Any astrophysicists/astronomers here?

[ForcedFirebird]

Ceres and Vesta (dwarf planet and Asteroid) are supposed to be visible tonight, but stupid Florida rain/clouds are ruining it all for me. Ceres is claimed to be seen with a decent set of binoculars, even :(

http://www.kvoa.com/story/38546409/asteroid-the-size-of-arizona-visible-with-the-naked-eye

:(

Hopefully someone else here will have more luck...

https://medium.com/@starwalk/its-eas...t-1315c80e06cd

Use binoculars to look for Ceres as a little, star-like object just a short distance above Algieba. A small telescope at medium-high magnification will show Ceres and Algieba’s close-together pair of distant stars together in the same field of view.

After a determined search by many astronomers who were looking for a theorized missing planet, Ceres was the first asteroid ever discovered, by Giuseppe Piazzi in Palermo, Sicily, on January 1, 1801. It was named after the Roman Goddess of Agriculture. (The same name gave us the word “cereal”!) Ceres was originally given planet status, orbiting as it does between Mars and Jupiter. But calculations of its 950 km diameter, and later discoveries of countless additional bodies in the asteroid belt, led to its demotion to queen of the asteroid belt. But in 2006, the same rules that demoted Pluto to dwarf planet status promoted Ceres to the same class of objects. Good luck!

As I mentioned last week, another asteroid, the minor planet (4) Vesta, is now visible all night long, and appearing about its brightest (magnitude 5.33) for the year — within reach of binoculars and small telescopes. Look for the object above the Teapot-shaped constellation Sagittarius (the Archer), about a fist’s diameter to the upper right of Saturn.

[ForcedFirebird]

Mars, Jupiter and Saturn at visible to the naked eye right now. :)

[cheffy30]

so if I go stare in the sky at night I can see these planets?

close your eyes and spin around first

[ForcedFirebird]

Not the free set you get from joining the NRA/AAA. You need some good lenses to see even rings.

(I just don't want the guy to be disappointed)

No, not the rings, but rather the 4 major moons is what I meant.

[george graves]

In fact if you have binoculars, you might be able to see Jupiter moons depending how strong they are.

Not the free set you get from joining the NRA/AAA. You need some good lenses to see even rings.

(I just don't want the guy to be disappointed)

[ForcedFirebird]

Yup. There's lots of apps for your phone that let's you see where they are. The planets are the brightest "stars" out. In fact if you have binoculars, you might be able to see Jupiter moons depending how strong they are.

[2mAn]

so if I go stare in the sky at night I can see these planets?

[ForcedFirebird]

What is it about me staying up 'till 230am to look at junk in the sky (specially after a 14hr day)?

Venus was awesome tonight :p

[ForcedFirebird]

Artificial intelligence will be the death of humanoids. The day we outsmarted ourselves will deplete us.

Again, totally dorking out...

[ForcedFirebird]

I'm kinda picky about sci-fi. But that looks sci-fi- fantasy-ish. And Sometimes that bugs the hell out of me. But I will admit, "Odyssey 5" was kinda like that. And it's first few episode were awesome - and became cheesy - yet good!

I do have a beef with all the latest sci-fi movies. Gravity (As if you can just hop between the ISS and other things, it's all the same orbit!?????)

And the worst was Interstellar. My goodness. The plot was bad. The writing was bad, but worst of all, that "robot" was bad. Sure, let's make robots out of mindcraft parts. Yea, cause that's what a robot really looks like.

Pure fiction is junk. When they are based on read data, I actually enjoy them.

....look at "Star Trek", we all have "triquarters" now (aka cell phone)

Movies/series I enjoyed are "Westworld" "Humans" "Expanse", defunct "Revolution" etc.

[ForcedFirebird]

Bootes binary is visable. :)

[george graves]

...in all honesty, just wanted to watch the latest episode of "The Expanse".

I'm kinda picky about sci-fi. But that looks sci-fi- fantasy-ish. And Sometimes that bugs the hell out of me. But I will admit, "Odyssey 5" was kinda like that. And it's first few episode were awesome - and became cheesy - yet good!

I do have a beef with all the latest sci-fi movies. Gravity (As if you can just hop between the ISS and other things, it's all the same orbit!?????)

And the worst was Interstellar. My goodness. The plot was bad. The writing was bad, but worst of all, that "robot" was bad. Sure, let's make robots out of mindcraft parts. Yea, cause that's what a robot really looks like.

[parkerbink]

...in all honesty, just wanted to watch the latest episode of "The Expanse". Feel like such a bum waiting for the soap opera, but whatever. One of the coolest and most scientifically accurate Sci-Fi fictions worth watching. Lol

I have all of the new season in my DVR but have not watched any yet. So much to do so little time.

[ForcedFirebird]

...in all honesty, just wanted to watch the latest episode of "The Expanse". Feel like such a bum waiting for the soap opera, but whatever. One of the coolest and most scientifically accurate Sci-Fi fictions worth watching. Lol

[ForcedFirebird]

Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto in full view right now. Pluto is just a distant dot in a ~6"