January 2008 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

2007 TU24 Imaging Op 2008-1-30 9:00 UT in SLC and Hawaii
by Canopus56 29 Jan '08

29 Jan '08

There is another opportunity to image 2007 TU24 at 2008-1-30 9:00 UT as it passes within 1 deg of beta UMa (Merak). Here are charts for Utah and Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Salt Lake City Chart http://gallery.utahastronomy.com/main.php?g2_itemId=10896 Mauna Kea Chart http://gallery.utahastronomy.com/main.php?g2_itemId=10899 For Utah, the altitude at the time of observation is good - about 50 degs - but the Moon is up and the event is at 2:00 am MST. For Hawaii, the altitude is closer to marginal - about 27 degs but rising - but the Moon is down and the event is at 11:00pm PM Hawaii time. NASA JPL Ephemeris Horizons System http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi?find_body=1&body_group=sb&sstr=2007%20… NEO 3D Orbit Simulator http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2007+TU24&orb=1 Emphemeis Data for Salt Lake City ***************************************************** Date__(UT)__HR:MN R.A._(ICRF/J2000.0)_DEC APmag ***************************************************** 2008-Jan-30 08:45 m 11 02 21.38 +55 22 50.1 11.16 2008-Jan-30 09:00 m 11 03 13.97 +55 08 45.1 11.17 2008-Jan-30 09:15 m 11 04 05.11 +54 54 47.0 11.18 2008-Jan-30 09:30 m 11 04 54.88 +54 40 55.6 11.20 2008-Jan-30 09:45 m 11 05 43.34 +54 27 10.9 11.21 2008-Jan-30 10:00 m 11 06 30.59 +54 13 32.9 11.22 2008-Jan-30 10:15 t 11 07 16.68 +54 00 01.5 11.23 2008-Jan-30 10:30 m 11 08 01.69 +53 46 36.7 11.25 2008-Jan-30 10:45 m 11 08 45.67 +53 33 18.5 11.26 2008-Jan-30 11:00 m 11 09 28.70 +53 20 06.8 11.27 Emphemeis Data for Mauna Kea ***************************************************** Date__(UT)__HR:MN R.A._(ICRF/J2000.0)_DEC APmag ***************************************************** 2008-Jan-30 08:45 11 03 56.21 +55 21 51.3 11.17 2008-Jan-30 09:00 11 04 50.04 +55 08 30.2 11.18 2008-Jan-30 09:15 11 05 42.02 +54 55 16.0 11.19 2008-Jan-30 09:30 11 06 32.24 +54 42 08.7 11.21 2008-Jan-30 09:45 11 07 20.78 +54 29 07.9 11.22 2008-Jan-30 10:00 11 08 07.73 +54 16 13.5 11.23 2008-Jan-30 10:15 11 08 53.14 +54 03 25.2 11.24 2008-Jan-30 10:30 11 09 37.12 +53 50 42.9 11.26 2008-Jan-30 10:45 11 10 19.73 +53 38 06.4 11.27 2008-Jan-30 11:00 m 11 11 01.04 +53 25 35.5 11.28 - Kurt ____________________________________________________________________________________ Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] 2007 TU24 0649 TO 0653 UT
by Canopus56 29 Jan '08

29 Jan '08

Outstanding Patrick! - Kurt P.S. - YouTube vid on making animated gifs with Photoshop http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z93Z1v5dypE&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUtpJ5T3QRA Other online how tos for Photoshop http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/university/tutorials/ps_animatedgif_ab… http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/photoshop/l/blfishani1.htm In AIP4WIN has a utility to take jpgs and turn them into animations. I also use a $20 utility called Easy Gif anmiator. http://www.blumentals.net/egifan/ It's simple and easy to use. Takes about 5 minutes to learn. P.P.S. - From SLC I took at look at 0:45. No clouds, but there was still so much water vapor in the air that I couldn't make out the Double Cluster, so I bagged it. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs

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Building your own Soyuz? (Chuck?)
by Patrick Wiggins 28 Jan '08

28 Jan '08

Those wanting to build their own spacecraft (or possibly bathysphere) will want to check out Lot #3 at this surplus sale: http://www.washington.edu/admin/surplus/feb2008catalog.html Surely Chuck will have some use for it... :) pw

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SLC Finder Chart for asteriod 2007 TU 24 passage Mon 1-28-08
by Canopus56 28 Jan '08

28 Jan '08

P.S. to Rob R in Hawaii. The second event at 0:45 MST 1/29 or 1/29/2008 7:45UT is the more photogenic. It would feature the satellite moving past the Perseus double cluster at about 2 1/4 degrees distance. But in Utah, that will occur with asteriod at alt 30 deg in our western sky (not to mention there is a blizzard outside right now with the snow blowing horiztonal). The corresponding event time at your Hawaii op (per Cartes du Ciel) is 1-28-2008 22:00 at an alt of 54 degs and an az of almost due north. The Sun would be another 15 minutes from astronomical twilight. You would be in the good position to get one of the better shots. It occured to me that if you had one of your high-end digital cameras with a 3 deg TFOV lens tracking with an exposure to reach mag 12, you might want to try for it. Just an idea. Clear Skies - Kurt ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Please check SLAS site
by Wayne Sumner 28 Jan '08

28 Jan '08

No problem from the Davis School District computer I'm on. Wayne A. Sumner Math/Physics/Astronomy/Engineering Boy's Tennis Coach Northridge High School Davis School District (801) 402-8610 >>> Patrick Wiggins <paw(a)wirelessbeehive.com> 01/26/08 6:29 PM >>> I've heard from one of our group that they have not been able to get to the SLAS web site for a couple of weeks. If you have a moment please try accessing http://slas.us and http://www.slas.us and let me know if either URL fails. Thanks, patrick p.s. Here's a new story abut a "spy" satellite that is reported to be "threatening Earth": Earthhttp://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080127/ap_on_go_ot/dead_satellite _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://gallery.utahastronomy.com Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com

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Misc nature pic - Sunset on Storm Mtn
by Canopus56 27 Jan '08

27 Jan '08

A minor add to the gallery - a quick snap while driving around town today of sunset on the Big Cottonwood Twin Peaks and Storm Mtn. Nothing great. - Kurt http://gallery.utahastronomy.com/main.php?g2_itemId=10890 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

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SLC Finder Chart for asteriod 2007 TU 24 passage Mon 1-28-08
by Canopus56 27 Jan '08

27 Jan '08

Although cloud-out is likely, here is a finder chart for Monday's passage of mag 11 asteriod 2007TU24 beginning Monday night at 7:15pm. http://gallery.utahastronomy.com/main.php?g2_itemId=10893 On the chart, I have identified two observing opportunities where a 1.25 deg e.p. TFOV can be oriented relative to a fixed star and the asteriod should drift through the view. 1) At 19:15 orienting mag 5.5 star 55 And at the east quarter of the e.p. (PA 270 measured CCW). 2) At 00:45 on Tuesday morning, orienting midway between the Perseus Double Cluster and eta Perseus. A four star asterism is shown on the finder chart that can be used to orient your e.p. The asteriod will be moving at about 3 deg per hour or 3 arcminutes per minute. My Schaefer based telescopic limiting magnitude (TLM) calculator says for a poor urban mag 4.1 sky and for the high altitude 19:15pm observing window, my small 60mm apeture refractor will have a limiting magitude of 10.4 using the lowest power 32mm e.p. That will be insufficient for this asteriod. An Apogee 5.25 inch apeture refractor and 10 inch Orion relfector will both reach to around mag 11.5 - a testiment to the constraint of light pollution. Increasing magnification increases the TLM reach of a scope, but reduces the TFOV - making acquisition of this fast moving object difficult. With a 20mm e.p., my small 60amm refractor will reach to 11.4 mags in an mag 4.1 sky; the 5.25 Apogee and the Orion 10 inch to to 12.4-12.5. I'll probably be trying with the small 700mm fl refractor, which with the 20mm lens still has about a 1 degree TFOV (35 power) - just to keep the just up hassles to a minimum. - Kurt ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

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Feb 20 Eclipse Broadcast
by Canopus56 26 Jan '08

26 Jan '08

>From another newsgroup - Kurt ------------- Join SPA Lunar Section Director / BAA Lunar Topographic Cordinator Peter Grego at www.lunarobservers.com for a LIVE WEBCAST of the total eclipse of the Moon on 21 February 2008, from 01:30 to 05:15 UT (if the event is clouded out a real time computer simulation of the eclipse will be broadcast). Peter will be using a 200 mm SCT and a Philips ToUcam Pro, and the view will take in the entire lunar disk. ---------------- ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Please check SLAS site
by Beverley B Getzen 26 Jan '08

26 Jan '08

Both worked fine. Beverley

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Please check SLAS site
by Patrick Wiggins 26 Jan '08

26 Jan '08

I've heard from one of our group that they have not been able to get to the SLAS web site for a couple of weeks. If you have a moment please try accessing http://slas.us and http://www.slas.us and let me know if either URL fails. Thanks, patrick p.s. Here's a new story abut a "spy" satellite that is reported to be "threatening Earth": Earthhttp://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080127/ap_on_go_ot/dead_satellite

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