January 2013 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

Re: [Utah-astronomy] L&O Subcommittee
by Ray Druian 06 Jan '13

06 Jan '13

Count me in -- if I don't forget. -- Thanx, *Ray *

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Comets tonight
by Kelly Ricks 06 Jan '13

06 Jan '13

Cool pictures Patrick! I look forward to seeing all your compiled images of S1 as it grows. ~Kelly > > Message: 3 > Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2013 00:58:40 -0700 > From: Wiggins Patrick <paw(a)wirelessbeehive.com> > To: utah astronomy listserve utah astronomy > <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Comets tonight > Message-ID: <E81B3DA1-4F99-4E09-9194-56590ED4D679(a)wirelessbeehive.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > I got another couple of shots of C/2012 S1 ((ISON) tonight. Still not > much to look at. But I'm still hopeful that it will become the great comet > some people are thinking it might. > > Here are both shots side-by-side. The comet is the tiny fuzz ball right > in the center of each shot. > > http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/temp/C_2012_S1.2012JAN05.JPG > > 30 second exposures. > > Since they were taken 10 minutes apart the comet moved a bit between > images so use the cross-eye method to see the comet in pseudo 3D against > the background star field. > > Kurt suggested I also try for C/2012 K5 ((LINEAR). Thanks for the > suggestion Kurt. > > Much bigger and brighter. Here is a montage of 4 images with 15, 30 & 60 > second exposures shot with the mount set to sidereal rate (followed the > stars) and one 120 second exposure with the mount programmed to follow the > comet. Note the first three were taken just before the comet transited > while the latter was taken just after transit (and rotated to match the > others). > > http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/temp/C_2012_S1.2012JAN05.JPG > > I don't think I'll do much with K5 but I am going to try working S1 every > clear night with the same exposures for as long as it's visible. Maybe in > the end I'll have a fair collection of images showing the comet growing > bigger and brighter. > > patrick > > >

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Surplus Shed discount
by Chuck Hards 06 Jan '13

06 Jan '13

Surplus Shed is running a 31% off sale through Tuesday. You need to use discount code SS1308 at checkout to get the discount. I just picked up yet another old Jaegers objective and a first-surface mirror for a future project. http://www.surplusshed.com/

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Mars oddities
by Joe Bauman 05 Jan '13

05 Jan '13

Hi all, Curiosity has found something that people are calling a "flower"-like object -- http://www.space.com/18027-mars-rover-curiosity-amazing-photos-red-planet.h… -- actually, looks like two examples of whatever it is. Best wishes, Joe

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The sun 1/5
by Chuck Hards 05 Jan '13

05 Jan '13

Some nice prominences today, including a very bright, sharp spike that I'm going to keep my eye on. Lots of sunspots as well.

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Comets tonight
by Wiggins Patrick 05 Jan '13

05 Jan '13

I got another couple of shots of C/2012 S1 ((ISON) tonight. Still not much to look at. But I'm still hopeful that it will become the great comet some people are thinking it might. Here are both shots side-by-side. The comet is the tiny fuzz ball right in the center of each shot. http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/temp/C_2012_S1.2012JAN05.JPG 30 second exposures. Since they were taken 10 minutes apart the comet moved a bit between images so use the cross-eye method to see the comet in pseudo 3D against the background star field. Kurt suggested I also try for C/2012 K5 ((LINEAR). Thanks for the suggestion Kurt. Much bigger and brighter. Here is a montage of 4 images with 15, 30 & 60 second exposures shot with the mount set to sidereal rate (followed the stars) and one 120 second exposure with the mount programmed to follow the comet. Note the first three were taken just before the comet transited while the latter was taken just after transit (and rotated to match the others). http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/temp/C_2012_S1.2012JAN05.JPG I don't think I'll do much with K5 but I am going to try working S1 every clear night with the same exposures for as long as it's visible. Maybe in the end I'll have a fair collection of images showing the comet growing bigger and brighter. patrick

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Quadrantids
by Chuck Hards 04 Jan '13

04 Jan '13

Anybody see any Quadrantids? I looked for about an hour this morning, through a thin fog layer (though I could still see to 3rd magnitude) with no luck. This shower is typically very productive, but most members are on the fainter side.

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] New aircraft flies inside out
by Kelly Ricks 03 Jan '13

03 Jan '13

Wow! This is beautiful! It reminds me of the "air jelly" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wnxpYyeYkk ~Kelly > Message: 1 > Date: Mon, 31 Dec 2012 05:19:01 -0700 > From: Wiggins Patrick <paw(a)wirelessbeehive.com> > To: utah astronomy listserve utah astronomy > <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Subject: [Utah-astronomy] New aircraft flies inside out > Message-ID: <65C73643-2ADF-4FA2-A2DF-B9B95DB16A3F(a)wirelessbeehive.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > How'd ya like to see this thing slowly creep past your window one moonlit > night? > > >From New Scientist: > > http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/nstv/2012/12/best-videos-of-2012-inside-o… > > patrick > > >

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Quadrantids
by Kelly Ricks 03 Jan '13

03 Jan '13

What's "Little Stonehenge," if you don't mind me asking...I've never heard of that. ~Kelly > Message: 1 > Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2013 13:06:59 -0700 > From: Chuck Hards <chuck.hards(a)gmail.com> > To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Quadrantids > Message-ID: > < > CAHmuOYrXaMzp2Mzy0H945vrcyU9hB46UO_OcZirsFkvEyP7iHA(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > When Patrick and I were frequenting "Little Stonehenge" out by Grantsville > in the mid-70's and dead of winter, he had a surplus Air Force heated > flight suit that he powered with his car battery! As I recall, it was > full-body- except for the rump... I think he told me that was because the > seats were heated in the aircraft. > > It seems to me that zero degrees wasn't nearly as cold when I was 16, as it > is in my '50's. Ya know? > > On Thu, Jan 3, 2013 at 12:21 PM, Kim <kimharch(a)cut.net> wrote: > > > One of the crazier astronomy outings my family and I have enjoyed was a > > trip > > to Little Mountain in about 1990 to watch the Quadrantids. We took a > large > > tarp, foam pads, sleeping bags and quilts and laid on top of the snow. It > > was about plus 10F, but the kids were warm enough to even fall asleep. I > > remember something like 60 or so at the peak ZHR. We observed from around > > 1:00 to 3:00. A memorable night for all of us. > > > > > > >

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Another local EPOD
by Wiggins Patrick 03 Jan '13

03 Jan '13

http://epod.usra.edu/blog/2013/01/sunset-painted-sky-of-western-utah.html This guy's (Ray Boren) work has been on EPOD a few times. Anyone here know him? patrick

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