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

[Spook187]

Just ordered some Celestron Skymaster 20 X 80 Binoculars with tripod

http://www.celestron.com/sports_outdoors/celestron-skymaster-20x80.html

 

[PermaBanned]

You might be interested in this, certainly seems like a worthy cause:

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/restore-the-clark

 

[Cosimo]

ALMA, the earth's largest telescope was officially inaugurated yesterday:

http://www.popsci.com/technology/ar...hs-largest-telescope-officially-open-business

http://www.almaobservatory.org/

 

[Cosimo]

 

[Cosimo]

 

[alexthecheese]

I too was looking at te Skywatcher 200p. Gonna go halves with my bro.

However, I'm thinking of spending more to get one with a GOTO setup. What do you guys think about that?

Thinking along the lines of:

1) Spend double and get the GOTO feature
2) Spend double and get a much larger aperture telescope
3) Spend half and get the 200p.

Also, is it possible to collimate telescopes yourself?

And and and... I have a DSLR. To take photos, would I need a tracking telescope? Do GOTO telescopes also track?

 

[Catanonia]

Just spotted this thread. Got a lot of kit as an imager with a SuperNewt Carbon 200mm F2.8 on a EQ6 in observatory.

Not opened it up all winter due to a new contract job and commuting, too tired recently.

Going to strip it all down, do the jobs that need doing this summer, ready for next winter hopefully.

Also on star gazers lounge as Catanonia.

Here are some of my images

http://www.astrobin.com/users/Catanonia/

 

[Catanonia]

I too was looking at te Skywatcher 200p. Gonna go halves with my bro.

However, I'm thinking of spending more to get one with a GOTO setup. What do you guys think about that?

Thinking along the lines of:

1) Spend double and get the GOTO feature
2) Spend double and get a much larger aperture telescope
3) Spend half and get the 200p.

Also, is it possible to collimate telescopes yourself?

And and and... I have a DSLR. To take photos, would I need a tracking telescope? Do GOTO telescopes also track?

Yes you can colimate yourself, do a google search on "colimation astrobaby"
Goto do track for you as well as going to an object
You can use your dslr on a normal tripod if you keep the exposure time down to a few seconds. depends on the focal length you use.

 

[Cosimo]

 

[hargi]

This comet... Is is still low down? And does it go below the horizon I been out now and can't see anything . Will it get higher in the sky later in the month?
New to star gazing and don't really understand star charts. Can find Orion and that but that's about it

 

[anything-but]

http://spaceweather.gmu.edu/seeds/dailymkmovie.php?cme=20130315&r&cor2=b

A recording of the recent CME happening,should be seeing effects from it late today,early tomorrow i think?

 

[Cosimo]

The primary mirror backplane support structure wing assembly of the James Webb Space telescope has been completed:

http://phys.org/news/2013-03-james-webb-telescope-wings.html

 

[Tibbz2]

I too was looking at te Skywatcher 200p. Gonna go halves with my bro.

However, I'm thinking of spending more to get one with a GOTO setup. What do you guys think about that?

Thinking along the lines of:

1) Spend double and get the GOTO feature
2) Spend double and get a much larger aperture telescope
3) Spend half and get the 200p.

Also, is it possible to collimate telescopes yourself?

And and and... I have a DSLR. To take photos, would I need a tracking telescope? Do GOTO telescopes also track?

The dobsonian is good for visual use and probably images of the moon/planets, but it has no tracking so you can't get long exposures. I would personally recommend going down the visual route with a dob, because astrophotography, even though is cool, is just too expensive and frustrating from what i've heard!

 

[Spook187]

Comet PanSTARRS.

 

[Tibbz2]

So wanted to see this comet but the ****ing weather is so ****.

Hate England so much.

 

[Cosimo]

 

[Cosimo]

 

[Cosimo]

 

[Spook187]

i shall try and do a review on the Bins on thursday fellas, got carried away with some baiting in pc games lol

 

[Spook187]

How the Higgs Boson Might Spell Doom for the Universe.




http://www.scientificamerican.com/a...oson-might-spell-doom-for-the-universe&page=2