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Movies That Feature Telescopes

Discussion in 'General Astronomy Chat' started by Seer, Jan 31, 2019.

Movies That Feature Telescopes

Started by Seer on Jan 31, 2019 at 6:18 AM

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  1. Seer

    Seer Well-Known Member

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    I am trapped in my apartment during this polar vortex as some of you probably are. For something to do let's try to compile a list of movies that feature telescopes. I'll start off the list with a few.
    CONTACT Starring Jodie Foster 1997
    If I remember correctly in it a desert array of radio telescopes are shown as well as Arecibo.
    SKYLINE 2010
    Has several scenes of them using a very nice telescope but not for astronomy. I like how they had it rigged up to the TV.
     
  2. jgroub

    jgroub Well-Known Member

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    The movie Body Double, with a very young Melanie Griffith, famously featured the use of a Questar in a few scenes, used to observe a couple of heavenly bodies. Ahem.

    Star Trek: First Contact had a scene where they used a gussied up Meade SCT to show someone the Enterprise in orbit.

    One of the central plot points in the 80s teen movie Can't Buy Me Love was that the main character was saving up to buy, yes, another big fat Meade SCT, while using a much smaller newtonian.
     
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  3. Seer

    Seer Well-Known Member

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    Almost if not all movies and TV shows that take place in high rise apartments show a telescope in the background by a window.
    I'm trying to think of another movie but keep coming up with TV shows.
    I think there may have been a James Bond movie or two. I know there was one that showed the unusual housing complex that is by some major telescopes.
     
    Last edited: Feb 3, 2019
  4. Seer

    Seer Well-Known Member

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  5. Seer

    Seer Well-Known Member

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    The movie BATTLESHIP starts off by showing several mountain top telescopes called the BEACON INTERNATIONAL PROJECT HIMALAYAS.
    I'm pretty sure the label is fictitious but I don't know if they are showing real telescopes or a model.
     
  6. kevan hubbard

    kevan hubbard Well-Known Member

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    Any pirate film is good for telescopes!the TV show 'frazer',or was it 'fraser'?,had a telescope on Frazers balcony.looked like a 60mm tasco style refractor?
     
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  7. Seer

    Seer Well-Known Member

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    The movie 10 had a nice looking telescope.
    It is looking to me like the majority of telescopes in movies were used more for voyeurism then astronomy.
     
  8. sickfish

    sickfish Well-Known Member

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    Roxanne
     
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  9. Seer

    Seer Well-Known Member

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    It has been so long sense I seen Roxanne that I don't really remember much about it anymore. It's stars Steve Martin right?
     
  10. sickfish

    sickfish Well-Known Member

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    Daryl Hannah was the astronomer.
     
  11. Leonard

    Leonard Well-Known Member

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    “Into the Wild” staring Emile Hurst had scene when his wealthy father played by William Hurt received a Quastar for his Birthday. He pulled it out of an unlabeled package, held it by the neck like part of the instrument, and began to enthusiastically wave it around.

    I remember thinking, “he needs to be careful with that scope”. And I wondered why his character would act so carelessly with such a nice instrument (no matter the wealth he possessed) if he was actually an amateur astronomer.

    It’s funny, because only an amateur astronomer would follow that line of thought while watching a movie. Lol
     
  12. Leonard

    Leonard Well-Known Member

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    For a TV show, “The Big Bang Theory” almost displays a scope in the background of the actors various apartments. And generally it’s a decent scope. I have noticed one character, the professional astronomy, “owns” a Celestron NexStar Se8. At least it looks like an 8” scope complete with the NexStar mount.

    There was a particular episode when the “guys” brought their various scopes to the roof top of their building.
     
  13. Seer

    Seer Well-Known Member

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    I have seen the telescopes in the background on The Big Bang Theory but I didn't see that episode where they take them to the roof. That must have been after I got rid of my cable. I remember them bouncing a laser off of the moon up there and getting married up there.
     

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