Starship Asterisk*

by **rstevenson** » Wed Oct 08, 2014 5:56 pm

Chris Peterson wrote:Of course, you use a Mac, which may explain the performance issues with Flash.

Probably, yes. I tested it in my somewhat old iMac, running Mac OS X v10.6.8, and it behaved as reported above. I just now tried it in a new MacBook Air running Mac OS X v10.9.5 and there is no sluggishness, but there are bugs. For example, I can't find the editing tools I could see on the other machine. Flash has never been a good thing in the Mac OS -- which is strange, because it comes from one of the most successful Mac developers, Adobe. So maybe the fault lies not with Flash, but with the browser -- in my case, that's the latest Firefox on both machines.

But back to our regularly scheduled programming! (I seem to be derailing things lately. Mother will not be pleased.)

Rob

by **Chris Peterson** » Wed Oct 08, 2014 2:45 pm

rstevenson wrote:I find that small bits of software working interactively within a browser window are not a problem. But putting something as complicated as an image editor into a browser window is roughly equivalent to putting a car inside a bus, intending to use the car to go shopping. It might work, but it's a bit unwieldy at best. And that's exactly how pixlr performed when I just tried it. It was slow in its operations, with the cursor moving jerkily over the screen.

Interesting. We use it at the school, and on my computer at home it's as responsive as native Photoshop (in either Chrome or Firefox).

Of course, you use a Mac, which may explain the performance issues with Flash.

In any case, this is still an excellent solution for the occasional image processor, who may not need a dedicated app.

by **rstevenson** » Wed Oct 08, 2014 2:21 pm

Chris Peterson wrote:
rstevenson wrote:
BDanielMayfield wrote:My original post would have been more interesting if I could have included a close up crop of Swamp Thing, but I don't have a photo editor at present. I'd like to get one. I don't need anything fancy, and have a very limited budget. Any suggestions?
If you're a Mac user, I strongly recommend GraphicConverter, from Lemke Software ($40.) I've used it for decades even though I have PhotoShop for those rare occasions when its power is required. About Windows software, I know naught.
Even easier for the occasional user, and caring nothing about your OS, is to use an online tool. I like pixlr which has most of the primary features of Photoshop and simply runs in your browser- no software to install at all. Free, and very impressive.

I find that small bits of software working interactively within a browser window are not a problem. But putting something as complicated as an image editor into a browser window is roughly equivalent to putting a car inside a bus, intending to use the car to go shopping. It might work, but it's a bit unwieldy at best. And that's exactly how pixlr performed when I just tried it. It was slow in its operations, with the cursor moving jerkily over the screen.

pixlr is a Flash app, and that's par for the course with Flash in my experience.

Rob

by **Chris Peterson** » Wed Oct 08, 2014 1:43 pm

rstevenson wrote:
BDanielMayfield wrote:My original post would have been more interesting if I could have included a close up crop of Swamp Thing, but I don't have a photo editor at present. I'd like to get one. I don't need anything fancy, and have a very limited budget. Any suggestions?
If you're a Mac user, I strongly recommend GraphicConverter, from Lemke Software ($40.) I've used it for decades even though I have PhotoShop for those rare occasions when its power is required. About Windows software, I know naught.

Even easier for the occasional user, and caring nothing about your OS, is to use an online tool. I like pixlr which has most of the primary features of Photoshop and simply runs in your browser- no software to install at all. Free, and very impressive.

by **rstevenson** » Wed Oct 08, 2014 1:32 pm

BDanielMayfield wrote:My original post would have been more interesting if I could have included a close up crop of Swamp Thing, but I don't have a photo editor at present. I'd like to get one. I don't need anything fancy, and have a very limited budget. Any suggestions?

Here's a close-up...

: Is it a dog? Is it a wallabee? Is it a swamp thing?!?

If you're a Mac user, I strongly recommend GraphicConverter, from Lemke Software ($40.) I've used it for decades even though I have PhotoShop for those rare occasions when its power is required. About Windows software, I know naught.

Rob

by **BDanielMayfield** » Wed Oct 08, 2014 11:53 am

dlw wrote:
BDanielMayfield wrote:Very nice. It even has a U.S.T. (Unidentified Swamp Thing) basking in the moonlight.
Has anyone identified "swamp thing"? Looks like a fox, perhaps 2 (long tail well below the head).
Or maybe it's just a rotting log.

David

Thanks for commenting on "Swamp Thing" David. It seemed strange that no one else commented about this until you did. Of course it most likely is just a part of the log, but for me it was about the first thing that kinda jumped out at me at first seeing this image. (Due to years of birding, when one often spots birds and other critters perched on stumps and branches.)

My original post would have been more interesting if I could have included a close up crop of Swamp Thing, but I don't have a photo editor at present. I'd like to get one. I don't need anything fancy, and have a very limited budget. Any suggestions?

Bruce

by **owlice** » Wed Oct 08, 2014 1:12 am

Chris Peterson wrote:I'd be very happy if the APOD editors strongly encouraged authors to provide the highest available resolution images (or links to them).

So far as I know, they usually do.

by **geckzilla** » Mon Oct 06, 2014 4:41 pm

Yeah, unless you are going by 15 year old technology standards. Then it's huge. The upgrade from 640x480 to 800x600 was exciting back then.

by **Chris Peterson** » Mon Oct 06, 2014 4:32 pm

dlw wrote:Or maybe it's just a rotting log.

It's hard to tell because of the laughably low resolution of the provided image. At full size it's barely wider than a third of my screen.

I'd be very happy if the APOD editors strongly encouraged authors to provide the highest available resolution images (or links to them). Something like today's is just silly. I didn't even waste my time viewing it critically once I realized that there wasn't anything large enough to appreciate.

by **geckzilla** » Mon Oct 06, 2014 4:18 pm

Given that foxes aren't aquatic turtles and generally do not bask on old logs in the water, I'm going with the rotting log idea. But that little one apparently facing us is definitely a mini Totoro.

by **dlw** » Mon Oct 06, 2014 4:11 pm

BDanielMayfield wrote:Very nice. It even has a U.S.T. (Unidentified Swamp Thing) basking in the moonlight.

Has anyone identified "swamp thing"? Looks like a fox, perhaps 2 (long tail well below the head).
Or maybe it's just a rotting log.

David

by **Boomer12k** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 4:43 pm

Awesomely beautiful shot....just lovely...make a good wallpaper....

:---[===] *

by **Psnarf** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 4:07 pm

Thanks, Geckzilla! Can't tell the players without a program.

by **Indigo_Sunrise** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 3:16 pm

This is an absolutely gorgeous image!

by **Joules** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 1:16 pm

Beautifully composed!

by **BDanielMayfield** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 12:05 pm

Very nice. It even has a U.S.T. (Unidentified Swamp Thing) basking in the moonlight.

by **geckzilla** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 6:23 am

There's an annotated version at "this serene sky" link in the text.
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1410/ba ... eb_txt.jpg

by **Ann** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 5:29 am

That's a truly, truly lovely picture.

I wouldn't mind a bit of help finding Saturn. Is Saturn the point of light in the sky to the right of the mast light, or is that Zuben Elgenubi (best star name ever), alpha star of Libra?

I'm not absolutely sure of Mars either.

Ann

by **APOD Robot** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 4:06 am

Mars, Antares, Moon and Saturn

Explanation: Mars, Antares, Moon, and Saturn are the brightest celestial beacons in this serene sky. The Sun's golden light is still scattered along the southwestern horizon though, captured after sunset on September 28. The evening gathering of wandering planets and Moon along with the bright star viewed as an equal to Mars and the Scorpion's Heart was enjoyed around planet Earth. But from the photographer's perspective looking across the calm waters of Lake Balaton, Hungary, they were joined by a more terrestrial sailboat mast light. Mast light, bright star, planets and Moon are all posing near the plane of the ecliptic.

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Starship Asterisk*

APOD: Mars, Antares, Moon and Saturn (2014 Oct 04)

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