Pooh dooh!--BUT, I must admit I was unimpressed compared to the show I got at dusk at the Grand Canyon on April 7. It's definitely dimming. I was in Chesler Park, having run there in the dark for a pre-dawn 10-miler in The Needles, and I didn't pack my binos. Figured I could catch the comet from my backyard, as soon as the storms stop (Sunday morning?). BTW, I was looking in the right spot--just south of Cassio. Oh, well. Phil -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-admin@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-admin@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Joe Borgione Sent: Wednesday, April 17, 2002 6:09 PM To: utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Pre-Dawn Comet I just got back from a business trip down to Grand County spending a night in Moab. My standard operating procedure for overnight trips is to take my 15 x 70 binoculars and a tripod, so I can spend a little quality time in the dark. This morning (4-11-02) I got up around 4:00 am and set up in a fairly dark spot east of town, on the road to the popular mountain biking mecca, the SlickRock trail. I had a great view of the summer MilkyWay, especially my favorite looks into Sagtitarius. As I swept north though the MilkyWay, I came upon the comet that we've all enjoyed for the past few weeks. What a pleasant surprise. I knew it would be shifting to an early morning object, but until I actually saw it, I hadn't given it too much thought. It's a real looker at that hour; just to the east of Cassiopia, and when I saw it, very close to M52, a pretty open cluster. It was visable naked eye from the Moab spot as a fuzzy glob; you'll need a pretty good dark sky for that. If you liked the comet before sunset, it's worth the effort to get up early and see it with the back drop of the MilkyWay.... Joe Borgione _______________________________________________ Utah-astronomy mailing list Utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy
Chesler Park sounds good to me... After reading my earlier post, I mis-typed the date; I typed 4-11 and meant 4-17. I'm not sure of the trajectory, and rechecking my Sky Atlas, I saw it just to the South West of M52; the star Caph (Beta Cassiopia) is my guide post to that area. I'm not sure what direction it's headed, but it was bright enough to pick out easily. I'll give a peak on Sunday morning 4-21, if the storm-gods are kind enough. I'd really like to get a look at the 5 planet sunset-party too... Joe Borgione Phil Lowry wrote:
Pooh dooh!--BUT, I must admit I was unimpressed compared to the show I got at dusk at the Grand Canyon on April 7. It's definitely dimming. I was in Chesler Park, having run there in the dark for a pre-dawn 10-miler in The Needles, and I didn't pack my binos. Figured I could catch the comet from my backyard, as soon as the storms stop (Sunday morning?). BTW, I was looking in the right spot--just south of Cassio. Oh, well.
Phil
We've actually been lucky with this little comet. The fact that it's still worth getting up before the chickens to see is a bonus. Apropos the current comet apparition, I'd like to remind everyone that the topic of the SLAS meeting next week is "Binocular Astronomy", and everyone with a bino setup is encouraged to bring it for a show-and-tell session. Should be fun, hope to see you all there! I recently ordered a couple of pair of the Sportsman's Guide 10 x 50 binos ($19 ea.!) for SPOC-2, and at the same time gave-in to my curiosity and ordered one of the 15-45x70mm zoom models they currently have for $97. (It means baloney sandwiches for lunch for 2 months, but what the hey...too good a deal to pass up.) I'll bring them to the meeting if they arrive in time, and post a review once I've had a chance to use them under the stars. It's not too late to donate those no-longer-used binos (or a new pair if you have the wherewithall) to SPOC-2. They will come in handy when the club hosts large groups, or school classes. Contact any club officer, myself or Patrick if interested in donating. New or used tripods also gladly accepted. Chuck __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Games - play chess, backgammon, pool and more http://games.yahoo.com/
date and time for next week's meeting? Thank you, Jim, --- Chuck Hards <chuckhards@yahoo.com> wrote:
We've actually been lucky with this little comet. The -astronomy
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Yes, indeed, the SLAS meeting; sorry if I wasn't specific. 10th East Senior's Center, 237 so. 1000 east, SLC. Enter through the NE door facing the parking lot. The meeting room is the 1st door on the left. SLAS Website: http://www.slas.ws/ Note to SLAS members: You have access to areas of the Website not available to non-members. The Calendar of Events is available to all. Non-members are welcome and encouraged to attend & participate at general meetings. --- Patrick Wiggins <paw@trilobyte.net> wrote:
Assuming you're talking about the SLAS meeting, it's at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, 23 April. Patrick
Jim Stitley wrote:
date and time for next week's meeting?
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I was just looking up some info on the June 10 solar eclipse. In case anyone else finds these links helpful, here are a couple of links with info: General Info: http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/ASE2002/ASE2002.html Start/Maximum/Ending Times for Salt Lake: http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/ASE2002/ASE2002city1/SaltLakeCityUT.GI... From the above website, for Salt Lake: Eclipse Magnitude: 55% (fraction of sun's diameter eclipsed) Eclipse Obscuration: 44.5% (fraction of sun's area eclipsed) Start Time: 5:15 PM Maximum: 6:15 PM End Time: 7:10 PM Interestingly, on the Hansen Planetarium website (http://www.hansenplanetarium.net), there is a link that says "What Happens June 10." I clicked on it expecting to get solar eclipse info; but instead got info that they are starting to move that day. I thought that was interesting timing. Troy
What a week, indeed! June 10th- partial solar eclipse June 11th- Jethro Tull concert!! June 13th- Binopalooza June 14th & 15th- More star parties Wish I were 18 again... C. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com
Whoops, I failed to add an hour for daylight savings time on the eclipse start/maximum/end times. So, I believe the correct information is: From the above website, for Salt Lake: Eclipse Magnitude: 55% (fraction of sun's diameter eclipsed) Eclipse Obscuration: 44.5% (fraction of sun's area eclipsed) Start Time: 6:15 PM Maximum: 7:15 PM End Time: 8:10 PM Troy
participants (6)
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Chuck Hards -
Jim Stitley -
Joe Borgione -
Patrick Wiggins -
Phil Lowry -
Troy Adair