Muff's Modules & More

Tobor · Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 8:18 pm Post subject: any astrophile here?

I've just taken my first pic of the moon..
anybody here have fun with telescopes and webcams?

Just me · Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 8:30 pm Post subject:

40 years ago we built a 6" reflector in Jr High. Haven't done much since.

100th Monkey · Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 9:10 pm Post subject:

Sadly I live in an apartment in the city and can barely see the sky, but I do love to look at the pictures.

tailwagger · Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 9:24 pm Post subject:

These days all I need are my 7x50 binoculars and my Stellarvue SV105 APO.

Oh, and the rare clear night here in the Pacific Northwest. I'm dreaming of the day when I can winter down south and stay up all night under some clear skies with something like a MallinCam.

doctorvague · Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 7:59 am Post subject:

Kindredlost has some bigass telescopes, maybe he'll jump in here.
You guys would love it where I live. I can practically draw a line around the Milky Way it's so clearly defined. Clearest skies I've ever seen. We're at 6000 ft, not near a major city and have extremely low humidity.

Pozor · Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 8:22 am Post subject:

I am one of those people that see bulges here, not craters. Why is that?

Tobor · Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 9:08 am Post subject:

Popski · Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 9:35 am Post subject: Re: any astrophile here?

jonkull · Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 9:47 am Post subject:

I used to love using my telescope but living in a city with so much light pollution that I can't see anything makes that impossible. I went to Hawaii last month and the night time sky was amazing. Stars as far as the eye could see from horizon to horizon. I wish I could see that every night.

Tobor · Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 10:33 am Post subject:

oh yes, I can imagine...

I can get a very nice sky with 1 or 2 hours by car.. up north by the maggiore lake

however this moon pic was taken from home in my city, the seeing was a good 4, but turbulence is always stalking in cities.. I am lucky enough to live in a high floor (6th is high here), and have E W and N view.

This pic is not very great, I've just started with webcams for astronomy, but with a better sky and more patience I'm sure I'll do better.

Also I've used a 1/2 focal reducer for this, and I guess it is not very good...

numan7 · Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 11:22 am Post subject:

i was once a graduate reasearcher in astronomy, long ago...

i sometimes drive or ride up to lick observatory on mt hamilton (next to san jose). a mountain-top observatory would be an otherworldly awesome (although logistically problematic) location for a modular synth meet / concert! at least that's what i always think when i'm up there. This is fun!

cheers,
n7

Tobor · Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 11:32 am Post subject:

sduck · Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 12:11 pm Post subject:

Not really an astrophile, but I grew up in the astronomy world. My dad is Dr. Frank Drake, who's pretty well known.

My first exposure to synths was via the astronomy connection actually. My dad had picked up a little side work doing science consulting for TV shows and movies - stuff like Star Trek TOS. On one of his visits to LA, he got called by Roger McGuinn of the Byrds about meeting up to discuss some science related lyrics he'd written (CTA-102 in particular). McGuinn had just bought one of the early moog modulars, and showed it off to my dad. When my dad got back, he described the moog to us, and my 11 year old brain was fascinated. And as we lived in Ithaca, New York, a few miles from the moog factory at the time, I ended up seeing a lot more of them over the next years.

daverj · Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 1:20 pm Post subject:

Oh, you guys are talking about astronomy. When I saw the title of the thread I thought.....

ummm, nevermind.

mckenic · Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 5:46 pm Post subject:

Yes! Yes!

Will jump on my Win PC and post the pics I took - nothing earth shattering but I love astro/lunar photography and dabbled a tiny bit - must get back to it!

The nut on my Meade ext-125 tripod stuck fast and Ive not used it since - oil time methinks!

pleaseohplease · Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:04 am Post subject:

@sduck...

whoa. as in the frank drake? drake equation, founder of SETI, etc... ? amazing.

Tobor · Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 9:50 am Post subject:

authorless · Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 11:21 am Post subject:

sduck · Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:57 pm Post subject:

Yup.

Here I am at dad's 80th birthday party last June - I'm on the right, Nadia (older half sister, cake baker, science write extraordinaire) on the left, my dad, Amahl (stepmom), Leila (younger half sister, amazing ballet dancer) -

Rod Serling Fan Club · Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 2:10 pm Post subject:

Very cool Sduck. Any interesting Carl Sagan stories?