Cassini-Huygens

[LightningGSX]

This morning(after 7+ year, 2.2 billion mile trip) the Huygens probe landed on Titan, which probably one of the greatest human achievements to date.Titan is thought to be similar to an early Earth, data from this mission could tell us alot about how life started here on Earth and how common life supporting planets are around the universe.They have raw pics out now, but I can't wait to see the processed images.This probe had a microphone as well, I think it will be cool to hear another world.Best part about it, the US didn't pay for it all.


http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/operation...ns-mission.cfm

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Cassini-Huygens/

[Jana]

That's pretty awesome.

There is no telling what all they will find there.It will be very interesting to see what turns up.

[Matt D.]

As you know I'm an avid space enthusiast. It's pretty crazy knowing we can now land a craft on nearly any other planetary body in space.

[LightningGSX]

Now if they could just ditch some of the politics and make it to Europa, I would be suprised if there wasn't life on Europa.

[Matt D.]

For anyone that doesn't know Europa is one of Jupiter's moons. The Galileo satellite observed it in 1995 before crashing into Jupiter. Before Galileo scientists knew Europa was most likely entirely covered in ice, but Galileo proved this. It can be seen where water is ejected through the crust to the surface almost like a volcano.

Europa links:
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/...ect=Jup_Europa
http://www.enterprisemission.com/europa.html
http://people.msoe.edu/~tritt/sf/europa.life.html

Galileo site:
http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/

Picture of Europa from Galileo:

Matt that is some interesting links you posted.Hopefully I can find me a camera that I can adapt to my telescope.Then I will post some pictures of the things I look at.

[LightningGSX]

Originally Posted by nathan

Matt that is some interesting links you posted.Hopefully I can find me a camera that I can adapt to my telescope.Then I will post some pictures of the things I look at.

What kind of camera? What kind of telescope?

Well I need an older style camera.The ones were you can hold the shutter open yourself.It should have like a hole in the bottom with some threads.Thats were you can screw in a cable that allows you to open and close the shutter yourself.My telescope is a Nathan brand.I built this one myself.Its a 1200mm reflector.If you are interested I can post some pics of it.

[LightningGSX]

They purposely crashed Galileo into Jupiter so it didn't end up crashing into and contaminating Europa with Microorganisms from Earth.There was supposed to be a mission to it in 2008, but Bush shot it down.I hope someday we have a science-friendly president in office

[LightningGSX]

Originally Posted by nathan

Well I need an older style camera.The ones were you can hold the shutter open yourself.It should have like a hole in the bottom with some threads.Thats were you can screw in a cable that allows you to open and close the shutter yourself.My telescope is a Nathan brand.I built this one myself.Its a 1200mm reflector.If you are interested I can post some pics of it.

You'd probably be better off with a purpose-built CCD imager, they're amazingly cheap these days.Dealing with regular cameras just seems to add too many variables to the equation, unless you're patient like that, I am not.

So did you grind your own optics then? I've been meaning to build a newtonian forever, I'm much too lazy to grind and test mirrors though

Well now the mirrors I did not build.I purchased them through Orion.The tube,stand,mirror base,secondary mirror holder,spider vane was built by me.The mirrors I would be afraid to try and build.I have to say I have alot of time in this thing.Instead of getting the camera I will check into the stuff you suggested.Thanks for the idea.