You're probably seeing something like this. Venus and Jupiter have been dancing for the last few weeks:
Another shot from Poland.
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Space: The Final Frontier
- Thread starter Windu
- Start date
Another shot from Poland.
PantherLotus
Professional Schmuck
Just a cool picture I found:
Ed White, the first space walker.
Two things of note -
1. Check out that pack on his chest. That's the first pressurized oxygen pack developed for spacewalks, and obvious though it may seem, was a huge step for human space exploration.
2. That thing in his hand? That's a gas powered/ion gun thing. Helped him move around. 'Til it ran out.
Sidenote: my grandpa was the head engineer responsible for both projects mentioned above. I'm immensely proud.
I believe they are reflecting sun light. Some planets/moons obviously reflect better than others. Their cores, since they are not exposed, would have nothing to do on how reflective they are.
PantherLotus
Professional Schmuck
Reflecting light.
Aw you mean it's not a prototype Dead Space Plasma Cutter
There is no way for a core to illuminate a planet if it's a "core" (i.e. in the center, hidden).
All planets, moons, land bodies etc are illuminated due to reflecting the light from the sun or another bright/large object, so sometimes reflecting the reflection of the suns light.
Different planets illuminate at different levels depending on whether or not they have an atmosphere or clouds, and what type of skies those are (Venus has thick clouds that reflect the light well, for example).
Some planets illuminate in funny ways like some of the moons of Jupiter due to the rock formations on those planets, like ganymede or callisto for example.
Skinny space suits are boss.
Yeah, I think that's also the reason why some conspiracy theorists believe that there's an undetected planet outside of our solar system.
What telescope setup do you have?
I've only recently got into astronomy, and been pretty lucky with the clear skies and 3 planets on show every night. Saturn is visible around 1/2am for me, so I've only viewed that once, but it's definitely the most impressive thing I've seen so far (along with Jupiters moons, Orion and the Pleiades)
Mengy
wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
The gf and I were stargazing the other night with my 10" dobsinian. Jupiter was spectacularly bright. We could make out six moons easily, they were shining very intensely. Looked at the Pleiades cluster a bit too, it's just right above Venus this time of year. Also found two nebula's, M42 and M43, which looked very impressive. Tried to find a galaxy up around the big dipper but we never did find it. I really should invest in a motorized mount for my scope, I know I'd get my money's worth out of it.
It's been very good for astronomy in the last few weeks.
WeAreStarStuff
Member
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=34685524&postcount=4522
It's been some time since I've looked at Orion's Nebula; it's always very impressive. Looked at the Pleiades a few weeks ago.
10" wow! That must weight quite a bit, but I'm sure you get some amazing views.
Mengy
wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
Yeah, it's not light. I carry it outside to acclimate in two pieces, first the base which weighs around 40 lbs, then the mirror tube which weighs a good 50 lbs by itself. And most of that weight is the large 10" mirror. But yeah, it gets amazing views. I have three eyepieces and a 2X magnifier, so it can zoom in a good bit. At full zoom Jupiter only stays in the frame for 20 seconds or so before you have to track over with it. Again, a motorized base would be so handy.
I would like to get some more powerful eyepieces yet to zoom in on deep sky objects better. And a moon filter, looking at the moon close up can be very bright, I sometimes wear my shades, lol.
PantherLotus
Professional Schmuck
horsehead nebula kicks ass.
BruiserBear
Banned
That is awesome! Thanks for posting.
WeAreStarStuff
Member
Isn't 300x about the highest useful magnification you can go regardless of your telescope? I think at anything higher and you pick up too much interference from the atmosphere/heat. I'll occasionally look at the moon at 300x, but I prefer using around 150x or 180x.
Very impressive shot.
wolfmat
Confirmed Asshole
I think so, too. He had a cool YT video as well, but deleted that at some point.
Here's his telescope:
You can get much better deepsky sightings with a smaller magnification. The more "zoom" you have, the more light is getting lost and the darker objects vanish. Fun of deep sky watching is the indirect-seeing. Looking "around" the deepsky object and picking up details that way, and maybe painting it with a pencil at the same time. I need to find my paintings and scan it so I can post them if you guys are interested.
Btw. my best eyepiece (2" Nagler) cost more than the telescope itself. But it's so worth it to have great luminosity and edge definition.
WeAreStarStuff
Member
Yes this is true, I was commenting on the fact that he said he wanted more powerful zoom. I usually look at the deep sky objects at 36x and 90x.
Lucky Forward
Member
Another interesting fact is that Venus and Mercury, because they are closer to the sun than the Earth, show phases just like the moon does. Galileo was the first to notice this back in 1610.
WeAreStarStuff
Member
I think so, too. He had a cool YT video as well, but deleted that at some point.
Here's his telescope:
Do you know the size of his primary? I'm thinking 8" but it's hard to obtain a sense of scale.
wolfmat
Confirmed Asshole
I think he bought some stuff after that photo. He says he's using a "150/750 Newton". (He's not very verbose about it, hope that helps)
Annoying Old Party Man
Member
How much does this thing cost?
WeAreStarStuff
Member
Ah, focal ratio of 5; great for Nebula viewing.
Yep, looks like a 6" newton and a 70mm(?) refractor.
ThaneKrios
Banned
Of course we are, do it!
wolfmat
Confirmed Asshole
My answer is as good as Google's answer. I don't know shit about that stuff. I'm just fascinated by it.
Well, bring it.
Including a guided mount? ~1000$.
WeAreStarStuff
Member
Yeah the mounts can really kill you. You can get tubes farily cheap.
i serendipitously looked up why starts twinkle and planets don't the other day, so I'll drop some knowledge.
Stars obviously emit their own light, however because of their distance they are considered to be point sources of light. This light then acts like a single stream, and while passing through the earth atmosphere is slightly perturbed creating a twinkling effect.
Planets reflect light from the sun back to earth, and, though small to the naked eye, are close enough that they will appear as discs if magnified, hence they're not a point source. This means that there's 'enough' light passing through the atmosphere from the planet that the disturbances are cancelled out, and the planets seem to shine continuously with no twinkle.
Stars obviously emit their own light, however because of their distance they are considered to be point sources of light. This light then acts like a single stream, and while passing through the earth atmosphere is slightly perturbed creating a twinkling effect.
Planets reflect light from the sun back to earth, and, though small to the naked eye, are close enough that they will appear as discs if magnified, hence they're not a point source. This means that there's 'enough' light passing through the atmosphere from the planet that the disturbances are cancelled out, and the planets seem to shine continuously with no twinkle.
I can't wait to start stargazing when I get the money saved up. I already know quite a bit about lenses and telescopes thanks to Astronomy/Physics classes, I'm just not sure which types of telescopes and lens/mirror sizes are best for which type of viewing so I'm going to do a little more research before I commit to a purchase. Apart from that, the only other problem would be finding a suitably dark place to set up but then I'll be good to go.
Mengy
wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
WOW! My telescope sells for much less than what I paid for it a decade ago:
Orion SkyQuest XT10 Dobsonian
It's only $549 now, I paid $1000 for it ten years ago! Have telescopes in general come down in price alot in the past couple of years?
Orion SkyQuest XT10 Dobsonian
It's only $549 now, I paid $1000 for it ten years ago! Have telescopes in general come down in price alot in the past couple of years?
Fine Ham Abounds
Member
Another interesting fact is that Venus and Mercury, because they are closer to the sun than the Earth, show phases just like the moon does. Galileo was the first to notice this back in 1610.
One of my favorite experiences as a child was the first time I looked at Venus through my Dad's binoculars and noticed it had a phase.
My biggest disappointment as a child was probably seeing the shittiest view of Halley's Comet in like 500 years or something. I might live long enough to see it again, but I'd have to get pretty lucky.
ThaneKrios
Banned
200,000 galaxies in one picture:
Amazing. Anyway, new findings about Mercury, seems like we just keep on learning about the local planets even when it all seems to be 'known'.
Mercury has been 'dynamic world'
Mercury Surprises: Tiny Planet Has Strange Innards and Active Past
Great reads.
ThaneKrios
Banned
Life and the seas of Europa: http://blog.eag.eu.com/new-worlds-new-perspectives/life-seas-europe/
Does your buddy have a blog or something that he would like to share with us?
wolfmat
Confirmed Asshole
None that I know of, but I just asked him. I'll keep you in the loop regarding that.
wolfmat
Confirmed Asshole
Good news, everyone! Here's that ominous YT video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbpXKqLlS8g Enjoy!
And he's saying he's gonna make a site once he gets around to it.
And he's saying he's gonna make a site once he gets around to it.
WeAreStarStuff
Member
This is fantastic! Thanks for posting; I can't wait to see what else he does. This really makes me want to by photo equipment for my telescope.
Didn't know where to post this so I figured this thread is as good as any.
2012 Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate: Faster Than the Speed of Light
I just started watching so I have no idea of the quality of the debate. I have seen about six of these and they're always interesting. It's moderated by Neil deGrasse Tyson and took place on March 20, 2012.
2012 Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate: Faster Than the Speed of Light
I just started watching so I have no idea of the quality of the debate. I have seen about six of these and they're always interesting. It's moderated by Neil deGrasse Tyson and took place on March 20, 2012.
Thanks.
I'm loving the Sagan Series, just watched the guys little TED talk, too. I'm waiting for him to release them for download though. Anyway, some cross-thread posting, thought it'd be relevant here too
Kubricks Ghost
Member
LOVE THAT FIRST GIF!
I've got the same one! I bought it a few years ago and I think I paid about the same price as it is now. Might have been a bit more, but not by much.
ThaneKrios
Banned
Cassini spotted an ocean in space: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2109837,00.html
Memphis Reigns
Member
For anyone interested, the Science channel is re-airing the first two episodes of their Alien Encounters series right now. It's an interesting take on how we would react and what the implications would be. It got me thinking that I just don't think it will ever happen. If I had a choice for anything to happen in my life it would be to be around when we make first contact. But I don't even think my great great great great great grand kids will be around. The cosmos is just too big and we are just too far from one another. I like to ponder the idea that maybe other beings have met each other while we still sit here in silence, but I'm not even sure the most advanced race out there has found anyone yet. I just feel that if life was meant to find other life, then either the universe would be much MUCH smaller, or maybe there would be no speed limits. But because of these limits, life may always think its alone. Maybe that's the way its supposed to be. I just don't know why.
Interview and article about Elon Musk's thoughts on Mars: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17439490 . I'm pretty skeptical about his claim of ~15 years until round trips to Mars are (sub-million-dollar) affordable, but hopefully he's got something to back that up.