Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to The New Coffee Room. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
  • Pages:
  • 1
I saw Orion tonight; lovely evening
Topic Started: Apr 3 2006, 06:54 PM (565 Views)
pianojerome
Member Avatar
HOLY CARP!!!
This evening I went to a violin/piano/harp recital at the edge of campus. I had never been to that part of campus before, so it was really neat just exploring beforehand. And, of course, the recital was magnificent: three doctoral students -

violinist Fabián López
harpist Synthia Pérez (she and Fabián are married)
pianist Dmitri Vorobiev (my piano teacher)

and I had never heard any of the music before (except for excerpts from the Waxman "'Carmen' Fantasie" :wink:), and I enjoyed it very much. There was a small reception afterwards with food and drink, and I got to talk a bit with my teacher.

The program was:


Stravinsky - Dithyrambe, from Duo Concertant
Schönberg - Phantasy for violin and piano
Waxman - "Carmen" fantasy

*intermission*

Saint-Saëns - Fantasy for violin and harp, op. 124
Szymanowski - La Fontaine d'Arethuse, op. 30 no. 1
Elgar - Chason de Nuit et Chanson de Matin, op. 15
Wieniawski - Souvenir de Moscou, op. 6
Paganini - Cantabile in D major


Then I left, and as soon as I stepped outside, I saw Orion:

Posted Image

The moon was so bright, so white, so clear. It was a big fat crescent. Really beautiful.


Then I walked over to the music school and played Bach Prelude in C-Sharp from WTC I for a while, and then while waiting at the bus stop to go home I saw the big dipper:

Posted Image


Very, very lovely evening. :smile:
Sam
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
I love looking at the stars.

I can get carried away.

When my dad died the first thing I did was walk outside and make a note of where the stars and planets were.

I don't know why.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
pianojerome
Member Avatar
HOLY CARP!!!
Sometimes I think I'm a lunatic. I love looking at the moon.
Sam
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
schindler
Member Avatar
Fulla-Carp
kenny
Apr 3 2006, 08:59 PM
When my dad died the first thing I did was walk outside and make a note of where the stars and planets were.

I don't know why.

Kenny, do you mind if I use that in a story? Not you specifically, just the idea. :)

We're all mad here!
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
Please do.

It seems like a very instinctive thing.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Dewey
Member Avatar
HOLY CARP!!!
It seems like every time I look up at the night sky, I see Orion. I'm not especially trying; My eye just seems to always pick it out, from the time I was a little kid.

In January, I was standing in a tiny cemetery in a village in Honduras, at a gravesite ceremony for a little boy who'd died of AIDS a couple weeks before. We all stood there - the little boy's parents, the other children and staff from the orphanage, and the other volunteers there for the week - and I couldn't help but wonder why a God that is good could allow such pain and suffering as this little boy went through, and as those who knew him were still going through.

It was a perfectly clear night, and the only light other than the vehicle headlights aimed at the gravesite, were the stars. I looked up, and just as if I were in my own backyard, my eye immediately saw Orion.

In that moment, I felt like the constellation was God's way of telling me that no matter whether I'm in my childhood backyard, or a Honduran village in the middle of nowhere, that God is there too, enveloping everything in his arms and eyes, and his love. That God really was watching over us all, and that God has an ultimate plan for everything, and everyone. Even if, at any given moment, it isn't clear to us and we can't really see it for the obstructions between God and us - just like all of those other countless stars that I could see that particular night in the remote Honduran countryside, that had always been hidden to me before in the light-basked North American night skies. And I knew then that even if I didn't have all the answers, I could still sleep comfortably knowing that someone does.

I like Orion.

^_^
"By nature, i prefer brevity." - John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, p. 685.

"Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you." - Anonymous

"Oh sure, every once in a while a turd floated by, but other than that it was just fine." - Joe A., 2011

I'll answer your other comments later, but my primary priority for the rest of the evening is to get drunk." - Klaus, 12/31/14
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
LWpianistin
Member Avatar
HOLY CARP!!!
pianojerome
Apr 3 2006, 07:01 PM
Sometimes I think I'm a lunatic. I love looking at the moon.

HAHA....HA...ha..... :unsure:


:P
And how are you today?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Aqua Letifer
Member Avatar
ZOOOOOM!
Dwain
Apr 4 2006, 03:44 AM
It seems like every time I look up at the night sky, I see Orion. I'm not especially trying; My eye just seems to always pick it out, from the time I was a little kid.

In January, I was standing in a tiny cemetery in a village in Honduras, at a gravesite ceremony for a little boy who'd died of AIDS a couple weeks before. We all stood there - the little boy's parents, the other children and staff from the orphanage, and the other volunteers there for the week - and I couldn't help but wonder why a God that is good could allow such pain and suffering as this little boy went through, and as those who knew him were still going through.

It was a perfectly clear night, and the only light other than the vehicle headlights aimed at the gravesite, were the stars. I looked up, and just as if I were in my own backyard, my eye immediately saw Orion.

In that moment, I felt like the constellation was God's way of telling me that no matter whether I'm in my childhood backyard, or a Honduran village in the middle of nowhere, that God is there too, enveloping everything in his arms and eyes, and his love. That God really was watching over us all, and that God has an ultimate plan for everything, and everyone. Even if, at any given moment, it isn't clear to us and we can't really see it for the obstructions between God and us - just like all of those other countless stars that I could see that particular night in the remote Honduran countryside, that had always been hidden to me before in the light-basked North American night skies. And I knew then that even if I didn't have all the answers, I could still sleep comfortably knowing that someone does.

I like Orion.

^_^

Yeah, Orion's a bright one; he def. likes to stick out. Very nice story, Dwain. :smile:

MY fav. constellation is Draco. Fat ol' dragon takes up almost the whole sky!!

EDIT
Since we're sharing stars stories:
One night a few years back, my father woke me up at 2AM or so (could have been later or earlier, as this happened awhile ago), and told me to put my shoes on. I asked him what for, but he was already halfway down the stairs. Still groggy, I walked outside without a coat; it was 50 degrees outide so I noticed the wind immediately.
The sky was pretty crystal clear, though; we don't get too much light pollution at night so the Milky Way could even be seen a bit.

So I stood there for about 5 minutes, and my dad just kept smiling and looking up at the sky.

"What?" I said.

"Well, just wait a minute."

About 10 minutes later, I told him I was on my inside. "Look," he said.

From the northern corner of the sky, about 15 degrees up, there was this small, starlike dot that was slowly making its way across the sky. Real small, and you could easily mistake it for an aircraft light if you didn't look too closely. But then, the thing actually got brighter! The closer and closer it got to the southeast, the more it shimmered. For about 3 minutes, it slowly passed across the sky until it got to about 15 degrees above the horizon, and then it flashed. For just an instant, t became the brightest thing in the sky (including the moon, which was near-new), and then disappeared.

Apparently what we were looking at was the ISS going over. I've tried a couple of times to see it again, but every time I try to check it, it's cloudy.
I cite irreconcilable differences.
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mark
Member Avatar
HOLY CARP!!!
The Orion Nebula.

Posted Image

The Horsehead Nebula (also in the Orion Constellation)
Distance: 1500 ly
Type: dark nebula / diffuse nebulae
Zeta Orionis (Alnitak) is the easternmost star in Orion's belt.

Posted Image
___.___
(_]===*
o 0
When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
Cool!

Did you by any chance take those pics?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mark
Member Avatar
HOLY CARP!!!
Yes, Those are our photos.

Thanks!
___.___
(_]===*
o 0
When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
Very deep bow!
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Nina
Senior Carp
Looking up into the night sky is one of the coolest things ever, and something that many of our kids will never get to experience, due to light pollution.

One of my most memorable sightings was the first time I saw the Southern Cross, after dark on a beach in Queensland. Magical.

My kids still remember when we woke them up in the middle of the night and brought them outside in the backyard to watch the meteor showers about 3 years ago (?). We were all huddled in blankets for about an hour, and saw a lot of meteors--I'm guessing 2x/minute. Waaay cool.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
sue
Member Avatar
HOLY CARP!!!
Wow! Mark, those are stunning pictures. Looking at pictures like that, or just looking at stars in the night sky can take my breath away. The immensity, the complexity of what's out there, is both humbling and awesome.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
Mark you may have told us before but tell us about the gear you used.

Pics prefered.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mark
Member Avatar
HOLY CARP!!!
OK Here goes:

A one of a kind production prototype 235mm (9.25") f4.3 Maksutov-Newtonian named "FastMax" with a primary focal length of ~1030mm.

Mounted to an Astro-Physics 1200GTO German Equatorial Mount.

Santa Barbara Instruments Group (SBIG) ST-10 cooled CCD 3.2 megapixel astronomical digital camera using a 5 position color filter wheel using Red, Blue, Green and Hydrogen Alpha filters.

The Scope:

Here we are setting up at the Chiefland FL, star party a couple of years ago.
Posted Image

The main scope with Astro-Physics Traveler 4.1" f5.8 oil-spaced triplet APO Refractor riding piggy back. Both scopes have Baader Planetarium Solar Filters Installed: To view through them on the observatory pier one has to stand on a three step ladder or step stool.
Posted Image

The Mount:
Posted Image

The Camera:
Posted Image

The Filter Wheel assembly:
Posted Image

A cool group shot in Florida when the Aurora hit. Yes, the northern lights were seen in FL two years in a row at Chiefland Star Party.
Posted Image

and the caption from the website reads:
The gang of the south field! A bunch of foul mouthed, cigar smokin', whiskey drinkin', quick draw astronomers invaded the Chiefland Astronomy Village last month to assault the night sky!

I sold the FastMax and now only have the Traveler. I am selling the big mount and replacing it with a smaller newly designed one that is working it's way through the production line. I should take delivery this summer.

It looks like this:
Posted Image

Additional Information can be viewed here:
http://www.astro-physics.com/
http://www.sbig.com/index.htm
___.___
(_]===*
o 0
When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
big al
Member Avatar
Bull-Carp
Nina
Apr 4 2006, 07:05 AM
Looking up into the night sky is one of the coolest things ever, and something that many of our kids will never get to experience, due to light pollution.

Sad, but true. Even some more rural areas have not escaped. As a boy, I could clearly see the Milky Way on the farm I grew up on. Now it's essentially invisible. Some city children may never even see stars.

I'm only glad some regions still exist where they are visible in all their splendor and wish some were closer to me. The finest night skies I ever experienced where while traveling on a freighter in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Like diamonds on black velvet.

Big Al
Location: Western PA

"jesu, der simcha fun der man's farlangen."
-bachophile
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Jamie
Member Avatar
Junior Carp
What amazes me about the night sky is when you are able to get away from light pollution of major centres, and see the sky in all its glory. My favourite time for star gazing is summer, when both Scorpio and "The Teapot" in Saggitarius flank that part of the Milky Way in the southern sky (from northern latitudes) that is toward the centre of the galaxy. The shear number of stars visible to the naked eye is amazing. Then look at the same area with binoculars or a small scope, and see just as many again that you did not know were there. They're always there, but it's only when you get away from the city that you can really appreciate it.

Jamie
Rudy - September 1, 1998 - April 8, 2009... One awesome dog
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
The 89th Key
Member Avatar

Mark, that is a BAD ASS set up! :woot:

I woke up one morning to see the shuttle go by. Looked like the ISS, (fast moving star), but that was really cool.

I also try to check out the Leonids meteor shower each year (November?). I believe the 2001 showing was the best. Almost one per second for about 30 minutes...that was soo cool.

Sam, I also like the moon. Perhaps it's because I play the Moonlight Sonata and Claire de Lune (Moon light) more than other pieces... :P

I also think it's because you can actually SEE it. Stars are too small, and the sun is too bright. But the moon is juuuuuust right.

Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mark
Member Avatar
HOLY CARP!!!
The image I shot at Chiefland that year:

The Helix Nebula NGC 7293
Posted Image
___.___
(_]===*
o 0
When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
The 89th Key
Member Avatar

Mark, how can you not be religious after seeing something like that? :P
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mark
Member Avatar
HOLY CARP!!!
How can you? :P

These things just validate my non-religious mindset.
___.___
(_]===*
o 0
When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
89 I agree.
After seeing Marks set up I am converted.
Oh Mark! I worship Thee!!! :tiki: :tiki: :tiki:

Seriously, is it too tackey to ask what you have invested?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mark
Member Avatar
HOLY CARP!!!
Kenny,

More than I care to admit.

I looked at it as the equivalent of a really really nice Bass Boat. Probably even a little more then that. :D

Maybe somewhere in the neighborhood of a M&H A or AA. ;)
___.___
(_]===*
o 0
When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Dewey
Member Avatar
HOLY CARP!!!
Mark, those are amazing pictures - thanks!

:thumb:
"By nature, i prefer brevity." - John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, p. 685.

"Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you." - Anonymous

"Oh sure, every once in a while a turd floated by, but other than that it was just fine." - Joe A., 2011

I'll answer your other comments later, but my primary priority for the rest of the evening is to get drunk." - Klaus, 12/31/14
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · The New Coffee Room · Next Topic »
Add Reply
  • Pages:
  • 1