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Space and Astronomy Thread |
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#1 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,716
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Space and Astronomy Thread
A thread to discuss all things space related..
I'll get the ball rolling. In exactly two hours NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft will pass 124 miles from the surface of Mercury, the first visit to the planet since 1975.. Follow the mision with latest images etc here: http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/ and http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/gallery/sciencePhotos/ |
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#2 |
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Join Date: Jul 2005
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Pic from 470,000 miles out:
http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/gallery/...108693445M.jpg |
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#3 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 76,804
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Cool...........looks just like the Moon
Venus looks like a billiard ball.............. |
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#4 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Alacant
Posts: 7,773
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Nice idea for a thread.
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#5 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Alacant
Posts: 7,773
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Anyone know any good space websites? Don't tell me about Space.com as I hate the design and navigation of it!
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#6 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
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Quote:
Anyone know any good space websites? Don't tell me about Space.com as I hate the design and navigation of it!
http://www.planetary.org/home/ http://www.spaceflightnow.com http://www.spacetoday.net/ |
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#7 |
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Boredom, Cardiff
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Nice pics!
I love anything to do with astrology and space. I regularly look up the Nasa web site, it's got some good stuff on there. I particularly like watching the shuttle launches. |
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#8 |
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Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,422
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Site below is one i use for wallpapers, apart from being just interesting to look at.
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html |
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#9 |
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Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 15,659
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Quote:
Pic from 470,000 miles out:
http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/gallery/...108693445M.jpg Now that is a beautiful picture. So peaceful. |
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#10 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
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MESSENGER Flyby of Mercury
At 2:04 p.m. EST MESSENGER skimmed 200 kilometers (124 miles) above the surface of Mercury in the first of three flybys of the planet. Initial indications from the radio signals indicate the spacecraft is still operating nominally. The first science data return from the flyby was received today, just minutes before the closest approach point with the planet, as planned. “The engineers and operators at the Deep Space Network (DSN) in Goldstone, Calif., in conjunction with engineers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md., pulled off a tremendous feat, acquiring and locking onto the downlink signal from the spacecraft within seconds, providing the necessary Doppler measurements for the Radio Science team” said MESSENGER Mission Systems Engineer Eric Finnegan, of APL.“ The spacecraft is continuing to collect imagery and other scientific measurements from the planet as we now depart Mercury from the illuminated side, documenting for the first time the previously unseen surface of the planet.” Tomorrow at noon EST, the spacecraft will turn back towards the Earth to start down-linking the on-board stored data. Measurements of this Doppler signal from the spacecraft will allow improve knowledge of Mercury’s gravity field. |
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#11 |
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Join Date: Jul 2005
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Wow am glad you started this
Me and my hubby decided to take on a joint indoor hobby this year- something we could do when kids were in bed but also that they could join in with (well maybe not the 6 month old) When we were at uni we both did a subsidiary in Astronomy and really enjoyed it so we decided to buy a telescope and do some star gazing... ![]() ![]() Its a really good one and apparently you can see planets and the moon and stuff although since we bought it it has been too cloudy! Can you recommend any beginners sites or something to get us started? Some software came with it that my husband is getting his head round.. Am rather sadly quite excited... although I hope the neighbours dont see us |
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#12 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
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The forums on "cloudy nights" might be a good place to start with questions on telescopes,
http://www.cloudynights.com/index.php And maybe this site: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/ http://www.skyandtelescope.com/letsgo |
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#13 |
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Posts: n/a
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[quote=Dibbledooski;20877076]
When we were at uni we both did a subsidiary in Astronomy and really enjoyed it so we decided to buy a telescope and do some star gazing... ![]() ![]() Its a really good one and apparently you can see planets and the moon and stuff although since we bought it it has been too cloudy! QUOTE] That Sums up exactly what makes Astronomy so blooming frustrating in this country. I often like to look out for the perseids or other meteor showers and it's invariably raining or cloudy. You get to miss all the decent "big" astronomy events because of the weather. That's why I couldn't take it up seriously as a hobby. |
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#14 |
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Join Date: Jul 2005
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Quote:
The forums on "cloudy nights" might be a good place to start with questions on telescopes,
http://www.cloudynights.com/index.php And maybe this site: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/ http://www.skyandtelescope.com/letsgo Quote:
That Sums up exactly what makes Astronomy so blooming frustrating in this country. I often like to look out for the perseids or other meteor showers and it's invariably raining or cloudy. You get to miss all the decent "big" astronomy events because of the weather. That's why I couldn't take it up seriously as a hobby. ![]() ![]() Thanks for the links |
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#15 |
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Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Wolf359
Posts: 96,648
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Space, it's big. Really, really big.
4. odd light years just to the nearest star in this galaxy. Even at the speed of light it'll take ages to get anywhere useful. |
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#16 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Alacant
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Quote:
Space, it's big. Really, really big.
4. odd light years just to the nearest star in this galaxy. Even at the speed of light it'll take ages to get anywhere useful.
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#17 |
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Join Date: Jul 2006
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http://history.nasa.gov/ap11ann/kippsphotos/5903.jpg
That's one of my faves. The whole section of images from here are amazing imo. http://history.nasa.gov/ap11ann/kippsphotos/apollo.html Particularly: http://history.nasa.gov/ap11ann/kippsphotos/6667.jpg http://history.nasa.gov/ap11ann/kippsphotos/6692.jpg I could look at those all day.... |
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#18 |
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Join Date: Dec 2007
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Quote:
We are taking it up VERY seriously as a hobby
![]() ![]() Thanks for the links |
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#19 |
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Join Date: Jul 2006
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Avoid the telescope and use binoculars instead! I always find them better for the money
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#20 |
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Join Date: Dec 2007
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Quote:
Avoid the telescope and use binoculars instead! I always find them better for the money
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#21 |
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Join Date: Mar 2007
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If the Earth and the other planets in the solar system are all on one side of the sun, and travel on a continual orbit, is it possible there could be other planets on the other side of the sun that we can never see because it/they are travelling round the sun at the same speed as us?
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#22 |
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Quote:
Yeah, about 4 odd years to the nearest star eh
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#23 |
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Edinburgh
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Ummmmm....
I WENT TO SPACE CAMP FOR A WEEK LAST JUNE THERE! I said it
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#24 |
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Join Date: Oct 2002
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Quote:
If the Earth and the other planets in the solar system are all on one side of the sun, and travel on a continual orbit, is it possible there could be other planets on the other side of the sun that we can never see because it/they are travelling round the sun at the same speed as us?
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#25 |
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Join Date: Jul 2006
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Quote:
Agreed, except at this time of year when it's so cold you get the shakes and the stars go flitting round in dizzying ways. I know you can get a tripod but I haven't! The thing that annoys me the most though is what to do with glasses. I spend more time worrying were they are.
I used to have an awesome pair of binoculars that were really strong. I used to be able to look at the moon for hours and pick out the craters. |
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