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

Saw the comet
by Dave Gary 18 Mar '13

18 Mar '13

I saw the comet, but couldn’t get a photo. There were a few clouds. Saw it in the binos and through the 6” ETX-LS. It looked better in the binos. By the time I got the 6” trained on the comet it was behind some wispy clouds. I could still see it, but there was no tail. About a minute later it was below the hills in the west. No way I could get a picture. Maybe tomorrow night. I think half of the clouds in the western sky were the result of con-trails dispersing. Dave

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ISON tonight, 2013 MAR 18
by Patrick Wiggins 18 Mar '13

18 Mar '13

Here are tonight's shots. http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/temp/C_2012_S1.2013MAR18.JPG patrick

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New Image - Pan-STARRS Tonight
by Tyler Allred 18 Mar '13

18 Mar '13

Hello All, I managed to get several good frames of Pan-STARRS as it set tonight. I uploaded an image to my website, that you can see by clicking the link below. http://www.allred-astro.com//viewer.php?id=108&cat=4&sub=94 It is quite beautiful. Tyler

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Comic
by D P Pierce 17 Mar '13

17 Mar '13

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/artsandliving/comics/king.html?name=Zi… Women! Deloy

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Comet at SPOC tonight
by Patrick Wiggins 17 Mar '13

17 Mar '13

SPOC's Clear Sky Clock is now calling for clear skies tonight so I've reserved the Bogdan for an attempt to spot the comet. All are welcome, patrick

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Easy
by Patrick Wiggins 17 Mar '13

17 Mar '13

Severe clear skies here at SPOC, Comet was easy to find with the Bogdan's 50mm finder. Sky still very light so only coma visible now, patrick

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Laserpoint.com
by Mark Shelton 17 Mar '13

17 Mar '13

The following is a copy of the email I sent to this company in CHINA that sells lasers over the net. LASERPOINT.COM I would not order a thing from them again. I am very sorry to tell you this. But I have not received any return authorization from your company. I requested this 5 days ago. I have send you pictures and explained about how the laser I purchased from you did not work and WAS DEAD ON ARRIVAL HERE. I AM GOING TO LET ALL OF MY ASTRONOMY FRIENDS KNOW ABOUT YOUR COMPANY AND HOW IT HANDLES CUSTOMERS AND THERE PROBLEMS. I BELONG TO AN ORGANIZATION THAT HAS 63,000.00 MEMBERS. I WILL GIVE YOU 1 MORE DAY TO MAKE THIS RIGHT WITH ME AND THEN I WILL SPREAD THE WORD AROUND ABOUT YOUR COMPANY AND ITS BUSINESS PRACTICES. I will never order a thing from you again. and there will be thousands of other astronomers that will not order from you ether. UNLESS YOU DO THE RIGHT THING AND REPLACE MY DEFECTIVE LASER. MARK SHELTON

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Baader solar filters
by Chuck Hards 17 Mar '13

17 Mar '13

I've got almost a full yard of Baader filter material on hand, so if anyone needs either replacement filter mylar only, or a complete filter with cell, contact me. I have molds for many large-diameter cells already on-hand and can make fiberglass cells for your telescope, or if it's a small aperture (under 5") I can turn a PVC cell on my mini-lathe or make one with the router. Pricing on the cell depends on aperture and whether I already have a mold for that diameter or need to make one from scratch. I'll sell you filter material at cost if you just need to replace the mylar in an existing cell or want to make your own. Note that you get a square piece, not round, and pay for the unuseable corners, but that's life. Sometimes the corner remnants are large enough to make a filter for your finderscope, or a viewer for unaided-eye partial eclipse watching. I can also make pairs for binoculars; I use a pair for my own 15x70mm and 20x70mm binos. Contact me privately if interested.

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I think I understand everyone’s humor by now.
by Dave Gary 17 Mar '13

17 Mar '13

Chuck, I didn’t even think about the hahaha until you mentioned it. I knew what you meant. Tonight’s the night I think. I will keep you posted. Later today I’m going to drive out and scout low-western-horizon sites. Anyway, the wiener’s will enjoy it. First, I have to fix a leak in my sprinkler system. Let’s see if I can make it worse. Yesterday, I had to fix a flat on my Crown Vic. This weekend is starting out great. Dave

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Panstarrs
by Dave Gary 17 Mar '13

17 Mar '13

I haven’t seen Panstarrs since Tuesday and it doesn’t look as if it will happen tonight, either. It’s been cloudy down here the last few days. The photo opportunities are passing me by. Is it any better up north? Dave

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