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| Frank Warner... |
 Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 7:07 pm |
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Guest
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I've been lurking here long enough to know there are a few good people.
Maybe you will be kind enough to help me out.
As I've grown older I find my sleeping habits have changed. Often in
bed by 8, up at 1 or 2 in the morning with not a lot to do except plunk
around on the internet. (Be patient, there's a point, and a question.)
A few months ago I stepped out into the back yard at 3 AM or so and was
astonished by the night sky.
I haven't really paid a lot of attention to the night sky during my
life. (Had other interests. Like sleeping. When do astronomers sleep?)
But here I was, awe-struck. Then, zoom! a shooting star! How cool was
THAT! Pretty soon, another one! Wow. This happens more often than I
thought.
So I found myself out on my patio more and more often. (I'm on the
central California coast.) We've had a LOT of cloudless skies lately.
Around mid-October I heard about something called the Orionids, a nice
meteor shower radiating out of the constellation Orion. Only I didn't
know where Orion was or how to find it. (See? Total noob.)
Googling around a bit I was able to pick out the correct pattern of
stars and found Orion. The meteor shower was a big hit. Loved it. Just
loved it. Some of those puppies leave nice trails in the sky, don't
they?
So now I'm looking for more information. Just basic stuff. What are the
other constellations? What are the names of the stars? Where are the
planets? What else is out there?
I found the link below, and it's helpful, but I wonder if there are
better guides to the night sky for someone like me. Something online
and preferably free. And simple. And Mac-friendly.
http://www.astroviewer.com/interactive-night-sky-map.php
Remember, total noob. Don't pull any of that astro lingo stuff on me
just yet. Wait until I've got my feet a little more wet.
-Frank
--
Here's some of my work:
http://www.franksknives.com/ |
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| VicXnews... |
| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 7:07 pm |
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Frank Warner <warnerf at (no spam) verizonDOTnet.net> wrote in news:181120091607207674%
warnerf at (no spam) verizonDOTnet.net:
[quote]I've been lurking here long enough to know there are a few good people.
Maybe you will be kind enough to help me out.
As I've grown older I find my sleeping habits have changed. Often in
bed by 8, up at 1 or 2 in the morning with not a lot to do except plunk
around on the internet. (Be patient, there's a point, and a question.)
A few months ago I stepped out into the back yard at 3 AM or so and was
astonished by the night sky.
I haven't really paid a lot of attention to the night sky during my
life. (Had other interests. Like sleeping. When do astronomers sleep?)
But here I was, awe-struck. Then, zoom! a shooting star! How cool was
THAT! Pretty soon, another one! Wow. This happens more often than I
thought.
So I found myself out on my patio more and more often. (I'm on the
central California coast.) We've had a LOT of cloudless skies lately.
Around mid-October I heard about something called the Orionids, a nice
meteor shower radiating out of the constellation Orion. Only I didn't
know where Orion was or how to find it. (See? Total noob.)
Googling around a bit I was able to pick out the correct pattern of
stars and found Orion. The meteor shower was a big hit. Loved it. Just
loved it. Some of those puppies leave nice trails in the sky, don't
they?
So now I'm looking for more information. Just basic stuff. What are the
other constellations? What are the names of the stars? Where are the
planets? What else is out there?
I found the link below, and it's helpful, but I wonder if there are
better guides to the night sky for someone like me. Something online
and preferably free. And simple. And Mac-friendly.
http://www.astroviewer.com/interactive-night-sky-map.php
Remember, total noob. Don't pull any of that astro lingo stuff on me
just yet. Wait until I've got my feet a little more wet.
-Frank
[/quote]
http://www.stellarium.org/ |
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| Chris L Peterson... |
| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 7:41 pm |
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On Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:07:20 -0800, Frank Warner
<warnerf at (no spam) verizonDOTnet.net> wrote:
[quote]So now I'm looking for more information. Just basic stuff. What are the
other constellations? What are the names of the stars? Where are the
planets? What else is out there?
[/quote]
There are a lot of good basic books about the sky to be found in any
bookstore. But I'd suggest that you use some of that early morning
Internet time to look around your area for an astronomy club. There's a
good chance you have a local one. If so, that's a great place to meet
like-minded people and learn about the sky, observing techniques, and
helpful equipment.
_________________________________________________
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com |
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| Frank... |
| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 8:42 pm |
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In article <he23j8$p1a$1 at (no spam) news.eternal-september.org>, VicXnews
<news at (no spam) news.com> wrote:
[quote]Frank Warner <warnerf at (no spam) verizonDOTnet.net> wrote in news:181120091607207674%
warnerf at (no spam) verizonDOTnet.net:
I found the link below, and it's helpful, but I wonder if there are
better guides to the night sky for someone like me. Something online
and preferably free. And simple. And Mac-friendly.
http://www.stellarium.org/
[/quote]
Omygosh. That is awesome. Thank you, my friend. Now I must go and play
.. . .
-Frank |
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| lal_truckee... |
| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 9:17 pm |
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Frank wrote:
[quote]In article <he23j8$p1a$1 at (no spam) news.eternal-september.org>, VicXnews
news at (no spam) news.com> wrote:
Frank Warner <warnerf at (no spam) verizonDOTnet.net> wrote in news:181120091607207674%
warnerf at (no spam) verizonDOTnet.net:
...And Mac-friendly.
http://www.stellarium.org/
Omygosh. That is awesome. Thank you, my friend. Now I must go and play
. . .
[/quote]
Stellarium is spectacular, but it's aimed at reproducing the star gazing
experience.
When you get into deep sky viewing and larger aperture telescopes you
might want to try Xephem and Cartes du Ciel AKA Sky Chart. |
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| Bob Lawblaw... |
| Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 6:16 pm |
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Start with a good pair of binoculars. 7 x 50's. and sky and telescope
magazine.
[quote]I've been lurking here long enough to know there are a few good people.
Maybe you will be kind enough to help me out.
As I've grown older I find my sleeping habits have changed. Often in
bed by 8, up at 1 or 2 in the morning with not a lot to do except plunk
around on the internet. (Be patient, there's a point, and a question.)
A few months ago I stepped out into the back yard at 3 AM or so and was
astonished by the night sky.
I haven't really paid a lot of attention to the night sky during my
life. (Had other interests. Like sleeping. When do astronomers sleep?)
But here I was, awe-struck. Then, zoom! a shooting star! How cool was
THAT! Pretty soon, another one! Wow. This happens more often than I
thought.
So I found myself out on my patio more and more often. (I'm on the
central California coast.) We've had a LOT of cloudless skies lately.
Around mid-October I heard about something called the Orionids, a nice
meteor shower radiating out of the constellation Orion. Only I didn't
know where Orion was or how to find it. (See? Total noob.)
Googling around a bit I was able to pick out the correct pattern of
stars and found Orion. The meteor shower was a big hit. Loved it. Just
loved it. Some of those puppies leave nice trails in the sky, don't
they?
So now I'm looking for more information. Just basic stuff. What are the
other constellations? What are the names of the stars? Where are the
planets? What else is out there?
I found the link below, and it's helpful, but I wonder if there are
better guides to the night sky for someone like me. Something online
and preferably free. And simple. And Mac-friendly.
http://www.astroviewer.com/interactive-night-sky-map.php
Remember, total noob. Don't pull any of that astro lingo stuff on me
just yet. Wait until I've got my feet a little more wet.
-Frank
--
Here's some of my work:
http://www.franksknives.com/[/quote] |
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| Ken S. Tucker... |
| Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 8:46 pm |
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On Nov 18, 4:07 pm, Frank Warner <warn... at (no spam) verizonDOTnet.net> wrote:
[quote]I've been lurking here long enough to know there are a few good people.
Maybe you will be kind enough to help me out.
As I've grown older I find my sleeping habits have changed. Often in
bed by 8, up at 1 or 2 in the morning with not a lot to do except plunk
around on the internet. (Be patient, there's a point, and a question.)
A few months ago I stepped out into the back yard at 3 AM or so and was
astonished by the night sky.
I haven't really paid a lot of attention to the night sky during my
life. (Had other interests. Like sleeping. When do astronomers sleep?)
But here I was, awe-struck. Then, zoom! a shooting star! How cool was
THAT! Pretty soon, another one! Wow. This happens more often than I
thought.
So I found myself out on my patio more and more often. (I'm on the
central California coast.) We've had a LOT of cloudless skies lately.
Around mid-October I heard about something called the Orionids, a nice
meteor shower radiating out of the constellation Orion. Only I didn't
know where Orion was or how to find it. (See? Total noob.)
Googling around a bit I was able to pick out the correct pattern of
stars and found Orion. The meteor shower was a big hit. Loved it. Just
loved it. Some of those puppies leave nice trails in the sky, don't
they?
So now I'm looking for more information. Just basic stuff. What are the
other constellations? What are the names of the stars? Where are the
planets? What else is out there?
I found the link below, and it's helpful, but I wonder if there are
better guides to the night sky for someone like me. Something online
and preferably free. And simple. And Mac-friendly.
http://www.astroviewer.com/interactive-night-sky-map.php
Remember, total noob. Don't pull any of that astro lingo stuff on me
just yet. Wait until I've got my feet a little more wet.
-Frank
[/quote]
Here's one we've been using,
http://www.skyviewcafe.com/skyview.php?version=4
Get a pair of 7x35 binoculars.
[quote]Here's some of my work:http://www.franksknives.com/
[/quote]
Nice knife(s), we get pens from this site,
http://www.browncountyshops.com/
Ken |
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| Chris.B... |
| Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 10:51 pm |
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Guest
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In article <181120091607207674%warnerf at (no spam) verizonDOTnet.net>,
Frank Warner <warnerf at (no spam) verizonDOTnet.net> wrote:
[quote]I've been lurking here long enough to know there are a few good people.
Maybe you will be kind enough to help me out.
As I've grown older I find my sleeping habits have changed. Often in
bed by 8, up at 1 or 2 in the morning with not a lot to do except plunk
around on the internet. (Be patient, there's a point, and a question.)
A few months ago I stepped out into the back yard at 3 AM or so and was
astonished by the night sky.
I haven't really paid a lot of attention to the night sky during my
life. (Had other interests. Like sleeping. When do astronomers sleep?)
But here I was, awe-struck. Then, zoom! a shooting star! How cool was
THAT! Pretty soon, another one! Wow. This happens more often than I
thought.
So I found myself out on my patio more and more often. (I'm on the
central California coast.) We've had a LOT of cloudless skies lately.
Around mid-October I heard about something called the Orionids, a nice
meteor shower radiating out of the constellation Orion. Only I didn't
know where Orion was or how to find it. (See? Total noob.)
Googling around a bit I was able to pick out the correct pattern of
stars and found Orion. The meteor shower was a big hit. Loved it. Just
loved it. Some of those puppies leave nice trails in the sky, don't
they?
So now I'm looking for more information. Just basic stuff. What are the
other constellations? What are the names of the stars? Where are the
planets? What else is out there?
I found the link below, and it's helpful, but I wonder if there are
better guides to the night sky for someone like me. Something online
and preferably free. And simple. And Mac-friendly.
http://www.astroviewer.com/interactive-night-sky-map.php
Remember, total noob. Don't pull any of that astro lingo stuff on me
just yet. Wait until I've got my feet a little more wet.
-Frank
[/quote]
please make a small donation to the dennis bishop memorial fund
the sci astro amateur group welcomes you to join in the discussions
this site takes paypal
http://tinyurl.com/as5ufc
shitetard my tard your tard our tard spammertard
wagontard clomping around on his prosthetic hockey puck foot
with his trusty radio flyer toy wagon in tow together they would fly like the wind
up 20th st to the local off license squeek clomp hobble clomp squeak squeak clomp
wangdoodletard wonkytard barmytard wankertard tinkytard gerbiltard
twonk twonk buh bye tard buh bye |
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| Martin R. Howell... |
| Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 10:59 pm |
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[quote]shitetard my tard your tard our tard spammertard
wagontard clomping around on his prosthetic hockey puck foot
with his trusty radio flyer toy wagon in tow together they would fly like the wind
up 20th st to the local off license squeek clomp hobble clomp squeak squeak clomp
wangdoodletard wonkytard barmytard wankertard tinkytard gerbiltard
twonk twonk buh bye tard buh bye
[/quote]
So now that you have put this repetitive crap up once again, are you
somehow better off? Are you nearer accomplishing whatever screwed up goal
you may have? Are you capable of no more than this? Are you proud of
yourself? I'll say it again. You are a one-trick pony irrelevant jerk.
--
Martin R. Howell |
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| ... |
| Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 1:21 am |
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Guest
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On Nov 18, 7:07 pm, Frank Warner <warn... at (no spam) verizonDOTnet.net> wrote:
[quote]I've been lurking here long enough to know there are a few good people.
Maybe you will be kind enough to help me out.
As I've grown older I find my sleeping habits have changed. Often in
bed by 8, up at 1 or 2 in the morning with not a lot to do except plunk
around on the internet. (Be patient, there's a point, and a question.)
A few months ago I stepped out into the back yard at 3 AM or so and was
astonished by the night sky.
I haven't really paid a lot of attention to the night sky during my
life. (Had other interests. Like sleeping. When do astronomers sleep?)
But here I was, awe-struck. Then, zoom! a shooting star! How cool was
THAT! Pretty soon, another one! Wow. This happens more often than I
thought.
So I found myself out on my patio more and more often. (I'm on the
central California coast.) We've had a LOT of cloudless skies lately.
Around mid-October I heard about something called the Orionids, a nice
meteor shower radiating out of the constellation Orion. Only I didn't
know where Orion was or how to find it. (See? Total noob.)
Googling around a bit I was able to pick out the correct pattern of
stars and found Orion. The meteor shower was a big hit. Loved it. Just
loved it. Some of those puppies leave nice trails in the sky, don't
they?
So now I'm looking for more information. Just basic stuff. What are the
other constellations? What are the names of the stars? Where are the
planets? What else is out there?
I found the link below, and it's helpful, but I wonder if there are
better guides to the night sky for someone like me. Something online
and preferably free. And simple. And Mac-friendly.
http://www.astroviewer.com/interactive-night-sky-map.php
Remember, total noob. Don't pull any of that astro lingo stuff on me
just yet. Wait until I've got my feet a little more wet.
-Frank
--
Here's some of my work:http://www.franksknives.com/[/quote] |
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| ... |
| Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 1:27 am |
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On Nov 18, 7:07 pm, Frank Warner <warn... at (no spam) verizonDOTnet.net> wrote:
[quote]I've been lurking here long enough to know there are a few good people.
Maybe you will be kind enough to help me out.
As I've grown older I find my sleeping habits have changed. Often in
bed by 8, up at 1 or 2 in the morning with not a lot to do except plunk
around on the internet. (Be patient, there's a point, and a question.)
A few months ago I stepped out into the back yard at 3 AM or so and was
astonished by the night sky.
I haven't really paid a lot of attention to the night sky during my
life. (Had other interests. Like sleeping. When do astronomers sleep?)
But here I was, awe-struck. Then, zoom! a shooting star! How cool was
THAT! Pretty soon, another one! Wow. This happens more often than I
thought.
So I found myself out on my patio more and more often. (I'm on the
central California coast.) We've had a LOT of cloudless skies lately.
Around mid-October I heard about something called the Orionids, a nice
meteor shower radiating out of the constellation Orion. Only I didn't
know where Orion was or how to find it. (See? Total noob.)
Googling around a bit I was able to pick out the correct pattern of
stars and found Orion. The meteor shower was a big hit. Loved it. Just
loved it. Some of those puppies leave nice trails in the sky, don't
they?
So now I'm looking for more information. Just basic stuff. What are the
other constellations? What are the names of the stars? Where are the
planets? What else is out there?
I found the link below, and it's helpful, but I wonder if there are
better guides to the night sky for someone like me. Something online
and preferably free. And simple. And Mac-friendly.
http://www.astroviewer.com/interactive-night-sky-map.php
Remember, total noob. Don't pull any of that astro lingo stuff on me
just yet. Wait until I've got my feet a little more wet.
[/quote]
If you can get hold of a decent telescope, the "noobness" will wear
off very quickly. Try Orion Telescopes for starters.
Astronomy clubs can be a big help, but the size, expense and
sophistication of some the telescopes and equipment that you might
encounter can be a bit overwhelming. |
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| Dennis Woos... |
| Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 8:34 am |
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[quote]Astronomy clubs can be a big help, but the size, expense and
sophistication of some the telescopes and equipment that you might
encounter can be a bit overwhelming.
[/quote]
I am always concerned/disappointed when I hear folks newly interested in
astronomy talk about purchasing equipment, and especially the all too common
"and I might be interested in astrophotography". I am glad that the original
poster doesn't sound like this is weighing too heavily. A lot of folks
suggest starting out by taking small steps - binos, planishere and simple
astro guide, and I think that this is the best advice. Free software is also
great, including "Where is M13". It is true that at an astro club one is
exposed to a lot of high-end and expensive gear. However, in our club there
is also a lot of more modest observing and telescope building going on. In
fact, the most accomplished observer uses binos almost exclusively, and the
best performing scopes are mostly homemade. The most valuable asset is
getting out under a dark sky, so it may be that finding more of that is
where one should concentrate one's resources!
Dennis |
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| Ken S. Tucker... |
| Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 10:55 am |
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Hey there post topper...
On Nov 20, 9:01 am, "Bob Lawblaw" <B... at (no spam) nospam.com> wrote:
[quote]7 x 35's!!?? Naaaaaaa....7 x 50's !! It's about aperture vs. FOV.
[/quote]
Nope, I've got 7x50, beauts, but nearing age 60 me pupils are not
open enough, it's a standard aging thing, besides, do the math and
you'll find the weight (and steadiness) of 50's may not be worth the
slight view increment.
Might be better to go to electronic image enhancement anyway.
Ken
[quote]warn... at (no spam) verizonDOTnet.net> wrote:
I've been lurking here long enough to know there are a few good people.
Maybe you will be kind enough to help me out.
As I've grown older I find my sleeping habits have changed. Often in
bed by 8, up at 1 or 2 in the morning with not a lot to do except plunk
around on the internet. (Be patient, there's a point, and a question.)
A few months ago I stepped out into the back yard at 3 AM or so and was
astonished by the night sky.
I haven't really paid a lot of attention to the night sky during my
life. (Had other interests. Like sleeping. When do astronomers sleep?)
But here I was, awe-struck. Then, zoom! a shooting star! How cool was
THAT! Pretty soon, another one! Wow. This happens more often than I
thought.
So I found myself out on my patio more and more often. (I'm on the
central California coast.) We've had a LOT of cloudless skies lately.
Around mid-October I heard about something called the Orionids, a nice
meteor shower radiating out of the constellation Orion. Only I didn't
know where Orion was or how to find it. (See? Total noob.)
Googling around a bit I was able to pick out the correct pattern of
stars and found Orion. The meteor shower was a big hit. Loved it. Just
loved it. Some of those puppies leave nice trails in the sky, don't
they?
So now I'm looking for more information. Just basic stuff. What are the
other constellations? What are the names of the stars? Where are the
planets? What else is out there?
I found the link below, and it's helpful, but I wonder if there are
better guides to the night sky for someone like me. Something online
and preferably free. And simple. And Mac-friendly.
http://www.astroviewer.com/interactive-night-sky-map.php
Remember, total noob. Don't pull any of that astro lingo stuff on me
just yet. Wait until I've got my feet a little more wet.
-Frank
Here's one we've been using,
http://www.skyviewcafe.com/skyview.php?version=4
Get a pair of 7x35 binoculars.
Here's some of my work:http://www.franksknives.com/
Nice knife(s), we get pens from this site,
http://www.browncountyshops.com/
Ken[/quote] |
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| Bob Lawblaw... |
| Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 12:01 pm |
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7 x 35's!!?? Naaaaaaa....7 x 50's !! It's about aperture vs. FOV.
<warn... at (no spam) verizonDOTnet.net> wrote:
[quote]I've been lurking here long enough to know there are a few good people.
Maybe you will be kind enough to help me out.
As I've grown older I find my sleeping habits have changed. Often in
bed by 8, up at 1 or 2 in the morning with not a lot to do except plunk
around on the internet. (Be patient, there's a point, and a question.)
A few months ago I stepped out into the back yard at 3 AM or so and was
astonished by the night sky.
I haven't really paid a lot of attention to the night sky during my
life. (Had other interests. Like sleeping. When do astronomers sleep?)
But here I was, awe-struck. Then, zoom! a shooting star! How cool was
THAT! Pretty soon, another one! Wow. This happens more often than I
thought.
So I found myself out on my patio more and more often. (I'm on the
central California coast.) We've had a LOT of cloudless skies lately.
Around mid-October I heard about something called the Orionids, a nice
meteor shower radiating out of the constellation Orion. Only I didn't
know where Orion was or how to find it. (See? Total noob.)
Googling around a bit I was able to pick out the correct pattern of
stars and found Orion. The meteor shower was a big hit. Loved it. Just
loved it. Some of those puppies leave nice trails in the sky, don't
they?
So now I'm looking for more information. Just basic stuff. What are the
other constellations? What are the names of the stars? Where are the
planets? What else is out there?
I found the link below, and it's helpful, but I wonder if there are
better guides to the night sky for someone like me. Something online
and preferably free. And simple. And Mac-friendly.
http://www.astroviewer.com/interactive-night-sky-map.php
Remember, total noob. Don't pull any of that astro lingo stuff on me
just yet. Wait until I've got my feet a little more wet.
-Frank
Here's one we've been using,
http://www.skyviewcafe.com/skyview.php?version=4
Get a pair of 7x35 binoculars.
Here's some of my work:http://www.franksknives.com/
Nice knife(s), we get pens from this site,
http://www.browncountyshops.com/
Ken[/quote] |
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| Howard Lester... |
| Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 1:51 pm |
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"Bob Lawblaw" wrote
[quote]7 x 35's!!?? Naaaaaaa....7 x 50's !! It's about aperture vs. FOV.
[/quote]
When it comes to viewing stars and the rest of the night sky, 8 x 42's are
even better. The more magnification, the more stars seen, and 8 x 42's (or 8
x 40's, whatever) are more versatile all-around instruments. 7 x50's were
the most recommended many years ago, but this is the 21st century. ;-)
Howard |
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