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Calling all Astronomy Buffs





0
 02.14.2012 5:10am
Thread Creator

Magicjewel
Dr. Fantabulous
Administrator



So someone I know is really into astronomy and space, and I would like to encourage this interest.

He doesn't have a college degree (he's currently in the military and plans to use his GI bill to get one when he gets out).  But he LOVES to read about space, and will tear up books and blogs on it.  I found out the other day that he's never looked at the stars through a telescope (because he's lived in cities all his life and never owned one), so I plan to take him to an observatory a few hours south of here one weekend when it's actually clear.  Any other ideas? All help/advice/kick ass websites/etc. would be appreciated.  

And if this becomes a "Space is Cool" thread, then awesome. :)



"Well, your brain seems to work a little bit." -- Rune Walsh, Phantasy Star IV.




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0
 02.14.2012 10:00am


Megz
Capital M before egz



Procyon from Ye Olde FFO hasn't weighed in here as far as I am aware but he(?) is an astronomer and spends much time (it seems) in Hawaii to observe the night sky. If he is around I'm sure he could set you and/or your friend in the right direction.



Sugar. Short AND sweet.




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0
 02.14.2012 8:37pm


Crono
Crono can cross dimensions too!



If he lives or will live near a university when he's out tell him to go try and sit in on some astronomy classes.  300/400 level astro classes are usually pretty light and most professors I know don't care if someone just sits in if they aren't causing trouble.



Currently Playing: Dark Cloud 2: 3 hours.
Also Playing: CT, FF VI, Solatorobo, Secret of Mana, Halo 4.
Just Finished: Fable II: 7 hours.




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0
 02.14.2012 8:49pm


Onyx
Butts
Administrator



If you have a planetarium nearby, definitely check it out. I used to be huge into astronomy and going to the Hayden Planetarium in NYC was like going to the best toy store in the world.




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0
 02.14.2012 9:14pm


hkr
Too queer to get out of bed

I've let Procyon know that ffs exists, but he is currently busy with understanding things that I can't even comprehend.




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0
 02.14.2012 9:22pm
Thread Creator

Magicjewel
Dr. Fantabulous
Administrator



The problem with sitting in on an astronomy class is his day job (being a professional badass).  I'm planning to take him to a really cool observatory that's in the middle of nowhere; it has a 24 in. so he should be able to see some awesome stuff.  It's two hours away though.

Onyx, how was a city observatory?  Was there enough darkness to see well?




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0
 02.14.2012 10:06pm


OrionHardy
Otherworld



Not sure if you can see this in America, but the BBC has a stargazing section with some cool how too guides. - http://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/features/stargazing/



Great men aren't everywhere, just where it counts.

If you ever see me online playing Halo, join me please.




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0
 02.14.2012 10:31pm


Onyx
Butts
Administrator



Magicjewel said:

The problem with sitting in on an astronomy class is his day job (being a professional badass).  I'm planning to take him to a really cool observatory that's in the middle of nowhere; it has a 24 in. so he should be able to see some awesome stuff.  It's two hours away though.

Onyx, how was a city observatory?  Was there enough darkness to see well?

Well, I don't even think Hayden has an in-house observatory. It's a more a museum than anything. But they do have lectures and presentations and such.




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0
 04.25.2012 8:33am


Megz
Capital M before egz



Sorry to necromance, but for those who think space is awesome:

http://www.celestiamotherlode.net/



T
he link will take you to a site where you can download Celestia, an open source, free, real time 3D astronomy program. 

So much awesome in there.




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0
 04.25.2012 4:03pm


Aquila
Usually lurking
Administrator

Maybe that new space mining company is hiring? (Based in Bellevue BTW)




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0
 04.25.2012 5:09pm


Indiana Jerico
Sinfully Delicious v2
Administrator



If any of you own an Android phone, get the Google Sky Map. It's loads of awesome, especially if you live in an area where you can actually see the night sky.


===

"Plans? What plans? I'm making this up as I go!"








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0
 04.25.2012 5:25pm


Revrick
Mind your P's and Q's



I second Google Sky Map for droids. I have a bit of fun with that. Also Star Walk on iPad/Phone garners my attention every couple of nights for the same functionality. Actually, I don't think i've used sky map since I got star walk. Still, both are fun.




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0
 04.25.2012 5:54pm


kirbenvost
Give Life Back To Music



I had Sky Map for awhile until I needed to free up some space on my phone.  Very cool indeed.  I need to go visit somewhere I can see the stars.




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0
 04.26.2012 12:40am


Mavilu
Yep, still gaming



My husband went through an astronomy kick a few years ago, even got himself a pretty big telescope with it's own little shack in the back, I figure the books he read back them might be outdated, but he did read a series of magazines, I'll ask him and let you know.
Also tell him to research about the three, four? meteor showers we experience every year in the northen hemisphere, one of the coolest things to do is to go meteor shower watching at an unpopulated place, if you got the time and inclination.




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