Astronomy/cosmology questions...

[Buster's Uncle]

Go eat then.

Thanks for the birthday telescope idea - I ran up and told Mom I wanted a good big pair of binoculars on my gift list; my wimminz find me hard to get for, and I'm hampered by not wanting much in the world one can buy at practical prices.  So big thanks.

-Aaand, I'm led to remind you that you should be looking for local astronomy clubs or something of the sort as a way to meet women - you get triply-charismatic when you're sharing your love of the stars.  I've seen it.

You might pay attention to that idea, too, Lori...

[Geo]

Okay, from what I read, you'd need better equipment then the lenses of a sextant to determine the nature of an object beyond the Local Group.
I went with the Messier list of celestial objects, and came out on M81, a large galaxy 12 million lightyears from us. A small telescope or standard binoculars make this particular galaxy visible, but you need an 8 inch mirror to determine the nature of M81 (spiral galaxy, like the Milky Way).

On nautical navigation without visible stars (or even the Sun) as reference points, my gut feeling is one would need an extensive library of the motions of the visible planets and the Moon to have a rough idea where you're going. A compass would be a more precise tool.
On the topic of Polynesian navigation, the one explanation I remember was on Mauna Kena, by a (IIRC half-to 3quarter blood) Polynesian guide. And pointer stars were a big deal in how he told it. Remember, in the Tropics seasonal differences are minimal, so the knowledge what kind of current or wind is likely to happen might very well be linked to the appearance of certain stars in the night sky, and not how temperatures rise or plummet in a given 'season'.

All in all, I wouldn't want to try sailing the world's oceans without stars in the sky as travel companions.

[Geo]

If your family is inclined to gift you a good set of binoculars, a good stable tripod for it isn't a luxury. Enough wind or shaky hands make the image bounce quite a bit when handheld. Even resting your elbows on the ground or belly when looking through it doesn't make the image that more stable, and is quite likely to be a very uncomfortable position to enjoy the scenery.

[Geo]

-Aaand, I'm led to remind you that you should be looking for local astronomy clubs or something of the sort as a way to meet women - you get triply-charismatic when you're sharing your love of the stars.  I've seen it.

Not only with star stories.
I remember a LEGO event where a woman was interested in a Viking ship model, and we had a nice little chat.
Afterwards I wondered if I shouldn't have asked for her number.

[Buster's Uncle]

If you wonder you probably almost certainly should have.

[Geo]

If you wonder you probably almost certainly should have.

Oh well.

[Buster's Uncle]

I had thought about the tripod - they had big binoculars set up that way at the observatory in 1986, for looking at Haileys - I couldn't see anything, but still.



-You know what I do wrong at chasing women?  I don't chase.  There ain't NEVER gonna be no sex in this house for me to have, and it's MY fault.

[Buster's Uncle]

And the sextant ain't for astronomy in this scenario - it's for using as a SEXTANT.  I reckon you could fix position w/ a few not-naked-eye-visible stars though one...

[Geo]

And the sextant ain't for astronomy in this scenario - it's for using as a SEXTANT.  I reckon you could fix position w/ a few not-naked-eye-visible stars though one...

The initial problem would be to know where to start looking for it if it isn't even visible for the naked eye. You need a visible pattern in the sky to know where you're looking for something. And remember, no nearby stars exist in this scenario, only galaxies beyond the Local Group.

[Buster's Uncle]

Sure, a point source is better than a smudge, and that latter's harder to find, but planets/moon and that great almanac help - it's a handwave game, not a story I propose to write.  -I'd drop the starless timeline as ridiculous if so.

[Buster's Uncle]

And-  stars in sea navigating were first for determining longitude, as a compass and travel records and that almanac and some dead-reckoning covers the other pretty well, mostly, maybe.  Then there's reliable time-keeping coming in for determining exact position when the clockwork technology/craftsmanship got good enough only a few hundred years ago - moving points of reference make the maths required a LOT harder, sure, and I don't believe in little Amy's world looking so much like ours - but I'm trying To Make Sense...

[Lorizael]

-Aaand, I'm led to remind you that you should be looking for local astronomy clubs or something of the sort as a way to meet women - you get triply-charismatic when you're sharing your love of the stars.  I've seen it.

lol, no, local astronomy clubs are all old retired guys.

[Buster's Uncle]

In America, anyway.

Too bad - there's still a kernel of an idea there; your professional status makes you somebody to a sort of woman you'd want to get to know - you do like the smart/educated ones that much better, don't you?

[Geo]

And-  stars in sea navigating were first for determining longitude, ...

I can be mistaken of course, but I thought stars (or constellations at least) were first used to find the direction one is looking.

[Buster's Uncle]

I think magnetic compasses go back well over a thousand years.  Not sure...