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

Comet LINEAR
by Wiggins Patrick 23 Oct '13

23 Oct '13

From Space Weather News Oct. 22, 2013 http://spaceweather.com A COMET EXPLODES: Amateur astronomers are reporting a 100-fold outburst of brightness from Comet C/2012 X1 (LINEAR). Images reveal a spherical shell of gas that reminds observers of Comet 17P/Holmes, which exploded in 2007. So far the comet is too dim for naked-eye viewing, but at magnitude +8.5 it is bright enough for imaging by backyard telescopes. Visit http://spaceweather.com for photos and more information.

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The largest amateur-made optic
by Chuck Hards 22 Oct '13

22 Oct '13

Mike's 70 inch scope is a record-breaker, obliterating the previous amateur-built telescope record of 48" (to the best of my knowledge). The record for the largest telescope optic ever made by an amateur has stood for over a hundred years, and is a 62 inch mirror made near the end of the 19th century by John Peate of Pennsylvania. It currently resides in the Smithsonian, was never mounted in a telescope due to advances in glass technology and optics at the time. Peate was in his 70s when he began the project! Read about Peate and the big mirror here: http://home.europa.com/~telscope/peate.txt

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Martian storm of '71.
by Daniel Holmes 22 Oct '13

22 Oct '13

I found this interesting reading... http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/2013/10/21/the-great-mar… Dan -- Daniel Holmes, danielh(a)holmesonics.com "Laugh while you can, monkey boy!" -- Lord John Whorfin

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] 2-Meter Mike
by Joe Bauman 22 Oct '13

22 Oct '13

Why do folks have to climb a ladder to use it? Couldn't he direct the light cone to ground level? Just trying to understand. ------------------------------ On Mon, Oct 21, 2013 12:50 PM MDT Hutchings, Mat wrote: >It's simply a folded Newtonian. The secondary (flat) is 29" in diameter. That secondary is tilted so that the light cone is diverted just to the side of the telescope where a "normal" sized star diagonal then sends the light cone out at a usual angle for viewing. > >Mat > >-----Original Message----- >From: utah-astronomy-bounces(a)mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Dion Davidson >Sent: Monday, October 21, 2013 2:40 PM >To: Utah Astronomy >Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] 2-Meter Mike > >Maybe a dumb question - but what is the optical design of the scope? I have never seen a reflector with the eyepiece back down near the mirror, pointed toward the sky. >ref images: http://www.ksl.com/?sid=27301024&nid=460#1 >Dion > > > > >On Friday, October 18, 2013 5:21 PM, Rodger C. Fry <rcfry(a)comcast.net> wrote: > >2-meter mike and his telescope will be featured on Channel 5 10:00 PM news >tonight. > > > >You might want to catch this. > > > >Thanks > > >Rodger C. Fry > >_______________________________________________ >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". >_______________________________________________ >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". > >This message and any attachments are solely for the use of intended recipients. The information contained herein may include trade secrets, protected health or personal information, privileged or otherwise confidential information. Unauthorized review, forwarding, printing, copying, distributing, or using such information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you are not an intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you received this email in error, and that any review, dissemination, distribution or copying of this email and any attachment is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please contact the sender and delete the message and any attachment from your system. Thank you for your cooperation > >_______________________________________________ >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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Re: [Utah-astronomy] 2-Meter Mike
by Bruce Hugo 22 Oct '13

22 Oct '13

Wow! I'd be a bit nervous moving something of that size without sufficient support on the flatbed! Heading down the road, flexing of the truss system would most likely lead to fatigue cracks/failures eventually. Also, that's a huge chunk of glass. I'm not well versed in the properties of glass but I would assume that too would need a beefed up support (greater than 3 points as found on my itty bitty teeny weeny 10" Dob. :-) Oh, I was wondering how much flex there is in the truss system when it is taken from straight up to a near horizon position. There will be some flex in A36 carbon steel truss system. Does he have to re-collimate with major changes in declination? Bruce Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure Science. - Edwin Powell Hubble

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Les Physz
by Wiggins Patrick 21 Oct '13

21 Oct '13

From yesterday's paper: http://www.gocomics.com/foxtrot/2013/10/20 (Hint: Think Les Misérables) patrick Sent from my iPad

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2-Meter Mike
by Rodger C. Fry 21 Oct '13

21 Oct '13

2-meter mike and his telescope will be featured on Channel 5 10:00 PM news tonight. You might want to catch this. Thanks Rodger C. Fry

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] 2-Meter Mike
by Joe Bauman 21 Oct '13

21 Oct '13

I wonder how he protects it from the weather. ------------------------------ On Mon, Oct 21, 2013 12:09 PM MDT Chuck Hards wrote: >Joe, it's going to be many months, at least, before it's ready to be >transported anyway, and Mike doesn't have a trailer for it yet. Remember >that as of now, it is functional at a basic level, but not complete. The >azimuth bearing is blocked-up on timbers temporarily, while Mike continues >to work out details and fabricate parts. > >It's also on Steve's property, so anybody going has to have Steve's >permission too. > >Erik: This telescope is a completely different animal than any >"amateur" truss Dob made prior. Putting it together is literally like >assembling heavy machinery on a construction site. This is a work of >obsessive love for Mike, any work required to set it up, tear it down, and >transport it is mere details to him. He just wants to look through it and >let others look, and will do whatever it takes to accomplish that goal, as >he has so-far. > >If practicality at any level were part of the equation, this telescope >would never have been built. > >If you have Mike's phone number, call him and ask to look through it. I'm >pretty sure he'll set something up for you. He's one of the nicest guys >I've ever met. A big part of his motivation is so all of us get a chance >to look through it. > >On Mon, Oct 21, 2013 at 11:54 AM, Joe Bauman <josephmbauman(a)yahoo.com>wrote: > >> >> >> Rather than urging Mike to go yo the great effort to set up at SPOC, I >> would prefer that we make a pilgrimage to are the monster. -- Joe >> >> >> >_______________________________________________ >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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Re: [Utah-astronomy] 2-Meter Mike
by Joe Bauman 21 Oct '13

21 Oct '13

Fine analysis, Chuck. I've had to make sacrifices because of the relatively small field of view of just my 12" and little CCD chip. Andromeda is pretty much out of the question unless I do a time-consuming mosiac or settle for just one section. I definitely can't manage the Pleiades. But smaller galaxies and planetaries are good targets and I suspect Mike's machine will be terrific for them. ------------------------------ On Mon, Oct 21, 2013 6:32 AM MDT Chuck Hards wrote: >Just for fun I figured some magnifications with common focal-length >eyepieces with the 70" scope. I rounded the decimals. The actual >telescope specifications may be off a tad, but this is what Mike told me >converstionally. > >70" = 1,778 mm >427" = 35.58 ft. = 10,846 mm >f/6.1 > >Magnification >55mm 197X >50mm 216X >40mm 271X >32mm 339X >25mm 434X >20mm 542X >16mm 678X >12mm 874X > 9mm 1205X > 7mm 1549X > >This is not a low-power telescope! Even at it's lowest powers, the exit >pupil is huge and aperture is wasted, Mike is aware of that and is OK with >the compromises required for "low power" use. The secondary shadow is >easily visible in the center of the field, a problem all telescopes with a >central obstruction have when the magnification is pushed too low. I used >to see it on my 8" f/7 Newt when using my 55mm Plossl. >The scope produces an exit pupil just over 9mm @ 197X. 8.2mm 2 216X. Not >until the magnification is at 271X do we get an exit pupil of 6.5mm and use >the full aperture. Some of you who's pupils open a full 7mm can push the >power a tad lower and still use the full aperture. > >I am not putting the scope down, rather attempting to figure out which >targets will be best for it. We could only see the very core of M31 on >Saturday night. It takes several fields to take in all of M42. Globular >clusters are incredible. Close double stars typically thought of as a >challenge in smaller scopes are piddlingly easy. > >It is also easy to see that seeing will limit the scope on most nights. >But seeing permitting, it will yield outstanding high-powered views. It >should be a planet killer, as well as showing structure in those "tiny blue >dot" class of planetary nebulae. > >The 32" at SPOC also has a very long focal length and has a similar >situation when trying to push the magnification too low. Large apertures >mean long focal lengths at reasonable f-ratios, with the attendant high >magnifications, there's just no way around it in a strictly visual >telescope. > >I'm hoping Mike will have the time to fire it up next weekend. As of >today, the weather prospects look good, with no moon in the picture for >most of the night. Keep your fingers crossed. > >Right now the focuser doesn't work but I'm giving Mike a new one, whether >he has time to install it by then remains a question, but it still works by >sliding the eyepiece and re-tightening the setscrew. I'd like to try some >LPR filters, as well, and maybe some video of Jupiter if we stay at it long >enough for it to rise out of the soup. >_______________________________________________ >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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Re: [Utah-astronomy] 2-Meter Mike
by Joe Bauman 21 Oct '13

21 Oct '13

Rather than urging Mike to go yo the great effort to set up at SPOC, I would prefer that we make a pilgrimage to are the monster. -- Joe ------------------------------ On Mon, Oct 21, 2013 9:15 AM MDT Erik Hansen wrote: >>Not sure you are correct that they know all the caveats, until you set it >up and take it down a few times. Transporting them usually shows >glitches, etc. I have had more than few conversations at Riverside when I >had a 20inch there. It was a great build, the portable factor probably a >big hurdle. > > > > It takes most of a full day to set up. It will probably never be at SPOC. >> >> People who build monster Dobs know the caveats very well, and have >> accepted >> them. More power to them all. >> >> On Sun, Oct 20, 2013 at 9:48 AM, Erik Hansen >> <erikhansen(a)thebluezone.net>wrote: >> >> >He will need the area of a Heli-pad to set it up, with the adjacent >> parking. Sounds like the whole SPOC parking area. >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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". >> > > > >_______________________________________________ >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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