|
Chatroom |
|
| If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|||||||
| Register | FAQ | Members List | Calendar | Mark Forums Read |
 |
|
|
LinkBack | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | Display Modes |
15-January-2006, 04:43 AM
|
||||
|
||||
Stardust sighted!
Let us be the first to welcome Stardust home! After trying various techniques for several hours, members of my Observational Techniques course got at least one image of Stardust at a range of about 160,000 km, shortly before 0400 UT. A rough photometric calibration gives a visual magnitude of 18.0, whch explains why our ordinary images didn't show it without tracking the telescope to follow it, as well as waiting for it to get as close as our horizon would allow. We followed it to about 15 degrees off the horizon, where a combination of limb darkening from some very tall trees amd the construction lights of Bryant-Denny stadium suggested it was time to go to bed.
We used the University of Alabama's 0.4-meter telescope. A picture (look in the red circle...) may be found here. You're on the home stretch - now just be sure to pull into the garage nice and slooooowwwwwww. 
|
|
15-January-2006, 04:49 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
VERY cool. I'll be out looking tonight as well, if it isn't raining... and it's brighter than 18th mag. :-) I added this to my blog, by the way.
__________________
Phil Plait The Bad Astronomer http://www.badastronomy.com badastro@badastronomy.com
|
|
15-January-2006, 06:28 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
|
|
15-January-2006, 02:06 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
| Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
| Display Modes | |
|
|
Linear Mode
