It has been a long time since I have updated. I was very busy for about 2-3 months and not able to do some Astronomy. I finally have some break. Again I am going on a journey to see more celestial bodies to a place where there are more starry nights. So there will be no posts until January, 2010. Instead of writing about something related to Astronomy and Space, I have decided to write about the value of knowledge.
Knowledge is something that can always be treasured. Knowledge can make someone special and wise enough to give advice. Some of us see knowledge as a form of sharpening our skills. Our world does run on knowledge. When we are equipped with vast knowledge, we would have a better knowledge. This may not always be true as knowledge is not the only thing that drives the world. Being knowledgeable need not always relate to high position. Some of our famous ancestors weren't that knowledgeable but possessed good leadership qualities.
Doing something unique unlike others makes me feel that I am highly centred in it as compared to the. At the same time I feel isolated when no one takes interest on my special activity. But that does not bother me as taking interest in my hobby brings me to a totally different world. I tend to imagine the processes that happen in cosmos while reading some of the famous books composed by Hawking and S.Chandra. There is a big world outside our world. I even ask big questions like, is it possible to split space and time? I even wonder would there be a time where we could visit other planetary systems. If that happens, visiting the moon would be equivalent to leaving your home and travelling to Titan would be like a bus ride.
Knowledge can bring us a long way. As I started from the basic solar system to the more complex cosmic activities which takes place hundreds or thousands of light years away. The concept of anti-matter is still put to doubt. But I still understand that there are limitations to certain things which science cannot explain. Only an almighty would create these energies in space. God shows us nearly everything around us in a form of science. So how does knowledge about space and cosmos help us? It helps us in certain ways like the technology to detect incoming meteors can prevent from a major disaster like the one which occurred 65 million years ago. But the knowledge about the behavior of comets can further prevent such a disaster as acting after detection would be too late. We would also need to protect the other animals and plants from danger.
Other than the disaster which took place 65 million years ago, there was even a more catastrophic disaster which took place at the end of Paleozoic era. About 90% of the species were wiped off. This was due to many reasons. One of these reasons was that large amount of radiation emitted by a near by supernova caused plants and animal species to be badly affected. I do not mean that we have to be extra prepared for a supernova explosion. We just need to ensure that we have enough protection against such radiation. Just reduce carbon emissions and stop depleting the ozone layer. The extinction which marked the end of Paleozoic era was caused by coincidental events which could only be created by God.
Lastly, knowledge can be a form of medicine, not in the way we mean. I meant that a knowledgeable and wise person would find proper solutions to problems. This knowledge cannot be acquired from books and only be obtained from lifetime experience. This is why most people seek advice from the wise and old in the olden days. So acquire the right knowledge and put it to use in a proper way.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Days Go By
It has been a very long time since I have posted. This could be my last few posts for this year. I am very busy these days and I finally have some break. During this period I had hardly any time for Astronomy. I could not find time to read some of the books by Stephen Hawking. All I could do was to watch videos about him. We know that most of us tend to build up their knowledge faster through videos than through books.
I managed to watch one complete video about Hawking's research about the origin of our Universe. He is trying to find out how the Universe was formed and how species came into existence. He is trying to find out what happened before the big bang. But I believe that the Big Bang is actually created by an Almighty; God. When I was doing research I manage to Science and religion in some ways. For instance, the judgement day would take place in many forms in which one could be Supernova of our which will occur billions of years later. Hence, I do not completely believe on some of Hawking's theories.
For me the Universe is created by God 15 billion years ago. God creates species and has control over their living and evolution. God had wiped out the dinosaurs by a large meteoroid 65 million years ago, or else humans may not have lived peacefully as they would have fallen in pray of Terapods. Now that humans rule the Earth I feel that there is a need to appreciate both Science and Religion.
Hawking tries to find answer to his two questions looking into several theories like string theory, super symmetry and 11 dimensions. The theory about 11 dimensions seems unusual and makes little sense as we are surrounded by only and absolutely 4 dimensions. What could the other 8 dimensions be? The theory of Super Symmetry contradicts the fact that gravity is the weakest force in our Universe. These theories are only in paper and not well recognised by most physicists.
According to laws of Physics and Maths the energy released during the big bang is still being conserved in many ways. Therefore, I feel that the theories used to propose the origin of our Universe should not contradict basic laws of Maths and Physics. The theory of 11 dimensions is confusing and highly contradicting.
In conclusion, there are a lot of limitations on trying hard to find out what was before the big bang. For me I strongly fell that the Big Bang is created by God and he controls the Universe in an indirect way. The natural disasters occurring in our planet are indirect forms of Gods wrath.
Want to take an Astronomy quiz to test your level of knowledge on Astronomy? Go to http://www.gotoquiz.com/astronomy_level_quiz_1
I managed to watch one complete video about Hawking's research about the origin of our Universe. He is trying to find out how the Universe was formed and how species came into existence. He is trying to find out what happened before the big bang. But I believe that the Big Bang is actually created by an Almighty; God. When I was doing research I manage to Science and religion in some ways. For instance, the judgement day would take place in many forms in which one could be Supernova of our which will occur billions of years later. Hence, I do not completely believe on some of Hawking's theories.
For me the Universe is created by God 15 billion years ago. God creates species and has control over their living and evolution. God had wiped out the dinosaurs by a large meteoroid 65 million years ago, or else humans may not have lived peacefully as they would have fallen in pray of Terapods. Now that humans rule the Earth I feel that there is a need to appreciate both Science and Religion.
Hawking tries to find answer to his two questions looking into several theories like string theory, super symmetry and 11 dimensions. The theory about 11 dimensions seems unusual and makes little sense as we are surrounded by only and absolutely 4 dimensions. What could the other 8 dimensions be? The theory of Super Symmetry contradicts the fact that gravity is the weakest force in our Universe. These theories are only in paper and not well recognised by most physicists.
According to laws of Physics and Maths the energy released during the big bang is still being conserved in many ways. Therefore, I feel that the theories used to propose the origin of our Universe should not contradict basic laws of Maths and Physics. The theory of 11 dimensions is confusing and highly contradicting.
In conclusion, there are a lot of limitations on trying hard to find out what was before the big bang. For me I strongly fell that the Big Bang is created by God and he controls the Universe in an indirect way. The natural disasters occurring in our planet are indirect forms of Gods wrath.
Want to take an Astronomy quiz to test your level of knowledge on Astronomy? Go to http://www.gotoquiz.com/astronomy_level_quiz_1
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Going Into Space In Future
Our Earth has limited resources and we do not know how long our planet will sustain the Environmental degradation. Scientists predict that the ice caps may vanish by the end of this century if emissions continue at the current rate. We may also running out of fossil fuels after 200 years. Will our planet take the human population size after 300 years? Hence, it is better to go into space and discover the infinite possibilities.
At present, there are limitations in moving to space. The current technology requires too much money and fuel to set up a space centre. Secondly, a space centre may not solve the problem of depleting resources. The artificial environment has to be monitored carefully and it should be built in a way to prevent the extreme radiation. The main problem arises when people have to adapt to changes like low gravity, wearing protective suits and living without natural environment. We have to wait for a time when it is cheaper to go into space and when technology is able to create a space centre which is able to meet the needs of our present lifestyle.
Upon creating a space centre, we can look onto the possibilities on residing on other planets. Upon research our Moon, Mars and Titan may be the suitable places to reside on. However, there limitations to these places. The Moon lacks the essential resources needed to support our life, the temperatures in Mars tend to fluctuate and Titan is too far and too cold. Most scientists feel that Mars could be a suitable planet to reside on in future. The search for water and life in Mars still continues. Before thinking of residing, a few people have to be sent to Mars and find out how well can they adapt to the new environment. By then it would be 200 to 300 years passed. What about Titan? At present, the geological and mineralogical features of Titan is still being researched. Probably humans may reside in Titan after 500 years.
Some science fiction stories tend to map out future. Though it's fiction, that does not mean it is not likely to occur. Did anyone thought of a submarine when Jules Verne wrote the novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea? A similar spacecraft like the one in Star Trek would probably be invented in future. Although there is no clear evidence for Extraterrestrial life and intelligence, there could be some form of basic life (eg: Bacteria) in Mars or even Titan. If the future technology enables us to detect a suitable planets on other planetary systems, we would be accessing multiple worlds.
Before I exaggerate further, it is important to protect our Earth from further deterioration. Currently, I am reading more on the Theory of Everything which talks about strengths and limitations of different theories. If the theory of relativity is fully understood time travel could be possible. This will contradict many Philosophers as most of them believe in time can only pass and cannot be controlled. I believe in the theory of relativity but testing it on normal objects would be impossible as it requires extremely heavy conditions. I am also reading on some of the other ideas proposed by Stephen Hawking to understand more about the Universe.
At present, there are limitations in moving to space. The current technology requires too much money and fuel to set up a space centre. Secondly, a space centre may not solve the problem of depleting resources. The artificial environment has to be monitored carefully and it should be built in a way to prevent the extreme radiation. The main problem arises when people have to adapt to changes like low gravity, wearing protective suits and living without natural environment. We have to wait for a time when it is cheaper to go into space and when technology is able to create a space centre which is able to meet the needs of our present lifestyle.
Upon creating a space centre, we can look onto the possibilities on residing on other planets. Upon research our Moon, Mars and Titan may be the suitable places to reside on. However, there limitations to these places. The Moon lacks the essential resources needed to support our life, the temperatures in Mars tend to fluctuate and Titan is too far and too cold. Most scientists feel that Mars could be a suitable planet to reside on in future. The search for water and life in Mars still continues. Before thinking of residing, a few people have to be sent to Mars and find out how well can they adapt to the new environment. By then it would be 200 to 300 years passed. What about Titan? At present, the geological and mineralogical features of Titan is still being researched. Probably humans may reside in Titan after 500 years.
Some science fiction stories tend to map out future. Though it's fiction, that does not mean it is not likely to occur. Did anyone thought of a submarine when Jules Verne wrote the novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea? A similar spacecraft like the one in Star Trek would probably be invented in future. Although there is no clear evidence for Extraterrestrial life and intelligence, there could be some form of basic life (eg: Bacteria) in Mars or even Titan. If the future technology enables us to detect a suitable planets on other planetary systems, we would be accessing multiple worlds.
Before I exaggerate further, it is important to protect our Earth from further deterioration. Currently, I am reading more on the Theory of Everything which talks about strengths and limitations of different theories. If the theory of relativity is fully understood time travel could be possible. This will contradict many Philosophers as most of them believe in time can only pass and cannot be controlled. I believe in the theory of relativity but testing it on normal objects would be impossible as it requires extremely heavy conditions. I am also reading on some of the other ideas proposed by Stephen Hawking to understand more about the Universe.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Photographic Records
Keeping records is something essential during in each night sky observation. I usually usually store my records in a notebook. But this time I have decided do something challenging by photographing images viewed from my eye piece. I had to do it as I do not own a CCD and special camera which connects to the eye piece. Written Observations are not appealing as I do not have enough evidence. Photographing through an eye piece may be impossible but I tried my best to capture some pictures of the moon. The pictures are fuzzy and less detailed due to the high brightness of the moon. It was not an easy task as it involved a lot of trail and error. It took 3 hours to produce a few better images of the moon.
Instead of using normal photographing techniques, I used a unique technique which seems rather unusual. I let the beam of light emitted from the lens to hit into the lens of the camera. In split seconds I have to capture the image once the light hits the camera lens or else the image will lose focus. Some of the images captured were abrupt and partial while most were unwanted glares. Only a few images had some clarity with less details. I could not capture more details due to the extreme brightness of the moon.
As shown in the right, this is one of the partial
image of the full moon taken on 10th May 2009
around 9pm to 12am. The image has hardly any details.
The picture on the bottom right
is the elevated image of that same moon.
The darker regions shows the lower depths of the moon.
The picture of the left was the best image taken as it captured more than 90% of the full moon. The image on the right is the elevated image of the one on the left. However, this image only showed details of the large craters.
The picture on the right shows an
unwanted glare on bottom right.
This is the best image taken
with glare.
The images are only magnified 35x as it is possible to capture the whole moon with higher magnification. The actual size of the moon taken by the same camera is shown below.
In future I hope to take pictures of bright planets like Jupiter. This will be much difficult as the image is smaller and the glaring effect is higher. I will also capture a few details of the Sun using a sun box provided the sky is clear with less cloud cover.
Friday, April 24, 2009
The Hidden Companions
Recently, I have been studying about double stars and their movements. Double stars either orbit each other or one orbit the other which is stationary with respect to it. I finding more about the companions of Sirius, Rigel and Albireo. I find Sirius B more interesting as it has an unusual orbiting system. The companion of Sirius known as the "pup" is a white dwarf.
The pup was first discovered in 1862 by an 18-inch telescope. It was later found out that Sirius B has a high temperature and density and is small in size. Hence, it was concluded that it is a white dwarf. For many years astronomers tried to get a magnified view of Sirius B. Even the largest Telescope could only produce a white dot. This is due to its small size and the extreme brightness of Sirius. X-ray telescopes are able to capture a bright image of Sirius B as it stores large amount of energy. Even Hubble telescope is only able to capture a dot of Sirius B.
Is it possible to find the pup through an amateur telescope? It is not totally impossible as research has shown that the separation between Sirius and its companion is increasing. The separation will be maximum by 2022. Secondly, it shines at 8th magnitude which is within the limit of an amateur telescope. If an amateur astronomer is skillful enough in using a telescope with a wide aperture, clean lenses and no glare, it would possible to spot it. However, it is not that easy as we think. By 2022, there may be someone who will spot Sirius B through a amateur telescope.
Currently Sirius is the brightest star viewed from our solar system. Sirius could have appeared even brighter 125 million years ago before Sirius B had turned into a white dwarf. It would be similar to that of alpha centauri. The two stars, Alpha Centaurus A and Alpha Centaurus B being close together makes it the single star which is the 3rd brightest form Earth. Probably Sirius would have appeared brighter than Jupiter 125 million years back.
For now, I will be trying to spot the Companions of Rigel and Albireo. It will be difficult due to the several factors (eg:limiting magnitude) in my country. Nevertheless, I will give it a try and take some photographs.
The pup was first discovered in 1862 by an 18-inch telescope. It was later found out that Sirius B has a high temperature and density and is small in size. Hence, it was concluded that it is a white dwarf. For many years astronomers tried to get a magnified view of Sirius B. Even the largest Telescope could only produce a white dot. This is due to its small size and the extreme brightness of Sirius. X-ray telescopes are able to capture a bright image of Sirius B as it stores large amount of energy. Even Hubble telescope is only able to capture a dot of Sirius B.
Is it possible to find the pup through an amateur telescope? It is not totally impossible as research has shown that the separation between Sirius and its companion is increasing. The separation will be maximum by 2022. Secondly, it shines at 8th magnitude which is within the limit of an amateur telescope. If an amateur astronomer is skillful enough in using a telescope with a wide aperture, clean lenses and no glare, it would possible to spot it. However, it is not that easy as we think. By 2022, there may be someone who will spot Sirius B through a amateur telescope.
Currently Sirius is the brightest star viewed from our solar system. Sirius could have appeared even brighter 125 million years ago before Sirius B had turned into a white dwarf. It would be similar to that of alpha centauri. The two stars, Alpha Centaurus A and Alpha Centaurus B being close together makes it the single star which is the 3rd brightest form Earth. Probably Sirius would have appeared brighter than Jupiter 125 million years back.
For now, I will be trying to spot the Companions of Rigel and Albireo. It will be difficult due to the several factors (eg:limiting magnitude) in my country. Nevertheless, I will give it a try and take some photographs.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
EARTH HOUR
Today is an important day as tonight, we are fighting climate change by switching off the lights for an hour. By switching off the lights, we can make a big difference. Do you know how much carbon-dioxide emissions can be reduced in that 1 hour. The current rate of which glaciers are melting, and the sea levels are rising is severe. If this goes on the Artic may disappear by the end of this century and flooding will be too common. Play a part by switching off the lights.
Today I am going to stargaze and see the true night sky. Thankfully, the sky is clear with less cloud cover. I hope to see more stars. Our team will take an exposed photograph of Orion nebula. For the first time, I will be enjoying the beauty of night sky.
VOTE EARTH!!!
Today I am going to stargaze and see the true night sky. Thankfully, the sky is clear with less cloud cover. I hope to see more stars. Our team will take an exposed photograph of Orion nebula. For the first time, I will be enjoying the beauty of night sky.
VOTE EARTH!!!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
"OWLESTIAL" logo is finally out!
For the past few days, I was been working on my logo. At first I thought of drawing the logo by myself instead of depending on logo designing tools/software. However, it failed as I was not able to produce an attractive logo. So I decided to use programmes which enable me to create logos. I used three programmes in which I could only make good use of one of them. After few hours of work, I finally came up with my logo. I will soon come up with the mascot
Most people are asking me when I will start my show. Actually, it will take a long time as I would need to plan on what I would present and the number of episodes. However, the show won't have background graphics as what the Irate Gamer does. This is because, making such shows would waste a lot of time and money. But don't lose hope as we will do our best in making our shows interesting. As I told previously, it may take a year or so. This is because this is my busy year and I do not have much free time. I will try to update this site more often.
Secondly, most people are asking me why I do not update the "Fact OF The Day" everyday. This is because I tend to run out of facts. Some even tell me to change it to "Fact OF The Month". With all that, I have decided to change it to something else. I promise I will try updating my fact section as often as I can.
28th of March will be my big day as it is Earth Hour in Singapore. With all the lights off, I will be on the darkest spot stargazing with my team. I hope to see a crystal clear sky with more twinkling stars. I pray that there will be no cloud cover on that day. I was waiting for such time to come.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
First Post For This Year
It has been a while since I have updated. I have returned from my trip 2 months ago. However I was busy for these two months, so I was unable do some Astronomy. During my trip I spotted Andromeda galaxy (M31), with my binoculars. I was excited as it was the first time spotting it after four years of hard work. It appeared as a fuzzy patch. It was a great difficulty as I had to carefully outline the constellation Andromeda. I tried making shapes with some of its stars in order to target M31. I was only able to spot this galaxy during one of the two nights of my trip. I also took an exposed photograph of the Pleiades (M45) which did not appear as quell as the ones taken by better amateur astronomers.
Instead of being like other amateur astronomers, I have decided to do something innovative. I hardly used my telescope these days due to bad weather and cloud cover. Instead, I was browsing through some of the Astronomy websites. After some research, I realised there was something known as the online telescope which allows you to control few of the worlds powerful telescopes. I have added a new website called Slooh which is an online telescope. Unfortunately, you would need to subscribe and get a telescope card. This telescope card allows you to view the deep space lively for a certain period of time. Being a fan of The Irate Gamer, I thought of starting a new show called "OWLESTIAL". Just like how Irate Gamer does review on games, I thought of doing review on Astronomy. However, I will not use offensive language nor insult a content. I will do review on some of the Astronomical books and programmes. At the same time, I will show some of my future night sky explorations and how to make your own Astronomical gadgets. In future I hope to do some marketing like The Irate Gamer.
Before, I take my next step I would need to prioritise my time. It will take some time before I start my first show. I may even take a year or so. I am currently working on the "Owlestial" logo. It will come out soon. I will try my best keep updating this site. I may post some interesting images of my findings.
Instead of being like other amateur astronomers, I have decided to do something innovative. I hardly used my telescope these days due to bad weather and cloud cover. Instead, I was browsing through some of the Astronomy websites. After some research, I realised there was something known as the online telescope which allows you to control few of the worlds powerful telescopes. I have added a new website called Slooh which is an online telescope. Unfortunately, you would need to subscribe and get a telescope card. This telescope card allows you to view the deep space lively for a certain period of time. Being a fan of The Irate Gamer, I thought of starting a new show called "OWLESTIAL". Just like how Irate Gamer does review on games, I thought of doing review on Astronomy. However, I will not use offensive language nor insult a content. I will do review on some of the Astronomical books and programmes. At the same time, I will show some of my future night sky explorations and how to make your own Astronomical gadgets. In future I hope to do some marketing like The Irate Gamer.
Before, I take my next step I would need to prioritise my time. It will take some time before I start my first show. I may even take a year or so. I am currently working on the "Owlestial" logo. It will come out soon. I will try my best keep updating this site. I may post some interesting images of my findings.
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