May 2010 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

Re: [Utah-astronomy] CGEM (Was: Atlas or CGEM?)
by Chuck Hards 14 May '10

14 May '10

Thanks, Rob, I really couldn't believe it, myself, when I stuck that foam into the aluminum case. It was MADE to carry a CGEM. :o) On 5/14/10, Rob Ratkowski Photography <ratkwski(a)hawaii.rr.com> wrote: > very nice Chuck! I love it when things fall into place ;^)

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Dust covers
by Chuck Hards 14 May '10

14 May '10

I recently tooled-up dust covers for 8" OD tubes, and 5" OD tubes. Construction is hand-laid, molded fiberglass composite, painted with a black, textured finish, and felt-lined. You can add more felt to accommodate a slightly smaller tube if desired. Pricing is currently $20 each for the 8", or a pair for $30. The 5" are $15 each or a pair for $25. Each one is made-to-order only, I do not carry an inventory at present. I'll have a photo on my SLAS gallery page in a day or three. Fit and finish is professional/commercial grade. Dust covers for 12" OD tubes coming soon, as well as full-aperture Baader solar filters for these same tube OD's. Contact me for pricing on sizes not listed. If there is enough interest for a particular size, I'll tool it up.

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Weekend Observing
by JayLEads 13 May '10

13 May '10

I know that SLAS has a party at SPOC but I am planning on Rush Valley/ Pit n Pole on Friday and either that location or Lakeside (or the hills to the west of that site) on Saturday night. If anyone is interested in a darker site location and heading out let me know. I know tomorrow night the skies don't look so good on Clear Sky Clock at Camp Floyd until around 8:00p.m. and then clear skies. A couple of us are meeting at the LDS Church parking lot on Friday at 6:00p.m at Cedar Fort, right off Hwy 73. if anyone wants to meet up please feel free. No matter what or where, lets hope for a tremendous weekend of viewing or imaging!

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Jupitar Lost a Stripe?
by Jay Eads 13 May '10

13 May '10

Sorry for my new thread on this. I hope it can be deleted or moved to this. This article says that this event occurred in 1973 when Pioneer 10 flew by taking pictures and then again around 1990 for a couple of years then. http://www.ksee24.com/news/local/93611629.html?hpt=T2 So I don't know about every 15 years but this does seem to occur. Should make the GRS easier to see, but then again, the GSR was reported, I believe, last year to be shrinking. On 2010-05-13 22:26, Dunn, David wrote: > It was interesting in the article that they mentioned that on previous > occurrences the band comes back after a white disk appears on the > planet. It must be some kind of storm that picks up the colored stuff > and puts it back in the cloud band. It would be pretty neat to watch > that process happen. > > Dave > > -----Original Message----- > From: utah-astronomy-bounces@??? > [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@???] On Behalf Of Chuck > Hards > Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2010 3:47 PM > To: Utah Astronomy > Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Jupitar Lost a Stripe? > > It's got to lose them all before that happens. > > On 5/13/10, Dale Hooper <Dale.Hooper@???> wrote: > > So far there have been no obelisk sightings. > > >

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Libration Summary Chart for Lunation 1081 May June 2010
by Canopus56 13 May '10

13 May '10

Chuck wrote: > Thanks for the libration chart, Kurt. I have also put together an animated version for January through May 2010. This gives me some sense of how libration and lunar phase are related over a season. http://fisherka.csolutionshosting.net/astronote/libration/2010Libration.gif Clear Skies - Kurt

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Jupiter Loses South Equatorial Belt
by Jay Eads 13 May '10

13 May '10

Not sure if this was in the news but it seems that as Jupiter has emerged from behind the sun that the south equatorial belt has disappeared: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18889-jupiter-loses-a-stripe.html So if your up early take a look and see if it is still MIA. I guess this has happen before and it has returned (in 1971 the article says I believe). Might make for an interesting sketch or image to compare for when it returns.

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Why astrophotography?
by Dave Gary 13 May '10

13 May '10

For a succinct answer, I am reminded of my wife’s statement about me and other SLAS members. “Face it, dude. You’re a bunch of geeks.” Dave Gary

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Libration Summary Chart for Lunation 1081 May June 2010
by Canopus56 12 May '10

12 May '10

A lunar libration summary chart for lunation 1081 (5-14 to 6-12). http://fisherka.csolutionshosting.net/astronote/libration/Latest.jpg Historical charts are available in directory: http://fisherka.csolutionshosting.net/astronote/libration/ The Moon enters its seasonal low altitude phase. No imaging opportunities above 60 degrees altitude from 41 North latitude. Clear Skies - Kurt

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M-97 / M-101
by Patrick Wiggins 12 May '10

12 May '10

I've got Tyler's versions of my recent M-97 and M-101 data posted. http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=68&g2_page=5 He does have a magical way with processing data. patrick

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why photography?
by Michael Vanopstall 12 May '10

12 May '10

Hello, all -- Together with Chuck, I can take a little responsibility for the horrible weather. I bought a pair of Celestron 15x70 binoculars this week (yes, the price of $72 at Clark is good, but not as good as the price of $45 with free shipping that I got from Amazon). I'm going to be in the middle of nowhere for a lot of the month of May, but not able to take my scope with me. Now that the semester is over, I've been getting all reflective. I think I can explain why I like to go out and do astronomy related stuff. I'm not much into astrophysics, even though as a mathematician, I probably should be. I don't sketch. I really like being in the middle of nowhere, in the dark. I like meeting goals, working through lists. If you've read the ultra-saccharine "Hidden Treasures" by Steven O'Meara, I'm definitely the grab-and-run sort of sky pirate. None of my eyepieces is very good at all, and my 25mm one is the best, so I don't dwell on objects; just collect. The experience of the outdoors, and just finding things (like doing a puzzle) is fun for me. I'm curious if anyone (on these cloudy nights) could give a succinct explanation of what is interesting about astrophotography. I have not (and will not) been drawn in, and I'm curious about what interests others. Thanks. ---- Rev. Michael A. van Opstall Department of Mathematics, University of Utah Office: JWB 313 opstall(a)math.utah.edu

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