User talk:Mu301

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Astronomy award

For older messages, see /Archive 1, /Archive 2 and /Archive 3


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[edit] thanks for the astronomical advice, BTW I've done some astronomy too

thank you for your helpful entry on writing to our justification

'mayans forecasting the end of the world based on studying asteroids' is part of the sometimes ridicilous content of the WB book "US History"

by the way, I'm into amateur astronomy, as well. I have a 10" dob and we explore the relatively dark skies of NW Pennsylvania for the deepspace objects; galaxies, nebulas, clusters. I've also become rather interested in some lunar work and have been known to pick through the craters for the interesting stuff; rimae, rupes, and the like.

Is there observational astronomy content of wikiversity; have you ever done a course or a project?

I've spent a good bit of the summer fishing- but the season is passing. I will be ramping up for my favorite yearly ritual; the messier marathon (which like a rainy parade has been ruined year after year; by weather, work, you name it). I like the think tank idea and will lurk around waiting for a good opportunity to contribute.--Jolie 14:25, 23 October 2008 (UTC)

No imaging is a little beyond me. I am a pretty manual guy. thought about a barn-door mount before. didn't pursue it. Observations is free and film and mistakes with film are not. I'll look into your links. I've played around with variable stars, before. I've also thought it might be cool to look into supernova. I check out comets when I get the chance. Their interesting objects and there seems to normally be a few around viewable with a 10" mirror. We have two right now in the north, correct? I've also done a little variable star work. fine discrimination of reference stars is HARD!
I've been at times and places a sucker for challenges and have chased some of the tough stuff. stephens quartet is a favorite target. the crescent nebula in the summer, some of the tougher planetaries, a few palomar globular (though most are beyond me). the coma cluster and the one in perseus. there's a long list.
Part of what hurt the excitement a little was moving to town. I went from 6+ skies to 5, with a little drive for good skies that still seems far with a telescope in the backseat. But I'm definitely open for ideas. I think a course that better explains things up there would be great!
--Jolie 15:25, 23 October 2008 (UTC)
I've added some content; the sky is awash in comets right now!

todays sky was that beautiful deep blue that has you anticipating some observing. Awesome! we should do so stuff together you and I. Do you like to oberve comets, there's some real neat ones around 17P is back and scwassman is in the late sky with the possiblity of outbursts.--Jolie 16:47, 23 October 2008 (UTC)

Hurray! I've accomplished one of my big achievements; to record a globular (or two) in a careful sketch of the Andromeda galaxy. I've written a page about it here; Globulars_in_M31

The two comets near casseopia are tough under smalltown skies (5th magnitude)! nevertheless I nabbed them and will post observations soon.--Jolie 13:45, 24 October 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Supernovae

I have stumbled into your supernovae page and I am a little confused; what would one do? do you have a reguarly imaging routine of galaxies. Is it possible to get raw images of current supernovae, make photometric measurements than report the values back? I had heard someone say the manipulating images are actually quite time consuming for many amateurs but I'm not sure I understand how I would make perform that analysis. is photometric software availabe as freeware??

--Jolie 17:48, 23 October 2008 (UTC)

hold up, I see some sort of procedure using aladdin in another page. I'm typing faster than I'm searching.

you know If I like doing this, I'm going to want more images :) --Jolie 18:01, 23 October 2008 (UTC)your jan 5 photo of ngc 105 loaded. I tried 'matching stars' and a calibration pane was created. How do I find out what the value of the marked supernova is??

Its time consuming and a little confusing. I'm uncertain whether technique 1 or 2 is for photometric measurements of a local image.--Jolie 18:53, 23 October 2008 (UTC)
Yep I'm doing something wrong. Aladdin has got the 2mass and dss image for Ngc 105. I have

Requested course;

Astronomical imaging analysis and reduction (including utilizing online information) I have downloaded aladin. Astronomical calibration is definitely beyond me. --Jolie 21:44, 23 October 2008 (UTC)

I love it! Have you performed the calibration and are you planning to report it?
I've been remodeling the backyard astronomy page and thinking about new horizons in astronomy; I've been feeling that I need to give variable star work a second chance.--Jolie 12:36, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Backyard Astronomy

Lots of changes in backyard astronomy. I thought it wasn't very good advice for someone interested in doing some astronomy. Intend it to progress from initial experiences, too equiptment advice, to colloration and networking with other amateurs (such as you and I). Drop by and tell me what you think. As in the case of all my writing, I'm not as suncinct as I would like to be. hopefully over time, I'll improve much of my wording.--Jolie 20:00, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

aha, so you've undoubtably seen my fitful attempt to improve 'backyard astronomy'. Well, Hopefully I will have time to press on with it. the last few days haven't seen much time to do anything.
But now what shall we do with 'stargazing'?? I'm glossing over with synonyms; when we 'stargaze' we are likely doing backyard astronomy (particularly if we are using a telescope). While stargazing does seem to be an introductory peice on many different observing experiences outdoors. it seems to short to do any of its subject justice and too indirect, to help a new or aspiring observer.
My efforts at backyard astronomy was to give (what I think) is good advice for beginning and aspiring observers. but somepeople might charge that my peice about 'backyard astronomy' omits that the topic backyard astronomy is about telescopic observation, yet my page advises the new observer to NOT buy a telescope.
This is from personal experience. People ruin the hobby , IMHO, by poorly purchased, junk scopes before they know what they are doing. People are particularly fond of ruining the hobby for kids whom might not have the patience and temperiment for it at all. the kids would be better visiting a planetarium or science museum.
It would be nice to organize the astronomy resources of this website, generally. I like to work on making sure all our resources are 'connected'. --Jolie 20:12, 4 November 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Images

really like M15c2. M15 is the one with the planetary, pease1 in it, Isn't it? Your exposure is just about perfect here! Last night was the first Lake effect snow storm of the year. 'Lake effect' is a almost untolerable curse to observing in NW Pennsylvania.--Jolie 11:54, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Chemistry through astronomy

Following up on yesterday, I talked to my wife about it (and my mother-in-law), and they both really liked the idea, both saying chemistry was a really hard subject to stay interested in, but astrophysics is much more interesting. Like I said, hydrogen is probably the hardest one, but it's simple enough to explain and easy to remember in any case (atomic number 1, valence 1).

I got the idea from this show: http://www.astronomycast.com/astronomy/ep-107-nucleosynthesis-elements-from-stars/

I guess the idea would be to go through how each element is made in the star (avoiding too much of the actual math part of the physics), and then explain why the element behaves as it does according to how it was made and it's structure. A one element per week course would be nice to give people an "intimate feel" for each element, and start picking up the patterns of how they form compound molecules. The basic story could be used for a Wikijunior book, while the wikiversity project could focus more on a question-and-answer approach (updating the wikijunior book when a question/answer seems like it might make a young person even more excited about the element).

One thing I was a bit unsure about (from the show) was how neutrons become protons (or is it the other way around?), but that seems to be a central part of it. There's another ephisode I'm downloading now that's about that.

Thanks again for recommending the podcast... I'm hooked! :-). --SB_Johnny talk 12:36, 25 October 2008 (UTC)

Oh by the way, let me know if you can think of a better name for this... I'd like to develop it through the think tank. --SB_Johnny talk 13:36, 25 October 2008 (UTC)

I'll be interested to see what comes out of this. Nuclear chemistry isn't my specialty but as a chemist and an amateur astronomy, I have a little background.--Jolie 12:39, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Poor job

The way you worded your comments[1] took me off guard, as I felt there was no need to use words like "you did a poor job," "you should...," and "border on uncivil." Today I read, "You should take your time and make edit summaries and edits that a reasonable person can understand without confusion." I felt you didn't criticize edit there at all. I hope you didn't mean to make me feel stupid over that comment. A reasonable person would have first talked about it to understand and suggest alternative. You expressed you don't understand. I tried to talk here with you, but you just tell me "you should." Dzonatas 18:11, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

[edit] A Unified Account

A unified account would really be nice! I intend to spend a good deal of time on WB getting that book right. Please let me know what information you might need to do this (if any).

Thanks again, for all your help, you've been very helpful.--Jolie 13:05, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

what I minute, I think I'm talking to the wrong 'mike'. Its mike.lifeguard I think that can get my setup with a unified account. my bad. sorry.--Jolie 19:57, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Image license

Hi Mikeu! I am tiding up the image ns and I have found some of your pictures, such as this: Image:06rsMU C200701022326.jpg. Could you double licence them GFDLxcc (e.g. CC-SA-BY 3.0)? GFDL is not a free licence for media.--Juan 00:01, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

[edit] SUL

Don't worry, all accounts are using the same password and email address. I just decided to wait a while for the bugs to come out. Right now I am working to make sure that I have all accounts renamed. Geo.plrd 15:23, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Watching with interest...

Been busy flipping hot compost among other things

Hiya Mike. I've been watching those projects with interest (the NEO one too), but still busy getting things done before the freeze. As far as what I'd like to learn, it's really more about what I can tell 'lil SB about what we see in the sky in the evening or early morning, so mostly planets in relation to the moon.

BTW, the computer I had been using for IRC is in the shop (RAM chip blown). Taking the opportunity (excuse) to live IRC-free for a while :-). --SB_Johnny talk 22:53, 5 November 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Busy organizing

Here's what I was thinking. Could you enter some of your information into internet astronomy? I can see that in the past in an effort to drum up projects and activity that you and others looked to astronomical projects that could be entirely done on the internet.

I'm going to generally struggle to define much around imaging/ CCD work, etc. yet this has always been a little more interest here. talk to you later.--Jolie 16:56, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

I've been working on some beggining skygazing content. I intend to make a beginners astronomy course out of it. the geist of it, is if, by taking some of my advice- a beginner can learn the constellations and become interested in astronomy.
I've watched a lot of beginners waste money on cheap scopes ;)--JoliePA 20:55, 13 November 2008 (UTC)
This is now developed enough for an adventerous wikiversity participant to attempt Initial_experiences. feel free to tidy things up, I now things are a little roughly said.--JoliePA 20:48, 14 November 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Discussion on Mike.lifeguard's candidacy

Mu301, I have reverted your closure on the community review on Mike.lifeguard's candidacy, which is very premature, your comment "with near unanimous support" hides the fact that the discussion is clearly unfinished, the last comment being written even in less than 24 hours, with questions not yet answered. You can expect more wikiversians to voice their supports or oppositions as the discussion moves on. As has been said not so long ago, requests for custodial tools are not votes. Hillgentleman | //\\ |Talk 20:59, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

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