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

mount grease
by Mike Nelson 13 Mar '09

13 Mar '09

I recently re-greased the DEC axis of my mount (celestron CG5)I used an all purpose Lithium grease. this grease is pretty thick and makes balancing the mount difficult because that axis does not seem to move as freely as before. my question is... what types / brands of grease do you recommend for telescope mounts? I am pretty new to the list, so I apologize if this is a topic that has been discussed before. Mike Nelson -- “Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads us from this world to another” ~Plato~

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Back to Astronomy - 340 minutes of Horsehead in Hydrogen Alpha
by Tyler Allred 13 Mar '09

13 Mar '09

Hi all. I just posted a deep exposure of the Horsehead and Flame in hydrogen alpha. This was taken over two recent nights under a bright moon. The new Optec filter is superb. http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=1244 Be sure to click the small image to see the full version. Processing sure is easy when you have this much good data Enjoy! Tyler Tyler Allred President Allred Restoration, Inc. 5725 W 12000 N Tremonton, UT 84337 801-358-1868 cell <mailto:tylerallred@earthlink.net> tylerallred(a)earthlink.net _____________________________________________

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The Cryosphere Today
by WAYNE S CLARKE 13 Mar '09

13 Mar '09

Hi all, Take a look at: The Cryosphere Today at: arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere There are some very interesting and revealing graphs and comparative photos of all the North Polar Ice caps on this site.

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Invisibility
by Wayne Sumner 13 Mar '09

13 Mar '09

It looks like that page is now invisible!!! The link didn't work for me. Wayne A. Sumner Math/Physics/Astronomy/Engineering Boy's Tennis Coach Northridge High School Davis School District (801) 402-8610 >>> "Don J. Colton" <djcolton(a)piol.com> 03/13/09 12:39 PM >>> I saw an article about this in Scientific American. See http://online.wsj.com/video/now-you-see-it-now-you-dont/91B5D03B-6B66-4B0B-9 A8F-7520F4FAD643.html _______________________________________________ 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] Global Warming - The Main Issues
by stormcrow60＠xmission.com 12 Mar '09

12 Mar '09

Just a note on oil shale. It will take far too much energy just to extract oil from shale. And even worse, it will use up precious water sources we cannot afford to use in the process. Jon

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20th Century Temp Trends.
by erikhansen＠TheBlueZone.net 12 Mar '09

12 Mar '09

Hi All, The below is the intro to an article about the history of temp changes. The graph Ron showed still showed that the ice sheets are at the 2nd smallest extent. IE: Only slightly greater than 2007. "Tracking the world's average temperature from the late 19th century, people in the 1930s realized there had been a pronounced warming trend. During the 1960s, weather experts found that over the past couple of decades the trend had shifted to cooling. With a new awareness that climate could change in serious ways, many scientists predicted a continued cooling, perhaps a phase of a long natural cycle or perhaps caused by human pollution of the atmosphere with smog and dust. Others insisted that the effects of such pollution were temporary, and humanity's emission of greenhouse gases would bring warming over the long run. This group's views became predominant in the late 1970s. As global warming resumed it became clear that the cooling spell (mainly a Northern Hemisphere effect) had indeed been a temporary distraction. When the rise continued into the 21st century with unprecedented scope, scientists recognized that it signaled a profound change in the climate system." http://www.aip.org/history/climate/20ctrend.htm BTW: A little perspective on warming during middle ages. This is evidence that the warming is greater today. Note the mention of Glaciers that survived "thousands of years". "Scientists were still less able to answer the question of whether climate change was gradually melting the rest of the world's glaciers and ice caps, or instead was adding snow to them. In "those huge areas where little or no information is available," an expert explained in 1993, "almost anything might be happening." But in 2005 a survey of mountain glaciers around the world found that most of those for which historical records existed had been shrinking since 1900. Some that had survived for many thousands of years were vanishing, a striking sign of unprecedented climate change.Experts could only speculate how far this might affect sea level, especially if it were counteracted by the increased snowfall that some models predicted global warming would bring in the remote dry highlands of Antarctica.(26*)" Erik

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For Sale: JMI Digital Focus Counter
by Patrick Wiggins 12 Mar '09

12 Mar '09

A few years ago I bought a Digital Focus Counter for my C-14. Here's the instruction sheet for it: http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/temp/JMI001.pdf Then I never got around to using it. I forgot I had it until coming across it a few days ago while looking for something else. I exchanged emails with JMI yesterday and they tell me it will fit any C-14. The instruction sheet indicates it'll also fit some C-8s and C-11s. I see they are selling new for just over $100 (http://www.jimsmobile.com/buy_dfc.htm ). I'll sell mine for $75. Anyone here care to take it off my hands? Cheers, patrick

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Chair
by Jay Eads 12 Mar '09

12 Mar '09

Fletch, Yes, I considered that chair before the other two but found reports that after 3 or so years the tension gives out and your left having to get a new chair. Do you see that being an issue? I know the benefit is being able to adjust at the scope without getting off. My wife sure likes the price on this one better! The stool may be an option for observing at the house. I kinda of like the roughness of it. Erik, I'll contact you off of the board. Thanks everyone. Jay

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Cindy & Jerry Foote Featured in Optics Magazine Article
by Ivo Stutznegger 12 Mar '09

12 Mar '09

An article titled “The Professional World of Amateur Astronomy” caught my interest in this month’s issue of Optics & Photonics News (the monthly magazine of the Optical Society of America). Reading the article I found that list and SLAS members Cindy and Jerry Foote are two of the amateur astronomers highlighted as examples of those doing professional level work. Cindy’s work with the XO project (planet hunting team) and Jerry’s work collecting light curves of variable stars are pointed out. I thought I’d offer my congratulation to them and make other list members aware of the article. Ivo p.s. I’d include a link to the on-line version of the article but I’m afraid you have to be registered with OSA to access it.

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[Utah-astronomy] http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/061/mwr-061-09-0251.pdf
by RON VANDERHULE 12 Mar '09

12 Mar '09

Here's even more. I heard a weatherman recount once that in the past climatoligists (sp) were taught that the Arctic Circle was the Earths' thermostat and regulated the Earths' climactic cycles by its' actions. Al Gore and his ilk had their window of opportunity but the movement is losing momentum quickly as the facts and "cooler" heads prevail. http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/061/mwr-061-09-0251.pdf<http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/061/mwr-061-09-0251.pdf> Ron Vanderhule

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