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Thread: Favorite Online Resources for Observers

  1. #26
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    www.inthesky.org
    www.the-sky-live.com

    my2cents worth.

    Dave

  2. #27
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    with emphasis on enter your specific location - or suffer the default locations rise and set ,transit times ect

  3. #28
    Member akarsh's Avatar
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    Hi Dragan and others,

    Here's what I use,

    To pick objects:

    The RASC Challenge List -- http://messier.seds.org/xtra/similar/rasc-dsc.html
    Steve's Adventures in Deep Space -- http://www.astronomy-mall.com/Adventures.In.Deep.Space/
    The Deep Sky Forum OOTW (duh)
    Reiner's observing guides -- http://www.reinervogel.net/index_e.html
    Martin Schoenball's Arp page -- http://arp.schoenball.de/index_e.htm
    Uwe's observing projects -- http://www.deepsky-visuell.de/
    Wolfgang Steinicke and Richard Jakiel's book titled "Galaxies and how to observe them" (Springer Verlag)

    To find out more about objects:

    SIMBAD -- http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-fid
    STScI DSS -- https://archive.stsci.edu/cgi-bin/dss_form

    (The DSS query is built into my planetarium, and we're working towards building SIMBAD/NED/VizieR in)
    Last edited by akarsh; March 28th, 2016 at 04:33 PM. Reason: Added Wolfgang Steinicke's book
    18" f/4.5 Obsession dob "Romela"
    6" SkyQuest Orion dob
    Garrett Optical 25x100
    Homepage
    DSS Tool : Logbook Project : KStars
    The Astronomy Connection : Austin Astronomical Society : Bangalore Astronomical Society

  4. #29
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    Visual Sky Assist http://www.ar-dec.net/vsa/

  5. #30
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    The three you mention are absolute staples of mine. Ivan mentions Aladin and that's another excellent resource as well.
    Last edited by acheter; June 18th, 2017 at 05:43 PM.

  6. #31
    Member akarsh's Avatar
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    I'm adding to the list after this thread has resurfaced, and since I gathered all of this in one place for a recent visual observing talk.
    Quote Originally Posted by akarsh View Post
    The RASC Challenge List -- http://messier.seds.org/xtra/similar/rasc-dsc.html
    Steve's Adventures in Deep Space -- http://www.astronomy-mall.com/Adventures.In.Deep.Space/
    The Deep Sky Forum OOTW (duh)
    Reiner's observing guides -- http://www.reinervogel.net/index_e.html
    Martin Schoenball's Arp page -- http://arp.schoenball.de/index_e.htm
    Uwe's observing projects -- http://www.deepsky-visuell.de/
    Wolfgang Steinicke and Richard Jakiel's book titled "Galaxies and how to observe them" (Springer Verlag)
    Paul's Page -- www.pnalsing.com
    Quote Originally Posted by akarsh View Post
    To find out more about objects:

    SIMBAD -- http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-fid
    STScI DSS -- https://archive.stsci.edu/cgi-bin/dss_form

    (The DSS query is built into my planetarium, and we're working towards building SIMBAD/NED/VizieR in)
    As of this writing, SIMBAD is also built into my planetarium (KStars), and Jimi taught me a few more tricks:
    The Hubble Legacy Arcihve: https://hla.stsci.edu/
    And of course SDSS DR10, NED.

    Great for interpreting redshifts, Ned Wright's Cosmology calculator:
    http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~wright/CosmoCalc.html

    Clear Skies.
    Akarsh
    18" f/4.5 Obsession dob "Romela"
    6" SkyQuest Orion dob
    Garrett Optical 25x100
    Homepage
    DSS Tool : Logbook Project : KStars
    The Astronomy Connection : Austin Astronomical Society : Bangalore Astronomical Society

  7. #32
    Member Sue French's Avatar
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    I've used Aladin for years and have always found it intuitively obvious. In fact, I give a talk on astronomical resources that includes Aladin as a major asset. The PowerPoint presentation is given to attendees on a handout disk with clickable links that take the user to all the features I discuss. The talk shows how folks can find the answers to questions readers typically ask me. Now we have Aladin 10, and I find it obtuse. For example, I just spent quite a while trying to get a NED overlay that only identifies galaxies - to no avail, thus giving an annoyingly crowded overlay. It was quite easy to eliminate all other object types in Aladin 9. Anyone having better luck figuring out version 10?

    Sue

  8. #33
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    To generate finder charts I use

    http://server7.sky-map.org/

    The beta version (click the mouse icon in the upper left) is easier to navigate. You can search on NGC, IC, UGC, PGC, PK, etc and these are also labeled when you mouse over them. You can also mouse over field stars to get their magnitudes.

    For tracking comets I use

    http://cometchasing.skyhound.com/

    and

    https://theskylive.com/comets


    The Sky Live site is also good for finding where the planets and asteroids are currently.

  9. #34
    Member akarsh's Avatar
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    BTW, I'd like to shamelessly add to this list my "slightly better UX" for DSS and SDSS queries, as well as being able to rotate them to match your dob view for the given time:

    http://bas.org.in/dssdirect.php?id=M%2051

    You see a list of survey options and image cutout size to fetch under "Step 1". In "Step 2" you can configure the rotation / flip etc. of the image -- if you have a dob with a focuser that's parallel to the tube and on the right side, you can just enter your latitude and longitude and it will orient the DSS image as it should be in your eyepiece at the present time. Finally, if you click on the image anywhere, it will place cross-hairs there. You can then click the "SIMBAD" link below the image and it will do a query around the point to tell you what the object at the cross-hairs is.

    I've been telling myself that some day, I'll improve it and move it to the deepskyforum website, but not sure when that day will come...
    18" f/4.5 Obsession dob "Romela"
    6" SkyQuest Orion dob
    Garrett Optical 25x100
    Homepage
    DSS Tool : Logbook Project : KStars
    The Astronomy Connection : Austin Astronomical Society : Bangalore Astronomical Society

  10. #35
    Member Don Pensack's Avatar
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    I have often used the RC3 of Vaucouleurs as a reference
    https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/W3Browse/all/rc3.html
    Does anyone know why I shouldn't rely on it?
    Don Pensack
    www.EyepiecesEtc.com
    Los Angeles

  11. #36
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    You might want to look at Harold Corwin's update of that at http://haroldcorwin.net/ He calls it RC3.10

    Owen
    22" Obsession UC
    15" Obsession UC
    Takahashi Mewlon 210
    TMB 130 LW

  12. #37
    Member Don Pensack's Avatar
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    Thanks,
    Don
    Don Pensack
    www.EyepiecesEtc.com
    Los Angeles

  13. #38
    Administrator/Co-Founder Dragan's Avatar
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    I'll add these recommendations to our own UDSOR list here at DSF.

    Thanks everyone!
    Clear Dark Skies,
    Dragan Nikin
    25" f/5 Obsession #610 "Toto"
    30" f/4.5 OMI EVO #1 "Tycho"
    www.darkskiesapparel.com

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