Orion Nebula, Andromeda galaxy, the Pleiades and M 13 (open star clsuter) are all good naked eye objects. Plus the Magellan Clouds, if you have the opportunity
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Space: The Final Frontier
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Orion Nebula, Andromeda galaxy, the Pleiades and M 13 (open star clsuter) are all good naked eye objects. Plus the Magellan Clouds, if you have the opportunity
Fine Ham Abounds
Member
The first time I saw Andromeda with my naked eye was out in the boonies somewhere as a teen.
It blew my mind that it was so large a blob (relatively speaking), that I was seeing something 2.5 million light years away, that my eyes were directly physically interacting with photons cast off from stars in another galaxy - some of which no longer even existed, and that I was seeing a galaxy in a way that no being that lived anywhere within it could ever see it.
It blew my mind that it was so large a blob (relatively speaking), that I was seeing something 2.5 million light years away, that my eyes were directly physically interacting with photons cast off from stars in another galaxy - some of which no longer even existed, and that I was seeing a galaxy in a way that no being that lived anywhere within it could ever see it.
The crazy thing is there is/was probably beings in Andromeda looking at the Milky way thinking the same thing
And it will get easier to see, it is on a collision course with our galaxy.
fierrotlepou
Member
a) If it can be seen with the naked eye at night. Pretty crazy! But it can only be seen clearly in the month of november, if Google is to be trusted.
b) Thanks man!
Yea, too bad we'll be long gone by then. It'll be beautiful. And deadly.
No doubt about it. This topic has sent me off into a "space day", where I'll do nothing but watch documentaries about the universe for the thousandth time.
VAST WEB OF DARK MATTER MAPPED
A one billion light-year wide map has been created, showing an intricate web of dark matter filling the cosmos.
http://news.discovery.com/space/dark-matter-web-mapped-120109.html
Gist of article:
A one billion light-year wide map has been created, showing an intricate web of dark matter filling the cosmos.
http://news.discovery.com/space/dark-matter-web-mapped-120109.html
Gist of article:
Naked Snake
Member
Escape Goat
Member
I don't know why the Russian probe falling into Earth gets an artists rendering but here it is from MSNBCs article on it.
Escape Goat
Member
Not exactly news but it seems space junk is going to have to be dealt with eventually. Or we will have to build stronger spaceships.
Like the hat?
Banned
Possible stupid question, but am I right in thinking that due to precession, in 13k years the winter solstice and summer solstice would swap dates for the northern hemisphere? So winter would begin in June instead of December? If the seasons are caused by the tilt of the earth's axis, and precession involves the earth's axis wobbling slowly (every 26k years or whatever it is) wouldn't half of that time mean that the earth is pointing the opposite direction?
Pretty neat, to bad it didn't show where and how the shadow would work.
Dr Zhivago
Member
We add leap seconds to keep the calendar in sync (although there is a proposal to abolish leap seconds and let the calendar drift.)
In other news, we should mount a mission to planet Templeton-Holmes B.
Not exactly news but it seems space junk is going to have to be dealt with eventually. Or we will have to build stronger spaceships.
Escape Goat
Member
Has it been shopped? Looks too clean but may be due to being the right distance away from the camera.
edit - now that I click on the super mega res pic I see the detail. Pretty neato.
edit - now that I click on the super mega res pic I see the detail. Pretty neato.
When you're dealing with that kind of scale it's pretty much impossible to say it hasn't been shopped. Still, amazing.
mikeybwright
Banned
Seeing pictures like that make me sad...since I know I'll never get a first hand view of it.
PantherLotus
Professional Schmuck
1. Shopped? If stitching several hundreds of HD-shots is shopping, ok.
2. This "why a pic of North America" meme I've seen a few places is so fucking stupid. The other famous pic centers on Africa/Middle east. Get a grip, people.
3. I encourage you to check out the highest-def pic you can find and zoom in. You can see cities and stuff, but not easily.
2. This "why a pic of North America" meme I've seen a few places is so fucking stupid. The other famous pic centers on Africa/Middle east. Get a grip, people.
3. I encourage you to check out the highest-def pic you can find and zoom in. You can see cities and stuff, but not easily.
There is a meme about it? Jeeze. It's just funny that it's really just North America with a lot of water. A little bit more landmass would be good
That's here. That's home. That's us.
PantherLotus
Professional Schmuck
There is a meme about it? Jeeze. It's just funny that it's really just North America with a lot of water. A little bit more landmass would be good
Sorry, just saw a couple people on various sites complaining about the US-centric picture. Just irked me that we couldn't drop politics (we = the internets) to admire beauty.
To your point, I always kinda wanted to see the pacific-side only. People don't realize you can look from one side of the globe and not see any land.
Here's a scary thought on space junk. In the event of an actual war between major powers (US, china, Russia, etc) the enemies satellites would be considered fair game, and considering how used they are by US military they'd be a prime target.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16588557
We start blowing up satellites, we create a lot more space junk, which creates more space junk, which creates more space junk...
PantherLotus
Professional Schmuck
Why not just a giant fishing net?
Try and hang around for another 30 or so years, space tourism will become feasible and you will indeed get to see the earth from space. For a pretty penny, of course, but I know I'll definitely do it before I'm gone.
WeAreStarStuff
Member
Hello Neogaf. Long time lurker, first time poster. I am obsessed with space and look into the heavens whenever possible. I would like to post some of my own pics that I took of the moon if that's alright. To take pictures I simply align the camera on my Android phone with an eye piece on my telescope; it is difficult to get a very clear image as Im trying to center a pinpoint of light and not move my hands the vibration is even more noticeable at higher magnifications, but I digress.
For eyepieces I have:
25mm (gives 36 x magnification)
10mm (gives 90x)
6mm (gives 150 x)
I also have a 2x Barlow which will double the magnification of any eyepiece.
Following are at 90x:
36x:
150x or 180x; I don't recall:
300x:
Day time photo for kicks:
For eyepieces I have:
25mm (gives 36 x magnification)
10mm (gives 90x)
6mm (gives 150 x)
I also have a 2x Barlow which will double the magnification of any eyepiece.
Following are at 90x:
36x:
150x or 180x; I don't recall:
300x:
Day time photo for kicks:
Insane Metal
Member
Nice shots, man!
Check around for a local astronomy club. They usually have loaner scope programs. Also, you'd be amazed at what you can see in a dark sky with just a pair of 10 x 70 binoculars.
If you're really set on buying a telescope, though ... the best amateur recommendation I think I can make is an 6 to 8-inch Dobsonian.
Pros:
- Low-cost for the relative aperture size.
- Small amount of setup required.
- Low maintenance and the maintenance required (collimation) isn't too taxing.
- Easy to use (point and shoot!).
Cons:
- No tracking, so things tend to run out of your field of view.
- Not as portable as some other beginner scopes.
Cjdamon042
Member
That is incredible, thanks for the link. Absolutely stunning.
@WeAreStarStuff, awesome pics there as well. I'm also a long time lurker as well so hai!
Mengy
wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
Awesome shots, and what a cool idea. I bought a Fuji HS20EXR camera last summer, and while I've taken moon pics with it, I never considered doing it through my telescope. I have a 10" dobsinian, I have a tripod, I need to do this! Next clear moon filled night I'm gonna give this a shot and post what I get here for criticism, lol.
Good job bro.
I was looking at this one not sure how good it is though. this one
WeAreStarStuff
Member
Thanks for the kind words everyone.
Hmmm..200 pounds would be around $314. A Dobsonian model will prob. give you the best bang for your buck, and I would not go with less than a 6" primary mirror so that you can at least grow into the hobby; ideally 8". Here is a decent model for $300 US:
http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes...c/12/sc/398/p/8942.uts?refineByCategoryId=398
Dobsonians can become quite heavy and are not as mobile as some of the other models, but as with every decision in life there are tradeoffs; I would say for the frugality of them they are defiantly a viable option for you.
I have only viewed Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter is great, and I am able to see several cloud bands and its four largest moons. Jupiter can be surprisingly luminescent and I would recommended using some type of filter when viewing at higher magnifications. I still remember the first time I saw Saturn; I found it by chance. I saw a bright star in the sky, and swept it into view, and my head near exploded at seeing those mesmerizing rings. Viewing Saturn for the first time through my telescope was akin to a spiritual experience its the only real way I can think to articulate the feeling. It was as if the very atoms of my being vibrated with joy.
Thank you. A reflector model from Orion.
Hmmm..200 pounds would be around $314. A Dobsonian model will prob. give you the best bang for your buck, and I would not go with less than a 6" primary mirror so that you can at least grow into the hobby; ideally 8". Here is a decent model for $300 US:
http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes...c/12/sc/398/p/8942.uts?refineByCategoryId=398
Dobsonians can become quite heavy and are not as mobile as some of the other models, but as with every decision in life there are tradeoffs; I would say for the frugality of them they are defiantly a viable option for you.
Hard to find much for review. Refractors are pretty good for viewing objects like the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn (as the spec page nicely states!), but you won't see much for deep-sky objects. If you're observing in an urban area, this won't affect you much. I can't really guarantee the quality of the optics, but the fact that they states that it's an apochromatic (as opposed to an achromatic) refractor is a good thing.
What kinds of observing were you hoping to do/achieve?
Cheers I'll look around a bit more and do some research.
Mostly the Moon and what ever planets come into view, but I'd also like to see some Nebulae maybe.
BruiserBear
Banned
I am also tempted to invest in my first telescope. How hard is it to see another galaxy for instance? A spiral.
If a knowledgeable person from this forum could find me a model from Amazon, and recommend it, I'd really appreciate it. I live in the suburbs of Chicago. So there is some lighting around me, but nothing city like.
If a knowledgeable person from this forum could find me a model from Amazon, and recommend it, I'd really appreciate it. I live in the suburbs of Chicago. So there is some lighting around me, but nothing city like.
Theoretically yes, but there haven't been any successful two-way missions.
The Phobos-Grunt Russian/Chinese spacecraft that failed late last year was going to be the first sample return from the Martian system.
We have a lot to learn yet.
For research into astronomy, I really recommend Terence Dickinson's book NightWatch. It does a very good job of setting reasonable expectations and easing people into the hobby. Reasonable expectations are very important. I can't tell you how many times I've done public viewing sessions where people have expected to see Hubble images in my scope.
With an 8-inch dobsonian, there are hundreds of galaxies that you can see in a good dark sky.
If you're willing to take the step into hunting down stuff like nebulae, the dob(sonian) is probably the best way to go. I always recommend that people start with binoculars, but people rarely heed that advice, anyway.
It really depends on the galaxy. The Andromeda galaxy can be seen with the naked eye and is a really fantastic object in a pair of binoculars. As the galaxies become more distant/dimmer, you'll need more aperture (and darker sky) in order to see them.
With an 8-inch dobsonian, there are hundreds of galaxies that you can see in a good dark sky.
Similar to the posts above, I really like dobsonians for starter telescope. For example, here's an 8-inch Orion Dobsonian for 350 USD.
Suburbs can be pretty bad, too. For reference, here's a light pollution map of the Chicago area: http://cleardarksky.com/lp/Chicagolp.html?Mn=astronomical
A27_StarWolf
Banned
I bet America could do it!
Maklershed
Member
Even though I find Newt absolutely repugnant, I actually get hot and bothered by the fact that he's interested in putting a permanent space colony on the moon. Anyone else think its a good idea? Assuming you don't like him as well, would it be a good enough idea to ignore his other stances and policies to vote for someone that wants to make it happen? (even though realistically it would probably never pass the house/senate)
Mengy
wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
I love the idea of a moon base. However, Newt's promise of a moon base by 2020 under his Presidency was simply ludicrous. With the current state of both the economy and NASA such an endeavor from scratch is simply impossible. And most of Florida knows it. Newt took a gamble to promise something huge and local to Florida in a play to get votes, and it failed. To be honest I'm surprised he tried it, as it was a little too unrealistic.
The reality of it is that a moon base at this time is only practical for one reason: space tourism. There really isn't any other good reason to do it, other than to study the moon itself, but that won't pay the bills. Now a moon resort, with commercial space travel back and forth, during a good economy where people could afford it, that might just get us our moon base. Other than that though it is really just science fiction. Unless we discover something else valuable up there, something corporations can sell.
My only hope is that it happens in my lifetime. That I get the chance to go hiking up a moon mountain, see the Earth rise over the horizon from a sauna in a glass dome, play volleyball in near zero gravity. Stargaze from the dark side of the moon into a perfectly black yet star-filled universe. It's our future, our new frontier, if our species lives and survives long enough to actually see it happen...