GMG Classical Music Forum

We had a rather well-going topic in the old forum, so here's a chance to continue discussions here.

Which of our members are going to be in the path of today's solar eclipse? Paul, are you planning to visit the totality zone?  8)

Concerning Greece, the phenomenon can only be witnessed from certain areas, mainly from Macedonia as a partial (less than 5%) eclipse. The outer edge of the penumbral shadow will diagonally cross the country from the northwest (Epirus) to the southeast (Rhodes), which means Athens will be excluded from the meagre sight.

(http://www.astronomy.com/asy/objects/images/eclipse-path_0808.jpg)

The 2008 total solar eclipse (http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=7225)

They say in Romania it will be partial. Actually it is about to start and I'll report back on it.

Partial. I will try to get some shots (no filters, etc.) and post if it's a success.

Less than 30 minutes to go, but it's partially cloudy completely cloudy, and I hear thunder.

Update: Just at the nick of time, the clouds moved and I could see the Moon had taken a bite out of big ol' Sol. It was also drizzling, and I was wondering whether to look at the eclipse or look for a rainbow. ;D

But unfortunately I could not get a shot of the event. It was just too bright even for the fastest shutter speed and smallest aperture, in manual mode. :(

Sorry for the delay. It was indeed very partial, as only a small bit of the Sun was covered. Interesting to see, nevertheless.

Quote from: Florestan on August 03, 2008, 11:19:46 PM
It was indeed very partial, as only a small bit of the Sun was covered. Interesting to see, nevertheless.

Yes, Romania was crossed by the 20% line, so a +/-20% partial eclipse was to be expected. Better than here, though!  8)

opus67, you probably had the most rewarding view than most of us (30-40% partial?).  8)

Quote from: Wanderer on August 04, 2008, 12:30:54 AM
opus67, you probably had the most rewarding view than most of us (30-40% partial?).  8)

I guess so. I don't know the exact fraction of the solar disk that was covered, but I guesstimate it was around 30%.

Thanks for the revival of the thread Big W.  I will link this site that we use and find it very helpful each night.  Forget who posted it on the old forum, but many, many thanks to them.

http://www.stellarium.org/

IMO the neatest things that have happened recently (other than New Horizons finally being launched - annoyed that Neptune is not being visited, and won't be in even the medium future due to NASA being lame :x) is extrasolar planet discovery. Initially they were only discovering large gas planets, or... not so large ones, but then after 2006, rocky ones started to be discovered. The neat thing is that their sizes are up to 9x earth sized, and given that earth is the largest terrestrial planet in our solar system, these prove that the impression that gives of what is actually possible is quite misleading. There are gas giants that are smaller than these giant rocky planets, which is a bit of a mindfuck at first.

Quote from: Bogey on August 04, 2008, 07:47:41 AM
Thanks for the revival of the thread Big W.  I will link this site that we use and find it very helpful each night.  Forget who posted it on the old forum, but many, many thanks to them.

http://www.stellarium.org/ (http://www.stellarium.org/)

Arguably the best free planetarium software around
http://ap-i.net/skychart/index.php (http://ap-i.net/skychart/index.php) (available for Linux and Windows)

and for lunar cartography (it's amazing that this is available for free!)
http://ap-i.net/avl/en/start (http://ap-i.net/avl/en/start) (For Windoze only >:( )

Solar eclipse as seen from 27,000 ft above sea-level

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=04a_1217608584

(I don't know why I was not able to embed the video directly in the post.)

Looking forward to this:

Tests aboard NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander have identified water in a soil sample. Scientists are analyzing results from other samples and will hold a media teleconference at 2 p.m. EDT Tuesday.   http://www.nasa.gov/

I am glad to have found opus67 a fellow user of the magnificent CdC software. I suppose I shall also add my contribution by asking: how about the upcoming LUNAR eclipse on 16 August?

Quote from: Ciel_Rouge on August 08, 2008, 03:15:31 PM
I am glad to have found opus67 a fellow user of the magnificent CdC software.

I should have guessed, Ciel Rouge, but which planet (or a natural satellite, perhaps) is that with a red sky?  ;)

QuoteI suppose I shall also add my contribution by asking: how about the upcoming LUNAR eclipse on 16 August?

If it's not cloudy, you can expect pictures from me. :)

Quite possibly my favourite space explorer from recent history, Cassini has sent home pictures of the terrain of Enceladus, of the "Tiger Stripes," from a mere 50 Km from the surface.

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/events/enceladus20080811/index.cfm

Partial, but beautiful moon eclipse this evening  0:)

Quote from: orbital on August 16, 2008, 12:22:17 PM
Partial, but beautiful moon eclipse this evening  0:)

...in progress! Ideal conditions over here.  8)

Tonight's also August Full-Moon Night for many archaeological sites throughout Greece; they remain open to the public by moonlight. I usually take advantage of it by visiting nearby ancient Olympia, but tonight I opted to stay home to observe the eclipse in comfort.

Quote from: Wanderer on August 16, 2008, 12:40:26 PM
...in progress! Ideal conditions over here.  8)

Yes, over here as well. I think 80% eclipse right now.

I watched the moon partial eclipse in a hilly countryside. The conditions were excellent. Will post some pictures later.

A new map reveals a complicated outer halo in our galaxy.

(http://www.astronomy.com/asy/objects/images/mwhalo.jpg)

A theoretical model of a galaxy like the Milky Way, showing trails of stars torn from disrupted satellite galaxies that have merged with the central galaxy. The region shown is about 1 million light-years on a side; the Sun is just 25,000 light-years from the center of the galaxy and would appear close to the center of this picture. (http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=7298)

Today's APOD is, in my opinion, the photo that best describes what a lunar eclipse is all about.

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080820.html

It was full in Russia, all my friends saw it, but not me. :(

Quote from: opus67 on August 20, 2008, 06:57:58 AM
Today's APOD is, in my opinion, the photo that best describes what a lunar eclipse is all about.

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080820.html

An excellent composite photo. Ayiomamitis has also created some very impressive analemmas.



(http://www.astronomy.com/asy/objects/images/sq372_orbit.jpg)
A "minor planet" with the prosaic name 2006 SQ372 is just over 2 billion miles from Earth, a bit closer than the planet Neptune. But this lump of ice and rock is beginning the return leg of a 22,500-year journey that will take it to a distance of 150 billion miles, nearly 1,600 times the distance from the Earth to the Sun... (http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=7301)

Quote from: Wanderer on August 21, 2008, 12:07:22 AM
An excellent composite photo. Ayiomamitis has also created some very impressive analemmas.

True. The landscape he chooses makes those pictures look even better.

(http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/images/nlc/iss017e011632_strip.jpg)

Amazing! NLCs, as photographed by astronauts aboard the ISS.

Article (http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/25aug_nlc.htm)

Time to dust off the astronomy thread. On January 26 parts of Australia, India and the southern part of Africa will get a partial eclipse of the Sun while Indonesia will get a nice annular eclipse, meaning a "ring of fire" in the sky. Any plans on observing?

Most likely. I will have a (camera-only) photograph or two assuming local weather cooperates.

If you live on the west coast of North America, and if you go out and look at the young moon, the closest and the brightest star to it is....... Venus! :D

Quote from: Sarastro on January 29, 2009, 07:41:19 PM
If you live on the west coast of North America, and if you go out and look at the young moon, the closest and the brightest star to it is....... Venus! :D

Caught it as well.  Very nice.

I came in here today with half a mind to bump the astronomy thread, but there was no need to search for it after all. 8)

Two stories:
The jets and lobes emanating from Centaurus A's (NGC 5128) central black hole have been imaged at sub-millimeter wavelengths for the first time. (http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=7873)
(http://www.astronomy.com/asy/image.ashx?img=ngc5128.jpg&w=250) (http://www.astronomy.com/asy/objects/images/ngc5128.jpg)
(click on picture for bigger image)

Observing the intense heating of an extrasolar planet as it swung close to its parent star, recently provided astronomers important clues to its atmospheric properties. (http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=7870)
(http://www.astronomy.com/asy/image.ashx?img=exoplanet_temp_485.jpg&w=250)
(that's an artist's concept, not an actual photo; technology isn't quite there yet:-)


As for Venus, it'll continue dazzling us, standing high above the western horizon all February and shining at a staggering -4.6 magnitude (that's 20 times brighter than Sirius, the brightest star in our sky). It'll appear brighter in mid-February than at any other time this year and there will be another close encounter (less than 2 degrees) between the planet and a slender crescent Moon on February 27.  8)

The pair of Venus and third or fourth day crescent is one of the most beautiful sights - ever! The two were so bright (today) that I could easily spot them while walking back home, some 20-30 minutes before sunset.

Or if you stay up late, try Saturn. The rings are close to edge-on right now but that makes it easier to see the moons closer to the planet.

And if you have to get up early (north hemisphere) or hang around close to midnight (southern hemisphere), try locating Comet Lulin. It is currently mag 7 in Libra and getting brighter and higher. It will be close to Spica by mid-February. Here you can see amateur photos that have already been take around the world:

http://spaceweather.com/comets/gallery_lulin_page2.htm?PHPSESSID=knlukidaid012nta1nh5la4bf7

Another visitor to our neighbourhood during the next month will be Ceres, once the largest asteroid, but now, technically, the smallest dwarf planet in the solar system.

Here's a snippet from the astronomy.com newsletter I received today.

Quote
You may think this close approach will give you a chance to see Ceres without optical aid. You'd be right -- although not by much. At opposition, Ceres glows at magnitude 6.9 in a sparse starfield. Sharp-eyed observers under the darkest skies have seen objects this faint before. However, you'll have a better chance just 3 years from now. Ceres will then brighten to magnitude 6.7 thanks to the "opposition effect." The Sun-Earth-asteroid angle then will be closer to a straight line than during this month's slightly crooked arrangement. The better alignment in 2012 will increase Ceres' brightness more than the greater distance will decrease it.

It also says, and I'm paraphrasing, that this is closest approach since 1857 and also that it will not come as close for another thousand years!




Edited some really bad typos.

    Ceres! I seem to remember from childhood that it's 480 mi. across. It's more like 590 mi.

    (http://www.somewhereville.com/gnw/tas/ceres.jpg)

    Wanderer, that's a great picture of the jets.

Patrick Chevalley has just released beta 0.1.6 of the upcoming version 3 of what is, in my humble opinion, the best freely available planetarium software - Cartes du Ciel.

http://www.ap-i.net/skychart/en/news/version_3_beta_0.1.6

I actually received an update a couple of days ago through the Ubuntu repository, even before the website was updated with the information about the new version.

The first lunar eclipse of 2009. I took this shot about half an hour ago. Maximum eclipse occurred at 14:38 UT (20:08 IST)... this was a few minutes before that. This was a penumbral eclipse, the kind in which parts of the Moon passes through the region between complete shadow/darkness and complete light. The portion eclipsed here is to the bottom left of the lunar disc. You can read more about lunar eclipses here (http://www.mreclipse.com/Special/LEprimer.html).

Hi opus67,

A very decent penumbral lunar eclipse you have there. What kind of equipment did you use? A snapshot camera, a mobile phone?

By the way - Comet Lulin reached naked eye visibility:

http://spaceweather.com/comets/gallery_lulin_page7.htm?PHPSESSID=tud6aeipqm7pkl9f4gg90h4dj2

Thanks, Ciel_Rouge. I used my Canon PowerShot S3 IS. Taken at full optical zoom (432mm) and cropped.

Quote from: opus67 on February 09, 2009, 06:16:29 AM

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3319/3266888148_9b6cb02eb8.jpg)

The first lunar eclipse of 2009. I took this shot about half an hour ago. Maximum eclipse occurred at 14:38 UT (20:08 IST)... this was a few minutes before that. This was a penumbral eclipse, the kind in which parts of the Moon passes through the region between complete shadow/darkness and complete light. The portion eclipsed here is to the bottom left of the lunar disc. You can read more about lunar eclipses here (http://www.mreclipse.com/Special/LEprimer.html).

That's a really beautiful shot. Thanks for sharing!  :)

I bought myself a 300mm zoom lens for my Canon SLR and I am just dying to get out somewhere remote to take moon photos. I'm also really keen to take some long exposure star trails. But living in central Edinburgh all I can see of the sky is that awful orange glow.

Quote from: Episode VI: Return of the Mog on February 09, 2009, 02:46:13 PM
That's a really beautiful shot. Thanks for sharing!  :)

Thank you! :)

QuoteI bought myself a 300mm zoom lens for my Canon SLR and I am just dying to get out somewhere remote to take moon photos. I'm also really keen to take some long exposure star trails. But living in central Edinburgh all I can see of the sky is that awful orange glow.

The good thing about the Moon is that all that LP won't affect it all. As for other things astronomical, I know how it feels to be interested in the stars (the real, hydrogen-consuming, charged-particles-wind-blasting ones!) and being stuck inside a city. :(



P.S.: Check Flickr Mail. :)

Thanks for that Moonshot Opus.  I wrote books on Astronomy until I was 14 years old and became convinced I should be an Astronomer and not a Cellist.  Alas I became neither.
Just thought I would show you my new desktop.

Quote from: mahler10th on February 10, 2009, 09:21:49 AM
Thanks for that Moonshot Opus.

You're welcome. :)

QuoteI wrote books on Astronomy until I was 14 years old and became convinced I should be an Astronomer and not a Cellist.  Alas I became neither.

That was about the age I began reading popular science books, not very long ago. A book filled with such amazing pictures of "Stars, Galaxies and Nebulae," by David Malin, and the ever-famous A Brief History of Time. And that's when the debate started between becoming a pure theoretical physicist and an astrophysicist, and I became neither, though I had my shot.

What were your books about? Observing or the physics?

Quote
Just thought I would show you my new desktop.

That, sir, and a request for the photo to appear in Wikipedia have made by evening. 0:)

I had a collection of old Astronomy books and a pair of WWII field binoculars which gave me a good view of the moon, a disc sighting of Venus, and not much else.  The little books I was writing included "Astronomy for beginners", "The Planets" and other things...they were not at all about the physics, which I got interested in later.  My books were so good my Mum wrote introductions to them.  lol   ;D
But this was BEFORE the rings of Uranus were discovered in 1977, which caused quite a stir!

Astonomy, Cosmology and Astrophysics still interest me to this day. 
Re your Moonshot, I am not at all surprised it should be included in Wikipedia for more public viewing.

Quote from: mahler10th on February 10, 2009, 09:49:45 AM
I had a collection of old Astronomy books and a pair of WWII field binoculars which gave me a good view of the moon, a disc sighting of Venus, and not much else.  The little books I was writing included "Astronomy for beginners", "The Planets" and other things...they were not at all about the physics, which I got interested in later.  My books were so good my Mum wrote introductions to them.  lol   ;D

That sounds like a project that could taken up again this year. ;) (Look at sig.)

Quote from: opus67 on February 07, 2009, 06:04:57 AM
Patrick Chevalley has just released beta 0.1.6 of the upcoming version 3 of what is, in my humble opinion, the best freely available planetarium software - Cartes du Ciel.
http://www.ap-i.net/skychart/en/news/version_3_beta_0.1.6
I actually received an update a couple of days ago through the Ubuntu repository, even before the website was updated with the information about the new version.

Just downloaded this software and it's databases.  If all this kind of fabulous stuff was out when I was younger I don't think I would have looked back.  This is excellent software indeed.

If you like it, you might also want to try THIS:

http://stellarium.org/

Herschel and Planck are set for the trip to the launchpad (http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMI0D05VQF_index_0.html). I'm particularly excited about Planck and how it might (or might not) revise our understanding of the CMB and hence the early universe.

Incidentally, the namesake of the other telescope, William Herschel, was also a classical-era composer. I first came to know about him, including the fact that he was musician prior to becoming a nebula-spotter extraordinaire, in a book about the last three planets - which by today's terminology would be the last two planets and the second-largest dwarf planet. (Herschel discovered the planet Uranus.) But back then, I wasn't into any type of music. Now, searching online, I find a CD of his music in the Contemporaries of Mozart series from Chandos. Has anyone listened to his works?

Click here for more information and image options (http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2009/tycho/)

Comet Lulin is currently sitting next to Saturn, and just at the edge of naked-eye visibility (from reasonably dark skies). I'm going to try and get some pictures after the Brahms is over.

Quote from: opus67 on February 19, 2009, 06:09:00 AM

Awesomeness Alert

(http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2009/tycho/tycho_420.jpg)

This composite image of the Tycho supernova remnant combines X-ray and infrared observations obtained with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and Spitzer Space Telescope, respectively, and the Calar Alto observatory, Spain. It shows the scene more than four centuries after the brilliant star explosion witnessed by Tycho Brahe and other astronomers of that era.

Click here for more information and image options (http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2009/tycho/)

That's a beauty all right! Looks like a halved passion fruit.

(though I feel there is something perverse about squashing something that huge into a 4x4cm picture!)

Quote from: Mog: 100% replicant on February 24, 2009, 08:10:35 AM
(though I feel there is something perverse about squashing something that huge into a 4x4cm picture!)

There's a 11MB file that you can download to poster your wall, if you wish. ;)


As for Lulin, I wasn't lucky. I tried 15s ISO 800 at F3.2 (max. shutter with any zoom), essentially the maximum light gathering capacity of my camera, and I couldn't notice anything even slightly resembling a green comet. :(

Science rocks! (http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/38129)

Nothing has been confirmed as yet, but still, when I read about so many aspects (branches) of science come together it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.  0:)

Quote from: opus67 on March 14, 2009, 10:27:15 AM
Science rocks! (http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/38129)
Nothing has been confirmed as yet, but still, when I read about so many aspects (branches) of science come together it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.  0:)

Yes.  Science is ALWAYS progress.  I love everything about it too.
The science of Astronomy can sometimes tell us more about our past than the planet we live on.

An interesting read.

Galileo's Anagrams and the Moons of Mars (http://www.mathpages.com/home/kmath151.htm) (Oh, and Kepler, too!)

Quote from: John on February 10, 2009, 09:21:49 AM
Thanks for that Moonshot Opus.  I wrote books on Astronomy until I was 14 years old and became convinced I should be an Astronomer and not a Cellist.  Alas I became neither.
Just thought I would show you my new desktop.

How did you manage to squash the moon like that?

Quote from: nut-job on March 16, 2009, 10:15:26 AM
How did you manage to squash the moon like that?

It squashed itself when I set it as a background.  I was happy with it. 

Quote from: John on March 16, 2009, 10:52:41 AM
It squashed itself when I set it as a background.  I was happy with it. 

That's because you asked your computer to stretch the picture to fit.

To wonderful clips I found at SpaceWeather.com, today

Exhibit 1: The ISS, sporting the latest and last set of solar panels, as seen and recorded with a 5-inch telescope.

Quote
Dirk Ewers of Germany also photographed the new wings. "I caught them only one hour deployment," he says. "It is a great addition to the station - not only for the power, but also for viewers on Earth." The movie he made using a 5-inch telescope is a must-see.

ISS Clip (http://spaceweather.com/swpod2009/21mar09/ewers2.avi?PHPSESSID=ohn1t02offrsqqgtpojfc2hof4) [Direct link]

Exhibit 2: This one is super awesome!

QuoteImagine looking up at noon and seeing a planet with four moons just 0.1 degrees from the edge of the blinding sun. Impossible? NASA's STEREO-B spacecraft did it this week.

During the 30-hour movie, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto circle Jupiter as a massive CME billows overhead. STEREO-B recorded the action on March 15th and 16th using an occulting disk to block the solar glare. This arrangment allowed STEREO's cameras to photograph moons of Jupiter eight thousand billion (8x1012) times dimmer than the adjacent sun.

STEREO's coronagraph (occulting disk+camera) is designed to monitor faint but powerful activity in the sun's outer atmosphere. The CME is a good example. With a limiting magnitude of +6.5, it can also see stars, planets, moons and comets so close to the edge of the sun, it seems impossible. In fact, it happens all the time. Browse the STEREO gallery for examples.

(http://spaceweather.com/swpod2009/20mar09/JupiterCOR1zm_strip.jpg)

Clip (http://spaceweather.com/swpod2009/20mar09/SaturnCOR1zm_lo.mov?PHPSESSID=ohn1t02offrsqqgtpojfc2hof4) [Direct link to Quick Time Movie file]

This is from last night.

The Sisterhood

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3539/3401594561_b0c5096031.jpg)

And this is the description that accompanies the pic.

QuoteI had just about enough time to get a few shots of conjunction of the Moon and the Pleiades.

The Pleiades star cluster is an open cluster: young, irregularly placed - that is, as seen from the Earth - group of the stars that were all formed in the same region of space (from the same molecular cloud, to be precise) and are gravitationally bound together, though not as tight as a globular cluster.

The Pleiades, or M45, gets its name from Greek Mythology. The seven stars that are usually easily seen with naked eyes were considered to be the seven daughters of Atlas.

In India, we call this Krithika or Karthigai.
It's in the constellation of Taurus ((V)Rishabam).

During an occultation such as this one, the stars slowly "approach" the moon, and as they reach the limb, they start to "blink" for a little time, i.e., they pass behind the mountains and other irregularities on the Moon, and then are hidden for a while. Sometime later, they emerge from the opposite end.

Since I had quite a lot of work to do yesterday, I couldn't stay and enjoy the whole show, sadly. :(

Have you found any other life out there yet?

(http://files.turbosquid.com/Preview/Content_on_9_14_2004_15_44_09/martian.jpg3f7c99f3-763a-4711-807d-fb1a22d4765dLarge.jpg)

Quote from: Mn Dave on March 31, 2009, 10:56:32 AM
Have you found any other life out there yet?

Life... um, that's difficult to say. But squishy green/grey beings in scuba gear? Nope. ;D

Quote from: Mn Dave on March 31, 2009, 10:56:32 AM
(http://files.turbosquid.com/Preview/Content_on_9_14_2004_15_44_09/martian.jpg3f7c99f3-763a-4711-807d-fb1a22d4765dLarge.jpg)

Facelifts - mankind's gift to the universe.

Quote from: Benji on March 31, 2009, 11:20:45 AM
Facelifts - mankind's gift to the universe.

A couple of blobs: That is a clip of one of the Jovian satellites eclipsing another one of its kind. And it was all captured by an amateur astronomer from his backyard! That's Europa -- which is one of the most likely places where we could find life beyond the Earth in the solar system -- and Ganymede, the largest among the natural satellites of the Solar System

[Source (http://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=10&month=05&year=2009)]

Quote from: opus67 on February 19, 2009, 06:09:00 AM

Awesomeness Alert

(http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2009/tycho/tycho_420.jpg)

This composite image of the Tycho supernova remnant combines X-ray and infrared observations obtained with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and Spitzer Space Telescope, respectively, and the Calar Alto observatory, Spain. It shows the scene more than four centuries after the brilliant star explosion witnessed by Tycho Brahe and other astronomers of that era.

Click here for more information and image options (http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2009/tycho/)

Obviously these images are put into the visible spectrum from the xrays and whatever other wavelengths they are spewing out, bu do we have any idea of the real colours these exhibit in the visible spectrum? i.e. is this like a picture of a dinosaur where an artist has had to interpret or invent the colours?

Quote from: Guido on May 13, 2009, 02:17:16 AM
Obviously these images are put into the visible spectrum from the xrays and whatever other wavelengths they are spewing out, bu do we have any idea of the real colours these exhibit in the visible spectrum? i.e. is this like a picture of a dinosaur where an artist has had to interpret or invent the colours?

Hubble's website has a very good section on how the team processes images by taken by the telescope, which are actually taken in grayscale. http://hubblesite.org/gallery/behind_the_pictures/meaning_of_color/index.php

Of course, if we were to use only our human eyes to view an extended object such as a nebula or a galaxy up close, it would appear pretty dull, since all all the (visible) light emitted is spread across a large area. Here's the Bad Astronomer talking about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/utbZkesp81M

Two of the most exciting missions of recent years lifted off, today. Herschel, out to look at the universe at infra-red wavelengths, and Planck, which will study the cosmic microwave background (http://www.astro.ubc.ca/people/scott/cmb_intro.html) with better accuracy than previous missions, rode aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou in French Guiana.

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMK2AZVNUF_index_0.html

QuotePlanck, which will study the cosmic microwave background with better accuracy than previous missions.

Hopefully the well named Planck will show something more exciting going on in the background.
Exciting stuff.
:D

The Hubble repair mission on The Big Picture (http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/05/hubbles_final_servicing_missio.html).

Whats happening with sunspots this cycle?
There are only a few dots, not the great black oceans like there were not so long ago.

Quote from: John on June 05, 2009, 04:05:59 AM
Whats happening with sunspots this cycle?

It definitely is a weird one. They seem to be hidin' in the Year of Haydn. ;D Actually, one just made it to the news (space news, that is) because it was one of the more "noticeable" spots in a long time ever since cycle 24 began. (AR 11019) [Oxymoron alert] And a recent press release from NASA (http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/29may_noaaprediction.htm) states that this cycle's maximum, which they predict will occur in May 2013, will be one of the lowest on record.

QuoteThere are only a few dots, not the great black oceans like there were not so long ago.

Oh, I remember those monsters of late 2003 very well. I used to follow the activity at SOHO's website with their near real-time data: that was exciting!

As regards number and size -- and I could be wrong here -- I do not think there is a correlation between the number (the point in the cycle) and the size of the sunspots. We could be near the low yet witness a 'spot capable of an X-class flare. At least that's what I remember reading somewhere. I shall need to verify this. 

Sun.  Near spotless.  Today (in B&W).
This is grim.  Changes of this magnitude could also spell an extremely hot period of Earth time to come.  No-one seems to take sunspots into account when assessing Global environment.
Or, even more disturbing, solar flares!

Quote from: John on June 05, 2009, 07:55:25 AM
Sun.  Near spotless.  Today (in B&W).
This is grim.

Why?

Solar Flares

Quote from: opus67 on June 05, 2009, 08:02:59 AM
Why?

Er...  :-\ ...I got my science mixed up.  There is nothing grim about it.  In fact, no sunspots are welcome...a safer world!!  Or is it?  No spots = higher heat radiation.   >:D
It's just our poor solar Goddess up there looks a bit naked without a few humungous spots scattered across her girth.

Quote from: John on June 05, 2009, 12:16:28 PM
It's just our poor solar Goddess up there looks a bit naked without a few humungous spots scattered across her girth.

Are you an Amazon? ;D ;) I don't think I have ever come across a culture which personified the Sun as female.

Quote from: John on June 05, 2009, 04:05:59 AM
Whats happening with sunspots this cycle?

A possible answer (http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/17jun_jetstream.htm), perhaps?

Interesting that astronomy and music often come up together- I used to be in the local astro society and their were some serious listeners to meet there occasionally: the connection is that the universe has aesthetic great character; the most beautiful object still being Saturn, when the rings are open- such stillness, remoteness and understated cloud bands, the bringer of old age indeed.

Quote from: Sean on June 17, 2009, 12:15:12 PM
Interesting that astronomy and music often come up together

Let's fondly remember Johannes Kepler, for his contribution to the music of the spheres. I forget the details, but I believe that in between wanting to prove that the orbits of the planets were determined by the geometrical properties of nested perfect solids (and failing), and not wanting to prove that they travelled in elliptical orbits (but succeeding - such is life), he managed to use the laws of musical harmony to predict their mean orbital radii with remarkable precision - within 1 or 2% or something, unless my memory completely fails me.

Sure thing. This science stuff never did us any good anyway.

Wasn't it Brahe though (or whatever his name was) who was the conservative character?

Quote from: Sean on June 17, 2009, 12:37:31 PM
Wasn't it Brahe though (or whatever his name was) who was the conservative character?

Yes. He (Tycho Brahe) was the guy who could make all the measurements of planetary movement that Kepler needed.

I remember a book by Fred Hoyle (the cosmologist) from many years ago, in which he resurrected Kepler's work on the planetary orbital harmony business and asked 'how did he manage to get this to work so well?' I don't know if anyone ever came up with an answer.

I recommend Langgaard's Music of the spheres, if this hasn't been covered- not great music but appropriately peculiar (alongside the Joseph Strauss I guess).

Quote from: Sean on June 17, 2009, 12:37:31 PM
This science stuff never did us any good anyway.

Except allowing you to embark at Heathrow and arrive safe and sound in Thailand a few hours later; or curing you after you come back, in case you tasted a little too much of the local delights; or allowing you to rant on internet forums...

Hey... I don't go to Thailand.

Hey John! :)

Quote
RESURGENT SUNSPOT: Yesterday, sunspot 1024 took the day off; the fast-growing active region stopped growing and even decayed a little. Today, the sunspot is growing again. It now measures 125,000 km from end to end, almost as wide as the planet Jupiter. This 3-day movie from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) shows recent developments:

(http://spaceweather.com/images2009/08jul09/1024_strip.gif)

The size of the spot makes it a fine target for backyard solar telescopes. And it is worth watching. Sunspot 1024 is the first big sunspot of new Solar Cycle 24, and it is crackling with minor but photogenic B-class flares. By itself, this one active region won't bring an end to the deepest solar minimum in a century, but it does show that the sun's magnetic dynamo is still working--a fact some had begun to doubt. More sunspots are coming, so stay tuned

It's lovely to watch the changing 'spots again.

More pictures from Earth-bound amateurs can be viewed at spaceweather.com

Quote from: opus106 on July 08, 2009, 07:09:01 AM
Hey John! :)

It's lovely to watch the changing 'spots again.

More pictures from Earth-bound amateurs can be viewed at spaceweather.com

Fantastic.  Thanks for that.  Now I can stop looking through my binoculars to spot them... Damned interesting things...

QuoteIt now measures 125,000 km from end to end, almost as wide as the planet Jupiter.

I know.  I've been looking at them...

:D

Quote from: John on July 09, 2009, 08:50:57 AM
Now I can stop looking through my binoculars to spot them...

Incidentally, a big no-no under any circumstances.  $:)

(for the benefit of those not aware that the quote was meant in jest:-)

QuoteScientists have found evidence that another object has bombarded Jupiter, exactly 15 years after the first impacts by the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.

Following up on a tip by an amateur astronomer, Anthony Wesley of Australia, that a new dark "scar" had suddenly appeared on Jupiter, this morning between 3 and 9 a.m. PDT (6 a.m. and noon EDT) scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., using NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility at the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, gathered evidence indicating an impact.

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/jup-20090720.html

Quote from: opus106 on July 21, 2009, 07:53:06 AM
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/jup-20090720.html

Thanks for keeping us informed of things like this opus.
Jupiter is taking a real pounding over the years.
I wonder how this will upset the balance of our big, jovial, red eyed brother - and what changes we'll see this time...

Yeah, how cool was that?!! Amateur astronomers rock!

Anyone here where the upcoming solar eclipse is visible?

A shadow as wide as the U.S. of A. (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/08/10/more-saturn-ring-awesomeness/)

Quote from: owlice on July 21, 2009, 01:20:05 PM
Anyone here where the upcoming solar eclipse is visible?

Hi, Owlice, I'm sorry I missed this post. Even though the central line began in my neck of the woods (considering the whole globe), my location witnessed only a partial eclipse. I did not bother getting up early as all the signs of a clear sky on that particular morning were unfavourable. But those who did manage to go to the planetarium in the wee hours said it cleared up a little towards to the end. I did, however, wake up early enough to catch the news channel broadcasting images from various points along the line of totality. :)

A day late, but whatever...


Four hundred years ago tonight, a man from Pisa, Italy took a newly-made telescope with a magnifying power of 33X, pointed it at one of the brighter lights in the sky, and changed mankind forever. (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/01/07/the-galilean-revolution-400-years-later)

THIS SHOULD BE CELEBRATED!! 
Someone please rustle up a quick tour de force String Quartet called "Four Fixed Stars"...or ressurect Hovhaness and have him do it.  :-*

Bump ;D

Some beautiful star and planet gazing tonight.  We have, I believe, Mars looking very nice.

Quote from: Bogey on March 13, 2012, 06:03:18 PM
Bump ;D

Some beautiful star and planet gazing tonight.  We have, I believe, Mars looking very nice.

This is what I've been seeing in the early evening the past few nights.

     They're insanely bright, too.

Quote from: Bogey on March 13, 2012, 06:03:18 PM
Bump ;D

Some beautiful star and planet gazing tonight.  We have, I believe, Mars looking very nice.

It isn't too late to miss the Venus-Jupiter conjunction.

A few weeks ago, 7 of the brightest objects in the night sky appeared at a single time, and I caught most of them. From my vantage point, Mars was comparatively lower in the sky and hidden behind trees, but Mercury, Venus, Moon, Jupiter, Sirius and Canopus were easy pickings. I was out with my nephew, and we even saw a cloud of flying foxes (large fruit bats) flying over us getting ready for the night, their silhouettes starkly contransting against the blue of the twilight sky.

We've had one cloudy evening after another, these last few days. I keep popping outside each evening to see if there's a break, but no. It begins to look as though I'm not going to see them at their closest - such a shame. It was an impressive sight even a week ago.

Quote from: Szykneij on March 13, 2012, 06:41:37 PM
This is what I've been seeing in the early evening the past few nights.

Kids and I went out a few times to check these two....awesome.

Jupiter and Venus were easy to see over.  Anyone with an iphone/ipod/ipad check out the skysafari app to help your stargazing (unless you're a pro).

Quote from: DavidW on March 14, 2012, 05:06:01 AM
(unless you're a pro).

I'd say an 'am', rather. ;) I somehow guess that amateur astronomers know their way around the sky better than most professionals do. ;D

Just went outside and saw the duo; lovely sight. Not as lovely as the ever-beautiful third/fourth-day crescent and Venus, but for a relatively rare event, it was wonderful to watch.

I don't have a good view of the east from my house. Too many obstructions. I think I might take a walk tonight after dark and try to check out Mars.

My students got excited about stargazing with smartphone app... and one hunted down one that shows you the names by simply pointing your phone in that direction... very cool.

Quote from: DavidW on March 14, 2012, 02:44:53 PM
My students got excited about stargazing with smartphone app... and one hunted down one that shows you the names by simply pointing your phone in that direction... very cool.

Yes, I have seen that.  Thats the end of star charts.   :(

Quote from: Scots John on March 14, 2012, 02:48:50 PM
Yes, I have seen that.  Thats the end of star charts.   :(

With gps devices and smartphones acting as such we're also at the end of people being able to read maps!

Cloudy skies? Go here (http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=27721) and feast your eyes, and when you're done there, go here (http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=27475) and feast some more!

Jupiter and Venus are in the west, and very obvious after the sun has set. When they are on/have sunk below the horizon, Mars is high, eastern and not overhead, but should be in the clear until you're standing in the woods, and it's easy to spot with its noticeably golden/orange color. It's just past opposition, so is also quite bright (but not nearly so bright as Venus and Jupiter).

Jupiter and Venus are in the west
And very obvious after the sun has set
When they are on
Or have sunk below the horizon
Mars is high, eastern and not overhead

That's how I (involuntarily) read your post. ;D

We've had a cloudy (and cold) week here, but whenever the sky has been clear, I've been observing the celestial pas de deux between Venus and Jupiter (briefly a pas de trois, with Mercury joining the party) with much interest. Earlier in the month, the waxing moon was also a nice addition to the Venus/Jupiter duo, but now it's even better as the planets are in their closest and not antagonized by Selene's glare.
Last week, I even tracked a bright ISS traversing the Athenian early evening sky, in its trajectory almost colliding with Sirius.
Mars (in its brightest) - as already noted -  and Saturn are also visible; for those staying up late, there's also a nice chance to juxtapose Mars (Ares) with Scorpio's Antares rising in the east (with the addition of a beautiful waning moon). Yes, it's been a good month.  8)

Quote from: Opus106 on March 15, 2012, 08:33:08 PM
Jupiter and Venus are in the west
And very obvious after the sun has set
When they are on
Or have sunk below the horizon
Mars is high, eastern and not overhead

That's how I (involuntarily) read your post. ;D

Navneeth!! Oh, that's funny! Thanks for that; what a.... well, hoot!  :D

Wanderer, a good month indeed for observing! We had clouds last night and likely will again tonight, but the rest of the month has been mostly clear and lovely.

Our family is at the very bottom rung of the amateur level....but we still love looking up and being totally mesmerized by whar we see.  Keep posting with hints here, folks.  They'll be read at our end.

Quote from: Bogey on March 17, 2012, 05:57:22 AM
[W]e love looking up and being totally mesmerized by whar we see.  Keep posting with hints here, folks.  They'll be read at our end.

That's very nice to hear, Bill. :) May I suggest satellite tracking, which I'm sure will add a little more excitement since it involves easily spotted, bright objects on the move occasionally containing humans inside, hundreds of kilometres above the Earth. The ISS is the easiest to see since the pass usually lasts for minutes at a time, and almost spans from one horizon to another. And in the past few years, thanks to the addition of the last modules and solar panels, has been surpassing Venus in brightness sometimes.

Just enter you co-ordinates at Heavens Above (http://heavens-above.com/) and look out for daily and list of weekly passes. The more accurate your location, the better, since in some cases (esp. Iridum flares) a difference of a couple of 100m could mean the difference a "meh" and a "woah!". :)

Quote from: owlice on March 16, 2012, 04:34:06 AM
Navneeth!! Oh, that's funny! Thanks for that; what a.... well, hoot!  :D

Speaking of hoots, our house was visited by a barn owl (or what looked like one) today! That's the first time I've seen one out in the "wild" (a concrete jungle is also wild, isn't it?). The resident avian overlords (crows) made sure it felt unwelcome and drove it away, one of them even colliding with it mid-air during the chase.

I bought a 10-inch Orion telescope last year, but my neighborhood has too much light pollution to really put it through its paces. One of these days I'll haul it up to the mountains where it's darker and above the air pollution line.  I now wish I had bought one with some sort of guidance system--trying to find deep space objects by hand is a pain!

(http://astro101.org/img/dobsonian10.jpg)

Quote from: Opus106 on March 17, 2012, 07:45:36 AM

Speaking of hoots, our house was visited by a barn owl (or what looked like one) today! That's the first time I've seen one out in the "wild" (a concrete jungle is also wild, isn't it?).

oh ... oh, Navneeth. Stars, planets, space travelers, owl outside your window. Sounds like a fourth kind encounter to me. You haven't visited Alaska lately, have you?

Quote from: Toccata&Fugue on March 17, 2012, 01:07:00 PM
I bought a 10-inch Orion telescope last year, but my neighborhood has too much light pollution to really put it through its paces. One of these days I'll haul it up to the mountains where it's darker and above the air pollution line.  I now wish I had bought one with some sort of guidance system--trying to find deep space objects by hand is a pain!

(http://astro101.org/img/dobsonian10.jpg)

Which mountains are near?

Quote from: Opus106 on March 17, 2012, 07:45:36 AM
That's very nice to hear, Bill. :) May I suggest satellite tracking, which I'm sure will add a little more excitement since it involves easily spotted, bright objects on the move occasionally containing humans inside, hundreds of kilometres above the Earth. The ISS is the easiest to see since the pass usually lasts for minutes at a time, and almost spans from one horizon to another. And in the past few years, thanks to the addition of the last modules and solar panels, has been surpassing Venus in brightness sometimes.

Just enter you co-ordinates at Heavens Above (http://heavens-above.com/) and look out for daily and list of weekly passes. The more accurate your location, the better, since in some cases (esp. Iridum flares) a difference of a couple of 100m could mean the difference a "meh" and a "woah!". :)

I will have our lad do this.  Sounds like a perfect task for him....thanks!

Quote from: Toccata&Fugue on March 17, 2012, 01:07:00 PM
I bought a 10-inch Orion telescope last year, but my neighborhood has too much light pollution to really put it through its paces. One of these days I'll haul it up to the mountains where it's darker and above the air pollution line.  I now wish I had bought one with some sort of guidance system--trying to find deep space objects by hand is a pain!

Congrats on the purchase. If you ask me, finding these things by hand is half the fun of observational astronomy. I still remember the first time when out of the darkness, the Orion Nebula popped into view.

Quote from: Szykneij on March 17, 2012, 01:17:29 PM
oh ... oh, Navneeth. Stars, planets, space travelers, owl outside your window. Sounds like a fourth kind encounter to me. You haven't visited Alaska lately, have you?

;D No, I haven't.

Quote from: Bogey on March 17, 2012, 05:56:58 PM
Which mountains are near?

The Sierras in Northern CA. "Near" as in about 120 miles!

How close do you live to a Star Party, Bill? There's a new Supernova (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/03/19/breaking-possible-supernova-in-nearby-spiral-m95) (very likely) in town!

Blinding Mars! [From SpaceWeather (http://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=21&month=03&year=2012) ]

(http://spaceweather.com/images2012/21mar12/rednova_strip.jpg)

Current supernova (http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=27925)

Other (comparatively recent) supernovae (http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=27956)

Venus-Pleiades conjunction.

(http://spaceweather.com/images2012/03apr12/caught_strip.jpg)

[Source (http://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=03&month=04&year=2012)]

(http://spaceweather.com/submissions/pics/d/David-A-Harvey-IMG_6616ps2_web_1333430258_med.jpg)

[Source (http://spaceweather.com/submissions/large_image_popup.php?image_name=David-A-Harvey-IMG_6616ps2_web_1333430258.jpg)]

I just came back from taking a couple of snaps; without tracking but with all the lights (and the lack of patience on my part to sit with an image manipulation program), they're no good.

Who's up watching the transit?

I will upload my one and only photo (no filters! :() where Venus is visible, in a short while.

And here it is, in all its unprocessed glory.

(http://spaceweather.com/submissions/pics/n/Navneeth-Chandrasekaran-Venus_Transit_2012_1338947546.jpg)

That's beautifully captured, Navneeth.  Thanks for showing us.

Quote from: Elgarian on June 06, 2012, 12:41:23 AM
That's beautifully captured, Navneeth.  Thanks for showing us.

Thanks, Alan. And it's my pleasure to share it with you and others. :) Any luck in your neck of the woods with regard to sky conditions? :-\

Quote from: Opus106 on June 06, 2012, 01:17:17 AM
Thanks, Alan. And it's my pleasure to share it with you and others. :) Any luck in your neck of the woods with regard to sky conditions? :-\

Well, it's been perfect weather for studying the underside of dense cloud formations here! (When it stops raining of course.)

Quote from: Elgarian on June 06, 2012, 01:51:29 AM
Well, it's been perfect weather for studying the underside of dense cloud formations here! (When it stops raining of course.)

:(

;D

"Why do we (NASA, I suppose) waste so much money figuring this crap out? Interesting, yes...useful?......not so much...."

From a comment on this (http://thechive.com/2009/09/21/small-earth-big-universe/).

-_-

Quote from: Lethevich on June 06, 2012, 10:03:10 PM
"Why do we (NASA, I suppose) waste so much money figuring this crap out? Interesting, yes...useful?......not so much...."

From a comment on this (http://thechive.com/2009/09/21/small-earth-big-universe/).

-_-

What's it about? (Site blocked, due to "adult/mature content". :()

http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/15/16969092-hundreds-injured-as-meteor-fireball-screams-across-the-sky-in-russia?lite

Unbelievable!

Lotsa video links here (http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/02/15/breaking_huge_meteor_explodes_over_russia.html) and here (http://www.universetoday.com/99982/meteor-blasts-rock-russia/).

Quote from: Bogey on February 15, 2013, 05:50:59 AM
http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/15/16969092-hundreds-injured-as-meteor-fireball-screams-across-the-sky-in-russia?lite

Unbelievable!

Amazing, indeed! Thanks for sharing.

The power of cell phones.  Without that technology, doubt if anyone would have caught it on camera.

Quote from: Bogey on February 15, 2013, 06:32:19 AM
The power of cell phones.  Without that technology, doubt if anyone would have caught it on camera.

The large number of videos (which translates to a lot of data in helping find its path) is certainly due to the proliferation mobile/hand-held video cameras and cell-phones, but there have been many previous instances of "ordinary" fireballs which were caught on camera; e.g. by police dash and CCTV cams, and sometimes even by dedicated fireball-watching cams. The latter of course are fixed, but usually have the advantage of having a fish-eye lens. The Russian one made it to the news due to its sheer magnitude and after-effects, the likes of which are relatively rarer. And then there's the darling fireball/meteor train of every astronomy documentary -- the Peekskill (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peekskill_meteorite) Event (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2Tx_H6-foE) -- which happened before the mobile era. I have come across this earlier recording attributed to the sports culture in the US (Friday night high-school ('merican) football => lots of parents with video cameras). ;D

Well, just survived that near miss a bit ago. :D  They had a live feed from NASA on the radio.

Bright Venus and dim Mars stand right next to each other in the western sky tonight. A nice sight.

Quote from: Wanderer on February 18, 2015, 08:43:17 AM
Bright Venus and dim Mars stand right next to each other in the western sky tonight. A nice sight.

Thanks Wanderer! I have been watching Venus at dusk for a while now, but I did not know that Mars was lining up. I will treat the kids to a dual planet sky show tonight!  :) 

Quote from: Moonfish on February 18, 2015, 09:54:21 AM
Thanks Wanderer! I have been watching Venus at dusk for a while now, but I did not know that Mars was lining up. I will treat the kids to a dual planet sky show tonight!  :)

The Venus-Mars duo is joined tonight by a beautiful waxing crescent moon (a slender 3%).  8)

I have a theory that astronomy has an aesthetic and mysterious aspect, explaining the correlation between its enthusiasts and those of art music.

Quote from: Sean on February 21, 2015, 10:21:56 AM
I have a theory hypothesis that astronomy has an aesthetic and mysterious aspect, explaining the correlation between its enthusiasts and those of art music.

8)
Interesting hypothesis...

Nova in Sagittarius Is Brighter Than Ever - Catch It With The Naked Eye! (http://www.universetoday.com/119511/nova-in-sagittarius-brighter-than-ever-catch-it-with-the-naked-eye/)

And nearby, spot Saturn posing as a graceful addition to Scorpius.

A break in the clouds allowed me a brief view of the 85% (from the South Coast) eclipse visible from Britain on Friday. I enjoyed seeing it.

Although cloud cover was spotty (with splendid columns of light peeking through), we were not able to see the sun during peak eclipse (a meagre ~33% at our location). The nice excursion through springtime Attica to Cape Sounion and back, though, was its own reward.

I had clear sky and a very good view (about 75% or so in central Germany). Fortunately, I still had those foil "glasses" from 99 (although I missed that one because of clouds). It's probably the most impressive eclipse I have seen and unless I get rich I might not be able to top it.

It was cloudy almost all the time from where I was, but there was about a minute or two where the cloud parted just enough to get a couple of photos:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/Alan_/eclipse%20darker_zpsi6hu9bxm.jpg)

Quote from: Elgarian on March 22, 2015, 01:59:26 AM
It was cloudy almost all the time from where I was, but there was about a minute or two where the cloud parted just enough to get a couple of photos:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/Alan_/eclipse%20darker_zpsi6hu9bxm.jpg)

This was very much what I saw but through thin cloud. Great photo. The 1999 one was about 98% or 99% from where I was. Of course it was cloudy so I didn't see anything but the atmosphere was extraordinary and most noticeably the birds stopped singing in the middle of the day.

Great photo! I think that is a bit more cover than it was here; the crescent was not quite as narrow and while it got maybe a little chillier it was still quite bright.

Very effective here:

(http://blacklabelsociety.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/spacer.jpg)

Central England had clear skies. It got dark enough to begin unsettling the birds and cats here... Quick snaps at 95% covered-

(http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m71/SeanMcHugh02/England%20Rye%20Hs/004_zpskqwkln2b.jpg)

(http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m71/SeanMcHugh02/England%20Rye%20Hs/005_zpskiilw9ou.jpg)

Happening now: Aldebaran grazes the surface of a spectacularly photogenic 8% waxing crescent moon, with brilliant Venus nearby.

Live launch of James Webb telescope (about 10 mins from now)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nT7JGZMbtM

Quote from: MusicTurner on December 25, 2021, 03:10:39 AM
Live launch of James Webb telescope (about 10 mins from now)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nT7JGZMbtM

Thanks for the update and that link...trying to find it on t.v., but no luck.

PD

Yes, a pretty historic moment ...

Quote from: MusicTurner on December 25, 2021, 03:15:28 AM
Yes, a pretty historic moment ...

Hopefully no mixed measurement systems!

PD

Ouch, no, hopefully not  :)

First 12 minutes went well, it seems.

Those French accents in some of the ~English reporting are really extreme, and even difficult to understand at times ... 

Quote from: MusicTurner on December 25, 2021, 03:33:48 AM
Ouch, no, hopefully not  :)

First 12 minutes went well, it seems.

Knock on wood!  :)

PD

p.s.  I can't fathom all of the planning and cooperation that went into this project....

That was exciting to watch!

Well done to all involved!  Can't ask for a smoother launching than that.  :)

PD

I watched it live streamed on YouTube. Holding my breath for a couple of months starting now ... so many things still have to go right.

Quote from: BasilValentine on December 25, 2021, 06:23:36 AM
I watched it live streamed on YouTube. Holding my breath for a couple of months starting now ... so many things still have to go right.

Yes, I also watched it on YouTube (grateful to MT for that link).  I heard something about 6 months before it gets to some of the areas which it was commissioned for....if I'm understanding it correctly?  Haven't been following it very closely.

PD

Yes, and that's a bit of a time to wait ... but should it work, there'll probably be some really amazing discoveries from then on.

Quote from: MusicTurner on December 25, 2021, 09:36:41 AM
Yes, and that's a bit of a time to wait ... but should it work, there'll probably be some really amazing discoveries from then on.

So, is it a case that they won't reach "uncharted waters" 'til about 6 months?

PD

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on December 25, 2021, 10:02:05 AM
So, is it a case that they won't reach "uncharted waters" 'til about 6 months?

PD

Yes - but which doesn't make today's launch less of a thriller, however :)

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on December 25, 2021, 10:02:05 AM
So, is it a case that they won't reach "uncharted waters" 'til about 6 months?

PD

Not uncharted waters. The destination is Lagrange point 2 (L2), one of a number of points where the gravitational forces of multiple bodies (sun, earth, moon) more or less "cancel" one another, so that objects orbiting there tend to stay in place, thus minimizing fuel consumption to hold position. There are several other satellites stationed at L2. This point was chosen because at L2 the sun, earth, and moon will all be behind Webb as it looks into deep space, with an enormous solar array between the sun and the instrument, acting as power source and shield(?)

Fingers crossed every little component works as intended. This thing truly is a marvel.

https://www.youtube.com/v/aICaAEXDJQQ

Quote from: BasilValentine on December 26, 2021, 03:12:53 AM
Not uncharted waters. The destination is Lagrange point 2 (L2), one of a number of points where the gravitational forces of multiple bodies (sun, earth, moon) more or less "cancel" one another, so that objects orbiting there tend to stay in place, thus minimizing fuel consumption to hold position. There are several other satellites stationed at L2. This point was chosen because at L2 the sun, earth, and moon will all be behind Webb as it looks into deep space, with an enormous solar array between the sun and the instrument, acting as power source and shield(?)

Thank you for that info!  :)

PD

It's fascinating stuff. Does anyone here perhaps have an economical amateur telescope? I wonder if, after all, the things you get from one of the cheaper ones, say around 250-300 Euros, are limited - & that one can maybe risk loosing interest in what is obtained with it, after a while? Or maybe I'm wrong?

But anyway, here are some of the main astronomical events in 2022:
- January 3rd - meteor shower

- February (?) - Launch of the NASA Artemis 1 probe, for lunar exploration, before future manned flights: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_1

- May 16th: partial lunar eclipse, in the Northern Hemisphere

- June (?) - James Webb Space Telescope/JWST in location & hopefully starting to work: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Webb_Space_Telescope

- July (?) - Launch of the Russian Luna 25 probe, with similar purpose as the Artemis 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_25

- August (?) - Launch of the NASA Psyche probe, which will investigate the Psyche 16 asteroid, presumably the iron core of a former, small planet. But the trip will last until 2026 ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psyche_(spacecraft)

- August 13th - meteor showers

- September - Launch of the Exomars proble, a combined Russian-European project for Mars, that will include a rover, landing in 2023: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExoMars

- September 29th. The Juno probe will fly by the Jupiter moon Europa, at a distance of 320 km: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_(spacecraft)

- October 25th - partial solar eclipse, in the Northern hemisphere

- Nov 8th - total solar eclipse, in parts of the US, Japan, Australia, Russia, etc.

Quote from: MusicTurner on December 29, 2021, 02:08:32 AM
It's fascinating stuff. Does anyone here perhaps have an economical amateur telescope? I wonder if, after all, the things you get from one of the cheaper ones, say around 250-300 Euros, are limited - & that one can maybe risk loosing interest in what is obtained with it, after a while? Or maybe I'm wrong?

But anyway, here are some of the main astronomical events in 2022:
- January 3rd - meteor shower

- February (?) - Launch of the NASA Artemis 1 probe, for lunar exploration, before future manned flights: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_1

- May 16th: partial lunar eclipse, in the Northern Hemisphere

- June (?) - James Webb Space Telescope/JWST in location & hopefully starting to work: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Webb_Space_Telescope

- July (?) - Launch of the Russian Luna 25 probe, with similar purpose as the Artemis 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_25

- August (?) - Launch of the NASA Psyche probe, which will investigate the Psyche 16 asteroid, presumably the iron core of a former, small planet. But the trip will last until 2026 ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psyche_(spacecraft)

- August 13th - meteor showers

- September - Launch of the Exomars proble, a combined Russian-European project for Mars, that will include a rover, landing in 2023: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExoMars

- September 29th. The Juno probe will fly by the Jupiter moon Europa, at a distance of 320 km: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_(spacecraft)

- October 25th - partial solar eclipse, in the Northern hemisphere

- Nov 8th - total solar eclipse, in parts of the US, Japan, Australia, Russia, etc.

I have a 'Sky-Watcher Infinity Telescope' it's aimed at children and is the shape of a rocket, complete with stickers! However, I was told by a serious astronomer at my school that it's far better than many more expensive telescopes.
(//)
Review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onLtqw6Dzoc

Quote from: MusicTurner on December 29, 2021, 02:08:32 AM
It's fascinating stuff. Does anyone here perhaps have an economical amateur telescope? I wonder if, after all, the things you get from one of the cheaper ones, say around 250-300 Euros, are limited - & that one can maybe risk loosing interest in what is obtained with it, after a while? Or maybe I'm wrong?

But anyway, here are some of the main astronomical events in 2022:
- January 3rd - meteor shower

- February (?) - Launch of the NASA Artemis 1 probe, for lunar exploration, before future manned flights: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_1

- May 16th: partial lunar eclipse, in the Northern Hemisphere

- June (?) - James Webb Space Telescope/JWST in location & hopefully starting to work: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Webb_Space_Telescope

- July (?) - Launch of the Russian Luna 25 probe, with similar purpose as the Artemis 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_25

- August (?) - Launch of the NASA Psyche probe, which will investigate the Psyche 16 asteroid, presumably the iron core of a former, small planet. But the trip will last until 2026 ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psyche_(spacecraft)

- August 13th - meteor showers

- September - Launch of the Exomars proble, a combined Russian-European project for Mars, that will include a rover, landing in 2023: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExoMars

- September 29th. The Juno probe will fly by the Jupiter moon Europa, at a distance of 320 km: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_(spacecraft)

- October 25th - partial solar eclipse, in the Northern hemisphere

- Nov 8th - total solar eclipse, in parts of the US, Japan, Australia, Russia, etc.

Not here alas; I just wish that I had a good pair of binoculars for birding!  :(

Quote from: vandermolen on December 29, 2021, 02:21:42 AM
I have a 'Sky-Watcher Infinity Telescope' it's aimed at children and is the shape of a rocket, complete with stickers! However, I was told by a serious astronomer at my school that it's far better than many more expensive telescopes.
(//)
Review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onLtqw6Dzoc

Interesting Jeffrey!  When was the last time that you used it?

PD

Quote from: vandermolen on December 29, 2021, 02:21:42 AM
I have a 'Sky-Watcher Infinity Telescope' it's aimed at children and is the shape of a rocket, complete with stickers! However, I was told by a serious astronomer at my school that it's far better than many more expensive telescopes.
(//)
Review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onLtqw6Dzoc

Thank you, I watched the fine little video, and a rapid check shows that it's available, for example at Amazon.de for 76 Euros. Do you think it's possible to combine with a camera?

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on December 29, 2021, 02:28:33 AM
Not here alas; I just wish that I had a good pair of binoculars for birding!  :(

PD

I think you can usually get them cheaply somewhere, maybe second-hand ... in the case of astronomy, I'd probably like a system where you could somehow use it for taking reasonable photographs as well.

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on December 29, 2021, 02:28:33 AM
Not here alas; I just wish that I had a good pair of binoculars for birding!  :(
Interesting Jeffrey!  When was the last time that you used it?

PD

Hi PD. I used it to look at the Moon a couple of months ago.

Quote from: MusicTurner on December 29, 2021, 02:39:18 AM
Thank you, I watched the fine little video, and a rapid check shows that it's available, for example at Amazon.de for 76 Euros. Do you think it's possible to combine with a camera?

Not sure. You'd need something to attach a camera to the eye piece.

Quote from: vandermolen on December 29, 2021, 03:33:12 AM
Not sure. You'd need something to attach a camera to the eye piece.

Yes, checking for example Amazon, there are also tons of various cheap devices and telescopes, meant for mounting on a mobile phone - for observing landscapes, the sky, birds etc. ... Clearly, if deciding for it, it's a subject that involves a good deal of research. Having read a bit further, it seems that for example the Orion Skyscanner 100 mm telescope
(130 Euros https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Orion-SkyScanner-TableTop-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B00D05BIIU/ref=sr_1_3?crid=33P8YBUH3LBWX&keywords=teleskop+astronomie+erwachsene&qid=1640781143&sprefix=teleskop+astronomie+%2Caps%2C229&sr=8-3)
makes it possible to see features on Jupiter, but not Saturn ... also, light pollution in the city will reduce effects, viewing is obviously better in areas with dark skies. But this summer, there were great, nightly views of the Milky Way on Sejerø island, way out in the sea, and of course other areas in the less populated provinces will also have dark skies.

Quote from: Rinaldo on December 26, 2021, 03:28:10 AM
Fingers crossed every little component works as intended. This thing truly is a marvel.

https://www.youtube.com/v/aICaAEXDJQQ

Indeed. Have been looking forward to this for a long time, and delighted/relieved at how well it's gone so far.

Poor James Webb Space Telescope has already taken a bit of a knocking. But its designed to withstand such things, which hopefully it will, as I'm very much looking forward to seeing what it sees through its unprecedentedly powerful eyes. First pics are due on July 12th.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-61744257

Carl Sagan's Cosmic Calendar was a visualization of the chronology of all 13.8 billion year history of the universe scaled down to a single calendar year.  The instant of January 1 was the Big Bang.  The first galaxies would have formed on January 26 with our galaxy forming on May 13.  At this scale, our Solar System formed on September 2.   The earliest microbial life was September 14.  By December 5, the first multicellular life, Dec 7, first simple sea creatures.  Dec 20, the first land animals.  Dec 25, dinosaurs reigned and went extinct on Dec 26.  The first flowers were on Dec 28.  The first primates on December 30.  The first hominids on December 31 at 2:24pm.  First modern humans on December 31 at 11:55pm.  First languages and all recorded history were 2 seconds before midnight. 

This made me think what if the time scale of the calendar year wasn't all history but the life of the entire universe.  The Big Bang would still happen on January 1 and Heat Death of the universe (last remaining subatomic particles cool to absolute zero) would happen at midnight of December 31. 

The entire 13.8 billion year history of Sagan's Cosmic Calendar would now fits in to January 1, by 6am.   Andromeda Galaxy collides with the Milky Way Galaxy on January 1, 9am.  The Sun dies turning in to brown dwarf by January 1, noon.  At this scale, the last star dies on January 31 (120 trillion years from now).  There will still be black dwarfs and black holes slowly losing heat to the universe.  Almost the entire timeline of the universe will be completely dark!  On June 15 (10^32 years), the last black hole has evaporated.  The next half of the year will be the very slow gradual breakdown of particles to subatomic particles that slowly get ripped apart and fade away until heat death at December 31, midnight.

Our universe is only in its infancy!

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_Calendar#/media/File:Cosmic_Calendar.png)

Just a reminder, right now early risers with an unobstructed horizon can easily see five of the planets before dawn.

If you have access to a quality scope, you might pull in Uranus and Neptune as well, depending on aperture.

NASA and SpaceX are in the initial stages of exploring a possible servicing/reboost mission for HST. No mission is as yet in the works, and no feasibility study. But their current discussions could result in the allocation of resources for such a study, and I'm hopeful.  8)

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63084707

Quote from: LKB on June 30, 2022, 07:35:36 AM
Just a reminder, right now early risers with an unobstructed horizon can easily see five of the planets before dawn.

If you have access to a quality scope, you might pull in Uranus and Neptune as well, depending on aperture.

Also, don't forget that Jupiter and Neptune are in opposition (closest they'll be to earth in our lifetime).  Though opposition happens every year (it's when the planet is opposite to the sun meaning the earth is right in the middle), this one is special because orbits of earth and Jupiter put them very close.  Jupiter's next closest opposition is in 2081 and Neptunes will be in a few hundred years.  Interesting side note, Pluto hasn't even completed one orbit since its discovery in in 1930!

I had the opportunity last night to introduce a colleague to my practical version of Astronomy 101. Now he should be able to pick out the brighter planets, along with Antares, Vega and Polaris.

Hopefully he'll take the ball downfield from here on out...

Quote from: LKB on September 30, 2022, 06:43:26 AM
I had the opportunity last night to introduce a colleague to my practical version of Astronomy 101. Now he should be able to pick out the brighter planets, along with Antares, Vega and Polaris.

Hopefully he'll take the ball downfield from here on out...

Fun!

Quote from: LKB on September 30, 2022, 06:43:26 AM
I had the opportunity last night to introduce a colleague to my practical version of Astronomy 101. Now he should be able to pick out the brighter planets, along with Antares, Vega and Polaris.

Hopefully he'll take the ball downfield from here on out...

Excellent - I've seen the Rings of Saturn and the Moons of Jupiter through my telescope.

Quote from: vandermolen on October 01, 2022, 04:12:42 AM
Excellent - I've seen the Rings of Saturn and the Moons of Jupiter through my telescope.

Nice!  What kind of telescope do you have?  I just took pictures of Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, and Neptune - will post some soon.

Quote from: relm1 on October 01, 2022, 05:40:37 AM
Nice!  What kind of telescope do you have?  I just took pictures of Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, and Neptune - will post some soon.

I look forward with interest.  8)

Quote from: relm1 on October 01, 2022, 05:40:37 AM
Nice!  What kind of telescope do you have?  I just took pictures of Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, and Neptune - will post some soon.

I used to have a proper once since about aged 14 but now I have a child's one shaped like a space rocket. One of my old colleagues, a serious astronomer, recommended it. I'll post a photo but now I'm hopefully off to a Max Richter concert in London.

I took these pictures on Septer 26, 2022.  The closest point Jupiter will be until 2081!  That same night I took pictures of Mars and Neptune (also in opposition). 

Quote from: relm1 on October 01, 2022, 04:30:09 PM
I took these pictures on Septer 26, 2022.  The closest point Jupiter will be until 2081!  That same night I took pictures of Mars and Neptune (also in opposition).

Well done! Looks like Jupiter's GRS was on the far side, but the belts show up nicely.  8)

I know from experience how difficult imaging Uranus and Neptune can be, my last decent view was in 1971 iirc.

Relm1, do you also enjoy deepsky targets? Those have been my preference since 1980 or so.

Quote from: relm1 on October 01, 2022, 04:30:09 PM
I took these pictures on Septer 26, 2022.  The closest point Jupiter will be until 2081!  That same night I took pictures of Mars and Neptune (also in opposition).

That's amazing! How did you take that photo and what sort of telescope do you have Karim?
Here's mine  8)
(//)

Quote from: LKB on October 01, 2022, 08:03:46 PM
Well done! Looks like Jupiter's GRS was on the far side, but the belts show up nicely.  8)

I know from experience how difficult imaging Uranus and Neptune can be, my last decent view was in 1971 iirc.

Relm1, do you also enjoy deepsky targets? Those have been my preference since 1980 or so.

I might have caught the red spot - there is a darker notch in the upper cloud belt so not sure what that is.  Yes, I've taken loads of deep sky objects including nebula, star clusters, and galaxies billions of light years away.  There is just no good way to post here because 500k max file size.  >:(

Quote from: vandermolen on October 02, 2022, 02:25:07 AM
That's amazing! How did you take that photo and what sort of telescope do you have Karim?
Here's mine  8)
(//)

That's a great little scope.  When I was a kid, I had a huge 10" reflector dobsonion that I loved but now have a Stellina astrophotography set up.  It's only meant for photography, there is no eye piece which is fine for me because deep sky objects really don't work visually, they need to be captured photographically for the colors and details to show up. 

Quote from: relm1 on October 01, 2022, 04:30:09 PM
I took these pictures on Septer 26, 2022.  The closest point Jupiter will be until 2081!  That same night I took pictures of Mars and Neptune (also in opposition).

Very nice pictures, especially of Neptune which I've never actually seen through a telescope. The blue color is quite striking. Neptune is 8th magnitude and impossible to see with the naked eye, and there are currently no bright stars nearby... so I have to ask, did you find it visually, or is your telescope a go-to?

Has anyone been here?

https://stellafane.org/ (https://stellafane.org/)

Stellafane holds an annual convention timed every year to coincide with a new moon (and therefore dark skies) in late July or early August. Pretty much the mecca for amateur astronomers. I've been there three times - this summer I was there for the talks and to try to establish some connections for my work trying to study exoplanet transits (new project, just starting). I don't have access to a telescope that I could take there, but on Saturday on the hill a kindly amateur astronomer shared his view of many deep-sky objects through his 10-inch Dobsonian, including many open clusters, a couple of globulars (including M13) and a galaxy or two (including, of course, the famous M31 in Andromeda). Saturn was close to opposition as well, so we had a great view of the rings. I was impressed as his scope was not a go-to, so he was limited to finding objects by visual reference. Maybe not as impressive a feat as I thought from Breezy Hill though - it claims to be a designated "Dark Sky site", though I couldn't find it on the IDA map - it's plenty dark there at new moon!

Quote from: krummholz on October 03, 2022, 01:50:11 AM
Very nice pictures, especially of Neptune which I've never actually seen through a telescope. The blue color is quite striking. Neptune is 8th magnitude and impossible to see with the naked eye, and there are currently no bright stars nearby... so I have to ask, did you find it visually, or is your telescope a go-to?

I have a "smart" scope - it goes to coordinates you tell it.  Interestingly, comet 2017 (PanSTARRS), moved extremely fast and the coordinates changed in just a few minutes so you have to find a planetarium software (I use Stellarium) for the exact time and location you'll observe it to get the coordinates.  I've photographed some very distant and dim objects down to magnitude 15-17 where I thought I got the coordinates wrong because nothing was visible other than a few random stars only to find in post processing that the faint object was in fact present, just needed to be post processed to reveal it.  I grew up with the old Polaris alignment with equatorial mounts and would never go back to that now that smart scopes are a thing and do a great job at doing that part.

Quote from: relm1 on October 02, 2022, 05:24:33 AM
That's a great little scope.  When I was a kid, I had a huge 10" reflector dobsonion that I loved but now have a Stellina astrophotography set up.  It's only meant for photography, there is no eye piece which is fine for me because deep sky objects really don't work visually, they need to be captured photographically for the colors and details to show up.

Probably a daft question but how do you know where to point the scope if there is no eye piece? Also is the photo of Jupiter taken over an extended time period.

Quote from: vandermolen on October 03, 2022, 06:56:54 AM
Probably a daft question but how do you know where to point the scope if there is no eye piece? Also is the photo of Jupiter taken over an extended time period.

Not asked of me, but I'll answer the second part for relm1, hopefully with his pardon.

Jupiter is one of the brightest planets. Indeed, it's actually the brightest celestial object in the northern hemisphere atm save the Moon, and doesn't need a lengthy exposure.

If you're interested in a rather special Jovian experience, last night NASA was livestreaming views of Jupiter from the JWST. I tuned in for about 30 minutes, and it was beyond spectacular.

Quote from: LKB on October 03, 2022, 10:36:01 AM
Not asked of me, but I'll answer the second part for relm1, hopefully with his pardon.

Jupiter is one of the brightest planets. Indeed, it's actually the brightest celestial object in the northern hemisphere atm save the Moon, and doesn't need a lengthy exposure.

If you're interested in a rather special Jovian experience, last night NASA was livestreaming views of Jupiter from the JWST. I tuned in for about 30 minutes, and it was beyond spectacular.

Thanks so much!

Quote from: vandermolen on October 03, 2022, 06:56:54 AM
Probably a daft question but how do you know where to point the scope if there is no eye piece? Also is the photo of Jupiter taken over an extended time period.

Coordinates.  We use right ascension and declination to indicate very precise coordinates in the sky.  With that, it is very precise.  These are generally set for deep sky objects, change every day for planets, and change every minute for comets and asteroids.  Yes, jupiter was maybe 5 or 10 minutes of images.  The reason we do that is to address atmospheric issues.  Every frame taken has a flaw but if it's atmospheric distortion, it will be in a different place on the next frame.  Software is good enough now that it can average the flaws to produce a layered picture better than any single frame. That translates to hundreds if not thousands of individual picture frames.  With deep sky objects, yes we'll use hours and sometimes days of pictures.  When I captured the rather faint M-101 (Pinwheel galaxy) was several nights of photography.  About 1,000 individual pictures at 20 seconds duration each layered (stacked) together.  Then processed.  This is generally how all astrophotography is done - I was taught this method by a professional astronomer friend who works at a research observatory albeit with them, they're talking about multi-million dollar equipment that has fare superior gear than I have access to but it's the same general approach.  The Hubble and James Webb space telescope pictures are all layered and stacked then processed.  We know this because NASA allows downloading of all the raw images before they are processed so you can see what was captured. 

Quote from: LKB on October 03, 2022, 10:36:01 AM
Not asked of me, but I'll answer the second part for relm1, hopefully with his pardon.

Jupiter is one of the brightest planets. Indeed, it's actually the brightest celestial object in the northern hemisphere atm save the Moon, and doesn't need a lengthy exposure.

If you're interested in a rather special Jovian experience, last night NASA was livestreaming views of Jupiter from the JWST. I tuned in for about 30 minutes, and it was beyond spectacular.

No mind at all from another space enthusiast.   :)

Quote from: relm1 on October 03, 2022, 05:39:16 AM
I have a "smart" scope - it goes to coordinates you tell it.  Interestingly, comet 2017 (PanSTARRS), moved extremely fast and the coordinates changed in just a few minutes so you have to find a planetarium software (I use Stellarium) for the exact time and location you'll observe it to get the coordinates.  I've photographed some very distant and dim objects down to magnitude 15-17 where I thought I got the coordinates wrong because nothing was visible other than a few random stars only to find in post processing that the faint object was in fact present, just needed to be post processed to reveal it.  I grew up with the old Polaris alignment with equatorial mounts and would never go back to that now that smart scopes are a thing and do a great job at doing that part.

Yes, go-to scopes are the same thing, I think, though you don't need to enter the coordinates by hand (in most cases) because they have a database and built-in ephemeris so that with a time and location, they can find just about any permanent object in the database - deep sky objects, planets, in some cases some asteroids. (Comets, of course, are a different matter.) When I lived in Michigan, I used to teach astronomy and held viewing sessions on the roof of a building in the heart of Detroit. Talk about light pollution! The department had a 6-inch Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain, and without its go-to feature it would have been a waste of time. But I was able to show the students a number of deep-sky objects that would be impossible to find with the naked eye in that environment.

Having to enter RA and DEC by hand sounds a bit cumbersome, but yeah, much better than setting circles.

Quote from: relm1 on October 03, 2022, 03:50:32 PM
Coordinates.  We use right ascension and declination to indicate very precise coordinates in the sky.  With that, it is very precise.  These are generally set for deep sky objects, change every day for planets, and change every minute for comets and asteroids.  Yes, jupiter was maybe 5 or 10 minutes of images.  The reason we do that is to address atmospheric issues.  Every frame taken has a flaw but if it's atmospheric distortion, it will be in a different place on the next frame.  Software is good enough now that it can average the flaws to produce a layered picture better than any single frame. That translates to hundreds if not thousands of individual picture frames.  With deep sky objects, yes we'll use hours and sometimes days of pictures.  When I captured the rather faint M-101 (Pinwheel galaxy) was several nights of photography.  About 1,000 individual pictures at 20 seconds duration each layered (stacked) together.  Then processed.  This is generally how all astrophotography is done - I was taught this method by a professional astronomer friend who works at a research observatory albeit with them, they're talking about multi-million dollar equipment that has fare superior gear than I have access to but it's the same general approach.  The Hubble and James Webb space telescope pictures are all layered and stacked then processed.  We know this because NASA allows downloading of all the raw images before they are processed so you can see what was captured.

That's fascinating, thanks. If you simply looked at Saturn or Jupiter through a telescope at an observatory, what would you see?
My little telescope gives very good definition of te craters on the Moon.

Quote from: krummholz on October 03, 2022, 09:29:50 PM
Yes, go-to scopes are the same thing, I think, though you don't need to enter the coordinates by hand (in most cases) because they have a database and built-in ephemeris so that with a time and location, they can find just about any permanent object in the database - deep sky objects, planets, in some cases some asteroids. (Comets, of course, are a different matter.) When I lived in Michigan, I used to teach astronomy and held viewing sessions on the roof of a building in the heart of Detroit. Talk about light pollution! The department had a 6-inch Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain, and without its go-to feature it would have been a waste of time. But I was able to show the students a number of deep-sky objects that would be impossible to find with the naked eye in that environment.

Having to enter RA and DEC by hand sounds a bit cumbersome, but yeah, much better than setting circles.

This go-to scope is the same.  It has a database of the common objects but not comets and some very deep sky stuff so you can enter coordinates.  There was also an interesting lower cost approach in some scopes that you find three different objects you know where they are and enter the item when you've found it.  After that, the scope tells you to move the scope in certain directions to get to the right spot.  Neat you taught Astronomy.  I've looked through a 60 inch observatory - it was crazy how steady that was.  You could tap on it or lean on it and the image was rock solid.  That night was saw galaxies, comets, moon, planets, and even a supernova in another galaxy!  That lone star was visually brighter than the entirety of the rest of the galaxy!

Quote from: relm1 on October 04, 2022, 05:34:37 AM
This go-to scope is the same.  It has a database of the common objects but not comets and some very deep sky stuff so you can enter coordinates.  There was also an interesting lower cost approach in some scopes that you find three different objects you know where they are and enter the item when you've found it.  After that, the scope tells you to move the scope in certain directions to get to the right spot.  Neat you taught Astronomy.  I've looked through a 60 inch observatory - it was crazy how steady that was.  You could tap on it or lean on it and the image was rock solid.  That night was saw galaxies, comets, moon, planets, and even a supernova in another galaxy!  That lone star was visually brighter than the entirety of the rest of the galaxy!

Wow, I envy you that experience... I think the largest telescope I've actually looked through was a 12 or 14 inch at a "star party" once, back in Michigan. But of course, as you said, if you want to see detail in deep-sky objects you need to take long exposure pictures.

Yes, in fact, I'm teaching Stellar and Galactic Astronomy right now... I'm talking about how stellar masses are measured at the moment. Today I explained how we know the mass of the Sun. Next will be stellar diameters, and then the H-R Diagram, the ISM, and stellar evolution. Last couple of weeks will be the Milky Way, galaxies in general, and cosmology, time permitting. It's a gen-ed course, so math is kept to a minimum, but there is no way to avoid it completely - which poses challenges for some students.

Quote from: krummholz on October 05, 2022, 07:52:15 AM
Wow, I envy you that experience... I think the largest telescope I've actually looked through was a 12 or 14 inch at a "star party" once, back in Michigan. But of course, as you said, if you want to see detail in deep-sky objects you need to take long exposure pictures.

Yes, in fact, I'm teaching Stellar and Galactic Astronomy right now... I'm talking about how stellar masses are measured at the moment. Today I explained how we know the mass of the Sun. Next will be stellar diameters, and then the H-R Diagram, the ISM, and stellar evolution. Last couple of weeks will be the Milky Way, galaxies in general, and cosmology, time permitting. It's a gen-ed course, so math is kept to a minimum, but there is no way to avoid it completely - which poses challenges for some students.

That's a very interesting course!

I remember taking Stellar Astronomy as a required science elective back in 1978. H-R diagram, OBAFGKM etc.

After lecturing for 30 minutes, the prof would usually segue into an anecdote from his years in the Navy, which was what we really were waiting for.  :laugh:

Quote from: relm1 on October 06, 2022, 05:34:10 AM
That's a very interesting course!

And fun to teach as well! :D

I would be in serious trouble if Madame read this post, but on two visits to Portugal some of the most exciting things I have seen have been in the sky - in July 2018, seeing Scorpius in all its glory, as we never can from Britain, and last October, on our pandemic-delayed honeymoon in Madeira - the furthest south I have ever been - getting up in the early hours to see Canopus in the southern sky.

This is a revision of my Jupiter picture from its closest opposition on Sept 26, 2022.  It's a bit of a montage because I realized the four moons were visible when brightening another frame significantly.  To properly expose them - Jupiter is entirely overexposed.  So used Jupiter from a properly exposed stack instead.  This is how modern astrophotography works.  You use the best elements from many, many frames and combine them in a single frame.  The four moons visible are Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto and were discovered by Gallello Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642).  I believe the telescope he used to discover these moons had very limited power, only 10x like modern binoculars but it was a game changer!  At the time of Galileo's conflict with the Church, the majority of educated people believed in the view that the Earth is the center of the Universe, and the orbit of all heavenly bodies orbited the earth.  Galileo defended heliocentrism (the earth and other planets orbited the sun) based on his astronomical observations of 1609.  This put him at odds with the church's view and put his life at stake due to heresy.   

Quote from: relm1 on October 06, 2022, 03:50:35 PM
This is a revision of my Jupiter picture from its closest opposition on Sept 26, 2022.  It's a bit of a montage because I realized the four moons were visible when brightening another frame significantly.  To properly expose them - Jupiter is entirely overexposed.  So used Jupiter from a properly exposed stack instead.  This is how modern astrophotography works.  You use the best elements from many, many frames and combine them in a single frame.  The four moons visible are Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto and were discovered by Gallello Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642).  I believe the telescope he used to discover these moons had very limited power, only 10x like modern binoculars but it was a game changer!  At the time of Galileo's conflict with the Church, the majority of educated people believed in the view that the Earth is the center of the Universe, and the orbit of all heavenly bodies orbited the earth.  Galileo defended heliocentrism (the earth and other planets orbited the sun) based on his astronomical observations of 1609.  This put him at odds with the church's view and put his life at stake due to heresy.

Very nice image, good resolution and the blues in the polar region seem well-balanced with the equatorial bands. Well done. 

Quote from: LKB on October 06, 2022, 07:40:42 PM
Very nice image, good resolution and the blues in the polar region seem well-balanced with the equatorial bands. Well done.

Thank you! 

Quote from: relm1 on October 06, 2022, 03:50:35 PM
This is a revision of my Jupiter picture from its closest opposition on Sept 26, 2022.  It's a bit of a montage because I realized the four moons were visible when brightening another frame significantly.  To properly expose them - Jupiter is entirely overexposed.  So used Jupiter from a properly exposed stack instead.  This is how modern astrophotography works.  You use the best elements from many, many frames and combine them in a single frame.  The four moons visible are Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto and were discovered by Gallello Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642).  I believe the telescope he used to discover these moons had very limited power, only 10x like modern binoculars but it was a game changer!  At the time of Galileo's conflict with the Church, the majority of educated people believed in the view that the Earth is the center of the Universe, and the orbit of all heavenly bodies orbited the earth.  Galileo defended heliocentrism (the earth and other planets orbited the sun) based on his astronomical observations of 1609.  This put him at odds with the church's view and put his life at stake due to heresy.

Definitely a keeper! For those wondering: you won't see the moons unless you click on the image and enlarge it. They are in line with the cloud bands : unlike Earth's Moon, the moons of Jupiter (and of the giant planets generally) orbit roughly around the equator.

Pop quiz: of the famous telescopic observations that Galileo made circa 1610, which, today, is considered the most convincing evidence for heliocentrism?

A. lunar craters
B. phases of Venus
C. moons of Jupiter
D. rings of Saturn
E. stars of the Milky Way

Quote from: krummholz on October 08, 2022, 06:38:17 AM
Definitely a keeper! For those wondering: you won't see the moons unless you click on the image and enlarge it. They are in line with the cloud bands : unlike Earth's Moon, the moons of Jupiter (and of the giant planets generally) orbit roughly around the equator.

Pop quiz: of the famous telescopic observations that Galileo made circa 1610, which, today, is considered the most convincing evidence for heliocentrism?

A. lunar craters
B. phases of Venus
C. moons of Jupiter
D. rings of Saturn
E. stars of the Milky Way

B, surely.  And does our moon not orbit in the plane of Earth's equator?  Didn't know that.

Quote from: DaveF on October 08, 2022, 06:43:13 AM
B, surely.  And does our moon not orbit in the plane of Earth's equator?  Didn't know that.

Won't give away the answer just yet, but actually, our Moon orbits closer to the plane of the ecliptic (inclined about 5º) and quite far from the equator. If it orbited in the plane of the equator we'd never have such wonderful scenes as the Hunter's Moon rising in the far northeast, and the full moon in winter taking such a high course in the sky (because it's essentially opposite the Sun as seen from Earth when full).

Quote from: krummholz on October 08, 2022, 06:53:11 AM
actually, our Moon orbits closer to the plane of the ecliptic

Yes, of course it does - it follows the Zodiac, same as the Sun, otherwise there'd be no solar eclipses etc.  Me being stupid.

Quote from: DaveF on October 08, 2022, 08:30:51 AM
Yes, of course it does - it follows the Zodiac, same as the Sun, otherwise there'd be no solar eclipses etc.  Me being stupid.

Right-o... well, except maybe at the equinoxes...  ;D

Quote from: relm1 on October 06, 2022, 03:50:35 PM
This is a revision of my Jupiter picture from its closest opposition on Sept 26, 2022.  It's a bit of a montage because I realized the four moons were visible when brightening another frame significantly.  To properly expose them - Jupiter is entirely overexposed.  So used Jupiter from a properly exposed stack instead.  This is how modern astrophotography works.  You use the best elements from many, many frames and combine them in a single frame.  The four moons visible are Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto and were discovered by Gallello Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642).  I believe the telescope he used to discover these moons had very limited power, only 10x like modern binoculars but it was a game changer!  At the time of Galileo's conflict with the Church, the majority of educated people believed in the view that the Earth is the center of the Universe, and the orbit of all heavenly bodies orbited the earth.  Galileo defended heliocentrism (the earth and other planets orbited the sun) based on his astronomical observations of 1609.  This put him at odds with the church's view and put his life at stake due to heresy.

Still a great photo.

Quote from: vandermolen on October 08, 2022, 12:23:27 PM
Still a great photo.

Thank you!!!

I stumbled across a website a few days ago, and it's fast becoming a favorite.

Since this is the Astronomy thread, l think it best to just link it and let readers enjoy it as I've been doing.  ;)

http://www.scopeviews.co.uk/MountWilson60.htm

Quote from: LKB on January 11, 2023, 10:14:27 PMI stumbled across a website a few days ago, and it's fast becoming a favorite.

Since this is the Astronomy thread, l think it best to just link it and let readers enjoy it as I've been doing.  ;)

http://www.scopeviews.co.uk/MountWilson60.htm

Loved the image of Jupiter seen through the telescope.

I had not been aware that one could simply book a naked-eye viewing session on this telescope - and that shot of Jupiter (the author said it was snapped with an iPhone!!) is simply amazing for a view that one could get just by looking through an eyepiece. I wish he had included snapshots of some of the other DSOs (Deep Sky Objects) on his list...

(Makes me wish I lived closer to California!)

Oh yes, I've been to Mt. Wilson and peered through it.  I saw a supernova with my eyes that night.  Also Saturn, the Moon, several galaxies and nebula, I think a comet too.  The historic 60" telescope you have to get certified to use (or a public night) but there are many observatories there (several solar observatories and a massive 100 inch scope) that are off limits as they're actively used for research purposes.

Here's a new picture I took back in November.  The mighty Orion nebula.  It was an hour exposure (give or take).  I can't remember exactly as I took a lot of different objects so was imaging all night then had to cook a turkey for thanksgiving.  It was a long, long day.

Quote from: relm1 on January 12, 2023, 05:40:56 AMHere's a new picture I took back in November.  The mighty Orion nebula.  It was an hour exposure (give or take).  I can't remember exactly as I took a lot of different objects so was imaging all night then had to cook a turkey for thanksgiving.  It was a long, long day.

Fabulous photo!

Quote from: relm1 on January 12, 2023, 05:40:56 AMHere's a new picture I took back in November.  The mighty Orion nebula.  It was an hour exposure (give or take).  I can't remember exactly as I took a lot of different objects so was imaging all night then had to cook a turkey for thanksgiving.  It was a long, long day.

Very nice picture! M42 is really nothing much to look at live, at least through the telescopes I have access to, but your photo brings out lots of beautiful detail. I'm not surprised it took an hour exposure. What telescope did you use?

Quote from: vandermolen on January 12, 2023, 03:41:16 AMLoved the image of Jupiter seen through the telescope.

Me too. Truly boggling, that someone can hold a smartphone up to an ocular and get a handheld image of that quality.

Now l really, really want to book a half- night there...

Quote from: relm1 on January 12, 2023, 05:36:47 AMOh yes, I've been to Mt. Wilson and peered through it.  I saw a supernova with my eyes that night.  Also Saturn, the Moon, several galaxies and nebula, I think a comet too.  The historic 60" telescope you have to get certified to use (or a public night) but there are many observatories there (several solar observatories and a massive 100 inch scope) that are off limits as they're actively used for research purposes.

Actually, you can arrange for private viewings through the 100" Hooker also.  :o  However, the author who l linked to doesn't really recommend it, having done so:

http://www.scopeviews.co.uk/MountWilson100.htm

( Edit: after re-reading the author's review, l realized l was in error saying he didn't recommend a night with the Hooker. He does, but between mediocre seeing and light pollution it seems he had an even better experience with the 60". Still, l doubt I'd pass up a shot at such a storied instrument. )

Quote from: relm1 on January 12, 2023, 05:40:56 AMHere's a new picture I took back in November.  The mighty Orion nebula.  It was an hour exposure (give or take).  I can't remember exactly as I took a lot of different objects so was imaging all night then had to cook a turkey for thanksgiving.  It was a long, long day.

That's gorgeous, and l look forward to more DSO'S.  ;)

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jan/31/what-is-the-green-comet-and-how-can-you-see-it

Quote from: vandermolen on February 01, 2023, 10:30:00 AMhttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jan/31/what-is-the-green-comet-and-how-can-you-see-it

I captured it two weeks ago during a clear, new moon night.  Beautiful and very fast moving.  My telescope tracks on the stars and the comet was out of frame about every 30 minutes.  I tried several times to visually see it with the unaided eye but never could see it sparking a debate in my astro club with some claiming to have seen it with the unaided eye.  The conclusion, even with a professional astronomer from the local observatory weighing in is at best you would need binoculars to see it.  But it was a lively discussion where some swore they saw it.  It is now going to very rapidly recede and fade into the abyss.

Look's like I'll miss this one, but that's fine. Between Comet West in 1970, Kahoutek, Hale-Bopp, Halley and Hyakutake l think I've probably seen my share, or more.

I do enjoy the publicity they bring to amateur astronomers though. Maybe this one will awaken some interest in a few future astrophysicists...

Quote from: relm1 on February 03, 2023, 05:34:13 AMI captured it two weeks ago during a clear, new moon night.  Beautiful and very fast moving.  My telescope tracks on the stars and the comet was out of frame about every 30 minutes.  I tried several times to visually see it with the unaided eye but never could see it sparking a debate in my astro club with some claiming to have seen it with the unaided eye.  The conclusion, even with a professional astronomer from the local observatory weighing in is at best you would need binoculars to see it.  But it was a lively discussion where some swore they saw it.  It is now going to very rapidly recede and fade into the abyss.

I'm really jealous that you got to see it through your telescope!

Quote from: relm1 on February 03, 2023, 05:34:13 AMI captured it two weeks ago during a clear, new moon night.  Beautiful and very fast moving.  My telescope tracks on the stars and the comet was out of frame about every 30 minutes.  I tried several times to visually see it with the unaided eye but never could see it sparking a debate in my astro club with some claiming to have seen it with the unaided eye.  The conclusion, even with a professional astronomer from the local observatory weighing in is at best you would need binoculars to see it.  But it was a lively discussion where some swore they saw it.  It is now going to very rapidly recede and fade into the abyss.

Yes, reports of how bright it is are inconsistent. One observatory estimated it at magnitude +4.4 a few days ago, but another said +8.0. That's an enormous range - +4.0 should be visible to the unaided eye under dark skies (though difficult because of low surface brightness), but +8.0 would definitely require at least binoculars.

I haven't tried to catch it, because of cloudy conditions here during the optimum viewing nights (Wed and Thu), and then temps well below -20º C last night.

Quote from: krummholz on February 04, 2023, 04:54:03 AMYes, reports of how bright it is are inconsistent. One observatory estimated it at magnitude +4.4 a few days ago, but another said +8.0. That's an enormous range - +4.0 should be visible to the unaided eye under dark skies (though difficult because of low surface brightness), but +8.0 would definitely require at least binoculars.

I haven't tried to catch it, because of cloudy conditions here during the optimum viewing nights (Wed and Thu), and then temps well below -20º C last night.

Yes, wide range.  I wonder how magnitude is determined.  Theskylive says today, the magnitude is:
Observed Magnitude (COBS)  5.5
Estimated Magnitude (JPL)  8.10

The observed magnitude puts it just on the cusp of visibility in pristine conditions with great eyesight, but the lower magnitude makes it impossible.  But it is large (roughly the size of the moon in the sky) and the magnitude is spread across it's area so the rule of thumb is to add 2 to the observable magnitude.  This is why many had doubts anyone could have seen it unaided. 

Any retro space fans here?  This is an interesting video of the space age from 1964.

Thank you for these beautiful photos, relm1

I had not yet noticed that there are on this forum followers of astronomy!
I was 7 or 8 years old when I was already reading books on planets and stars. When I was 16, with my teenage savings, I bought myself a small telescope, which allowed me to directly observe the craters of the Moon, the satellites of Jupiter or the rings of Saturn as well as nebulae and double stars.
Later, I documented myself more and more, and since the arrival of the Internet, and the sending of space probes with their magnificent photos, the information has multiplied.

Currently, with light pollution and bad weather conditions, I no longer observe anything by myself, but I am always on the lookout for recent discoveries.

I am registered on a French astronomy forum (under the nickname "Chiron" the comet-asteroid whose orbit is between Saturn and Uranus), whose address, if anyone is interested and understands French, East :
https://www.webastro.net/forums/

Quote from: joachim on February 07, 2023, 07:20:03 AMThank you for these beautiful photos, relm1

I had not yet noticed that there are on this forum followers of astronomy!
I was 7 or 8 years old when I was already reading books on planets and stars. When I was 16, with my teenage savings, I bought myself a small telescope, which allowed me to directly observe the craters of the Moon, the satellites of Jupiter or the rings of Saturn as well as nebulae and double stars.
Later, I documented myself more and more, and since the arrival of the Internet, and the sending of space probes with their magnificent photos, the information has multiplied.

Currently, with light pollution and bad weather conditions, I no longer observe anything by myself, but I am always on the lookout for recent discoveries.

I am registered on a French astronomy forum (under the nickname "Chiron" the comet-asteroid whose orbit is between Saturn and Uranus), whose address, if anyone is interested and understands French, East :
https://www.webastro.net/forums/

Very nice to meet you!  I have a similar background to you that I was a teen when I got into astrophotography but didn't get great results.  However, I will never forget what I saw visually.  I was able to go to extremely dark skies and see spectacular details. 

Sorry for the short notice but for those interested, tonight is a very close conjunction of Jupiter and Venus just after sunset.  These mighty planets are the third and fourth brightest objects in the sky after the sun and moon.  They will be closer to each other than a quarter the width of the moon.

Griffith Observatory will broadcast a life viewing in an hour (March 1, 6pm PT).

The Northern Lights were, amazingly, visible in the South of England recently but sadly too cloudy here to see anything.

Quote from: relm1 on March 01, 2023, 04:16:49 PMSorry for the short notice but for those interested, tonight is a very close conjunction of Jupiter and Venus just after sunset.  These mighty planets are the third and fourth brightest objects in the sky after the sun and moon.  They will be closer to each other than a quarter the width of the moon.

Griffith Observatory will broadcast a life viewing in an hour (March 1, 6pm PT).

I read about the planets almost "kissing.  Will try and find some past footage for it....thanks!

Quote from: vandermolen on March 02, 2023, 10:43:38 AMThe Northern Lights were, amazingly, visible in the South of England recently but sadly too cloudy here to see anything.

Sorry that you weren't able to see them Jeffrey.  Somebody shared this video with me here (which I really enjoyed watching):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zWQjfAFrz8

Would love to follow in her footsteps and make that pilgrimage.

PD

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on March 02, 2023, 12:28:18 PMI read about the planets almost "kissing.  Will try and find some past footage for it....thanks!
Sorry that you weren't able to see them Jeffrey.  Somebody shared this video with me here (which I really enjoyed watching):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zWQjfAFrz8

Would love to follow in her footsteps and make that pilgrimage.

PD

Thanks PD  :)

Quote from: relm1 on March 01, 2023, 04:16:49 PMSorry for the short notice but for those interested, tonight is a very close conjunction of Jupiter and Venus just after sunset.  These mighty planets are the third and fourth brightest objects in the sky after the sun and moon.  They will be closer to each other than a quarter the width of the moon.

Griffith Observatory will broadcast a life viewing in an hour (March 1, 6pm PT).

I knew about the conjunction of course, but it was too cloudy here as well... as it almost always is during the winter.

From last night.IMG_9087s1.jpg

Quote from: relm1 on March 02, 2023, 05:03:27 PMFrom last night.IMG_9087s1.jpg

Yes, VERY different climate. Times like this, I envy you Californians. But not always, that's for sure.

Quote from: relm1 on March 02, 2023, 05:03:27 PMFrom last night.IMG_9087s1.jpg

That's an excellent shot of a tight pair.  8)

On saturday, I went to my local dark sky and saw with my eyes, the supernova in M101 galaxy!  Brighter than the core of the galaxy but still quite dim at magnitude 11.  It was discovered just a month ago by an amateur.  Will start to fade in to the abyss but probably still be visible to amateur scopes for another month or so.  After that, only to the large observatories for a few more weeks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_2023ixf (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_2023ixf)

Quote from: relm1 on June 19, 2023, 05:52:13 AMOn saturday, I went to my local dark sky and saw with my eyes, the supernova in M101 galaxy!  Brighter than the core of the galaxy but still quite dim at magnitude 11.  It was discovered just a month ago by an amateur.  Will start to fade in to the abyss but probably still be visible to amateur scopes for another month or so.  After that, only to the large observatories for a few more weeks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_2023ixf (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_2023ixf)

Awesome!! I have not seen this, have been waiting for a StarSense camera replacement to enable our Celestron to be polar-aligned so that the goto feature will work. Hopefully it will come before the SN fades.

Someone in the astronomy club I belong to accidentally "pre-discovered" the SN when he imaged M101 the night before it was officially discovered. He posted his image on the club forum; another member initially said that the star the observer suggested might be the SN was just a foreground star, but then after careful analysis, urged him to submit his image for evaluation. I believe it's been accepted as an official pre-discovery!

Quote from: relm1 on June 19, 2023, 05:52:13 AMOn saturday, I went to my local dark sky and saw with my eyes, the supernova in M101 galaxy!  Brighter than the core of the galaxy but still quite dim at magnitude 11.  It was discovered just a month ago by an amateur.  Will start to fade in to the abyss but probably still be visible to amateur scopes for another month or so.  After that, only to the large observatories for a few more weeks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_2023ixf (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_2023ixf)

Most interesting!

I'm glad l was ( barely! ) able to post this while it was still July 20th.

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this website before, possibly even in this thread. But it's appropriate to remind folks today, and anyone interested in the Apollo missions may find this extremely interesting:

https://apolloinrealtime.org/

Quote from: LKB on July 20, 2023, 09:42:50 PMI'm glad l was ( barely! ) able to post this while it was still July 20th.

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this website before, possibly even in this thread. But it's appropriate to remind folks today, and anyone interested in the Apollo missions may find this extremely interesting:

https://apolloinrealtime.org/

I've listened to several of those in real time.  I wasn't alive when the events happened so experiencing it as the events unfolded was the closest thing to living through that experience.  Your heart certainly races as momentous events are heard.  Also very surprising the pacing of everything.  Like after landing, how long it took for them to dun their spacesuits and then depressurize, etc.  Also very, very interesting in a subtle way are the side conversations happening contemporaneously like a secretary checking in on her boss.  Those little moments are very charming that their simple side conversations are part of the permanent record...many of these people now gone.  For those who have a lot of patience, worth experiencing the 8 days in real time.  On the 50th anniversary, I even slept with the broadcast always curious what was happening at that moment feeling as if I was part of the experience. 

I would agree, it's a very immersive experience. For instance, during Apollo 13 some interesting conversation regarding preparations to observe Comet Bennett occurs just prior to the accident. And once the emergency is underway, while various controllers are  echoing Swigert and Lovell's, " We've had a problem " calls, you can hear one anonymous voice say, " We have MORE than a problem. "

So it would seem that at least one controller present thought that matters were more serious than Gene Kranz and the Trench initially believed.  :o

Quote from: LKB on July 21, 2023, 08:12:29 AMI would agree, it's a very immersive experience. For instance, during Apollo 13 some interesting conversation regarding preparations to observe Comet Bennett occurs just prior to the accident. And once the emergency is underway, while various controllers are  echoing Swigert and Lovell's, " We've had a problem " calls, you can hear one anonymous voice say, " We have MORE than a problem. "

So it would seem that at least one controller present thought that matters were more serious than Gene Kranz and the Trench initially believed.  :o

Totally agree.  So very glad this was preserved to this level of detail.  Just imagine when/if we go to Mars we'll have a six month version of this. 

    Cosmic Paradigm Shift: New Research Doubles Universe's Age to 26.7 Billion Years (https://scitechdaily.com/cosmic-paradigm-shift-new-research-doubles-universes-age-to-26-7-billion-years/?expand_article=1)

Quote from: drogulus on July 27, 2023, 01:55:18 PMCosmic Paradigm Shift: New Research Doubles Universe's Age to 26.7 Billion Years (https://scitechdaily.com/cosmic-paradigm-shift-new-research-doubles-universes-age-to-26-7-billion-years/?expand_article=1)

To the universe:  "But darling, you don't look a day over 10 billion years!"

But seriously, that's quite interesting!  8)

PD

This is the 100th anniversary of an astronomical breakthrough that changed our understanding of the universe.  On October 6, 1923, Edwin Hubble made the discovery that the Andromeda Galaxy was outside our galaxy.  Before Hubble's work in the 1920s, astronomers believed that the Milky Way Galaxy constituted the entire universe. The Andromeda Galaxy was thought to be one of many nebulae located within the Milky Way.

From Los Angeles's Mt. Wilson Observatory, Edwin Hubble used the cepheid variables found in Andromeda to calculate the distance by comparing the observed brightness from the absolute brightness of those stars.  Hubble's observations changed this perspective profoundly.  His discovery indicated that the Andromeda Galaxy was far too distant to be within the Milky Way Galaxy and was instead a separate galaxy. This was a revolutionary finding as it meant that the universe was far larger and more complex than previously believed, containing many galaxies beyond our own.

By the end of the 1920's, astronomers had identified a few dozen galaxies.  By the 1950's, as observatories grew (including the massive 200" Palomar completed in 1948), the number of identified galaxies grew significantly, into the thousands as our understanding of the universe increased.  With the Hubble Space Telescope (launched in the 1990's) and the subsequent James Webb Space Telescope (launched Dec, 2021) through deep field images of random empty parts of the sky we see the deeper and longer we peer, the more galaxies we find.  Current estimates are that there are trillions of galaxies in the observable universe, possibly infinite.  All this learned within the past 100 years.

Today, with our ever-expanding knowledge of the universe, including the study of dark matter, dark energy, and the possibility of multiverses, the significance of Hubble's discovery is clear.  His discovery 100 years ago today marked the beginning of a new era in our understanding of the cosmos, showing that the universe is a far vaster and more wondrous place than we could ever have imagined.  This discovery also had profound philosophical and existential implications, prompting humanity to reconsider its place in a much, much larger, grander cosmos. This shift in perspective has influenced cultural, artistic, and philosophical thought over the past century.  The anniversary serves as a reminder of the importance of curiosity, exploration, and scientific discovery in expanding our knowledge and perspective.

The picture on the left is Hubble's original photographic plate, taken from Mt. Wilson Observatory over Los Angeles with Cepheid Variables identified with the exclamation mark and plate dated October 6, 1923.  On the right is my picture from last winter of the Andromeda Galaxy (around two hour exposure).  It's huge in the sky, in my image, the full moon would take up about half the image. 

Quote from: relm1 on October 05, 2023, 04:34:34 PMThis is the 100th anniversary of an astronomical breakthrough that changed our understanding of the universe.  On October 6, 1923, Edwin Hubble made the discovery that the Andromeda Galaxy was outside our galaxy.  Before Hubble's work in the 1920s, astronomers believed that the Milky Way Galaxy constituted the entire universe. The Andromeda Galaxy was thought to be one of many nebulae located within the Milky Way.

From Los Angeles's Mt. Wilson Observatory, Edwin Hubble used the cepheid variables found in Andromeda to calculate the distance by comparing the observed brightness from the absolute brightness of those stars.  Hubble's observations changed this perspective profoundly.  His discovery indicated that the Andromeda Galaxy was far too distant to be within the Milky Way Galaxy and was instead a separate galaxy. This was a revolutionary finding as it meant that the universe was far larger and more complex than previously believed, containing many galaxies beyond our own.

By the end of the 1920's, astronomers had identified a few dozen galaxies.  By the 1950's, as observatories grew (including the massive 200" Palomar completed in 1948), the number of identified galaxies grew significantly, into the thousands as our understanding of the universe increased.  With the Hubble Space Telescope (launched in the 1990's) and the subsequent James Webb Space Telescope (launched Dec, 2021) through deep field images of random empty parts of the sky we see the deeper and longer we peer, the more galaxies we find.  Current estimates are that there are trillions of galaxies in the observable universe, possibly infinite.  All this learned within the past 100 years.

Today, with our ever-expanding knowledge of the universe, including the study of dark matter, dark energy, and the possibility of multiverses, the significance of Hubble's discovery is clear.  His discovery 100 years ago today marked the beginning of a new era in our understanding of the cosmos, showing that the universe is a far vaster and more wondrous place than we could ever have imagined.  This discovery also had profound philosophical and existential implications, prompting humanity to reconsider its place in a much, much larger, grander cosmos. This shift in perspective has influenced cultural, artistic, and philosophical thought over the past century.  The anniversary serves as a reminder of the importance of curiosity, exploration, and scientific discovery in expanding our knowledge and perspective.

The picture on the left is Hubble's original photographic plate, taken from Mt. Wilson Observatory over Los Angeles with Cepheid Variables identified with the exclamation mark and plate dated October 6, 1923.  On the right is my picture from last winter of the Andromeda Galaxy (around two hour exposure).  It's huge in the sky, in my image, the full moon would take up about half the image. 

Excellent post, well done!  8)

Tangentially on-topic, acknowledging the passing of Apollo-era astronauts Ken Mattingly and Frank Borman.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/03/us/ken-mattingly-death-apollo-astronaut-scn/index.html

https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/09/us/frank-borman-apollo-astronaut-obit-scn/index.html

Ad Astra per Aspera

Quote from: LKB on November 09, 2023, 09:52:31 PMTangentially on-topic, acknowledging the passing of Apollo-era astronauts Ken Mattingly and Frank Borman.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/03/us/ken-mattingly-death-apollo-astronaut-scn/index.html

https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/09/us/frank-borman-apollo-astronaut-obit-scn/index.html

Ad Astra per Aspera

Sad to lose one of them.  Only four moonwalkers are still alive: Aldrin (Apollo 11), David Scott (Apollo 15), Charles Duke (Apollo 16), and Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17). 

My brother and I got in a debate after seeing Chris Nolan's Interstellar how likely it would be for Matt Damon's character, Mann, to jeopardize all humanity to rescue himself from his doomed isolation.  I thought there was no way because Apollo astronauts faced similar scenarios.  Mike Collins would have to abandon Neil and Buzz if certain events didn't happen because a rescue would have been impossible.  Such as the lunar lander failed to launch.  It was possible they missed the moon and flew past it forever lost.  They trained for these scenarios, they were real possibilities.  I think as a pioneering astronaut, you sort of know there is a real risk of death or failure. Anyway, there are only a handful of people still around who lived it and experienced losing sight of the earth with the possibility of never returning.  RIP Ken and Frank. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00042l4/how-to-see-a-black-hole-the-universes-greatest-mystery

"A BBC documentary about one of the greatest discoveries of humans by a team of top scientific minds from different parts of the world known as the "Event Horizon Telescope project team" guided by Dr Sheperd Doeleman of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, on a mission to capture the first ever picture of a black hole with a mega "virtual telescope" the size of the earth, by combining radio observatories and telescope facilities from all over the world to make up this earth-size virtual telescope."

The well-known image of the black hole at the centre of the M87 galaxy first appeared in 2019, and this is an absorbing and thrilling hour of TV showing the extraordinary story of what went into realising it. Highly recommended.

Quote from: Iota on December 08, 2023, 12:36:37 PMhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00042l4/how-to-see-a-black-hole-the-universes-greatest-mystery

"A BBC documentary about one of the greatest discoveries of humans by a team of top scientific minds from different parts of the world known as the "Event Horizon Telescope project team" guided by Dr Sheperd Doeleman of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, on a mission to capture the first ever picture of a black hole with a mega "virtual telescope" the size of the earth, by combining radio observatories and telescope facilities from all over the world to make up this earth-size virtual telescope."

The well-known image of the black hole at the centre of the M87 galaxy first appeared in 2019, and this is an absorbing and thrilling hour of TV showing the extraordinary story of what went into realising it. Highly recommended.

Thanks for posting this, I'll definitely check it out.  8)

On Dec. 12th, Betelgeuse will be back in the news as the asteroid Leona will briefly eclipse Orion's most famous star.

Those interested can view the event online here:

https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/webtv/

I hope I can remember, this sort of event is quite rare. The odds against such a prominent star being eclipsed again anytime soon are... well, you know.  ;)

Quote from: LKB on December 09, 2023, 04:31:10 PMOn Dec. 12th, Betelgeuse will be back in the news as the asteroid Leona will briefly eclipse Orion's most famous star.

Those interested can view the event online here:

https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/webtv/

I hope I can remember, this sort of event is quite rare. The odds against such a prominent star being eclipsed again anytime soon are... well, you know.  ;)

Indeed, quite a rare event. No chance to see it here as it's been cloudy for over a week - at least until today.

Quote from: krummholz on December 14, 2023, 07:56:36 AMIndeed, quite a rare event. No chance to see it here as it's been cloudy for over a week - at least until today.

I don't think it was visible from the US.  It had a very narrow occultation path.
 (https://dq0hsqwjhea1.cloudfront.net/occultation-path-1.jpg)

A small portion of Florida had a view.

I watched a recording of the event, Betelgeuse noticeably dimmed for several seconds, but was never fully eclipsed. So not quite as dramatic as the hype, but still interesting enough that l wish l could have had a view through the eyepiece.

Quote from: LKB on December 15, 2023, 06:44:33 AMA small portion of Florida had a view.

I watched a recording of the event, Betelgeuse noticeably dimmed for several seconds, but was never fully eclipsed. So not quite as dramatic as the hype, but still interesting enough that l wish l could have had a view through the eyepiece.

And not even that. For last couple of days there's been a stationary front over the southern part of the state, much wind, some rain, almost completely overcast (and forecast to stay this way until a cold front comes through sometime Sunday/Monday).
Almost no chance of seeing the sky.

Quote from: LKB on December 15, 2023, 06:44:33 AMA small portion of Florida had a view.

I watched a recording of the event, Betelgeuse noticeably dimmed for several seconds, but was never fully eclipsed. So not quite as dramatic as the hype, but still interesting enough that l wish l could have had a view through the eyepiece.

Not surprising, given that Betelgeuse and Leona have about the same angular size (45 millarcseconds), and Leona is elongated, so it's very possible that it didn't completely cover the disc of the star anyway.

I saw the total eclipse on Monday and captured this image!  It was my first time to experience totality and was absolutely stunning.  Pictures don't do it justice.  It was a very moving experience and hard to verbalize but the closest I can say is in a sudden, the sky goes from sort of dark to night revealing the universe, stars visible, corona jetting way out from the sun, brilliant deep red solar flares visible with your eyes...it's as if the curtain was suddenly pulled away and you see this great cosmic drama that surrounds us which we are a very tiny part of and experience this with all your senses.  It's over in just a few minutes but during that time you feel very insignificant. 

Quote from: relm1 on April 11, 2024, 05:39:08 AMI saw the total eclipse on Monday and captured this image!  It was my first time to experience totality and was absolutely stunning.  Pictures don't do it justice.  It was a very moving experience and hard to verbalize but the closest I can say is in a sudden, the sky goes from sort of dark to night revealing the universe, stars visible, corona jetting way out from the sun, brilliant deep red solar flares visible with your eyes...it's as if the curtain was suddenly pulled away and you see this great cosmic drama that surrounds us which we are a very tiny part of and experience this with all your senses.  It's over in just a few minutes but during that time you feel very insignificant. 

An elegant description of a wondrous spectacle. And thanks for the pic, even if it doesn't quite convey the totality of the experience.  ;)

Maybe old news, but here's a link to NDT's YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@StarTalkPlus/videos

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68787534

An interesting little moment.

Quote from: relm1 on April 11, 2024, 05:39:08 AMI saw the total eclipse on Monday and captured this image!  It was my first time to experience totality and was absolutely stunning.  Pictures don't do it justice.  It was a very moving experience and hard to verbalize but the closest I can say is in a sudden, the sky goes from sort of dark to night revealing the universe, stars visible, corona jetting way out from the sun, brilliant deep red solar flares visible with your eyes...it's as if the curtain was suddenly pulled away and you see this great cosmic drama that surrounds us which we are a very tiny part of and experience this with all your senses.  It's over in just a few minutes but during that time you feel very insignificant. 

As I understand it, the pinkish jet-like structures at the bottom of your image were prominences rather than solar flares. But they were indeed impressive!

I saw the eclipse from a little hamlet on the Quebec border called Norton, VT. I chose that location to get as far ahead as possible of the high clouds that were marching steadily in, and I was rewarded with a perfect, unobstructed view of the eclipse through totality. I was unable to take any gear with me (e.g. telescope, camera) as others were using the available equipment, but a fellow eclipse watcher in Norton had a 60mm Coronado refractor with Sun filter and even an H-alpha filter. Through the telescope, there was nothing visible at the location of those naked-eye prominences - not surprisingly, since they were only a few times brighter than the corona, and obviously the corona isn't visible through a telescope with an approved Sun filter either.

The only pictures I have of the eclipse were taken with an iPhone and have poor resolution - you can't even see those prominences - so I won't bother trying to post them here.

@krummholz I also used a Coronado for the whole school to see.  Mostly I spent my time readjusting the scope.  Funny enough the faculty cut in front of the students!

Quote from: krummholz on April 27, 2024, 10:00:40 AMAs I understand it, the pinkish jet-like structures at the bottom of your image were prominences rather than solar flares. But they were indeed impressive!

I saw the eclipse from a little hamlet on the Quebec border called Norton, VT. I chose that location to get as far ahead as possible of the high clouds that were marching steadily in, and I was rewarded with a perfect, unobstructed view of the eclipse through totality. I was unable to take any gear with me (e.g. telescope, camera) as others were using the available equipment, but a fellow eclipse watcher in Norton had a 60mm Coronado refractor with Sun filter and even an H-alpha filter. Through the telescope, there was nothing visible at the location of those naked-eye prominences - not surprisingly, since they were only a few times brighter than the corona, and obviously the corona isn't visible through a telescope with an approved Sun filter either.

The only pictures I have of the eclipse were taken with an iPhone and have poor resolution - you can't even see those prominences - so I won't bother trying to post them here.

You're right.  Those are prominences.  When I wrote that post and saw them, I thought prominences were solar flares but have since learned they're not. 

I think the most important thing was to have experienced the eclipse, not necessarily to photograph it.  The photographer I was next to stopped taking pictures entirely during totality to just experience it and I don't think he was wrong though I managed to do both, I'm glad I took it all in and took some pictures too even if others got way better shots than me, these are a part of me and my experience and I love them not because they are flawless but because it was deeply linked to my personal experience of that unique event and what it meant to me. 

Quote from: relm1 on April 28, 2024, 05:41:42 AMYou're right.  Those are prominences.  When I wrote that post and saw them, I thought prominences were solar flares but have since learned they're not. 

I think the most important thing was to have experienced the eclipse, not necessarily to photograph it.  The photographer I was next to stopped taking pictures entirely during totality to just experience it and I don't think he was wrong though I managed to do both, I'm glad I took it all in and took some pictures too even if others got way better shots than me, these are a part of me and my experience and I love them not because they are flawless but because it was deeply linked to my personal experience of that unique event and what it meant to me. 

Yes, that's another reason I didn't make any huge effort to take anything with me: it was my first total eclipse, and I just wanted mostly to take it all in, including the twilit ambiance on the ground and the 360º sunset effect.

BTW I can see assuming that the naked-eye prominences were solar flares - there were plenty of prominences visible elsewhere on the Sun's limb through the Sun and H-alpha filters, but they were NOT visible during totality because (evidently) they didn't reach up to the altitude of the ones you photographed. The fact that this one extended well above the Moon does support the idea that they might have been solar flares. But they didn't reach high into the corona, and their strong H-alpha coloring (the pinkish color is from the H-alpha emission line of hydrogen) suggests that they were lower altitude, less violent prominences (though they might have been surge prominences).

Your photo shows something I didn't notice during the eclipse: the corona appears to be missing just to the left of the brightest prominence. A coronal hole, would be my guess - a window through which the solar wind streams out.

Quote from: DavidW on April 27, 2024, 01:10:34 PM@krummholz I also used a Coronado for the whole school to see.  Mostly I spent my time readjusting the scope.  Funny enough the faculty cut in front of the students!

:o Were they thinking "This is the last one--or only one--that I might ever see in my life [again]"?

PD

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on April 28, 2024, 07:54:33 AM:o Were they thinking "This is the last one--or only one--that I might ever see in my life [again]"?

PD

It was just partial here, there will be more partial eclipses in the next few years.  We are after all in eclipse season.

I was surprised for that reason that so many came out.  It wasn't the totality that we had a few years ago.  That will not be here again in SC until 2052.

Quote from: krummholz on April 28, 2024, 07:11:27 AMYes, that's another reason I didn't make any huge effort to take anything with me: it was my first total eclipse, and I just wanted mostly to take it all in, including the twilit ambiance on the ground and the 360º sunset effect.

BTW I can see assuming that the naked-eye prominences were solar flares - there were plenty of prominences visible elsewhere on the Sun's limb through the Sun and H-alpha filters, but they were NOT visible during totality because (evidently) they didn't reach up to the altitude of the ones you photographed. The fact that this one extended well above the Moon does support the idea that they might have been solar flares. But they didn't reach high into the corona, and their strong H-alpha coloring (the pinkish color is from the H-alpha emission line of hydrogen) suggests that they were lower altitude, less violent prominences (though they might have been surge prominences).

Your photo shows something I didn't notice during the eclipse: the corona appears to be missing just to the left of the brightest prominence. A coronal hole, would be my guess - a window through which the solar wind streams out.

Interesting that there were many more prominences visible in H-A then with the eyes.  I recall seeing texture in the corona.  You could see gaps and details, just something I considered an example where pictures don't do it justice.  In pictures you don't get the dynamic range your eyes see.  How vibrant the reds were of those prominences just doesn't come through.  I'm also experimenting with processing techniques so might find a way to capture the best elements of multiple images into a single frame. 

There's a YouTube channel for the Subaru Telescope, part of the complex at Mauna Kea:

https://www.youtube.com/live/d18XWwB1hL8?si=uZYvR6M0SuyjOrVB

I saw the aurora tonight! It was my first time seeing it!

Quote from: Mapman on May 10, 2024, 09:21:26 PMI saw the aurora tonight! It was my first time seeing it!

Congrats! 8)

I still have hopes for seeing it someday. One of three ephemeral spectacles on my bucket list, the other two being sprites and blue jets. ( More atmospheric than astronomical, but still up there. )

Too cloudy in my area alas.   :(

PD

Apparently it was visible in South Carolina, but in the upstate... I just missed it! 

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on May 12, 2024, 08:19:51 AMToo cloudy in my area alas.   :(

PD

Here as well - and expected to remain so, for the balance of the predicted solar storm. We might get a few brief breaks tonight, and I'll be stepping outside occasionally, but the chances of seeing anything are slim.

It made it all the way down to Southern California too!  This picture is from Los Angeles taken on Saturday at my astro club's dark sky site.

This is more Cosmology/Astrophysics than Astronomy per se, but I found it entertaining, thought-provoking and educational enough to drop it here:

https://youtu.be/1L6hinhDXQE?si=TkUpEIBccmpLV95q

I went out to see C/2023 A3 tonight. I could see it well with my binoculars, and possibly see it without them. I wish I could get to a dark site.

Clouds here the last few days, but clear tomorrow. Should be visible at sunset. Apparently it's as bright as Venus.

Quote from: André on October 16, 2024, 06:27:21 PMClouds here the last few days, but clear tomorrow. Should be visible at sunset. Apparently it's as bright as Venus.

It was way fainter than Venus tonight. I saw online that it is about +3 magnitude. (Venus is about -4.)

I took this on Monday, Oct 14, of Comet 2023/A3.  It's very large in the sky and in a clear, dark sky, it's visible to the eye but now there's a full moon and it's very speedily racing away to the outer solar system, so each day gets harder to see.  It will return in 80,000 years so mark your calendars!

Quote from: relm1 on October 17, 2024, 05:34:08 AMI took this on Monday, Oct 14, of Comet 2023/A3.  It's very large in the sky and in a clear, dark sky, it's visible to the eye but now there's a full moon and it's very speedily racing away to the outer solar system, so each day gets harder to see.  It will return in 80,000 years so mark your calendars!

Unfortunately, my iMac's calendar doesn't go that far into the future.  :(

K

Quote from: relm1 on October 17, 2024, 05:34:08 AMI took this on Monday, Oct 14, of Comet 2023/A3.  It's very large in the sky and in a clear, dark sky, it's visible to the eye but now there's a full moon and it's very speedily racing away to the outer solar system, so each day gets harder to see.

Excellent pic.  :) 

Quote from: relm1 on October 17, 2024, 05:34:08 AMIt will return in 80,000 years so mark your calendars!

Will the human race still even be here to see it ..?

Quote from: Iota on October 17, 2024, 10:27:33 AMExcellent pic.  :) 

Will the human race still even be here to see it ..?

We may no longer be here, but I'm quite confident in our being... somewhere.  ;)

Quote from: Iota on October 17, 2024, 10:27:33 AMExcellent pic.  :) 

Will the human race still even be here to see it ..?

I doubt it.  I'd be surprised if we're still here in a thousand years.

Quote from: relm1 on October 18, 2024, 05:57:27 AMI doubt it.  I'd be surprised if we're still here in a thousand years.

It seems eminently possible we might not be.

Quote from: LKB on October 18, 2024, 12:28:21 AMWe may no longer be here, but I'm quite confident in our being... somewhere.  ;)

Fourth rock from the sun or further afield you reckon?

I did see the huge wonderful moon last night (no scope) and enjoyed it.  :)

K

Quote from: Kalevala on October 18, 2024, 11:12:13 AMI did see the huge wonderful moon last night (no scope) and enjoyed it.  :)

K

Hmmmm... not a fan of Luna tbh, though I agree she can be impressive. But the deep sky is my hunting ground, and tracking down dim nebulae and galaxies can get frustrating ( using a fast but old-school 4" Newtonian ) if you're contending with much more than a Cheshire cat's grin.

Quote from: Iota on October 18, 2024, 10:51:41 AMIt seems eminently possible we might not be.

Fourth rock from the sun or further afield you reckon?

80,000 years is too far out for me ( or, I suspect, anyone else ) to speculate in any real detail. Let's just say I'm optimistic concerning our species' chances of surviving the challenges which await us.

Quote from: LKB on October 18, 2024, 07:25:50 PM80,000 years is too far out for me ( or, I suspect, anyone else ) to speculate in any real detail. Let's just say I'm optimistic concerning our species' chances of surviving the challenges which await us.

I used to be optimistic but these days have lost it.  I think there is quite a strong argument that no one makes it past technological adolescence. 

Quote from: relm1 on October 19, 2024, 05:47:13 AMI used to be optimistic but these days have lost it.  I think there is quite a strong argument that no one makes it past technological adolescence. 

While l understand why some would feel that way, the feeling is not borne out by the reality.

Have faith. Others survived their epoch of crisis, and Humanity has a shot at doing so as well.  ;)

Quote from: relm1 on October 19, 2024, 05:47:13 AMI used to be optimistic but these days have lost it.  I think there is quite a strong argument that no one makes it past technological adolescence. 

In the Cold War, we all thought we were going to blow each other to bits, but that didn't happen. No offense intended, but I really don't find irrational cynicism to really be that wise IMO.

I truly hope that we manage to figure things out--and sooner vs. later.  Not just for us, but for the rest of the creatures on our planet.

Someone is trying to bring back the dodo [Remember the expression "Dead as a dodo"?].

K

I have a nice 10" Orion Dobsonian telescope, but there's too much light in my neighborhood for deep space viewing.

Quote from: Bachtoven on October 19, 2024, 10:16:12 AMI have a nice 10" Orion Dobsonian telescope, but there's too much light in my neighborhood for deep space viewing.

Don't know anything about that telescope, but I did notice a number of years ago that when I went into the country that I could really see the stars.  I loved it!

K

Quote from: DavidW on October 19, 2024, 07:45:42 AMIn the Cold War, we all thought we were going to blow each other to bits, but that didn't happen. No offense intended, but I really don't find irrational cynicism to really be that wise IMO.

As I'm not sure how long a timeframe 'beyond technological adolescence' is implying, I can't comment on that. But though speculative, I can't say the idea that humanity might meet its end within 80,000 years, seems an irrational one to me. The list of possibilities is a pretty long one, and presumably there are some that are yet to hove into view.
Of a much-discussed and in vogue one, the AI 'threat', it seems to me there'd be a sort of irony if as is said, we may have wiped out the Neanderthals with 'superior' brain power, we were then wiped out by our own technology when it got smarter than us. Though of course AI might end up being the good cop and eventually work out how to find and maintain a wormhole, and we can all spin off to a deliriously happy future somewhere on the other side of the galaxy ...

Quote from: Kalevala on October 19, 2024, 10:58:31 AMDon't know anything about that telescope, but I did notice a number of years ago that when I went into the country that I could really see the stars.  I loved it!

K

(https://telescopestobuy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Orion-SkyQuest-XT6-Classic-Dobsonian.jpeg)

Sadly, I just discovered that Orion went out of business in July of this year.

Quote from: Bachtoven on October 19, 2024, 10:16:12 AMI have a nice 10" Orion Dobsonian telescope, but there's too much light in my neighborhood for deep space viewing.

I once had a 10 inch dobsonion which I absolutely loved.  I couldn't believe what you can see with it in a very dark sky.  I could visually see the minor galaxies and dust lane in the Andromeda galaxy, lots of individual stars in Hercules (not just a fuzzy blob), etc.  Going to a dark sky for observing will never make you want to observe from a city again.  These days I do astrophotography which has different challenges but again, you get much better results in a dark sky unless capturing bright objects. 

Quote from: Iota on October 19, 2024, 11:03:09 AMAs I'm not sure how long a timeframe 'beyond technological adolescence' is implying, I can't comment on that. But though speculative, I can't say the idea that humanity might meet its end within 80,000 years, seems an irrational one to me. The list of possibilities is a pretty long one, and presumably there are some that are yet to hove into view.
Of a much-discussed and in vogue one, the AI 'threat', it seems to me there'd be a sort of irony if as is said, we may have wiped out the Neanderthals with 'superior' brain power, we were then wiped out by our own technology when it got smarter than us. Though of course AI might end up being the good cop and eventually work out how to find and maintain a wormhole, and we can all spin off to a deliriously happy future somewhere on the other side of the galaxy ...

I don't think we wiped out Neanderthals with superior brain power but they were less suited to the changing environments.  I agree with Richard Dawkins that intelligence doesn't seem to give an evolutionary advantage.  Intelligence seems to be a disadvantage. 

Quote from: relm1 on October 28, 2024, 06:01:55 AMI don't think we wiped out Neanderthals with superior brain power but they were less suited to the changing environments.

Yes, I'm sure lots of different factors came into play as far as their extinction was concerned. It was just a casual reference to one possible one, to contrast with who might have the upper hand if AI got super smart at some point.

Quote from: relm1 on October 28, 2024, 06:01:55 AMI agree with Richard Dawkins that intelligence doesn't seem to give an evolutionary advantage.  Intelligence seems to be a disadvantage. 

Intelligence would allow a species to adapt to changing circumstances with more flexibility I'd have thought, which if it's true, would seem to give them better odds of staying alive for longer and passing on their genes (if we're comparing to other mammals. I know insects etc. are touted as the ones most likely to survive global catastrophe etc).
But obviously this is just simple speculation. I haven't read Richard Dawkins, I'll have a poke around on the web to see what words of his I can find on the subject.

Totally lost track of this thread, but I did see the comet (from central Vermont) on a rare clear night early last week. It was less bright than expected, I would estimate magnitude +2, though the coma was not visible except through binoculars, and of course the tail has low surface brightness, so "officially" it might have been +1 or so.

Quote from: Iota on October 28, 2024, 11:22:27 AMYes, I'm sure lots of different factors came into play as far as their extinction was concerned. It was just a casual reference to one possible one, to contrast with who might have the upper hand if AI got super smart at some point.

Gotcha.  ;)

Quote from: Iota on October 28, 2024, 11:22:27 AMIntelligence would allow a species to adapt to changing circumstances with more flexibility I'd have thought, which if it's true, would seem to give them better odds of staying alive for longer and passing on their genes (if we're comparing to other mammals. I know insects etc. are touted as the ones most likely to survive global catastrophe etc).
But obviously this is just simple speculation. I haven't read Richard Dawkins, I'll have a poke around on the web to see what words of his I can find on the subject.

His most famous book is probably "The Selfish Gene" which was quite revolutionary when it came out a few decades ago, but is a good one to start with.  It is poorly titled as he frequently says, the publisher named it, not him.  The better title is "The Immortal Gene" as he argues that the genes that are passed on are the ones whose evolutionary consequences serve their own implicit interest in being replicated, not necessarily those of the individual organism where in fact, the two interests might be in conflict.  An example being why would a bee develop a stinger that would rip its guts out leading to a one time defense that kills it?  The reason is for the protection of the colony's genes since they all have the same queen, they are siblings, and the gene survives though the individual died.  Traits that keep coming up independently (hands, claws, eyes, speed, strength, camouflage, social bonding in tribal groups, etc.) seem to give more of an evolutionary advantage.  Intelligence generally breed less or wait longer so offspring don't do as well and just never comes up in the genetic history when compared to traits that keep coming up in completely unrelated species.  To paraphrase: dumb breeds faster, easier, more often and those seem to be better advantages than being selective or outthinking.  You get played by the faster breeders.  But best to see if you can find him explaining it better than my paraphrase. 

Quote from: krummholz on October 28, 2024, 12:16:58 PMTotally lost track of this thread, but I did see the comet (from central Vermont) on a rare clear night early last week. It was less bright than expected, I would estimate magnitude +2, though the coma was not visible except through binoculars, and of course the tail has low surface brightness, so "officially" it might have been +1 or so.

Nice! Did you get a picture of it?  It was (might still be) an easy target even for phones.

Quote from: relm1 on October 29, 2024, 05:46:57 AMNice! Did you get a picture of it?  It was (might still be) an easy target even for phones.

I tried with my iPhone 14, but I cannot make the comet out in the picture, unfortunately. :(

I wish I had taken the department's Canon DSLR camera and sky tracker. We originally purchased them a decade ago in hopes of doing exoplanet detection, then tabled the idea after I was seriously injured. Two summers ago I returned to the project with a student - we proved conclusively that the camera is just too noisy to detect even a transiting gas giant against a red dwarf - dips in the light curve on the order of hundredths of a magnitude are too small to resolve.

Quote from: relm1 on October 29, 2024, 05:44:00 AMGotcha.  ;)

His most famous book is probably "The Selfish Gene" which was quite revolutionary when it came out a few decades ago, but is a good one to start with.  It is poorly titled as he frequently says, the publisher named it, not him.  The better title is "The Immortal Gene" as he argues that the genes that are passed on are the ones whose evolutionary consequences serve their own implicit interest in being replicated, not necessarily those of the individual organism where in fact, the two interests might be in conflict.  An example being why would a bee develop a stinger that would rip its guts out leading to a one time defense that kills it?  The reason is for the protection of the colony's genes since they all have the same queen, they are siblings, and the gene survives though the individual died.  Traits that keep coming up independently (hands, claws, eyes, speed, strength, camouflage, social bonding in tribal groups, etc.) seem to give more of an evolutionary advantage.  Intelligence generally breed less or wait longer so offspring don't do as well and just never comes up in the genetic history when compared to traits that keep coming up in completely unrelated species.  To paraphrase: dumb breeds faster, easier, more often and those seem to be better advantages than being selective or outthinking.  You get played by the faster breeders.  But best to see if you can find him explaining it better than my paraphrase. 

Thanks, that's very interesting. I won't carry on so as not to derail the thread, but I should probably read the Selfish Gene, I remember around the time it came out Richard Dawkins seemed to be appearing every other 5 minutes on some tv/radio programme or other, and there was so much hype around that I got rather fed up of it all and deferred reading it. A deferment that has lasted to this day ..  ::) 

Quote from: krummholz on October 29, 2024, 08:19:19 AMI tried with my iPhone 14, but I cannot make the comet out in the picture, unfortunately. :(

I wish I had taken the department's Canon DSLR camera and sky tracker. We originally purchased them a decade ago in hopes of doing exoplanet detection, then tabled the idea after I was seriously injured. Two summers ago I returned to the project with a student - we proved conclusively that the camera is just too noisy to detect even a transiting gas giant against a red dwarf - dips in the light curve on the order of hundredths of a magnitude are too small to resolve.

Hmm, interesting.  Don't you also need super high resolution to detect the dips in light curve beyond just a pixel?  I thought exoplanetary transits requires very high end sensors and observatories not just a canon DSLR. 

You should try the iphone again for the comet but it should be in astro mode and on a tripod (or ground or something beyond just holding it).  It should be at least a six second exposure.  I took this either last week or the week before with iphone in a six second exposure.  It was right after sunset so sky was still bright but the comet is clearly visible in the center.  This was maybe 30 minutes after sunset since it was so low in the horizon, I had to try getting it even though the sky was too bright but now it's much higher in the sky so you can try for it an hour or so after sunset but dimmer.  Worth another try.

Quote from: relm1 on October 30, 2024, 05:35:07 AMHmm, interesting.  Don't you also need super high resolution to detect the dips in light curve beyond just a pixel?  I thought exoplanetary transits requires very high end sensors and observatories not just a canon DSLR.

I'm not sure how super-high resolution would help you if you needed the image to extend beyond a single pixel - quite the reverse, the actual angular size of any star (except maybe Betelgeuse) is zero to a very good approximation, as you probably know. Any stellar image will occupy many pixels due to diffraction anyway, and for exoplanet detection you defocus slightly to avoid saturating pixels.

No, as I said, the main reason the DSLR was useless for the purpose was internal noise. For the test I targeted short-period shallow-amplitude Delta Scuti variables, on the theory that if I couldn't discern the dip in the light curve of that kind of star, detecting an exoplanet would be hopeless. My very first attempt at photometry was on Epsilon Cephei, and I thought at first that I had a good light curve from it, but it was only over one cycle and on repeat observations, turned out to be just noise that happened to have the expected shape. The amplitude of the variability has to be at least a few tenths of a magnitude for that camera to detect it reliably.

But if you think you can't detect exoplanets with amateur-level sensors and telescopes, google Dennis Conti, the guru of amateur exoplanet detection. He specifically recommends against using DSLR - CCD or CMOS are much superior for this purpose.

QuoteYou should try the iphone again for the comet but it should be in astro mode and on a tripod (or ground or something beyond just holding it).  It should be at least a six second exposure.  I took this either last week or the week before with iphone in a six second exposure.  It was right after sunset so sky was still bright but the comet is clearly visible in the center.  This was maybe 30 minutes after sunset since it was so low in the horizon, I had to try getting it even though the sky was too bright but now it's much higher in the sky so you can try for it an hour or so after sunset but dimmer.  Worth another try.

Nice! But I have no way to mount my iPhone on my SkyTracker, so no way to do a time exposure. The other problem is that the comet is very likely no longer a naked-eye object. If we ever have another clear evening before the comet disappears entirely I may try again, but with the Canon and SkyTracker. Unfortunately, clear evenings are extremely rare this time of year in Vermont. We don't even have an outside chance of another until the weekend.

I've just seen Mercury, possibly for the first time ever (although I was very keen on astronomy as a child, so may have seen it then - or may equally have lied about seeing it (I was also very keen on lying as a child)).  It involved a trek across muddy fields, although I then discovered I could have seen it from my kitchen window.  I had to come back and check that it wasn't Saturn, but Mercury is the brighter of the two at the moment, and slightly higher in the sky today.

Quote from: DaveF on February 25, 2025, 10:12:06 AMI've just seen Mercury, possibly for the first time ever (although I was very keen on astronomy as a child, so may have seen it then - or may equally have lied about seeing it (I was also very keen on lying as a child)).  It involved a trek across muddy fields, although I then discovered I could have seen it from my kitchen window.  I had to come back and check that it wasn't Saturn, but Mercury is the brighter of the two at the moment, and slightly higher in the sky today.

Cool. Suitably impressed 🙂

Will try for Uranus later as well, which at least has the decency not to be so damn close to the Sun.  Will need my binoculars, but it's in a rather dull bit of sky, more or less midway between Aldebaran and Aries.

Quote from: DaveF on February 25, 2025, 10:22:30 AMWill try for Uranus later as well, which at least has the decency not to be so damn close to the Sun.  Will need my binoculars, but it's in a rather dull bit of sky, more or less midway between Aldebaran and Aries.

Hope you managed to spot it! I'm useless at finding most stuff in the sky although as I'm intending to go to an astronomy group I just discovered tomorrow night I got motivated enough to learn some stuff off YouTube and found my camera could just capture Venus as a crescent Monday night  :o .

Quote from: steve ridgway on February 25, 2025, 06:40:04 PM...found my camera could just capture Venus as a crescent Monday night  :o .

Very nice! I'll try to do the same with Mercury - probably not tonight, which is forecast for cloudy, but later in the week.
Uranus was quite easy, thanks to this site: https://spaceandtelescope.com/planets-visible-tonight/ (https://spaceandtelescope.com/planets-visible-tonight/).  If you scroll 2/3 of the way down to the section on Uranus, it's the dot under the 'n' in its name.  That crescent of stars above it is very prominent in a binocular field, and the little fellow (OK, gas giant) is right there.  Very faint, slightly greenish.

Quote from: DaveF on February 25, 2025, 10:46:30 PMVery nice! I'll try to do the same with Mercury - probably not tonight, which is forecast for cloudy, but later in the week.
Uranus was quite easy, thanks to this site: https://spaceandtelescope.com/planets-visible-tonight/ (https://spaceandtelescope.com/planets-visible-tonight/).  If you scroll 2/3 of the way down to the section on Uranus, it's the dot under the 'n' in its name.  That crescent of stars above it is very prominent in a binocular field, and the little fellow (OK, gas giant) is right there.  Very faint, slightly greenish.

Oh, that looks doable. Weather looks good for tomorrow night so I might get to look through a telescope.

Quote from: DaveF on February 25, 2025, 10:22:30 AMWill try for Uranus later as well, which at least has the decency not to be so damn close to the Sun.  Will need my binoculars, but it's in a rather dull bit of sky, more or less midway between Aldebaran and Aries.

Quote from: DaveF on February 25, 2025, 10:12:06 AMI've just seen Mercury, possibly for the first time ever (although I was very keen on astronomy as a child, so may have seen it then - or may equally have lied about seeing it (I was also very keen on lying as a child)).  It involved a trek across muddy fields, although I then discovered I could have seen it from my kitchen window.  I had to come back and check that it wasn't Saturn, but Mercury is the brighter of the two at the moment, and slightly higher in the sky today.

Nice! I believe I spotted Mercury once last year, but I've never been 100% sure. It's difficult to spot, and we in the northern hemisphere never get an opportunity as good as the best southern hemisphere apparitions, due to the way Mercury's and Earth's orbits are aligned now.

A good evening for Mercury tonight.
25022702.JPG

Quote from: DaveF on February 27, 2025, 12:28:20 PMA good evening for Mercury tonight.
25022702.JPG

You got it! 8)

Having tried a bit of astrophotography and considered my options, I think I'm going to stick mostly to the Moon🌛.

The Moon and Venus, Jan 3.

Quote from: steve ridgway on February 27, 2025, 06:14:28 PMHaving tried a bit of astrophotography and considered my options, I think I'm going to stick mostly to the Moon🌛.

The Moon and Venus, Jan 3.

While I'm an AA who prefers DSOs since the 1970's, I can still appreciate a terrific " neighborly " image like that one - well done.  8)

Quote from: LKB on February 27, 2025, 06:53:44 PMWhile I'm an AA who prefers DSOs since the 1970's, I can still appreciate a terrific " neighborly " image like that one - well done.  8)

Thank you :D . I can see the attraction of DSO hunting but don't have the patience nowadays.

Btw, I'm seriously considering exploring the legendary Questar 3.5". That scope has intrigued me for decades, and I even got to try one for a couple days around 1982 ( unfortunately, poor seeing prevented me from giving it a proper audition ).

I've been reading up on some fairly recent reviews of both a 1965 model, and a more recent version which accepts standard 1.25" oculars. It would seem that there is a solid consensus favoring the instrument, over 70 years after it first entered the consumer market. It can hold its own with instruments sporting a slightly larger objective, and doesn't seem to really have any competition with anything else in its class regarding quality, portability or convenience.

Still, $6k isn't exactly a trivial sum for me, though I suspect this instrument isn't at all overpriced. And it is, after all, a true classic. Arthur C. Clarke owned one, and there is an example in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution.

So, any Questar fans here?

Quote from: steve ridgway on February 27, 2025, 05:45:56 PMYou got it! 8)

Thanks - I was so pleased, I inserted it twice (seriously, never inserted an image before, so not sure how that happened).

Quote from: DaveF on February 27, 2025, 10:07:23 PMThanks - I was so pleased, I inserted it twice (seriously, never inserted an image before, so not sure how that happened).

You don't need to insert an image if you attach it.

Quote from: DaveF on February 27, 2025, 12:28:20 PMA good evening for Mercury tonight.
25022702.JPG

Very nice!  Where are you...that primal earth that opens 2001: A Space Odyssey?

(https://idyllopuspress.com/idyllopus/film/images/2001/2001_dawnofman_sm.jpg)

Quote from: steve ridgway on February 27, 2025, 06:14:28 PMHaving tried a bit of astrophotography and considered my options, I think I'm going to stick mostly to the Moon🌛.

The Moon and Venus, Jan 3.

Go for astrophotography!

Quote from: LKB on February 27, 2025, 07:18:25 PMBtw, I'm seriously considering exploring the legendary Questar 3.5". That scope has intrigued me for decades, and I even got to try one for a couple days around 1982 ( unfortunately, poor seeing prevented me from giving it a proper audition ).

I've been reading up on some fairly recent reviews of both a 1965 model, and a more recent version which accepts standard 1.25" oculars. It would seem that there is a solid consensus favoring the instrument, over 70 years after it first entered the consumer market. It can hold its own with instruments sporting a slightly larger objective, and doesn't seem to really have any competition with anything else in its class regarding quality, portability or convenience.

Still, $6k isn't exactly a trivial sum for me, though I suspect this instrument isn't at all overpriced. And it is, after all, a true classic. Arthur C. Clarke owned one, and there is an example in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution.

So, any Questar fans here?

You can buy A LOT of scope for that price.  I am often asked for advice on first telescopes from friends and family.  My response is generally, what do you want to do with it?  No one scope can do all things.  Generally, the more expensive the scope, the better it is at a single thing.  For example, my scope can't really do planets.  It has too low focal length.  That's fine because I do astrophotography of deep sky objects mostly. 

Isn't this scope basically just as good as the Questar for a 10th the price?

https://www.celestron.com/products/nexstar-4se-computerized-telescope (https://www.celestron.com/products/nexstar-4se-computerized-telescope)

Quote from: relm1 on February 28, 2025, 05:59:10 AMVery nice!  Where are you...that primal earth that opens 2001: A Space Odyssey?

Pretty close, actually - well, the hill you can see in the distance (about 7 miles away) is The Blorenge at Abergavenny: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blorenge (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blorenge) (the name is probably pre-Celtic, since no-one knows what it means).  So, being very rural, we do enjoy lovely dark skies.

Quote from: LKB on February 27, 2025, 07:18:25 PMBtw, I'm seriously considering exploring the legendary Questar 3.5". That scope has intrigued me for decades, and I even got to try one for a couple days around 1982 ( unfortunately, poor seeing prevented me from giving it a proper audition ).

I've been reading up on some fairly recent reviews of both a 1965 model, and a more recent version which accepts standard 1.25" oculars. It would seem that there is a solid consensus favoring the instrument, over 70 years after it first entered the consumer market. It can hold its own with instruments sporting a slightly larger objective, and doesn't seem to really have any competition with anything else in its class regarding quality, portability or convenience.

Still, $6k isn't exactly a trivial sum for me, though I suspect this instrument isn't at all overpriced. And it is, after all, a true classic. Arthur C. Clarke owned one, and there is an example in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution.

So, any Questar fans here?

I just read a Review (http://www.scopeviews.co.uk/Questar35.htm) of that and like the idea of just buying one very well made, compact kit and being done with it. I presume then that the mirrors stay shiny for decades?

Quote from: steve ridgway on February 28, 2025, 07:10:00 PMI just read a Review (http://www.scopeviews.co.uk/Questar35.htm) of that and like the idea of just buying one very well made, compact kit and being done with it. I presume then that the mirrors stay shiny for decades?

Within the last year I've read a review of a Questar 3.5" from 1965 ( I'll link it if l can find it again ). While l don't recall the author specifically mentioning the mirrors, he seemed fairly impressed overall by the 'scope's performance.

As all Cassegrains are closed optics I would expect the mirrors to stay healthy for decades, barring any misfortune.

Quote from: DaveF on February 28, 2025, 01:31:29 PMPretty close, actually - well, the hill you can see in the distance (about 7 miles away) is The Blorenge at Abergavenny: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blorenge (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blorenge) (the name is probably pre-Celtic, since no-one knows what it means).  So, being very rural, we do enjoy lovely dark skies.

Ooh, that's interesting! 

Just a reminder, there is a lunar eclipse in two weeks (March 14) that will be the last one till 2029.

I hope some of you managed to see the beautiful eclipse on March 13.  Here is one of my pictures.  I can't really pick a favorite because I like all of them that are in focus but I kind of like the context this one gives though others are close up.

A very nice " Blood Moon " - thanks.

BTW, I'm seriously considering purchasing a used Questar 3.5" or 7" Matsukov. Thoughts?

Not certain where to post this:  the astronauts who were stuck in space for months (vs. like a week) have been rescued and landed in the ocean and are now on a ship.   :)

The capsule has been opened and all evacuated.

K

Do we know whether or not they were able to retrieve all four parachutes (and cords) from the capsule?

K

Quote from: Kalevala on March 19, 2025, 09:58:07 AMDo we know whether or not they were able to retrieve all four parachutes (and cords) from the capsule?

K

Yes - SpaceX went to some trouble to recover the 4 main parachutes from DM-2 (they sent out a fast boat(s) to attach floats (buoys) to them so they didn't sink), and probably also the two smaller drogue parachutes. I expect they did the same on DM-1 and Cargo Dragon splashdowns.

Like the parachutes used to to recover the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Motors, the parachutes will be washed, checked, repaired as needed, and repacked for reuse.

Quote from: relm1 on March 21, 2025, 06:47:27 AMYes - SpaceX went to some trouble to recover the 4 main parachutes from DM-2 (they sent out a fast boat(s) to attach floats (buoys) to them so they didn't sink), and probably also the two smaller drogue parachutes. I expect they did the same on DM-1 and Cargo Dragon splashdowns.

Like the parachutes used to to recover the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Motors, the parachutes will be washed, checked, repaired as needed, and repacked for reuse.

Oh, good!

K

KarimElm-M13 Finalbs.jpg

I took this picture last week.  It was technically very challenging but it blows me away to just stair at it.  I see several small galaxies I didn't even know where there.  This is M-13 and according to wiki has up to half a million stars.  Just imagine, if our sun was in there, the sky would be so full of suns, we'd not know there were other stars or galaxies because it would never be night.

It will be much easier to make sun-dried tomatoes.

Quote from: relm1 on July 22, 2025, 05:50:31 AMKarimElm-M13 Finalbs.jpg

I took this picture last week.  It was technically very challenging but it blows me away to just stair at it.  I see several small galaxies I didn't even know where there.  This is M-13 and according to wiki has up to half a million stars.  Just imagine, if our sun was in there, the sky would be so full of suns, we'd not know there were other stars or galaxies because it would never be night.

That's a very impressive image of one of one of the first DSOs I ever viewed, decades ago - thanks!  8)

If you haven't already, perhaps you might give M92 ( also in Hercules ) a try. Less spectacular than its famous cousin, it's still a lovely GC ( and, in fact, my favorite ).

Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on July 22, 2025, 05:55:22 AMIt will be much easier to make sun-dried tomatoes.

They will evolve in a place with much higher survival pressures so likely would be carnivorous.  Tomatoes there might want to eat you.

Quote from: LKB on July 22, 2025, 05:19:13 PMThat's a very impressive image of one of one of the first DSOs I ever viewed, decades ago - thanks!  8)

If you haven't already, perhaps you might give M92 ( also in Hercules ) a try. Less spectacular than its famous cousin, it's still a lovely GC ( and, in fact, my favorite ).

Thanks kindly.  Yes, this is an impressive one to see visually as well, unlike most deep sky objects which are at best just faint blurs.  Another picture coming in a day or two that really is blowing me away.

Quote from: relm1 on July 22, 2025, 05:50:31 AMKarimElm-M13 Finalbs.jpg

I took this picture last week.  It was technically very challenging but it blows me away to just stair at it.  I see several small galaxies I didn't even know where there.  This is M-13 and according to wiki has up to half a million stars.  Just imagine, if our sun was in there, the sky would be so full of suns, we'd not know there were other stars or galaxies because it would never be night.

Didn't Asimov do a short story about a planet orbiting a star in a globular cluster? I think it was one of his first stories - I'll have to try to look it up. Don't remember the details, and it might have been the nucleus of a galaxy rather than a globular cluster, but iirc the inhabitants had no concept of "night" and could not function in the dark, or perhaps were driven mad by it.

Edit: I think this (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightfall_(Asimov_novelette_and_novel)) is the story I'm thinking of. It was, indeed, a globular cluster. There were only a handful of stars close enough to keep the planet in perpetual daylight, but that's really all it would take, as long as at least one of them was always above the horizon.

BTW, M5 and M15 are two other well-known globulars visible from Northern Hemisphere skies, and I'll bet you could get some awesome photos of both of them.

Quote from: relm1 on July 22, 2025, 05:50:31 AMKarimElm-M13 Finalbs.jpg

I took this picture last week.  It was technically very challenging but it blows me away to just stair at it.  I see several small galaxies I didn't even know where there.  This is M-13 and according to wiki has up to half a million stars.  Just imagine, if our sun was in there, the sky would be so full of suns, we'd not know there were other stars or galaxies because it would never be night.

I remember in about 1965 looking at M13 through my home-made 4" reflector. It was a fairly faint circular fuzzy blob. Wonderful to know what it was, but unimpressive as an image. And in 1965 that seemed enough. By comparison your photograph is astounding. Marvellous. Congratulations!

Quote from: krummholz on July 23, 2025, 07:46:16 AMBTW, M5 and M15 are two other well-known globulars visible from Northern Hemisphere skies, and I'll bet you could get some awesome photos of both of them.

Summertime features lots of GCs. ( Which makes sense as these clusters are concentrated in our galaxy's central area, as well as the halo. ) Scorpius is home to M4, which ( to me ) looks interesting in the eyepiece with a rather ovoid shape. NGC 6144 is nearby, just west of Antares, a bit smaller and dimmer than M4 but still a good object for a small scope.

Summer has always been my favorite, " special season " for astronomy... so many beautiful and easily accessable objects, and in shirtsleeves to boot!

 

Quote from: krummholz on July 23, 2025, 07:35:28 AMDidn't Asimov do a short story about a planet orbiting a star in a globular cluster? I think it was one of his first stories - I'll have to try to look it up. Don't remember the details, and it might have been the nucleus of a galaxy rather than a globular cluster, but iirc the inhabitants had no concept of "night" and could not function in the dark, or perhaps were driven mad by it.

Edit: I think this (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightfall_(Asimov_novelette_and_novel)) is the story I'm thinking of. It was, indeed, a globular cluster. There were only a handful of stars close enough to keep the planet in perpetual daylight, but that's really all it would take, as long as at least one of them was always above the horizon.

Yep, that's it.  A famous story that I've always loved.  The fear and panic for those people who never knew night.

Ok, here is my new picture.  It was tough!  My most epic picture ever and the most technically challenging.  It grieves me to upload this as a very compressed image, but you do what you can do.
KEA2151ss.jpg

It might just look like a bunch of stars, but this contains an extremely distant cluster of galaxies!  500 million light years away and hundreds, maybe thousands of galaxies are here, some gravitationally bound.  Each one with a 100 million stars (or is it 100 billion, I forget?) but when I first started seeing the results, I was awe struck because I didn't exactly know what this was.  I like galaxy clusters but didn't know of this one.

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on July 23, 2025, 12:32:45 PMI remember in about 1965 looking at M13 through my home-made 4" reflector. It was a fairly faint circular fuzzy blob. Wonderful to know what it was, but unimpressive as an image. And in 1965 that seemed enough. By comparison your photograph is astounding. Marvellous. Congratulations!

Thanks so much!  Wow, must have been nice to have had memories of the pristine skies of the 1960s.

Quote from: relm1 on July 24, 2025, 06:00:04 AMThanks so much!  Wow, must have been nice to have had memories of the pristine skies of the 1960s.

What I saw through that telescope, crude though it was, was a huge inspiration in my teens.

Quote from: relm1 on July 24, 2025, 05:55:40 AMOk, here is my new picture.  It was tough!  My most epic picture ever and the most technically challenging.  It grieves me to upload this as a very compressed image, but you do what you can do.
KEA2151ss.jpg

It might just look like a bunch of stars, but this contains an extremely distant cluster of galaxies!  500 million light years away and hundreds, maybe thousands of galaxies are here, some gravitationally bound.  Each one with a 100 million stars (or is it 100 billion, I forget?) but when I first started seeing the results, I was awe struck because I didn't exactly know what this was.  I like galaxy clusters but didn't know of this one.

Oh yes, there are definitely a load of galaxies there! Great image 8) .

Quote from: steve ridgway on July 25, 2025, 03:50:31 AMOh yes, there are definitely a load of galaxies there! Great image 8) .

Thank you!  Aren't they pretty?  ;D   I like ones that just appear randomly but some have beautiful spirals, some are clearly interacting.  Just think, when the light in the picture left these galaxies, life on earth was only microbial.  There weren't even plants or trees on the land.  So, our Milky Way probably looks like these to those galaxies too.  I wonder if it looks like we're as tightly packed to those galaxies as they look to us.

Quote from: relm1 on July 24, 2025, 05:55:40 AMOk, here is my new picture.  It was tough!  My most epic picture ever and the most technically challenging.  It grieves me to upload this as a very compressed image, but you do what you can do.
KEA2151ss.jpg

It might just look like a bunch of stars, but this contains an extremely distant cluster of galaxies!  500 million light years away and hundreds, maybe thousands of galaxies are here, some gravitationally bound.  Each one with a 100 million stars (or is it 100 billion, I forget?) but when I first started seeing the results, I was awe struck because I didn't exactly know what this was.  I like galaxy clusters but didn't know of this one.

This is a lovely image, and even a quick perusal of it shows lots of stuff going on way out there... some very intriguingly skewed galaxies, and in at least one place, maybe strong gravitational lensing.

Quote from: relm1 on July 24, 2025, 05:55:40 AMOk, here is my new picture.  It was tough!  My most epic picture ever and the most technically challenging.  It grieves me to upload this as a very compressed image, but you do what you can do.
KEA2151ss.jpg

It might just look like a bunch of stars, but this contains an extremely distant cluster of galaxies!  500 million light years away and hundreds, maybe thousands of galaxies are here, some gravitationally bound.  Each one with a 100 million stars (or is it 100 billion, I forget?) but when I first started seeing the results, I was awe struck because I didn't exactly know what this was.  I like galaxy clusters but didn't know of this one.

You didn't identify the galaxy cluster - from the filename I guessed that it might be the Abell 2151 cluster in Hercules, but none of the stock pictures of that cluster really resemble yours too closely. In any case, your photo is awesome!

Thank you!  Yes, this is Abell 2151 Hercules Galaxy Cluster.  It took me some time to not call it Adele, that English singer who sings all those sad songs.  Yes, look for that distinctive "L" shaped galaxy, two different galaxies just top of center in this crop.  Here is mine to the left and one from NASA to the left but lined up.

ComparisonS.jpg

Quote from: owlice on July 25, 2025, 08:31:13 AMThis is a lovely image, and even a quick perusal of it shows lots of stuff going on way out there... some very intriguingly skewed galaxies, and in at least one place, maybe strong gravitational lensing.

Oh really?? Where is the lensing?  I didn't notice that and have always wanted to capture that but thought too distant.

    Are you guys following 3I/ATLAS, the interstellar object detected on July 1, then traced back in earlier images to June 25? In December it will reach its closest point to Earth (~2.4AU).

    Oh, and Mr. Friend says hi.  :D

(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZkIQTX71GnU/hqdefault.jpg)

Quote from: drogulus on July 29, 2025, 07:49:21 PMAre you guys following 3I/ATLAS, the interstellar object detected on July 1, then traced back in earlier images to June 25? In December it will reach its closest point to Earth (~2.4AU).

    Oh, and Mr. Friend says hi.  :D

(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZkIQTX71GnU/hqdefault.jpg)

That video made me chuckle, though the appearances of the outer planets at the end seemed a bit of overkill.

Quote from: LKB on July 29, 2025, 08:16:05 PMThat video made me chuckle, though the appearances of the outer planets at the end seemed a bit of overkill.

     I agree. They should stay in their lane.

    3I/ATLAS is the largest interstellar object yet seen to travel through the solar system. Given it's velocity relative to the sun it won't be back.

For those of you interested, the beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 7331 lies 40 million light years away and just had a supernova.  The supernova was discovered only two weeks ago (SN 2025rbs (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_7331) cataloged July 14, 2025).  and will last a few more weeks.  Here is my picture of it from Monday this week pointing to the supernova.  For these few weeks, that single explosion is as bright as the rest of the galaxy!

Also interesting is this is a spiral galaxy like our Milky Way and about the same size.  Our galaxy would look similar from there.  It is always interesting to wonder if someone over there is looking over here taking a picture of what they think is a twin to their spiral galaxy.  When that star exploded 40 million years ago, our ancestor looked closer to a tree dwelling squirrel (https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/who-was-ida/).

Quote from: relm1 on August 01, 2025, 06:05:51 AMFor those of you interested, the beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 7331 lies 40 million light years away and just had a supernova.  The supernova was discovered only two weeks ago (SN 2025rbs (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_7331) cataloged July 14, 2025).  and will last a few more weeks.  Here is my picture of it from Monday this week pointing to the supernova.  For these few weeks, that single explosion is as bright as the rest of the galaxy!

Also interesting is this is a spiral galaxy like our Milky Way and about the same size.  Our galaxy would look similar from there.  It is always interesting to wonder if someone over there is looking over here taking a picture of what they think is a twin to their spiral galaxy.  When that star exploded 40 million years ago, our ancestor looked closer to a tree dwelling squirrel (https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/who-was-ida/).

Interesting. Wikipedia gives the SN an apparent visual magnitude of 17.07, but at that distance (and given that it is a Type 1a) it should reach or have reached a peak magnitude of about 11.1, and thus have been easily visible in a medium-sized amateur telescope. What would you estimate was its magnitude in your picture?

Also, what equipment are you using? These pictures are really outstanding.

Another winner from relm1, which surprises me not at all.

Thank you sir.  8)

Quote from: relm1 on August 01, 2025, 06:05:51 AMFor those of you interested, the beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 7331 lies 40 million light years away and just had a supernova.  The supernova was discovered only two weeks ago (SN 2025rbs (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_7331) cataloged July 14, 2025).  and will last a few more weeks.  Here is my picture of it from Monday this week pointing to the supernova.  For these few weeks, that single explosion is as bright as the rest of the galaxy!


Also interesting is this is a spiral galaxy like our Milky Way and about the same size.  Our galaxy would look similar from there.  It is always interesting to wonder if someone over there is looking over here taking a picture of what they think is a twin to their spiral galaxy.  When that star exploded 40 million years ago, our ancestor looked closer to a tree dwelling squirrel (https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/who-was-ida/).

(https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=124628;image;thumb)

Spectacular, bravo!

Quote from: krummholz on August 01, 2025, 07:26:40 AMInteresting. Wikipedia gives the SN an apparent visual magnitude of 17.07, but at that distance (and given that it is a Type 1a) it should reach or have reached a peak magnitude of about 11.1, and thus have been easily visible in a medium-sized amateur telescope. What would you estimate was its magnitude in your picture?

Also, what equipment are you using? These pictures are really outstanding.

Thanks @Iota and @LKB for the kind remarks!

@krummholz, Hmm, good point.  That visual magnitude of 17.07 might be when it was discovered a few weeks ago and has since brightened.  I'm not sure how long it takes to reach peak brightness.  NGC 7333 (the star below galaxy NGC 7331 as seen in my plate resolved image attached) is magnitude 15.1 and I'd say the supernova is at least that bright if not a tad brighter.  So maybe 14.5 when I took the picture.
By comparison, Pluto is the same (14.51).  This website (https://scopetrader.com/telescope-light-gathering-power-and-resolution/#:~:text=An%208-inch%20telescope%20can%20see%201024%20times%20fainter,naked%20eye%2C%20with%20a%20limiting%20magnitude%20of%2013.5.) says that you'd need a large scope of at least 16 inch diameter to see that dim but a 32 inch would only get you to magnitude 16.5 so I doubt it would be visible to the eye without a very large scope but I also know people with exceptional vision that I don't possess who might be able to see magnitude 15 with an 8 inch scope under ideal conditions. 

With a 16-inch reflector in pristine skies, I could barely see M-51 (Whirlpool Galaxy) which is considered one of the brighter galaxies at magnitude 9 to 10.5.  I could see the spiral, but it was at my visual limit.  I had to look away from it to visually detect it at all.

I did photograph and see the supernova in M101 from 2023 (or 2022?).  It was around the same magnitude of 14.9 and I think it was through a 22 inch scope.  I looked through lots of scopes that night so can't remember if the big amateur scope was 20 or 22 inches, definitely the largest amateur scope I'd ever looked through...you needed a ladder to reach the eye piece!  That supernova and galaxy were both barely visible from a high-altitude dark sky location but I don't have great eyesight so not sure if that applies to others.  M101 is magnitude 7.9 but much larger and I'm sure you know that brightness is spread across the entire area. 

As far as the gear, sadly I don't own this equipment.  It belongs to my astro club and they are allowing members to have access to it but only a handful of us are using it since it's complex.  I've discovered it to be a freaking BEAST of a scope...the best I've ever used and has completely blown me away!  I've only been using it for a few weeks and can't say enough good things about it.  It's a Takahasi TOA130 and ASI451MM sensor with ASI174MM guiding.  I didn't know much about it but discovered it's a freaking Rolls Royce!  Currently, very few members use it because it is complicated but I am frankly worried they'll start restricting access or charge to use it where I wouldn't be able to afford access since I'm broke.  It would be like downgrading from a Rolls Royce back to my tricycle.  I don't know if I can ever get access to gear this amazing again.☹

I've been doing astrophotography for the past three years and I've learned more in the past three weeks than I learned the past three years!  The sensor is very high end but monochrome (which I've never used before) so to achieve color, I have to take images in multiple wavelengths so there is so much more detail in each wavelength and all with perfect focus. 
The images I've posted are just a crop from the 37 gigs of imaging data.  My final processed image is 1 gigabyte which I then have to compress down to 1 meg (grrrr) which robs everyone of how detailed and beautiful the image really is.  I frankly have been brought to tears a few times with my jaw dropping seeing what all is there seeing things I've never seen before!  It is so beautiful, clean, such little noise, but it takes a lot of time and work to pull off. 

Quote from: relm1 on August 01, 2025, 05:36:50 PMThanks @Iota and @LKB for the kind remarks!

@krummholz, Hmm, good point.  That visual magnitude of 17.07 might be when it was discovered a few weeks ago and has since brightened.  I'm not sure how long it takes to reach peak brightness.  NGC 7333 (the star below galaxy NGC 7331 as seen in my plate resolved image attached) is magnitude 15.1 and I'd say the supernova is at least that bright if not a tad brighter.  So maybe 14.5 when I took the picture.
By comparison, Pluto is the same (14.51).  This website (https://scopetrader.com/telescope-light-gathering-power-and-resolution/#:~:text=An%208-inch%20telescope%20can%20see%201024%20times%20fainter,naked%20eye%2C%20with%20a%20limiting%20magnitude%20of%2013.5.) says that you'd need a large scope of at least 16 inch diameter to see that dim but a 32 inch would only get you to magnitude 16.5 so I doubt it would be visible to the eye without a very large scope but I also know people with exceptional vision that I don't possess who might be able to see magnitude 15 with an 8 inch scope under ideal conditions.

That sounds reasonable, somewhere between its initial brightness and peak. I'm not sure how long it takes a 1a to reach peak, either - the only parameter I know well is that peak luminosity, or absolute magnitude (-19.3), which as you know is the same for all Type 1a supernovae and is the reason they make excellent standard candles.

QuoteWith a 16-inch reflector in pristine skies, I could barely see M-51 (Whirlpool Galaxy) which is considered one of the brighter galaxies at magnitude 9 to 10.5.  I could see the spiral, but it was at my visual limit.  I had to look away from it to visually detect it at all.

I did photograph and see the supernova in M101 from 2023 (or 2022?).  It was around the same magnitude of 14.9 and I think it was through a 22 inch scope.  I looked through lots of scopes that night so can't remember if the big amateur scope was 20 or 22 inches, definitely the largest amateur scope I'd ever looked through...you needed a ladder to reach the eye piece!  That supernova and galaxy were both barely visible from a high-altitude dark sky location but I don't have great eyesight so not sure if that applies to others.  M101 is magnitude 7.9 but much larger and I'm sure you know that brightness is spread across the entire area.

Yes, the phrase is "low surface brightness" and that makes galaxies harder to spot than stars of comparable magnitude. I'm a little surprised, though, that it would take a 32-inch telescope to see a 16.5 magnitude galaxy, looking through the eyepiece. I think Pluto is actually visible through a 12-inch telescope under ideal conditions, so I'm not sure I totally buy what that site says.

QuoteAs far as the gear, sadly I don't own this equipment.  It belongs to my astro club and they are allowing members to have access to it but only a handful of us are using it since it's complex.  I've discovered it to be a freaking BEAST of a scope...the best I've ever used and has completely blown me away!  I've only been using it for a few weeks and can't say enough good things about it.  It's a Takahasi TOA130 and ASI451MM sensor with ASI174MM guiding.  I didn't know much about it but discovered it's a freaking Rolls Royce!  Currently, very few members use it because it is complicated but I am frankly worried they'll start restricting access or charge to use it where I wouldn't be able to afford access since I'm broke.  It would be like downgrading from a Rolls Royce back to my tricycle.  I don't know if I can ever get access to gear this amazing again.☹

I'd never heard of the Takahashi TOA130 either and was surprised to learn that it is a 130-mm, or about a 5" refractor. I assume your club's scope has a clock drive and can support long time exposures, because otherwise there is no way a telescope of that size could produce such stunning pictures as yours.

The club I belong to has a Planewave CDK17 telescope, a truly amazing instrument by all accounts. It is controlled remotely and club members are allowed to request time on it for astrophotography and any other reasonable uses. I had planned to use it not for taking pictures of galaxies, but for variable star photometry and ultimately, exoplanet detection. But other projects for work have taken precedence, and that sort of thing, given I'd be using  amateur equipment however advanced, would never be able to do more than confirm exoplanet candidates - I'm not on any team of professionals analyzing data from TESS or JWST or even a large ground-based telescope.

Quote from: krummholz on August 04, 2025, 08:03:23 AMThat sounds reasonable, somewhere between its initial brightness and peak. I'm not sure how long it takes a 1a to reach peak, either - the only parameter I know well is that peak luminosity, or absolute magnitude (-19.3), which as you know is the same for all Type 1a supernovae and is the reason they make excellent standard candles.

Yes, the phrase is "low surface brightness" and that makes galaxies harder to spot than stars of comparable magnitude. I'm a little surprised, though, that it would take a 32-inch telescope to see a 16.5 magnitude galaxy, looking through the eyepiece. I think Pluto is actually visible through a 12-inch telescope under ideal conditions, so I'm not sure I totally buy what that site says.

I'd never heard of the Takahashi TOA130 either and was surprised to learn that it is a 130-mm, or about a 5" refractor. I assume your club's scope has a clock drive and can support long time exposures, because otherwise there is no way a telescope of that size could produce such stunning pictures as yours.

The club I belong to has a Planewave CDK17 telescope, a truly amazing instrument by all accounts. It is controlled remotely and club members are allowed to request time on it for astrophotography and any other reasonable uses. I had planned to use it not for taking pictures of galaxies, but for variable star photometry and ultimately, exoplanet detection. But other projects for work have taken precedence, and that sort of thing, given I'd be using  amateur equipment however advanced, would never be able to do more than confirm exoplanet candidates - I'm not on any team of professionals analyzing data from TESS or JWST or even a large ground-based telescope.

I think that chart is oversimplifying things so probably just an average.  For example, it depends on how dark your sky is, what your focal ratio is, etc.  Perhaps a big part of the results I'm getting is the very fine sensor.  I was telling professional astronomer friends who work at national observatories about this, and they were very complimentary of the gear before I understood what it was saying "an hour with the Takahashi and the high end sensor will be breathtaking!" and he wasn't wrong.  Yes, has a very good motor and guide scope so the image of the Hercules galaxy cluster were very long exposures of 10 minutes each frame.  That Planewave CDK17 in your club looks amazing!  I would love to use that.  That looks like a pro scope. 

I'm surprised you can get exoplanets from a terrestrial scope without all the atmospheric junk getting in the way but think we already discussed this.

I'm curious how my club acquired the Takahashi but don't want to ask fearing it will remind them this is exotic and high end gear so they'll pass the cost on to the members which so far hasn't happened. It might just be we collect scopes over time.  I noticed a member just donated his 22 inch reflector to the club rather than dealing with the hassle of selling it. 

Quote from: relm1 on August 05, 2025, 06:09:41 AMI'm surprised you can get exoplanets from a terrestrial scope without all the atmospheric junk getting in the way but think we already discussed this.

We might have. Dennis Conti is the guy who showed it is possible to detect exoplanets (transit method) with a good amateur telescope and especially with a good monochrome CMOS (best choice) or CCD camera. The latest version of Dennis's guide says that even DSLR cameras have been used for exoplanet detection, but they're clearly third best and some popular models are definitely not up to the task. 10 years ago my department bought a then top-of-the-line Canon DSLR camera for this purpose, and a SkyTracker mount to enable time exposures. The project was tabled for a few years, then in 2022, with help from one of my top students, I showed that there was simply too much noise in the camera to allow it to reliably register the tiny brightness dips from even a short-period Delta Scuti variable like Epsilon Cephei, whose brightness dips are about 6 times as deep as those of a best-case Jupiter-sized gas giant transiting in front of a typical red dwarf.

https://astrodennis.com/ (https://astrodennis.com/)

I couldn't think of a more appropriate thread...

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/acting-nasa-administrator-reflects-on-legacy-of-astronaut-jim-lovell/

RIP Jim Lovell.

I wonder if, at last, he's taking the lunar stroll which fate denied him so long ago.

For me he will be always associated with Apollo 8 and the wonderful 'Earthrise' photo (taken by Anders I think). It was Christmas 1968.
That was such an exciting time. I was 12 or 13 at the time. Apollo 8 went to the Moon but didn't land there. This was the first time anyone had seen the Earth from the Moon. Apollo 8 (Borman, Lovell, Anders) was my favourite Apollo mission.
RIP Jim Lovell:

Quote from: vandermolen on August 08, 2025, 03:14:58 PMFor me he will be always associated with Apollo 8 and the wonderful 'Earthrise' photo (taken by Anders I think). It was Christmas 1968.
That was such an exciting time. I was 12 or 13 at the time. Apollo 8 went to the Moon but didn't land there. This was the first time anyone had seen the Earth from the Moon. Apollo 8 (Borman, Lovell, Anders) was my favourite Apollo mission.
RIP Jim Lovell:

Apollo 8 was magic. I watched the Christmas Eve broadcast of the opening verses from the Book of Genesis on our 10" black and white " kid's TV " in the den. I was only a young boy, but we were a church-going family in those days and I was a nut for the space program. Those two ingredients added up to a memory which remains undimmed.

A bit of photographic trivia... Anders' iconic shot was at some point rotated to position the Earth " above " the Moon. The original image ( available if one searches the NASA archives ) shows Earth to the left of the Moon's limb, where it had come into view as they were orbiting.

Quote from: LKB on August 08, 2025, 05:07:07 PMApollo 8 was magic. I watched the Christmas Eve broadcast of the opening verses from the Book of Genesis on our 10" black and white " kid's TV " in the den. I was only a young boy, but we were a church-going family in those days and I was a nut for the space program. Those two ingredients added up to a memory which remains undimmed.

A bit of photographic trivia... Anders' iconic shot was at some point rotated to position the Earth " above " the Moon. The original image ( available if one searches the NASA archives ) shows Earth to the left of the Moon's limb, where it had come into view as they were orbiting.

Yes, the Genesis reading from Apollo 8 was very moving. I think I'd heard that about the photo rotation. It's a wonderful image.

Quote from: vandermolen on August 09, 2025, 01:57:09 AMIt's a wonderful image.

It is indeed. And a claim on the most iconic photo ever taken, I would have thought. The subtle but global shift it created in self-awareness and perceptions of our planet still ripple out today I think.

Quote from: vandermolen on August 08, 2025, 03:14:58 PMFor me he will be always associated with Apollo 8 and the wonderful 'Earthrise' photo (taken by Anders I think). It was Christmas 1968.
That was such an exciting time. I was 12 or 13 at the time. Apollo 8 went to the Moon but didn't land there. This was the first time anyone had seen the Earth from the Moon. Apollo 8 (Borman, Lovell, Anders) was my favourite Apollo mission.
RIP Jim Lovell:

What was it like to see a picture of the full earth for the first time?  You probably thought by 1980, you would be living on the moon.

A real hero and treasure.  I saw him at a 50th anniversary of Apollo 13 zoom live stream not long ago and he was so excited, youthful, vivacious, and jovial.  RIP Commander.  I thought he'd be around forever. 

Quote from: relm1 on August 09, 2025, 05:22:20 AMWhat was it like to see a picture of the full earth for the first time?  You probably thought by 1980, you would be living on the moon.

A real hero and treasure.  I saw him at a 50th anniversary of Apollo 13 zoom live stream not long ago and he was so excited, youthful, vivacious, and jovial.  RIP Commander.  I thought he'd be around forever. 

It was amazing! I had to do an entry exam for a (high school) at that time and they asked me to write an essay about that famous photo. They offered me a place so I must have done something right! You are right that, as a boy at that time, I thought that this was the beginning of something rather than the end.  ???

I'm way behind the curve on this, but a few days ago @owlice directed me to the Astronomy Picture of the Day (https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html)' website, suggesting it might interest me. Since then I've checked every day, and this morning: 'POW!' I'm talking about today's image of the Crab Nebula. (If you're looking at this tomorrow, or later, you can still look at previous pictures if you explore the link.)

I knew the Crab Nebula as a teenager, using a home-made 4" reflector. I knew it again later during a short career as a radio astronomer in the early 1970s, as one of the most powerful radio sources in the sky. Everyone knows the standard photos of this supernova remnant. But this composite image (combining optical, X-ray and Infra-Red information), as the picture for today, is utterly gobsmacking. Do take a look. Makes the hair on my neck prickle.

(https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2508/Crab_HubbleChandraSpitzer_1080.jpg)

By contrast, this is how I saw it as a schoolboy in 1965:

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on August 24, 2025, 10:19:21 AMI'm way behind the curve on this, but a few days ago @owlice directed me to the Astronomy Picture of the Day (https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html)' website, suggesting it might interest me. Since then I've checked every day, and this morning: 'POW!' I'm talking about today's image of the Crab Nebula. (If you're looking at this tomorrow, or later, you can still look at previous pictures if you explore the link.)

I knew the Crab Nebula as a teenager, using a home-made 4" reflector. I knew it again later during a short career as a radio astronomer in the early 1970s, as one of the most powerful radio sources in the sky. Everyone knows the standard photos of this supernova remnant. But this composite image (combining optical, X-ray and Infra-Red information), as the picture for today, is utterly gobsmacking. Do take a look. Makes the hair on my neck prickle.

(https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2508/Crab_HubbleChandraSpitzer_1080.jpg)

By contrast, this is how I saw it as a schoolboy in 1965:

Thanks ER, for both the image and the perspective.  8)

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on August 24, 2025, 10:19:21 AMI'm way behind the curve on this, but a few days ago @owlice directed me to the Astronomy Picture of the Day (https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html)' website, suggesting it might interest me. Since then I've checked every day, and this morning: 'POW!' I'm talking about today's image of the Crab Nebula. (If you're looking at this tomorrow, or later, you can still look at previous pictures if you explore the link.)

I knew the Crab Nebula as a teenager, using a home-made 4" reflector. I knew it again later during a short career as a radio astronomer in the early 1970s, as one of the most powerful radio sources in the sky. Everyone knows the standard photos of this supernova remnant. But this composite image (combining optical, X-ray and Infra-Red information), as the picture for today, is utterly gobsmacking. Do take a look. Makes the hair on my neck prickle.

(https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2508/Crab_HubbleChandraSpitzer_1080.jpg)

By contrast, this is how I saw it as a schoolboy in 1965:

That is very cool!  I thought the photo was a painting.  And you have excellent penmanship. 

Quote from: relm1 on August 25, 2025, 05:22:31 AMThat is very cool!  I thought the photo was a painting.

So did I at first. The white areas actually look as if they have 'handling' don't they, as though put on with a brush. Nature catching up on Art, as Whistler would have said.

QuoteAnd you have excellent penmanship. 

That was 60 years ago. You should see it now! Scrappy stuff.

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on August 24, 2025, 10:19:21 AMI'm way behind the curve on this, but a few days ago @owlice directed me to the Astronomy Picture of the Day (https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html)' website, suggesting it might interest me. Since then I've checked every day, and this morning: 'POW!' I'm talking about today's image of the Crab Nebula. (If you're looking at this tomorrow, or later, you can still look at previous pictures if you explore the link.)

I knew the Crab Nebula as a teenager, using a home-made 4" reflector. I knew it again later during a short career as a radio astronomer in the early 1970s, as one of the most powerful radio sources in the sky. Everyone knows the standard photos of this supernova remnant. But this composite image (combining optical, X-ray and Infra-Red information), as the picture for today, is utterly gobsmacking. Do take a look. Makes the hair on my neck prickle.

(https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2508/Crab_HubbleChandraSpitzer_1080.jpg)

Awesome picture! I wonder why it's the "Picture of the Day" now though. I've been showing that picture, or a nearly identical one, to my astronomy students for a few years now.

For those who don't know, the Crab Nebula is the remnant of a Type II supernova, a massive star that exploded (the supernova was recorded by Chinese astronomers in 1054), leaving behind a neutron star, a compact object that's so dense that it weighs, in Carl Sagan's famous words, "a mountain per teaspoonful". The emissions from the accretion disk around the neutron star, as well as the pair of "bipolar jets" emanating at right angles to the disk, are one of the true beauties of nature.

Neutron stars are typically detected as pulsars, usually radio sources that blink on and off at regular intervals, often more than once per second. But the Crab pulsar can actually be seen blinking in visible light as well - somewhere I have a picture of that.

Quote from: krummholz on August 26, 2025, 09:50:59 PMAwesome picture! I wonder why it's the "Picture of the Day" now though. I've been showing that picture, or a nearly identical one, to my astronomy students for a few years now.

I don't think a 'Picture of the Day' has to be a recent picture. It's just recently selected. I've no idea what criteria are used for selection.

This one, however, was entirely new to me, personally.

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on August 27, 2025, 04:56:24 AMI don't think a 'Picture of the Day' has to be a recent picture. It's just recently selected. I've no idea what criteria are used for selection.

This one, however, was entirely new to me, personally.

This is ( imho ) scientific exposition at its best.

M1 has been famous among astronomers for nearly two centuries, and surely must be one of the first nebulae that any young astronomer will encounter as they explore their new hobby/avocation.

A new perspective on such a celebrated object... I can hardly conceive of a more rewarding result.

My new picture is the biggest I've ever taken!  5 nights of imaging and nearly a terabyte of images went in to create this picture of North America Nebula!  It is 2,200 ly away and spans at least 50 ly.  My thinking is that dark patch on the lower right is in front of the nebula and so dense, it blocks out the stars behind it.  Notice how many more stars are visible everywhere else.  There is probably a star cluster behind the dark cloud that is blasting away the walls of the nebula.  Quite stunning to see something so massive and living, pulsing with energy and activity at multiple levels.

Quote from: relm1 on August 29, 2025, 05:23:27 AMThere is probably a star cluster behind the dark cloud that is blasting away the walls of the nebula.

Oh yes, the edges of the cloud look like they're being eaten away. Fantastic image! 8)

Quote from: relm1 on August 29, 2025, 05:23:27 AMMy new picture is the biggest I've ever taken!  5 nights of imaging and nearly a terabyte of images went in to create this picture of North America Nebula!  It is 2,200 ly away and spans at least 50 ly.  My thinking is that dark patch on the lower right is in front of the nebula and so dense, it blocks out the stars behind it.  Notice how many more stars are visible everywhere else.  There is probably a star cluster behind the dark cloud that is blasting away the walls of the nebula.  Quite stunning to see something so massive and living, pulsing with energy and activity at multiple levels.

Sir, I salute you. The picture is utterly magnificent. Thank you for posting it.

Quote from: steve ridgway on August 29, 2025, 10:09:22 PMOh yes, the edges of the cloud look like they're being eaten away. Fantastic image! 8)

Thank you kindly!

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on August 29, 2025, 10:35:48 PMSir, I salute you. The picture is utterly magnificent. Thank you for posting it.

Much appreciated!  Thank you!

Quote from: relm1 on August 29, 2025, 05:23:27 AMMy new picture is the biggest I've ever taken!  5 nights of imaging and nearly a terabyte of images went in to create this picture of North America Nebula!  It is 2,200 ly away and spans at least 50 ly.  My thinking is that dark patch on the lower right is in front of the nebula and so dense, it blocks out the stars behind it.  Notice how many more stars are visible everywhere else.  There is probably a star cluster behind the dark cloud that is blasting away the walls of the nebula.  Quite stunning to see something so massive and living, pulsing with energy and activity at multiple levels.

Awesome picture! I think you are correct about the dark patch - a denser part of the nebula and one with no hot young stars nearby to make the hydrogen glow. The NA Nebula is known to be an emission nebula (the red color is emissions from hydrogen gas, mainly at the famous H-alpha wavelength), but what caught my attention were the bluish patches. I see those in some photos of the nebula and not in others. I'm not sure whether it's an artifact or actual Rayleigh scattering of blue (short wavelength) light by small dust particles in the nebula, the mechanism that makes a reflection nebula.

Quote from: krummholz on August 30, 2025, 03:41:42 PMAwesome picture! I think you are correct about the dark patch - a denser part of the nebula and one with no hot young stars nearby to make the hydrogen glow. The NA Nebula is known to be an emission nebula (the red color is emissions from hydrogen gas, mainly at the famous H-alpha wavelength), but what caught my attention were the bluish patches. I see those in some photos of the nebula and not in others. I'm not sure whether it's an artifact or actual Rayleigh scattering of blue (short wavelength) light by small dust particles in the nebula, the mechanism that makes a reflection nebula.

PHENOMENAL image, bravissimo!

Quote from: krummholz on August 30, 2025, 03:41:42 PMAwesome picture! I think you are correct about the dark patch - a denser part of the nebula and one with no hot young stars nearby to make the hydrogen glow. The NA Nebula is known to be an emission nebula (the red color is emissions from hydrogen gas, mainly at the famous H-alpha wavelength), but what caught my attention were the bluish patches. I see those in some photos of the nebula and not in others. I'm not sure whether it's an artifact or actual Rayleigh scattering of blue (short wavelength) light by small dust particles in the nebula, the mechanism that makes a reflection nebula.

Keep in mind (and I failed to mention this), the nebula in my picture is narrow band so RGB are attributes of various narrowband wavelengths.  The first try at processing, I gave Ha red which as you state, the region is very heavy in that wavelength, so the image was overall very reddish (still beautiful but different).  I checked my notes again and saw Hubble uses Sii (Sulphur II=Red), Ha (Hydrogen Alpha=Green), Oiii (Oxygen III=Blue) which is what I used here.  The stars are true color and from the RGB images.  Notice the very black spots above center left.  Those caught my eye and I wonder what is going on there? 

Quote from: LKB on August 30, 2025, 06:10:07 PMPHENOMENAL image, bravissimo!

Thank you kindly!

Quote from: relm1 on August 31, 2025, 05:13:52 AMNotice the very black spots above center left.  Those caught my eye and I wonder what is going on there?

If not image artefacts I was wondering if those might be dense remnants of the original cloud such as Bok globules.

Quote from: relm1 on August 31, 2025, 05:13:52 AMKeep in mind (and I failed to mention this), the nebula in my picture is narrow band so RGB are attributes of various narrowband wavelengths.  The first try at processing, I gave Ha red which as you state, the region is very heavy in that wavelength, so the image was overall very reddish (still beautiful but different).  I checked my notes again and saw Hubble uses Sii (Sulphur II=Red), Ha (Hydrogen Alpha=Green), Oiii (Oxygen III=Blue) which is what I used here.  The stars are true color and from the RGB images.  Notice the very black spots above center left.  Those caught my eye and I wonder what is going on there? 

OK- could be emissions from OIII then (twice-ionized oxygen). The black spots could be Bok globules, as @steve ridgway says, but as they appear tiny in your photo, it's very hard to say.

Quote from: krummholz on August 31, 2025, 06:42:18 AMOK- could be emissions from OIII then (twice-ionized oxygen). The black spots could be Bok globules, as @steve ridgway says, but as they appear tiny in your photo, it's very hard to say.

When I saw those " little " objects ( bearing in mind the scale ), I also thought of star formation...

Astronomy and astrophotography are full of mystery and wonder!  While I was processing my recent picture of the Crab Nebula, I noticed this strange artifact.  In the red box is a UFO (I have no idea what it is).  It is a very distant object moving during the exposures so was in different spots during the R, G, B imaging.  Hence, when the frames are combined, it appears as only red, green, or blue.  This image is the combination of long exposures and object is far too slow and distant for a satellite.  I capture satellites all the time (too often frankly) and instantly know what they are.  Aircraft are less common because we're looking at a very tiny part of the sky but they are also instantly recognizable.  So, what was this distant moving object?  An as of yet undetected extinction level asteroid on a collision course with earth?  Perhaps.  Maybe an extra-terrestrial alien vehicle of unknown origin...one hoping to remain undetected.  I'm very, very curious what it was.  Maybe it came from another solar system. 

Coincidently, the nebula at the bottom is the Crab Nebula which was an early example of what scientists' thought was an alien signal sending pulses at rapidly repeating intervals of 30 times per second.  Objects in nature don't repeat like that - or so it was thought.  It ended up being a new type of star never imagined before, the Pulsar which spins so fast that we detect electromagnetic pulses thirty times per second.  That pulsar is at the heart of this nebula.  The supernova that created this nebula was also fascinatingly recorded by dark ages scholars and astronomers from China, Japan, Arabia, and the Americas.  Curiously, there is no mention of this bright new star that was visible in the daytime for about a month from anywhere in Europe.  I guess they had other things going on then. 

For those interested in the wall writings from Native American's about this new daytime star, here is an interesting article (https://www2.hao.ucar.edu/education/prehistoric-southwest/supernova-pictograph). 

EDIT: further details, some will notice a break between the colors.  That is simply because it takes four minutes for the sensor to change filters so the still moving object isn't being captured until the new color filter is set, configured, and focused.  From this we can conclude the entire distance it moved in about 54 minutes of time across the three color filters.  It is a very, very small part of the frame and wouldn't be noticed in the full image so must be extremely distant.  I wish I knew who to contact to try to identify it.

Quote from: relm1 on September 10, 2025, 05:19:39 AMAstronomy and astrophotography are full of mystery and wonder!  While I was processing my recent picture of the Crab Nebula, I noticed this strange artifact.  In the red box is a UFO (I have no idea what it is).  It is a very distant object moving during the exposures so was in different spots during the R, G, B imaging.  Hence, when the frames are combined, it appears as only red, green, or blue.  This image is the combination of long exposures and object is far too slow and distant for a satellite.  I capture satellites all the time (too often frankly) and instantly know what they are.  Aircraft are less common because we're looking at a very tiny part of the sky but they are also instantly recognizable.  So, what was this distant moving object?  An as of yet undetected extinction level asteroid on a collision course with earth?  Perhaps.  Maybe an extra-terrestrial alien vehicle of unknown origin...one hoping to remain undetected.  I'm very, very curious what it was.  Maybe it came from another solar system. 

Coincidently, the nebula at the bottom is the Crab Nebula which was an early example of what scientists' thought was an alien signal sending pulses at rapidly repeating intervals of 30 times per second.  Objects in nature don't repeat like that - or so it was thought.  It ended up being a new type of star never imagined before, the Pulsar which spins so fast that we detect electromagnetic pulses thirty times per second.  That pulsar is at the heart of this nebula.  The supernova that created this nebula was also fascinatingly recorded by dark ages scholars and astronomers from China, Japan, Arabia, and the Americas.  Curiously, there is no mention of this bright new star that was visible in the daytime for about a month from anywhere in Europe.  I guess they had other things going on then. 

For those interested in the wall writings from Native American's about this new daytime star, here is an interesting article (https://www2.hao.ucar.edu/education/prehistoric-southwest/supernova-pictograph). 

EDIT: further details, some will notice a break between the colors.  That is simply because it takes four minutes for the sensor to change filters so the still moving object isn't being captured until the new color filter is set, configured, and focused.  From this we can conclude the entire distance it moved in about 54 minutes of time across the three color filters.  It is a very, very small part of the frame and wouldn't be noticed in the full image so must be extremely distant.  I wish I knew who to contact to try to identify it.

I could easily be wrong, but perhaps a geosynchronous satellite in an inclined orbit?

Quote from: LKB on September 10, 2025, 03:03:45 PMI could easily be wrong, but perhaps a geosynchronous satellite in an inclined orbit?

Hmmm, maybe.  An astro friend told me to report it to a site that tracks asteroids to see if it is a known object.  Perhaps it is unknown and will be named after me!   :o

I looked through the individual frames and sure enough, a tiny speck slowly moves frame by frame.  Very curious.

The mysterious moving object has been identified!  It is an asteroid in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter called 3262 Miune.  It is 21 km across and was only recently discovered in 1983.  Let's hope it never hits earth because that makes it twice as large as the dino ending Chicxulub meteor.  This was the first time I saw and imaged an asteroid and was quite fun to figure out what it was.  I now want to find one that's never been seen before.

Quote from: relm1 on September 12, 2025, 05:49:43 AMThe mysterious moving object has been identified!  It is an asteroid in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter called 3262 Miune.  It is 21 km across and was only recently discovered in 1983.  Let's hope it never hits earth because that makes it twice as large as the dino ending Chicxulub meteor.  This was the first time I saw and imaged an asteroid and was quite fun to figure out what it was.  I now want to find one that's never been seen before.

Neat! How did you manage to figure it out?

I found a reference to 3262 Miune on the German version of Wikipedia that says it has an albedo of only 0.15, making it a fairly dark object. Given that it's only some 22 km in diameter, that you managed to image it at all is pretty impressive!

Quote from: krummholz on September 12, 2025, 06:07:42 AMNeat! How did you manage to figure it out?

I found a reference to 3262 Miune on the German version of Wikipedia that says it has an albedo of only 0.15, making it a fairly dark object. Given that it's only some 22 km in diameter, that you managed to image it at all is pretty impressive!

I guessed.  Nah, an astronomer friend told me to report it to the minor planetary object site and to my surprise, someone replied back within hours asking for more specifics like date/time duration.  They replied back that their database said what it was and helped me learn how to use it if/when I see a moving object next time.   It basically tells you what objects are within 5 arcminutes (or whatever you enter) from a coordinate at a set time.  There are alot of strange objects up there.  One other thing that was interesting, I created an animation of it moving (2 hours of exposure down to 1 second) and you can barely make out other objects slightly moving too!   That reminds me of when I dropped a gopro camera to the bottom of the ocean once.  It looked like just sand but when you fast forward it greatly, you see strange movement in the sand like worms crawling around that you wouldn't notice in regular tempo.

Quote from: relm1 on September 12, 2025, 06:13:24 AMI guessed.  Nah, an astronomer friend told me to report it to the minor planetary object site and to my surprise, someone replied back within hours asking for more specifics like date/time duration.  They replied back that their database said what it was and helped me learn how to use it if/when I see a moving object next time.  It basically tells you what objects are within 5 arcminutes (or whatever you enter) from a coordinate at a set time.  There are alot of strange objects up there.  One other thing that was interesting, I created an animation of it moving (2 hours of exposure down to 1 second) and you can barely make out other objects slightly moving too!  That reminds me of when I dropped a gopro camera to the bottom of the ocean once.  It looked like just sand but when you fast forward it greatly, you see strange movement in the sand like worms crawling around that you wouldn't notice in regular tempo.

Grats, you may not have made an astronomical discovery but you a) solved the mystery, b) discovered a knowledge base and c) will know how to proceed if this should occur in the future.  8)

Quote from: relm1 on September 12, 2025, 06:13:24 AMI guessed.  Nah, an astronomer friend told me to report it to the minor planetary object site and to my surprise, someone replied back within hours asking for more specifics like date/time duration.  They replied back that their database said what it was and helped me learn how to use it if/when I see a moving object next time.   It basically tells you what objects are within 5 arcminutes (or whatever you enter) from a coordinate at a set time.  There are alot of strange objects up there.  One other thing that was interesting, I created an animation of it moving (2 hours of exposure down to 1 second) and you can barely make out other objects slightly moving too!   That reminds me of when I dropped a gopro camera to the bottom of the ocean once.  It looked like just sand but when you fast forward it greatly, you see strange movement in the sand like worms crawling around that you wouldn't notice in regular tempo.

Hmmm... I wonder what those "other objects" were? (Unless, of course, it was ALL other objects in the field of view, in which case it would likely be a limitation of your tracking mechanism - but I'm sure you'd know about that!)

Quote from: krummholz on September 15, 2025, 06:32:46 AMHmmm... I wonder what those "other objects" were? (Unless, of course, it was ALL other objects in the field of view, in which case it would likely be a limitation of your tracking mechanism - but I'm sure you'd know about that!)

I think they were smaller/dimmer asteroids just barely visible. Each frame was 120 seconds so might have been more visible/smearing at 600 seconds.  But then I almost always get a satellite, so the frame is lost in stacking. 

Went out to the dark sky spot with the club this weekend.  It was a beautiful night.  The center photo is the scope I've been using for my deep sky astro imaging.  The milky way was taken with my iphone!  It was visible all night.  There were some mighty big scopes there too!  I played around with the 26" behemoth.  Was looking at M13 globular cluster which you could see thousands of individual stars before it sort of looked like a fuzz ball and when looking at it, a bright object streaked across the field of view making me audibly gasp!  I tried to find the moving satellite visually but couldn't see it.  Overall, that night I saw Saturn and six of its moons.  You could see Titan in color, not just a star and three moons were in a very tight formation near the rings.  I also saw the Veil Nebula, M-51 whirlpool galaxy (both galactic cores were clearly visible and some faint spirals were also noticeable), Lagoon nebula, Dumbbell nebula, a few others I'm sure I'm forgetting.  Plus two or three shooting stars and a dozen satellites. I seemed to be the only one who got excited about the satellites.   Yes, yes, in astrophotography they are the bane of my existence but are fun to see at night.  I was surprised how bright and detailed the veil nebula was.  It is very, very large in the sky, maybe two or three full moons across.

Your description reminds me of observing at Stellafane! A couple of years ago I hung around there until after midnight, getting views of M13, M59, and several other late summer deep-sky objects that I've forgotten through telescopes a bit larger than any I have access to at work. I recall distinctly that it was the first time I'd seen M31 with the naked eye - Stellafane isn't an official "Dark Sky" site but it's plenty dark, and the convention is always timed to coincide with new moon.

(The wildcard, of course, is weather, which was both smoky and forecast to be cloudy this year, so I decided not to go. I think they did have one good observing night though - despite the smoke.)

My latest astrophoto is of the mighty Andromeda Galaxy (M-31).  This is a real beauty.  Our nearest major galactic neighbor, at two million ly away, it is barely visible to the eye in a dark sky and is quite large in the sky.  If you zoom in, you can see individual stars in that galaxy!

Quote from: relm1 on September 27, 2025, 05:48:18 AMMy latest astrophoto is of the mighty Andromeda Galaxy (M-31).  This is a real beauty.  Our nearest major galactic neighbor, at two million ly away, it is barely visible to the eye in a dark sky and is quite large in the sky.  If you zoom in, you can see individual stars in that galaxy!

Lovely image, thanks.  8)

Quote from: relm1 on September 27, 2025, 05:48:18 AMMy latest astrophoto is of the mighty Andromeda Galaxy (M-31).  This is a real beauty.  Our nearest major galactic neighbor, at two million ly away, it is barely visible to the eye in a dark sky and is quite large in the sky.  If you zoom in, you can see individual stars in that galaxy!

Oh congratulations. Magnificent image!

It made me turn back again to the notebook I kept as a schoolboy. Here's my drawing of M31 using a 4" reflector, back in 1964. You've captured a little bit of extra detail in your wonderful photograph!

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on September 28, 2025, 12:53:33 AMOh congratulations. Magnificent image!

It made me turn back again to the notebook I kept as a schoolboy. Here's my drawing of M31 using a 4" reflector, back in 1964. You've captured a little bit of extra detail in your wonderful photograph!

Thank you.  That is amazingly accurate drawing you made and I wish I could steel your handwriting skills.  You should scan your whole book, it is detailed and you must have been very obsessed with observation to capture so many objects.

Quote from: relm1 on September 28, 2025, 05:31:23 AMyou must have been very obsessed with observation to capture so many objects.

Obsessed? In a way. I was overwhelmed by what I saw as a schoolboy, with that little 4" reflector. Most especially there was one particular moment in 1963, which I wrote about in an article many years later:

[For drawing see below. Note the bad spelling!]

"It was to the Pleiades that I first turned my new telescope. It wasn't easy to sweep them up, looking into the side of the tube instead of directly along it. I lined it up roughly first, then moved the instrument slowly from side to side, peering into the eyepiece. I saw a sprinkling of unfamiliar stars; then another sprinkling, and still more. I began to wonder what the Pleiades would look like, magnified thirty times. Would I even recognise them? And then, suddenly, unmistakably, they were there.

This moment was to have a profound influence on my life, but I still don't know how to describe it adequately. I've sometimes compared it to seeing a thousand tiny diamonds scattered onto black velvet. I knew they were stars, but they looked like jewels – the brightest jewels that ever were. It was the loveliest, the most mysterious, the most astonishing sight I'd ever seen. I moved away from the telescope because my eyes had filled with tears, and I couldn't see, and I stood, trembling a little, in the darkness of the garden. Howard Carter must have felt like this when he pushed his torch through the hole and took his first look into the tomb of Tutankhamun. 'What can you see?' his companions asked. 'Wonderful things,' he replied. There was no one there to ask me what I'd seen; but standing alone in the shadows of the garden that night, I knew that here, as never before, was something I had to get to the bottom of. What was this thing, this Pleiades, that could shake me with such intensity? It was the wrong question, though I didn't know it then. But it turned me into an astronomer."

Quote from: relm1 on September 27, 2025, 05:48:18 AMMy latest astrophoto is of the mighty Andromeda Galaxy (M-31).  This is a real beauty.  Our nearest major galactic neighbor, at two million ly away, it is barely visible to the eye in a dark sky and is quite large in the sky.  If you zoom in, you can see individual stars in that galaxy!

(https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=126151;image;thumb)

Wow, a stunning image @relm1, bravo!

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on September 28, 2025, 05:49:00 AMObsessed? In a way. I was overwhelmed by what I saw as a schoolboy, with that little 4" reflector. Most especially there was one particular moment in 1963, which I wrote about in an article many years later:

[For drawing see below. Note the bad spelling!]

"It was to the Pleiades that I first turned my new telescope. It wasn't easy to sweep them up, looking into the side of the tube instead of directly along it. I lined it up roughly first, then moved the instrument slowly from side to side, peering into the eyepiece. I saw a sprinkling of unfamiliar stars; then another sprinkling, and still more. I began to wonder what the Pleiades would look like, magnified thirty times. Would I even recognise them? And then, suddenly, unmistakably, they were there.

This moment was to have a profound influence on my life, but I still don't know how to describe it adequately. I've sometimes compared it to seeing a thousand tiny diamonds scattered onto black velvet. I knew they were stars, but they looked like jewels – the brightest jewels that ever were. It was the loveliest, the most mysterious, the most astonishing sight I'd ever seen. I moved away from the telescope because my eyes had filled with tears, and I couldn't see, and I stood, trembling a little, in the darkness of the garden. Howard Carter must have felt like this when he pushed his torch through the hole and took his first look into the tomb of Tutankhamun. 'What can you see?' his companions asked. 'Wonderful things,' he replied. There was no one there to ask me what I'd seen; but standing alone in the shadows of the garden that night, I knew that here, as never before, was something I had to get to the bottom of. What was this thing, this Pleiades, that could shake me with such intensity? It was the wrong question, though I didn't know it then. But it turned me into an astronomer."

Boy, @Elgarian Redux, what a many stringed bow you have! I find the passion with which you threw yourself at astronomy such a striking and  admirable a thing, and your eloquent description above of the moment you saw Pleiades just stopped me in my tracks, absolutely beautiful!

Quote from: Iota on September 28, 2025, 06:19:44 AMBoy, @Elgarian Redux, what a many stringed bow you have! I find the passion with which you threw yourself at astronomy such a striking and  admirable a thing, and your eloquent description above of the moment you saw Pleiades just stopped me in my tracks, absolutely beautiful!

As always, you're very kind! Some of the strings on the bow were not so great, sadly. I turned out to be a poor astronomer (long story), and eventually went on to explore other pastures.

Quote from: relm1 on September 27, 2025, 05:48:18 AMMy latest astrophoto is of the mighty Andromeda Galaxy (M-31).  This is a real beauty.  Our nearest major galactic neighbor, at two million ly away, it is barely visible to the eye in a dark sky and is quite large in the sky.  If you zoom in, you can see individual stars in that galaxy!

Beautiful photo! I admire the resolution of your image - the dust lanes in the galaxy's disk are so well-defined - and the nucleus positively glows. I couldn't make out individual stars inside M31 - at least not in the posted image (did you have to reduce the quality to make it small enough to post?) - I think all of the individual stars I'm seeing are just foreground stars in our Milky Way.

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on September 28, 2025, 05:49:00 AMObsessed? In a way. I was overwhelmed by what I saw as a schoolboy, with that little 4" reflector. Most especially there was one particular moment in 1963, which I wrote about in an article many years later:

[For drawing see below. Note the bad spelling!]

"It was to the Pleiades that I first turned my new telescope. It wasn't easy to sweep them up, looking into the side of the tube instead of directly along it. I lined it up roughly first, then moved the instrument slowly from side to side, peering into the eyepiece. I saw a sprinkling of unfamiliar stars; then another sprinkling, and still more. I began to wonder what the Pleiades would look like, magnified thirty times. Would I even recognise them? And then, suddenly, unmistakably, they were there.

This moment was to have a profound influence on my life, but I still don't know how to describe it adequately. I've sometimes compared it to seeing a thousand tiny diamonds scattered onto black velvet. I knew they were stars, but they looked like jewels – the brightest jewels that ever were. It was the loveliest, the most mysterious, the most astonishing sight I'd ever seen. I moved away from the telescope because my eyes had filled with tears, and I couldn't see, and I stood, trembling a little, in the darkness of the garden. Howard Carter must have felt like this when he pushed his torch through the hole and took his first look into the tomb of Tutankhamun. 'What can you see?' his companions asked. 'Wonderful things,' he replied. There was no one there to ask me what I'd seen; but standing alone in the shadows of the garden that night, I knew that here, as never before, was something I had to get to the bottom of. What was this thing, this Pleiades, that could shake me with such intensity? It was the wrong question, though I didn't know it then. But it turned me into an astronomer."

A moving account, thanks for that.  ;)

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on September 28, 2025, 05:49:00 AMObsessed? In a way. I was overwhelmed by what I saw as a schoolboy, with that little 4" reflector. Most especially there was one particular moment in 1963, which I wrote about in an article many years later:

[For drawing see below. Note the bad spelling!]

"It was to the Pleiades that I first turned my new telescope. It wasn't easy to sweep them up, looking into the side of the tube instead of directly along it. I lined it up roughly first, then moved the instrument slowly from side to side, peering into the eyepiece. I saw a sprinkling of unfamiliar stars; then another sprinkling, and still more. I began to wonder what the Pleiades would look like, magnified thirty times. Would I even recognise them? And then, suddenly, unmistakably, they were there.

This moment was to have a profound influence on my life, but I still don't know how to describe it adequately. I've sometimes compared it to seeing a thousand tiny diamonds scattered onto black velvet. I knew they were stars, but they looked like jewels – the brightest jewels that ever were. It was the loveliest, the most mysterious, the most astonishing sight I'd ever seen. I moved away from the telescope because my eyes had filled with tears, and I couldn't see, and I stood, trembling a little, in the darkness of the garden. Howard Carter must have felt like this when he pushed his torch through the hole and took his first look into the tomb of Tutankhamun. 'What can you see?' his companions asked. 'Wonderful things,' he replied. There was no one there to ask me what I'd seen; but standing alone in the shadows of the garden that night, I knew that here, as never before, was something I had to get to the bottom of. What was this thing, this Pleiades, that could shake me with such intensity? It was the wrong question, though I didn't know it then. But it turned me into an astronomer."

That drawing is so good, I knew that was the Pleiades before reading your description.  Are you a drawer still because you seem to have an eye for it.  I loved your writing, and it reminded me of me.  The crazy thing is I'm still like that.  Have you ever seen a solar eclipse in totality?  I can't remember if I wrote about it here, but I went to see the one in 2024 and it was mind blowing.  My first time to see totality and it was hard to explain.  I cried and many others I was with did as well...we were speechless.  The best way I can describe it is just seconds before totality, it is still daytime.  Within seconds the sky turns black, and stars are seen.  It was a primal fear that overtook me.  I knew exactly what was happening, read books on it, had gear to capture it, had practiced (because things switch within seconds), and still found myself unprepared for the experience.  It was overwhelmingly powerful to see the sun glowing with a red orb of fire that was brilliant but could be looked at directly.  No picture does it justice.  I could see what looked like an atmosphere around the sun.  It felt like for a brief moment of time, the curtain had been pulled away revealing this great cosmic drama that we're part of but oblivious to. 

Quote from: krummholz on September 28, 2025, 05:22:16 PMBeautiful photo! I admire the resolution of your image - the dust lanes in the galaxy's disk are so well-defined - and the nucleus positively glows. I couldn't make out individual stars inside M31 - at least not in the posted image (did you have to reduce the quality to make it small enough to post?) - I think all of the individual stars I'm seeing are just foreground stars in our Milky Way.

Thank you!  The interesting thing is there is a bit of a dance in bringing out the dust lane detail.  When I add brightness, you see much bigger galaxy but it overtakes the dust lanes so you need to balance them out to both show but neither dominate.  This is all visible light but I added narrow band which shows more nebulosity and dark matter but I felt brought out the dust lanes too much so stayed with the visible light.  I also love the bright blue star. 

Oh yes, the original image is 20 megs so this is 1 meg.  Here is a close up where you can see individual stars in the M31.

Quote from: relm1 on September 29, 2025, 05:35:05 AMThank you!  The interesting thing is there is a bit of a dance in bringing out the dust lane detail.  When I add brightness, you see much bigger galaxy but it overtakes the dust lanes so you need to balance them out to both show but neither dominate.  This is all visible light but I added narrow band which shows more nebulosity and dark matter but I felt brought out the dust lanes too much so stayed with the visible light.  I also love the bright blue star. 

Oh yes, the original image is 20 megs so this is 1 meg.  Here is a close up where you can see individual stars in the M31.

Are you sure you're seeing individual stars in M31? Remember, it's 2.5 million light years away - I'd be astonished if individual stars were visible except maybe in something like a JWST image that has such high resolution you could blow it up a hundred times. I do see a lot of foreground stars - but the M31 stars just blur together.

Quote from: relm1 on September 29, 2025, 05:28:21 AMThat drawing is so good, I knew that was the Pleiades before reading your description.  Are you a drawer still because you seem to have an eye for it.  I loved your writing, and it reminded me of me.  The crazy thing is I'm still like that.  Have you ever seen a solar eclipse in totality?  I can't remember if I wrote about it here, but I went to see the one in 2024 and it was mind blowing.  My first time to see totality and it was hard to explain.  I cried and many others I was with did as well...we were speechless.  The best way I can describe it is just seconds before totality, it is still daytime.  Within seconds the sky turns black, and stars are seen.  It was a primal fear that overtook me.  I knew exactly what was happening, read books on it, had gear to capture it, had practiced (because things switch within seconds), and still found myself unprepared for the experience.  It was overwhelmingly powerful to see the sun glowing with a red orb of fire that was brilliant but could be looked at directly.  No picture does it justice.  I could see what looked like an atmosphere around the sun.  It felt like for a brief moment of time, the curtain had been pulled away revealing this great cosmic drama that we're part of but oblivious to. 

I saw it too (from the VT-QC border) - the pinkish ring around the Moon's silhouette, which as you probably know was the chromosphere! (the lowest layer of the Sun's "atmosphere")

Quote from: relm1 on September 29, 2025, 05:28:21 AMThat drawing is so good, I knew that was the Pleiades before reading your description.  Are you a drawer still because you seem to have an eye for it.  I loved your writing, and it reminded me of me.  The crazy thing is I'm still like that.

The notebook started in March 1963, and the last drawing in it is dated late 1965, so that period of frenetic activity lasted for nearly three years - up to when I started my physics degree, when I no longer had the time to spend on it. 

QuoteHave you ever seen a solar eclipse in totality?  I can't remember if I wrote about it here, but I went to see the one in 2024 and it was mind blowing.  My first time to see totality and it was hard to explain.  I cried and many others I was with did as well...we were speechless.  The best way I can describe it is just seconds before totality, it is still daytime.  Within seconds the sky turns black, and stars are seen.  It was a primal fear that overtook me.  I knew exactly what was happening, read books on it, had gear to capture it, had practiced (because things switch within seconds), and still found myself unprepared for the experience.  It was overwhelmingly powerful to see the sun glowing with a red orb of fire that was brilliant but could be looked at directly.  No picture does it justice.  I could see what looked like an atmosphere around the sun.  It felt like for a brief moment of time, the curtain had been pulled away revealing this great cosmic drama that we're part of but oblivious to. 

That's a marvellous description of what you experienced (you made me feel it too). Although I've never seen a total solar eclipse, I get a similar primeval shakeup when I see a total lunar eclipse - that baleful dark red globe hanging in the sky, being scary and uplifting both at the same time.

I never quite recaptured that 'first fine careless rapture' for astronomy that I'd had in my teens. I did research in radio astronomy for a few years, and that was the wrong move. My life took a very different turn after that. I still have a telescope, but I'm now at an age where carrying an equatorial mount outside into the garden is a lot harder than it used to be, so it's not in use very often. The one thing I still have, and never lost, is a love of the sky, both day and night, with or without optical aid.

The images you post here are stunning. My sixteen-year-old amateur-astronomer self (who is still in here somewhere) was utterly mind-blown by your M31, and he aches when he sees its beauty.

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on September 29, 2025, 12:10:06 PMThe notebook started in March 1963, and the last drawing in it is dated late 1965, so that period of frenetic activity lasted for nearly three years - up to when I started my physics degree, when I no longer had the time to spend on it. 

That's a marvellous description of what you experienced (you made me feel it too). Although I've never seen a total solar eclipse, I get a similar primeval shakeup when I see a total lunar eclipse - that baleful dark red globe hanging in the sky, being scary and uplifting both at the same time.

I never quite recaptured that 'first fine careless rapture' for astronomy that I'd had in my teens. I did research in radio astronomy for a few years, and that was the wrong move. My life took a very different turn after that. I still have a telescope, but I'm now at an age where carrying an equatorial mount outside into the garden is a lot harder than it used to be, so it's not in use very often. The one thing I still have, and never lost, is a love of the sky, both day and night, with or without optical aid.

The images you post here are stunning. My sixteen-year-old amateur-astronomer self (who is still in here somewhere) was utterly mind-blown by your M31, and he aches when he sees its beauty.

You're like me.  I walk around always looking towards the sky.  Bump in to things too because I'm not watching where I'm going!  One day, I'm sure I'll fall in a swimming pool or something.  I think it seems Astronomy is better as a hobby than a career for some of us.  Thanks for the kind remarks of M31, truthfully, I'm blown away by what I capture because you don't really know what you got till you process it.  Sometimes I even see a glimpse of what's there but throw away the processing and start over because I know there is something better in what I took if I start over and try again.  You might want to join your local astro club because they tend to have amateurs with very large scopes and are happy to share the experience with others, so you don't need to lug around your own scope.  In fact, that's how we get so many huge scopes.  I could never afford any of these (or carry them) but I asked how did we get these very fine scopes and they said some people aged out of the hobby or just no longer could use the gear and rather than selling it, decided it would find a good home in the club where others like me can access them.  These are scopes I didn't even know I wanted and they're free!

Quote from: krummholz on September 29, 2025, 06:02:00 AMAre you sure you're seeing individual stars in M31? Remember, it's 2.5 million light years away - I'd be astonished if individual stars were visible except maybe in something like a JWST image that has such high resolution you could blow it up a hundred times. I do see a lot of foreground stars - but the M31 stars just blur together.

I'm not certain but they look like individual stars on the galactic plain.  You can see quite a lot of them and they don't seem to be randomly throughout the picture, just the edges of the galaxy.

Quote from: relm1 on September 30, 2025, 05:19:35 AMI'm not certain but they look like individual stars on the galactic plain.  You can see quite a lot of them and they don't seem to be randomly throughout the picture, just the edges of the galaxy.

According to the Wikipedia article for M31, the first images of individual stars within it were captured in 1943, albeit with one of the largest telescopes of that era. Given the advances in imaging over the decades, it seems reasonable to me that Relm1's image probably includes at least some of M31's brighter stars.

Also, globular clusters form a sort of halo around both M31 and our own galaxy. Perhaps Relm1 captured some of M31's orbiting GCs, along with some bright stars.

Quote from: LKB on September 30, 2025, 11:27:06 PMAccording to the Wikipedia article for M31, the first images of individual stars within it were captured in 1943, albeit with one of the largest telescopes of that era. Given the advances in imaging over the decades, it seems reasonable to me that Relm1's image probably includes at least some of M31's brighter stars.

Also, globular clusters form a sort of halo around both M31 and our own galaxy. Perhaps Relm1 captured some of M31's orbiting GCs, along with some bright stars.

I asked my astroclub because it's an interesting topic.  The consensus was these are Indvidual stars in M31.  Some of their comments:

"Yes individual stars in Andromeda can be seen in images done by amateur telescopes. You have imaged some individual stars, likely very hot bright young OB stars in those open clusters in Andromeda. It is even possible to visually observe globular clusters in Andromeda with moderate apertures (~14", if memory serves).

The differences between your image and those from 100 to 125 years ago are a) imaging for many minutes vs. visual eyepiece observations (human eye integrates for about a tenth of a second with an effective QE of ~10%) and b) modern devices with QE 40-80% vs. glass plates and other photographic methods with a QE around 2%. Those are factors of 10s to 1,000s with long integration time, allowing one to image the very brightest point sources at so great a distance.

As a concrete example, the first magnitude bright supergiant star Deneb would be about 17th magnitude at Andromeda's distance.

From there, second-order effects of how a telescope + camera images a point spread function (and all other effects of imaging) will start to dominate what a final image will show."

I never heard of OB stars so had to look up what those were.  Seem to be hot, young stars that die young. Very interesting topic actually and I learned alot.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OB_star (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OB_star)

Quote from: relm1 on October 01, 2025, 05:59:57 AMI asked my astroclub because it's an interesting topic.  The consensus was these are Indvidual stars in M31.  Some of their comments:

"Yes individual stars in Andromeda can be seen in images done by amateur telescopes. You have imaged some individual stars, likely very hot bright young OB stars in those open clusters in Andromeda. It is even possible to visually observe globular clusters in Andromeda with moderate apertures (~14", if memory serves).

The differences between your image and those from 100 to 125 years ago are a) imaging for many minutes vs. visual eyepiece observations (human eye integrates for about a tenth of a second with an effective QE of ~10%) and b) modern devices with QE 40-80% vs. glass plates and other photographic methods with a QE around 2%. Those are factors of 10s to 1,000s with long integration time, allowing one to image the very brightest point sources at so great a distance.

As a concrete example, the first magnitude bright supergiant star Deneb would be about 17th magnitude at Andromeda's distance.

From there, second-order effects of how a telescope + camera images a point spread function (and all other effects of imaging) will start to dominate what a final image will show."

I never heard of OB stars so had to look up what those were.  Seem to be hot, young stars that die young. Very interesting topic actually and I learned alot.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OB_star (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OB_star)

Maybe it's the resolution of the posted image then. You can certainly see individual OB associations in amateur photographs - those are star clusters though, and O and B stars (spectral types, corresponding to stellar surface temperatures) are the most luminous main sequence stars, as they are the hottest and most massive. I'm still skeptical that anyone is seeing individual M31 stars in your photo, and I'm not seeing any denser concentration of stars near the edges of the disk - but I'm only seeing the posted (and presumably resolution-reduced) image, so maybe.

I do think it's likely that some of the brighter objects may be globular clusters, as @LKB suggested - those are certainly possible to image in a small telescope as they consist of hundreds of thousands of individual stars.