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

Re: [Utah-astronomy] [Utah Astronomy] Spectral Studies on Ealing - continued attempt
by Canopus56 21 Jun '08

21 Jun '08

In continuance from my June 15 post, here is the next step in calibrating the Arcturus spectra taken June 8: The original June 8 drift spectrograph of Arcturus http://gallery.utahastronomy.com/main.php?g2_itemId=11543 The partial spectrographs through filters registered to the x-axis pixels and associated with Angstrom wavelengths http://gallery.utahastronomy.com/main.php?g2_itemId=11593 Reference spectra from class K0III star http://gallery.utahastronomy.com/main.php?g2_itemId=11595 Wavelength x-axis calibrated spectra from raw image http://gallery.utahastronomy.com/main.php?g2_itemId=11597 Calibrating for the camera response on the y-axis http://gallery.utahastronomy.com/main.php?g2_itemId=11599 The completed camera response curve http://gallery.utahastronomy.com/main.php?g2_itemId=11601 Final spectra calibrated on x-axis (wavelength) and y-axis (camera response) with standard K0III spectra plot for comparision http://gallery.utahastronomy.com/main.php?g2_itemId=11603 Next step, which I may not do, is to identify the elements that correspond to the spectral absorption lines seen in the original raw image. Enjoy - Kurt

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SPOC tonight
by Patrick Wiggins 21 Jun '08

21 Jun '08

A reminder that SLAS is holding a star party at SPOC tonight (Saturday). patrick

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Sun Tunnels pictures
by Patrick Wiggins 21 Jun '08

21 Jun '08

I've put together a quick and dirty web page with pictures from my flight yesterday to Sun Tunnels. http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/suntunjun2008.html Eventually I'll move a few of the images to my album on the UA gallery. They could have been more crisp but I failed to use a fast enough shutter speed when using the telephoto. Hopefully I'll get it right next time. Fun flight! patrick

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Orion right angle finder rework
by Canopus56 21 Jun '08

21 Jun '08

Pics of my rework of the Orion "finder holder from hell" rework. Orion Right Angle Finder - Reworked http://gallery.utahastronomy.com/main.php?g2_itemId=11585 Orion Right Angle Finder - Reworked Exploded View http://gallery.utahastronomy.com/main.php?g2_itemId=11587 Orion Right Angle Finder - Filing the base of the holder true http://gallery.utahastronomy.com/main.php?g2_itemId=11589 Orion Right Angle Finder - Wrapping the crosshair eyepiece threads with plumber's tape for rotation http://gallery.utahastronomy.com/main.php?g2_itemId=11591 Hope this is of use to others. - Kurt

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Thursday night launch
by Canopus56 20 Jun '08

20 Jun '08

I did not see the primary boost phase of Jason 2 last night, but believe I may have seen the secondary ignition, but am not sure. Within 10 minutes of launch, I noticed an anomalous light in Coma Bernice heading for UMA. I was not an airplane or an Iridium flare. It had an orangish glow in binoculars and was moving more like the ISS. It's apparent direction (west to northnorthwest) didn't jive with the Vandenburg launch page (launching to the southwest from the west coast of California). The Vandenburg launch page does not jive with the orbital tracking data for Jason 1 - which moves like the ISS at 66 degree inclination to the equator. The satellite launch tracking software Skymap that I used to use doesn't seem to be around anymore, so I'm sure what I saw. Any hints? - Kurt

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Relativistic orbital effects
by Chuck Hards 20 Jun '08

20 Jun '08

Mercury experiences an element of orbital precession that cannot be predicted using Newton's laws. The General Theory of Relativity does, however, seem to explain the discrepency. Now read about the proximity of a newly-found extra-solar planet to it's star: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080616/sc_nm/space_planets_dc I'm wondering, without actually doing the math, about the relativistic effects on an orbital period of *4 days! * ** And we say that a year "passes like nothing" here on earth. Ha!

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Actual time of the Summer Solstice
by Canopus56 20 Jun '08

20 Jun '08

Seth wrote: > According to the U S Naval Observatory, the correct time of > the Summer Solstice today will be 17:59 MDT. The USNO lists astronomical solstice as June 20, 23:59UT http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/EarthSeasons.php - a minute before 6pm local time, for pagans out there who need to sacrafice a goat at the correct time. So you pagans still have a few minutes to get ready. If a goat isn't available, I understand a seagull is an acceptable local native alternative. The time of local solstice - the highest point that the Sun reaches in the local SLC horizon system during this calendar year as registered on local sundials - something not generally recognized by professional astronomers - was a few hours earlier at 1:30pm MDT. - Kurt

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Sky & Telescope's Saturn Moons application
by Wilson Family 20 Jun '08

20 Jun '08

Hey guys, I've been looking at the Java Script application that Sky & Telescope has concerning the positions of Saturn's moons. I note that it lists Enceladus as one of the visible moons while omitting Iapetus. The problem is, Iapetus was discovered more than 100 years before Enceladus (Cassini in 1671 vs. Herschel in 1789) because it's 2.8 times larger. Did Sky & Telescope make a boo-boo or is Enceladus's ice coating making it so much brighter than Iapetus that it's more easily discernable? I'm doing a PowerPoint presentation on Saturn at SPOC tomorrow evening that has a slide showing the relative positions of the Saturnian moons and I'd like to have it labeled correctly. Your expert help would be appreciated. Mike Wilson

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Actual time of the Summer Solstice
by Seth Jarvis 20 Jun '08

20 Jun '08

According to the U S Naval Observatory, the correct time of the Summer Solstice today will be 17:59 MDT. Guess we'll have to stay a little late at work today and get another goat. Seth

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Sticky grease?
by Canopus56 20 Jun '08

20 Jun '08

Chuck suggested: > Or a neoprene or sorbothane gasket that would hold the > eyepiece in position even though the threads might not > be bottomed-out tight. Thanks, that's a great simple idea. Or a couple of wraps of that material you wrap around plastic water pipe threads to make them seal would add some resistance even though the ep is not bottomed out. - Kurt

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