Mars - Electric Atmosphere

[fosborn]

by Sparky » Apr 30th, '11, 08:52

other than verifying that the stars can be seen from mars, what purpose do these images serve?

Whats the purpose? I don't know other than GaryN knows when something is so cool, it must be shared.
Well, has it ever occurred to you to consider the use of Rover or Spirit, PanCam for astronomy on Mars ( not to me, not in a million years)? Even though all the calibrations are for day time use, the results are awesome!
This is a nice picture of Orion( it looked much better before I reduced it to post here).

Martian Astronomy! So cool. Thanks GN !
It sounds like the team controlling the program, has a true love and imagination for what they are doing. I love it when we tax payers, get the maximum amount of science possible for our dime!
http://pancam.astro.cornell.edu/pancam_ ... cts_2.html

uhhhh, specks of light.

You mock?
Sorry, have you ever tried to take pictures of the stars with a ccd camera? I have a Fugifilm , FinePix S700, (I know, its the cheapest of that type of camera, I could get and still have some of the flexibility I wanted). Its pretty tough for me to get any decent pictures of stars with it. For them to get those shots on a 10 second exposure is awesome to me. But maybe I am too easily impressed.

But the next time your at the library and can go to the link, look at the pictures there. They look better than what I reduced and posted.

[Sparky]

fosborn, "But maybe I am too easily impressed."

well, that could be...or maybe you have much more imagination than i do...i just see itsy bitsy, bits of light, and that is all i meant to say.
specks of light that i have seen before..nothing to get excited about.

like i have said elsewhere, i was impressed by hubble's images...

[fosborn]

fosborn, "But maybe I am too easily impressed."

well, that could be...or maybe you have much more imagination than i do...i just see itsy bitsy, bits of light, and that is all i meant to say.
specks of light that i have seen before..nothing to get excited about.

like i have said elsewhere, i was impressed by hubble's images...

No imagination needed, just hands on experience (as inept as I may be at it, it still gives me an appreciation for what they attempted to do).

[GaryN]

Thanks for the link to the Pancam site Frank. I too think it is very interesting
what they are up to with the device. Here is a link to some specs. on the camera,
just amazing what they can do with a 1 Megapixel unit, I don't feel too hard done
by now with my old 3 MP Nikon!
http://astronomyonline.org/SolarSystem/ ... asp#Pancam
I also have to agree with Sparky though, that these images are not impressive,
in the Hubble sense, but that is not quite a fair comparison, is it? I have
to look a little further into the capabilities of the camera, but so far, the
exposure times they used, and the results they got, speak a thousand words in
the pursuit of my investigations.

[fosborn]

Thanks for the link to the Pancam site Frank. I too think it is very interesting
what they are up to with the device. Here is a link to some specs. on the camera,
just amazing what they can do with a 1 Megapixel unit, I don't feel too hard done
by now with my old 3 MP Nikon!
http://astronomyonline.org/SolarSystem/ ... asp#Pancam
I also have to agree with Sparky though, that these images are not impressive,
in the Hubble sense, but that is not quite a fair comparison, is it? I have
to look a little further into the capabilities of the camera,

This has turned into a strange thread, comparing Hubble to Pancam.

but so far, the
exposure times they used, and the results they got, speak a thousand words in
the pursuit of my investigations.

O, so the whole point of this thread is to discuss your investigations?

[fosborn]

Thanks for the link to the Pancam site Frank. I too think it is very interesting
what they are up to with the device. Here is a link to some specs. on the camera,
just amazing what they can do with a 1 Megapixel unit, I don't feel too hard done
by now with my old 3 MP Nikon!
http://astronomyonline.org/SolarSystem/ ... asp#Pancam
I also have to agree with Sparky though, that these images are not impressive,
in the Hubble sense, but that is not quite a fair comparison, is it? I have
to look a little further into the capabilities of the camera,

This has turned into a strange thread, comparing Hubble to Pancam.

but so far, the
exposure times they used, and the results they got, speak a thousand words in
the pursuit of my investigations.

O, so the whole point of this thread is to discuss your investigations?

I didn't think I was getting involved in a banned topic thread.
Pseudo science kills my science buzz. Think I'll push the unsubscribe button on this one.

[GaryN]

I'm sorry Frank, you lost me there somewhere.

I didn't think I was getting involved in a banned topic thread.
Pseudo science kills my science buzz. Think I'll push the unsubscribe button on this one.

Astronomy from Mars is Pseudo science?

O, so the whole point of this thread is to discuss your investigations?

My investigations are to try and get a better understanding of light, the photo-electric
effect, Compton shifting, mass-energy equivalence, all kinds of things I have heard about
but never gone into in any detail. Not saying I'll be any the wiser after it all, but
I'll give it a go!

[popster1]

Now, if they photographed the sky from Mars and the constellations were different than they appear from Earth, that would be exciting. To me it sounds like the ground crew is just trying to hold on to their jobs a bit longer.

[GaryN]

@popster1

To me it sounds like the ground crew is just trying to hold on to their jobs a bit longer.

I think that is human nature, and I couldn't say I wouldn't do the same if
ever I landed a well paying, and I'd think, interesting job. But I do agree with Frank that as much use as possible should be made of the rover before it fades away permanently, though maybe
it is too late already? I have a soft spot for those robots, all alone out there in the dust and the cold.
I don't know what else they might be able to wring out of a lame rover, but it isn't
blind, so maybe studying the dust density would determine if it is wind or ES
repulsion lofting the grains? Maybe that's been done already. They can image the moons
and some stars, and the Sun, surely they can come up with some projects of interest.
Or maybe they could keep it going as a lonely sentinel, keeping an eye out just
in case some visitors do ever swing by that neck of the woods?

[Zeo]

Hi, this is my first post, but I have been reading at this site for a few years.

I have a question for you all.

I read recently that although the sky in the mars rover images is pink, it really should be black because there is not enough atmosphere to color it.

Can anyone comment on this?

[Aardwolf]

It's thin but there's enough of it to scatter light;

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Mars_atmosphere.jpg

[Zeo]

Thank you, nice image, very helpful.

[D_Archer]

It is actually bright and blue on a normal day, but everything is debatable ofcourse, we should send someone up there to confirm what it actually looks like.

http://mars-news.de/color/blue.html

Regards,
Daniel

[Xuxalina Rihhia]

It is actually bright and blue on a normal day, but everything is debatable ofcourse, we should send someone up there to confirm what it actually looks like.

http://mars-news.de/color/blue.html

Regards,
Daniel

The skies are very earthlike when they are not red from dust. There's no way that 6 millibars of atmospheric pressure will make such a bright blue sky. NASA has NOT been forthright with us concerning the real conditions of Mars, including atmosphere, life and water. The bright blue skies of Mars belie the 6 millibar atm. pressure Big Lie that NASA has been peddling.

[viscount aero]

Hi, this is my first post, but I have been reading at this site for a few years.

I have a question for you all.

I read recently that although the sky in the mars rover images is pink, it really should be black because there is not enough atmosphere to color it.

Can anyone comment on this?

The sky on the Moon is black. Mars is dusky salmon to pale yellow to blue depending on conditions.