Happy 4th

Happy Independence day Everyone. Be safe out there and have a great day! Enjoy some fireworks!

CS!

Sunspot for the 4th of July. A rapid sunspot has emerged. Its located on the southern hemisphere Sunspot 1024.


click image to enlarge

Back to blogosphere/ Moon mission.

Well hello young ones. Haven't posted in awhile. Been all over and busy.

If you haven't heard about the lunar mission then pay attention.

On June 18th LCROSS & LRO aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida took off to the moon.
Both spacecraft are on missions of lunar discovery, but they have two completely different missions. LCROSS will destroy itself in a collision with the Moon at about 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 9, 2009, creating a debris plume that will be analyzed for the presence of water and hydrocarbons. However, LRO will orbit the Moon at a low altitude of about 31 miles for at least a year. The spacecraft's seven scientific instruments will hunt for water, map the Moon's surface in 3D, assess the radiation environment for future explorers, and much more.

And the really cool thing is. Is that amateur astronomers may be able to observe the destruction of LCROSS with a small telescope.

Here is a link to Nasa.gov about this

CS!

Saturn-focal reducer.

saturn images just posted to the image section of the blog. My best images of saturn to date! i'm very happy.

Also a review of my brand new focal reducer will be coming soon to the equipment section. its a good piece of equipment.

CS!

allposters.com

If you are interested in getting some astronomy posters. Allposters.com has some really nice posters at great prices. I just got a few for a very good price and got 22% off. They have sales all the time and their prices are good.

Check them out. They ship fast. good company! Allposters.com

CS!

ISS

The ISS has gotten so big you can see it in front of a full moon with a small telescope of course. You can also see it in front of the SUN. With the right equipment ( a solar filter) you will be able to see the ISS go pass the sun. When it fly's pass the sun.

You can check when and where the ISS is and when it will be flying over you, with this very easy tool. Just put in your zip to find out. Satellite tracker .

check out this Video Raymond Dubois took.

now you have a reason to big the solar filter back out!

Homemade crosshair eyepiece

I made a crosshair eyepiece today. you can check it out here. I tell how you can make it and what you need! with pictures!!!

CS!

Update 3/5/09

A small Review is now up on the eyepiece.

pictures

got some picture for tonight 3/19/09. You can see them in the photo section. Thanks for looking!

Update

well today i bought a DC adapter for my mount. i will be back outside within the next week with some new pictures to share with you guys!

CS!

ISS

The International Space Station got new solar panels up and running on the 20th of march. The astronauts added more than 8000 sq. feet of solar panels. This is the largest addition of solar panels added to the ISS.

here is a link to a video of the ISS taken by Dirk Ewers.

Venus

Venus is looking pretty cool right now. If you have a chance and its clear you should check it out with your telescope. Venus looks like a rainbow. This is because Venus is very low in the sky so the Earth's atmosphere acts like a prism which makes Venus resemble a Rainbow.

Look at the western part of the sky to check the very bright Venus out. and check it out sooner then later Venus will disappearing into the glare of the spring sun.

CS!

Two satellites have collided

This is quite remarkable. Two satellites orbiting the earth have collided! On February 10th Iridium 33 crashed into Kosmos 2251. Both satellites were destroyed completely, Leaving more than 300 fragments floating around in space. NASA is saying the International Space Station is in no immediate danger.

Saturn

some Saturn images for last night in "my photo" section of the blog. First time with the etx-125.

A nice Conjunction

There is a nice Conjunction right now. The moon and Venus are getting really close. At sunset look Southwest to see this conjunction. I got a picture last night with my webcam.

Here is a picture from starry night of what it will look like tonight.

click on image to enlarge

Here is a image i took last night of the Conjunction. i used my webcam to take it.

click on image to enlarge

Meade

For everything Meade, go to meade4m . Its a nice place you can see images people have taken with Meade telescope. Meade Media News on all Meade products. Great place to find out more about Meade products. They also have a Meade Store. Free to join! or you can just look around!

Meade4M

Staying Warm!

Here is a little tip for staying a little Warmer then just your normal winter clothes while observing. I have not used this personally, but have heard they work really well and work the whole night. Hand Warmers/body Warmers . This is a link to amazon but you can't get them cheaper at other places. It says it will work up to 18 hours. you can use them for more then just your hands. You can also get some on ebay for a better price.

They will keep you warm!

Clear Skies and Stay Warm!

Venus

I got some images of Venus tonight. You can see them in the photo section.

Meteorites

For those Meteorite Collecting People here is a great place to buy them. At great prices and a great owner InnerPlanetary Products is the way to go. The owner is a great and close friend of mine. A great person to deal with and is 100% trustworthy. All Meteorites are 100% Genuine and Authentic. You are getting the real thing. With weekly specials, and some occasional give-aways its the place to buy your Meteorites.

InnerPlanetary Products

Starting in Astronomy

Hi, I thought i would give some links and some tips on starting into the great hobby of astronomy. This is a great hobby that is all year long with new things to see each night, and each time it will blow you away. And is for all ages! Young and old!

Before you Get a telescope you need to do some research alot of reading. and you need to get familiar with the night sky. Buy a book on Astronomy. Like "The Night Sky Observer's Guide" and "Turn Left at Orion" . Also you should get a Star chart. Star chart are very helpful. You can download one off the internet or buy one. Here is one from Amazon.

There are also many Computer programs to help you navigate your away across the night sky. Some are free and some cost some money. One really nice Program is called Stellarium it is a Free star program. It shows you the night sky in real time. Just put in your information and it will show whats in the sky at that time and in the future. so if you have a laptop you can use that to see whats up and where it is. it is a very useful program. Another great program is "Starry night" There are many different Starry night programs they have basic programs and more advanced. You can read more about that Here. I have the Basic Starry night Program that came with my Orion telescope. Each night i'm out i use it.

You might want to get some Binoculars before you get a telescope to get use to the night sky. use your star charts to help guide you across the sky. You will want to get a pair that you can hold, so you don't have to get a tripod. Like a 10x40. You can see all different brands here. Orion, Celestron, and Meade have some really nice Binoculars, That are perfect for just starting out.

Before you buy a telescope. You need to know what kind of objects you will be wanting to look at. Planetary object, DSO ( Deep sky objects) or the moon. Many different objects out there and many different telescope out there. Here is a great place that gives you reviews of all different kinds of Equipment. Another good place to get reviews is cloudy nights. I started out with a small Mak. It was a Orion 90mm Mak-cass with a table top mount. It had some great views. It was great for Planetary use and for some brighter DSO. I did do alot of research before i chose this telescope.

One thing i didn't do was join a astronomy club. You should join a local one or a online one. A very good online astronomy community is Cloudynight . This place is jammed packed with information. Very Useful, join to Ask questions. It free to join and you will be glad you did. You can check your local area for a astronomy club, there are many out there.

And for choosing a good telescopes for just starting out i will send you to Tom Trusock. He wrote the most helpful article every written. I will give you all three parts. He will tell you about the different telescope and what they are good for. It is very helpful. It covers alot of what i have said here but goes in, in much more detail.

Here is Part One, Part Two, Part three. all written by Tom Trusock.

Remember keep looking up have a great time under the stars.

I also have some great links to some really nice Astronomy Programs in my Software section of the blog. Those are all programs i use. From Navigating the night sky to capturing the sky. I hope you have enjoyed reading this, and hope you join the great Hobby of Astronomy!

Clear Skies!

another perigee Moon

tonight another perigee Moon. 14% wider and 30% brighter than a normal Moon. To cloudy to see anything tonight.

CS!

perigee Moon

Ok, so you want to know more about the perigee Moon?! well I found you some info from science.nasa.gov. they also compare two photos of a full moon. enjoy the read!

hope you find this helpful!


CS!

Moon at Perigee

Tonight the moon is 14% wider and 30% brighter, they call this a Perigee moon. And it sure is bright! i got out there with my etx-125 held my digital camera to the eyepiece and took some images! some turned out really nice!



another image I found that looks good. if you look at the right side bottom i caught a star!! i don't think i have ever gotten a star in a lunar image.



More photos in the photo section.

Saturn

Are Saturn's rings Disappearing? well from the earths view they are, but they are still there.

Whats happening?

The is called a "ring plane crossing." As Saturn goes around the sun, it periodically turns its rings edge-on to Earth about every 14 to 15 years, Because the rings are so thin, they can actually disappear when viewed through a small telescope.

Astronomers said this will give you a chance to see more of the surrounding area and maybe even more of the planet. Moons that aren't normally visible will be now. Don't abandon this planet like Galileo did in 1612.

Many eyes will be turned to Saturn now that the rings will be temporally gone. This is the best time to view the great planet!


Image taken by Efrain Morales Rivera

Huge Prom

If you have a solar telescope now is the time to use it! There is a monster Prom on the eastern edge of the sun. They are not sure how long this is stay around so if you have a solar scope get on out there. They are saying When this filament collapses and hits the sun's surface, it could produce a rare type of explosion called a "Hyder flare". This is pretty exciting!


click on image to enlarge
Credit of image to The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory

ISS sidekick

The Toolbag still orbiting the earth. Putting on a nice show for astronomers! I have not seen it because it has been cloudy. Check out the satellite tracker to see when it will be passing over you! It will be flying over my area tomorrow late evening. Probably wont be dark enough to see it.

If its clear and its going to be flying over your area get out there and check it out! You will be able to see it with your naked eye! No telescope needed. Its pretty bright!

CS!

satelite tracker

This is a nice site to see where and when satellites will be flying over. Its really easy just put in your zip-code for the US and Canada. and it will show you what satellite is flying over and when. how high what direction to look everything you need to know! check it out its free!

satellite tracker

Moon, Jupiter and Venus! Photos!

Last night I really wanted to see the Conjunction of the moon, Jupiter and Venus, but it was cloudy and by the time it cleared they were below the horizon. However tonight it was clear and I got some images! they are not as close as last night, but still pretty cool. I took these images with a Panasonic 35mm digital camera.



little closer.

click on image to enlarge

Moon, Jupiter and Venus!

Well the Moon, Jupiter and Venus will be lined up very nicely for the next few days! It will be a great sight. If clear skies check it out. on December 1st all three will be very close together.

Here are some images I grabbed from starry night.

Nov. 29th

click to enlarge

Nov. 30th

click to enlarge

Dec. 1st

click to enlarge

Endeavour & ISS

Endeavour & ISS (International Space Station) are separating and they will be next to each other for awhile. If you have clear skies check it out! You can put you zip-code into This and it will tell you what satellites are going to be going over your sky and when. Its really nice. Astonmers say Endeavour will look as bright as Jupiter, and the ISS will be as bright as Venus. The Endeavour separated from the ISS yesterday Nov. 28th and will be landing Nov. 30th if its clear get out there and check it out it should look cool. Unfortunately its cloudy for me, but hopefully it will be clear for you!



Click to enlarge
Picture taken by Janusz Krysiak

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

May you all have a blessed day! And some clear skies!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

getting headlines!

The video from spaceweather.com i posted Friday about the fireball, well its getting headlines everywhere. and they have alot of video of it. Here is a picture taken from a police dashcam.



astronomers are saying this meteorite/meteoroid was no larger then a basketball.

fireball <---- from foxnews.