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Leo

Discussion in 'Beginner's Corner' started by Pleiades, Mar 22, 2018.

Leo

Started by Pleiades on Mar 22, 2018 at 7:06 PM

54 Replies 9738 Views 3 Likes

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  1. BillP

    BillP Well-Known Member

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  2. Dave In Vermont

    Dave In Vermont Well-Known Member

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    I'm sorry to say I didn't. But that's a famous image. Done before we unraveled the fact that this Venusian-wedge in the atmosphere seems to be a permanent phenomena. It can alter a bit this way and that - but it's still there today. Any guesses why?

    I think it might (?) indicate some sort of topographical phenomena going on beneath the ever-present clouds that is creating some up-currents going on. If we get a heat-proof 'rover' onto the surface, I hope that gets a look in the area of this 'wedge.'
     
  3. BillP

    BillP Well-Known Member

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    Your "heat-proff" comment is interesting. It points out just how much we, the human race, will only be able to scratch the surface in exploring and understanding the universe. There are more places in the universe that are beyond our abilities to explore sufficiently well due to extreme conditions that are beyond what any mechanics and electronics can survive. So forget about a hardened rover for Venus but just think of how much foot work is needed in geology to really begin to understand a geologic process here on Earth. It needs an enormous amount of investigation on the ground with hands and eyes. We just can't do that...not even here on Earth! I was watching a program last night on that large crystal cave here on Earth where the crystals are building sized! Evidently the chamber is 120 degrees F so scientists need to go in with special thermal suits and oxygen breathers and still their time is very limited before their cores get too hot. Now think Venus at 8 times hotter and inconveniently far away. We will never get to the point of exploring it sufficiently to get anything more than just the big picture. Then I watched another program on life here on Earth in extreme conditions as started thinking "what if" life was able to exists in very extreme places, like in magma! We actually could not even begin to investigate that because no mechanical and observational materials will be able to study anything in there while it is in its natural state. And then when dealing with exactly what is going on in stars, given their size and the need to really observe what is going on across vans areas in detail at multiple levels, just not feasible as would really require data gathering from thousands of points and depths. Really understanding anything more than the simplest macro-level knowledge of anything beyond Earth will forever be out of our reach and only the stuff of movies IMO.
     
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  4. Ed D

    Ed D Well-Known Member

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    I was observing Algieba with my TV-85 tonight. It was an easy split using the TV 20mm Plossl and TV 3x Barlow. Even with my Vixen 15mm NPL Plossl I could see the two. While observing I noticed a very faint star that looked blue/grey. It was a small dot that appeared at 10 O'Clock of the A star when the the B star is below the A star. At first I thought it might be a reflection or other anomaly, but I could detect it with my Baader, Vixen and TV eyepieces, with or without the Barlow. Another characteristic is that as magnification increased the star was so dim I couldn't see it. It was definitely an airy disk.

    little star-> .O <-A star
    o <-B star

    That's a crappy representation, but picture the period at 10 O'Clock of the O. I tried looking for info but found nothing specific. It may just be a background star, and the extreme light pollution lets it be barely visible while blocking out other stars in the field. My best guess anyway.

    Just thought I would share this one with you. Any feedback is appreciated. I'm going to try again with the 4.7" achromat tomorrow, weather permitting.

    Ed D
     
  5. Nebula

    Nebula Well-Known Member

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    BillP I think eventually we will be able to create new super elements, in a few hundreds years. These should open doors for us. Let's say we use graphene to build computers 100x has powerful has today, this computing power will help us discover new thing to help create new elements from scratch, one atom at the time.

    Like a new alloy that could sustain high heat without any side effects, an indestructible alloy, a light weight simple coating that could block cosmic rays, an element to play with gravity.

    I like to dream about that..

    The 3M(r) Novec coating is a good example of innovation to protect our electronic.
     
  6. BillP

    BillP Well-Known Member

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    Yes, nice to dream about what technological advances could do. However, as the old adage goes, just because I can do it, does it mean I should do it? Progress in technology without commensurate social and cultural advancement at a global level is a recipe for destruction. I think it would be wise to put down the technological toys for a while and spend most of out time and resources on trying to get our humanity to improve and catch up. Otherwise there will be no tomorrow to enjoy any increased technological capabilities.
     
  7. Dave In Vermont

    Dave In Vermont Well-Known Member

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    Very well put, Bill! It reminds me of being interviewed by the daughter of Carl Sagan when I was teaching chemistry at 16 in 1976 at a high-school outside of Boston. She was working for some school-paper somewhere, and asked me about the dangers of science. So I replied:

    "The danger is that often times mankinds' technological advances far outpaces mankinds' wisdom."

    A week or two later - that grandstanding twit father of hers' - Carl Sagan - said the same damn thing in an interview that went national.

    I could have strangled him. :mad:
     
  8. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    Did you give him the idea for this novel made into a movie as well Dave? ROTFL

     
  9. Dave In Vermont

    Dave In Vermont Well-Known Member

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    No! It took me a very long time to bother watching it. I'd still strangle him.

    I think the Universe stepped in and knocked him off for me though. :p
     
  10. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    He had the soul of a poet ...

     
  11. Dave In Vermont

    Dave In Vermont Well-Known Member

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  12. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    I miss Sagan anyway. I used to like it when he pronounced 'human beings' as 'u-mun beans'. lol



    Are you related to these blokes Dave? lol
     
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2018
  13. BillP

    BillP Well-Known Member

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    Yes. We idolize our heros too much. When meeting them in person one often finds they are just ordinary people, with ordinary failings. So don't put your heros on too high of a pedestal as you don't want them to get hurt too badly when they fall. I enjoy Sagan though billions upon billions more then Neil Tyson. :)
     
  14. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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  15. BillP

    BillP Well-Known Member

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    LOL
     

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