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

2007 WD5
by Chuck Hards 23 Dec '07

23 Dec '07

Here's the ephemeris data: http://newton.dm.unipi.it/cgi-bin/neodys/neoibo?objects:2007WD5;main I'm having a Shoemaker-Levy 9 flashback...

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New Twist on Name-A-Star
by Patrick Wiggins 21 Dec '07

21 Dec '07

I just received an email advertising a new twist on the old star naming schtick. Interestingly the company doing this ( http:// www.nameastarlive.com ) is the same company that shot Gene Roddenberry's and Timothy Leary's ashes into space. +++++ Here's what they said: Introducing the perfect holiday gift from Name a Star Live. With gift sets starting at $19.95, Name A Star Live allows you to name a real star and launch your own message into space. Only Name A Star Live offers: - Live online viewing of your Star using our robotically controlled telescope - The ability to send your star name and message to space on board a rocket - A beautiful astrophoto of your constellation and star - The Virtual Planetarium 2007 astronomy software - 400 page Astronomy 2008 Almanac eBook +++++ Happily their web site (but not the email) noted that "Naming a star is a symbolic rather than scientific gift. Our register is not used by the scientific community although it is a perfectly valid register." patrick

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Religion vs. Science vs. Politics
by Patrick Wiggins 21 Dec '07

21 Dec '07

"In recent years, the holiday season has sparked plenty of reflection on the interplay between religion and science. We’re also heading into the prime political season, with science-related issues ranging from climate change to stem cell research. So you’d think scientific discourse would play a role on both those fronts this season. That’s not the case this year – and some of the people who think deep thoughts about science and society are wondering why not." http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/12/20/528690.aspx patrick

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2009 International Year of Astronomy
by Kurt Fisher 20 Dec '07

20 Dec '07

Today, the United Nations (UN) 62nd General Assembly, in celebration of the 400th anniversay of the Gailean telescope, proclaimed 2009 the International Year of Astronomy. IAU Press Release and text of the resolution http://www.iau.org/iau0702.486.0.html IAU-UNESCO website http://www.astronomy2009.org/ US Int'l Year of Astronomy website http://www.astronomy2009.us/ - Kurt _______________________________________________ Sent via CSolutions - http://www.csolutions.net

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SkyScan v20 firmware for Synta EQ5 and 6 mounts
by Kurt Fisher 20 Dec '07

20 Dec '07

For SLASer owners of Synta EQ5 and EQ6 mounts, there is a new SkyScan firmware v20 release (Nov. 16, 2007). http://www.skywatchertelescope.net/Support.html An explanatory sheet on how to update the SkyScan hand controller was also issued. http://www.skywatchertelescope.net/swtinc/customer_support.php?id=89&class1… The release sheet states: "In this new released firmware, we have improved the planet orbital calculation and fixed the inconsistent in Double Star and Variable Star Catalogs. You may directly update the SynScan firmware from V.3.10 to V.3.20. Please refer to our web site at http://www.skywatchertelescope.net/swtinc/customer_support.php?class1=1 All the modifications are described as follows, 1. The time zone setting has been changed to more precise in minutes for locations with half hour definition. For example, if you live in a region with -3.5 hours of time zone, the setting will be -03:30, indicating minus three hour and thirty minutes. 2. The planets' orbital calculations have been enhanced based on "Keplerian Elements for Approximate Positions of the Major Planets", published by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The calculation data are available and reliable from 1800 AD to 2050 AD. Most of the calculation precision will be within one arc min and others such as Jupiter and Saturn will be within a few arc mins. 3. The Identify function has been improved to be able to identify planets." - Kurt _______________________________________________ Sent via CSolutions - http://www.csolutions.net

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Pictures from recent STS mission
by Patrick Wiggins 19 Dec '07

19 Dec '07

Nice on orbit shots from a recent STS mission: http://www.texasjim.com/NASApix/NASA%20pix.htm patrick

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Hinode 2007 solar movies - for a cloudy night
by Kurt Fisher 19 Dec '07

19 Dec '07

Flare closeup - one side http://www.nasa.gov/mov/171952main_Roll_In_FIVE_BW_Flare_Video1.mov Traverse flare http://solar-b.nao.ac.jp/news/071207PressRelease/okamotos1_yellow.mpg South pole http://www.nasa.gov/mov/203862main_Jets_HDV720_sm.mov Alfven waves http://www.nasa.gov/mov/203859main_alfven_obs.mov from - http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/solar-b/hinode_videos2_archive_1.html - Kurt _______________________________________________ Sent via CSolutions - http://www.csolutions.net

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Interesting Internet site
by Wilson Family 19 Dec '07

19 Dec '07

How many of you guys have telescopes that tuned in to make the kind of satellite observations this guy was able to produce. Go to http://www.rense.com/general79/wdx1.htm --------------------------------- Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.

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Weird Science Awards
by Patrick Wiggins 18 Dec '07

18 Dec '07

This is going out in News this morning but I thought I'd post it here too for the non-SLASers on the list. Vote early. Vote often. Time to Vote: The Weird Science Awards http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/12/17/521869.aspx patrick

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Anyone seen 8P/Tuttle? (and a welcome)
by Patrick Wiggins 18 Dec '07

18 Dec '07

I see Cal Sky has added comet Tuttle to their daily emails. Anyone here seen it yet? I've taken a few pictures of it but have not tried to eyeball it yet. patrick p.s. I see another SLAS member has signed up here. Welcome aboard Mike Wilson.

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