December 2004 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

Truss tube installed
by Patrick Wiggins 03 Dec '04

03 Dec '04

We got the new truss tube installed on the Big Scope mount today. It looks great (and very impressive). More details and pictures in the next News but I thought you might like to know now. Patrick

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Re: Name a star
by Chuck Hards 03 Dec '04

03 Dec '04

Here you go, Patrick, thanks for the note. This was posted on the AOL start page: By AMY C. FLEITAS November 30, 2004 Ah, the holidays: a time of goodwill toward your fellow man -- for some people. For others, it's an opportunity to grab all they can and run while people's defenses are down. While you are looking for the perfect gifts, con artists will be looking for the perfect target. This holiday season, don't get taken by these popular scams. 1. Naming a star What better gift could you give someone then the symbol of the first Christmas -- a star? Various companies claim they can sell you a star -- for a fee. This year one company is charging $54. These companies will send you a certificate with the name and location of "your star" and promise that your star's name will be in a star registry. Here's the problem: Stars are named by the International Astronomical Union -- and they aren't selling. Names for stars (and most are given numbers) are assigned according to the internationally accepted rules of the IAU. Anyone else who claims to be able to name stars has no more legal standing than your neighbor's Rottweiler. When they say your star is going into a "registry," they mean whatever registry they made up -- not the official catalog that is kept by the IAU and used by all astronomers. According to the IAU's Web site, "such 'names' have no formal or official validity whatever. Like true love and many other of the best things in human life, the beauty of the night sky is not for sale, but is free for all to enjoy." If you want to give someone a star, save yourself some money: Go to the closest planetarium, pick a star you think is pretty and ask the astronomer for the coordinates. Then go home and make your own certificate on your own computer. > Care to cut and paste the entire article? > > Patrick > > Chuck Hards wrote: > > > > Kudos to the editors and owners of this: > > > > > http://pf.channel.aol.com/moneytoday/bankrate/humaninterest/scams.adp __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - now with 250MB free storage. Learn more. http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250

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Name a star
by Chuck Hards 03 Dec '04

03 Dec '04

Kudos to the editors and owners of this: http://pf.channel.aol.com/moneytoday/bankrate/humaninterest/scams.adp __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Send holiday email and support a worthy cause. Do good. http://celebrity.mail.yahoo.com

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Re: Kodak E200 processing
by astrodeb＠charter.net 03 Dec '04

03 Dec '04

Hi, I just called Camera Country and found out they do E6 and push processing. I just need to set the ASA film speed to 800 for "Push 2" or set the film speed to 400 for "Push 1". Last time I set the film speed to ASA 200 and that's why they couldn't push the film. This is the way I understand it. However, as Joe said a "Push 2" will make the film more grainer so I may just do a "Push 1" next time. According to the January 1999 Sky and Telescope issue, Ektachrome E200 pushed two stops in a good option for camera-on-tripod shots. Thanks guys for the tip on Borge Andersen. I'll keep that in mind. Debbie > > From: Patrick Wiggins <paw(a)trilobyte.net> > Date: 2004/12/02 Thu PM 07:35:59 MST > To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Re: Kodak E200 processing > > Howdy, > > astrodeb(a)charter.net wrote: > > > > Patrick, > > > > I can't find anybody in St. George that can do the E6 processing. > That surprises me. I thought any place that processes slide film uses > E6. Very odd indeed. > > > Do you know anybody in Salt Lake that will do it? > Borge Andersen Photo, 800.349.7703, http://www.borge.net/ > Creative Color, 801.355.4124 > > I'm sure Chuck Hards will also have some thoughts on this but now that > he's only getting emails once a week it may take him a while to reply. > > Patrick > > _______________________________________________ > Utah-Astronomy mailing list > Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy > Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.utahastronomy.com >

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Kodak E200 processing
by Chuck Hards 02 Dec '04

02 Dec '04

I agree that the clerk was probably ignorant, but well-intentioned nonetheless. I was a lab technician for 5 years in a former life, and have processed a mountain of E-6 and other films. While negatives have an exposure latitude of 5 stops, that is, you can expose anywhere within a 5-stop range and still get almost all of the information out of the negative; meaning you can get a good print by compensating with the enlarger for density problems on the negative. Transparency films typically have a latitude less than half that, so in a typical daylight exposure, a 2-stop push (200 to 800) could mean a clear piece of film in an overexposed area; you have a little 35mm plastic window in a cardboard sleeve. The information is irretrevably lost. Now with a black sky background, the typical astro shot has a bit of immunity to force-processing, and you can get away with a 2-stop push much more often. I agree that there is no better lab/studio than Borge Andersen in SLC. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Meet the all-new My Yahoo! - Try it today! http://my.yahoo.com

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Re: Kodak E200 processing
by astrodeb＠charter.net 02 Dec '04

02 Dec '04

Patrick, I can't find anybody in St. George that can do the E6 processing. It's like a foreign language to these people. Do you know anybody in Salt Lake that will do it? I'm not going to freeze my rearend off in December only to have sub-standard film processing. Joe, I also have some Fuji Sensia 400 film. I found that the Kodak E200 has good red response even without the push processing. A 10-15 minute exposure will record lots of red nebulosity. I find that slides are a fun medium to show people the night sky. Debbie > > From: Patrick Wiggins <paw(a)trilobyte.net> > Date: 2004/12/01 Wed PM 02:42:02 MST > To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Re: Kodak E200 processing > > Over the years I've developed hundreds of rolls of E6 film and while > there are times I might have said pushing was not needed or not a good > idea, it would not have made sense to say it couldn't be done since > pushing is just a matter of leaving the film in the chemistry longer. > > So if they said they can not do it either they don't know how to push > film or (maybe more likely) the clerk you were speaking to did not know > what they were talking about. > > Patrick > > p.s. Developing E6 is not hard to do. A roll can be processed and > dried in an hour or less and you have total control over pushing. The > down side is cost. Part of the chemistry has a short shelf life (unlike > some of my B&W chemistry that I've been known to keep around for > years...) so you need to process a lot of film to make it cost effective. > > > astrodeb(a)charter.net wrote: > > > > I have a question about push processing E200 film. On the box of the film it says "push to 800". On my last roll of film I had developed, I asked the processing lab to push to 800. They said since I had set my ISO to 200 they couldn't do it. Am I missing something here? Or are they giving me bull****? I thought since it was 200 film I set the ISO to 200. Can somebody explain this to me or refer me to a better lab that do push processing. Any help would be appreciated. There is another comet in the sky right now and I want to do things right this time. > > > > Debbie> > > _______________________________________________ > Utah-Astronomy mailing list > Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy > Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.utahastronomy.com >

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Home computer in 2004
by Patrick Wiggins 01 Dec '04

01 Dec '04

This purports to be from a 1954 issue of Popular Mechanics. I suspect it's a hoax but it's still funny. http://users.net1plus.com/scottm/HomeComputer.jpg Patrick

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Kodak E200 processing
by astrodeb＠charter.net 01 Dec '04

01 Dec '04

I have a question about push processing E200 film. On the box of the film it says "push to 800". On my last roll of film I had developed, I asked the processing lab to push to 800. They said since I had set my ISO to 200 they couldn't do it. Am I missing something here? Or are they giving me bull****? I thought since it was 200 film I set the ISO to 200. Can somebody explain this to me or refer me to a better lab that do push processing. Any help would be appreciated. There is another comet in the sky right now and I want to do things right this time. Debbie

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Fwd: (astro) Star Party, Gary Walker, Frontiers of Science
by Chuck Hards 01 Dec '04

01 Dec '04

Forwarded from Dan Burn at the U of U astro club: --- D.Burn(a)m.cc.utah.edu wrote: > Date: Wed, 01 Dec 2004 10:57:47 -0700 > From: D.Burn(a)m.cc.utah.edu > Subject: (astro) Star Party, Gary Walker, Frontiers > of Science > To: astro(a)physics.utah.edu > > Three items to report today: > > First: > Long Time UUAS Graduate Student Advisor and Friend > Gary Walker has moved on. > Gary worked hard in Gammy-Ray Astronomy and > Observational Astronomy. He was > the first T.A. for Physics 4060 Observational > Astronomy where he taught me how > to take digital astronomical pictures. He helped > with several Wednesday and > Special Star Parties such as the Project Youth Sun > Spot Party and the > Centerville Jr. High traveling Star Party. He has > been a great mentor and > friend. He has finished his requirements for a > Doctorate in Physics and has > taken a job working on an experiment called Milagro > doing Gamma-Ray Astronomy > in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Gary and his family are > doing well and he is > enjoying his training. We all wish Gary the best. > > Second: > I cannot yet tell if the weather will cooperate for > tonights Star Party. It > might be partly cloudy. If it is 50 % cloudy or > worse then do not come. If it > is less than 50% cloudy then Dave and I should be > there to open the South > Physics Observatory between 6 and 8 p.m. > > Andromeda is high in the sky this time of year. > Towards the end of January or > early February, Saturn will be making its > reappearance during our star party > hours so stay tuned for that! Jupiter will not be > back until maybe May or > June. The Orion Nebula will be back in January! > > Third: > I apologize for giving no notice for the following > lecture. Unfortunately I > have been far behind in my Star Party emails. The > next Frontiers of Science > lecture is tonight at 7:30 in the Skaggs Biology > Auditorium. The below > information came straight off of the College of > Science website > http://www.science.utah.edu/ > The second presentation will take place on > Wednesday, December 1, 2004. This > event will feature Kristen Hawkes, a distinguished > professor of anthropology at > the U. Her lecture title is "Grandmothers and the > Evolution of Human > Longevity." > > Why do women live long past the age of > child-bearing? Contrary to common > wisdom, > this phenomenon is not new, and is not due to > support for the elderly, says > Hawkes. Rather, grandmothers provide valuable > support to their children and > grandchildren, thus ensuring survivability of the > species. Hawkes will discuss > this "grandmother hypothesis," and present evidence > to support the idea. > She published a groundbreaking study in the journal > Nature, March, 2004. See > the > study here. > Hawkes is recognized by her peers as one of the top > anthropologists in the > nation. In April 2002 she received one of science's > most prestigious honors > when she was elected to the National Academy of > Sciences (NAS). Then, in May > 2002 she received the Rosenblatt Prize, the > University of Utah's highest award > for excellence in teaching, research and > administrative efforts. > > Gamma-Rayily, > > Dan Burn > Dave Pawlowksi > Jason Sills > www.utah.edu/astro > > > > > ----- End forwarded message ----- __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Read only the mail you want - Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail

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V2 to fly again (with passengers)
by Patrick Wiggins 01 Dec '04

01 Dec '04

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/xprize-04zs.html Patrick

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