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

M57 +73PSW-3
by daniel turner 27 Mar '13

27 Mar '13

Mark your calendar for early evening May 7. Their will be a close encounter between the Ring nebula and periodic comet 73P. The comet will be close to earth so its exact position in the sky will depend stongly on your location on the globe. Go to spaceweather.com and use the link at the bottom of the page for "Observable Comets". 73p is in the list and includes orbital elements and a link for daily ephemerides. 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] Science Fair
by Michael Carnes 07 Jul '07

07 Jul '07

Don, you're cherry-picking your data. >I think there is still a controversy over how much economic development >contributes to global warming. While there is much yet to learn, the so-called controversy is largely clouding of the waters by those with an economic interest. Within the last month there's been renewed information of the rate of melting of the Greenland ice-sheet, in addition to melting in other zones, such as Mt. Kilimanjaro. Thousands of ice cores taken over the last century show that the ice goes back tens of thousands of years. If it had been as warm during the Roman era as your sources indicate, that ice would have melted then or would never have formed. Arctic permafrost that has been stable since the last ice age (as shown by the number of mammoths preserved in it) is rapidly turning to mush. Of course you can find a few scientists who disagree with this assessment, just like you can find a few scientists who don't like evolution. You can find a few scientists who believe in ghosts, in Sasquatch, in fairies, in alien abduction, and in all sorts of things. It is extremely rare in science that someone who goes against the grain is shown to be correct (Galileo, Kepler, etc). Most of them are just cranks.

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Minor planets
by Dale Hooper 18 Sep '06

18 Sep '06

Hi Patrick, I just got my minor planet observatory code today (G87)! - so I hope you don't mind a question or two. I saw your question on the mpml list and it made me curious. You were asking about problems with the MP images streaking higher than a certain magnitude. I thought it was okay to report the mid-point of the observation? I.e. it doesn't matter if there is some streaking if you get the mid-point position and time (or an end-point position and time). Are you observing NEO's or doing photometry? Is that why this would be more important? I'm more interested in Kuiper belt objects and main belt asteroids - so streaking wouldn't be as big an issue. But, I'm curious about why you needed to avoid streaks. Clear skies, Dale. P.S. I hope you don't mind me posting this here - I'm guessing that there are others that are interested in minor planet observing.

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] NGC 6946, improved processing
by astrodeb＠charter.net 01 Jul '06

01 Jul '06

Joe, Great image. I viewed this galaxy up at Bryce Canyon last week along with the open cluster. The skies were superb and calm with some haze from smoke. Did you shoot at f/5 or f/6.3? Was it hard to place the galaxy on the chip? This would be my biggest concern with that camera. Keep up the good work! Debbie ---- Joe Bauman <bau(a)desnews.com> wrote: > Yeah, guess so! Thanks, Joe > > > _______________________________________________ > 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] NGC 6946, improved processing
by Michael Carnes 30 Jun '06

30 Jun '06

Hey Joe. You're better than you knew, eh? >Hi, I thought some might be interested in seeing how a real expert can >process astrophotos. I sent my raw images of NGC 6946 to Tyler, who was >able to reprocess them and bring out subtle detail much better. Also, the >color he came up with is like the color on other images of NGC 6946 you >can see on the Internet. So I will continue to hone my skills, learning >from our fellows. Thanks, Joe > >Both images here: > >http://www.utahastronomy.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=Joeb&page=5

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News, 30 JUN 2006
by Patrick Wiggins 30 Jun '06

30 Jun '06

News, Friday, 30 June 2006 Welcome to SLAS Shane Scott has just joined SLAS. Welcome aboard! +++++ New Nova Mailed The paper copies of Nova were placed in the mail yesterday. The on line version is posted at: http://utahastro.info/slas/nova/ja2006/NOVAJA2006.HTML http://utahastro.info/slas/nova/ja2006/NOVAJA2006.PDF +++++ SPOC Update from Bruce Grim SLAS members Bruce Grim and Roger Butz met with Stansbury Parks Manager Jeff Terry this morning to discuss a few issues regarding SPOC: 1. Within the next week or two Jeff will provide us with a schedule of times for the sprinklers at the ball park and in the immediate vicinity of the SPOC grounds. This will allow us to plan our Group Star Parties and individual observing sessions without being surprised by the sprinkler sequence. This information will be published periodically in Patrick's News and will eventually be accessible on the website for members to plan their observing sessions. Jeff will alternate the sprinklers on the north and south sides of the sidewalk on different nights - this will allow you to set up portable scopes in a sprinkler free area. Saturday nights will continue to be sprinkler free. 2. On Saturday Star Party nights the first people through the gate will set Orange Cones on top of the Valve Cover boxes to prevent breakage of the lids by vehicles. This only involves 2 locations. 3. Future Group Star Parties at Stansbury will be set up based on the sprinkler schedule. 4. Individuals reserving SPOC telescopes should be minimally impacted by the sprinklers unless conditions are windy, as the sprinkler pattern tends to be aimed from the bldg outward. Some of the sprinkler heads around the refractor house will have to be replaced/reaimed to readjust the pattern. 5. Another Issue: While we do not believe that any SLAS members have ever painted over the graffiti at the skateboard park, the Park management has a special gray paint that they use for this purpose - so please do not try to obliterate graffiti on Park property. SLAS will take care of any graffiti on the SPOC buildings. We anticipate there will be some problems as we try to work around the sprinklers, but we hope to iron these out as we go. We will place a few buckets with weights in the observatory to use for emergency situations like we had the other night. Jeff has offered to plant several Plum trees around the perimeter of SPOC to help block lights from surrounding residences. --- Bruce Grim, Observatory Director +++++ Enceladus Exudes an Air of Mystery Atomic oxygen could never be confused with expensive perfume. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/features.cfm?feature=1126 +++++ New Moon This magnified view shows tiny Polydeuces, a moon that was discovered by the Cassini spacecraft and is a mere 3 kilometers across. http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/image-details.cfm?imageID=2183 +++++ Student Dust Counter Renamed "Venetia," Honoring Girl Who Named Pluto The student-built science instrument on New Horizons has been renamed to honor one of astronomy's most famous students - the "little girl" who named the ninth planet more than 75 years ago. http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/news_center/news/062906.html +++++ The Hooked Galaxy Life is not easy, even for galaxies. Some indeed get so close to their neighbours that they get rather distorted. But such encounters between galaxies have another effect: they spawn new generations of stars, some of which explode. http://www.eso.org/outreach/press-rel/pr-2006/pr-22-06.html +++++ The Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Goes WideÂ… in the Infrared Too! (submitted by Richard Tenney) With MegaCam, the largest wide-field digital camera ever operated on a telescope, CFHT has delivered exciting science as well as stunning pictures of the universe for the past three years. MegaCam images are, however, limited to the visible light. http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/News/WIRCam1stLight/ +++++ Stretched View Showing 'Beagle Crater' This imagery from the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the outcrop-rimmed "Beagle Crater"... http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20060628a.html +++++ Spirit Examines Light-Toned 'Halley' (False Color) Stretching along "Low Ridge" in front of the winter haven for NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit are several continuous rock layers that make up the ridge. http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20060628a.html +++++ Black Hole Booted from Galaxy Did a bizarre supernova dropkick a black hole out of the Milky Way's disk? http://skyandtelescope.com/news/article_1749_1.asp +++++ Heavenly Sky Show for 4th of July Who needs fireworks? As night falls on the 4th of July, a moon, a giant planet and a spaceship will emerge from the twilight for a sky show of their own. http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/29jun_july4th.htm?list864576 +++++ MetOp Website As MetOp-A prepares to launch on 17 July 2006 from the Baikonur Space Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, you can stay informed on the latest news and mission updates as well as access animations and multimedia features by visiting the MetOp website at: http://www.esa.int/metop +++++ Thomas Reiter's Thoughts on Spaceflight An astronaut's thoughts on space, weightlessness and planetary travel in the future. Podcast: http://www.esa.int/ESApod/SEMLSIVT0PE_0.html +++++ STS Update http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/news/status-20060629.html +++++ ************************************************** ************************************************** Images and Data From Cassini-Huygens At: 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/LOCAL.HTML +++++ SSA / UMNH 2006 Southern Utah Public Star Party Schedule http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/STARPARTIES.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] We are truly puny
by astrodeb＠charter.net 30 Jun '06

30 Jun '06

I'll remember that the next time I get on the scale. Debbie ---- Chuck Hards <chuckhards(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > Good point, Joe. And that is why the universe ends > not billions of years from now, but when I die! > > --- Joe Bauman <bau(a)desnews.com> wrote: > > > But on the other hand it's pointless to say that > > we're only tiny > > specks of cosmic dust. In reality, every organism is > > an entire > > universe. > > __________________________________________________ > 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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We are truly puny
by Ann House 29 Jun '06

29 Jun '06

http://www.rense.com/general72/size.htm -A

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] We are truly puny
by Michael Carnes 29 Jun '06

29 Jun '06

That's an excellent illustration. Even though you know this intellectually, it's a nice way to visualize it. MC > >http://www.rense.com/general72/size.htm > >-A >_______________________________________________ >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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NGC 6946
by Joe Bauman 29 Jun '06

29 Jun '06

Hi All, Here's a view I took Monday morning from the site I call "Pit 'N Pole West," a few miles from Vernon, Tooele County: http://www.utahastronomy.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=Joeb&id=6946_G It is the first time I was able to get an autoguider to work. It did its job well, and I could watch the screen as the autoguider made adjustments to bring the pointing back to where it should be. Guy (Diveboss to this newsgroup) built a wonderful mount for my refractor, which I used as the guide scope. The guider was a Meade Deep Sky Imager, used just to guide, not take photos. The main telescope was my Meade 12" and I used an SBIG camera to take the views. This is a version of that doesn't have a guiding chip, so I had to use the autoguider or go back to the old days when I did do some hand-guiding. I took a number of 2-minute exposures with blue, red and green filters. Then I sorted through them and chose the best three of each type. I put those three together, then used the resulting red, green and blue versions to make a color picture. Perhaps the raw files could be processed better. Tyler is going to give it a try for me, when I am able to send him the files. Meanwhile, I found it truly uplifting that I could go to a desert area near Vernon, Tooele County, and park between the roads where the dirt routes make a Y, and get a beautiful view that has nothing to do with our world. NGC 6946 is about 10 million light-years away. Because it's seen through the disk of our Milky Way Galaxy, we're looking at two galaxies at the same time. It's a faint object, and you can see dust lanes and nebular-looking regions in NGC 6946. This galaxy has been the site of more supernovas than any other known to humans over the past century or so, but I couldn't find any in this view. Thanks, Joe

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