Thread: Space Events

How come Jupiter is so bright? I'd actually noticed that myself in the last few days.

Originally Posted by tommo

Thanks. Yeah it might have been I think. It did have that cross of stars above it, almost point at it, which I took mental note of to find it later.
But I thought planets didn't twinkle like stars?

Spart, or anyone really with knowledge of these things, what do you think of these telescopes?

Saxon Dob 8 - 200mm (8 inch) Reflecting telescope system

https://www.bintelshop.com.au/Product.aspx?ID=8147

https://www.bintelshop.com.au/Product.aspx?ID=8148

This one doesn't have a mount :S
https://www.bintelshop.com.au/Product.aspx?ID=8125

I'm not familiar with those companies so I can't vouch for the quality of the pieces, but an 8 inch dob reflector is one of the most common telescopes for a reason. They're a great beginner scope. 10 inches will offer even better views at the price of size and portability.

Edit: With any newtonian reflector, you'll have to learn about collimating the telescope (properly aligning the mirrors). There are different methods to do it, shouldn't be that tricky.

Originally Posted by Aristaeus

Hmm, interesting program. I have always used Neave's Planetarium, but this Stellarium seems to be better.

Oh, and thanks for the telescope information; apparently I was about to make a serious mistake. I think I might settle for the XT10; it seems to be better than the XT8 (correct me if I am wrong).

It will perform better optically, but it will be bigger and heavier. The XT10 weighs over 50 lbs and is starting to be at the limit of what an average person can carry and manipulate. Hopefully you can store it close to your observing site and don't have any stairs to navigate .

Originally Posted by Xei

How come Jupiter is so bright? I'd actually noticed that myself in the last few days.

It's close to the Earth right now.

Spoiler for Solar system:

It takes just over a year, 13 months or less, for earth to catch up to Jupiter. You know it is close when it looks almost like a comet to the naked eye.

Did you guys hear we're supposed to be in the path of halley's comet debris over the weekend? I guess saturday morning they're expecting 15 meteorites per hour.

Sorry if this was already mentioned in the thread, I don't like to read.

Originally Posted by Omnis Dei

Did you guys hear we're supposed to be in the path of halley's comet debris over the weekend? I guess saturday morning they're expecting 15 meteorites per hour.

Sorry if this was already mentioned in the thread, I don't like to read.

AWESOME! Hopefully this is visible here. Don't worry about something being posted before. It hasn't, but don't worry, coz it's better to have two reminders than to miss out completely!

Oh, FUCK! http://earthsky.org/tonight/orionid-...s-comet-halley
It's visible here and it's RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!

aaaannnnnd the sky's is completely covered in clouds.... not a single star in the sky :'(

Although I did find this anyway....
November 5, 2011 South Taurids
The South (and North) Taurids are perhaps best suited to die-hard meteor aficionados. The meteoroid stream that feeds the Taurids is very spread out and dissipated. That means the Taurids are extremely long lasting (September 25 to November 25) but usually don’t offer a lot more than about 7 meteors per hour, even on the South Taurids’ expected peak date of November 5/6. The big and bright waxing gibbous moon ruins the show during the evening hours on November 5, but if you’re a night owl, try watching after moonset, or in the wee hours after midnight on November 6.
November 11 and 12, 2011 North Taurids
This shower is long-lasting (October 12 – December 2) but modest, and the peak number is forecast at about 7 meteors per hour. Typically, you see the maximum numbers at around midnight to 1 a.m., when Taurus the Bull moves nearly overhead. This year, the bright waning gibbous moon shines right in front of the constellation Taurus, making 2011 an unfavorable year for watching these rather slow-moving but sometimes bright North Taurid meteors. The greatest numbers of North Taurid meteors come at late night and after midnight on the nights of November 11 and 12, but you might want to write off this year’s North Taurids because of the strong moonlit glare.
November 17, 2011 Leonids
Historically, the Leonids have produced some of the greatest meteor storms in history, with rates as high as many thousands of meteors per hour. These storms sometimes recur in cycles of 33 to 34 years. Most years, the Lion whimpers rather than roars, producing a maximum of perhaps 10-15 meteors per hour. Like the October Orionids, the Leonids ordinarily pick up steam after midnight and display the greatest meteor numbers just before dawn. This year, however, the last quarter moon will be shining near the radiant point of the shower in the constellation Leo. The unwelcome presence of the moon is sure to dampen this year’s Leonid display. If you’re game, you can try watching from late night November 17 till dawn November 18, though the moonlit glare will subdue the 2011 Leonid meteor shower.
December 13 and 14, 2011 Geminids
The waning gibbous moon makes 2011 a rather unfavorable year for watching the Geminids, the year’s grand finale for the major meteor showers. As a general rule, it’s either the August Perseids or the December Geminids that give us the most prolific display of the year. In 2011, moonlight obscures both showers. Unlike many meteor showers, you can usually start watching the Geminids by 9 or 10 p.m. This year, however, the moon rises at mid-evening and shines all the way until daybreak. On a dark, moonless night, the Geminid meteor shower often produces 50 or more meteors per hour. The best viewing of these often bright, medium-speed meteors should be after midnight on December 14 and 15, but the bright moon will greatly lessen the number of visible Geminid meteors in 2011.

I like the Orionids because they leave some pretty long trails but their peak is so freaking hard to predict. I may try to check it out later after midnight but that large waning crescent moon that's conveniently hovering above may damper the view. I'm looking forward to the Leonids, I watch those every year.

Did anyone here happen to see the Roentgen Satellite pass through the atmosphere on Saturday the 22nd? I sure wish I had...

Oh, and is there a particular pair of astronomy binoculars anybody would recommend? I was going to settle for the Orion 20x70 or the Celestron SkyMaster 20x80, but I figured I would try to get opinions from others before making mine final decision.

Originally Posted by Aristaeus

Oh, and is there a particular pair of astronomy binoculars anybody would recommend? I was going to settle for the Orion 20x70 or the Celestron SkyMaster 20x80, but I figured I would try to get opinions from others before making mine final decision.

I don't know much about bigger binoculars other than you will most certainly need a tripod to use them comfortably.

I use a pair of Nikon 10x50s.

This is the current Kp Index on it's 3 hour interval. This shows a nice spike of planetary K geomagnetic activity, which is was so high during this earlier interval at approx. 7:00PMUTC / 2:00PMEST that Southeastern states were able to witness some very nice high auroral activity Levels.

Originally Posted by Ne-yo

This is the current Kp Index on it's 3 hour interval. This shows a nice spike of planetary K geomagnetic activity, which is was so high during this earlier interval at approx. 7:00PMUTC / 2:00PMEST that Southeastern states were able to witness some very nice high auroral activity Levels.

Not really space, but oh how I long to see aurora....

huh? This is the NOAA Space weather scale. The Kp index measures disturbances in the geomagnetic field caused by gusts in the solar wind that blows by Earth.

Aurora's technically aren't in Space. They occur in the atmosphere. Not that I care, I think it's good enough to fit in in this thread. Just saying.

The Space weather scale is not about Auroras, what I posted was just a rare event of the Sun's activity that I thought some might find interesting. This is a predictive scale that's transmit real-time data and is more focused on monitoring the Sun's solar activity but if you're going to micro-manage your thread then, yea, I'll just stop posting here.

Originally Posted by Ne-yo

The Space weather scale is not about Auroras, what I posted was just a rare event of the Sun's activity that I thought some might find interesting. This is a predictive scale that's transmit real-time data and is more focused on monitoring the Sun's solar activity but if you're going to micro-manage your thread then, yea, I'll just stop posting here.

wtf dude? I clearly said it was fine.

Originally Posted by tommo

Aurora's technically aren't in Space. They occur in the atmosphere. Not that I care, I think it's good enough to fit in in this thread. Just saying.

Meteor showers aren't technically in space either, they occur in the atmosphere. Just saying. :p

A lot like the Aurora, it may happen in the atmosphere (very high, up to 400km high), but it's cause, CME from the sun, definitely originates in space.

Originally Posted by Forsaken

Meteor showers aren't technically in space either, they occur in the atmosphere. Just saying. :p

A lot like the Aurora, it may happen in the atmosphere (very high, up to 400km high), but it's cause, CME from the sun, definitely originates in space.

Well, they are, you just wouldn't be likely to see them if they didn't pass through the atmosphere.

But yeah. Whatever, ne-yo just decided to have a little bitch over nothing, I don't really care if it's not technically space or is.

As I said, I was "just saying" not "criticising".

Just thought anybody might be interested in these:

Halloween Fireballs: Taurid Meteor Shower Peaks Next Week | Meteor Showers & Comets | Amateur Astronomy & Meteor Skywatching Tips | Space.com

Huge Asteroid to Creep Near Earth on Nov. 8 | Asteroids & Comets, Near-Earth Objects | Asteroid 2005 YU55, Potentially Dangerous Asteroids | Space.com

Originally Posted by Aristaeus

Just thought anybody might be interested in these:

Halloween Fireballs: Taurid Meteor Shower Peaks Next Week | Meteor Showers & Comets | Amateur Astronomy & Meteor Skywatching Tips | Space.com

Huge Asteroid to Creep Near Earth on Nov. 8 | Asteroids & Comets, Near-Earth Objects | Asteroid 2005 YU55, Potentially Dangerous Asteroids | Space.com

THANKYOU!!!!

"The next known approach of an asteroid this large will be in 2028."
This sounds like a definitely amazing one.
Article also says you need a telescope 6 inches or larger to see it.

Got my TELESCOPE!!!!!!!!
8"er

Will post pics tomorrow.
Anyone else still going to get one?

Looks like you'll be able to see an asteroid on November 8th...

"An asteroid known as 2005 YU55 will make a close approach to the Earth. The large space rock, about 1,300 feet in diameter will pass closer than the Moon at 0.85 lunar distances. While it is not expected to pose a threat to the Earth, this extremely rare event presents a unique opportunity for amateur astronomers to observe the asteroid as it makes it closest approach to our planet. Many astronomy groups are planning to observe the event. Asteroids this large only pass close to the Earth about every 30 years."

YEP! I went out and got it early just so I could be ready for that!
If there's no clear skies here, I'm driving until there is! haha

Haha good idea, sounds like something I would do. I wonder how easy it is to make it possible to take pictures with an SLR digital camera through a telescope.

That'll definitely be my next thing to do after I learn a bit more.
Apparently you need some sort of mount to take pictures.
I'm not sure what it is yet, or how it works. Just heard it mentioned.
But, the photos really do look incredible when done correctly. Just like the magazines

Originally Posted by Wayfaerer

Haha good idea, sounds like something I would do. I wonder how easy it is to make it possible to take pictures with an SLR digital camera through a telescope.

Google astrophotography or do-it-yourself astrophotography. There are tutorials all over about how to do it, though usually it involves making or buying a special mount to attach your particular model of camera into the viewpiece socket. Basically you take the lens off your camera and the telescope becomes the new lens.

You might wnt to include the model of your camera in the search - a lot of the tuts are specific for a particular model of camera.

If your camera does time lapse you can also shoot those awesome scenes with the stars and clouds racing by overhead. Look up space time lapse or sky time lapse on YT. Amazing stuff!!