January 2012 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

Have any good ALCON 2011 pictures?
by Patrick Wiggins 05 Jan '12

05 Jan '12

Hi all, This was in this morning's News but since there are a few folks here who are not SLAS members but who were at last year's ALCON I thought I'd post here as well. Now that I no longer have the page restrictions on Nova that I used to I'd like to include a detailed writeup on the Bryce Canyon ALCON in the next issue of Nova, along with lots of pictures. I'm thinking mostly pictures of the various events but a few shots of the night sky taken during the convention would be nice too. Lowell (bolide(a)sisna.com) is going to provide the text and has already collected some pictures but there is room for more. So if you have pictures you'd like to contribute please let Lowell or I know. Clear skies, patrick

1 0

Star Sharing
by Raeburn Kennard 05 Jan '12

05 Jan '12

In response to M Wilson: Yes, I do enjoy star sharing. Even though I am at the low end of the expertise spectrum among members of this forum, I can usually impress the neighbors. And my low-tech equipment has two advantages: (1) it does not inspire much covetousness, nor does it represent my retirement nest-egg if it were stolen, and (2) it's quick to set up and take down. Finding obscure stuff (especially in light-polluted skies of the valley) is tricky because it is not computer-assisted, but for the kind of big stuff the neighbors want to see, the Telrad is usually all I need. My first taste of astronomy was in the 6th grade when my teacher, Kirk Wood, did a similar star sharing night at the school with his home-made telescope. Maybe I can trigger an interest in some other young kid. Original Post: From: M Wilson <astro_outwest(a)yahoo.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Neighborhood Star Sharing Sounds like you had a wonderful experience. I have thought of doing the same but then wonder if having an expensive piece of equipment on dispaly in my front yard may give some nefarious types in the neighborhood the idea that I had something worth stealing when no one is at home.

1 0

Re: [Utah-astronomy] Club growth
by Gary Vardon 05 Jan '12

05 Jan '12

I hope SLAS is considered a science organization and teaches science. Astronomy to me is more a fascinating study than just a hobby. Sincerely, Gary Vardon The book DO It Right will help you understand vital ideas leading to your greater success. GO to PublishAmerica.com Consulting For Profit is also available. Learn how to make money as a consultant.

6 5

Time it takes to get to the Moon
by baxman2＠q.com 05 Jan '12

05 Jan '12

The recent NASA lunar probes took three months to reach the Moon from the Earth. I understand escape velocity to be 7 miles per second, and it took the Apollo astronauts three days to get to the Moon. If the NASA probes used the same escape velocity as the Apollo Moon Missions; why did it take three months for the NASA probes to get there, and only three days for the Apollo spacecraft to get there? ----- Original Message ----- From: utah-astronomy-request(a)mailman.xmission.com To: utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com Sent: Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:24:51 -0500 (EST) Subject: Utah-Astronomy Digest, Vol 107, Issue 1 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: club growth (Joe Bauman) 2. Re: Club growth (Brent Watson) 3. Re: Club growth (Joe Bauman) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 1 Jan 2012 00:20:24 -0800 (PST) From: Joe Bauman <josephmbauman(a)yahoo.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] club growth Message-ID: <1325406024.17605.YahooMailNeo(a)web38905.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Thanks for the explanation, Patrick.Now I understand Daniel's comment. Sorry for my response, Daniel -- I thought you were dissing my guru! In fact, we're on the same side here, I'm very happy to say. -- Joe ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Sun, 1 Jan 2012 12:04:00 -0800 (PST) From: Brent Watson <brentjwatson(a)yahoo.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Club growth Message-ID: <1325448240.62191.YahooMailNeo(a)web39402.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 I believe that SLAS, or OAS, is first, a social organization and second, a layman's science organization. ?If people don't return I would postulate it is because they don't find SLAS or OAS socialization to their liking - they don't find a friend. ?If there is friendship, there will be continuing attendance at club meetings and functions. I learned long ago that clubs, organizations, societies, etc. exist to fulfill the basic need of human beings to associate with one another. ?It is written in the preamble to the club's constitution. ?Here it is. ? "We the undersigned, desiring to secure the pleasures and benefits of an association of? persons interested in astronomy; to promote the science of astronomy and its associated? sciences; to encourage and coordinate activities with professional research, do hereby? organize and constitute ourselves as the Salt Lake Astronomical Society, a non-profit? organization." The purpose is first to "...secure the pleasures and benefits of an association of persons...", and then second ?to do the science stuff. ?Anyone who has been an officer of the club will probably acknowledge that it is much harder to get the membership to engage in science than it is to get the members to socialize. ?Outreach, by the way, is a form of socialization. ?Star parties are socialization. ?How many postings do we see here about an observing session - come along. ?They are parties after all. So, my response is the following. ?If you want the club to grow, smile, introduce yourself to the new folks (NOT newbies. ?I believe there are many less offensive monikers.), and take a genuine interest in them. ?Make them your friend. ?Include them in your activities - your private star parties. ?Give them a ride. ?They are people looking for the pleasures and benefits of association who also have an interest in astronomy. ?That commonality will launch club growth. ?People make time for whatever satiates their basic needs. These are rules that are generally true. ?They follow Pareto's rule, i.e., 80 percent of the new folks will want socializing, and 20 percent will want the science. ?So, give them both, but realize where the priority is. $.02 ------------------------------ Message: 3 Date: Sun, 1 Jan 2012 13:24:37 -0800 (PST) From: Joe Bauman <josephmbauman(a)yahoo.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Club growth Message-ID: <1325453077.86952.YahooMailNeo(a)web38905.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 A wise comment, Brent. And that's why I think a little verbal horseplay is OK sometimes on the UtahAstronomy list. We are not professional astronomers and we don't need to restrict our notes to only scientific matters. -- Thanks, Joe ________________________________ From: Brent Watson <brentjwatson(a)yahoo.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Sunday, January 1, 2012 1:04 PM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Club growth I believe that SLAS, or OAS, is first, a social organization and second, a layman's science organization. ?If people don't return I would postulate it is because they don't find SLAS or OAS socialization to their liking - they don't find a friend. ?If there is friendship, there will be continuing attendance at club meetings and functions. I learned long ago that clubs, organizations, societies, etc. exist to fulfill the basic need of human beings to associate with one another. ?It is written in the preamble to the club's constitution. ?Here it is. ? "We the undersigned, desiring to secure the pleasures and benefits of an association of? persons interested in astronomy; to promote the science of astronomy and its associated? sciences; to encourage and coordinate activities with professional research, do hereby? organize and constitute ourselves as the Salt Lake Astronomical Society, a non-profit? organization." The purpose is first to "...secure the pleasures and benefits of an association of persons...", and then second ?to do the science stuff. ?Anyone who has been an officer of the club will probably acknowledge that it is much harder to get the membership to engage in science than it is to get the members to socialize. ?Outreach, by the way, is a form of socialization. ?Star parties are socialization. ?How many postings do we see here about an observing session - come along. ?They are parties after all. So, my response is the following. ?If you want the club to grow, smile, introduce yourself to the new folks (NOT newbies. ?I believe there are many less offensive monikers.), and take a genuine interest in them. ?Make them your friend. ?Include them in your activities - your private star parties. ?Give them a ride. ?They are people looking for the pleasures and benefits of association who also have an interest in astronomy. ?That commonality will launch club growth. ?People make time for whatever satiates their basic needs. These are rules that are generally true. ?They follow Pareto's rule, i.e., 80 percent of the new folks will want socializing, and 20 percent will want the science. ?So, give them both, but realize where the priority is. $.02 _______________________________________________ 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 ------------------------------ _______________________________________________ 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 End of Utah-Astronomy Digest, Vol 107, Issue 1 **********************************************

6 8

Neighborhood Star Sharing
by Raeburn Kennard 05 Jan '12

05 Jan '12

Last night I set up my scope (10" Odyssey) on the sidwalk in front of my house in Draper, and invited a few neighbors to take a look. We started with Venus to catch it before it set. Even though it was not in its crescent phase, the neighbors were surprised to see it as more than a point of light. Then Jupiter. They were even more amazed to see color bands on its surface and to see its moons. One perceptive man noted that it must be huge to appear so much bigger than Venus despite being so much farther away from us than Venus. I complimented him on his insight. Our Norwegian widow neighbor, who stopped with her daughter during their nightly walk, thought she was looking at the Moon. She didn't want to believe that the bright "star" (Jupiter) next to the Moon (naked eye view) could be so big and round in the scope. She finally believed it was Jupiter, when I swung the scope over to the Moon itself. Wow! It was fun to see her excitement! A mom with her four kids (ages 4 to 13) came by and had lots of "oohs" and "aahs." The littlest ones had just enough attention span for 5 items: Venus, Jupiter, the Moon, the Pleiades, and the Orion Nebula. The older ones wanted to run back through the tour once more in revese, but by then Venus had set. In the course of their visit, we saw a beautiful meteor steak out of the zenith toward the south! The mom had heard that there was supposed to be some sort of meteor event later in the night, and I assured her that we had indeed just witnessed the opening act of the Quadrantid Meteor Shower. Of course, she believed me, so that's our story and we're all sticking to it. (I operate on the theory that if you don't know a thing for sure, a high degree of confidence has a wonderful selling effect.) One neighbor stopped while walking his three hulking Huskies. I held the largest dog, while he maneuvered the others away from the scope so he could see the sights. He was glad he had stopped. The dogs were not interested in the eyepiece, but did bump the tube enough to give my Telrad plenty of chances to prove itself. It was a fun bit of star sharing. Raeburn Kennard, Draper, UT.

3 2

Who suggested it?
by Patrick Wiggins 04 Jan '12

04 Jan '12

When going with electronic payments was first suggested for SLAS a few years back I was sure it would not fly. Knowing how cheap we amateur astronomers are I was certain folks would continue to pay with paper rather than pay the extra 92 cents that PayPal charges. Confession: The first year it was offered I still paid with a check. But boy was I wrong. Even some of the less computer savvy members paid online. And now, for the first time in SLAS history we've just completed an entire month where all money coming in to SLAS was electronic. Not a single paper check or germ infested currency to be seen. So now I'm wondering, who was it that first suggested SLAS start offering online payments? That name needs to go into the SLAS history document*. And while I'm at it, who was the person who first suggested making SPOC's Refractor House a roll off dome? I still remember the meeting where it was suggested (held at the Lakepoint Flying J restaurant) and the initial giggles at the thought and then the dawning that "hey, that could work". So, who suggested electronic payments and who suggested a roll-off dome? Curious minds (and the SLAS history document) want to know. Clear skies, patrick * http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/slas/SLASPAST.PDF

8 16

ISS this evening
by Patrick Wiggins 04 Jan '12

04 Jan '12

CalSky is calling for a nice ISS pass over norther Utah this evening: Appears 17h21m51s 0.4mag az:308.3° NW horizon Culmination 17h27m11s -4.1mag az: 33.7° NNE h:59.7° distance: 460.8km height above Earth: 403.3km elevation of Sun: -3° Disappears 17h32m26s -0.7mag az:119.1° ESE horizon patrick

3 2

Next ATM (Amateur Telescope Making) session reminder
by Hutchings, Mat (H USA) 04 Jan '12

04 Jan '12

Just a reminder that the next ATM session is on Jan 7th (this Saturday) 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. My garage faces north and so never gets sun in the winter. This means that it is cold now in the garage, so dress accordingly. I do have a propane heater that takes the edge off, but it is still pretty cold. Though with the great weather we've been having lately, maybe we'll all be in shirt sleeves! 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.Healthcare(a)siemens.com Thank you

1 0

St. George Star Party
by Dunn, David 03 Jan '12

03 Jan '12

I thought It would be good to send out a reminder. OAS has a star party planned for the St. George area on 2/17 and 18. I will be driving down on the 16th so that I will be refreshed and ready to observe. I have reservations at the St. George Best Inn. I booked through Hotels.com and got a rate of $35 per night for queen beds and $40 per night for a King sized bed. Both of those were for two people, my wife wants to be warm for a couple of days in February. Everyone is invited to come to this. If you are coming, please send me an email privately to let me know. I will usually exchange cell phone numbers so that we can make sure the we get everyone when we head out to observe. Please plan to observe from the area near the Black Mountain Petroglyphs. Thanks, Dave

3 2

Fracking and Hacking...
by stormcrow60＠xmission.com 03 Jan '12

03 Jan '12

Sorry Folks, Something happened with xmission earlier today. Their website was down for a while, and then I received a bunch of old emails. I then noticed some old emails had also been sent again. Not sure what happened, but I'm pointing my finger at them. Thanks for understanding. Jon Quoting 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..." >

1 0