Jupiter

[Guitarzan]

 
Hi guys.
I don't know if anyone else has noticed this enormous blob of light in the eatern sky after dark but it's been driving me crazy to find you what the heck it is. So since I don't have any binoculars, I took the only thing I had that I could zoom with to any degree at all, my digital camera. I got lots of pictures of little Spiorograph looking thingies since I couldn't hold the camera steady enough to get a clean shot. So I dug out a tripod
 and finally came up with this...I was thinking that if I happen to like building amps and also like looking at the sky at night then it's likely some of you guys feel the same way so I figured I'd post this shot. If any of you giys could come with a better shot it would be great. Thiis was the absoute best I could do but I'll bet some of you guys have a rig that'll take WAY  better pics than I can so fire when reasdy Gridley!
Thanks very much for looking and be in touch.
Kindest regards,
dale {8^)
The picture didn't insert the way I wanted it to so I just attached it the regular way.

[silverfox]

There are many things to see in the sky if one has a telescope. On the other hand, with all the aluminium and other crap that has been sprayed in the upper atmosphere it is becoming much harder to do so.

At this point in time Venus is at it's brightest and closest to Earth in an eight year phase. That could be what you are seeing. But now that I think of it, I believe Venus is towards the Sun. However at sunset it may in fact be what you are seeing.

It is possible too that you are seeing something that NASA has gone to great lengths to hide from the entire World until it is virtually right upon us.

Check the most recent postings on Youtube placed by BPearthwatch. I've been hesitant to expand on my first tongue and cheek statements regarding Isons arrival due to the immense lack of interest in the subject by the general population. Ignorance is Bliss- But much more than that. Perhaps someone closer to the sources could say more.. But then it could be the end of their career or worse...

Don't also forget, we are about to enter the leading edge of Isons' incoming debris trail.

If you go to youtube to conduct research, be ready to spend a great deal of time sifting through crap to find nuggets of very interesting data.


Silverfox- (Keeper Of Odd Knowledge).

[Guitarzan]

Yeah, I've seen a lot of gloom and doom stuff online for years. A planet that no one knows about is gonna crash into us and aqll sorts of stuff. I think there are so many independent eyes in the sky these days that there's no way to keep anything of any real substance hidden or a secret. I'm pretty sure this is Jupiter and 2 of its moons. I've seen 4 of the moons of Jupiter thru a good pair of binoculars. I went back out a couple of hours after taking that pic (long after any chace of Venus still being out) and the thing I'd taken that picture of moved from the east to just about straight overhead. I imagine it sets in the west before the sun comes up on these short days.
It's worth taking some binoculars with a tripod out there on a clear night after it's good and dark out and look up at about 30 degrees while facing east. That enormous "star" right there is (I am pretty sure) Jupiter. It's a very cool sight. It's farther south in the sky after dark every night and I'd imagine it'll "walk" across to the southest within about 10 days or so. I know when I first stated getting interested in it, it was way over to the northeast. That was about a month ago. so it's on the move for sure. Get a look at it while you can do it early in the evening. So many of the really interesting objects must be viewed in middle of thre night that it's great to see a big planet like that before MNF starts.
Thanks for the reply and keep looking up.

[silverfox]

Did a quick search for a Solar Modelling System. Yes, it could be Jupiter you're looking at.

http://www.solarsystemscope.com/

I've used this one before and it seems useful for some things.

The Planet you mentioned, that no one knows about, isn't going to crash into us as far as my understanding goes. It simply will pass close enough to cause unusual events on Earth, so to speak.

Many objects can be seen, yes, however, there too are objects that don't emit light in the visible spectrum so you as a human can't image it; Hence terms like: Black Hole or Brown Dwarf.


Silverfox.

[Guitarzan]

Yeah, well I don't know if I believe in any planet sized things that are out there that havn't been spotted by backyard skywatchers...y'know? I'm pretty sure that the thing I got the picture of of was Jupiter. I don't know why it looks so enormous right now. I've spent hours and hours several years ago zeroing in on Jupiter with a pretty good telecsope. I put all of the lenses that could enlarge the image on it that came with it and by then, the damned thing was moving so fast across my field of view that I could only catch a glimnpse of it for a second or two. For every time you double the size of the thing you also double the speed at which it appears to be moving in your telescope. So the thing was really hauling ass across the little field of view that I had but I actually saw the spot. The big red spot. I only saw it for a second but I did see it.
Anyway, I think if yoiu go out after dark, look to the east and up at about a 30 degree angle you'll see a big bright thing that has moons that are nearly visible to the naked eye. Use some binoculars or a camera witha helluva zoom lens and you'll see it.

[Ritchie200]

Yeah that's Jupiter.  I've always been a space nut and had telescopes as a kid in the 60's (cheapies).  A few years ago I got into it big and built a 12" Dobsonian, ground the mirror meself and had it silvered.  Had my subscription to sky and telescope and everything!  Then the kids came along, and I sold everything.  If you have a smartphone there are several really cool apps like Google Sky Map or Space Junk Lite (free) or Pro ($).  You can hold your phone or tablet up to the sky and you can identify all the stuff you are seeing real time.  It will also show stuff you can not see with the naked eye like deep sky or far planet.  Space Junk also shows satellites and the ISS.  AND it shows their orbital paths and positions real time AND the satellite names- pretty cool.  If you hold you phone or tablet facing down, it will show where the sun is to the horizon and other "stuff" on the other side of our planet.  It uses the orientation, GPS, and compass in your device to provide the orientation and images.

Jim

[silverfox]

One of the best images of the Moon I've ever seen was through a Gilbert Telescope from the 60's. Perhaps 50x but it had a decent reflecting mirror at the far end. I've never seen anything even close with the more recent Tasco etc..

I've seen some of the larger mirror telescopes built from home not too long ago. In the 70's I worked for Perkin Elmer and saw a mirror for what may have been the Hubble. Not sure but it was something over 5 feet across and about 3 feet thick.

Ritchie200, having ground various lenses while employed with Perkin Elmer, we used machinery for the smaller lenses. I specialized in finishing, among others, a 600 mm catadioptric lens. Usually to between 2-3 rings. Occasionally I would get it to one ring.

Did you use some sort of grinding and polishing machine or was this done by some sort of hand rig?

One of my other runs were the lenses for the Maverick Missile.

Silverfox.

[Guitarzan]

I love watching the sky. there are plenty of interesting things to look at with just the naked eye. If you do get a telescope, you're amazed when you find that something you've looked at a hundred times...some point of light, is actually a galaxy made up of billions of stars just like our own Milky Way Galaxy. Or when you take a look at stuff like the seven sisters thru a decent pair of binoculars and find out for the 1st time that there's a lot more that 7 stars there.
Ritchie200 and the SilverFox are way ahead of me as I've never had anything big or expensive to look thru. That telescope I watched Jupiter so closely with for an entire night several years back had about a 3" lense. the Hubble it was NOT, but with the perseverence of youth I got to see some pretty amazing stuff. Just glimpses tho as I said because of the speed at which the stuff moved as you magnified it. After that night I was always going to buy a scope with all sorts of magnification and a motor to track your target with but never got 'round to it.
Keep look up fellas.
-dale {8^)

[silverfox]

Actually I'm not really that far into it. The Gilbert was only a Children’s Tele.. I've never seen those things your talking about. I'll have to get out there and check.

Followed your Fender rebuild. Good job.

Silverfox.

[Ritchie200]

Silverfox,

All hand jig with ceramic tiles for grinding.  Lapping was a bear on the fingers.  I got lucky but I also had a lot of help - my cousin builds and markets his own Dobs.  I used the matching ronchi test to verify shape.  Used a solid tube, F5 so it was right at 6' tall.  I'm not a big open frame fan because of the dew.  I like solid tubes, nice quiet air inside.  Mirror and mirror cell weighed about 50+lbs.  I had more money in the 2" eyepieces than the mirror by far.  It was a great light bucket with terrific deep space views.  Nowadays you can get a nice 12" Dob for $600 minus eyepieces - that is a heck of a deal (Zymol, Zhumel, Zhyman - I cant remember).  I would buy if I ever got into it again, that's a lot of work.  I'm glad I did it, did I mention that it's a lot of work!  Well, you know that!  You did some very fine work there!

Prices have really come down.  You can get a smaller reflector with computer positioning and tracking (GoTo) for just a few $$$  The biggest mistake people make is they look at magnification only, arrrg arrrg (my best Tim the Tool Man impersonation).  Small lenses or mirrors and large magnification does not work, you will be VERY disappointed.  FIRST, buy the biggest mirror or lens you can afford, then buy conservative eyepieces (if they don't come with them).  I guarantee, you will be thrilled.  Light gathering capability is EVERYTHING in a telescope.  That means, the larger, the better.  Check around to see if you have any amateur astronomy clubs in your area.  They will aways have an open to the public skywatch night.  Look through a bunch of different designs and ask a lot of questions.  You may even be able to find a used rig for pennies on the dollar - ok maybe quarters on the dollar!

Jim