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

Re: [Utah-astronomy] Fast and Accurate Polar Alignment
by astrodeb＠charter.net 10 Mar '06

10 Mar '06

Here is a better explanation of how the program works. Why use WCS? This program supports you in polaraligning your mount using the drift align method with (we)bcam-support. It supports any cam which can be installed as windows-device. (Maede LPI, TouCam, NexImage...) The error in the azimuth axis and the pole height can be adjusted very fast, even if the polar star is covered (e.g. balcony observatory or on the southern hemisphere). The idea is to measure the star drift of an not accurate aligned mount with an webcam and to calculate the amount the poleaxis and azimuth is wrong. After that, it supports you in an almost perfect aligning the mount using the webcam display. With this program the time necessary for aligning is reduced to a minimum! ---- astrodeb(a)charter.net wrote: > I found this on one of the yahoo groups for polar aligning a mount using a webcam. For people that don't have GOTO mounts. this may be a good option. > > http://wcs.ruthner.at/index-en.htm > > If anybody is interested in trying it out I'd like to know how well this method works. > There is a 30 day trial period before buying the program. The webcam approach is my Plan B. Of course this requires a laptop in the field to be able to use the program. > > I'm planning on buying a webcam for planetary shots soon but I'd like to try my JMI NGC-Max Polar function first. I hear this routine is very accurate but I have not had a chance to try it out yet. I want to see how this method works before trying the webcam approach. It has been snowing off and on all day in St George so we are waiting for the sunny skies to reappear. > > 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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Fast and Accurate Polar Alignment
by astrodeb＠charter.net 10 Mar '06

10 Mar '06

I found this on one of the yahoo groups for polar aligning a mount using a webcam. For people that don't have GOTO mounts. this may be a good option. http://wcs.ruthner.at/index-en.htm If anybody is interested in trying it out I'd like to know how well this method works. There is a 30 day trial period before buying the program. The webcam approach is my Plan B. Of course this requires a laptop in the field to be able to use the program. I'm planning on buying a webcam for planetary shots soon but I'd like to try my JMI NGC-Max Polar function first. I hear this routine is very accurate but I have not had a chance to try it out yet. I want to see how this method works before trying the webcam approach. It has been snowing off and on all day in St George so we are waiting for the sunny skies to reappear. Debbie

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Global Warning (was Science Fair)
by Jim Cobb 10 Mar '06

10 Mar '06

> OK, so there's doubt in some quarters--not many, but some. I'd ask > the question "what's wrong with a little caution". There's > absolutely no leadership coming from Washington. Why not raise fuel > economy standards a little. OK, the mailing list is not splitting, and the drip of politics continues, so... By all means, let's exercise caution. Is anyone aware that Kyoto is being abandoned in Europe? Let's be cautions about expanding gummint power. Ed Fuelner said it well, "Anyone who's ever filed a tax return or visited the Department of Motor Vehicles understands that government does two things well: spend our money and waste our time." Jim =-= The universe is blowing apart at the rate of trillions of miles every year, and Washington shows no leadership in addressing this situation.

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MRO at Mars today
by Patrick Wiggins 10 Mar '06

10 Mar '06

It looks like there may have been a problem with News' distribution this morning. Hopefully it will go out soon but in the mean time, for those who do not know, MRO is due to go into orbit about Mars this afternoon. Here's the schedule: Live arrival and orbit insertion commentary airs on NASA TV beginning at 1:30 p.m. MST. The orbiter's main engines begin firing shortly after 2:24 MST to slow it enough for Martian gravity to grab it into orbit. Commentary ends at approximately 3:45 p.m. MST. Then there's to be a post arrival news briefing at 5:30 p.m. MST. For those without access to NASA TV I'll post an occasional progress report here. In the mean time it's time for me to turn in. Don't want to be hit by some stray sunbeam... Go MRO! Patrick z-z-z-z-z

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Re: Re: Science Fair/global warming
by Chuck Hards 09 Mar '06

09 Mar '06

Thanks, Tom (and Joe- and everyone who expressed congrats- I really lucked-out with that kid!). From your post I see that the lack of astronomy projects at the Granite District fair seems to be paralleled in other fairs- and I think Rich is on to something here- some of the teachers I have met with at my daughter's schools are obviously only going through the motions, lack any kind of passion (or ability, really) for their work- and we do get what we pay for. Those graduating near the top of their classes get siphoned-off into more lucrative careers. There are exceptions- a few teachers with genuine enthusiasm and talent, who would teach even if it were a volunteer position. But they are far too few, and rarely teaching science. By any chance, Tom, was your spectrograph a tube, with a diffraction grating and a slit? Anybody remember those gray and black ones that Edmund used to make? They sold them in the gift shop at the old Hansen planetarium. They worked great on bright stars, through the telescope. I have some diffraction grating material- maybe I'll put one together soon- thanks for the idea! > From: "Thomas Sevcik" <sfv1ts(a)hotmail.com> > Chuck, give your daughter my congratulations for her > outstanding achievement > in the Science Fair! __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Saturn Image
by Tyler Allred 09 Mar '06

09 Mar '06

Hello again, Here is a recent version of Saturn. The luminance was taken with the Lumenera and the RGB was taken with a Toucam. http://tinyurl.com/p662y Cheers, Tyler

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RE: [Utah-astronomy] Two New Lunar Images - New Camera
by Tyler Allred 09 Mar '06

09 Mar '06

Hi again all, I forgot about the long links.... try these links instead: http://tinyurl.com/p58w2 http://tinyurl.com/rc75l 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 Tyler Allred Sent: Thursday, March 09, 2006 10:16 PM To: utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Two New Lunar Images - New Camera Hi all. I have been pretty busy of late and have not been doing much astrophotography, but I just purchased a new Lumenera Infinity 2-1M camera and decided to try it out. I just added two new lunar images to my gallery. I think I am going to like the camera.. a lot!! It is a low noise camera that provides very smooth images. The first image is of Atlas, Hercules, and Endymion. The link to the small version is: http://www.utahastronomy.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album17 <http://www.utahastronomy.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album17&id=Utah_A stronomy_Atlas> &id=Utah_Astronomy_Atlas The second image is of Eratosthenes, Mons Wolff, and the Stadius Crater Chain: http://www.utahastronomy.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album17 <http://www.utahastronomy.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album17&id=Utah_A stronomy_Eratosthenes> &id=Utah_Astronomy_Eratosthenes Click the small images for a larger version. Cheers, Tyler _______________________________________________ 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: Science fair
by Chuck Hards 09 Mar '06

09 Mar '06

While global warming may be a "hot button" topic, I noticed that nobody commented on my observation that out of literally hundreds of projects- ONE was related to astronomy. There were more projects having to do with popcorn and cookies than physics and geology, for example, combined. And this in an area with a "world-class" planetarium, astronomy clubs -with nice observatories!- out the wazoo, even a couple of nearby universities offering astronomy programs. We see these kids at star parties all the time, why isn't any of the enthusiasm catching-on? Is the star-party just an excuse to get out of the house for a night? Or did mom or dad MAKE them go? Why are they losing their interest as soon as the meeting is over and they are back among their peers? Seth, has teen attendance at the planetarium dropped-off in recent years? Are they going for astronomy, or IMAX 3-D? Where's the astronomy disconnect with our jr. high and high-school students? We seem to be exposing them to it, but it's just not "catching hold". __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Re: Science fair
by Chuck Hards 09 Mar '06

09 Mar '06

Actually, Joe, if I remember correctly, the mammoths and mastodons were cold-weather creatures. Large mammals lose their body heat slower and are better adapted to cold than smaller mammals. Even modern elephants can take much colder temperatures than central African or equatorial Asian norms. Just look at all the elephants in temperate-zone zoos, outdoors in the dead of winter- like right here in Salt Lake. Mammoths and their kin were hunted to extinction by humans, like Irish deer and sabre-toothed cats, not killed off by climate change. They had plentiful grassy summer range, similar to parts of present-day Alaska, where today Dall sheep dig through deep snow to uncover winter forage. The large mammoths probably had a much easier time locating buried grass than the sheep do. They may have also supplemented their winter diets with certain barks, brush, and evergreens. The few found frozen in arctic ice by paleontologists were rare, unfortunate individuals, and not representative of mass freezings of the species as a whole. I don't think any mammoth remains have ever been found north of the arctic circle, where of course there is no forage, but in the forested areas south of there, there is plenty for grazing animals to eat, even in winter. It supports huge populations of elk and carribou as well as the wild sheep. The mammoths thrived in ice-age conditions, until they encountered humans. > From: Joe Bauman <bau(a)desnews.com> > But of course, Michael, when those mammoths were > frozen the climate > at that location must have been mild enough to > support those huge > semi-elephants. They ate a lot, and it wasn't frozen > tundra. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Re: Science Fair/global warming
by Thomas Sevcik 09 Mar '06

09 Mar '06

Chuck, give your daughter my congratulations for her outstanding achievement in the Science Fair! I would have liked to had seen it. I look at global warming as a product of man's continous emission of pollutants over the last 100 years. First the automobile came along, then planes, plastic toys and bottles, etc., the list is overwhelming. Have her keep up the good work! I remember the last time I entered a science fair (don't laugh too hard!) in 1965. My project was on "astronomical spectroscopy." The spectroscope I built was rather crude now that I think about it, but there wasn't too many plans at the time on how to build one that I was aware of. It was fun, and a learning experience even though I didn't place in the fair. I attended two science fairs on the 4th. One was the Salt Lake City School District Science Fair at the Main Library and the other was the Diocesan Science Fair at St. Ambrose School on the east side of town. Like you, I observed the lack of astronomy-related science projects. There was one project at the diocesan fair that was on solar flairs, but unfortunately the student had taken it down way too early. A the main library I was able to fine only one aerospace related project. Alarming, isn't it?

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