The Moon....Who saw it last night and tonight.

Originally posted by ProudBird
Did anyone yet steer you towards the program www.stellarium.org... ?

Nobody else thought of that! Where have you been for the last 13 pages?

OK in case anybody missed the that was supposed to be a joke.

Originally posted by busterbunni
Stellarium described for us where to look it was the other websites that were detailing what HOURS (meaning not all night), and DAY(S ) of the specific month (not months on end).

You may have just identified the problem right there.

I have found numerous problems on some websites with inaccuracies about when the planets can be viewed.

I have yet to find such a problem with Stellarium.

So if you want a source that in my experience is less likely to be in error, stick with Stellarium.

If you go to a website, it may be wrong. I found some that ARE wrong.

Moral of the story: you can't trust everything you find on the internet.

reply to post by Arbitrageur

Nobody else thought of that!

Yeah, first I suggested to OP ( manhater....she hated it.... )

Several pages on, new name, different "bunni" with questions, easily resolved with Stellarium, so tried again.

....And, hated on again....

Originally posted by ProudBird
reply to post by Arbitrageur

 

Nobody else thought of that!

Yeah, first I suggested to OP ( manhater....she hated it....

)

Several pages on, new name, different "bunni" with questions, easily resolved with Stellarium, so tried again.

....And, hated on again....

edit on Sun 16 October 2011 by ProudBird because: (no reason given)

Then let me make your day!

Long time amateur astronomer who always preferred my planisphere (first with the Tirion Star Atlas, and then with the Uranometria Deep Sky Atlas) far more than any software... until I saw the link on this thread to Stellarium.

I downloaded it the next day and love it-- thanks to the persistent suggestions on this thread.

Thank you!

My telescope is in storage, because I presently live on the outskirts of downtown and so the local star atlas consist only of about six stars and Jupiter (sometimes known as Venus-- wink, wink, wink, joke, sarcasm, etc. -- please don't make me click one of the emoticons, please?). By the way, and for benefit of some on this thread: When you see a planet in the sky and don't know what it is, just look at it. Saturn and Jupiter are the only two naked-eye planets that can be confusing-- but even a descent pair of binoculars is enough to show whether it has rings or bands.

A friend is going to loan me some binoculars until I can get a chance for some dark sky viewing-- occasionally, I get a decently dark sky for city viewing. Andromeda, clusters, and such objects will make a nice evening on the porch when the moon stops showing off.

Which reminds me of a Texas Star Party story. It is both a Texan story and a Amateur Astronomer story.

Probably around the mid-1980's. It was the opening night of the annual Texas Star Party near Fort Davis, Texas. As I started to set up at my favorite and usual spot that afternoon, I was concerned about a rural light on a telephone pole that had not been there the year before. It was still daylight and the light was not on, but what if it did kick on after sunset?

I mentioned it to the others, and was told that the owners of the Prade Ranch knew about it and assured us that it would stay off. It did not. The owners could not be contacted. I sipped coffee at sunset and watched as a few managed to get a rope looped over the light fixture and tried hoisting a thick green plastic bucket over the light. It merely made the light green.

At dark, I went to eat dinner and would make plans to relocate my scope at sunup. When I came back, the problem had been resolved. One of the others had pulled out his .22 rifle from his trunk, cleared everyone from the expected spray of glass, and "killed" the offending light. As I recall, it absorbed the first two bullets, but the third did the trick.

And, just because I am now in the mood for telling stories...

Story II

One year at the same TSP, we had total cloud cover for one night and part of the next. We had slept all day, and so were up all night anyway. My brother was there that year, and his typical humor kicked in when some bored attendees who had decided to climb the nearby hill began shining powerful flashlights, and even a laser down, on the viewing field.

I was aiming my telescope at the people on the hill, watching them (upside down and backwards in my large Newtonian) when my brother came up with his powerful Mag Light. He took out my 2" optic, and inserted his Mag Light so that it made my telescope into a respectable search light, "firing back" at the surprised hill climbers. The hours went by and beers and coffee were consumed as everyone milled about hoping for the skies to clear-- which they did not.

At some point, someone showed up with sheet of poster-board, out of which he had cut out the "bat-signal" shape. It was taped to the end of my scope and the Mag Light used. It barely worked, but entertained many for about an hour. The rest of that night included someone setting up a computer controlled laser light show, after which, everyone milled about talking about favorite products-- spotting scopes, software, cameras, optics, and such.

Three or four hundred perfect strangers playing like children and acting like best friends in utter darkness with not even a face recognizable; and conversations about technology, theology, motorcycles-- whatever you could imagine -- half drinking beer and half drinking coffee until sunup. Those things are fun.

reply to post by Arbitrageur


I prefer starry night or Carties du Ciel above Starry night, but that is just my own personal opinion

Originally posted by Frira
I saw the link on this thread to Stellarium.

I downloaded it the next day and love it-- thanks to the persistent suggestions on this thread.

Thank goodness somebody found it useful! Just be sure to keep checking the real sky to make sure it matches Stellarium because we never know if the naysayers might be right, and maybe Bilderbergers directed the Illuminati to infiltrate Stellarium coders to start changing the positions of the moon, plants and stars in that program to suit their evil purposes for the new world order aka NWO. So if we don't keep checking the real sky, we might fall victim to their evil Stellarium plot, if there is one.

Those things are fun.

That does sound like fun!

Originally posted by Hellhound604
reply to post by Arbitrageur

 

I prefer starry night or Carties du Ciel above Starry night, but that is just my own personal opinion

And I agree that some of them may be more user-friendly than others, and some have different "bells and whistles". It's more of a personal preference...

...However, the bottom line is that that all show us the same sky. The sky is the sky.

Some people tend to think that having the last word makes them right. I realize this comment is a couple of years too late but you are correct.There is something wrong with the moon, the earth, or the sun or all of the above.I cant put my finger on it but Id like to know the sources of everyones education here because mine must have been misinformed. The moons crescent was always on the left hand side. I found some idiot remarking that the reason historical paintings depict it that way is because the artists were right handed and it was easier to draw. Excellent observation and a belated flag to you! Chard

chardonnay
Some people tend to think that having the last word makes them right. I realize this comment is a couple of years too late but you are correct.There is something wrong with the moon, the earth, or the sun or all of the above.I cant put my finger on it but Id like to know the sources of everyones education here because mine must have been misinformed. The moons crescent was always on the left hand side. I found some idiot remarking that the reason historical paintings depict it that way is because the artists were right handed and it was easier to draw. Excellent observation and a belated flag to you! Chard

But the side the crescent is on depends on whether it is in the first quarter phase (a waxing crescent) or the last quarter phase (a waning crescent).

When viewing a young waxing Moon when it is high in the sky, the crescent will be on the right. When viewing an older waning Moon when it is high in the sky, the crescent will be on the left.





To clarify, these images show what the moon will look like when it is at its highest point along its path during the day and/or night. People who live at or below mid latitudes will see the moon's orientation differently at moon-rise as they would at moon-set.

chardonnay
There is something wrong with the moon, the earth, or the sun or all of the above.I cant put my finger on it but Id like to know the sources of everyones education here because mine must have been misinformed.

You don't need any kind of education to be able to observe how the Moon changes its phases. The crescent doesn't always face the same way.

So who saw that beautiful smiling moon last night????????????????? Was awesome!!

reply to post by Soylent Green Is People


It also depends on the suns orientation to the moon...like last night, I got to see the smiling new moon, bottom crescent. The Suns path varies a bit and sometimes will shine more on the bottom of the moon then to the side of the moon.

LeoVirgo
So who saw that beautiful smiling moon last night????????????????? Was awesome!!

I saw it.

I thought it was really unique and beautiful. First time I've ever seen the moon that way.

Do you know if that is common and I've just missed it my entire life?

reply to post by Riffrafter


The sun follows the elliptic path, but varies on that path, I believe up to 8 degrees difference here and there...and the moon also varies along that path as well. Im trying to figure out how to upload a image to ATS...things have changed since I have been on here. You can go to stary night sky website, type in the date and times, and see that the sun set below the moon...to where the reflection of the sun would of been shining up on the moon, showing us a bottom crescent moon rather then shining to the side of the moon as it usually does. I used to post alot of pics here...something has changed and I cant figure out how to do that now>

It is not common, but not super rare either. In order to notice it you would really need to catch it at the 'new moon' phase, which you did...and its not as often as we think it is to see the 'new moon'...which most often shows a crescent on the side of the moon. Ill at least send a link to stary night sky...its awesome to look up how the sun sets and how the moon is setting as well, from our perspective.

To see the settings better, first click the daylight to 'off'...then click to the western sky...click the time to early evening before the sun just sets so you can still see it in the sky along the horizon...you will then see the sun..and the moon...and notice the moon is pretty much setting right above where the sun sets right now...usually the moon sets more to the side of where the sun sets, letting the reflective light shine on the side of the moon more so then the bottom.

www.starrynighteducation.com...=4&LatD=43&LatM=40&LatRG=N&LonD=79&LonM=24&LonRG=W&HH=09&Min=00&AmPm=2&MM=2&DD=3&YY=2014&DST=&SD=Yes& LocMMA=&LabStar=Yes&Lab=Yes&Cons=Yes&Hor=Yes&SG=&PW=410&PH=358&Az=180&FOV=90&Alt=25&Elev=3&LocN=Earth&Explore=No&

Ok here is what I was talking about, took me a min to remember how loading pics worked here.

If you play with that software, you can go back to many different evenings where the time of 'new moon' was and notice the sun set more to the side of the moon then the bottom of the moon...maybe you can see what Im saying.

But anywho...the sun has short and long cycles and orbits, so does the moon...sometimes we see a bottom crescent new moon for many months in a row...sometimes we will hardly see one at all for a whole year. Its something that one must follow for I would say for at least 8 to 20 years, even if its through software...to see how the sun and moon dance together in the skies.

Riffrafter

LeoVirgo
So who saw that beautiful smiling moon last night????????????????? Was awesome!!

I saw it.

I thought it was really unique and beautiful. First time I've ever seen the moon that way.

Do you know if that is common and I've just missed it my entire life?

edit on 2/2/2014 by Riffrafter because: (no reason given)

It's relatively common. It depends on where you live and where the moon is in relation to the sun.

I saw it smiling at me tonight

It is known as the "wet moon", or "Cheshire moon" after the Cheshire Cat. en.wikipedia.org...

reply to post by wildespace


"This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2014)"

Those who think this is unusual are going to jump on that link like cats on mice. I was actually going to work on adding some references sometime in the next week or two but haven't had the chance to get around to it yet.

she doesn't look to bad tonight , a bit murky , adds a bit of atmosphere in my opinion

taken , or I dunno about an hour ago/ish



funBox

reply to post by funbox

How close is that to setting? It may "appear" more tilted as it approaches the horizon.

reply to post by Soylent Green Is People


the camera is twisted mildly to the right, get her all in shot see, have a few more uploading , ill post when there done

done
twisted a lot to the right here
reply to post by wildespace







funBOx