*** The Official Astronomy & Universe Thread ***

Thought i would give this a little post.

Apparently a comet is headed for Mars, possibly as an impact, possibly as a boring flyby, either way if it does hit it will be a an estimated billion tonne (TNT) explosion.

The most interesting part of this is the prospect of possibly learning more about comets role in the origins of life.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2013/02/comet-headed-mars not the best site to use, but it is where i came upon it.

We seem to be having more of these recently...is it just because of the NEO search catching more or are we heading into a part of the galaxy that happens to have a bunch of dangerous rocks?
 
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Chaps, I need some help choosing a telescope. Having spent as long as I can remember requesting crockery with flowers on it or classical music CD's for her birthday, my Mother has requested we club together and get her a telescope this time around. A bit out of the blue but I think it's a fantastic idea, mainly as I'll get to use it too :D

She's always been fascinated by astronomy but never once used a telescope, and I'm in much the same boat. So with that in mind, what would you recommend for a total novice for a few hundred quid? Nothing too technical (don't even know if you can get too technical for ~£300) but I'm sure there's something in that budget to get her started?
 
I'll be honest, the budget was plucked out of thin air as I really have no frame of reference. There seems to be a lot of models on that website for around half that, or at least closer to £200. Are there reasonable enough beginner scopes for around that price?
 
http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube.html

and

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-150p-dobsonian.html

Are both perfectly good beginner scopes. Obviously better capabilities come with increased price, but any of those should be good enough as a beginner scope. I'd tend to stick with dobsonians, easy to set up, easy to use, cheap and stable. Bear in mind that there are some accessories you might want to get, or recommend that she gets; like a collimator or other eyepieces.
 
I've had a look around online at some of the terms used in relation to telescopes, but most of it goes over my head. I've heard of reflectors & refractors before, but never a dobsonian.

And regarding accessories, is there anything vital for someone with no knowledge starting out? I've no idea what a collimator is for a start!

She's 63 so I think is just looking for something simple enough that she can set up in the garden without too much fiddling and look at the sky with. Obviously it'll be myself and my Dad who figure it all out and show her, but neither of us have any experience either!
 
I'm far from an expert but my 2 pence:

I would recommend the 200p (what I now have) as it is the best value, very easy to use and collects a lot of light. However now you mention about the age aspect (no offence) but a 200p is quite heavy and potentially awkward to move around in one piece because of it's design.
Collimation should be needed less on smaller models, but like Perma said you really can't beat a dob for simplicity and ease of use. The only less beginner friendly thing is the collimation (basically the aligning of mirrors to get a sharp, good image) - on the other hand refractors require virtually no collimation.
Personally from the above two I would go for the 150mm dob because of the capabilities and the slower f ratio (cheaper eyepieces will work better with it).

Accessories wise a collimator for the dobs would be needed; and some more EP's. Personally I would get at least a replacement for the stock 10mm (probably a higher mag though, for planets etc) and also one for between this and the 25mm eyepiece.
 
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The only concern I would have with that one would be the EQ Mount, which are tricky to say the least for a newb to get their head around! (Speaking from my experience here too :p)

However yes I agree as refractors do have the upsides of less maintenance because they use lenses and the fact they give sharper views on planets etc. :)
 
Tibbz2 said:
The only concern I would have with that one would be the EQ Mount, which are tricky to say the least for a newb to get their head around! (Speaking from my experience here too :p)

However yes I agree as refractors do have the upsides of less maintenance because they use lenses and the fact they give sharper views on planets etc. :)
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Schoolboy error. I suggested getting an altaz, and then linked to an eq! :rolleyes:
 
The surface of the planet Mercury has been completely mapped for the first time in history by NASA's Messenger spacecraft.

http://www.space.com/20086-mercury-map-nasa-messenger.html?

mercury-glob-map-meessenger.jpg
 
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Comet PanSTARRS will be visible with binoculars or a telescope from today and should be visible with the naked eye in the coming days.

cometpanstarrs.jpg


This month we have a chance to spot what may be the brightest comet seen for some time. Comet PanSTARRS was discovered some two years ago when it lay between the orbits of Saturn and Jupiter - having a brightness of just 19th magnitude. It is named after the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System. It reaches perihelion, when closest to the Sun, on March 10th at a distance from the Sun of just 0.3 AU and so inside the orbit of Mercury. At our latitudes it is likely to be at its best between March 8th to 20th with the 12th to 17th optimum. Its magnitude is predicted to be -0.2 on March 10th, dimming to +1.3 on the 20th and down to +3.6 by month's end. The azimuth at which it will be seen moves northwards during the month starting at azimuth 260 on the 9th, 270 on the 13th, 280 on the 18th and at 310 degrees azimuth on the 28th. It will be very low above the horizon so you will need to get to a high observing location with an unobstructed view to the west and north-west. It should lie just above a thin crescent Moon on the 12th making, if clear, a wonderful imaging opportunity! Another great imaging opportunity will occur next month on April 4th when, at similar magnitude, it passes close to M31,the Andromeda galaxy
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Links:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21701641

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/asteroids/news/comet20130307.html

http://www.astronomy.com/en/Events/Year Of The Comet/Panstarrs.aspx

:)
 
Comet PANSTARRS update:

cometpanstarrs2.jpg

The comet appears to be outperforming the expectations we had just a few weeks ago and seems poised to put on a fine show in our evening twilight. Observers in the southern hemisphere saw it slip into the twilight last week as a naked-eye object near the 2nd magnitude with an obvious dusty tail. It reached perihelion on 10 March, 45 million km from the Sun and 166 million km from the Earth.

Britain's earliest sight of Comet PANSTARRS may come on 12 March when it is 6° high and 6° to the left of the very slender Moon in the W forty minutes after sunset. Binoculars and a pristine western horizon are needed to see either of them in the bright twilight but the prospects are improving as the comet climbs and is visible longer each night in a darkening sky. It lies 7° below and right of the more obvious earthlit Moon on the 13th.

The sky covered by our chart leans over slightly from the W to the NW one hour after sunset on the 12th and shows the comet's path and changing tail orientation over the coming weeks. Of course, the stars here are sinking lower and to the right from night to night, and the dashed line represents the horizon centred on the NW one hour after sunset on 12 April.

Expect the comet to shine near the 2nd magnitude as it become visible, with its dusty tail slanting towards the 10-o'clock position and curving slightly backwards to its motion. A fainter straight tail of ionised gas may be seen above it, pointing more directly away from the Sun's position. The apparent lengths of the tails will depend strongly on the brightness of our sky but may reach (guesswork alert!) 10° or more. PANSTARRS may dim to the 5th magnitude by mid-April when it stands below Cassiopeia in the NNW at nightfall, and to the right of Cassiopeia in the NE before dawn.
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