Any Astronomers Out There [Archive]

Mr. Anderson

Aug 20, 2002, 07:24 PM

I have starry night pro and absolutely love it. Space.com has the monthly interesting spots to see and being able to take your TiPB out at night, put it in Night Mode (red screen) is very cool. I've even managed to see MIR - right before it went down and the ISS becuase its in the data base.

I do know that you can have the software drive a telescope to point it at anything you want to see (provided the telescope has the correct drive and board) But I'm not sure if that will work with a mac.

If you plan on getting some type of software that you want to be compatible with a particular telescope, that would be your first choice. We had a couple large Celestrons shipped up to Alaska for work that were quite nice, and that's definitely a great place to use one. Unfortunately they were used for Ionospheric observations, but I did go out and get a chance to play around with them before they were shipped. And I forget the name of the software that we were using - it was pc only.

But why med school after Astrophysics?

D

Gus

Aug 20, 2002, 07:45 PM

Hello there!

I was curious about a comment in your post. You said when you switch to night mode, "red screen"? Are you being sarcastic? I've never heard of a Red screen option. What is this?

Gus

Durandal7

Aug 20, 2002, 08:18 PM

Well, I'm not an astronomer but I know quite a bit on the subject since my brother has a doctorate in astrophysics.

He is currently doing his research at a nearby telescope in California. He used to travel out to Hawaii on an almost weekly basis but he decided that he didn't want to travel as much. And the nice thing is that almost the entire Astronomy department uses macs. :D

Mr. Anderson

Aug 20, 2002, 08:30 PM

Originally posted by Gus
Hello there!

I was curious about a comment in your post. You said when you switch to night mode, "red screen"? Are you being sarcastic? I've never heard of a Red screen option. What is this?

Gus

Its not a joke, its very cool. It turns the whole screen a light red - faded a bit in brightness so it doesn't kill your eyes. I tried doing a screen capture, but it didn't work, got the regular colors. But here's a photoshopped version, which pretty much should give you an idea what it looks like - and the Night Vision is selected in the drop down menu.

The only bad thing about the software is that its not available for OSX, yet. But hey, you can always boot up classic for this, its worth it.

D :D

Over Achiever

Aug 20, 2002, 09:53 PM

Originally posted by dukestreet
I have starry night pro and absolutely love it. Space.com has the monthly interesting spots to see and being able to take your TiPB out at night, put it in Night Mode (red screen) is very cool. I've even managed to see MIR - right before it went down and the ISS becuase its in the data base.

Wow, that night mode is a big plus...looking at a bright screen is killer for observations. I've seen ISS with my naked eye...its not hard to see when you know when and where to look.

But why med school after Astrophysics?

???
I'm applying to both med and grad school, both are stuff I like. If I get accepted to one or the other, I have an easy decision...if both accept it gets more complicated.

MacMaster

Aug 20, 2002, 10:06 PM

Yeah...I'm an astronomer, but I just do it for fun...btw I have an ETX-90 Meade telescope with the autostar...:)

Over Achiever

Aug 20, 2002, 10:29 PM

Originally posted by MacMaster
Yeah...I'm an astronomer, but I just do it for fun...btw I have an ETX-90 Meade telescope with the autostar...:)
Thats cool. Love your signature!;)

MacMaster

Aug 21, 2002, 12:20 AM

Originally posted by Over Achiever

Thats cool. Love your signature!;)
hehe...thanks!

kiwi_the_iwik

Aug 21, 2002, 03:17 AM

I remember before MIR went down, I was working for a TV station in Sydney as a cameraman - and one of my tasks was to film it in orbit using one of our studio cameras wheeled out into the carpark one night. Bollix, I thought...

But using a 70x1 Fujinon lens, you could clearly see the solar panels. Pity it was travelling so fast - tracking it was a right B'stard (especially with sporadic cloud). Those lenses are also great when filming the Moon - you can get damn close to the craters (and the directors used to love that shot when you offered it up during a Rugby or Cricket Outside Broadcast...).

One night, I was lying in bed around midnight, looking out the window, when I saw a bright object arcing in the sky quite quickly. My wife saw it too, and asked what it was. I knew it was a satellite, but she didn't believe me - luckily, earlier that week, I'd downloaded a demo program called MacDopplerProX, so I powered up the Cube and checked it out. After giving my location and time, it came up with a plot of the satellite in question - none other than the ISS.

It's nice when you can prove you're right...

:cool:

MacMaster

Aug 21, 2002, 11:17 AM

Originally posted by kiwi_the_iwik
MacDopplerProX
Do you have a link?

kiwi_the_iwik

Aug 21, 2002, 05:10 PM

The link for MacDopplerPro X is:

www.dogparksoftware.com

Works great in OSX too - I've given the link to a few satellite engineers at work, and they love it.

JamesDP

Aug 31, 2002, 07:08 PM

I'm also an amateur astronomer (only have binoculars though, no telelscope, not that either is very useful in Orange County) and use Starry Night Pro. Really an oustanding program. I also thought it was pretty cool that I don't have to buy a new copy when I get my Mac.

Just ordered my first Mac, an iBook, so I could take it outdoors with me instead of running back and forth from the backyard to my Dell desktop and ruining my night vision. Really looking forward to using the night vision feature outside instead of my cheesy flashlight with transparent red film inside ;)

Anyway, since I'm just starting out on Macs (well, I haven't used them in 12 years), are there any issues I should be aware of when using Starry Night?

Mr. Anderson

Aug 31, 2002, 10:41 PM

well, as for issues with starry night pro - its still os9 no osX - but its not really a problem to have classic mode boot up when using X. I've used it outside several times now and its be an excellent aid in finding stars even with the naked eye or binoculars.

D

MacBandit

Aug 31, 2002, 10:57 PM

I'm an Amateur Astronomer to the highest meaning. I do have an ETX-60AT and an Orion XT-10. I enjoy both but I recently destroyed my cheap but favorite 25mm eyepiece when we had the eclipse. Most of you probably know what I did. :rolleyes: Stupid me didn't think ahead.

I use Microprojects Equinox. I really like it and it's an OSX native program you can find it by doing a search at www.versiontracker.com.

Spike Spiegel

Sep 23, 2002, 11:10 PM

i have an intense interest in astronomy, more specifically in general knowledge than in star placements and things. The concept of black holes is just amazing to me,as are white holes, though we know next to nothing about either of them.

MacBandit

Sep 24, 2002, 01:24 AM

Originally posted by weezerophile
i have an intense interest in astronomy, more specifically in general knowledge than in star placements and things. The concept of black holes is just amazing to me,as are white holes, though we know next to nothing about either of them.

We know nothing about anything. We just do our best to prove theories with our basic knowledge of physics. But you're correct we know even less about black holes. There is a show on the one of the discovery channels I think you would like about black holes. It shows evidence of at least one in the the center of our galaxy. The way they proved it was based on the speed the stars were traveling in there orbit right near the center. I don't have the numbers off the top of my head but I can tell you I just about ***** when they said how fast they were going.

Spike Spiegel

Sep 24, 2002, 10:45 PM

I think i heard something else about a black hole in the wing of the constellation signus. i saw a great NOVA special on black holes and pulsars and such, very interesting. Also, a kind of bleak history of the universe that they theorized and predicted how it would end. they thought that molecules would swell to planet-like size(not that size has any meaning) and that in the twilight of our solar system, Europa would be almost carribean in climate. It also talked about how black holes themselves died, that they just sort of boil away.

Mr. Anderson

Sep 24, 2002, 11:07 PM

You'll have to wait an awefully long time to see the end of the universe.....Douglas Adams had a good idea in Restaurant at the End of the Universe. I might have to dig that up are reread the series. Its been a while.

D

Spike Spiegel

Sep 24, 2002, 11:12 PM

ive read that series 3 times in the last 2 years, its amazing. douglas adams was a terrific writer, and the world is a more dull place having lost him. Dirk gently's series is good too. By the way, read The Salmon of Doubt, he talks about his macs a lot.

MacBandit

Sep 24, 2002, 11:38 PM

Originally posted by dukestreet
You'll have to wait an awefully long time to see the end of the universe.....Douglas Adams had a good idea in Restaurant at the End of the Universe. I might have to dig that up are reread the series. Its been a while.

D

I'll never forget the rain god.

Did anyone ever see any of the Hitchhiker tv series?

Spike Spiegel

Sep 24, 2002, 11:42 PM

yeah i saw the bbc tv series, but i was a bit disappointed, none of the characters had enough of their respective personalities. also, it is incredibly dated in terms of props and effects. I hope if a new movie is made, that it is treated with due respect.

MacBandit

Sep 24, 2002, 11:55 PM

Originally posted by weezerophile
yeah i saw the bbc tv series, but i was a bit disappointed, none of the characters had enough of their respective personalities. also, it is incredibly dated in terms of props and effects. I hope if a new movie is made, that it is treated with due respect.

I agree totally on the show and the movie. I mentioned the rain god because I live in the Pacific North West or is that Wets.

Dr_Floyd

Sep 25, 2002, 12:31 AM

Hey thats pretty cool, I'm an astrophysics major too! :) nice to know that there are others out there on this board :)

MacBandit

Sep 25, 2002, 01:06 AM

Originally posted by Dr_Floyd
Hey thats pretty cool, I'm an astrophysics major too! :) nice to know that there are others out there on this board :)

I've been thinking of changing my major from Geology to Astrophysics. Is there anything I should know or do you have any recommendations?

Dr_Floyd

Sep 25, 2002, 01:45 PM

READ!! Read as much as you can from as many different sources as possible. There are so many new things coming out daily that you cannot possibly get all the information from classes.

Read the scientific news, reports and stay on top of the area that you want to do your research in. That is the ONLY way to stay current.

And people think the computer industry changes fast......

Mr. Anderson

Sep 25, 2002, 02:40 PM

Originally posted by MacBandit

I've been thinking of changing my major from Geology to Astrophysics. Is there anything I should know or do you have any recommendations?

Ha, combine both and get a couple degrees in Geophysics and specialize in Planetary Geology....

One of my friends from college went on to study that.

D

MacBandit

Sep 25, 2002, 09:50 PM

Thanks.

I might think about combining them.

Mr. Anderson

Oct 21, 2002, 06:14 PM

WooHoo! StarryNight Pro is going X! I've been waiting for this for a while now, and it looks to be using OpenGL, so the visualization will be in 3D - I can't wait to get the upgrade.

http://www.starrynight.com/new/new_snprox.html

D

Over Achiever

Oct 21, 2002, 08:26 PM

Cool! That'll be the first piece of software I'll buy when I get my new powerbook...

rkilgard

Oct 27, 2002, 07:47 PM

I'm a grad-student in astrophysics right now - about 18 months to go before PhD (I hope!). I currently split my time between Harvard and the U. of Leicester in sunny England. I travel constantly, though don't get to go to Hawaii nearly often enough! I haven't been to Chile yet. Maybe next year.

Starry Night Pro is fantastic. BTW, I talked with one of their programmers and he said they do all the coding on Macs then port to Windoze. Ha!

XEphem is pretty nice for a free program. I haven't really played with any of the other desktop planetarium type programs in years.

As far as serious astro data analysis software, pretty much everything has now been ported to MacOS X. I use a TiBook as my primary workstation since I travel so much.

If you are interested in both medicine/biology and astronomy, have you considered astrobiology? NASA is actually dumping a lot of money into it right now, though I don't know how long it'll last. Feel free to drop me an email if you want to talk about astro stuff offline.

MacBandit

Oct 27, 2002, 08:13 PM

Originally posted by rkilgard
I'm a grad-student in astrophysics right now - about 18 months to go before PhD (I hope!). I currently split my time between Harvard and the U. of Leicester in sunny England. I travel constantly, though don't get to go to Hawaii nearly often enough! I haven't been to Chile yet. Maybe next year.

Starry Night Pro is fantastic. BTW, I talked with one of their programmers and he said they do all the coding on Macs then port to Windoze. Ha!

XEphem is pretty nice for a free program. I haven't really played with any of the other desktop planetarium type programs in years.

As far as serious astro data analysis software, pretty much everything has now been ported to MacOS X. I use a TiBook as my primary workstation since I travel so much.

If you are interested in both medicine/biology and astronomy, have you considered astrobiology? NASA is actually dumping a lot of money into it right now, though I don't know how long it'll last. Feel free to drop me an email if you want to talk about astro stuff offline.

I have posted this before but just as a reminder MicroProcects' Equinox is a very good planetarium program.

Over Achiever

Oct 27, 2002, 09:54 PM

Originally posted by rkilgard
If you are interested in both medicine/biology and astronomy, have you considered astrobiology? NASA is actually dumping a lot of money into it right now, though I don't know how long it'll last. Feel free to drop me an email if you want to talk about astro stuff offline.

Cool. I'm applying to Harvard. I was considering astrobiology and astrochemistry, but I decided my best bet was choosing between astronomy and medicine...I can always combine them later.

Mr. Anderson

Oct 28, 2002, 08:16 AM

Originally posted by rkilgard
Starry Night Pro is fantastic. BTW, I talked with one of their programmers and he said they do all the coding on Macs then port to Windoze. Ha!

That's great :D I'm really looking forward to the OSX version of SNP - do you know what they are doing with the OpenGL aspect of the software? They mention it, but don't really go into details.

D

humbleservant

Dec 22, 2002, 08:13 AM

Originally posted by MacBandit

I agree totally on the show and the movie. .

Have you heard the BBC 12 part radio series? It's not bad, but, as in the TV series lacks many elements of which the book has in abundance. Still, fun to listen to. and you aren't annoyed by the dated f/x, though personally, i love the dated stuff. give me the old (1972) Solaris over the new (2002) Soderberg version any day of the week. But i digress..

I play the series on my internet radio show, but so far only have 4 episodes encoded. After the holidays, I'll stop being lazy. There's a broadcaster over at live365.com who plays the whole series. forget the link at the moment, but his station is called, i believe, hitchhiker radio.

humbleservant

Mr. Anderson

Dec 22, 2002, 08:57 AM

MacBandit

Dec 22, 2002, 01:00 PM

Originally posted by humbleservant

Have you heard the BBC 12 part radio series? It's not bad, but, as in the TV series lacks many elements of which the book has in abundance. Still, fun to listen to. and you aren't annoyed by the dated f/x, though personally, i love the dated stuff. give me the old (1972) Solaris over the new (2002) Soderberg version any day of the week. But i digress..

I play the series on my internet radio show, but so far only have 4 episodes encoded. After the holidays, I'll stop being lazy. There's a broadcaster over at live365.com who plays the whole series. forget the link at the moment, but his station is called, i believe, hitchhiker radio.

humbleservant

I have heard parts of it a long time ago. They play it on NPR once and a while. I don't listen to NPR but my dad is obsessed with it and he would tell me when it was on.

Over Achiever

Jan 9, 2003, 06:38 PM

Ok...bringing this thread back up...

Starry Night Pro 4.x looks very promising with native X support (no OS 9 support ;)).

I have a couple more questions...I've dealed mainly with the theoretical side and as a data reduction analyst, but have yet to actually take any real data.

I'm looking for a nice telescope for personal use...my refractor isn't cutting it anymore. I'm really interested in the Schimdt-Cassegrain/Newton type of telescopes. But can anyone detail the pros and cons of the refractor, Newtonian reflector, and the S-C...

Also can someone discuss the reasons one would choose German equitorial mount over the old type, is having electronics good or can i control it using my powerbook, is GPS positioning necessary, quality of optic coatings, etc.

What are the reputiable telescope makers out there?

One final question:...CCDs and astrophotography...are digicams CCDs good enough? How can one take a reasonable picture...exposures and such. Any type of digicam have advantages over others?

MacBandit

Jan 10, 2003, 01:48 AM

Originally posted by Over Achiever
Ok...bringing this thread back up...

Starry Night Pro 4.x looks very promising with native X support (no OS 9 support ;)).

I have a couple more questions...I've dealed mainly with the theoretical side and as a data reduction analyst, but have yet to actually take any real data.

I'm looking for a nice telescope for personal use...my refractor isn't cutting it anymore. I'm really interested in the Schimdt-Cassegrain/Newton type of telescopes. But can anyone detail the pros and cons of the refractor, Newtonian reflector, and the S-C...

Also can someone discuss the reasons one would choose German equitorial mount over the old type, is having electronics good or can i control it using my powerbook, is GPS positioning necessary, quality of optic coatings, etc.

What are the reputiable telescope makers out there?

One final question:...CCDs and astrophotography...are digicams CCDs good enough? How can one take a reasonable picture...exposures and such. Any type of digicam have advantages over others?

You're not asking for much are you!?

If I have a chance later and no one else has already answered your question I will take the time to answer your many many questions that take a lot of detail and a little research to refresh the memory.

On another not Orion has just released a new tripod/mount that will comfortably hold my Orion XT10 Dob. Now I can put my 10" reflector on a polar alignment mount with built in motor drive and use it as a tracking scope. Hoooooraaaayy. Only down fall is it's $800 as with any good mount. This is more then I paid for the scope originally and I don't have the money right now because the business I work for is going away.

Anyone want to lone me some money?:D

MacBandit

Jan 10, 2003, 09:14 PM

Some good stuff from hubble.

http://skyandtelescope.com/news/current/article_838_1.asp

overachiever I just thought of a more informative way and less time consuming way of getting you the information you need. Go here (http://www.scopereviews.com/) . There's some really good stuff there. If that doesn't answer all your questions there are links from that page that might and if you want I would be happy to go into furthere detail if I can on some of the topics that may not be answered there fullest for you.

Over Achiever

Jan 10, 2003, 09:52 PM

Thanks MacBandit...those are the type of sites I'm looking for.

Over Achiever

Mar 24, 2003, 08:20 AM

Ok, just wondering where I can find space related desktop images for my new powerbook (1440 x 900).

Mr. Anderson

Mar 24, 2003, 08:40 AM

www.space.com might have a few good ones. Don't know if they'll have the right resolution, but you resizing or cropping in photoshop would fix that.

D

Over Achiever

Mar 24, 2003, 08:43 AM

Ah good point. I'll just get the 1920 x 1200, 1600 x 1200, or 1600 x 1024, and crop them to my delight. :)

Thanks, I forgot about that option (and I guess I was a bit lazy too :D)

Stelliform

Mar 24, 2003, 08:43 AM

I love my powerbook 15" for astrophotography. I have started playing with an iRez Stealthfire for webcam photography. The site that gave me helpful starting advice used a PC. He had to have a wall outlet to power his firewire card! I just walk out with my TiBook and the camera and start shooting on battery. :D

Over Achiever

Mar 24, 2003, 08:44 AM

Originally posted by Stelliform
The site that gave me helpful starting advice used a PC.
Which site is that? :confused:

Stelliform

Mar 24, 2003, 09:26 AM

This site had the webcam modifications (http://www.fastgt.com/astronomy/webcam/webcam.shtml)

And below is his setup with his laptop. Look at the wires! I am grateful for his guides however, they make it easy...

Mr. Anderson

Mar 24, 2003, 09:51 AM

That is very cool - the images are pretty damn good considering what he's doing. Let us know if you get one up and going with your system.

How well will you be able to track the sky to get good exposure?

D

Stelliform

Mar 24, 2003, 10:12 PM

Well that is the beauty of the webcam. All you need is a modestly stable mount. You then go through the video (use Quicktime and export the Mpg as a series of jpg images) and find stable images. <no tracking required> Then you stack the images. They have some programs, or you can do it manually in photoshop. (I only know of PC programs that automate the stacking, but I haven't looked for a Mac version yet.)

And then you get images like his. I had some trouble the first few nights I tried it. (Prime focus problems with my scope.) Then it was cloudy for a month and i haven't been able to go back. If I every get anything good, I will post it...