Search found 137 matches

by mark.m
Tue Nov 21, 2017 3:32 pm
Forum: Galileo's Gabfest
Topic: Followup from October presentation on variable stars...
Replies: 12
Views: 5935

Re: Followup from October presentation on variable stars...

Great questions, Andy! - You're right, I slipped up in the text at the bottom of page 4. That definition of D is wrong. It should say, "D - The diameter of the out-of-focus disk". - I'm still scratching my head a bit on the weighted linear drift. I have definitely seen what you describe: a...
by mark.m
Mon Nov 20, 2017 9:04 pm
Forum: Galileo's Gabfest
Topic: Followup from October presentation on variable stars...
Replies: 12
Views: 5935

Followup from October presentation on variable stars...

After my presentation at the October meeting on variable stars, several people asked if I had any more information on the observation scheduler and the automated focuser that I talked about. I pulled together two papers that go into some of the details about how these two things work, and I've attac...
by mark.m
Wed Oct 18, 2017 9:48 pm
Forum: Galileo's Gabfest
Topic: Observing Challenge: Variable Star R Aquarii
Replies: 3
Views: 3257

Re: Observing Challenge: Variable Star R Aquarii

Paul: Yes! To quote from the AAVSO visual observing manual: "Another technique that is strongly recommended for making magnitude estimates of red stars is called the “out-of-focus method.” That is, the eyepiece must be drawn out of focus so far that the stars become visible as colorless disks. ...
by mark.m
Wed Oct 11, 2017 7:58 pm
Forum: Galileo's Gabfest
Topic: Observing Challenge: Variable Star R Aquarii
Replies: 3
Views: 3257

Observing Challenge: Variable Star R Aquarii

There's a pretty cool variable star that needs visual observations: R Aqr (Aquarius). This star is actually a binary pair, separated by about the distance between Saturn and our sun. The two stars started life with somewhat different masses. The more massive one (now called star "B"), reac...
by mark.m
Mon Feb 27, 2017 9:40 pm
Forum: Galileo's Gabfest
Topic: Pluto chapter III
Replies: 21
Views: 9501

Re: Pluto chapter III

..Pluto's odd orbit. I'm sure there are many theories of how this came to be. Can any of you mention some of them??? Jerry - Thanks for your comments. I'm finding this conversation kind of fun. (The one course in college that I received the lowest final grade on was Dynamical Astrophysics: the stud...
by mark.m
Sat Feb 25, 2017 1:00 pm
Forum: Galileo's Gabfest
Topic: Pluto chapter III
Replies: 21
Views: 9501

Re: Pluto chapter III

Wikipedia has some interesting information on the stability of the solar system, including Pluto and Neptune, which are currently locked in an orbital resonance that prevents collisions for some time into the future (10-20 million years). Beyond that, we can't predict. By the way, one of the things...
by mark.m
Mon Feb 06, 2017 8:38 pm
Forum: The Imager's Studio
Topic: NGC 253, the Sculptor Galaxy
Replies: 8
Views: 3576

Re: NGC 253, the Sculptor Galaxy

Beautiful, Andy.

As I look across your images, it looks like the diffraction spikes aren't always at the same angle relative to the CCD. Are you able to rotate the camera remotely? Or is that something that requires hands-on adjustment?

- Mark Munkacsy