Starship Asterisk*

orin stepanek wrote: ↑Mon Nov 14, 2022 2:16 pm I really wish I saw a likeness to a wizzard; I just don't! I guess I guess
I just need more imagination! I really like this APOD though!

This is what I see!

I think he could use a wand though...

M13, a favorite telescope target of mine! I highly recommend anyone with a telescope to view this amazing cluster through the eyepiece. With a bit of focus on a nice clear night, it isn't difficult to pick out individual stars surrounding the central blob. This picture, of course, is much more detai...

It can't be overemphasized that color is, fundamentally, a physiological property, not a physical one. So yeah, what "true color" actually means is a complex question with no simple (or single solution). Our visual system not only builds color perception from the various spectral componen...

Can we see the color of nebulae? <<YES and NO. YES, you will get "color" of nebulae. Reason of this is that because of very low luminosity for small diameter telescope, your eye is using "grey vision". When luminosity will reach certain level, your eye will start adopt color rec...

Awesome picture. As a north hemisphere denizen, love to see M31 and the MC's together in the same image. For anyone curious, looks like the Large Magellanic Cloud is at about 3 o'clock (its tiny friend right behind), and M31 is at around 8 o'clock near the galaxy's band. On opposite sides of us... f...

orin stepanek wrote: ↑Wed Jan 13, 2021 12:14 pm

ArcticSky_Cobianchi_1080_annotated.jpg

Don't know if this is what you are looking for?

Yes, this one's perfect

ArcticSky_Cobianchi_2048_(annotated).jpg Beautiful composite image! Given the location and approximate date, I gave my best shot at identifying some of the other bright objects visible in the image. Please let me know if I made any mistakes. Does anyone have any idea what the bright-ish spot just a...

The imaging instrument covers bands from 450 nm to 13.6 um. It's unclear what bands were used to construct the image, but I think it's pretty clear that some of the IR bands were included. No doubt you are correct. I found this about GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite)- https:/...

What a great way to portray an eclipse. I'm mesmerized by this geostationary view! I love watching the clouds dance around. Are there any places where one could view longer shots of the Earth from this perspective? Also, is there a reason that even at night, some clouds are brightly lit while others...

Great post, Ann. On the subject of the starburst galaxy M82, from an inexpert and possibly naive point of view, I noticed the shape of its outflowing "wings" appear very similar to the hourglass-shape of the famous Orion Nebula. Is this shape significant or common in space? Does it have an...

https://i.imgur.com/8x0EHvh.png I'm so pleased by all the worldwide attention the conjunction has been getting! So many of my family and friends who aren't ordinarily astronomy-focused have been talking about the conjunction and sharing pictures. This afternoon it was clear where I live (finally!) ...

Now that I've been actively observing for a while, I figure I should come back to this thread to mention that I invested in Stellarium Mobile , and it really can't be beat as far as accuracy, brevity, and depth. Every other app I've used pales in comparison whether I'm trying to find an object with ...

This picture is stunning, as is the size of both the dishes and the array itself! Human ingenuity is truly impressive. That said, something about the fact that the official name for this structure is "Very Large Array" is really funny to me.

Tonight I walked outside and was greeted almost immediately by one of the brightest shooting stars I'd ever seen! Judging by the direction, I figured it most likely came from the aquarids, but with my limited knowledge of meteor showers I don't want to count out the perseids as a possible source. I ...

In case anyone looking to buy a telescope comes across this thread, I thought it'd be useful to share this post on Stargazers Lounge I came across recently as well: https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/196278-what-can-i-expect-to-see/ It not only has a fantastic explanation of apparent magnitude and s...

BDanielMayfield wrote: ↑Thu Aug 06, 2020 2:05 pm Your welcome zeecatman.

There is a "What did you see in the sky tonight" thread in this forum also. We would like to here about your observations if you would care to share them with our group.

Absolutely! I'd love to see what everyone's been viewing.

BDanielMayfield wrote: ↑Thu Aug 06, 2020 3:35 am The magazine Sky and Telescope was my go to reference back when I had a scope.

Their website is indeed a very nice reference for all sorts of observable objects! After browsing, I've already written down a few that I'd like to try observing. Thanks for the recommendation.

Hey all, I've had a passive interest in backyard astronomy for a while now, and I just recently decided to do some research and invest in a telescope -- namely the Orion SkyQuest XT8 Dobsonian . I'm super excited! My parents have always had a 4.5" Newtonian that has served us well, but I'm thin...

Hi all, I'm wondering what the Android users use for casual stargazing, like identifying or finding objects in the sky in a pinch. I've shopped around for free options, and so far the most complete one I've found is StarTracker. StarTracker shows the locations of manmade satellites and meteor shower...