New for June 2009
- Star Party at PixSense, Karachi.
OUR
The word 'Technology' is more or less a distraction. In fact, things are often simpler than they are portrayed. Our purpose is to encourage the Pakistani youth to materialize their ideas to test and substantiate their potentials. Amateur Astronomy is just one portal. Starting from nothing, we are becoming proficient at it because we try and work. Our mistakes and failures are our teachers, and success is our goal.
- Dr. Muhammad Akbar Hussain Siddiqui
June 06, 2009
STAR PARTY AT PIXSENSE, KARACHI
An activity was organized by Pakistan Amateur Astronomers Society at Pixsense, Karachi. It was a pilot activity to study the celestial objects and to assess the practicality of further star activities at wider scale. I am specially thankful to Faraz and Mehdi, and all the participants for their efforts. Click Here for the pictures.
- Dr. Muhammad Akbar Hussain
April 10, 2009
LIST OF URBAN DEEP SPACE OBJECTS (DSOs)
Zain Ahmed has come up with a list of Deep Space Objects that he has identified with his average binoculars. This list is as of the early spring sky of northern hemisphere at subtropical latitude. He strives to identify more objects at other times of the year. The purpose of this list is to create an awareness that useful astronomy can still be done with the most limited equipments under light-polluted urban skies of major cosmopolitan cities like Karachi. We endeavour to exponentially expand this list after the completion of larger telescopes like SK'EYE-4 and SK'EYE-5.
The list includes the following objects:
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M3 [globular cluster in Canes Venatici], |
M5 [globular cluster, Serpens], |
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M8 [the Lagoon Nebula, Sagittarius], | |
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M10 [globular cluster, Ophiuchus], |
M11 [the Wild Duck Cluster in Scutum], |
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M13 [The Hercules Globular Cluster], |
M16 [the Eagle Nebula in Serpens Cauda], |
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M22 [the Great Sagittarius Globular], |
M25 [open cluster in Sagittarius], |
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M29 [open cluster in Cygnus], |
M31 [the Great Andromeda Spiral], |
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M34 [OC in Perseus], |
M35 [OC in Gemini], |
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M41 [open cluster, Canis Major], | |
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M42 [the Great Nebula in Orion], |
M44 [the Beehive (Praesepe) in Cancer], |
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M45 [the Pleiades - can also be seen unaided], |
M47 [OC in Puppis], |
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M50 [OC, Monoceros], |
M92 [globular in Hercules] & |
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M93 [galactic cluster in Puppis]. |
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- Dr. Muhammad Akbar Hussain
March 14, 2009
CELESTRON 127 EQ
I have purchased a Celestron 127 EQ a few days back. Unfortunately I have not tried it to view the sky yet, because of the cloudy weather here in
- Dr. Muhammad Akbar Hussain
August 03, 2008
Partial Solar Eclipse 2008
I have uploaded a few pictures of the Solar Eclipse of August 01, 2008 which was seen as a partial eclipse in
- Dr. Muhammad Akbar Hussain
June 15, 2008
An Unfinished Business
While browsing through the folders of my PC, I came across a few older, previously unpublished pictures of Moon and Jupiter taken by SK'EYE-III. So I am uploading these. I am also uploading the pictures of the initial stages of construction of 12.5" Newtonian, SK'EYE-4.
- Dr. Muhammad Akbar Hussain
May 14, 2008
Construction of SK'EYE-4 Resumes
The SK'EYE-4, 12.5" reflector project is out of doldrums (at least for the time being). Construction of the mirror cell and the optical tube assembly is ongoing. I shall upload the pictures of the ongoing construction very soon.
- Dr. Muhammad Akbar Hussain
August 21, 2007
Construction of SK'EYE-4 Begins
The construction of SK'EYE-4 begins. It is planned to be a 12.5" Newtonian reflector. It is expected to take 1 year to get completed if the construction goes uninterrupted.
- Dr. Muhammad Akbar Hussain
SK'EYE-4 and SK'EYE-5; an overview of technical specifications
SK'EYE-4
Design:---------------------------------------Newtonian reflector
Primary mirror:-----------------------------12.5" diameter
Focal ratio:----------------------------------f/6
Accuracy:------------------------------------1/8th wave
Expected date of completion:-------------Aug 2008
SK'EYE-5 is aimed to be a medium diameter reflecting telescope to observe deep sky objects. If the Pakistan Astrodome project is completed in near future, it will house SK'EYE-4, provided the unavailability of a more sophisticated instrument.
SK'EYE-5
Design:--------------------------------------Newtonian reflector
Primary mirror:----------------------------10" diameter
Focal ratio:---------------------------------f/6
Accuracy:-----------------------------------1/30th wave
Expected date of completion:------------Aug 2009
SK'EYE-5 is aimed to be a medium diameter reflecting telescope and will primarily be used for planetary and lunar studies at high magnifications.
- Dr. Muhammad Akbar Hussain
THE RAJANPUR ASTRONOMERS
If there is sky, there will be astronomers to be impressed by its vastness and to appreciate it. This is as true in Rajanpur as is anywhere else. Near the arid slopes of Takhte Suleman, some 550 km north of
- Dr.Muhammad Akbar Hussain
THE GIANT LEAP
Dec 11, 2006
Today, our astronomers society made a giant leap forward, thanks to Mr. David Ratledge, an English astronomer based in
- Dr. Muhammad Akbar Hussain
bravenet.com