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

Imaging question
by Chuck Hards 14 Dec '11

14 Dec '11

Can an autoguider be used to train the mount's PEC function? Or does the autoguider negate the need to use PEC? Thanks!

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Newton's papers.
by Daniel Holmes 14 Dec '11

14 Dec '11

Anyone see this? 4000 pages of Newton's notebooks has been scanned, and is being released to the public: http://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/ Dan -- Daniel Holmes, danielh(a)holmesonics.com "Laugh while you can, monkey boy!" -- Lord John Whorfin

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Observing
by Jay Eads 14 Dec '11

14 Dec '11

I've noted this over at AstronomyinUtah.com but Saturday is calling for clear skies that night with the waning last quarter moon coming up at 12:51.a.m. I'm heading out if it is clear and the following week and the next week after that. If your interested let me know here or at http://astronomyinutah.forumer.com/index.php under Observing in Utah. -- Jay Eads

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December Lunar eclipse
by daniel turner 13 Dec '11

13 Dec '11

Here is my best photo of the Saturday lunar eclipse. I went out to Saltair at 5:00am and there were dozens of people setting up cameras in the 19 degree temperature. The location had a good northwest horizon over the Great Salt Lake that allowed the eclipse to be viewed down close to the horizon. DT http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=4844

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FW: Media Invited To Houston
by Barrett 13 Dec '11

13 Dec '11

Just in case someone might be interested, this is from the meteorite list. -Barrett Dec. 13, 2011 J.D. Harrington/Michael J. Braukus Headquarters, Washington 202-358-5241/1979 j.d.harrington@nasa.gov/michael.j.braukus@nasa.gov Amiko Kauderer Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 amiko.kauderer-1(a)nasa.gov MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-248 MEDIA INVITED TO SIMULATED ASTEROID CAMPOUT IN HOUSTON HOUSTON -- For three days this week, a small part of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston will simulate a human mission to an asteroid. Reporters are invited to observe what the mission might entail. As NASA continues plans to send humans to explore asteroids and other destinations beyond low-Earth orbit, a number of questions are being asked about how astronauts could live and work in space. NASA astronaut Mike Gernhardt and geologist Brent Garry of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Ariz., will spend three days and two nights living inside the cabin of a prototype multi-mission Space Exploration Vehicle (SEV) answering some of those questions. Reporters may visit the test site at 10:30 a.m. CST on Thursday, Dec. 15, during a simulated spacewalk in which a crew member will use a microgravity simulator. To attend contact Amiko Kauderer at amiko.kauderer-1(a)nasa.gov by 5 p.m. on Wednesday. The public is invited to ask the crew questions via twitter @Desert_RATS; for a Twitterview the crew will participate in at 11 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 16. Questions should be marked #SEV. Normally, the cabin of the SEV prototype is used atop a wheeled chassis, but wheels are of no use in the microgravity environment of an asteroid. Instead, the cabin would be used on a propelled sled allowing crew members to maneuver around the asteroid. To simulate such an environment, the SEV will be on an air-bearing floor allowing it to virtually float, much like an air hockey puck. The crew will see how the SEV handles in a simulated microgravity environment. The tests are part of NASA's Research and Technology Studies (RATS) program that will evaluate and provide data for future generations of SEV cabins. The test will be repeated in January with a different crew. Both tests will be used to develop a fully integrated RATS test at Johnson in August. This series of tests and will be used to evaluate existing tools that could be used to simulate spacewalks on an asteroid. The only time the crew will leave the SEV during the tests will be to perform simulated spacewalks. Test equipment and laboratories include: -- Johnson's virtual reality laboratory, also used to train astronauts for both space shuttle and International Space Station spacewalks -- A chair with thrusters previously used for testing the Manned Maneuvering Unit, a jet pack designed to allow astronauts to perform untethered spacewalks -- The Active Response Gravity Offload System, or ARGOS, a system that suspends astronauts in spacesuits from a beam and simulated different amounts of gravity. During the media event, a crew member will conduct a simulated spacewalk using ARGOS For information about the Desert RATS tests, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/desertrats For more information about the multi-mission Space Exploration Vehicle, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/home/SEV.html Follow Desert RATS via Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/Desert_RATS -end- ______________________________________________ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list(a)meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list

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Kepler-22 = GSC 03546-02301
by Dale Hooper 12 Dec '11

12 Dec '11

Last week there was a discussion of alternate designations for Kepler-22. I discussed it with Shane Larson from USU and he suggested checking good ol' Wikipedia (which isn't usually the first place I go). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler-22b It does have some additional info and it had a SIMBAD link which indicates that this is GSC 03546-02301. Shane indicated that knowing the coordinates very precisely is important for this object since it is such a busy field. The J2000 coordinates are RA 19h 16m 52.2s, Dec +47deg 53' 4.2", and it is apparent magnitude 11.7. Clear skies, Dale.

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2,000 and counting
by Patrick Wiggins 12 Dec '11

12 Dec '11

I just updated my observatory logbook and found that last night's session was #2,000. That got me curious so I pulled out my first log and saw that logbook 1 session 1 was in my first observatory (http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=102 and image 22 on http://www.slas.us/patrick2/slas/SPOCEARLY.HTML) right after I finished it and when I lived over by SPOC. The entry that night indicates I used my Schmidt camera to photograph Comet Kohler (remember when we photographed the sky instead of imaging it?). Date was 09 November 1977. I was not as active back then as today (work kept interfering with observing in those days). I'm at 168 sessions so far this year. If I'd kept that pace since '77 I'd be nearing 6,000 by now. Ah, memories. patrick

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Astronomy atlases for sale
by erikhansen＠thebluezone.net 12 Dec '11

12 Dec '11

>Chuck, Yes, I use mine as well they can be helpful to review objects in constellations before an observing session, even if you use goto you have to know the object is there to find it. Also, when translating observing lists they can be useful, there seems little conformity in the designations of some objects. It some times gets down to tracing RA and DEC of the object. Particularly double stars, I usually cross reference these with 2 or 3 sources. I did donate my Uranometria 2000.0 to SPOC, the scale is not useful from my light polluted back yard and small refractor. Erik

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Astronomy atlases for sale
by Patrick Wiggins 12 Dec '11

12 Dec '11

I just don't use paper charts anymore so I'm thinking maybe someone out there might be interested in my pristine copies of: Sky Catalogue 2000.0 Volume 1 Stars to Magnitude 8.0 (paperback) http://www.amazon.com/Sky-Catalogue-2000-0-20000-2nd/dp/0521427363 Sky Catalogue 2000.0 Volume 2 Double Stars, Variable Stars and Nonstellar Objects (paperback) http://www.amazon.com/Sky-Catalogue-2000-0-Galaxies-Magnitude/dp/0521277213 Uranometria 2000.0 Volume 1 The Northern Hemisphere (Hardcover) http://www.amazon.com/Uranometria-2000-0-Northern-Hemisphere-Degrees/dp/094… Uranometria 2000.0 Volume 2 The Southern Hemisphere (Hardcover) http://www.amazon.com/Uranometria-2000-0-Vol-Southern-Hemisphere/dp/0943396… Not sure what I'll be asking for them but it'll be less than Amazon is asking. Any interest? patrick

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Alternate to Dew Controller
by Chuck Hards 11 Dec '11

11 Dec '11

Good idea, but pricey for what you get. A ten-dollar project for the ATM. On Dec 11, 2011 6:33 PM, "Jay Eads" <jayleads(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Want to make some dew strips but don't have the $100 for the dew > controller? Here is an alternative that costs $28.00. Just need source > for the power and it will only run one item I believe. > > http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid=7710 > > -- > Jay Eads > _______________________________________________ > 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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