Space and astronomy news
Back out to the astrosphere. Let’s see what’s out there. Today’s amateur astrophoto is from Bad Astronomy/Universe Today forum member clop. It’s a beautiful shot of the globular cluster Omega Centauri. You can see this and a photo of M83 in the forum. First off, Emily Lakdawalla from the Planetary Society debunks the discovery of …
Follow me as we travel around the astrosphere, finding cool blogs and websites. First up. astrophotographer Damian Peach (who contributed many photos to What’s Up) has put together an animation of Mars images providing a full rotation of the planet. Thanks for Chris Lintott’s Universe for the link. NASASpaceflight.com is reporting that most leaders of …
Astrophotography is an exhilarating pastime. Thanks to the digital revolution in amateur astronomy, taking deep space images is less of the almost overwhelming challenge it was just a handful of years ago. Today, with a modest telescope and digital camera, thousands of enthusiasts are producing beautiful images of galaxies and nebulas. However, one final hurdle …
Continue reading “Book Review: Astronomical Image Processing Tutorials by Donald P. Waid”
Astronomy has many unfair advantages over the other natural sciences because it captures elements of travel, adventure and discovery. One glimpse through eyepiece filled with thousands of previously unseen stars has lured many casual observers into a head-over-heels love affair with the night sky that remains with them for the rest of their life. The …
Continue reading “Book Review: Making Every Pixel Count, Vol. 1-3”
Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! We’ll start off the week in living color and end it fishing for galaxies in Pices. Along the way, we’ll have a look at the dark side as we study obscuration nebula… and you won’t have to say “Betelguese” three times to study this bright star! If you were disappointed in missing …
Continue reading “What’s Up this Week: December 11 – December 17, 2006”
I don’t know about you, but I wasn’t able to watch the Mercury transit directly. Fortunately, our hardworking friends in the Bad Astronomy/Universe Today Forum were outside with telescopes and cameras rolling. There are some still photographs, some mosaics of the transit, and some movies.
Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! As the week opens, we’re treated to several lovely views of the waning Moon and the bright winter objects just before dawn. Early evening dark skies mean an opportunity to galaxy hunt and study planetary nebulae. Mark your calendar to enjoy a weekend meteor shower, too! It’s time to dust off the …
Continue reading “What’s Up this Week: September 18 – September 24, 2006”
M83: “The Southern Pinwheel”. Image credit: Bill Schoening/NOAO/AURA/NSF. Click to enlarge. Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Let’s hope clear skies have returned to your area as we begin the week with a look at the incredible M83. As the Moon returns, we’ll study the features and be in for some excitement as it occults asteroid Vesta. Stay …
Continue reading “What’s Up This Week – May 29 – June 4, 2006”
Uranus and its faint ring system which was discovered this week in 1977. Image credit: NASA/JPL. Click to enlarge. If you haven’t had the chance to catch bright comet Pojmanski, the time is now. Head out this week to catch lunar features, bright stars and open clusters. Keep on looking because… Here’s what’s up! Monday, …
Continue reading “What’s Up This Week – March 6 – March 12, 2006”
There are many icons that represent the universe: brilliant stars, the rings of Saturn or something as familiar as Earth’s own Moon. But for many, one of the images that best symbolizes the awe and mystery of deep space is the haunting beauty of the Sombrero Galaxy, also known as M-104.