February 2012 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

Flat Earth Society
by jcarman6＠q.com 23 Feb '12

23 Feb '12

I wasi going to ask who had seen the horsehead in the smallest scope, but Chuck, you blew me away - REALLY???? an 8" dynascope without filter? Should I be calling an exceeding of the Paul B unyan limit o n this one? I've heard some tall telescope tales in my time, but they often turn out to be true . Now my memory is in gear and I remember seeing the North American Nebula at Little Mountain through Dave Chamberlin's scope after a public star party. Think his scope was a 10" home made. Your not supposed to see that in a scope either - at least that is what I was told when I first got in to observing same as being told the horsehead was a photographic only object. The horse head is tough, even with filters. I would never have tried it without a filter. Visual observance of the horsehead is a rare feat, cudos to all who have pulled it off.

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Faster than light
by Steve Fisher 23 Feb '12

23 Feb '12

I remember a lot of discussion on this several months ago but no matter which side of the argument you were on I don't think any of us expected this answer.http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/02/22/loose-wire-led-to-stunning…

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CERN's FTL Neutrinos busted…
by Daniel Holmes 23 Feb '12

23 Feb '12

Looks like it was a measurement error (I'd suspected something like that). http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2012/02/breaking-news-error-undoe… Dan -- Daniel Holmes, danielh(a)holmesonics.com "Laugh while you can, monkey boy!" -- Lord John Whorfin

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Faster than Light
by jcarman6＠q.com 22 Feb '12

22 Feb '12

I would take anything that comes from Fox News with a grain of salt. Having said that maybe some electronic experts on the board can chime it. Is it possible to have a "loose connection" in a fiber optic cable? Particularly one that would account for a 60 nanosecond discrepancy when "tightened." How do you tighten a loose connection in a fiber optic cable?

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] New name for the flame?
by erikhansen＠thebluezone.net 22 Feb '12

22 Feb '12

>Yes, the Flame is another name, I knew it 1st as the Oak Tree. With a wide enough field you could fit the Oak Tree with the Horsehead, with Alnitak in the field I can see the Oak Tree but have never been able to see the horsehead, at least not to the point I would swear to it. I do find many objects and stars have different names and meaning depending on who you talk to. Zaurak for example simply means "boat" and some people embellish it with other words. I imagine this is the same for everyone, I would bet I would be more visible without Alnitak, although it probably would not exist without the star. Erik, I've never heard of the oak tree nebula. It sounds like the flame > nebula (NCG 2024) and it does look like a tree. In fact, now that I > think of it, I think it resembles a tree more than a flame. If indeed > this is the one you are referring to, I just might start calling it the > oak tree also! > > The flame (or maybe the oak tree), is a relatively easy hit and it is > very near Alnitak (zeta Orionis). You do need to put the bright stars > (in this case Alnitak) out of the FOV, or you are right, they will > overwhelm the very dim DSO's. > > Mat > > -----Original Message----- > From: utah-astronomy-bounces(a)mailman.xmission.com > [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of > erikhansen(a)thebluezone.net > Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 12:10 PM > To: Utah Astronomy > Subject: **SPAM** Score: 7; Re: [Utah-astronomy] Flat Earth Society > >>The horsehead has a number of challenges. 1st, the star near it will > ruin > your night vision, the times I have seen it it was found by someone > else, > dark adaption is the key. Sky conditions are also important, probably > important not to have plaque (or was that plague) in your arteries as > well. > > My 6" f5 refractor frames the N American better than any scope I have > looked trough. > > I have encountered people that mistake the "oak tree" very near by, for > the horsehead. > > Erik > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > This message and any included attachments are from Siemens Healthcare > 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 > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy > > Send messages to the list to > Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com > > The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. > > To unsubscribe go to: > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy > Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on > "Unsubscribe or edit options". >

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Venus Transit App
by Nancy Matro 22 Feb '12

22 Feb '12

For the techies...http://transitofvenus.nl/wp/2012/02/22/phone-app-available-in-itunes/ Nancy Sent from my iPad

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Mars "postcard"
by Patrick Wiggins 22 Feb '12

22 Feb '12

Nice shot from the surface of Mars. I like how the rover's shadow can be seen in the distance. http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00003387/ patrick

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SPOC orrery
by Patrick Wiggins 22 Feb '12

22 Feb '12

Some time ago the SPOC committee approved constructing a large orrery at SPOC. It never got anywhere but since the clouds kept me from taking data I've been giving the idea of an orrery some thought tonight. I started with a Google Earth image of SPOC and the grounds around it upon which I placed circles, each 10 meters larger in radius than the first. Then assuming the Sun in the center and Neptune at the edge 120 meters away I came up with a scale representing the average distances from the Sun and plotted each planet accordingly. http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/temp/spocorrery01.jpg Note that just as the real planets do not form a line from the Sun, neither do the planets in my design. Here's a closeup which better shows each planet's position. http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/temp/spocorrery02.jpg Just for laughs I wondered what size the Sun and planets would be to that scale. If I got my numbers right the Sun would be about 37mm in diameter and the planets too small to see. So if this project goes through the planets will have to have their own scale. As for the planets, I'm thinking something metal. And you might notice I've placed all the planets on concrete thinking there might be some way to securely affix each planet such that it's not easily stolen. So, your opinions please. How to represent the Sun and planets? What data should be provided? How could they be made vandal resistant? patrick

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June 5th Transit
by Steve Fisher 22 Feb '12

22 Feb '12

Greetings everyone! I'm sure I don't have to tell you about what is going on June 5, this year (insert Venus transit here). I have been charged with being the representative from SLAS to work with the Natural History Museum of Utah to produce a spectacular day at the museum including lots of solar scopes to observe the transit. First things first, it does not matter if you are a member of SLAS or a charter member of the museum. We would love to have you, your friends and families participate in the event. Bring a solar scope if you have one and please feel free to join us even if you do not have a solar scope of your own. The museum has asked me to look for "hands on" types of exhibits and activities to entertain not only us astronomy types but as many interactive presentations as we can come up with for the scientific minded museum patrons that will be there that day. My question to you is What kinds of "hands on" displays and interactive activities have you seen in your travels? Do you have any thoughts or suggestions I might try? We have speakers and maybe too many speakers, that remains to be seen. I'll leave it there for now and hope to hear some suggestions. Till then, hanks in advance everyone!Steve

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What finderscope do you use?
by Chuck Hards 22 Feb '12

22 Feb '12

I have come to like the "red-dot" reflex type finders in the last dozen years or so, but still use a 50mm finder and sometimes up to 80mm when finding objects manually. When I finally finish my 17.5" Newt, it will have not only those, but either a 5" or 6" short-focus auxilliary scope as well. I'll only use a 30mm or 40mm finderscope on my smallest of refractors. Funny to see a 40mm finder on a 48mm f/20 refractor, lol! Dave Bennett turned me on to the old Apogee "Mars-eye" red-dot sight over a decade ago. It is switchable between red and green dots. Too cool, wish I had another. Out of production, AFAIK. I also use the Rigel Systems Quickfinder. I prefer it to the Telrad, which, even though it works well, is just way too huge on smaller scopes. I bought the pulsing accessory for it some years ago and it is a worthwhile addition. A pulsing reticle allows fainter stars to be seen through the optical window. YMMV. Stay in this hobby long enough, and you end up with one of everything. More stuff for the kid to sell on eBay when I'm gone. What optical finders do you use regularly? (Let's ignore GoTo for this discussion.)

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