May 2010 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

Re: [Utah-astronomy] Inflation and the Big Bang(s)
by Canopus56 06 May '10

06 May '10

Joe, You also may want to take a look at the life history of Lara Anderson, a Utah raised Rhodes Scholar, who at the age of 12 in 1993 was inspired by a Hawking star show playing the Hansen Planetarium and declared on the spot she would become a physicist. She went on to become a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and graduated with a master degree in mathematical physics. I seem to recall originally hearing of Anderson in a Trib newspaper article many years ago and but that the story went that she was inspired by attending the Hawking speech in Salt Lake City that you write about. I seem to recall that the Trib or DN had a contemporaneous story about the 12 year old girl in 1993 that you mention. Perhaps that was Anderson? Maybe the Trib or DN archives have the story. But perhaps my memory is combining the stories confusing the narrative. http://www.usu.edu/ust/index.cfm?article=31031 http://www.usu.edu/science/files/uploads/InsightsSummer2004.pdf http://nche.hslda.org/docs/BrightSpots/200405130.asp - Kurt P.S. - I would have added this on a DN blog comment, but the comments do not accept links due to legitimate security concerns.

2 1

Virgo Supercluster Galaxies via GRASS Roboscope
by Canopus56 06 May '10

06 May '10

Imaging Practice Shots - M87 Jet and edge on spirals NPGP - Not particularly great pics taken last night via New Mexico roboscope. (Clouded out in Salt Lake.) M87 Elliptical w Jet Virgo via GRASS NM http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3335 (M087 NGC4486 PGC041361 Vir .E+0+P. E1) M87's Jet via GRASS NM http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3338 NGC4631 Edge on Spiral CVn via GRASS NM http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3340 (Caldwell032 NGC4631 PGC042637 CVn .SBS7./ Sc ) NGC4244 Edge on Spiral CVn via GRASS NM http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3343 (Caldwell026 NGC4244 PGC039422 CVn .SAS6*/ Sb) NGC4565 Edge on Spiral Virgo via GRASS NM http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3346 (Caldwell038 NGC4565 PGC042038 Com .SAS3$/ Sb) Clear Skies - Kurt

6 14

Spring galaxy practice imaging - Peculiars
by Canopus56 06 May '10

06 May '10

(This is the last in my series of posts on the spring supergalactic plane - the "Realm of the Galaxies" - with emphasis on the Virgo Supercluster galaxies.) Previously, I had posted a list of spring peculiar galaxies. This list covers by the Virgo Supercluster close galaxies and a few personal favorites - the Mice, the Antenna galaxies and the Hockey Stick galaxy - http://fisherka.csolutionshosting.net/astronote/plan/VirgoSCGalaxyTourPecul… I attempted to image some of these peculiars using the GRASS New Mexico and Australia roboscopes and the Slooh Tennefrie (Canary Islands) roboscope. I wasn't able to get a full suite of images with my self-alotted time and resources. Here are image references to some peculiar galaxy images that I shot, combined with images found the SLAS gallery. Several of these images have been discussed in my prior posts - NGC4038-39 Caldwell60-61 The Antenna Galaxies in Corvus Arp 244 via GRASS NM Scope 1 http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3373 (Arp class note: Galaxies with appearance of fission.) NGC4676 Mice Galaxies in Com Arp 242 Preview only image with GRASS NM Scope 1 http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3376 Arp class: Galaxies with appearance of fission. (The GRASS NM Scope 1 had inconsistent tracking. The Mice galaxy image had a tracking error. The preview image is shown here only to demonstrate that The Mice in Com can be imaged using a 254mm reflector with a cooled astronomy camera.) NGC4676 Mice Galaxies Hubble Close-up http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2002/11/image/d Caldwell032 NGC4631 in CVn Arp 281 via Slooh Tenneferie "The Whale" galaxy http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=2771 Caldwell032 NGC4631 Edge on Spiral CVn via GRASS NM http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3340 (Caldwell032 NGC4631 PGC042637 CVn .SBS7./ Sc ) (Arp comment: Infall and attraction [from nearby companion]. "The Whale".) NGC4656 NGC4656 in Com "The Hockey Stick" galaxy (Tyler Allred's gallery image of the Hockey Stick) http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=160 (See small S-shape in lower right hand corner of my "Whale" galaxy image) http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=2771 (R.N. Clark note: stretched S shape; OMeara08. "The Hockey Stick" near and same field as "The Whale", NGC4631 (Caldwell032).) M051 NGC5194 in CVn Arp 085 link to Tyler's image posted here 5-4-2010 http://www.allred-astro.com/gpage8.html (Arp Class: Large, Hi S. Br. Companions. Arp Comment: Faint plumes and extensions from companion.) Dave Rankin's M51 in SLAS Astrogallery http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=2718 M066 NGC3627 in Leo Arp 016 via Wikipedia and J Bauman image in the SLAS gallery (Arp class: Detached Segments. Arp Comments: Large concentration at end of S arm.) If you look at the wikipedia image of M66, you can see at the lower-right how part of the spiral arm has disconnected from its parent spiral arm. It is a straight segment at an odd angle. Compare M66 with M101 which also has a disportionately large dominant single spiral arm. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Phot-33c-03-fullres.jpg in - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_66 (Joe Bauman's M66 in the SLAS Astrogallery) http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=1870 M101 Face-on spiral via GRASS NM Scope 1 http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3364 M101 NGC5457 PGC050063 UMa .SXT6.. Sc 5.4Mparsecs (M101 is also a peculiar galaxy. Arp's class and notes: Class: One heavy arm. Note: straight arms, bright knot on East appears almost stellar.") M101 version with markups for Arp comments http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3370 (SXT is mixed barred - normal spiral. There is a very small bar in M101's core seen in my low-quality image.} M87 Elliptical w Jet Virgo via GRASS NM Arp 152 http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3335 (M087 NGC4486 PGC041361 Vir .E+0+P. E1) M87's Jet via GRASS NM http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3338 Arp class: With jets Clear Skies, Happy Touring and Happy Imaging - Kurt

1 0

How to build a time machine...
by Ann House 06 May '10

06 May '10

Stephen Hawking has it figured out. We need really really fast rockets. Actually, it is a fun read, though I thought he was into space-folding as a way to travel through space. What do you all think? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1269288/STEPHEN-HAWKING-How… -A

3 2

(no subject)
by Tyler Allred 06 May '10

06 May '10

Hi all. I finally got another opportunity to image last night and decided to collect luminance data all night on M51, the Whirlpool galaxy. I managed to get 80 frames of 300 seconds each, for a total of 400 minutes. The seeing was pretty good for Utah, and I managed to get some really nice detail for such a small instrument (AP130 EDF at F/6). Take a look at this link. http://www.allred-astro.com/gpage8.html Be sure to click the images a few times to get the full version. Cheers, Tyler

5 10

Re: [Utah-astronomy] Virgo Supercluster galaxy imaging - some face-on spirals
by Canopus56 06 May '10

06 May '10

Patrick asked: > Just a thought Kurt, but now that you have this remote imaging > working so well, would you maybe consider putting on a > demonstration at SPOC during a public star party? No problem. I am just to the point of pulling the plug due to the expense and the arrival of the regular observing season, but I will reload the account for a demo. I view the GRASS roboscope as a cold-weather activity. We'll have to test the connection first before advertising to make sure the connection is fast enough. You have to download 2-3 megabyte zip files on the fly. Let me know when you will be out at SPOC so you can show me how to turn on the router and exchange a login and password id and to run a test. This can occur during the daytime. - Kurt

2 1

Virgo Supercluster galaxy imaging - some face-on spirals
by Canopus56 05 May '10

05 May '10

My prior image posts were edge-ons. Here is the opposite inclination - face-ons and two Hubble Sa type galaxies contrasted with one Hubble Sb type galaxy. (None of my images are particularly good, but they get the point across.) By ascending alphabetical morphology - M51 Face-on spiral. See Tyler's recent outstanding image posted here. (.SAS4P. Sc 7.7Mparsecs) (..S means "s-shaped"; P is peculiar - interacting.) M99 Face-on spiral via GRASS NM Scope 1 http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3361 M099 NGC4254 PGC039578 Com .SAS5.. Sc 34.069Mparsecs (..S means "s-shaped".) M101 Face-on spiral via GRASS NM Scope 1 http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3364 M101 NGC5457 PGC050063 UMa .SXT6.. Sc 5.4Mparsecs (SXT is mixed barred - normal spiral. There is a very small bar in M101's core seen in my low-quality image. M101 is also a peculiar galaxy. Arp's class and notes: Class: One heavy arm. Note: straight arms, bright knot on East appears almost stellar.") M101 version with markups for Arp comments http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3370 M91 Face-on spiral via GRASS NM Scope 1 http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3358 M091 NGC4548 PGC041934 Com .SBT3.. SBb 6.917Mparsecs (Nice example of an early-mid series barred spiral.) Unable to get useable images with GRASS NM Scope 1 for face-on spirals M61 and M94 (bad auto-guiding in both cases). M100 image not obtained due to time limitations. - Kurt

2 1

Project Pix part 2
by Patrick Wiggins 05 May '10

05 May '10

And here are five 1 minute shots of Comet McNaught binned 2x2 with a master dark included. These were shot last night about 3 hours after the first batch of McNaught shots: http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/temp/mcnaught2010may05-2.zip I'll be interested to see what the imaging wizards on the list can do with them. patrick

1 0

Project Pixs
by Patrick Wiggins 05 May '10

05 May '10

Howdy folks, I spent all of last night exploring the capabilities of my imaging setup so I didn't come away with any fancy pictures but did get a couple of test shots I thought someone here might want to play with. For the first time in a long time I removed the focal reducer so the C-14 was operating at it's native f/11 (about a 4 meter focal length). And rather than binning my usual 2x2 or 3x3 I went for 1x1. All of this to make any errors in the drive or optical train more noticeable. I sent the log files to Software Bisque this morning for them to analyze and it was nice to hear back that the mount's periodic error worked out to a bit less than 1 arcsecond before corrections. Here's a zip file containing two 6.5 MB unprocessed 20 minute exposures of a couple of galaxies: http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/temp/tom2010may05.zip I didn't make darks or flats since I don't intend to stay f/11 or to go that long on single exposures after I'm done testing. And here are five 1 minute shots of Comet McNaught with a dark included: http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/temp/mcnaught2010may05.zip patrick

1 0

Re: [Utah-astronomy] Virgo Supercluster Galaxies via GRASS Roboscope
by Canopus56 05 May '10

05 May '10

Thanks, Tyler. There is no real skill to hitting the Grass "single click" image button and is not in your league. But it keeps me interested in a survey approach to Virgo Supercluster galaxies during this solar minimum astronomy unfriendly weather pattern. - Kurt

1 0