Pioneer One is a political thriller drama that challenges our notions of space exploration during the cold war. The show revolves around the crash of a manned Russian module, a module that modern post-soviet Russian has no knowledge of ever existing. To say much more would be to give away spoilers. The best thing about this show, its absolutely 100% free.
The show makes its money entirely through donations. It is distributed via file-sharing technology. I think the show is seen to be a proof of concept that this strategy is a viable alternative to more traditional copy-protected marketing schemes.
Anyways check it out at www.pioneerone.tv go ahead, I'll wait.
You can download add-free torrent files of the episodes (3 so far) at vodo.net as well as other totally legal to copy and distribute films.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Bicentennial of Manned Spaceflight
50 years ago to the day cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the earth. Exactly 20 years latter NASA's space shuttle transport system was kicked off.
Last night was the first night in a few days to have a really clear view of the night sky. Unfortunately the waxing quarter moon dominated the starscape.
The first constellation I was able to recognize was Ursa Major. The term ursa major is latin for "great bear". Many distinct civilizations saw a bear, including the Greeks and Native Americans. I will tell you the Greek story of Ursa Major.
Apollo had a sister named Artemis. Artemis was more than a little crazy. She was basically a nun in that she was eternally a virgin and demanded that her pupils (young girls) also never ever have sex with anyone.
At the opposite end of the spectrum we have Zeus, a real playboy in ancient mythology. Zeus seduced one of Artemis' young companions, a young woman by the name of Callisto. Callisto became pregnant and Artemis banished her.
Callisto is not done being punished for Zeus' crimes however. Zeus' wife Hera turns Callisto into a bear after Callisto gives birth to Arcas. One day while Arcas is out hunting he nearly shoots his mother in bear form. Zeus intervened at the last moment by placing them both in the Heavens. Callisto is Ursa Major and her son Arcas is Ursa Minor.
Ursa Major is one of the largest objects in the northern hemisphere. It is also one of the most important to newcomers of astronomy such as myself as it makes a great sign post. The edge of the "cup" of the "Big Dipper" as some like to call Ursa Major points straight to the tail of Ursa Minor. The tail of Ursa Minor is the most important star of celestial navigation in the northern hemisphere. It is Polaris the "North Star".
Last night was the first night in a few days to have a really clear view of the night sky. Unfortunately the waxing quarter moon dominated the starscape.
The first constellation I was able to recognize was Ursa Major. The term ursa major is latin for "great bear". Many distinct civilizations saw a bear, including the Greeks and Native Americans. I will tell you the Greek story of Ursa Major.
Apollo had a sister named Artemis. Artemis was more than a little crazy. She was basically a nun in that she was eternally a virgin and demanded that her pupils (young girls) also never ever have sex with anyone.
At the opposite end of the spectrum we have Zeus, a real playboy in ancient mythology. Zeus seduced one of Artemis' young companions, a young woman by the name of Callisto. Callisto became pregnant and Artemis banished her.
Callisto is not done being punished for Zeus' crimes however. Zeus' wife Hera turns Callisto into a bear after Callisto gives birth to Arcas. One day while Arcas is out hunting he nearly shoots his mother in bear form. Zeus intervened at the last moment by placing them both in the Heavens. Callisto is Ursa Major and her son Arcas is Ursa Minor.
Ursa Major is one of the largest objects in the northern hemisphere. It is also one of the most important to newcomers of astronomy such as myself as it makes a great sign post. The edge of the "cup" of the "Big Dipper" as some like to call Ursa Major points straight to the tail of Ursa Minor. The tail of Ursa Minor is the most important star of celestial navigation in the northern hemisphere. It is Polaris the "North Star".
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Sketch - Small Telescope
This is a Jason 335 Comet Chaser Newtonian reflector. The diameter is 76mm. The focal length is 600mm. That is f/7.9. It has an azimuth mount. It comes with 20mm and 6mm lenses. In the picture there is a sort of extender tube thing that comes with scope. So far I have found this to be a very respectable hobby scope. The biggest drawback I have found is that the built in tripod is tiny and it has no tripod mount.
Astronomy Units - Angles and Time
I may reference this blog in the future alot.
How does one find ones way in the night sky? In ancient times constellations were the landmarks in the sky. The agrarian revolution led to the invention of more precise systems of angular measurement. Astrologers could predict the motion of the stars and planets. The invention of calendars made it possible to predict the seasons. To ancient people the math seemed like spell casting and divination and the astrologers rudimentary meteorological skills seemed like downright prophecy.
Throughout this blog I will mostly use decimal degrees or degrees minutes seconds (°, ', "). I will sometimes use time units as a sort of angular measurement (described below). When I post computer programing code, for reasons that are beyond the scope of this post, I will often use radians.
Most celestial coordinate systems are a variation of spherical coordinates. If you are lucky enough to have taken calculus you know that spherical coordinates are described with a distance and two angles. Though many star catalogs give all three values as well as other data, were are mostly concerned with the two angles. In vector terminology we are interested in direction but not magnitude.
I will refer to an object. This can be anything, such as a star, planet, spacecraft or Santa's sleigh.
Topocentric Coordinates
The first system of coordinates is the topocentric coordinates. You may also here this system called horizon or altazimuth coordinates. This system is centered around the observer. The z-axis corresponds to straight from the ground. The zenith is the highest point in the sky. The angular separation between the object and the virtual horizon (where the horizon would be if the landscape were totally flat) is called the objects altitude. The heading of the object given in degrees clockwise from true north is called its azimuth.
The advantage of this system is that it allows quick observations without needing to refer to other constellations just to know where to look. It is popular among amateur astronomers. The disadvantage is that in this coordinate system everything is moving all the time except you guide star (Polaris for the north hemisphere) and they are totally specific to your particular geographic location (your terrestrial coordinates, latitude and longitude).
Equatorial Coordinates
The angel the object makes with the equator is know as declination. Declination is positive for angles above the equatorial plane and negative for angles below. Polaris has a declination of 90°.
Right ascension is usually measured in hours, minutes, and seconds east of the first point of Aries. The first point of Aries is where the sun crosses the equator each year during the vernal equinox.
Azimuth telescope mounts are good for finding objects with topocentric coordinates. Equatorial mounts are good for finding objects with equatorial coordinates and tracking objects as they arc across the sky. For high magnification telescopes or astrophotography you will want an equatorial mount with a clock drive. A clock drive will move the telescope at exactly the rate of rotation of the earth along the axis parallel to the earth's rotation.
Precession and the Ecliptic
Equatorial coordinates seem fine and dandy until one day, say two thousand years from now, you realize that Polaris simply doesn't point due north anymore. The process is known as precession. The earth always maintains an axial tilt of 23.4° but it tends to wobble like a top. Geographic north moves through a complete circle every 26,000 years. The equinox or solstice occurs at different times of year throughout the precession. Star catalogs, which publish data in equatorial coordinates, are only accurate for the published epoch.
In ancient times the vernal equinox happened in the constellation Aries. The summer solstice happened in Cancer. The winter solstice happened in Capricorn. Now thanks to precession names like the Point of Aries, tropic of Cancer and tropic of Capricorn just don't make any sense anymore.
The solution is to use a coordinate system that will be rock steady for the next four and a half billion years. I am talking about the plane of the ecliptic. The plane of the ecliptic is the plane that the earths orbit around the sun inscribes. Coordinates are given in ecliptic latitude and ecliptic longitude. Unfortunately the individuals who devised this system chose to place the zero point at the vernal equinox so this coordinate system is still subject to the affects of precession.
The ecliptic is useful in observing planetary bodies as most inscribe paths across the sky that are very close to the ecliptic.
| Abreviation | Name |
| a | Altitude |
| A | Azimuth |
| dec or δ | Declination |
| R.A. or α | Right Ascension |
| H | Hour Angle |
| β | Ecliptic Latitude |
| λ | Ecliptic Longitude |
Time
Time as is used everyday is known as solar time. A 24 hour day is the amount of time it takes the earth to rotate about 361° degrees. The extra degree is the angular quantity the earth revolved around the sun in one day.
Astronomers sometimes prefer a quantity called sidereal time. One sidereal day is the time it takes the earth to rotate exactly 360°. One sidereal second is exactly 15 seconds of arc.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Moon Gazing; First Night Out
Tonight was the first night I started moongazing. I decided not to try any sketches tonight, but instead just allowed myself become familiar with the equipment.
I have this Jason 335 Comet Chaser. It has a focal length 600mm, diameter of 76mm and a Dobsonian mount; nothing to write home about. I used a 20mm lens and a lunar filter. I also tried a Barlow lens but I believe that it only magnified the image without adding definition.
This telescope belongs to my father but he has not used it in years so I thought I would put some good use to it. I have found virtually no information about this telescope on the web. I would like to learn about lens care or any other useful information. I know Jason is part of Bushnell but there is no mention of Jason anywhere on the Bushnell site, lease I can find. If anyone knows anything about this yellow orange Japanese made hobby telescope, please let me know.
The Dobsonian has this tiny little tripod. I did not have a good table to put it on, so at first I was on the ground. The moon was setting into the northwest where there is a tall line of trees from my driveway. I had to move the telescope numerous times just to keep my view from being obstructed. In frustration I eventually decided to take the scope down to the local park.
Finally things were interesting. I found a picnic table with a clear(ish) view of the northwest horizon. Even though I was only meters away from some bright sodium street lights I discovered with pleasure that they did not interfere with my ability to see the moon.
In spite of all this I had trouble viewing detail. I was able to make out The Sea of Crisis and the Sea of Fertility. I could see some craters as well but my lunagraphy is not adept enough yet to identify them, even with a field guide. Part of my trouble is the telescope and partly haze.
Despite difficulties I think this was a good first night and I look forward to doing it again. Next time I will post sketches I promise.
I have this Jason 335 Comet Chaser. It has a focal length 600mm, diameter of 76mm and a Dobsonian mount; nothing to write home about. I used a 20mm lens and a lunar filter. I also tried a Barlow lens but I believe that it only magnified the image without adding definition.
This telescope belongs to my father but he has not used it in years so I thought I would put some good use to it. I have found virtually no information about this telescope on the web. I would like to learn about lens care or any other useful information. I know Jason is part of Bushnell but there is no mention of Jason anywhere on the Bushnell site, lease I can find. If anyone knows anything about this yellow orange Japanese made hobby telescope, please let me know.
The Dobsonian has this tiny little tripod. I did not have a good table to put it on, so at first I was on the ground. The moon was setting into the northwest where there is a tall line of trees from my driveway. I had to move the telescope numerous times just to keep my view from being obstructed. In frustration I eventually decided to take the scope down to the local park.
Finally things were interesting. I found a picnic table with a clear(ish) view of the northwest horizon. Even though I was only meters away from some bright sodium street lights I discovered with pleasure that they did not interfere with my ability to see the moon.
In spite of all this I had trouble viewing detail. I was able to make out The Sea of Crisis and the Sea of Fertility. I could see some craters as well but my lunagraphy is not adept enough yet to identify them, even with a field guide. Part of my trouble is the telescope and partly haze.
Despite difficulties I think this was a good first night and I look forward to doing it again. Next time I will post sketches I promise.
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