Anyone here interested in astronomy?
- Thread starter #juan
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The project was held up for a week or so because of rain but the walls should be sheathed and the fiberglass dome and dome track should be on by the week end. The telescope itself will be completely computerized with motor-focusing. The dome opening will be electronically tied in to follow the telescope.
More pictures when we get them.
More pictures when we get them.
Interested yes. However, never seriously got into it. When I was still living with my parents, I used to really enjoy going outside at night to stargaze. And since we lived on the outskirts of a small town up north, the view was beautiful.
However, since moving into the city, I haven't had a chance to stargaze much. And it would just frustrate me anyhow. I usually end up wondering what we will discover out there, and get anxious for humanity to get out there and start exploring, which I know is not going to happen in my lifetime.
Regards.
David
David B
What encourages me is that decent pictures of objects like the Ring nebula, the Orion Nebula, The outer planets, used to be available only to the large, million dollar observatories. Digital cameras have changed all that. Pictures of those objects can now be taken with relatively modest telescopes and cameras. The observatory my son is putting together will knock the hell out of a ten thousand dollar bill but you don't have to spend that kind of money and you can get pretty good pictures with a homemade 4" refractor and a web cam, like the first pictures on this topic
Don't lose interest. Some of the things you talk about could happen sooner than you think.
Cheers
Last week, I was looking at the moon and noticed a rather bright body really close to it. I figure it was Venus but just looking for some confirmation.
I'm guessing you probably saw Venus, which would be the brightest object other than the moon in the sky.
That was probably Saturday night. The moon was indeed in conjunction with Venus.
Didn't realize how much I missed looking up at night. I'm currently dow under (Perth, Australia) which gives a whole new sky to look at.
One question anyone ever ship a telescope by air? I might bring mine down from Canada if I can figure a good way to package it.
It is a home made job from plans off the net so it doesn't come apart real easy.
One question anyone ever ship a telescope by air? I might bring mine down from Canada if I can figure a good way to package it.
It is a home made job from plans off the net so it doesn't come apart real easy.
Several factors contribute to a planet's brightness. The planet's albedo, or the amount of light it reflects. If the planet is high in the sky, it's reflected light travels through less of our atmosphere than it would if the planet were close to the horizon. If there is a full moon in the sky, it's brightness tends to wash out any of the fainter planets that might be sharing that sky.
Refractors are generally not a problem as long as they are packed secure. Reflectors can be a problem because a medium jolt can ruin the collimation.....on some telescopes it is a real pain to get it back right again.
Here is a first picture of the observatory with the dome in place. The roof is ten feet by ten feet, and the dome is eight feet in diameter. The lower building will be covered with white vinyl siding. My son reckons it will be finished in another week.
I am! Sorry about the not very smart thing. I was stressed at a homework and obviously, you have a very smart head to get out of university. Wooo
Juan should get 1 demerit point for posting a pic that breaks the borders...hee hee....I thought there was something going on with the web site again:wav: