August 2013 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

Re: [Utah-astronomy] Forum down
by Jay Eads 09 Aug '13

09 Aug '13

Chuck, I just was on it so it should be fine. Thanks for the heads up. On 2013-08-09 12:41, Chuck Hards wrote: > Jay, your forum is down. At least, I can't access it from either computer > or phone. >

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Bring on the Geminids!
by Daniel Holmes 09 Aug '13

09 Aug '13

http://www.xkcd.org Dan -- Daniel Holmes, danielh(a)holmesonics.com "Laugh while you can, monkey boy!" -- Lord John Whorfin

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Andromeda Galaxy-M31 (8 August 2013)
by Jay Eads 09 Aug '13

09 Aug '13

Dave, Wow! Great shot. I hope the next couple of days are good as I am heading out to Vernon for Friday, Saturday and probably Sunday night.

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Clouded out again
by Debbie 09 Aug '13

09 Aug '13

This has been the story since late June. Clouds and wind. and hot. http://www.cleardarksky.com/c/ZnLdgMNkey.html?1 Debbie

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Forum down
by Chuck Hards 09 Aug '13

09 Aug '13

Jay, your forum is down. At least, I can't access it from either computer or phone.

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ASOD: NGC 1325
by Jay Eads 08 Aug '13

08 Aug '13

Kelly, thanks for letting me know on this. I was looking at sketches I did last summer of Seyfert's Sextet and will probably submit that one. John I'll be happy to give a presentation on how to sketch using the Mellish method which is what I use exclusively now. I stay in contact two to three times a month with Alexander Massey, the person who introduced Scott Mellish's method after his untimely death. Here is a recap of some of his sketches on ASOD. http://www.asod.info/?p=5434 Individual sketches (click on them to see them, there is a sketch on all of them). http://www.asod.info/?s=scott+mellish&x=0&y=0 Some of Alex's work. http://www.asod.info/?s=alexander+massey&x=0&y=0 Here is Alex's tutorial at Ice in Space on how to do the Mellish Method: http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-614-0-0-1-0.html

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] ASOD: NGC 1325
by John M. Craig 08 Aug '13

08 Aug '13

Absolutely beautiful drawing, Jay. I hesitate to even look at the dates on my sketches to see when I did my last one; might be depressing--no, just shocking that I've lived that many years since then, probably. I hope you'll do that presentation at the Utah Star Party in October that's mentioned as a possibility on the web site--and I hope I get to hear it. (And I wish I could have met you and Mat the other night. I was coming down w/ a sinus infection, wouldn't have been smart. Sounds like you had a great time and helped some new members of the AA [Amateur Astronomers] do the same.) That sketch of NGC 1325 reminds me of the time (this goes back to when SLAS used to do public parties up Emigration Canyon) a woman who was taking an astronomy class at SLCC brought her family up (I guess the instructor knew about the star parties and recommended she go). I showed her husband M31 and he was puzzled because he understood that a galaxy was a "whole bunch of stars" but it did not look like that to him. I explained that it is so far away that the starlight mostly just runs together (my POJ 6" wouldn't have shown anything but the fuzz anyway). He then wanted to know how far away it is and I explained it was more than 2 million light years. He then wanted to be sure he had a correct notion of what a light year was. He did and I said so. And then as he leaned back to the eyepiece for another look, said, in an absolutely reverential tone: "No sh*t...?" It was good it was fairly dark because that way he couldn't see me stuffing my fist in my mouth to keep from laughing. That definitely ranks as the funniest reaction I've ever had when doing "outreach"; a cherished memory. John

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Sheena's looking for star gazing spots
by Jay Eads 08 Aug '13

08 Aug '13

I have to agree with Chuck in the sense that sharing of dark sites doesn't mean many people flock to those sites. I have a google map that shows all the sites, well almost all the sites that I observe or others observe. Kurt Fisher also has one. What happens? Once in a while someone shows up and wanting to learn how to use their telescope. Happened last Friday at the Pit. Mat and I went and while setting up, 3 great people showed up with their 10 inch dob. The owner had just recently ordered a Howie Glatter laser collimation set and since I had one, I showed him how to use it, and he then collimated his ten inch with the tools he had ordered. Mat had brought his 8 inch dob for friends of Jeff P. to use but due to conditions, they didn't do the drive from Salt Lake which was understandable. After finishing my own set up and collimating and aligning, we spent time on Saturn and then using our binocs. After astronomical twilight ended, Mat and I ended up showing the owner, Dave, his nephew Jeremy how to use an atlas like the Sky Pocket Atlas, a Telrad or Rigel, a finderscope and eyepiece to find objects. They found M22, M8, the Trifed and such and worked their way up Sagittarius. After this I showed their niece how to use my own scope to do the same thing. By the end of their evening they had captured M22, M13, M8, M20, M24, M16, M17, M11, M51. We showed them M57 and also how to find the Veil Nebula. They left after 11:30p.m. Here is what Dave shared over on the forum about that evening: "Hi Jay, it was great to meet both you and Mat as well. I can't tell you how much fun we all had, Jeremy told me on the way home that he HAD to have a scope of his own now but he couldn't decide whether to buy one or make one like Mat's. Emily is a little bit shy and I was a little surprised that you got her to do some star hopping with your scope, but she loved it and was talking about it all the way home. We will definitely try to come out again soon. My thanks to both of you, Dave" I share it because that is one way to grow the hobby. It's not the only way but it is one way. I'll point to the night on June 1st that we spent with Dion and I think Dion learned a lot and had fun also. To get people to take their equipment out under dark skies and not be shown objects, but to be taught how to use their equipment is one critical way to get them hooked. It's not the only way, and I admit that because the hobby is big enough for a variety of interests and ways to get involved. There isn't just "one way" to get people involved in the hobby. For me and where I am at in my own progression, I'm young enough still at 48 that I still enjoy the trips to a dark site, observing there and doing my thing there. For others, I realize, that is not their way of enjoying the hobby and they have their way of getting people hooked. There is more than enough room for everyone. It's that old notion of give a person a fish, you feed them for a day. Teach a person to fish and you feed them for a lifetime. I use that analogy in another way. Show someone an object, they are happy for the night, and you may even catch them. Teach them how to find the object and you have a greater chance of getting them involved in the hobby. Do it under dark skies and you just may hook them. YMMV of course but I have no problem sharing in this way. For me, this is my outreach, it's what I've done as an educator to get kids caught up in the hobby. I remember the night that Steve Fisher (where is he by the way?) spent working with a young kid teaching them to use their new Orion 8 inch scope. It was an awesome write up and engagement he did I thought. In truth, as Chuck alludes to, MOST amateurs don't drive the 45 minutes to an hour and a half to the semi or real dark skies we have around the area. So put my name on the list, I'll share the sites and welcome someone to come with their equipment and learn how to use it. I willingly give up my own planned night of observing to do this as we need young people and newer people to get involved in the hobby as much as they want and can. SQM isn't everything, but I have taken multiply readings of the major dark observing sites and know which are the darkest and by how much based on the SQM-L.

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Andromeda Galaxy-M31 (8 August 2013)
by Dave Gary 08 Aug '13

08 Aug '13

The driveway observatory was up last night in St. George. One of the first clear nights we’ve had in some time. http://www.flickr.com/photos/78046474@N06/with/9466806620/

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Sheena's Looking for Star Gazing Spots
by jcarman6＠q.com 08 Aug '13

08 Aug '13

Ahhhh, Duh, Chuck? I'm pretty sure Ch rismo doesn't want it mentioned for that reason.

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