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

Science: Good news and bad
by Patrick Wiggins 05 Dec '07

05 Dec '07

Encouraging: Girls Dominate the Siemens Competition http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2007/ tc2007123_368568.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_science Discouraging: Finns Are Best Science Students http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/12/04/ap/tech/main3576085.shtml pw

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Sale on green lasers ($30)
by Patrick Wiggins 03 Dec '07

03 Dec '07

http://www.jasperlaser.com/index.php?/forms/basement pw

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Misc nature pic added to Gallery
by Kurt Fisher 02 Dec '07

02 Dec '07

Snow on trees 12-1-2007 http://gallery.utahastronomy.com/v/kurt/nature/002.jpg.html - Kurt _______________________________________________ Sent via CSolutions - http://www.csolutions.net

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2008 Reference Tables updated to Utah Astro Wiki
by Kurt Fisher 01 Dec '07

01 Dec '07

Added the following tables to the Utah Astro Wiki - Observing Resources - Handy Tables section at: http://www.utahastronomy.com/Observing_resources#Handy_Tables Table 2008 Annual Dark Sky Hours by Month and Day Table 2008 Annual Lunar Obs Hours by Month and Day Table 2008 Lunar Terminator Colongitude by Month and Day Table 2008 RA Summary by Month and Date Table 2008 Astronomical Twilight Rise and Set Time (USNO) Table 2008 Sunrise Rise and Set Time (USNO) Table 2008 Moonrise Rise and Set Time (USNO) Table 2008 Gegenschien observing opportunities Added the following software to the Utah Astro Wiki pages - Resources http://www.utahastronomy.com/Observing_resources#Software and Current calendar http://www.utahastronomy.com/Current_observing_events AClock http://www.personalmicrocosms.com/Pages/ss_ac32.aspx AClock is a Windows 98-NT small sharware app that displays a small box that can be set to local sidereal time. It runs under Windows XP. If Aclock is added to your Windows startup directory, when you turn your computer Aclock can be configured to automatically display an LST clock in one corner of your screen. Having an LST clock helps in becoming more attuned to progression of the constellations that recapitulate their annual revolution display during each 24 hour rotation of the Earth. Aclock's only drawback is that the clock font is fixed and about 18 point. However, if the application is minimized, the clock displays on the toolbar in a similar layout to the Windows clock. nistime-32bit.exe http://tf.nist.gov/service/its.htm NISTtime, which comes in both Windows and Mac versions, is a small utility that will check your laptop's time synchronization with the official NIST time server. This application is used to pre-synch your computer where you might attempt observing projects - like lunar grazes - where high accuracy timing is desirable. Windows XP is normally setup to synchronize to commericial time servers at one week intervals. In Windows XP, left click the clock, click internet time. The dialogue tab will display the time synchronization server currently used by your computer. Commercial time servers can be several seconds off NIST time. The NIST time application forces a time check against the closet official NIST server. For example, after forcing synchronization against the Windows time server and rechecking against the NIST server, the Windows time synchronization was two seconds off. Time synchronization should normally be done connected to a high speed wireless or broadband line and not dialup. Delays in communication speed over dail-up can through synchronization off. Even the NIST server will not be entirely accurate because of internet transmission time delays. Temperature changes in your laptop can also alter your clock speed. The NIST time setting is usually checked in the field using a portable shortwave radio against the WWV NIST shortwave radio broadcast at 2.5, 5, 10, 15 or 25 mhz. Manually setting your Windows clock, your field watch or the time setting on your computer driven GOTO mount can be expected to achieve 1/2 second time accuracy. See the NIST shortwave radio broadcast page about the transmitters and frequencies. NIST WWV radio broadcast http://tf.nist.gov/timefreq/stations/wwv.html Currently (Dec. 2007), the NIST broadcast is hard to pickup on a small handheld shortwave receiver due to solar minimum. The low solar activity at solar minimum does not strongly ionize the Earth's upper atmosphere. That is the atmospheric layer that short-wave radio broadcasts bounce off of. - Kurt _______________________________________________ Sent via CSolutions - http://www.csolutions.net

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