I Heart Astronomy!

[Lisa0315]

Feel free to post anything about astronomy here. What is your favorite picture, your favorite astronomy fact?

My favorite fact is the discovery of Black Matter. I think it is ubercool that we found something in recent history that we did not know existed, and this discovery changed the long-held theory that the expansion of the universe was slowing down.

This is a barred spiral galazy.
http://www.tboltusa.com/vince/monv838-hubble-20040304.jpg

[Notta]

My second-in-command is an astronomer. He is WAY cool and knows tons of interesting stuff! I work with people from NASA and with NASA funding all the time. Those people are serious science geeks.

[Lisa0315]

Wow! This is the first science class I have taken since highschool. I thought I hated science, but I am fascinated by this class. When I went searching for that pic, I was very proud that I knew it was a picture of a spiral galaxy. I had to look it up in my book to be sure, and I found that it was a barred spiral galaxy, but still...

I have a final on Astronomy this coming Thursday! I will always be fond of this class as it is my LAST class. I am so glad that I saved it for last because I think if it had not been interesting, I would really have slacked off.

Lisa

[Anne]

ok, that pic made the pagan in me rise up.

That's a friggin salamander circling it!

Beautiful!

[Puck]

Every night I go out about 3 times for a smoke, and I look at the sky. I've learned a lot, but still know so little. I don't 'study' at all, but if I think of something I want to know, I'll look it up, and I have a nice sky watching book so I can learn the stars.

Viewing Saturn through Ashaman's 12.5 inch telescope will always be a highlight of my life. That vision still amazes me. Jupiter and her moons were okay, but Saturn? Wows.

[Oolon Colluphid]

Late last year I did the Open University science Short Course Introduction to Astronomy, the first time I'd gotten back into astronomy since my early teens. (Used to carry my four-inch Newtonian reflector across the road from the house and stand shivering looking at the moon and for the Orion nebulae...)

It's a good course, but the most gobsmacking thing was some of the images that came on the Imagebank CD-ROM. The best of all was this, the Hubble Deep Field South image:

http://imgsrc.hubblesite.org/hu/db/images/hs-1996-01-a-large_web.jpg

And the reason it's so amazing is that the only star in it is the bright point just off the centre, which is (iirc) something like a magnitude 20 star.

All the other things you see there are galaxies. Whole other galaxies. Billions of stars each.

If that doesn't make your head spin and your stomach lurch, I'm not sure you've understood it...

Here's another Hubble image, from the Ultra Deep Field:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Hubble_ultra_deep_field_high_rez_edit1.jpg/600px-Hubble_ultra_deep_field_high_rez_edit1.jpg (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Hubble_ultra_deep_field_high_rez_edit1.jpg)

It's worth clicking on it and downloading the full-size image, and scrolling around it. Suggest bandaging your head first though, so your jaw remains in place.

[Ray Moscow]

I think I'll take an OU astronomy course, too.

I want to get back into following this subject. (I used to, about 10 years ago, but I dropped it without meaning to.)

[Arctish]

What perfect timing for an astronomy thread! March is the ideal time for a Messier Marathon (http://www.richardbell.net/marathon.html). I'm too far north to see all of the Messier objects, but some of you in more southerly latitudes might give it a try.

This is what you'll be looking for:

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k264/Arctish/110ms.gif

gl, hf

[Lisa0315]

Thanks for the pics Oolon. I have seen that one before too.

I am not sure you can access this site, but see if you can download Clea software. This is what we use in our class. Several of the programs include various telescopes in which you can view stars and galaxies. I got the download from my prof, so I wish I could send you a link, but I cannot.

Via the Clea programs, I have sent radio signals to Mercury, viewed the moons of Jupiter, measured stars and galaxies. Very cool stuff.

Lisa

[Lisa0315]

Oh, Thanks, Arctish. This year is also the 400th anniversary of Galileo's uhm something. Sorry, I forget what.

[Brother Daniel]

When he first took a telescope and pointed it at the sky. (I think.)

That first glimpse of what Jupiter and Saturn really look like must have been one serious jaw-dropping moment.

[Lisa0315]

When he first took a telescope and pointed it at the sky. (I think.)

That first glimpse of what Jupiter and Saturn really look like must have been one serious jaw-dropping moment.

Didn't he invent the telescope? Or, he invented a better one.

[Brother Daniel]

I think that's right: He invented a better one. There were earlier telescopes.

[Lisa0315]

I think that's right: He invented a better one. There were earlier telescopes.

Yeah, there are telescopes that bear his name. It has to do with something he did with the lens.

Lisa

[Notta]

Yeah, there are telescopes that bear his name. It has to do with something he did with the lens.

Lisa

I just got a press release about making your own Galileoscope and donating some to schools.

Here it is:

The full text of this press release is available on http://www.iau.org/public_press/news/release/iau0906/

GALILEOSCOPE IN PRODUCTION: THE IYA2009 TELESCOPE IS NOW AVAILABLE!

04 March 2009, Paris: The Galileoscope -- a high quality, easy-to-assemble and easy-to-use telescope at an unprecedentedly low price -- is now available to order. A Cornerstone project of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009), the Galileoscope was developed by a team of leading astronomers, optical engineers and science educators to make the wonders of the night sky more accessible to everyone. Orders can now be placed through www.galileoscope.org for delivery beginning in late April. By encouraging the experience of personally seeing celestial objects, the Galileoscope project aims to facilitate a main goal of IYA2009: promoting widespread access to new knowledge and observing opportunities. Observing through a telescope for the first time is an experience that shapes our view of the sky and the Universe. It prompts people to think about the importance of astronomy, and for many it's a life-changing experience. Galileoscopes will open up a whole new world for their users and are an excellent means of pursuing an interest in astronomy during IYA2009 and beyond.

Galileoscopes are available at the incredibly low price of US$15 per kit. Discounts are available for group purchases of 100 or more, bringing the price down even lower, to US$12.50 each, reducing costs for schools, colleges, astronomical societies, or even parties of interested individuals. Never before has such a high quality and professionally endorsed scientific instrument been available for this price.

To further this aim, the Galileoscope Cornerstone project has initiated the "Give a Galileoscope" program. Participants may buy Galileoscopes for themselves, their families, or their friends at the regular $15 or $12.50 price (depending on quantity) plus shipping, and/or donate as many telescopes as they'd like for $12.50 each, with no shipping charges. Donated Galileoscopes will go to less advantaged schools and other organizations worldwide, especially in developing countries. This will help bring a modern education to students in poor schools and empower them to pursue science and technology knowledge. Donating Galileoscopes increases the project's global impact and gives people who might otherwise never have the opportunity to look through a telescope the chance to join millions of skywatchers worldwide in a shared experience of astronomical discovery.

The Galileoscope is named after the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, who first observed the heavens through a telescope 400 years ago. His observations were nothing short of revolutionary and changed our view of the world forever. The Galileoscope is optimized to provide views of the very same objects that inspired Galileo all those years ago -- including craters and mountains on the Moon, the rings of Saturn, the phases of Venus, a variety of star clusters, and moons orbiting the planet Jupiter. Sights such as these astounded Galileo and they are all visible, along with countless other objects, through the Galileoscope. Although, with its 21st-century optics, it will provide a much better observing experience than Galileo had!

Galileoscopes are also invaluable educational tools, tying in with topics such as mathematics, physics, history and philosophy. As practical instruments they can be used to demonstrate basic optical theory in a real-world scenario, a technique often praised by educators and pupils themselves. Free educational guides are available on the project's website, providing further information to teachers, students and enthusiasts. Experience has shown that the "Wow!" factor that kids get from assembling their own fully functional, high quality Galileoscope is unsurpassed. "The ability to experiment with lenses while building the telescope offers a much more powerful learning experience than receiving a preassembled telescope," says Rick Fienberg, Editor Emeritus of Sky & Telescope magazine and Chair of the IYA2009 Cornerstone project. "Users will learn many aspects of optics and even have a chance to construct two types of telescopes -- a modern one and a more primitive one similar to Galileo's," adds Stephen Pompea, US IYA2009 Project Director and member of the IYA2009 Cornerstone project. “Building and using a Galileoscope gives kids the feeling that science is fun."

Galileoscopes are easy to use, sturdy, reliable and well-designed windows to the Universe. Orders are now being taken through the official website, www.galileoscope.org. Build one and the stars will be within your reach! Worldwide observing projects with small telescopes are a key part of the Galileoscope Cornerstone. The "You Are Galileo!" project, organized by the IYA2009 Japan National Committee, uses classroom telescopes along with worksheets and manuals to form part of a year-long observation program. These are designed for children and certificates are available for participants who send records of their observations to the "You Are Galileo!" team.

Links:

Galileoscope website: www.galileoscope.org
IYA2009 website: www.astronomy2009.org
You Are Galileo! website: http://www-irc.mtk.nao.ac.jp/~webadm/Galileo-E/

For more information:

Dr. Richard Tresch Fienberg
IYA2009 Galileoscope Cornerstone Project Chair
Phillips Academy, Andover, MA USA
Tel: +1 978 749 4753
E-mail: rfienberg@galileoscope.org

[Lisa0315]

Thanks Notta! I am sending that info to my professor right now! I will definitely be getting one of those!

[Black5]

I always find the shear scale of the universe comforting for some reason. With estimates of one hundred billion galaxies and 100 billion stars per galaxy in the visible universe and considering that the entire universe is much much larger I think it is likely other life exists.

[ofro]

If you haven't heard about the Astronomy Picture of the Day, you can find it here (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/):

Today's picture is one of the crescent moon; for some reason I can't get it to come up directly :(


There is a new one every day. You can also go to the Archive (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html) and check out the pictures all the way back to 1995. Enjoy!

[Lisa0315]

If you haven't heard about the Astronomy Picture of the Day, you can find it here (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/):

Today's picture is one of the crescent moon; for some reason I can't get it to come up directly :(


There is a new one every day. You can also go to the Archive (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html) and check out the pictures all the way back to 1995. Enjoy!

COOL!!!!!!! Thanks so much!

[Christina]

Thanks from me too. The ones that I've looked at so far are amazing.

[Garnet]

If you haven't heard about the Astronomy Picture of the Day, you can find it here (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/):

Today's picture is one of the crescent moon; for some reason I can't get it to come up directly :(


There is a new one every day. You can also go to the Archive (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html) and check out the pictures all the way back to 1995. Enjoy!

Ooooooo. I now have the cocoon nebula as my background on my work desktop.

[Lisa0315]

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap090301.html

Here is mine:

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0903/omegacen_davis.jpg (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0903/omegacen_davis_big.jpg)

[Lisa0315]

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap090125.html

Ooh, look at this one!

[Christina]

This one (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap090222.html) is my favorite so far.

[Lisa0315]

This one (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap090222.html)is my favorite so far.

Pretty! I am really having a hard time deciding which one I want to have as my screen saver. I wonder if I can figure out how to have many and they change every so many seconds. I know there is a way to do it. I have seen it on other folk's computers.

Lisa

[Christina]

You can go into Properties -> Screensaver, select the "My Pictures Slideshow" and then go into Settings and tell it a specific folder to use.

[Lisa0315]

If you go into Properties -> Screensaver, select the "My Pictures Slideshow" and then go into Settings, you can tell it a specific folder to use.

Awesome! Thanks!

[Lisa0315]

Damn it. I have XP, so it does not give me that option. I am still looking to see if I can do it, but of course it would not be as simple as your instructions.

Lisa

[Lisa0315]

Okay, I fixed it. I had to download a Windows slideshow thingie to get it to work.

Lisa

[Christina]

Good.

Check out this one. (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap090122.html) I'm not going to get anything else done all day.

[Lisa0315]

Good.

Check out this one. (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap090122.html) I'm not going to get anything else done all day.

Yeah, I have that one saved. It is so beautiful.

Lisa

[Christina]

Are you still looking at them all the time? As I go through I save lots of them and have them set up as a screensaver slide show. Sometimes I realize that I've been sitting there for half an hour just staring at it.

[Asha'man]

My favorite fact is the discovery of Black Matter. I think it is ubercool that we found something in recent history that we did not know existed, and this discovery changed the long-held theory that the expansion of the universe was slowing down.
Actually, it's called 'Dark' matter, not Black. And yea, it's an amazing discovery. Some astronomers were comparing the observed rotation speeds of galactic disks vs what a model would predict based on the distribution of stars and gas. The two didn't match up. The only way for the stars in the outer edges of the galaxy to have the observed orbital speeds was for there to be extra mass further out, mass that was not observed. Either the mathematics of orbital motion (or even gravity itself) was wrong, or there was extra unseen matter in some sort of halo surrounding the galaxy.

Now, 'Dark Energy' is something different. This was the result of studies of type 1a supernovas, which all have a uniform brightness when they explode. Since we know how bright they are, it's easy to figure out how far away they are, and compare that to other measurements of distance, such as redshift. (Redshift is a function of how the light is stretched as the universe expands, and it's been a very good predictor of distance and age so far.) Again, the two numbers didn't match. The apparent explanation was that the expansion of the universe wasn't slowing down, but actually speeding up. This speed up was explained by something Einstein had thought of, but then discarded, called the cosmological constant. As the universe gets less dense, the gravitational attraction that slows the expansion gets weaker, but something else grew in strength in the opposite direction. Since unseen matter would increase the gravitational attraction, not decrease it, this had to be a form of energy. A name was needed for this extra energy, and Dark Energy seemed to be as good as anything else.

To be perfectly technical, I wouldn't call either of these ideas 'fact' yet. Both are considered scientific theories that are still in the confirmation phase. Both have passed some tests, but the evidence is not yet overwhelming that the current explanation is the best one available. Theoretical alternatives exist, and serious people still spend time debating these.

This is a barred spiral galazy.
Actually, your picture isn't a galaxy at all. It's an expanding dust cloud thrown off from an exploding star, illuminated by the star in the center. It's relatively close by, within our own galaxy. V838_Monocerotis Personally, I think that makes it even more cool, and it is a spectacular image. :)

[frazier]

Viewing Saturn through Ashaman's 12.5 inch telescope will always be a highlight of my life. That vision still amazes me. Jupiter and her moons were okay, but Saturn? Wows.
I think everyone remembers their first Saturn - I know I do. Didn't matter that it was a little 4.5" scope, I felt like I could reach out and touch it.

A scope like Ahaman's 12.5" is capable of collecting a serious number of ancient photons. Being able to visually resolve some of the faint fuzzies is a real mind-expander.

Several times a month (usually during the first quarter of the moon, so it's out during the evening hours), my club sets up our scopes outside a local public library, and we "ambush" the kids and parents coming in. We hear a lot of jaws hitting the pavement, from parents as well. Lots of fun!

That first glimpse (by Galileo) of what Jupiter and Saturn really look like must have been one serious jaw-dropping moment.
As thrilled as modern humans are by these sights (despite access to Hubble images), Galileo surely realized that he stood on the brink of a vast undiscovered body of knowledge.

Although he quickly and accurately deduced the nature of the four lights that were bound to Jupiter, he was unable to resolve the rings of Saturn well enough to figure them out.

[DMB]

See this post (http://www.talkrational.org/showthread.php?t=2703) I made at TR back in June. That is still my favourite picture of Saturn.

[Lisa0315]

I have that picture as one of my screen savers at work. That is truly beautiful.

Lisa

[Lisa0315]

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap090314.html

This pic is one that I sent to my prof. He totally flipped out over it. He is going to use this to demonstrate celestial poles and such in his next class...at my recommendation!

[frazier]

See this post (http://www.talkrational.org/showthread.php?t=2703) I made at TR back in June. That is still my favourite picture of Saturn.
I especially love that the Earth is visible in that shot.

[Lisa0315]

My daughter just told me something about Dec 21, 2012. I told her I wouldn't believe it unless I read something by NASA or Hubble. Anyone heard of "Doomsday 2012"?

Lisa

[Lisa0315]

http://www.universetoday.com/2008/10/03/2012-no-geomagnetic-reversal/

NASA is one of the sources for this article. Pretty cool stuff, actually.

Lisa

[Oolon Colluphid]

http://www.universetoday.com/2008/10/03/2012-no-geomagnetic-reversal/
We'll most likely experience aurorae at all latitudes whilst the dipolar magnetic field settles down to its new, reversed state
Bring it on then!

[Lisa0315]

Bring it on then!

Upside Down Inside Out! :D

[Schneibster]

I think everyone remembers their first Saturn - I know I do. Didn't matter that it was a little 4.5" scope, I felt like I could reach out and touch it.Yeah, I remember it through my 3.5" plastic tubed newtonian, standing in the cold in front of my house, all excited to be allowed to be outside at night. I spent a lot of time on the Moon, and got my first look at Jupiter, and at the Sword Nebula, and M13. I desperately wanted to bag M31, but of course I didn't have the skies for it with such a small 'scope- suburbia.

A scope like Ahaman's 12.5" is capable of collecting a serious number of ancient photons. Being able to visually resolve some of the faint fuzzies is a real mind-expander.Wow, a bucket. What is it, Asha'man, a Dob, or one of the Mead RCs?

I've got a C9.25 on a G-11 in my backyard; I got a SkyShed POD and had a 12x12 pad poured with a stick in the middle of it. I'm still getting the house in order after moving and putting an addition on, and the skies have been crappy here on the Central Coast for the past year and a half, so I've been lazy. I've also got a TeleVue NP-127is I'm hoping to start doing some work with, and a Borg system with the 77ED-II and the 101ED, and various accessories, that I generally use as a guide 'scope. My camera right now is a Starlight Xpress SXV-H9C; I decided I was more into art shots than, like, joining the AAVSO or anything like that, otherwise I'd be playing with color wheels and so forth.

Several times a month (usually during the first quarter of the moon, so it's out during the evening hours), my club sets up our scopes outside a local public library, and we "ambush" the kids and parents coming in. We hear a lot of jaws hitting the pavement, from parents as well. Lots of fun!Oh, I miss it. I haven't had time; too much housework (and I don't mean sweeping and vacuuming). I have a pretty good setup, too, a GP-DX to put the TeleVue on, and a Denk and a pair of Nikon zooms I got 1-1/4 adapters from Hutech for. I had it out once last year, and had the most popular 'scope at the party, mostly because of the Denk. People really dig being able to look with both eyes. I really miss that and look forward to getting started again.

Tell me, do you guys make the same joke we do about the "mascara nebula?" :D

That first glimpse (by Galileo) of what Jupiter and Saturn really look like must have been one serious jaw-dropping moment. As thrilled as modern humans are by these sights (despite access to Hubble images), Galileo surely realized that he stood on the brink of a vast undiscovered body of knowledge.

Although he quickly and accurately deduced the nature of the four lights that were bound to Jupiter, he was unable to resolve the rings of Saturn well enough to figure them out.It was small, and it wasn't very sharp, but it was the only one in the world and he knew it. They still call the easily visible four Jovian moons "Galilean," and well they should. He was FIRST.

[LoneWolf]

...And the reason it's so amazing is that the only star in it is the bright point just off the centre, which is (iirc) something like a magnitude 20 star.

All the other things you see there are galaxies. Whole other galaxies. Billions of stars each.

If that doesn't make your head spin and your stomach lurch, I'm not sure you've understood it...



I have seen that picture before and it always puts my brain on the verge of complete melt down. As hard as I try, I just can’t comprehend the vastness of what I am seeing. Each of those is a freaking galaxy. A GALAXY! Take just one speck of white on that picture and realize that it takes about 100,000 years for light to travel from one side of that speck to the other side of the same speck.

I don’t think the human imagination has evolved yet to the point that it is capable of grasping the magnitude of that.

[DMB]

I have come to the conclusion that most of us can't really get our head round large numbers such as a billion. I remember a journalist being briefed for several days for an article on world population (then about 5 billion). The article was OK, except that she wrote that world population was about 5 million.

Then there are all the people who hearing something like "one thousand and thirty-seven" are incapable of writing it down in figures. They end up with nonsense like 100037. When I first lived in Switzerland, I used to get my cash in the form of one or more 1000-franc notes. So I go into the supermarket and buy a lot of stuff. The bill comes to 105.35 francs. So I hand the cashier a 1000 note plus 5.35 francs in coins. She is completely stymied because she needs to type in 1005.35 so that the change comes out as 900 francs. But although she knows what I have given her, she can't type it in figures. In the end I have to tell her figure by figure. This happened quite a few times. Now I get my cash in 100-franc notes and it's a lot easier.

[Lisa0315]

Name a moon! Discoverers of Orcus are taking name suggestions for one of the moons until next week.

http://www.mikebrownsplanets.com/2009/03/s1-90482-2005-needs-your-help.html

[frazier]

Wow, a bucket. What is it, Asha'man, a Dob, or one of the Mead RCs?
IIRC, it's an Obsession, there was a pic of it somewhere on IIDB once.

Mine's an 8" dob, homemade including the mirror. I love the 5-minute setup, but now I'm seriously envious of your observatory. I don't have a site for it though.

I've got a C9.25 on a G-11 in my backyard; I got a SkyShed POD and had a 12x12 pad poured with a stick in the middle of it. I'm still getting the house in order after moving and putting an addition on, and the skies have been crappy here on the Central Coast for the past year and a half, so I've been lazy. I've also got a TeleVue NP-127is I'm hoping to start doing some work with, and a Borg system with the 77ED-II and the 101ED, and various accessories, that I generally use as a guide 'scope. My camera right now is a Starlight Xpress SXV-H9C; I decided I was more into art shots than, like, joining the AAVSO or anything like that, otherwise I'd be playing with color wheels and so forth.

Oh, I miss it. I haven't had time; too much housework (and I don't mean sweeping and vacuuming). I have a pretty good setup, too, a GP-DX to put the TeleVue on, and a Denk and a pair of Nikon zooms I got 1-1/4 adapters from Hutech for. I had it out once last year, and had the most popular 'scope at the party, mostly because of the Denk. People really dig being able to look with both eyes. I really miss that and look forward to getting started again.
Yeah, I've tried the Denk at a party. It was awesome, but out of my price bracket. That's some serious gear you've got!

[Schneibster]

I have come to the conclusion that most of us can't really get our head round large numbers such as a billion. I have an easy way.

A thousand seconds is sixteen minutes and forty seconds.

A million seconds is eleven and a half days.

A billion seconds is 35 years.

That kinda gets it across.

[Schneibster]

Wow, a bucket. What is it, Asha'man, a Dob, or one of the Mead RCs?
IIRC, it's an Obsession, there was a pic of it somewhere on IIDB once.Obsessions are nice. The best view of Jupiter I've ever had was with a 22" Obsession and a 35mm Nagler- aka the "Holy Hand Grenade."

Mine's an 8" dob, homemade including the mirror. I love the 5-minute setup, but now I'm seriously envious of your observatory. I don't have a site for it though.Well, if I had the seeing I'd be a lot happier- I keep remembering how good it was five years ago and wondering how badly I'm getting screwed by global warming.

First it was the fires, then the jet stream started migrating over top of my house. I can't win.

Having the 'scope all set up is pretty nice, though- I can just take the computer out, hook it up, align on three stars, and I'm good to go. I've done some runs on M13 last spring, some visual on Cygnus and M31 and M33 last summer, and some planetary over last fall and winter, and and I hope to get my house stuff all in order and get started on that and some other little projects (tuning the G11, getting a webcam and the software to sort through the shots to do some planetary stuff, things like that) by mid summer this year.

Yeah, I've tried the Denk at a party. It was awesome, but out of my price bracket. That's some serious gear you've got!Thanks, I hope to put it to some serious use shortly.

[Codec]

I rather like astronomy too - have done 3 OU courses on in now, and half way through a 4th. Its quite amazing stuff, both practical and theoretical.

We also all went out last night and watched the space shuttle pass overhead, followed a few seconds later by the space station - that was quite amazing.

Then we had a look at Saturn through the telescope - its not at its best at the moment, as the rings are nearly edge on - but still pretty spectacular, and one of its moons was visible.

If you haven't come across it yet, there are a good series of podcasts (http://365daysofastronomy.org/), one for each day of this international year of astronomy.

[Asha'man]

Wow, a bucket. What is it, Asha'man, a Dob, or one of the Mead RCs?

It's actually a 14.5" Starmaster Dob. It is a very nice bucket, with an extremely nice Zambuto mirror. There are some larger dobs in my local astro community, but mine is the largest that lets you observe with your feet on the ground (or deck, in my case). And I've also got a Denk, I have to agree about the two-eyes thing. :)

I'm sure Puck will be happy to hear that I'm planning on bringing the scope to Jobar's this year, since I traveled light last year. Saturn is going to be in a good position for viewing then.