61–80 of 148 results
Hipparcos satellite

Celestial Objects to Observe

Mining Hipparcos's Buried Treasure

The satellite caught tantalizing pieces of light curves for many new variable stars. Now it's time to fill in the details.

Binary star artwork

Celestial Objects to Observe

A Treasure-Trove of Variable Stars

Some of the Hipparcos satellite's unfinished business provides fair game for backyard observers.

Celestial Objects to Observe

Phenomena of Jupiter's Moons

Virtually any telescope will show Jupiter's four Galilean satellites and their interesting interactions with the planet or its shadow.

Jupiter with two moons and three shadows on its face

Hobby-based Q&A

Is it possible to detect Jupiter's satellites with the unaided eye?

I’ve heard it might be possible to detect Jupiter’s satellites with the unaided eye if Callisto and Ganymede appear together when Ganymede is at greatest elongation from Jupiter. Will this happen anytime soon? Jupiter is now setting soon after sunset. But three times in 2008, Texans (and North Americans generally)…

Roof-prism binoculars

Hobby-based Q&A

Why do the best roof-prism binoculars need a phase-correction coating?

Why do the best roof-prism binoculars need a phase-correction coating? How does it work, and why is it not used in Porro-prism binoculars? A roof prism splits the light cone from an objective lens into two separate pathways, involving different internal reflections, before recombining them into an erect image at…

Astronomy Questions & Answers

Can Venus ever be far enough from the Sun to appear east of the meridian?

During the Northern Hemisphere winter solstice, when the Sun is farthest south and sets in the southwest, can Venus ever be far enough from the Sun to appear east of the meridian? Yes, but only when viewed from near-arctic latitudes. In late 2008, for example, Venus is the Evening Star…

Pi

Astronomy Questions & Answers

How many digits are satisfactory in the measurement of pi?

In the 3rd century BC, Archimedes proved that the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter is less than 3 1/7 but larger than 3 10/71. That’s about 3.141. Later mathematicians have computed what we now call p (pi) to greater and greater accuracy — but how many digits…

Hobby-based Q&A

When will (or did) the galactic equator cross the ecliptic very close to the latter's northern and southern extremes?

As a teenager, when examining an equinox-1950 star atlas, I noticed that the galactic equator crossed the ecliptic very close to the latter’s northern and southern extremes (that is, the solstices at right ascension 6h and 18h). On equinox-2000 charts they are even closer. I’d love to know when the…

Science-based Q&A

How large an asteroid could a person jump off?

How large an asteroid could a person jump off? This interesting question goes back to 1952 or even earlier. It turns out that the asteroid must be no bigger than 3.9 v(ρe / ρ) kilometers in diameter, where ρ is the asteroid’s density and ρe is that of Earth in…

Weird moon Prometheus

Solar System

Is there another planet besides Earth whose moon(s) would fit perfectly over the Sun?

It is amazing when you think about the coincidence of the Sun being 400 times bigger than our Moon, yet 400 times farther away, producing an almost perfect fit for a total solar eclipse. Is there another planet whose moon(s) would fit perfectly over the Sun, or are we just…

Alpha, Beta, and Proxima Centauri

Science-based Q&A

What date were the two principal stars of the Alpha Centauri system last known to be closest to each other?

On what terrestrial date were the two principal stars of the Alpha Centauri system last known to be closest to each other in space? According to the orbit recently published by Belgian astronomer Dimitri Pourbaix, α1 and α2 Centauri were closest in space (at periastron) in early August 1955, and…

Crescent Moon and Venus at sunset

Hobby-based Q&A

Could the lunar crescent be seen in a telescope at new Moon?

Is the Moon’s orbit inclined sufficiently that, when it misses the Sun by the greatest amount north (or south), the lunar crescent could be seen in a telescope at new Moon? Probably not. The inclination of the Moon’s orbit to the ecliptic varies from 5.0° to 5.3°. French astronomer André…

Rising Moon

Hobby-based Q&A

How is the time of new (or full) Moon defined?

How is the time of new (or full) Moon defined? Astronomically, the Moon is new when it and the Sun have the same celestial longitude. The Moon is at first-quarter phase when its longitude is 90° greater than that of the Sun. The Moon is full when its longitude is…

Dione

Astronomy Questions & Answers

Do Saturn’s moons cast observable shadows on Saturn?

I’ve seen the tiny black shadows cast by Jupiter’s moons. Do Saturn’s moons cast observable shadows on that planet? Shadow transits of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, have been seen with a telescope as small as 2 7/8-inch (73-millimeter) aperture. In 1891, two English observers saw the shadow of Rhea on…

Science-based Q&A

If you lived on Saturn, would its rings be visible from the equator or the poles?

If I lived on Saturn, would its rings be visible from the equator or the poles? Above the cloudtops and neglecting refraction, geometry dictates that you’d see nothing from the poles. As you moved toward the equator, the bright A ring would start coming into view at latitude 66° (roughly…

Comet Halley

Astronomy Questions & Answers

Will it ever be possible to observe Halley's Comet around its entire orbit?

With larger and larger telescopes being built, will it ever be possible to observe Halley's Comet around its entire orbit? It's already being done! The most recent observations of Halley were made on March 6, 7, and 8, 2003, by Belgian astronomer Olivier Hainaut and his colleagues, who acquired simultaneous…

Hobby-based Q&A

What defines a planet's north pole?

Uranus is often said to have a retrograde rotation with its axis tilted 98°. Why don’t we say it has a direct spin with the axis tilted 82°? Since 1982, the International Astronomical Union has defined the north pole of a planet to be the pole that lies north of…

Hobby-based Q&A

How can we find the Sun's place among the constellations?

How can I find out how our Sun would look among the constellations, as seen from a nearby star? What made me curious was a painting by space artist David Hardy that pictured the Sun as an extra star in Cassiopeia. Fancy planetarium projectors produce such scenes, but you can…

Newtonian

Hobby-based Q&A

Can you adjust a f/7.7 spherical mirror to act like a f/8.0 parabolidal mirror by racking the focus farther out?

My 114-millimeter (4.5-inch) Newtonian reflector came with an f/7.7 spherical mirror. I can purchase a 114-mm f/8.0 paraboloidal mirror. Can I simply adjust for the 34 mm of added focal length by racking the focuser farther out, or should I extend the main tube? Either way, is the upgrade worth…

Eyepiece Barrels

Astronomy Questions & Answers

Where did the 1 1/4-inch standard size for eyepiece barrels come from?

Where did the 1 1/4-inch standard size for eyepiece barrels come from?   This barrel size was adopted shortly before 1890 by John A. Brashear in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, says Bart Fried of the Antique Telescope Society. Then W. & D. Mogey of Plainfield, New Jersey, and other firms followed suit.…

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