Amateur astronomy?

Kestrel

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Did a bit of stargazing in a nearby park earlier this evening (before the moon rose), nothing special - 8 satellites in one hour but no meteors.
Enjoyed looking at what _I thought_ was Mars, since it was most certainly the brightest feature in the sky.
With my curiosity up, I brought out my 45x 60mm objective Redfield spotting scope & tripod ...

Wait, I didn't know that Mars had three moons?!? A few minutes of research online, and I find out that I'm looking at Jupiter - apparently it's the brightest object in the night sky this March (aside from the Moon of course.)

And it turns out that I was looking at Ganymede, Europa, and Io! (Callisto was behind Jupiter)

Check out this Sky&Telescope link, it gives you the current configuration of Jupiter's four main moons, for your local area & time.
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/wp-content/observing-tools/jupiter_moons/jupiter.html#
Really cool - I was able to match each of the three visible moons with the generated diagram. :thumbsup:

And yes, had 4 flashlights with me (but turned off of course), lol. ;)
 
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KeepingItLight

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Very cool!

I am your basic know-nothing when it comes to astronomy. I use "naked eye" viewing to spot constellations and stars. I have had a lot of fun learning some of the names.

I always used to think that finding planets was hard. You know, because they move around and stuff. I was surprised, therefore, the first time somebody pointed out Jupiter to me. Depending where Venus and Mars happen to be, Jupiter can appear to be the brightest of them all! And all of them are brighter than any star.

In case some of you have never seen Jupiter, here is how you can find it. Go out anytime between, say, 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. (or later) in the next several months (or longer), and look for the brightest star in the sky! You will have found Jupiter. It's that simple. After Venus sets, there is no competition.
 

camelight

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you saw only 3 moons? not 4?
and mars you cant see very good if you don't have giant telescop you just see very very small red circel
well enjoy! astronomy is very intresting lerning abut it can be fun
 

Kestrel

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you saw only 3 moons? not 4?
Good question, check out that Sky&Telescope Java applet:
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/wp-content/observing-tools/jupiter_moons/jupiter.html#

I ID'd each visible moon with the "Reset to current date & time" function and by looking at the generated plot - matching exactly what I saw. :huh:
(You can enter: 3/26/16, 5:40 AM, Time Zone offset -7; and can see that Callisto was very close to hidden behind Jupiter.)
A pretty cool app. :)
 
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Kestrel

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Earlier this week I actually went to my first meeting of the local astronomy club here. Another new person had shown up because of his recent Jupiter viewing as well.
Looking forward to an upcoming star party; wanting to check others' telescopes & will start to learn what to look for in the used market.
 

harro

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Even with that terresterial spotting scope, i'd nearly say that you would see a disc around Saturn, if not a ring. I have had a gaze skyward for many years, but only in a VERY amateur way. I use an old 5" x 36" newtonian reflector when i feel like setting it up, but more often, a pair of 10 x 50 binoculars suffice, while laying on my back, in the yard. Its amazing what you can see with just binoculars.
 

magellan

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Nice to see an amateur astronomy thread, something I did for quite a while when I was younger. Back in the 1970s I had a semi-custom Cave-Astrola 12.5 inch Newtonian reflector that Tom Cave built for his friend Bob Birch, a prominent California amateur astronomer, who then sold it to me when Bob decided to go back to school and get his Ph.D. in astronomy at the University of Arizona.
 
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Kestrel

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Just a status report re: the ongoing Perseid meteor shower.

http://www.space.com/33725-perseid-meteor-shower-2016-thrills-skywatchers-photos.html

I got up early @ 3:45 this morning for them and watched until 5 AM.
Not sure how many total I saw, am certain it was well over a hundred.
Twice, I saw 6 meteors in a 60-second period.
icon_smile.gif


For those who are still interested, early Saturday morning is forecast to be nearly as good.
The moon is setting around 1:AM Pacific Time, so early mornings should be better than late evenings for that reason as well.

Best of luck,
 

NICSAK

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Love this topic as astronomy is one of my passions as well. Just an amateur. My biggest scope is an Orion xt10 dobsonian. I would like to eventually get a nice 12" Schmidt but $$$. I have had many scopes including gps electronic over the years and I still go back to my dob. Is so simple to use and the views are amazing! My neighbors were over looking at Saturn and Jupiter a few weeks ago and they couldn't believe it.
 

sidecross

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Are there devices using CCD (charged coupling device) for viewing in amateur astronomy?
 

Greta

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Curiously, last night we saw a falling meteor burn a greenish hue. Is that possible or was my internal 'white balance' out-of-whack?

Thanks for the link!

The Perseids are known for being colorful - rainbow colored.

Here are a few I've caught the past two nights -

Perseid1.jpg


Perseid2.jpg


Perseid3.jpg
 

Greta

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Very impressive!! Pretty bummed it's cloudy here in Wisconsin right now [emoji53]. I miss the night sky in AZ. Lived in Tempe but we used to drive out into desert just to look at the sky. Such a beautiful place.

I'm in Lake Havasu so we have no light pollution at all! I just go out back to my pool... :) It works out nice when I need more coffee or need to use the facilities... ;)
 

bykfixer

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Curiously, last night we saw a falling meteor burn a greenish hue. Is that possible or was my internal 'white balance' out-of-whack?

Thanks for the link!

That was the batch of LED Lenser lights the NASA crew purged from the space station last fall now entering earths orbit.

Pure coincidence.... Your white balance is fine.

I caught the tail end of the show.
About 45 minutes before the sun began to rise on the east coast it was a pretty good show. Prior to 4am the sky was just too hazy where I was.
 
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FRITZHID

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Awesome shots Greta! I can't wait to be back in northern WI, away from the orange barf glow and humidity of FL so I can resume my stellar photography. Hoping that I can shoot some lenodids this year! ;) hoping to see more shots from others as well! Meteorological shots are a simple, fun and rewarding starter for amateurs. I've missed night photography for 4 years now and can't wait to be in the dry, cool photo friendly nights of home again! 2 months and counting!
 
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