View Full Version : Space is Big!
I've been working on some algorithms recently for deep space astronomy.
Here's some initial fiddling with some observations I've taken over the past few weeks. This is just a start, I expect vastly better results once I get a handle on some problems, get a bigger array of computers, and layer more data - each of these is generally about 30 minutes of telescope time, in several frequency bands, layered.
http://i.imgur.com/rSTFpa7.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/zdHBJCm.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/rtvK0W6.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/vm6BBsy.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/wymcoV4.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/EE3u8we.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/bJL1xOp.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/06LqIjh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/eBovArc.jpg
early morning
3-19-21, 4:08pm
Splendid! Gives me cold chills. The immensity of what we don't know is eminently beautiful - and terrifying. I don't quite know how to express my thoughts/feelings regarding space - I feel like the words I need have not yet been formed - but thanks for sharing!
Awesome. Thanks for sharing
Magnificent. Thank you for taking the time to share. What a beautiful art hobby.
rosarugosa
3-19-21, 7:15pm
“Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.”
- Douglas Adams
“Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.”
- Douglas Adams
And then, if you go in the opposite direction, things get infinitesimally small. Microbes, molecules, atoms, sub-atomic particles ...
It is truly humbling. If you want to feel insignificant, ponder bae's pictures. Yet, we each have consciousness. and each of us has a world of our own that makes us feel important in our own little spheres. [Friday night disclaimer: Yes, I had a craft vodka cocktail; no, I did not imbibe in my DH's medical marijuana].
What always gets to me in the middle of the night, peering through the lens on a cold night, is that the further out into the sky I am looking, the further back in time I am seeing.
What always gets to me in the middle of the night, peering through the lens on a cold night, is that the further out into the sky I am looking, the further back in time I am seeing.
That is a puzzling observation to me. Not disagreeing exactly but why not seeing 'more of the infinite present'?
ToomuchStuff
3-20-21, 10:47am
That is a puzzling observation to me. Not disagreeing exactly but why not seeing 'more of the infinite present'?
Well, it is really both.
What you're seeing is the light that left there a long time ago, and is at present, visible to you.
happystuff
3-21-21, 10:57am
Absolutely beautiful!!!! Amazing pictures, bae. Thanks so much for sharing.
They remind me of this site, which I visit every day - Astronomy Picture of the Day: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
Beautiful and mind-bending!
happystuff
3-25-21, 12:29pm
I keep coming back to look at these - so beautiful!!!!
Last night, 2AM, from my driveway, looking up. No fancy gear involved, or signal processing, just a simple 30 second exposure with a digital camera and wide angle lens. This time of year I only get one hour and fifteen minutes of actual "dark" dark to work with, and luckily the fog blew away a bit for a few minutes.
https://i.imgur.com/JNZI1lY.jpg
happystuff
6-8-21, 11:59am
That is breathtakingly beautiful!!!
That is an art beyond. Thank you so much for posting this beautiful image. I don't have access to 'dark' dark anymore as I remember seeing as a child and being entranced by the sky at night.
Nice! Wonderful picture, bae!
Don't think I have ever seen anything like it.
Don't think I have ever seen anything like it.
There is a teeny bit of magic. Your eye, by the time it becomes nicely dark adapted, loses a lot of its color vision ability. The camera however doesn't have this problem, so it records the colors quite a bit better.
iris lilies
6-8-21, 5:58pm
That is amazing!
That is amazing!
This experiment worked so well that the next decently clear night I'm going to go on a long expedition to a site 5 minutes away that looks south-ish right down the fjord/sound I live on, and should be able to capture the full Milky Way galactic core (and not obstructed by my driveway trees as you see above), with any luck framed by the mountains on either side of the island.
Conditions have to line up, but I'm patient.
I loved the effect of the trees framing the image so looking forward to mountains as the frame.
iris lilies
6-9-21, 12:09pm
I loved the effect of the trees framing the image so looking forward to mountains as the frame.
Yes! The trees add so much to this image.
I loved the effect of the trees framing the image so looking forward to mountains as the frame.
I agree. The trees add a visual "earth to universe" type connection.
Yes! The trees add so much to this image.
Thanks for those observations folks, I hadn't really thought so much about that, but it's given me some cool ideas! A teeny bit of foreground lighting to bring up the landscape a bit more to give scale and majesty to the sky image - a good experimental direction!
rosarugosa
6-10-21, 7:02am
That is beautiful, Bae. There is so much light pollution in my area; I cannot recall when I last enjoyed such a magnificent night sky. Between the streetlights and so many neighbors with backyard floodlights. They must all be afraid of the dark or something.
These pictures are absolutely beautiful, and awe-inspiring as well. Thank you so much for sharing them!
Cosmic protoplasm; we really don't have a clue.
Lovely pictures, bae.
happystuff
6-18-21, 1:59pm
I know there are some former NJ folks and possibly current NJ folks on the board, so thought you might like to see this. It is today's Astronomy Picture of the Day taken in Belmar, NJ.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
bae, any new ones?
I live in the city and don't see much beyond the major stars at night. When I am away from the street lights and see the universe - frankly it kinda freaks me out. Not quite sure why, but it does.
ToomuchStuff
7-1-21, 12:01am
It is amazing when you go from purple sky's at night, to clear sky's with all these bits of light, rather then the plane warning lights on towers.
Well, now that we are past the Solstice, I am up to about an hour of useful "dark" a night, well after midnight.
Here's the Milky Way from the last few days, from random spots I was lurking at 2am
https://i.imgur.com/wBjaQ4O.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/bKj4PUp.jpg
Wow, bae!!! Absolutely beautiful! I wish my night skies looked like that!
iris lilies
7-4-21, 9:34am
Gorgeous.
Love them both, Bae! The top one forced my eye to travel and explore which is fun in an image. The trees stabilize and frame so beautifully.
happystuff
7-19-21, 7:07pm
Today's astronomy picture of the day - I thought it was your pic, bae! But it says South Australia.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/
Last night I managed to see the Northern Lights here!
https://i.imgur.com/jKAdq3u.jpg
frugal-one
10-12-21, 2:24pm
Awesome!
Last night I managed to see the Northern Lights here!
You may be able to see it again for the next day or two as a result of the solar flare we're currently experiencing, I'm jealous. I haven't seen them since leaving Alaska back in 1977.
happystuff
10-12-21, 10:33pm
Absolutely beautiful. Seeing the northern lights is the only thing I have left on my bucket list.
ToomuchStuff
10-12-21, 11:13pm
My favorite view of the northern lights:
Thanks Nasa
https://youtu.be/I32QDjSbmcs
SteveinMN
10-14-21, 8:45pm
I'd love to see the Northern Lights sometime. They're not terribly uncommon in northern Minnesota. But I am. :D Lovely picture, bae.
catherine
10-15-21, 10:46am
Yes, beautiful pictures, bae!
Has anyone seen the viral video of William Shatner's reaction to his foray into space with Bezos the other day? It was touching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTfQVMH5SuI
rosarugosa
10-15-21, 3:35pm
That was touching. Thanks for sharing, Catherine.
Not only William Shatner was moved to tears. Many of his original fans did.It is remarkable for a person in his 90's to go fo the mission. Anyone in any age will feel that, ‘something that I didn’t experience before’. And being a man with that legacy, it is something that not any fan would experience, I believe.Getting old, one starts to appreciate the smallest and the biggest things in a more pure way, ‘the air keeping us alive is thinner tan the skin’ - he said.William Shatner is just as old as the space technology race. Sci-Fi has a good part of science behind it, it is not a fantasy series. And now he participated in an important manned mission with precise landing control. Unbelievable strength and legacy of the man.
Just a quick handheld shot from the deck last night, during a brief period of clear sky:
https://i.imgur.com/Jj0Ig67.jpg
The clarity!
Could you explain this phenomenon from a picture my friend sent from your area today? (red tide? toxic spill?)
4463
The clarity!
Could you explain this phenomenon from a picture my friend sent from your area today? (red tide? toxic spill?)
4463
By pure coincidence, I went to a training class a couple weeks ago to become certified to work at a marine observatory right near there. That is likely not "red tide" or a spill, and is very likely to be Noctiluca scintillans, a harmless, very colorful dinoflagellate. It comes in gold and green colors too, and some of the year is all over the place here.
Thank you!
They'll be relieved.
Thank you!
They'll be relieved.
Just took a shot out the window, looking down into the sound, by the oyster farm. There's a lot of it today:
https://i.imgur.com/v7isals.jpg
ToomuchStuff
5-10-22, 9:47pm
Just a quick handheld shot from the deck last night, during a brief period of clear sky:
https://i.imgur.com/Jj0Ig67.jpg
Need more light on that back side there, LOL.
Although I think I like Alan's telescope photo's a little bit more (James Webb telescope). I am intrigued with what we might learn from it.
Need more light on that back side there, LOL.
I sent Elon a note the other day to see about getting one of my strobes up there, but I haven't heard back yet. Soon though!
happystuff
5-11-22, 12:07am
Love these pics. Thanks so much for posting.
Last night, a bit after midnight, the Northern Lights popped out.
View from my deck, looking north towards Vancouver BC.
https://i.imgur.com/C5pABRd.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/a6I9uNg.jpg
iris lilies
2-15-23, 8:39pm
Those northern lights are stunning as background for the dark trees. how beautiful!
happystuff
2-16-23, 12:01pm
I love the views you get, bae! Absolutely beautiful!
iris lilies
2-16-23, 12:08pm
https://www.wikiart.org/en/eyvind-earle/nocturne-1991
Bae this latest set of Photos reminds me so much of the work of artist/illustrator Eyvind Earle. Many of his subjects were black trees in the forefront of highly colored evening backgrounds.
catherine
2-16-23, 12:52pm
Gorgeous, bae!
https://www.wikiart.org/en/eyvind-earle/nocturne-1991
Bae this latest set of Photos reminds me so much of the work of artist/illustrator Eyvind Earle. Many of his subjects were black trees in the forefront of highly colored evening backgrounds.
Very cool painting. I never heard of the art style "magic realism"!
iris lilies
2-16-23, 1:05pm
Gorgeous, bae!
Very cool painting. I never heard of the art style "magic realism"!
i’ve always been drawn to what is called “commercial art “ or “illustration art” of the fantasy variety. Eyvind Earl worked for Walt.Disney studios but of course sold his own works as well. Another illustrator who did some work for Disney in set designs and film was Kay Nielsen
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_Nielsen#/media/File%3AIllustration_by_Kay_Nielsen_9.jpg
Just today I saved to my "inspiration journal" this artist a saw on the FB page Illustrious Botanical Illustrations. Here's an article about her--her name is Katie Scott. Scroll down to the painting I was really drawn to called Botanicum--Wild Flower. It's kind of in the same style you're talking about.
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2016/aug/08/katie-scott-illustration?fbclid=IwAR0mfSdWJCIFoZiKGNzgSanWLzZd hB7gAPB3uCzGOL-AO4ZTiU5Q4LSRRxA
iris lilies
2-16-23, 2:29pm
Just today I saved to my "inspiration journal" this artist a saw on the FB page Illustrious Botanical Illustrations. Here's an article about her--her name is Katie Scott. Scroll down to the painting I was really drawn to called Botanicum--Wild Flower. It's kind of in the same style you're talking about.
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2016/aug/08/katie-scott-illustration?fbclid=IwAR0mfSdWJCIFoZiKGNzgSanWLzZd hB7gAPB3uCzGOL-AO4ZTiU5Q4LSRRxA
Beautiful work. I do tend to like things with black backgrounds. I recently bought three small works by a local artist that are lovely little still life paintings, and they all have a black background and for my eyes they are striking.
I’d like this artist’s Nike shoe work, funny.
Great art pointers, inspiring!
I've been working on some algorithms recently for deep space astronomy.
Here's some initial fiddling with some observations I've taken over the past few weeks. This is just a start, I expect vastly better results once I get a handle on some problems, get a bigger array of computers, and layer more data - each of these is generally about 30 minutes of telescope time, in several frequency bands, layered.
http://i.imgur.com/rSTFpa7.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/zdHBJCm.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/rtvK0W6.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/vm6BBsy.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/wymcoV4.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/EE3u8we.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/bJL1xOp.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/06LqIjh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/eBovArc.jpg
I’ve often wondered: if the universe is expanding, what is it expanding into?
Get your camera out, bae. There is going to be a parade of planets tonight.
https://www.space.com/5-planet-alignment-march-2023-viewing-opportunity
happystuff
3-27-23, 11:05am
Get your camera out, bae. There is going to be a parade of planets tonight.
https://www.space.com/5-planet-alignment-march-2023-viewing-opportunity
I'm hoping it's a clear sky when I get home from work tonight!
This is a terrible photo, technically, as I just held an iPhone up to the eyepiece of a specialized solar telescope I am experimenting with. Still, it shows you just how scary the nearest star to our planet is!
I expect to have vastly better photos once I manage to mount a real camera to the eyepiece, or figure out how to get the phone mounted to it - the eyepiece has a terribly small amount of eye relief, so hand-holding the phone is nearly impossible - I took about 10 photos to get even this vaguely useful one.
With the naked eye, it's quite terrifying to watch the features on the sun's surface move around, and the flares and prominances soaring above the surface. Especially when you consider the scale!
https://i.imgur.com/FL11c8x.png
littlebittybobby
6-11-23, 12:37pm
Yes---Space is reallly, reallly big. Yup. What I was thinking, since the US is king of the world, is that we should go ahead and claim the Universe as US territory. Yup. Then, expand the USGS to begin surveying the Universe, so we can parcel it out & sell space. Not only will this help pay off the national debt, this greatly-enlarged gummint agency will provide much-needed employment for the homeless, illegal immigrants, and other marginalized groups. Thankk mee for this very(x4444) brilliant solution.
Got a nice show up here tonight:
https://i.imgur.com/yDfJkPY.jpg
Wow! That is a fabulous show!
iris lilies
8-5-23, 9:50am
So pretty!
Last night:
A nice little green Perseid meteor and Andromeda(M31), pointing at my chimney, along with the tail end of the Milky Way.
https://i.imgur.com/3iq6zmV.jpg
Another experiment tonight catching space rocks:
https://i.imgur.com/bq84HAX.jpg
Magnificent. Moving up here one of the first things I noticed were the stars, and that light pollution steals the opportunity for many people in urban/suburban areas to appreciate the star-lit sky.
Strange alien fusion reactor sighted directly above my garden just now!!!
https://i.imgur.com/abBx50r.jpg
iris lilies
7-18-24, 11:29pm
Wow the big round ball is nice
is interesting, seeing its craters
Wow the big round ball is nice
is interesting, seeing its craters
The Sun is quite terrifying to observe closely, it is much more dynamic than we normally think about.
happystuff
7-19-24, 7:50am
Another beautiful picture, bae. Thanks for sharing. And I agree - the sun is pretty amazing.
Several amazing nights of northern lights here this week:
https://i.imgur.com/EG4phe9.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/XpQY4NI.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/4ZPU4oW.jpg
iris lilies
8-31-24, 4:05pm
Lovely. These images remind me of Eyvind Earle’s work.
60356036
Absolutely beautiful! Seeing the Northern Lights is on my bucket list (actually, the only original thing left). I think I better start planning a trip north soon.
littlebittybobby
9-1-24, 11:08am
okay-----i was just sitting here, wondering: is the moon really made outta green cheese? just curious.
okay-----i was just sitting here, wondering: is the moon really made outta green cheese? just curious.
smoked gouda.
littlebittybobby
9-24-24, 1:02am
okay---every time i see a space report, telling about how BIG it is, it's sposta be even BIGGER. Like, they have this star in this galaxy, only "discovered in 1957" thats sposta be like 87 billion or whatever light-years away, that is sposta be umpteen billion ltimes bigprive ger than our own sun, and all that stuff. I'm a little skeptical. Maybe, those 'stronomers needta clean their glasses, before they take a peek inta their telescope. Not trying ta deprive them of their gummi8nt pensions, mind you. thankk mee.
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