Starship Asterisk*

Today's image gave me a real lift. What a cool reflection! Just wondered what caused the apparent skid marks on astronaut Clay Anderson's visor?

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080123.html

emc wrote:Today's image gave me a real lift. What a cool reflection! Just wondered what caused the apparent skid marks on astronaunt Clay Anderson's visor?

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080123.html

I'm guessing he probably rubbed it across something he was manuvering. I get marks on my glasses all the time.
I like the way the the clouds or land masses seem to be 3-dimentual against the water on the reflected Earth.
Orin

Yes, that's a cool shot.

I'd sure be tempted to take off the visor and clean it... OOOOPS!

Is the camera - and indeed everything out there - wrapped in white stuff to fend off the unfiltered (by atmosphere) sunshine? You never see them just shooting with a dSLR - all the gear always has that "made for space" look to it.

-Noel

It looks to me like that feeling of depth might be caused by a dual reflection, once from the visor material and once by the reflective cover. Most of the visible scratches(?) appear to be doubled too.

NoelC wrote:Yes, that's a cool shot.

I'd sure be tempted to take off the visor and clean it... OOOOPS!

Is the camera - and indeed everything out there - wrapped in white stuff to fend off the unfiltered (by atmosphere) sunshine? You never see them just shooting with a dSLR - all the gear always has that "made for space" look to it.

-Noel

I would assume yes. Dark objects can get pretty hot in space, with the sun beating down at 1300 W/m^2 and no air to conduct heat away. Cooling is radiative only.

At first I thought it was a "made-for-space" camera due to the temperature extremes and the difficulty of pushing small buttons in thick gloves, but I poked around a little bit, and it looks like a Kodak DCS760 wrapped in insulation and probably with a modified shutter button. Here's a page about astronaut photography:

http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/sseop/metadata/camera.htm

I'm wondering if the marks on the helmet are scratches from being bumped around in storage and handling, or smears from skin oil of whoever helped Mr. Anderson don his suit.

Hmm...no complaints yet about how this image isn't astronomy related?

iamlucky13 wrote: Hmm...no complaints yet about how this image isn't astronomy related?[/quote]

Astronomy related can be a loose term since it is our home that provides the platform enabling the study of the cosmos... when caught up in the love of star gazing... it is easy to forget where we are gazing from... plus the land/skyscapes I think you are referring to remind us of astronomy's roots.

As an example, clouds have always been a factor in star gazing and make for some interesting upper gazing subjects. A few nights ago, I was enjoying how a few patchy fast moving clouds seemed to be revealing a supernova as it went from dim through the cloud to bright where the cloud opened. (Just having a little astronomicaly imaginative fun with clouds)

I was just taking a sarcastic dig in line with the argument going on in the thread about shelf clouds. 8)

iamlucky13 wrote:I was just taking a sarcastic dig in line with the argument going on in the thread about shelf clouds. 8)

I noticed the thread but hadn't read it until your comment... I had expected it to be a large discussion about the strange/unusual cloud. After reading it, I now realize it is more about personal issues which appear to go deeper than the surfaced comments indicate. It is interesting how much you can learn about strangers in what amounts to a 'high' technically elaborate email thread when they are obviously under stress. BTW - I liked the positive comments that kept it on the sunny side. 8)

I enjoy these APOD images every morning... I very much appreciate the people's efforts that make this site exist!

Every now and then I feel compelled to say something that is hopefully in-line with the image... like most everyone else here. If not, I don't say anything. 8)