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

Mike makes National Geographic website
by Chuck Hards 09 Nov '13

09 Nov '13

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/11/08/worlds-largest-backyard-…

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Comet Lovejoy and Comet ISON
by Dave Gary 09 Nov '13

09 Nov '13

I’ve posted some comet photos on my Flickr page of Comet Lovejoy and Comet ISON. http://www.flickr.com/photos/78046474@N06/sets/72157637445743124/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/78046474@N06/sets/72157637445620054/ Dave

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L&O meeting
by Chuck Hards 08 Nov '13

08 Nov '13

Just a reminder that the Liver & Onions Subcommittee meeting is tomorrow, Saturday November 9th, at the Left Fork Grill. 68 West 3900 South, SLC. We plan to start at noon. I will be calling to reserve our table early in the morning so if you could RSVP to me, either on or off list, sometime tonight, I'll have a better idea of the headcount for the reservation. Bring something astro oriented for show-and-tell if desired. I'll bring the PST for an impromptu sun viewing session from the parking lot after lunch, and I think Larry is bringing one as well. I can almost taste the fresh-baked pie now! Hope to see you there!

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Venus
by Bruce Hugo 07 Nov '13

07 Nov '13

Venus AND the moon looked very cool together tonight! Bruce Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure Science. - Edwin Powell Hubble

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Another option for brother wanting to get in astronomy
by John M. Craig 07 Nov '13

07 Nov '13

Here's an option that might be just the ticket: Celestron 6" SCT w/ goto mount for $700 (comes w/ some extras for a limited time). http://link.news.skyandtelescope.com/YesConnect/HtmlMessagePreview?a=oB5qQ-…

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Observer's Handbooks -SLAS Order-
by Jay Eads 07 Nov '13

07 Nov '13

Chuck, I am a member of the RASC and I got my Observer's Handbook last Saturday and as always, it is something I really look forward to. I am in the process of going through it and planning some outings for 2014 for some events. Calendar is always well worth having but it is the Handbook I really enjoy (though the membership offers quite a bit that I enjoy as well).

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Vita est Lavorum
by Dave Gary 06 Nov '13

06 Nov '13

Not astronomy-related, but has to do with the heavens. http://www.youtube.com/embed/0AKvRvL5r3A?rel=0

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Observer's Handbooks -SLAS Order-
by Chuck Hards 06 Nov '13

06 Nov '13

Anybody know if the SLAS order has come in yet? If so, can I pick my O.H. up at the November general meeting (I ordered 2 copies)? Thanks!

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More planets in the habitable zone -- possibly one in five stars
by Joe Bauman 05 Nov '13

05 Nov '13

Hi All, Here's part of a press release I just received from NASA. Best wishes, Joe November 4, 2013 J.D. Harrington Headquarters, Washington 202-358-5241 j.d.harrington(a)nasa.gov Michele Johnson Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. 650-604-6982 michele.johnson(a)nasa.gov RELEASE 13-323 NASA Kepler Results Usher in a New Era of Astronomy Scientists from around the world are gathered this week at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., for the second Kepler Science Conference, where they will discuss the latest findings resulting from the analysis of Kepler Space Telescope data. Included in these findings is the discovery of 833 new candidate planets, which will be announced today by the Kepler team. Ten of these candidates are less than twice the size of Earth and orbit in their sun's habitable zone, which is defined as the range of distance from a star where the surface temperature of an orbiting planet may be suitable for liquid water. At this conference two years ago, the Kepler team announced its first confirmed habitable zone planet, Kepler-22b. Since then, four more habitable zone candidates have been confirmed, including two in a single system. New Kepler data analysis and research also show that most stars in our galaxy have at least one planet. This suggests that the majority of stars in the night sky may be home to planetary systems, perhaps some like our solar system. "The impact of the Kepler mission results on exoplanet research and stellar astrophysics is illustrated by the attendance of nearly 400 scientists from 30 different countries at the Kepler Science Conference," said William Borucki, Kepler science principal investigator at Ames. "We gather to celebrate and expand our collective success at the opening of a new era of astronomy." >From the first three years of Kepler data, more than 3,500 potential worlds have emerged. Since the last update in January, the number of planet candidates identified by Kepler increased by 29 percent and now totals 3,538. Analysis led by Jason Rowe, research scientist at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., determined that the largest increase of 78 percent was found in the category of Earth-sized planets, based on observations conducted from May 2009 to March 2012. Rowe's findings support the observed trend that smaller planets are more common. An independent statistical analysis of nearly all four years of Kepler data suggests that one in five stars like the sun is home to a planet up to twice the size of Earth, orbiting in a temperate environment. A research team led by Erik Petigura, doctoral candidate at University of California, Berkeley, used publicly accessible data from Kepler to derive this result.

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India Mars mission launch in 3 hours
by Wiggins Patrick 04 Nov '13

04 Nov '13

Follow the mission here: http://isro.org patrick

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