All Questions
Tagged with backyard-astronomy or amateur-observing
613 questions
0
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1
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36
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Recognize the celestial object in UMa
I’m new to Astronomy observations. I took a picture from my phone of a object near beta Ursa Major and m97 which I couldn’t find (I was on low magnification), I couldn’t find out what it was. Any ...
2
votes
1
answer
106
views
Does humidity affect image formation point while observing through a telescope?
I was wondering if atmospheric humidity affects the point where an image forms through a telescope?
I have a 256mm aperture 1200mm focal length Newtonian Reflector. I generally use a 25mm eyepiece and ...
- 23
1
vote
1
answer
69
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Is there any specific way to record observations on any celestial object while looking through a telescope? [closed]
Which aspects or factors do I take into consideration while I record observations on any celestial object?
- 765
9
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4
answers
5k
views
Planets looks like normal stars when I see them using telescope
I've been trying to see planets using my 114 mm (aperture) f=900 mm telescope. For the moon, I got very good quality pictures, but when I try to see planets they just appear to be as if I'm looking at ...
- 201
2
votes
2
answers
605
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Measuring distance to stars - How to get parallax angle
This may be a bit of a noob question, but I am wondering how exactly to get the parallax angle in degrees when looking at a nearby star relative to background stars.
I have found the information ...
- 805
2
votes
1
answer
370
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What exactly causes "color twinkling" and why does it seem that any color might be furthest refracted for a moment?
In this answer to Betelgeuse appears in a rainbow of colors through a Newtonian telescope I link to a video of a bright star imaged at perhaps video rate (I think) through a telescope. In addition to ...
- 30.7k
6
votes
2
answers
2k
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How do you clean a foggy or dirty eyepiece of a telescope?
I'm wondering what the procedure would be to clean the eyepiece of a telescope when it looks foggy or there's dirt either on the outside or inside it.
I can get rid of loose dirt with a camel hair ...
- 343
4
votes
0
answers
187
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Telescope's eyepieces got blurry over time [closed]
Right at the beginning: This is not a duplicate of questions involving blurry images through their eyepieces. I only get blurry images for 2 of my 3 eyepieces so it's not the telescope's fault and in ...
- 343
8
votes
2
answers
671
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How could I see Andromeda as large as in this picture?
In this question an image is shown (repeated below) which gives an idea of the "true" angular extent of the Andromeda galaxy in our sky.
When I see Andromeda it is usually a bit of a smudge ...
- 163k
3
votes
2
answers
2k
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Focus Problems when using Barlow 3x or 4mm lens
So I just recently bought a Celestron Powerseeker 127EQ 12.7 cm f/7.87 Cassegrain telescope and I inserted a 20mm eyepiece and the telescope with the Moon.
That eyepiece seems to work fine, but when I ...
1
vote
0
answers
559
views
Why does my 10mm eyepiece produce blurry images?
I own a tabletop Sky-Watcher Heritage 130mm tabletop Dobsonian with a f/5 130mm aperture and 630mm focal length. 25mm wide-field eyepiece and a 10mm narrow-angle eyepiece. Last night I took it out to ...
- 6,733
4
votes
2
answers
146
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What stars am I seeing in the daytime?
I currently live in the United Kingdom, in an area where the overall elevation is high so while the hills are rolling rather than peaky, they are all well above sea-level. A few weeks ago I was on a ...
- 165
1
vote
0
answers
385
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What settings should I use for my telescope-mounted smartphone to take night sky pictures?
Last night, I managed to take my first successful picture of a nebula--the Orion Nebula (see picture below). I'm incredibly ecstatic, as before I had been limited to taking images of the moon.
I used ...
4
votes
1
answer
165
views
Camera settings for Astrophotography
I own an Orion 10015 StarBlast 4.5 Astro Reflector Telescope and I recently bought a Lumix G7 camera then I bought the adapter needed to attach the camera to the telescope.
I tested it today at ...
- 143
3
votes
0
answers
62
views
Metric to estimate measuring accuracy
I need help/suggestions on which metric/approach to use.
I am trying to estimate pointing precision by measuring the offset of the experimentally measured values from the real, theoretical values, ...
- 171
23
votes
3
answers
4k
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How can I measure the angle between two stars?
This is a backyard astronomy question.
My middle-school-aged son and I would like to measure the apparent angle between two easily-visible stars more precisely than measuring with our outstretched ...
- 553
4
votes
2
answers
3k
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Is there a way to find polar star after identifying Orion's belt?
Usually the polar star is identified based on Pointing stars in Big dipper(saucepan) shape..
Compared to big dipper, it is easier to identify Orion's belt. Would that help me to identify Polar star?
1
vote
1
answer
105
views
What is Canopus in this picture?
Picture is taken from 34.2N 126.6E Bogil-do, South Korea. I suppose the dot at up-right side is Rigel and the bright white dot is Sirius, and bright reddish dot at the bottom is light from some ...
4
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What have I encountered here?
Consider:
I tried Google Lens to tell the answer, but it is not giving a true answer.
I am using the Android app Stellarium.
- 51
2
votes
1
answer
108
views
Where is my camera pointing
I operate a meteor camera from a fixed location with a known elevation, FOV, and I can work out its sidereal time. On a good night, it takes a large number of images of the sky (fits files).
I can ...
2
votes
1
answer
5k
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Camera adaptor won't focus [duplicate]
I'm trying to use my DSLR camera (Canon EOS-40D) with my kids' Celestron First Scope.
I bought a 3x Celestron 1.25" barlow, Celestron 1.25" T-adaptor, and the Canon ring. These things all ...
- 121
-1
votes
1
answer
184
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I believe I saw a UFO, what else could it be? [closed]
When looking at the night sky some time ago I noticed a white dot. The amount of light coming from or being bounced on that object made it the same size of a average star. But differently from a star, ...
- 11
7
votes
2
answers
224
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How close are we to observing all of the sky all of the time?
I was musing on how amateur astronomy is still a heavy contributor to the overall field, and how on any given night there will be plenty of small telescopes pointing into the void and capturing the ...
- 4,185
1
vote
0
answers
208
views
How to choose the right Barlow lens?
I have a OneSky AWB 130 (130 mm aperture) Newtonian telescope w/ 650 mm aperture.
I previously asked a question on another account on what lens to get next--@AaronF suggested that I get the Orion Tri-...
7
votes
2
answers
2k
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Will 3,600ft asteroid be visible at my location tonight?
According to NASA, a 1.1-kilometer asteroid called 7482 (1994 PC1) will be visible tonight at 5:50PM.
How do I know if this asteroid will be visible at my location with the naked eye? When NASA says 5:...
- 399
2
votes
1
answer
155
views
Next eyepiece for my telescope; how do decide which one to get?
I have an Astronomers Without Borders telescope with 650 mm focal length and 130 mm aperture. To go with them, I have a 10 mm and wide eye relief 25 mm eyepiece.
I tried to view Jupiter with the 10 mm,...
1
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0
answers
58
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Child-friendly freely available web-based tool to generate skymap
I am intending to develop a free web-based tool where kids can plot a 2D skymap based on terrestrial coordinates and local time. I am aware of the fact that multiple sites provide already accurate sky ...
- 11
3
votes
1
answer
206
views
What are some astrophotography editing options and strategies for taking photos of galaxies with a telescope and a cell phone?
We purchased a phone adapter for my sons telescope and got some amazing pictures, BUT we believe that they can be clearer.
What is the best, or a really good, image editing program for amateur ...
- 69
1
vote
1
answer
518
views
The most precise way to point the true north
Since all of my telescopes have equatorial mount and It needs to be placed with respect to North direction, what is the best way to point the North.
Expecting answers that doesn't suggests methods ...
- 2,646
4
votes
1
answer
189
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Hoping to do some viewing and astrophotography with a large-ish Dobsonian and a DLSR, is this scheme workable?
I haven't put a camera behind a telescope since the lunar eclipse of 1975 except for a few experiments with a cell phone held behind a pair of binoculars.
I want the occasional thrill of using a ...
- 30.7k
6
votes
2
answers
254
views
Identifying Constellations from Sky Maps
In Such sky maps How to identify constellation in those blocks?The just seems to me like Random figures.
Please suggest some good sources where I can study this?
- 557
3
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How to compute a Flux through a filter using SYNPHOT in Python
I am in the process of building an exposure time calculator to help nail down the exposure times I need for different targets in my observatory.
In amateur astronomy imaging, we use a filter called ...
- 116
1
vote
1
answer
159
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Can I use an achromatic focal reducer to reduce chromatic aberration?
I am using 75/1000 Plano convex lens to build telescope. Can I use an achromatic focal reducer to reduce chromatic aberration?
4
votes
1
answer
124
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Can I "see" nucleosynthesis in R Geminorum with a small telescope, a plastic diffraction grating and a cell phone? (famous technetium lines)
R Geminorum is a magnitude +6 to +11 variable star notable for the discovery of technetium spectral lines. As the longest lived isotope is only a few million years, this was direct evidence that ...
- 30.7k
0
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1
answer
72
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What is going on with comet C/2021 A1 Leonard? Is it going to be bright this weekend or not?
I have to plan an excursion to try to find clear evening skies to try to see if we can spot comet C/2021 A1 Leonard about 10 to 15° above the ocean in the Southwest after sunset this weekend.
I'm ...
- 30.7k
1
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0
answers
105
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What observational data was there that comet Leonard C/2021 A1 might have been dimming and/or breaking up?
Space.com's Comet Leonard, the brightest of the year, is fading and acting strange seems to be full of inexact language, like "something's wrong" and "unhealthy" and "goner&...
- 30.7k
2
votes
0
answers
147
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Formula for calculating if an object can cast a visible shadow on the ground or not
I know that we can see the shadow cast by the light of Venus on the ground. I also talk with one person who said they were able to see the shadow even from Jupiter.
Recently I've read something like ...
- 214
1
vote
1
answer
137
views
What are the various ways we can quickly generate custom star charts to find moving asteroids or comets in binoculars and telescopes?
Where can I find the positions of the planets, stars, moons, artificial satellites, etc. and visualize them? is an amazing resource and @user21 has set it up with a community wiki answer for all of us ...
- 30.7k
2
votes
0
answers
235
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Make a guide map to comet comet Leonard C/2021 A1 using Skyfield
Sky and Telescope's How Bright will Comet Leonard Get? includes the skymap and projected (possible) light curve for comet Leonard C/2021 A1 that will potentially reach +4 magnitude this month. It has ...
- 30.7k
-1
votes
2
answers
345
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If the sky is the limit...where does the sky start? [closed]
Does the "sky" start anywhere that the land is not touching? Does it start after the troposphere? After the atmosphere?
- 35
16
votes
3
answers
2k
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Was lunar libration first observed or first predicted? In either case, who was the responsible party?
How old is the idea of the far side of the Moon? got me thinking that as soon as we see the moon librate we have to come to terms with there being even more of it we can't see.
The Moon's libration is ...
- 30.7k
5
votes
2
answers
865
views
Why can't Level replace Horizon when using a Sextant
The title says it all. Why can't I use a projected level mark on a sextant and bring down the Sun/Star/Etc. to the level mark instead of a horizon? Assume that somehow I have figured out a way to ...
- 1,559
6
votes
1
answer
2k
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Betelgeuse appears in a rainbow of colors through a Newtonian telescope
My husband and I are complete amateurs. Tonight was only our second night using our new Orion XT6 Dobsonian telescope. Betelgeuse looked very clear, bright red. However, when we pointed the telescope ...
- 163
3
votes
1
answer
187
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Why does light pollution make the night sky completely black without stars?
I have seens pics of the night sky in areas that naturally have little population like deserts, cold regions and forests and the night sky is slighly bright and colored by shades of blue, red, purple ...
- 31
0
votes
0
answers
32
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What was the erratically jumping star like object [duplicate]
Oct 31st'21 around 11.15 pm. we saw a bright star like object, jumping erratically in all directions, constantly twinkling,occasionally looking coloured. All other stars were still. We were Looking ...
1
vote
1
answer
108
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Star cluster next to Venus
Recently Observed Venus with my 6.3 inch Telescope with 401x magnification and got super crisp images, but just beside the Venus I found a relatively dim and somewhat large star Cluster (couldn't tell ...
- 2,646
1
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0
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98
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How has the price of an amateur telescope 8-inch, f/8 finished, aluminized mirror varied over the last fifty years?
During a discussion in The Observatory I was remembering that an 8-inch telescope mirror, polished and aluminized, cost something like \$100 to \$200 US in the mid 1970's.
Just now I've seen an add in ...
- 30.7k
2
votes
1
answer
1k
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How does eyepiece exit pupil diameter affect image clarity and viewing experience?
This answer to Not Able to View Objects with Barlow Lens includes a calculation of exit pupil diameter as a way to address the limits of useful magnification when observing planets with a small ...
- 30.7k
1
vote
2
answers
481
views
I'm considering buying a telescope, which type should I choose?
I am considering buying a telescope for amateur viewing. I am planning to view the stars from my backyard, which is in an area with reasonable light pollution (most of Orion's primary stars are ...
- 6,733
9
votes
1
answer
2k
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Can you tell me which star this is?
Back-story:
My daughter, age 2, looked up in the Ohio sky (we have very poor star-viewing compared to Arizona) and pointed at a light. She said "what is that". I said "that is a star, ...
- 193