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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
the world of amateur astronomy is pretty cool.
'Tis, indeed. Sounds pretty expensive, though.
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189 |
I was just reading in our local astronomer's column that this year will mark the closest approach of Mars to Earth in at least 73,000 years! He continues, "Let me hasten to add that Mars will be getting only a little bit closer to Earth than it does once every 15 or 17 years. "Still, late this summer we will be seeing the Red Planet noticeably brighter in our skies and bigger in telescopes than at any time in our lives. And technically a bit better in most respects than at any time in tens of thousands of years. "This will be THE year of Mars." (deliberately ignoring the astrological implications of this) I'll be looking forward to choice glimpses of Mars this year! the world of amateur astronomy is pretty coolI've been attending, for a number of years now, a free Skywatch sponsored by the South Jersey Astronomy Club whenever there's a major celestial event (and on every other Friday during the summer, weather permitting). They have many of the most powerful telescopes in the state set-up for public viewing, and the location on a large field in the heart of Belleplain State Forest here in the middle of Cape May County, is considered to be the darkest spot in the Southern part of the state. It's really rekindled my love of the stars for me that goes back to my Boy Scout days, school trips to the Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Natural in New York, and my youth in the mountains when light pollution was so sparse the stars were still like a blanket covering the night sky. Now, in many places, if you can make out the Big Dipper (Ursus Major), you're lucky. I even got my sister-in-law's 9 year old niece hooked on it...got her a small telescope for Christmas two years ago, and watching the meteor showers, and interested in the Aurora Borealis (online photos...rare around here, but once in a while.) Now, once again, I always make time for the stars. 
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 77
journeyman
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OP
journeyman
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 77 |
Oh, I haven't even looked in here for days as it seemed no one was interested in looking up at the heavens. I'm happy to see I that many of you are.
I just can't imagine what my life would be like without sharing the wonder of space. I always look for the moon, night or day, and I look up in the night sky to see what planets and stars are up. I never really liked math till my sophomore year in high school when I looked up at Orion and something magical happened for me. Somehow from the stars I intuitively grasped the concepts therein! It was all terribly exciting.
Now I've lived long enough to have seen that Syrius is no longer in the same place in relation to Orion's belt...and that leads me to a somewhat bittersweet mood, one in which I realize (my) time is passing and the world is changing, for both good and bad, I suppose. But I do think the people of Earth are missing something important when they can't look up and see the Milky Way anymore. We forget we are hurtling (spiraling) out there in space, with all those other teeny weeny planets in all those other galaxies....It's good to be humbled by the universe, I would say.
Some of my happiest 'alone-time' is spent day dreaming about what the ancients must have thought about the various celestial phenomena like eclipses and unusual planet couplings. Of course the reason I thought Venus was so amazing the other morning is that it was so impressive that I felt I understood what the Magi had seen and why they would make that huge journey....
I'd love to hear what others are seeing in the night sky. And it is one of my fondest wishes that someday I see the Aurora Borealis, of which now I can only dream....
MM
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 872
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 872 |
Some of my happiest 'alone-time' is spent day dreaming about what the ancients must have thought. - MM
Stop dreaming MM, get off your couch and go to the library and borrow this book...
SEEING IN THE DARK: How Backyard Stargazer's Are Probing Deep Space and Guarding Earth from Interplanetary Peril - Timothy Ferris ® Simon & Schuster 2002
This not a dry book. P.J. O'Rourke said, "Seeing In The Dark is a fortuitous puddle. It gives even the most muck-mired and earthbound among us a glimpse of the splendors above."
...excuse me. Andy is here with my new monitor. I have two more things to add about the content of this book (one, the dates of periodic meteor showers for the coming year, the other, an explanation of the strange phenomenon "moon illusion"), so I will return as soon as we plug the new one up.
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 872
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 872 |
Damn. Damn. Damn. Forty-five minutes of thinking and typing about the damn "Moon Illusion" and the dern, damn, AWAD server told me that his page was not avaliable at this time and so I lost it. Forever. Damnation. Oh well ( I hate machines ) I hope this bit of information goes through. Anyway this is APPENDIX B in the book Seeing in the Dark Notable Periodic Meteor Showers
Shower Duration Maximum Comments
Quadrantids Jan 1-6 Jan. 4 Variable,can be rich
Lyrids Apr 19-25 Apr. 21 Modest, varible
Eta Aquarids Apr 24-May 20 Rich in Sou Hemisphere
Delta Aquarids Jul 15-Aug 20 Jul 28 Has two peaks
Perseids Jul 25-Aug 20 Aug 12 Rich, reliable shower
N. Taurides Oct 12-Dec 12 Nov 4-7 Two overlap showers
S. Taurides Sept 17-27 Oct 30-Nov 7 Sparse, long lived
Orionids Oct 16-27 Oct 22? Unpredictable Max date
Leonids* Nov 15-20 Nov 17 Sometimes spectacular
Geminids Dec 7-16 Dec 13 Often rich
Ursids Dec 17- 25 Dec 22 Usually modest * Note: colorful spelling changed to please Faldage who
is, well, Faldage who can't find but one mispell.
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 742
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 742 |
Milum, are those listings hemisphere-specific? We are having beautifully clear, warm nights here at the moment, and if the lists you posted are valid for the Southern Hemisphere as well, I would stay up to check out the quadrantids.
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 872
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 872 |
SJM, if you all down under keep insisting that you are at the top of the world then I think that you will just have to adjust to the larger world where the meteor charts are focused on 90% of the worlds population. But don't feel bad, you all still have 90% of the worlds clear skies.
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 742
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 742 |
>SJM, if you all down under keep insisting that you are at the top of the world then I think that you will just have to adjust to the larger world where the meteor charts are focused on 90% of the worlds population. But don't feel bad, you all still have 90% of the worlds clear skies.
Distilling the above to obtain the answer to my query, I read "no."
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 872
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 872 |
Sorry sjm, if you read "no" you are wrong. I thought you were kidding. I had forgotten that I had abbreviated "northern" and "southern" hemisphere to "N" and "S", to keep the screen from going wide. That's what happens when you drink Jack Daniels while singing "Stars Fell On Alabama" late at night. Again, the answer is "no" . The list is universal and not "hemispheric specific". (Try saying "hemispheric specific" three times real fast. I couldn't last night and I can't this morning. )
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
Mr. Minderbinder, sir. I think you forgot to mention that the Lenoids are great bumbling meteors that shouldn't be trusted with bunny rabbits or mice or the boss's daughter.
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