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

Sunspots: 31 March 2013
by Dave Gary 31 Mar '13

31 Mar '13

Some Easter sunspots. http://www.flickr.com/photos/78046474@N06/sets/72157633135930588/

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The sun 3-30-2013
by Chuck Hards 31 Mar '13

31 Mar '13

I got a nice white-light view of the sun in Mat's Dob this morning (thanks Mat, sorry I missed lunch!), so this afternoon I set-up in my own backyard. I finally got the binoviewer to focus with the Coronado PST! I used the thread-on 2X relay Barlow that came with it, and stacked that on top of a 2.8X Barlow. The scope would just reach focus. As I suspected, the magnification was too high, so I also used 0.5X focal reducers on each of the 40mm Plossls I used. The final magnification was still on the high side for the seeing this afternoon, which was really soft due to thermal currents rising from the ground as well as the breeze. I'll post a link to a photo of my setup later, once I upload the pic to Photobucket. The biggest problem with a binoviewer setup like this in daylight is the tiny pupil opening of the human iris. Combine that with a tiny exit pupil from the binoviewer, ridiculously long eye relief due to the Barlows and long FL eyepieces, and getting your head in just the right position is a huge PITA. The seeing was too poor for any acuity gains from stereo vision to be realized. Also at higher powers, prominence visibility decreases. Another problem with this kluge setup is just too much glass in the optical train, for such a small objective. I'm sure I lost a sizable fraction of my throughput to absorption. It would be nice to have about a 6-inch aperture H-a scope. So I'll probably not use the binoviewer setup on the sun in H-a very much unless the seeing is superb. Today the best views with the PST were with 9mm and 7mm ortho eyepieces used alone. There is a pretty good-sized, though not bright, prominence on the western limb, and a smaller but brighter one on the eastern limb, with a huge sunspot complex right near the limb. Many smaller prominences scattered around the limb, and several flocculi seen on the solar disk. I watched for about 90 minutes but saw not a hint of a flare. I also set up my C5 with a glass TO filter, but was surprised to see it badly out-of-collimation so only low powers could be used. I had collimated it about a year ago and hadn't used it since so I'm wondering what happened. Combined with the poor seeing, I quickly put the little Celestron back in the box with a note to re-collimate it. Should have tried the C6 instead. It still has that "new telescope smell". I also had a problem getting good balance with the C5 and binoviewer combination on the little GEM that I was using today. There's a pair of wild mallards that have decided to drop-in every day, and are pretty tame birds. I feed them stale bread and they walk right up to me now that they know I'm harmless. The down side is that I have to hose-off the patio before setting up the scope. They hung-out a few feet away all afternoon while I observed, no doubt waiting for the next handout. They'll disappear soon when the female decides it's time to raise a family back at Decker Lake.

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The sun 3-31-2013
by Chuck Hards 31 Mar '13

31 Mar '13

Continued decent levels of solar activity today. That big sunspot group is moving into a better viewing position every day. The seeing is better today than yesterday. Not as breezy. Lots of prominences and several flocculi filaments. No flares during the hour I observed.

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Cloudy
by Joe Bauman 31 Mar '13

31 Mar '13

When was that survey? I don't remember any such survey. Maybe you should run for president, Erik. Personally, I think Rodger is performing splendidly in the jobs he was elected to do, inclulding arranging speakers. It's easy to criticize the work others do. -- Joe ------------------------------ On Sat, Mar 30, 2013 4:53 PM MDT erikhansen(a)thebluezone.net wrote: >> Seems there was a survey. People stated they were uncomfortable with the >expert speakers we had at meetings and wished for more lay >presentations. They were intimidated by the quality of our speakers and >are more comfortable with lay speakers. The atmosphere may not be as >casual as you perceive it to be, putting aside some outbursts in past >meetings and board meetings. > >To be clear, Roger and past presidents have gotten and continue to get >good interesting speakers but people are more comfortable asking questions >of peers and less expert speakers. Some speakers have a more interactive >approach and invite questions others prefer to field questions after. The >former may not be a good type to record, the speaker is probably the best >judge of that. Speakers that do extended the invitation generally are >engaging people who naturally put people at ease. I really don't see how a >camera trained on the speaker changes that. > >SLAS had a what seemed like a tradition that got lost. We used to have >each board member be responsible for one meetings speaker and content. >That did mix things up a little more, but I certainly would utilize the >great speakers we get from USU, Weber, and the U of U. Guess I should >mention BYU. > >Erik > > > >I >> >> >> Would you stop the videotaping whenever someone in audience follows up on >> the speaker's invitation and asks a question? >> >> ------------------------------ >> On Sat, Mar 30, 2013 2:22 PM MDT erikhansen(a)thebluezone.net wrote: >> >>> I hardly think we should or would record everything. I made a comment >>you don't understand, and you made one I don't. Get some empathy >>yourself, I saw no difference in SLAS meetings that the speaker was >>recorded. >> >>Erik >> >>> My point is not remotely related to the issues of courtroom cameras. It >>> was simply that the casual atmosphere we enjoy at club meetings would >>> be >>> chilled if someone were recording everything. I doubt I am the only >>> member >>> who would be hesitant to ask the speaker a question if it were >>> videotaped. >>> I might need help to understand something that is obvious to everyone >>> else, but not want to look like a fool on some video. I know when Cory >>> has >>> a question I often need to urge her to put up her hand because she is >>> shy. >>> Why that situation is hard for you to understand mystified me. Don't >>> pull >>> courtroom cameras into the discussion, just try a little empathy. -- >>> Joe >>> >>> >>> >>> ------------------------------ >>> On Sat, Mar 30, 2013 8:48 AM MDT erikhansen(a)thebluezone.net wrote: >>> >>> You're right Joe, I do not understand your comment. I've been recorded >>>during presentations and it felt no different than not being recorded. >>>You know the material or you don't. What is the phrase? There are no >>>stupid questions, only stupid answers. I think the biggest issue was the >>>cost of the equipment and storing the recordings. >>> >>> HUH? Like a court of law? Man, what an amazing misintrepation of my >>> comment! >>> >>> >>> >>> ------------------------------ >>> On Fri, Mar 29, 2013 5:26 PM MDT erikhansen(a)thebluezone.net wrote: >>> >>>It sounds a little like Joe thinks SLAS meetings are a court of law, I >>>doubt recording changes anything. It has been discussed before, buying >>>the equipment etc..... but never gets off the ground. >>>They're have been meetings worth recording. Recording would leave >>> little >>>doubt about intellectual property. >>> >>> >>> >>> I certainly understand that point-of-view, Joe. It also requires a >>> level >>> of committment that may be hard to stick with in the long run. >>> Although >>> that solar lecture would have been a very good one to archive. >>> How would you feel if someone recorded a meeting on their own, with >>> the >>> speaker's permission? Is SLAS permission needed? >>> >>> On Fri, Mar 29, 2013 at 2:05 PM, Joe Bauman <josephmbauman(a)yahoo.com> >>> wrote: >>> >>> I would be uncomfortable with that level of scrutiny. Every time >>> someone >>> made a joke or asked a dumb question, it would be recorded. I prefer >>> not >>> to >>> do video on a regular basis, but to keep our club casual. If we have a >>> notable speaker from out-of-town, who would be getting a fee of some >>> kind, >>> that might be worth recording -- if the speaker agrees. But otherwise >>> I'm >>> sure many of us would feel a dramatic chill fall across our >>> spontaneity. >>> Thanks, 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". >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>_______________________________________________ >>>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". >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>_______________________________________________ >>>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". >>> >> >> >> >>_______________________________________________ >>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". >> > > > >_______________________________________________ >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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Pan-STARRS this morning
by Patrick Wiggins 31 Mar '13

31 Mar '13

For those who may not know already Pan-STARRS is not only an evening comet but can be seen in the morning as well. I popped up on my roof a few minutes ago and had a look to the NE with 10x50s and spotted it right away. It looked a lot better than it did last evening being that it's higher in the sky. Currently rising over a zero degree horizon at 0500, 7 degrees up by the end of astronomical dark (0545) and 11 degrees up by the end of nautical dark (0615). Well, it's getting late. I need to shut down my observatory and get into that box of dirt I had shipped over from Transylvania before the Sun finds me. Gute Nacht, patrick

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Paging Mark Shelton
by Chuck Hards 30 Mar '13

30 Mar '13

Anybody heard from Mark today? KSL is reporting a rollover on highway 56 near Cedar City. Several injuries, no fatalities reported.

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] The sun 3-30-2013
by Joe Bauman 30 Mar '13

30 Mar '13

I like it!! ------------------------------ On Sat, Mar 30, 2013 9:41 PM MDT Chuck Hards wrote: >Here's the pic of the PST/binoviewer setup, on my small GEM: > >http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii24/JethroTull1958/ATM/PSTampbinoviewer… > >It was pretty neat seeing the sun in H-a with both eyes, a first for me. > > >On Sat, Mar 30, 2013 at 4:45 PM, Chuck Hards <chuck.hards(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> >> I finally got the binoviewer to focus with the Coronado PST! >> >> >_______________________________________________ >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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Comet L4 Panstarrs
by Dave Gary 30 Mar '13

30 Mar '13

I posted a couple of photos of Comet L4 Panstarrs. http://www.flickr.com/photos/78046474@N06/sets/72157633123124122/

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Cedar Breaks
by jcarman6＠q.com 30 Mar '13

30 Mar '13

Mark Cedar Breaks is 10,000 feet in elevation and they have regularly scheduled astronomical viewing of some sort in the summer, but I don't know the details. University of Southern Utah, located in Cedar City, has a Professor Sorensen, friend of Lowell Lyons, who was doing a monthly star party up there in the parking lot. That was a few years ago, but I'm sure he is still active. It should be a great place to view. Cedar City is a light bump to the west. I viewed the May "Ring of Fire" from Cedar Breaks. Normally they are not open that early. I'm sure they have a web site. Even if not at Cedar Breaks, there are a number of spots on the plateau that you can pull off the road and set up. Oh, and by the way, the sky is terrific from there :) Joan

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Video SLAS meetings (Was: RE: Cloudy)
by Chuck Hards 30 Mar '13

30 Mar '13

I think I may bring a camera to the next meeting, but not to video the guest speaker. Just silly audience questions and people picking their nose. Good stuff for the Solstice Party. (Just kidding, Joe!) On Sat, Mar 30, 2013 at 2:27 PM, Joe Bauman <josephmbauman(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > > > > Would you stop the videotaping whenever someone in audience follows up on > the speaker's invitation and asks a question? > > ------------------------------ > On Sat, Mar 30, 2013 2:22 PM MDT erikhansen(a)thebluezone.net wrote: > > >> I hardly think we should or would record everything. I made a comment > >you don't understand, and you made one I don't. Get some empathy > >yourself, I saw no difference in SLAS meetings that the speaker was > >recorded. >

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