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Space and Astronomy Thread |
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#1326 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Storbritannia
Posts: 28,916
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Mars' surface shaped by water...
...according to this news report here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/science_a...t/10408113.stm and here http://www.astronomynow.com/news/n1006/25mars/
That liquid water existed on Mars indicates that the planet had a thicker atmosphere and was warmer. Whether that increased the possibility of primitive life evolving there is an unknown. |
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#1327 |
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Storbritannia
Posts: 28,916
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Hayabusa's capsule opened...
The return capsule recovered from the Hayabusa spacecraft which landed on asteroid Itokawa and returned to Earth does contains dust particles.
However, it is too soon to say whether these dust particles orginate from the asteroid or from Earth. More on this story here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/science_a...t/10519895.stm |
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#1328 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 19,566
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Total solar eclipse tomorrow. Easter Island will get doused in darkness.
See http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html |
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#1329 |
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Lancashire
Posts: 25,817
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#1330 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 19,566
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Seems like Easter Island was lucky with the eclipse today!
See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/lat...a/10592671.stm |
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#1331 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 6,710
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They found a smaller planet orbiting a sun with a transiting larger planet, by observing variation in the length of transits. Presumably they can apply the same technique to other transiting systems, and get a better idea of the rarity of little planets like our own in systems with big planets. Maybe they'll be able to apply this straight to Kepler data. Pretty awesome.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0708192842.htm |
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#1332 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: I survived the killzone!
Posts: 18,241
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Technical question,
I recently got a reflecting telescope 4 inch (I think,) having hell of a job lining up the sighting scope on the top so that it..lines up, hence it takes me bloody ages to find anything other than the moon, any tips on how to align the spotting scope? thanks, |
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#1333 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Bishop-Auckland / Darlington
Posts: 6,636
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Hiya OHG
If you haven't already tried it - do the alignment during the day, using something in the distance, such as a tree on a hillside, or if in town... on a TV aerial as far away as possible. If you need help that's specific to the scope, could you post the make and model - or a pic of the finder..?? And if you think you'll get into the hobby, check out my astronomy forum. (link is in my profile) Lots of good people there - always happy to help a beginner. |
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#1334 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: I survived the killzone!
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Quote:
Hiya OHG
If you haven't already tried it - do the alignment during the day, using something in the distance, such as a tree on a hillside, or if in town... on a TV aerial as far away as possible. If you need help that's specific to the scope, could you post the make and model - or a pic of the finder..?? And if you think you'll get into the hobby, check out my astronomy forum. (link is in my profile) Lots of good people there - always happy to help a beginner. will give that a go, as for my "scope" all I know at the moment is that it has the word "traveller" written on its side, all the paperwork for it is up in the attic, it's my first reflector, had a few refractors in my younger days, the wife bought it for me as a Xmas present, problem is she didn't take into account the huge row of trees that overlook our yard, I have a very limited observation area hehe, will check out your forum cheers, |
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#1335 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Storbritannia
Posts: 28,916
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...as well as Carlos' rather good site, there a few other astronomy related sites worth a mention and the links are below:
http://www.astronomynow.com/ http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx http://www.skyandtelescope.com/ http://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/Default.asp?bhjs=0 |
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#1336 |
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Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Solihull
Posts: 7,270
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Has anyone else who's got an android smartphone installed the Google Sky Map app? It's one of the coolest things I've ever had on a phone but I'd be interested to know if it's actually very practical as an observation tool?
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#1337 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 19,566
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Today is the 35th anniversary of the link up of Apollo with Soyuz.
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#1338 |
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Storbritannia
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Mercury's young volcanoes...
...are described in this article here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10639789.
Nasa's Messenger space probe is going round the smallest planet and it has identified volcanoes that are "only" a couple of billion years old. This means there must have been significant vulcanism on Mercury for its first two billion years of existence and its core must have remained molten for a similar period of time. |
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#1339 |
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: location location
Posts: 28,248
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Quote:
Today is the 35th anniversary of the link up of Apollo with Soyuz.
Maybe there's hope ... |
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#1340 |
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 19,566
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There is a nice gathering of planets in the western sky just now. It is at its best tonight I think.
See http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100731.html |
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#1341 |
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Lichfield, Staffs
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The other night I was messing around with my digital camera and found a long exposure setting, so I set it to 30 seconds and pointed it up at the night sky (excuse the window frame on the side of the image) My question to you all is: are the blobby things in the image galaxies? you can see stars on the image so I know its not them. Unfortunately its only an 8mp camera that isn't designed for night shots and I haven't been able to try and do more to try and get a better image as it has been cloudy every night since.
My image. |
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#1342 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: I Know Art. I've Lived Art!
Posts: 14,151
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Quote:
The other night I was messing around with my digital camera and found a long exposure setting, so I set it to 30 seconds and pointed it up at the night sky (excuse the window frame on the side of the image) My question to you all is: are the blobby things in the image galaxies? you can see stars on the image so I know its not them. Unfortunately its only an 8mp camera that isn't designed for night shots and I haven't been able to try and do more to try and get a better image as it has been cloudy every night since.
My image. The Andromeda Galaxy is closest to us and I think that is in one part of the galaxy and you'll notice it as gassy, foggy in pics and it will probably move in a 30 second exposure. Other galaxies are too distant and faint and far off for a 30 second exposure. Looks like dust. |
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#1343 |
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Darn Sarf
Posts: 28,724
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Quote:
The other night I was messing around with my digital camera and found a long exposure setting, so I set it to 30 seconds and pointed it up at the night sky (excuse the window frame on the side of the image) My question to you all is: are the blobby things in the image galaxies? you can see stars on the image so I know its not them. Unfortunately its only an 8mp camera that isn't designed for night shots and I haven't been able to try and do more to try and get a better image as it has been cloudy every night since.
My image. Any astronomical objects in focus photographed with camera placed on a solid object or on a tripod and a 30 second exposure will show as a short streak due to the earth's rotation (or satellite movement). What camera is it, what is the lens focal length and what manual control do you have (if any)? |
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#1344 |
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Lichfield, Staffs
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Quote:
You won't see galaxies on a photo taken with an ordinary digital camera, the marks look like dust or smudges on the lens, window glass or sensor to me. If they are stars, they are way out of focus.
Any astronomical objects in focus photographed with camera placed on a solid object or on a tripod and a 30 second exposure will show as a short streak due to the earth's rotation (or satellite movement). What camera is it, what is the lens focal length and what manual control do you have (if any)? |
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#1345 |
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 19,566
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Ever Seen A Picture Like This Before?
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#1346 |
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Storbritannia
Posts: 28,916
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Moon = dry as a bone...
...or even dryer according to very recently published research in Science magazine. After analysing rock samples brought back by the Apollo astronauts, the researchers found that there was no or very little hydrogen in the magma ocean during the Moon's formation.
That means there was little chance of useful amounts of water being present so Earth's natural satellite may have always been too dry to host life. More on this story here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10880032. This is separate from the ice at the poles issue and the indications are that ice from comet impacts, etc. has been preserved in some shady craters at the Moon's poles. This has potential positive implications for resources for any future human explorers or colonists. |
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#1347 |
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Join Date: Jun 2004
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Posts: 28,248
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Happy 1st Birthday Neptune!
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/nept...adline+Feed%29
Neptune will be returning close to the spot where it was discovered in 1846, marking its first complete trip around the sun since its discovery. |
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#1348 |
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Join Date: May 2004
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Neptune has Trojans!
Quote:
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/nept...adline+Feed%29
Neptune will be returning close to the spot where it was discovered in 1846, marking its first complete trip around the sun since its discovery. Neptune's also been in the news recently too. Neptune, like Jupiter and Mars, has a Trojan asteroid sharing its orbit - see here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10954453. Trojan asteroids http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_asteroids inhabit the gravitational neutral points (Lagrangian points http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrangian_point) that occur between two significant bodies but they don't collide with the planet concerned because they stay within those neutral zones which lie in advance of, and behind, the planet's orbit. |
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#1349 |
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 19,566
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Quote:
Indeed, KJ44. The discovery of that blue world (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptune) has been attributed to both John Couch Adams and Urbain Le Verrier. Although roughly the same size as Uranus, it certainly has a more active atmosphere and a large and interesting moon - Triton.
Neptune's also been in the news recently too. Neptune, like Jupiter and Mars, has a Trojan asteroid sharing its orbit - see here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10954453. Trojan asteroids http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_asteroids inhabit the gravitational neutral points (Lagrangian points http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrangian_point) that occur between two significant bodies but they don't collide with the planet concerned because they stay within those netral zones which lie in advance of, and behind, the planet's orbit. It reminds me of a certain media personality who was talking about the Voyager enounter with Neptune a few years before it was due. She said "I predict they will find rings around Neptune". Hold on....hadn't someone already done that?
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#1350 |
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 19,566
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Nice video of aurora australis. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/collecti...85nk0#p00380m2
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