January 2006 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

beautiful meteor
by Thomas Sevcik 03 Apr '06

03 Apr '06

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Re: Mosquito Repellants
by Chuck Hards 31 Jan '06

31 Jan '06

Has anyone tried one of those CO2-emitting mosquito traps? While they are designed to collapse populations of extended areas over time, I have read that they are quite effective at immediate relief over smaller areas. I have thought of getting one for my backyard this summer. The units that combine a UV source with CO2 emission are said to be the most effective. The heat plume from the propane burner would be similar to that produced by a candle- probably not enough to degrade seeing unless you were right next to it. One of the smaller units could be setup in the general vicinity of a group of observers. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Re: Suitsat
by Chuck Hards 30 Jan '06

30 Jan '06

I have it on DVD, will loan it to you. IIRC, this was Carpenter's and O'Bannon's student film. Viewed from that perspective, it's not bad, compared to some other student films. It's also the original incarnation of "Alien"- O'Bannon had a slightly bigger budget by then (thankfully). I actually saw the movie the first time at Equicon '76/Filmcon III in Los Angeles, so I suppose that dates me, too! I still find myself humming "Benson, Arizona" from time-to-time... -Bill Fruge > From: Canopus56 <canopus56(a)yahoo.com> > $50 bucks to anyone who can image SuitSat - I want a > picture that looks like this -:) > http://www.badmovies.org/movies/darkstar/darkstar8.jpg > > Dark Star (1975) - now there's a blast from the past > I'd forgotten about. (Man, this one really dates > me.) > One of John "Halloween" Carpenter's first movies. > Wonder if it's on the video shelf at the Tower? > http://www.badmovies.org/movies/darkstar/ __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Mosquito Repellants
by Michael Carnes 30 Jan '06

30 Jan '06

Have you tried Citronella-based insect repellents? You can find them most any place that supplies hikers/campers. I've had some luck with them, but there's a huge caveat: If you really, really like the smell of citronella candles and if you really, really don't mind smelling like one for half a week, then go ahead. When I was a kid, I remember my mom would give me sulphur tablets for a few days before going off on long camping trips. This was supposed to keep mosquitoes and chiggers away (for those of you who haven't experienced chiggers, don't start). They made you smell awful and I don't think they did squat. Some people also experiment by putting citronella candles or coils in a circle around the viewing site. That sort of works, but I don't know if it has any effect of vampires, werewolves, etc. In the end, I've come back to DEET. I don't spend as many nights outside as many others on the list and I felt the risks were minimal. Of course, my wife makes me take off everything before I come into the house. Was that more than you needed to know? >I've come to the conclusion that I do not want to put any chemicals on my skin. Therefore I'm looking for a more natural substitute to protect myself from mosquitos. Last July, I got over 50 bites while observing at BlackRock Rd in AZ. Hence, I'm wondering how to safely protect myself. Any ideas? >

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Re: Listen for space suit?
by Chuck Hards 30 Jan '06

30 Jan '06

Wow, this is life imitating art. Recall the final scene in "Dark Star". They should attach the suit to a surfboard before shoving it overboard... > --- Patrick Wiggins <paw(a)trilobyte.net> wrote: > > Anyone here planning on trying to listen in on > that > > "Disembodied Spacesuit" (as NASA is calling it) > next > month? __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Re: Dovetail standards
by Chuck Hards 30 Jan '06

30 Jan '06

Not a problem. I can drill holes anywhere in my home-made dovetails. I have a "Chuck standard" spacing for the mounting holes on top of my C-brackets, and will just make sure that I use the same spacing on both widths of dovetail stock. If you get the chance, can you scan one of yours next to a ruler and send it to me? Or precisely measure the hole diameters, and spacing, center-to-center? Then I'll know the industry standards should it ever become necessary to interface with a commercial part. TIA. > From: Rob Ratkowski <ratkwski(a)hawaii.rr.com> > Both types of dovetails already have holes drilled > for mounting but > do not line up, __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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RE: [Utah-astronomy] Mosquito Repellants
by Michael Carnes 30 Jan '06

30 Jan '06

>I've not tried these myself, but supposedly lots of vitamin >B12 taken a day or two before exposure to mosquitoes makes you smell bad I tried B12 back in Massachusetts (where the mosquitoes are the size of Messerschmidts) and it does nothing. Since then, I've seen B12 pretty solidly discredited. The part about making you smell is true, though. At least I hope that's what it was. >lot less of a health risk than all the nasty chemicals that skeeters >inject into you while sucking you dry. That's a good point. West Nile fever is becoming a fact of life in the West, just as is has been for several years in the East. Dengue fever is an occasional issue in Hawaii, although I don't think it's turned up here yet. Just a matter of time, I'd wager. Deer ticks carry their own hazards as well--think Rocky Mountain spotted fever. While the odds are pretty low that any given bite is infectious, nobody has ever recommended one of these illnesses to their friends.

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Re: Listen for space suit?
by Chuck Hards 30 Jan '06

30 Jan '06

No worries, read the mission page. The intent is for it to de-orbit rather quickly. That was the reason for my "Dark Star" analogy. It appears that they think it will burn up before the batteries are exhausted. > From: Canopus56 <canopus56(a)yahoo.com> > There's a certain irony in the SuitSat thing - > intentionally creating more space junk for dubious > experiments. > sticking out a portal - after it collides with an > ascending Crew Exploration Vehicle. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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RE: [Utah-astronomy] Mosquito Repellants
by Seth Jarvis 30 Jan '06

30 Jan '06

Like it or not, we get chemicals on our skin all the time. Antibacterial soaps, fabric softeners & laundry detergents, scents, and best of all, sunscreen! The world's had far more trouble arising from mosquito bites than it's ever had from using mosquito repellant. Similarly, I'd rather slather SPF 30 on my skin now than deal with skin cancer later. That said, I can respect your desire to minimize your contact with chemicals. I've not tried these myself, but supposedly lots of vitamin B12 taken a day or two before exposure to mosquitoes makes you smell bad to them, and some kind of Avon product (I think it's called "SkinSoSoft") is also touted as having repellant properties. I've no personal experience with either, I've just heard of them. I do know that nothing to date is anywhere as effective as DEET. You can buy it straight 100% in squeeze bottles from REI and similar outlets, or get it in more dilute mixtures from products like OFF! and Cutters. I think spritzing one's self with a bit of DEET-laced OFF! is a heckuva lot less of a health risk than all the nasty chemicals that skeeters inject into you while sucking you dry. Happy scratching! Seth -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces+sjarvis=slco.org(a)mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces+sjarvis=slco.org@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of astrodeb(a)charter.net Sent: Monday, January 30, 2006 12:34 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Mosquito Repellants Hi, I was reading in my book "Introduction to Digital Astrophotography" and I came across the section about Mosquito Repellants and Traps. I'm concerned about the the safety of using these products due to a health condition I have. Let me quote what the author Robert Reeves says about the safety of using repellants that use the chemical DEET. "However, the safety of DEET has been questioned, leading the Environmental Protection Agency to review the product. Their conclusion was that "normal use of DEET does not present a health concern to the general U.S> population." DEET has been classified as less toxic than many people believe and adverse effects are traced to gross overuse of the product. But still, the wisdom of slathering yourself with a chemical that is toxic enough to be offensive to other living beings is debated with some vigor. Logic suggest that if the chemical is that potent, it can't be good for the person wearing it either." I've come to the conclusion that I do not want to put any chemicals on my skin. Therefore I'm looking for a more natural substitute to protect myself from mosquitos. Last July, I got over 50 bites while observing at BlackRock Rd in AZ. Hence, I'm wondering how to safely protect myself. Any ideas? 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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Listen for space suit?
by Patrick Wiggins 30 Jan '06

30 Jan '06

Hi, Anyone here planning on trying to listen in on that "Disembodied Spacesuit" (as NASA is calling it) next month? Patrick

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