March 2003 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

Re: [Utah-astronomy] In Defense of GoTo mounts
by UTAHDEB＠aol.com 03 Mar '03

03 Mar '03

My scope isn't GOTO. I have digital setting circles. I like to move the scope myself. I still feel like I am the pilot of my scope. A GoTo scope would be more like auto-pilot. I try to keep things simple as possible but the computer is fun to use. That's why my 8" SCT has been collecting dust for the past five years. On my GM-8 mount I can get by without digital setting circles so I won't have to shell out $300 for the encoders. Debbie

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RE: [Utah-astronomy] In Defense of GoTo mounts
by Dale Hooper 03 Mar '03

03 Mar '03

I haven't as of yet - I've just tracked some of the smaller sats. I've only done the satellite tracking (so far) at work. The skies have been so crummy this winter that we haven't been able to do much. We tried to track and image it the last time the shuttle was docked with ISS. But, it was shortly after dusk - so we didn't have a really good alignment - so we ended up chasing it across the sky. We were planning on imaging ISS with the shuttle in March - but obviously the plans have changed. . Here is a link to some others that HAVE imaged ISS, plus I think there was an article in Astronomy or Sky & Tel fairly recently. They got quite a lot of detail. http://www.iss-tracking.de/ -----Original Message----- From: RStmarie(a)aol.com [mailto:RStmarie@aol.com] Sent: Monday, March 03, 2003 4:05 PM To: utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] In Defense of GoTo mounts Dale, do you see any detail when you look at the ISS going over? Or is it just a bright blur. I watched the shuttle go over once and could swear it looked a little triangular.

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20x80mm binos
by Chuck Hards 03 Mar '03

03 Mar '03

They have arrived. First impressions are very, very good. Daytime performance is good. Eye relief good. And regardless of what Jason Faworski calls them, these are NOT lightweight binoculars! Hard case, multi-coatings on outer surfaces of objectives and eyepieces. $129.99 + $10 s&h, $140 total. I hope to test them soon under the stars, a review will follow. Gotta find those extra parallelogram weights now! C. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/

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RE: [Utah-astronomy] 20x80mm binos
by Kim Hyatt 03 Mar '03

03 Mar '03

Oddly enough (or not), it's been cloudy almost every opportunity I would otherwise have had to observe so far this winter. -----Original Message----- From: Jim Gibson [mailto:xajax99@yahoo.com] Sent: Monday, March 03, 2003 4:03 PM To: utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] 20x80mm binos Chuck I think Kim said something about it being cloudy tonight. Jim Chuck Hards <chuckhards(a)yahoo.com> wrote: They have arrived. First impressions are very, very good. Daytime performance is good. Eye relief good. And regardless of what Jason Faworski calls them, these are NOT lightweight binoculars! Hard case, multi-coatings on outer surfaces of objectives and eyepieces. $129.99 + $10 s&h, $140 total. I hope to test them soon under the stars, a review will follow. Gotta find those extra parallelogram weights now! C. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/ _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy _____ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! <http://rd.yahoo.com/finance/mailtagline/*http://taxes.yahoo.com/> Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, and more

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RE: [Utah-astronomy] In Defense of GoTo mounts
by Paul Witte 03 Mar '03

03 Mar '03

If a computer has helped Debbie find things she would never have found otherwise then all I can say is I'm impressed by the GoTo computer. :) My first decent telescope was an ETX-90 with the Autostar. I highly doubt I would be involved in Astronomy nearly as much as I am today if I hadn't bought it. This was before I knew about any local astro-clubs and I had NO idea what I was looking for. Not to mention commericial scopes usually don't (do any??) sell new with some kind of telrad-like finder. Prior to the ETX all telescopes I had were met with disappointment. The only thing I could find were the moon, Saturn, Mars, & Jupiter. I also found it pretty remarkable to have the AutoStar explain in detail what I was seeing. Ok, now I admit at that point aperture-fever took over and I got a 10" Dob and haven't used the ETX or the GoTo since. But if it hadn't been for that experience, I would possibly never have known what I was missing. I can only imagine how many other people have been drawn into this hobby directly as the result of a GoTo enabled telescope. --Paul ---------- From: UTAHDEB(a)aol.com Sent: Monday, March 03, 2003 4:03 PM To: utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] In Defense of GoTo mounts I frequently use NGC, IC, NonStellar, Messier, and the user object catalogues on my NGC-MAX. In the bowl of the big dipper on my Sky Atlas 2000 chart, I have all the Arp galaxies labeled with an A. Some of those Arp galaxies aren't plotted so it's good to write on a sheet of paper what NGC galaxies to look for. I've programmed several Minkowski, Abell, Kohotek, and IC planetaries in my user catalogue. My NGC-MAX has opened up a whole new world of objects I never dreamed of seeing. I also toured the Sculpter galaxies and the Fornax galaxy cluster last October. In the Virgo cluster it's easy to get lost without a computer. On the downside, I stepped on the cord last Dec and broke my encoder bracket (az). I always carry a spare 9 volt battery because the computer drains the battery. It's frustrating to be out in the field when the computer dies but I'm getting good at changing the batteries in the dark. I'm not sure if I want to set up the NGC-MAX at public star parties anymore. I don't need a computer for Messier objects. I'm glad I have a computer to look up things but I'm glad I paid my dues star hopping for three years. Debbie _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] In Defense of GoTo mounts
by RStmarie＠aol.com 03 Mar '03

03 Mar '03

Dale, do you see any detail when you look at the ISS going over? Or is it just a bright blur. I watched the shuttle go over once and could swear it looked a little triangular.

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] In Defense of GoTo mounts
by UTAHDEB＠aol.com 03 Mar '03

03 Mar '03

I frequently use NGC, IC, NonStellar, Messier, and the user object catalogues on my NGC-MAX. In the bowl of the big dipper on my Sky Atlas 2000 chart, I have all the Arp galaxies labeled with an A. Some of those Arp galaxies aren't plotted so it's good to write on a sheet of paper what NGC galaxies to look for. I've programmed several Minkowski, Abell, Kohotek, and IC planetaries in my user catalogue. My NGC-MAX has opened up a whole new world of objects I never dreamed of seeing. I also toured the Sculpter galaxies and the Fornax galaxy cluster last October. In the Virgo cluster it's easy to get lost without a computer. On the downside, I stepped on the cord last Dec and broke my encoder bracket (az). I always carry a spare 9 volt battery because the computer drains the battery. It's frustrating to be out in the field when the computer dies but I'm getting good at changing the batteries in the dark. I'm not sure if I want to set up the NGC-MAX at public star parties anymore. I don't need a computer for Messier objects. I'm glad I have a computer to look up things but I'm glad I paid my dues star hopping for three years. Debbie

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RE: [Utah-astronomy] Pocono Mountain Optics
by Dale Hooper 03 Mar '03

03 Mar '03

Sadly, yes - they are gone. They were one of my favorite sites for screwing up my budget. > -----Original Message----- > From: Chuck Hards [mailto:chuckhards@yahoo.com] > Sent: Monday, March 03, 2003 12:43 PM > To: Utah-Astro > Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Pocono Mountain Optics > > > Did Pocono Mountain Optics close up shop? Their Vegas > shop too, if so? > > C.

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Pocono Mountain Optics
by Chuck Hards 03 Mar '03

03 Mar '03

Did Pocono Mountain Optics close up shop? Their Vegas shop too, if so? C. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/

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RE: [Utah-astronomy] Web page design
by Kim Hyatt 03 Mar '03

03 Mar '03

There's always SLAS's Ken and Kathleen Warner. -----Original Message----- From: Chuck Hards [mailto:chuckhards@yahoo.com] Sent: Monday, March 03, 2003 11:50 AM To: Utah-Astro Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Web page design Can anyone recommend a Web page designer for hire? Preferably someone with astro-experience? What are typical costs? And how about hosting? What are typical hosting fees? Thanks (only marginally OT, I did mention "astro" ;) C. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/ _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy

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