November 2011 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

Ganymede is casting a great shadow right now
by Dave Gary 15 Nov '11

15 Nov '11

Was out tweaking some goto scripts for use with RTGUI and SkyFi ran out of battery power. No computer! I had to resort to using the hand controller to keep observing. After I took a pill and had a drink I was calm enough to pretend I was Tycho de Brahe and do this astronomy the old-fashioned way. OK, Tycho didn’t have a telescope with a hand controller, but other than that, pretty much the same. Especially, the drinking part. Being totally lost, not knowing the difference between a constellation and a nebula, I decided I had a fifty-fifty chance that the really bright object in the east was Jupiter. Hey, nailed that one. Punched in 905 or 906, whatever Jupiter is in the “classic” hand controller and took a peek. Ganymede was casting a nice shadow. Probably, still is. Go take a look. Dave

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Need Ride to SLAS Meeting
by D P Pierce 15 Nov '11

15 Nov '11

Hi, I need a ride to SLAS meeting. Just me and my fold up 35 lb wheelchair. It fits in most trunks, some hatchbacks, some backseats and all pickup beds. I live at 6200 S and Bangerter. Call me on my cell 801 739 2730 be ore 4:30 today which is when I head for the bus stop if you can help me. Deloy Pierce Large Bored Member

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SLAS and CLarke Planetrium
by stormcrow60＠xmission.com 15 Nov '11

15 Nov '11

Chuck, You had mentioned that Clarke Planetarium had issues with SLAS meeting there. I am unfamiliar with the reasons you had mentioned. Can you shed some more light on this? Thanks, Jon

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Dinner for veterans tomorrow (OT)
by Patrick Wiggins 15 Nov '11

15 Nov '11

Please excuse an off topic post but I wanted to let my fellow vets on the list know that Golden Corral will be providing free meals for vets tomorrow, Monday, 14 November from 1700 to 2100. Open to anyone who is currently serving or who has ever served in the U.S. Military. No ID required. Knowing there are more than a few vets on this list I'm wondering if y'all would care to meet up at the Golden Corral in Midvale (where SLAS has it's annual Solstice Festival) at 1900. Any interest? patrick

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Soyuz launch to ISS
by Patrick Wiggins 15 Nov '11

15 Nov '11

I just watched the replay of the last evening's launch of the Expedition 29 crew to the ISS on a Russian Soyuz launch vehicle. Glad to see they made it safely to orbit. Rendezvous and docking with the station is set for Tuesday. A couple of things that caught my attention: 1) Apparently the Russians will launch in practically any weather. I'm used to seeing NASA scrub launches because of weather but last evening's launch occurred in a snow storm so heavy the launch vehicle was all but obscured while sitting on the pad. 2) All of the shots of the interior of the Soyuz capsule showed the three human crew members and hanging above the humans from a tether was an Angry Bird. When the 3rd stage separated Angry Bird started to float about and the announcer said "And as you can see from the Angry Bird floating above, the crew has reached orbit. A low tech but effective micro-gravity detector to be sure. :) http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-111311a.html patrick

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I accept
by Mark Shelton 14 Nov '11

14 Nov '11

----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Mark Shelton <woodturninginc(a)yahoo.com> To: "utah-astronomy-owner(a)mailman.xmission.com" <utah-astronomy-owner(a)mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Monday, November 14, 2011 7:16 PM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Sunspotting Scope I am so glad I checked E-mail at the right time, Thank you jcarman. When I did not sign up for getting one of the scopes I have not payed much attention to what is going on. SO Chuck Let me know what I need to do to participate in getting this scope? Mark Shelton ________________________________ From: "utah-astronomy-owner(a)mailman.xmission.com" <utah-astronomy-owner(a)mailman.xmission.com> To: woodturninginc(a)yahoo.com Sent: Monday, November 14, 2011 7:10 PM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Sunspotting Scope ----- Forwarded Message ----- You are not allowed to post to this mailing list, and your message has been automatically rejected. If you think that your messages are being rejected in error, contact the mailing list owner at utah-astronomy-owner(a)mailman.xmission.com. I accept ________________________________ From: "jcarman6(a)q.com" <jcarman6(a)q.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Monday, November 14, 2011 6:45 PM Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Sunspotting Scope When Mr. Hards asked for those interested in getting one of the scopes he was building, I put my name on the list. Several people commented that they wished they had got there name on the list after it closed. If any of those whe were interested, still are, please respond to this e-mail with "I accept." You can take my place on the list. Thanks. _______________________________________________ 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.slas.us/gallery2/main.php

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NEED RIDE TO SLAS MEETING
by D P Pierce 14 Nov '11

14 Nov '11

Hi, I need a ride to SLAS meeting. Just me and my fold up 35 lb wheelchair. It fits in most trunks, some hatchbacks, some backseats and all pickup beds. II live at 6200 S and Bangerter. Deloy Pierce Large Bored Member

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Veterans Day
by Chuck Hards 13 Nov '11

13 Nov '11

A wish for a happy, yet solemn Veterans Day to all, especially those who served and those who have family members who served. I recall my parents and grandparents calling the holiday "Armistice Day" when I was young. The holiday initially commemorated the signing of the armistice that ended WWI, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. (Some of you know that I am a WWI buff). More background on the holiday: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_Day Old Glory is flying in front of my house today. A heartfelt "Thank You" to all who serve or served in the various military branches of the United States Armed Forces. Let us never forget our soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen, most especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice that we may live free from tyranny and oppression. May their sacrifice never be in vain. God Bless America!

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ATM report and next planned date
by Hutchings, Mat (H USA) 13 Nov '11

13 Nov '11

Charlie and Josh braved the colder weather and my unheated garage for another good ATM session yesterday. Seriously, during the winter it can be cold in my garage as it faces north and so never gets sun. If you do make it to an ATM session during the winter, wear thermals and warm socks! Josh brought his newly acquired set of Ronchi gratings as well as knife edge testers. All of us viewed his 8" mirror with the knife edge and then I showed how to perform a Foucault test. Josh got the hang of it very well and we traded turns taking measurements of his mirror using a five zone Couder mask. The readings were very consistent and so we used my favorite data reduction program, fig34, to crunch the numbers. His mirror tested to 1/8 wave (P-V on the wavefront) with a Strehl ratio of 0.975. A very respectable mirror. However, he can improve on that and in the process gain valuable experience. The mirror has a slightly high center, and the outer zone is focusing a little short. Those are the areas he will work on with a sub-diameter lap. Josh also brought a 4" Pyrex blank he got from Willmann-Bell that he will to use to make a finder for a larger scope. We poured a dental stone/tile tool for him to use to grind this blank to a nice 4" f4 mirror. Currently, I am working on a ball mount for my 4" f4 mirror, another 4" f4 mirror that is fully polished and waiting to be figured, and two 6" f4 blanks that I am starting to fine grind. The idea is that by next month I will have three blanks to be figuring at the same time, I know, I'm a glutton for punishment. At least they are small mirrors. My thinking is that by then I will understand how to make mirrors by machine and then will start on larger (8" and 10") mirrors. The next session is on Dec. 10th from 9:00 AM to noonish. As usual, email me off list at mat.hutchings(a)siemens.com <mailto:mat.hutchings@siemens.com> and I will give you directions to my house. Mat ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This message and any included attachments are from Siemens Medical Solutions and are intended only for the addressee(s). The information contained herein may include trade secrets or privileged or otherwise confidential information. Unauthorized review, forwarding, printing, copying, distributing, or using such information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you received this message in error, or have reason to believe you are not authorized to receive it, please promptly delete this message and notify the sender by e-mail with a copy to Central.SecurityOffice(a)siemens.com Thank you

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Need ride to SLAS meeting
by D P Pierce 13 Nov '11

13 Nov '11

Hi, I need a ride to SLAS meeting. Just me and my fold up 35 lb wheelchair. It fits in most trunks, some hatchbacks, some backseats and all pickup beds. Deloy Pierce Large Bored Member

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