Star gazing

Leslie

Leslie

Communistrator
Staff member
If you're into it, tonight's a good night for it. :)
If the gray skies clear up this weekend, you’ll be able to see it – the largest asteroid to come near earth in 77 years. Astronomers advise anyone with a telescope or a good pair of binoculars should be able to get a piece of the rock in their sites.

And it should be quite a view. The asteroid is the size of eight football fields, and is travelling at about 21 kilometres per second. Residents in the Great White North will have one of the best views, if the clouds part, and should look south of the Big Dipper and near the bright star of Vega around 11pm Saturday night.

But if you’re thinking of heading for the hills instead of your backyard, don’t worry. This boulder will miss the Earth by about 530,000 kilometres.
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I've been wanting a decent telescope for a while now. I'm a star gazer from way back :)
 
I have a telescope :) But I want one of those computerized ones. I'm definitely going to watch this asteroid.
 
No telescope, I've got a cheap pair of binoculars, so I could climb up on the roof, and maybe see it, or stay inside and play on the puter. Hmmmmm.
 
I have a telescope, but it's an antique my grandfather gave to me. It's one of those colapsable ones like you see on old pirate movies :D

It's not real good when it comes to star gazing :(
 
But think of how great it is when the babes next door forget to close the bathroom curtains. :brow:
 
I love looking at the stars when it's really clear (which it hardly ever is around here).
I tried to see that comet the other day. I was just standing out in my drive looking up gormlessly for ages. :D
Didn't see anything though. :(
 
Scanty:

I love looking at the stars when it's really clear (which it hardly ever is around here).
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Once on a big trip my family and I made back to our roots in Alice Springs, we camped over night in the middle of nowhere. It was completely dry, flat and the closest town would have been hundreds of kilometers away.

It was a clear night (since there was very little moisture to be had) and damn, I was completely blown away by how many stars there were and how clear!! It was incredible!! I'll never forget it.

We slept under the stars that night, although when the moon rose it became quite difficult because it was like someone shining a torch in your face it was so bright.
 
If you're gonna use binoculars, keep your elbows in against your chest, rather than out to the sides. It helps to keep them still. Or better yet, lean over the roof of a car.
 
A few years ago it was a really abnormally clear night and there were so many stars showing, it was amazing. And it was one of those warm nights and me and my dad just slept out on mattresses in the garden looking up at the stars.

Hey...just an interesting fact...

If you picked up the Earth and put it down again near the centre of the galaxy (the Bulge) - there would be 1,000 to 1,000,000 times as many stars in the night sky as there are at the moment.

How amazing would that be?

:headbang:
 
There would also be no night to speak of, and stargazing would be about as interesting as breathing.
 
I love stargazing. I have a 3 1/2" Unitron refractor and a 10" Orion reflector. I spent many a nght in my back yard sitting up til 5:00am. What i really want though is a nice pair of 10x100 binoculars.
 
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