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

[nitram100]

Thinking about getting a scope, what sort of images would one see through a scope like that?

Faint smudges as galaxies, rings around saturn, great red spot of jupiter, resolve globular clusters really well etc

Take it to a dark site and use some filters to get good views of nebulas.

I have a 10" Orion Optics on an NEQ6 and it blows my mind every time I use it.

The skywatcher is a great scope by the way and will last a long time.

 

[Wazz-1]

Faint smudges as galaxies, rings around saturn, great red spot of jupiter, resolve globular clusters really well etc

Take it to a dark site and use some filters to get good views of nebulas.

I have a 10" Orion Optics on an NEQ6 and it blows my mind every time I use it.

The skywatcher is a great scope by the way and will last a long time.

Thanks.

I just didn't want to buy willy nilly and be disappointed. I was spoilt a few years ago looking through a neighbors scope, was a big thing he just punched coordinates in and bingo the rings of Saturn, I was blown away and have wanted one ever since.
He has now taken it to his place in France (Cessanon) very rural, dark sky's and such.

 

[nitram100]

Thanks.

I just didn't want to buy willy nilly and be disappointed. I was spoilt a few years ago looking through a neighbors scope, was a big thing he just punched coordinates in and bingo the rings of Saturn, I was blown away and have wanted one ever since.
He has now taken it to his place in France (Cessanon) very rural, dark sky's and such.

You can always buy that Dobsonian from firstlightoptics then sometime down the line when you have the funds you can take the optical tube assembly, remove it from the dobsonian mount in the picture and attach it to a motorized equatorial mount like your neighbours.

For that scope you would be looking at an EQ5 minimum for visual use, but if you want to take photographs I would recommend a HEQ5 or NEQ6PRO (I paid £900 for my mount).

 

[Wazz-1]

Thanks for the info, have a budget of £600 ish as a Xmas Prezzie for myself

 

[Von Smallhausen]

Two more from the robotic /538/mLru9E.jpg[/IMG]

Andromeda (M31):

I remember reading somewhere that Andromeda and the Milky Way are on course to collude in a few million years time.

 

[Tibbz2]

I remember reading somewhere that Andromeda and the Milky Way are on course to collude in a few million years time.

I think it's more like 4 billion years

 

[Von Smallhausen]

Ah, I knew it had illion in it .....

 

[doodah]

Any one spotted the Northern Lights tonight?

 

[smr]

Keeping a look out in Leicestershire...nothing so far though.

 

[Cosimo]

 

[Cosimo]

Galaxy collision:

X-ray binary ( Circinus X-1) age:

 

[Ryan-3]

Keeping a look out in Leicestershire...nothing so far though.

I had been keeping a look out but it's either foggy or misty and the street lights ruin any chance of seeing anything at all.

 

[Cosimo]

Visible on October 8 but not for us in the UK.

 

[Cosimo]

 

[Cosimo]

Hunting planetary nebulae:

 

[Cosimo]

What a great viewing platform:

Starry Sky from the Space Station

ISS041-E-009477 (13 Sept. 2014) --- One of the Expedition 41 crew members aboard the Earth-orbiting International Space Station on Sept. 13, 2014 captured this image of a starry sky. The white panel at left belonging to the ATV-5 spacecraft, which is docked with the orbital outpost, obstructs the view of Scorpius. The red star Antares is directly to the left of the bottom of the second ATV panel from the top. The two stars that are close together and on the lower left of the photo comprise Shaula, the tip of the scorpion’s tail. The open cluster close to Shaula is M7. The hardware at bottom right is part of one of the station's solar panels.

 

[Cosimo]

 

[Cosimo]

Ways to potentially deflect asteroids:

 

[Cosimo]

 

[Cosimo]

Coronal mass ejection: