October 2009 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

Re: [Utah-astronomy] Star Party at Kolob Canyons section of Zion NP
by Jay Eads 21 Oct '09

21 Oct '09

I'm laying here reading recovering from the 24 hour stomach flu since yesterday and I'm trying to get a handle on this. First, are the star parties that SLAS participates in at Zion, or Capitol Reef outreach, for personal observing, both? Second are the ones that Debbie is talking about personal observing or outreach? Also, I have camped in cold weather so I'm not afraid of that but I don't have a trailer or anything like that, just a large 5 person tent, and I assume that is ok as long as I am prepared to sleep in cold weather? Finally, I am assuming that if I go to an event whether it is SLAS, or OAS etc., that I need to call ahead and reserve and pay for my own campground? Sorry for all the questions but I haven't attended any, and would like to clarify so I can make plans to attend some of these events. On 2009-10-21 07:24, Patrick Wiggins wrote: > On 20 Oct 2009, at 22:07, Craig Smith wrote: > > > It's probably easier/faster to get to Kolob Canyons from Salt Lake > > than to > > either Bryce Canyon or Capitol Reef. > > Having driven to Bryce 6 and 7 times a year for the past 23 years I'm > pretty familiar with the route and I'm pretty sure the drive from SLC > to Bryce or Kolob is about the same. > > Drive time from I-15 exit 95 (where one gets off the freeway onto > highway 20) to Bryce is almost exactly 1 hour if one sticks to the > speed limit. > > Drive time from that same exit to the Kolob Canyon exit is about 45 > minutes. Add a few minutes to get to the canyon and you're at about > an hour. > > Cheers, > > patrick > >

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Star Party at Kolob Canyons section of Zion NP
by Debbie 21 Oct '09

21 Oct '09

Ann, I have not set up my scope in the main part of Zion NP. A few years ago we found an empty cul-de-sac in the Anasazi Plateau subdivision above Rockville. Now they have built homes there so we need to find another location near that area. I think I'll take a drive over there in a couple of weeks and look for a new site. I haven't observed in Snow Canyon since 2001. The views are better west of Snow Canyon because of the light dome of St George. The Keyenta subdivision isn't bad for a week night. The reason I like the Kolob site so well is because it is off I-15 and only takes about 50 minutes to get there. The light dome of St George is off to the southwest and ther is a small light dome from Cedar City. Otherwise, it is very dark there. But at an elevation of 6000 feet, I need to find a suitable dark winter observing site, away from drunks and ATV's. Debbie On Wed Oct 21 8:47 , Ann House <ann(a)annhouse.org> sent: >Debbie, > >Have you ever set up your scope in Zion NP? It would be warmer than Bryce >and Kolob Canyon and camping is possible as are rooms in town. I didn't get >in much night sky viewing this past year and going to Zion would extend my >season. We could help celebrate Zion's 100th year. > >Do you still have private star parties in Snow Canyon? > >-A >_______________________________________________ >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://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php >Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com

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Star Party at Kolob Canyons section of Zion NP
by Debbie 21 Oct '09

21 Oct '09

I had a great night viewing galaxies in Pegasus, Pisces, Perseus, Cetus, and Sculptor Saturday night at the viewpoint in Kolob Canyons. Skies were crystal clear and several Orionid meteors were observed. I'm wondering if it would be okay to hold a private star party in a National Park? I'm thinking about 20-25 people would be a good number. We like this site in the summer because the weather is much cooler at the 6000+ elevation. Debbie

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Star Party at Kolob Canyons section of Zion NP
by Debbie 20 Oct '09

20 Oct '09

Joe, I was referring to our local group of amateur astronomers from the Southern Utah Astronomy Association, although we would welcome any traveling visitors from the north. There is no camping in the Kolob Canyons area of the park. I've been to Bryce before but that is a 3 hour drive. I've been to the Wedge before. That is nice too but too far unless I'm on my way to Canyonlands National Park. Like I said before, I think this viewpoint is suitable for small groups that do not plan on camping. I hope to go back there once more this year, hopefully the second week in November. Debbie On Tue Oct 20 14:05 , Joe Bauman <josephmbauman(a)yahoo.com> sent: >You know, Debbie, I love the Wedge. There is a largish group camping site close to the Wedge itself, though it's often filled with non-astronomers during warm months. In the fall and winter that may be a different story -- not so many others then. It might be a nice place for a contingent from your part of the state to meet up with a bunch of us northerners. Just a thought. -- Joe > >--- On Tue, 10/20/09, erikhansen(a)TheBlueZone.net erikhansen(a)TheBlueZone.net> wrote: > >From: erikhansen(a)TheBlueZone.net erikhansen(a)TheBlueZone.net> >Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Star Party at Kolob Canyons section of Zion NP >To: "Utah Astronomy" utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> >Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2009, 12:49 PM > >> SLAS does quite a few private star parties in the National Parks, I >believe Don Colton is the SLAS person who coordinates those. > >There is no reason you can't plan one yourself, but SLAS support may be >difficult. > >If you are wishing one for Zion National Park, it may be a little far for >many people. SLAS seems to have a full plate, as far a Star Parties go. >Seems we mostly go to Bryce, Capital Reef, Natural Bridges or the Wedge. >Does Kolob have camping areas? > > > >Hi Debby, Great to hear from you again! I know Kevin Poe at Bryce Canyon >> NP is great for star parties. Why don't you contact him? And if you don't >> want to head to Bryce, he probably could help you get in touch with the >> Zion people. -- Joe >> >> --- On Tue, 10/20/09, Debbie astrodeb(a)beyondbb.com> wrote: >> >> From: Debbie astrodeb(a)beyondbb.com> >> Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Star Party at Kolob Canyons section of Zion NP >> To: utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com >> Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2009, 9:50 AM >> >> >> I had a great night viewing galaxies in Pegasus, Pisces, Perseus, Cetus, >> and >> Sculptor Saturday night at the viewpoint in Kolob Canyons. Skies were >> crystal clear >> and several Orionid meteors were observed. >> >> I'm wondering if it would be okay to hold a private star party in a >> National Park? >> I'm thinking about 20-25 people would be a good number. We like this site >> in the >> summer because the weather is much cooler at the 6000+ elevation. >> >> Debbie >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php >> 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://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php >> 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://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php >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://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php >Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com

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Kolob Star Party
by Stephen Peterson 20 Oct '09

20 Oct '09

Debbie, My wife and I are in the process of moving to Hurricane from SLC and would love to meet folks in S. Utah who are interested in astronomy. I have been a member of SLAS for several years. Easy enough to swing by Kolob and talk with the rangers on one of our moving runs to see about doing star parties there. We might be able to set up at the parking lot at the viewpoint. Does the SU astronomy group have any meetings, or other scheduled activities? Regards, Steve

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Reminder: Not just SLAS
by dustynebula＠juno.com 20 Oct '09

20 Oct '09

Greetings Space People! As a follow up to Professor Wiggins note: The Salt Lake Astronomical Society welcomes non-members to all of our meetings, star parties and camp-outs! There are some splendid benefits to membership and our annual fee is quite modest. If you love seeing the sky, and learning about what's out there, join us, membership or not! With warmest regards, Dave Bernson, President, 2009, Salt Lake Astronomical Society.(from Zeta Reticuli II) ---------- Original Message ---------- From: Patrick Wiggins <paw(a)wirelessbeehive.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Reminder: Not just SLAS Date: Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:56:13 -0600 Hi all, Your (usually) friendly list co-administrator here. There have been a couple of posts here recently that might lead some to believe that only SLAS members hang out on Utah-Astronomy. While most UA subscribers are SLAS members there are some who are not. This list is open to all, regardless of club affiliation or location (I'm pretty sure some of Dave Berson's relatives on zeta reticuli II lurk here <grin>). Clear Skies, patrick _______________________________________________ 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://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com ____________________________________________________________ Best Weight Loss Program - Click Here! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/BLSrjpTFoYexd7H1fWMc9Uk0QBaadke…

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SLAS meeting
by Gary Vardon 20 Oct '09

20 Oct '09

Fellow SLASers, Yours truly is giving an inspiring talk on my August trip to Denver to attend the AIAA meeting on rockets. The take home message for my talk is that rocket science is rocket science. In other words there is a lot to it. Sincerely, Gary Vardon The book DO It Right will help you understand vital ideas leading to your geater success. GO to PublishAmerica. -----Original Message----- From: Canopus56 Sent: Monday, October 19, 2009 8:10 PM To: Utah Astronomy List Serv Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Orionids 2009 Orionids peak Tuesday night - Wednesday morning MDT.ï¿½ At 11pm MDT on Tuesday,ï¿½ Orion is at the eastern horizon.ï¿½ Orion transits Wednesday morning at 5:00am MDT. ------ IMO Summary October's new Moon perfectly favours the Orionids at their peak in 2009. The shower's radiant, near the celestial equator, is at a useful elevation by around local midnight in either hemisphere, so most of the world can enjoy the shower. The shower peaks on October 21st, but has previously been noted to have several lesser peaks, sometimes helping activity to remain roughly constant for several consecutive nights centred on this peak. Observers should be aware of this possibility and attempt to observe for multiple nights. Previous years have produced unexpectedly strong Orionid rates, with ZHRs better than the normal peak seen on two or three consecutive nights, at best up to 50-70. It will be interesting to see what takes place this year. Orionids (ORI) ï¿½ Active:ï¿½ October 2-November 7 Maximum:ï¿½ October 21 ( o = 208ï¿½) ZHR =ï¿½ 30 Radiant:ï¿½ alphaï¿½ = 095 deg dec = +16 deg Radiant drift:ï¿½ see Table 6 v =ï¿½ 66 km/s; r = 2.4 <snip> ------ ------ BAA Summary BAA electronic bulletin No. 00443ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ http://www.britastro.org/ ORIONID METEORS: ENHANCED ACTIVITY THIS YEAR? The Orionid meteor shower will be active throughout the coming week and until the end of October. One of two annual showers associated with Comet 1P/Halley (the other being the Eta Aquarids of early May), the Orionids are a moderately active shower, usually producing observed rates in excess of 10 meteors/hr around their maximum. In the years from 2006-2008, observers in North America, particularly, reported higher-than-normal Orionid meteor rates, and this month there is chance that enhanced activity may be observed again.ï¿½ With New Moon on October 18 and First Quarter on October 26, there will be no interference from moonlight this year. In a recent IAU electronic telegram (CBET 1976: 20091017) Peter Jenniskens, SETI Institute, reports that the strong Orionid meteor shower activity may well repeat this year, according to M. Sato and J.-I. Watanabe (2007, PASJ 59, L21).ï¿½ They ascribed the enhanced activity in the period 2006-2008 activity to dust trails of comet 1P/Halley that were formed by meteoroids ejected in the years -1400 and -11.ï¿½ The orbital evolution of the dust is affected by the 1:5 to 1:8 mean-motion resonances with Jupiter.ï¿½ This so-called "filament" component is expected to be in the Earth's path again around Oct. 18-24 in 2009, giving rise to a higher-than-normal Orionid-shower activity that is relatively rich in bright meteors.ï¿½ Thanks to the filamentary nature of the debris stream laid down by the parent comet, activity can vary markedly from one year to another: good rates can be experienced if Earth encounters a rich meteoroid filament, but at other times activity might seem disappointing. Several sub-peaks are usually seen between October 20-22, and intervals of slightly increased activity can be found even as late as October 27-28. Like 1P/Halley, stream meteoroids have a retrograde orbit around the Sun, meaning that they enter the upper atmosphere on 'head on' collisions at the high velocity of 66 km/sec. Orionid meteors are very swift, and the brighter ones, particularly, often leave behind brief persistent ionisation trains. Having been laid down over numerous returns of 1P/Halley, the Orionid meteor stream is quite spread out, and this is reflected in the shower's diffuse (probably multiple) radiant. Orionid meteors emanate from a region of sky midway between Betelgeuse (Orion's eastern 'shoulder') and the second-magnitude star Gamma Geminorum. The radiant doesn't rise until 22h local time, and best rates are generally found in the early morning hours once it has gained somewhat in altitude. Observations of the Orionid meteor shower should be made according to the standard methods of the BAA Meteor Section which are available on the Section's website at http://www.britastro.org/meteor Please submit your observations to the BAA Meteor Section as soon as possible after you have made them, and at any rate within one month at the most.ï¿½ Observations should be sent to the Acting Director:- Dr John Mason, 51 Orchard Way, Barnham, West Sussex PO22 0HX.ï¿½ Tel: 01243 814307. email docjohn(a)dircon.co.uk The Acting Director will also be pleased to answer any queries regarding further aspects of meteor work. John W. Mason BAA Meteor Section 18 October 2009 ------ ------ _______________________________________________ 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://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com

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Orionids 2009
by Canopus56 19 Oct '09

19 Oct '09

Orionids peak Tuesday night - Wednesday morning MDT. At 11pm MDT on Tuesday, Orion is at the eastern horizon. Orion transits Wednesday morning at 5:00am MDT. ------ IMO Summary October's new Moon perfectly favours the Orionids at their peak in 2009. The shower's radiant, near the celestial equator, is at a useful elevation by around local midnight in either hemisphere, so most of the world can enjoy the shower. The shower peaks on October 21st, but has previously been noted to have several lesser peaks, sometimes helping activity to remain roughly constant for several consecutive nights centred on this peak. Observers should be aware of this possibility and attempt to observe for multiple nights. Previous years have produced unexpectedly strong Orionid rates, with ZHRs better than the normal peak seen on two or three consecutive nights, at best up to 50-70. It will be interesting to see what takes place this year. Orionids (ORI) Active: October 2-November 7 Maximum: October 21 ( o = 208°) ZHR = 30 Radiant: alpha = 095 deg dec = +16 deg Radiant drift: see Table 6 v = 66 km/s; r = 2.4 <snip> ------ ------ BAA Summary BAA electronic bulletin No. 00443 http://www.britastro.org/ ORIONID METEORS: ENHANCED ACTIVITY THIS YEAR? The Orionid meteor shower will be active throughout the coming week and until the end of October. One of two annual showers associated with Comet 1P/Halley (the other being the Eta Aquarids of early May), the Orionids are a moderately active shower, usually producing observed rates in excess of 10 meteors/hr around their maximum. In the years from 2006-2008, observers in North America, particularly, reported higher-than-normal Orionid meteor rates, and this month there is chance that enhanced activity may be observed again. With New Moon on October 18 and First Quarter on October 26, there will be no interference from moonlight this year. In a recent IAU electronic telegram (CBET 1976: 20091017) Peter Jenniskens, SETI Institute, reports that the strong Orionid meteor shower activity may well repeat this year, according to M. Sato and J.-I. Watanabe (2007, PASJ 59, L21). They ascribed the enhanced activity in the period 2006-2008 activity to dust trails of comet 1P/Halley that were formed by meteoroids ejected in the years -1400 and -11. The orbital evolution of the dust is affected by the 1:5 to 1:8 mean-motion resonances with Jupiter. This so-called "filament" component is expected to be in the Earth's path again around Oct. 18-24 in 2009, giving rise to a higher-than-normal Orionid-shower activity that is relatively rich in bright meteors. Thanks to the filamentary nature of the debris stream laid down by the parent comet, activity can vary markedly from one year to another: good rates can be experienced if Earth encounters a rich meteoroid filament, but at other times activity might seem disappointing. Several sub-peaks are usually seen between October 20-22, and intervals of slightly increased activity can be found even as late as October 27-28. Like 1P/Halley, stream meteoroids have a retrograde orbit around the Sun, meaning that they enter the upper atmosphere on 'head on' collisions at the high velocity of 66 km/sec. Orionid meteors are very swift, and the brighter ones, particularly, often leave behind brief persistent ionisation trains. Having been laid down over numerous returns of 1P/Halley, the Orionid meteor stream is quite spread out, and this is reflected in the shower's diffuse (probably multiple) radiant. Orionid meteors emanate from a region of sky midway between Betelgeuse (Orion's eastern 'shoulder') and the second-magnitude star Gamma Geminorum. The radiant doesn't rise until 22h local time, and best rates are generally found in the early morning hours once it has gained somewhat in altitude. Observations of the Orionid meteor shower should be made according to the standard methods of the BAA Meteor Section which are available on the Section's website at http://www.britastro.org/meteor Please submit your observations to the BAA Meteor Section as soon as possible after you have made them, and at any rate within one month at the most. Observations should be sent to the Acting Director:- Dr John Mason, 51 Orchard Way, Barnham, West Sussex PO22 0HX. Tel: 01243 814307. email docjohn(a)dircon.co.uk The Acting Director will also be pleased to answer any queries regarding further aspects of meteor work. John W. Mason BAA Meteor Section 18 October 2009 ------ ------

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30 some Exoplanets Found; Quite Common
by JayLEads 19 Oct '09

19 Oct '09

Here's the article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33379852/ns/technology_and_science-space/ Looks like the universe will stick an exoplanet just about anywhere it can . . . interesting also that poor metal stars are being found to have planets in orbit around them when it was thought they wouldn't. Enjoy.

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View of both Jupiter and Earth (with moon) & other news
by Ann House 19 Oct '09

19 Oct '09

http://dvice.com/archives/2009/10/stunning-photo.php and: http://www.physorg.com/news174918239.html Woo! -A

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