astronomy

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Sojourner
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astronomy

Post by Sojourner »

While I do not have a telescope or anything like that, I enjoy programs about the stars and our universe such as the program Through The Wormhole. Don't know if anyone here visits the Astonomy Picture of the Day website (apod) but there are some really great photos and interesting facts there. The vastness of our universe is mild boggling to me. Anyway, for those looking for something to occupy their mind on some of those endless nights the apod website might be an interesting one to visit.

link: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
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Polar Bear
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Re: astronomy

Post by Polar Bear »

A very beautiful picture.
Betty
https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/a ... 0/fulltext
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Sojourner
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Re: astronomy

Post by Sojourner »

At the bottom of each picture of the day there is and "Archive" tab which lists all the previous pod's. Anyway, the one for February 14th is kinda neat. If you're interested in that type of thing it's not a bad way to pass some time. Anyway, Feb.14th goes out to all of you.


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EeFall
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Re: astronomy

Post by EeFall »

I have been on APOD for years, there is also an app for it on my iphone. I change my backgrounds at work to different pictures from there, the one I have now was from a recent eclipse of the moon and instead of showing the eclipse it shows the shadow of the moon on the Earth. It was taken from an unmanned spacecraft, don't remember what it is researching, but it is a beautiful picture of Earth and was taken this month.

I have an 8" dobsonian telescope, very fun when I get a chance to use it. Saturn is my favorite as you can see easily the brightest moons around it including Titan which is a fantastic place. It rains methane and has many seas, lakes and rivers of the stuff. It is almost 300 below zero there (Fahrenheit). It is so cold that the land masses are water ice and would be similar to granite on earth.

Sojourner
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Re: astronomy

Post by Sojourner »

E, I am glad you are a kindred spirit. I think the pictures are often quite beautiful if not stunning. I enjoy the pictures that evoke pareidolia (the psychological phenomenon where people see recognizable shapes in clouds, rock formations, or otherwise unrelated objects or data). http://www.sci-news.com/astronomy/scien ... 01693.html As I mentioned, I am awestruck by the vastness of space and cannot grasp "millions of light years." The theorical prediction of Planet X is probably the most recent astronomical event that has caught my attention. Again the science behind this potential discovery is mind boggling. https://www.caltech.edu/news/caltech-re ... anet-49523

I am benignly jealous that you have a telescope. Happy star gazing.


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EeFall
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Re: astronomy

Post by EeFall »

Sojourner wrote:E, I am glad you are a kindred spirit. I think the pictures are often quite beautiful if not stunning. I enjoy the pictures that evoke pareidolia (the psychological phenomenon where people see recognizable shapes in clouds, rock formations, or otherwise unrelated objects or data). http://www.sci-news.com/astronomy/scien ... 01693.html As I mentioned, I am awestruck by the vastness of space and cannot grasp "millions of light years." The theorical prediction of Planet X is probably the most recent astronomical event that has caught my attention. Again the science behind this potential discovery is mind boggling. https://www.caltech.edu/news/caltech-re ... anet-49523

I am benignly jealous that you have a telescope. Happy star gazing.


Wishing all who visit here some peace this night


Yes, planet X sounds incredible I think they believe it is on a 25,000 year orbit. I also use BOINC (or they use my computer I should say) and have been running SETI@home since 1999 and over the years I have picked up four other projects including Einstein@home, cosmology@home, milkyway@home, and one called pogs that maps Galaxy shapes and locations. I read about planet X on a note at SETI.

Sojourner
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Re: astronomy

Post by Sojourner »

That is really cool. At one point I logged on to some astronomy site/program where an individual(s) can actively look a data/information on a volunteer basis. Can't remember what exactly you look for but there was a little tutorial etc. If you found something in the data that met certain criteria you would then flag that and it would be sent on to others for more critical analysis. Do you know what I'm referring to? Anyway, how cool would it be to actually find something! Wonder if they would name it after you i.e. rls28390!
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EeFall
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Re: astronomy

Post by EeFall »

BOINC has many projects like that, in fact I forgot about another one I am signed up for called asteroids@home. You share your computer so that they can do the calculations, you don't have to do anything yourself really but set it up. Most people set it up to work while you are not using the computer, mine runs pretty much 24 hours a day although I set it to Snooze when I am doing something like this, typing. You do get credit when they find stuff. My computers, my wife's is doing it too, has helped find and catalog hundreds of asteroids, galaxies, pulsars, even helped look for gravity waves. If my computer helps find ET someday then I will share the credit too. It is just fun for me to help with the projects having to do with astrophysics. There are other projects that have to do with health, earth science, and some wacky ideas too.

Sojourner
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Re: astronomy

Post by Sojourner »

E, Just saw this recently posted Ted Talk. It fits right in to what we were discussing and is fascinating. I like the term "citizen scientists" that the presenter uses. A bit "out there" but gosh do I enjoy that kind of stuff.

https://www.ted.com/talks/tabetha_boyaj ... e_universe


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Sojourner
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Re: astronomy

Post by Sojourner »

EeFall, Don't know if you saw the ad. on tv but there is a new 6 part series beginning tomorrow (Tuesday, 26th) on the Science Channel at 7 pm Eastern called Space's Deepest Secrets. I'm gonna give it a look-see.

Here's a link: http://www.space.com/32635-spaces-deepe ... annel.html
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