This is the visible section from our vantage point of the Milky Way galaxy. Our galaxy. Imagine what early civilizations who had no light pollution at all could see and what they may have thought about these sights. Many of the concepts we have today such as astrology and navigation came from early man studying the stars. Magellan - Columbus - navigated the globe on wooden sailing ships using the stars as a compass. It seems people were a lot brighter back in the day.
As always, click the picture to go to the APOD site and read a description by a smart person. In this case, clicking on the picture there won't get you a much larger version.
The Milky Way over Ayers Rock, the Big Red Rock, in Australia.
I need a bigger monitor.
ReplyDeleteED, the Dell 27 inch is pretty good. The 4K model has some driver issues so I'd avoid that one for now.
DeleteAgain, another photo of the paint spill on my garage floor.
ReplyDeleteFredd, You're now Messier. But I love ya anyway.
DeleteWe can't see the majesty of the night sky where we live, but whenever we're up in Cape Cod at my in-laws house, we are in awe at what we can see with the naked eye. We saw the space station zip by one night. My bucket list includes checking out the night sky with a huge telescope just one time.
ReplyDeleteCube, I have also sen the space station transit the night sky. Very bright, moving fast, and now stobes are a dead giveaway.
DeleteImagine what the early humans or even the ocean travellers saw at nihgt with no light pollution whatsoever.
Well, we have an 8 inch Schmidt Cassegrain telescope and it does a pretty good job. The oculars are very important. The German stuff is good - like the Plossl.
Cube, If you are somewhere that you can see the Milky Way, one time won't be enough and no size telescope will be big enough. just fair warning ! :)
DeleteI hear ya and I already know. I admit it... I'm a space addict.
DeleteComposer Gustave Holst captured the spirit of spine-tingling awe, wonder, chills, breathlessness and the vast unfathomable mystery that accompanies star gazing, and contemplation of infinity in his orchestral suite The Planets.
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to one of the many recorded performances available online. The illustrations that go with it may be photos taken by the Hubble, I'm not sure:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Isic2Z2e2xs
Give it a try. It was written in the early twentieth century, and may sound on first hearing like "movie music" but it's much more than that. Free your imagination and let it run wild, and the piece will five you the illusion of riding bareback on an asteroid as it travels through outer space.
FANTASTIC stuff!
Interesting facts about the Milky Way, our Galaxy; Wonder if you've ever read anything about the Earth's Percession as it spins like a top through space. Seems like it takes 25,000 years for out tiny ball to complete the cycle. Today if we were standing at the North pole and looked at our zenith the North Star would be directly over head, but some 12,500 years from now the North Star would be some 23 1/2 degrees off the zenith. Often wondered if this has something to do with climate change. In the northern hemisphere we now experience our summer months when the earth is farther from the sun, but some 12,500 years from now we will experience summer when the earth is closest to the sun. On a personal note, my dad taught me in the 5th grade and told me that the earth was closer to the sun in the winter months---remember telling all my friends just how stupid I thought the old man was. I was quite surprised some 7 years later to find out just how much the old man had learned in those few short year. By the way added you to my blog roll over at TOTUS
ReplyDeleteas it spin like
Ron, Funny. And I didn't know about the Percession. Well, I'm glad I can align my telescope on the Polaris star and be able to switch on the telescope's 'clock' to allow it to track objects through the sky as the time rolls on. An older 8" Celestron.
DeleteBlog Roll. Thank you sir and humbled. Love your stuff and visit regularly.