August 2004 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

late Perseides report
by Jim Gibson 16 Aug '04

16 Aug '04

A late report on the Perseides. I was with a group of scouts for four days on the Green River near the Wyoming Colorado borders. After white water rafting, cliff jumping, fishing, swimming, and bouldering / rock-climbing, we laid out on the bank of the Green River to watch the meteor show. My experience resembled the Wolf Creek reports. At times there were several meteors per minute and other times there was a pause. Some meteors were bright and had green heads and looong trails and others were short and dim. The boys (16 18 years old) were thrilled. With my green laser pointer, which really got a response from the boys, I was able to point out some of the more familiar constellations. We could see the Andromeda Galaxy and the Double Cluster with the unaided eye (no surprise there). The views were even better through my 15X20 Galileos that was purched on a Chuck Hards Special parallelogram. M13, Albereo, M31, the Coat Hanger and other objects were veiws enjoyed by the boys. I don't know how late they stayed up, but I turned in about 11:30 to the sound of the boys ooohs and aaaahs. Jim --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail is new and improved - Check it out!

1 0

(Utah-astronomy) Wolf Creek
by diveboss＠xmission.com 16 Aug '04

16 Aug '04

I don't get many chances to get out and away from the major light polluted areas, but last evening (Friday), I went to Wolf Creek for the SLAS Star Party. Just as Mark Bloomenthal showed up, the clouds parted (how did he do that?) and there before me was one of the most beautiful sky's I had seen in a long time. I can't remember when I had such a clean view of the Milky Way. The viewing was excellent as was the company. The drive motors on my LX200 kept everyone awake as it should. When I left, I stopped at the camp ground entrance by the highway to stetch my legs for the drive home. To my astonishment, there on the road, in the light of the Milky Way, was my shadow. How cool is that? Because of this, there will probably be 6 more weeks of rain. ;) Thanks to all who showed up for the company!

4 5

Perseid photos
by Joe Bauman 15 Aug '04

15 Aug '04

Did anyone get a striking Perseid photo? If so, can you email it to me within an hour for possible inclusion in my Perseids story, which was delayed (because I didn't get a good pic afterall) but which I believe will run in Monday's paper? Many thanks, Joe

2 5

Orion 100mm ED apo
by Chuck Hards 14 Aug '04

14 Aug '04

Orion has done it again. They now have an ED refractor with a 100mm aperture, priced at $999 + s&h. It looks like it has the same tube diameter as the 80mm model so can use the same rings & mount. Recall that the 80mm model uses an oversize tube, and at the time I speculated that this portended good things to come. I just hope I can get a grand together before they raise the price! __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Address AutoComplete - You start. We finish. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail

4 4

Friday night at Wolf Creek
by Robert Taylor 14 Aug '04

14 Aug '04

I was surprised at how few people made it up to Wolf Creek last night (Friday); I don't think there were more than 8 scopes. Maybe the early clouds scared some people off, or folks were exhausted from watching the Perseids all week, not sure. We had some high thin clouds right around dusk, they didn't stay very long and were nearly all gone by 10 pm. The rest of the night was terrific, clear, good seeing and a spectacular Milky Way. The conditions improved as the night went on. We even had a nice showing from the Perseids: about two an hour, some were very bright and left long streaks behind them which remained visible for a couple of seconds. It got cool but not as cool as I thought it would get. If you were held back by the early clouds, you missed a really good night at Wolf Creek. We'll be back tonight; hopefully tonight (Saturday) will be just as great. Bob Taylor

1 0

Re: Perseids
by Ivo Stutznegger 14 Aug '04

14 Aug '04

I have to agree with Kim. From Wolf Creek I thought it was a very good show. It definitely wasn't as impressive as the Leonid's of 2001 but I thought it was a very nice shower. I arrived at the Wolf Creek site at about midnight and noticed several through the windshield on the way there. I continued observing until just after 5 a.m. I didn't do any counting but I would estimate that there were a number of times that the rate was well above 60/hr. I specifically noticed more than one occasion that there were two visible at the same time. I managed to watch (with my eyes open) through 5 a.m. to see if there was any significant increase in the rate at the predicted peak. It didn't seem like it to me. In fact I thought the meteor show was noticeably better before ~3 a.m. when Venus and the moon showed up for the party. (Although I must admit they were an impressive sight in their own right.) I had had a very busy and long day but I consider it to have been very well worth the drive and the missed sleep. Two thumbs up for the Perseid Show at Wolf Creek from this reviewer. Ivo Stutznegger from Sandy, UT. Observing from Duchesne Ridge/Wolf Creek p.s. Much thanks to Dave or Kim or Don or whoever gathered up my chair, tripod, etc. and brought it over while I snoozed! Kim Hyatt wrote: I'm surprised to see so many rather negative reports. I suspect it has more to do with folks not observing from a clear, dark site, a must for meteor observing. Our experience at Wolf Creek was great. We saw many bright (mag 0 to -2 or so) meteors, most of which left trains that lasted two or three seconds. For about an hour beginning at around 11:30, my young son counted 47 Perseids, a respectable rate for a 6-year-old. After a 15-minute nap he insisted on getting up again to see some more, but when he reached 50 he finally threw in the towel and went to sleep. My wife stopped counting at 100 over a period of a couple hours. I only made one attempt at a serious count. Between 12:15 and 12:30 I counted 15 Perseids while observing directly overhead. For last night's conditions at Wolf Creek, that count would yield a ZHR of 60, just what to expect for a good Perseid event. By 5:00, the hour of the predicted maximum, I was too tired to observe seriously, but the Moon and twilight would have made it difficult to determine whether the "peak" rate was any better. 27 years ago last night I proposed to my wife while observing the Perseids from my parents' back yard. Rarely since have conditions allowed for a repeat of the (celestial) activity we experienced then. Last night was an exception. Kim Hyatt Architect 1849 East 1300 South Salt Lake City, Utah 84108 801.631.5228 kimharch at msn.com<mailto:kimharch at msn.com> serius est quam cogitas __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

1 0

Re: [Utah-astronomy] Perseids
by steve.nielsen＠comcast.net 13 Aug '04

13 Aug '04

14 neighbors and family headed out to a friends place in Vernon. It was a pretty good show, similar to Kim's experience. One every 2 or 3 minutes left a nice train. From 1:00 AM to 4:00 AM it got extremely dark because I fell asleep. From 4:00 AM on the moon took away most of the show or else the meteors slowed down. The moon was beautiful with Venus though. Good times. -------------- Original message -------------- > I'm surprised to see so many rather negative reports. I suspect it has more to > do with folks not observing from a clear, dark site, a must for meteor > observing. Our experience at Wolf Creek was great. > > We saw many bright (mag 0 to -2 or so) meteors, most of which left trains that > lasted two or three seconds. For about an hour beginning at around 11:30, my > young son counted 47 Perseids, a respectable rate for a 6-year-old. After a > 15-minute nap he insisted on getting up again to see some more, but when he > reached 50 he finally threw in the towel and went to sleep. My wife stopped > counting at 100 over a period of a couple hours. I only made one attempt at a > serious count. Between 12:15 and 12:30 I counted 15 Perseids while observing > directly overhead. For last night's conditions at Wolf Creek, that count would > yield a ZHR of 60, just what to expect for a good Perseid event. By 5:00, the > hour of the predicted maximum, I was too tired to observe seriously, but the > Moon and twilight would have made it difficult to determine whether the "peak" > rate was any better. > > 27 years ago last night I proposed to my wife while observing the Perseids from > my parents' back yard. Rarely since have conditions allowed for a repeat of the > (celestial) activity we experienced then. Last night was an exception. > > > Kim Hyatt Architect > 1849 East 1300 South > Salt Lake City, Utah 84108 > 801.631.5228 > kimharch(a)msn.com > > serius est quam cogitas > _______________________________________________ > Utah-Astronomy mailing list > Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy > Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.utahastronomy.com

4 4

Perseids, etc. from the Gravel Pit
by Richard Tenney 13 Aug '04

13 Aug '04

Yep, I'm late for work! Got to bed about 4 this morning, but had a great time at the Gravel Pit. I hauled up the 16-inch again, arrived after dark (about 9:30) and found a half-dozen scopes all set up and operational. Later I was joined by Lou and his 20-inch, and Jo Grahn and her family with a huge pair of binos. Great company, dark skies, and a fun time. I am pleased to frequently rediscover how many friendly, nice people we have in this area that enjoy this hobby! Joy from KBYU showed up about 1:30 with an assistant and her husband, and did an interview with some of us; they were all very interested and very pleasant. I started out finishing up my remaining Herschel objects in Sagittarius; 2 globulars, NGC 6638 and 6642 (both just east and slightly above the top of the Teapot), a planetary nebula NGC 6818 (small, round and fairly bright), and a rather interesting open cluster, NGC 6645, which appeared to have embedded in it a ring of stars surrounding a circular dark area (nebula?). When I wasn't occupied with the scope, the meteor activiity was good all night. When I stopped to sit back and enjoy the show, I was counting typically 8-10 a minute. There was a good variety, with some nice, bright persistent trains, a few in color (bright yellow). I was not at all disappointed in the show. I tore down about 3 (a slight, very cold breeze had kicked up by then), and everyone but Jo and Lou had already left. Don't know if I'll be at Wolf Creek this weekend or not... -Rich _______________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Express yourself with Y! Messenger! Free. Download now. http://messenger.yahoo.com

2 2

Red vs. Green
by Chuck Hards 13 Aug '04

13 Aug '04

Many of you use the red LED-equipped pens for taking notes at night. I just received a green version, apparently made by the same company, but the body is turquoise rather than black. There was some debate awhile ago on whether red is really the best "color" for an astronomer's light; some folks claiming that intensity was more important than wavelength (color), especially at the very dim settings we normally use. I must confess that I prefer a green or white light for reading charts, from an aesthetic standpoint alone, but tend to use red just to avoid irritating fellow observers. Now there is a choice. I plan on trying both out at the eyepiece to see if I can detect a difference in my dark adaptation, aesthetics aside. Amercian Science & Surplus has the green ones, stock #34489. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Address AutoComplete - You start. We finish. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail

5 4

Meteor "drizzle"
by Chuck Hards 12 Aug '04

12 Aug '04

I'm not seeing negative reports, as such, but this shower certainly doesn't deserve any superlatives. Heck, Kim, some of the best meteor showers I've ever seen were from the SL valley. I've seen Geminid showers that put this Perseid apparition to shame, and I have lots of dark-sky experience to compare last night to. It was an average meteor shower. But I'm glad you liked it anyway, seems there was some nostalgia involved to raise your opinion, eh? And how do you manage to get your family out with you? Mine hates astronomy, thinks its boring! (I think they are not my family but were secretly switched by a hostile foreign government....) Some guys get all the luck. One day I'll get back to dark-sky astronomy, but for the present it just cant' work with the other aspects of my life. One day you'll see me up there again. It will be just like it was 30 years ago, only with a bigger telescope! ;) __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - Send 10MB messages! http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail

1 0