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

Perseids
by Kim Hyatt 12 Aug '04

12 Aug '04

I'm surprised to see so many rather negative reports. I suspect it has more to do with folks not observing from a clear, dark site, a must for meteor observing. Our experience at Wolf Creek was great. We saw many bright (mag 0 to -2 or so) meteors, most of which left trains that lasted two or three seconds. For about an hour beginning at around 11:30, my young son counted 47 Perseids, a respectable rate for a 6-year-old. After a 15-minute nap he insisted on getting up again to see some more, but when he reached 50 he finally threw in the towel and went to sleep. My wife stopped counting at 100 over a period of a couple hours. I only made one attempt at a serious count. Between 12:15 and 12:30 I counted 15 Perseids while observing directly overhead. For last night's conditions at Wolf Creek, that count would yield a ZHR of 60, just what to expect for a good Perseid event. By 5:00, the hour of the predicted maximum, I was too tired to observe seriously, but the Moon and twilight would have made it difficult to determine whether the "peak" rate was any better. 27 years ago last night I proposed to my wife while observing the Perseids from my parents' back yard. Rarely since have conditions allowed for a repeat of the (celestial) activity we experienced then. Last night was an exception. Kim Hyatt Architect 1849 East 1300 South Salt Lake City, Utah 84108 801.631.5228 kimharch(a)msn.com<mailto:kimharch@msn.com> serius est quam cogitas

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meteor reports
by Joe Bauman 12 Aug '04

12 Aug '04

Hi All, Probably I'll head to Ye Olde Gravel Pit tonight or early tomorrow. Can anyone sees the meteors email me a brief description for a story I am planning for Friday's paper? Even if it's just,"Man, that was a dud! Nothing like the buildup!" Or a couple of sentences about something memorable. The address is bau(a)desnews.com. Just make sure you give me your name, where you live (city or town, nothing more specific) and where you watched. Many thanks, Joe

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More press at the Gravel Pit
by Richard Tenney 12 Aug '04

12 Aug '04

Hi all, I just got a call from Joy Shaw who works for KBYU FM that is doing a story for the Assoc. Press on tonight's meteor shower. She is planning on coming up to the Gravel Pit after midnight tonight and collecting some sound bytes for a radio program. If you want to be part of a nationwide broadcast and have your "ooh's" and "aahs" recorded for the rest of the nation to envy, or be interviewed, the Gravel Pit's the place to be. Deseret News' Joe Bauman will also likely be there for quotes in the paper. I suppose I'm committed now to be late for work tomorrow! ;o) See you up there, Rich PS Directions can be found on the uvaa.org website under "star parties". __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - 100MB free storage! http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Observing Report from the Gravel Pit
by UTAHDEB＠aol.com 12 Aug '04

12 Aug '04

Kim, Did you split Antares? That one is a challenge but if you look at Antares closely in one of my pictures I posted, you can see the faint companion. We saw it popping in and out through my 4" refractor in July. Debbie

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Homefront
by Chuck Hards 11 Aug '04

11 Aug '04

Since I must go to work on Thursday, I'm going to watch the Perseids from my yard. Anyone else sticking around SLC tonight? __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail is new and improved - Check it out! http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Private star party etiquette
by UTAHDEB＠aol.com 11 Aug '04

11 Aug '04

You can hang by my telescope Dave if you don't mind retinal torture. LOL. By the way, my dad's car interior lights are really anoying to me. Would red cellophane be best or should I buy black? I don't know where the fuse box is. I also noticed when I was taking slides in July that when the car lights went on in back of the telescope, about 20 feet in back, no exposures were ruined. When I opened my door in front of the telescope, my last exposure that I took was ruined. It helps to be careful when taking exposures. Thanks Jo for the reminder. Debbie

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Observing Report from the Gravel Pit
by UTAHDEB＠aol.com 11 Aug '04

11 Aug '04

It just seems that seeing is never good down in Southern Utah once the summer heat begins. The seeing is always better up in the mountains at the higher elevations like Kolob Reservoir or Cedar Breaks area. The air isn't as turbulent as the lower and hotter elevations. Jim and I did observe the secondary at about the 4 o'clock position up at Kolob Reservoir. I hope the new concrete that is being laid this week will not affect the seeing. Grass is always better but I don't think that would be practical. Debbie

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Observing Report from the Gravel Pit
by UTAHDEB＠aol.com 11 Aug '04

11 Aug '04

It would seem that late winter would be best for splitting Antares when it is rising in the the early morning and seeing is more stable. It is way too warm and balmy this time of year for tight doubles. Higher elevations are necessary for this one, such as Wolf Creek to get better seeing. Debbie

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new guy here -- where on Duchesne Ridge?
by Dan Cimbora 11 Aug '04

11 Aug '04

Hi all, Just joined the mailing list. I recently completed a 16" Telekit, my first scope after being out of astronomy for some time. For my first dark-sky trip with the new scope, last weekend I went up to Duchesne Ridge/Wolf Creek summit, following the various online directions to the observing fields. Found the area with no problem but I arrived at dusk and didn't have much time to scout around, and wasn't sure exactly where to set up - I expected to find spurs off the main dirt road, but found none. Did I miss them, or do you all just bushwhack it across the sagebrush out into the meadows along the ridge? I was really pleased with how dark the skies are up there. I had half a dozen "Holy Crap" moments - the 16" is by far the biggest scope I've ever used, and most of my prior observing has been from pretty light-polluted skies. The Veil nebula and M8 looked better than photos!!! The only downside to the trip was that on my way home at 2 a.m. I hit a deer between Kamas and Park City, and my truck's in the shop with $3000 in repairs. Had to wake a neighbor up to come get me, since my wife was home with our 3-month old daughter. Bad end to a great evening! I'm toying with the idea of going up tomorrow (Weds p.m.) for observing and some Perseids. Anyone else planning on being there? I'd love some company. -Dan in SLC

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Observing Report from the Gravel Pit
by UTAHDEB＠aol.com 11 Aug '04

11 Aug '04

I did it with an OIII filter but I think that is cheating. Seeing has to be superb to get a clean split. Debbie

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