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

Monte Cristo report
by David Dunn 01 Aug '06

01 Aug '06

Here is something that I just sent out to OAS that I thought some of you might like as well. We recently had to buy a new mount for our SolarMax. We found that the cost of adding a 100mm refractor to the mount was cheap so we purchased cheap 100mm refractor and mount. Monte Cristo was quite fun last week. Dale Hooper and I enjoyed great views on Wednesday night. It rained a little bit in the afternoon. It then cleared off and dried up. The ground was dry and the air was perfectly clean. You couldn't even see a laser pointer. I spent most of the night pulling in planetary nebulas and faint galaxies. I really enjoyed the blue color that many of the planetaries had. M51 was fantastic. Thursday night, Dale and I stayed out a bit later. The viewing wasn't quite as good but was still great. I saw M33 through the 16" and saw why it is call the pinwheel, very pretty. Friday and Saturday, it clouded over quite a bit of the sky and the smoke was real heavy in the rest of the sky. We did see a few good things but the sky wasn't as good. The most noticeable object that I remember was the Cat's eye. It showed the elongated shape and some detail in BOB. On Saturday night we finally got to look at the Moon and Jupiter with the new refractor. The images are really nice. It does an excellent job of pulling in the white bands that are right next to the dark bands on Jupiter. I took it to 500 X on the Moon. It focused clear and tracked ok. We need to get our north alignment a little better. The anti fringe filter castes a green tint to everything. That isn't bad when you are viewing something bright. However, as Brent Watson demonstrated to me in St. George at a star party, the use of the filter takes away from the detail that you can see. The detail lost isn't worth getting rid of a little purple glow. Craig and I both really preferred the unfiltered image where we could see so much detail. I can see using the filter the way you would a Moon filter. Use it when the public is viewing and the object is too bright for them to see quickly. If you are viewing and can take the time to get used to the image, you will see a lot better detail. Thanks, David Dunn

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Movie suggestions sought
by Michael Carnes 01 Aug '06

01 Aug '06

>The recent Clooney remake. I can't even remember much >of the Russian one- it was B&W, wasn't it? > B&W and many hours long. I've never seen it, but have often heard of it. My Russian doesn't go much beyond "da", "nyet" and "dos svidanya", so I may be at some disadvantage.

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Movie suggestions sought
by Michael Carnes 01 Aug '06

01 Aug '06

I seem to be in the minority on this (as in most other things), but I think "Gattaca" was one of the best science fiction movies in recent times. The science is plausible and the heart of the movie deals with the societal effects of genetic manipulation. Hardly anything in the way of special effects (I really get tired of CG), instead with a focus on acting, development and dialog. Main actors are Jude Law, Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke (something THERE for everybody). Another good one along a similar vein is "Code 46" with Tim Robbins and Samantha Morton. It's set in a near future where cloning is the norm and strict laws are in place to restrict romances among people who may be too genetically close to one another. Oops, just remembered there's one explicit scene that might not go too well with some folks. Good movie, though. I agree with Chuck on Solaris (did you mean the George Clooney one or the older Russian one). I'm not sure there's much science in it, but it's a remarkably strange and moody film.

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Re: Movie suggestions sought
by Michael Carnes 01 Aug '06

01 Aug '06

Or you could just show a few episodes of "Red Dwarf". If you do the one about the T-Rex eating curry, there won't be a dry seat in the house...

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Design considerations
by Chuck Hards 01 Aug '06

01 Aug '06

After sitting on the optics for over 20 years, I'm finally about to start building my 17.5" f/4.5. I want to avoid collimation each time I set-up; due to the fast focal ratio it must be dead-on accurate. A laser collimator alone is insufficient and a star-test is mandatory for fine-tuning. The optical axis must coincide with the focuser axis to within a fraction of a milimeter and no commercial laser can accomplish this (that I'm aware of). I am a veteran of star-testing but have never done it with a Newtonian of this size- I've always been able to have my fingers on the collimation screws while looking through the focuser. Also the telescopes were driven, a big help at the high magnifications needed to see diffraction patterns big enough to be useful. I know many large scope owners only use the laser and call it "good enough". For deep-sky work at low and moderate magnifications, they are right, especially if the focal ratio is only moderately fast. But for maximum lunar & planetary detail, and splitting the closest double stars, "dead-on" collimation is mandatory on an f/4.5 scope. I've also thought about carrying an artificial star with the big scope, so a star-test could be performed before true darkness falls, and the scope need not be tracking- but this still means another chunk of time must be devoted to set-up each and every time. All this means I have all but made up my mind to make the scope with a standard tube, keeping the optics in-place at all times. It will still fit in my SUV (why I bought the thing in the first place, no kidding) and can be set-up quickly and easily by one person thanks to some design details- in less than five minutes (tops). I also like a "tubed" scope better for aesthetic reasons. I've never liked the look of trusses. I think I can get excellent contrast with a tubed design, as another bonus. If I ever build a larger scope, then certainly a truss-tube will be mandatory, but I can avoid it on this one. The scope will have a 3.5" ma secondary and a low-profile 2" r&p focuser. Active primary cooling, probably in the form of a blower across the face of the mirror. I already have all the hardware, optics, etc., and will be using composite materials for the tube and possibly the mount. A Dobsonian mount will be built initially but I'm designing a compact split-ring equatorial in Solidworks, for the future. The short f-ratio also means a tall ladder will not be needed. A step-stool is all that's needed for a person of average height. Observers over six feet may need nothing to stand on. So the reason for this post is one last chance for input from folks with different observing habits or ideas. I am pretty sure I've covered all the bases but it never hurts to step back and go over it all one more time before spending (more) money. Thanks! __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Fwd: Enchanted Skies Star Party
by Richard Tenney 01 Aug '06

01 Aug '06

--- "Jason C. Speights" <jspeight(a)nmt.edu> wrote: > Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 20:22:36 -0600 (MDT) > Subject: Enchanted Skies Star Party > From: "Jason C. Speights" <jspeight(a)nmt.edu> > > Howdy. > > My name is Jason and I am on the board that > organizes the Enchanted Skies > Star Party in Socorro NM. We are contacting > astronomy clubs across the > southwest asking if you would be interested in > attending this year's star > party. > > The Enchanted Skies Star Party is September 20-23. > We feature observing > atop Magdalena Ridge (Elevation 10,000 ft), lots of > guest speakers and > presentations, the use of Etscorn Campus Observatory > at New Mexico Tech, a > cowboy cookout, and dark New Mexico Skies. > > Those are just some of the highlights. For more > info, just check out our > website http://www.socorro-nm.com/starparty/ > > If you have any questions, please contact me at > jspeight(a)nmt.edu > > I'll see you there! __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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News, 01 AUG 2006
by Patrick Wiggins 01 Aug '06

01 Aug '06

News, Tuesday, 01 AUG 2006 Stardust@Home: Ready For Launch The project will officially begin today at noon MDT. http://stardustathome.ssl.berkeley.edu +++++ NASA Puzzles Over Final Hubble Mission Pieces are falling into place for last service call to space telescope. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14121125/ +++++ A Simple Survey Yields a Cosmic Conundrum A survey of galaxies observed along the sightlines to quasars and gamma-ray bursts--both extremely luminous, distant objects--has revealed a puzzling inconsistency. http://www.ucsc.edu/news_events/press_releases/text.asp?pid=909 +++++ Keck Telescope Captures Jupiter's Red Spot Jr. Astronomers this month snapped high-resolution near-infrared images of the Great Red Spot as a smaller storm, Red Spot Jr., breezed by it on its race around the planet. http://www.keckobservatory.org/article.php?id=88 +++++ Mare Serenitatis This animated sequence, composed of three images taken by ESAÂ’s SMART-1 spacecraft, shows a portion of Mare Serenitatis on the Moon. http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART-1/SEM847BUQPE_0.html +++++ Cleaning Event Gives Opportunity Renewed Energy Opportunity spent five sols this week at a target called "Joseph McCoy." http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status_opportunityAll.html#sol886 +++++ NASA's Spirit Rover Survives Record Cold on Mars Spirit remains healthy and continues to make progress on computer upgrades and scientific research, despite winter temperatures colder than any yet experienced... http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status_spiritAll.html#sol908 +++++ Hamming It Up With Space Station Earns Ransom Top Astronaut Award In the world of ham radio, just making contact with someone from each of the 50 states is an award-worthy feat. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/news/releases/2006/JO06-008.html +++++ AirLaunch Breaks Another Drop Record AirLaunch announced Friday that its industry-government team has dropped successfully a 36-ton rocket from a C-17 cargo aircraft. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/AirLaunch_Breaks_Another_Drop_Record_999.… +++++ Alien Safari Click the image below to discover some of the most extreme organisms on our planet, and find out what they are telling astrobiologists about the search for life beyond Earth. http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/AlienSafari_launch_page.html +++++ ************************************************** ************************************************** 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/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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Some early morning amusement
by Patrick Wiggins 01 Aug '06

01 Aug '06

SETI urged to fess up over alien signals: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/31/signals_seti Hey, it was on Art Bell so it must be true. Right? :)

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