Stargazing, Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

[Martin]

In June I had that click moment where I just knew that I'd decided what I wanted to pursue as a degree, and that degree is physics and astrophysics. Anyway, I've looked down the first few pages of Cong and to my shock there is nowhere that people can talk about stargazing on here despite it being a pretty wide-spread hobby, so I thought I'd make a thread where people can talk about stargazing as well as other stuff relating to the science that is derived from it.

Anyway, stargazing is one of those things that I could just sit in complete silence doing for hours on end. Being in London sucks for it, but when I take my near-annual trip to rural Ireland I always make a point of spending a few nights just looking at the sky. Like, there is something so tranquil about looking up at a clear night sky and admiring both the beauty and the sheer scale of the universe above my head, and it's just really relaxing in general. Something about space has always completely fascinated me because it makes our tiny planet just feel so insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe, and the entire concept of looking at the stars and seeing our universe as it was hundreds, thousands, millions or even billions of years in the past is just one of the most massively fascinating concepts in the entire world. The more that I learn about space the more hungry I am for knowledge about it, and probably the thing that seals the deal for me about wanting to study it is that we know so immensely little about our universe despite astronomy being one of the very first areas of science to be studied--going back as far as the ancient Greeks iirc. And it is such an exciting time to study it too, with dark matter and dark energy being huge areas of study right now.

Anyway I'm rambling. Does anyone else here like stargazing?

 

[Plaessy]

Me likey. Whenever I get a chance to see a clear starred sky, I just freeze. The idea of infinity is really interesting, and thinking about the endless possibilities of the universe.

But it isn't limited to only the far out stuff. Looking at the moon and the sun (thats behind a cloud!) just makes me wonder about how huge and close they are etc.

Space is just awesome.

 

[dwarfstar]

Astronomy was my first big obsession when I was a kid (or the first one I remember, at any rate), and while I've got bigger ones now that I put a lot more focus on, it's still an absolutely fascinating subject. I still find myself geeking out every time I hear about the discovery of a weird new exoplanet or some new tidbit on black holes or something else equally bizarre. That's probably a big part of why I like astronomy so much, actually - nowhere else outside of the biological sciences (my forte) are you even half as likely to find so much delightfully weird shit that you never expected to exist

 

[GotR]

I'm planning on doing a Science/Arts double degree next year, hopefully majoring in Astrophysics. I think I like it because it presents problems that can be solved with math in a way that we can use to define the rules of the entire universe, and also because I'm a sci-fi nerd anyway.

 

[ant]

oh damn

Me likey. Whenever I get a chance to see a clear starred sky, I just freeze. The idea of infinity is really interesting, and thinking about the endless possibilities of the universe.

this. 100%.

although... my country / city (Buenos Aires, Argentina | http://www.youcanseethemilkyway.com/light-pollution/) is one of the most light polluted ones :( I can't enjoy a clear sky unless I'm out of the city. it's awful to look up and see nothing. sometimes you can spot a beautiful moon, but no stars. and each year it just gets worse. I was in Santiago de Chile the past week and it was just as bad as well, but with a lot more of smog. when I was in New Zealand, in a very little town, that was a different story. the most beautiful night sky I've ever seen. I just couldn't stop staring at it. full of stars, and big round moon. I fell in love with that country and the night sky was the one of the biggest reasons

 

[Martin]

although... my country / city (Buenos Aires, Argentina | http://www.youcanseethemilkyway.com/light-pollution/) is one of the most light polluted ones :( I can't enjoy a clear sky unless I'm out of the city. it's awful to look up and see nothing. sometimes you can spot a beautiful moon, but no stars. and each year it just gets worse. I was in Santiago de Chile the past week and it was just as bad as well, but with a lot more of smog. when I was in New Zealand, in a very little town, that was a different story. the most beautiful night sky I've ever seen. I just couldn't stop staring at it. full of stars, and big round moon. I fell in love with that country and the night sky was the one of the biggest reasons

London's not much better. Like, you can see stars if you're lucky so it's not quite as bad, but most days it's really difficult to see the sky and, as such, really hard to stargaze well. My neighbour had a PHD in cosmology so he tried to help me with stargazing, but we weren't able to ever get a good view of the sky due to all the light pollution which just fucking sucks. It was one of those nights where you could see some of the gas giants too, which is a huge bummer.

 

[termi]

haha how typical of a gemini to make a thread like this am i right

 

[Martin]

haha how typical of a virgo to make a thread like this am i right

I'm Gemini...

 

[termi]

I'm Gemini...

thats what my post says why are you altering my post

reported, enjoy your ban SCRUB

 

[Martin]

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/...n-november-explained-space-astronomy-science/

Tomorrow the biggest supermoon in 68 years will be visible, which is just something neat I thought I'd share. Unfortunately for me it happens at 11:23 my time, but I'm going to make a point of checking it out later on in the evening to try and see it close to the ideal size, and if you are lucky enough to be similar to eastern time make sure to get up super early to take a look if you're interested.

 

[Cresselia~~]

I used to get fascinated on stars and horoscopes. I read many books about them.
But in the end, when I look at the sky, I can't manage to find any of them.
So eventually, I gave up.

 

[Plaessy]

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/...n-november-explained-space-astronomy-science/

Tomorrow the biggest supermoon in 68 years will be visible, which is just something neat I thought I'd share. Unfortunately for me it happens at 11:23 my time, but I'm going to make a point of checking it out later on in the evening to try and see it close to the ideal size, and if you are lucky enough to be similar to eastern time make sure to get up super early to take a look if you're interested.

Im inside a room at the time (around 15:50) and to make matters worse it is cloudy here. Curses.

Edit: I saw the moon, it was quite cool.

 

[Grey Knight]

Even though i grew up in the suburbs the sky was never clear and even when it was cleared the stars where overshadowed by being out-brightened by the lights of the houses and streets.
My experience with stars came from those rare moments of electricity blackout either by an earthquake (we get one every year over here) or a forest fire. i spent hours gazing at the stars that looked so much like the pictures on the books, i recognized orions belt and that big line of three bright starts that is kinda tilt in the end.

Stars helped me along with when i was first introduced to the idea of human death, i was so creepd out with it as a 11 year old i couldn't sleep at nights, most parents tell their kids about things like gods and after lifes so their kids fill better, my parents din't say shit, looking back i appreciate them for doing that.

What helped me go through death fear was studying about stars with my professors of physics, he told me how many of the stars in the sky are probably dead by now but since they are so far away the light of their former self still travels and hits earth to this day and their light wont stop there it will just radiate till the infinity of space, and so humans, beings made by the matter of stars could might as well radiate after their death, maybe not in the form of ultraviolet and light but in the form of memories and all the other things that we leave behind in this world.

Even though i loved space, i never came to study it deeper, i am attending a computer engineering school but i do currently work on a pico satellite that will go to space and im studying Satellite engineering(-rockets ) i guess that's something.

 

[Ash Borer]

Hawking's brief history of time, Sagan's Cosmos, and Brian Greene's "The Fabric of the Cosmos" are great introductions to astrophysics. Really inspiring stuff. Good reads if you're looking for meaning in life.

 

[Coronis]

I used to get fascinated on stars and horoscopes. I read many books about them.
But in the end, when I look at the sky, I can't manage to find any of them.
So eventually, I gave up.

Horoscopes?! I honestly can't believe in anyone taking them seriously. They're for people who need to be told what to do in life and are looking for affirmation of a force greater than themselves.

 

[OLD GREGG (im back baby)]

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/...n-november-explained-space-astronomy-science/

Tomorrow the biggest supermoon in 68 years will be visible, which is just something neat I thought I'd share. Unfortunately for me it happens at 11:23 my time, but I'm going to make a point of checking it out later on in the evening to try and see it close to the ideal size, and if you are lucky enough to be similar to eastern time make sure to get up super early to take a look if you're interested.

I was at work but did happen to notice that the moon appeared unusually large yesterday and that it started to come up pretty early...it was around 5:30 p.m. and it did appear quite large.

Horoscopes?! I honestly can't believe in anyone taking them seriously. They're for people who need to be told what to do in life and are looking for affirmation of a force greater than themselves.

Don't be naive to the ancient studies. The zodiac is one of the oldest living traditions on Earth and it is has multiple incarnations throughout the world. The ancient beings of this world were expert stargazers, they knew things we would only rediscover recently; such as the milankovich cycles/ procession of the equinoxes. I'm not saying that this stuff is 100% truth but from my experience...where there is smoke, there is fire. To think that the stars don't affect us as they do everything else in the universe is being forcefully ignorant.

Horoscopes are for entertainment, but serious readings can be arranged. Your newspaper horoscope is not what the zodiac is really about; just want to put that out there.

 

[Coronis]

I was at work but did happen to notice that the moon appeared unusually large yesterday and that it started to come up pretty early...it was around 5:30 p.m. and it did appear quite large.

Don't be naive to the ancient studies. The zodiac is one of the oldest living traditions on Earth and it is has multiple incarnations throughout the world. The ancient beings of this world were expert stargazers, they knew things we would only rediscover recently; such as the milankovich cycles/ procession of the equinoxes. I'm not saying that this stuff is 100% truth but from my experience...where there is smoke, there is fire. To think that the stars don't affect us as they do everything else in the universe is being forcefully ignorant.

You really think stars/planets effect such trivial things in our daily lives? I find it hard to believe thats remotely possible.

 

[OLD GREGG (im back baby)]

You really think stars/planets effect such trivial things in our daily lives? I find it hard to believe thats remotely possible.

Does the moon not affect the tides?

 

[OLD GREGG (im back baby)]

You really think stars/planets effect such trivial things in our daily lives? I find it hard to believe thats remotely possible.

Aren't the tides simply water?
Isn't your body at least 60% water?
I digress. Think what you want.

 

[Coronis]

Does the moon not affect the tides?

Yes due to gravitational pull... my horoscope is telling me to make a change in my life... not quite the same thing.

 

[The13thGalaxy]

I absolutely love stargazing. It's one of my favorite pastimes. Hell, it's something I want to do as a profession.

There's just something so awe-inspiring about looking out into the night sky, seeing all those stars and everything else that could ufathomably be out there..it makes me giddy as hell. It's making me giddy just talking about it. Space has always just left me with a feeling I can only equate to actual love. I think I'm in love with space.

 

[ALVY]

If you're into anything sky-type.. There's two pages you'll wanna look into.
http://www.lunarium.co.uk/calendar/universal.jsp
http://www.theplanetstoday.com/geocentric_orrery.html
Paired with one of those sky map apps like Google Sky or SkEye that you can point up and look up names of what you're seeing is pretty awesome.

 

[zCheshrye]

astromany is one of my favorite subjects in school and in college i will take astronomy classes​

 

[Duck Chris]

man this is my shit
in engineering at school right now but I am taking an astronomy course
learning about physics of the early universe and how the universe grew and expanded to where we are today. Very cool stuff.

I'd like to share a story of my trip earlier in life to the Okie-Tex Star Party in the panhandle of Oklahoma.
It's one of the darkest places in the United States in terms of light pollution, which makes it perfect for a star party.
Every year people come from all over north america to set up their telescopes, attend talks, camp out, and just hang with other star enthusiasts.
I went when I was in middle school with my dad and brothers, and I loved it. We were big camping buffs and my dad had just gotten into telescopes. We actually built our own telescope with a 20" mirror (I think) so we had some decent hardware. This place was like nothing in the world at night though for real. We went to bed one night early because the clouds were out, so it was impossible to see any stars. Not only that, but because of the lack of streetlights, it was like the darkest dark I'd ever experienced. Quite crazy. However, later that night I woke up to go to the bathroom, and stepped outside the tent. When I did, I met this sight:

not my picture but it is from the camp. Everyone uses read headlamps because it doesn't mess with your night vision.
Anyway yeah the sky was so bright it was like daytime; I could walk around anywhere without needing a flashlight, just by the light of the stars! Another crazy thing was that I couldn't find any of the constellations I knew. As you can see, the stars are so plentiful that the brighter ones just get hidden in the crowd. Honestly was one of the top 10 coolest sights I've ever seen.

Light pollution is a huge issue for proper stargazing, to the point that almost no one I know has ever seen a totally dark sky like this. If you get the chance, I would highly recommend taking a trip to a dark area on a night with no moon, and letting the entire universe shine down on you. Well, within the visible horizon.