deamonstar Posted August 31, 2003 Report Share Posted August 31, 2003 this past monday, I took my 5 year-old son to a suitable dark-sky location on the night of the new moon. it was an exceptionally clear and steady night. we set up the 8" eq newt and I let him "sight in" polaris. using the polar scope is his favorite... probably because it has a reticle and looks cooler. just as we were finishing the set up, two other people were driving by (it is an all hours wildlife preserve open to the public) and asked 'what is that bright orange thing up there?'... of course it was mars and I asked them if they wanted a peek. the two of them, father and pre-teen son, got out of their jeep cherokee and were impressed with my e-bay 'helios explorer' and its views of the red planet. but, I told them 'that is nothing', let me show you some of my favorites (I'm a dso kinda guy). I turned towards the double cluster and explained a bit about how dense the star-fields are... they were in awe. next we went to m-31 and they were equally impressed. after a minor discussion about our telescopes, they inquired about those scopes that advertise magnifying powers instead of 'size'. they were only slightly confused at first until I explained the way that 'powers' are calculated and how those 'cheap scopes' can't actually support those kind of magnifications. I then showed them a few things with my 10x50 binos. they had no idea how much binos helped out and were also impressed that they could see so much more than they expected with binos. after some more small chit-chat, they were on ther way.my son and I viewed a few more dso's in sagitarius and the milky way band, played around with my home-made laser collimator (that was the most fun for him), and then we too were on our way.I think I resparked intrest in this hobby for someone whom I have never met before, and likely never again, and also a new interest for my son... in just a few short hours of sharing something that belongs to all of us... the wonders of the night sky. I guess what I'm trying to say is... get out there and observe and if you can pass on a little bit of your love for astronomy and just maybe, you will have made another astronomer out of someone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syndicated Posted August 31, 2003 Report Share Posted August 31, 2003 Although looking at the sky through a telescope/binoculars provides more detail i think i get equal enjoyment from a clear sky and the naked eye. But good work either way, astronomy and skar gazing is an underated hobby that most people know nothing about! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tormod Posted September 1, 2003 Report Share Posted September 1, 2003 It is my great frustration that I have never got around to buying a telescope. My oldest daughter is now 2 and a half years old and I hope that perhaps next year I'll get around to it. I did get to see Mars this week, though - even though I had no binoculars or telescope it was quite a remarkable sight at midnight on Wednesday (Norwegian time). Clear skies and hardly any wind, it was an awesome view with a wonderful starry night and the brilliant Mars. You could almost see that it was a sphere (although I assume my imagination helped a bit)... Tormod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgeake Posted September 12, 2003 Report Share Posted September 12, 2003 You mention you might be seeing the disk of Mars at opposition with the unaided eye. That is likely an illusion, but here are some things you might try. If you would like a challenge, here is a planetary observation you may be able to make with just your eyes. When Venus gets very bright it is also very close, if you view it through binoculars or any 'scope, you will easily appreciate that under these conditions it is actually a crescent. Some people with very good sight claim to actually see this cresent without aid. My eyes are not nearly good enough, but yours may be. Here's another observation which might not be possible, but then again it might. Look at Jupiter with a good pair of binoculars and you may see all 4 gallelean moons. They usually shine at close to magnitude 6 and were it not for the bright planet they orbit, they would be visible to the naked, acclimated eye on a clear dark night. Just possibly you might be able to see them without aid, but I've never heard it reported. Some folks claim to be able to see some of the craters on the moon. At just the right phase, this might also be possilbe. (Though probably not at full. It's hard enough to see them with binoculars when its full.) About the best I can do is to resolve the double stars Alcor and Mizar in the handle of the big dipper, not very challenging to most people. Anciently this was considered a test for visual acuity, but perhaps they were closer to each other then. Have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah Posted September 12, 2003 Report Share Posted September 12, 2003 Know it is a little late, but sounds like you had a good night out deamonstar! From the way you sound, I'll take it you like that 8" Yes, even I was amazed how much I used my good set of binoculars that I got well after I had a 10". Just not much that can beat a good set of 'em. Except maybe a 12" bino-scope Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoNfuZD Posted September 25, 2003 Report Share Posted September 25, 2003 I was wondering if anyone could tell me what happens to the length of an object when it travels at the speed of light.please help me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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