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

ISS
by Chuck Hards 02 Jan '08

02 Jan '08

Patrick (or anybody else who monitors satellites), was that perchance the ISS I saw overfly this morning at 6:28 MST? Nearly overhead, a very good pass and brighter than Venus.

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Happy New Year (belated)
by Gary Vardon 02 Jan '08

02 Jan '08

Happy New Year Y'all. I think that exoplanets are fascinating and should be explored and I think that a manned mission to Mars is not cost effective but I do think that Mars is fascinating. I have seen a lot of global surveyor pictures of Mars and noted that the terrain is varied and unique. Looking for life is not the only reason to explore other worlds or even the most important. Plus, Mars may well have bacterial life as Antarctica does. Sincerely, Gary Vardon see my website www.wealthbuilder.wwdb.biz use gary1234 as the id -----Original Message----- From: Joe Bauman Sent: Wednesday, January 2, 2008 12:43 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Happy New Year (belated) Yes indeed, Happy New Year to all our friends! My predictions about a crewed Mars expedition are: 1, it will happen pretty soon because we have discovered a cheap new transportation system; OR 2, it will never happen because robots are proving Mars isn't that interesting. Exoplanets with the possibility of advanced life are fascinating to me personally, while Mars is turning out to be about as interesting as the South Pole -- cold, incapable of much life, dreary landscape. Within far fewer years and with much less expense than a Mars expedition, advanced telescopes will actually image exosolar planets. Not much later, we will be able to analyze Earth-sized exoplanets to determine if carbon-water-oxygen based life exists there. When we round up a few of these promising exoplanets, attention will shift from actually going to a barren nearby planet to learning more about these distant worlds. Mars is often pictured as a stepping-stone to more advanced human exploration. But it's not worth a huge expenditure of resources for just a visit or two. If we come up with better transportation, which I think is fairly likely, a Mars run might be a good training exercise. When I was born in the middle-1940s, going to the moon was unthinkable. In another 20 years some system may be in place that would make an exoplanet visit possible. -- Just my 1.3 cents worth. jb On Jan 2, 2008, at 11:34 AM, Seth Jarvis wrote: > Happy New Year to you, too. > > Thirty years before a crewed mission to Mars? That's as good as > saying > "Never." Too much changes in so long a period of time. > > The stuff I'm reading says twenty years may be more realistic, yet > there's > still a real threat of the public losing interest because of the > long lead > time. > > Assuming that the federal budget permits our nation the luxury of > such a > thing, then the way I'm predicting this will shake out goes along > these > lines: > > 2018 to about 2025 we spend on the Moon figuring out how to spend > extended > periods of time on the surface of another world. It turns out that > while > our technology in 1970 was adequate to spend a couple of days on > the Moon, > attempting to spend and entire week there would have been disastrous. > > Meanwhile, we're sending more advanced robotic missions to explore > Mars and > have a go at a couple of sample return missions. > > If the sample return missions indicate no potential for nasty > biological > interactions, either Earth-to-Mars or Mars-to-Earth, and we've > figured out > how to keep astronauts sane and productive on 30-month missions, > and we're > confident that we can not only place objects reliably into Martian > orbits > but also get large objects in Martian orbits safely back to Earth, > then the > thinking is that a crewed mission to Mars could leave Earth around > 2025 - > 2030. > > Of course, we haven't got so much as a clue about what the national > mood > will be ten years from now, let alone in 25 years, nor can we > accurately > predict where funding for this adventure stacks-up against other > national > funding priorities. > > And yes, Patrick should sign up. > > Seth > > > -----Original Message----- > From: utah-astronomy-bounces(a)mailman.xmission.com > [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Kim > Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2008 10:46 AM > To: 'Utah Astronomy' > Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Happy New Year (belated) > > I just realized that I hadn't wished a Happy New Year to some of my > best and > oldest friends. ("Just who are you calling old?" - thought I should > beat > anyone to that line.) So, all the best for a good year. I hope you > all keep > improving...and enjoy clear (clearer) skies. > > > > I rang in the new year by watching much of "Mars Rising" on the > Discovery > Channel - I think. For anyone who hasn't seen the program, I > thought it was > very well done. And you get to listen to William Shatner not being > cheeky > for a change. I hope that we get there in my life time. We should > begin a > pool for the landing date. If we start now and bank the money, it > could be > worth quite a bit by the time we launch. Anyway, the program > suggested that > a Mars mission might be 30 years out. I'm thinking much longer, in > part > because a 30-year occupation of Iraq now seems much more likely than a > mission to Mars. Oops, there I go getting political. Sorry. So, > does anyone > have thoughts on a Mars mission, such as technology, timing, should > Patrick > volunteer, etc.? > > > > Kim > > > > > Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.15.31/1128 - Release Date: > 11/13/2007 > 11:09 AM > > _______________________________________________ > 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 > > > _______________________________________________ > 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 _______________________________________________ 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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Another gallery (OT)
by Patrick Wiggins 01 Jan '08

01 Jan '08

Since Tyler's non-astro shots have been so well received here I thought I'd mention another gallery similar to the UA gallery but dedicated to flying critters. http://upload.pbase.com/image/91100847 Keep clicking on "Previous" to work your way through the album. patrick p.s. Another nice night tonight. I was hesitant to open my observatory because of the haze and cirrus I saw at sunset but I've been imaging for over an hour now and the pictures are looking fine.

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Out of towner wants to observe.
by Kurt Fisher 01 Jan '08

01 Jan '08

Fr: Michael Madigan, Cuyahoga Co. Ohio <snip> I am going to be visiting your fair state the 2nd week in January. > . . . I have never been to the western part of the country I hear great > tales of how great the viewing. I was wondering if their was > anyone in or around the Salt Lake City, Park City areas > that I could possible hook up with for a little > viewing time. . . . I will be available on > the nights of 7th,8th,9th,10th cell number (216) 577-4060. Mike, You may also want to send your request to the Park City astronomy club via "Utah Skies". website: http://www.utahskies.org/ email: info(a)utahskies.org If you are skiing at the higher elevation Park City resorts, they may be a good bet since their members can set up on the back porch. In general in Salt Lake City, scopes get packed up in Dec. and Jan. Both months are partly cloudy more than 80% of the time, overnight temperatures at higher elevations are between 0 and 20 degrees, and Utah suffers, like Cleveland, from "lake effect" snow off the Great Salt Lake. Additionally, the lower elevation Salt Lake City, being next to a mountain range suffers from extreme inversion haze, which we Utahan's escape by going to the higher elevation Park City. I have occassionally done full winter observing. For a dark sky experience, even with binoculars, I go to: 1) Along the Peoa highway outside of Park City. Park anywhere (where there is concrete shoulder) along the "Brown's Canyon Rd" between Park City and Peao. http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&lat=40.683242&lon=-111.42334&mag=6 2) East Mirror Lake Highway at the fee station http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=h&lat=40.628155&lon=-111.176663&mag=5 3) East Mirror Lake Highway at the snowmobile parking lot http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=h&lat=40.595055&lon=-111.095295&mag=5 Both the Mirror Lake Highway sites are true dark sky sites. The Peoa Highway is not. The Mirror Lake Highway, late at night, should be driven at no more than 40 mph with eyes firmly concentrating on the road ahead. Invariably, there are black ice and elk, deer and even black skinned cattle on the highway after 11:00pm. Wildlife emergency stops are the rule, not the exception on that highway. To decide on a particular night, whether you are going to have an observing hole between storms, I use the NOAA weather sat image: http://www.weather.gov/sat_tab.php?image=ir Unlike Ohio, these locations are not well-travelled at night. You need to be sure your vehicle is in good working order and that you have an emergency sleeping bag in the car if you do break down. A shovel for digging out is recommend. You will need full ski gear good down to 0 degs for observing at night - a down jacket, a thick wool hat and gloves, and good insulating boots. But, being from Cleveland, where the only thing between you and the biting wind of the North Pole is a tall Canadian, you are familiar with extreme weather than we are. The difference here is with a lower population density, you should think in terms of self-rescue, not passing car rescue, when you drive away from urban areas. Absent a dew heater, you can use binos for 30-45 minutes before the lenses will freeze over, assuming you can remember to keep your breath away from the e.p. and objective lenses. Of course Mar is up, but at this time of year I recommend going when Orion is transiting around midnight. To the RA west of Orion, running north and south along the meridian, you will see the faint light of the antispinward side of our Orion-Cygnus arm. These include many clusters, like Hind's variable cluster and the Rosetta nebula. The whole region is full of smaller open clusters in the outbound arm of the Orion Arm. I have seen good zodical light in December and January, but that is usually a February-March event. - Kurt, SLAS member _______________________________________________ Sent via CSolutions - http://www.csolutions.net

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Clearing skies - Comet Tuttle and Holmes
by Kurt Fisher 01 Jan '08

01 Jan '08

The IR sat image is showing some clearing skies tonight. Internet scuttle butt is that both Comet 8P Tuttle and Comet Holmes are visible in 10x50 binos. May be worth a quick peak between imbibes tonight. 8P Finder chart at: http://gallery.utahastronomy.com/v/kurt/utahastrowiki/055.PNG.html and http://www.utahastronomy.com/Current_observing_events Uber imager Pete Lawrence's image of Comet 8P approaching M33: http://www.digitalsky.org.uk/comets/2007-12-30_Tuttle+M33_IMG_5567.jpg Clear skies and HNY - Kurt _______________________________________________ Sent via CSolutions - http://www.csolutions.net

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Edge-on eyepieces
by Chuck Hards 31 Dec '07

31 Dec '07

Has anyone tried the Orion "Edge-On" flat-field eyepieces? For either imaging or visual use? http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=eyepieces/~pcategory=… User feedback appreciated.

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Prominence sunspot alert
by Gary Vardon 31 Dec '07

31 Dec '07

I saw the Nobeyama radioheliograph image of the flare. Sincerely, Gary Vardon see my website www.wealthbuiler.wwdb.biz use gary1234 as the id -----Original Message----- From: Kurt Fisher Sent: Monday, December 31, 2007 3:58 PM To: utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Prominence sunspot alert >From another newsgroup. If there is a break in clouds tomorrow, pulling out the PST for a peak may be an idea. - Kurt ========================================== Space Weather News for Dec. 31, 2007 http://spaceweather.com SOLAR ACTIVITY: The New Year could begin with a bang--or rather a solar flare. A sunspot hidden just behind the sun's eastern limb has unleashed two X-ray flares and a bright CME (coronal mass ejection) in the past 24 hours. This activity could signal the return of large sunspot 978, which has spent the last two weeks transiting the far side of the sun. Today or tomorrow, the sun's rotation should carry the active region over the limb and into view from Earth; then we can evaluate its potential for more flares and CMEs. Visit http://spaceweather.com for images and updates. _______________________________________________ Sent via CSolutions - http://www.csolutions.net _______________________________________________ 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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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Out of towner wants to observe.
by Kurt Fisher 31 Dec '07

31 Dec '07

Opps, that's fisherka at csolutions dot net. - Kurt _______________________________________________ Sent via CSolutions - http://www.csolutions.net

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