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Various Open Clusters 11/07/2014
by Dave Gary 08 Nov '14

08 Nov '14

December’s issue of “Astronomy” magazine had an article about open clusters. I took photos of three of them last night. Polar alignment could have been better, but I didn’t want to mess with it any longer. The clusters are Caldwell 13 (the Owl Cluster), NGC 1981 (in Orion) and NGC 2169 (37 Cluster). Imaging during a full moon has its challenges. However, you don’t trip over any cables….. it’s pretty obvious where they are located. I think it looks better if you run the set in “slide-show" view. The “slide-show” icon is to the right of the “Make a Book” selection on the menu directly above the photos. Dave https://www.flickr.com/photos/78046474@N06/sets/72157649195356385/

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NTV Coverage of European Mission Comet Landing
by Wiggins Patrick 07 Nov '14

07 Nov '14

Something to look forward to Wednesday: NASA Television to Provide Coverage of European Mission Comet Landing http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4367 patrick

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Science in today's comics
by Wiggins Patrick 07 Nov '14

07 Nov '14

It's just a theory http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/2014/11/07 Gas giant http://www.gocomics.com/redandrover/2014/11/07 Grins, patrick

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Camera for sale
by Brent Watson 07 Nov '14

07 Nov '14

I have a Perkin Elmer 12 inch f4 military surplus camera lens that I have mounted to a 4X5 back. The ground glass in the 4X5 back is broken. The back also has a pickoff mirror fitted to a 1-1/4 inch eyepiece holder. The focal length of this lens is about 1219 mm. The moon or sun would be 10.6 mm in diameter when imaged with this lens. The full 4X5 image measures 4 degrees 46 min by 5 degrees 58 minutes. I am really interested in getting rid of it. The first person to call with a reasonable offer will become the new owner. I consider a reasonable offer to be just about anything. You pick it up. Brent 801 sixseventhree 3zerothreenine

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Fwd: NASA Rocket Experiment Finds the Universe Brighter Than We Thought
by Joe 06 Nov '14

06 Nov '14

A surprising discovery. Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: > From: JPL News <Jplnews(a)jpl.nasa.gov> > Date: November 6, 2014 at 12:09:51 PM MST > Subject: NASA Rocket Experiment Finds the Universe Brighter Than We Thought > > MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE > JET PROPULSION LABORATORY > CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY > NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION > PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 PHONE 818-354-5011 > http://www.jpl.nasa.gov > > NEWS RELEASE: 2014-382 Nov. 6, 2014 > > NASA Rocket Experiment Finds the Universe Brighter Than We Thought > > A NASA sounding rocket experiment has detected a surprising surplus of infrared light in the dark space between galaxies, a diffuse cosmic glow as bright as all known galaxies combined. The glow is thought to be from orphaned stars flung out of galaxies. > > The findings redefine what scientists think of as galaxies. Galaxies may not have a set boundary of stars, but instead stretch out to great distances, forming a vast, interconnected sea of stars. > > Observations from the Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment, or CIBER, are helping to settle a debate on the origins of this background infrared light in the universe, previously detected by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope: Whether it comes from these streams of stripped stars too distant to be seen individually, or from the first galaxies to form in the universe. > > "We think stars are being scattered out into space during galaxy collisions," said Michael Zemcov, lead author of a new paper describing the results from the rocket project and an astronomer at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "While we have previously observed cases where stars are flung from galaxies in a tidal stream, our new measurement implies this process is widespread." > > Using suborbital sounding rockets, which are smaller than those that carry satellites to space and are ideal for short experiments, CIBER captured wide-field pictures of the cosmic infrared background at two infrared wavelengths shorter than those seen by Spitzer. Because our atmosphere itself glows brightly at these particular wavelengths of light, the measurements can only be done from space. > > "It is wonderfully exciting for such a small NASA rocket to make such a huge discovery," said Mike Garcia, program scientist from NASA Headquarters. “Sounding rockets are an important element in our balanced toolbox of missions from small to large.” > > During the CIBER flights, the cameras launch into space, then snap pictures for about seven minutes before transmitting the data back to Earth. Scientists masked out bright stars and galaxies from the pictures and carefully ruled out any light coming from more local sources, such as our own Milky Way galaxy. What's left is a map showing fluctuations in the remaining infrared background light, with splotches that are much bigger than individual galaxies. The brightness of these fluctuations allows scientists to measure the total amount of background light. > > To the surprise of the CIBER team, the maps revealed a dramatic excess of light beyond what comes from the galaxies. The data showed that this infrared background light has a blue spectrum, which means it increases in brightness at shorter wavelengths. This is evidence the light comes from a previously undetected population of stars between galaxies. Light from the first galaxies would give a spectrum of colors that is redder than what was seen. > > "The light looks too bright and too blue to be coming from the first generation of galaxies," said James Bock, principal investigator of the CIBER project from Caltech and JPL. "The simplest explanation, which best explains the measurements, is that many stars have been ripped from their galactic birthplace, and that the stripped stars emit on average about as much light as the galaxies themselves." > > Future experiments can test whether stray stars are indeed the source of the infrared cosmic glow. If the stars were tossed out from their parent galaxies, they should still be located in the same vicinity. The CIBER team is working on better measurements using more infrared colors to learn how stripping of stars happened over cosmic history. > > Results from two of four CIBER flights, both of which launched from White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in 2010 and 2012, appear Friday, Nov. 7 in the journal Science. > > Caltech manages JPL for NASA. The work was supported by NASA, with initial support provided by JPL's Director's Research and Development Fund. Japanese participation in CIBER was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Korean participation in CIBER was supported by the Korean Astronomy and Space Science Institute. > > For more information on NASA’s sounding rocket experiments, visit: > http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sounding-rockets/ > > For more information about CIBER, visit: > > http://ciber.caltech.edu/rocket.html > > -end- > > Whitney Clavin > Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. > 818-354-4673 > whitney.clavin(a)jpl.nasa.gov > > Felicia Chou > NASA Headquarters, Washington > 202-358-0257 > felicia.chou(a)nasa.gov

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Science videos
by Wiggins Patrick 04 Nov '14

04 Nov '14

Many here have probably seen this video from Apollo 15 showing a feather and a hammer being dropped on the Moon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C5_dOEyAfk Here's one I'd not seen before showing the same principle being demonstrated but in much better detail: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/11/03/fascinating-scientific-spectacle… And with that I'm off to drop something else: A ballot in a ballot box. I hope everyone here will do the same. patrick

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Ambition
by Joan Carman 04 Nov '14

04 Nov '14

Per Joe's post, here is the link to the film itself. http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2014/10/Ambition_the_film

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Fwd: EarthSky News - November 3 - Planets This Month
by Joe 04 Nov '14

04 Nov '14

Deborah Byrd has a link to an astonishing short sci fi film centering on the Rosetta mission. Lots of fun. Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: > From: Deborah Byrd <deborahbyrd(a)earthsky.org> > Date: November 3, 2014 at 6:15:55 AM MST > To: <josephmbauman(a)yahoo.com> > Subject: EarthSky News - November 3 - Planets This Month > Reply-To: Deborah Byrd <deborahbyrd(a)earthsky.org> > > > > November 3 > Planets This Month > > November 2014 guide to the five visible planets > Mars lights up early evening. Jupiter out from midnight until dawn. Mercury low in the east before sunrise. Saturn and Venus in the sun's glare. > Exciting Rosetta comet mission inspires a magical short film > A very good 7-minute film, called Ambition. It's not like any film about space exploration you've ever seen. The Rosetta comet mission lies at its heart. > 2014 Antarctic ozone hole holds steady > The Antarctic ozone hole reached its annual peak size in September. The size of this year’s hole was about the same as last year’s. > Moon near planet Uranus on November 3 and 4 > As the moon goes eastward in front of the constellations of the Zodiac, it'll appear in the general direction of the planet Uranus on November 3. > What's the birthstone for November? > November’s birthstone, the topaz, was once thought to have the power to cool boiling water and excessive anger. > > Advertising is hard We do it all day. Let us teach you what weâve learned. Learn how the experts market their startups. Grab the free ebook. > (Sponsor this newsletter) > > > TODAY'S IMAGE > 2014 Antarctic ozone hole holds steady > > > > LIKE ON FACEBOOK > > TWEET > > Unsubscribe from this list. | View e-mail in your browser.

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Minus...Ugh!
by Wiggins Patrick 04 Nov '14

04 Nov '14

1:40 am and for the first time this season the reading on my outside thermometer just went from a plus sign to a minus sign. Ugh... winter's on it's way. Maybe I should have bought that house in Kanab. :) pat-r-r-r-r-r-ick

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Yea Buzz!
by Wiggins Patrick 03 Nov '14

03 Nov '14

Love it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wptn5RE2I-k&app=desktop Way to go Colonel, patrick

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