From Hubble: A Cosmic Snow Angel

[joeychitwood]

As many of you know, I am an amateur astronomer, mainly because I enjoy being blown away by the sights visible through a small backyard telescope. Every once in a while, a photo really impresses me. This photo was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope recently and shows a new star forming in a cloud of gas. It's spewing out gas from the poles and is burning 10,000 times brighter than our Sun.

The amazing thing to me is how much it looks like an angel at the top of a Christmas tree or a snow angel on the ground.

[The Joker]

Not sure if I can see the angel. But an incredible photo of an incredible event.

[joeychitwood]

Originally Posted by The Joker

Not sure if I can see the angel. But an increbile photo of an incredible event.

The top bright star is the crown star, the two lobes of gas are the wings and the triangular rays pointing "down" (there is no up or down in space, of course) form the robe.

[conrail]

Absolutely beautiful stuff; I'm becoming a bit of an amateur astronomer as well. I bought an Orion XT8 for the family as a Christmas gift - really excited for its first light!

[Dan2010]

I see it. Very cool.

[joeychitwood]

Originally Posted by conrail

I bought an Orion XT8 for the family as a Christmas gift - really excited for its first light!

You are going to love it. I have the XT8i, but I rarely use the computer. I'd immediately recommend buying a laser reflex sight for it. It makes finding targets 1000 times easier. Mount it, use it to aim at your intended taget, use the 9x50 scope to hone in, the the object you are looking for will be in the field of view. Also, invest in 2-3 decent eyepieces with good eye relief.

This is my scope after a night of viewing at -25F. I hadn't remounted the 9x50 yet.

[eric23]

Cool!

[Timber Loftis]

Gorgeous stuff. I love how the "output" of solar events, like the wings in your photo or the rays in a solar flare or supernova all have a vector that's based almost solely on the rotational spin of the star.

[HL65]

Amazing photo!! Thanks for sharing Joey!

[Lion]

Very cool picture...Thanx for sharing!!!

[conrail]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

You are going to love it. I have the XT8i, but I rarely use the computer. I'd immediately recommend buying a laser reflex sight for it. It makes finding targets 1000 times easier. Mount it, use it to aim at your intended taget, use the 9x50 scope to hone in, the the object you are looking for will be in the field of view. Also, invest in 2-3 decent eyepieces with good eye relief.

Awesome! Yea I actually got it with a reflex sight, which we tried out in the parking lot at distance buildings, works pretty well. I also got a used Nagler 9mm and a "better" quality 2x Barlow - it seems that upgrade is pretty standard and was highly recommended not just by the guy in the local shop.

[Cru Jones]

cool pic, thanks.

[joeychitwood]

Originally Posted by conrail

Awesome! Yea I actually got it with a reflex sight, which we tried out in the parking lot at distance buildings, works pretty well. I also got a used Nagler 9mm and a "better" quality 2x Barlow - it seems that upgrade is pretty standard and was highly recommended not just by the guy in the local shop.

If you find yourself really enjoying the hobby, I'd also recommend a better focuser. I bought a Moonlight Crayford two-speed focuser and it makes dialing in the fine details much easier.

[conrail]

Oh awesome good to know - seems pretty customizeable which is nice!

[joeychitwood]

The XT8 is a great telescope, the most aperature "bang for the buck" you can get. With Jupiter high in the winter evening sky, I was able to see the Great Red Spot for the first time the other night. The detail visible using an Orion Stratus 6mm EP plus a 2X Barlow was amazing for a relatively inexpensive telescope.

[conrail]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

The XT8 is a great telescope, the most aperature "bang for the buck" you can get. With Jupiter high in the winter evening sky, I was able to see the Great Red Spot for the first time the other night. The detail visible using an Orion Stratus 6mm EP plus a 2X Barlow was amazing for a relatively inexpensive telescope.

Yea its blazing brightly up there - and I think Venus is joining it or has already joined it.

[joeychitwood]

Originally Posted by conrail

Yea its blazing brightly up there - and I think Venus is joining it or has already joined it.

Here in the northern latitudes, Venus is visible low in the southwestern sky as the sun dips below the horizon late in the afternoon and through the early evening. It's very bright, but somewhat disappointing to view, as there is no detail to be seen, just a blazing disk of varying phases. I can look at Saturn, Jupiter or the Orion Nebula repeatedly and for hours, but Venus merits only a brief glance to see if a phase change is detectable.

[conrail]

That's a good point re Venus - what are you looking forward to viewing now that the winter is in full swing?

[joeychitwood]

Originally Posted by conrail

what are you looking forward to viewing now that the winter is in full swing?

During January, seven planets will be visible at some time during the night. I've seen Uranus on one occasion (a blue disk) but I've never been able to find Neptune. Saturn is always a thrill. I've been able to see four moons of Saturn, which is the limit with an 8" scope. (Magnitude 10 or so.) The same comment comes from every single person to whom I've showed Saturn: "That doesn't look real. It looks like a cartoon." The rings are spectacular, and you should be able to see the Cassini division between the rings with your XT8 on a clear night.

Mars rises in the east before midnight in January. The Moon is always fun to view. Though most filters aren't worth the money, a 25% Moon filter is a cheap accessory to increase the detail seen. You can accomplish the same thing wearing sunglasses, but at $20, a moon filter is a must.

If you don't subscribe to Astronomy magazine, I'd suggest it. The magazine contains great articles and photos, plus is highlights viewing for the upcoming month.

[conrail]

Thanks for the insight! I've read that the moon filter reduces the brightness, but I'll give it a shot w/ sunglasses first as you suggest!

[Noonan]

Great pic!

Jupiter was was amazingly bright last night since the moon wasn't out. I spent a good half hour checking it out before it got too cold.

[Art 1]

Amazing.

[joeychitwood]

Originally Posted by Noonan

Jupiter was was amazingly bright last night since the moon wasn't out. I spent a good half hour checking it out before it got too cold.

It's a great time of year to gaze at Jupiter. It's very high in the sky at a reasonable time of the evening. With the cold, still air, the viewing can be amazing. I'm always in awe that I can look at Jupiter and its four moons even though it's about 500 million miles away.

[rfknauss]

Incredible photo!

[conrail]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

It's a great time of year to gaze at Jupiter. It's very high in the sky at a reasonable time of the evening. With the cold, still air, the viewing can be amazing. I'm always in awe that I can look at Jupiter and its four moons even though it's about 500 million miles away.

Right!? Just by bouncing some light around some mirrors and other reasonably priced optics. Absolutely mind-blowing. Really one of the great ways to get away from any stresses of daily life - to see what insignificant ants we are, not only in space, but also time

[swatty]

Amazing, thanks for sharing

[joeychitwood]

I went outside last night, as the temps were warm (20 degrees F) and the skies were clear, a rare combination here. (Usually, clear skies in December mean temps of -20 to -30 F.) I looked at Jupiter and its moons, Betelgeuse, the Pleiades and my favorite, the Great Nebula in Orion. It was a great night for viewing.

[conrail]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

I went outside last night, as the temps were warm (20 degrees F) and the skies were clear, a rare combination here. (Usually, clear skies in December mean temps of -20 to -30 F.) I looked at Jupiter and its moons, Betelgeuse, the Pleiades and my favorite, the Great Nebula in Orion. It was a great night for viewing.

Awesome, how was Betelgeuse? My understanding is, at best of times, it is a small fuzzy orange/yellow ball?

[threemonkeys]

Wow. Neat photo.Kind of humbling in a way.

[joeychitwood]

Originally Posted by conrail

Awesome, how was Betelgeuse? My understanding is, at best of times, it is a small fuzzy orange/yellow ball?

That's about right, though it's interesting to contrast it with a blue star like Sirius. I keep hoping Betelgeuse will go supernovae one night while I'm looking at it.