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Thread: Astronomy Buffs

  1. #26
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    Wow, Chain - you've got to get on a boat and go see it! I have a whole bunch of friends on a ship off the coast of Australia right now, steaming for the intersection of clear skies and central eclipse line. I'd be there myself but opted instead to purchase a new spectrograph for the observatory. There is nothing else like being on the center line for a total eclipse, a truly stunning experience.

    Mike

  2. #27
    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    A different approach to Mars' landscape

    http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?feature=mhee&v=2wOogk2LSSw
    Compact Disk brought high fidelity to the masses and audiophiles will never forgive it for that

  3. #28
    Tribesman sonic's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by spellbound View Post
    Stargazing in the buff is a favorite pastime of mine, much to the annoyance of my neighbors.
    Do you stand to attention while gazing at glistening orbs at night?

  4. #29
    Don't think today's eclipse will be visable here in NY. Too cloudy / rainy anyway.
    FYI though, Leonid meter showers peak this weekend, particularly Saturday November 17th.
    "I got an idea, an idea so smart my head would explode if I even began to know what I was talking about."
    - Peter Griffin ("Family Guy")

  5. #30
    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    http://www.space.com/18393-alien-pla...hd-40307g.html

    Only 42-ly away! One day soon, we'll develop telescopes that can peer in on this world and see what was going on 42 years ago. Still, a much more productive use of tax dollars than protecting corporate foreign interests.
    Compact Disk brought high fidelity to the masses and audiophiles will never forgive it for that

  6. #31
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    Just wondering if anyone knows...... [I haven't brought out my scope in a while]
    What planet is in the East North America sky... when facing east...... a couple hours after dusk.

  7. #32
    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fractal5 View Post
    Just wondering if anyone knows...... [I haven't brought out my scope in a while]
    What planet is in the East North America sky... when facing east...... a couple hours after dusk.
    If you have a smart phone, there is an app for that called Skymap. I'm thinking its Jupiter.
    Compact Disk brought high fidelity to the masses and audiophiles will never forgive it for that

  8. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by 3LockBox View Post
    I'm thinking its Jupiter.
    It is. It's in Taurus at the moment.

    If you look early in the morning (an hour or so before sunrise), you should be able to see Venus and Saturn low in the east. And Mars can be spotted in the southwest just after sunset.

  9. #34
    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

  10. #35
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    What planet is in the East North America sky... when facing east...... a couple hours after dusk.

    Jupiter I believe

    Perhaps Mars . . .

  11. #36
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    Always been a buff myself.
    Everyone remembers the first time they see the rings of Saturn, the moons of Juipiter, a cresent Venus....

  12. #37
    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

  13. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Bails View Post
    This has to be the stupidest idea yet.

    Amateur astronomers have always been an important factor in new astronomical discoveries. But who's the bonehead that thinks tracking orbital debris is for amateurs ?? 30,000 of the largest and easiest to spot and track are being watched. And I believe radar can track pieces down to at least 6 inches. (Correct me if I'm wrong on that, please). Satellite photography has a following in the amateur ranks, and it's not too easy tracking them for a picture. How do you spot an unknown object one foot large going 18,000 mph ?? By constantly panning random orbital inclinations up to 90 degrees (polar orbit)?? Good luck finding that big black chunk of #@%^& that doesn't reflect radar. Yes, I saw the shuttle with the tethered satellite, but I say they can't spot and track a piece of the tether alone.

  14. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by AncientChord View Post
    Anyone who loves Astronomy and the mysteries of our universe should watch the BBC show "The Sky At Night." I believe it's one of the longest running show on the Beeb, starting in the 1950's? And still with original host Sir Patrick Moore. Every month there is a brand new half hour episode, and each one always has fascinating subjects related to the solar system and the stars. It's a do-not-miss for those interested.
    Sadly, it was announced today of Sir Patrck's passing May he rest in peace.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20657939
    Day dawns dark...it now numbers infinity.

  15. #40
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    I never caught the bug myself, but my dad is one.

    However, I think he was always more interested in building telescopes than actually looking through them. After he retired, he constructed several beautiful and ingenious designs, of which my favorite was a V-shaped refractor: It had a flat mirror about a third of the way along the optical path that turned the path around backwards, so the eyepiece was right next to the declination pivot - as a result, when you changed the declination it changed angle but not height. You could easily sit in a chair as you gazed through it, and not have to constantly shift between sitting, standing, and stooping.

  16. #41
    multicellular organism roddenberry's Avatar
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    Always been fascinated by astronomy, cosmology and stuff of that kind. Yesterday, I was reading about this supermassive black hole (not the Muse song) recently discovered...

    "A supermassive black hole, 4,000 times larger than the one at the centre of the Milky Way, has been spotted by astronomers. It lies at the heart of a small lens-shaped galaxy called NGC1277, which is 220 million light years away in the constellation Perseus. The black hole makes up an enormous 14 per cent of the galaxy's mass. Other black holes found at the centres of galaxies account for only about 0.1 per cent."

    I remember Asimov writing about the fact that these supermassive black holes could be used as a one-way ticket to time travel to the future...

    Robert

  17. #42
    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Baribrotzer View Post
    I never caught the bug myself, but my dad is one.

    However, I think he was always more interested in building telescopes than actually looking through them. After he retired, he constructed several beautiful and ingenious designs, of which my favorite was a V-shaped refractor: It had a flat mirror about a third of the way along the optical path that turned the path around backwards, so the eyepiece was right next to the declination pivot - as a result, when you changed the declination it changed angle but not height. You could easily sit in a chair as you gazed through it, and not have to constantly shift between sitting, standing, and stooping.
    That sounds really cool.
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

  18. #43
    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by roddenberry View Post
    Always been fascinated by astronomy, cosmology and stuff of that kind. Yesterday, I was reading about this supermassive black hole (not the Muse song) recently discovered...

    "A supermassive black hole, 4,000 times larger than the one at the centre of the Milky Way, has been spotted by astronomers. It lies at the heart of a small lens-shaped galaxy called NGC1277, which is 220 million light years away in the constellation Perseus. The black hole makes up an enormous 14 per cent of the galaxy's mass. Other black holes found at the centres of galaxies account for only about 0.1 per cent."
    My feeble brain that's never sniffed a Physics course never ceases to be fascinated and boggled by this kind of stuff. It's hard to even fathom these kind of numbers and sizes.
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

  19. #44
    All Things Must Pass spellbound's Avatar
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    Geminid meteor shower tonight

    http://news.yahoo.com/years-best-met...news-tech.html

    Sorry for the late notice, but I just found out. Enjoy.
    We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
    It won't be visible through the air
    And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973

  20. #45
    Member helicase's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by spellbound View Post
    Geminid meteor shower tonight.
    One word: clouds Hope other people had more luck.

  21. #46
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    Went out last night and watched for a while. Saw maybe 10 meteors in 20 minutes, not bad!

  22. #47
    All Things Must Pass spellbound's Avatar
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    I watched the skies for a while last night after 11:00 pm. Saw about 15 meteors, including 3 in one small part of the southwestern sky within the course of one second's time. Quite a show. There were no clouds but there was a bit of haze which I think was moisture in the air. So it was not as clear as the previous night, but still plenty of stars. It was 20 F out. When there was a lull in the meteors, I got out some binoculars and was able to see one of Jupiter's moons.
    We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
    It won't be visible through the air
    And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973

  23. #48
    Member helicase's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by spellbound View Post
    There were no clouds
    No surprise there, seeing as you're on Mars

  24. #49
    All Things Must Pass spellbound's Avatar
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    No surprise there, seeing as you're on Mars
    Last night we were between dust storms here on the red planet.

    I really live in Nevada, USA. But the only drawing I could find small enough to import for an avatar was Marvin the Martian. Someday I will find something else and update my profile accordingly.
    We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
    It won't be visible through the air
    And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973

  25. #50
    Member helicase's Avatar
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    I'm sure some parts of Nevada look just like Mars

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