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Takahashi Telescopes/Mounts Limited-Time Offer

Sunday, March 16th 2014 02:20 AM

For a limited time only, Takahashi Telescopes and Mounts purchased qualify for FREE SHIPPING. Takahashi Telescopes: FREE 2nd day air shipping Takahashi Mounts: FREE ground shipping Don't miss out on an opportunity like this!

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NASA: Astronomy picture of the day

Thursday, March 13th 2014 01:57 AM

Did you know that Nasa archives a daily picture of an aspect of the universe, along with a detailed description by an Astronomy expert? Well now you know and now you can take advantage of this wonderful bit of information. There is always more to learn about astronomy. If there were an expert who's job it was to study every grain of sand on earth and see the differences in every grain, they would have a lot in common with an Astronomer. Todays picture isn't really a picture at all, but a video showing the sun rotate on it's axis. 

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Galaxy Leo P and the Significance to the Big Bang

Tuesday, March 11th 2014 12:56 AM

The discovery of a tiny galaxy about 3.8 million light years away is shining a new light on the the formation of infant galaxies. This relatively small galaxy is unique in its composition because of the absence of planet forming qualities. Leo P is a “cloudy” galaxy in it’s composition, with little in way of planet and star formation, astronomers are jumping at the opportunity to see what the universe was like minutes after the big bang. The Big Bang is the theoretical event of which created the first hydrogen and helium atoms. These elements are then used as fuel for stars and are eventually formed into heavier elements in the process. See The Secrets of the Stars for more information on how stars convert hydrogen into the other elements. In the first few minutes after the big bang, the universe was filled with hydrogen and helium and everything would have looked like a big milky mess. This is exactly what Leo P looks like to astronomers, a big milky m...

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How Stars Create Elements

Monday, March 10th 2014 03:19 AM

Our sun is the life-force of our planet. Everything around us is a result of nuclear fusion. To be even more specific, the periodic table would almost not exist if it weren't for stars. Within our own sun, there is an extremely violent battle taking place. Gravity is pushing and condensing everything towards the core. At the same time, something equally as powerful and amazing takes place at the core, Nuclear Fusion. To be clear, Nuclear Fusion is not the same as Nuclear Fission. Nuclear Fission is the process of splitting atoms apart, whereas Nuclear Fusion is the process of combining atoms together. See the difference between Fusion & Fission for more information. Currently our own sun is trying to collapse in on itself, at which point it would burst into what we know as a Supernova. The only thing keeping this from happening is nuclear fusion. This reaction creates immense amounts of heat/energy of which pushes outward. It is only when the energy within our own sun (hydr...

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Asteroid 2014 DX110 and its close call with Earth

Saturday, March 8th 2014 03:03 AM

Asteroid 2014 DX110 just whizzed by us and you probably didn’t see, hear, or feel anything. These instances are actually very common with the exception of size. 2014 DX110 is a much larger asteroid (180 meters wide) than what astronomers are used to, creating a unique opportunity of which we won’t get again until March 5, 2046. The last time an asteroid of this size came within the moons orbit of earth was in 1976. Astronomers were not as prepared and the asteroid was not recognized until after it passed by. Asteroid 2014 DX110 completes its orbit every 1,192 days and comes as close as 0.83 AU to the sun and as far away as 3.6 AU. To give perspective, 1 AU is equal to the average distance between earth and the sun, roughly 93 million miles. It’s been a busy time for NEO’s (Near Earth Object). On March 4, 2014 DU110 passed within 20 million kilometers of earth. When will the next one come pay us a visit? Near earth objects (NEO’s) are actually very com...

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Rookie Astronomer with an Eye on the Sky

Wednesday, March 5th 2014 03:42 AM

First off, I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Isaac, I am a new employee here at buytelescopes.com. My specific expertise is in computer programming and meteorology with a desire to learn more. From Steven Hawking to Galileo, I've learned a little here and there from historical astronomy figures. It hasn't taken long for me to realize, I know nothing about astronomy! Well this isn't 100% true, I know a little here and there from the "high quality" educational VHS tapes we used to watch in high school, but I want to learn much, much more. That's the beauty of astronomy, it's a never ending process of education and discovery unlike anything we will find here on our tiny habitable planet called Earth. From Black holes to Supernovas, I want to learn it all.  Why am I so interested you ask? Physics! Physics is the study of anything and everything. To understand physics, is to understand how our own world has come to be. Astronomy takes physics in a much more broad...

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Comet ISON Viewing for this week

Wednesday, November 13th 2013 12:44 AM

Comet ISON is currently gliding across the constellation Virgo, which makes it a morning sky object. To see Virgo, you need to gaze eastward starting around 4 A.M. local time. This week the comet will rise about three hours before the Sun, making it visible to the eye, to binoculars, or in telescopes for an hour or so while the sky is still relatively dark. The Moon is another factor that observers need to contend with. The reflected light from the Moon makes spotting fainter objects more challenging, in effect dimming down their light. The Moon begins the week a day past First Quarter, in the evening sky, but ends the week at Full Moon, when it will interfere with observing all night long. So observing the comet in the early and middle part of this week will be easier than at week's end.     Meanwhile, another comet also inhabits the morning sky, Comet Lovejoy (C/2013 R1), which is putting on an impressive show in the northern part of the constellation Leo. Lovejoy is visi...

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Your Own Personal Observatory

Friday, November 8th 2013 06:19 AM

You've invested a lot of time and money into your telescope, but where do you keep it?  Astroclosets has a suggestion.  The "Astrocloset is a small aluminum building that provides a secure, vented cover for a telescope which could be set on a deck or concrete surface," which is interesting, but how you access your telescope is even better.  Instead of removing the scope from the building, you move the building off of the scope.  The Astrocloset is mounted on locked rails that provide easy access to your scope by simple unlocking the corners of the building and sliding the building to the end of the rails.  The standard model is 4′ by 4.5′ by 8′ tall.  While these are not inexpensive, they provide a safe home for your scope.  Can't wait to see some reviews on this product.Source:  Astroclosets.com 

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Mobile Apps for the Amateur Astronomer

Tuesday, October 29th 2013 11:18 PM

Today's smart phones provide users with the equivalent of a pocket computer, making tasks easier and reference sources immediately available.  Amateur astronomers can take advantage of this by using available apps to more easily explore the sky and target what they are looking for.  Both the Android and iPhone platforms have a large selection of available astronomy applications, here is a list of good apps to try out:     Star Chart (free) - Accurately depicts over 120,000 stars, displays 88 constellations, and includes the entire Messier catalogue of deep space objects.  Supports dynamic device orientation viewing which allows the user to view the night sky regardless of the angle of the Android device.  Star Chart is fully configurable, which allows you to display only the objects that you are interested in viewing.   SkySafari ($2.99) - Accurately shows you the sky from any place on Earth, at any time up to one hundred years in the past o...

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MEADE'S NEW LX600

Thursday, May 3rd 2012 03:13 AM

 WE HAVE SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICING ON THE NEW LX600 SYSTEM, IN VARIOUS CONFIGURATIONS! CHECK Meade 14" LX600 with X-Wedge #1408-70-02   LOOK HERE FOR THE GREATEST IN MEADE PRDUCTS! Meade 14" LX600-ACF (f/8) Advanced Coma-Free with StarLock and X-Wedge #1408-70-02. Take advantage of special introductory pricing by placing your order before 6/1/12 when the price becomes $8,499! Meade Instruments is proud to announce the latest addition to our line of industry leading developments, the LX600, ready to take your visual and optical astronomy to the next level. The fast f/8 Advanced Coma Free optical system produces a wider, flatter field with no coma for pinpoint stars out to the edge of larger imaging sensors and extreme wide angle eyepieces. Includes StarLock for full time guiding at one arc second precision and LightSwitch style auto-alignment, Crayford style zero shift focuser with reduct...

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