The great astrophotographer Andre van der Hoeven sent me a shot he took of the Sun a few days ago. Looks like either Barney or the Grape Nehi folks paid it a visit:

[Click to envioletenate.]

Pretty cool. First, of course, the purple color is not real. Its just the color Andre chose for this picture when he processed it. Second, he used an H filter, which lets through a very narrow slice of light (actually in the red part of the spectrum). This color is emitted by warm hydrogen, and is preferentially under the influence of the Suns magnetism. You can see arching prominences huge towers of gas off the edge of the Sun. The long stringy bits on the face of the Sun are called filaments, and are actually the exact same thing as prominences! Prominences are filaments we see from the side, instead of looking down on them. The terminology is a holdover from when astronomers first started observing the Sun, and were kinda stuck with it.

Also, Andre inverted the picture, so what looks black is actually very bright, and what looks bright is very dark. Those bright white blotches? Sunspots. For some reason, our brains can pick out detail better that way, and it also gives an eerie 3D sense to the image. He made a close-up mosaic of his pictures, too, which is actually a bit creepy. Itll keep the Halloween spirit going for another day, at least!

Image credit: Andre van der Hoeven, used by permission.

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- Jaw-dropping Moon mosaic (yes, you want to click that) - Zoom in and in and IN on an Austrian glacier - Incredible panorama of the summer sky - A spiral that can beat you with two arms tied behind its back

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Purple shag Sun | Bad Astronomy

Who knows what might be out there? The darkening sky above Rock Creek Park in Northwest Washington was star-speckled and seemingly endless. On this October night, it held the potential of seeing a flurry of shooting stars stream across its canvas.

Who knew who might come out here? Joe Morris, president of the National Capital Astronomers, came prepared for anyone. He had pieced together a squat, black reflector telescope with an 11-inch lens. Other members of the amateur astronomy club put together two more telescopes on the ground, eager for anyone to stop by for a glance.

They hoped the look might be the hook. Like many astronomy groups across the country, this club has seen its membership remain steady but only steady. Amateur astronomy thrived in the Space Race era, but some worry that interest in the hobby is fading as its biggest enthusiasts begin to gray.

Id love to say we are growing in numbers, but we arent, Morris said of his 130-person club. Theres an urgent need in this country to improve the attractiveness of this profession.

Club members head to Rock Creek Park once a month to gaze at stars and hunt for stargazers. It has less to do about the preservation of the group and more to do with the preservation of one of sciences most important hobbies.

Morris, 69, carried a stack of handouts explaining various celestial bodies. A small flashlight with a bright red bulb hung from his neck so people could read them.

When a man checked out his Facebook page on his cellphone, Morris asked him nicely to put the device away. Already, the skys splendor was corrupted by the distant lights of the District. No additional detractions were needed.

A couple walked up to Morris. They came because their 7-year-old son had liked H.A. Reys childrens book about the stars. Young Sevan was first interested in the book because Rey and his wife had written the stories about Curious George. Now, his parents were the curious ones.

Do you see that really bright star through the trees? his mother asked. We were wondering if it was one or two stars.

Morris took out a laser pointer and flashed its green beam until it reached the twinkling speck in question.

Originally posted here:

Astronomy clubs eye night skies and an uncertain future

Star Party on the U.K.'s Isle of Wight. Credit: Graham Green 1. You really are a byproduct of star formation. Prebiotic chemistry and possibly even life itself begins in space. “If not for stars, there would be no glass and steel, no internet, and no iron-enriched vitamins to help us [...]

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5 Reasons Astronomy Still Matters

Astrophotography with German Equatorial Mounts
Thank you to Astronomy and Nature for providing us with this video! You can visit their youtube channel here: http://www.youtube.comFrom:pacificskywatcherViews:5 0ratingsTime:07:32More inScience Technology

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Astrophotography with German Equatorial Mounts - Video

Sky-Watcher AZ SynScan Hand Control
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Sky-Watcher AZ SynScan Hand Control - Video

Astronomy Online
Presented by Allen Versfeld at the ASSA Symposium, 2012 October 13, at SAAO in Cape Town.From:Auke SlotegraafViews:0 0ratingsTime:18:49More inScience Technology

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Astronomy Online - Video

Overview of the Orion Giant View 25x100 Astronomy Binoculars - Orion Telescopes
PRODUCT PAGE: bit.ly Visit http://www.telescope.com tofind high quality products for amateur astronomers. If you have any questions about any of our telescopes, binoculars, or accessories, please don #39;t hesitate to contact one of our trained and knowledgeable customer service representatives. http To learn more about Astronomy, please visit Orion Resource Center where you can find Articles, Images, Videos and More! http://www.telescope.com Since 1975 Orion Telescopes Binoculars has been offering telescopes for sale direct to customers, with an unswerving commitment to best quality products, value and unmatched customer care. Our 100% satisfaction guarantee says it all. Orion offers telescopes for every level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Expert. From our entry level beginner telescopes for amateur astronomers to our Dobsonian telescopes to our most advanced Cassegrain telescopes and accessories, you can find the best telescope for you.From:oriontelescopesViews:0 0ratingsTime:01:24More inScience Technology

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Overview of the Orion Giant View 25x100 Astronomy Binoculars - Orion Telescopes - Video

Gootube Games for big Pro influx, Youtubias ever-changing Cyber-scape MysterEy1
Imagination and envisioning (the founders of YT lacked vision. and now Gootube lacks vision how SAD) ahh This is actually Part 2 Getting serious about youtube changes and rolling with it, you gota get a grasp on the future Durty Wizurd! Old Guard of youtube helped get it done. On this approach to Dia de Los Muertos, Halloween, All Saints day, in whichever tradition you follow... astrology astronomy future rocks "2 kings" alchemy youtubia next video (in annotations or here) Support my brand of truth-seeking, freedom, revolution, and personal transformation, as well as collective awakening ---- PULEASE subscribe http://www.youtube.com Make your voice heard, these videos are a discussion forum. (I don #39;t censor) Check out my other channel at youtube.com for.. entertainmentGIANT est. #39;05From:MysterEy1Views:6 0ratingsTime:04:33More inPeople Blogs

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Gootube Games for big Pro influx, Youtubias ever-changing Cyber-scape MysterEy1 - Video

Space Engine - Sunshine
Music : John Murphy - Sunshine Space Engine 0.96 : en.spaceengine.org SpaceEngine - is a free space simulation software that lets you explore the universe in three dimensions, starting from planet Earth to the most distant galaxies. Areas of the known universe are represented using actual astronomical data, while regions uncharted by human astronomy are generated procedurally. Millions of galaxies, trillions of stars, countless planets!From:latronpeViews:0 0ratingsTime:02:01More inGaming

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Space Engine - Sunshine - Video

Main Show Only - Galaxies Cosmology Coast To Coast AM
WATCH THE LATEST VIDEO THAT CAME OUT TODAY HERE http://www.youtube.com http://www.jetstreamnews.com If You Use Twitter heres the Twitter address or just click the twitter link on the right of the channel page twitter.com Date: 04-09-12 Host: George Noory Guests: Chris Impey, Craig R. Smith Astronomy Professor Chris Impey discussed the structure of galaxies, exoplanets, the Big Bang, and various other topics in astronomy and cosmology. Regarding the size of the universe, "the current view in the expanding Big Bang picture is that the distance to the edge...as well as we can measure, is about 40 billion light years," he said. The universe in its earliest state consisted primarily of just two elements, hydrogen and helium, and it took a long time for heavier elements to develop, he continued. An earth-like planet could have developed 6-7 billion years ago, "but I don #39;t think we could even imagine a life-form that is a billion years more advanced than us...we don #39;t have the evolution ourselves to imagine it," he noted. New discoveries of exoplanets are helping to expand our knowledge of the formation of solar systems, and two systems that were recently found have a similar number of planets to ours, Impey reported. Planets are the residue of star formation, happening at the outskirts, he detailed, while our moon, it #39;s hypothesized, may have been formed when a Mars-type object collided with a primeval Earth (moon rocks tend to support this theory). The gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn are ...From:USAMOONBASEViews:2 0ratingsTime:01:15:54More inEducation

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Main Show Only - Galaxies

Fall Astronomy - Light Up Your Night
Constellations guide us in the night sky and connect us with cultures of the past. Discover the stars, planets, and constellations you can see over Southern California this fall and LIGHT UP YOUR NIGHT!!! For more about our parks and programs visit: http:\www.lamountains.com http:\www.facebook.com/lamountains Created by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority with funding from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. Music by http:\www.JewelBeat.comFrom:MRCAParksViews:8 0ratingsTime:03:23More inEducation

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Fall Astronomy - Light Up Your Night - Video

Kwala "Sneak Peek" - Astronomy Song (Learn to Love the Stars)
Kwala is an emerging band from Omaha, Nebraska. This is the making of a backdrop to be used on the cover of their debut album, "Lovers and Quarrels". (Out soon somewhere, sometime near you) http://www.facebook.com Song Written and preformed by: Adam Roberts: Vocals, guitars, and misc noise. Alexander Carlson: Vocals, guitars, and bongos. Nik Carlson: Bass and Vocals. Video: Chris Prinz, Adam Roberts, and Kit Crown Song mixed and record at the Library Adam Roberts: Engineer Copyright Cornelius B. Production/KwalaFrom:CorneliusBproductionViews:23 0ratingsTime:01:19More inMusic

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Kwala "Sneak Peek" - Astronomy Song (Learn to Love the Stars) - Video

Herschel Museum of Astronomy - Wiki Article
The Herschel Museum of Astronomy is a small independent museum dedicated to the life and works of the famous astronomer, William Herschel and his sister, Caroline Herschel. Both made significant cont... Herschel Museum of Astronomy - Wiki Article - wikiplays.org Original @ http All Information Derived from Wikipedia using Creative Commons License: en.wikipedia.org Author: Nveitch Image URL: en.wikipedia.org Licensed under:This image is ineligible for copyright and therefore is in the public domain, because it consists entirely of information that is common property and contains no original authorship., This work is in the Public Domain., This work is in the public domain in the United States. Author: Mike Young Image URL: en.wikipedia.org Licensed under:This image is ineligible for copyright and therefore is in the public domain, because it consists entirely of information that is common property and contains no original authorship., This work is in the Public Domain., This work is in the public domain in the United States.From:WikiPlaysViews:0 0ratingsTime:04:43More inEducation

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Herschel Museum of Astronomy - Wiki Article - Video

Florian Breuer is a mathematician who teaches in South Africa. Hes also a photographer, and created this spectacular panorama of the Quiver Tree Forest near Keetmanshoop, Namibia.

[Click to embiggen and see the whole shot; I had to crop it a bit to fit here.]

Isnt that gorgeous? The arch of the Milky Way behind the trees is beautiful, and when I look at this picture I cant help but think of an array of radio telescope dishes turned toward the heavens.

By eye, the Milky Way is easily visible on a dark night from a dark site. The diffuse glow of the distant stars is interrupted by the accumulated absorption by clouds of dust between them and us, splitting the glow along its middle. In photographs like this, of course, those features leap right out.

Do you want to take pictures like this? Florian wrote up a pair of essays (first and second) describing how he made this and a few other images from his trip to Namibia. Of course, I suspect the first step is travel to Namibia, which may prove difficult for some of us. Still, there are plenty of places to take devastating pictures of the sky. Maybe even near you! So give it haha a shot.

Image credit: Florian Breuer, used by permission

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- Raging clouds, near and very, very far - Time lapse: stunning Australian skies over a pathfinding array - Milky Way Down Under - The Milky Way and the Mashed Potatoes Mountain

Excerpt from:

Namibian quiver trees and the glow of a galaxy | Bad Astronomy

First it was there, then it wasnt, and now it just may be back again: the first exoplanet directly observed orbiting a normal star, Fomalhaut b, has had quite a ride.

[This post has a bit of detail to it, so here's the tl;dr version: new analysis shows an object orbiting the star Fomalhaut may actually be a planet, enveloped in a cloud of dust. We can't for sure it exists, but we can't say it doesn't, either! Earlier claims of it not existing may have been premature. Also, at the bottom of this post is a gallery of direct images of exoplanets.]

First a brief history. In 2008, astronomers revealed huge news: they had successfully taken images of planets orbiting other stars. Up until then, the only evidence we had of exoplanets was indirect, either by their tugging on their stars which affects the starlight, or by having them pass between their stars and us, dimming the starlight.

But, along with Gemini telescope pictures of a family of planets orbiting HR 8799, Fomalhaut b was the first planet ever seen directly, as a spark of light in a picture. Here is that historic shot:

Its Saurons eye! [Click to embiggen.]

The object is labeled. It doesnt look like much, but the important thing to note is that it moved between 2004 and 2006 (see picture below), and it was definitely in both images taken two years apart. That means it wasnt some bit of noise or detector error. Moreover, the movement was consistent with what youd expect from a planet. Not only that but the star Fomalhaut is surrounded by a vast ring of dust Saurons eye and the inner edge of the ring is sharp. Thats what you would expect if a planet was orbiting inside the ring; its gravity sweeps up the dust on the inside of the ring. Given the brightness, we were looking at an object with a few times Jupiters mass, much smaller than a star, so definitely a planet.

All in all, it looked good, and it looked real.

Then, in early 2012, some astronomers threw a Pluto-esque wet blanket on the news. A planet that big should be bright in the infrared. Fomalhaut is a youngish star, only a few hundred million years old. Any planet more massive than Jupiter should still be hot, radiating away the heat of its formation. They looked for it in the infrared, and it wasnt there.

Uh oh.

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The return of Sauron’s planet | Bad Astronomy

As I write this, moments ago, the SpaceX Dragon capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after a two week mission to the International Space Station. Splashdown occurred at 19:22 UTC. Yay!

[UPDATE (20:30 UTC): SpaceX has a picture of the Dragon floating in the Pacific:

Click to ensmaugenate.]

This ends the first operational mission of the Dragon. Its the first of twelve contracted by NASA to bring supplies up to and back from the ISS. There was no live coverage of the splashdown, unfortunately (and no, I dont know why; I imagine thatll come out soon) but NASA did get footage of the Dragin un-berthing from ISS. Here it is, sped up 15x:

I should add the "Enterprise leaving drydock" music from Star Trek II in there.

Anyway, congrats to everyone at SpaceX and NASA. Ill note that while most of this mission went smoothly, there is still the issue of the engine that failed during launch, resulting in the loss of an ORBCOMM satellite secondary payload. Hopefully SpaceX will discuss this more during the mission wrap-up.

Image credit: SpaceX

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- Frankenstorm and the Dragon - SpaceX Falcon 9 lost an engine on the way up; Dragon on its way to ISS - History is made as Dragon splashes down safely in the Pacific!

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The Dragon returns to the nest | Bad Astronomy

An online observatory will webcast a free celestial marathon on Saturday (Oct. 20) to mark Astronomy Day, telling the story of our universe with the help of live shots from professional-quality telescopes.

The online Slooh Space Camera will air 11 consecutive hours of free cosmic programming beginning at 3:30 p.m. EDT (1930 GMT). Viewers can watch live on their computers or iOS/Android mobile devices.

The broadcast will take viewers on a tour of some of the universe's most spectacular sights, from dusty nebulas to supernova explosions that mark the death of huge, hot-burning stars to the planets and moons of our own solar system. In addition to Astronomy Day, the event coincides with the peak of the annual Orionid meteor shower, which will be at its best overnight on Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 20 and 21).

Live shots of such cosmic phenomena will be provided by an observatory in the Canary Islands, off the west coast of Africa, Slooh officials said. The webcast can be accessed at the Slooh Space Camera here: http://events.slooh.com/.

Space news from NBCNews.com

Humanity has long dreamed of putting boots on Mars, but those boots have the potential to stomp all over any lifeforms that may exist on the Red Planet.

Slooh outreach coordinator Paul Cox will host the broadcast. He'll be joined by several guests, including author and Astronomy magazine columnist Bob Berman.

"Even with the use of Slooh's patented real-time imaging system, this is going to be incredibly challenging event and several people have warned me against it," Cox said in a statement. "However, we're passionate about bringing live astronomy to a wider audience and making science more accessible. To paraphrase a famous speech, 'We choose to do these things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard!'"

Slooh is putting the broadcast together to mark Astronomy Day, a twice-yearly celebration that aims to share the joys of astronomy with the general population. To see if there's an event occuring near you on Saturday, check out the Astronomy Day website.

"I am proud to be part of this marathon-of-the-universe," Berman said. "Its the first time in history that people everywhere can observe dozens of full-color celestial splendors in real time, free on Sloohs homepage, as tracked by major telescopes and displayed on their home monitor or portable device. This may mark a new era in the appreciation of our cosmos."

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How to watch Astronomy Day online

My friend, the geekeriffic Jessica Mills, interviewed me for her blog on Tech Republic (the second part is here). It was a lot of fun talking with her; we wandered over topics like Hubble, Star Trek, science, Doctor Who, black holes, Neil Tyson and Bill Nye, and what I would do if I encountered advanced aliens in a wormhole (answer: self-promotion).

Jessica is amazing. She is a writer, producer, and actress, and was the driving force behind the very funny web series Awkward Embraces (which I wrote about in a post a while back). If youre a geek and you are you should watch it.

Shes also just cool and funny and smart and talented, and you could do a lot worse than follow her on Tumblr and Twitter. Hey. She was a Geek-A-Week, so you know shes cool.

Excerpt from:

Awkwardly Embraceable interview | Bad Astronomy

By COLIN M. STEWART

Tribune-Herald Staff Writer

The University of Hawaiis Institute for Astronomy is currently working to beef up faculty and equipment at its Hilo facility, despite cutbacks in some funding sources.

While the institute is based in Manoa, it is charged with managing the Mauna Kea Observatories on the Big Island, as well as the Haleakala Observatories on Maui. In early 2001, the IfA completed an $11 million, 35,000-square-foot, split-level building at 640 North Aohoku Place to serve as its main Hilo base facility.

The plan, said IfA Director Guenther Hasinger, was to fill the facility with staff, faculty and equipment from the get-go, and to rapidly turn it into, among other things, an instrumentation center of excellence, to build and test state-of-the art equipment used by astronomers.

But then organizers began running into budgetary roadblocks.

It was constructed 12 years ago with the original intent to put more stuff in there, he said. They were hoping to get more money from the (Legislature) to build up the Hilo complex.

Over the years, the institute has added equipment and people piecemeal as funding became available, Hasinger said. Faculty members are expected to earn their keep, so to speak, by snagging valuable grants to fund projects.

Currently, the facility houses five faculty members and about 80 employees. By comparison, the IfAs Manoa facility houses 30 faculty members and 200 employees, and its Maui facility hosts three faculty and 40 staffers.

The building itself features a bevy of machine shops and laboratories for the development and maintenance of scientific instruments and telescopes, a library, an auditorium and remote telescope operation rooms connected via fiber optic cable to the observatories atop Mauna Kea.

See more here:

Astronomy facility looking to future

An online observatory will webcast a free celestial marathon on Saturday (Oct. 20) to mark Astronomy Day, telling the story of our universe with the help of live shots from professional-quality telescopes.

The online Slooh Space Camera will air 11 consecutive hours of free cosmic programming beginning at 3:30 p.m. EDT (1930 GMT). Viewers can watch live on their computers or iOS/Android mobile devices.

The broadcast will take viewers on a tour of some of the universe's most spectacular sights, from dusty nebulas to supernova explosions that mark the death of huge, hot-burning stars to the planets and moons of our own solar system. In addition to Astronomy Day, the event coincides with the peak of the annual Orionid meteor shower, which will be at its best overnight on Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 20 and 21).

Live shots of such cosmic phenomena will be provided by an observatory in the Canary Islands, off the west coast of Africa, Slooh officials said. The webcast can be accessed at the Slooh Space Camera here:http://events.slooh.com/.

Slooh outreach coordinator Paul Cox will host the broadcast. He'll be joined by several guests, including author and Astronomy magazine columnist Bob Berman.

"Even with the use of Slooh's patented real-time imaging system, this is going to be incredibly challenging event and several people have warned me against it," Cox said in a statement. "However, we're passionate about bringing live astronomy to a wider audience and making science more accessible. To paraphrase a famous speech, 'We choose to do these things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard!'"

Slooh is putting the broadcast together to mark Astronomy Day, a twice-yearly celebration that aims to share the joys of astronomy with the general population. To see if there's an event occuring near you on Saturday, check out the Astronomy Day website.

"I am proud to be part of this marathon-of-the-universe," Berman said. "Its the first time in history that people everywhere can observe dozens of full-color celestial splendors in real time, free on Sloohs homepage, as tracked by major telescopes and displayed on their home monitor or portable device. This may mark a new era in the appreciation of our cosmos."

Follow SPACE.com on Twitter@Spacedotcom. We're also onFacebook&Google+.

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Celestial Marathon on Saturday: How to Watch Astronomy Day Online