Venus/Jupiter Close Conjunction

[astrodon]

There will be a very close planetary conjunction this Friday (2/1/08) morning between the two brightest planets in the sky, Venus and Jupiter. I got up yesterday morning about an hour before dawn and saw Venus and Jupiter about 5 degrees apart. As each day progress this week, the two planets will get closer and closer in the morning skies coming to within a little over 1/2 of a degree on Friday morning (they'll be pretty close Thursday morning too). For more info, see the following website at Sky and Telescope magazine:

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/observingblog/14776596.html

This weekend, the Moon will be in that area of the sky too. I should be a pretty impressive site. This is one of the best Venus/Jupiter conjunctions in years.

 

[Halon451]

That's pretty cool. I had a telescope when I was a kid, I've been thinking about getting one again, as I remember having hours of fun with it. My interest in astronomy has suffered over the years as other things have come into play, but I still think it's cool when things like this happen.

 

[10010011]

I will have to remember to look East tomorrow morning.

How many astronomers do we have here?

I really have a problem with buying telescopes, more than AV gear and in my region I get far less use out of it...

So far I own, from biggest to smallest.

16 inch Discovery truss dob
10 inch Coulter dob (classic red tube)
10 inch Meade Newtonian on a huge equatorial
6 inch home built dob
Celestron C-6 (classic orange tube)
An Edmund Scientific Astroscan
Two pairs of 20x80 bino's
A small spotting scope with a permanently attached solar filter
More eye pieces then I care to list

And that does not even count the hand full of 4.5 inch Meade newts, people I know bought at Walmart and never used so they gave them to me. I hate to tell them they are worthless.

And I just saw a Celestron C-8 (classic orange tube) on Craigs List I am thinking of buying... I don't know why... Somebody please help me

 

[Tomorrow]

I will have to remember to look East tomorrow morning.

How many astronomers do we have here?

I really have a problem with buying telescopes, more than AV gear and in my region I get far less use out of it...

So far I own, from biggest to smallest.

16 inch Discovery truss dob
10 inch Coulter dob (classic red tube)
10 inch Meade Newtonian on a huge equatorial
6 inch home built dob
Celestron C-6 (classic orange tube)
An Edmund Scientific Astroscan
Two pairs of 20x80 bino's
A small spotting scope with a permanently attached solar filter
More eye pieces that I care to list

And that does not even count the hand full of 4.5 inch Meade newts, people I know bought at Walmart and never used so they gave them to me. I hate to tell them they are worthless.

And I just saw a Celestron C-8 (classic orange tube) on Craigs List I am thinking of buying... I don't know why... Somebody please help me

I can help you with your problem...a little. Just send a northwest brother that nice Celestron. Sometime this summer, when it stops raining, I'll put it to good use.

 

[Johnd]

Pretty cool astrodon. Especially as they'll just be close in perspective (not crash). How much do you (with fellow students, astronomers) discuss space junk crashing back to Earth (satellites, the Space Lab, etc.)? Not that anything can be done about it (in preparation), but it's still a worthwhile discussion:

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN2628127620080126

 

[Halon451]

I know there's a satellite due to crash back to Earth here in another month or so, and nobody knows where it's going to land. Keep your eyes on the sky, woe be the unlucky SOB that thing falls on.

 

[Johnd]

I know there's a satellite due to crash back to Earth here in another month or so, and nobody knows where it's going to land. Keep your eyes on the sky, woe be the unlucky SOB that thing falls on.

That's the one Halon. 10 tons and currently travelling at 22,000 mph...and full of chemicals. The good news is that it is "only" 10% the size of Challenger, and the Earth is still 3/4 water.

 

[10010011]

Cloudy and raining as usual.

 

[astrodon]

Pretty cool astrodon. Especially as they'll just be close in perspective (not crash). How much do you (with fellow students, astronomers) discuss space junk crashing back to Earth (satellites, the Space Lab, etc.)? Not that anything can be done about it (in preparation), but it's still a worthwhile discussion:

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN2628127620080126

Hi John,

The only times I remember ever discussing satillites falling back to Earth was when Skylab crashed (I complained to students that Skylab was getting more press with its de-orbit than it ever received with the science it did -- we learned a lot about the Sun with the solar telescope onboard Skylab) and when Cassini got an orbital boost by passing close to Earth before heading out to Saturn (the press made a big deal about its radioactive isotope power system, they didn't seem to realize that all deep space probes that came before [and after] Cassini have a similar power system -- sunlight is too faint once you get past the asteroid belt to use for power).

Getting back to the conjunction, I was clouded out on Friday (2/1) morning but were able to seen the both planets relatively close to each other on the sky on the preceeding Thursday and this morning (2/2) (typically my luck). Did anyone see the conjunction Friday morning? Sooner or later Sky and Telescope should be posting pictures on their web site and in one of their future editions.

Cheers,
Don

 

[Tomorrow]

There is so much going on in the array of academic and research fields associated with astronomy...most of it really fascinating to the child-discoverer in all of us. Can anyone recommend a good (not too technical) forum that deals with cosmology, astro and geophysics, astronomy, deep space research, etc? Don?

Here is one recent report on another neighbor, Mercury (now the solar system's smallest planet ). The spacecraft Messenger (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) is one cool little payload. It's recent discovery of the "Spider" in the Caloris Basin is mighty interesting and it's origin is puzzling.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/messenger/main/index.html

 

[10010011]

Can anyone recommend a good (not too technical) forum that deals with cosmology, astro and geophysics, astronomy, deep space research, etc? Don?

The Astromart Forums are pretty good.

Living 20 minutes from Anacortes Telescope & Wild Bird (the astromart sponsors) certainly does not help me with my telescope buying problem.

 

[sparky77]

One of the websites that helped me get started is..

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/

if your more advanced there are a few other sites I can link you up with but read the tutorials there first like with this site, lol.....

 

[astrodon]

Can anyone recommend a good (not too technical) forum that deals with cosmology, astro and geophysics, astronomy, deep space research, etc? Don?

Sparky77 beat me to it, but the web site of Sky and Telescope magazine is a great place for non-technical astronomy info. Let me also suggest that you check your local community for any amateur astronomy clubs that may exist. It's a great way to discuss astro issues in a group environment. Our department at the unversity sponsors a monthly star party at the university's observatory and a separate planetarium show at the planetarium. Check with any local schools in your area to see if they have something similar (many universities and community colleges have such events).

 

[Tomorrow]

Sparky77 beat me to it, but the web site of Sky and Telescope magazine is a great place for non-technical astronomy info. Let me also suggest that you check your local community for any amateur astronomy clubs that may exist. It's a great way to discuss astro issues in a group environment. Our department at the unversity sponsors a monthly star party at the university's observatory and a separate planetarium show at the planetarium. Check with any local schools in your area to see if they have something similar (many universities and community colleges have such events).

Thanks, Don.

Our 'community' isn't large enough to BE a community, lol. It's pretty rural where I live and it's over an hour's drive to the nearest larg-ish town...further to the nearest university. I think I would be the club here. There are star parties (organized by OMSI) in our state, but the decent ones are a ten hour round-trip drive into the Oregon Cascades to attend one.

It has been a long time since my physics days at UC Berkeley and my first self-ground lense (3" mirror in 1960!). I'm way behind the new technology curve, but still have the interest. I may just have to vanish from this forum for a while (you're welcome Johnd) and go exploring the world of other-worlds.

Thanks again.

 

[stratman]

Thanks, Don.

Our 'community' isn't large enough to BE a community, lol. It's pretty rural where I live and it's over an hour's drive to the nearest larg-ish town...further to the nearest university. I think I would be the club here. There are star parties (organized by OMSI) in our state, but the decent ones are a ten hour round-trip drive into the Oregon Cascades to attend one.

It has been a long time since my physics days at UC Berkeley and my first self-ground lense (3" mirror in 1960!). I'm way behind the new technology curve, but still have the interest. I may just have to vanish from this forum for a while (you're welcome Johnd) and go exploring the world of other-worlds.

Thanks again.

What!!!Get up and leave to go star gazing?!!! RJ, you should know better! Once you're in, there's no getting out!

 

[sparky77]

Dark sky sites are very easy to find up here in ND, I go 5 miles out of town and turn off the yard light at my friends farm, and we're 5 miles from the nearest light. Too bad work nights 4 nights a week now, I seem to miss every clear sky during the short summer we have here. Our little astronomy club consists of 3 people besides me that all have to drive over 60 miles to get here.

 

[Tomorrow]

What!!!Get up and leave to go star gazing?!!! RJ, you should know better! Once you're in, there's no getting out!

I'm trapped?!!

 

[Nomo]

I'm trapped?!!

Yup.
And considering there's only 'bout 2 dozen people that live in Oregon; You'll be easy to track down should you try to bolt.

 

[Buckeye_Nut]

I will have to remember to look East tomorrow morning.

How many astronomers do we have here?

I really have a problem with buying telescopes, more than AV gear and in my region I get far less use out of it...

So far I own, from biggest to smallest.

16 inch Discovery truss dob
10 inch Coulter dob (classic red tube)
10 inch Meade Newtonian on a huge equatorial
6 inch home built dob
Celestron C-6 (classic orange tube)
An Edmund Scientific Astroscan
Two pairs of 20x80 bino's
A small spotting scope with a permanently attached solar filter
More eye pieces then I care to list

And that does not even count the hand full of 4.5 inch Meade newts, people I know bought at Walmart and never used so they gave them to me. I hate to tell them they are worthless.

And I just saw a Celestron C-8 (classic orange tube) on Craigs List I am thinking of buying... I don't know why... Somebody please help me

Wow....that's quite the collection!! I try to make a dark sky trip every clear moonless weekend possible. Lately it seems we get clouded out most months, but we keep on trying.

I have a 16" modded Meade dob that's affectionately named tubby.

 

[Halon451]

Trust me, you haven't seen a dark sky until you've been on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with no ambient surface light for thousands of miles around. I'm not exactly an astronomy buff mind you, but when I saw that I nearly lost my breath it was so overwhelming. I had no idea so many stars could be seen from the surface of the earth.