Astro Noodles

Hi Alex. Looking forward to seeing your images.

So I started with one question but now I have about 20 more to ask. 🤣

Hi Vlaiv Why is everything travelling away from us, and not from some other point in the Universe. Or is it that everything is relative, - everything is travelling away from everything else regardless of the position of the observer?

My understanding is that objects are travelling away from earth at rates based on their distance, so the further away an object is, the faster it is travelling away. But I'm sue that Vlaiv or saac will set us on the right track.

Another question. And thanks in advance for your patience, Does the expansion of the universe have a effect on the length of time that it takes light to travel from point a to point b ? So, in a static universe an object 10 billion light years away emitted its light 10 billion years ago, but would expansion alter that length of time?

Thanks Vlaiv. I'm going to go away and think about that for a few days.

Thanks Vlaiv, but I'm not sure I'm any the wiser. Are you saying it is not possible to tell whether the second part of my question can be answered because of the variables involved? I think you are saying that when someone on Youtube says that something is 10 billion light years away, they can't possibly know that? Sorry if I seem like a numpty but my academic background is in the arts, so a lot of this is difficult for me to conceptualise. ...........Ah, I think I get it. So the light has travelled 10 billion light years from the object, and it doesn't matter how fast it is receding from the viewer. Then you need to add in the expansion of the Universe to know actually how far away it was when the light was emitted?

Now I'm going to make myself look pretty stupid. Please go easy on me. Is the speed of light a universal constant? If I could see something 10 billion light years ago/away, and that thing was travelling away from me at .5 of the speed of light. Would it be that the light was emitted from that object 10 billion years ago, or was the object 6.6 or 7.5 billion light years away or something when the light was emitted?

My resolve broke and I ordered a WO ZS61 today. I told the missus (I'll have to think of a new term for her- makes her sound like ' her indoors') Lesley. She was quite Ok about it.

I did, that's why I'm in this mess. 😄

Exactly. A sense of having achieved something difficult. Also, the equipment is really nice.

I agree to a certain extent. Astro-photography as a technical exercise seems fairly pointless. By far the most exciting and satisfying thing I've imaged so far is the nova in Hercules on successive nights. It seems that astronomy is a hobby which can be enjoyed in many different ways.

The dopamine has won - damn I'm so weak! 😄

It depends on what sort of deep space objects you are wanting to observe. Generally with reflector telescopes, more aperture is desirable. Have you considered a Dobsonian mount like the 200p?

Hi CoffeeEmerald. Both the telescopes you have named are fine optical instruments. You will not be disappointed with them if you want to do visual astronomy. If you want to do astrophotography, they will not be a very good choice.

They haven't said. I did all the things I could do - re-installed the firmware, ran it through it's calibration routine a few times, swore at it etc. I don't mind whether they replace or repair.

It rotates too quickly. It was impossible to get more than 20 seconds without trailing with a 200mm camera lens.

Bought some low cost items branded SVBONY and they are good for what I paid for them.

So my Skyguider pro has gone back to FLO and that means I am currently stuck with sub 20 sec subs. Not too much of a problem at the moment but I would like to get some serious time on Cygnus this season. So I checked the old bank balance and I'm set to pull the trigger on either a WO ZS 61 or a Redcat. But I can't decide between them so I asked the missus. After manslpaining at length about the pros and cons of each, she said. "To get the kinds of images you want, you need that thing that you sent back don't you?" I said Yes. She said "Wouldn't it be better to get the thing back first and check that it works?" I can't fault her sensibleness. Then she said "Look - it's your money, but if it's a dopamine hit you're after, surely you can think of a better way of getting it that doesn't involve hundreds of pounds and result in frustration." She's so sensible.

I don't know about you, but the first time I looked at the moon through a decent telescope was a powerful experience. I'm sure that would be similar for anyone with a bit of interest and an enquiring mind. The problem with all these things is there are always going to be people who are not interested. You can't force people into museums and galleries any more than you can force people to look through a telescope. But I think it important to encourage people, especially the young to enjoy learning in whatever field they choose, and provide them the opportunities if you can.

"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be lighted." - Plutarch

Maybe that is the best astrophotography telescope on Amazon in the Netherlands. 🤣

So maybe start with something like this?

Shipping disruption: 'We're doing our best - but this is crippling' - BBC News It seems that a cartel of shipping companies has us all by the short and curlies.

Thanks for the detailed explanation Vlaiv. I am not trying to deny science or re-invent the universe. It just seems to me that the statement of yours I have quoted just doesn't seem like a scientific definition to me, although it does concur with everything I have seen and heard. My point is that the phenomena we understand as dark energy is not fully understood.