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

Lakeside Tonight
by Jay Eads 23 Dec '11

23 Dec '11

Hello all and Happy Holidays! I am heading out to Lakeside tonight if anyone wants to join me. Please reply so I know. It will be cold but I have my heaters but dress warm! -- Jay Eads

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Utah-Astronomy Digest, Vol 106, Issue 144
by RON VANDERHULE 23 Dec '11

23 Dec '11

Chuck wrote: "Or Rama sailing into the solar system".....but the Ramans only operate in sets of three. Could effect our 364 day window. Great book BTW. As soon as I finished reading it back in the 70's I picked it to win the Hugo award. sure enough...

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Non UFO in Kansas
by D P Pierce 21 Dec '11

21 Dec '11

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/did-military-haul-ufo-kansas-150544531… Deloy Pierce

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Getting old
by Kim 20 Dec '11

20 Dec '11

OK, so the following isn't exactly an astronomy topic, but it is related and doesn't involve coal mining: I saw my eye doctor recently. I figured the decreasing acuity, particularly in my right eye would simply be corrected with a new prescription. It did help, but Doc told me that I have cataracts - not serious, but they're there. And, of course, it is worse in my right (dominant) eye. I was almost as shocked as I was 20 years ago when he told me I needed bifocals. I'm especially discouraged because I think that I've taken good care of my eyes. I started wearing sunglasses when I was 13 or 14 and I'm never without them, even on overcast days. I used to be able to see to magnitude 7.2 or better with correction for astigmatism and I could see color in many diffuse nebulae, such as the Lagoon Nebula and the Orion Nebula. I'm a bit depressed to have lost that and to expect to lose even more. Anyway, since I know so many of you on the list are also getting old(er), I wondered if anyone has experience with cataract surgery? How did it turn out? Was your eyesight as good as new or was there still some degradation? My doctor told me that I wouldn't need glasses afterward. Is that true? I'd appreciate anyone sharing their experience. Kim

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Chuck probably won't like this
by Patrick Wiggins 20 Dec '11

20 Dec '11

Then again, since it involves 3D maybe he will. :) http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00003308/ BTW, I went to the Walmart in Tooele tonight to get one but they did not have one in stock. patrick

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Mirror Blanks
by Jay Eads 19 Dec '11

19 Dec '11

Hello, Just curious if anyone has some mirror blanks in the 4 inch to 10 inch that they might want to get rid of? -- Jay Eads

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Smart phone apps (was smart phone apology)
by Chuck Hards 19 Dec '11

19 Dec '11

OK, downloaded. I've seen this one before. I can see where it might come in handy if you forgot to look something up before an observing session, or you don't know the sky. One big drawback is that you have to crane your head around with the phone held at arm's length to take in the whole sky. Can it be made to function as a regular star-chart, and scroll around the sky while holding the phone normally? Perhaps by disabling the GPS? I'll look into this as time permits. Thanks again Rich. On 12/19/11, Chuck Hards <chuck.hards(a)gmail.com> wrote: > On 12/19/11, Richard Tenney <retenney(a)yahoo.com> wrote: >> If your smart phone is an android, I do recommend Google Sky Maps. >> Pretty >> cool technology, and it's free. > > It's an HTC Sensation, so yes, it's an android. I'll give the Google > Sky Maps a look at least, the price is right.

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smart phone apology
by Chuck Hards 19 Dec '11

19 Dec '11

I've made several post now, using my company-issued smartphone. Please accept my apology if I haven't edited my replies sufficiently. I can barely see the screen, and I have much to learn as far as editing replies. Enlarging the text on-screen only serves to cut-off info that one has to then scroll around to find. All-in-all, a very unsatisfying, and trying experience. I have a new appreciation for my 24" home monitor. For the record, I still haven't found a single app that I find useful. Haven't downloaded anything yet. And talking to a friend who has been into astronomy for the past ten years or so, it seems that many people pay for stuff that they just consider "cool", rather than usefull. It's your money, folks. C.

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Blast from the past
by Chuck Hards 19 Dec '11

19 Dec '11

Look what I found on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Skalnate-Pleso-Atlas-Heavens-A-Becvar-Print-Set-/14… This was my first star atlas, purchased in the early '70's at Hansen Planetarium. A friend who taught in the Granite District laminated my copy for me, and I still have it today. It's a terrific atlas for the novice, and even though the coordinates are for epoch 1950, the scale of the atlas is such that positions are still good enought today for visual use. I realize that there are lots of alternatives these days, inclucing digital options that the amateur of 40 years ago didn't have. But seeing this reminded me of my own copy, so I just dug it out of deep storage, just to touch it again and look it over. Ah, the memories.

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White-light solar scope update
by Chuck Hards 19 Dec '11

19 Dec '11

On 9/13/11, Chuck Hards <chuck.hards(a)gmail.com> wrote: > The scope will probably include an inexpensive eyepiece OK, I have to cut-off reservations today, as I have exhausted the stocks of my suppliers for the time being, but everyone who contacted me both on-and-off list will have their orders filled. The only disappointment is that the eyepiece I had my eye on (no pun intended) is unavailable, and any available substitutions would double the cost of the scope. So I'm hoping that everyone has a suitable eyepiece already on-hand. If not, let me know and I'll see if I can assemble something from my lens inventory. Magnifications for given eyepiece focal lengths. Objective FL = 600mm: 40mm = 15X 30mm = 20X 25mm = 24X 20mm = 30X The scopes will have a 1.25" rack-and-pinion focuser, 1.25" star diagonal, a 50mm air-spaced achromatic objective, and installed Baader solar filter. The filter will be placed either behind a protective optical window in front of the objective, or directly behind the objective itself. I'm kicking around some ideas for a mechanism to retract the filter when not looking at the sun, but won't make that promise due to safety concerns. Also thinking of a simple, integrated solar finder, but that's not really necessary if you just use the scope's shadow for aiming. We'll see what happens, stay tuned.

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