Amateur Astronomy In Phuket

[captainraff]

I am interested in participating in an amateur astronomy club to promote education and fellowship. I have been involved in astronomy education for a number of years and would be glad to share the wonders of our universe. I live in Nai Harn. If there are any Phuket residents that own a telescope or even binoculars, let's get together for a star party. Perhaps on the soccer field by the windmills near Promthiep cape?

[KarenBravo]

Isn't there too much ambient light to see the stars properly?

[captainraff]

Isn't there too much ambient light to see the stars properly?

We stars as points of light. It is the Planets, moons, and nebula that will take your breath away. As for stars, learning the constellations and finding the different colors of stars can be done in Phuket, even with the light pollution.

[KarenBravo]

What would be the minimum magnification factor for a set of binoculars to make sky-watching worthwhile?

[thaiIand]

i live in a semi remote area and all i can see is satelites.. Your kind of doomed on phuket if you enjoy the night sky. One more reason why i cant wait to be back home and being able to see the nightsky even 5mins from the capital.

[Guest]

I have an 20-60X bird telescope. Have seen the craters on the moon and moons of Jupiter.

One of these days I wish to see how Mars looks like.. and the rings of Saturn.

This is what we are supposed to have up there right now.

http://www.ursa.fi/extra/taivaalla/tahtikartta/tahtikartta.php4?PAIVA=15&KUUKAUSI=11&VUOSI=2011&TUNNIT=13&MINUUTIT=37&SEKUNNIT=47&TAHTIAIKA=&JD=&MANUAALINEN_AIKAVYOHYKE=true&AIKAVYOHYKE=7&KESAAIKA=&VAKIOPAIKKAKUNTA=oma&PAIKKAKUNTA=Phuket&LEVEYSASTE=14&PALLONPUOLISKO=N&PITUUSASTE=97&ITAAN_VAI_LANTEEN=E&SINISYYS=false&VALKOINEN_TAUSTA=&TAHTIEN_NIMET=automaattinen&TAHTIEN_NIMIMAGNITUDI=1.5&TAHDISTORAJAT=&AUTOMAATTINEN_RAJAMAGNITUDI=false&RAJAMAGNITUDI=4%2C5&LAMPOTILA=30&ILMANPAINE=1013&PROJEKTIO=stereografinen&KAANNETYT_ILMANSUUNNAT=&EKVATORIAALINEN_KOORDINAATISTO=false&EKLIPTIKAALINEN_KOORDINAATISTO=false&HORISONTAALINEN_KOORDINAATISTO=false&KIELI=englanti&MAA=Suomi&TAHTIKUVIOT=automaattinen&TAHDISTONIMET=automaattinen&TAHDISTONIMIEN_KIELI=englanti

[thaiIand]

yet all i see is one very strong blinking light

[zungmay]

I would be interested in bringing a bunch of kids to see the night sky, even if with binoculars.

also live near Promtep Cape

Name a time and date and lets us know.

Thanks

[Johnbikke]

I am interested in such a astronomy club

I am very fascinated by the night sky

on our android phone i can run google sky, quite interesting

pl contact me

[mniwailit]

Hello... I am also interested in attending such a gathering, though I know little to nothing about astronomy however I find nothing more fascinating that what's out there in the universe. I think I heard about meeting at Naiharn football pitch (on the hill) on the radio, are these meetings going on?

Also I have wondered if there is anywhere in Phuket where you can buy a telescope, and if so what is a good telescope to buy and roughly how much would I expect to pay?

Look forward to your reply.

[sid1967]

I am interested in all information about the night-sky viewed from phuket

[Guest]

There are plenty of remote locations on the island where we have little light pollution and the night sky looks great!

 

If you are interested of taking photos of the night sky, there is a thread in Thaivisa for "Challange moon shot"  http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/535027-challenge-moon-shot/

 

The full moon is very bright and therefore it's very challenging to take a photo which shows both the moon's craters and also the surroundings. Great fun when trying though. :)

 

It would be great to know if anyone on the island have an telescope which can follow the sky's objects (disable the earth's spinning effect).

[Guest]

What would be the minimum magnification factor for a set of binoculars to make sky-watching worthwhile?

Quite difficult to say.. it depends :)

 

With 50x magnification it's possible to see the moon in 3D (craters, hills, valleys). I found it pretty amazing when I saw it for the first time. That magnification also allows to see few moons of the Jupiter but those are naturally just lighted spots on next to the Jupiter. 

[Guest]

There might be great opportunities to watch the sky later on this year. 

 

Two comets are closing to the sun, which might or might not give very bright 'tails' for us to see. 

 

http://earthsky.org/space/comet-panstarrs-possibly-visible-to-eye-in-march-2013

http://www.alamogordonews.com/ci_21649181/two-possible-great-comets-coming-2013

http://www.space.com/19408-bright-comets-approaching-2013.html

 

I still remember watching the Halley's comet with friends father's bird telescope,when it came close to the sun last time. Outside temperature was something like -20C so no breathing to the lenses. That should not be an issue here. 

Edited March 1, 2013 by Guest

[slickferrari]

Looking for a person with an education in astronomy in Phuket who can help explain the wonders of the Universe. Should be Phuket based.

[phuketsub]

Looking for a person with an education in astronomy in Phuket who can help explain the wonders of the Universe. Should be Phuket based.

It's nice to see someone in Phuket seeking to get their mind blown, as opposed to other parts of the anatomy. There is an almost endless universe of info on the web [pardon the pun] on this topic and it ain't just our universe, but the possible existence of a 'multiverse' ... There are many science communicators; among my favorites is Marin Rees.

 

A sample is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52dWhVVIRXM

[Guest]

I was able to install "enhanced" firmware addition  (Canon CHDK) to my camera today, which allows to take longer exposures with the camera.

 

Therefore, during the weekend I'd like to try to take an photo of the Milky Way. How should I locate it? Is Milky way on the same level or plane as planets compared to the sun?  

[Valentine]

I was able to install "enhanced" firmware addition  (Canon CHDK) to my camera today, which allows to take longer exposures with the camera.

 

Therefore, during the weekend I'd like to try to take an photo of the Milky Way. How should I locate it? Is Milky way on the same level or plane as planets compared to the sun?  

Does it really matter considering we are part of the Milky Way. A long time ago working out in the middle of Australia the night skies were absolutely brilliant. BTW have you ever considered there are some specks of light out there which are older than the universe. I have long thought about what one could see if sitting on the edge of the universe & looking outwards. Would it just be pure blackness or would there be a myriad of lights each one representing another universe. Methinks the latter.

[KarenBravo]

 

I was able to install "enhanced" firmware addition  (Canon CHDK) to my camera today, which allows to take longer exposures with the camera.

 

Therefore, during the weekend I'd like to try to take an photo of the Milky Way. How should I locate it? Is Milky way on the same level or plane as planets compared to the sun?  

Does it really matter considering we are part of the Milky Way. A long time ago working out in the middle of Australia the night skies were absolutely brilliant. BTW have you ever considered there are some specks of light out there which are older than the universe. I have long thought about what one could see if sitting on the edge of the universe & looking outwards. Would it just be pure blackness or would there be a myriad of lights each one representing another universe. Methinks the latter.

 

There is a theory about a multiverse. That each universe is like a single bubble in a glass of champagne. These other universes are receding from all other universes at the speed of light and that interaction between them is impossible.

Therefore, if you were at the edge of the universe looking out, you would see darkness. Outside each universe, time and space do not exist. That's the theory, anyway.

[Guest]

Our galaxy is spiral shaped and we are located neither in the middle nor on the edge of the galaxy. When we are looking towards to the center of the galaxy (or to the sides on the same plane), there is much more stars to be seen. This can be seen with naked eye in very clear nights with no city lights around. That's what I wish to capture :) In Phuket we have a lots of humidity which restricts the view a bit. Australian desert would be great place to look at the sky. Lucky you V. 

 

We are somewhere in here. 

 

Every star on the sky which is visible with naked eye is part of our own galaxy with one exception. Our neighbour galaxy, Andromeda or M31 can be seen from here. Therefore the ultimate distance how far a human eye can see is about 2.5 million light years.  

[Guest]

If you would be sitting on the edge of our universe, you would be 13.7 billion years old photon, created by the big bang, traveling with the speed of light towards emptiness, basically creating universe, or time and space horizon, at the same time. 
 

It's also good to remember that when we see things, our eyes simply works as an sensor to collect the light which has been emitted by another source. If you are moving with the speed of light, there is no light which can reach to you. Therefore looking back to the center of the universe, it would also appear to be black and empty. 

 

As KB mentioned, there might be multiverses, which can not interact with each other. I like to play with an idea that there might be universes inside universes. Our universe might be an elementary particle on a bigger universe and our own particles are universe of the next level when peeling the onion. But that's more philosophy than physics :)

 

I think that there is only 3 dimensions.  Time is simply information latency, which is not related to the speed of light. Speed of light is only selected to this role as it's the fastest know speed,  which our sensors can detect. In the future there will be faster ways to transfer information. To discover it requires another Marie Curie and heaps of luck. 

[KarenBravo]

Slightly wrong.

If you were sitting on a photon, it would seem like the universe had just been created. To a photon (due to Relativity) no time passes. It is only as a static observer that light seems to be 13.7 billion years old (actually, 13.75 billion, but, that's splitting hairs).

Therefore, time has a direct relationship to the speed of light (for the observer).

[Guest]

Well yes. 13.7 billion years for the static observer. Then again, what is static? Is that the person on the earth watching Valentine traveling at the speed of light or could he be sitting still while the rest of the universe is moving away from him?

 

Time dilation comes in effect when an mass is accelerating in gravity field.  Could we think that gravity is the force which actually causes "time" itself? Modern times Aether.   

 

Then again, does timeshift apply for photons (even if, as thought experiment, those would have mass) as photons travel with constant speed and there is no acceleration?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_paradox

[KarenBravo]

Time is inseparable from space i.e. the space-time continuum.

Time dilation is a function of speed and position of the observer and has nothing to do with gravity.

 

Frankly, I think that there is far too much light pollution on Phuket to be able to use a telescope to observe the heavens.

[Valentine]

Time is inseparable from space i.e. the space-time continuum.

Time dilation is a function of speed and position of the observer and has nothing to do with gravity.

 

Frankly, I think that there is far too much light pollution on Phuket to be able to use a telescope to observe the heavens.

If all the universes & the galaxies within were receding away from each other at whatever speed it would seem the calculation for the beginning of the universe may not be very accurate as the rate of acceleration could be quite variable from then until now.

 

Any ideas on where the matter came from which created the big bang. Recently Stephen Hawking proposed the universe could have been created from nothing. It was on a show called " Curiosity. Did God create the universe". Getting into the realms of the extremely mind boggling here but is something which has always fascinated me.

[KarenBravo]

If all matter is receding from all other matter, the only way this can happen is if all matter started off at the same place, i.e. the singularity that exploded and created the universe.

About a year ago, scientists detected the aftermath radiation that was actually older than the universe, actually, they found three occurrences of this.

 

The latest theory I have heard is:-

 

Eventually, all stars in the universe will die. The final stage of star death is a black hole. Once the universe consists of black holes only, they start to feed on each other, compressing matter. At the end, another singularity is created which then explodes and creates a new universe.

[Valentine]

If all matter is receding from all other matter, the only way this can happen is if all matter started off at the same place, i.e. the singularity that exploded and created the universe.

About a year ago, scientists detected the aftermath radiation that was actually older than the universe, actually, they found three occurrences of this.

 

The latest theory I have heard is:-

 

Eventually, all stars in the universe will die. The final stage of star death is a black hole. Once the universe consists of black holes only, they start to feed on each other, compressing matter. At the end, another singularity is created which then explodes and creates a new universe.

I used to think it was a never ending cycle of expansion & contraction so yes if only black holes are left then that would explain it although one could suppose they could also feed on the other universes. We are still left with where did the original material come from & how many reincarnations of our universes have there been. Radiation older than our universe is very interesting supports the notion of other universes or, I suppose, remnants of a previous universe.

 

When I originally studied philosophy the professor got us thinking about the idea that we do not actually exist, solipsism is the term.

[Guest]

The comet Iso might use it's ice and dirt before coming visible to the naked eye. 

 

There was a talk that Phuket does not offer dark enough places to see the stars. Currently the sky is far from optimal, but there was some parts which did not have visible clouds. Few shots taken today at Ao Por about 8pm. 

 

(And I really wanted to play around with new CHDK :) 

 

F3.4, ISO 800, 64 seconds. (Bridge camera) 

 

 

 

Got also photobombed by an airplane

[Guest]

Perseids are coming. There have already been photos around the world of some odd meteorites and fireballs. 

 

Peak is August 11th to 13th. 

 

http://astronomy.com/perseids2013

 

[Valentine]

Perseids are coming. There have already been photos around the world of some odd meteorites and fireballs. 

 

Peak is August 11th to 13th. 

 

http://astronomy.com/perseids2013

 

 

Hope we can get a clear night. Not sure how long this rain is here for.