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Repeat Workshop/Moonwatch
by Jim Gibson 24 Apr '04

24 Apr '04

There will be a repeat workshop Saturday April 24th at Fort Utah in Provo for those who missed it. It turns out we had a dry run on the 10th. About 12 people showed up, some people showed up and missed us and some people want to come but had other commitments. So, we are going to try it again. This time I will be in a white van with a parallelogram and binoculars plainly visible. John & Lisa Zeigler will be in ah white Suburban. Everybody bring lawn chairs incase we cant get the pavilion. The schedule will be as follows: April 24th Fort Provo The following is the schedule of events. 6:30 - 7:00 PM Arrive and set up 7:00 7:45 PM John Zeigler will give a workshop on the Optic Train and Collimation. Please dont setup during Johns workshop. 7:45 8:00 PM Jim Gibson will give a short presentation on moon features. Sometime after 8:00 PM the sun sets. 8:02 PM Those who came late can finish setting up. 8:02 9:00 PM people cruse the line of scopes looking at moon features and other fine objects. 9:00 9:30 PM There may be an impromptu class on constellation identification. We must clear the park by 11:00 PM. Jim Gibson --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - File online by April 15th

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Update On Weekend Weather
by Jim Gibson 22 Apr '04

22 Apr '04

I tried this onec and didn't see it appear. I hope you all don't get this twice. Thursday night The tea leaves say (from Dugway MET) there will be hi cirrus with the wind dieing down in the evening in Northern Utah Friday night We wetted a sheeps nose (with a Chem. Wipe) and spun it on an Ouija board and it came up - The only clear spot in the state will be Blanding (South East Utah). The models (mostly blonds) are showing St. George cloudy Friday as well; with Blanding only clear until mid-night. There will be strong south westerly winds ahead of the front. Saturday night The Tarots says the whole state is washed out Saturday night. --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - File online by April 15th

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RE: [UVAA] A couple more questions
by Griffin Louis A Civ OO-ALC/MAKGBA 22 Apr '04

22 Apr '04

I'm sure more will chime in but FWIW my 2cents worth on Naglers, Panoptics, Powermates, - I don't think anyone's eyepiece collection would be complete without a few of Al's (Tele Vue) products. I don't think they should be considered "high end" as much as "expensive". There is a HUGE difference between a 80 degree field of view and a 45 deg. with the less expensive lines. It's not like comparing say, cars where 4 wheels get the job done if you're looking for transportation, there is a whole different experience with the wide fields. As far as being worth the money - for me a resounding YES! But that is true for the many various wide field eyepieces out there (Meade SWA's, Pentax XL's etc) I have seen it in print more than once " a telescope is only as good as your best eyepiece" and it's true when you think about the light path and anything you put in the way of the object to be viewed - having said that I very much enjoy and use my University Ortho's, especially great for planetary work but my widefeild's are used 90% of the time. University also has some nice 2" EP in the Konig line offering 60 deg. FOV and fewer lens elements than the TV's Meades, etc. and at a great price. Another great WF would be the BD 80deg 30mm for only $95 - great value!! I think for a newbie the field of view on the TV's, etc. allow for greater sucsess in star hopping and time spent observing before having to move the telscope to track the object also if you wear eyeglasses the TV Radian and Pentax line provides great eye relief. Get to a star party and check out some of the "high end" eyepieces - you will definatley want one or five....I can definatley see a difference between my Celestron 2x barlow and my 2.5x Powermate. The Powermate seems crisper, brighter and dosent affect color at all - check out the Astronomics website for some great info and comparisons on eyepiece selection, it has definitions and descriptions for all the terminology, and Televues site is great also though more Televue brand specific. As far as Filters go I have observed with some borrowed filters but I have yet to invest in them - Yet. Right now I think I need a few more eyepieces and a 2" Barlow before I plunk down $250 on two filters that I will use on a few objects. Zambuto has a great reputation and will probably hold it's value but you're going to pay dearly - If you are a newbie like me you probably would not be able to detect the nuances that make the difference between a great mirror from Nova or Intermountain or Swayze or Zambuto or........ but you would see a difference between a so so mirror from China and a great mirror from any of the above. I hope that makes sense... sorry 'bout the long wind -----Original Message----- From: uvaa-bounces+louis.griffin=hill.af.mil(a)mailman.xmission.com [mailto:uvaa-bounces+louis.griffin=hill.af.mil@mailman.xmission.com]On Behalf Of David Trevino Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2004 9:59 PM To: Utah Valley Astronomy Association Subject: [UVAA] A couple more questions I have some questions about some high end items. I doubt I would ever be able to afford them, but if someone has had the opportunity to use or even own some of these, I am interested on your comments (mainly if they are as good as I read they are, and if they are worth their weight in gold, reasonable [affordable] alternatives, etc.) - Nagler (or any Tele Vue) Eyepieces (and Powermate "amplifiers") - Narrowband filters such as the UltraBlock or Lumicon UHC - Zambuto mirrors Thanks __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos: High-quality 4x6 digital prints for 25¢ http://photos.yahoo.com/ph/print_splash _______________________________________________ UVAA mailing list UVAA(a)mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/uvaa

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A couple more questions
by David Trevino 21 Apr '04

21 Apr '04

I have some questions about some high end items. I doubt I would ever be able to afford them, but if someone has had the opportunity to use or even own some of these, I am interested on your comments (mainly if they are as good as I read they are, and if they are worth their weight in gold, reasonable [affordable] alternatives, etc.) - Nagler (or any Tele Vue) Eyepieces (and Powermate "amplifiers") - Narrowband filters such as the UltraBlock or Lumicon UHC - Zambuto mirrors Thanks __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos: High-quality 4x6 digital prints for 25¢ http://photos.yahoo.com/ph/print_splash

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RE: [UVAA] Update On Weekend Weather
by Griffin Louis A Civ OO-ALC/MAKGBA 19 Apr '04

19 Apr '04

Yep, (see post to Jim) -----Original Message----- From: uvaa-bounces+louis.griffin=hill.af.mil(a)mailman.xmission.com [mailto:uvaa-bounces+louis.griffin=hill.af.mil@mailman.xmission.com]On Behalf Of David L Bennett Sent: Friday, April 16, 2004 11:17 AM To: Utah Valley Astronomy Association Subject: Re: [UVAA] Update On Weekend Weather Lou, is that for your 20" ? No wonder it's cloudy ;) Dave On Friday, April 16, 2004, at 09:42 AM, Griffin Louis A Civ OO-ALC/MAKGBA wrote: > I have to confess.... it's cause I bought a EQ platform for my Dob..... > On Behalf Of Jim Gibson > Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2004 1:15 PM > To: List; UVAA List > Subject: [UVAA] Update On Weekend Weather > Thursday night - The tea leaves say (from Dugway MET) there will be hi > cirrus with the wind dieing down in the evening in Northern Utah > _______________________________________________ UVAA mailing list UVAA(a)mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/uvaa

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RE: [UVAA] Observing goals
by Lambert, Aaron 16 Apr '04

16 Apr '04

Oops. > The only downside is that the club What I meant to put here is that the club chairs sometimes take a while to verify your observation logs and get the certificates to you. I would give them two or three months before you start worrying about whether anything got lost in the mail, although I always email the chair when I mail my observation log copies so that I know he or she received them. Aaron

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RE: [UVAA] Observing goals
by Lambert, Aaron 16 Apr '04

16 Apr '04

Regarding log format, I found and use the PDF observation logs at the American Assoc of Amateur Astronomers website (http://www.corvus.com/aa01006.htm (scroll to the bottom)). They also have PDF versions of a lot of the AL clubs on that same page. Very handy stuff. Aaron > -----Original Message----- > From: Richard Tenney [mailto:retenney@yahoo.com] > Sent: Friday, April 16, 2004 1:20 PM > To: Utah Valley Astronomy Association > Subject: Re: [UVAA] Observing goals > > > David, > > I'm nearly halfway through the Herschel-400 program, > and I'm very much enjoying it (despite the frustration > of having almost all of the summer objects and less > than 1/3 of the winter/spring objects due to our > fickle weather here). If nothing else you sharpen > your observing skills, and it forces you to spend a > bit more time at the eyepiece really seeing what's > there. It's also a nice tour of some of the better > deep sky gems out there on beyond Messier. > > As has already been mentioned, I'd start with the > lunar and/or messier programs and expand from there. > I had already observed all the messier objects (some > of them dozens of times) in previous years of > observing before I found out about the AL programs, so > the logs I have are not in the AL required format > (with the exception of a few that overlap into the > H-400). I'll probably go back and do them again one > of these days for consistency, and I'm fairly sure a > few of the items on my M-list I've only visited once > (what can I say, M-marathons are not my cup of tea). > I've also done about half of the lunar program so far. > > FWIW, > Rich > > --- David Trevino <dotrevino(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > > I would like to ask the list if anyone out there has > experience with such clubs? > > > > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Tax Center - File online by April 15th > http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html > > _______________________________________________ > UVAA mailing list > UVAA(a)mailman.xmission.com > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/uvaa >

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RE: [UVAA] Update On Weekend Weather
by Griffin Louis A Civ OO-ALC/MAKGBA 16 Apr '04

16 Apr '04

I have to confess.... it's cause I bought a EQ platform for my Dob..... -----Original Message----- From: uvaa-bounces+louis.griffin=hill.af.mil(a)mailman.xmission.com [mailto:uvaa-bounces+louis.griffin=hill.af.mil@mailman.xmission.com]On Behalf Of Jim Gibson Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2004 1:15 PM To: List; UVAA List Subject: [UVAA] Update On Weekend Weather Thursday night - The tea leaves say (from Dugway MET) there will be hi cirrus with the wind dieing down in the evening in Northern Utah Friday night - We wetted a sheep's nose (with a Chem. Wipe) and spun it on an Ouija board and it came up - The only clear spot in the state will be Blanding (South East Utah). The models (mostly blonds) are showing St. George cloudy Friday as well; with Blanding only clear until mid-night. There will be strong south westerly winds ahead of the front. Saturday night - The Tarots say the whole state is washed out Saturday night. --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - File online by April 15th _______________________________________________ UVAA mailing list UVAA(a)mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/uvaa

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RE: [UVAA] Observing goals
by Lambert, Aaron 16 Apr '04

16 Apr '04

I also started with Turn Left at Orion and used it to become familiar with some of what is out there and then began working on some of the AL's observing clubs. I have really enjoyed them. My first was the Lunar club. I think it is a great one to start with because the moon is easy to find, whereas some of the objects on the other lists require some real star-hopping skill (or setting circles, I suppose). After the Lunar club, I began working on my Bino Messier and Telescope Messier lists. I did them at the same time because they are the same objects. :) I finished the Bino list in November and only have about 20 more objects for my telescope Messier list. I just can't seem to get a clear weekend when I don't have anything planned already. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the certificates. I was expecting them to just be cheesy ones, but they look nice. The only downside is that the club I highly recommend the AL observer clubs because they get you to try to observe things that you might otherwise not bother with, you learn quite a bit about the things you see, and you really improve your skills. For example, I always just considered the moon to be a big ball of light pollution, but after spending a whole month observing it I now welcome it as a familiar friend and usually know where to find it. Next on my to-do list will probably be the Universe Sampler. I know I probably should have done that one before the Messier, but it will take quite a while to finish (just like the Messier has taken me about 6 months) and I had to buy the book for it and I didn't want to fork over cash if the certificates and pins turned out to be lame. Later, I plan on doing the comet, sun, constellation, and planetary clubs. I also bought the Sky Puppy book so my 6 year old can get the Sky Puppy certificate. I wasn't too impressed with the book itself, but unfortunately you have to buy it to do the Sky Puppy program. My 2c, Aaron > -----Original Message----- > From: David Trevino [mailto:dotrevino@yahoo.com] > Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2004 1:13 PM > To: Utah Valley Astronomy Association > Subject: [UVAA] Observing goals > > > As you may recall, I am fairly new at star gazing. I > am in John and Lisa's telescope making class, and so > far I have no complaints about "pushing glass" for a > few hours. I hope my telescope turns out well. In the > meantime, I am looking for ideas on what to do once my > telescope is complete. > > I came across the Astronomical League's website, and > discovered the "Observing Clubs" > (http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/obsclub.html) > , which provide lists of activities and observation > goals. (Many with an option to obtain a certificate > after meeting the goals). I would like to ask to the > list if anyone out there has experience with such > clubs? Do you recommend some of the lists of objects > (like the urban observer or the Binocular observer) as > good starting points and guides for newbies like > myself? > > I also checked out from the library "turn left at > Orion", which I intend to use this summer with my > trash-scope. > > Any other suggestions are welcome. > > > > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Tax Center - File online by April 15th > http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html > > _______________________________________________ > UVAA mailing list > UVAA(a)mailman.xmission.com > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/uvaa >

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Update On Weekend Weather
by Jim Gibson 15 Apr '04

15 Apr '04

Thursday night The tea leaves say (from Dugway MET) there will be hi cirrus with the wind dieing down in the evening in Northern Utah Friday night We wetted a sheeps nose (with a Chem. Wipe) and spun it on an Ouija board and it came up - The only clear spot in the state will be Blanding (South East Utah). The models (mostly blonds) are showing St. George cloudy Friday as well; with Blanding only clear until mid-night. There will be strong south westerly winds ahead of the front. Saturday night The Tarots say the whole state is washed out Saturday night. --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - File online by April 15th

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