Astronomy

Forum Post: The Doughnut Nebula

DaveMitsky — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:55:00 GMT

M57 might just be renamed the "Doughnut Nebula" as a result of the newly released HST image.

http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2013/13/image/e/

http://www.space.com/21276-ring-nebula-photos-gallery.html

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/208682231.html

Dave Mitsky

Forum Post: Digital subscription on my iPod Touch

OneDarkSky — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:19:00 GMT

I am both a print and digital subscriber. I love the print magazine but wanted a way to catch up on my reading when I was away from home. Hence the digital subscription. Both subscriptions were ordered through the Astronomy.com website. I have downloaded the Astronomy Magazine app onto my iPod Touch. However, I cannot figure out any way to access my digital subscription through this app. It appears that the ONLY way to read AM on my iPod would have been to order the digital subscription through the app.

If that is the case, then I am upset. I now have a useless digital subscription that I cannot read on my device. I have both a print and digital subscription for my Sky & Telescope magazine. I ordered it the same way I ordered my AM subscription: online via the website. The S&T app allows you to log in to your digital subscription and download the issues. Why wouldn't the AM app work the same way?

Forum Post: Need Eyepiece Advice

dave56 — Fri, 24 May 2013 14:55:00 GMT

I am very new to amateur Astronomy. My primary targets are planets, but would like to glimpse some deeper space stuff when I get a little better at the hobby. I have a Orion Space Probe 130ST (Focal Length 650mm, f/5) It came with the standard 25mm & 10 mm eyepieces. I viewed Saturn the other night and am now thinking that a couple of higher quality eyepieces would enhance the enjoyment of the hobby (as well as the view). I have been through the "eyepiece" posts on this forum and don't really see any posts on eyepieces for a scope in my range. After reading some articles I understand that not all eyepieces are suited for this type of scope with a short "f" rating. I am considering getting a Televue 2X Barlow lens with a 25 mm & 15 mm Televue Plossl. My concern is that I wear eyeglasses when I use the telescope and the 15mm Televue has only 10mm of eye relief. I can't really afford to step up the higher priced Televues. I am also considering Vixen NPL in the same sizes. I have also heard that Williams Optics makes a good eyepiece. PLEASE, any advice would be helpful.

Forum Post: RE: The Fourth Annual Memorial Day Weekend Marathon Online Star Party!

Poppa Chris — Fri, 24 May 2013 04:04:00 GMT

OK.... Well sure! Bring the Faygo! (Do they have Diet Faygo?)

Meanwhile... It's time to

PARTY!!!

Forum Post: RE: Our Universe in a Black Hole, Dark Matter, and Dark Energy: A Beginner's Hypothesis

Primordial — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:23:00 GMT

M44 : Good point, I, at one time gave some thought to this idea, and I can't completely dismiss the two of these ideas. It appears to me the formation of a singularity requires interaction from a source other than an internal interaction, sort of like an interaction which would allow mass to reach or exceed C within our universe. If we chose to use equations to look at this we might choose the concept of uncertainty and the concept of virtual pair. This would allow sufficient mass-energy to be present at some specific position in space-time as time approaches zero, to produce a singularity, which should occur in great numbers, if matter trumps anti-matter, unless this occurs within the first period, within less than the Planch Epoch. Thank you. Just my opinion.

Forum Post: Greetings

GWB — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:00:00 GMT

Hello my name is Gary, I have been into astronomy off and on since Haley's Comet made its flyby. I know some about telescopes and the night sky but I have a lot more to learn that is why I am here.

Forum Post: RE: new guy in town

pastorg — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:47:00 GMT

Welcome to the forum Alex and congratulations on your new scope! Be sure and share some of your observation reports with us too.

Happy Stargazing!

pastorg

Forum Post: RE: M57 Central Star

chipdatajeffB — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:36:00 GMT

It was fun finally being at the same star party at the same time, and we even had Jay Ballauer with us. Astronomy Magazine moderators almost had 'em surrounded!

From my 'Droid: Dave (r) and Jay:

and me and Jay (l):

in the Lodge at Prude Ranch, where Jay was speaking at the Texas Imaging Symposium.

Forum Post: RE: Recent Pictures

anmalo — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:34:00 GMT

Hi:

Interesting images.

The images of The Sun are odd (at least, for me). Respect to the Moon, they are good.

Regards

Angel

Forum Post: RE: Kepler or not, we'll find life in space

Antitax — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:43:00 GMT

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/5870502/page/0/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/1

Forum Post: RE: It's not a megalomaniac whim

Antitax — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:26:00 GMT

[quote user="M44"]

Neither budget nor my back allow me to use a really big 'scope but I get lots of enjoyment out of a 5" Maksutov.

[/quote]

That's cool, I also have a 5-inch catadioptric. The best and most powerful telescope is dry air anyway, but coping with larger optics is easier than moving to a region with a dryer climate. The whole optical train includes at least 10 kilometers of dense atmosphere, that's where the biggest room for improvement resides.

Forum Post: RE: The Sombrero Galaxy's dark lane

DaveMitsky — Wed, 22 May 2013 18:23:00 GMT

[quote user="Eight-H-Haggis"]I was just wondering if Dave or others have known of any credible observations with smaller scopes below 4".[/quote]

My friend Dr. Robert Werkman and I gave it a try with his 90mm f/7 Stellarvue 90TBV fluorite triplet refractor one night during the Texas Star Party earlier this month. Unfortunately, the magnification utilized was only somewhere in the 100x range. The results were negative at that magnification. Robert didn't want to spend much time looking for M104's dark lane so that was as far as we got.

Forum Post: RE: Meade Instruments Corp. Acquired by JOC

Poppa Chris — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:36:00 GMT

Metaphorically, it looks a lot like rats abandoning a sinking ship!

No wonder the lawsuits are starting to fly!

Blog Post: Discover the Universe in Ottawa

Sarah Scoles — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:29:00 GMT

[caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Outreach/8473.discovertheuniverse_5F00_ottawa2.JPG" position="right" targeturl="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Outreach/8473.discovertheuniverse_5F00_ottawa2.JPG"] [/caption]In April, Canada's Ottawa Valley Astronomy and Observer’s Group (OAOG) participated in the Astronomical League-sponsored Astronomy Day. On a specified day (April 20 this year), astronomical societies, planetariums, museums, and observatories host events all over the world so that people across all latitudes and longitudes can experience the coolness what’s above our heads. This year, the OAOG also made its event part of Astronomy magazine’s Discover the Universe program to bring sidewalk astronomy to everyone. Jim Thompson, an OAOG member, reports on their trials, tribulations, and ultimate victory:

[caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Outreach/8132.discovertheuniverse_5F00_ottawa1.JPG" position="right" targeturl="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Outreach/8132.discovertheuniverse_5F00_ottawa1.JPG"]The Ottawa Valley Astronomy & Observer's Group held an impromptu sidewalk astronomy event this April and shared telescopic views and information with several hundred people who may or may not have been on the way to the movies. // Randy Armitage[/caption]The Ottawa Valley Astronomy & Observer’s Group (OAOG) planned to hold its annual Astronomy Day event Saturday, April 20. Unfortunately, this year Mother Nature decided it wasn’t going to happen. The weather forecast leading up to the event teetered between “scattered showers” and “partly cloudy,” and we didn’t give the night a “GO” until the last minute Friday evening. We awoke Saturday morning to a mixture of thunder, hail, rain, snow, sleet, cold temperatures, and high winds. No brimstone, luckily. Some of the more optimistic members of our group set up their telescopes, but after the second bout of hail and high winds, the event was officially canceled for the first time in 13 years.

Our group members were all very disappointed. Many had been preparing for months for this day, including my son and me. As a small concession, Mother Nature provided a clear, calm Sunday that we were able to take advantage of. Because all of the official preparations were made for an all-day event specifically on Saturday, the Sunday event was limited to an impromptu sidewalk astronomy session. We had approximately 10 to 12 group members out with their telescopes, providing splendid views of the Sun, the Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn. In fact, the seeing conditions were some of the best we’ve had in the Ottawa area for months — oh, the irony! The International Space Station also made a well-timed appearance. Being it was a Sunday night, we entertained only a couple hundred passersby, but nonetheless a good time was had by all.

Our fingers are crossed for better weather next year. Some group members are even discussing having our Astronomy Day on a different date than that set by the Astronomical League, later in May, to better suit our northern climate. I guess we shall see.

I’m sure the Astronomical League approves of events any day of the year, and multiple hundreds of passersby is a great turnout. Thanks for holding a fantastic event even in the face of meteorological pushback. If your astronomy club is interested having a sidewalk astronomy event that gives someone their first-ever view through a telescope, and you’d like to take part in Discover the Universe, send me an email! I’m Associate Editor Sarah Scoles, and my email address is sscoles@astronomy.com. I’ll be happy to discuss the program more with you and send you an application.

Blog Post: A great new book: Sun Kwok’s "Stardust"

David Eicher — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:23:00 GMT

Longtime readers of Astronomy magazine undoubtedly know of our great friend and colleague Sun Kwok of the University of Hong Kong, one of the world’s leading experts on astrochemistry and stellar evolution.

I’m delighted to say that Sun’s new book is just out, Stardust: The Cosmic Seeds of Life (267 pp., paper. Springer-Verlag, New York, 2013, $39.95, ISBN 978–3–642–32801–5). This is one of the most entertaining books I’ve seen in astronomy in a while and fills a major gap in the popular literature of astronomy. The book’s chapters cover where life came from, cosmic dust and rocks, impact hazards from the solar system, the life cycles of stars, gems from heaven (in which Sun used a few examples of minerals from my collection as illustrations!), the possible celestial origin of oil, bacteria in space, and many other interesting topics.

This is a really fine and absorbing book you should know about. I urge you to seek it out and devour it!

Forum Post: RE: Looking for a good stargazing location in Orange County, CA

zachsdad — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:10:00 GMT

Keep checking back. We have an active member who lives in that area and will be happy to give you his opinion.

Forum Post: RE: May thread

M44 — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:16:00 GMT

You may like to compare yesterday's lunar webcam results with Monday's afocal close-ups: sungazer127mak.blogspot.fr/.../may-2013.html

Forum Post: RE: Tuesday's Solar Halo

DaveMitsky — Wed, 22 May 2013 06:54:00 GMT

My best image of the solar halo has finally been posted at cs.astronomy.com/.../488988.aspx

Dave Mitsky

Blog Post: An interview with the "Toy Hunter" at C2E2

Karri Ferron — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:05:00 GMT

[caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Comic_2D00_Con/5584.C2E2_5F00_Doctor_2D00_Who.jpg" position="right" targeturl="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Comic_2D00_Con/5584.C2E2_5F00_Doctor_2D00_Who.jpg"]Doctor Who cosplayers challenged even Star Wars for the number seen at C2E2. Here, my wife, Holley, poses between the fourth Doctor (left) and the current 11th Doctor. // photo by Michael E. Bakich[/caption]A few weeks ago, I attended the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2). The 2013 version of C2E2 ran April 26–28, and the venue was the North Building of Chicago’s McCormick Place. Like most “comic” conventions these days, C2E2 also covers all aspects of pop culture.

I managed to get press credentials again this year and started searching for potential interviews. When the Travel Channel contacted me about a possible interview with Jordan Hembrough of its Toy Hunter television show, I jumped at the chance. While taping the interview, I asked him a variety of questions, which I hope you’ll find interesting. (He seemed to be having a great time.) I wanted to chat with him about science-based toys. I know some manufacturers still make them. How well do they sell? Are there collectors out there that specialize in them? Considering that, as a whole, toy collectors can be eccentric and imaginative, do those qualities tie in to other hobbies that involve curiosity and imagination like astronomy?

[caption image="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Comic_2D00_Con/7230.C2E2_5F00_Godzilla.jpg" position="right" targeturl="http://cs.astronomy.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-00-51-Comic_2D00_Con/7230.C2E2_5F00_Godzilla.jpg"]Godzilla normally attacks Tokyo, but he has been known to go after other creatures, so, I thought, why not join in the fun? // photo by Holley Y. Bakich[/caption]Because I had only a hand-held video camera, I must apologize for the occasional shakiness of the interview. Also, because several thousand people were within shouting distance, the background noise is much higher than it would have been in a studio. Still, I think Jordan’s personality and his great answers trump these minor issues.

I’ve also included a few images from the convention. I had a great time, I met plenty of science geeks, and everyone who realized I worked for Astronomy magazine thought it must be one of the coolest jobs in the world.

It is.

(Please visit the site to view this video)

File: Moon First View

Tsukiyono — Tue, 21 May 2013 05:21:00 GMT

First time getting a chance to use my Canon Digital Rebel XSI with my Celestron Nexstar 4se. Enjoyed the experience greatly.