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

Huntington Library
by Craig Smith 06 Apr '12

06 Apr '12

I had the pleasure of visiting the Huntington Library in California this week, and to my surprise they had an exhibit on the history of science with one room dedicated to astronomy and another to optics. If you find yourself in the LA area you must go! They have original publications and/or notes of the following: Brahe, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, Herschel, Fraunhofer, Einstein, Hubble, and more. It was hard to believe I was looking at the actual works that have had such an impact on science and our lives. I was only disappointed that the early German scientists wrote in Latin instead of German so I couldn't read them. Craig (I apologize if someone has already posted something about this -- I haven't been monitoring the list lately ....)

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ATM Session Building an Observing Chair
by Jay Eads 06 Apr '12

06 Apr '12

Just wanted to share that I am building an observing chair out of red oak with Mat's help. The height will work with my 14" dob and my 20" dob when I use the 20" in the field. I've posted pictures of the work in progress and some things we've learned over on my blog. We are going to work on it some more on Saturday so if you want to see what it looks like or to check out if you want to perhaps build one like it, contact Mat and get his home address. -- Jay Eads

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Fw: May 20 Annular Eclipse Question; someone want to answer her?
by Richard Tenney 06 Apr '12

06 Apr '12

--- On Wed, 4/4/12, Michelle & Cherie <mach25(a)sbcglobal.net> wrote: From: Michelle & Cherie <mach25(a)sbcglobal.net> Subject: May 20 Annular Eclipse Question To: retenney(a)yahoo.com Date: Wednesday, April 4, 2012, 4:38 PM Mr. Tenney, I was hoping you might be able to assist me with a question concerning the upcoming annular eclipse on May 20th. I am interested in information concerning St. George as a viewing location for this eclipse. I found an email listing for the Southern Utah Astronomical Society, but got a bounce back from the email I sent, so I was hoping you might be able to help. I have received conflicting reports as far as the suitability of the area for this late afternoon event. I understand the Sun will set at almost the same time as 4th contact, but that the full annularity will be visible approximately an hour before that time. I've spoken to two people at the St. George Chamber of Commerce. The first said St. George is not suitable in that there are numerous ways in which the low Sun would be blocked by surrounding mesas. However the other person told me that it is not a problem to find locations which are easily accessible and up high enough to get a clear horizon. It has been a few years since I was in this area myself, so can't recall for sure from personal experience, but hope that someone associated with astronomy in Utah might be more expert in this sort of question. Any assistance or guidance would be greatly appreciated as we have several eclipse chasers here who would like to come to this area to view this spectacular event. Thank you very much for your time. Michelle Evans

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May 20 Utah Annual Eclipse Question
by jcarman6＠q.com 05 Apr '12

05 Apr '12

I responded to her. She was very grateful.

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Spring Star Party at Great Basin National Park - Saturday April 14
by Kelly_Carroll＠nps.gov 05 Apr '12

05 Apr '12

Hi all, I wanted to invite everyone to make the close trip to Baker, NV for our annual Spring Star Party at Great Basin National Park. The star party is going to be held on Saturday April 14. We will have solar observing during the day and observing in the evening. Hot refreshments will be provided and, if it is cold out, we will keep the visitor center open as a warm room. Please let me know if you have any questions. I look forward to seeing you here. Map to the park: http://g.co/maps/sfhbg Clear skies everyone Kelly Carroll Great Basin National Park 775-234-7331 x217 http://www.nps.gov/grba/ Experience your America

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Binary Stars
by Ann House 04 Apr '12

04 Apr '12

New research by University of Utah astrophysicist Ben Bromley and his colleagues say there is strong evidence that super-massive black holes grow huge by repeatedly capturing one star from pairs of binary stars, while hurling the other binary partner into space at a hypervelocity of more than 1 million mph. This should be of particular interest to Siegfried! http://unews.utah.edu/news_releases/how-black-holes-grow/ -A

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Kepler Explorer app puts distant planets at your fingertips
by Patrick Wiggins 03 Apr '12

03 Apr '12

Hi all, iPad / iPhone users might find this useful: Kepler Explorer app puts distant planets at your fingertips http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/04/kepler-explorer.html patrick (who is downloading the app now)

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Venus in the Pleiades
by Chuck Hards 03 Apr '12

03 Apr '12

And no lie, we actually might get decent skies for it tonight. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/Venus--145964535.html

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(no subject)
by dunndave＠aol.com 03 Apr '12

03 Apr '12

I received the following. Can someone involved with the festival contact him. Thanks Dave Please help me contact anyone who may answer questions about this year's Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival. A phone number would be best. Maybe a member of the local astronomy club? I belong to The Minnesota Astronomical Society and The Chippewa Valley Astronomical Society, and I also teach astronomy as a volunteer at local Minneapolis elementary schools. I want attend this year's Bryce Canyon Festival. Can you help? Any contact information for a local amateur astronomer would be great. Michael Kauper 612-827-3481 home, evenings and weekends 612-483-0298 cell, any time 612-825-4423 work, child care, M-F, weekdays --------- --------- ----------- ---------- Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

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eBay alert for mirror makers
by Chuck Hards 03 Apr '12

03 Apr '12

$400 + $50 shipping, a 21" plate glass blank: http://www.ebay.com/itm/21-Inch-Telescope-Mirror-Blank-for-grinding-a-Newto… It's on the thin side but would be great in a lightweight Dob if properly supported.

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