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

Photo Album
by Cynthia Blue 11 Aug '05

11 Aug '05

I just wanted to let everyone who has a photo album know that they don't need to, in any way, limit the number of pictures in there. Currently I do a weekly backup, and the backup is only about 2.5 gig. ;) And most of that is from a different photo album I run for friends to just have random pictures on the web. It really helped when I deleted a file that was 1 gig, that was just taking up space, and I'd forgotten to delete earlier and it was getting backed up every week. LOL. So if you want to keep old pictures there... that is okay. I don't want anyone to feel like they need to delete their older photos to make up space. My hard drive is 80 gig, and it's still mostly empty. :) I have just been looking at the photos and they are great! Cynthia

4 3

ListServ Information
by Cynthia Blue 11 Aug '05

11 Aug '05

Utah-Astronomy Email List Information ***** Please Retain this Message!!! **** This email message is an update and reminder of various aspects of email lists in general, and the Utah-Astronomy email list specifically. This will be sent out periodically for new members and old members alike. First off, please keep the topics subject appropriate! Science and Astronomy related topics are the subject of the listserv. If you post content that is not relevant to the list, you will be asked to stop. If you continue, you will be removed from the list. If your posts are rude, vulgar, flaming, or in any other way hurtful or harmful to list members you will immediately be removed, banned, and not allowed to rejoin the list. Photo Gallery: If you are an active member of the astronomy community and you have photographs you would like to put up on the web and share with your fellows, that is possible. There is a current photo gallery at http://www.utahastronomy.com <http://www.utahastronomy.com/>. If you would like to post pictures to this site, please email the list administrator at utah-astronomy-owner(a)mailman.xmission <mailto:utah-astronomy-owner@mailman.xmission> for more information about setting up an album. A few notes to remember when using an email list: 1. Please make sure that your email client is sending messages in a traditional text format; html email or other rich text styling only works on some email clients and would be a distraction to those who use traditional email software. 2. Please make sure you are posting to the correct address with the email address you have subscribed with. If you try to post with another email address, your message will not be posted. Rather, it will be bounced to the list administrator and you may receive a personal email with more information. 3. Please DO NOT forward on general information types of mails to the list such as virus warnings, boycott issues, or other such emails which may or may not have any basis in reality. 4. If you change email addresses, please remember to unsubscribe with your old address and resubscribe with your new address. 5. Account management: To Subscribe/unsubscribe, and other account management options, please visit the web page located at: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy You can log in with your email address and password and configure your options to your liking. For example, if you go on vacation and want to temporarily suspend your receipt of emails, you can do this from here. And when you come back you can again activate your emails. To post to the list, mail to: utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com To contact the list administrator, email: utah-astronomy-owner(a)mailman.xmission.com * * * To Unsubscribe * * * Please do NOT send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com. This is the list address and everyone on the list will receive your unsubscribe request. Thanks for being on the list! Cynthia Heyman. (aka Cynthia Blue) utah-astronomy-owner(a)mailman.xmission.com or lucyblue(a)utahdogs.com

2 1

Chris Buttars letter
by Kim Hyatt 11 Aug '05

11 Aug '05

Forgive me, all - I couldn't find a way to post this letter to my album or easily email only to those who asked that I include their names, since I didn't have all email addresses. So, if you aren't interested, don't read on. Again, my apologies. Below is the text of the letter I've drafted for Senator Buttars. I decided to send it under my business letterhead, mainly because I couldn't think of anything else appropriate. I'm open to ideas, though. Please comment off-list, if you wish. I plan to put it in the mail tomorrow morning. August 11, 2005 Senator Chris Buttars 9241 South Lisa Avenue West Jordan, Utah 84088 Re: Creationism and Utah Public Schools Dear Senator Buttars: For the record, I sent you an email earlier today asking for clarification from you about the referenced issue. I realize that you must be very busy and likely cannot respond within such a short time to email from concerned citizens. However, I wanted to contact you soon regarding this matter and, hopefully, reach you by mail by the week's end. For some time I have observed the continuing debate in other states regarding the effort by some conservative religionists to require that creationism be reintroduced into the public school curricula. On June 6th of this year, the Salt Lake Tribune reported that you, backed by the special interest lobby, the Utah Eagle Forum, planned to introduce legislation that would require that creationism be taught in Utah's public schools. Prior to reading that article, I believed the Utah's citizens were above this debate. Your remarks proved that I was mistaken. Since that June article, I have read another Tribune article, dated August 3rd, wherein you were again quoted about this issue. Finally, I read your column at Yahoo News, dated August 9th, that more clearly outlines your personal views. While I wish to avoid a personal attack, I must first point out that you appear to be uninformed regarding Darwinism, evolution theory, and science, in general. It is not my intent to debate science and religion with you, but I encourage you to become better acquainted with both the scientific process and the language of science before you speak again so publicly about science, religion and creationism. I am very concerned about your intent to have your values and those of the Utah Eagle Forum taught in the science classroom. Religion under any guise, whether you call it creationism, intelligent design, or divine design, does not belong in a science curriculum. If Utah public schools have the budget to initiate classes that teach comparative religion, then that may certainly be an appropriate venue for your views and those of other like-minded citizens. I probably need not remind you, however, that in such circumstances, your views are equally valid as those of the proponents of Druidism, Santeria, Wicca, atheists, and even what you might call "liberal" Christians. It is a grave mistake to take Utah down the road of replacing rational inquiry and debate with mysticism and faith-based beliefs. Western civilization once took that path. We call that period of history the Dark Ages. Scientists don't pretend to instruct us about religion; unknowledgeable persons of faith shouldn't instruct us about science; politicians, including you, shouldn't instruct us about either. Please keep religious instruction and debate where it belongs, in Utah's homes and places of worship. Sincerely, Kim A. Hyatt I am a member of the Salt Lake Astronomical Society. The following are fellow amateur astronomers/scientists who have asked that I add their names to this letter: Michael Carnes, Salt Lake City Scott Catron, Sandy Richard Tenney, Provo Kathleen Warner, Salt Lake City Ken Warner, Salt Lake City Paul Witte, Provo C: Darin Peterson, Utah State Senate, District 24 Richard W. Wheeler, Utah House of Representatives, District 68 Gayle Ruzicka, President, Utah Eagle Forum Joe Bauman, Deseret News Glen Warchol, Salt Lake Tribune

5 7

Clarification
by Richard Tenney 11 Aug '05

11 Aug '05

Lest I be guilty of spreading false rumors, it turns out (after a brief Google search) I was wrong. Sen Buttars is the retired (last year after 15 years as the) director of the Utah Boy's Ranch (a private school for troubled boys). It's not clear to me if he's also the owner however (I thought I had heard that on Radio West serveral weeks ago when he was on the program, but I might have been mistaken). Sorry if I helped get your blood pressure up Chuck! ;o) ____________________________________________________ Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs

2 1

solstices
by Kim Hyatt 11 Aug '05

11 Aug '05

Does anyone know the relationship between the time when the solstices occur and the times of earliest/latest sunrise and/or sunset? For example, I think that the sequence in June is earliest sunrise - solstice - latest sunset, but I don't recall for sure and I also don't know by how much the times differ. Is it a matter of minutes, hours or days? Kim

4 4

Media's Hype Distorts NASA's Reality
by Patrick Wiggins 11 Aug '05

11 Aug '05

Here's an editorial I found on the web. It seems a bit too "in your face" for News, but we here on UA seem to enjoy such a read now and then (and maybe it'll get us thinking of something other than politics dictating what "science" is. <grin> ). "Recently I read a headline stating: "The world holds its breath for the shuttle landing..." But Who were holding their breaths? NASA? The Discovery astronauts? Or me? I think none of us! This is a grave distortion of reality, created by the media for their own commercial purposes." Continued at http://www.spacedaily.com/news/oped-05zt.html . Patrick

2 1

Internet radio meteor observing the Perseids
by Canopus56 11 Aug '05

11 Aug '05

Two peaks are predicted for the Persids this year - one at night around 8/12 3:54 UTC (8/11 9:54pm MDT) (when the radiant is below the horizon and with the radiant rising later in the evening) and a second during the daytime for 8/12 18:30 UTC (12:30pm MDT). The first nighttime peak may be clouded out in Utah. During the second daylight peak, Perseus will be invisible in day sky and will be setting in the west. If not visually observable, both may be followed using via live radio meteor observing stations that broadcast over the internet. Naval Space Surveillance Radar audio feed - Kickaboo, Texas http://science.nasa.gov/audio/meteor/navspasur.m3u NASA Live Radio Transmission - Roswell New Mexico http://mp3.nasa-us1.speedera.net:8000/mp3.nasa-us1/navspasur Linked from Peter Knolls Radio Meteor Reflections site - http://members.home.nl/peter-knol/meteors/ For world-wide slightly time delayed graphical displays from radio meteor observing stations, see - Radio Meteor Observatory's On Line http://radio.data.free.fr/main.php3 - Canopus56(Kurt) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ____________________________________________________ Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs

1 0

RE: Intelligent Eyepiece Design
by John Peterson 11 Aug '05

11 Aug '05

Very interesting combination of threads recently. Here's an idea: I'm going to buy a new eyepiece not by testing out several designs, but simply because I have faith in one particular type (maybe my minister/priest/bishop/favorite TV evangelist/astro magazine tells me it's better). The difference here is that I don't have to die before knowing whether or not I was a satisfied customer. One last paraphrased quote: "The more we understand nature, the closer we come to God." -- Albert Einstein (who was a deeply religious person) John R. Peterson

2 1

Re: [Utah-astronomy] Chris Buttars letter
by Michael Carnes 11 Aug '05

11 Aug '05

Well done Kim. The letter's quite good and maintains the appropriate tone.

1 0

divine design
by Kim Hyatt 10 Aug '05

10 Aug '05

Senator Buttars: I have read comments attributed to you in the Salt Lake Tribune regarding your support of the alternative creation premise you refer to as "divine design." The Tribune reported on August 3 that there is to be "no curriculum change yet in Utah" [public schools], yet your own online article in Yahoo News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20050809/cm_usatoday/evolutionlacksfossill…) seems to indicate your continuing support for such a change. I would appreciate it if you could clarify for me your position and whether you intend to pursue this issue as reported in The Tribune earlier, that is, by introducing legislation requiring that "divine design" be taught in Utah public schools. I have copied this email to my own Senate representative and to an on-line list to which I belong, Utah Astronomy, a group of mostly amateur scientists/astronomers who have recently been debating this topic in its on-line forum. Regards, Kim A. Hyatt, Architect P.O. Box 124 Mt. Pleasant, Utah 84647 T: 435.462.9207 F: 435/462.5013 M: 801.631.5228 kimharch(a)cut.net

2 2