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

Pan-STARRS at SPOC tomorrow?
by Patrick Wiggins 17 Mar '13

17 Mar '13

I'm thinking of making another stab at spotting Comet Pan-STARRS tomorrow (Monday) evening using the Bogdan refractor at SPOC. It wont be setting until about 9 pm which is the time of astronomical dark. So, weather permitting, there's a chance of seeing it in pretty dark skies. Anyone care to join me? I'm thinking of starting about 8. The more the merrier. patrick

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Panstarrs & aurora
by Kelly Ricks 17 Mar '13

17 Mar '13

...and an echoing grumble from back east...cloudy all week for us too. :( ~Kelly > ------------------------------ > > Message: 5 > Date: Sat, 16 Mar 2013 21:16:30 -0600 > From: Patrick Wiggins <paw(a)wirelessbeehive.com> > To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Panstarrs & aurora > Message-ID: <0E8FA214-E18A-4AFB-9B9E-D6377F4794BB(a)wirelessbeehive.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 > > Looks like we're not going to miss just the comet. Maybe an auroral > display too. > > Earlier today I received the following from SpaceWeather. > > Grumble, > > patrick > > +++++ > A magnetic eruption on the sun during the early hours of March 15th hurled > a coronal mass ejection (CME) directly toward Earth. NOAA forecasters > estimate a 70% chance of polar geomagnetic storms when the CME arrives on > March 17th. High-latitude and possibly even middle-latitude sky watchers > should be alert for auroras this weekend. > +++++ > >

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Sun viewing question
by Patrick Wiggins 16 Mar '13

16 Mar '13

Chuck Hards was kind enough to offer to make a custom fitted white-light solar filter for SPOC's Bogdan refractor so I brought that up at last evening's SLAS board meeting. There was some discussion about whether any such filter should be make of mylar or glass (to be determined) but one thing that I'd like discussed here is the size of the filter itself. Usually when it comes to telescopes I think "bigger is better" but in this case I'm wondering if it would be better to go full aperture (200mm) or would we really gain that much by going full aperture over something smaller. Opinions? patrick

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Barringer
by jcarman6＠q.com 16 Mar '13

16 Mar '13

Thanks for the info Debbie. Sounds like you have been all over the crater. What are your impressions? Looks like I'm going to have to make a point to visit this place. Sounds like a number on this board already have.

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Basrringer
by jcarman6＠q.com 16 Mar '13

16 Mar '13

Nice shots Patrick and don't fret about the color, the crater itself is not particularly colorful. Not at all like Upheaval Dome. Although my photos didn't show it well either, it was more "green" (what is it with green on this board hehe). It wasn't a pretty green, more of an alkaline green tinge - on the floor of the crater. None of the photos, yours or mine , have captured the visual impression captured by the human brain. The outside of the crater rising off the desert floor, the depth or the width of the crater on the inside. If 1973 was the last time you w ere there, you wouldn't recognize the place! The visitor's center is now a lot bigger and all red brick. A nice, albeit small museum for people to stroll through - hands on, a Subway for eats, and a large souvenier shop. T hey are installing an elevator from the parking lot to the museum level. Admission is pricy - $16. After driving to the middle of nowhere you get pinched. Is Upheaval Dome accessible? It would be a unique experience to stand inside a crater, particularly one so intricately complicated. Kurt's and Brent's pictures are very impressive. The diffe rent perspectives show why the origin is contested. From the ground the salt dome theory is apparent, from the air, the entire site makes the impact theory stand out. Shoemaker (1998) pointed out there is no salt, residual or otherwise, near the dome.

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Barringer
by jcarman6＠q.com 16 Mar '13

16 Mar '13

Was in Arizona this past weekend and took the opportunity to go to Barringer Meteor Crater located closer to Winslow, but way outside Flagstaff on highway 40. Some of the board members have been there. The crater is located on a high desert plain, elevation 6,000 feet (abt 2,000 meters). The plain is not totally flat, but slighly rolling mounds. Exit 233 is Meteor Crater Road and the crater itself is about 6 miles off of highway 40. Really in the middle of nowhere. All I could think about on those almost 6 miles was Wow, what low horizons - in all directions, the view at night must be spectactular. Then I went around a small mound and saw the outside of the crater rising 100+ feet from the plain floor. Just as if I was driving up to a crater on the moon. My jaw dropped. I took a few pictures and the link follows - Enjoy http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/media/set/?set=a.4605827825763.… According to a map on the meteor crater website, there is a very old impact crater in south eastern Utah - looks like within the Capitol Reef boundaries. Anyone seen it? Also on the same map it shows a number of impact sites in the eastern U.S., but only a few in the western U.S. Anybody got a reason why?

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Comet DudSTARRS
by Chuck Hards 16 Mar '13

16 Mar '13

Or Comet Panhoutek. Yeah, that's the ticket.

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Sorry about the mistake, Kurt
by Dave Gary 16 Mar '13

16 Mar '13

Kurt, I, truly, didn’t know that was your photo. I have taken your photo off my Flickr site. I am very embarrassed by this. I even said to my wife, “Man, that one was a good shot.” Of course it was. I didn’t take it. Again, I’m very sorry. Thanks for the post on the Flickr site. I thought it was weird I found the shot in some old desktop images that I had stored on the computer. I stored it there because I liked your shot so much I used it for a desktop for awhile. It was labeled “Upheaval”. Since I couldn’t remember where I got it, I thought it was mine. I have since labeled it “Kurt’s Photo-Upheaval Dome” Thank you for not blasting me on the list server. It shows true character. Again, to everyone on the list. That was not my photo of Upheaval Dome. I have taken it off my Flickr site. The photo was Kurt Fisher’s. Again, I’m very sorry. Dave P.S. If this was sent twice, I apologize. It didn’t appear it went through on the first post.

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Sorry about the mistake Kurt
by Dave Gary 16 Mar '13

16 Mar '13

Kurt, I, truly, didn’t know that was your photo. I have taken your photo off my Flickr site. I am very embarrassed by this. I even said to my wife, “Man, that one was a good shot.” Of course it was. I didn’t take it. Again, I’m very sorry. Thanks for the post on the Flickr site. I thought it was weird I found the shot in some old desktop images that I had stored on the computer. I stored it there because I liked your shot so much I used it for a desktop for awhile. It was labeled “Upheaval”. Since I couldn’t remember where I got it, I thought it was mine. I have since labeled it “Kurt’s Photo-Upheaval Dome” Thank you for not blasting me on the list server. It shows true character. Again, to everyone on the list. That was not my photo of Upheaval Dome. I have taken it off my Flickr site. The photo was Kurt Fisher’s. Again, I’m very sorry. Dave

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Stansbury Park lake
by daniel turner 16 Mar '13

16 Mar '13

I just saw on the news that the lake at Stansbury Park is turning a nuclear lime green and that dead fish are floating around and washing up in people's backyards. What's it like at the observatory? Does it smell like dead fish? DT

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