October 2007 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

Hope for good weather this weekend
by Ann House 18 Oct '07

18 Oct '07

We have planned our final two public stargazing events for this weekend. See you there, weather permitting. -A http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_7210984

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ISS to cross the Sun Sunday
by Patrick Wiggins 17 Oct '07

17 Oct '07

CalSky reports ISS will cross the Sun afternoon as seen from SPOC and points to the north east. a long URL but it leads to a map of the predicted track: http://www.calsky.com/? Transitline=&obs=79303019710733&tdt=2454395.30646554&sat=25544&interval= 0.00011574&step=0.00000231&mainbody=0 patrick

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Example objects for Oct 16 SLAS Lecture
by Kurt Fisher 16 Oct '07

16 Oct '07

Added to Utah astro wiki current observing events: http://www.utahastronomy.com/Current_observing_events Four currently observable example objects based on the October 16 SLAS Lecture for the Nov. dark sky frame (Nov. 7-15) Helix Nebula NGC7293, Caldwell 63 M27 Dumbell Nebula Wolf 28 White Dwarf; mag 12.9 V* ZZ Cet White Dwarf; mag 14 - Kurt _______________________________________________ Sent via CSolutions - http://www.csolutions.net

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Disassembly of an SCT: Child's Play
by Patrick Wiggins 16 Oct '07

16 Oct '07

This just showed up on the C-14 users group: Disassembly of an SCT: Child's Play http://www.astromart.com/articles/article.asp?article_id=594 pw

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] backing up digital photos
by daniel turner 15 Oct '07

15 Oct '07

Office Max had a sale on 250gig drives for $69. I'm fixed to make the change from JPEG to RAW format now. DT ____________________________________________________________________________________ Check out the hottest 2008 models today at Yahoo! Autos. http://autos.yahoo.com/new_cars.html

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C/2007 F1 LONEOS
by Kurt Fisher 15 Oct '07

15 Oct '07

Way to go, Mark! - Kurt _______________________________________________ Sent via CSolutions - http://www.csolutions.net

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backing up digital photos.
by daniel turner 15 Oct '07

15 Oct '07

Utahgraphers: Is anyone using an external hard drive to backup their photo collection? I'm looking for recommendations in the 100 Gig range that runs from the USB port. It doesn't have to be super fast because I process on my main drive and just need a place for backup copies of things I want to keep. I'd like to just drag and drop files and or folders between two sessions of windows explorer and then go make a snack while it does it's thing. I'm wondering if they draw too much current to be really powered through the USB port as some advertise and is an external power source model a better idea. Also nice to have would be either hot swapable where you just plug it in when you use it but don't have to reboot to do so. That or a leave-it-hooked-up-unit that was smart enough to power itself down when not in use or when the computer is turned off. It's for a desk top machine so it doesn't need to be ultra portable. DT ____________________________________________________________________________________ Moody friends. Drama queens. Your life? Nope! - their life, your story. Play Sims Stories at Yahoo! Games. http://sims.yahoo.com/

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C/2007 F1 LONEOS
by Mark Hanning-Lee 14 Oct '07

14 Oct '07

I saw the comet C/2007 F1 LONEOS tonight (Sun 10-14). This was not easy, but I did see it with 7*35 binoculars. I picked it up at 20:05 when the sky became dark enough (sun 14 deg below horizon), and lost it at 20:25 when it became too low (only 3 deg high). I confirmed it by sketching the binocular field of view and comparing it to predictions when I got home. According to SkyMap Pro and the latest downloaded elements, its magnitude was 7.3. I think it was a little brighter; for me it was as easy to see as a nearby mag 6 star. For this observation, I went to a place with a paved road and a low dark WNW horizon. This was the SE corner of Skull Valley on the Lincoln Highway. I look forward to trying again on Oct. 28 - by then the Moon will be out of the evening sky and the comet should be brighter, but no higher. Best, Mark

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Notes on the 10-11 Space Elevator Games presentation SLC library
by Kurt Fisher 14 Oct '07

14 Oct '07

I attended the 10/11 Space Elevator Games presentation at the SLC Library last Thursday. The Third Space Elevator Elevator Games are set for next Fri-Sun at the Davis Co Fairgrounds. See the Utah Astro wiki current events page for more details. http://www.spaceward.org/ http://www.utahastronomy.com/Current_observing_events The following summary is a combination of the presenter's slides and my own interest in the topic. Davis County Fairgrounds got the games as a last minute substitution. The university sponsor at the original Las Vegas site bailed at the last minute. It is likely that practical space elevators will come to futurition within the next ten years. Current design efforts are based on the model for a 13 ton lifter designed by Bradley C. Edwards during 2000-2003. http://www.spaceelevator.com/docs/521Edwards.pdf http://www.amazon.com/Space-Elevator-Earth-Space-Transportation/dp/09746517… The elevator lifter design consists of a solar or microwave panel and a payload bay on either side of a 3 inch nanocarbon ribbon. Laser or microwave power is beamed up from the surface to power the climber to geosynchronous orbit. The practical ability to fabricate a 35,000 kilometer nano-carbon ribbon currently does not exist. Kelvar ribbons of up to 40 kilometers in length currently can be fabricated and are the basis of geosynchronous skyhook launcher concepts. Present technology can continuously fabricate nano-carbon ribbon at about 3 centimeters a minute. A finished cable of 35,000 km would weigh less than a shuttle or planned Aries V satellite payload (45,000 metric lbs). The cable would be lowered to Earth from above geosynchronous orbit and then spliced into a continous ribbon fabrication facility. The ribbon is then spooled into a continous loop. This assures that damage to the ribbon that may accure from low-Earth orbit human space junk or meteor impacts is continously rotated out of the service. A carbon nanospace tether is scalable, by simply stringing cables next to each other. In earlier years of operation, 1/2 the climber payload will be devoted to hauling additional cables to orbit - resulting in four to six years with the ability to climb 200,000 lbs (the weight of a 747) to orbit at one time. In light of recent concept design and carbon-nanofiber developments, NASA awarded $4 million to the Spaceward Foundation competition as prize money to spur further first-order designs for the tether climber. There is a second competition for tether strength. A third high-school competition involves light-power racers on a 100ft horizontal track. The Edwards design has an initial construction cost estimate of $10 billion - less than two-thirds of one-year of funding for NASA. The last lb-to-orbit cost estimate is $100 per lb. About 20 universities will compete. Each competitor will have a half-hour to reach the top of a ribbon strung from a 400 ft crane. (Seeing a 400 foot crane is probably worth the trip alone.) In contrast, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) at the Salt Lake City Airport is 328 feet tall. The first-half of each hour is for setup and breakdown; the first half for running up and down the cable. Hence, the competition runs for two 10 hour days. The Space Elevator Games used searchlights as power source. the third Space Elevator Games also will use both infrared lasers and microwave power sources. As a result, only small apeture binoculars are allowed onsite. Video cameras are allowed. On a macro scale, completion of a space elevator with practical Earth-to-orbit costs equal to current commerical air transportation ($2-$5 per kilogram) would be history tranforming event. The Spaceward presenter emphasized the potential to mine asteriods and diffuse goals such as humanity moving into the solar system. The weight of the Edwards design concept is low-enough for current rockets to ship the ribbon tether to lunar or martian orbit - opening other robotic and human exploration possibilities. Personally, I tend to discount such spacefaring futures, since for most basic minerals, like iron or gold, current proven reserves are sufficient for between 1,000 and 3,000 years, including serving population increases. IMHO, the real potential for space elevator technology relates to alternative energy futures. Fossil fuel based-economy is on its way out with global warming. A U.S. nuclear fuel based economy involves building around 2,000 reactors in the U.S. alone. Although second generation INEL reactor designs do not have the risk of meltdown as compared to first-generation light-water reactors, after fifty years of nuclear power, we still have to begin disposing of the existing inventory 100,000 tons of high level nuclear waste. Yucca Mountain remains uncompleted. Lunar based power systems are technically and economically feasible, but are considered too "far out" to accepted by decisionmakers. Orbital space power stations were retired from the domain of feasible energy solutions in the 1980s because of the prohibitive cost of lifting tons of construction material to Earth orbit. If it comes to futurition, even a 13 ton design has the lift capacity to put Earth-orbit space based power back on the table - and to provide the U.S. with the alternative for a sustainable energy future. Admission next weekend at the Davis Fairgrounds is $10. The SLC library presentation will be repeated next Thursday, Oct. 17. - Kurt P.S. - I have not done heavy fact-checking on this note. _______________________________________________ Sent via CSolutions - http://www.csolutions.net

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Small stars
by Patrick Wiggins 14 Oct '07

14 Oct '07

Like the subject line reads, small stars at last. Turns out, like so many of you said, my big stars were caused by big focal length. With the C-5's focal length being 1/3 that of the C-14 here's what I got tonight: 10 one minute exposures binned 1x1 and stacked (just as clouds were moving in): http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/temp/ic5146/IC5146.010.1X1S.JPG 17 two minute exposures binned 3x3 and stacked (no clouds during this run): http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/temp/ic5146/IC5146.034.3X3S.JPG At least now I know I can get small stars but, to be honest, I don't think I'll be doing it very often. Switching scopes and the necessary realigning and shooting of 20 each all new darks and flats for each bin setting just isn't worth it. And to think that when Tyler, Debbie, Joe and others shoot color they not only have to set up all their equipment and polar align every time but then they also have to do all I did tonight four times for every picture (one for each color and one for luminance)! My hat is off to y'all. I'm too lazy. Barring some astronomical extravaganza I'm going back to the C-14 and sticking with just taking data. Carpe Noctem! patrick

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