A sense of scale would be helpful

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ddale51
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Joined: Thu Jan 27, 2011 6:37 pm

A sense of scale would be helpful

Post by ddale51 » Thu Jan 27, 2011 6:55 pm

I love the pictures of galaxies, nebula and other space vistas but I have a very hard time envisioning just how much of the sky the various objects cover. It helps when in the text it states that it's so many degrees in width as I know that there are two full moons for every degree of sky, but this information is seldom included in the text accompanying the photos.

My suggestion is this: Place a small "moon-width" bar somewhere outside of the picture to represent 1/2 degree of sky (a lot like a mileage bar that is found on road maps). I think this would help us APOD viewers to more fully understand the size and grandeur of various astronomical objects since everyone can instantly relate to the size of the full moon.

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bystander
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Re: A sense of scale would be helpful

Post by bystander » Thu Jan 27, 2011 7:23 pm

Know the quiet place within your heart and touch the rainbow of possibility; be
alive to the gentle breeze of communication, and please stop being such a jerk.
— Garrison Keillor