as the layer of ice above retains the heat resulting from geothermal heating and friction. A subglacial lake is usually round-shaped and does not facilitate animal life due to the extremely low temperatures. Lake Vostok located in Antarctica is a classic example of a subglacial lake; its coordinates on the earth are 77 degrees South-105 degrees East. The amount of water found in such lakes is approximately around 5400 cubic kilometers. A reservoir is an artificial lake brought into being by human intervention. These man-made lakes are usually bigger compared to their natural counterparts. A reservoir is made by filling up an open pit mine or unused patches of land behind a dam with massive quantities of water. These lakes are commonly shaped like a bean or moon. They accommodate aquatic life such as Catfish, Guadalupe bass and many other varieties of fish. Lake Nasser, an artificial lake on River Nile is a well-known reservoir; it is geographical location extends between 22-25 degrees North and 31-45 degrees East. An endorheic lake is a closed lake which does not experience any substantial outflow of water. The surface of such lakes is flat and dry since they are mainly located in desert regions, where inflow of water is low; they are also characterized by steep holes and their depth varies a lot. Although the outflow of water in most lakes is through underground diffusion or rivers, endorheic lakes are quite an exception since the outflow is only by water evaporation in the endorheic basin. Hence, these lakes are also known as terminal lakes. Endorheic lakes mostly consist of reptilian life forms such as snakes and lizards. Lake Eyre is a commonly known endorheic lake located in central Australia between 28-22 degrees South and 137-22 degrees East. Lake Turkana and Lake Torrens are some other examples of an endorheic lake. A meromictic lake consists of several layers of water that do not mix with each other. The deepest layers in such lakes have a scarcity of oxygen and the sediments there remain intact. They are circular in shape; the basin of such lakes is quite steep, while the surface area of the lake is relatively less deep. Meromictic lakes are inhabited by cormorants, turtles, herons, geese, ducks and raccoons. Green Lake located between Washington D.C and Seattle is an excellent example of a meromictic lake; it is nearly 2.1 meters in depth. Lake Nyos and Lake McGinnis are some of the other popular meromictic lakes. An Oxbow is a lake which is formed when a stream channel bend is abandoned from a river. When a river meanders slowly in a low-lying plains and river valleys, a horseshoe-shaped bend is cutoff from the main channel as a result of continuous silt deposition, giving rise to oxbows. They distinctively look like curve-shaped cracks or loops. An Oxbow does not support much of animal life and its size is about 22miles long and three-fourths of a mile wide. Lake Reelfoot in Tennessee and Lake Chicot in Arkansas are examples of an Oxbow. Reference: Lake Access. (n.d.). Formation of Lakes. Retrieved 2 July, 2007 from, http://lakeaccess.org/ecology/lakeecologyprim1.html How to cite Lakes, Essay examples

1997 From His Assessable Income For Year †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The 1997 From His Assessable Income For The Year? Answer: Introducation The three items listed above are termed as Collectables under Section 118-10(1) of ITAA, 1997. If these are valued for less than $500, they are considered as exempt items for Capital Gain / Loss purposes. In case of a Gain / Loss for a collectable item valued above the threshold limit of $500, the Capital Loss can only be set-off against a Capital Gain of another collectable, (Barkoczy, 2013). However, in this case of Eric, there is a Capital Gain on Antique Vase and as the item is valued at $2,000, the Capital Gain of $1,000 will be taxable at the hands of Eric. However, the Losses from the Antique Chair and the Painting can be off-set by Eric from any future gains from collectibles. Name of Item Purchase Cost Selling Price Capital Gain Capital Loss Home Sound System $12,000 $11,000 $1,000 This will be termed as a Personal Use Asset under Section 118-10(3) of ITAA, 1997. Accounting to this statute, if the value of the Personal Use Asset is less than $10,000, all Capital Gains / Losses shall be exempt from Capital Gains Tax. However, in this case, the Home Sound System is valued at $12,000 and Eric incurs a Capital Loss on its sale, (Barkoczy, 2012). Hence, Eric cannot offset this loss as this will be treated his personal withdrawal under Section 108-20(1), which states that a loss from a personal use asset shall be disregarded. Name of Item Purchase Cost Selling Price Capital Gain Capital Loss Shares in a Listed Company $5,000 $20,000 $15,000 This is a CGT Asset as described in Section 108-5(1) of ITAA, 1997. Eric can claim a Capital Loss on a CGT Asset as a deductible expenses from his Assessable Income. Similarly, a Capital Gain will be added to the Assessable Income of Eric and he shall pay tax on it. As the shares were acquired within 12 months from their disposal date, Eric is not eligible for any discount on the Capital Gain and will be liable to pay tax on Capital Gain of $15,000, (Barkoczy, 2011). A loan fringe benefit tax on the part of the employer arises when the employer provide a loan to an employee at a subsidised rate of interest during a FBT year. A low rate of interest is applicable when it is less than the applicable statutory rate of interest, which is also known as benchmark interest rate. As on 1 April 2016, this benchmark interest rate was 5.65%, (Alexander Fogarty, 2009). For taxation purposes, the taxable value of a loan fringe benefit is calculated as the difference between: the interest which would have accrued during the FBT year in case the benchmark interest rate had been applied to the outstanding monthly balance of the loan, and the amount of interest that actually accrued at the subsidised rate of interest. Now, if the employee uses a part or whole of the loan to make investments in interest-bearing instruments, then the interest payable on the loan would be wholly deductible at the hands of the employee for income tax purposes. So, under such a deductible rule, the taxable value of such a loan fringe benefit will be nil, regardless of whether the employer charges a low, or even a nil, rate of interest on the loan. This happens because the employee becomes entitled to income tax deduction on the interest charged from him on that portion of the loan which he is using for earning an assessable income. Whereas, this is not applicable on that interest which is charged from the employee on that portion of the loan which he solely uses for his domestic purposes, (Alexander Fogarty, 2009). It is clear from the agreement entered between Jack and Jill that ONLY profit will be distributed as 10% to Jack and 90% to Jill, whereas the loss will be 100% liability of Jack. Hence, Jack will claim the amount of $10,000 as a deductible amount under section 8-1 of the ITAA, 1997 from his Assessable Income for the year. Under the provisions of Joint Tenants, the law is clear that both the partners shall be eligible to claim all Capital Gains / Losses in EQUAL proportions, (Cch, 2012). The principle established by the case of IRC v Duke of Westminster (1936) stated that tax evasion happens when taxpayers deliberately start misrepresenting or concealing the true state of their affairs to the taxation authorities in order to reduce their tax payments, whereastax avoidance is considered as acceptable and legal. Unsurprisingly, this principle is still relevant in Australia and most other developed as well as developing economies, (Cch, 2012).The Australian authorities state that more than a sixth of tax loss is due to tax evasion and a further one sixth is caused by tax avoidance, whereas the balance is just uncollected taxes. Taxation authorities in Australia still do not like taxpayers trying tax avoidance although such actions are viewed as actions taken by taxpayer for taking advantage of a tax relief in a legal manner, (Barkoczy, 2013). Income can be classified either as Ordinary Income Ordinary Income includes incomes earned by personal exertion, carrying on a business or income from properties, as is defined under sections 6-5(1) to (4) of ITAA, 1997. Statutory Income All incomes not covered under ordinary income are termed as Statutory Incomes, as is defined under sections 6-10(1) to (5) of ITAA, 1997. Windfall Income Winnings from lotteries and inheritances are examples of Windfall Incomes and these are also covered under sections 6-10(1) to (5) of ITAA, 1997. Capital Gains All profits derived from sale of assets are termed as Capital Gains, as is defined under sections 104-10(4) of ITAA, 1997, (Barkoczy, 2013). In case Bill wants to avail the first option, it will be assumed for taxation purposes that he is carrying on a business and the income which he derives from the sale of the timber will be considered his Ordinary Income and added to his Assessable Income under section 6-1(1) of ITAA, 1997. However, in case Bill goes for the second option, then the timber would be considered as a Capital Asset as it is part of the land owned by Bill. Thus, the lump sum payment of $50,000 which Bill receives shall be considered as Capital Gain, (Barkoczy, 2012). Although this will also be added to his Assessable Income under section 6-1(1), Bill can avail the 50% Discount under the Discount Method on the Gross Capital Gain which he makes. References Alexander, Dr. R. and Fogarty, H. J. (2009) Australian Master Family Law Guide, Management, NSW: CCH Australia Limited. Barkoczy, S. (2011) Core Tax Legislation and Study Guide (16th ed.) North Ryde, NSW: CCH Australia Limited. Barkoczy, S. (2012) Australian Tax Case book (10th ed.) North Ryde, NSW: CCH Australia Limited. Barkoczy, S. (2013) Foundations of Taxation Law (5th ed.) North Ryde, NSW: CCH Australia Limited. Cch, (2012) Australian Master Tax Guide. Sydney, NSW: CCH Australia Limited.