January 2006 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

The promise of spring
by Chuck Hards 25 Jan '06

25 Jan '06

I am always lifted when I see Vega, Deneb and Antares return in the morning sky. Something inside stirs (besides breakfast)...I cast glances at the telescope more frequently...instinctively I know that warmer weather and galaxy-filled skies are just around the corner... __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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SLAS meeting
by Chuck Hards 25 Jan '06

25 Jan '06

Well as it turned out I am getting away from work in time to attend the meeting- but my wife must go out tonight so I am staying home to help my daughter with a school assignment. Not a bad alternative, really, if you think about it. If someone on the list attends, please post an outline of the proceedings when you get a few minutes. I know Lowell is trying very hard to make the club more interesting for everyone, and that is a lofty goal. Just today I realized that there will always be some oddballs such as myself, who can't figure out exactly what they want in a club meeting, and whose lives just can't mesh with club events with any kind of regularity anyway. That's OK, my active club time was 30 years ago, and will come again in the future when my career begins to wind down and the nest is empty. I think for now, more than anything the astronomy club serves me as just a way to keep in touch with old friends and kindred spirits. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Re: General Meeting - HELP!
by Richard Tenney 24 Jan '06

24 Jan '06

Can someone give this happy-valley dweller directions on how to get to SLCC coming up from Utah Valley on I-15? What's the best exit to take, etc? TIA --- SLAS Announcements <announce(a)slas.us> wrote: > Reminder of new meeting location at the Salt Lake > Community College, Downtown 115 S. Main tomorrow > night Tuesday Jan 24th 2nd floor at 7:30 PM. TRAX > 1/2 block away. Free 2hr parking at ZCMI Center > after 6pm. > Seth Jarvis, and Mike Murray from Clark Planetarium > will be featured speakers. > > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Tonight's SLAS meeting
by Chuck Hards 24 Jan '06

24 Jan '06

Does anyone know if there is there an actual astronomical lecture topic for tonights meeting, or is it politics, policy, and AL announcements? There is no mention of subject or agenda on the club calendar on the Website (that I could find, anyway); Lowell's non-detailed email is all I'm aware of. I'm on the list digest, please copy me directly or respond off-list. Thanks! __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Fwd: Frontiers of Science Jan. 25
by Richard Tenney 23 Jan '06

23 Jan '06

I'm looking forward to this lecture; the timing is perfect. If only we could convince that idiot Buttars to attend...<sigh> --- James DeGooyer <jdegooyer(a)biology.utah.edu> wrote: > Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 10:15:15 -0700 > To: office(a)science.utah.edu > From: James DeGooyer <jdegooyer(a)biology.utah.edu> > Subject: Frontiers of Science Jan. 25 > CC: mortensen(a)science.utah.edu > > Dear Frontiers of Science patron: > > You are cordially invited to attend the first FOS > lecture of the year > on Weds, Jan. 25, 7:30 PM, in the Aline Skaggs > Biology auditorium! > See the U. of U. press release below. Campus map = > http://www.map.utah.edu/index.jsp?find=82 > Note: Whiting will give a live radio interview Tues, > Jan. 24 on KCPW > 88.3 and 105.3 FM, at 10:40 a.m. Tune-in! > > > > UNIVERSITY OF UTAH MEDIA ADVISORY > > FRONTIERS OF SCIENCE LECTURE > Harvesting the Tree of Life: > Reaping What We Sow > > Lecturer: Michael F. Whiting, associate professor > of integrative > biology, Brigham Young University > Date: Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2006 > Time: 7:30 p.m. > Place: Aline Wilmot Skaggs Biology Building > Auditorium, University of > Utah > > FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC > > > Charles Darwin recognized that all biological > species are > connected in a great Tree of Life that represents > the evolution - or > pattern of ancestry and descent - among all species. > However, > reconstructing this Tree of Life has remained a > complicated and elusive > endeavor, and only recently have the tools and > technology been developed > to place all the branches of the tree together into > a single blueprint > of life. > > Large collaborative efforts are now underway > throughout the > world to reconstruct this tree, and for the first > time we are beginning > to piece all of biodiversity together into a whole. > This talk will focus > on the steps required to assemble the Tree of Life > for the insect > family, from trekking through the rainforests of the > world, to using > innovations in gene sequencing technology and > supercomputing. > > "Even in the early stages of reconstructing this > tree, it is > becoming clear that this tree will help us refine > our understanding of > the evolutionary process," says Whiting. > > Whiting provides two examples of how the Tree of > Life project > benefits society and the environment: > > -- It serves as an early warning system for > tracking and > controlling disease. When a new pathogen emerges, it > is critical to > figure out what it evolved from, because that will > reveal how best to > contain and combat the pathogen. The Tree of Life > provides a map of all > organisms and their evolutionary relationships to > each other, so it > allows researchers to determine the new pathogen's > closest relative. > When the virus that caused the 1918 flu pandemic was > placed in the Tree > of Life, it became clear that it was derived from a > virus that lives in > birds, which is why everyone is concerned about the > recent emergence of > a new avian flu. > > -- It plays a critical role in preserving the > threatened species > on the planet. One of the rationales behind trying > to conserve species > is that we do not want to lose genetic diversity. If > it is not possible > to save all of the species on the planet, then we > need to prioritize > which species should be saved. The Tree of Life > allows us to look at two > threatened species, compare them to their closest > neighbors that are not > threatened, and decide which one provides the most > genetic diversity if > it is protected. > > Michael F. Whiting is an associate professor of > integrative > biology, associate curator of insects at the Monte > L. Bean Life Science > Museum, and director of the DNA Sequencing Center at > Brigham Young > University. He earned his Ph.D. from Cornell > University in 1995 and was > a Sloan Fellow at the American Museum of Natural > History in New York > before joining the BYU faculty in 1997. > > His research focuses on using DNA sequencing to > unravel the > evolutionary history of the major groups of insects, > and correlating > this history with major biological or morphological > shifts. > > His work is known internationally for: > > -- Innovations in insect phylogeny, which is the > study of > evolutionary relationships among insect groups. > > -- Innovations in mitochondrial genomics, the study > of genetic > information within mitochondria, the "power plants" > that help convert > food into energy inside cells. > > -- Methods of phylogenetic reconstruction, which is > the theory > and practice of deciphering evolutionary > relationships among organisms. > > -- Computational biology, involving using computers > to sort > through all possible evolutionary relationships to > select the optimal > evolutionary pattern. > > In 2003, Whiting and colleagues demonstrated that a > certain > group of insects lost the ability to fly and then > re-evolved it 50 > million years later - the first time any organism > was shown to do what > scientists previously thought almost impossible: > re-evolve a complex > trait. > > Whiting has been honored as the recipient of a > National Science > Foundation CAREER Award, the Ernst Mayr Research > Award for Evolutionary > Biology, the Brigham Young University Young > Investigator Award, and the > Phi Kappa Phi Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Award. > He has more than 80 > publications, including high profile work published > in prestigious > journals such as Nature and Systematic Biology. > > [You have received this email invitation because you > are listed on > the College of Science/Frontiers of Science email > registry. You may > or may not receive a letter invitation through U.S. > mail. If you wish > to unsubscribe to this service, simply 'Reply' with > subject line > 'Unsubscribe.'] > -- > James R. DeGooyer > Public Relations Specialist > College of Science > 1430 E. Presidents Cir. Rm. 220 > Salt Lake City, UT 84112 > Ph. (801) 581-3124 > Fax (801) 585-3169 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Tips for constructing camera support bar sought
by Canopus56 23 Jan '06

23 Jan '06

I am considering adding a camera support bar to my 10" EQ 1120mm fl Newt for long focal length projection magnification. Although I have a simple design figured out, I was wondering what if one had done something similar and had any experience based tips or other suggestions. Basically, the a right-angle is inserted in the focuser, sending the optical path back to the rear of the scope. Then a barlow is used for negative projection, up to 300mm to 400mm long. This is intended to be used for projecting longer focal lenghts during astrophotography than what can be had by simply projecting "up" the axis of the focuser. - Canopus56 (Kurt) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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More bino photos
by Chuck Hards 22 Jan '06

22 Jan '06

I have posted more binocular photos to my Gallery page: http://www.utahastronomy.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=Chuck The newest images are on page 3 and feature shots of binoculars of assorted aperture, different brands, line-ups for size comparisons, and comments. Many thanks to Cynthia, as always, and Rob R. for providing the digital camera. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Digital Camera
by Chuck Hards 22 Jan '06

22 Jan '06

Alas, poverty is the oldest school. Besides, I've told you before, my equipment is state-of-the-art! (For 1975) ;) > From: diveboss(a)xmission.com > What, no digital camera??? You are old school! ;) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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FREE IMAX screening
by diveboss＠xmission.com 22 Jan '06

22 Jan '06

Could someone please provide me the time and place to the FREE IMAX screening for this coming Thursday? I seem to have misplaced the info. P.S. Thanks Patrick for looking out for the astronomy community and bringing this to us.

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Friday expedition
by astrodeb＠charter.net 22 Jan '06

22 Jan '06

Joe, Looks like your best chance of clear skies would be Monday or Tuesday. It looks like rain in Southern UT or snow in Northern UT for next weekend according to weather.com. I may try to get out and image M42 or M45 somewhere near Fort Pearce next month. Hopefully, we will get a heat wave like the one during the 2002 Olympics. Good Luck, Debbie ---- Joe Bauman <bau(a)desnews.com> wrote: > Hi Friends -- Anyone up for an expedition Friday to take advantage of > the new moon? Any suggestions about where to go? I like both the > Wedge and Michael's San Rafael site. Thanks, Joe > > _______________________________________________ > 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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