January 2005 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

RE: [Utah-astronomy] A Historical Puzzle
by Dale Hooper 30 Jan '05

30 Jan '05

Chuck, I didn't try really hard, but I tried Berlin, Germany with the web based star chart at: http://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/uncgi/Yoursky I think Germany is ahead of UTC by about one hour. So, I used 21:30 UTC. It shows a low gibbous moon. It also shows Jupiter just coming up. So, maybe they just waited for the moon to set rather than waiting for a moonless night. ________________________________ I find myself in need of aid from someone with a planetarium program that can reveal planet locations on the sky, going back to at least 1918. There is a bit of preamble necessary to frame the question, please bear with me. <snip> My question is, what planet could he be referring to? His escape is recorded as being on October 13, 1918, the planet reference would be the night of October 14th. He makes another reference that places the planet sighting before midnight, could have been as early as 10:30. He and Isaacs were at the time traversing the Black Forest, with mountainous horizons, so the "planet" could have been as high as 20 or even 30-degrees before it "rose", when reading the description of the bridge and stream in a canyon-bottom, but this is not certain. Checking my planisphere, there is a possibility that Willis confused Sirius with a planet, but I would think that he would know the Dog Star; too, it is a bit below the ecliptic and seems like it may have been too low in altitude at the time. Possible candidates are Jupiter, Saturn, or Mars near opposition. If none were in the area then it would have to have been Sirius. I'm also curious as to the phase of the moon at that time. Anybody care to set the "WayBack" machine for October 14, 1918, and see what shakes out? Thanks in advance, please post your results! C. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Easier than ever with enhanced search. Learn more. http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250 _______________________________________________ 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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Re: A Historical Puzzle
by Chuck Hards 30 Jan '05

30 Jan '05

That would put Venus in Virgo, and a morning object, not up yet. Looks like Saturn was the mystery planet that provided the illumination for Willis and Isaacs, those coordinates put it very close to M67. His estimate of the time must have been off about an hour though. Thanks! Guy wrote: > My Sky Map Pro tells me that on the evening of > October 14, 1918, Venus was > at 12h -02deg and Saturn was 09h +14deg. Mercury, > Mars, and Neptune were > present as well but of little significance. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The all-new My Yahoo! - Get yours free! http://my.yahoo.com

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Re: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Polar Alignment
by astrodeb＠charter.net 29 Jan '05

29 Jan '05

I have a polar scope. Next time I'll try a three star alignment. I hear people are pretty close when they do a three star alignment. Add guiding and I'll be able to do 5 minute exposures with my Rebel. The learning curve is steep with astrophotography. Practice makes perfect. Debbie > > From: Patrick Wiggins <paw(a)trilobyte.net> > Date: 2005/01/28 Fri PM 03:31:37 MST > To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Polar Alignment > > astrodeb(a)charter.net wrote: > > > Has anybody tried the Drift Alignment method to accurately polar align a GEM mount? I found this method at www.darksyimages.com/gpolar.html > > The Ealing at SPOC is a GEM and we aligned it with the drift alignment > method (same for the scope at the original SPOC and for the Big Scope at > the current SPOC. > > Drift alignment can be quite accurate and should get you to within a few > arc minutes of the pole but is also very time consuming if done right. > > Unfortunately, drift alignment does not take into account mechanical > problems in the mount and drive system but you'd need to buy special > software to take care of those problems. > > > I had some field rotation in my images last time... > > I would think your alignment would have to be off by quite a bit for > that to happen. > > > My other question is how long does this method take to get an accurate polar alignment? > > Well, if you were going to put up a permanent installation I'd say > several hours. But if you're going portable I'd think you could get it > "close enough" in less than an hour. > > There is one other option that I've had good luck with, namely a nifty > device called a Tuthill Precision Polar Alignment Scope. Quick and > accurate but a search of the web just now only came up with dead links > and links to pictures from users (like > http://www.rphotoz.com/astrophoto/mi250alts.html ). Apparently they > stopped being made when the creator died. I do have one you could > borrow next time you're up this way. > > 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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Polar Alignment
by astrodeb＠charter.net 28 Jan '05

28 Jan '05

Has anybody tried the Drift Alignment method to accurately polar align a GEM mount? I found this method at www.darksyimages.com/gpolar.html I had some field rotation in my images last time and so I'm going to try to learn to do a better polar alignment so my stars will be a little more round. My other question is how long does this method take to get an accurate polar alignment? I don't want to spend half the night trying to polar align the mount. Debbie

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Re: Dark sky friendly porch lights
by Chuck Hards 28 Jan '05

28 Jan '05

I've been converting to compact flourescent "bulbs" indoors; they emit a fairly broad spectrum, so should be avoided outdoors? Comments? __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - You care about security. So do we. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Polar Alignment
by astrodeb＠charter.net 28 Jan '05

28 Jan '05

oops, I meant www.darkskyimages.com/gpolar.html > > From: <astrodeb(a)charter.net> > Date: 2005/01/28 Fri AM 11:40:10 MST > To: <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Polar Alignment > > Has anybody tried the Drift Alignment method to accurately polar align a GEM mount? I found this method at www.darksyimages.com/gpolar.html > > I had some field rotation in my images last time and so I'm going to try to learn to do a better polar alignment so my stars will be a little more round. My other question is how long does this method take to get an accurate polar alignment? I don't want to spend half the night trying to polar align the mount. > > 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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Re: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Re: Small Scope Wanted, Perhaps
by astrodeb＠charter.net 28 Jan '05

28 Jan '05

I'd recommend TeleVue scopes for a small scope. The optics are the best and the customer service is great too, unlike Meade's customer service. I'd either go for the TV-85 or the TV-76. They are also airline portable too. There are good deals to be found on Astromart. Debbie > > From: Dan Wilde <edliwnad(a)yahoo.com> > Date: 2005/01/28 Fri AM 11:00:23 MST > To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Re: Small Scope Wanted, Perhaps > > I know a couple of people who have bought that scope from Costco. its a Celestron nexstar 60GT the scope is not all that bad for the price. I really didn't like the motorized "goto" part but the scope it self wasn't all that bad. > > Dan > > > Chuck Hards <chuckhards(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > Bob, steer him to the Orion Website: > > http://www.telescope.com/jump.jsp?itemID=0&itemType=HOME_PAGE > > For a better selection, and better quality, than > Costco can offer. > > > Bob Grant wrote: > > > In a conversation with my boss yesterday, he said he > > has a small department > > store telescope and is considering buying what > > sounds like a GoTo from > > Costco for $150. I can't envision what he saw for > > such a price, but can't > > imagine that he would be happy with it for very > > long. > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > > _______________________________________________ > 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 > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > _______________________________________________ > 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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Re: Small Scope Wanted, Perhaps
by Chuck Hards 28 Jan '05

28 Jan '05

Bob, steer him to the Orion Website: http://www.telescope.com/jump.jsp?itemID=0&itemType=HOME_PAGE For a better selection, and better quality, than Costco can offer. Bob Grant wrote: > In a conversation with my boss yesterday, he said he > has a small department > store telescope and is considering buying what > sounds like a GoTo from > Costco for $150. I can't envision what he saw for > such a price, but can't > imagine that he would be happy with it for very > long. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Small Scope Wanted, Perhaps
by Bob Grant 28 Jan '05

28 Jan '05

In a conversation with my boss yesterday, he said he has a small department store telescope and is considering buying what sounds like a GoTo from Costco for $150. I can't envision what he saw for such a price, but can't imagine that he would be happy with it for very long. He said he would ask my opinion before buying anything. He expressed interest in looking at planets and nebulas, but does not know the sky well enough to find the Pleiades. I recall seeing a few small scopes at the swap meet. If any list members have a small beginner scope for sale, please contact me off list, and perhaps we can find a good match for him. Bob Grant bobmgrant(a)hotmail.com

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Huygens landing--Another observation
by Patrick Wiggins 27 Jan '05

27 Jan '05

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/oped-05p.html Patrick

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