The Official Space and Astronomy Thread v. Well, this is weird.

[Implode]

I shot at 200mm on a tripod with a 1 second exposure, 400 ISO I think, at f/2.8. Manually focusing was a pain for sure.

Why were you stopped all the way down to f/10? Even most kit tele lenses open up to f/5.6.

[MirrorMask]

It was too early in the morning where I live... at least I saw it yesterday all big and shiny and yellowish, and even this morning it was still quite big and bright as I was going to work!

Also I have now a moon shaped lamp on my desk, which changes colors, it's quite cool actually, I saw it online and I couldn't resist buying it 

[Architeuthis]

I hear you. I only have a 200mm as well. Need to shell out to get a 200-500 one of these days.

I took a pic though!

That's a really great shot!  Very clear and detailed of the moon, and the stars show up nicely. I seriously need to invest in a good camera.

[faizoff]

I shot at 200mm on a tripod with a 1 second exposure, 400 ISO I think, at f/2.8. Manually focusing was a pain for sure.

Why were you stopped all the way down to f/10? Even most kit tele lenses open up to f/5.6.

I took shots at many different settings but after I uploaded them to my computer saw the stops at 5.6 and lower were all out of focus. So the marginally good focus one was what I posted.

[Implode]

Ah fair enough. It is a pain to manually focus on night sky objects. I took like 30-40 shots I think, refocusing every few and adjusting settings. That was the best one I think.

[cramx3]

Awesome pic Implode

Here are my before and after shots, and the after is not that great sicne my camera does not do well in the low light, and it was pretty tough to see this with my own eyes too.

[gmillerdrake]

Saw this on Reddit. It's an area in the universe they call the Bootes void. There are no galaxies in this area that is 330 Million light years wide. Just another fascinating thing about the universe to add to the countless others.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

That's cool! Had a google, apparently the KBC void is the largest known void of 2 billion light years wide followed by 'The Giant Nothing' 1.8 billion and the 'Giant Void' 1.3 billion.
I love the names. 

[MirrorMask]

Didn't know that! yes, indeed the universe is so full of many weird and fascinating thing. I wondered what the hell even happened there, to create such a void!

[Polarbear]

Didn't know that! yes, indeed the universe is so full of many weird and fascinating thing. I wondered what the hell even happened there, to create such a void!

I don't even want to think about it...

But yeah, still a beautiful picture.

[Chino]

Awesome pic Implode

Here are my before and after shots, and the after is not that great sicne my camera does not do well in the low light, and it was pretty tough to see this with my own eyes too.

*Moon pics*

My favorite part about these two photos is the rotation of the moon between them.

[Lonk]

Didn't know that! yes, indeed the universe is so full of many weird and fascinating thing. I wondered what the hell even happened there, to create such a void!

There are some people who believe those spots represent areas where our universe "collided with another universe". Though I don't subscribe to those believe it's still fascinating to think about.

[cramx3]

My favorite part about these two photos is the rotation of the moon between them.

Yea I thought that was cool too, and I was looking at Implode's picture and seeing how his moon was rotated from mine too

And the Voids are really interesting to think about, but geeze is it also kind of startling of that vast seemingly nothingness. 

[El Barto]

Didn't know that! yes, indeed the universe is so full of many weird and fascinating thing. I wondered what the hell even happened there, to create such a void!

There are some people who believe those spots represent areas where our universe "collided with another universe". Though I don't subscribe to those believe it's still fascinating to think about.

Based on my five minutes of astronomical research, I'd speculate that nothing whatsoever happened to create anything. There are still plenty of galaxies in there. There just aren't enough, close enough to create the glow we see all around it. Moreover, to get that glow we're seeing all of these galaxies in 3 dimensions. We're probably just pointing a camera to a position where there'e not a significant alignment of galaxies. If you walk along the edge of a forest there will be places where you see solid tree, places where you can see somewhat deep into the forest, and a couple of places where you can see the other side, even though there's probably a uniform consistency of trees. In a few billions years when the parallax has changed enough it'll probably look like the rest of the known universe, and new voids will have appeared.

[Lonk]

So apparently, a meteorite hit the moon while the eclipse was happening.

https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/watch-moon-get-rocked-meteorite-during-weekend-s-lunar-eclipse-ncna961441

[Phoenix87x]

If you want a cool conversation about the size and scope of the universe, here goes Physicist Brian Cox on Joe Rogan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wieRZoJSVtw

You may have to go back to the beginning of the video.

[Chino]

If you want a cool conversation about the size and scope of the universe, here goes Physicist Brian Cox on Joe Rogan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wieRZoJSVtw

You may have to go back to the beginning of the video.

I can't wait to watch that later. I'm a huge fan of Brian Cox and his "Wonders of the ______" series.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2012/02/06/146490064/remembering-roger-boisjoly-he-tried-to-stop-shuttle-challenger-launch?fbclid=IwAR1voQB4HWpDqotoJuGxYYe-905o218sQGED6REGOA82g1d4U80rkscB7cY

The explosion of Challenger and the deaths of its crew, including Teacher-in Space Christa McAuliffe, traumatized the nation and left Boisjoly disabled by severe headaches, steeped in depression and unable to sleep. When I visited him at his Utah home in April of 1987, he was thin, tearful and tense. He huddled in the corner of a couch, his arms tightly folded on his chest.

"I'm very angry that nobody listened," Boisjoly told me. And he asked himself, he said, if he could have done anything different. But then a flash of certainty returned.

"We were talking to the right people," he said. "We were talking to the people who had the power to stop that launch."

Boisjoly testified before the Challenger Commission and filed unsuccessful lawsuits against Thiokol and NASA. He continued to suffer and was ostracized by some of his colleagues. One said he'd drop his kids on Boisjoly's doorstep if they all lost their jobs, according to his wife Roberta.

"He took it very hard," she recalls. "He had always been held in such high esteem and it hurt so bad when they wouldn't listen to him."

The story is nothing new but it's sad to hear how that haunted him for the rest of his life.

[Orbert]

I remember reading about some anonymous engineer(s) who worked on the shuttle, and how they'd tried to warn the powers-that-be.  The NPR article provides the details to a story I was already pretty sure I'd guessed.  Obviously something went very wrong, and it seemed basically impossible that nobody had any idea.  Therefore someone did know, and of course they'd tried to warn them.  Boisjoly didn't just try to warn them; he did, and NASA basically said "Nah, rescheduling would be a hassle.  Let's do this anyway."  Fucking bean counters.

[Chino]

I always feel terrible for that guy, and I know it doesn't help, but he did all he could do.

[Chino]

3D printing an Apollo astronaut.

[El Barto]

I remember reading about some anonymous engineer(s) who worked on the shuttle, and how they'd tried to warn the powers-that-be.  The NPR article provides the details to a story I was already pretty sure I'd guessed.  Obviously something went very wrong, and it seemed basically impossible that nobody had any idea.  Therefore someone did know, and of course they'd tried to warn them.  Boisjoly didn't just try to warn them; he did, and NASA basically said "Nah, rescheduling would be a hassle.  Let's do this anyway."  Fucking bean counters.

Well, it was a little more than "rescheduling would be a hassle," but it was still highly flawed. NASA just has issues with complacency, and what the Apollo guys used to call go-fever. They look for reasons why what they do is safe, rather than why it's unsafe.

Boisjoly was the one raising flags, but his program director was the one pleading with NASA the night before. Al here now makes his living giving talks on ethics. Short but excellent interview and describes very well what went down before, during, and after, including when Thiokol demoted him during the investigation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbtY_Wl-hYI

[millahh]

I remember reading about some anonymous engineer(s) who worked on the shuttle, and how they'd tried to warn the powers-that-be.  The NPR article provides the details to a story I was already pretty sure I'd guessed.  Obviously something went very wrong, and it seemed basically impossible that nobody had any idea.  Therefore someone did know, and of course they'd tried to warn them.  Boisjoly didn't just try to warn them; he did, and NASA basically said "Nah, rescheduling would be a hassle.  Let's do this anyway."  Fucking bean counters.

Well, it was a little more than "rescheduling would be a hassle," but it was still highly flawed. NASA just has issues with complacency, and what the Apollo guys used to call go-fever. They look for reasons why what they do is safe, rather than why it's unsafe.

Boisjoly was the one raising flags, but his program director was the one pleading with NASA the night before. Al here now makes his living giving talks on ethics. Short but excellent interview and describes very well what went down before, during, and after, including when Thiokol demoted him during the investigation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbtY_Wl-hYI

I'm assuming most of this crowd would have read it before, but if you haven't, Feynman's minority report on the Challenger explosion is an absolute must-read.

https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/51-l/docs/rogers-commission/Appendix-F.txt

[gmillerdrake]

If you want a cool conversation about the size and scope of the universe, here goes Physicist Brian Cox on Joe Rogan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wieRZoJSVtw

You may have to go back to the beginning of the video.

I can't wait to watch that later. I'm a huge fan of Brian Cox and his "Wonders of the ______" series.

I've been watching 15-20 minutes or so of this at a time each night the past few nights. Utterly fascinating stuff. And, the way he handles/approaches the 'God talk' is extremely respectful and not condescending....which is not a common occurrence among really smart people like this guy.  Seems like a legit good all around person.

[Chino]

If you want a cool conversation about the size and scope of the universe, here goes Physicist Brian Cox on Joe Rogan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wieRZoJSVtw

You may have to go back to the beginning of the video.

I can't wait to watch that later. I'm a huge fan of Brian Cox and his "Wonders of the ______" series.

I've been watching 15-20 minutes or so of this at a time each night the past few nights. Utterly fascinating stuff. And, the way he handles/approaches the 'God talk' is extremely respectful and not condescending....which is not a common occurrence among really smart people like this guy.  Seems like a legit good all around person.

Which series are you currently watching?

I think he's the closest living person we have to Carl Sagan in regards to presentation style and scientific expression/communication.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

If you want a cool conversation about the size and scope of the universe, here goes Physicist Brian Cox on Joe Rogan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wieRZoJSVtw

You may have to go back to the beginning of the video.

I can't wait to watch that later. I'm a huge fan of Brian Cox and his "Wonders of the ______" series.

I've been watching 15-20 minutes or so of this at a time each night the past few nights. Utterly fascinating stuff. And, the way he handles/approaches the 'God talk' is extremely respectful and not condescending....which is not a common occurrence among really smart people like this guy.  Seems like a legit good all around person.

Yea I really like Brian, he's probably one of my favourite science communicators.

[gmillerdrake]

If you want a cool conversation about the size and scope of the universe, here goes Physicist Brian Cox on Joe Rogan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wieRZoJSVtw

You may have to go back to the beginning of the video.

I can't wait to watch that later. I'm a huge fan of Brian Cox and his "Wonders of the ______" series.

I've been watching 15-20 minutes or so of this at a time each night the past few nights. Utterly fascinating stuff. And, the way he handles/approaches the 'God talk' is extremely respectful and not condescending....which is not a common occurrence among really smart people like this guy.  Seems like a legit good all around person.

Which series are you currently watching?

I think he's the closest living person we have to Carl Sagan in regards to presentation style and scientific expression/communication.

I just followed that link to the Joe Roegan interview. That’s the first I’ve ever heard of him.

[Chino]

If you want a cool conversation about the size and scope of the universe, here goes Physicist Brian Cox on Joe Rogan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wieRZoJSVtw

You may have to go back to the beginning of the video.

I can't wait to watch that later. I'm a huge fan of Brian Cox and his "Wonders of the ______" series.

I've been watching 15-20 minutes or so of this at a time each night the past few nights. Utterly fascinating stuff. And, the way he handles/approaches the 'God talk' is extremely respectful and not condescending....which is not a common occurrence among really smart people like this guy.  Seems like a legit good all around person.

Which series are you currently watching?

I think he's the closest living person we have to Carl Sagan in regards to presentation style and scientific expression/communication.

I just followed that link to the Joe Roegan interview. That’s the first I’ve ever heard of him.

Ahhh. Gotcha. He's got a couple of shows that I've watched probably a half dozen times each (late night in bed material):

- Wonders of the Universe:
- Wonders of the Solar System:
- Wonders of Life

All of them are excellent. I was just looking for them on Amazon and never realized they have a Blueray (dvd available) box set with all three series. I think I'm going to order it.

https://www.amazon.com/Collection-Wonders-System-Universe-Blu-ray/dp/B00GLXJWW2/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1549044094&sr=1-2&keywords=wonders+of+life 

Edit: That box set is region locked

[MirrorMask]

Opportunity, the rover that was operating on Mars since 2004, has ceased operations. The sandstorms in which it got involved  influenced its operativity and since last August it was no longer possible to reconnect to it.

RIP Opportunity, thanks for all the postcards from Mars!

[Lonk]

Don’t know why, but this hurts.

[Chino]

Can't really ask for anything more out of a machine. It did good.

Rover and out  

[El Barto]

I remember that when this started the ops crews that were supposed to keep them running were working on a 90 day plan. They were living off of junk food and planning for their next jobs as the rover program was clearly winding down. When days turned into years they didn't really have any sort of plan for it. Good problem to have, I suppose. Presumably at some point they were able to transition from cots and Doritos to something more like a real job. Certainly a big success story for JPL.

[Chino]

I remember that when this started the ops crews that were supposed to keep them running were working on a 90 day plan.

This is something I've been trying to read up on and can't find much (mainly because of all the articles posted yesterday). I highly doubt the rover was only "designed" to last for 90 days like a lot of the articles imply. If that was the case, the engineers would have saved weight and material anywhere they could, and the thing would have fallen apart well before the decade mark. The wheels would have been thin as paper and would have disintegrated long ago if the hardware was to last for only 90 days. Rather, I think the primary mission was only planned to last 90 days. The rover had to function at 100% capacity for at least that period of time, but I'm pretty sure the engineers and NASA were planning on being able to use certain instruments for years if they were able to obtain the funding. 

[El Barto]

I remember that when this started the ops crews that were supposed to keep them running were working on a 90 day plan.

This is something I've been trying to read up on and can't find much (mainly because of all the articles posted yesterday). I highly doubt the rover was only "designed" to last for 90 days like a lot of the articles imply. If that was the case, the engineers would have saved weight and material anywhere they could, and the thing would have fallen apart well before the decade mark. The wheels would have been thin as paper and would have disintegrated long ago if the hardware was to last for only 90 days. Rather, I think the primary mission was only planned to last 90 days. The rover had to function at 100% capacity for at least that period of time, but I'm pretty sure the engineers and NASA were planning on being able to use certain instruments for years if they were able to obtain the funding.

My take is that they weren't expecting to be able to power it beyond 90 days. The wind storms cleaning the solar panels was an unexpected bonus. Rather than shutting down once the first storm covered it with dust, it cleaned the panels and basically hit reset on the power supply. As for construction, they had to plan for it surviving in a very harsh environment. My hunch is that they built the thing to last 100 years. That just wasn't the limiting factor they were anticipating.

[Samsara]

Opportunity, the rover that was operating on Mars since 2004, has ceased operations. The sandstorms in which it got involved  influenced its operativity and since last August it was no longer possible to reconnect to it.

RIP Opportunity, thanks for all the postcards from Mars!

RIP OPP!

Man, what an incredible ride. Here's hoping we put people on Mars soon. Have to keep pushing.