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

News, 15 JUN 2006
by Patrick Wiggins 15 Jun '06

15 Jun '06

News, Thursday, 15 June 2006 Star Party Saturday SLAS will be opening SPOC to the public this coming Saturday evening. SLAS member Chuck Hards notes that right after sunset Saturn and Mars will be a mere half degree apart which will put both in the same field of view in many scopes. +++++ NASA to Select Shuttle Discovery Launch Date NASA officials will host a news conference no earlier than noon MDT, Saturday, June 17, following a two-day detailed assessment of the readiness of Space Shuttle Discovery for launch. http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/jun/HQ_M06098_STS-121_launch_date.html +++++ Cool video: A Meteoroid Hits the Moon Last month, astronomers watched a meteoroid blast a hole in the lunar Sea of Clouds. Their video of the event is a must-see. http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/13jun_lunarsporadic.htm?list864576 +++++ A Moon's Telltale Tail The plumes of Enceladus continue to gush icy particles into Saturn orbit, making this little moon one of a select group of geologically active bodies in the solar system. http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/image-details.cfm?imageID=2157 +++++ Hubble Eyes Star Birth in the Extreme Staring into the crowded, dusty core of two merging galaxies, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a region where star formation has gone wild. http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/2006/26/ +++++ Scientists Unveil New Mars Rover British scientists have taken the wraps off a prototype craft to search for signs of life on Mars, hailing it the smartest piece of equipment ever designed for exploration of the red planet. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200606/s1661352.htm +++++ NASA Releases Genesis Accident Report NASA has posted the Genesis Mission Mishap Investigation Board Report on the agency's Web site. http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/jun/HQ_M06097_Genesis_update.html +++++ NASA Technology Aids Water Purification in Iraq NASA engineers, who are used to making a difference in the lives of astronauts in space, recently had the chance to improve the lives of villagers in Iraq by using NASA technology. http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/jun/HQ_06239_Iraq_Water.html +++++ STS Update http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/shuttleoperations/status/2006/status-20… +++++ Idaho Museum to Open Bigfoot Exhibit The director of the Idaho Museum of Natural History says it won't matter whether Bigfoot is farce or fact when a new exhibit opens Friday. http://www.livescience.com/scienceoffiction/ap_060613_bigfoot_museum.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 asked to be subscribed. 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://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/ 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://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/ 435.882.1209 801.918.9092

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A new online one-month dark sky calculator
by Canopus56 15 Jun '06

15 Jun '06

Here's a new month at a time dark sky calculator I ran across: Framis Group, Inc. 2006. Dark Sky Calculator v. 1.1. Web applet http://www3.telus.net/lmcnish/darksky/index.htm This shows for each hour of each day for one month whether the Sun and Moon are above the horizon. __________________________________________________ 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] Vdb142 in Ha - The Elephants Trunk
by Tyler Allred 15 Jun '06

15 Jun '06

Rich, Thanks, to all, for the comments on this image. I am pretty happy with it. Rich asked: <I'm assuming that if such an image requires 4 hours of <exposure, this nebulae is pretty faint; I don't <suppose this thing can be observed visually (I'm <showing my ignorance here regarding Ha filters as well <-- are these things strictly for photographic use...)? Actually, each exposure was only 20 minutes, but I took lots of them to help smooth out the nebulous areas of the image. If you only shoot a few frames, the noise is pretty bad, but as you add more, things really smooth out. The object is pretty faint, but with a scope the size of yours you may be able to detect it. It would be difficult at best. I really haven't tried to observe it with a large instrument. I don't think Ha filters are useful for visual observing. The emission line that they isolate is at a wavelength of about 650nm, which is outside the range of human night-sensitivity. I am attaching an image borrowed from a website of a prominent filter manufacturer (I cropped off the name of the company). It illustrates the range covered by a typical Ha filter. You can see that it doesn't overlap with human visual range. Here is the text that went along with the image: >From website: <The red lines are the most important lines from artificial light pollution. <The green lines are the most prominent emission lines for nebulas. The grey <curve is the human eye´s night-sensitivity. The blue line is the <transmission curve of the Ha filter. However, the Hydrogen-Beta line is nearly in the middle of the human range, which explains why Hb filters are so popular for cutting light pollution and targeting emissions. Thanks for the interest. Tyler

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Vdb142 in Ha - The Elephants Trunk
by Tyler Allred 14 Jun '06

14 Jun '06

Hi all. I imaged in Ha last night because of the bright moon, focusing in on the Elephants Trunk Vdb142 in the larger nebula complex of IC1396. I again used my Epsilon 160 Takahashi, which performed wonderfully. I am pretty happy with the outcome. I will add color later, when the moon is not so bright! Here is a link to the reduced image: http://tinyurl.com/lvta6 Click the small image for a larger version. Please let me know what you think. Cheers, Tyler

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RE: [Utah-astronomy] Vdb142 in Ha - The Elephants Trunk
by Tyler Allred 14 Jun '06

14 Jun '06

<Chuck Said: <Tracking appears to be excellent, Tyler. Do you guide <manually, or let an autoguider do it? Nice image. Thanks Chuck. You must have me confused with someone made of steel.... I use the autoguider chip in my SBIG camera. That exposure was 4 hours long. It takes a tougher man than me to sit at the eyepiece and manually guide for that long! Cheers, Tyler

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more lunacy
by daniel turner 13 Jun '06

13 Jun '06

My favorite full moon activity is nightime bicycle riding. I recomend the Jordan River Parkway. Watch out for the feral cats. I also share the U of U campus with a herd of skateboarders who use the TRAX for the uphill return trip. I've been buzzed by a confused bat in City Creek Canyon during a late twilight run. The mule deer will venture out of Deseret Cemetery and the racoons are visiting the garbage cans. Screech owls in Liberty Park. Great horned owls at Fort Douglas. It's great. DT __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Full Moon and the Gallivan Center sundial pic
by Canopus56 13 Jun '06

13 Jun '06

This is a low-quality digital photograph that I took of the Gallivan Center Sundial last night shortly after the near full Moon transit. The Moon is currently near its most southernly declination. http://members.csolutions.net/fisherka/astronote/observed/ALSSundial/img/pi… The full Moon hovering next to the illuminated red rock "asteriod" of the sundial made for a nice photographic juxtaposition. I bring it up here only because someone with better equipment and experience may want to try a similar photo. A photo that I was unable to take with my cheap camera was the full Moon directly behind the floating sundial rock. The sundial rock hides the full Moon but the Moonlight surrounds the rock with a glow. During the summer, the Moon mimics the altitude of the Sun at the winter solstice. At such times, a sundial acts as a moon dial for telling time. The bright light of the near full Moon projected a shaft of light through the gnomon's slit and onto one of the dial plates of the sundial. It was easily readible even through the substantial artificial lighting in this urban plaza. http://members.csolutions.net/fisherka/astronote/observed/ALSSundial/img/pi… - Canopus56 (P.S. - Without a good monitor, much of the detail in these pictures is hidden.) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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News, 13 JUN 2006
by Patrick Wiggins 13 Jun '06

13 Jun '06

News, Tuesday, 13 June 2006 Cuts at NASA Lead to 20-30 Layoffs at USU Cuts in NASA's science budget are causing pain in Utah: 20 to 30 employees of Utah State University's Space Dynamics Laboratory will lose their jobs in July, and more layoffs are possible by next year. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/1%2C1249%2C640186331%2C00.html +++++ Utah ranks No. 1 in U.S. in Voluntarism Utahns of all ages volunteer their time more than the residents of any other state, according to a national report released Monday. Editor's note: Considering the countless hours I've seen volunteered to public astronomy in Utah over the years, this article didn't comes as that big a surprise. Just too bad about my home state, Nevada... http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,640186501,00.html +++++ NASA Firm On Discovery Launch In July NASA's manager of the space shuttle program said Discovery is looking fit and ready to go for its launch next month, and the agency has every intention of lifting off as scheduled - perhaps as early as July 1... http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/NASA_Firm_On_Discovery_Launch_In_July.html +++++ Astronomers Planning Close-Ups of Mars From (of All Things) a Balloon The two Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have accomplished more than their creators thought possible. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/13/science/space/13mars.html?ex=1150862400&e… +++++ XMM-Newton Spots the Greatest of Great Balls of Fire A team of international scientists has found a comet-like ball of gas over a thousand million times the mass of the sun hurling through a distant galaxy cluster over 750 kilometres per second. http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMWD1AATME_index_0.html +++++ Possible Meteorite in 'Columbia Hills' on Mars The rock in the center foreground of this Mars rover picture is suspected of being an iron meteorite. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mer/images.cfm?id=1962 +++++ Venus Express Update http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=39386 +++++ ************************************************** ************************************************** 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 asked to be subscribed. 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://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/ 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://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/ 435.882.1209 801.918.9092

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Sometimes it's nice to have the Moon up there
by Patrick Wiggins 13 Jun '06

13 Jun '06

Ok, I suppose this may be considered a bit off topic. But it's the Moon that moved me to post this and I would think all things Moon to be on topic here. I just got back from a night flight with a friend. We flew to Wendover "just for fun" and came back with the nearly full Moon hanging in the sky. We diverted far enough south to see the Moon's reflection in the marshes and evaporation ponds out west of Grantsville. There's something magical about seeing the Moon glint off of otherwise unseen creeks, streams and ponds in the dark far below. And then we flew far enough north to see the Moon's reflection in the Great Salt Lake. The view was nothing short of drop dead gorgeous! I only wish I had a camera capable of catching the views we saw and writing skills sufficient to describe the view. Wonderful! Patrick

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News, 10 JUN 2006
by Patrick Wiggins 12 Jun '06

12 Jun '06

News, Saturday, 10 June 2006 Bryce Astro Fest Brochure On Line This year's Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival will be held this month from the 21st to the 24th. The staff at Bryce has put together a PDF brochure listing the festival's many events. Find it at: http://utahastro.info/ASTROFEST2006.PDF +++++ Hubble Sees Galaxy on Edge This is a unique view of the disk galaxy NGC 5866 tilted nearly edge-on to our line-of-sight. Hubble's sharp vision reveals a crisp dust lane dividing the galaxy into two halves. http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/2006/24/ +++++ Ancient Caldera in Apollinaris Patera These images, taken by ESA's Mars Express spacecraft, show the caldera of Apollinaris Patera, an ancient, 5-kilometre-high volcano northwest of Gusev Crater. http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEM412AATME_0.html +++++ The Toucan's Diamond VLT Image of a Unique Swarm of Stars, 47 Tuc. http://www.eso.org/outreach/press-rel/pr-2006/phot-20-06.html +++++ Andromeda Galaxy (M31): The Heat Is On in Andromeda's Center This color-coded Chandra image shows the central region of the Andromeda Galaxy... http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2006/m31/ +++++ Opportunity Rolls Free Again (Four Wheels) This animated piece illustrates the recent escape of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity from dangerous, loose material... http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status_opportunityAll.html#sol837 http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20060609a.html +++++ View Northward from Spirit's Winter Roost One part of the research program that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit is conducting is the most detailed panorama yet taken on the surface of Mars. http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20060609a.html +++++ Progress on Long-Term Experiments Spirit is healthy and continues to make progress on the rover's winter science experiments. http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status_spiritAll.html#sol860 +++++ Corkscrew Asteroid A tiny asteroid corkscrewing around Earth for the past seven years is about to leave the neighborhood. http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/09jun_moonlets.htm?list864576 +++++ Galaxy Cluster Most Distant from Earth Found The most distant cluster of galaxies yet has been discovered by astronomers from the U.S., Europe and Chile. http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=7769 +++++ Venus Express Commissioning Phase Completed After 207 days of flight, 43 orbits around Venus and many test activities, Venus Express has formally completed its commissioning phase and has entered the routine science phase. http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=39343 +++++ Nearby Extreme Galaxies Have Link to Humble Roots If you can't travel to the picturesque sands of Waikiki Beach, you can always do the next-best thing and visit a local shore. http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/press/pr0617.html +++++ Magnetic Nature of a Mysterious Cosmic X-ray Emitter An international team of astronomers has discovered that the naked-eye star, tau Scorpii, unexpectedly hosts a complex network of magnetic field lines over its surface. http://www.ras.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1021&Itemid… +++++ Distant Ball of Dust Not Dusty Enough One of the youngest supernova remnants known, the Small Magellanic Cloud, exhibits the same problem as exploding stars in our own galaxy: too little dust. http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2006/06/06_supernova.shtml +++++ Riding to Hubble's Rescue "Hubble-huggers" have been on edge hoping that NASA will send a space shuttle crew to extend the life of space-based astronomy's crown jewel. http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2006/06/09/232.aspx +++++ Agreement Reached on Yerkes Sale The University of Chicago is selling the historic Yerkes Observatory, but the facility and telescopes will be preserved. http://skyandtelescope.com/news/article_1738_1.asp +++++ Did Ancient Americans Record a Supernova? An ancient rock carving may be the first Native American record of a supernova. http://skyandtelescope.com/news/article_1737_1.asp +++++ Student Experiments Successfully Launched The launch of the NASA Orion sounding rocket carrying experiments developed by students from across the country was successfully conducted Thursday morning. http://www.wff.nasa.gov/news/story.php?id=90 +++++ Findings Strengthen Case for Signs of Early Life in Australian Rocks Over the last several billion years, the sediments of the earth have been raised and lowered, cooled and heated, twisted and straightened. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=0002D6A8-4F24-1487-… +++++ Teachers Envisage the Science Textbooks of the Future Taking some cues from computer experts, educators are considering what science textbooks should look like a decade from now. http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060605/full/060605-13.html +++++ Record Meteorite Hits Norway [Editor's note: I include the following piece just in case it turns out to be a real story. The near lack of coverage by the media makes me suspect it's a non-event.] As Wednesday morning dawned, northern Norway was hit with an impact which at least one astronomer says could be comparable to the atomic bomb used on Hiroshima. http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1346411.ece +++++ Cassini-Huygens Update http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/sig-event-details.cfm?newsID=666 +++++ ISS Update http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/jun/HQ_SS06027_station_status_report.h… +++++ STS Update http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/shuttleoperations/status/2006/status-20… +++++ ELV Update http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/launchingrockets/status/2006/elvstatus-… +++++ ************************************************** ************************************************** 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 asked to be subscribed. 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://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/ 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://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/ 435.882.1209 801.918.9092

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