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Old 09-11-2012, 02:28 PM
 
Location: Shreveport, LA
1,609 posts, read 1,600,481 times
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How is the astronomy in Alaska? I dabble...
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Old 09-11-2012, 02:41 PM
 
Location: Singapore
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It depends where you are in the state. Fairbanks would be very good if it's dark enough and Anchorage is pretty decent too although it's a lot more cloudy than Fairbanks but still acceptable. Besides the moon, there is no astronomy in the summer unless you are much farther south.
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Old 09-11-2012, 03:06 PM
 
Location: Wasilla, Alaska
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I concur with Candle's assessment. The interior during the winter is the best place to view the planets and stars, the coastal areas tend to be overcast much of the time. I get "Dark Skies" around Wasilla, but not much of the sky is visible due to the trees, so I usually go to Hatcher Pass, if it is not overcast.
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Old 09-11-2012, 05:38 PM
 
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Alaska has a lot of things going for it - Astronomy isn't one of them.

1. Obviously, you can't see a significant chunk of the Southern Sky - ever.
2. Several months out the year it doesn't get dark at all, or not until really late and not for very long.
3. The other times it's cloudy a lot.
4. Clear, dark skies are common in the winter, but then of course it's just plain butt cold.
5. Long summer days can be good for Solar, but there is often a lot of turbulence here however.

Astronomy is one of the things I've sacrificed to live in Alaska. In all the years I've been here I've only used my telescope a handful of times, and then usually only for planetary or solar.

But getting to observe and photograph the Aurora helps to make up for it!
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Old 09-12-2012, 08:02 AM
 
Location: Shreveport, LA
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Yeah... I've never seen an Aurora, being in the tropics...

Well, technically subtropics, since I'm north of the tropic of cancer, but we have a tropical climate, anyway...

I would love to observe one...

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Old 09-12-2012, 08:17 AM
 
Location: Wasilla, Alaska
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Magic Qwan View Post
Yeah... I've never seen an Aurora, being in the tropics...

Well, technically subtropics, since I'm north of the tropic of cancer, but we have a tropical climate, anyway...

I would love to observe one...

Be thankful you have never seen an aurora in the tropics. If you had, the nation and the world would be in serious trouble as everything electronic fries. Auroras are highly charged plasma storms with as much as 200,000 volts of electricity during normal magnetic storms. The color of an aurora is also determined by the intensity of the storm. Ionized oxygen produces green auroras, or brownish-red if it is a high energy storm. Ionized nitrogen appears either red or blue depending upon the amount of energy produced by the magnetic storm.

Last edited by Glitch; 09-12-2012 at 08:28 AM..
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Old 09-13-2012, 02:36 AM
 
Location: Kasilof, Ak/NCa
339 posts, read 588,356 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Glitch View Post
The color of an aurora is also determined by the intensity of the storm. Ionized oxygen produces green auroras, or brownish-red if it is a high energy storm. Ionized nitrogen appears either red or blue depending upon the amount of energy produced by the magnetic storm.
I had always wondered what caused the different colors, my preferences are the blue/green ones. Thanks for the info
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Old 09-13-2012, 05:10 AM
 
287 posts, read 598,877 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Glitch View Post
Be thankful you have never seen an aurora in the tropics. If you had, the nation and the world would be in serious trouble as everything electronic fries
...I wish we had aurora's in the tropics...
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Old 09-14-2012, 07:55 AM
 
Location: Shreveport, LA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Glitch View Post
Be thankful you have never seen an aurora in the tropics. If you had, the nation and the world would be in serious trouble as everything electronic fries. Auroras are highly charged plasma storms with as much as 200,000 volts of electricity during normal magnetic storms. The color of an aurora is also determined by the intensity of the storm. Ionized oxygen produces green auroras, or brownish-red if it is a high energy storm. Ionized nitrogen appears either red or blue depending upon the amount of energy produced by the magnetic storm.
On the first anniversary of the night my father was killed, there might have been one; but I was five at the time. And if it was there, it would have been very low on the horizon. I didn't see it, but I heard about a massive one that could be seen as far south as San Diego. It occurred November 5-6th, 2001.

Despite, or perhaps because of, never seeing the Aurora, the Aurora fascinates me. I've always been an avid stargazer, though I let up a bit when my distance vision deteriorated to a certain level. I originally had 20/5 vision in both eyes, and I attribute the change to the drugs I'm prescribed and given daily. That would be another thread, however...

I must have my vision restored in the not-so-distant future so I can see the sky well, again. They put up a cross across from where I live that shines high-beams and everybody notices that there are hardly any stars in the sky since they built it. I've been agitated by it, but I am afraid to protest as it would make me look like a bigot. Despite not getting the crisp image I used to have and still desire, I still would make attempts to see the sky by constantly having my eyeglass and contact prescription updated to have a clear image...

They got it wrong the last time from the start, but my mother never got around to taking me back to tell them. Now I mainly view the world through the computer, as I start have difficulties seeing after just a couple yards. Of coarse, without my lenses, I can't see past the tip of my nose and it be crisp. After I get my eyes fixed, I might look into astronomy as an actual career path. I hear that the job market for astronomy is terrible, though. I've been advised to pick something else. I'm not really sure what I'll major in.

There doesn't seem to be anything that suits me perfectly.

Thanks for the information, Glitch. Sorry, I've been rambling a bit.
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Old 09-15-2012, 07:56 PM
 
Location: Kasilof, Ak/NCa
339 posts, read 588,356 times
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Its not that the stars are not there it's called light pollution. No, really. Its where there are so many lights, street lights, porch lights, billboards etc, that they obscure the stars' lights. In parts of Tucson, south and souteast, you can't have street lights etc because they would interfere with the views from the observatory. So if you get out of town, or atleast away from the cross you would still be able to see the stars.
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