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

[QUOTE=OvB;43941186]SpaceX wants to launch private crews in dragon iirc. They're already having closed private searches for the crew. Probably consisting of former NASA astronauts to start. [/quote] they can look for astronauts privately in their own use, but they can't launch other people's crews currently because of the legal challenge, its sort of a weird amalgam of laws right now the FAA is claiming responsibility but they don't exactly have a clear jurisdiction. there has to be some framework though since rockets launched by nasa are built by contractors so failures can't be specifically blamed on them though

[QUOTE=LarparNar;43950983] [IMG]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2668640/stellar/JAA_7644.jpg[/IMG] [/QUOTE] My orion nebula, straight from the camera, 5 seconds exposure, 3200 iso. [B]NO MOTOR DRIVE[/B] Behold :v: [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/vpu7puH.png[/IMG]

Oh, UPS sent me a letter that I should pay the payment on their bank account cause apparently it can't be paid with Cash on delivery. Could've just sent that to my email since they had it...

[QUOTE=Swebonny;43956928]My orion nebula, straight from the camera, 5 seconds exposure, 3200 iso. [B]NO MOTOR DRIVE[/B] Behold :v: [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/vpu7puH.png[/IMG][/QUOTE] Is the sky waving to you?

I took this pic of andromeda a couple years ago. 30 1 minute pictures stacked [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/0em27.jpg[/IMG]

So what do you need to attach an slr to a telescope? [editline]18th February 2014[/editline] I'm in a photography class and I feel like blowing some minds.

[QUOTE=OvB;43966245]So what do you need to attach an slr to a telescope? [editline]18th February 2014[/editline] I'm in a photography class and I feel like blowing some minds.[/QUOTE] Something called a T-Adapter. They sell them all over the place on the internet.

[QUOTE=OvB;43966245]I'm in a photography class and I feel like blowing some minds.[/QUOTE] Please do tell their reactions when they see your picture.

[QUOTE=Daniellynet;43967579]Please do tell their reactions when they see your picture.[/QUOTE] My telescopes not motorized so I'm not sure how much detail I'll be able to get, probably just smudges. Will probably shoot the moon to start with and see how it goes.

Man my birthday has got some pretty landmarkish things regarding space stuff. 1967 – Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov dies in Soyuz 1 when its parachute fails to open. He is the first human to die during a space mission. 1970 – The first Chinese satellite, Dong Fang Hong I, is launched. 1971 – Soyuz 10 docks with Salyut 1. 1990 – STS-31: The Hubble Space Telescope is launched from the Space Shuttle Discovery. Shuttle mission STS-31 lifts off, carrying Hubble into orbit.

[QUOTE=OvB;43968012]My telescopes not motorized so I'm not sure how much detail I'll be able to get, probably just smudges. Will probably shoot the moon to start with and see how it goes.[/QUOTE] You can get decent shots of the planets and the moon with a non-motorized scope. For other stuff you really need the motors. And you need to get a t-ring that fits to your camera, and a t-adapter that screws onto the t-ring.

Turns out I do have a motor. Just need to mount it. [editline]19th February 2014[/editline] The kicker is I'll be using film slr so I won't get to see how I did until I can develope the film.

[QUOTE=OvB;43972332]Turns out I do have a motor. Just need to mount it. [editline]19th February 2014[/editline] The kicker is I'll be using film slr so I won't get to see how I did until I can develope the film.[/QUOTE] Good luck and take your time!

So if I aim at say the Orion nebula or androgens like you guys above and set it to have a long shutter speed with the tracking motor it should turn out decent with even a 114mm scope right?

[QUOTE=OvB;43975515]So if I aim at say the Orion nebula or androgens like you guys above and set it to have a long shutter speed with the tracking motor it should turn out decent with even a 114mm scope right?[/QUOTE] Depends on how accurate the motor is.

I just realized I put "androgens" and not Andromeda. Guess phone thinks it know what's best for me. :I

You could probably try searching whatever motor you use and see what kind of results you can get.

[t]http://4st.me/3clYN.png[/t] Yay, now we play the waiting game though... [t]http://4st.me/OsFhG.png[/t]

[QUOTE=OvB;43975515]So if I aim at say the Orion nebula or androgens like you guys above and set it to have a long shutter speed with the tracking motor it should turn out decent with even a 114mm scope right?[/QUOTE] Yeah, if you are properly polar aligned. If you look at my shot, you see the stars drifting upwards and sideways. If I was properly aligned it should only drift upwards, and if I had motors it shouldn't drift at all. Here are some shots of orion with a 114 mm scope: [url]http://www.astrobin.com/75165/[/url] [url]http://www.astrobin.com/63264/[/url]

[QUOTE=Swebonny;43981994]Yeah, if you are properly polar aligned. If you look at my shot, you see the stars drifting upwards and sideways. If I was properly aligned it should only drift upwards, and if I had motors it shouldn't drift at all. Here are some shots of orion with a 114 mm scope: [URL]http://www.astrobin.com/75165/[/URL] [URL]http://www.astrobin.com/63264/[/URL][/QUOTE] Some motors aren't good for astrophotography though. While they may track the sky, it may not be precise enough to remove the star trail effect. Astrobin is a good place to search for equipment and see what kind of results people have gotten.

Reading about Soyuz 11 is depressing. The three cosmonauts that flew the mission are also the only humans ever to die in space. [quote]Flight recorder data from the single cosmonaut outfitted with biomedical sensors showed cardiac arrest occurred within 40 seconds of pressure loss.[/quote] [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_11[/url] :(

[url]http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/02/crs-3-falcon-9-first-stage-sport-legs-attempt-soft-splashdown/[/url] CRS-3 CONFIRMED FOR LEGS.

[QUOTE=OvB;43988682][url]http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/02/crs-3-falcon-9-first-stage-sport-legs-attempt-soft-splashdown/[/url] CRS-3 CONFIRMED FOR LEGS.[/QUOTE] Sweeeeeet! :0

[QUOTE=OvB;43988682][url]http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/02/crs-3-falcon-9-first-stage-sport-legs-attempt-soft-splashdown/[/url] CRS-3 CONFIRMED FOR LEGS.[/QUOTE] Shit. That's great to hear. Hopefully it'll be successful.

[url]http://www.spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/f9guide.pdf[/url]

There was a "Mystery cloud" in Alaska on the 20th of February. The cloud resembles a rocket fuel dump, but there's one problem [QUOTE]"The GPS satellite was put into a 55 degree inclination, and we're at 65 degrees latitude," points out Mammana. "We wouldn't likely see anything from here."[/QUOTE] [QUOTE]Scientists from the University of Alaska frequently launch rockets from the nearby Poker Flat Research Range to study auroras. But there were no rocket launches on this night. The cloud remains a mystery. "I'd LOVE to know what satellite it might have been if it was a fuel dump," says Mammana." To readers who might have ideas he offers these clues: "The exact position of the camera was 65° 2' 24" N, 147° 27' 24" W. The approximate position of the cloud in the wide angle image (9:15 p.m. AKST) is 304°10' azimuth, 9° 32' altitude, and it appeared among the stars of the Square of Pegasus." Suggestions are welcomed.[/QUOTE] And ofcourse mystery pics. [img]http://www.spaceweather.com/images2014/22feb14/mysterycloud.jpg?PHPSESSID=fnsgsnurcsulvu7o8dm4vmimr0[/img] [img]https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/t31/1602150_721442681210477_508293226_o.jpg[/img]

Recently got and built a 3D printer, obligatory print (Falcon 9 V1.1): [t]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/41041550/Pictures/3d_printer/2014-02-23%2019.17.00.jpg[/t]

Give it a stand made to look like the landing legs!

[img]http://puu.sh/78tcA.jpg[/img] [I]HYPE HYPE HYPE[/I]

Well no clouds tonight so I quickly tested the tracker through my window. [t]http://files.1337upload.net/IMG_0087_2.jpg[/t] 2 minute exposure and I just guessed the alignment. A lot of light pollution due to the road and the greenhouses nearby. In other directions it's a much darker view. Planning on going out tomorrow night and pointing it at more interesting parts of the sky.