Yeah. I'm not sure why anybody would think walking is still needed when we have supersonic planes. /s

To get started you can use good binoculars. Maybe you can get a used set for close to $30.

The other option is to start mowing lawns and walking dogs for folks. You can earn decent cash and buy a nice telescope.

Your original argument was that they were making too much space junk, now it's about night sky pollution. Pick a point to argue and stick with it

VIRGO is (sometimes) online so three pixels, but of varying quality.

We’re looking at the same picture! I’m scared!

do you wana buy Brooklyn Bridge? just today just for you - very low price

Because that proximity advantage, for the bootstrapping phase of orbital industry, is enormous.

Like the previous poster said, the moon is going to be our training ground. But it's also more than that. It's an entire orbital mine with a low orbital Delta V requirement. Lunar orbit is much less expensive to achieve from the surface than Earth orbit. Remote orbital processing will have far less signal lag. Sending crews up in shifts and rotating them down for in-gravity recovery is a fraction of the price it would be to Earth.

We know that microgravity is ultimately catastrophic to humans. We don't know how much gravity it takes to remediate or prevent the damage.

So the moon gives us the perfect, "low" effort testbed. Without the knowledge we can only get on the moon (gravity effects, how to build safe living structures using native materials, how to build low-energy processing facility in low gravity, how to maintain a long term closed ecology of food, waste, and heat), we'd be going into any longer term missions blind.

There are only 3 options for orbital industry; haul it up from Earth, get it from the moon, or get it from a near Earth asteroid.

Near Earth asteroids are, until we develop the capability to actually alter their orbit, effectively a remote deep space mission with pass/fail criticality. There's nothing we could learn from one that we can't learn from the moon, while learning everything else already mentioned at the same time.

One big lesson from the ISS is to put as many systems as possible on the inside, instead of needing spacewalks to service anything. The ISS has a lot of systems on the outside and they are almost impossible to work on and maintain. Another big thing is inflatable modules for much larger volume.

Ok… what’s that?

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Agreed XDinglberry. I suggest to all beginning astronomers they find a decent pair of new or used 10 x 50 binocs and get a star map or software. Learn to constellation hop and identify things Out There. If interest is lost, there is no scope to unload at a loss, and the binocs are still good for a day's birding or at the beach.

SpaceX should pay for a satellite China launched before SpaceX was a company?

That’s just dumb.

> My post history has the full equipment and processing details for the four pictures, taken in October 2020, July 2021, August 2022, and October 2022.

I was curious, so I went into OP's post history to dig it all up...

October 2020:
https://www.reddit.com/r/astrophotography/comments/jahtkd/planets_with_8inch_dobsonian/

> I’m just a beginner to AP and these shots aren’t much comparable to others on here, but I’m very proud of my first real pictures of Mars (10/11), Saturn (10/11), and Jupiter (10/10). > > Shot with Orion SkyQuest XT8 (no Barlow) and ZWO ASI120MC-S using SharpCap software. > Processed with Pipp, AutoStakkert! 3.1.4, and RegiStax 6. Combined with MS Paint. > > I have a 2x Barlow coming in today so hopefully I’ll be able to capture more detailed shots tonight!

July 2021:
https://www.reddit.com/r/astrophotography/comments/ooeprn/jupiter_and_saturn_with_8_dob_july_20_2021/

> I got the telescope last summer and was finally able to capture some nice images after a lot of practice (and bad weather)! > I'm incredibly grateful to u/schorhr for all the guidance last year regarding scopes and eyepieces. > > Equipment: > > * Orion Skyquest XT8 8 inch Dobsonian > * ZWO ASI120MC-S camera > * Celestron Omni 2x Barlow > > Processing: > > * Shot about 5000 frames with Sharpcap (v3.2.6442.0) for each planet > * pre-processed with PIPP (v2.5.9) > * stacked 30% of frames and sharpened image with AutoStakkert! (v3.1.4) > * RegiStax 6: RGB alignment, RGB balance, histogram, and wavelets > * GIMP v2.10.24: contrast, saturation > > Edit: These videos were helpful for learning image processing: > > * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQagPJ8pM7Y > * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1xmiJ1dkE0

August 2022:
https://www.reddit.com/r/astrophotography/comments/wenamx/jupiter_and_saturn_with_8_dob_august_2_2022/

> Photographed the Gas Giants last night after a year hiatus. The skies were clear enough to get some nice shots with my 3x Barlow, including my personal best image of Jupiter! > > Equipment: > > * Orion Skyquest XT8 8 inch Dobsonian (manual tracking) > * ZWO ASI120MC-S camera > * Celestron 93428 X-Cel LX 3x Barlow > > Processing: > > * captured frames with Sharpcap > * Jupiter: 4826 frames, 2 min 40 sec > * Saturn: 5707 frames, 3 min 10 sec > * pre-processed with PIPP > * stacking/sharpening image with AutoStakkert (stacked best 30% frames for each planet) > * RegiStax: RGB alignment, RGB balance, histogram, and wavelets > * GIMP: contrast, saturation

October 2022:
https://www.reddit.com/r/astrophotography/comments/xz0gsa/jupiter_with_8_dob_october_7_2022/

> Equipment: > > * Orion Skyquest XT8 8 inch Dobsonian on equatorial platform > * ZWO ASI120MC-S camera > * Celestron 93428 X-Cel LX 3x Barlow > > Processing: > > * captured 2700 frames with Sharpcap over 90 seconds > * pre-processed with PIPP > * stacking/sharpening with AutoStakkert! (30% of frames, 1.5x drizzle) > * RegiStax: RGB balance, histogram, and wavelets > * Adobe Photoshop (camera raw filter): color correction (vibrance, saturation, etc.), sharpening, noise reduction > * Topaz DeNoise AI

Freakin click bait! Literally: “Antarctica leads the continents in the number of recovered meteorites for several reasons. One reason is not because more meteorites land in Antarctica.”

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Where are you located/what’s your light pollution level? The photos are fantastic!

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Yup they're incredible! Can't help but say "Wow" every single time, they're gorgeous

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Maybe look for one used, and if you find some in your price range (like others said, $30 is going to be tough) just do some research on reviews and see if it worth picking up. I picked up a decent used one for $90.

It's not going to be a thing for years yet. And some countries like the US, Russia, and China don't want anyone near their property. National security stuff is at stake.

But someday? There will be a Fred Sanford of the orbital space junkyard. Salvage will be big business. And it will generate income for those that wish to get into it.

If $30 really is your price point, you should consider binoculars. You won't find any telescopes at $30.

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