#telescopes — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #telescopes, aggregated by home.social.
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💁🏻♀️ TIL: 🗂️🔗 Starting in 1895, Belgian lawyers Paul Otlet and Henri La Fontaine built the #Mundaneum, a vast paper #archive of over 15 million index cards meant to gather and classify all human #knowledge.
Otlet also imagined “electric #telescopes,” networked screens users could query by phone, an early blueprint for the #internet. The project was dismantled after the 1940 Nazi invasion, but survives today as a #museum in #Mons and an online catalog.
👉 https://www.openculture.com/2026/08/discover-the-mundaneum-an-early-20th-century-internet.html
#history #belgium #library #invention #concept #classification #tech #technology #education #discovery
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"[S]tanding inside a New York defense contractor’s clean room in 2012, Dressler faced an assembly line of Hubble clones. They weren’t astronomy telescopes. They were spy satellites of equal capability. And one of them was being given to NASA for free.
So begins the saga of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which now sits in Florida, ready to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket within weeks."
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Ancient clash with 'Kraken' galaxy 12 billion years ago helped form Milky Way
By Ellen PhiddianA new study suggests one of the most significant clashes in the history of the Milky Way, dubbed the "Low-energy-Kraken-Heracles" merger, happened 12 billion years ago.
#Galaxies #ScienceandTechnology #Science #Stars #Telescopes #Space #Universe #EllenPhiddian
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Bizarre new astronomical object dubbed a 'black hole star'
By Ellen PhiddianThe discovery of a new type of astrophysical object could take us closer to solving one of astronomy's biggest puzzles from the early universe.
#Blackholes #Space #ScienceandTechnology #Science #Telescopes #SpaceExploration #EllenPhiddian
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Nine Hundred Telescopes and One Chance a Year
https://atlas.whatip.xyz/post.php?slug=nine-hundred-telescopes-and-one-chance-a-year
<p>Reading the atmosphere of another world means catching starlight as it filters through that
#telescopes #atmosphere #hundred #reading -
Jupiter - March 7, 2026. Seeing was pretty bad unfortunately.
Celestron NexStar Evolution 6 + ZWO ASI585MC Pro.
3000mm, f20, derotation from 32 x 2-minute captures, best 500 frames each.
#telescope #telescopes #celestron #celestrontelescope #celestronnexstar #nexstarevolution #zwo #zwoasi #zwoasi585mc #astro #astrophoto #astrophotos #astrophotography #astrophotographer #spacephotography #astronomy #spaceexploration #nasa #universe #space #deepsky #deepspace #solarsystem #planet #planets #jupiter -
"The new Lego Icons Hubble Space Telescope (set no. 11382) was released on August 1 for $140 at the toy company’s stores and its online shop. The 1,252-piece kit builds a 15-inch-long (38-cm) desktop model that is about twice as large as the previously released Lego Hubble models."
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/08/lego-deploys-hubble-space-telescope-as-detailed-desktop-model/
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First Light: A new telescope means a new beginning
First light image of Messier 57: The Ring Nebula. For the occasion, only 60 light frames and 30 dark frames, 15 seconds each frame, were captured and stacked. Affinity Photo 2 was used to create the stack and Pixelmator Pro for editing. M57 is a planetary nebula in constellation Lyra and was formed during the death throes of a Sun-like star.We had been considering what our next step might be in outfitting the observatory with a more-or-less permanently mounted telescope. Would a very long focal length Cassegrain suit our needs? Both the C11 SCT and the Vixen Modified Cassegrain were available, already on hand but both had issues. After struggling with collimation on both telescopes, we were leaning toward a high-quality refractor as the solution. Long focal length on a refractor, though, means a long tube and we have limited space. The incident that damaged the Vixen pretty much forced our hand. Frustrated with collimation issues, and telescope repairs we doubt we could perform, we made the decision to go with a new refractor.
What ultimately steered us toward Askar and helped ease some (not all) doubt concerning focal lengths was the wonderfully high quality image of the “daytime Moon” we had captured with the smaller Askar 103APO — images with that level of quality can be cropped to make up for some lack of focal length. Watching YouTube reviews of some Askar’s bigger telescopes offered further assurance we were headed in the right direction.
The new Askar 151PHQ telescope installed on the observatory’s pier. At the eyepiece end is a ZWO ASIAir Plus computer and ZWO Automatic Electronic Focuser. We anticipate moving the computer to a different location on the telescope as cable management becomes a priority.Inside doubled shipping boxes, the telescope was delivered in a solid transport case, packed in form-fit dense foam padding. The case is very high quality, very heavy, and bears multiple hand grips; it will now be set aside, stored some place against the day the telescope is taken out of service for some reason. If the case was an optional item, in our case we aren’t sure we would want it.
The Askar 151PHQ is doubtless the highest-quality telescope we have ever owned or used. It is a quadruplet astrograph, featuring a 151mm (six inch) aperture and a 1057mm focal length for an f/7 focal ratio, and designed to produce flat field images without add-on optics.
Taking advantage of a rare, relatively clear night, we went for first light using the big instrument with minimal configuration: no finder scope, no automatic tracking, no camera cooling, etc. While we had installed the ZWO AEF purchased years ago, and the ASI AirPlus, we used them only for manual electric focusing which, by the way, was a big improvement in itself! The optional hand controller was a wonderful thing to have, allowing us to watch through the eyepiece or on the computer screen and make smooth, minute adjustments to focus without telescope vibration. Yes, wonderful!
Under Bortle 6/7 skies pinpoint stars shown brightly through the eyepiece as we focused on Arcturus, then searched for M57. Our hazy skies, made worse by light pollution (maybe a Bortle 8 night), didn’t make things easy but with a little patience, a tiny, ghostly ring appeared in the field of view. We swapped out the eyepiece for the one-shot color camera, refocused, and began the imaging run. While we have much to learn about processing deep sky objects, we were happy to see the quality of the resulting stacked image: round stars and lots of them (many more stars than we’re used to seeing there), good detail in the ring, and decent color — all in 60 light, and 30 dark 15-second frames. The Moon eluded us that night, still down in the trees at midnight, but we tried solar first light the next morning.
First images of our Sun via the Askar 151PHQ were recorded under poor seeing conditions but, with some work, produced some pretty impressive results. A TeleVue Powermate 2.5X Barlow was employed here. We hope to refine our setup for the new telescope for better edge-to-edge focus. The telescope was equipped with a Baader white light solar film filter and monochrome camera; false color applied during processing.Placing a Baader Solar film filter over the Askar’s objective and aiming the scope at Sun, we quickly saw beautiful detail in the sunspots that marked the surface on July 31. Imaging was routine and easy, though seeing was poor. The telescope’s 1,057mm focal length did not allow a full disk image of our star on the ASI astronomical camera’s sensor but installing a Barlow lens we achieved some dramatic detail views. We can hardly wait to try again under better skies!
Long focal length produces a Solar image too large to entirely fit on the astronomy camera’s sensor. With quality like this, however, we won’t complain. This is Sun on July 31, 2026, imaged via white light solar filter and monochrome camera, false color applied during processing.Nearly too large! When observing low elevation targets, the telescope fits snugly within the observatory walls. Fortunately, the tall pier and large mount elevate the assembly enough that normal observing is at a comfortable height and (M57 was at the zenith during First Light!) high elevation targets do not cause us to lay on the floor or scrape the camera there! We suspect this scope on a tripod might present some problems for high elevation object observing.
Thus far the only negative, something unanticipated, is that because of the Petzval design, an optical element is located deep within the OTA making use of our beloved Herschel Wedge a risk to the telescope; that optical element is at a point in the light path where focused and unfiltered sunlight could overheat and damage the lens! We’re working around it and will assign the Herschel to the Askar 103 when desired. As we anticipated, we’d love to have much more focal length but without collimation to worry about and high quality images to work with, we’ll hope to get by … maybe with the help of a really good Barlow lens?
#2026 #askar #Askar151 #astronomy #astrophotography #FirstLight #observatory #science #solar #space #telescopes -
Gizmodo: SETI Scientists Think Alien Signals Could Be Hiding in Old Telescope Data. “The beauty of Mason and her colleagues’ approach is that it offers a new way to reexamine reams of old data that might already have messages from an alien civilization just waiting for us to hear. From ALMA’s archival data, the team surveyed so-called Band 3 information, with a focus on two high-frequency, […]
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/29/gizmodo-seti-scientists-think-alien-signals-could-be-hiding-in-old-telescope-data/ -
The Astronomy Revolution by Donald G. York et al, 2012
Some 400 years after the first known patent application for a telescope by Hans Lipperhey, The Astronomy Revolution: 400 Years of Exploring the Cosmos surveys the effects of this instrument and explores the questions that have arisen out of scientific research in astronomy and cosmology.
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https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jul/27/jodrell-bank-observatory-facing-closure-uk. "Jodrell Bank Observatory, the hub of a world-leading network of #radio #telescopes, is facing closure after #Government #funding for the #facility was slashed. The deep #space #observatory includes the Grade I-listed Lovell #telescope & is prized by #astronomers who study #galaxies, #blackholes, #star formation, #planets beyond the solar system & the afterglow of the #BigBang."
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💁🏻♀️ TIL: 🚀💥 #China’s planetary defense mission would crash a #spacecraft into an asteroid at 32,000 km/h before 2030.
The campaign combines impact and post collision analysis, unlike #NASA’s #DART and #ESA’s #Hera which split those tasks. #CNSA chief scientist Li Mingtao is also studying #telescopes to detect #asteroids hidden by the #Sun’s glare.
👉 https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/china-asteroid-deflection-mission-2030/
#planets #space #science #astronomy #technology #tech #earth #safety
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What happens when your observatory is visited by 60 little 12 year olds? Well, among other things they can build you a Mars Rover branded with telescope stickers, so cute! Everyone buy Astro Fair tickets this year so we can run more of these events!
https://www.yorku.ca/science/observatory/astrofair2026/#astronomy #science #Astrodon #outreach #education #telescopes #mars
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The Milky Way Over the Maunakea Observatories
Credit: Dr. Vera Maria Passegger/NAOJ
https://subarutelescope.org/en/gallery/facility/2026/07/08/3738.html
#Maunakea #MilkyWay #photography #astrophotography #Hawaii #astrodon #SubaruTelescope #telescopes
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Keep the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes alive — the science is worth the price tag
https://atlas.whatip.xyz/post.php?slug=keep-the-hubble-and-james-webb-space-telescopes-alive-the-science-is-worth-the-price-tag
<p>These collaborations are delivering scientific discoveries beyond most astronomers’ dreams.</p>
#telescopes #science #hubble #james -
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University of Washington: Rubin Observatory begins landmark 10-year timelapse of night sky. “From a mountaintop in Chile, under clear dark skies, the Simonyi Survey Telescope at the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory has officially begun the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). The 10-year survey will create the most comprehensive, cinematic record of the universe in history. Over the next […]
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/04/university-of-washington-rubin-observatory-begins-landmark-10-year-timelapse-of-night-sky/ -
Nice.
"“What Did Hubble See on Your Birthday?” originally launched in 2020. This new expanded edition features five views per day – giving an even greater glimpse into the universe, as seen on your birthday, anniversary, graduation, or other memorable occasion."
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/multimedia/what-did-hubble-see-on-your-birthday/
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Telescopes – Static charge
#iyezine #inyoureyesezine #iyezine.com #albumreview #telescopes #tapeterecords #noise #neopsichedelia #spacerock #drone rock
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After recent struggles in an effort to get sharp images from the old C11 telescope, it was a pleasure to observe Earth's Moon through the Askar 103 APO refractor! Clouds drifted through at various densities but -- oh, my! -- what a fine view! What the little Askar lacks in focal length, it possesses in sharpness. So we excitedly present this image of our Gibbous Moon!
97% illumination, as imaged on June 27, 2026, at 11:51 PM EDT local time!
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PetaPixel: Artist Attaches Game Boy Camera to Space Telescope and Takes Photo of Jupiter. “A Game Boy enthusiast recently took his classic 1998 console to Mount Wilson Observatory in Los Angeles and attached it to an enormous 60-inch telescope. The 128-pixel camera has just four shades of gray to make images from. The 60-inch telescope on Mount Wilson, in its current Cassegrain configuration, […]
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/06/28/petapixel-artist-attaches-game-boy-camera-to-space-telescope-and-takes-photo-of-jupiter/ -
Eyes on the Sky: A Spectrum of #Telescopes by Francis Graham-Smith, 2016
Four centuries ago, Galileo first turned a telescope to look up at the night sky. His discoveries opened the cosmos, revealing the geometry and dynamics of the solar system. Today's telescopic equipment, stretching over the whole spectrum from visible light to radio and millimetre astronomy, through infrared to ultraviolet, X-rays and gamma rays, has again transformed our understanding of the whole Universe.
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Southern Moon and telescope trial
The heavily-cratered south-eastern area of Earth’s Moon is seen here, imaged just before midnight, June 23, 2026. Stella-Luna Observatory / James GuilfordThis is the southern end of Earth’s waxing gibbous phase Moon, as imaged late Tuesday night. The heavily-cratered area along the terminator includes Crater Tycho — with a central peak lit by the rising Sun — and the dark circular expanse of Clavius, with the top of its western crater wall extending into the deep shadows of the terminator. We used the old Celestron C11 for this session as we continue to evaluate its performance and condition. We continue to be concerned about whether the telescope’s focus issue is simple collimation or some more serious combination of problems.
Not in the southern area of our Moon but certainly visible, even without a telescope, is Mare Crisium, shown at the center of this image made light night June 24, 2026. Stella-Luna Observatory / James Guilford. #2026 #astronomy #astrophotography #c11 #moon #moonjoy #telescopes -
Afternoon sunshine enjoyed side-by-side
The morning was filled and, though it is best to observe Sun before the heat of the day sets in, the skies were still clear this afternoon so we opened the dome. Happily, there were points of interest, particularly the two plumes of prominences on the northwest rim!
Just emerging over the eastern limb (left edge, above) is a large sunspot which should prove interesting to observe, the next time we enjoy clear skies here!
This was also our first use of a new bracket that allows side-by-side mounting and simultaneous use of two telescopes on the pier. The apparatus, made by ADM Accessories, and purchased from High Point Scientific, is sturdily-built and not excessive in weight. Presently we have the Askar 103APO and the Sky-Watcher 76Ha scopes up but will likely experiment with other configurations.
Two telescopes are installed side-by-side on the observatory mount and pier employing an ADM Accessories mounting system purchase from High Point Scientific. The arrangement allows use of two telescopes simultaneously or separately without the need for rebalancing or alignment when switching between them. #2026 #astronomy #astrophotography #observatory #solar #sun #sunspots #telescopes -
#astronomy #telescopes
Workation is working…
We are getting close to release v.0.2-alpha of the POLIS open standard. -
Metasurface-enabled astronomical #polarimetry: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aee8035 -> A Small Optical Component Could Change How #Telescopes View the #Sun: https://today.ucsd.edu/photo-essays/a-small-metasurface-could-change-how-telescopes-view-the-sun
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McDonald Observatory: HETDEX Opens Massive Cosmic Dataset to Scientists, Novices, and AI. “Today, the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX) – which recently completed the largest survey ever taken of the early universe – has released all of its immense, information-rich database to the public.”
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/06/04/mcdonald-observatory-hetdex-opens-massive-cosmic-dataset-to-scientists-novices-and-ai/ -
Weather in #Toronto is really outdoing everywhere* this year
Winter worse than Munich, Germany
Spring Allergy season worse than Sandy, Oregon
Summer heat index on track to be worse than Sydney, Australia
I wouldn't be suprised if October brought a rainy season to beat Amsterdam...it's a good thing there's #telescopes here or it would be intolerable 😂
*else I've lived