Space Chat | Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. - General

Also got my new toys [t]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CJOkkxoUAAAsE1F.jpg:large[/t] [t]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CJOvm9VUcAAchoQ.jpg:large[/t] Gonna get an old Dell laptop from my sister, connect the camera, autoguider and mount to it, connect laptop to network and control the whole thing from inside.

[QUOTE=mecaguy03;47627841]Sat outside for an hour or two to just watch for moving objects, saw two mapping satellites and a meteor. One of the satellites might have been spherical in shape because its brightness fluctuated in a similar way to a disco ball. I looked at it with a small handheld telescope and it for sure was not a plane, but it still flashed almost like one before fading away.[/QUOTE] It bothers me that I've spent enough time in front of computer screens to make this nearly impossible for me, and watching for small moving objects with my peripherals is hard. I also live in LA though so that might be the deciding factor here.

I just noticed there was an extender or something that I missed in the package. so far I've been using the telescope like this: [t]http://thislink.works/~techbot/ShareX/2015/07/10/IMG_20150710_112110.jpg[/t] and with the extension it looks like this: [t]http://thislink.works/~techbot/ShareX/2015/07/10/IMG_20150710_112131.jpg[/t] are there any benefits using that extension?

Extension tubes are used if you can't reach focus AFAIK.

ah I noticed it happen when I used the dslr, so I just got around that using the barlow lens instead v:v:v thanks for clearing that up.

[QUOTE=Swebonny;47819844]A laserpointer can be pretty nice. Beware of the laws in your country though. [/QUOTE] found this while googling for it [hd]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zclfWUvbiCg[/hd]

16 hours to go [t]http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/nh-color-pluto-charon.jpg[/t]

God damn. Really setting in on me now.

This is the first time we will actually properly see a new [I]was[/I]-planet in the lifetime of a lot of people on this website! In fact, anyone younger than 26 was born after the last time we had a spacecraft rendezvous with a planet for the first time! Can't even begin to describe how exciting this is :o [editline]13th July 2015[/editline] Although Pluto is not described as a planet anymore I still think this is more special than seeing other dwarf planets for the first time. It's just had such a huge impact in culture that it is really something else.

Is there a stream or anything for it?

[QUOTE=Hattiwatti;48197030]Is there a stream or anything for it?[/QUOTE] Doubt it. At least nothing live from the probe, it will be busy doing science and taking pictures and won't have time to send data back to Earth while it's passing.

[QUOTE=Hattiwatti;48197030]Is there a stream or anything for it?[/QUOTE] NASA TV is gonna have stuff going, but there won't be any "live" video from it. The instruments are fixed on the spacecraft so it has to rotate the whole craft to point the cameras and stuff, so the comm dish won't be pointing toward earth at all. [editline]13th July 2015[/editline] Correction, the dish will be pointing at earth when it does the uplink occultation measurements but it will be working to receive data and stuff so it won't be transmitting anything. And the dishes on earth that receive signals from NH [I]might [/I]be the ones blasting out radio signals for the occultation (but I wouldn't know for sure).

[url]http://www.ustream.tv/nasahdtv[/url] flyby data being revealed Hydra [t]http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/full_width_feature/public/thumbnails/image/nh-hydra_1_0.jpg?itok=-Ub5-NU9[/t] Charon [t]http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/full_width_feature/public/thumbnails/image/nh-charon.jpg?itok=46XaGzbi[/t] Pluto [t]http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/full_width_feature/public/thumbnails/image/nh-plutosurface.png?itok=sqfvH2GP[/t]

Charon looks amazing! So many interesting features. [editline]15th July 2015[/editline] And that reflectiveness difference on Hydra, wow!

[img]http://i.imgur.com/6DID8dz.gif[/img]

I should totally be checking this thread more this place is awesome. I spend most of my time on FP in the creative work thread. But I love drawing painting space stuff, so here's a dump of all my space related art. [img]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7-LNa5nhpQ0/VY2wJzQfv_I/AAAAAAAABcM/qkpSCQ_0W4M/s1600/splash_final_small.png[/img] [img]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ukNXol1WkBo/VYMeD0mBpKI/AAAAAAAABbw/3RJIG1cCzP4/s1600/astronauts.png[/img] [img]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--7z3pEUH71A/VVWnWt1YYnI/AAAAAAAABXQ/yNEHAvawQRM/s1600/adorable_space_program_1.png[/img] [img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RSR-XVL-jVQ/VT2humRj96I/AAAAAAAABWc/R_mirW9v37s/s1600/sebastian_kings_kerbalartcontest.png[/img] [img_thumb]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--SdSuSvJSD0/VUWOFPjUiTI/AAAAAAAABW0/2S5JHcXvyuY/s1600/spacecraft.png[/img_thumb] I'm currently working on a cover illustration for a space magazine, and through that got to talking with a guy from NASA JPL, who wants me to do their Christmas card this year!

Those are wonderful paintings. I love the realistic science fiction one on the bottom. [editline]16th July 2015[/editline] [QUOTE=Techbot;48163183]I just noticed there was an extender or something that I missed in the package. so far I've been using the telescope like this: [t]http://thislink.works/~techbot/ShareX/2015/07/10/IMG_20150710_112110.jpg[/t] and with the extension it looks like this: [t]http://thislink.works/~techbot/ShareX/2015/07/10/IMG_20150710_112131.jpg[/t] are there any benefits using that extension?[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Hattiwatti;48163219]Extension tubes are used if you can't reach focus AFAIK.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Techbot;48163245]ah I noticed it happen when I used the dslr, so I just got around that using the barlow lens instead v:v:v thanks for clearing that up.[/QUOTE] I'll be damned, I've always had that fucking tube and had no idea what to do with it. Kept using my barlow with my camera to reach focus.

I got my EQDIR cable today so I can test the whole system tomorrow (if the forecast stays clear). Gonna have Cartes du Ciel with EQMOD for GoTo, PHD2 for guiding, BackyardEOS for taking pics and AstroTortilla for solving :)

I should get my EQMOD working, never bothered with it after some strange error I couldn't fix...

If you have the cable like I do you need to install Win8 drivers in a specific way [url]http://www.firstlightoptics.com/user/Hitecastro_EQMOD_Win8.pdf[/url]

[QUOTE=salmonmarine;48222561]I should totally be checking this thread more this place is awesome. I spend most of my time on FP in the creative work thread. But I love drawing painting space stuff, so here's a dump of all my space related art. I'm currently working on a cover illustration for a space magazine, and through that got to talking with a guy from NASA JPL, who wants me to do their Christmas card this year![/QUOTE] These are all really neat! Come to the space engineers thread sometime and use some of the creations there for inspiration I'd be fascinated to see your take on it. Impressed by your versatility too, from something akin to 80's style future stuff to kerbal to realistic. In 3 months I go back to school and get to take my first class relating to my major (Aeronautics and Astronautics, obviously astro focus) and by the start of next year I'll be taking classes in my major like Spacecraft Design, Spacecraft Propulsion Systems, and Spacecraft Power systems. Waited 4 years through high school for this and I'm actually starting to get close to achieving my dreams :D

Figured out a plan that can get me goto capability with my current scope for around $200. Im going to buy a celestron LCM 60, demount the optical tube from the dovetail plate, attach the rings for my 80mm tube and then assemble the whole thing. Hopefully it wont be too heavy with the camera for the tripod, but I bet I can figure it out.

Everything seems to work fine, now I just need to wait for mire darkness. 60s shot of a random target I picked in Cartes (kinda surprised me cause I thought it'd be a cluster) [t]http://files.1337upload.net/autoguide_60s-8daeee.jpg[/t] vs 10 minute shot. I think the star sizes are the same, but dew stroke. [t]http://files.1337upload.net/autoguide_600s-568ec4.jpg[/t]

Wow that's impressive. By the way, what's the slewing speed of your telescope? The max I can get is like 16X and man, that is some slow shit.

I think HEQ5 can do 800X, but it's noisy as hell if you haven't belt modded it.

I don't know if these videos have been posted, or if these technically apply to space but I feel they do and this is completely mind boggling. [video=youtube;sNhhvQGsMEc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNhhvQGsMEc[/video] [video=youtube;1fQkVqno-uI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fQkVqno-uI[/video]

[QUOTE=Exigent;48293909]I don't know if these videos have been posted, or if these technically apply to space but I feel they do and this is completely mind boggling. snip[/QUOTE] what if the big bang was actually caused by an extremely advanced type 3 race who also made caused multiple big bangs which created other multiple universes. and they made it so that there is only one species of life in each universe to see how they will react and what they'll do.

[QUOTE=Trixil;48294328]what if the big bang was actually caused by an extremely advanced type 3 race who also made caused multiple big bangs which created other multiple universes. and they made it so that there is only one species of life in each universe to see how they will react and what they'll do.[/QUOTE] Fuck. :mindblown:

Actually change of plans, going to get an IOptron SmartEQ pro and a dovetail plate for my 80mm refractor. Seems better than even the celestron 4se for astrophotography, comes with a case and an illuminated polar scope. It also isnt a pain in the ass to polar align like the 4se is, and it has more accurate tracking.

Woo! Got accepted to the physics, astronomy and meteorology course at the University of Oslo :joy: :excited: