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Swap meet, Tuesday the 18th
by Patrick Wiggins 07 Jan '05

07 Jan '05

Jo Grahn has secured the spacious, downstairs meeting room of the Zion Lutheran Church, 1070 Foothill Dr. in SLC, for an astronomy swap meet the evening of Tuesday the 18th from 7 to 9 pm. Tables, chairs and warmth supplied by the venue. The meet is open to all and is not affiliated with any club. Clear skies (please), Patrick

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Clearing skys
by Jim Gibson 06 Jan '05

06 Jan '05

The skys are clear over Dugway. Chances are we will get a look at the comet tonight. --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - You care about security. So do we.

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Re: Hello
by Richard Tenney 31 Dec '04

31 Dec '04

Hey Matt, Boy that's a switch, moving from Laguna Beach to such a small town! Hope the adjustment goes well; you certainly picked the right place for darker skies. It's close to where the locals consider one of the best spots in No. Utah -- Wolf Creek summit. I look forward to meeting you and seeing your scopes. SLAS's Lowell Lyon also has a 20-inch Obsession, and he sometimes makes it up there. I personally have no experience with observatories, but others locally do, so I'm copying this reply to the local astro lists and see what kinds of responses you get. Your last name is also Francis? We may be related; my mom's maiden name is Francis (she grew up in Lake Shore/Springville area). I too grew up in So. California (San Diego area). Anyway, welcome to Utah; you'll find a lot of terrific photon-loving folks here. Regards, Rich --- Matt <mattoid(a)allwest.net> wrote: > Hi Rich, > > Congratulations on a very nice website! I really > like the personal touch of > showing photos of your members (of which I am now > one also!) with their > telescopes! > > My wife and I recently moved to Francis Utah from > Laguna Beach California. > I'm used to trailering my telescopes for 2.5 hours > to the Anza Borrego > desert for clear, dark skies. About half of the > time I set up camp in the > dry lake bed there, high altitude clouds would form > or the wind would pick > up. Still, I did enjoy many beautiful nights there > under the canopy of > stars. > > My telescopes (a 20 inch Obsession reflector and a > Meade 12 inch SCT with > SBIG ccd) are still in the trailer as we are still > unpacking and finishing > up moving in. I am looking forward to building an > observatory in my > backyard this spring and I was wondering if any of > you have any experience > with this. I want to collect as much information > and input as possible > before I begin construction. Currently I am > thinking I will build a large > shed with a roll off roof. > > Thanks for the input! > > Matt Francis > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Take Yahoo! Mail with you! Get it on your mobile phone. http://mobile.yahoo.com/maildemo

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Workshop/Moon Watch
by Jim Gibson 29 Dec '04

29 Dec '04

There will be a workshop/moon watch at Fort Provo on Saturday night May 1st starting at 6:30. PM. The park has to be cleared by 11PM. The work shop will be given by John Zeigler and he will present a discussion on the light train and on eyepieces (how the work, not necessarily which ones to buy). If time permits, Jim Gibson will present a short introductory discussion on the moon and it features. To make things interesting for the new folks a free CD will be given away that can be used as an aid to learning moon features and their names. There is also some material on the Apollo missions on the CD. There will be 2 Telrads for sale at the price of $40.00 each for any one who is interested. Fort Provo can be reached by getting off of I-15 on Provo Center Street and going West. From the West side of I-15 go to the 2nd stop light at Center Street and Geneva Rd. Turn right and go about a block and you will see the Fort and the park on the right-hand side. Bring lawn chairs, a snack, the kids, and a telescope or binoculars. If you have none of the above, come anyway. When you arrive look for some strange old guy with a parallelogram and binoculars and if Rich Tenney doesnt show up, then look for a young 60 year old guy with a suave short hair cut and with a parallelogram and binoculars. Jim Gibson --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos: High-quality 4x6 digital prints for 25¢

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binoculars vs. telescopes?
by J Waterreus 15 Dec '04

15 Dec '04

Hi Everyone, Over the past several years, we've purchased two telescopes for our daughter that haven't been very good and have caused more frustration than enjoyment. We are now in the process of trying to sell them and buy something she can use and enjoy. We had thought we might get astronomical binoculars, but we're also not sure if this is the best decision. We're wondering if we should try for our third telescope, and hope we get it right this time! So, if any of you have any opinions about all this, I'd love to hear from you! Does anyone have binoculars that are designed for astronomical use? If so, do you like them, or not, and why? If anyone would like to suggest a telescope, or features of a telescope, that we should look for, I'd love to hear about that also. Our daughter is14 years old. She wants something that will enable her to see the planets (and have them look like more than just a star!), but at the same time, we want it to be simple enough to use that she won't get frustrated. Please feel free to share your opinions and experience with me! Thanks so much. Dottie

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Nova - The Elegant Universe:
by Jim Gibson 15 Dec '04

15 Dec '04

Nova will be showing the following: The Elegant Universe: Einstein's Dream and String's the Thing (Repeat) Tuesday, December 21 from 8 to 10 p.m. Eleven dimensions, parallel universes, and a world made out of strings. It's not science fiction, it's string theory. Watch a Preview Go to the Web Site The Elegant Universe: Welcome to the 11th Dimension (Repeat) Tuesday, December 28 at 8 p.m. Eleven dimensions, parallel universes, and a world made out of strings. It's not science fiction, it's string theory. Watch a Preview Go to the Web Site --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Dress up your holiday email, Hollywood style. Learn more.

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Paramount for sale
by Patrick Wiggins 15 Dec '04

15 Dec '04

I want to give myself a new mount for a solstice present. But first I need to sell my old one. I'm selling my 4 year old Paramount GT-1100. When new the 1100s were selling for ~$10k. I'll consider offers for considerably less than that. Before I put it on Astromart I thought I'd give the locals a chance. Any takers? Patrick :-)

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Re: Re: [UVAA] C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) Comet
by astrodeb＠charter.net 15 Dec '04

15 Dec '04

yes, but my field of view is rather large. I'm going to post a message on the TeleVue yahoo group and see if it because we had the field flattener/reducer for the TV-85 instead of the TV-102. Or is it because we shot the images in JPEG instead of RAW mode. I have so much to learn about astrophotography. I still need to shoot my darks so I can process the images. Isn't technology wonderful? Debbie > > From: "Jim VanBuskirk" <jimbov(a)skyviewmail.com> > Date: 2004/12/15 Wed AM 09:43:09 MST > To: "Utah Valley Astronomy Association" <uvaa(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Subject: Re: Re: [UVAA] C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) Comet > > hey deb > did any pictures of the comet turn out good > jimbooooooooooooooooooo > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <astrodeb(a)charter.net> > To: "Utah Valley Astronomy Association" <uvaa(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Sent: Friday, December 10, 2004 10:12 AM > Subject: Re: Re: [UVAA] C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) Comet > > > >I drove out to the Kayenta desert community, west of Ivans UT last night > >around 9:30 pm. I wanted to wait a few minutes while Orion and Lepus were > >rising out of the St. George sky glow. I turned my 15 X 70 binoculars > >toward Auriga and viewed M38 and M37, my two favorites in Auriga. I then > >viewed M35 in Gemini, a real treat in binoculars. After that I viewed the > >Hyades in Taurus and then the Pleaides above. I love the blue stars in that > >cluster. > > > > My arms were getting tired since I don't have a tripod or parallelagram > > mount for the binoculars so I let my arms rest for a few minutes. By that > > time, Lepus was a little higher in the sky so I searched west into the > > constellation Eridanus. Anyway, I found this big, bright round fuzzy > > object the size of Omega Centauri. It was bigger and brighter than I had > > expected to see it. I thought "wow, this thing is going to get brighter > > next month". I couldn't detect a tail but I'm thinking I should go east of > > town next time to a truly dark site and take some photos of this comet. It > > did not disappoint me. It is going northward more each night and the show > > will get better from now on. > > > > Debbie > > > >> > >> From: <astrodeb(a)charter.net> > >> Date: 2004/12/09 Thu PM 05:13:29 MST > >> To: Utah Valley Astronomy Association <uvaa(a)mailman.xmission.com> > >> Subject: Re: [UVAA] C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) Comet > >> > >> I may drive out to Ivins UT to have a look in my 15 X 70 binoculars > >> tonight. It is still a mag 5.5 comet now. I'll give a report when I get > >> back tonight. > >> > >> Debbie > >> > >> > > >> > From: David Trevino <dotrevino(a)yahoo.com> > >> > Date: 2004/12/08 Wed PM 04:24:02 MST > >> > To: Utah Valley Astronomy Association <uvaa(a)mailman.xmission.com> > >> > Subject: [UVAA] C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) Comet > >> > > >> > I am reading reports that this comet is easy to find > >> > with binoculars (and telescopes of course). > >> > > >> > Looks like its orbit will place it at very high > >> > declinations. Should be a nice treat this holiday > >> > season (maybe try your new scope you are getting for > >> > x-mas?) > >> > > >> > http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/comets/article_1396_1.asp > >> > > >> > for more charts, check > >> > > >> > http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/charts.html > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > __________________________________ > >> > Do you Yahoo!? > >> > All your favorites on one personal page ? Try My Yahoo! > >> > http://my.yahoo.com > >> > > >> > _______________________________________________ > >> > UVAA mailing list > >> > UVAA(a)mailman.xmission.com > >> > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/uvaa > >> > > >> > >> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> UVAA mailing list > >> UVAA(a)mailman.xmission.com > >> http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/uvaa > >> > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > UVAA mailing list > > UVAA(a)mailman.xmission.com > > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/uvaa > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > UVAA mailing list > UVAA(a)mailman.xmission.com > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/uvaa >

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Re: Re: [UVAA] C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) Comet
by astrodeb＠charter.net 15 Dec '04

15 Dec '04

I drove out to the Kayenta desert community, west of Ivans UT last night around 9:30 pm. I wanted to wait a few minutes while Orion and Lepus were rising out of the St. George sky glow. I turned my 15 X 70 binoculars toward Auriga and viewed M38 and M37, my two favorites in Auriga. I then viewed M35 in Gemini, a real treat in binoculars. After that I viewed the Hyades in Taurus and then the Pleaides above. I love the blue stars in that cluster. My arms were getting tired since I don't have a tripod or parallelagram mount for the binoculars so I let my arms rest for a few minutes. By that time, Lepus was a little higher in the sky so I searched west into the constellation Eridanus. Anyway, I found this big, bright round fuzzy object the size of Omega Centauri. It was bigger and brighter than I had expected to see it. I thought "wow, this thing is going to get brighter next month". I couldn't detect a tail but I'm thinking I should go east of town next time to a truly dark site and take some photos of this comet. It did not disappoint me. It is going northward more each night and the show will get better from now on. Debbie > > From: <astrodeb(a)charter.net> > Date: 2004/12/09 Thu PM 05:13:29 MST > To: Utah Valley Astronomy Association <uvaa(a)mailman.xmission.com> > Subject: Re: [UVAA] C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) Comet > > I may drive out to Ivins UT to have a look in my 15 X 70 binoculars tonight. It is still a mag 5.5 comet now. I'll give a report when I get back tonight. > > Debbie > > > > > From: David Trevino <dotrevino(a)yahoo.com> > > Date: 2004/12/08 Wed PM 04:24:02 MST > > To: Utah Valley Astronomy Association <uvaa(a)mailman.xmission.com> > > Subject: [UVAA] C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) Comet > > > > I am reading reports that this comet is easy to find > > with binoculars (and telescopes of course). > > > > Looks like its orbit will place it at very high > > declinations. Should be a nice treat this holiday > > season (maybe try your new scope you are getting for > > x-mas?) > > > > http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/comets/article_1396_1.asp > > > > for more charts, check > > > > http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/charts.html > > > > > > > > > > > > > > __________________________________ > > Do you Yahoo!? > > All your favorites on one personal page ? Try My Yahoo! > > http://my.yahoo.com > > > > _______________________________________________ > > UVAA mailing list > > UVAA(a)mailman.xmission.com > > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/uvaa > > > > > _______________________________________________ > UVAA mailing list > UVAA(a)mailman.xmission.com > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/uvaa >

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Backyard Observing Report
by David Trevino 14 Dec '04

14 Dec '04

Yesterday the weather was mild, so I took the scope out in the backyard. Not the best of places since the objects I was interested in were all on the East-Souteast portion of the sky, where I have to battle Provo City's glare, and also the neighbor's lights. Despite the light pollution, I enjoyed views of the Pleaides and a open cluster in Cassiopeia. (such objects are usually bright anyway). It was also easy to pick the color from the red giants in Taurus and Orion. And although it was still relatively low in the sky, I had no problem finding the Orion Nebula and resolving the trapezium, even though it was literally above the neighbor's light. It was harder to find M1, the crab Nebula, but I found it. Unable to get any detail, but I can locate it now, so next time I am at a dark site, I'll look for it. Lastly, I was able to locate the C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) comet, both in binoculars and the telescope. While it is dim, it is large and fuzzy. Light Polution prevented me from seeing any tail at all, but as this puppy moves up north, it should be a nice treat in a few weeks. As I started to wrap things up, I was able to catch a couple of meteorites. I'll conclude that observing is an acquired skill that seems to get better. Clear Skies __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The all-new My Yahoo! - What will yours do? http://my.yahoo.com

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