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

Comet 168P
by Jay Eads 07 Oct '12

07 Oct '12

In case some don't know about it, Comet 168P is putting up a quiet show and is between 10th and 11th mag. Nice small comet with a nice small tail, rather pretty. Here is the S&T article. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/highlights/Comet-Hergenrother-Puts… Check it out if you have time.

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Losmandy G-11 for sale... and looking for a great mirror
by Tyler Allred 06 Oct '12

06 Oct '12

Hello again. Does anyone out there have a killer 12"-14" mirror at between f/3.8 and f/4.5 ? I would prefer the material to be Astro-Sitall, Schott Supremax, or Fused Quartz etc., but might consider Pyrex as well. I am looking for an astrograph quality mirror with high Strehl (.98-.99). I know I am unlikely to stumble across such a mirror, but I thought I would ask anyway, just in case! I might even consider an Astro-Sitall blank that I can have figured for my needs. Let me know if you have anything. Also, I just thought I would offer my excellent Losmandy G-11/Gemini Level 4 (v1.04) one more time to the local group before I put it up for sale to the rest of the world. This mount has been an excellent performer for both visual and astrophotography. It has carried my scopes for every image I have ever posted on this forum or on my website. It has excellent goto capabilities and computer control through "The Sky" and many other programs. The G-11 has an upgraded precision worm gear, upgraded clutch knobs, upgraded weight stop, and it has been cleaned and maintained to perform beautifully. The price is $2300 with the heavy wooden tripod or $1950 without. Please let me know if you are interested... I would much prefer to sell it locally and avoid shipping. I might even negotiate a little on price, but not much. It is worth what I am asking. BTW - I am building a larger imaging scope and just bought a Paramount ME so the G-11 has to go. Thanks, Tyler Allred

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Voyager
by Chuck Hards 05 Oct '12

05 Oct '12

This is cool. For those who build models (guilty), Hasegawa has introduced a 1:48 scale model of the Voyager space probes: http://www.squadron.com/product-p/he54002.htm I'm writing my letter to Santa right now. Wish I had his email address...

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Need ride to SPOC Saturday
by D P Pierce 04 Oct '12

04 Oct '12

Hi, I need a ride to SPOC Saturday. Deloy

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Venus; the Sun
by Chuck Hards 04 Oct '12

04 Oct '12

Venus was extremely close to Regulus this morning. If I'm not mistaken, today was closest approach. I've been watching Venus sneak-up on the star for several days now. We consider Regulus to be a pretty bright star, but right next to Venus makes it a study in contrast. It's almost lost in the planet's glare. I believe Venus is nearly 1000X brighter than Regulus, according to S&T. Another treat was a bright meteor with a very long train that terminated only a few degrees from the pair while I was looking up at about 6 AM this morning. Yesterday afternoon I found the sun very active. Many small prominences almost all along the limb. Not large, but some interesting shapes. Also one huge sunspot and several smaler ones. Definitely worth another look after work this afternoon.

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ATK?
by Daniel Holmes 02 Oct '12

02 Oct '12

I just got this in my twitter feed: --------- @ATK Preparing for a big announcement with NASA tomorrow at our facility in Promontory, Utah - stay tuned for more info! 10/1/12 12:27 PM --------- Anyone know anything? Dan -- Daniel Holmes, danielh(a)holmesonics.com "Laugh while you can, monkey boy!" -- Lord John Whorfin

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Light Pollution Terrorism in Sandy (Chuck Hards)
by nathan swenson 02 Oct '12

02 Oct '12

Mapleton is pretty good for limited streetlights, which is one of the main reasons why I live here. However there was a bright streetlight in an empty field next to my house that drove me crazy. Fortunately some 'vandal' shot it out the night before my new telescope was delivered. Everything has been nice and black ever since (going on 2 years). Lucky me... I've read about using lasers to turn off lights. I've always wanted to try it. Finally, something to do with the assorted crappy Amazon laser pointers I've bought over the years. The idea of using a tripod had not occurred to me. It is a good idea.

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Solar Map of Active Regions | Raben Systems, Inc.
by Dave Gary 30 Sep '12

30 Sep '12

For those interested in all-things-solar I found this to be an interesting resource. Most of you, undoubtedly, have seen this. However, it was new to me and I found it very informative. Explore all the categories in the menu. Cheers. http://www.raben.com/maps/date

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