The Evening Star Returns

Astrophotography: share your photos & discuss techniques
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mrgizmo65
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Re: The Evening Star Returns

Unread post by mrgizmo65 »

Mike, and you do this as a hobby??? Very impressive!!
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Apollo XX
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Re: The Evening Star Returns

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Thanks Pete, thanks Jerry!
"The purpose of life is the investigation of the Sun, the Moon, and the heavens." - Anaxagoras
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Apollo XX
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Re: The Evening Star Returns

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So as you already know if you've perused this thread, I took a bunch of pictures of our inner planets in their travels over the course of the month. One of the things I also did was to make sure to take the same basic image at the same sun angle on each day that offered a clear view. I used the widest view the camera offered, positioned it basically pointing in the same direction each time, and took shots at the time when the sun was 7* below the horizon. What this gave me was a series of frames that I could work with to assemble a graphic of the representative travel paths of the planets. The dates on the left show each day that Venus was imaged, with Mercury joining in on the 5th and ending on the 16th, as he was blocked by a cloud on the 19th. It's not a lot, but it's enough to get a feel for the differences in the orbits.

Image
"The purpose of life is the investigation of the Sun, the Moon, and the heavens." - Anaxagoras
Bruce D
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Re: The Evening Star Returns

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You've put together a great series of images and commentary, ever consider writing for S&T?
Bruce D
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AndyG
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Re: The Evening Star Returns

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That is so cool! You can practically see the orbits.
Andy
Thuban
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Re: The Evening Star Returns

Unread post by Thuban »

Funny story about Geese and astronomy... funny that there could even be a link but there is. My astronomy teacher in highschool once told this joke and I got a kick out of it because I have that kind of dry sense of humor...
Do you ever wonder why the geese when they fly in a V follow that one bird? It's because he is in front.
Mike C
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Apollo XX
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Re: The Evening Star Returns

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So there was some discussion last month about the behavior of migrating geese, and I mentioned that I had seen many flocks flying in a southerly direction. I had speculated (jokingly of course) that they were doing so because they knew something we didn't, and damn if I wasn't right!
Apollo XX wrote: Second, and this is for Bill G who by the way has good eyes - I hate to tell you this, but that flock is definitely flying south (actually S/SW) and I have no degree in birdology so I have no idea why they do what they do, but many geese have flown over during the shooting of these images and not a one of them has been going north. Does it mean that winter is about to get really nasty and they're getting out of dodge to save themselves? I hope not! Are they just confused and they go that way until one of them quacks up and says "hey idiots, wrong way!"? Or maybe they're using a sort of sling-shot technique to gain speed where they fly in one direction to gain momentum and then swing it around to the way they really want to go? Believe me, when you're standing on the edge of the frozen tundra waiting for the "right light" and they fly over in formation, you've got plenty of time to wonder just why the hell they are going in that direction! :lol:
Of course we now know that since that time we've had record snowfall in a record amount of time and it's just been brutal out there. So those birds that we originally declared to just be wayward dingbats were actually geniuses that knew they'd be no way to find food under eight feet of snow, so off they went! Well, I'm happy to report that while I was out one afternoon earlier this week I saw a giant flock of geese flying N/NE! Yes! Based on the success of our first speculation I'm now going to declare with great confidence that we're on our way out of the woods with this awful "condensed" winter experience.

I'm going to find my shorts.
"The purpose of life is the investigation of the Sun, the Moon, and the heavens." - Anaxagoras
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WCGucfa
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Re: The Evening Star Returns

Unread post by WCGucfa »

Well Mike, I have to tell you that the geese you see flying around in all directions now,
are the ones who stay all year. Most of them live for the winter in Rehoboth, it seems.
I have rented space in my goat house to a few, (they seem to like the smell).
They're happy to be here this year, as most of them are highly skilled plow drivers and a
lot have gotten great jobs assembling snow rakes at Home Depot.
I had a bunch over for the conjunction the other night (a bit of a pain holding them up to the eyepiece, granted)
but they cleared my roof after, in gratitude. May the honks be with you!

Bill G. 02/22/15, 0952hrs LMT, a balmy 34 degees (thank goodness), heavy snow since 0800.
Comets:40, Best Meteor shwr: Leonids '01, Best Aurora:Oct. '03.
Total.Sol.Eclipse,7/10/72 from Nova Scotia.Annular Sol. Eclipse '94,
Trans.of Venus 2004&2012.,ShoeLevy crash into Jupiter '94.
4/25/66 fireball-9 mag.,SN2011fe,N2012aw,DelphN2013.
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Apollo XX
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Re: The Evening Star Returns

Unread post by Apollo XX »

Bill - LOL! For a minute there I thought you said "boat house" and I was left wondering what tributary to the Providence River you're living on. :lol: Judging by the snow rakes I saw leaving the Home Depot the other day, I think you might be running an occupational training program entitled "Making Stuff Out Of a Mishmash of Random Parts".

BTW - Still snowing heavy at Oh-half-past 10 or so! Damn Goosology - it's inaccurate!
"The purpose of life is the investigation of the Sun, the Moon, and the heavens." - Anaxagoras
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WCGucfa
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Re: The Evening Star Returns

Unread post by WCGucfa »

Most of the geese live on the west side of town, on the Palmer river, a mile away.

BG
Comets:40, Best Meteor shwr: Leonids '01, Best Aurora:Oct. '03.
Total.Sol.Eclipse,7/10/72 from Nova Scotia.Annular Sol. Eclipse '94,
Trans.of Venus 2004&2012.,ShoeLevy crash into Jupiter '94.
4/25/66 fireball-9 mag.,SN2011fe,N2012aw,DelphN2013.
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