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STARGAZER HAS DOUBLY SUPER NIGHT.


Byline: Pat Murkland Riverside Press-Enterprise

Wayne Johnson of Mead Valley watches the night sky so frequently his nickname is Mr. Galaxy. But now he may have to change that to Mr. Supernova supernova, a massive star in the latter stages of stellar evolution that suddenly contracts and then explodes, increasing its energy output as much as a billionfold. : Johnson has become the first amateur stargazer stargazer, common name for any of several species of marine fishes of the family Uranoscopidae, found in southern waters, and having the mouth, nostrils, and eyes set high in the head. Stargazers lie buried in the sand, waiting for their prey of small crustaceans.  in recorded history Recorded history can be defined as history that has been written down or recorded by the use of language, whereas history is a more general term referring simply to information about the past.[1] It starts in the 4th millennium BC, with the invention of writing.  to discover two of the giant exploding stars in one night.

``This is a nice feat,'' said Brian Marsden, director of the Central Bureau of Astronomical Telegrams in Cambridge, Mass. The international group studies, verifies and records astronomical discoveries.

Although it's common for professionals to find more than one supernova a night, Marsden said Johnson's twin discoveries make him the first amateur.

Johnson said: ``I've been on cloud nine.'' A supernova is an exploding star that is so bright it outshines the combined glow of millions of neighboring stars in a galaxy.

Although the universe holds billions of stars, people only discover and record about three dozen supernovae a year.

Most supernovae are in distant galaxies that are faint even to the most powerful telescopes. Marsden said professional and amateur astronomers have found and recorded 1,076 supernovae since 1855, which is about the time people gained the means of seeing them in other galaxies.

It has been difficult for amateur astronomers to find one supernova in a lifetime, although Marsden said special cameras and other recent technology have improved their chances.

Johnson's latest discoveries brings his tally to five supernovae since 1991. He discovered all with a computer camera and a 22-inch diameter telescope at the Orange County Astronomers' Anza Observatory.

Johnson, laid off from an engineering job, has been studying astrophysics astrophysics, application of the theories and methods of physics to the study of stellar structure, stellar evolution, the origin of the solar system, and related problems of cosmology.  at the University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside, commonly known as UCR or UC Riverside, is a public research university and one of ten campuses of the University of California system. , but said he stopped recently for lack of funds.

A member of the Riverside Astronomical Society There are numerous groups devoted to promoting astronomy research and education. See, for example:
  • Ayrshire Astronomical Society, from Ayrshire, Scotland
  • Manchester Astronomical Society
  • Astronomical League, an umbrella organization of U.S. amateur astronomy societies.
, his favorite hobby is looking at galaxies. He likes to say they are all different, like snowflakes snowflakes

small patches of gray or white hair acquired after birth. Skin color is unchanged. See also achromotrichia, vitiligo.
.
COPYRIGHT 1996 Daily News
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 1996, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Publication:Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)
Date:Jun 2, 1996
Words:304
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