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

Project Moonwatch
by Chuck Hards 06 Dec '11

06 Dec '11

Can anyone tell me if this ebay item could possibly be one of the "Project Moonwatch" transit telescopes? I know several manufacturers made them, so there are a few variations, but this one sure looks like one to me: http://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-TELESCOPE-MIRROR-AND-WOOD-BASE-/350510912714

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Possible Poaching of Antelope and Shooting at Pit n Pole
by Jay Eads 06 Dec '11

06 Dec '11

I reported the possible poaching of the bull antelope that was in the Pit n Pole area and whose carcass I am pretty sure is at the intersection on the left hand side when one turns west off the main dirt road to the off road leading to where the Pit is. In terms of the semi-automatic gun fire occurring at night this is the information that was shared with me and I thought some on here might want it. I know I have cell coverage out there so at least we know who to call now. The report of shooting in the Five Mile Pass area at night should be reported to the Law Enforcement Officer at the Salt Lake Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management at 801-977-4300. Thank you for your interest in keeping the public lands, the people who enjoy them and the wildlife that occupy those lands, safe. -- Jay Eads

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Alton mine update
by Gary Vardon 05 Dec '11

05 Dec '11

I agree. I like that you and others have an environmental coconscious. Sincerely, Gary Vardon The book DO It Right will help you understand vital ideas leading to your greater success. GO to PublishAmerica.com Consulting For Profit is also available. Learn how to make money as a consultant.

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Alton Mine Update
by erikhansen＠thebluezone.net 05 Dec '11

05 Dec '11

>The National Park system was created without a majority vote. I've got to chime in on a political statement that was made in this > thread. It was said that: "The American system states that the majority > shall have their way...". The American system does not state this. We > are a representative republic, not a strict democracy. A representative > republic protects the rights of minorities. > > If you find yourself in the minority (as we are as dark-sky lovers), your > job to get your voice heard. If anyone has any experience with an > effective way to get heard, I'm all ears. > > Mat > > -----Original Message----- > From: utah-astronomy-bounces(a)mailman.xmission.com > [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Joe > Bauman > Sent: Sunday, December 04, 2011 7:46 PM > To: Utah Astronomy > Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Alton Mine Update > > Actually, as one who looks diligently for dark-sky sites, I don't think > there are many places with that kind of sky in Utah -- a state that > probably has less gunky skies than most. Among Bryce's advantages are that > it's high altitude and easily reached by thousands of visitors who don't > have access to any dark sky. And as the Trib pointed out, the issue is far > from one of urban-vs-rural people, with many in southern Utah opposed to > the strip mine. But our opinions may not count one way or the other, as > the agency is deciding based on criteria far removed from majority rule. > Thanks, Joe > > > > ________________________________ > From: Chuck Hards <chuck.hards(a)gmail.com> > To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Sent: Sunday, December 4, 2011 5:10 PM > Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Alton Mine Update > > On 12/4/11, Joe Bauman <josephmbauman(a)yahoo.com> wrote: >> For special places like Bryce, preservation should have high priority. I >> vote to keep the dark skies and all the other advantages of the national >> park and to protect BLM land where its natural values are high. -- Joe > > Dark skies are a priority for a minority of the American public. It > doesn't affect the gelological formations of the park one bit. Is the > general public wrong? From our point of view, yes, they are. From > their point of view, we are nutjobs. The American system states that > the majority shall have their way, for better or worse. Democracy is > not based on the scientific method or ethical truth. > > If this mine goes ahead, it may have negative repercussions on > wildlife. But wildlife exists in far more places than just in and > around national parks, and those areas get no protection. No outrage > for those areas/species/eccologies? > > There are many, many other areas that have skies as pristine as Bryce, > they just don't have National Park status and don't have amazing > geological formations. No restrooms, no amentities, no Interstate > highway leading up to the gates. Could that have something to do with > our Groupthink? > > There is a larger issue afoot here, and for anyone to take a stand on > precedent or perceived ethical high ground is probably incomplete, at > best. I'm not saying anyone is wrong, but polarization is so easy. > Resolution to the satisfaction of a majority can be very, very hard. > > The key to success is convincing the Amercian public of the > superiority of your claim. In today's ecconomy, with a shrinking > middle class and fewer educated, informed, and environmentally > conscious people paying taxes every year, you have a tough row to hoe. > > _______________________________________________ > 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 > _______________________________________________ > 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 > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > This message and any included attachments are from Siemens Medical > Solutions > and are intended only for the addressee(s). > > The information contained herein may include trade secrets or privileged > or > otherwise confidential information. Unauthorized review, forwarding, > printing, > copying, distributing, or using such information is strictly prohibited > and may > be unlawful. If you received this message in error, or have reason to > believe > you are not authorized to receive it, please promptly delete this message > and > notify the sender by e-mail with a copy to > Central.SecurityOffice.Healthcare(a)siemens.com > > Thank you > > _______________________________________________ > 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 >

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Astro camera
by Wayne Sumner 05 Dec '11

05 Dec '11

Chuck, That's the camera I bought for the Northridge High School observatory (v.1.0) about 2 years ago when it first came out. I know a bit about it, but it is virtually unused because of the stepper motor problem with the observatory telescope. Let's learn how to use it together! Maybe we could talk a local expert into walking us through the ropes? Wayne A. Sumner Math/Physics/Astronomy/Engineering Boy's Tennis Coach Northridge High School Davis School District (801) 402-8610 >>> Chuck Hards 12/03/11 11:26 AM >>> Some of you know that I've been slowly accumulating the necessary items for digital imaging over the last few years. I finally settled on a camera. I must admit that I was just about to go the DSLR route, due largely to the wonderful work done by local astro-imager David Rankin. I will still explore that avenue as the budget allows (I love terrestrial photography too, being a long-time film shooter with my trusty old Pentax SLRs), but for my entry-level camera into the digital astro world, I took adavantage of a $100 discount and bought the Orion StarShoot Pro Deep Space Color Imaging Camera V2.0. I want to get the basics down and develop some skills with a color imager before I delve into mono and tri-color narrowband imaging, a year or three down the road. Based on the reviews I've read, this is a very good camera for the entry-level digital imager. The resolution is very good compared to less pricey beginners cameras, albeit at nearly 3 times the price, it's still much less expensive than the next step up the astro-camera foodchain, with similar resolution. The only remaining piece of hardware required is a new laptop, and I'm hoping Santa got my letter in time. ;-) I've been playing around with Registax and a Photoshop clone, getting the hang of image processing and manipulation. I need to delve into software more closely now that the equipment inventory is just about complete. Any advice or recommendations are welcome, thanks! _______________________________________________ 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

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Best of 2010 EPODs and Utah
by Canopus56 05 Dec '11

05 Dec '11

I was looking at EPOD today and noticed a link for the ``Best EPOD Photos of 2010.'' http://epod.usra.edu/blog/vote-2010.html At #23 was Utah's Ray Boren's September 2010 Flaming Gorge image. At #20 was Patrick Wiggins' March 2010 Near-Earth Object 2010 AL30 Clear Skies - Canopus56

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three galaxies and a quasar
by Joe Bauman 05 Dec '11

05 Dec '11

Hi All, I hope you'll enjoy this essay: http://tinyurl.com/7owj3qy Thanks, Joe

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Jupiter Moon Dec 5-6 Sunspots
by Canopus56 05 Dec '11

05 Dec '11

Jupiter and the Moon will be about 7 degs apart tonight and tomorrow night, due east at sunset. This might make a good wide angle and something to play around with high dynamic range (HDR) image processing. See Spaceweather.com and the ST calendar. The current Ha solar image is showing good strings of northern and southern sunspots. Clear Skies - Kurt

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Of dew caps and frost
by Patrick Wiggins 05 Dec '11

05 Dec '11

To anyone who has any doubt that unheated dew caps can help keep dew and frost at bay: I just closed my observatory after another fruitless night of hunting (you'd think that at least one of the 250+ galaxies I imaged tonight would have the common decency to harbor a supernova <g> ). After over 7 hours of operations the walls of my observatory were covered with frost, as was the mount, telescope and even the outside of the dew cap. But barely a hint of frost on the corrector. Night, night, patrick

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New SN in NGC 1404 in Eridanus
by Jay Eads 04 Dec '11

04 Dec '11

A little low but doable. There is a new SN found in NGC 1404. Initially at 12.6 and now down to 12.4. Discovered on 12/2/2011 by Stu Parker. Should be viewable in this 11.0 mag galaxy once the moon gets out of the way and if the weather cooperates. Here is the info: http://www.rochesterastronomy.org/snimages/ Image: http://www.rochesterastronomy.org/sn2011/n1404s1.jpg -- Jay Eads

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