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

Re: [Utah-astronomy] ISS Solar Transit 11-24-2009 11_26am
by Canopus56 24 Nov '09

24 Nov '09

Observed ISS-Shuttle solar transit at approx 100x with PST Ha at about 2km east of the centerline. These solar crossing observations are inherently videographic. Did it visually anyway for the practice. The effect was subtle with the ISS-Shuttle crossing the disk 1/4 to 1/2 second. Target had an angular appearance (size CalSky computed at 24 arcsec) but was more of a solar light diffraction effect around the edges of the object than a dark object through the HA lens. The square ISS solar panels could be made out as different from the ISS body. Took some time to chart out the crossing event to assure the observed object cooresponded in size, speed, time and angle of travel to the predicted ISS path. Clear Skies - Kurt

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Exoplanet lightcurve
by Patrick Wiggins 24 Nov '09

24 Nov '09

Continuing my efforts to get others to take up "taking data", here's an image of my most recent effort showing the lightcurve of exoplanet WASP-10b. Kind of fun to record the passage of a Jupiter sized object in front of its parent star some 300 light years away. http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=68&g2_page=4 patrick

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Exoplanet lightcurve
by Wayne Sumner 24 Nov '09

24 Nov '09

Hi Patrick, I'm very close to first light in our high school observatory. I need to come watch you do this so I can teach my students how. I'm still working on polar alignment and CCD camera software installation. Thanks, Wayne A. Sumner Math/Physics/Astronomy/Engineering Boy's Tennis Coach Northridge High School Davis School District (801) 402-8610 >>> Patrick Wiggins 11/23/09 12:51 AM >>> On 23 Nov 2009, at 00:35, Joe Bauman wrote: > Heartiest congrats, Patrick! Thanks but no congrats are necessary as I've done it so many times it's really become quite simple and straightforward. Now I'm looking for others to help get started "taking data". 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

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ISS Solar Transit 11-24-2009 11_26am
by Canopus56 23 Nov '09

23 Nov '09

For your semi-retired guys, CalSky is showing a transit by the ISS-Shuttle of the Sun tomorrow at 11-26 am where the ground track bisects the Salt Lake Valley. A Google Earth plot of the ground track shows it crossing directly over the center of the quad at the south end of the Capitol Building at the top of State Street. Clear Skies - Kurt CalSky output - 18h26m54.72s [UT] ISS Crosses the disk of Sun. Separation=0.065° Position Angle=152.4°. Transit duration=0.92s Angular diameter=27.4" size=73.0m x 44.5m x 27.5m Satellite at Azimuth=167.4° SSE Altitude= 27.3° Distance=676.7 km In a clock-face concept, the satellite will seem to move toward 9:35 Angular Velocity=34.1'/s Centerline, closest point→Map: Longitude=111°52'53" W Latitude=+40°46'56" (WGS84) Distance=0.74 km Azimuth=312.9° NW Path direction= 42.9° NE ground speed=7.801 km/s width=18.5 km max. duration=1.0 s

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Exoplanet lightcurve
by Patrick Wiggins 23 Nov '09

23 Nov '09

For some reason the gremlins in the system bounced Gary's message. So I'm sending it for him. Gary (et al) regarding your question, I'm just leaving for Wendover to check out a possible meteorite (so I'm rushed) but will reply when I get home tonight. patrick > From: gwclark(a)gwclark.com > Date: 23 November 2009 05:00:51 MST > To: "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Subject: RE: [Utah-astronomy] Exoplanet lightcurve > > > Patrick, > > Would you provide a brief description of the equipment and method you used to obtain this lightcurve? > > Gary

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Location of this morning's burst
by Canopus56 22 Nov '09

22 Nov '09

Noting that: 1) The Frisco peak observatory is almost due south of the sesimograph air burst coordinates: 113d 11m 27.60s W Air burst longitude 113d 16m 58.22s W Frisco peak obs longitude 2) From the 11/17/2009 SLAS meeting presentation on the new observatory that the control shed is located north of the observatory pier roughly on a north-south line. 3) That the bolide as seen in the U of U Frisco peak video appears to descend roughly north-south (slightly north-north-east to south-south-west) at an angle: http://www.physics.utah.edu/~springer/fpo/video/meteor_20091118_cam2.asf One could conclude that any possible meteorite fragments would be located well inside the Dugway security zone. See Google map at: http://tinyurl.com/ybds2rz for the airburst location with respect to the Dugway exclusion zone. There is a "notch" in the Dugway exclusion zone northeast of, I believe Fish Springs, on the Pony Express, Simpson Springs Callao Road. There is state dirt road that runs north from the Pony Express Road into this "notch" and that then enters the Dugway Proving ground. For 1 1/2 miles on the west side of this north-south running road, but outside the exclusion zone, the Google satellite terrain map shows a sand or salt flat area. This area is about 20 to 25km south south west of the airburst marker. I do not have any meteor hunting experience and or know if the identified strip is appropriate ground to do a search over. Presumably, a line of GPS equipped searchers could walk a north-south track west of the state road without inadvertently crossing into the Dugway exclusion zone. Can't say I'd know what to look for. - Kurt P.S. - Before going to see "2012" this weekend, I'd like to start an internet rumor that the bolide was in fact the Selenites' reply to NASA's recent LCROSS "bombing of the Moon" for which, as all tin-foil hat wearers, MUFO members and tri-lateral commission conspiracy theorists know, was only a cover story for a U.S. Space Command military operation against the Selenite capitol. -:)

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Location of this morning's burst
by Patrick Wiggins 20 Nov '09

20 Nov '09

I just received the following from a seismologist on one of the listserves I am on: +++++ I triangulated the terminal burst location based on 7 Utah seismic stations, and computed the following least-squares solution: 40.286 N, -113.191 W, Alt. 27 km +++++ That agrees nicely with what a local seismologist came up with and with what I estimated based on where I saw the burst in the sky and how long it took the sound to reach me (gee, I was correct for once <g>). Unfortunately that puts in squarely in the middle of Dugway Proving Grounds so I doubt anyone will be doing a search there anytime soon. Clear skies, patrick

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] My fenceline
by Siegfried Jachmann 20 Nov '09

20 Nov '09

WOW. Bright enough to record color. Sig On 2009-11-18 21:07, Steve FISHER wrote: > > I have a one hundred and one foot run of white vinyl fencing in West Valley that is the only white vinyl fence in West Valley that has not been tagged in five years. It is poor quality video except for someones face as they walk by but check out last night around midnight. > > > > About :38 seconds in. I wish it were better quality. > > > > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3KwaUCpbCQ > > >

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A couple more videos from Wednesday's event
by Patrick Wiggins 19 Nov '09

19 Nov '09

Here are a couple more videos from yesterday's event. I've not seen them on the news, probably because they are not as flashy, but really liked the one showing how it looked from below the horizon. http://www.heliotown.com/Utah_Fireball_Ashcraft.html patrick

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quick video
by Steve FISHER 19 Nov '09

19 Nov '09

Well here is a link to a short video taken of my car at 00:07 on 11/18/09. You can see the camera change from IR to daytime and the car changes from black and white to it's natural red. Doesn't last long does it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj4q3YIm8RU

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