The Telescope Curse

I received my new used laptop today and wouldn't you know, the local meteorologist is predicting clouds for the next 14 years...

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Orion SVP 127

I guess I'm going to put it up for sale. Ever since I got the 10" Newt, all it does is stay in a corner down stairs covered up...

OMG Facts: What does Space smell like?

OMG Facts
http://mobile.omg-facts.com/view/Facts/45237?FromTwitter2

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Oklahoma State Suffers Loss

What a terrible week for the folks in Stillwater. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families, loved ones and their closest friends, what a sad tragic loss...

On the other loss... The Cowboys should have taken care of business!

Windows XP

I finally have a replacement laptop for the EQ-6. I won an older Dell D610 laptop with Windows XP Pro on eBay
last night. Hopefully I'll be back to astro imaging shortly after the holidays.

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Found this Image on the NASA App

Absolutely Beautiful 

2011-06-16:A Green Ring Fit for a Superhero
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1976.html


SOURCE:NASA IOTD. This glowing emerald nebula seen by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope is reminiscent of the glowing ring wielded by the superhero Green Lantern. In the comic books, the diminutive Guardians of the Planet "Oa" forged his power ring, but astronomers believe rings like this are actually sculpted by the powerful light of giant "O" stars, the most massive type of star known to exist. Named RCW 120, this region of hot gas and glowing dust can be found in the murky clouds encircled by the tail of the constellation Scorpius. The ring of dust actually is glowing in infrared colors that our eyes cannot see, but show up brightly when viewed by Spitzer's infrared detectors. At the center of this ring are a couple of giant stars whose intense ultraviolet light has carved out the bubble, though they blend in with other stars when viewed in infrared. This bubble is far from unique. Just as the Guardians of Oa have selected many beings to serve as Green Lanterns and patrol different sectors of space, Spitzer has found that such bubbles are common and an can be found around O stars throughout our Milky Way galaxy. The small objects at the lower right area of the image may themselves be similar regions seen at much greater distances across the galaxy. Rings like this are so common in Spitzer's observations that astronomers have even enlisted the help of the public to help them find and catalog them all. Anyone interested in joining the search as a citizen scientist can visit "The Milky Way Project," part of the "Zooniverse" of public astronomy projects, at http://www.milkywayproject.org/. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech For credit and copyright guidance, please visit image webpage.

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1976.html

About the NASA App: http://www.nasa.gov/nasaapp

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'Voyager' via the NASA App

Voyager - The Interstellar Mission

Artist concept of Voyager spacecraft. Credit: NASA/JPL

Mission Objective

The mission objective of the Voyager Interstellar Mission (VIM) is to extend the NASA exploration of the solar system beyond the neighborhood of the outer planets to the outer limits of the Sun's sphere of influence, and possibly beyond. This extended mission is continuing to characterize the outer solar system environment and search for the heliopause boundary, the outer limits of the Sun's magnetic field and outward flow of the solar wind. Penetration of the heliopause boundary between the solar wind and the interstellar medium will allow measurements to be made of the interstellar fields, particles and waves unaffected by the solar wind.

Mission Characteristic

The VIM is an extension of the Voyager primary mission that was completed in 1989 with the close flyby of Neptune by the Voyager 2 spacecraft. Neptune was the final outer planet visited by a Voyager spacecraft. Voyager 1 completed its planned close flybys of the Jupiter and Saturn planetary systems while Voyager 2, in addition to its own close flybys of Jupiter and Saturn, completed close flybys of the remaining two gas giants, Uranus and Neptune.

At the start of the VIM, the two Voyager spacecraft had been in flight for over 12 years having been launched in August (Voyager 2) and September (Voyager 1), 1977. Voyager 1 was at a distance of approximately 40 AU (Astronomical Unit - mean distance of Earth from the Sun, 150 million kilometers) from the Sun, and Voyager 2 was at a distance of approximately 31 AU.

As of July 2003, Voyager 1 was at a distance of 13.3 Billion Kilometers (88 AU) from the sun and Voyager 2 at a distance of 10.6 Billion kilometers (70 AU).

Voyager 1 is escaping the solar system at a speed of about 3.6 AU per year, 35 degrees out of the ecliptic plane to the north, in the general direction of the Solar Apex (the direction of the Sun's motion relative to nearby stars). Voyager 2 is also escaping the solar system at a speed of about 3.3 AU per year, 48 degrees out of the ecliptic plane to the south.

Both Voyagers are headed towards the outer boundary of the solar system in search of the heliopause, the region where the Sun's influence wanes and the beginning of interstellar space can be sensed. The heliopause has never been reached by any spacecraft; the Voyagers may be the first to pass through this region, which is thought to exist somewhere from 8 to 14 billion miles from the Sun. Sometime in the next 5 years, the two spacecraft should cross an area known as the termination shock. This is where the million-mile-per-hour solar winds slows to about 250,000 miles per hour, the first indication that the wind is nearing the heliopause. The Voyagers should cross the heliopause 10 to 20 years after reaching the termination shock. The Voyagers have enough electrical power and thruster fuel to operate at least until 2020. By that time, Voyager 1 will be 12.4 billion miles (19.9 billion KM) from the Sun and Voyager 2 will be 10.5 billion miles (16.9 billion KM) away. Eventually, the Voyagers will pass other stars. In about 40,000 years, Voyager 1 will drift within 1.6 light years (9.3 trillion miles) of AC+79 3888, a star in the constellation of Camelopardalis. In some 296,000 years, Voyager 2 will pass 4.3 light years (25 trillion miles) from Sirius, the brightest star in the sky . The Voyagers are destined, perhaps eternally to wander the Milky Way. For current distances, check: Mission Weekly Reports

It is appropriate to consider the VIM as three distinct phases: the termination shock, heliosheath exploration, and interstellar exploration phases. The two Voyager spacecraft began the VIM operating, and are still operating, in an environment controlled by the Sun's magnetic field with the plasma particles being dominated by those contained in the expanding supersonic solar wind. This is the characteristic environment of the termination shock phase. At some distance from the Sun, the supersonic solar wind will be held back from further expansion by the interstellar wind. The first feature to be encountered by a spacecraft as a result of this interstellar wind/solar wind interaction will be the termination shock where the solar wind slows from supersonic to subsonic speed and large changes in plasma flow direction and magnetic field orientation occur.

Passage through the termination shock ends the termination shock phase and begins the heliosheath exploration phase. While the exact location of the termination shock is not known, it is very possible that Voyager 1 will complete the termination shock phase of the mission between the years 2001 and 2003 when the spacecraft will be between 80 and 90 AU from the Sun. Most of the current estimates place the termination shock at around 85 � 5 AU. After passage through the termination shock, the spacecraft will be operating in the heliosheath environment which is still dominated by the Sun's magnetic field and particles contained in the solar wind. The heliosheath exploration phase ends with passage through the heliopause which is the outer extent of the Sun's magnetic field and solar wind. The thickness of the heliosheath is uncertain and could be tens of AU thick taking several years to traverse. Passage through the heliopause begins the interstellar exploration phase with the spacecraft operating in an interstellar wind dominated environment. This interstellar exploration is the ultimate goal of the Voyager Interstellar Mission.

About the NASA App: http://www.nasa.gov/nasaapp

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Found this Image on the NASA App

2011-08-19:Earth and Its Moon As Seen By Voyager 1
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_2041.html


SOURCE:NASA IOTD. This image of the Earth and moon in a single frame, the first of its kind ever taken by a spacecraft, was recorded on Sept. 18, 1977, by Voyager 1 when it was 7.25 million miles from Earth. The spacecraft launched on July 20, 1975. This photo was made from three images taken through color filters, then processed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Because the Earth is many times brighter than the moon, the moon was artificially brightened so that both bodies would show clearly in the prints. Image Credit: NASA For credit and copyright guidance, please visit image webpage.

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_2041.html

About the NASA App: http://www.nasa.gov/nasaapp

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Mars Rover Spirit's Entire Journey on Mars - Time Lapse

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A3XGzkcDUA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

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A Beginners Guide to Telescopes by Adrian West

http://www.universetoday.com/90936/the-holidays-are-coming-a-beginners-guide-to-telescopes/

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Back to the Rubber Dome

It's going to be cloudy with a chance of rain later, time to go to sleep...

The Moon

Another iPhone image. You can see the clouds were causing the background to look hazy. Moments later it was getting too cloudy, so I packed it up for the night.

Clear skies!

Jupiter and a iPhone

It's not much to look at, but it was much more difficult than I expected.
Staying fixed on the focal point while the scope was tracking the object, holding the phone steady with two hands and touching the screen to capture the image, all without jerking the phone. It actually wore me out.
I spent 20 minutes and this was the best out of 10 attempts...

Clear Skies!

Ready for Action!

The clouds moved out, so the scope came out. Then the clouds rolled back in, but not before Jill and the girls viewed Jupiter and one of it's moons in transit! I guess it's possible that what we saw was just a shadow from one of its moons? Either way it was a first for us, too cool...

Asteroid 2005 YU55

I sure wished it wasn't cloudy the evening it passed by, I would've loved to view this thing.

@NASAJPL: Turn, Turn, Turn: An updated look at asteroid 2005 #YU55. Video: http://t.co/U5MzCkuS

Original Message:
http://twitter.com/NASAJPL/status/135129648492314624

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Giant Sun Spot

Really cool video images too!

@NatGeo: Giant sunspot now aimed directly at the Earth: http://t.co/2p165ibu

Original Message:
http://twitter.com/NatGeo/status/135095499572264960

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2005 YU55 Video Image

Looks like its spiraling...

@NASAJPL: 1st Movie of Asteroid 2005 #YU55: This 6-frame video was made from @NASA radar data obtained Nov 7, 2011: http://t.co/2brbRFnd

OriginalMessage:
http://twitter.com/NASAJPL/status/134034229599289344

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VY Canis Majoris

Just another example of how small we really are in the big scheme of things...

@universetoday: Space Fact: The largest known star is the monster VY Canis Majoris. - http://t.co/KoDPdbGd

OriginalMessage:
http://twitter.com/universetoday/status/133408378348257281

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Telescope Parked...

It's been over two months since I've kicked the covers off the scopes and I can't blame it all on the weather. What's even more disturbing is the fact that I haven't astro imaged in almost a year! In fact, the last time was early December 2010, when I captured a few photons of M33...

The weather looks to be poor for the next 3-4 days, but this coming Friday might be pretty decent for viewing bright objects, like the Moon or even Jupiter! What the heck, I might even try some afocal imaging with my phone...LOL

As much as I hate to, I should sell some of my equipment that doesn't get used much any more and use the funds to purchase another laptop with Windows XP and maybe a better camera too, that would be nice...

Clear Skies Y'All

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Forwarding Tweet by @universetoday

3-D View From Subaru - Stephan's Quintet bit.ly/rEelYM

Read it online: http://twitter.com/universetoday/status/130810115887607808

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Boomer Sooner!

Awesome one handed catch by Reynolds!

http://t.co/U0AxrDHl

Read it online: http://t.co/U0AxrDHl

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Forwarding Tweet by @universetoday

Galileo made its closest approach to Io at 180 km (112 mi) on October 15, 2001. - ow.ly/6KaiV

Read it online: http://twitter.com/universetoday/status/125194359493763073

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APOD Pic of the Day

NGC 4565: Galaxy on Edge : apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap111015.…

Read it online: http://twitter.com/apod/status/125065881838563328

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APOD Pic of the Day

The Color of IC 1795 : apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap111013.…

Read it online: http://twitter.com/apod/status/124341104442224640

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Space Fact: It takes about 59 Earth days for Mercury to complete its rotation. - http://ow.ly/6KWbG

Read it online: http://twitter.com/universetoday/status/122899132686934016

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APOD: 2011 October 5 - Comet and CME on the Sun

Interesting video imagery. Check it out!

APOD: 2011 October 5 - Comet and CME on the Sun

Read it online: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap111005.html

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Knocked the dust off...

The fall like weather and clear skies was quite the motivator. For the longest time, I just couldn't get excited enough to set up the scope when the night time temps were in the 90's and the mosquitoes being on high alert for sweaty humans.
Our high today was only in the mid 70's with low humidity and blue bird skies. It was gorgeous! I knew it would be a nice night for some star gazing. But unfortunetly the good ole moon was 45% illuminated. Oh well, I was just happy to look through an eyepiece for once.

So, what did I look at? Mostly moonlite and a bright laptop screen...lol
Last winter I replaced my 6 year old lappy with a new quad core sporting Windows 7. The telescope control software I use doesn't seem to like the latest windows version. I need to spend some time researching a fix. Anybody want to donate a good used lappy with Windows XP? ;)

Eventually I was able to slew the scope on a few gems... First on the list was Comet Gerrard. I was surprised how bright this deep sky traveler really was, even with moon trying to get in the way. Next on the list was M27. The Dumbbell Nebula, always huge and bright as can be. And the best for last, M13. What a spectacular globular cluster! It hopelessly fills the eyepiece with it's countless shimmering stars spilling, magnificently beautiful!

Goodnight moon, better luck next time...

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14 TCU vs Baylor

What a way to start the college football season. This 50-48 shocker upset was a thrill ride from the beginning... The last time the Bears beat a ranked team was 2004 vs Texas A&M. I can't wait to see how OU does in 2011. GO Sooners!

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@apod, 8/28/11 11:30 PM

Beautiful! Looks a lot like living creatures in a extreme deep ocean...

Astro Pic Of The Day (@apod) 8/28/11 11:30 PM : http://t.co/QeOvOoR

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@SPACEdotcom, 8/25/11 3:44 PM

This is indredible video footage! I read ealier to today that it took the ISS 6 minutes to travel across Hurricane Irene. That means the Space Station is traveling very fast and Irene is pretty big...

SPACE.com (@SPACEdotcom) 8/25/11 3:44 PM Hurricane Irene as Seen From the Space Station http://t.co/rgMygIU

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A Pileus Iridescent Cloud Over Ethiopia: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110824.…

Read it online: http://twitter.com/apod/status/106221711552299010

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@VirtualAstro, 8/22/11 3:21 PM

Virtual Astronomer (@VirtualAstro) 8/22/11 3:21 PM If you don't read this awesome article, you will get cloudy skies for the next thousand years! http://t.co/W8JxDmH

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@Voyager2, 8/22/11 7:00 AM

Voyager2 (@Voyager2) 8/22/11 7:00 AM Sister ship Voyager1 is 16 hrs 19 mins 25 secs of light-travel time from Earth (2011:234:1L)

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@Voyager2, 8/21/11 7:00 PM

Voyager2 (@Voyager2) 8/21/11 7:00 PM I am currently 13 hrs 14 mins 38 secs of light-travel time from Earth (2011:234:2L)

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Forwarding Tweet by @NASA

This is pretty cool
Find a picture of your favorite location as seen from the space station at go.nasa.gov/mPllrE
Read it online: http://twitter.com/NASA/status/105365670920851456
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@apod, 8/20/11 11:30 PM

Astro Pic Of The Day (@apod) 8/20/11 11:30 PM The Fairy of Eagle Nebula: http://t.co/p64d7fA

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Found this Image on the NASA App

Amazing Image!

 

SOURCE:APOD. Why is the northern half of asteroid Vesta more heavily cratered than the south? No one is yet sure. This unexpected mystery has come to light only in the past few weeks since the robotic Dawn mission became the first spacecraft to orbit the second largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The northern half of Vesta, seen on the upper left of the above image, appears to show some of the densest cratering in the Solar System, while the southern half is unexpectedly smooth. Also unknown is the origin of grooves that circle the asteroid nears its equator, particularly visible on this Vesta rotation movie, and the nature of dark streaks that delineate some of Vesta's craters, for example the crater just above the the image center. As Dawn spirals in toward Vesta over the coming months, some answers may emerge, as well as higher resolution and color images. Studying 500-km diameter Vesta is yielding clues about its history and the early years of our Solar System. For credit and copyright guidance, please visit image webpage.

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap110802.html

About the NASA App: http://www.nasa.gov/nasaapp

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Forwarding Tweet by @Voyager2

20 August 1977 - launch date for Voyager 2. I was launched 34 years ago today.

Read it online: http://twitter.com/Voyager2/status/104944541899042816

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@apod, 8/19/11 11:30 PM

Be sure to put on you blue and green 3D glasses!

Astro Pic Of The Day (@apod) 8/19/11 11:30 PM Stereo Vesta: http://t.co/HVgNM2k

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