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

What then
by Steve Fisher 21 Sep '11

21 Sep '11

So, imagine yourself next year. You have been to Bryce, you have seen the annualar eclipse and then you observed the Venus Transit on June 5th. Whatcha gonna do now? I would suggest you consider http://www.nps.gov/grba/planyourvisit/2012-astronomy-festival.htm Notice the dates. Hope to see more of you there. Steve

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The Milky Way from Nepal
by Jay Eads 20 Sep '11

20 Sep '11

http://500px.com/photo/1727142 Probably one of the best shots I've seen in a long time. Think of both the stellar time frame an the geological time frames presented in this photograph! Amazing! Enjoy! -- Jay Eads

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Great Night Shaping Up!
by Jay Eads 20 Sep '11

20 Sep '11

My Mac sent the email before I was ready. It will be great night tonight. I'm starting to feel better but not enough to load up and head out. If I was normal, I would be gone in a heartbeat tonight. So if you can get out, I'd get out tonight! -- Jay Eads

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ATM session report and next planned date
by Hutchings, Mat (H USA) 20 Sep '11

20 Sep '11

Saturday's ATM session was quite busy. Charlie and Josh were there and my photographer neighbor also came at the end. Charlie brought his 13" mirror to look at with the knife edge and ronchi screen. This is an f9 mirror, so the ROC was nearly 20 feet! By angling diagonally across my garage, we were able to get it set up for testing. It showed a pretty healthy turned down edge, but that is a workable problem. Charlie is concerned that the mirror is astigmatic; neither the knife edge nor the ronchi tests are really critical tests for astigmatism, and unfortunately I do not have a 'stig tester (got to make one someday...) I did see some evidence of astigmatism in the ronchi test, so Charlie's concern's may be justified. The best test for astigmatism is to do a star test with the mirror in a working telescope, and so Charlie is motivated to build the 'scope now and test the mirror. As some of you may know, the only cure for astigmatism is to go back to at least 320 grit and fine grind again. When this telescope is finished it is going to be incredible. An f9 13" Newtonian - wow! I will definitely be in line to be one of the first to look through it. Josh brought his 8" f8 (measured by us to be within 1/8 of inch of f8) mirror he picked up for a song on KSL.com. The coatings are in rough shape and do need to be redone. The figure looked quite good, but we did not do a Foucault test, just viewed it with a knife edge tester and ronchi screen. Josh really picked up the concept of the knife edge quickly and he is very motivated to grind, polish and figure a big mirror (18" is his plan). At the moment, his plans are to refigure the 8" he has so that he can get experience doing it then move up to a big mirror. Work was also done by Josh and me on my 4" f4 finder project. It is in the final figuring stages and the center was a bit high. Josh and I walked the barrel working the center with C.O.C strokes with a tool sized at ~ 50% of the mirror for about 15 minutes. This pushed the center down well, but left it a little rough. Later that day, I smoothed it out and tested it to be around 1/8th of a wave (P-V wavefront). It is still a little rougher than I like, so will continue with very light strokes and very fine CeOx. My neighbor, a photographer, came by to look at a barn-door mount. This might get him started in astrophotography, then he can spend big bucks later... At that point, it was time to close up the shop after a very good ATM session. The next session is on Oct. 15th from 9:00 AM to noonish. As usual, email me off list at mat.hutchings(a)siemens.com and I will give you directions to my house. Mat ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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(a)siemens.com Thank you

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Off-Topic: Financial Humor
by Chuck Hards 20 Sep '11

20 Sep '11

Someone emailed me this a while ago: Japanese banking crisis -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Origami Bank folded last night. Apparently Sumo Fund Managers went belly up and Bonsai Bank, after a period of stunted growth, now plans to cut back some of its branches. Kamikaze Bank took a dive and 1,500 staff at Karate Bank got the chop. Analysts report that there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank and staff there fear they may get a raw deal. Onsen Bank has taken a bath and even Miso Bank is in the soup. The share value of Samurai Bank has been slashed. On the plus side, now is a good time to buy Karaoke Bank, its shares can be had for a song. So, I came up with some of my own: Hundreds were cut at Ginsu bank, as well. Not all the news is bad. Shares in Hiroshima & Nagasaki banks have mushroomed. Assets of Seppuku bank have been gutted. My sources state that Zen bank is contemplating it's naval portfolio. The Zen bank naval portfolio was apparently mostly Chinese junk bonds. Government examiners have been grilling executives of Hibachi bank. Godzilla bank is rumored to be mostly responsible for wrecking the Tokyo exchange. In yet another ethics probe, Benihana bank has been accused of flipping shrimp stocks. Japanese ATM users are angry because as fees skyrocket, the usefulness of the ATM card decreases. Customers at Pokémon bank lament that their cards are now practically worthless. As the Japanese ecconomic crisis widens, Chinese restaurants are feeling the squeeze. Though their prospects are still bright, analysts expect them to dim some. More bad news today, as profits at Katana bank continued to drop along a sharp curve. Corporate pirates have taken over the Bank of Somalia, while the Bank of Egypt has fallen to pyramid schemes. Falling oil prices have driven Australian petroleum futures down under their all-time low. Meanwhile, in Iceland all bank assets have been frozen. Individual Asian stocks continue to suffer, as shares in the Royal Chinese Acrobats have tumbled. Confident Israeli ecconomic strategists expect the current troubles to passover their country completely. In the U.S., Chemical bank has tried for a comeback, but is still insolvent. First Bank of Alaska is investing in fur futures, and hopes to seal the deal soon. The Bank of New Orleans expects the state to levy new corporate taxes soon. Some good news today in Japan, as Tsunami bank reports that it expects to ride the recent investment wave. The Bank of Peru reported that guano exports contributed to a gross national product. The Bank of Scotland skirted disaster when a poor third quarter report kilt investor confidence. Grey Poupon and French's investors saw a healthy dividend last quarter, as consumers mustered confidence. Cheese futures dropped in value, as day traders milked dairy shares. Poor earnings reports kept chipping away at Frito-Lay shares all day. Bank of Idaho executives were all eyes today as a major potato producer dug-in and appealed for new loan terms. Belgian stocks waffled today on modest earnings reports. Butter futures churned lower again today. During questioning by examiners, the head of Easter Island bank sat stone-faced. Stockholders at the annual meeting of Weightwatchers, Inc., were told today that profits for the year would likely be thin, even after some gains around the holidays. After reorganizing early in the spring, Wells Fargo bank had plans to stage a comback later this year, but they were held-up. Golden Gate bank reported that a bridge loan was taken out by Marin County. The Bank of London has issued a bond for the making of a new 007 movie. The Red Army reported that due to recent high number of conscripts, it was having trouble balancing it's budget. Fortunately, they have overdraft protection. Facing a temporary cash shortage and desperately short of peanuts and caramel, the Hershey corporation was forced to take out a PayDay loan. When the Mustang Ranch first made a stock offering, most buyers got their shares Cum Dividend. This was largely due to insider trading. Most public companies doing tumor research offer excellent growth stock. The Bank of Lilliput has issued a halt to the short selling of mortgages. Pharmaceutical companies doing Lyme disease research can expect an uptick in their share prices. Fisherman's Bank reported net earnings floundered last month, but have been bouyed this month by a rising tide of consumer confidence. In the USA there was a run on Chase bank today. Heinz took out a loan so they could modernize their packaging line and ketchup with competitor Del Monte. After months of declining value, shares of R.J. Reynolds were smoking this week. The Slinky corporation, another company stretched by shrinking profits, has bounced-back to profitability. Chia-Pet recently took out a major loan as seed money in a new product line. General Dynamics submarine division was rumored to have gone under; despite the company deep-sixing those rumors, they keep surfacing. The Bank of Copenhagen was about to be absorbed by the Bank of Helsinki, but the power in the hotel where the ceremony was taking place failed before they were Finnish. England's traditional currency took a pounding yesterday. International investors avoided deposits in Islamic banks, citing no interest. The Goodyear corporation has announced that it will build no more blimps, due to ballooning costs. A major furball erupted today during the shareholder's meeting of the CATS touring company. Bankers representing France's Pantomime Union today announced that they were trying to finance the union by "thinking out of the box". The NFL Referee's Credit Union investment trustee was penalized today for making bad calls on fourth-quarter gains. Back in Japan, the CEO of Kabuki bank was white-faced as he announced job cuts. The Japanese currency crisis continues to nip away at the average worker's earnings. Trading in food stocks was today halted on orders of the Japanese Diet. Pacific Rim bank was jolted by market tremors today as investors quaked on fears of recession. Competitors of Fuji bank accused it's CEO of making a mountain out of a mole hill at today's banking summit. Gains on Japanese whaling stocks turned out to be a fluke, as investors blubbered when faced with sudden losses. Pearl futures took a dive yesterday, and brokers clammed up as to why. Execs of the Bank of Peking ducked out of merger talks, reportedly because they were sauced. Wasabi stocks continue to be hot this week. The Lending Tree mortgage company could come under investigation for shady practices. Chinese porcelain futures cracked today under market pressure, shattering recent gains. Traders watched declining values with glazed eyes. Hemp growers are in joint talks with the makers of roach spray, but the outlook is fairly dank. Facebook.com accquired Mrs. Butterworth syrup yesterday in a take-over. The new product will be called "Mrs. Butterface". Hilton Hotels assumed control of Motel 6 in a hostel takeover. Serta Matress company today announced a share price cut in a blanket statement. "Shareholders will just have to take a few lumps", said the CEO. "Our stock price has been firm for too long, it was bound to sag eventually". Meguires car-care products CEO announced today that the company was closing. "I can't gloss over this", he stated, "Our competitors have thoroughly waxed us...they've rubbed us raw and now we're finished."

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Creative optical tubes
by D P Pierce 20 Sep '11

20 Sep '11

When I went to the Texas Star Party in 1994 I saw a 10" Newtonian tube made out of broken hockey sticks! The maker had 2 sons that played hockey and had accumulated a lot of broken sticks. He had wrapped them around a tube. After glueing them together he pulled the tube out. I've always enjoyed seeing creative ATM efforts. Deloy Pierce

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Creative Vegetable Telescopes
by D P Pierce 20 Sep '11

20 Sep '11

I once put my Astroscan inside a large pumpkin with only the end of the tube and focuser sticking out Deloy Pierce

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Airy disks and diffraction artifacts (was: Sept 17 Star Party)
by Chuck Hards 20 Sep '11

20 Sep '11

Actually a person can get Airy disks (diffraction spots) nearly as perfect as they get with a garden-variety reflector. Just make an off-axis mask and you end up with perfect color correction (something even triplet APO's don't have) as well as no central obstruction diffraction artifacts. With larger Newts especially, you will have plenty of aperture with the off-axis mask for planetary and close double-star work. Then just remove the mask when you're ready for DS work, when you really need the light-gathering power of the full aperture. Truth be told, however, a long-focus Newt with minimal diagonal obstruction doesn't pull as much energy from the central spot as most people think. You have to determine if the obstruction diffraction offsets the reduced aperture (and thus resolution) of the off-axis mask. Remember that the smaller the aperture, the larger the Airy disk, so you can take a double-whammy in terms of resolution. Match your optical system to your targets.

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Meade introduces LX-800 and LX-80
by Dale Hooper 19 Sep '11

19 Sep '11

I realize that Meade isn't exactly synonymous with "great customer service" right now, but I thought there may be some on the list that would like to know about Meade's new mounts and telescopes. They have introduced a new mount known as the LX-80 which is convertible between GEM and alt/az configurations. This is probably meant to compete with the iOptron mounts and will be used with their mid-range scopes. They have also introduced a new higher end GEM (90 lb payload capacity sans counterweights) which comes in a number of different configurations, known as the LX-800. A number of people have noted several outward similarities between the LX-800 and the AP Mach 1. The LX-800's come with two "attached" scopes with ½ inch CMOS sensors. The first is a wide-field scope, the second is an 80 mm refractor used for guiding, PEC training, and assisted polar alignment. Obviously, the jury will be out until these things start shipping - but I think competition is normally good for us, the consumers. Here are a couple links (oddly I haven't found a link on the Meade website). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EA8lfrYK_M&NR=1 http://www.optcorp.com/ProductList.aspx?uid=1-600-603-1929 http://www.bintel.com.au/Mounts---Tripods/EQ-Mounts/Meade-LX800-with-StarLo… Clear skies, Dale.

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Sept 17 Star Party
by J E CARMAN 19 Sep '11

19 Sep '11

Well, it certainly looked like a bust all day, with the clouds coming and going. But by the time I got to SPOC around 6:45, the sun was shining with a lot of thin cirrus clouds challenging the potential evening. The sun was sweet! But I had to get a peek through Steve’s refractor at night – just to compare. The sunset was quite colorful and beautiful, but that color translated to lots of thin clouds. It looked like it was going to be an early night, but FINALLY Vega poked through – barely- directly overhead. So it might end up being a “sucker hole” night. That’s when just one part of the sky clears and everyone turns their telescope to that place and then it clouds over, but another break in the clouds appears elsewhere so everyone turns their telescopes to that point and then... “sucker!!” Slowly, over time all those thin clouds disappeared and the night turned into a true joy. Oh, and BTW, Steve’s got a great refractor --- but my refractor is better than his (certainly in my own mind). He had epsilon lyrae split with 90 magnification. He didn’t see it, but I did, although it wasn’t rock solid - they were “footballs” with occasional dark lines between. At 220 mag, it was a clean split, as it should have been. Bruce had the 11” “handicap” scope out there and it’s image of M13 was spectacular. Might I say “resolved to the core?” I challenged both Steve and Bruce, who had Gotos to look at Alpha Hercules. Neither of their gotos had it in their database, even by star name. Finally I looked at Bruce and pointed to the proper place in the sky and said “Geez, it’s right there!!!” Like a seesick (not seasick) sailor, Bruce had to get his star hopping legs back, but he managed (hehe) AND NO, I am not starting up the goto pushto debate again. It was just a “funny” moment. The real debate was the color of the pair. I just wanted to see what people thought. For those of you who missed it you are S.O.L. for those of you who took the chance, it was a blast.

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