Friday 24 September 2010

You know you're a Deep Sky Observer when...

Astronomy observation help
  1. You consider the moon a major annoyance.
  2. You consider Jupiter 'light pollution'.
  3. You consider meteors 'light pollution'.
  4. You consider the Milky Way 'light pollution'.
  5. You contemplate ways of destroying the Earth because it's in the way.
  6. You pack Dry Ice around your head to reduce the "noise" from your retina and optic nerve.
  7. You refuse to use the ladder with your 20" f/6 at the Winter Star Party stating, "If I use that, the objects are too far north."
  8. You consider the H-II regions of distant galaxies as individual observing targets.
  9. You spend most of your time looking at or for objects you can barely see.
  10. Your favorite objects are objects you can barely see.


    Click for the rest of the list..
101.  You see the letters "sex" and your first thought is of the constellation sextans!

Wednesday 22 September 2010

ISS oor Bloemfontein

Use Heavens Above to track satellites

Try out the Orbitron software


ISS - Visible Passes from Heavans Above

Search period start: 00:00 Wednesday, 22 September, 2010
Search period end: 00:00 Saturday, 2 October, 2010
Observer's location: Westdene - Bloemfontein, 29.1022°S, 26.2110°E
Local time zone: South African Standard Time (UTC + 2:00)
Orbit: 351 x 360 km, 51.6° (Epoch Sep 22)
Click on the date to get a star chart and other pass details.

DateMagStartsMax. altitudeEnds
TimeAlt.Az.TimeAlt.Az.TimeAlt.Az.
22 Sep-2.405:20:2316W 05:21:5926NW 05:24:3010N
22 Sep-0.320:07:3610NW 20:07:3910NW 20:07:3910NW
23 Sep-0.904:16:2316NE 04:16:2316NE 04:17:0510NE
23 Sep-2.619:00:0310NNW19:02:4229NE 19:03:5022E
24 Sep-2.619:27:0410WNW19:29:5946SW 19:31:3422SSE
25 Sep-2.918:19:1410NNW18:22:0137NE 18:24:5110ESE
25 Sep-0.319:56:0610WSW19:57:3213SW 19:58:5810S
26 Sep-2.018:46:2810WNW18:49:1737SW 18:52:0810SSE
27 Sep-0.119:16:0010SW 19:16:4911SW 19:17:3810SSW


Tuesday 21 September 2010

Astronomy Picture of the Day



Click on image to enlarge

Opposite the Sun

Image Credit & Copyright: Babak Tafreshi (TWAN)
Explanation: Chances are the brightest star you've seen lately is actually planet Jupiter. Jupiter rules the sky in this labeled view of a starry September night from the Alborz mountains in Iran, complete with the trail of a red flashlight illuminating the mountain road. On September 21st (Universal Time) Jupiter will be at opposition, the point opposite the Sun along its orbit, rising just as the Sun sets. For this opposition, Jupiter will be slightly brighter and closer to planet Earth than in any year since 1963. Much fainter and also approaching its own opposition on September 21st, is the distant planet Uranus. Very near Jupiter on the sky, the fainter planet is easy to spot in binoculars (similar to the inset view), well above and right of brilliant Jupiter and about as bright as one of Jupiter's own Galilean moons. Remarkably close to the opposition of both planets, the point on the sky exactly opposite the Sun on September 23rd is marked the Vernal Equinox. On that date, a Full Moon will join the celestial scene. Of course, any Full Moon is also at opposition.

Monday 20 September 2010

Nog Astrofoto's uit Bloemfontein deur Herman Bonnet

My poging met M27 in Vulpecia .My" tracking" was uit,die wind het gewaai ,maar ek kon 25 min kry.
Die eerste keer 'n EOS CLS light pollution filter gebruik .Die verskil is dramaties.Ek het geen" flats" ,"darks" of "bias frames" gebruik nie.Het te laat by die huis gekom en dit sou te lank neem.Kamera :Canon 400d met eos cls clip filter,Skywatcher equinox 120mm refraktor,skywatcher eq 6 pro
Foto: Herman Bonnet
ASSA Bloemfontein
Horsehead nebula, Barnard 33, IC434, NGC2023 in Orion
Geneem op 19/12/2009
Canon 400D
Skywatcher eq6 pro
William Optics Zenithstar 80mm refractor
40 min exposure
Foto: Herman Bonnet
ASSA Bloemfontein
Helix Nebula,NGC7293 in Aquarius
Geneem 07/09//2010
Skywatcher equinox 120 mmrefractor
Skywatcher eq6 pro
Astronomik cls light pollution filter
Canon 400D
60 min exposure
darks ,flats,bias frames
Foto: Herman Bonnet
ASSA Bloemfontein

Closest Encounter with Jupiter until 2022


Sept. 20/21 2010:  Been outside at midnight lately? There's something you really need to see. Jupiter is approaching Earth for the closest encounter between the two planets in more than a decade--and it is dazzling.
The night of closest approach is Sept. 20-21st. This is also called "the night of opposition" because Jupiter will be opposite the sun, rising at sunset and soaring overhead at midnight. Among all denizens of the midnight sky, only the Moon itself will be brighter.

Source: NASA Science

Sunday 19 September 2010

Opeaand by Boyden-sterrewag, Bloemfontein - RSG opname vir Sterre en Planete



Klik op die foto's om te vergroot
Foto bo: Daar's hy. Die Hubble ruimte teleskoop sorg altyd vir groot opgewondenheid tydens ope-aande by Boyden-sterrewag.

Foto middel: Thinus van der Merwe, Prof Matie Hoffman en Hennie Maas aan die gesels tydens `n opname van die gewilde Sterre en Planete-program wat Donderdagaande om 20:30 op die lug is.

Foto onder: Die gehoor luister aandagtig terwyl die opname gemaak word. 

Foto's: Hannes Pieterse

Telescope Dealers in South Africa


Techno Pro
Tel: +27-11-792-6034      Facsimile: +27-11-792-6755
E-Mail: astro@technopro.co.za
Online Shop: shop.technopro.co.za
Internet: http://www.technopro.co.za/

 PhotoWeb SA
Contact Dennis du Plooy
Tel: (011) 888-8858
E-Mail: contact@photowebsa.co.za 
Internet: http://www.photowebsa.co.za/
 

Foton Optoelectronics
Tel: +27 11 787-4375 Or call Oleg : 082-680-4700
E-Mail : sales@foton.co.za 

Eridanus Optics CC 
Contact Andrie van der Linde
Tel: 083 632 4898
Telescope SA
Paul 082 823 7384 (Cape Town)
Dave 083 625 7833 (Gauteng)

25 September, Smithfield: Die moontlikheid van lewe binne ons eie sonnestelsel


RePost

Plek: Pigout Restaurant
Adres: Smithfield
Datum: 25 September 2010
Tyd: 19H00
Koste: R75 vir volwassenes en R50 vir kinders
Program: Sterre kyk voor die maan opkom en praatjie.
Tema: Die moontlikheid van lewe binne ons eie sonnestelsel
Ingeluit by die toegang: Lekker sop en ciabatta en wyn en koeldrank
130 km van Bloemfontein. Hier is gastehuise waar mense kan oorslaap as hulle wil.

Bring ook julle teleskope saam. Die sterre is baie mooi hier.

Werk wat by die sentrum gedoen word: Radiowaarnemings. Navorsing op die son en Jupiter. Die belangrikste werk is navorsing in die 1.4GHz waterstoflyn waar vir enige tekens van ET gesoek word.

Bespreek vooraf


Kontakinligting
:
Henk Swanepoel
UFO Research Centre

Smithfield
Tel: (051) 683-0498
E-pos: uforesearch@smithfield.co.za