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

Fwd: GP-B Results Paper Now Available on arXiv GR-QC
by Dave Gary 18 May '11

18 May '11

Begin forwarded message: > From: Bob Kahn <kahn(a)relgyro.stanford.edu> > Date: May 18, 2011 1:57:15 AM MDT > To: gpb-update(a)lists.stanford.edu > Subject: GP-B Results Paper Now Available on arXiv GR-QC > > All, > > The PRL version of our GP-B Final Results summary paper is still in production. > > However, last Friday, we uploaded a copy of this paper to the General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology Section (GR-QC) of arXiv.org. > > Posting of this submission was delayed a couple days due to a technical issue, but the paper, entitled "Gravity Probe B: Final Results of a Space Experiment to test General Relativity" is now available there. It is dated 17 May 2011 and numbered arXiv:1105.3456v1. > > You can download and view a PDF copy of this arXiv submission at: http://arxiv.org/abs/1105.3456 > > I've also updated the Current Mission Status page on our GP-B website (http://einstein.stanford.edu/highlights/status1.html) with this arXiv link, as well as video icons for playing the GP-B video file we produced to accompany NASA's broadcast of the 4 May 2011 GP-B Press Conference. > > We appreciate your patience and continued interest in GP-B. > > Regards, > > Bob Kahn > GP-B Public Affairs & Webmaster > > -- > *************************************** > NASA - Stanford - Lockheed Martin > Gravity Probe B Program > "Testing Einstein's Universe" > http://einstein.stanford.edu > > Bob Kahn > Public Affairs Coordinator & Webmaster > > Phone: 650-723-2540 > Fax: 650-723-3494 > Email: kahn(a)relgyro.stanford.edu > *************************************** > > ================================================================ > gpb-update mailing list > server. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the > https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/gpb-update > =================================================================== >

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Notch Peak Observing Session Blog Post
by Jay Eads 17 May '11

17 May '11

Joe recommended that I share my post on Mat Hutchings and I's visit to the Notch Peak area. This is about Mat's and I visit to Notch Peak. It is truly a dark site and I enjoyed it very much. Thanks to Mat for bringing it to my attention, and for getting me there. It is a place I'll back to like Memorial Day Weekend. Any takers? http://jaysastronomyobservingblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/observing-session-ma… -- Jay Eads

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First 'habitable' exoplanet confirmed
by Troy Davidson 17 May '11

17 May '11

>From the article: Modelling of planet Gliese 581d shows it has the potential to be warm and wet enough to nurture Earth-like life, scientists have said. It orbits a red dwarf star called Gliese 581, located around 20 light years from Earth, which makes it one of our closest neighbours. http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/4321/first-habitable-exoplanet-confirmed ++++++++++++++++++ Troy Davidson, KF7MTE www.istroyworking.com

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GoComics: Non Sequitur
by starsbirdsglyphs 17 May '11

17 May '11

Good comic today Deloy Non Sequitur http://mee.bo/mEf3ee (source: GoComics) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Sent by starsbirdsglyphs(a)gmail.com using Meebo. This sender's email address has not been verified.

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Time Lapse Shuttle
by Steve Fisher 16 May '11

16 May '11

Bill Cowles sent me the link to this Youtube. You may have seen it. I had not. Do not adjust your sound, it is silent till near the end. http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=KZrFC988Thc

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Four-Planet Dance of 2011
by Canopus56 16 May '11

16 May '11

Joe asked: > How do you get your camera at the same spot ever time? It's not a high-precision technique. I just use a pre-existing spilled oil spot on pavement along the west end of the Little Mtn parking lot as a registration mark. I'm not a morning person, and it has been nice to sit around and watch the sunrise over a series of days. It is quite peaceful with some great highlighted morning clouds with subtle colors that I am not sufficiently skilled with the Canon 450D to capture. - Kurt

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Four-Planet Dance of 2011
by Canopus56 16 May '11

16 May '11

Joe wrote: > Just tell me you didn't peer directly at the sun. There isn't any detail in the solar disk because the disk was captured using a wide-field Canon 450D. But, how I made the image is a trick worth noting for future: The tripod mounted Canon 450D with a 50-250mm zoom lens was tripod mounted at the lowest magnification - 50mm. A glass Orion solar filter, which has a 1 inch metal lip was simply hung off the edge of the Canon lens. A nice deep orange-yellow color, reminiscent of an Ha filter image, was achieved with the max aperture speed of 1/4000'' at f5.6. Using that setup, I also took a nice set of Sun disk rising over the ridge line images, but the aperture speed was too high. I'll be repeating that test at the 250mm zoom magnification and a lower aperture speed. Clear Skies - Kurt

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Four-Planet Dance of 2011
by Canopus56 15 May '11

15 May '11

Joe, The images are a time series - a chronograph - that overplot a series of planetary images over time onto one master background - an image taken on May 1. I believe Cory was looking at the earlier May 13 cumulative image - http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=4305 - which shows the position of Venus on separate days - May 1 and May 2 and then May 12 and 13. The labeled version of the cumulative May 13 image - http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=4302 - lists the different dates. When I began this photo series in early May, I was hoping to do a time series from May 1 through May 29. But between May 3 and May 11, Salt Lake was completely clouded out. That period included the key May 9 close conjunction between Jupiter and Venus as Jupiter rose above the local horizon. Because of this imaging gap and beginning with the May 14 cumulative image, I have decided to crop the master frame to capture a photo sequence between May 12 and May 27. See - http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=4308 Clear Skies - Kurt P.S. - I have also changed my digital processing technique from the steps listed in my 2011-05-03 16:28-600 post. The changes concern how to overlay just the planets from each day's additive image to the master background frame. Currently, I align the new addition image to the local horizon. Then I make a new clear transparency. Then using Gimp's (or Photoshop's) Ellipse Selection Tool, I multi-select a circle around Jupiter and Mars. Then just the planet's are copied and pasted into the transparent overlay layer. Then the day's additive image can be discarded or stored as a non-visible layer.

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Four-Planet Dance of 2011
by Canopus56 15 May '11

15 May '11

Dance of the Planets - 5-15-2011 cumulative image http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=4312 Clear Skies - Kurt

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Just a few days left...
by Patrick Wiggins 15 May '11

15 May '11

Funny that this would be in today's paper as the subject was one of the topics of conversation at last evening's post-SPOC Advanced Training: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/51811692-82/bagley-cartoon-lake-salt.h… Only a few days left to the end of the world... Grins, patrick

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