May 2007 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

Re: [Utah-astronomy] Question On Recently Discovered Planet
by Olhomorto＠aol.com 23 May '07

23 May '07

In a message dated 5/23/2007 5:14:27 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time, BMoore(a)commercecrg.com writes: Ya but there is one heck of a lot of solar systems out there to search and that is just in the lil ole milky way True, and in that regard I don't anticipate making "contact" in my puny lifetime. But it's still fun for me to imagine reading the headlines! ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

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What will we see in the nightsky Firday and Sat night?
by Kurt Fisher 23 May '07

23 May '07

>From Sky & T's calendar: http://skytonight.com/observing/ataglance ===================== Friday, May 25 After sunset at this time of year, when the stars begin to come out in twilight Vega [white] is at the same height in the northeast as Capella [yellow] is in the northwest. These are the brightest stars in the May evening sky - along with Arcturus [orange colored] very high in the southeast. Saturday, May 26 With Bootes high in the evening sky, now's a fine time to check in on the semiregular red variable star V Bootis using big binoculars or a small scope. See the May Sky & Telescope, page 62. (May's S&T recommends colorful contrast doubles gam Boo, del Boo, mu Boo and eps Boo.) ===================== My lunar notes: On Friday, the terminator on a 9 day old Moon will be at W21 selenographic longitude, giving good views of a low level Sun rising over larger craters Copernicus, Tycho and and the "2001 Space Odyssey" crater - Clavius. Dark volcanic deposits of Sinus Aestum will be visible with 10 to 20 power binoculars. On Saturday, the terminator on a 10 day old Moon will be at W33 selenographic longitude, giving good views of a low level Sun rising over Sinus Iridum and Promontorium Laplace. Larger telescopes (8-10") will have a good view of volcanic dome Kies Pi and smaller telescopes (6") of one of the longest fissures on the Moon (>300km) - Rima Hesiodus. - Kurt _______________________________________________ Sent via CSolutions - http://www.csolutions.net

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Obs Report UofU Astro Club Wednesday Night Star Party
by Kurt Fisher 23 May '07

23 May '07

I went to the Wednesday Star Party on the Physics Building tonight and used one of the Meade LX200s for a couple of hours. Most of the night was taken up with mechanics - learning the Meade classic controller, connecting the scope to my laptop, and testing the Cartes du Ciel Meade telescope driver. Also using a text file of Struve's Double Star Catalogue that I found on the web ( http://www.skymap.com/struve.htm ) I was able to get a Cartes du Ciel version of Struve's catalogue going. Altogether this gave me click and slew goto capability for Struve's double stars. The techie part of the night being over, I then switched over to runing some doubles in Bootes using Sue French's _Celestial Sampler_ (pp. 92-93), Sissy Haas's _Double Stars for Small Telescopes_ and the June S&T northern binoular highlights article (p. 44). On Monday, at Little Mountain, I chart checked the position of a number of Bootes and Corona B colorful doubles using binos. Tonight I was out to try to split a few at high mags. I enjoy colorful double stars for after-work urban astronomy, but really hate to have to decode those historical Struve catalogue numbers that double star writers favor into more useable HD catalogue ids. Having a planetarium program controlling the scope and a Struve catalogue installed removed all that burdensome location decoding. Slewing north to south, Struve 1835 (white blue), Struve 1873, xi Boo (orange blue), del Boo (yellow blue), mu1 and mu2 Boo, wide pair nu1 and nu2 Boo (orange blue) were rattled off in quick succession. As I was loading up a filter wheel for planetary filter testing on Saturn, a cloud blew in and ended the night's session. With the filter wheel and a right angle in place, the Meade SCT was able to easily reach an appropriate back focus. But it was clear that an improperly executed slew potentially could chop the assembly off the scope. I didn't have a chance to measure the interferance distance from the back of the autofocuser to the bottom of the fork yok. - Kurt _______________________________________________ Sent via CSolutions - http://www.csolutions.net

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Question On Recently Discovered Planet
by Chuck Hards 23 May '07

23 May '07

Joe, the moon is tidally locked to earth, and it is insignificant in mass, compared to any star. Seth is very correct in pointing-out that time can eventually lock any orbiting body into keeping the same face toward the primary member of the system. On 5/23/07, Joe Bauman <bau(a)desnews.com> wrote: > Since the star is only 1 percent as luminous as the sun does that > mean it's less massive? And if it is does that mean that planet would > not necessarily be tidally locked to the star?

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What will we see in the nightsky Firday and Sat night?
by Ann House 23 May '07

23 May '07

Joe would like a quote for the DesMews. -A ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Joe Bauman <bau(a)desnews.com> Date: May 23, 2007 11:13 AM Subject: Re: PS To: Ann House <ann(a)annhouse.org> Also, can you shoot me a quick quote about what people might see? Thanks again, Joe

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Re: Utah-Astronomy Digest, Vol 51, Issue 43
by baxman2＠comcast.net 23 May '07

23 May '07

I was thinking that only one side of the planet could be seen, in much the same way we only see one side of the Moon. The Moon only shows one side to us; but all points on the Moon have both a day and a night, relative to the Sun. If the planet only shows one side to its sun, I agree, only that side would have daylight. The circulating atmosphere is an interesting question. Sincerely, J. David Baxter baxman2(a)comcast.net -------------- Original message -------------- From: utah-astronomy-request(a)mailman.xmission.com > Send Utah-Astronomy mailing list submissions to > utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > utah-astronomy-request(a)mailman.xmission.com > > You can reach the person managing the list at > utah-astronomy-owner(a)mailman.xmission.com > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Utah-Astronomy digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Solar Caused Global Warming (Chuck Hards) > 2. RE: Question On Recently Discovered Planet (Dunn, David) > 3. Re: Question On Recently Discovered Planet (Chuck Hards) > 4. Lunar targets for night of 5-23 (Kurt Fisher) > 5. Re: more global warming (Lockman) > 6. Re: more global warming (Lockman) > 7. RE: Question On Recently Discovered Planet (Kim) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Tue, 22 May 2007 21:44:17 -0600 > From: "Chuck Hards" > Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Solar Caused Global Warming > To: "Utah Astronomy" > Message-ID: > <2541d8030705222044n545d7e23q1c898e8665d88b8e(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > Paul Harvey = light entertainment. Rush Limbaugh = professional wrestling > > On 5/22/07, Josephine Grahn wrote: > > > > Any one who forgets that Rush describes himself as "Only > > entertainment" gets the exact quality of information that they > > deserve.... > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 06:34:37 -0600 > From: "Dunn, David" > Subject: RE: [Utah-astronomy] Question On Recently Discovered Planet > To: "Utah Astronomy" > Message-ID: > > > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > If the planet has the same face towards its star, it would always be > light on that half of the planet and dark on the other side. Its day > (one revolution on its axis would be the same as its year (one orbit > around its star), 14 earth days. I suspect that it would be cold on the > dark side of the planet. > > Dave > > -----Original Message----- > From: > utah-astronomy-bounces+david.dunn=albertsons.com(a)mailman.xmission.com > [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces+david.dunn=albertsons.com@mailman.xmissio > n.com] On Behalf Of baxman2(a)comcast.net > Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 6:12 PM > To: utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com > Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Question On Recently Discovered Planet > > I have a question on the recently discovered Earth-Like Planet. It is > suppose to orbit its sun once every 14 Earth days. It is also suppose to > have the same face to its sun, as it orbits it. That would mean on > average that its daytime would be 7 Earth days, and its nightime would > be 7 Earth days. On the daytime side, temperatures are comparable to > Earth-like springtime temperatures. But how cold would the planet get > during its nightime period? I realize that temperatures could vary by > latitude. > > Sincerely, > > > J. David Baxter > baxman2(a)comcast.net > _______________________________________________ > 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 > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 06:50:49 -0600 > From: "Chuck Hards" > Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Question On Recently Discovered Planet > To: "Utah Astronomy" > Message-ID: > <2541d8030705230550n7f3306ffha42a6972c24d5dc4(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > That all depends on the atmosphere. If thick enough, and convective, it > could actually be quite warm on the night side. > > On 5/23/07, Dunn, David wrote: > > > > If the planet has the same face towards its star, it would always be > > light on that half of the planet and dark on the other side. Its day > > (one revolution on its axis would be the same as its year (one orbit > > around its star), 14 earth days. I suspect that it would be cold on the > > dark side of the planet. > > > > Dave > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: > > utah-astronomy-bounces+david.dunn=albertsons.com(a)mailman.xmission.com > > [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces+david.dunn=albertsons.com@mailman.xmissio > > n.com] On Behalf Of baxman2(a)comcast.net > > Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 6:12 PM > > To: utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com > > Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Question On Recently Discovered Planet > > > > I have a question on the recently discovered Earth-Like Planet. It is > > suppose to orbit its sun once every 14 Earth days. It is also suppose to > > have the same face to its sun, as it orbits it. That would mean on > > average that its daytime would be 7 Earth days, and its nightime would > > be 7 Earth days. On the daytime side, temperatures are comparable to > > Earth-like springtime temperatures. But how cold would the planet get > > during its nightime period? I realize that temperatures could vary by > > latitude. > > > > Sincerely, > > > > > > J. David Baxter > > baxman2(a)comcast.net > > _______________________________________________ > > 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 > > > > _______________________________________________ > > 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 > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 4 > Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 08:53:02 -0600 > From: "Kurt Fisher" > Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Lunar targets for night of 5-23 > To: > Message-ID: <200705230853.AA911409310(a)mail.csolutions.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > A night of showcase rimae with a major dome: > > Valentine Dome Rukl 18 N30.5 E10.1 > Rimae Sulpicius Gallus Rukl 23 N21 E10 > Rima Hyginus Rukl 34-35 N7.4 E7.8 > Rima Ariadeus Rukl 34-35 N6.4 E14 > > Later in the evening, sunrise over > > Rimae Triesnecker Rukl 33 N4.3 E4.6 > Rima Hadley Rukl 22 N25 E3 > > Possibly sunrise over > C. Albategnius Rukl 44-45 S11.7 E4.3 > > Terminator near E3.4 near sunset. > > Moon is 1 1/2 degs of Regulus - wide angle photo op. > > Last night's occulation of Saturn by Moon - > > world-wide photo collections at www.spaceweather.com > > - Kurt > > > > _______________________________________________ > Sent via CSolutions - http://www.csolutions.net > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 5 > Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 08:14:03 -0700 > From: Lockman > Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] more global warming > To: Utah Astronomy > Message-ID: <46545A3B.4090208(a)aznex.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > I agree with what Chuck is saying here. This debate isn't going to > change the minds of those who have already formed conclusions. Then > again there have been the posts from members welcoming the information > because they haven't had access to one side or the other's information. > Since there seems to be more than just those actually debating who are > interested I say let the debate continue. There have been many threads > on this site for which I had no personal interest. In those cases I > would just note the subject and delete the message without reading it. > Those of us who aren't interested in the debate could just do this. > > Chuck Hards wrote: > > > Nobody on this list (that I'm aware of, anyway, my apologies if > > someone here > > is doing the science) is a practicing environmental scientist with the > > means > > to conduct meaningful research on the causes of global warming. Any > > "debate" here has always been just a case of dueling Websites, always > > carefully chosen to bolster the poster's personal stance. It goes > > nowhere, > > nobody's mind is ever changed. You may as well tell someone that they > > practice their religion incorrectly. See how far you get when you > > challenge someone's belief system. > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 6 > Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 08:22:24 -0700 > From: Lockman > Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] more global warming > To: Utah Astronomy > Message-ID: <46545C30.9040409(a)aznex.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > That was a good one. I fell for it hook line and sinker. Speaking of > hooks lines and sinkers, where is Blue Lake? I'll be moving back to > Utah shortly. It sounds like a good place to fish. > > diveboss(a)xmission.com wrote: > > > Quoting Chuck Hards : > > > > > >> Nobody on this list (that I'm aware of, anyway, my apologies if > >> someone here > >> is doing the science) is a practicing environmental scientist with > >> the means > >> to conduct meaningful research on the causes of global warming. > > > > > > > > Well, no, but I do have some recent experience. Let me shine a > > different more personal light on the subject. Anyone who has ever > > been to Blue Lake diving knows that it is a thermal lake. The > > average temperature of the water is 72-78 degrees year round. The > > underwater weed beds are thick and healthy. They are teaming with > > largemouth bass and bluegills. There is a large population of fresh > > water sponges that grows on everything near the numerous bubbling and > > rolling thermal hot pots that litter the bottom. > > > > It had been 4 years since I last visited the lake, but this past week > > when I went back out to dive, something had changed. The lake didn't > > look the same. The walk to the lake was more swamp than I recall. > > Upon doing a "classic" slip and fall entry into the water it became > > very apparent that the water temperature had changed. The computer > > said 57 degrees. Underwater, the horror unfolded as I swam looking > > for something familiar. The once healthy weed beds were all but gone, > > and there were no huge blugills or bass. There is a fair population > > of small fry though, but that is about it. > > > > Most of the really big underwater thermal rivers and hot pots are now > > quiet. I couldn't see any sponges. The bottom of the lake looked like > > a moonscape and deep with silt. The slightest fin kick brought forth > > a cloud of thick silt that blocked out the view. Even the depth had > > changed. In disbelief I did a controlled emergency swimming ascent > > and through my regulator yelled "Why God why???" And then it hit me, > > I was in the wrong lake. Okay that's my global warming experience. > > Anyone care to share? > > > > _______________________________________________ > > 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 > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 7 > Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 09:37:36 -0600 > From: "Kim" > Subject: RE: [Utah-astronomy] Question On Recently Discovered Planet > To: "'Utah Astronomy'" > Message-ID: <200705231537.l4NFbDuh012513(a)cut.iserver.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > Assuming an earth-like planet, with oceans and similar weather processes, I > think even then the dark side would be very cold. With an atmosphere to > moderate the weather, it likely wouldn't experience the extremes of the Moon > or Mercury, but relative to our (human) needs for comfort, I still think the > dark hemisphere would be cold. Consider how on earth a relatively small > change in incoming radiation causes very large temperature swings. (Oh-oh, > an oblique reference to global warming - unintended, I promise.) I know some > science fiction writers have postulated that life on a planet that is > tidally-locked with its parent star would likely inhabit a very narrow > "ring" in the twilight zone between the fully-illuminated hemisphere (too > hot) and the fully-dark hemisphere (too cold). Would be an interesting place > to visit. > > Kim > > -----Original Message----- > From: utah-astronomy-bounces+kimharch=cut.net(a)mailman.xmission.com > [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces+kimharch=cut.net@mailman.xmission.com] On > Behalf Of Chuck Hards > Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2007 6:51 AM > To: Utah Astronomy > Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Question On Recently Discovered Planet > > That all depends on the atmosphere. If thick enough, and convective, it > could actually be quite warm on the night side. > > On 5/23/07, Dunn, David wrote: > > > > If the planet has the same face towards its star, it would always be > > light on that half of the planet and dark on the other side. Its day > > (one revolution on its axis would be the same as its year (one orbit > > around its star), 14 earth days. I suspect that it would be cold on the > > dark side of the planet. > > > > Dave > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: > > utah-astronomy-bounces+david.dunn=albertsons.com(a)mailman.xmission.com > > [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces+david.dunn=albertsons.com@mailman.xmissio > > n.com] On Behalf Of baxman2(a)comcast.net > > Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 6:12 PM > > To: utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com > > Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Question On Recently Discovered Planet > > > > I have a question on the recently discovered Earth-Like Planet. It is > > suppose to orbit its sun once every 14 Earth days. It is also suppose to > > have the same face to its sun, as it orbits it. That would mean on > > average that its daytime would be 7 Earth days, and its nightime would > > be 7 Earth days. On the daytime side, temperatures are comparable to > > Earth-like springtime temperatures. But how cold would the planet get > > during its nightime period? I realize that temperatures could vary by > > latitude. > > > > Sincerely, > > > > > > J. David Baxter > > baxman2(a)comcast.net > > _______________________________________________ > > 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 > > > > _______________________________________________ > > 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 > > > _______________________________________________ > 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 > > ______________________________________________________________________ > This e-mail has been scanned by Cut.Net Managed Email Content Service, using > Skeptic(tm) technology powered by MessageLabs. For more information on > Cut.Nets Content Service, visit http://www.cut.net > ______________________________________________________________________ > > > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > 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 > > End of Utah-Astronomy Digest, Vol 51, Issue 43 > **********************************************

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more global warming
by Kim 23 May '07

23 May '07

I just caught a few minutes of a piece on NPR's "All Things Considered," discussing rising ocean temperatures and how they may relate to increased storm activity. One person made the most accurate statement regarding the "debate" that I've heard. To paraphrase, "People should know that the climate is warming and be prepared for it." Kim

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Lunar targets for night of 5-23
by Kurt Fisher 23 May '07

23 May '07

A night of showcase rimae with a major dome: Valentine Dome Rukl 18 N30.5 E10.1 Rimae Sulpicius Gallus Rukl 23 N21 E10 Rima Hyginus Rukl 34-35 N7.4 E7.8 Rima Ariadeus Rukl 34-35 N6.4 E14 Later in the evening, sunrise over Rimae Triesnecker Rukl 33 N4.3 E4.6 Rima Hadley Rukl 22 N25 E3 Possibly sunrise over C. Albategnius Rukl 44-45 S11.7 E4.3 Terminator near E3.4 near sunset. Moon is 1 1/2 degs of Regulus - wide angle photo op. Last night's occulation of Saturn by Moon - world-wide photo collections at www.spaceweather.com - Kurt _______________________________________________ Sent via CSolutions - http://www.csolutions.net

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Vernon? (Was: Any obs reports on the Pit N Pole...)
by Chuck Hards 22 May '07

22 May '07

Patrick has the right idea. Mass isn't what's keeping the scope from sinking, it's the "footprint" of the pad that keeps things "floating". You simply spread the weight of the telescope legs over a larger surface area. Plywood travels *much* easier than stone. On 5/22/07, Joe Bauman <bau(a)desnews.com> wrote: > > No, I didn't go to Vernon because I was worried about soft ground. > But I really like the idea of buying stone from Western Garden. I > like your idea too, but I would never dare use a round saw. Thanks, > Joe > > >Hi Joe, > > > >On 22 May 2007, at 10:10, Joe Bauman wrote: > > > >>At Vernon, not too far from that location, I thought I was having > >>trouble with legs of the tripod settling deeper. > > > >So you were out by Vernon last weekend? Did you happen to run into > >anyone else from SLAS? I understand a new subscriber to this list > >(Mark Hanning-Lee) that lives at Dugway was planning on being out > >that way. > > > >As for the soft ground situation, my standard solution for years now > >has been nothing fancier that round pieces of thick plywood I cut > >out with a hole saw. They are 15 cm in diameter and have always > >worked for me even on damp soil and even loose sand. > > > >pw > > > >_______________________________________________ > >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 > > > _______________________________________________ > 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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Two NASA Opportunities for College Students
by Patrick Wiggins 22 May '07

22 May '07

Athletic Training Internship at Kennedy Space Center http://rehabworks.ksc.nasa.gov/about/internships/ Fall 2007 University Art Contest: Life and Work on the Moon http://artcontest.larc.nasa.gov/ pw

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