APOD: The SONG and the Hunter (2016 May 05)

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APOD: The SONG and the Hunter (2016 May 05)

Post by APOD Robot » Thu May 05, 2016 4:07 am

Image The SONG and the Hunter

Explanation: Near first quarter, the Moon in March lights this snowy, rugged landscape, a view across the top of Tenerife toward La Palma in the Canary Islands Spanish archipelago. The large Teide volcano, the highest point in Spain, looms over the horizon. Shining above are familiar bright stars of Orion, the Hunter. Adding to the dreamlike scene is the 1 meter diameter prototype telescope of the global network project called the Stellar Observations Network Group or SONG. The SONG's fully robotic observatory was captured during the 30 second exposure while the observatory dome, with slit open, was rotated across the field of view.

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daddyo
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Re: APOD: The SONG and the Hunter (2016 May 05)

Post by daddyo » Thu May 05, 2016 4:30 am

I like the "glass dome" architecture, 360 view and weather resistant

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Re: APOD: The SONG and the Hunter (2016 May 05)

Post by Boomer12k » Thu May 05, 2016 7:51 am

I thought it was a "glass dome" too, until I read the description. I love Orion...


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Re: APOD: The SONG and the Hunter (2016 May 05)

Post by hleejpn » Thu May 05, 2016 12:26 pm

Is that a lenticular cloud over the Teide volcano? Well, upon closer inspection with these old eyes, it is something with the observatory.

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Re: APOD: The SONG and the Hunter (2016 May 05)

Post by Case » Thu May 05, 2016 12:51 pm

hleejpn wrote:Is that a lenticular cloud over the Teide volcano? Well, upon closer inspection with these old eyes, it is something with the observatory.
Indeed, I think it is part of the rotating dome too, transparant in the photo because of the movement during the exposure, as the same shape is on the left side of the dome.

heehaw

Re: APOD: The SONG and the Hunter (2016 May 05)

Post by heehaw » Thu May 05, 2016 1:38 pm

One of the things I most enjoy about life is repeatedly finding out how stupid I am. How could I have never thought of that way of photographing a telescope inside a dome? But I didn't. Makes me wonder again whether there is simple yet undiscovered physics out there, waiting for someone.

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Re: APOD: The SONG and the Hunter (2016 May 05)

Post by Chris Peterson » Thu May 05, 2016 1:53 pm

heehaw wrote:One of the things I most enjoy about life is repeatedly finding out how stupid I am. How could I have never thought of that way of photographing a telescope inside a dome? But I didn't. Makes me wonder again whether there is simple yet undiscovered physics out there, waiting for someone.
I'm surprised you haven't encountered similar photos. They are common enough. I've seen them for many of the world's major observatories, and quite a few small ones like this.
Chris

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Re: APOD: The SONG and the Hunter (2016 May 05)

Post by Fred the Cat » Thu May 05, 2016 4:36 pm

How appropriate that today's APOD comes via Spain. Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! The Canary Islands look like a good place to celebrate the festivities. :yes:
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Re: APOD: The SONG and the Hunter (2016 May 05)

Post by BMAONE23 » Thu May 05, 2016 5:10 pm


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Re: APOD: The SONG and the Hunter (2016 May 05)

Post by Coil_Smoke » Thu May 05, 2016 5:15 pm

heehaw wrote:One of the things I most enjoy about life is repeatedly finding out how stupid I am. How could I have never thought of that way of photographing a telescope inside a dome? But I didn't. Makes me wonder again whether there is simple yet undiscovered physics out there, waiting for someone.
Like the true nature of gravity? Like... It's not an attractive force ? Or something :?:

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Re: APOD: The SONG and the Hunter (2016 May 05)

Post by BMAONE23 » Thu May 05, 2016 7:25 pm

Personally, I find the concept of gravity to be very attractive but I am also repulsed by the thought of Anti Gravity

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Re: APOD: The SONG and the Hunter (2016 May 05)

Post by Ann » Thu May 05, 2016 7:50 pm

BMAONE23 wrote:Personally, I find the concept of gravity to be very attractive but I am also repulsed by the thought of Anti Gravity
That statement carries a lot of weight.
Personally, I keep seeing "The SONG and the Hu..." as I look at the board index. I keep thinking that "Hu..." stands for "Human", back when there were very few songs and very few humans, and I get all this neolithic imagery in my head.

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Re: APOD: The SONG and the Hunter (2016 May 05)

Post by BMAONE23 » Thu May 05, 2016 9:15 pm

Funny,
At first glance my mind thought of it as "The Song of the Hummingbird"

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Re: APOD: The SONG and the Hunter (2016 May 05)

Post by Tszabeau » Thu May 05, 2016 11:21 pm

I wonder if the dome was rotating clockwise or counter-clockwise.

Is the red ring 1 meter in diameter?

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Re: APOD: The SONG and the Hunter (2016 May 05)

Post by MarkBour » Fri May 06, 2016 12:58 am

How can you use a ground-based scope with a 1-meter mirror as an exoplanet hunter? I would have guessed that this was impossible. One thing I've read is that they are going to aim primarily at bright stars. I wonder what other things they are doing that are special. Perhaps some "adaptive" techniques to overcome the atmosphere effects?

To echo heehaw's comment, but with a different twist on it, I enjoy being continually surprised at the cleverness of astronomers, when they find a way to get data that I would have never uncovered.
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Re: APOD: The SONG and the Hunter (2016 May 05)

Post by Chris Peterson » Fri May 06, 2016 1:16 am

MarkBour wrote:How can you use a ground-based scope with a 1-meter mirror as an exoplanet hunter? I would have guessed that this was impossible. One thing I've read is that they are going to aim primarily at bright stars. I wonder what other things they are doing that are special. Perhaps some "adaptive" techniques to overcome the atmosphere effects?
There are exoplanets that amateurs can observe (photometrically) with 10 and 12 inch scopes. A meter-class scope can potentially survey for a great many, or be used for follow-up measurements after they are detected by Kepler or some other instrument.
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Re: APOD: The SONG and the Hunter (2016 May 05)

Post by MarkBour » Sun May 08, 2016 3:02 am

Chris Peterson wrote:
MarkBour wrote:How can you use a ground-based scope with a 1-meter mirror as an exoplanet hunter? I would have guessed that this was impossible. One thing I've read is that they are going to aim primarily at bright stars. I wonder what other things they are doing that are special. Perhaps some "adaptive" techniques to overcome the atmosphere effects?
There are exoplanets that amateurs can observe (photometrically) with 10 and 12 inch scopes. A meter-class scope can potentially survey for a great many, or be used for follow-up measurements after they are detected by Kepler or some other instrument.
That's really nice to know. I'm glad you don't need a billion-dollar space launch to contribute to this field.
Mark Goldfain

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