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Astronomy news if you don't already know
by Beverley Getzen 25 Jan '14

25 Jan '14

The following event was reported by www.sidewalkastrono mers.us Wednesday, January 15, 2014 In Memoriam: John Dobson (1915 - 2014) It is with heavy hearts that we must report the passing of John Dobson. He died peacefully this morning, Wednesday, January 15th, in Burbank, California. He was 98 years old. He leaves behind a son, numerous close friends, and fans and admirers worldwide. On March 8th, in honor of John, this year's ISAN (International Sidewalk Astronomy Night) will be dedicated to his memory. Amateur astronomers around the globe can join in and celebrate John's life and continue to carry the torch that he lit back in 1968 when he co-founded the San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers. David W. Ingram Dark Skies Northwest International Dark-sky Association 206-372-7292 -- Beverley Getzen Retired, US Army Corps of Engineers PO Box 202 Wadesboro, NC 28170-0202 704-694-7022 "There are times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time we fail to protest." Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate.

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The supernova that got away
by Wiggins Patrick 23 Jan '14

23 Jan '14

After learning about the SN in M82 I went back and looked at images I've taken of M82 over the past several days. I did not see the SN in the normally processed images owing to its being buried so near the core of the galaxy. But by stretching the histogram of each image I saw the SN going back several days from the 16th to last night. Download GIFs of the images here: http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/temp/m82_14-22.zip Note that these are GIFs of raw images. No darks or flats applied. I guess I have to count this as the one that got away. :) I'm also thinking I should start using shorter exposures. When I get some times I'll see about "prettying" them up and putting them into an animation. patrick

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SpadeShip Two
by Wiggins Patrick 22 Jan '14

22 Jan '14

Some nice video of the craft's latest flight: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/10565691/Stunning-video-shows-Virg… I wish I had an extra $250k for a ticket to ride... patrick

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FW: PR: Apothecia on Mars? Martian Mystery Structure: Fungus / Cyanobacteria Organisms
by Joe Bauman 22 Jan '14

22 Jan '14

It's a fungus! -- says Cosmology.com. ----Forwarded message---- From: cosmology(a)cosmology.com To: Cosmology(a)Cosmology.com Sent: Mon, Jan 20, 2014 11:38 PM MST Subject: PR: Apothecia on Mars? Martian Mystery Structure: Fungus / Cyanobacteria Organisms PR: Apothecia on Mars? Martian Mystery Structures May Be Fungus Cyanobacteria Organisms See: Cosmology.com for pictures/story Apothecia on Mars? Martian Mystery Structure May Be Composite Fungus and Cyanobacteria Organisms Rhawn Gabriel Joseph, Ph.D. The “mysterious” small cup-like structure which suddenly appeared on Mars does not resemble a rock or a meteor, but a lichen fungus which on Earth is known as “Apothecia” and which are not uncommonly observed on rocks, tree limbs, or growing on the ground next to open road. Related species are known by a variety of names, such as Eastern Speckled Shield Lichen (Punctellia Bolliana). The term “schield lichen” is applied to a variety of foliose lichens. An important characteristic is their bowl-shaped growth with brown inner surfaces. These bowl shaped structures are “apothecia” and appear basically identical to the “mystery” structure which NASA wishes the public to believe is a rock or meteor which suddenly sprouted on this slab of Martian real estate. Apothecia are the reproductive structures produced by the fungal component of the lichen, in association with cyanobacteria. If the mysterious bowl-shaped Martian structure is an Apothecia it germinated from algae and fungal spores on the ground in the circular spot in the "before" picture: SOL 2538. Apothecia are composite organisms, a mixture of fungus and cyanobacteria. A number of investigators have reported the discovery of cyanobacteria microfossils and colonies of fossilized cyanobacteria in a number of ancient meteors including the Murchison. Typically, if deprived of moisture, Apothecia will quickly dry and dehydrate and then become quite brittle--exactly as depicted in the photos of the Martian “mystery” structure. Eventually, if the dry spell continues, they may break apart and pieces will fall to the ground. However, these fragments can grow into new lichens and Apothecia. NASA is insisting on calling this structure a “rock” and have attributed to this structure a chemical and mineral composition which is unlike anything believed to be associated with the Martian surface. How NASA determined the structure's composition has not been explained. The mysterious structure which suddenly appeared in photograph Sol 3540 (a picture which NASA say was taken on January 8, 2014 Earth time), does not look like a rock. It looks like Apothecia. The sudden appearance of this structure is in fact what would be expected of Apothecia; but not of a rock. In fact, a close examination of SOL 3528, reveals the onset of the growth of this colony of organisms, a small bowl-shaped growth in the exact location, on the same slab of rock, where the larger bowl shaped structure appears in later a later photo, SOL 3540. Sol 3528- Note the miniature "bowl shaped" growth in the exact same location where the larger bowl-shaped structure appears 12 Martian days later. The Evidence is that this structure is a composite organism, fungi and cynaobacteria, known as Apothecia. SEE PHOTOS: Cosmology.com It is possible that evidence of life has been discovered on Mars, a collection of cells and a composite organism consisting of fungus and cyanobacteria, and which on Earth is known as Apothecia. R. Gabriel Joseph, Ph.D. Founder/Publisher of the Journal of Cosmology (June 2009-July 2011) Cosmology.com ******** ********* PERMISSION IS GRANTED TO QUOTE FROM ADD TO OR REPRODUCE THIS ENTIRE ARTICLE ********* To be removed from this mailing list, reply with REMOVE in the subject line.

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John Dobson Passes Away
by Jay Eads 21 Jan '14

21 Jan '14

John Dobson passed away today as an FYI. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dobson_(amateur_astronomer)

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Something in NGC 3448?
by Wiggins Patrick 21 Jan '14

21 Jan '14

Hi all, In the event anyone here happens to be imaging tonight please try to shoot NGC 3448. I picked up something in it this evening. Plainly visible in several images over a 2+ hour time span, it's not moving and was not there in images taken a few days ago. It's also not listed on the list of Latest Supernovae, http://www.rochesterastronomy.org/supernova.html#2013hj . patrick

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] rock (daniel turner)
by Kelly Ricks 21 Jan '14

21 Jan '14

Not this time:) ~Kelly > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 14:07:45 -0800 (PST) > From: daniel turner <outwest112(a)yahoo.com> > To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] rock > Message-ID: > <1390255665.48342.YahooMailNeo(a)web125004.mail.ne1.yahoo.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 > > Hmmmm.? Interesting but I don't think Kelly is involved in this Joe. > > DT > > > >________________________________ > > From: Joe Bauman <josephmbauman(a)yahoo.com> > >To: utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com > >Sent: Monday, January 20, 2014 12:02 PM > >Subject: [Utah-astronomy] rock > > > > > > > >The Martians are throwing ricks! (Thanks to Rich Tenney for posting this > on Facebook). http://m.phys.org/_news309426566.html > > > >_______________________________________________ > >Utah-Astronomy mailing list > >http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy > > > >Send messages to the list to > >Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com > > > >The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. > > > >To unsubscribe go to: > >http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy > >Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on > "Unsubscribe or edit options". > > >

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Possible supernova for Jay
by Joe Bauman 21 Jan '14

21 Jan '14

Keep an eye on it Patrick! ------------------------------ On Tue, Jan 21, 2014 6:19 AM MST Chuck Hards wrote: >A chance of seeing one in our lifetime: > >http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/wires?id=194217922&c=y >_______________________________________________ >Utah-Astronomy mailing list >http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy > >Send messages to the list to >Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com > >The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. > >To unsubscribe go to: >http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy >Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".

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Possible supernova for Jay
by Chuck Hards 21 Jan '14

21 Jan '14

A chance of seeing one in our lifetime: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/wires?id=194217922&c=y

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Does this work? (SN2014G animation)
by Wiggins Patrick 20 Jan '14

20 Jan '14

I've put together a two frame animation showing my SN 2014G discovery sequence. http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=68&g2_page=9 It works ok on my iMac running Safari, Firefox and Chrome and on my iPhone. If it does not work on your device please email me details. Thanks! patrick

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