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

Congratulations to Patrick
by Canopus56 11 Oct '06

11 Oct '06

I saw on Channel Fox 13 news at 5:00 pm that Patrick's asteriod has received an IAU name of "Elko". Congrats, Patrick. The Fox weather guy added that "O-yea, Patrick's well known to me, he's a a prince of a man." - Kurt __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Mercury transit
by Howard Jackman 10 Oct '06

10 Oct '06

Hello everyone, is anyone planning on viewing the Mercury transit in November? I'm also planning on making a solar filter for my 10" SCT, using Baader filter material, I made one for my ETX-90 about 6 years ago but I'm looking for a more 'pollished' looking design for the 10". Does anyone have any plans they could share or lead me to. if not I do have the materials to make a larger scale version of my ETX filter but I'd love to see new ideas. Chuck I believe you have solar filters for your 70mm bino's, I'm assuming those are homemade, would you mind sharing any tips or insights on those, I plan on inviting the local youth groups, (scouts, church) to view with me since I'm lucky enough to work evenings and will be able to watch the whole thing-weather permitting, and the binos would ease viewing at the scopes, although Mercury will be tiny in the 15x70's. Thanks! Howard __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Stargazing at Arches
by Ann House 10 Oct '06

10 Oct '06

I was in Moab for a couple of weeks in September teaching night classes. During the day I was able to do some hiking in Arches and Canyonlands. It was a wonderful work and play time. While in Arches one day, I had the opportunity to talk to a senior ranger about astronomy programs in the Parks. He remembers the day when our group used to come there and set up our scopes at Panorama Point. He says that he would love for us to come back and will do anything he can to accommodate us. He says they would like solar viewing at the Visitors Center and programs followed by stargazing in the campgrounds. While they are on solar lighting that makes it impossible to turn off some lights, they would cover them up it they were in our way. NASA's Night Sky Network loves us for our Park programs. We have been featured on their web site last week and have also received some prizes (we will probably raffle them off at the Solstice Festival). However, when I reported this news to President Lyon, he stated that as he remembers his viewing days there the southern exposure suffered from Moab city glow. Unfortunately, I never got to the park at night to check it out as my classes were in the evening. Has anyone been out to Arches lately with a telescope? Can you tell us about the night skies there? If Lowell remembers city glow several years ago, the glow has got to be worse now. Please let me know your thoughts. I need to get back in touch with the ranger. He was so grateful to our group for our past star parties. He said that they would do all the advertising, save us the group campsite, etc... Our viewing at Bryce and at Capitol Reef is exquisite and well worth our time and effort. We enjoy showing the public the sky (such as the Europeans who have never seen the Milky Way before) but for us to travel and set up our scopes, we need some good skies for our own pleasure. Is Arches worth it? Also, I have a new Night Sky Network toolkit. This one is called Shadows and Silhouettes. It is about how eclipses work. Additionally, I have a wonderful kit that Kurt Fisher put together on lenses. If anyone is interested in checking out these kits (or any of the other ones) please feel free to contact me. -A

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Star Party Reminder for tomorrow (Wed.) evening in South Fork Canyon (Provo Canyon)
by Richard Tenney 10 Oct '06

10 Oct '06

UVAA is doing a star party for an Elementary School this coming Wednesday evening (tomorrow night!) starting at 8pm in Provo/South Fork Canyon. Any of you SLAS-ers that want to come join us are more than welcome -- this is a semi-dark site, so your efforts won't be wasted! They are anticipating 70+ kids, so help is needed and appreciated. I'll be there with the 16-inch. It will formally begin at 8pm, but you'll want to be up there sooner to find a spot to set up while there's still some light. >From the mouth of Provo Canyon (starting the odometer where 800 North in Orem Crosses over on to University Ave.) it's 5.8 miles to Vivian Park/South Fork, just right off the highway there. Drive South into South Fork Canyon (narrow, winding road that begins at Vivian Park) 3.25 miles (you'll drive past another nice park on the way) to where you see a brown "National Forest Access" sign -- turn (right) in here. This is a newer park -- drive up another quarter mile and the road ends in a nice big flat parking lot. The sky is fairly dark here despite a somewhat limited horizon. There is a bathroom here and picnic tables if you want to bring dinner and the family along early. The current National Weather Service forecast looks promising. Thanks for your help, Regards, Rich __________________________________________________ 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] 25x100mm binos
by Seth Jarvis 10 Oct '06

10 Oct '06

Come on by and I'll give you (and anyone else on the list) the dime-tour. If you call or email a bit ahead and let me know you're coming I'll stand a better chance of being available for a tour. It's a pretty cool place. Thanks, 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 Chuck Hards Sent: Monday, October 09, 2006 7:29 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: RE: [Utah-astronomy] 25x100mm binos Ok, you'll be hearing from me when it's ready. BTW, it was Kurt who surmised that you tried the 100mm bino on the Orion parallelogram, as well as the result. I had no idea that Clark sold them- in fact, (confession time) I've yet to walk through the doors of Clark. The closest I've been was when I ran a charity 5k last May, that started and ended at Gateway.

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News, 10 OCT 2006
by Patrick Wiggins 10 Oct '06

10 Oct '06

News, Tuesday, 10 OCT 2006 City of Elko Receives its Own Cosmic Twin 2 amateur astronomers found new asteroid in '99. http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view2/1,4382,650197519,00.html More background info: http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/1999VS.HTML +++++ Hubble Observations Confirm that Planets Form from Disks Around Stars NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, in collaboration with ground-based observations, has provided definitive evidence for the existence of the nearest extrasolar planet to our solar system. http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/2006/32/ +++++ Layers of 'Cape Verde' in 'Victoria Crater' (Enhanced) This view of Victoria crater is looking north from "Duck Bay" towards the dramatic promontory called "Cape Verde." http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mer/images.cfm?id=2043 +++++ US Takes Unilateral Stance in New Space Policy A new document says the US will reject treaties limiting its testing or use of military equipment in space Â– it also opens the door to an anti-satellite arms race. http://www.newscientistspace.com/article/dn10262-us-takes-unilateral-stance… +++++ Cosmic Rays Could Power Icy Moon's Plumes Charged particles from space may trigger violent chemical reactions on Saturn's moon Enceladus, explaining its watery plumes. http://www.newscientistspace.com/article/dn10257-cosmic-rays-could-power-ic… +++++ Universe Might Be Pill-Shaped Instead of being perfectly round like a globe, the universe might be a bit stretched in shape like a pill. http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/space/10/09/universe.pill/index.html +++++ ************************************************** ************************************************** Free Telescopes For SLAS Members SLAS has several scopes available for free, long term loan to current SLAS members who have belonged to SLAS for at least 30 days. http://slas.us/membership_benefits.htm +++++ Images and Data From Cassini-Huygens At:s http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/latest/index.cfm http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press-releases.cfm +++++ Information On The Mars Rovers At: http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html +++++ SLAS 2006 Star Party Schedule http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/LOCAL2006.HTML +++++ SLAS 2007 Star Party Schedule http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/LOCAL2007.HTML +++++ ************************************************** News is being sent to you because of your affiliation with the Salt Lake Astronomical Society or because you are subscribed to the Utah Astronomy Listserve. To unsubscribe please send your request to paw at wirelessbeehive dot com. Check out my NASA Solar System Ambassador web site at: http://www.umnh.utah.edu/utahsky and mirrored at http://utahastro.info/ For astronomy clubs in Utah see: http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/UTAHCLUBS.HTML For the Utah Astronomy Listserve see: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy ************************************************** -- Patrick Wiggins NASA Solar System Ambassador to Utah & NE Nevada paw at wirelessbeehive dot com http://www.umnh.utah.edu/utahsky http://utahastro.info/ 435.882.1209 801.918.9092

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RE: [Utah-astronomy] 25x100mm binos
by Seth Jarvis 09 Oct '06

09 Oct '06

Chuck, I'd LOVE to test drive one of your heavy-duty bino mounts! I'll also be happy to provide my honest feedback. I'll probably be impressed with the mount's stability and utility. You're right, I did try using Orion's "heavy duty" parallelogram mount, but they're good for a set of 5-pound 10x80s and no heavier. The 10 lb. 25x100s are just too massive to hold still at the end of that arm. Here's my contact info - let's keep in touch. I'll hang on to the big binocs for now. THANKS! Seth Jarvis Clark Planetarium 110 South 400 West Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 (801) 456-4921 - desk (801) 456-4928 - fax -----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 Chuck Hards Sent: Monday, October 09, 2006 1:13 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: RE: [Utah-astronomy] 25x100mm binos Ah, now we see the advantages of being a craftsman and "bottom-feeder". All of my parallelograms are made from scrap aluminum and/or recycled lumber. The only purchases are the counterweights (D.I. or Walmart), hardware (Lowes), and tripods (either garage-sales or Sky Instruments- $25), and a coat or three of urethane. Less than $50 total, even for the 25x100mm model. Seth, if I get the #2 25x100mm parallelogram done this fall, would you be interested in using it for a while? The price is that you have to tell folks who made it, and I'd need a user's critique so that I can make improvements on future versions. Let me know, as I'm not going to work on it unless it has at least a temporary home. Don't sell that big bino just yet! --- Seth Jarvis <SJarvis(a)slco.org> wrote: > I've got to decide whether it's worth $600 to get a > mount for my $250 > binoculars. It may be better to sell them and apply > the money to another > telescope. Choices, choices, choices. __________________________________________________ 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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astronomy weather window.
by daniel turner 09 Oct '06

09 Oct '06

We have a break in the cloud cover on wednesday, thursday and friday nights. The moon rise will be 10pm, 11pm, and midnight those nights, but the sun sets really early so that civil twilight is at 7:15pm. Not bad for a weeknight short trip out. Saturday is looking very iffy. DT __________________________________________________ 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] 25x100mm binos
by Seth Jarvis 09 Oct '06

09 Oct '06

Chuck, I knew both Joe and Dave well and they helped me cut my teeth building science demo equipment for Hansen Planetarium in the late 70's and early 80's. I'd originally wanted to figure out a way to light-up (purely for low-power demo purposes) a liquid-fuel combustion chamber (we didn't have the complete exhaust bell) of a Titan II that we had on display. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and I was persuaded to down-size my ambition (and likelihood of death) by building a shoe-boxed size hydrogen-oxygen rocket engine using parts from my VW's ignition system and scraps of metal around the shop. I ended up building three of them, and they're still around being used in science demos. Times change. We do have a small shop here at Clark for maintaining the exhibits, but it's a major no-no to use it for personal projects. I'm seeing other binocular enthusiasts posting their designs for parallelogram-type mounts, as well as some pretty cool "reclining launch chair on a lazy-susan" type systems. Pretty inventive stuff. I've got to decide whether it's worth $600 to get a mount for my $250 binoculars. It may be better to sell them and apply the money to another telescope. Choices, choices, choices. 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 Chuck Hards Sent: Friday, October 06, 2006 4:18 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: RE: [Utah-astronomy] 25x100mm binos Thank you, sir. I don't know if you have a machine-shop at the new planetarium, but years ago I would sometimes enlist the talent of Joe Starr (no kidding), one of the machinists at Hansen planetarium, for some of my astronomical hardware requirements. A terrific machinist whom I'm sure is now retired. He left SL County to work for Disney many years ago. There was also a Dave Campbell on-staff, if memory serves, who did some excellent machine work for me, as well. If you still have a staffed machine-shop, there's all the facility you need to produce top-notch parallelogram binocular mounts right in your own offices. Just show them some photos of good designs and they can probably take it from there. --- Seth Jarvis <SJarvis(a)slco.org> wrote: > Chuck, that's perfect. Impressive stuff. Thanks! __________________________________________________ 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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Stargazing at Arches
by Lowell Lyon 09 Oct '06

09 Oct '06

In response to Chuck's comment of "Is it Lowell's position that the club should only conduct a star-party at a particular location if the sky is up to a certain high standard?", I have the following to offer: I openly and freely admit that I like going to Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef for two reasons. I enjoy showing things through my telescope to the public. I also like looking at very dark skies for my own personal viewing which both Bryce and Capitol Reef offer me. I can do both when I support both of these events. Back in the 80's, I was a key supporter and organizer of SLAS public star parties at Arches. I remember on more than one occasion when Brent Watson brought his huge 22" dob. down to support the events held at Panorama Point inside Arches itself. We chose Panorama Point as it has decent parking and fairly open horizons in every direction. The most successful event of all was a Comet Halley party co-sponsored by the University of Utah Physics Department. Panorama Point is a bit of a drive from both the campground in Arches and the public from Moab. Car headlights and traffic in general were always something we had to contend with. At both Capitol Reef and Bryce, people can just walk a short distance from the campground to the telescope field or in the case of Bryce Canyon, vacationers may also use a free shuttle from the Ruby's Inn area. I have greatly enjoyed star gazing from Arches over the years. The reason the star parties ceased were twofold. One, the participation from SLAS members started to decline as we would only get half a dozen or less scopes to actually show up. Second, the light pollution from Moab itself started to bother SLASers that would want to look due south towards Sagittarius/Scorpius. True, the public wouldn't notice or probably care about some sky glow in the south, yet those of us that like to also look for our own enjoyment after the public leaves would probably be annoyed by Moab's lights. Also speaking of Moab's light pollution, The current Astronomical League president, Bob Gent has personally met with the city fathers in Moab to discuss lighting ordinances and in particular demonstrate fully-shielded lighting. Bob has also been a president of the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) which the League founded and whole-heartedly supports. Moab is already in the IDA's sights to work with on light pollution issues. I think supporting public star parties at Arches again would be a worthwhile effort as long as SLAS will support it. We all have to think about have many of these national park star parties one club such as ours can effectively support every year. As Arches is geographically close to Grand Junction Colorado as well, their club that is also an Astronomical League member, may want to join SLAS is supporting an Arches event each year. I apologize for being long winded here, yet I felt like this information might be useful for those of your who look at this newsgroup site on a regular basis. I do look at the newsgroup site almost every day, yet I don't reply to it very often. Thanks. Lowell Lyon

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