Astronomers on forum?

[Pete]

...is this astronomer Pete...?

The same.
Example of what I've been up to lately (known to his friends as NGC 2903, photographed 19 April.)

 

[andyoxon]

The same.
Example of what I've been up to lately (known to his friends as NGC 2903, photographed 19 April.)

ah, now that's a barred spiral galaxy, about 20.5 million light-years away, in the constellation Leo, if I'm not mistaken....

Nice image, Pete.

 

[Pete]

ah, now that's a barred spiral galaxy, about 20.5 million light-years away, in the constellation Leo, if I'm not mistaken....

Nice image, Pete.

You're most kind. OK, OK, I know I like showing off these, here's another I took on 17th June and am rather fond of, not a galaxy but a (rather faint and sparse) globular cluster NGC 6366, right on our doorstep at a mere 12,000 light years (the bright star is a lot closer of course). It's in Ophiuchus - the thirteenth sign of the zodiac - to save you looking it up!

 

[andyoxon]

You're most kind. OK, OK, I know I like showing off these, here's another I took on 17th June and am rather fond of, not a galaxy but a (rather faint and sparse) globular cluster NGC 6366, right on our doorstep at a mere 12,000 light years (the bright star is a lot closer of course). It's in Ophiuchus - the thirteenth sign of the zodiac - to save you looking it up!

Quick test for you...can you name, without googling, an elliptical galaxy in Aries..? I looked it up...

Andy

 

[Arch]

You're most kind. OK, OK, I know I like showing off these, here's another I took on 17th June and am rather fond of, not a galaxy but a (rather faint and sparse) globular cluster NGC 6366, right on our doorstep at a mere 12,000 light years (the bright star is a lot closer of course). It's in Ophiuchus - the thirteenth sign of the zodiac - to save you looking it up!

Wow! My birthday! Stunning pics. My brother-out-law is getting into astronomy, has a scope on order, but when I was down there he took us out to look at Jupiter through his binoculars, and I was amazed, we could see some moons! Will be interested to visit again when the telescope has arrived. You see this stuff in photos, but somehow, seeing it for real is just.. well, wow.

 

[Pete]

Quick test for you...can you name, without googling, an elliptical galaxy in Aries..? I looked it up...

Andy

You've got me there! Without Googling - maybe - without the internet - not a prayer! I don't know the entire Messier list by heart - nor the Caldwell - and as for the NGC's and IC's (over 13,000 of 'em :?: )....

What I have dug up with a combination of CdC and SEDS, is that Aries contains no Messiers and no Caldwells. Possibly you hit on NGC 821 perhaps? Or NGC 1156? Or NGC 680? Hardly 'exciting' stuff!

Wow! My birthday! Stunning pics. My brother-out-law is getting into astronomy, has a scope on order, but when I was down there he took us out to look at Jupiter through his binoculars, and I was amazed, we could see some moons! Will be interested to visit again when the telescope has arrived. You see this stuff in photos, but somehow, seeing it for real is just.. well, wow.

I always love reading about new 'initiates', it would be great if you got the 'bug' too! Good luck! Get your b-i-l, when he's got his telescope, to concentrate on the moon and planets for you, especially Saturn if his scope is up to it (alas no longer in view for this year, need to wait till next winter and spring). As for stuff further away: well looking at some of the important star clusters like the Pleiades and M13, yes that's good visually. But - a damper, sorry - don't expect to see the spiral galaxies in all their glory! Even the brightest ones are very difficult to make out visually, even in a large-ish telescope, and can be a disappointment when you do see them. Looking through a telescope eyepiece is not as easy as it sounds and you need to learn the tricks of the trade like 'averted vision'... It needs photography - and a lot of shameless 'doctoring' of the images - to bring up the spirals!

Sorry about this thread going way off topic - we were supposed to be commenting on forum features. Hope people don't mind...!

 

[andyoxon]

You've got me there! Without Googling - maybe - without the internet - not a prayer! I don't know the entire Messier list by heart - nor the Caldwell - and as for the NGC's and IC's (over 13,000 of 'em :?: )....

What I have dug up with a combination of CdC and SEDS, is that Aries contains no Messiers and no Caldwells. Possibly you hit on NGC 821 perhaps? Or NGC 1156? Or NGC 680? Hardly 'exciting' stuff!...

NGC 661... no less. But sorry it is actually in Triangulum...

This seems like a very good (open source) planetarium package: http://www.stellarium.org/ All the stars seem to track in real time too... 35Mb download though...

Andy

 

[Pete]

... NGC 661 ...

I looked that one up! - but thought - nah, he can't mean that, wrong constellation matey!

I did have a play with Stellarium, but now, in preference, I use Cartes du Ciel - also free - with a wealth of plug-in catalogues. Each to his own choice, I reckon.

 

[andyoxon]

I looked that one up! - but thought - nah, he can't mean that, wrong constellation matey! :?:

I did have a play with Stellarium, but now, in preference, I use Cartes du Ciel - also free - with a wealth of plug-in catalogues. Each to his own choice, I reckon.

Well I blame Dave's site... for the misinformation
http://www.kepler.demon.co.uk/galaxies.html

Andy

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

Arch is welcome to have look through my telescope any time.

 

[Arch]

Arch is welcome to have look through my telescope any time.

Yeah, yeah, while you just reach around me to adjust the focus...

 

[marinyork]

I had a 6 inch reflector as a teenager. Unfortunately thesedays what with superpowerful security lights, light pollution is far too strong. Transporting it on a bicycle into derbyshire would have been interesting though...

 

[Pete]

Arch, ARCH!! Don't fret yourself, m'girl! Ain't no telescope on Earth that, set up in Llangollen, would enable the user to peer through a lady's bedroom window in York... ... Laws of optics, resolving power specifically, will put paid to that - besides, the Earth is round!

On the other hand, I do have a good ten-inch...

...

...

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Newtonian telescope at my disposal...

I had a 6 inch reflector as a teenager. Unfortunately thesedays what with superpowerful security lights, light pollution is far too strong.

...which is why I (lucky me - I know it!) keep it at the house we bought in a secluded village in France - awaiting my retirement...

 

[TimO]

It's suprising how difficult it is to see the stars these days, light pollution is so bad.

I've only ever really had one good view of the Milky Way, most people don't even realise that it's something you can see, it was when I was camping at Glenbrittle, and had to get up in the middle of the night to go to the loo, so my eyes were nicely dark adapted.

London is terrible for light pollution, it can be damned difficult to see really obvious things like the Great Bear, or Polaris.

 

[andyoxon]

Getting back to light pollution - a major pain. Using Stellarium I picked out Jupiter earlier - brightest thing in the South. The only objects visible above Jupiter were Sabik, 1 Oph, Yed Prior (looked them up...) - using the software's light pollution luminance correction - you can set the PC sky to more or less what you can see with naked eye. So my estimate is that just S of Oxford the light pollution is about 3.... oops getting carried away...

I must admit I miss the southern hemisphere sky on a dark night with no habitation for miles and miles around, stunning milky way - sounds of the bush, cool breeze...