Mars Image

Space Imaging ^

[RadioAstronomer]

Space Imaging's IKONOS satellite imaged the planet Mars.

[jwalsh07]

Well, we have had the Man on the Moon for a long time, it's about time we got a Bronc Rider on Mars.

[RadioAstronomer]

Toast them with your Pepsi, RA.

Toast raised :-)

[RadioAstronomer]

Well, we have had the Man on the Moon for a long time, it's about time we got a Bronc Rider on Mars.

I thought it was way cool also. :-) I grew up in Wyoming. :-)

[Aracelis]

Speaking of "Geeks gone wild", at my old alma mater, I was pres of the Astronomical Society, and we had unlimited access to the telescope atop the geology building. Ahem..one night, as I was checking the telescope prior to a sky show for the local Boy Scout troop, I happened to observe that the college dorms were readily viewable from our little observatory. 'Nuff said.

[RadioAstronomer]

However, I have never even sat on a horse! LOLOLOL

[Aracelis]

Wow! Excellent!

[RadioAstronomer]

I happened to observe that the college dorms were readily viewable from our little observatory

ROFL! Of course as president you immediately put stops in the mount so it could not point in that direction! /sarcasm off>

[Central Scrutiniser]

Dusted off the 25 year old equatorial mounted 6" reflector the other night and finally gave Mars a look (monsoon weather has hampered viewing) A very good sighting, much better than back in 83 when it was real good. Didn't plug in the drive, which I've never been able to counterbalance to be correct.

Saw good S. cap detail, and a suprising amount of black detail across the disc. Gotta do some more viewing, just wish I had a much more compact design.

[Aracelis]

Of course as president you immediately put stops in the mount so it could not point in that direction! /sarcasm off>

Why, the thought never occ...uh...why Yes, of course I did! ;^)

[RadioAstronomer]

A very good sighting, much better than back in 83 when it was real good.

Whooohoooo! :-) I am going to do the same this weekend. :-)

[RadioAstronomer]

Well, its time for me to poof for a bit. Will be on tomorrow. :-)

Thank you everyone for comng on the thread! :-)))

[Joe Hadenuf]

Thanks. That shot took two nights staying up until about 2:30 in the morning. During those two nights I took about 50 or so exposures. We had a good time and the neighbors thought it was great, but after trying to compose about 50 shots of the planet, changing exposure times, changing eyepieces, focusing, refocusing, etc, I was a little burned out. LOL.

[Aracelis]

I have a home-built...but never enough money for an equatorial mount. Sigh!

[Central Scrutiniser]

Well, I just fixed my digital camera, I found I can make some real quick and easy digital photos over the eyepiece if I turn off the flash. Got a few good Jupiter photos last year, took them into Photoshop (which I know about 2% of) and cleaned them up quite well.

Maybe tommorow night I'll try to get some good snaps.

[Psycho_Bunny]

lol......What's with all the hoopla over the recent photos of Mars?  These photos are....ok.  I guess.  The recent Hubble photos are....ok.  I guess.

You want to see photos of Mars?  Check out the Viking images. 

 

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[Joe Hadenuf]

I owned about 8 scopes in the past, all were used. The one I currently own, is the first new scope I ever owned. Computer controlled with an on board data base of about 65,000 objects is way cool and a lot of fun to use.

[Aracelis]

A friend of mine learned how to grind lenses and so forth at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. He hand-builds telescopes now for a living. I have his first creation, and it is magnificent.

[Joe Hadenuf]

I would bet it is.

[Joe Hadenuf]

That's almost a lost science and art.

[Aracelis]

Indeed it is...but Fred is dedicated. He even built his own full scale dark sky observatory, utilizing (as I always imagined) the top of a silo as the dome. Gads, that thing is incredible! Got my first really good look at the Lagoon Nebula through that scope, even saw the colors! He used the last available pieces of glass from the Apollo missions for his lenses. Wish I had a photo of it now, you'd be impressed.