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

Re: [Utah-astronomy] Worm Gear lumbication
by Jerry Foote 03 Jun '09

03 Jun '09

Joe, Some years back I also added Bucks gears to a mount and am familiar with the red grease they sent along. This Super Lube grease is a white translucent color. Roger, I guess I never thought of going to a proctologist to have my gears lubricated ;>) Jerry Foote ScopeCraft, Inc. 4175 E. Red Cliffs Dr. Kanab, UT 84741 435-899-1255 jfoote(a)scopecraft.com

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Worm Gear lumbication
by Joe Bauman 03 Jun '09

03 Jun '09

That sounds great, Jerry. When I replaced my gears with "Bucks Gears," Peterson Engineering Corp. sent a small plastic bag of their super-duper grease, whose name I don't know. But it was red. Is the new stuff red also? Thanks, Joe --- On Tue, 6/2/09, Jerry Foote <jfoote(a)scopecraft.com> wrote: From: Jerry Foote <jfoote(a)scopecraft.com> Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Worm Gear lumbication To: utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com Date: Tuesday, June 2, 2009, 4:55 PM As some of you may know, I am refurbishing an old Celestron 22" for the University of Nevada at Reno. As part of that work I am fitting new worm gears on both axes. The RA gear is a custom 21" 360 tooth gear with a 14.5" gear on Dec. I have never been happy with the Lubriplate #105 I have used for years on worm gears. Over time it breaks down with the lithium portion getting thick and the oil portion getting gummy. So I went looking for a new lubricant. My test setup was the 21" gear with moderate spring pressure for the worm engagement. With the Lubriplate the average of 5 measurements of torque on the worm was 43 oz-in. With the new lubricant it was 22 oz-in. The new lubricant is Super Lube Synthetic Grease with Syncolon (PTFE). It has an operating temp range of -45 F to +450 F. I bought a tube of Item # 21030 (3 oz.) on the Internet. How this grease behaves down the road I don't know but by cutting the worm torque almost in half I'm willing to see. Jerry Foote ScopeCraft, Inc. 4175 E. Red Cliffs Dr. Kanab, UT 84741 435-899-1255 jfoote(a)scopecraft.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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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Dobsonian Covers
by John R. Peterson 03 Jun '09

03 Jun '09

> >About 20 years ago I had Kirkhams fabricate a custom cover for my scope. A >> bit pricey, but the workmanship and fit were great and I still use it. A >> bit >> more protective and elegant than a tarp. >> I, also had Kirkhams make a waterproof canvas cover (I even had them put straps on at the balance point) for my long 10 inch f7 Brent Wantson assisted scope, and I love it. The problem is moisture. I did a major home remodel last year and left quite a lot of stuff under tarps in the back yard, and many of the metal items are slightly rusty. You need some good kinds of dessicants in there if you're permanently leaving it outside. John R. Peterson >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: utah-astronomy-bounces(a)mailman.xmission.com >>> [mailto:utah-astronomy- >>> bounces(a)mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Troy Davidson >>> Sent: Monday, June 01, 2009 4:58 PM >>> To: Utah Astronomy >>> Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Dobsonian Cover? >>> >>> I'm looking for a good solution to keep my dobsonian safe out in the >>> elements. I am wanting to leave my dobsonian out on the deck at my >>> house. When the scope is not in use, it will be about 6' under the >>> eves. The area where I want to set it will be safe from rain except >>> when the rain comes in sideways. >>> >>> I am thinking that a large tarp that is tied down will be ok, but I >>> want to hear what others have to say. >>> >>> Thanks. >>> >>> ++++++++++++++++++ >>> Troy Davidson >>> >>>

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British X-Files - UFOs are possible
by M Wilson 03 Jun '09

03 Jun '09

The following news item was on this Fox News Internet site yesterday: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,524639,00.html Britain's top UFO expert says there's no smoking gun that proves UFOs exist, but he's seen enough evidence to convert him from skeptic to believer. Among the evidence, says Nick Pope, who ran the Ministry of Defense's unexplained-encounter section from 1991 to 1994, are: -- a cigar-shaped object that passed so close to an airliner that the jet's pilot was heard shouting "Look out, look out!"; -- a USAF pilot who caught up to and almost fired upon a UFO over England; -- a photo of a UFO that British officials worried might actually be part of a secret military project. There's no government cover-up, Pope makes clear in his posting Sunday on the science blog The X-Journals. But to him, there's enough evidence in the files to convince anyone that more investigation is needed — and that even better material may soon be released. "The French government's 2007 decision to release its UFO files was a major factor in the U.K. decision," he writes, "as was the fact that the MoD receives more FOI [Freedom of Information] requests on UFOs than any other topic." var adsonar_placementId="1426008",adsonar_pid="256757",adsonar_ps="-1",adsonar_zw=224;adsonar_zh=93,adsonar_jv="ads.adsonar.com"; qas_writeAd(); In fact, Pope says, the demand for newly declassified UFO files is so overwhelming, the few staffers the Ministry of Defense has on the subject no longer have the time or manpower to follow up on significant encounters. "Investigations are suffering because of the workload being put on staff due to FOI," he writes, "but FOI is taking priority because if it fails to comply, MoD would be breaching the law." Hence the decision to start releasing Britain's X-Files en masse in May 2008, followed by a second batch in October. "MoD has received over 11,000 UFO reports to date and case files on major incidents can run to over 100 pages of documentation," says Pope. "The entire process is likely to take 3-4 years." Pope acknowledges that most UFO sightings have "mundane explanations" — chiefly misidentification of common natural phenomena and man-made objects. "But some were more difficult to explain," he says, "including cases where the witnesses were pilots and police officers, together with instances where UFOs had been tracked on radar." In the airliner near-miss case, an Alitalia MD-80 flying over the English coastline was almost hit by something on April 21, 1991. The case was passed to the Ministry of Defense after Britain's Civil Aviation Authority after no one could identify the other aircraft. "We launched a full investigation and eliminated all the usual possibilities, including weather balloons, military aircraft, etc. We even checked to see whether we had accidentally fired off a missile of some sort," writes Pope. "We drew a complete blank and the incident remains unexplained to this day."

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Amazing observatory for high school astronomy
by Joe Bauman 03 Jun '09

03 Jun '09

Hi Friends, Take a look at this! http://www.deseretnews.com/blogs/1,5322,10000034,00.html?bD=20090603 Best wishes, Joe

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Possible project
by Joe Bauman 03 Jun '09

03 Jun '09

Patrick, That's an impressive accomplishment. What if you were to image some star not studied before? You might discover your own transiting planet! -- Joe --- On Tue, 6/2/09, Gary Vardon <gvardon(a)webtv.net> wrote: From: Gary Vardon <gvardon(a)webtv.net> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Possible project To: "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> Date: Tuesday, June 2, 2009, 12:03 AM The light curve shows the importance of having a good signal to noise ratio. If the noise were much greater the light curve would be hard to spot. 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: Patrick Wiggins Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 10:44 PM To: utah astronomy listserve utah astronomy Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Possible project Have you got a telescope and CCD camera and looking for a project? How's about working exo-planets? A few nights ago I finished a minor planet project I'd been working on for a few months and was looking for a project. So last night I tried making a light curve of TrES-3b transiting its parent star. This morning I sent Jerry Foote my data files and here's the curve he plotted: http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/temp/TrES-3b.jpg (thanks Jerry). Such transits happen almost ever night so there's almost always something to work. And it's fun to know that your work is actually contributing to science. And in last night's case it was neat to know that the transit I was imaging actually happened something like a thousand years ago. Any takers? 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 _______________________________________________ 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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Dobsonian Cover?
by Troy Davidson 02 Jun '09

02 Jun '09

I'm looking for a good solution to keep my dobsonian safe out in the elements. I am wanting to leave my dobsonian out on the deck at my house. When the scope is not in use, it will be about 6' under the eves. The area where I want to set it will be safe from rain except when the rain comes in sideways. I am thinking that a large tarp that is tied down will be ok, but I want to hear what others have to say. Thanks. ++++++++++++++++++ Troy Davidson

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Salt Lake Gastronomical Society
by Gary Vardon 02 Jun '09

02 Jun '09

Thanks for the invite. Other of the advantages of liver are that it is cheap and that it lasts a long time. I'll just eat my home cooked liver and onions. 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: Chuck Hards Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 9:41 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Salt Lake Gastronomical Society Will you be joining us at Lamb's next month then, Gary? On Sun, May 31, 2009 at 1:48 PM, Gary Vardon <gvardon(a)webtv.net> wrote: > Liver is a very nutritious food with a lot of B vitamins. Onions make the > liver taste better. I eat L&O find it has a good distinct taste. > > _______________________________________________ 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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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Possible project
by Gary Vardon 02 Jun '09

02 Jun '09

The light curve shows the importance of having a good signal to noise ratio. If the noise were much greater the light curve would be hard to spot. 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: Patrick Wiggins Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 10:44 PM To: utah astronomy listserve utah astronomy Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Possible project Have you got a telescope and CCD camera and looking for a project? How's about working exo-planets? A few nights ago I finished a minor planet project I'd been working on for a few months and was looking for a project. So last night I tried making a light curve of TrES-3b transiting its parent star. This morning I sent Jerry Foote my data files and here's the curve he plotted: http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/temp/TrES-3b.jpg (thanks Jerry). Such transits happen almost ever night so there's almost always something to work. And it's fun to know that your work is actually contributing to science. And in last night's case it was neat to know that the transit I was imaging actually happened something like a thousand years ago. Any takers? 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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David added you as a friend on MyLife!
by David Dunn 01 Jun '09

01 Jun '09

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