ICEINSPACE
Moon Phase
CURRENT MOON
Waxing Gibbous 94.5%
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25-05-2010, 08:07 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Waitakere Ranges, New Zealand
Posts: 2,260
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Proxima Centauri
Hi All, I haven't been imaging in a while but this month I managed to shoot Proxima Centauri, a target I've always wanted to capture but never got around to.
Image is here: http://www.pbase.com/image/124887272
The image is a composite with luminance taken without IR block filter on 13/05/2010 and RGB data taken on 19/05/2010 with IR block filter to ensure correct colours of the stars.
Taken with 10" Newtonian and ToUCam Pro SC1, no guiding.
Proxima has a relatively large proper motion and I found it to be quite a bit off from it's given position in Starry Night Pro. It is moving 3.85 arcseconds per year across the sky, so images taken with a year in between would clearly show it moving.
Hope you enjoy!
Regards Rolf
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25-05-2010, 11:26 AM
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No More Infinities
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Townsville
Posts: 9,698
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Nice shot of the wee little fella!!
Now for Alpha Cen AB??
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25-05-2010, 11:37 AM
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Moderator
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 26,156
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Nice shot Rolf !
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25-05-2010, 08:03 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Perth
Posts: 189
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Interesting stuff. Seeing how dim it is makes me wonder why our sun is classified as a G type "dwarf." I mean our sun is bigger than circa 85% of the rest of the stars in our galaxy. Dwarf compared to what?
And another thing about proxima - M type stars are metal poor arn't they - unlikely to harbour life? They were born in the galaxy prior to all the complex elements being formed in supernova.
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25-05-2010, 08:32 PM
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No More Infinities
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Townsville
Posts: 9,698
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vanda
Interesting stuff. Seeing how dim it is makes me wonder why our sun is classified as a G type "dwarf." I mean our sun is bigger than circa 85% of the rest of the stars in our galaxy. Dwarf compared to what?
And another thing about proxima - M type stars are metal poor arn't they - unlikely to harbour life? They were born in the galaxy prior to all the complex elements being formed in supernova.
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It's classified as a G type "dwarf" because historically that's what they called all stars burning hydrogen at their cores...dwarfs. They are smaller than the giant and supergiant stars. Actually, the Sun is in the top 4% of all stars, so far as size and luminosity is concerned.
Not all M class stars are metal poor. Many are, but there are many that are not. The metallicity of a star depends on quite a few factors, age being just one of them. One of the big factors is the metallicity of the nebulae they form in. Some are more metal rich than others. Also depends on where in the galaxy they form. Those closer to the nucleus of the galaxy will, in general, have higher metallicities than those that form out where we are or further out. Stars forming out on the rim of the galaxy, even now, can be quite metal poor, because the gases and such out there haven't evolved as much as closer in...i.e. there hasn't been as many supernovae or planetary nebs form out there to spread metal rich gas around.
Actually, Proxima is more metal rich than the Sun...something like 1.6-1.8 times solar Fe/H, yet it's older than the Sun.
And just because a star is metal poor doesn't mean it can't or may not harbour life. There are so many factors which go into the existence of life that we can't rule anything out, not until we've studied the stars and their planetary environments enough to be definitive either way.
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25-05-2010, 09:00 PM
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Highest Observatory in Oz
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Join Date: May 2006
Location: Canberra
Posts: 17,523
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Rolf I have seen many spectacular deep sky objects, lots of clear sharp renditions of our solar system planets, our own star and our moon but ya know what?..this image does it for me, not because it is visually spectacular, although your processing is lovely, but rather because it simply and beautifully conveys a real sense of just what it is - and that is, another star, the next nearest star even. It even looks like a sphere and appears to just hang there in space. It's just great to stare at that small red pea and remember that there are no other stars between our star and this one yet it is some 40 million million km away......
Thanks for taking this, it's an excellent astronomical image.
Mike
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25-05-2010, 09:28 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 2,810
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fine image Rolf, I can't remember ever seeing an image of Proxima posted on IIS before .
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25-05-2010, 10:02 PM
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Ebotec Alpeht Sicamb
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Toongabbie, NSW
Posts: 1,969
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Quote:
Originally Posted by renormalised
And just because a star is metal poor doesn't mean it can't or may not harbour life.
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It might just mean the folks there never make it out of the stone age
SCNR
Cheers
Steffen.
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26-05-2010, 08:48 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Waitakere Ranges, New Zealand
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Thank you guys for all your nice and informative comments!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Terry B
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Thats awesome Terry! Very interesting project. I'm going to take another inage in 2011 and see how much it has moved.
Quote:
Originally Posted by renormalised
Nice shot of the wee little fella!!
Now for Alpha Cen AB??
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Thanks Carl, here is a close up of Alpha A/B with Solar System comparison: http://www.pbase.com/rolfolsen/image/123574641
And one of Alpha A/B with long exposure here: http://www.pbase.com/rolfolsen/image/123574603
Note the double spikes from the two components. This is one of my older images though, so the processing could be better...
Quote:
Originally Posted by strongmanmike
Rolf I have seen many spectacular deep sky objects, lots of clear sharp renditions of our solar system planets, our own star and our moon but ya know what?..this image does it for me, not because it is visually spectacular, although your processing is lovely, but rather because it simply and beautifully conveys a real sense of just what it is - and that is, another star, the next nearest star even. It even looks like a sphere and appears to just hang there in space. It's just great to stare at that small red pea and remember that there are no other stars between our star and this one yet it is some 40 million million km away......
Thanks for taking this, it's an excellent astronomical image.
Mike
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Thank you very much Mike. Those were my thoughts exactly about this image. It's not a 'visual feast' in itself, but it is certainly thought provoking.
Glad you all enjoyed it
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26-05-2010, 11:53 AM
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No More Infinities
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Townsville
Posts: 9,698
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steffen
It might just mean the folks there never make it out of the stone age
SCNR
Cheers
Steffen.
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Yeah, well...no metal, you only have stone to play around with. But then again, maybe they've reached the technological level of The Flintstones
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26-05-2010, 01:57 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Perth, Western Australia
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I like this too I'm a big fan of doing unique astro photo's which don't necessarily contain the whole rainbow but rather have something really interesting about them
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26-05-2010, 08:16 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Perth
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Thanks for the data Carl. "Dwarf" is misleading - to me its a term which implies small size and, as you point out 95% of stars are smaller than the sun.
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26-05-2010, 08:51 PM
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Supernova Searcher
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Cambroon Queensland Australia
Posts: 9,321
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vanda
Thanks for the data Carl. "Dwarf" is misleading - to me its a term which implies small size and, as you point out 95% of stars are smaller than the sun.
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Yes but the other 5% are giants compared to the other 95%,and even though they only make up 5% that still means a lot of stars.
See the comparison charts that have been on this site over the last year to see the difference.
Last edited by astroron; 28-05-2010 at 12:51 PM.
Reason: clarety
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27-05-2010, 03:26 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: E.P. S.A.
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Very nice image Rolf. I have not heard of Ross 248, and always thought that Alpha Centaurus was the second closest star, so found the read very interesting.
Thanks.
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28-05-2010, 12:09 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Waitakere Ranges, New Zealand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lester
Very nice image Rolf. I have not heard of Ross 248, and always thought that Alpha Centaurus was the second closest star, so found the read very interesting.
Thanks.
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Thank you Lester, glad you liked it
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28-05-2010, 12:41 PM
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Supernova Searcher
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Cambroon Queensland Australia
Posts: 9,321
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Hi Lester Alpha Cent is still the second closest star , and will remain so for a long time yet.
Google Ross 248, and you will find lots of info on said star
Here is what Wiki has to say
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_248
There is lots more where that came from
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28-05-2010, 12:47 PM
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Supernova Searcher
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Cambroon Queensland Australia
Posts: 9,321
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Hi Rolf is your image inverted as to an eye piece view, and which is North
Cool image by the way
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01-06-2010, 06:11 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Waitakere Ranges, New Zealand
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Hi Ron, I believe North is up in my image and that's the opposite of my eyepiece view.
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