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

Finderscope poll
by Chuck Hards 20 Nov '06

20 Nov '06

As I begin to address the details on a new scope, I find myself curious as to what the current trends are as far as finderscopes. I have my own personal favorites, but it never hurts to see what else is out there. Can list members help? A. What is the aperture of your primary finder? B. Do you use an auxilliary scope? (larger than primary finder, usually much smaller than main instrument) If so, what is it's aperture? I'm not referring to guidescopes used in imaging applications, but a visual auxilliary telescope mounted on the main instrument. C. Do you use a reflex site? (Terad, Starbeam, Quickfinder, Mars-eye, etc.) D. Is your primary finder correct imaging, inverted, or mirror-reversed? E. Finally, what kind of reticle or other cross-hairs do you favor for the finder, if you do? Illuminated? Just an informal poll. TIA. ____________________________________________________________________________________ The all-new Yahoo! Mail beta Fire up a more powerful email and get things done faster. http://new.mail.yahoo.com

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Deja-vu
by CHARLES L GREEN 20 Nov '06

20 Nov '06

Yes Chuck that was my scope. The views that night were probably suffering from poor optical alignment. The scope needed improvement. For the past decade I have been experimenting with a open truss design. From the first massive Dob I learned the importance of good mirror support, keeping the total weight down while maintaining columination and portability. But, with time restraints such as family, job and several other astronomy projects the 29" is still on the shelf. Charlie Green >From: Chuck Hards <chuckhards(a)yahoo.com> >Reply-To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> >To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> >Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Deja-vu >Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2006 10:55:06 -0800 (PST) > > >Coulter sold a 29" mirror for a while, I remember that >a SLAS member bought one and built a massive, classice >Dob around it. I think it was Charlie Green, IIRC. >Charlie are you still on the list? Wasn't it you who >built that huge scope? I remember looking at some >objects in Scorpius one night through it, at the old >SPOC installation. > > > >____________________________________________________________________________________ >Do you Yahoo!? >Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta. >http://new.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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Leonids
by Chuck Hards 20 Nov '06

20 Nov '06

Thanks for the reply to the test, Patrick. Hopefully this one makes it through, too. I went out from about 1 am to 1:50 am, and from my suburban location saw one very bright Leonid (between mag. 1 & 2) and at least 2 dim ones near the limit of visibility. All very close to the radiant and short trains, as would be expected. No sporadics seen at all. I also thought that I might have detected just a hint of auroral activity, but it was impossible to tell for sure thanks to the light pollution. ____________________________________________________________________________________ The all-new Yahoo! Mail beta Fire up a more powerful email and get things done faster. http://new.mail.yahoo.com

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Test
by Chuck Hards 19 Nov '06

19 Nov '06

I posted a Leonid report this morning and haven't seen it come back yet, likewise I have seen NO list postings at all today (Sunday). Anybody get this posting, or any others today? ____________________________________________________________________________________ Sponsored Link Don't quit your job - take classes online www.Classesusa.com

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Deja-vu
by Chuck Hards 19 Nov '06

19 Nov '06

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=005&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA… I have one of these in a box in my basement- purchased new in 1985 and tested to 1/4-wave or better locally, and I personally saw the Ronchi bands. Coulter mirrors have sometimes received a bad rap, but I have purchased at least 1/2 dozen and never got one that was less than an essentially perfect optic. Incredible value. Ah, those were the days. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Sponsored Link Mortgage rates near 39yr lows. $310k for $999/mo. Calculate new payment! www.LowerMyBills.com/lre

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] [Climate Change Thread] This in today's, news...
by Jim Cobb 17 Nov '06

17 Nov '06

Speaking of climate change pieces encountered today, I saw this at http://www.openmarket.org/?p=717 Jim > The climate is just like Bambi > Myron Ebell > > The Los Angeles Times today has a story by Robert Lee Hotz that > reports on a new scientific article reviewing whatÂ’s going on with the > Arctic climate. The team finds that the Arctic has been warming up, > but that there are now some signs that it may be starting to cool > down. There is nothing remarkable in this. The Arctic does get warmer > when ocean currents and winds push more warm air from the lower > latitudes into the Arctic, and it cools down when the ocean current > and wind patterns change and start pushing less warm air > northwards. What is astonishing is how one of the scientists who did > the research describes what they found. According to the LA Times > story: > "This is a region that is fighting back," said lead author > Jacqueline A. Richter-Menge, a civil engineer at the Army Corps of > EngineersÂ’ Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in > Hanover, N.H. "There are things that showed signs of going back to > norms, trying to right themselves under very dire circumstances." > This anthropomorphizing of the climate is at about the same level as > "The Little Engine that Could", which no doubt was Ms. Richter-MengeÂ’s > favorite book as a child. Or perhaps DisneyÂ’s "Bambi". Plucky little > Arctic struggles valiantly to escape demonic greenhouse and return to > chilly home. Conveniently, turning natural processes into a morality > play allows her to spin the story away from the obvious conclusion: > the ArcticÂ’s natural cycle is entering its cool phase. Richard Tenney <retenney(a)yahoo.com> wrote: >Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2006 13:37:32 -0800 (PST) >From: Richard Tenney <retenney(a)yahoo.com> >Subject: [Utah-astronomy] [Climate Change Thread] This in today's > news... >To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> >Message-ID: <20061116213732.35206.qmail(a)web53210.mail.yahoo.com> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 > >In case you aren't sick of the thread on climate >change, I thought this article in today's news was >highly relevant to the recent discussion: > >----------------------------------------------------- > >State of the Arctic warming, melting > >WASHINGTON - Signs of warming continue in the Arctic >with a decline in sea ice, an increase in shrubs >growing on the tundra and rising concerns about the >Greenland ice sheet.[...] >http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061116/ap_on_sc/arctic

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Kudos to Rob!
by astrodeb＠charter.net 17 Nov '06

17 Nov '06

Congratulations Rob! A moonbow is a rare event, right? Debbie ---- Richard Tenney <retenney(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > Following Patrick's recommendation in News: > > Beautiful Universe 2007 Photo Contest Winners > > Out of the hundreds of entries sent to Sky & > Telescope, the following > nine pages represent the best of the best. > > http://skytonight.com/news/4558646.html > +++++ > > Note on page 3 that "our own" Rob Ratkowski (funny how > Utah claims Rob, who lives in Maui, Hawaii, as "one of > us"!) is one of the winners! Fabulous job, and way to > go Rob! > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ > Sponsored Link > > Online degrees - find the right program to advance your career. > Www.nextag.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: [Utah-astronomy] Finderscope poll
by Tyler Allred 16 Nov '06

16 Nov '06

Chuck, Most of my scope time is now spent imaging, but I still like to do a little visual observing now and then. I had a Rigel Quickfinder on my Sky 90 and it worked great for getting in the ballpark. My biggest problem was remembering to turn it off when I was done using it. I went through lots of batteries. I have heard that the Telrad is even better than the Rigel, but I have never owned one. As far as finder scopes go, I have been disgusted with nearly every finder I have used until I got my first Takahashi. I currently own a 6x30mm and a 7x50mm, and they are both superb. I was really surprised to find that the 30mm Tak was way better than all the larger diameter finders I had used before.... and the 50mm is even better. The optics are clear and sharp and the view is bright. I highly recommend them. I can often see the object of interest in the finder, even when I don't expect to see it. You can pick up used versions on Astromart for a reasonable price. In my opinion, they are worth the money. I also agree that small refractors make great finders. I often mounted my Sky 90 on the CN-212 and found it very nice for locating objects. In fact, I often found the view through the small refractor to be better than the larger scope. A small refractor with a low power eyepiece can be a wonderful finder.... maybe the best alternative. That is my 2-cents worth. Cheers, Tyler _____________________________________________ -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces+tylerallred=earthlink.net(a)mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces+tylerallred=earthlink.net@mailman.xmission.co m] On Behalf Of Chuck Hards Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 7:35 AM To: Utah-Astro Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Finderscope poll As I begin to address the details on a new scope, I find myself curious as to what the current trends are as far as finderscopes. I have my own personal favorites, but it never hurts to see what else is out there. Can list members help? A. What is the aperture of your primary finder? B. Do you use an auxilliary scope? (larger than primary finder, usually much smaller than main instrument) If so, what is it's aperture? I'm not referring to guidescopes used in imaging applications, but a visual auxilliary telescope mounted on the main instrument. C. Do you use a reflex site? (Terad, Starbeam, Quickfinder, Mars-eye, etc.) D. Is your primary finder correct imaging, inverted, or mirror-reversed? E. Finally, what kind of reticle or other cross-hairs do you favor for the finder, if you do? Illuminated? Just an informal poll. TIA. ____________________________________________________________________________ ________ The all-new Yahoo! Mail beta Fire up a more powerful email and get things done faster. http://new.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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SPOC aerial shot
by Patrick Wiggins 16 Nov '06

16 Nov '06

I just noticed there's a new picture on Skydive Utah's web site that shows (if you look really close) SPOC in the distant background. Can you see it? http://www.skydiveutah.com pw

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Finderscope poll
by Wayne Sumner 15 Nov '06

15 Nov '06

Hi Chuck, I love the 80 mm finders on my two largest scopes: a Celestron f5 RFT and a Lumicon. I use inverted images that match the view in the main scope so I can easily compare images. Each is, of course, accompanied by a Telrad to quickly get me close to what I'm looking for if it's in one of Brent Watson's books or in my star chart, which has a Telrad reticle overlay. Clear skies, Wayne A. Sumner Math/Physics/Astronomy/Engineering Boy's Tennis Coach Northridge High School Davis School District (801) 402-8610 >>> Chuck Hards <chuckhards(a)yahoo.com> 11/15/06 7:34 AM >>> As I begin to address the details on a new scope, I find myself curious as to what the current trends are as far as finderscopes. I have my own personal favorites, but it never hurts to see what else is out there. Can list members help? A. What is the aperture of your primary finder? B. Do you use an auxilliary scope? (larger than primary finder, usually much smaller than main instrument) If so, what is it's aperture? I'm not referring to guidescopes used in imaging applications, but a visual auxilliary telescope mounted on the main instrument. C. Do you use a reflex site? (Terad, Starbeam, Quickfinder, Mars-eye, etc.) D. Is your primary finder correct imaging, inverted, or mirror-reversed? E. Finally, what kind of reticle or other cross-hairs do you favor for the finder, if you do? Illuminated? Just an informal poll. TIA. ____________________________________________________________________________________ The all-new Yahoo! Mail beta Fire up a more powerful email and get things done faster. http://new.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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