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

Re: [Utah-astronomy] Already fielded questions on “Supermoon”
by Canopus56 11 Mar '11

11 Mar '11

Looking at Meeus's Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Sec.2, the distribution of extreme perigrees of the Moon are quite frequent. With the ``mean'' distance to the Moon at about 384,000 km, and Meeus tabulated the distribution and frequency of lunar perigrees for 80 years between 1960 to 2040. Extreme lunar perigees have nothing to do with the 18 year Saros cycle. Extreme lunar perigees occur as the Sun and Earth align to pull the Moon closer in conjunction with the lunar ``natural'' semi-minor axis. Curiously, unlike other natural phenomena, the extremes of perigees below 370,500 km are not normally distributed; they bi-modal. More perigees are grouped near the endpoints of 356,000 km and 370,500 km. Taking the lowest 10 percent of extremes between 356,000 km and 357,500 km, there are actual and predicated 181 perigree extremes between 1960 and 2040 (960 months). This implies an extreme perigee (in terms of the bottom 10 percent) occurs on average once every 5.3 months. There will be 82 extreme perigees between 356,500 km and 365,700 km, or about 1 extreme perigee every 11 months. Maybe the extra 133 kilometers between 356,577 and 356,700 km matter, but I doubt it. This astrologer predication is another in the category of overstated planetary alignments, e.g. - when three planetary bodies align (e.g. the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn), the astrologers issue ``death-from-above'' press releases. On an different note supporting this notion of volcanoes and extreme lunar perigrees, Donna O'Meara (Stephen O'Meara's wife), made a career from traveling around the world and photographing volcanos. Stephen O'Meara is known for claiming a possible relationship between the Moon's close passes, volcanoes and earthquakes, an association that Bad Astronomy's Phil Plait questions - http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/08/09/mooning-a-volcano/ Some of you may remember O'Meara's trip to a volcano in 2001 at a perigee to test this idea and great footage of the volcano starting to erupt as Stephen and wife were hiking up to the rim. It was covered in an old National Geographic TV broadcast - http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/02/0215_020215_volcanohunter.h… Today's Bad Astronomy entry concerns debunking concerns that the ``supermoon'' caused today's Japan's earthquake. Phil Plait makes the common sense point that the Moon was nowhere near perigee last night - it was at apogee on March 6. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/ This notion of the close moon causing volcanoes to erupt also comes up in the news periodically with respect to an active Philippino volcano Looking at Meeus's Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Sec.2, the distribution of extreme perigrees of the Moon are quite frequent. With the ``mean'' distance to the Moon at about 384,000 km, and Meeus tabulated the distribution and frequency of lunar perigrees for 80 years between 1960 to 2040. Extreme lunar perigees have nothing to do with the 18 year Saros cycle. Extreme lunar perigees occur as the Sun and Earth align to pull the Moon closer in conjunction with the lunar ``natural'' semi-minor axis. Curiously, unlike other natural phenomena, the extremes of perigees below 370,500 km are not normally distributed; they bi-modal. More perigees are grouped near the endpoints of 356,000 km and 370,500 km. Taking the lowest 10 percent of extremes between 356,000 km and 357,500 km, there are actual and predicated 181 perigree extremes between 1960 and 2040 (960 months). This implies an extreme perigee (in terms of the bottom 10 percent) occurs on average once every 5.3 months. There will be 82 extreme perigees between 356,500 km and 365,700 km, or about 1 extreme perigee every 11 months. Maybe the extra 133 kilometers between 356,577 and 356,700 km matter, but I doubt it. This astrologer predication is another in the category of overstated planetary alignments, e.g. - when three planetary bodies align (e.g. the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn), the astrologers issue ``death-from-above'' press releases. On an different note supporting this notion of volcanoes and extreme lunar perigrees, Donna O'Meara (Stephen O'Meara's wife), made a career from traveling around the world and photographing volcanos. Stephen O'Meara is known for claiming a possible relationship between the Moon's close passes, volcanoes and earthquakes, an association that Bad Astronomy's Phil Plait questions - http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/08/09/mooning-a-volcano/ Some of you may remember O'Meara's trip to a volcano in 2001 at a perigee to test this idea and great footage of the volcano starting to erupt as Stephen and wife were hiking up to the rim. It was covered in an old National Geographic TV broadcast - http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/02/0215_020215_volcanohunter.h… Today's Bad Astronomy entry concerns debunking concerns that the ``supermoon'' caused today's Japan's earthquake. Phil Plait makes the common sense point that the Moon was nowhere near perigee last night - it was at apogee on March 6. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/ This notion of the close moon causing volcanoes to erupt also comes up in the news periodically with respect to an active Philippino volcano Mayon (in 2006 and Dec. 2009), e.g. - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-399776/Full-moon-spark-Philippine-v… In summary, these extreme perigees have happened many times through my some 50 plus years on this earth, and I haven't been killed by one yet. -:) Clear Skies - Kurt

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Messier Marathon dates for 2011
by Canopus56 11 Mar '11

11 Mar '11

http://seds.org/messier/xtra/marathon/mm2011.html "In the year 2011, Full Moon will occur on March 18, just about the best Messier Marathon time of other years. So we are left with less favorable occasions around either of the New Moons of March 4 or April 3, or weekends of March 5 or April 2, 2011. On either of these dates, it will be difficult to hunt down all Messier Objects in one night." Clear Skies - Kurt

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Already fielded questions on “Supermoon”
by Dave Gary 11 Mar '11

11 Mar '11

I’ve already fielded questions on the “Supermoon” phenomenon. I tell them gravitational gradient differential falls off as 1/d³, so there’s not much to worry about despite what a “notable” astrologer says. That, usually, shuts them up so I may pursue my miserable life in peace. One might call it, fractions to the rescue. Dave

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Tsunami coming to Hawaii
by Rob Ratkowski Photography 11 Mar '11

11 Mar '11

Aloha this is the e-mail I sent to Patrick earlier this evening about the tsumani to strike Hawaii Hi Patrick Just off the summit on the way down there were tourist cars coming up to the 7000ft level coastal lowland areas are being evacuated traffic thru my little town was intense people trying to buy gas !!!!! but we are OK and I'll let you know what happens waves are to hit Maui at 3:30 I live @ 1550 ft so no worries on my part I'm more concerned for folks I know down by the beach I'll give you a report as to what happen here after something happens I would expect that we'll see a 10ft tidal change in a 5 min period but I don't think we'll have devastation Aloha and thanks for checking in Rob I'll post something as to what happened here @3:30 it's hard to see in the dark and all traffic off the mountain is blocked, very little traffic from Lahaina sirens sounds at 12:30 RR

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Hey Rob R
by Patrick Wiggins 11 Mar '11

11 Mar '11

Hi Rob, Looks like the wave is not supposed to reach you for another few hours. Be sure and check in with us after it's passed so we'll know you're ok. TV coverage of it hitting Japan is really unnerving. Seeing all those vehicles trying to outrun it and not succeeding is awful. patrick

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Jet in M-87
by Canopus56 10 Mar '11

10 Mar '11

Here's an image I took with a GRASS 10 inch roboscope last year. Blow-up of wide view http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3338 Wide view http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3335 - Kurt

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Newest death-from-above scare story
by Canopus56 10 Mar '11

10 Mar '11

Get ready to field dumb questions from your friends on this one next week: ================== Will March 19 'Supermoon' Trigger Natural Disasters? http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20110310/sc_space/willmarch19supermoontrigger… from space.com "On March 19, the moon will swing around Earth more closely than it has in the past 18 years, lighting up the night sky from just 221,567 miles (356,577 kilometers) away. On top of that, it will be full. And one astrologer believes it could inflict massive damage on the planet. Richard Nolle, a noted astrologer who runs the website astropro.com, has famously termed the upcoming full moon at lunar perigee (the closest approach during its orbit) an "extreme supermoon." When the moon goes super-extreme, Nolle says, chaos will ensue: . . ." ================ Note: Maybe Daniel T can remind us on Meuss's Astro Alogrithms II chapter on the frequency of extreme Moons. I do not have the time to track it down again. How many times has extreme perigee occurred and we are all still here? Clear Skies - Kurt

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Cost of gasoline
by Stephen Peterson 10 Mar '11

10 Mar '11

Plan B 3.0 is a free book available on the internet (download). The true cost of gasoline may amaze you and this was in about 2007. "For a gasoline tax, the most detailed analysis available of indirect costs is found in The Real Price of Gasoline by the International Center for Technology Assessment. The many indirect costs to society—including climate change, oil industry tax breaks, oil supply protection, oil industry subsidies, and treatment of auto exhaust-related respiratory illnesses—total around $12 per gallon, slightly more than the cost to society of smoking a pack of cigarettes. If this external or social cost is added to the roughly $3 per gallon average price of gas in the United States in early 2007, gas would cost $15 a gallon. These are real costs. Someone bears them. If not us, our children. Now that these costs have been calculated, they can be used to set tax rates on gasoline, just as the CDC analysis is being used to raise taxes on cigarettes." The book (Google PB3) makes for depressing reading so be warned! Steve

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ALCON 2011
by Lowell Lyon 10 Mar '11

10 Mar '11

Ruby's Inn is sold out for Wednesday June 29th through July 2nd. You may still go to www.BryceCanyonCountry.com and look for other lodging in the area. Ruby's Inn RV Park and Campground may still have openings for those that want to stay in an RV or tent camp at Ruby's. If you are bringing a scope for public star parties, my understanding is that you may still camp inside the park itself and have park admission for free. Thank you. Lowell Lyon

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Discovery
by sfisher01＠comcast.net 09 Mar '11

09 Mar '11

Discovery is home safe and sound. Beautiful, one last time.

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