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

While we slept - GRB080319B
by Canopus56 21 Mar '08

21 Mar '08

Any residual visual light from this supernova - the most distant naked eye object ever seen - will probably be washed out by the full Moon, but here's a finder chart anyway. May be worth throwing a quick binocular on: My amateur finder chart at: http://gallery.utahastronomy.com/main.php?g2_itemId=11063 Decimal position data from Swift Uvot image files at: http://swift.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/sdc/list?seq=sw00306757000.013 converted to ra-dec: Right-ascension 217.917 143139.99 Declination 36.304 +361813.1 Approx. 2 degs due south dec of gam Boo. NASA Press releases http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/mar/HQ_08086_Swift_Detects_GRB.html http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/swift/bursts/brightest_grb.html ====== "This burst was a whopper," said Swift principal investigator Neil Gehrels of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "It blows away every gamma ray burst we've seen so far." Swift's Burst Alert Telescope picked up the burst at 2:12 a.m. EDT, March 19, and pinpointed the coordinates in the constellation BoÃ¶tes. Telescopes in space and on the ground quickly moved to observe the afterglow. The burst is named GRB 080319B, because it was the second gamma ray burst detected that day. Swift's other two instruments, the X-ray Telescope and the Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope, also observed brilliant afterglows. Several ground-based telescopes saw the afterglow brighten to visual magnitudes between 5 and 6 in the logarithmic magnitude scale used by astronomers. The brighter an object is, the lower its magnitude number. From a dark location in the countryside, people with normal vision can see stars slightly fainter than magnitude 6. That means the afterglow would have been dim, but visible to the naked eye. . . . . GRB 080319B's optical afterglow was 2.5 million times more luminous than the most luminous supernova ever recorded, making it the most intrinsically bright object ever observed by humans in the universe. The most distant previous object that could have been seen by the naked eye is the nearby galaxy M33, a relatively short 2.9 million light-years from Earth." ======= Blogged reports from around the world by professional observatories http://grad40.as.utexas.edu/grblog.php?view=burst&GRB=20080319B Swift site xray and visual camera images http://swift.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/swift/swiftsc.html - Kurt ____________________________________________________________________________________ Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Sir Arthur C. Clarke dies at 90
by Canopus56 21 Mar '08

21 Mar '08

Patrick wrote: > Sir Arthur C. Clarke dies at 90 > http://www.euronews.net/index.php?page=info&article=475936&lng=1 > Sad news, indeed. patrick Amen. RIP. Arthur, we'll all meet you at Childhood's End and together we'll sing Songs of Distant Earth. - 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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Spring / Dot
by Patrick Wiggins 20 Mar '08

20 Mar '08

Google confirms Spring has arrived. See their logo-of-the-day at: http://www.google.com :) I just saw on another group that Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot" soliloquy from his Cosmos series is now a YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p86BPM1GV8M patrick

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Sir Arthur C. Clarke dies at 90
by Patrick Wiggins 19 Mar '08

19 Mar '08

Sir Arthur C. Clarke dies at 90 http://www.euronews.net/index.php?page=info&article=475936&lng=1 Sad news, indeed. patrick

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DayLight Savimgs Time
by erikhansen＠TheBlueZone.net 18 Mar '08

18 Mar '08

>Hi All, Nobody told my PC, in my observatory, that the rules changed for daylight savings time. Anyone know any downloads available to correct this? Did I mention a really dislike DayLight Savings Time. Erik

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Equinox activities Mar 19 (Wed and Thurs 20th) for Utah educators
by Canopus56 18 Mar '08

18 Mar '08

March 20 5:48 UTC March 19 Wed, 11:48PM http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/EarthSeasons.php See also sundial activities on March 19 at 1:40pm. NASA Solar Week activities 3/17 to 3/21 http://www.solarweek.org/ NASA Sun-Earth Day: March 20 http://sunearthday.gsfc.nasa.gov/2008/index.php March 2006 equinox activities version http://members.csolutions.net/fisherka/astronote/notes/Springequinoxteacher… Simple sun science activities using the Gallivan Center sundial http://members.csolutions.net/fisherka/astronote/observed/ALSSundial/html/A… Gnomon shadows move in a straight line on the equinox: Gallivan Center sundial illustration: http://members.csolutions.net/fisherka/astronote/observed/ALSSundial/img/pi… Animation: http://members.csolutions.net/fisherka/astronote/observed/ALSSundial/img/pi… >From the activities page for the equinox equinox: Observe a sunset equinox using the 300 South Street, just north of the Gallivan Center sundial: On the date of the equinoxes, the Sun rises at due East (azimuth 90Â°) and sets due West (azimuth 270Â°). As intended by the plaza developers, the Gallivan Center Sundial is shaded by building interference at sunrise and sunset on the equinoxes. However, the street system in Salt Lake City, Utah is laid-out in a rectilinear grid oriented to the compass points. 300 South Street, directly north of the Gallivan Center Plaza, is aligned on a due east-west line. On the equinoxes, the Sun rises and sets down the center line of this street. The sunsets on the day of the spring (April 21) and autumnal (September 23) equinoxes are particularly striking. A pedestrian crossing, with a concrete protected barrier, allows the visitor to stand near the centerline of 300 South Street without exposing oneself to traffic hazards. After the spring equinox and until the autumnal equinox, the Sun spends part of each day directly illuminating the north sides of buildings. This has implications for building design and for the cooling loads of buildings during the summer. After the autumnal equinox, across the winter solstice, and until the spring equinox, the north sides of buildings spend six months in shade. This has implications for building heating loads. Other places to watch an equinox: Robert Peerless Utah Sundagger at the Utah Valley State College - Wasatch Campus - in Heber http://www.perless.com/sundagger.html Getting to the UVSC Wasatch campus - http://www.uvsc.edu/wasatch/contactus/index.html http://maps.yahoo.com/&q3=40.54474%2C-111.413645#mvt=h&lat=40.54474&lon=-11… Parowan gap - sunset in gap: http://www.parowangap.org/ Nancy Holt's 1976 Utah Sun Tunnels http://ludb.clui.org/ex/i/UT3126/ Gallivan Center http://www.slcgov.com/PublicServices/Gallivan/default.htm http://www.slcgov.com/PublicServices/Gallivan/map.html JPL Horizons Empheris data for SLC, UT March 20, 2008 -6 hrs for MDT or on Mar. 19, 2008 (UT) Az Elev ObsEcLon ************************************** 04:48 306.1626 -34.4210 359.9565895 04:58 308.6076 -35.9239 359.9635412 05:08 311.1457 -37.3752 359.9704949 05:18 313.7820 -38.7703 359.9774507 05:28 316.5210 -40.1038 359.9844084 05:38 319.3667 -41.3703 359.9913678 05:48 322.3220 -42.5640 359.9983289 05:58 325.3887 -43.6788 0.0052916 06:08 328.5670 -44.7086 0.0122556 06:18 331.8552 -45.6472 0.0192210 06:28 335.2495 -46.4883 0.0261875 06:38 338.7437 -47.2260 0.0331550 06:48 342.3292 -47.8546 0.0401234 On March 19 around 1:40pm MDT, the Sun transits at about elevation equal to 90 - Salt Lake City's latitude: JPL Horizons Empheris data for SLC, UT March 19, 2008 -6 hrs for MDT ******************************************************************************* Date__(UT)__HR:MN Azi_(a-appr)_Elev **************************************** 2008-Mar-19 19:10 * 170.4516 48.6697 2008-Mar-19 19:20 * 174.2282 48.9249 2008-Mar-19 19:30 * 178.0342 49.0555 2008-Mar-19 19:40 *t 181.8506 49.0602 2008-Mar-19 19:50 * 185.6580 48.9389 2008-Mar-19 20:00 * 189.4374 48.6927 Date__(UT)__HR:MN Azi_(a-appr)_Elev **************************************** 2008-Mar-20 19:10 * 170.4886 49.0709 2008-Mar-20 19:20 * 174.2960 49.3245 2008-Mar-20 19:30 * 178.1329 49.4523 2008-Mar-20 19:40 *t 181.9800 49.4532 2008-Mar-20 19:50 * 185.8172 49.3271 2008-Mar-20 20:00 * 189.6252 49.0753 - 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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DOD to "engage" satellite
by Patrick Wiggins 18 Mar '08

18 Mar '08

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/ 20080214/NEWS01/80214033 patrick

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Messier and Caldwell obj slewing with Ealing Skywizard
by Canopus56 17 Mar '08

17 Mar '08

I did a knock-off of my Messier slewing list for the Ealing Skywizard - http://members.csolutions.net/fisherka/astronote/plan/mansetcir/html/Messie… Where the slewing waypoint bright reference star is listed in the SkyWizard stellar catalogue, the SkyWizard star number is now included. There are 84 out of 170 entries with SkyWizard star ids. See also my Ealing Skywizard use notes from 2005 - http://members.csolutions.net/fisherka/astronote/Ealing/Skywizard_use_notes… at - http://members.csolutions.net/fisherka/astronote/Ealing/SkywizardProject.ht… - Kurt ____________________________________________________________________________________ Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Shuttle ISS ATV overflights through next Friday
by Canopus56 17 Mar '08

17 Mar '08

Patrick wrote: > ISS came over right on time and very > bright as usual. I rather like these > morning passes as the satellites are > already bright when they first come into view. Tomorrow morning's the best op: -4.0 mag at 65 degs alt. Just bef civil twilight; 1/2 hour bef sunrise. - Kurt SHUTTLE Tue Mar 18/06:50 AM 4 65 10 above NW 37 above ESE 65 deg max alt -4.0 mag Calsky ISS 6h53m36s ISS Appears 6h49m54s -1.5mag az:309.3Â° NW h:5.2Â° Culmination 6h53m36s -4.0mag az: 34.8Â° NE h:66.3Â° distance: 373.8km height above Earth: 345.3km elevation of sun: -8Â° Disappears 6h58m26s 1.3mag az:121.7Â° ESE horizon ____________________________________________________________________________________ Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping

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Shuttle ISS ATV overflights through next Friday
by Canopus56 17 Mar '08

17 Mar '08

Misc raw data from NASA one-click overflight applet and CalSky: SHUTTLE Mon Mar 17/06:28 AM 3 25 10 above NNW 23 above NE 25 deg max alt -2.1 mag Monday 6:68am 6h31m10s STS-123 Space Shuttle docked with ISS Appears 6h28m19s -1.6mag az:323.2Â° NW h:8.0Â° Culmination 6h31m10s -2.1mag az: 26.1Â° NNE h:25.2Â° distance: 732.4km height above Earth: 346.0km elevation of sun: -13Â° Disappears 6h35m49s 2.5mag az: 99.7Â° E horizon SHUTTLE Tue Mar 18/06:50 AM 4 65 10 above NW 37 above ESE 65 deg max alt -4.0 mag Calsky ISS 6h53m36s ISS Appears 6h49m54s -1.5mag az:309.3Â° NW h:5.2Â° Culmination 6h53m36s -4.0mag az: 34.8Â° NE h:66.3Â° distance: 373.8km height above Earth: 345.3km elevation of sun: -8Â° Disappears 6h58m26s 1.3mag az:121.7Â° ESE horizon SHUTTLE Wed Mar 19/05:40 AM < 1 24 24 above NNE 22 above NE 25 deg max alt -2.2 mag 5h40m48s ISS Appears 5h40m21s -2.2mag az: 9.5Â° N h:23.4Â° Culmination 5h40m48s -2.0mag az: 25.8Â° NNE h:24.5Â° distance: 748.8km height above Earth: 346.0km elevation of sun: -21Â° Disappears 5h45m27s 1.6mag az: 98.8Â° E horizon Odd ISS overpass 15 minutes before sunrise - but at -3.7 mag is so bright, it may be visible 34 deg max alt -3.7 mag 7h15m55s ISS Appears 7h11m43s -1.3mag az:297.8Â° WNW h:2.3Â° Culmination 7h15m55s -3.7mag az:222.7Â° SW h:34.0Â° distance: 582.1km height above Earth: 344.3km elevation of sun: -4Â° Disappears 7h20m38s 0.5mag az:145.8Â° SE horizon SHUTTLE Thu Mar 20/06:01 AM 3 61 41 above NNW 11 above ESE 61 max alt -3.9 mag 6h25m20s STS-123 Space Shuttle docked with ISS Appears 6h24m11s -3.4mag az:271.0Â° W h:24.4Â° Culmination 6h25m20s -3.9mag az:222.3Â° SW h:36.1Â° distance: 555.5km height above Earth: 343.8km elevation of sun: -13Â° Disappears 6h30m04s 0.2mag az:144.6Â° SE horizon ____________________________________________________________________________________ Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs

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