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Favorite Astronomical Topic?

What's your favorite cosmic topic?

  • Stars

    Votes: 6 10.2%

  • Solar System

    Votes: 6 10.2%

  • Black Holes

    Votes: 10 16.9%

  • Comets

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • SETI

    Votes: 3 5.1%

  • Big Bang Theory

    Votes: 9 15.3%

  • Other (What did I forget)?

    Votes: 18 30.5%

  • Study of Planet X is the bomb

    Votes: 7 11.9%
  • Total voters
    59

NoahFence

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NoahFence
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So I'm watching a few shows last night, one on Supermassive Black holes, and another on Cassini / Huygens, and I found both to be fascinating.

I think super-massive black holes to be the birth of a galaxy, sort of like a mini big-bang for every galaxy we know of.

I also wonder who specifically was the guy who suggested we launch a rocket with a probe, and if we do it just right, it'll go toward Venus twice, then around Earth, picking up more speed, then around Jupiter, and finally to Saturn. How do you even begin to calculate how far away from say, Venus you must be to be flung out as opposed to sucked into its atmosphere?

Good stuff.

Anyway, my personal favorite topic would have to be stars. I'm just fascinated by their birth, and death, and how many different types there are.
 
I put "Other".

As in, "Other solar systems". Extrasolar planets.
 
Local astronomy, planet-watching and comets, has never captured my imagination.

People ask to see Jupiter or Saturn through my telescope, and are often surprised when I tell them hardly ever look at them.

"Instead," I tell them, "I look at really faint blobs of unexciting light. This one's called 3C-273..."
 
Monketey Ghost said:
Local astronomy, planet-watching and comets, has never captured my imagination.

People ask to see Jupiter or Saturn through my telescope, and are often surprised when I tell them hardly ever look at them.

"Instead," I tell them, "I look at really faint blobs of unexciting light. This one's called 3C-273..."
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I hear you - What size scope have you got?

To answer the OP I marked other. I almost exclusively observe variable stars, and report to the AAVSO my estimates. On a wider scale I have always been fascinated by large structures. Super galactic clusters, the Wall, the Great Attractor etc.

Also papers on the evolution of the Milky Way have been of particular fascination for me.
 
Stellar remnants in general are quite interesting. That would come under stars and black holes I guess.
Also, neutrino astronomy. Difficult to do in your back garden though.
 
I voted Other.

I was going to vote SETI, but really wanted to vote for SETL--search for extra-terrestrial life.
 
MG1962 said:
I hear you - What size scope have you got?

To answer the OP I marked other. I almost exclusively observe variable stars, and report to the AAVSO my estimates. On a wider scale I have always been fascinated by large structures. Super galactic clusters, the Wall, the Great Attractor etc.

Also papers on the evolution of the Milky Way have been of particular fascination for me.
Click to expand...

An old, old 13.1" Dobsonian. It's a light bucket. But it's heavy.

I used to observe variables. For years I kept careful watch on Eta Carinae, hoping to be looking on that night... that rare, probably-not-gonna-happen, but-it-could! night... :D
 
Monketey Ghost said:
An old, old 13.1" Dobsonian. It's a light bucket. But it's heavy.

I used to observe variables. For years I kept careful watch on Eta Carinae, hoping to be looking on that night... that rare, probably-not-gonna-happen, but-it-could! night... :D
Click to expand...


Nice... I have an 8 inch computer controlled Nexstar. Spent years pushing glass. Now I can go 30 minutes without getting out of my chair lol. I didn't realize you lived far enough south to see Carinae. But dont feel bad I used to check in on it on a regular basis waiting for the big one :D
 
Other: the exploration of planets and moons, and the mysteries of other dimensions and/or the quantum universe.
 
Wow... there's a lot of interesting stuff up there, eh?

I used to observe variables. For years I kept careful watch on Eta Carinae, hoping to be looking on that night... that rare, probably-not-gonna-happen, but-it-could! night...
Click to expand...

Supernova?
 
MG1962 said:
I was think of you the other night while watching Brian May pick out a few tunes :)
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I worked with a couple of people who were contemporaries of his when he started his PhD. ;)
 
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