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

beautiful meteor
by Thomas Sevcik 03 Apr '06

03 Apr '06

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Happy New Year to All
by Canopus56 01 Jan '06

01 Jan '06

Happy New Year to all. Just wanted to say who much I've come to enjoy the local astronomy community. - Canopus56(Kurt) Shakespeare. Merchant of Venice, Act I, Scence I. Lorenzo: Look how the floor of heaven Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold: There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st But in his motion like an angel sings, Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins; Such harmony is in immortal souls; But whilst this muddy vesture of decay Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it. Shakespeare. Hamlet. Scence II, Act II. Hamlet: [I]t goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory; this most excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave o'erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire,--why, it appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours. What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! how infinite in faculties! in form and moving, how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension, how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals! __________________________________ Yahoo! for Good - Make a difference this year. http://brand.yahoo.com/cybergivingweek2005/

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Re: Winter observing & a GoTo commentary
by Chuck Hards 30 Dec '05

30 Dec '05

Wisecracks aside, they all have their legitimate uses and if someone has such a real need, by all means, use the technology. You'd be stupid not to. And I'm not just referring to research, anyone who has ever conducted a public star party knows the value of acquiring targets quickly. There are only so many hours in a night, after all. On the onther hand, simply to use them because one is not sufficiently "motivated" to actually learn to do the same task manually, or isn't interested in increasing a knowledge base or skill set, well, draw your own conclusion. If it's just a matter of personal convenience, comfort, the right to an effortless approach, well, go ahead but I can't line up behind you. I was taught that real, lasting satisfaction comes from effort, not ease. Here we would have an unbridgable comprehension gap. I think my Dob and I would do a pretty good job of finding any objects one would care to list (if it was truly visible given that aperture), in pretty good time- maybe fast enough to surprise most people, and give an expensive toy a run for it's money. Can the average, exlusive GoTo user do it manually in say, twice the time it takes me? Three times the time? Four? And I'm hardly the fastest at it, on this list. There are others who can leave me in the dust, and not all have been doing it as long as I have, either. My offer remains: Let me teach the sky to anyone who doesn't know it sufficiently to use a manual scope, THEN see which method you derive the most enjoyment from (as opposed to which method you must use to achieve specific goals other than "just because I want to"). Learing the sky sufficiently to find objects doesn't just allow one to dispense with GoTo technology, it teaches celestial relationships, fundmentals of celestial mechanics, establishes mental models of objects in space, gives a better understanding of our place in the universe. It allows a firmer grasp of seasonal mechanics, cartography in all it's variations, even hardware mechanics. The passage & notation of time, optics, a better understanding of one's own eyes- and many other areas of interest to the amateur astronomer. It's a win-win situation. I don't post this stuff just to crack jokes or insult robot telescopes & their owners- I'm actually trying to give something of value to people who don't know the true value of what they reject. With the knowledge to find it yourself, you can still use the GoTo if you want. You don't have to sell it after you've learned how to do what the computer does. You are capable of far more than you may give yourself credit for. Well, that dead horse is thoroughly beaten. Comment on low-temperature observing: If you despise it so much, you are living in the wrong locale. In the interest of your personal comfort, I urge you to move to warmer climes at the first opportunity. Go now, you are wasting valuable time that even a GoTo won't be able to make up. __________________________________________ Yahoo! DSL Â Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Low Temperature Grease
by Naz_David 30 Dec '05

30 Dec '05

Kurt, I found this site helpful for dissassembling my GP-DX. http://arnholm.org/astro/gpdx/index.htm I've had my mount apart in the past for all sorts of reasons as its third or fourth hand. I've installed original Vixen encoders I managed to track down, repacked the worm assemblies for backlash improvement and installed belt coupled micro-step motors. Going the next few steps to address the load bearing surfaces has been a bit like pulling a carburetter down ie a lot of parts, but I do not think it has any effect on drive accuracy. The link above suggests no periodic error improvement can be expected with a full regrease. I just got sick of the excessive torque requirement toward the end of a winter session when doing manual goto - I don't think it bothered the motors, they seem to have plenty of torque, at least at the goto speeds I'm happy with. Thanks for your thoughtful comments on the grease. Cheers and happy new year, David

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RE: [Utah-astronomy] Low Temperature Grease
by Naz_David 30 Dec '05

30 Dec '05

Thanks Tyler and Kurt, I might get hold of some the Dow Corning offering next week. Kurt, will let you know how I get on, have used 85oct gas as a degreaser, might also get hold of some acetone (memories of undergraduate labs over twenty years ago!) to really clean things up to address the contamination issue you mention. Cheers David

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What NASA accomplished this year
by Canopus56 30 Dec '05

30 Dec '05

To supplement Patrick's 12/30/05 Ambassador News - What NASA accomplished this year. >From a NASA 12/22/2005 press release at: http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2005/dec/HQ_05449_year_in_review.html 1) Space Shuttle Returned to Flight http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/main/index.html 2) Announced plans for the "Next Generation" spacecraft http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/exploration/main/index.html 3) Deep Impact craft encountered Comet Temple P1 http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/deepimpact/main/index.html 4) Mars Rovers Kept Roving for another year past their design life. http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/mer_main.html 5) The ISS marked its 5th anniversary in Orbit http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/main/index.html 6) Cassini/Huygens arrived at Saturn and began investigations. http://www.nasa.gov/cassini 7) The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was launched. Arrives at Mars on 3/10/06. http://www.nasa.gov/mro 8) Voyager 1 entered the heliosheath at 8.7 B miles from Earth http://www.nasa.gov/voyager 9) Hubble Space Telescope discovery three new moons of Pluto. http://www.nasa.gov/hubble 10) The Spitzer Space Telescope detect the first direct light from an extrasolar planet http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/newworlds/spitzer-032205.html 11) The Swift Space Telescope, in conjunction with ground telescopes, determined the original of gamma ray bursts http://www.nasa.gov/swift Other items of note (not in the press release): Technology benefits continue to accrue - http://exploration.nasa.gov/documents/Benefits1.pdf NASA Spins-Offs 2004 edition http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/103475main_spinoff_04.pdf (10 megabytes) NASA's 2005 budget: $16.043 billion. Counter-views by critics: Burt Rutan Chides NASA for Dullness, Says Space Should be Fun http://www.space.com/adastra/050519_nss_rutan.html Rutan - The Wired Interview http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.12/rutan.html?tw=wn_tophead_8 Thanks to NASA for another year of enlivening space images and exploration. It's one of those things that makes life worth living. - Peace Canopus56 __________________________________ Yahoo! for Good - Make a difference this year. http://brand.yahoo.com/cybergivingweek2005/

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Low Temperature Grease
by Naz_David 30 Dec '05

30 Dec '05

Can anyone recommend a locally available low temperature grease suitable for use in my Vixen GP-DX? I spent all day yesterday pulling the mount apart and degreasing it. Last night I applied an expensive fancy cryogenic grease, a dollop of which I got from work. After working the surfaces the darn thing locked up, I suspect the grease has reacted with some of the aluminium surfaces and possibly the teflon washers. I now need to find a good alternative quick! Cheers and happy new year, David

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Aurora pictures
by Patrick Wiggins 29 Dec '05

29 Dec '05

SpaceWeather.Com has collected every aurora photo they've ever published and put them into what they're calling a "mega-gallery." http://www.spaceweather.com/aurora/gallery.html Patrick

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WoW late review & spoiler
by Chuck Hards 28 Dec '05

28 Dec '05

Having received the DVD of Spielberg's War Of The Worlds for Christmas, and a week off of work, I finally sat down to watch it. Firstly, while I can't stand Tom Cruise and have not enjoyed a single film of his to date, he did OK in this role. I suppose having a recognizable name in the cast helps backers write big checks. The visual conceptual work and execution was first-rate. I liked the fact that hommage was paid to both Wells and Pal. Morgan Freeman's voice for the opening and closing narration was a surprise- in my mind I always hear Richard Burton reading the lines from Jeff Wayne's musical version. One can quibble over the "science" of the film and it's basic premise (and has been, to death), but since Spielberg's goal was something other than aliens dropping from the sky, he certainly succeeded on that point. I was able to suspend my disbelief and take the film as it was offered. I try to avoid violent films as a rule (only caving-in to family pressure when I just can't get out of it), so this one made me very uncomfortable and I had a very hard time staying in my seat; I nearly bolted for the quiet sanctity of the workshop more than once. Knowing the ending helped me stay put. Now at least I can say that I've seen the film. One might think that anyone interested in astronomy would as a matter of course run to any film with a space or sci-fi connection, but in my own case the former doesn't automatically lead to the latter as it did in my youth. With this film I can honestly say that by not rushing out to see it on the big screen I didn't cheat myself out of anything except criminally-expensive theater treats. 35 inches was big enough. 2-1/2 stars out of 4. Now here's the spoiler for anyone living in a box for the last hundred years: The aliens die from bird flu, or maybe Legionaire's Disease, it wasn't made totally clear in the film. __________________________________________ Yahoo! DSL Â Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com

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Re: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Winter observing
by astrodeb＠charter.net 28 Dec '05

28 Dec '05

A friend of mine suggested a snowmobile suit for insulation. Actually, I like Joe's idea of going down to Tucson, AZ for winter observing. We are thinking of going down there next month if the weather cooperates. Look at the temperatures for this week. http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/allergies/weather/tenday/USAZ0247?x=1… Debbie > > From: Richard Tenney <retenney(a)yahoo.com> > Date: 2005/12/27 Tue PM 07:48:04 MST > To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Winter observing > > Thanks for the suggestions Chuck. I defnitely second > the insulated overalls -- I have a pair of Carharts > (you can get them at IFA or Cal Ranch) and they are > excellent. The wool Navy watch cap sounds like a > great idea. Amazon.com has them for $5.50 plus > shipping. Being comfortable makes all the difference > in the world. > > I've also heard it wise to avoid coffee (or more > specifically, caffeine) as it constricts blood vessels > and actually diminishes visual acuity. > > > --- Chuck Hards <chuckhards(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > > > Here's a few suggestions gleaned from decades of > > all-season observing. > > > > Dress for low temperatures. This doesn't mean just > > a > > parka and gloves, while still wearing the Dockers > > and > > loafers you had on at the office earlier. Wear > > thermal underwear, or at least a substantial, > > comfortable layer under an insulated outer layer. > > > > I prefer insulated overalls, the kind diesel > > mechanics > > wear when working outdoors in winter in Rock > > Springs. > > If you get the right kind, you can even dispense > > with > > the parka in sub-zero temps. > > > > I also wear a wool Navy watch cap, and not just so I > > can look like Guy but that's a bonus according to > > him. > > Keeping your head covered and insulated is > > important. > > You can also pull it down over your ears. I have > > never found a hat of similar weight that kept my > > head > > as warm as a wool watch cap. > > > > I have a pair of fingerless gloves so I have > > sufficient dexterity with those expensive eyepieces. > > > > I can wear a heavier glove on my non-dominant left > > hand if it's really cold and shove my right hand > > into > > a pocket with a hand warmer occasionally if I need > > to > > keep it free of the cumbersome full glove. > > > > For footwear I seldom need more than a pair of wool > > socks in addition to a pair of electric socks, with > > my > > ubiquitious sorbothane insoles in hiking shoes. If > > you get cold feet easily, substitute snowmobile > > boots > > for the hikers. > > > > Right now the air is fairly clean, after a storm. > > Head out tonight! Turbulence is only a problem if > > the > > flow is not laminar. Laminar flows disturb the > > images > > relatively little...this is why a fan blowing across > > the face of your mirror is sometimes preferable to > > one > > blowing around from the backside. This means find a > > hill that faces the prevailing wind direction, with > > as > > few ground-level obstructions as possible upwind for > > as great a distance as possible. > > > > Still air is usually found at the bottom of an > > inversion, but that is the time you want to seek > > higher altitude. Deep-sky objects won't take much > > muck in the air, but surprisingly, planetary views > > are > > sometimes excellent under these conditions. > > > > These are just some basics, there are more hints and > > tips for winter observing, some specific to certain > > types of equipment, locations, etc. I hope they > > help. > > There is really no need to be uncomfortable in even > > the coldest temperatures. I have observed at near > > zero-F in relative comfort- meaning no more than > > hourly stints at the eyepiece followed by a warming > > session in a darkened car or cabin, then back out > > again to repeat the cycle. Keep the lights off when > > warming so you don't waste time re-adapting to the > > dark. > > > > Remember that bad weather and lousy skies can happen > > at any time of year, so it's rather unfair to > > complain > > about winter skies at large. Someone already posted > > that winter skies can be the best, and this is very > > true. > > > > How about others posting their suggestions for > > successful winter observing/imaging? > > > > > > > > > > > > __________________________________ > > Yahoo! for Good - Make a difference this year. > > http://brand.yahoo.com/cybergivingweek2005/ > > > > _______________________________________________ > > 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 > > > > > > > > __________________________________ > Yahoo! for Good - Make a difference this year. > http://brand.yahoo.com/cybergivingweek2005/ > > _______________________________________________ > 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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