October 2011 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

2005YU55 flyby - local circumstances for SLC
by Canopus56 28 Oct '11

28 Oct '11

With respect to the flyby of 400 meter diameter asteroid 2005YU55 with 0.7 lunar distances on Nov. 8, this note contains ephemeris and local circumstances information to observe the asteroid from an urban SLC location. NASA-JPL provides the following schematic of the flyby as seen from the North Ecliptic Pole - NASA animated schematic of the flyby seen from the North Ecliptic Pole http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/comet/20110502/comet20110502.gif - which translates from a SLC observing point into the asteroid streaking through 60 degrees of Pegasus between 7pm and 12 midnight _MST_ on Tuesday, Nov. 8., beginning north of Enif and ending near the center of the Pegasus Square. Wide-field view of path of 2055YU55 from SLC UT http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=4743 The observing circumstances will be the flyby will occur at the time of a near full Moon, and the Moon will be about 90 degrees from 2055YU55's first point of visibility above Enif. Because the asteroid is approaching and crossing the Earth's orbital path from the sun-side, 2005YU55 will not be optically visible during the days leading up to its closest approach; the asteroid will only be visible on the night that it crosses Earth's orbital path and enters the anti-solar side of Earth's view (see NASA animation, above). After it first becomes visible between 7pm and 8pm, the asteroid will appear to move towards the Moon through 11pm. From the NASA-JPL Horizons ephemeris applet, the predicted magnitude of the asteroid (v 11.0) and its hourly position are shown in Tables A and B below; however, predicted asteroid magnitudes are highly variable. The asteroid may actually be several magnitudes dimmer or brighter than the prediction. Also note that Mountain Standard Time begins on Nov. 6, 2011 at 1:00am. Remember to adjust your watches and GMT offsets accordingly. Given the near full Moon and the uncertain magnitude of the asteroid, seeing the asteroid is not guaranteed, but the last similar asteroid passage that I saw was interesting enough to make taking a try at seeing 2005YU55 worth the effort. After reviewing the asteroid's path, I have concluded that the best visual acquisition time is at 10:15pm _MST_, when the asteroid cross the constellation line between alf Peg and bet Peg within an acquisition field that is well delineated by magnitude 6 and 7 stars. My proposed acquisition field is about 6 degrees north of alf Peg (Markab) and is described in the following charts and in List A below. Note that the asteroid is moving very quickly and will cross a 1 degree acquisition field of view in less than 5 minutes. Mid-field view of acquisition field for 2055YU55 north of Markab at 10:15pm MST. http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=4746 Close-field view of the acquisition field for 2055YU55 north of Markab at 10:15pm MST. http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=4749 Although there is no probability that the 1400 meter asteroid will hit either the Earth or the Moon, if the asteroid had hit the Earth, it would make about a 13km dia. crater, and if it hit the Moon it would make about a 20 km dia. crater, per Melosh's Earth Impacts and Projectile Size calculators. http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/tekton/crater_p.html http://impact.ese.ic.ac.uk/ImpactEffects/ Happy hunting and Clear Skies - Kurt Addenda Table A. Mtn. Standard Times - GMT Offset -7 hours beginning effective Nov. 6, 2011 1:00 am UT Date-Time | J2000 RA DEC | Az | Alt | Predicted Mag 20111108 7:00pm | 21 48 40.99 +15 03 14.3 | 177.0941 | 64.3327 | 11.26 20111108 08:00pm | 22 17 37.66 +16 27 26.7 | 194.9493 | 65.1218 | 11.16 20111108 09:00pm | 22 43 27.62 +17 28 19.1 | 213.6427 | 63.3986 | 11.12 20111108 10:00pm | 23 06 06.30 +18 10 04.1 | 230.2226 | 59.2258 | 11.13 20111108 10:15pm | 23 11 17.25 +18 18 03.3 | 233.8688 | 57.8575 | 11.14 20111108 11:00pm | 23 25 45.71 +18 37 12.6 | 243.6415 | 53.1270 | 11.17 20111109 12:00am | 23 42 46.04 +18 53 42.6 | 254.4281 | 45.6795 | 11.22 Table B. UT Date-Times UT Date-Time | J2000 RA DEC | Az | Alt | Predicted Mag 20111109 02:00 | 21 48 40.99 +15 03 14.3 | 177.0941 | 64.3327 | 11.26 20111109 03:00 | 22 17 37.66 +16 27 26.7 | 194.9493 | 65.1218 | 11.16 20111109 04:00 | 22 43 27.62 +17 28 19.1 | 213.6427 | 63.3986 | 11.12 20111109 05:00 | 23 06 06.30 +18 10 04.1 | 230.2226 | 59.2258 | 11.13 20111109 05:15 | 23 11 17.25 +18 18 03.3 | 233.8688 | 57.8575 | 11.14 20111109 06:00 | 23 25 45.71 +18 37 12.6 | 243.6415 | 53.1270 | 11.17 20111109 07:00 | 23 42 46.04 +18 53 42.6 | 254.4281 | 45.6795 | 11.22 List A. Acquisition field alignment stars for 10:15pm field north of alf Peg ( Local high-precision alignment star - alf Peg Markab SAO 108378 The 10:15pm MST acquisition field is about 6 degs north of Markab. Acquisition field alignment stars are: SAO108400 v6.1 Celestial East side of acquisition field SAO108382 v7.1 Celestial North side of acquisition field SAO108397 v7.3 Celestial South side of acquisition field

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] 2005YU55 flyby - local circumstances for SLC
by Canopus56 27 Oct '11

27 Oct '11

To correct my prior post, a 400 meter diameter asteroid would make about a 8km crater on the Moon and a 4.5km dia. crater on the Earth. - Kurt

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Jupiter
by Joe Bauman 27 Oct '11

27 Oct '11

Blog about Jupiter, with two great views by David: http://tinyurl.com/6gwprnu

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Galileo's Great Decision
by D P Pierce 27 Oct '11

27 Oct '11

http://www.nj.com/comics-kingdom/?feature_id=Pardon_My_Planet Deloy Pierce

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Neutrinos
by Joe Bauman 26 Oct '11

26 Oct '11

FYI -- Joe "SCIENCE NIGHT LIVE!" -- TONIGHT! -- KEYS ON MAIN ------ The College of Science will present a "Science Night Live!" event tonight, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at Keys on Main, 242 South Main St. (next to Sam Weller's bookstore). Invite a friend, make a date, and stop by after work! Pearl Sandick, assistant professor of physics & astronomy, will tackle the question "Can Neutrinos Travel Faster Than the Speed of Light?" A few weeks ago, scientists at CERN near Geneva, Switzerland announced that they have measured neutrinos traveling faster than the speed of light! If true, this extraordinary result challenges one of the cornerstones of Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity. Following a brief introduction to relevant aspects of Special Relativity and neutrinos, Sandick will discuss the potentially revolutionary news from CERN and some of the implications for modern physics. You are welcome to mix-and-mingle from 5:30 to 7:00 at Keys on Main. A complete food menu and drink menu will be available. Join us for a stimulating discussion and social event! Free and open to the public. Must be 21. Call (801) 581-3124 for more info. [Ride the UTA TRAX to the Gallivan Plaza stop. Or, there is limited street parking available on 200 South and 300 South that is free after 6:00 pm. Perhaps the easiest parking is in the Wells Fargo building lot, accessible from 300 South. See www.keysonmain.com.] ----- ----- James DeGooyer Development, Public Relations College of Science 1430 Presidents Cir. Rm. 220 Salt Lake City, UT 84112 (801) 581-3124 -----

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Fwd: Re: 2011 Scheduled Star Parties Impace
by Larry Holmes 26 Oct '11

26 Oct '11

Roger, Rodger! I want to thank you for your service this year. I think you did a great job of guiding the clubs efforts and the figures below support that. Now, if you could just get Sir August De Wynter to do something about the weather, you would really be a hero! 73, lh On 10/24/2011 8:27 PM, SLAS Announcements wrote: > SLAS Members and Friends, > As the end of the star party schedule has now arrived I wanted to thank everyone who has helped in making this a very successful year of observing. One of my goal as president was to carefully document all the star parties that we have sponsored and chart the impact that we might have had on the public. > The following is a summary of the star parties and impact that we had: > 15 Events at SPOC of which 4 were cancelled due to weather > 7 Events at HarmonÂ’s of which 2 were cancelled due to weather > 6 Events at Wheeler Farm of which 2 were cancelled due to weather > 7 Solar Parties of which 1 was cancelled due to weather > 1 Event at Jordanelle State Park with good weather > 4 Nights at ALCON Bryce Canyon with 4 good nights > 3 Nights at Great Basin National 2 nights cancelled due to weather > Greater than 8 special school star parties > > At these Parties we had 509 telescopes set up which at 3 hours per scope equates to 1,527 volunteer man hours > We had an estimated 3,500 visitors not counting those at Bryce Canyon or Great Basin National Park > We gave away the Following: > 56 copies of Â“The StarsÂ” by H. A. Ray > 34 copies of Â“Night WatchÂ” by Dickerson > 28 Celestron First Scopes > 2 8Â” Dobsonians > 2 6Â” Dobsonians > 2 Binoculars > 1,250 Planespheres > In addition to this, we had the privilege of being the sponsoring organization for ALCON 2011 which turned out to be a big success due to the hard work of many SLAS members. > The numbers speak for themselves. We have had a great year and it has come about because of the dedication and commitment of our members. > As SLAS president in 2011, I thank all of the SLAS members for their dedication and support. It is his dedication and commitment that makes SLAS the first-class society that it is. > > Sincerely, > Rodger C. Fry > SLAS President > >

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The Telescope text online
by Chuck Hards 26 Oct '11

26 Oct '11

Of possible interest to those interested in the history of the telescope and optical principles, here is an online transcription of the 1922 classic by Louis Bell, "The Telescope": http://www.archive.org/stream/telescope029809mbp/telescope029809mbp_djvu.txt Unfortunately there are no illustrations, but it's still a good read. I love the language and idioms of the day. Historians and modern engineers have since corrected some of the details, but much of it is still relevant.

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Friday morning launch
by Patrick Wiggins 26 Oct '11

26 Oct '11

NASA is set to launch a satellite Friday morning (the 28th) from S. California's Vandenberg Air Force Base between 3:48 and 3:57 MDT. I've seen a couple of VAFB launches from here in Stansbury and one from the Midvale Harmons. Conditions for seeing this launch from N Utah are not ideal (they're better when the plume is backlit by the Sun) but if it's clear Friday morning and you're up you might want to give it a try. patrick

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Auroras out there
by Jay Eads 25 Oct '11

25 Oct '11

Reports are coming in that there Auroras are being seen from Chicago to Oklahoma. Too bad its cloudy here but if your out and about look north, you may get lucky. -- Jay Eads

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Directions, Timpview H.S. star party, this Friday, 28 Oct., Provo Canyon South Fork @ Big Springs Park
by Richard Tenney 24 Oct '11

24 Oct '11

We are again hosting a star party for Timpview H.S. astronomy students (and others who are interested) in South Fork Canyon Friday, 8 October, 2010, starting at dusk (sun sets about 7:00 p.m.). Help is needed as we are expecting as many as 200 folks! If you have a scope, or are interested in informing attendees about the night sky, please come! I'll be bringing my 16" dob, and will probably start setting up around 6:30 pm or so. Directions: From the mouth of Provo Canyon (starting the odometer where 800 North in Orem Crosses over University Ave.) it's 5.8 miles to Vivian Park/South Fork, just right off the highway there. Drive South into South Fork Canyon (narrow, winding road that begins at Vivian Park) 3.25 miles (you'll drive past another nice park on the way) to where you see a brown "National Forest Access" sign -- turn (right) in here. This is a newer park -- "Big Springs" -- drive up another quarter mile and the road ends in a nice big flat parking lot. The sky is fairly dark here despite a somewhat limited horizon. If you have questions or need to contact me, my cell is 801~380~3331 /Richard Tenney

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