Starship Asterisk*

There could also be the matter of atmospheric scattering of the light. No telling what might be in the "air" including dust.

Okay, I responded before reading the next page... :oops: Nice. What surprised me most is that the James Webb's images from its hexagonal mirrors still produces rectangular images with perfect 90 degree corners. Unlike my binoculars that has round lenses and it produces a round image. The explanation...

This is a Very good point! Why keep extraneous "corners" or cut off additional data, just to fit an archaic format? Nice. What surprised me most is that the James Webb's images from its hexagonal mirrors still produces rectangular images with perfect 90 degree corners. Unlike my binoculars...

Being a city dweller (I know, makes most astronomical observations a pain) I was only able to spot 4 over the course of an hour, due to cloud cover, limited viewing between buildings and trees, and excessive light from street lights and neighborhood ambient light. Even so, the ones we saw were espec...

Hale-Bopp was the reason I originally discovered APOD, in '97. Some great memories sitting out under the sky on a blanket with my then new bride, looking at the beauty of the "Great Comet."

So, with all the talk of proximity to other stars, what is the "sweet spot" wherein a sun-like star would be likely to host planets capable of sustaining life? I've been told that within most star clusters, the nearness of other starts and all their "cosmic radiation" would preve...

Thanks for passing on the sad news of his passing. One of the greats has gone home to the stars, though a part of him will remain.

Though I rarely post, I've always been fond of Mr. Neufer's posts. Always informative, interesting and entertaining. He will be missed.

One wonders what the night sky would look like from an earth-like planet circling a star in one of those densely populated clusters...

This one is about as astronomical as I have in my arsenal:




Darth Vader: "Luke Skywalker (heavy breathing) I know what you're getting for Christmas (more heavy breathing)

Luke: "How?"

Darth Vader: "I felt your presents"

It is interesting to think that, I guess, our galaxy is rather average, for it's particular class, and our sun is rather average, as far as stars go (or maybe "common" would be the correct term). So does that make our planet "average" as well? Just how common IS intelligent life?

On another subject, what would an intelligent species, with the same scientific capabilities as we currently have, see when they look at our rather complex planetary/solar system? Would they be able to determine the orbit of our several planets, and the possibility of our Earth orbiting in the "...

RE: Gatsby

DiCaprio? Or Redford?


Either way, I like these "little world" photos. I saw a sun pillar just the other day backed by a glorious sunset sky, and had no one to share it with. I just enjoyed the beauty in silence.

Cool picture, and great narrative from the photographer. Quite exciting!

I once saw a small bolide as a teenager, and it was definitely a moving experience. I can't imagine seeing something "brighter than the sun."

Definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

It's pictures like these that help me put the size of the universe into perspective. We are so small...

But, I'm okay with that.

Man, I love this place! Thanks for all the great info/knowledge you guys are so generous to share with us.

Hale-Bopp is one of the reasons I discovered Astronomy Picture of the Day. It was a defining moment in my search for education on the skies.

Thanks, APOD!

The 2017 eclipse will be my first total. Can't wait! Just 5 more years...

Neat picture! But it brings up a question I've had in my mind for a while. Would a star system existing in a small cluster (maybe even VERY small) separate from a "galaxy" environment (either orbiting a galaxy or separate) be more or less likely to harbour life? Would the cosmic radiation ...

Okay, now my head hurts.

Neat pic, anyway!

Great picture!

And, thanks to neufer for the extremely interesting tidbit about the bacteria discovered at the White Dome Geyser. Always something fun in his posts.

Now that you said "dragon," I can't see the goat anymore.

Seeing auroras is definitely on my bucket list.

Saw 'em, thanks to the note on location. Saw one way off the line, and was a bit confused Then the video ended and it remained. Dust on my screen!

Goosebumps. Wow!

My guess would be that it's just a diffraction spike from a cropped-out star that didn't make the cut in this picture.