The Smiley Smile Message Board

Thought I would add some of the posts from the Love and Mercy thread to start this new thread out:



Hale-Bopp was brilliant! I remember watching that nightly. Now that I have a telescope setup it'll be wonderful to capture the deep space comets through that.

Here's my first attempt at astrophotography. Nothing spectacular, and I have a lot to learn yet. I have a Canon SLR attached to a Celestron 9" telescope.

(http://i.imgur.com/NAlOmbb.jpg)

Now that the Orion nebula is out nightly, I'll be getting some long exposure shots of that in the weeks to come.

Thanks Rab and all contributors.  I have to say that I haven't set up my camera with my (inadequate) telescope, so I won't be the source of many photos other than links.

As to a question I was asked:  yes, Brian was not only fascinated by astronomy and astrology, but seemed to be a "natural" at comprehending both, somewhat like his music, where clearly he's a total master.  Oddly, after studying for years in the mythology/astrology realm (which includes astronomy and history for anyone who's real), I discussed an astrology chart again with Brian after about 15 years, and he remembered specifics only an astrologer would (actually, it was a comparison between his and Carl's birth charts)...I think it's safe to say, whatever Brian has tapped into, it's a special place that the "intelligence of the Universe" smiles upon.

When people would compare Brian to Mozart, I once said - nah, Pythagoras - the guy who invented the musical scale and understood the workings of the universe as well as anyone in his time.

One of the coolest things I've ever read on this forum. Thanks so much for sharing!!

Child is the father of the man! ;D

+1

Thanks Rab. SB and Emily.  It was cool to experience, too!  The guy is amazing.  The most fascinating person I ever met, and I've been pretty lucky getting to know great people.  The most perceptive person, too - which is clearly a blessing and a curse - given that you're dealing with humanity...

I've seen Halley only as a cloudy spot through binoculars back in 1986. Hale Bopp was spectacular. I even did see the 1999 total eclipse of the sun in southern Germany.

I have a very small camera with astonishing abilities. It's a Nikon S7000. This picture was taken without a tripod, just leaning to a lamppost, holding the camera in my hand:

(http://www.michael-fredrich.de/Mondausgeschnitten.jpg)

I kind of suck in that I've never paid any attention to astronomy, other than to identify the big dipper and orion's belt.
You guys are inspiring me though with these beautiful photographs. Maybe I need to pay more attention!

Orion-I remember my Mom and Dad showing him to me in the early 50's and being the first constellation I became familiar with. Still look at in every winter. Some believe that BETELGEUSE has exploded but the light of that explosion has not yet reach Earth, so what we're seeing is long gone.

astronomy has been my favorite hobby since I was 6 yrs old (1959).
have an 18 inch dobsonian telescope. man, you haven't seen anything until you view nebulae/galaxies thru that light bucket!   :)

Micha that's a great picture! I love that Tycho always stands out prominently.

@Emily: even just going out on a clear night during the very early morning hours can be so rewarding. Random meteors streaking across the sky. The haze of the Andromeda Galaxy can be seen with the naked eye as well. So much to see!

@OSD: I've definitely heard about that. The supernova from Betelgeuse will be so bright that it'll be able to be seen during the day here on earth, and will last for a few weeks. Anyone who has the means to aim their telescope safely at it will see quite a show!

@Steve: WOW!!!! Could you possibly upload some pictures from that? I'm super jealous.

I'm going out tonight to take some pictures of the moon, looks gorgeous right now. I also have a solar filter for my telescope, I'll upload some pictures of the sun (with sunspots) one of these days as well.

My mom lives out in the desert in Arizona and when I visit her I spend a lot of time star-gazing. I just don't know what I'm looking at.
I grew up 1/2 outside New York and 1/2 in Boston and you just can't see as much going on in the sky in those places, with the naked eye anyway. Too much light on the ground.
I was amazed my first visit to AZ. I didn't know there was so much up there!

get the book "Find the Constellations" by h.a. rey, the same guy who wrote "Curious George" books. he draws out the constellations to look like their names, not like all the books that put a picture over the stars. very easy after reading the book to know what you are looking at.
or his book "The Stars: A New Way To Look At Them". it is an updated/more complete version of the previous book. recommend them highly.

Steve...It's so great to have an expert here.  Thanks for sharing.

I have a wonderful program called "Starlight" that allows me to see what the sky (generally) would look like from any given place on the planet, and I can right click on any constellation or star and get the technical data and mythology, which makes the whole sky-viewing experience a bit more magical and fun.  I also have TheSkyX which is another wonderful one. 

I'm just not rich enough for the telescope I want.  Obviously, I covet yours.

if one only wants to look at what is out there, dobsonian telescopes are the way to go. you get a larger primary mirror with them than with any other kind of telescope for the same amount of money. easy and quick to set up. downside is they don't have an equatorial mount so they can't track the stars like the other kinds of telescopes so one can't take time-lapse photos with them. but for viewing only you can't beat 'em.

Thanks. I'll be heading out to Arizona this winter. I'll bring that with me and learn something!

hope you enjoy the experience. take the books outside with you and use a flashlight to compare the sky with the pages in the book. be sure to use red light and not regular white light. red light will not interfere with your eyes and night vision. you can buy flashlights with red filters at astronomy sites online.

(http://i.imgur.com/OlfXxdQ.jpg)

Took this just a few minutes ago. iPhone camera hovered over my lens haha.

If anyone here has an iphone and is looking for a good stargazing app, the app 'Sky Guide' is perfect - lets you know of any ongoing meteor showers, you can point it to anywhere in the sky and it'll tell you what stars you're aiming at. Even lets you know what satellites are passing over. And it's super easy to use.

I would never have guessed that about the light. My daughter's 9 and will probably think it's really cool too. This will be a great activity. Thank you!

Great topic, although I tend to feel overwhelmed by the universe. Gotta love Debbie's post.

I have this link over at my other forum which like an idiot I hardly ever look at but when I do it's never less than spectacular:

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

   

This is great thanksgiving morning viewing! thanks for the good link. Booamarked.

I love the nearly overwhelmed feelings triggered within me by these pictures. I don't understand a lick of 'em but they make me happy

Beautiful picture but it reminds me of one of the funniest moments in baseball broadcasting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kKFjkBtcg8

YES! :lol

In August I took a picture of the train station in Fremantle WA with Venus and Jupiter visible in the sky. They were visible in the photo too! I was very proud of that photo until the other day I started to doubt whether that really was Jupiter. I checked on the fabulous "Heavens above" website where the planets were that evening. I found it really was Venus and Jupiter, but next to Jupiter was also Mercury, which I failed to recognise at the time - and in the photo it's hidden behind the train station!!! If I had checked before traveling, I could have had three planets on the same photo! :'( Well, technically, there are three in the photo, if you count Earth, but then it would have been FOUR!

I forgot to mention, the particular site that has excellent, quick daily articles on astronomy in particular and science in general.  http://earthsky.org/

It gives great naked-eye star-gazing techniques for those learning the sky in addition to more technical articles.

There is also a very fine organization looking to protect dark skies where we have them and encourage less light-pollution where it's a problem.  I love their articles as well:  http://darksky.org/
When we start looking into what light pollution is doing to all animals (like endangered sea turtles whose newborns normally guided by the night sky die mistaking light pollution for the direction they need to follow), and those animals include us, psychologically.

If you happen to also enjoy archaeology, this organization in on the cutting edge of archaeo-astronomy.  http://www.archeoastronomy.org/content/who-we-are/
I was lucky enough to attend the 2015 conference in Malta, and it was absolutely fascinating.

One of the guests at the Thanksgiving table yesterday is an archaeologist working on a Neanderthal site. Fascinating stuff!

I'll bet, Emily!  Archaeologists are now finally accepting Archaeo-astronomers to various degrees.  It was quite a battle, apparently that hasn't exactly ended.  Certain very defensive scientists protecting their turf often look like the obsessive fans and collectors on SS. Logic doesn't always prevail.  One thing we have a pretty good idea about from Neanderthal times is what the sky looked like then, and it's become quite obvious that as hunter-gatherers, they learned to look at the skies for timing the seasons, the related running of the herds of animals, etc.  It was quite a handy tool and there on every clear night. It doesn't take long to build calendars as such.  I saw the Ice Age Art exhibit at the British Museum in April 2013, and the sky-related objects were profound.  It was one of the most moving experiences of my life...seriously.  The beauty and brilliance of our ancient ancestors is a stunning thing to see.  I'll bet your archaeologist friend enjoys the same.

You know, he didn't go into it, but he mentioned astronomy as one of the areas in which there's evidence that they were much more sophisticated than previously thought.

That's great to hear.  Anyone looking at the ceiling of Lascaux cave (and other ancient sites) who knows astronomy basics would recognize Taurus the Bull and the belt of Orion painted in their correct locations there. It's exciting stuff.  A way our really ancient ancestors can speak to us.

Not going back as far as the Neanderthal people, onla back to 1600BC, but still interesting:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebra_sky_disk

Thanks Micha - Yes, love the Nebra Sky Disc as well...

Thanks to the excellent "Heavens Above" website, I was just able to spot Uranus in Pisces with field glasses, for the second time in my life. The field glasses aren't strong enough to spot Neptune though. I tried that once, he's not bright enough.

342843 Davidbowie (2008 YN3) (http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=342843;old=0;orb=1;cov=0;log=0;cad=0;rad=0#orb)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CCuBkAEVAAE8fEr.png)

I was enjoying this thread. Please don't drop it, astronomy enthusiasts!

Perhaps you should ask them a question, Emily. I'm sure that would get the topic up and running again. :=)

I'll try to think of one, but I'm at a point where I'm so ignorant I can't even form an intelligent question. I just really liked looking at the images and reading the posts hoping I'd absorb something interesting about an unknown subject.

Oh! Here's a very basic question - I'll be out in the desert in Arizona in early August. You can see so very much in the night sky there. Does anyone have any tips on what I should look out for in early March, 2016 in the sky over Arizona?

Until the experts weigh in, check out this calendar for August. (You do mean August, do you?) There are some meteor showers in the first week or so:

https://in-the-sky.org/newscal.php?month=8&year=2016&maxdiff=7#caltop

I must have gone crazy for a moment. I meant April! Sorry! But thanks for that source. I'll be able to find April.

I love that site, too. Do you watch satellites?

For those unfamiliar, Heavens Above will give you a list of all the satellites, their path over your location, with precise times. You have to obtain your GPS from Google Earth or similar, and enter it into your profile.

We live out in the sticks, and can see satellites cruising by all the time. Very thankful to be away from the city lights. (and everything else to do with cities.)