APOD: Creature Aurora Over Norway (2013 Nov 06)

[Chris Peterson]

That would be Venus. Telescopically, it is currently crescent shaped, similar to the Moon.

Venus is currently only just past its maximum Eastern Elongation from the Sun, so it is only slightly crescent-shaped at the moment -- it looks more like a half-circle to me. I was photographing it (poorly) last week.

Sounds about right. It pretty clearly is near maximum elongation.

[Sheldon]

I definitely see the dragon. That was my first thought. But with further observation I realized it was more swan-like.

[datura@gorge.net]

Reminds me of a Caspian Tern

[sarah_samedi]

CTHULHU!

[BillBixby]

Hi Kansas,

Based on the answers sent your way I must have misunderstood your question. While taking advantage of some telescopes set-up at a local college, a relatively fast moving object was going across the sky. The consensus was a satellite. However one person had an iPod with a sky program on it and when he held up and pointed the iPod at the object the iPod told us we were looking at the ISS. Way cool! I have a Nexus 7 with some GPS capability. Though it is only WiFi I was able to find a program at the Google Store which gives my little Nexus the same capability as the iPad. I upgraded to the paid for version as it labeled and gave greater detail as to what I was seeing. I recall the program being under $10. It is not posters on the wall, however it can see through the wall and the ceiling as to what I would be viewing if said walls and ceiling were not there. And it does not care if it is a cloudy day or a cloudy night. It can tell me the space objects but seems unable to see nearer objects such as aircraft.

I chose the program "The Night Sky." Perhaps members of this forum will make other recommendations which you might choose to consider. If you don't have a tablet with GPS, then I am sorry to have waisted your time.

Hope you found this useful,

Bill


Re: APOD: Creature Aurora Over Norway (2013 Nov 06)

Postby lachablis@gmail.com » Thu Nov 07, 2013 12:41 am
hello out there!...this is a comment and Question from a very very new observer in Kansas...
thank-you,firstly,for a most dazzling picture!!...and whether I 'see' images or not in that awesome pic,i am only tooo happy to be a part of its magnificence!!...
I do have a Question,however...as i look up into the clear sky,this evening [6:34pm or 1834 hours] on this November06,I see the sliver of the moon[quite bright] and to the lower left of the moon [SW or SSW[ of it,is a bright planet? which,through my binoculars,looks somewhat like a cross?!...my imagination or is that real??...and if it is a lovely planet,could someone inform me as to which it is??..i am truly a novice at this...i would appreciate some direction as to books or charts or anything in material/physical form that i can arrange on my walls to follow the 'sky'...

thanks for your indulgence...
kansas...

[geckzilla]

It can tell me the space objects but seems unable to see nearer objects such as aircraft.

That's because the programs operate exactly like any planetarium software but the neat thing is that they use the device's sensors to detect the orientation of the screen with some decent accuracy. Even if the device doesn't have a GPS, you should be able to provide your location for accurate results. I have Star Walk on my iPad. It's pretty neat. I take a strange pleasure in staring through the floor with it.

[Halvliter'n]

Octopus

[Nitpicker]

I have Star Walk on my iPad. It's pretty neat. I take a strange pleasure in staring through the floor with it.

Oh man, I've been wasting my brain power and using my imagination to do that!

[geckzilla]

I have Star Walk on my iPad. It's pretty neat. I take a strange pleasure in staring through the floor with it.

Oh man, I've been wasting my brain power and using my imagination to do that!

Maybe you can see all the dinosaurs and giant gemstones that Star Walk misses.

[Beyond]

It can tell me the space objects but seems unable to see nearer objects such as aircraft.

That's because the programs operate exactly like any planetarium software but the neat thing is that they use the device's sensors to detect the orientation of the screen with some decent accuracy. Even if the device doesn't have a GPS, you should be able to provide your location for accurate results. I have Star Walk on my iPad. It's pretty neat. I take a strange pleasure in staring through the floor with it.

Oh, my! Now the Ocular Digitator has x-ray vision and can see through floors, to go along with her gecko sticky feet.

[Nitpicker]

Maybe you can see all the dinosaurs and giant gemstones that Star Walk misses.

Well, yes, I can, but I'm trying to stick to astronomy here at the Starship. <invisible emoticon>

[moontrail]

Maybe it's because I'm a single guy, but I see the top half of a nekkid lady, the center of the image being her head turned towards the camera.

Fully agree, even I "see" her headless or with her head in the dark. Isn't she beautifull?

[neufer]

[b][color=#0000FF]Aurora Taking Leave of Tithonus 1704, by Francesco Solimena[/color][/b]

---

<<In Roman mythology, Aurora, goddess of the dawn, renews herself every morning and flies across the sky, announcing the arrival of the sun. Her parentage was flexible: for Ovid, she could equally be Pallantis, signifying the daughter of Pallas, or the daughter of Hyperion. She has two siblings, a brother (Sol, the sun) and a sister (Luna, the moon). Aurora appears most often in sexual poetry with one of her mortal lovers. A myth taken from the Greek by Roman poets tells that one of her lovers was the prince of Troy, Tithonus. Tithonus was a mortal, and would therefore age and die. Wanting to be with her lover for all eternity, Aurora asked Jupiter to grant immortality to Tithonus. Jupiter granted her wish, but she failed to ask for eternal youth to accompany his immortality, and he became forever old. Aurora turned him into a grasshopper.
[Sorta like what geckzilla did to makc. - ACN]

In the poem "Tithonus" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson,
Aurora is described thus:

Once more the old mysterious glimmer steals
From thy pure brows, and from thy shoulders pure,
And bosom beating with a heart renewed.
Thy cheek begins to redden through the gloom,
Thy sweet eyes brighten slowly close to mine,
Ere yet they blind the stars, and the wild team
Which love thee, yearning for thy yoke, arise,
And shake the darkness from their loosened manes,
And beat the twilight into flakes of a fire>>

[Lisa]

A Phoenix

[Lisa]

Meh, I gotta think Neurfer wins! And, it's pretty applicable, too!

[STREICHER]

It's Clanta Saus

[Abdab1970]

I see a swan swimming on some celestial lake.

[Anthony Barreiro]

hello out there!...this is a comment and Question from a very very new observer in Kansas...
thank-you,firstly,for a most dazzling picture!!...and whether I 'see' images or not in that awesome pic,i am only tooo happy to be a part of its magnificence!!...
I do have a Question,however...as i look up into the clear sky,this evening [6:34pm or 1834 hours] on this November06,I see the sliver of the moon[quite bright] and to the lower left of the moon [SW or SSW[ of it,is a bright planet? which,through my binoculars,looks somewhat like a cross?!...my imagination or is that real??...and if it is a lovely planet,could someone inform me as to which it is??..i am truly a novice at this...i would appreciate some direction as to books or charts or anything in material/physical form that i can arrange on my walls to follow the 'sky'...

thanks for your indulgence...
kansas...

Hi Kansas. As others said, that bright planet is Venus. As to your request for resources:

Books:

The Monthly Sky Guide, text by Ian Ridpath, illustrated by Wil Tirion. Ninth edition, 2013, Cambridge University Press. This slender, inexpensive, lavishly illustrated volume is the best possible introduction for the beginning skywatcher. Ian Ridpath weaves together vivid descriptions of what you see in the sky with ancient mythology, the history of astronomy, and current scientific understanding. Wil Tirion’s charts and illustrations are perfectly integrated with the text. Brief introductory chapters cover the basics of astronomy, how to get oriented and find your way around in the sky, and how to observe the planets and the moon, with detailed maps of the moon. Each monthly chapter includes a comprehensive all-sky map, a brief orientation to that month’s bright stars and prominent constellations, and in-depth discussion and atlas-quality charts of one or two important constellations.

The Astronomical Calendar by Guy Ottewell and other contributors (published annually), and The Astronomical Companion by Guy Ottewell (second edition, 2010). Universal Workshop. Much more than a calendar, these two oversized folios will give you a clear understanding of how everything in the universe fits together, and how everything moves through the sky and through space and time. Ottewell is a brilliant polymath, and his erudite, drily whimsical discussions of everything from ancient calendars to the relationship between astronomy and astrology are a joy to read.
The Astronomical Companion features Ottewell’s trademark spherical illustrations of successively larger volumes of space, from the orbits of the Earth and Moon, the solar system, the nearest stars, the brightest stars, our corner of the Milky Way, the whole galaxy, nearby galaxies, galaxy clusters, all the way out to quasars and the very edge of the known universe. Each two-page monthly spread in The Astronomical Calendar includes an all-sky map, a diagram of the movements of the planets, a thorough listing of daily astronomical events, and helpful observing tips. Additional sections are devoted to this year’s movements of the Sun, Moon, planets, asteroids, comets, and meteor showers, all clearly illustrated.

Magazines

Sky & Telescope
Astronomy
These two monthly magazines both publish news, feature stories about recent discoveries and the history of astronomy, sky maps, observing guides, astrophotography how-to’s, and equipment reviews. Both magazines are well written and nicely illustrated. Sky & Telescope provides more timely information and advice for the active observer, inspiring first-person reports from amateurs doing cutting-edge astronomy, and a monthly column for amateur telescope makers. I read them both, but if you only have time or money for one, go with Sky & Telescope.

Websites

www.skyandtelescope.com The website of Sky & Telescope magazine offers breaking news, special interest blogs, and a wealth of interactive observing tools, including a printable all-sky chart that can be customized for any date, time, and location. Download and print out “Getting Started in Astronomy,” a 10-page guidebook with bimonthly sky maps and a moon map. If you only have ten minutes a week to keep up with the sky, subscribe to the Weekly Bulletin email and read “This Week’s Sky at a Glance.”

Skymaps.com Download and print out an easy-to-use monthly sky map and observing guide.

Mobile Applications

SkySafari 3 Plus by Southern Stars. This highly respected application is well-organized, accurate, and intuitively easy to use. As your knowledge and interest grow, SkySafari will provide deeper and deeper levels of detail and information.

Pocket Universe by Craic Design. Inexpensive, attractive, easy to use, with a sense of humor. Great for beginners.

Moon Atlas by Horsham Online Ltd. A 3-dimensional globe that identifies and describes all the features on the surface of the Moon. You can spin it around to view the Moon from other angles, and to see the mysterious far side of the Moon.

Organizations

Your local astronomy club is the best place to meet other amateurs, attend classes and skywatching events, and look through different telescopes. The Night Sky Network (nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov) has a searchable database of clubs throughout the United States.

[dee]

i see a half face, a nose with a wink of knowledge

[Imke_Oz]

I'm late in finding this - super photo - amazing colours. It is definitely a SWORDFISH breaching out of the ocean bringing a surge of water with it. Cool ideas everyone!