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ol qwerty bastard posted:Impressive bit of amateur astronomy here; someone on Reddit managed to detect an exoplanet transit: https://www.reddit.com/r/space/comments/amv6k4/i_detected_the_transit_of_exoplanet_xo2b_from_my/ Yeah, it's been possible for a few years even with low/mid grade equipment. People are doing it with DSLRs and low end refractors (and even normal camera lenses - see https://projectpanoptes.org/). It's another use case for photometry (just looking at lightcurves), which people have been doing for variable stars for decades. Check out https://www.astrodennis.com - Dennis Conti has written an entire guide for amateurs. There are even amateurs doing follow up verifications for TESS detections (and previous Kepler/K2 detections) - I'm working on getting better at transit detections so I can join the group.
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Feb 9, 2019 21:08
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slidebite posted:I've got a Celestron 8SE but thinking I might want to try my hand a bit at astrophotography. I understand the Nexstar mount, while it tracks, isn't appropriate for photography. C/D? How do you find that scope / mount, apart from AP? I was thinking of upgrading from an Orion XT6 to that one. e: Still interested in your thoughts should you happen to run across this, but likely I'll just try some different finders (at least for now) rather than buying the 8SE. Red Dad Redemption fucked around with this message at 23:04 on Feb 19, 2019 |
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Feb 18, 2019 03:33
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For my flat Earth friend, I've stopped talking about it with him. He asked for help to figure out how to get to the magnetic North pole. I provided a host of info, largely from my experience as a pilot and in the aviation industry for ~15 years to explain variation and a few other things to show where they (magnetic and geomagnetic). It became clear he has a very small understanding about how most of this stuff works, especially magnetism and Earth's magnetosphere. I asked him basic questions to try to get a clearer picture of how he was understanding things. Early on, a thing he focused on for the Moon landing conspiracy was the Van Allen Belts. Although I explained it to him he moved on to ask other questions without a response. I want to ask him about it again because if the magnetosphere doesn't exist then what are the Van Allen belts and if they don't exist then why do they get brought up with the Apollo stuff... He replied, and streamed a bit about me on his YT stream, focusing on my use of the phrase "believe the Earth is flat" and how he doesn't believe it, he knows and I'm the one who "believes" in a globe, and I need to get out of all systems of control. He said "magnetic variation is false" without addressing anything I explained about it and then went on to say how all the Moon landings didn't happen and the North Pole isn't what we're told primarily because there are no photos of it (that he accepts as real). It was clear, which was already obvious, that there's no room for discussion. It's heartbreaking to me because he's been a sincere, good friend since the early 90s. He's a good guy at heart and thinks he's doing a wonderful thing exposing a fraud and fighting Them (whoever They are who seem to be controlling everything). It's so odd seeing someone reach this point having shared so much growing up together and wondering how did we end up with such different understandings of reality. I was going to gift him KSP and encourage him to learn the basics of getting to orbit, rendezvous, transfer orbits and especially landing on Mun or something but it's not worth it. I've been delving into a lot of flat Earth debunkers and found a few who seem to have scientific backgrounds. I've written up further info specifically pertaining to magnetism and avoiding tangents, but I'm not going to send it since he's only ready to point fingers and ask skeptical questions rather than trust anything else he's told. The channels that have been good are Bob the Science Guy and VoysovReason. I'm anxious to get my telescope up and running. I have a young niece who is thrilled by NASA and space. I gave her a few books I have and she carries them all around. I hope to get a chance to teach her how telescopes work and especially help her see Jupiter or Saturn with her own eyes when her family visits later this year. At least some good can come from that sort of discussion.
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Feb 18, 2019 12:06
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AzureSkys posted:He replied, and streamed a bit about me on his YT stream, focusing on my use of the phrase "believe the Earth is flat" and how he doesn't believe it, he knows and I'm the one who "believes" in a globe, and I need to get out of all systems of control. He said "magnetic variation is false" without addressing anything I explained about it and then went on to say how all the Moon landings didn't happen and the North Pole isn't what we're told primarily because there are no photos of it (that he accepts as real). It was clear, which was already obvious, that there's no room for discussion. I hate to break it to you in such blunt terms, but your friend has a mental illness. Especially the bolded part leads me to believe that he's gone far too deep down the Youtube algorithmhole that leads unsuspecting people deep into conspiracy theory territory. He needs help. Unfortunately in the year 2019 that's unlikely to happen. What's happened to your friend is a sign of the times and how Youtube (and social media) are doing their damndest to reverse the last 500 years of popular scientific education and intellectual curiosity.
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Feb 18, 2019 12:29
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The Van Allen Belts concern is one of the stranger talking points. We only know that the Van Allen Belts exist because of space probes. Why is NASA telling the truth about the Van Allen Belts and lying about Apollo? 
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Feb 18, 2019 12:41
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Okay, the timeliness of this article hitting the BBC today is just uncanny: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-47279253 Show your buddy that. If he leaps down a "fake news" hole then just move on with your life without him.
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Feb 18, 2019 14:01
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Drone posted:I hate to break it to you in such blunt terms, but your friend has a mental illness. Especially the bolded part leads me to believe that he's gone far too deep down the Youtube algorithmhole that leads unsuspecting people deep into conspiracy theory territory. He needs help. There's such a cult-like mentality to this, too, where people find identity and importance to a group that claims it's superior to the rest of the world with super special understanding of things. Just like traditional cults, it's quite hard to get someone to see they're in it. Platystemon posted:The Van Allen Belts concern is one of the stranger talking points. I miss my friend but will just leave this be.
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Feb 18, 2019 14:06
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Van Allen belts, that reminds me of a Captain I flew with recently who was a moon hoax believer, which some pretty next level poo poo.
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Feb 18, 2019 17:19
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So considering a new or used Stellarvue Access 102. Anyone have any experience with it? Looking at general viewing, both terrestrial and space, as well as screwing my Nikon onto it for both. I have a large dob but the thing is a pain to move out, set up, etc when the desire hits me. Plus the 102 would be better for taking (trailer) camping.
Hasselblad fucked around with this message at 17:07 on Feb 23, 2019 |
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Feb 23, 2019 16:48
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Hasselblad posted:So considering a new or used Stellarvue Access 102. Anyone have any experience with it? Looking at general viewing, both terrestrial and space, as well as screwing my Nikon onto it for both. I have a large dob but the thing is a pain to move out, set up, etc when the desire hits me. Plus the 102 would be better for taking (trailer) camping. Never observed with the Access series, but they're sourced from Kunming United Optics, which also manufactures for Teleskop-service in Germany and Astro-tech here in the states, and they have an extremely solid track record of quality poo poo. Also I've never looked through a Stellarvue scope that wasn't amazing and the general consensus on Cloudy Nights forums is that while the Access 125 can be a bit uneven, the 102s and 80s are really solid safe bets.
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Feb 24, 2019 18:54
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After a bit of research based on my budget I decided to grab a Sky-Watcher EQM-35 . Should be plenty hefty enough to handle the 102 Stellarvue once I get it, and in the mean time will use it with my D700. Hoping I can just screw my ball head on it and go. Now time to put some of my seldom used collectible toys up for sale to cover the cost of the actual refractor. Hasselblad fucked around with this message at 18:29 on Feb 25, 2019 |
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Feb 25, 2019 16:00
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BackyardEOS/Nikon or APT? As far as I can tell the latter incorporates mount control? Edit: Sky-Watcher EQM-35 in and assembled. Sadly, while they include a cigarette lighter adapter, they fail to include a standard plug. 
Hasselblad fucked around with this message at 16:38 on Mar 5, 2019 |
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Feb 28, 2019 16:09
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Hey, I'd like to look at rocks in space and I'm willing to spend $300 CAD to $800 CAD to do so. What is my best best bet for a good telescope?
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Mar 7, 2019 01:57
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Finally wrangled APT into working with my mount. Now I wait on a dovetail arriving tomorrow for my DSLR'd lens ring and I'll be ready to goooo. Dark of the moon, and solid clouds for the forseeable forcast.  Part of me wants to put star stickers on my walls and pretend I am outside. Professor Shark posted:Hey, I'd like to look at rocks in space and I'm willing to spend $300 CAD to $800 CAD to do so. What is my best best bet for a good telescope? What are your skies at night typically like? Lots of light pollution or pretty dark?
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Mar 7, 2019 02:00
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Professor Shark posted:Hey, I'd like to look at rocks in space and I'm willing to spend $300 CAD to $800 CAD to do so. What is my best best bet for a good telescope? I think this was linked here before, but if not: https://www.reddit.com/r/telescopes/comments/847n0i/for_anyone_posting_what_telescope_should_i_get/ There's a pretty comprehensive post up on reddit about all the various options and price ranges
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Mar 7, 2019 02:07
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Hasselblad posted:Finally wrangled APT into working with my mount. Now I wait on a dovetail arriving tomorrow for my DSLR'd lens ring and I'll be ready to goooo. Dark of the moon, and solid clouds for the forseeable forcast. Amazingly dark. Over the years I've thought about picking a telescope up so that I could see things better, now I'm in a financial position to drop some cash on a telescope. Azhais posted:I think this was linked here before, but if not: That is a good looking list, thanks!
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Mar 7, 2019 02:51
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Professor Shark posted:Hey, I'd like to look at rocks in space and I'm willing to spend $300 CAD to $800 CAD to do so. What is my best best bet for a good telescope? Kijiji is your best bet
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Mar 7, 2019 03:06
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Professor Shark posted:Amazingly dark. Over the years I've thought about picking a telescope up so that I could see things better, now I'm in a financial position to drop some cash on a telescope. Something I've learned in my short experience: If you enjoy the hobby you may upgrade to a better scope down the road. That said, the eyepieces you purchase will likely carry over to the new scope. So it is not a bad idea to research those as much if not more than your first scope itself.
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Mar 7, 2019 15:55
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Nice eyepieces are the difference between a ‘meh’ view and an incredible one. I’ve got a couple Explore Scientific 82degree ones (11mm and 30mm) and the usual, in-package eyepieces are basically gathering dust now. They’re an investment, but when you can use them with any scope they’re well worth it.
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Mar 7, 2019 21:47
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Luneshot posted:Nice eyepieces are the difference between a ‘meh’ view and an incredible one. I’ve got a couple Explore Scientific 82degree ones (11mm and 30mm) and the usual, in-package eyepieces are basically gathering dust now. I have the 30mm and cannot wait to get my refractor and some clear nights. Bought it for the 12" dob but rarely made it out with it. I grew to hate lugging that dob out and not having slewing. In any event that piece is one heavy piece of glass and metal. How's the 11mm do?
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Mar 8, 2019 00:49
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I love the 11mm; its a great mid to high power eyepiece. I find it high enough magnification for decent planetary work, but not so high that I have to adjust the scope constantly. Great for planetary nebulae too.
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Mar 8, 2019 04:00
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11 mm 82° ES is my most used eyepiece as well.
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Mar 8, 2019 04:20
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Nude Hoxha Cameo posted:How do you find that scope / mount, apart from AP? I was thinking of upgrading from an Orion XT6 to that one. Sorry, just saw your question. I rarely remember to check this thread. I quite like it. I found it when visiting my folks a couple years ago, a local person who was going through a divorce was looking to sell it and I got a nice package for a good price. The Nexstar/mount is a little funky to get used to but seems to work OK. Quality of the tube/optics seems great though. That said, a local person has a basically brand new Celestron CPC-1100 for sale and I'm thinking of going up to an 11" from my 8". I am thinking of offering them about half what it's worth. It's been for sale for some time and still listed, so I'm thinking they're not having much luck. I suspect the standard mount, while very sturdy from what I can tell, is not ideal for astrophotography so that might be an issue. Thoughts on the scope?
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Mar 10, 2019 19:30
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Clear nights since I got my new mount? 0
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Mar 11, 2019 16:34
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Hasselblad posted:Clear nights since I got my new mount? 0 I feel your pain. I have a CGX getting delivered on Thursday so I’m sure the month of cloudy nights I’ve had is gonna keep on going for awhile.
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Mar 11, 2019 20:27
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No opinions on a Celestron CPC-1100? Is a wedge good enough for doing some basic imaging with a fork mount or is a true equitorial really the way to go? Also, as a new question... What are thoughts on building a small "observatory" in a yard? My 8" (or maybe 11" if I go that way) isn't huge, but it would be kind of nice to leave it outside and save the constant pack ups/set ups. Any thoughts? Plans to follow? I was almost thinking of a shed but a retractable roof kind of makes a ready-to-go standard Lowes/HD type thing not going to happen.
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Mar 17, 2019 17:01
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slidebite posted:No opinions on a Celestron CPC-1100? I just finished having a roll-off shed built in my backyard. It was a bit of a journey as, you're right, you can't just buy a Home Depot shed and modify it. Mine is a combo workshop/storage shed/observatory so a little larger than most (10x14) but I started with SkyShed's plans and went from there. Depending on what you wanted to do you could build a little 8x8 shed just for your scope setup, with a concrete pier. You could also look into stuff like the SkyShed pods (although I wonder if an 11" would fit inside one).
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Mar 17, 2019 17:31
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I am forgoing the shed even though god knows I have the room for it. Even though we are technically in a valley, we have quite a low horizon. We have a raised earthen area that I am considering putting a concrete slab on with markings for the tripod feet positioning. A pier would be an option if we didn’t tend to have a ton of heaving to the ground each year and can only anchor so far down with about 75% river rock under the turf.
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Mar 17, 2019 23:38
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Thanks for the thoughts. I'm not sure if it's practical for my yard... bigger issues I didn't think of, like underground irrigation that would have to be moved, so it might be a bit of a pipe dream.
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Mar 18, 2019 03:56
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slidebite posted:irrigation ... a bit of a pipe dream. Heh
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Mar 18, 2019 12:44
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slidebite posted:Thanks for the thoughts. I'm not sure if it's practical for my yard... bigger issues I didn't think of, like underground irrigation that would have to be moved, so it might be a bit of a pipe dream. Are you envisioning pouring a concrete slab for the floor or just footings?
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Mar 18, 2019 15:26
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Hasselblad posted:Are you envisioning pouring a concrete slab for the floor or just footings? I'd probably just do a 4" thick slab or something, but regardless where the "observatory" would go in the corner of my yard is at the intersection of 2 irrigation zones and associated sprinkler heads, which would necessitate digging/trenching lines which, to be honest, is more work than I want to do for something that probably won't get used as much as I'd like anyhow. The idea appeals to me, but it's seriously, 5-10 minutes of work to lug the scope out and set it up, possibly a bit more if thermals are an issue. Heh, didn't even catch that.
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Mar 18, 2019 16:39
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Hasselblad posted:Are you envisioning pouring a concrete slab for the floor or just footings? I have seen both, and I imagine it depends on your ground conditions. I went with a full slab based on my architect's recommendations.
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Mar 19, 2019 02:13
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   Saw someone post this on Cloudy Nights. A red light to illuminate the polar finder scope. I used a different flashlight (uses 1 AA battery rather than moon batteries), and rather than a 3/4x3/4x1/2" T, I used a 1"x1"x3/4" T and a small section of 1" pvc in the "male" end with fuzzy side of velcro for snugness (temporaritly just banded on.) The light I opted for is a perfect fit for the 3/4" part of the T, with a small pad to snug it there and has the benefit of butt end switch and no crazy tacticool strobe feature. Scope Hacks are fun, and inexpensive. It's actually pretty groovy. Since the view through the polar finder scope isn't filtered, the white stars shine through the scope as white, while the rest of the field is red so you can easily see the alignment etchings. The flashlight itself is solid, perfectly bright, and all for $8 shipped. Hasselblad fucked around with this message at 02:57 on Mar 19, 2019 |
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Mar 19, 2019 02:20
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Here's an image of the Horsehead and Flame Nebula I finished editing last week. Its 7 hours LRGB
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Mar 22, 2019 02:11
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Wow, that's incredible. This thread has definitely gotten me more and more interested in astronomy and astrophotography. Been trying to do some research but it's not quite the right time for me yet. Stupid question, on your Meade 6000 Series 70mm, can you also put a... not sure of the exact term, eye piece on it and see through it? Or is it only for attaching cameras to?
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Mar 22, 2019 02:23
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Zinjnok posted:Here's an image of the Horsehead and Flame Nebula I finished editing last week. Its 7 hours LRGB Wow. What is your setup?
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Mar 22, 2019 03:14
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Hasselblad posted:Wow. Zinjnok posted:I had thick clouds for most of totality, but they eventually thinned enough that i was able to get a few shots. This is the best of the 9 that weren't half covered. Not really happy with the amount of sharpening I had to apply to not make it look like a fuzzy mess.
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Mar 22, 2019 03:54
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Internet Explorer posted:Wow, that's incredible. This thread has definitely gotten me more and more interested in astronomy and astrophotography. Been trying to do some research but it's not quite the right time for me yet. Stupid question, on your Meade 6000 Series 70mm, can you also put a... not sure of the exact term, eye piece on it and see through it? Or is it only for attaching cameras to? Hasselblad posted:Wow.
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Mar 22, 2019 04:21
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Zinjnok posted:Its for photography only. It has a short backfocus, so you wouldn't be able to fit a diagonal and eyepiece and still bring it into focus. Really dumb AP question: Those 2 shots of the moon, is the closeup just a crop or a different scope? My proper flat top dovetail came in and can now enjoy some AP while I wait for my 102mm scope. Unfortunately clouds are back.  
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Mar 22, 2019 22:57
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