Questions tagged [deep-sky-observing]
Questions about stellar objects which are too faint to observe with faint naked eye or even too far away for Earth-bound telescopes.
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What Parts of the Observable Universe have we Observed?
Everyone talks about how big the observable universe is, all of the complexity, etc... But what parts of the observable universe have we actually seen? What Parts are hidden in relative shadows? Is ...
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Narrowband imaging wavelengths in NIR?
Lines giving useful (& beautiful) data in visible spectrum are well known - H-b, O-III, H-a, S-II. Unfortunately light pollution is strongest in visible light.
Are there similar relatively bright ...
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Interpreting the color of galaxies in deep field images
The HST produced some deep field images in mostly visible light, which contain thousands of galaxies that range in color from white to red (e.g. see here). I understand that the interpretation of ...
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Does the existence of hydrogen in the universe create an obscuration effect similar to the way air does at great distances?
I've had this question for a while. I understand the universe is full of "dust". I am also aware of the fact that there is an average measure of particle density in the universe.
I am ...
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Deepest known objects in the vicinity of Capella (or, generally, any specified object)
There must be a way to do this, but I don’t know where to start.
Given a star (or other object, or a RA and dec), and a radius, what are the (say) 10 known deepest sky objects in this area, ordered ...
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What 1° x 1° region is the optically darkest patch in the sky?
What 1° x 1° region of the night sky has the lowest flux of light?
(considering the typical visual/luminance filter range, approximations using other filters/bands are acceptable, but should be in the ...
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Gravitational mirroring: Can we theoretically see the Milky Way using a telescope?
As I am watching the beautiful deep field picture of the James Webb Space Telescope. I noticed the gravitational lensing. So I asked myself whether it is possible somehow a successive cluster of ...
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Binoculars 10x50 in light polluted place
I think to buy cheap 10x50 binoculars for astronomy observations. My leaving area is light polluted, I can see only bright stars and planets in naked eye.
Will I can with this binoculars observe ...
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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?
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3D/2D Universe Model (DSO, stars etc.)
I am looking forward to knowing some software/sites that show an extensive collection of the DSOs. I want it to be 3D, but it can also be 2D. I know/tried some of these,
Stellarium - 2D
Celestia - 3D
...
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Why can't observatories just stop capturing for a few seconds when Starlink satellites pass though their field of view?
Given that the positions and trajectories of the Starlink satellites are public, why can't the telescopes just ignore the photons they receive when the satellites pass through the field of view?
It ...
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Optical Observation Calls: How and Where to apply for optical observations?
How and Where to apply for optical observations to support a research project?
I'm involved with research in multifrequency astrophysics and my next project will demand optical (spectroscopy) ...
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Tracking deep sky objects
I have a Celestron Astromaster 130Eq. I saw all the planets in our solar system and quite satisfied. Now I am in the hunt for DSOs, but living in a city is a disaster for tracking some good-for-...
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If a black hole was headed for our solar system and would arrive within a year, would we necessarily know of it?
Basically, is our observational technology and coverage sufficient enough to pretty much always spot incoming objects like a black hole when they're a year from arriving? If so, within what time frame ...
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Is it likely there are more rogue planets than brown dwarfs, and that we just can't see them because they're too dim?
Among celestial bodies revolving around the galactic center directly, it seems the bodies of lowest mass (brown and red dwarfs) are the most abundant. However, when it comes to even less massive Y-...
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From Proxima b, could any planets around Sol be imaged directly by a strong telescope? If so, which ones would be easiest to spot?
How strong would a telescope (and what kind of telescope) on Proxima Centauri b have to magnify to discern any planets around Sol, and which planets would be easiest to spot? One might think the ...
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What can I see with different apertures?
I'm looking to buy a telescope, and every mainstream website says that aperture is the most important factor, and buy the largest telescope your budget can afford. However, a website I found offering ...
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Why aren't there any images of Sun-orbiting bodies by Spitzer?
Why didn't the Spitzer space telescope shoot images of (dwarf) planets around the Sun, or did it? Even though its primary goal was to detect (the characteristics of) exoplanets, it could have revealed ...
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Will we ever be able to see the surface of exoplanets directly?
When exoplanets are depicted, artist's impressions are used. The presence of exoplanets is observed by a dip in the emitted power of a star when a planet moves between us and the star (a kind of star ...
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How do you determine whether a certain object can be detected by an observatory based on coordinates?
If I am given the latitude and longitude of an observatory or observation point, how can I determine whether a given object, based on its equatorial coordinates, is observable from that observatory?
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How do I design a good telescope to observe nebulae and other deep sky objects [closed]
How can I make a good telescope that is powerful enough show nebulae and other deep sky objects ? (consider low budget build)
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How to use DeepSkyStacker to increase detail, reduces noise, and not lose colour?
I had my first attempt at shooting the Orion Nebula and am pleased that I saw it for the first time. Very exciting. I shot 10 frames and then stacked them using DeepSkyStacker which brought out all ...
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Why can't ESA/NASA build a handful of Gaia telescopes and launch them into different positions in space for better accuracy?
I've noticed that many stars in GAIA DR2 have highly uncertain distances. Why can't a space agency send multiple Gaia spacecraft into orbit around different places (One in L2 Earth, one in ...
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Why was StDr56 discovered only now?
StDr56 is a newly discovered planetary nebula (maybe). link1 link2
It was found by amateur astronomers Marcel Drechsler and Xavier Strottner.
According to the above articles, it's pretty big:
With an ...
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How big would the supernova when a neutron star collides with another neutron star? [closed]
If two neutrons stars that are orbiting were to collide, how big would the supernova explosion be?
Would a new black hole or a new supernova remnant be formed?
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Eyepieces and accessories recommendations for a Starblast 4.5-inch scope in a city as well as darker suburbs, and kid friendly?
For the Starblast 4.5 Telescope I currently have an Orion 7-21mm Zoom eyepiece attached on top of a 2x Barlow lens. I like them because of the magnification they give stacked together and the zoom ...
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What is a good focal length for DSO
I found two telescopes that i'd like to buy, but one has 900mm focal length ((Skywatcher Newton 114/900 EQ1)) and the other has 500mm focal length ((National Geographic Dobson N 114/500)).
My ...
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How is the distance of a star from Earth calculated in the HYG star database
The HYG star database can be found here
From the hygdata_v3.csv file, how are the cartesian (x,y,z) coordinates calculated? (Is there a mathematical formula for this?)
And in the dso.csv file, there ...
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Detect sources near image edge with python photutils
As my question suggests, I 'm trying to use a python library photutils in order to detect sources from MUSE cube. MUSE (Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer) is an ...
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Approximately how many light years across (arclength) was the furthest reaches of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field?
I can find the area($11^2$ arcminutes) and lengths ($200$ arcseconds per side) but if I were to consider just the furthest region (arclength) of the survey, about how many light years across would ...
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DSO in a 60mm telescope
I am thinking about buying a telescope, but here in Brazil they are very expensive and hard to find where to buy. So, the better telescope I can pay for is a Celestron Powerseeker 60AZ. My main ...
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How can I use my current camera whose zoom lens can't be removed behind an f/6 refractor for as an astrophotography?
I am looking at an Astrotech AT60ED (60 mm f/6 with a field flattener) and a Digi-Kit telescope adapter to do astrophotography, mainly deep-sky and I'm wondering if I can use my current Panasonic DMC-...
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Astronomical animations of deep space objects
Is there any real animations from NASA or others (not simulation or Artist's impression) like this
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004400/a004442/frames/730x730_1x1_30p/
or this
https://...
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Do large telescopes, especially plans for the LSST, avoid saturation artifacts from the brightest stars and planets? If so, how?
This interesting answer to What is the LSST's plan to address frequent satellite trails in data? quotes:
From the LSST webpage:
The first group of Starlink satellites are sufficiently bright during ...
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Will the Vera C. Rubin Observatory (formerly the LSST) make a significant increase in the rate of astronomical event alerts?
The NPR news article and podcast New Telescope Promises To Revolutionize Astronomy updates the status of the "Large Synoptic Survey Telescope under construction on Cerro Pachón in Chile".
...
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What causes these asteroid trails to be so strangely shaped and repeated?
The Phys.org news item Hubble is the ultimate multitasker: Discovering asteroids while it's doing other observations includes the image below.
What causes these asteroid trails to be so strangely ...
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How to locate nebulas visible through AstroMaster 114 telescope without device assistance?
I will be going to the desert this month and it's my understanding that the night sky will be very dark there. I've got some practice locating the planets but I'd really like to get a look at a nebula ...
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When a rogue brown dwarf star hits a white dwarf star, will the collision at most cause a nova? [closed]
When a rogue brown dwarf star hits a white dwarf star, will the collision at most cause a nova?
Or can the explosion be heavier?
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What is the "lost light" in this unusual Hubble Deep Sky image?
The Daily Galaxy article “The Lost Hubble” –New! Deepest Image of the Universe Ever Taken says:
To produce the image a group of researchers from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) led ...
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Cases of gravitational lensing resulting in a recognizable image of an extended object?
There are several different classifications of gravitational lensing phenomenon.
Here I am asking for any examples of strong lensing where the lensed image of an extended object is magnified and ...
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I've seen some stars tonight. What could I possibly have been looking at with these pictures?
The weather tonight here is great and I decided to shoot some hand-held (too bad I don't have any tripod) night mode pictures shot with P10. I have no experience in stars observation therefore I can't ...
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How to find a deep sky object 1° NE from a given star
I am an amateur so sorry for any misunderstanding.
I am trying to find a deep-sky object located 1° north east from the δ Cas star. I am using the Stellarium ...
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Studies of isotropy from different ends of the visible universe?
Have there been studies to compare structures that are 26 billion light years distant (i.e. from one side of the observable universe to the other) to search for faint differences?
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What did I photograph?
Last night I was experimenting with my mobile phone shooting the night sky adjusting some settings like shutter time and ISO. One of the first pictures I thought was a complete failure, I only ...
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Is it practical to build a giant telescope in Moon? (Considering the fact that the atmosphere of moon is very rare)
China's FAST (Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope) is the largest radio telescope in the world.(This is huge!!!)
As we all know Space Telescopes are better than Earth-Based ...
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Surface brightness of deep-sky objects and telescope specs
I'm new to amateur astronomy, and I recently acquired my first small telescope. I've just learned a bit about surface brightness after an unsuccessful night of trying to locate a few nebulae that were ...
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Might the SpaceX Roadster intercept any ongoing surveys?
There are star survey telescopes in space, and on Earth. I don't really know how to begin to know where they will all be looking for the next few months. On the off-chance that someone does, or can ...
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What have we learned from the observation of most distant galaxies [closed]
We have seen galaxies around 13 billion years old. Since these galaxies formed so early in the history of the known universe, are there observables about these galaxies that are apparently different ...
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Buying a telescope for the first time. How important is the focal ratio and is a computerised telescope worth it?
I'm wanting to purchase a telescope for the first time. I've narrowed it down to 2 options based on what I've discovered from researching and my price range. I mainly want do planetary observations ...
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What is the largest (angular) dark area in the sky?
Question
Within our current knowledge, what is the largest (circular, say) area in the sky which is empty/dark? I'm thinking in terms of angular size.
Motivation
I was wondering what was the ...
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