What was difficult to understand about "we're not going to get into any trouble tonight"?
— James, Heroes #51

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Heroes  [OT]   Why? Support Search RSS runboard.com       Sign up (learn about it) | Sign in (lost password?) Page:  1  2  knightflyer Gadgeteer Global user Registered: 10-2004 Location: Orion Arm, Milky Way Posts: 244 Reply | Quote Why? Why do images of stars taken by telescopes have a four bright spikes emanating from them?     |    -+-     | That's very poor but hopefully it gives you the idea. Knightflyer --- Stuart --------- "What goes around come around." "And sometimes you get what's coming around." "And sometime you are what's coming around." Jim Butcher, Grave Peril 12/7/2007, 21:31 Send Email to knightflyer   Send PM to knightflyer Ray Oceanweaver Superhero Global user Registered: 04-2003 Location: England, UK Posts: 175 Reply | Quote Re: Why? Because all telescopes are secretly made by Disney. --- Rachel ~The optimist fails as badly as the pessimist, just has a better time of it~ Wings of Rapture - For Writers of Erotica and Romance 13/7/2007, 10:19 Send Email to Ray Oceanweaver   Send PM to Ray Oceanweaver Blog knightflyer Gadgeteer Global user Registered: 10-2004 Location: Orion Arm, Milky Way Posts: 244 Reply | Quote Re: Why? Why didn't I think of that! But no they don't make telecopes in fluffy pink, not serious ones anyway... --- Stuart --------- "What goes around come around." "And sometimes you get what's coming around." "And sometime you are what's coming around." Jim Butcher, Grave Peril 13/7/2007, 21:48 Send Email to knightflyer   Send PM to knightflyer David Meadows Editor-in-chief Global user Registered: 09-2003 Posts: 442 Reply | Quote Re: Why? I admit it's got me stumped. It's obviously not an atmospheric effect because Hubble does it too. I can't remember seeing the effect directly through a telescope (but that's been a long time ago) so I think the effect lies in the camera not the telescope. But I can't think of any mechanism that would cause it. --- "Don't Kill the whale Don't kill the trees Don't kill the butterflies Don't kill the bees" -- Jon Anderson 14/7/2007, 8:12 Send Email to David Meadows   Send PM to David Meadows Ray Oceanweaver Superhero Global user Registered: 04-2003 Location: England, UK Posts: 175 Reply | Quote Re: Why? I'm guessing it's the same reason why when you look at lightbulbs, you get the same sort of effect. Probably to do with some light distortion or something through the lens of the eye (or camera, in that case). --- Rachel ~The optimist fails as badly as the pessimist, just has a better time of it~ Wings of Rapture - For Writers of Erotica and Romance 14/7/2007, 16:47 Send Email to Ray Oceanweaver   Send PM to Ray Oceanweaver Blog knightflyer Gadgeteer Global user Registered: 10-2004 Location: Orion Arm, Milky Way Posts: 244 Reply | Quote Re: Why? Almost but not quite. Ray's good at this (remembering Olympus Mons). Here's a better example. Last edited by knightflyer, 14/7/2007, 20:58 --- Stuart --------- "What goes around come around." "And sometimes you get what's coming around." "And sometime you are what's coming around." Jim Butcher, Grave Peril 14/7/2007, 20:56 Send Email to knightflyer   Send PM to knightflyer Blitzen Superhero Global user Registered: 12-2004 Location: falkirk Posts: 148 Reply | Quote Re: Why? Its actually to do with the glass they use. You get the same effect with cameras. --- Quick! Competition! Vote for your favourite comic scripts http://forums.millarworld.tv/index.php?showtopic=90564&st=20 It's not clicky, though, sorry 15/7/2007, 10:19 Send Email to Blitzen   Send PM to Blitzen knightflyer Gadgeteer Global user Registered: 10-2004 Location: Orion Arm, Milky Way Posts: 244 Reply | Quote Re: Why? Lense flares in cameras are a series circular reflections off the lenses, I don't think you get 'starbursts' with a filter. This has to do with reflecting telescopes. So no lenses. Knightflyer --- Stuart --------- "What goes around come around." "And sometimes you get what's coming around." "And sometime you are what's coming around." Jim Butcher, Grave Peril 16/7/2007, 17:46 Send Email to knightflyer   Send PM to knightflyer knightflyer Gadgeteer Global user Registered: 10-2004 Location: Orion Arm, Milky Way Posts: 244 Reply | Quote Re: Why? Ok, I guess you've given up. It's the effect of the secondary mirror supports. There's four of them at right angles to each other. Cue argument about seeing starbursts in camera pictures and through your own eyes. Knightflyer --- Stuart --------- "What goes around come around." "And sometimes you get what's coming around." "And sometime you are what's coming around." Jim Butcher, Grave Peril 17/7/2007, 20:04 Send Email to knightflyer   Send PM to knightflyer David Meadows Editor-in-chief Global user Registered: 09-2003 Posts: 442 Reply | Quote Re: Why? Would you believe I was just about to post that answer? The secondary mirror supports was Wolfy's guess, though I wasn't convinced it was right because I don't see how the effect could be so pronounced. I'm guessing that the supports are effectively turning the aperture into four separate quarter-apertures, and the "spokes" are where the four slightly out-of-alignment images superimpose and reinforce each other. Is that right? I can't see any other way for a blockage to increase brightness (logically you would expect it to decrease). --- "This is most television programming. They assume that most people are subnormal. They give them subnormal television programmes and pretty soon that's the normal audience." -- Alan Moore 17/7/2007, 20:16 Send Email to David Meadows   Send PM to David Meadows Add a reply Page:  1  2  Link to us   -  Blogs   -  Hall of Honour   -  Chat You are not logged in (login)      Board's time is: 28/11/2009, 5:21