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

Going to Hellfire 2010
by Patrick Wiggins 12 Jun '10

12 Jun '10

Anyone here going to Hellfire 2010? http://www.uroc.org/index.php?view=details&id=8%3Ahellfire-15-a-high-powere… http://tinyurl.com/25wpfc9 A few of us are are thinking of renting a car to get out there but if there's enough interest we could rent a van. patrick

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Lunar libration chart for June July
by Canopus56 12 Jun '10

12 Jun '10

http://fisherka.csolutionshosting.net/astronote/libration/Latest.jpg Historical charts to 1-2010 are available in directory http://fisherka.csolutionshosting.net/astronote/libration/ Clear Skies - Kurt

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Molded fiberglass dust covers
by Chuck Hards 10 Jun '10

10 Jun '10

OK, I now have 3 sizes available, with updated pricing. These are very high-quality, hand-made, molded fiberglass, felt-lined with a glossy black textured exterior. Lifetime repair/replacement guarantee for normal in-use failure (excludes abuse, fire, theft, and vandalism). I've included individual pricing for those who only need one. Dustcap pricing 6/10/10: Fits: Price: 5" OD tube $30/pr. or $20ea 8" OD tube $40/pr. or $30ea 12"OD tube $60/pr. or $40ea These three sizes fit aluminium tubing as sold by Hastings & Parallax; used on many home-built Newtonians, Cassegrains, and refractors. Coming soon: Dustcaps for D&G 6" and 8" lens cells & dew caps, also the Celestron C-5. Send me an email off-list at this address if interested.

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Morning comet.
by daniel turner 10 Jun '10

10 Jun '10

If you happen to get up early there is a bright comet in the eastern sky that people have reported seeing with 10x50 binoculars. If the weather looks good I'll be up at little mountain (the parking lot) at 4:00am tomorrow maybe to catch a picture too. The comet will be between Almach and M34 at AZ 48 AL 18 with the crescent moon just up and the sun still 18 degrees down (astro twilight). DT

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Tele-Track notes
by Chuck Hards 08 Jun '10

08 Jun '10

I have attached the C-5 to the Tele-Track mount. I removed the Celestron stock 8x20mm finder and replaced it with an illuminated 8x40mm finder, though I also have the option of using a reflex sight and that may be all that's needed, really. It would save a few ounces. The 9x50mm finder seems too large and heavy for this scope/mount, though I would definitely consider using the larger finder on the C-5, on a beefier mount. The mount seems to be able to handle the C-5. It is a 6-lb. OTA, with eyepiece, diagonal, and finder still less than 8 lbs., and the Tele-Track claims a 9-lb. limit. With the C-5, it is noticeably slower and a bit louder in some orientations that it is with the PST installed. It also drains the on-board batteries more quickly and I advise using the AC power supply or an external 12VDC source with loads near the mount's weight limit. The weak point of they system in this configuration is the stock Tele-Track tripod. It is barely acceptable if the legs are not fully extended (seated viewing), but fully-extended legs make the vibration-damping time unacceptably long. For full-height, stand-up viewing (my preferred posture at the telescope), I will try mounting the Tele-Track/C-5 combo to my home-made "Woodshop" tripod, which is both lightweight and very stable. I also plan on using the Antares wood telescope tripod I currently use on my parallelogram. Both should be a huge improvement over the stock Tele-Track tripod.

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C2009 R1 McNaught - a morning comet
by Canopus56 07 Jun '10

07 Jun '10

This one is up at 4am near Almach (gam And). I haven't personally seen it yet. Note size in lower image at http://tinyurl.com/23arz8x . - Clear Skies Kurt Described in June 8 Spaceweather.com entry as: "The comet's green atmosphere is larger than the planet Jupiter, while the long willowy ion tail stretches more than a million kilometers through space. These dimensions make the comet a fine target for backyard telescopes." Image http://tinyurl.com/23arz8x http://www.spaceweather.com/submissions/large_image_popup.php?image_name=Mi… Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) June 5 1 52.83 38 49.7 1.203 0.799 41 5.7 3:01 (237, 21) June 12 3 5.00 45 37.0 1.143 0.667 35 4.7 2:59 (226, 17) http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/iau/Ephemerides/Comets/2009R1.html http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/2009R1/2009R1.html

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Inside shots
by Dale Wilson 07 Jun '10

07 Jun '10

Here are some inside shots of the scope in its place. It's still not quite finished. I have a bit more to do, but I anticipate a mid June open house. http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3437 http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3440

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SPOC Public Star Party 6-5 Misc Satellite Notes
by Canopus56 05 Jun '10

05 Jun '10

1) Mars and Regulus will be within 2 degrees of each other. 2) Satellite overpasses tonight include X-37B at 10:21PM. Name Mag Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az. Time Alt. Az. 09:59 PM Lacrosse 4 Rocket 2.6 21:54:33 10° NNW 21:59:05 70° WSW 22:03:12 12° SSE 10:24 PM X-37B 3.7 22:21:08 10° W 22:24:10 31° SSW 22:25:17 25° SSE 10:54 PM Radcat 2.9 22:53:45 44° SSE 22:54:46 80° ENE 22:58:18 10° N 3) X37B targeting stars 10:22:30 Passes within one deg west of iot 35 Hyd HR 3845 HD 83618 (v3.9) 10:24:00 Passes within one deg of HR 4699 HD107418 (v5.1) between Corvus and Virgo 10:24:30 Passes between 63 Vir HR 5044 HD116292 (v5.4) Clear Skies - Kurt

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SPOC - Ealing offer
by Canopus56 05 Jun '10

05 Jun '10

I'll be out at SPOC at 9:00pm to provide relief help on the Ealing. I'm not up to being the primary operator. - Clear Skies - Kurt

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NASA meets Mr. Goldberg
by Patrick Wiggins 03 Jun '10

03 Jun '10

http://wiki.nasa.gov/cm/blog/whatonearth/posts/post_1275422073165.html Chuck, what's say we build something like that at your shop? LOL! patrick

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