Amateur astronomy: Space is pretty awesome

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Amateur astronomy: Space is pretty awesome

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

God I love astronomy. I haven't stargazed with equipment in at least 15 years, but it only took a handful of articles to pique my interest again. Now I'm dangerously close to buying my first Newtonian scope, the Orion StarBlast 4.5. It's reviewed as a great entry-level scope for learning the sky and getting some cool views of distant objects.

Van Dis fucked around with this message at 20:05 on Oct 24, 2019

# ¿ Apr 25, 2014 03:44

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# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 19:06

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

Since this seems to be the only astronomy thread on SA, we should talk about more than just astrophotography (which is extremely cool, don't get me wrong). I didn't see it discussed itt, but a couple months ago the USGS released the most comprehensive geologic map of Ganymede to date.

Article here. There's a huge and detailed pdf of the survey here.

I love stuff like this. Last year, NASA released the first complete map of Mercury. My favorite is the false color showing variations in rock composition and age:

Follow link to HUGE version, and further links to other including true-color versions.

# ¿ Apr 26, 2014 04:34

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

Did anyone get any decent shots of the lunar eclipse last night? Gimme them pics.

# ¿ Oct 8, 2014 19:44

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

AstroZamboni posted:

The rod had been found in a drawer and had been left in his house by the prior occupant. After people had been guessing for a couple of hours, I actually managed to correctly identify the object as a miniature pool cue from a desktop billiards set and track down the exact set it came from. As a reward, the Bad Astronomer himself sent me a prize in the mail.

That's really cool and sweet and nice :3:

# ¿ Nov 23, 2014 20:43

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

I was gifted the Bushnell 10x50 binocs and Turn Left at Orion today, and I dug out my old tripod from the garage. Time to get back into this. Hooray :toot:

# ¿ Dec 25, 2014 19:51

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

The Bushnell 10x50s don't have a way to mount them to a tripod. What are some solutions to this besides "hold really still"?

# ¿ Dec 30, 2014 04:23

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

mng posted:

I have a type like this, does the job.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-B...+tripod+adapter

What I mean is, these binocs don't have a mount, so you can't attach a tripod adaptor to it at all. Which I'm honestly very surprised about; I assumed binocs recommended for astronomy would necessarily have that feature.

# ¿ Dec 30, 2014 16:58

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

mng posted:

That's surprising. It's not hidden under a cap at the front? I guess you need a clamp then http://www.amazon.co.uk/Manfrotto-035BN-Binocular-Allows-Binoculars/dp/B000LRFV42/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1419957033

Yeah, there's no way to mount these binocs without a clamp.

Maybe we could get the first post amended to include that info about the Bushnell 10x50s, along with another binoc recommendation.

# ¿ Jan 3, 2015 02:00

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

Venusian Weasel posted:

The other night I had the oddest sensation that I was seeing a dim red and blue tint to the Orion Nebula, which I've never had happen before. It's usually greenish, I wonder if the sky transparency was letting just enough light in to pick up color. But yeah, color is a pretty rare thing. Basically limited to planets and bright stars.

Got a widefield shot of Comet Lovejoy last night, mingling with the clusters and gas clouds of Taurus and Auriga.

It's 22 1/2 minutes total exposure, stacked from 45x30 second exposures.

That's a cool shot. How do you do something like that? What equipment did you use and how do you process the images to get that kinda color and clarity?

# ¿ Jan 18, 2015 03:43

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

After weeks of clouded skies, I finally got to see Comet Lovejoy through my binoculars last night. The light pollution here is pretty significant so I had to drive into the hills to see it. Even there the light pollution impeded anything lower than, say, 20 degrees off the horizon. But it was nice to finally see Lovejoy :toot:

Van Dis fucked around with this message at 20:06 on Oct 24, 2019

# ¿ Jan 25, 2015 19:55

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

Not really viewing-related, but I just bought one of these for my walls and thought astronomy thread might be interested in them too:

Several other ink/paper/size combinations here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/alittlelark?section_id=6731340

# ¿ Feb 19, 2015 04:20

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

Saint Fu posted:

Is there a good, preferably free, app for naked eye / binocular stargazing?

Stellarium is a decent and free planetarium for computers. Or did you mean for phones? Google Sky Map was my go-to, but I'm a filthy casual when it comes to astronomy.

# ¿ May 12, 2015 21:09

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

Does anyone use spotting scopes like wildlife monoculars for astronomy, or is that a very silly idea?

# ¿ Jul 21, 2015 02:39

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

On the bright side, you've learned how to control the weather.

# ¿ Sep 5, 2015 21:46

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

As Saturn nears the peak of its axial tilt (May 2017) and is inclined pretty wildly against the eliptic, anyone here have plans to get shots of the rings? Should be a pretty dramatic view for the next couple years.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2016 05:16

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

cheese posted:

I've spent the last few hours just pouring over recommendations and guides (especially at cloudynights) and everyone seems to say 8" Dobsonian, brand doesn't really matter that much (Zuhmell/Orion). I take it that is the goon consensus as well? Would it be a bad idea to spend a little more and go for a refractor? I read a bunch of reviews about the Explore Scientific AR102 and its apparently on sale for 299 bucks. Its one sexy looking beast.

I'd like to buy something that I will be happy with for awhile and that I feel like I can slowly add new goodies to (like lenses). Should I just go with the 8" dobsonian? It is worth noting that I live in the middle of San Jose and will be driving a good bit to get to any dark sky, so I would prefer something that doesn't make me weep as I try to squeeze it into my subcompact car.

8" Dobsonians seem to be super popular among the astronomy nerd crowd.

Van Dis fucked around with this message at 20:07 on Oct 24, 2019

# ¿ Feb 2, 2016 04:39

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

Any recs for a good astronomer's red flashlight that I can buy on Amazon?

# ¿ Jun 23, 2016 03:11

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

I went to an estate sale today and scored some binoculars:

Celestron 11x80s, look to be from the 1980s. The optics are all in good working order, everything's aligned well and the focuser and diopter work fine. They came with a case and tripod adapter. The sale had them priced at $95 but I talked them down to a clean 50. Noice.

# ¿ Jun 24, 2016 19:24

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

Anyone here ever done any of the Astronomy League's observing challenges? I went looking for a guide for good stuff to see with my binocs and came across this https://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/binomess/binomess.html

Looks like fun and pins are a nice little prize :3:

# ¿ Jul 5, 2016 02:24

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

I love shooting the moon. Got this image in the hour before dusk some time ago and adjusted the color balance to bring out the features:

# ¿ Nov 6, 2016 02:41

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

By missing just about everything, do you mean it doesn't have a primary mirror and diagonal? Like, is it just a tube? Cause if they're present I'd snatch it up.

# ¿ Nov 11, 2016 21:21

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

Finally went through my photos of Monday's supermoon. This is the best shot I got:

I fooled around with some filters and made a desktop and phone background

# ¿ Nov 17, 2016 21:03

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

Low-Pass Filter posted:

FINALLY got all my equipment working, and had a free evening on a clear night. First "real" non-moon shot through my telescope. M42 because it's big, bright, beautiful, and easy!

Astroview EQ 6 on an Orion Atlas
Canon SL1
ISO 1600
25 @ 45 Seconds
5 @ 15 Seconds
5 @ 8 Seconds
5 @ 3 seconds
5 Dark
10 Bias

Had some issues with tracking I think; had to throw away a non-trivial amount of subs. Other than that, proud of it!

That is stunning.

# ¿ Jan 25, 2017 18:55

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

Just a reminder that the next four weeks are a really good time to view Jupiter, since it hits opposition on April 7.

Also, Saturn hits its solstice in May sometime, providing the most dramatic views of its rings. It's a bit inconvenient to see in April and May since it rises pretty late and you really only get decent views between like 2-4 AM, but by early June it will be rising in the southeast around 9:30 PM (and the moon will be in the west). Saturn's next solstice will be in 2032, so catch the rings this year if you can!

Van Dis fucked around with this message at 19:07 on Mar 25, 2017

# ¿ Mar 25, 2017 18:10

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

Oh cool, I'm glad someone did the actual calculations for Saturn's "seasons". Thanks for finding that!

# ¿ Mar 25, 2017 19:08

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

I didn't even try to get shots of the eclipse, since it was my first and I didn't want to be distracted by a camera, but I did get these shots of the sun while sitting in post-eclipse traffic, through the smoke and ash from the central Oregon fires.

Kind of nightmarish, to be honest.

Van Dis fucked around with this message at 03:45 on Aug 30, 2017

# ¿ Aug 30, 2017 03:23

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

Luneshot posted:

I've been undertaking various modding projects on my Dob lately.

My main telescope is a Zhumell Z12 (12", f/5 Newtonian). It's been with me for years, but recently I was browsing through the Zhumell modding thread on Cloudy Nights and decided that I wanted to do some upgrades of my own.

So over the past couple weeks, I've done the following:

Cleaned, waxed, and regreased the focuser. Rotated the focuser 45 degrees so that the focus knobs are horizontal when pointing skywards.

Replaced the secondary collimation screws (with the ones from Bob's Knobs), and replaced the steel washer with ones made out of 'milk jug' material- it has more give and allows more precision in collimating.

Attempted to replace the primary collimation screws, only to find that the replacements from Bob's Knobs don't seem to fit my first-generation Z12, and are designed for the second-gen Z12s. So the stock ones went back on.

Replaced the primary mirror springs. I think the previous owner had replaced them before, because the ones I pulled out were huge and definitely not stock.

Replaced the secondary mirror screws that held the spider in the optical tube, because I had lost one of them.

Remounted my Telrad using heavy-duty velcro, because the adhesive for the base had dried out.

Installed a baffle on the rear of the telescope to force airflow from the fan up the tube. Added a small 'ring baffle' around the front of the primary to force airflow over the mirror to disrupt the boundary layer.

Cleaned the mirror. I know this should be done extremely rarely, but it definitely needed it- because I've spent literal years without a proper scope cover. (I have one now.)

Upgraded my eyepiece tray (it has *two* 2" slots now!!) and attached a file holder to the base for the binder that has my star charts.

Added a knob at the front of the tube that I can grab to move the telescope around. No more holding onto the tube itself to move it!

Made a counterweight from a magnetic screw tray and a big heavy ceramic magnet. It doesn't work great at low altitudes but it gets the job done everywhere else.

Attempted to flock the tube with black velvet to reduce stray light. This...didn't go well. I accidentally tore it, it didn't stick to the carpet tape, it didn't go in smoothly, it was a pain in the rear end and I ended up removing it. I'll probably just buy the pre-made flocking paper stuff and do that instead.

Applied some old glow-in-the-dark tape I had lying around as aesthetic trim for parts of the base.

Future upgrades include flocking the telescope properly and replacing the azimuth bearing.

My eyepiece collection has also expanded (my wallet and I are not on speaking terms right now). I now have an Explore Scientific 82 degree 30mm, a Baader Morpheus 17.5mm, an ES 82 11mm, and an ES 82 6.7mm. That covers a good range of magnifications: 50x, 86x, 136x, and 224x, respectively. I didn't buy the ES 82 18mm because the eye relief isn't long enough for my eyeglasses, and it seems to be less well received than the rest of the ES 82 line. I observe with my glasses because I have hilariously bad astigmatism.

Recent observing, being spring, has been tons of galaxies. Bagged my first galaxy clusters(Virgo doesn't count)- A1367 (Leo), A1656(Coma), A779(Lynx), and A1060(Hydra). Leo and Coma are definitely the brightest. Galaxy clusters are odd- you can identify a few galaxies, but the background sky is kind of faintly 'mottled' from the light of galaxies you just can't quite make out, even from a class 1 site. I'd love ~*~more aperture~*~ but I can't reasonably justify going bigger than a 12" right now.

Good work, those sound like excellent upgrades. If you have a chance to take pictures of that stuff I'd love to see what you've done, especially the status of the mirror, the knob you added to the front of the tube, and your magnetic counterweight.

# ¿ May 3, 2019 06:49

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

KnifeWrench posted:

Not to deny you your righteous indignation, but posting this via your conveniently accessible first-world internet connection is kinda "let them eat cake".

Actually it's a good illustration of the fact that everyone's right to a night sky free of pollutants is being violated.

# ¿ Apr 14, 2020 16:29

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

Crankit posted:

What are good telescopes for astrophotography? I have a DSLR and I'd like to try some pics of space, but I know very little about it.

Astrophotography is as much about the mount than it is about the scope. In fact, with a DSLR you can just get a decent mount and point it at the sky and be on your way, even without a scope. I'm purely an optical astronomy hobbyist but I'm sure others can recommend good AP mounts for you.

# ¿ Feb 28, 2021 05:04

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# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 19:06

Van Dis: Jun 19, 2004

Binary Badger posted:

I had thought we'd have mapped out all the asteroids that intersect Jupiter's orbit, but evidently not.. or could it have been an extrasolar visitor like that big needle that caused so much controversy recently?

I'm not sure how perturbations in the asteroid belt work, but I suppose given enough time an asteroid in a relatively stable orbit could be dislodged and put on an intersect course. Probably more likely to just be something from the Oort cloud, which we have basically not mapped at all.

# ¿ Sep 15, 2021 01:29

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