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

SLAS announcements
by diveboss＠xmission.com 11 Jan '06

11 Jan '06

Since when did SLAS become an advertising arm of the Clarke Planetarium? Unless the Clarke Planetarium is paying the club for advertising space, I don't think SLAS ought to be in the business of helping them raise funds.

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Encouraging
by Patrick Wiggins 10 Jan '06

10 Jan '06

I did a bit of night flying last night that took me south over Tooele, east over Lehi and north over Salt Lake. While there was lots of light pollution, I was encouraged to see many examples of very efficient lighting. I really liked the many huge parking lots and car dealerships that were well lighted on the ground but with light fixtures that were completely invisible from above. And, as always, the prison is a great example of good lighting. While they did have two fixtures pointing into the sky, all of their building and perimeter lighting was directed only at the ground. It seems kind of ironic that the ultimate "security lighting" is well shielded. The worst lighting? Billboards and city owned streetlights. Patrick

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2006 planning aid - Moonless hours by night
by Canopus56 10 Jan '06

10 Jan '06

Here's an annual planning table I threw together on the number of moonless hours between astronomical twilight and midnight on each night during 2006 - http://members.csolutions.net/fisherka/astronote/plan/2006SLCMoonlessHours.… Is based on midnight, rises and sets per Mountain Standard Time without adjustments for daylight savings time. In addition to the RASC Handbook, compact tables of sunsets, moon rises and moon sets can be printed from the USNO Astronomical Applications site - http://aa.usno.navy.mil/ - Canopus56 (Kurt) __________________________________________ Yahoo! DSL Â Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com

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Re: If you have any money left after Christmas...
by Chuck Hards 10 Jan '06

10 Jan '06

I found out last year that most mail-order catalog companies do not actually answer their own phones 24/7. They hire a subcontractor to take weekend and after-hours orders & customer calls, which then enter the catalog company's system on the first regular business day following the call. Heartland America is one such company. > I called them and they > said they won't have > the order for 24 hours and that I should send them > an email (which I did). __________________________________________ Yahoo! DSL Â Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com

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Jupiter is up in the mornings
by Canopus56 10 Jan '06

10 Jan '06

Between 6:00-7:00AM MDT and before sunrise, Jupiter is up and quite bright, but low on the southern horizon at about 35 deg alt. The JPL online ephemeris puts it at mag -1.87. - Canopus56(Kurt) __________________________________________ Yahoo! DSL Â Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com

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Re: If you have any money left after Christmas...
by Chuck Hards 10 Jan '06

10 Jan '06

Michael, every commercial parallelogram I've examined is not up to it's listed rating. My first design, made from aluminum exclusively, worked OK, but didn't hold my 20x80mm binos securely...I experienced the "bob" just as you did. Hold your breath and don't touch them while the shaking settles-down! My second design is similar to the first, similar moments and dimensions, but made from hardwood. Solid-sectioned parts instead of aluminum tubing...and it is much, MUCH more solid. Wood dampens vibrations amazingly well, and it can be loaded to a higher factor while still retaining solidity. My newest design, for the "Schwartzenbinos", is an even beefier version. Might have it ready by Messier Marathon time. It should be noted that it is not a good idea to overload a parallelogram with a huge binocular, since if the mount fails, it can gouge-out your eyeballs or crush your skull! ;) > From: Michael Carnes <MichaelCarnes(a)earthlink.net> > FWIW, I've got a pair of five-pound 20x80s on a > parallelogram whose > rating tops out at five pounds. The things bob > around like an > anglerfish's lure. I can 'just' manage the binos > unassisted for > terrestrial stuff, but you'd need twice the mount > I've got for them > to be truly usable at night. __________________________________________ Yahoo! DSL Â Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Cave Optical Co.
by astrodeb＠charter.net 09 Jan '06

09 Jan '06

Chuck, Did Cave Optical make an f/4 mirror? That would be great for astrophotography. By the way, do you know the approximate weight of the OTA? It would be nice to have an 8" f/4 reflector. Debbie ---- Chuck Hards <chuckhards(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > This sure brings back memories: > > http://cgi.ebay.com/Cave-Astrola-8-F4-5-Lightweight-Deluxe-1978-Exc-Cond_W0… > > If it doesn't work as a live link, copy and paste it > into your browser window, or just go to eBay and > search for item no. 7578723529. > > > > > > __________________________________________ > Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. > Just $16.99/mo. or less. > dsl.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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Comet 2006 A1
by daniel turner 09 Jan '06

09 Jan '06

Concerning the comet 2006A1: Its high inclination will take it quickly into the northern morning sky. On 2/27/06 it will be about 10 degrees above the horizon at 6 am. On 3/09/06 it will be almost 30 degrees high at 6:am and at magnitude 10 should be a binocular object. It fades quickly after that. DT __________________________________________ Yahoo! DSL Â Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com

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Re: If you have any money left after Christmas...
by Chuck Hards 09 Jan '06

09 Jan '06

Remember that these are the "ten pounders" and completely non-hand-holdable unless you are the governor of California! I've been working on a parallelogram on steroids for the better part of a year now, hoping to have a prototype or two done by the time it warms up this spring. I noticed that they also had the excellent 15x70mm on-sale for $49.99, but after shipping fees you'd be almost as wise to buy them locally at Big-5 and pay the sales tax on the frequent discount price of $59.99. In fact even when they are not on-sale, if you ask the manager for the sale price, most of the time he/she will accomodate you. > From: Patrick Wiggins <paw(a)trilobyte.net> > Per Chuck's recommendation I just went on line and > ordered a pair. > Cost, including standard shipping and an "order > processing fee" came to > $201.93. __________________________________________ Yahoo! DSL Â Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com

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Cave Optical Co.
by Chuck Hards 09 Jan '06

09 Jan '06

This sure brings back memories: http://cgi.ebay.com/Cave-Astrola-8-F4-5-Lightweight-Deluxe-1978-Exc-Cond_W0… If it doesn't work as a live link, copy and paste it into your browser window, or just go to eBay and search for item no. 7578723529. __________________________________________ Yahoo! DSL Â Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com

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