January 2005 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

Rob is having too much fun!
by Chuck Hards 07 Jan '05

07 Jan '05

Great shot, Rob! Unfortunately the weather here is deteriorating rapidly even as I get the old equatorial mount/camera platform cleaned and adjusted this afternoon. Instead of a longer exposure, have you tried stacking multiple short exposures? > From: Rob Ratkowski <ratkwski(a)hawaii.rr.com> > To: Utah Astronomy > <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2005 07:45:43 -1000 > Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Comet & M-45 > > Thanks Jim, > > > But I have a long way to go. I'm using a pro-sumer > camera not > designed for exposures longer that 30 sec. and w/a > 10 min. exposure > so much heat is generated, the CCD reads this as > photons and the > image is degraded. It was still fun to be out > exposing and enjoying > the cool (60) Hawaiian night. I'll try again > tonite IF it doesn't > rain as predicted. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Find what you need with new enhanced search. http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250

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Re: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Comet & M-45
by astrodeb＠charter.net 07 Jan '05

07 Jan '05

Great picture Rob! What lens did you use? I drove out to Ivins last night about 8:30 and got a wonderful view through my 15 X 70 binos. I wish I would have had time to shoot through both my film and digital cameras but the temperature was reading 31 degrees. That's cold for St. George. The comet did look green and I saw a hint of a tail. The comet was almost directly overhead way above the light pollution from St. George. I think I love the winter milky way more than the summer milky way. Now the clouds have rolled in again but that comet was very bright last night. Thanks for the heads-up Patrick! Debbie > > From: Rob Ratkowski <ratkwski(a)hawaii.rr.com> > Date: 2005/01/07 Fri AM 10:45:43 MST > To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Comet & M-45 > > Thanks Jim, > > > But I have a long way to go. I'm using a pro-sumer camera not > designed for exposures longer that 30 sec. and w/a 10 min. exposure > so much heat is generated, the CCD reads this as photons and the > image is degraded. It was still fun to be out exposing and enjoying > the cool (60) Hawaiian night. I'll try again tonite IF it doesn't > rain as predicted. > > > > Aloha > Rob > > _______________________________________________ > 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 >

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Clearing skys
by Jim Gibson 06 Jan '05

06 Jan '05

The skys are clear over Dugway. Chances are we will get a look at the comet tonight. --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - You care about security. So do we.

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Cooking Under the Sun
by Dale Hooper 06 Jan '05

06 Jan '05

Congratulations to OAS member Jeremy Mathews for having his Letter to the Editor, (Cooking Under the Sun, pg 12) published in the Feb 2005 Sky & Tel.

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When lasers are outlawed, only outlaws will have lasers
by Chuck Hards 06 Jan '05

06 Jan '05

I'm sort-of glad I haven't bought that "high-powered" green laser pointer yet...sooner or later purchase records will be used to track-down possible culprits. Time for a "concealed carry" laser permit! I found this on the AOL homepage; note he was using it to "look at stars"(!): Man Charged With Aiming Laser at Aircraft By WAYNE PARRY, AP NEWARK, N.J. (Jan. 4) - Federal authorities Tuesday used the Patriot Act to charge a man with pointing a laser beam at an airplane overhead and temporarily blinding the pilot and co-pilot. The FBI acknowledged the incident had no connection to terrorism but called David Banach's actions "foolhardy and negligent.'' Banach, 38, admitted to federal agents that he pointed the light beam at a jet and a helicopter over his home near Teterboro Airport last week, authorities said. Initially, he claimed his daughter aimed the device at the helicopter, they said. He is the first person arrested after a recent rash of reports around the nation of laser beams hitting airplanes. Banach was charged only in connection with the jet. He was accused of interfering with the operator of a mass transportation vehicle and making false statements to the FBI, and was released on $100,000 bail. He could get up to 25 years in prison and fines of up to $500,000. Banach's lawyer, Gina Mendola-Longarzo, said her client was simply using the hand-held device to look at stars with his daughter on the family's deck. She said Banach bought the device on the Internet for $100 for his job testing fiber-optic cable. More on the Laser Scare · Nashville-Chicago Incident May Have Been Prank "He wasn't trying to harm any person, any aircraft or anything like that,'' she said. The jet, a chartered Cessna Citation, was coming in for a landing last Wednesday with six people aboard when a green light beam struck the windshield three times at about 3,000 feet, according to court documents. The flash temporarily blinded both the pilot and co-pilot, but they were later able to land the plane safely, authorities said. "Not only was the safety of the pilot and passengers placed in jeopardy by Banach's actions, so were countless innocent civilians on the ground in this densely populated area,'' said Joseph Billy, agent in charge of the FBI's Newark bureau. Then, on Friday, a helicopter carrying Port Authority detectives was hit by a laser beam as its crew surveyed the area to try to pinpoint the origin of the original beam. According to the FBI, the Patriot Act does not describe helicopters as "mass transportation vehicles.'' As for why Banach was not charged with some other offense over the helicopter incident, Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, did not immediately return calls for comment. A few hours after the helicopter was hit by the laser, FBI agents canvassed Banach's neighborhood, trying to find the source of the beams. Banach told the agents it was his daughter who shined the laser at the helicopter, according to court papers. Similar incidents have been reported in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Cleveland, Washington, Houston and Medford, Oregon, raising fears that the light beams could temporarily blind cockpit crews and lead to accidents. Last month, the FBI and the Homeland Security Department sent a memo to law enforcement agencies saying there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons. But federal officials have said there is no evidence any the current incidents represent a terrorist plot. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The all-new My Yahoo! - What will yours do? http://my.yahoo.com

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'Fastest Aussie On Earth'
by Patrick Wiggins 06 Jan '05

06 Jan '05

This guy is either really brave or a candidate for the Darwin Awards. http://www.aussieinvader.com/ Hmmm, now that I think about it, he could have put the thing on a ramp and competed for the X-Prize. Patrick

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RE: [Utah-astronomy] 'Fastest Aussie On Earth'
by Dale Hooper 05 Jan '05

05 Jan '05

If I'm not mistaken - the right rear wheel in the bottom picture - is airborne! That wouldn't exactly give me warm fuzzies at 800 km/hr. ________________________________ From: utah-astronomy-bounces+dale.hooper=sdl.usu.edu(a)mailman.xmission.com on behalf of Patrick Wiggins Sent: Wed 1/5/2005 10:10 PM To: utah astronomy listserve Subject: [Utah-astronomy] 'Fastest Aussie On Earth' This guy is either really brave or a candidate for the Darwin Awards. http://www.aussieinvader.com/ Hmmm, now that I think about it, he could have put the thing on a ramp and competed for the X-Prize. Patrick

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Re: When lasers are outlawed etc...
by Chuck Hards 05 Jan '05

05 Jan '05

Kim, what can I say? Great minds think alike...and apparently we do, too... ;) > From: "Kim Hyatt" <kimharch(a)msn.com> > To: "Utah Astronomy" > <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2005 17:49:20 -0700 > Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] When lasers are > outlawed, > only outlaws will have lasers > > Well, don't I feel stupid. I didn't see all of the > subject line in Chuck's email (settings only showed > "When lasers") and didn't realize he had already > paraphrased my favorite anti-gun-control argument. > Sorry, Chuck. You de man. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Easier than ever with enhanced search. Learn more. http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250

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lasers
by Kim Hyatt 05 Jan '05

05 Jan '05

When lasers are outlawed, only outlaws will have lasers. Kim Hyatt Architect 1849 East 1300 South Salt Lake City, Utah 84108 Tel: 801.581.0561 Mobile: 801.631.5228 kimharch(a)msn.com<mailto:kimharch@msn.com> serius est quam cogitas

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Re: The Elegant Universe
by Chuck Hards 05 Jan '05

05 Jan '05

Ah, but Joe, no-one has observed the Great Attractor! Whomever Randall Sundrum is, I think he may be on to something... ;) C. > From: Joe Bauman <bau(a)desnews.com> > To: Utah Astronomy > <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2005 08:14:03 -0700 > Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] The Elegant Universe > > "It's possible" gravity could seep between > dimensions, "like the > Randall Sundrum model." But it would not result in > any observable > astronomical features because any gravity leakage is > "not significant > enough." > -- says a close associate who is a physics student. > Thanks, Joe __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Meet the all-new My Yahoo! - Try it today! http://my.yahoo.com

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