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[fallout]

Took it out tonight and somehow managed to sheer off one of the finderscopes adjustment nuts, the finderscope on this scope is integral and not a seperate assembly so the scope is hosed.

Ack! That seems like a silly design. My condolences.

 

[Vennt]

Well, At least MrsVennt's reaction has been positive...

"That 'scope has been nothing but trouble, guess you better pick up a new one"

Going to replace it with a 5-6" Newtonian Reflector like this one:

http://www.livingstonetelescopes.co.uk/Images/EXPLORER-130PM.jpg

 

[ana]

Some sun pictures form big picture:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/10/the_sun.html

 

[C.Dark.DN]

Well, At least MrsVennt's reaction has been positive...

"That 'scope has been nothing but trouble, guess you better pick up a new one"

Going to replace it with a 5-6" Newtonian Reflector like this one:

[/URL]

:) :) :)[/QUOTE]
How much? ~$1,000?

 

[Vennt]

How much? ~$1,000?

Total price is: £268.00, or $457 US Dollars, but it's not the Go-To version, for that price you get:

* 150mm (6") f/1200 Parabolic Newtonian Reflector
* EQ 3-2 German Equatorial Mount & Tripod
* 10mm & 25mm Eyepieces
* 1.25" Barlow Lens
* 6x30 Finderscope
* Auto-focuser. (Allows push button, low-vibration focusing)

 

[Windu]

48 Years of Space Flight

This year, NASA celebrated its 50th anniversary. Inspired to make his own contribution, astronomer Ralf Vandebergh set out to record images of some historic spacecraft in Earth orbit -- captured with his own modest equipment and a hand-guided, 10-inch, Newtonian reflecting telescope. One result is this intriguing composite effectively spanning 48 years of space flight! From a 1960 launch, on the left is the TIROS 2 satellite, one of the first successful weather satellites. While this TIROS (Television InfraRed Observation System) satellite stopped functioning in 1961, Vandebergh notes that if we could visit it now, we would still find video cameras and magnetic tape recorders. On the right, of course, is the ISS (International Space Station) including its recent addition, the Progress M-65 cargo vehicle, launched to the ISS just last month.

 

[Vennt]

New scope arrived w00t! - Spent the morning setting it up.

I ended up getting a 6" f/5 Newtonian Reflector (Skywatcher Explorer 150P) with a Skywatcher EQ5 mount and a motorized focuser. Should be good for both planetary and deep space viewing.

I expect with that aperture I should be able to see good detail on Jupiter, with the cloud bands visible and even the Great Red Spot on very clear/dark nights, Saturn should now show some small amount of cloud detail, the cassini and enke division in the rings, and even the shadow of the planet on the rings, and Mars should now show a very small amount of detail, with the polar cap visible, and darker patches of structure.

I can upgrade the mount later to motor driven and goto, and will at some point get into imaging & autoguiding.

Can't wait for a clear night!

 

[Hootie]

I'm joining my high school's Science Olympiad team this year and I'll be doing the Astronomy portion Well, I'm also doing Cell Biology but that's just boring.

Our school usually doesn't do to great but hopefully I can place.

 

[caffeinated]

excuse my ignorance but which city is this ?

 

[Scrow]

excuse my ignorance but which city is this ?

i'm probably completely wrong.... but i think it's Brisbane, in Australia.

 

[DarkJediKnight]

Man! I so wish we could find a way to make lightspeed travel. Even still, we are in such a remote area of the universe that we're going to have to hit multiple parsecs to even consider exploring in and beyond our own galaxy.

I just hope I live long enough to find out if Gliese 581 truly holds life like it is on earth. 20 light years is still so far away.

 

[speedpop]

i'm probably completely wrong.... but i think it's Brisbane, in Australia.

Close. Perth actually.

 

[Scrow]

Man! I so wish we could find a way to make lightspeed travel. Even still, we are in such a remote area of the universe that we're going to have to hit multiple parsecs to even consider exploring in and beyond our own galaxy.

to truly explore the universe we would have to master so form of teleportation.

 

[DarkJediKnight]

to truly explore the universe we would have to master so form of teleportation.

Yea, it was huge disappointment to me since growing up, and being a Trekkie and Star Wars fan, I thought that the other stars and planets were within reach. It was until I started doing research that I discovered how mindbogglingly far away we are from other star clusters.

PS. Also wanted to post this pic. Yea, it's Sci-fi, but it's very cool looking.

 

[Teknoman]

Never knew that about the moon actually having an atmosphere despite it being incredibly thin. Also I bet if another country announced they were going to try and make it to mars (or even back to the moon) within the next...3-4 years or some small amount of time, The U.S. would pull out all the stops trying to get there first again.

Isnt that the reason why we got to the moon in the first place? Either way, I just wish the years after the last moon mission were actually dedicated to funding NASA over funding non-necessary wars.

 

[Crazymoogle]

Ugh. I don't want to be critical, and I appreciate the thread enthusiasm...but could we keep the sci-fi out? I'm sure there are cooler looking galactic images on what, at least 10 pages of this thread? The whole point of this thread, to me, is to show how shockingly awesome the universe is without having to rely on paintings or fiction or whatnot.

Anyway, just my own opinion. Hopefully we can keep up with more awesome real pictures.

Never knew that about the moon actually having an atmosphere despite it being incredibly thin. Also I bet if another country announced they were going to try and make it to mars (or even back to the moon) within the next...3-4 years or some small amount of time, The U.S. would pull out all the stops trying to get there first again.

Isnt that the reason why we got to the moon in the first place? Either way, I just wish the years after the last moon mission were actually dedicated to funding NASA over funding non-necessary wars.

At atmosphere is essentially just materials being held near a planet due to gravity, so it makes sense. Sort of like how the front of your television may look smooth to you but in a microscope is full of variety, planets or moons can look very solid from a distance but have a lot of small scale composition. It doesn't matter a whole lot - the Moon's atmosphere is so minute as to not have much bearing on anything - but it's cool to see just how powerful even weak gravity can be.

As for Mars...sure, the US might step it up on such a challenge. But it would have to be a credible one. The US and Russia both had the world's finest space programs and a huge amount of funding to make it happen due to political conflict. The US is too busy fighting their political battles on other fronts right now for the same thing to happen.

 

[Darklord]

New scope arrived w00t! - Spent the morning setting it up.

I ended up getting a 6" f/5 Newtonian Reflector (Skywatcher Explorer 150P) with a Skywatcher EQ5 mount and a motorized focuser. Should be good for both planetary and deep space viewing.

I expect with that aperture I should be able to see good detail on Jupiter, with the cloud bands visible and even the Great Red Spot on very clear/dark nights, Saturn should now show some small amount of cloud detail, the cassini and enke division in the rings, and even the shadow of the planet on the rings, and Mars should now show a very small amount of detail, with the polar cap visible, and darker patches of structure.

I can upgrade the mount later to motor driven and goto, and will at some point get into imaging & autoguiding.

Can't wait for a clear night!

You lucky bastard. I wish I had one like that.

How much did it cost?

 

[fallout]

From today's APOD. I shouldn't find it surprising how little we know about the planets in our solar system, but with all the facts and figured I can toss around, you'd almost think we know everything. Thankfully, scientists are nowhere near that shortsighted. Huzzah for the unknown!

Explanation: Why would Saturn show such strange colors? The robotic Cassini spacecraft currently orbiting Saturn has beamed back images showing that the northern hemisphere our Solar System's most spectacularly ringed planet has changed noticeably since Cassini arrived in 2004, now sporting unusual and unexpected colors. No one is sure why. Although the cause for many of Saturn's colors is unknown, the recent change in colors is thought to be related to the changing seasons. Pictured above, the unusual colors are visible just north of the dark ring shadows. The razor-thin plane of ring particles is visible nearly edge-on across the bottom of the image. The cloudy moon Titan looms large just above the rings, while close observation will reveal three other moons. Cassini arrived at Saturn in 2004, sending back data and images that have not only led to a deeper understanding of the Jovian world's atmosphere, moons, and rings, but also raised new mysteries.

 

[Macam]

India Launches Unmanned Orbiter to Moon

NEW DELHI — India launched its first unmanned spacecraft to orbit the moon early Wednesday, part of an effort to assert its power in space and claim some of the business opportunities there.

The Indian mission is scheduled to last two years, prepare a three-dimensional atlas of the moon and prospect the lunar surface for natural resources, including uranium, a coveted fuel for nuclear power plants, according to the Indian Space Research Organization.

The spacecraft will not land on the moon, though it is supposed to send a small “impactor” probe to the surface.

The launching of Chandrayaan-1, as the vehicle is called — roughly translated as Moon Craft-1 — comes about a year after China’s first moon mission.

Talk of a space race with China could not be contained, even as Manmohan Singh, the Indian prime minister, was due to visit Beijing later in the week.

“China has gone earlier, but today we are trying to catch them, catch that gap, bridge the gap,” Bhaskar Narayan, a director at the Indian space agency, was quoted by Reuters as having said.

The first Indian lunar voyage is carrying two devices from NASA. One, the Moon Mineralogy Mapper, or M3, will assess mineral composition of the moon from orbit. The other, the Mini-SAR, will look for ice deposits in the moon’s polar regions.

Chandrayaan-1 was launched from a research station in Sriharikota, a barrier island off the coast of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

The moon mission, in addition to demonstrating technological capacity, can potentially yield commercial gains for India’s space program. India’s ability to put satellites into orbit has already resulted in lucrative deals; for example, Israel has sent up a satellite by means of an Indian launcher.

“It is proof of India’s technical capability in an advanced area of science,” said Dipankar Banerjee, a retired army general who is the director of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies here. “India wants to be counted as one of the emerging players in Asia. Space is, of course, an important part of power projection.”

The mission is not without domestic critics. Bharat Karnad, a strategic affairs analyst who frequently finds fault with the Congress Party-led coalition government, called the mission a “grandiloquent” effort designed to catch up with a far more advanced Chinese space program. “It is kind of a prestige project the government has gotten into,” Mr. Karnad said. “This is misuse of resources that this country can ill afford at this point.”

While there are all the usual geopolitical security issues, I certainly welcome the broadening participation of space exploration.

 

[Flo_Evans]

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/10/the_sun.html

 

[Tom_Cody]

India Launches Unmanned Orbiter to Moon

While there are all the usual geopolitical security issues, I certainly welcome the broadening participation of space exploration.

It is highly unfortunate that there is so little collaboration though. After the ISS is retired, all signs point to the US going solo in the near future.

 

[Teknoman]

India Launches Unmanned Orbiter to Moon



While there are all the usual geopolitical security issues, I certainly welcome the broadening participation of space exploration.

FINALLY someone is picking up the slack. I hope all other non-western countries start lunar missions so North America can get back on track space wise.

Wow.

 

[Teknoman]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7687286.stm

Scientists have recorded the sound of three stars similar to our Sun using France's Corot space telescope.

How exactly do scientists record sounds from planets and stars?

 

[fallout]

How exactly do scientists record sounds from planets and stars?

http://solar-center.stanford.edu/singing/

That's got a fairly good explanation. You could read up on Doppler imaging if you want to learn more.

 

[fallout]

Another neat one from APOD.

Explanation: How massive can a normal star be? Estimates made from distance, brightness and standard solar models had given one star in the open cluster Pismis 24 over 200 times the mass of our Sun, making it a record holder. This star is the brightest object located just above the gas front in the above image. Close inspection of images taken recently with the Hubble Space Telescope, however, have shown that Pismis 24-1 derives its brilliant luminosity not from a single star but from three at least. Component stars would still remain near 100 solar masses, making them among the more massive stars currently on record. Toward the bottom of the image, stars are still forming in the associated emission nebula NGC 6357, including several that appear to be breaking out and illuminating a spectacular cocoon.

(as always, click for bigger)

 

[The Librarian]

Another neat one from APOD.

(as always, click for bigger)

So fucking beautiful.

Right click, save as...

 

[Prax]

That's amazing, fallout.

I love the universe!
I'll be so disappointed if nothing's actually those colours.

 

[Amir0x]

Why can't humanity advance fast enough to create an immortality potion that will allow me to see the fruits of our ingenuity and the far reaches of the universe

 

[GaimeGuy]

Why can't humanity advance fast enough to create an immortality potion that will allow me to see the fruits of our ingenuity and the far reaches of the universe

 

[DarkJediKnight]

Why can't humanity advance fast enough to create an immortality potion that will allow me to see the fruits of our ingenuity and the far reaches of the universe

Some sort of cellular regeneration serum would help. I want to live to the 24th century. :lol

 

[Quazar]

Why can't humanity advance fast enough to create an immortality potion that will allow me to see the fruits of our ingenuity and the far reaches of the universe

Well, we're getting pretty close to that. I think it's pegged to happen when you're 40-50. Going by the age in your profile. Perhaps sooner.

 

[GaimeGuy]

Well, we're getting pretty close to that. I think it's pegged to happen when you're 40-50. Going by the age in your profile. Perhaps sooner.

!

 

[ggnoobIGN]

You could never retire though. That might kind of suck.

 

[ElectricBlue187]

...if you're a futurist...

I'd love to believe that the technology for me to sublimate into a cyber existence will be available by the time I'm 35, but I don't see any emerging technology for replacing brain parts with mechanical ones, so I am skeptical.

 

[Memphis Reigns]

Some sort of cellular regeneration serum would help. I want to live to the 24th century. :lol

So do I. So badly in fact, that I'm going to try soooo hard to raise the money so I can submit myself to be cryogenically frozen in hopes that I can be reanimated in a few thousands years. I just realized how stupid that sounds, but fuck I WANT TO KNOW THINGS!

 

[Twig]

Why can't humanity advance fast enough to create an immortality potion that will allow me to see the fruits of our ingenuity and the far reaches of the universe

A man after my own heart. ):

Well, we're getting pretty close to that. I think it's pegged to happen when you're 40-50. Going by the age in your profile. Perhaps sooner.

moar info prz

Better yet make a thread about it so we don't fuck with the awesome space discussions. >_>

 

[Schrade]

This thread...

No - no words. No words to describe it. Poetry! They should have sent a poet. So beautiful. So beautiful...

 

[ellusions]

This thread...

No - no words. No words to describe it. Poetry! They should have sent a poet. So beautiful. So beautiful...

You were only gone for a fraction of a second. Nothing happened. You didn't go anywhere.

 

[Memphis Reigns]

You were only gone for a fraction of a second. Nothing happened. You didn't go anywhere.

Or did he?

 

[Desperado]

There were 18 hours of static!

 

[DarkJediKnight]

Here's a picture of the Virgo Clustre.

 

[Memphis Reigns]

My top 5 favorite Space movies.

1. Contact
2. Mission to Mars
3. Sunshine
4. Event Horizon
5. 2001 SO

 

[Macam]

John Carmack's Armadillo Wins XPrize Lunar Lander Challenge Level 1, Crashes On Level 2 (videos included).

 

[Tom_Cody]

John Carmack's Armadillo Wins XPrize Lunar Lander Challenge Level 1, Crashes On Level 2 (videos included).

More info on Armadillo's site.

X-prize news is always so exciting. I'm definitely planning to experience space tourism in some way, assuming prices go down over time (which seems inevitable).

 

[Lucky Forward]

From NASA' s image archives, this was their image of the day on October 24:

The Shuttle Enterprise

In 1976, NASA's space shuttle Enterprise rolled out of the Palmdale manufacturing facilities and was greeted by NASA officials and cast members from the 'Star Trek' television series.

From left to right they are: NASA Administrator Dr. James D. Fletcher; DeForest Kelley, who portrayed Dr. "Bones" McCoy on the series; George Takei (Mr. Sulu); James Doohan (Chief Engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott); Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura); Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock); series creator Gene Rodenberry; an unnamed NASA official; and, Walter Koenig (Ensign Pavel Chekov).

 

[Valth0nis]

From NASA' s image archives, this was their image of the day on October 24:

http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/284699main_image_1204_946-710.jpg[/MG][/QUOTE]

Wow that's awesome :O

 

[fallout]

http://gizmodo.com/5076017/hello-world-phoenix-lander-here

Great little writeup from the Phoenix Lander. Following the Twitter feed has been really entertaining and informative (not to mention slightly endearing). I hope this is something that NASA continues to do in the future.

 

[My Arms Your Hearse]

Well, we're getting pretty close to that. I think it's pegged to happen when you're 40-50. Going by the age in your profile. Perhaps sooner.

:lol

No.

All these estimates are probably hundreds of years too optimistic.

I'd LOVE to be wrong though!

 

[My Arms Your Hearse]

My top 5 favorite Space movies.

1. Contact
2. Mission to Mars
3. Sunshine
4. Event Horizon
5. 2001 SO

Your failure is unforgivable and inescapable. End yourself.

 

[Macam]

ISS to Get Upgrades

They may be rocket scientists and spend years training for things going awry in the void of space, but NASA has revealed that astronauts in the International Space Station will face the biggest, most dangerous challenge humans have ever encountered through thousand of years of history: Home remodeling. Next weekend, the ISS will get the necessary materials to do an extreme makeover in the living area of the ISS, adding new quarters, urine recycling systems, a "state of the art" space gym, and the first kitchen fridge ever:

• New rooms will be added to the living area, increase the number of bedrooms from three to five, and the numbers of baths and kitchens from one to two.

• New water recovery system will be installed. It will recycle urine and condensation into drinking water, freeing space, lugging trips and making possible to increase the number of permanent astronauts in the ISS from three to six.

• New exercise machine capable of 30 routines will be installed.

• New fridge will be installed in the kitchen. This will be the first fridge ever in the space station, which will help the astronauts to keep fruit fresh for longer periods of time.