**saturn**

[MyGSXF]

Took my boys into the observatory last night.. they were having an open night.. so thought, yeah, xlnt.. gotta go check it out!! :Punk:

There were several telescopes of varying sizes set out on the lawn outside, each looking at different objects.

One was looking at the moon, & man was it awesome!!! To see it so close up like that really was amazing.. my little one (4 1/2) was sooo fascinated seeing it, his reaction was just gorgeous! Another was tracking a satelite. Another one a cluster of stars. Another one looked at Saturn, but only looked like a star.

The highlight however, was going into the big dome & looking through the biggest telescope.. at Saturn!!!! It was still very small, but we could see it quite clearly, & the rings around it were very obvious! :banana:

A few facts.. Saturn is the 6th planet from the sun. It has at least 18 moons.. the largest is Titan. The rings are made from frozen water & rocks.

This weekend Saturn is about 1,275,000,000 kms away from Earth. Without breaking the speed limit, 100kms.. a car would take nearly 1500 YEARS to get there!!! :gob:

Even with the speed of light, Saturn is more than an hour away!! So what we saw, is actually what Saturn looked like.. an HOUR AGO!!! :yes:

If ya ever get the chance to check out your local Observatory.. DO IT!!! it's bloody brilliant!!!! & my little one sure is going to have some great news to share at Kindy on Monday!! :2thumbsup

sorry no pics this time.. :mellow: no flashes allowed..

[smokeyging]

Oddly enough i was at a friends place last night too and with the clear sky we did the same thing. i'm not talking small telescopes here, he has his own observatory plus another 2 scopes. i personally have a 5 inch reflector which is peanuts compared to what my cobbers got. and we did look at saturn and its rings, plus the moons. what amazes me about the stars is with the naked eye you can see a few stars, with the binoculars, a few more in behind the ones with the naked eye, then with a telescope…bloody stars everywhere.

[Nitzer]

There's rings around Uranus too..........:innocent:

[Donor]

There's rings around Uranus too..........:innocent:

Watch out, those rings harbour cling-ons...

[Nitzer]

Watch out, those rings harbour cling-ons...

I think we've just about killed this thread with the schoolboy humour.

The night sky is pretty cool though, I was chuffed when I managed to spot a satellite I was tracking via the stardome website.

[MyGSXF]

There's rings around Uranus too..........:innocent:


Watch out, those rings harbour cling-ons...


I think we've just about killed this thread with the schoolboy humour.

ya think... :angry: go to PD if ya wanna dribble shyte Noddy!! :whocares:

This thread was to tell people about something super cool my kids & I got to do.. that was a great learning experience for them!! :done:

[sunhuntin]

kool! id love to go to the observatory here. the night sky is amazing.

any idea WHY saturn has rings? how do the rocks and ice stay where they are? why doesnt earth, or any other planet, have rings?

hopefully something your boys will remember for years to come. literally opens up a world of opportunity. would be neat to get a pack of glow n the dark stars and planets for their rooms... their own solor systems.

[hXc]

why doesnt earth, or any other planet, have rings?Now, I know I'm no astronomer, but...I thought Uranus has rings too.

No pisstake in this post either.

[MyGSXF]

Now, I know I'm no astronomer, but...I thought Uranus has rings too

Saturn, Uranus & Neptune all have the rings around them. :yes:

Uranus shines green in the night sky, the rings are black & it has 15 moons.

Neptune shines blue in the night sky, the rings are not as bright as Saturns, & it has 8 moons, only 2 of which can be seen on Earth.

[BuFfY]

Pyro and I went there on one of our first dates. I love the shows they put on!
I also went to the one in Wellington a few times and with school. Such an amazing thing for kids to learn, and it is even better when you get to go outside and look through the telescope! When pyro and I went there were quite a few planets out :) I think one of them was Venus.

I think the reason for rings is the material is being drawn to the planet through gravity but gets caught in a swirl and collects more matter. It isn't a solid ring (is made of rocks etc) but for us it looks as though it is.

I love the night sky, when it is a clear night I normally ask pyro to take me on the bike up one of the mountains so I can have a good lil look :D

[BuFfY]

Show your kids this website, put out by the Ministry of Education as an online encyclopedia on science concepts, looks quite good :)
http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/Astronomy/en

[Grub]

If you enjoyed that then I can highly recommend anyone similarly inclined to do the visit to Stonehenge Aotearoa http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/stonehenge/

It is near Carterton which is a great ride from Welliy (or anywhere else) because of the great roads and wide open expanses of the Wairarapa.

If you intend to go, it pays to book, especially for the midday show/tour. The whole site is about astonomy, time, seasons and geometry as it affects the way we live and the way our environment is constructed.

Nasty & I were just passing and dropped in luckily found a place in the midday show (which begins with a briefing at 11 or 1130) ... the whole experience was incredible. The midday show is important as it is then that the sun casts it's shadow on the "analemma" which is a stone tiled area due south of the obelisk. The obelisks shadow shows he seasons and the shift of the heavens at this time. I believe the experience is mightily heightened by this.

One of the finest and most interesting things we've done (comparing to Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Aust, Fiji) ... and it is right here in our backyard.

Brett n Kari

[yungatart]

The night sky is really amazing!
I never tire of gazing at the stars.
One of my boys, when little, used to insist on going outside at night to say goodnight to the moon and the stars. Didn't matter how cold it was, it was part of his bedtime routine and it HAD to be done...or we paid the consequences!

[MyGSXF]

Show your kids this website, put out by the Ministry of Education as an online encyclopedia on science concepts, looks quite good :)

That's a cool site Buffy!! cheers!


If you enjoyed that then I can highly recommend anyone similarly inclined to do the visit to Stonehenge Aotearoa

Can't seem to access that webpage you put up Grub :confused: but that Stonehenge place sounds awesome!!!!!! definately on a list of things to do!! :Punk:


One of my boys, when little, used to insist on going outside at night to say goodnight to the moon and the stars.

lols.. that's so cute!!! We have a couple of 'special stars'.. for Great Nana & Grandad, & Uncle! :yes:

[hXc]

One of my boys, when little, used to insist on going outside at night to say goodnight to the moon and the stars. Didn't matter how cold it was, it was part of his bedtime routine and it HAD to be done...or we paid the consequences!Fuck, I'm awesome!

[smokeyging]

The night sky is really amazing!
I never tire of gazing at the stars.
One of my boys, when little, used to insist on going outside at night to say goodnight to the moon and the stars. Didn't matter how cold it was, it was part of his bedtime routine and it HAD to be done...or we paid the consequences!



I agree. The stars are amazing. Last night we saw an out of control satellite, for it was somersaulting. At first I thought it was a plane with its navigation lights but we soon discarded that. We saw shooting stars too, the night sky was alive through the telescope.

[Grub]

Can't seem to access that webpage you put up Grub :confused:

That's coz I can't spell "astronomy" with an r in it ... all fixed now

[Grub]

Fuck, I'm awesome!

{vomit} .. in 10 chars ... hehehe

[MyGSXF]

That's coz I can't spell "astronomy" with an r in it ... all fixed now

:shutup: cheers Grub!!

[MyGSXF]

hopefully something your boys will remember for years to come.. would be neat to get a pack of glow n the dark stars and planets for their rooms... their own solor systems.

I had some in my older boys room in ChCh years ago.. but in all the shitfing house, I can't seem to locate them anymore.. :pinch: I saw in another persons house, they had a huge setup, & the they even had the planets & significant stars etc, in the correct places.. was totally amazing to see!!!!! :2thumbsup


I was at a friends place last night too and with the clear sky we did the same thing. i'm not talking small telescopes here, he has his own observatory plus another 2 scopes. i personally have a 5 inch reflector which is peanuts compared to what my cobbers got. The stars are amazing. Last night we saw an out of control satellite, for it was somersaulting.

Awesome!!! :Punk: What's it worth to get something about the size of your scope sg??
would be grat to be able to have something like that at home that you can get out whenever the night looks good!! :yes:

[T.W.R]

It's pretty amazing what's out there to be seen :yes:

The Hubble site is impressive

www.HUBBLESITE.org

[doc]

There's rings around Uranus too..........:innocent:You've been looking again haven't you ?

[MyGSXF]

The Hubble site is impressive
www.HUBBLESITE.org

That Hubble site is great babe.. :Punk: will get Jess onto it.. instead of the bloody stupid games he is into @ the mo.. :slap:

[Macktheknife]

Here is a few that I have kept of cool photo's of space.

[T.W.R]

That Hubble site is great babe.. :Punk: will get Jess onto it.. instead of the bloody stupid games he is into @ the mo.. :slap:

:whistle: . lols just got to complete that collection for Jess then he'l move onto other things :niceone:

[Macktheknife]

A couple more

[MyGSXF]

:whistle: . lols just got to complete that collection for Jess then he'l move onto other things :niceone:

:shit: nonono... Lego is ALL good!!! :Punk: stupid puter games he's found!!!! :argh:


Here is a few that I have kept of cool photo's of space.

Mtk.. those pics are WICKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! :gob:

[smokeyging]

Awesome!!! :Punk: What's it worth to get something about the size of your scope sg??
would be grat to be able to have something like that at home that you can get out whenever the night looks good!! :yes:


You'd be wiser to join an observatory club, most of those guys build scopes for very little. and everybodys idea of a good scope is different.

[MyGSXF]

You'd be wiser to join an observatory club, most of those guys build scopes for very little. and everybodys idea of a good scope is different.

True. I picked up a couple of newsletters at the Observatory last night, with details on about their club etc. They have those open nights once a month. :yes: The problem with those however, is there are a lot of people wanting to look, & only a few scopes.. & of course only 1 'big one'. So our turns were all very short.. I could have just sat & looked at the moon & Saturn close ups for ages!!! :love: Could be something for us to look into though, when the little one gets a bit bigger anyway.. it was a very late night for him :eek5: & we have all suffered today.. :shutup:

cheers sg!

[eliot-ness]

[QUOTE=Awesome!!! :Punk: What's it worth to get something about the size of your scope sg??
would be grat to be able to have something like that at home that you can get out whenever the night looks good!! :yes:[/QUOTE]


I got a 6" reflector scope, 10mm and 25mm lenses, up to 125x magnification with auto tracking for $500 new, Excellent for moon study and I got some great pics using a 5mp camera. I haven't had much success with the planets yet but I'm working on it, I also have a 40x magnification terrestrial scope which on a clear night will show Saturns rings and Jupiters moons clearly That cost about $300 including a good tripod. I bought both from a camera shop in Browns Bay. You should be able to get one much cheaper on trademe.

[MyGSXF]

I also have a 40x magnification terrestrial scope which on a clear night will show Saturns rings and Jupiters moons clearly That cost about $300 including a good tripod. You should be able to get one much cheaper on trademe.

Awesome en.. :shit: that sounds cheap to me for a new scope!!! I though they would be a lot dearer than that!! so one on TM should be cheaper for sure!! might have to have a looksee.. :yes:

cheers