Rich's Sky Notes

January 04, 2012 #128 - Cartes du Ciel

2012-01-04T00:00:00.000-06:00

I was checking for updates to my astronomy programs and found that my old standby Cartes du Ciel has been improved. Patrick Chevalley has issued version 3.5-svn1986M.

If you will check the site there is also a link to download recent data for use with this program having stars and info anywhere down to 20th. magnitude. This is still a free program! As I have said before it is astounding the amount of time and work that these great programers will undertake for the love of astronomy. Thank you Patrick and friends.

http://www.ap-i.net/skychart/start

Clear Sky - Rich

January 03, 2012 #127 - New Year, !Again!

2012-01-03T15:34:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year

Another year has past! This poor blog has had little attention for many moons. As I have written in several posts my wife and I were traveling by camper throughout America during 2009/10 and early 2011. We had to slow to a holding pattern through most of last year due to family needs. We are now back on the shores of Lake Superior looking forward to the new year.

It was crisp (-2 below) last night and I spent some time admiring the winter skies. The moon was bright in the south with Jupiter traveling along nearby. The skies can be amazingly clear near the Apostle Islands no mater what time of year. I was hoping to be treated to the Aurora but the sun has not cooperated during this trip. There was a great show in Indiana with lots of brilliant reds which I caught about a month ago.

As I have checked the statistics on blog usage by readers, and have found that my original posts of scanned telescope catalogs and information have been very popular since the first page was presented in July 2008. As a new years treat for those looking for more of this type of postings I am passing on an excellent site to go to for this type of info, a literal pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Classic Telescope / Catalogs and Manuals

http://geogdata.csun.edu/~voltaire/classics/

A very hearty thank you to this site and all who contributed for us to read!

Clear Sky - Rich

September 30, 2011 #126 - The Soviet Moon Program

2011-09-30T16:39:00.001-05:00

If you are interested in the history of the moon race between the United States and the Soviets, there is a newly released book containing some high quality photos and background info from the soviet program. It's entitled "The Soviet Reach for the Moon: The L-1 and L-3 Manned Lunar Programs and the Story of the N-1 (Moon Rocket)", 1995, by Nicholas L. Johnson. This public domain book is available as a PDF from usra.edu.

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/books/sovietReach/index.pdf

(usra.edu) has also released seven other books that may be of interest to readers of this blog. They cover lunar and planetary geology:

Guidebook to the Geology of Barringer Meteorite Crater, Arizona (a.k.a. Meteor Crater)
by David A. Kring

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/books/barringer_crater_guidebook/

The Geology of the Terrestrial Planets (1984), by M. H. Carr, R. Stephen Saunders, Robert G. Strom, and Don E. Wilhelms

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/books/geologyTerraPlanets/

Lunar Stratigraphy and Sedimentology (1976), by John F. Lindsay

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/books/lunar_stratigraphy/

Moon Trip: A Personal Account of the Apollo Program and its Science (c1989), by Elbert A. King

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/books/moonTrip/

Planetary Science: A Lunar Perspective (c1982), by Stuart Ross Taylor

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/books/planetary_science/

To a Rocky Moon: A Geologist's History of Lunar Exploration (Tucson and London: University of Arizona Press, c1993), by Don E. Wilhelms

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/books/rockyMoon/

Guide to Lunar Orbiter Photographs (1970), by Thomas P. Hansen

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunar_orbiter/photoGuide/

Clear Sky - Rich

April 29, 2011 #125 - The surface of Mercury

2011-04-29T10:42:00.002-05:00

I was admiring the flood of orbital pictures that are flowing back from the Mercury Orbiter - MESSENGER. This started me thinking about what astronomers were able to see of the surface in the time of great planetary observation in the 1800's. A search of Google Books turned up some gems from the period. I found an interesting article by G.V. Schiaparelli of the Observatory of Milan entitled "Scenes on the planet Mercury" - May1890, Popular Science.

I also found some drawings representing surface features by Percival Lowell in the 1897 Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (Vol. LVII).

Imagine what these painstaking observers, that spent hundreds of nights recording dancing visions of this far world would think if they were able to examine the digital images available to us today. Ah for a time machine!

Clear Sky - Rich

March 26, 2011 #124 - Walking the Lunar Surface Again

2011-03-27T01:42:00.007-05:00

Last night I was walking around on the lunar surface again. I was having fun looking at the LROC Zoom NAC M113168034R to locate the natural lunar bridge formed by a collapsed lava tube, which left an unbroken span still in place. This formed a bridge over what was once a flowing river of melted lunar crust. In the search through the zoom for the feature I noticed something interesting in a crater near the photos top. Attached are some screen captures. One showing the overall location, so that the crater can be found. I marked on a second copy the point of interest, and the third a 200% enlargement. The curved shadow is what caught my eye as it seems to point to an above surface projection extending from an apparent square shaped base. I understand that to the untrained eye things are not always what they seem, but it is fun to find this in the data. Take a lunar stroll and look for yourself! Hope you have some fun with this and let me know what you think.

http://wms.lroc.asu.edu/lroc_browse/view/M113168034R

Clear Sky - Rich

March 19, 2011 #123 – East Texas the "Piney Woods"

2011-03-19T11:21:00.004-05:00

It amazes me how life plunges on without us being aware. Then "Father Time" smacks you occasionally. I was out admiring the beautiful moon last night as it rose out of a tall east Texas pine and that was one of those reality checks. My mind was recalling the moon rises watched on our journey around America. The native Americans counted time by her monthly passage through the heavens. I find that in our travels I have forsaken the clock and calender and have returned to marking time this way. The days are too short and many pass without registering on our minds. There is trouble recalling what day it is. I remember that in my early youth I lived much like those early Americans with regards to time and now have returned to that place in my mind.

When I look at my blog I see that I have not written an entry in two and a half moons. In that interval we have traveled from "The Panhandle" down through central Texas as far south as San Antonio to live for a time in the "Hill Country", then east to the "Big Thicket". Each region is unique and fascinating to a boy from Indiana. Life is so short and there is so much to see and experience in the natural world we are journeying through. I sometimes feel a sadness at missing things but then an elation at what I have experienced and observed.

A week ago I saw Canopus above the southern horizon. Orion was high in the sky not like I'm accustomed to. As I looked at the star atlas I could see that the Magellanic Clouds were just bellow the horizon. How I would love to see those misty apparitions!

The world news has been very sad for a while, but I still find things to lift my spirits. In our quest to understand the Universe we have discovered many new worlds revolving around far suns, we have entered orbit around Mercury, we have passed the orbit of Uranus on our journey to explore Pluto, we continue to travel the surface of Mars, and stunning views return from the orbit of Saturn. Many new sights still remain to be seen in the future from probes traveling to far destinations and tonight another full moon will have passed. Our personal travels of discovery also continue.

Clear Sky - Rich

January 12, 2011 #122 – Deep in the Heart of Texas

2011-01-13T01:10:00.009-06:00

The Ghost of Cactus Jack

Well, after many weeks of traveling down through the Texas Pan Handle and admiring this beautiful desert country we have found the Internet near Austin, TX. I spent many a night under desert skies, listening to the coyotes sing their songs, as meteors, lunar eclipses, and the change from fall to winter constellations drew my eyes and ears. I have found that I love the desert. There is something new to see every day. I feel like I did when I was a young lad. Everything is strange to the senses. It’s like starting a new life, learning the plants, walking without the distractions that occur in the bustling areas of the US. As a wildlife biologist in the mid-west for forty years I am experiencing living creatures that have only existed for me in books. It takes a while to get used to walking, as everything is guarded by spines, thorns, or needles, and does not have any pity on the awkward or careless. I am doing OK now, but had to remove my share and lose some blood for a while.

I have been reading a lot about the paleo-history as we travel. I have become fascinated by the early Native American Peoples of the region and their methods of living in this land. Each plant and animal seems to have been utilized in many ways and it is fun seeing what I have been reading about. I was only dimly aware that great wars were fought over hundreds and thousands of years. Native peoples moved from many places, some as far as Canada and displaced whole nations. It seems that no one was able to hold a particular region over long time spans. The people displaced and those new here then adapting to the new habitats. I just completed reading the book chronicling the journey across this region by Cabez de Vaca in the 1540’s the first Europeans to see much of this land and live with the pre-horse native people. Another interesting book was Geronimo's Autobiography dictated at the end of the 1800's. (Both freely available on Google Books) He gives us a glimpse into growing up in the Apache Culture of the region. There is much more to see and learn. I will write as the opportunity's arise but this blog will probably be sparse for a while.

Clear Skies - Rich

November 19, 2010 #121 – Visit to a New Mexico Cinder Cone.

2010-11-19T01:00:00.001-06:00

We visited the Capulin Volcano National Monument today. This cone shaped mountain has many analogs in the solar system. We saw collapsed lava tubes, lava flows, and lava cliffs with strata. In fact I was reminded a lot of the pictures of mars being transmitted by the rovers over the last few years. The lava is the same color and texture. The main difference of coarse is the vegetative cover.

As I stood on the crater rim at 8100 ft. I could see 50 miles across the plains. All along the rift were volcanoes in a line. The lava flow patterns were easy to identify even after 10's of thousands of years.

As I looked east, the almost full moon was rising into the pale blue sky. As I watched, it occurred to me that we are much more fortunate than Martians would have been. Our spectacular satellite is a wonder to behold, and I think what events she has shown upon. Imagine the fire fountains spraying thousands of feet into the sky, building the cone, rivers and pools of lava, with her hanging over the scene in the night. Lighting would play in the clouds of ash and the moons light would cast wandering shadows over all. Then I wonder was any man here to take this all in. Just 8 miles to the north east is the Folsom Site where early artifacts dating around 10,000 years have been excavated. I wonder how long before this were humans in the area. I went to where they would have stood and looked back towards the mountain.

(Click to enlarge)

(A line of cones along the rift)

(Inside the cone)

(50 miles east more cinder cones)

(Capulin Volcano)

Clear Sky - Rich

November 18, 2010 #120 – Piazzi’s Life and Scientific Accomplishments

2010-11-18T01:00:00.052-06:00

After my posts on the discovery of Ceres Ferdinandea I began to wonder about the life of the discoverer. Joseph Piazzi was born in Italy in 1746 and lived to 80. During his early years he became a monk. He taught philosophy and due to some of his teachings alarmed the Dominicans and earned enemies. As a consequence he became a professor of mathematics and was instrumental in reforming the teaching methods of the time in his society.

He was able to persuade the nobility of Sicily to help him establish an observatory at Palermo, engaging Ramsden to construct the instruments which Piazzi designed to improve observational accuracy. The observatory was completed around the end of the century and he began a program of observation. Piazzi conducted exacting observations and rechecked his observations extensively to insure accuracy. His first work was a great catalog of almost 6750 stars and the discovery of the new planet. In his lifetime he recorded over 125,000 observations and ended up with his catalog reaching 7646 stars, an amazing accomplishment.

If you would check the following link you will find a paper written on Pazzi's work with a picture taken from a portrait painting and the transit he had constructed and used to acquire his data.

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/books/AsteroidsIII/pdf/3027.pdf

I have included his obituary, which covers his life in more detail, for you to read if you would like to know more. I found it in the 1827, “New and United Series of the Philosophical Magazine or Annals of Philosophy –Vol.I” on Google Books. (Click to Enlarge)

His 1814 Star Catalog is available with the introduction in Latin on Google Books. Look for "Praecipuarum Stellarum Inerrantium Positones Mediae" You can translate the Latin by opening the text version and copying it to a translator such as Google Translate. The tables are readable without translation. I have included the title page and the 1st. page of the Catalog to give you a sample of his work. It is interesting to compare his recorded positions with the current position on a modern computer astronomical chart to see the amount of change that has occurred since the early 1800's.

Clear Sky - Rich

November 17, 2010 #119 – Old Magazine and Journal Illustrations with Astronomical Themes

2010-11-17T01:00:00.001-06:00

I mentioned in a past blog that I enjoy clipping old drawings that can be found within the pages of periodicals. In this post are a few of my favorite recent finds from the 1800’s and early 1900’s. Hope you enjoy them. (Click for a little better view)

Clear Sky - Rich

November 16, 2010 #118 – Observations of Newly Discovered Ceres and Pallas by William Herschel

2010-11-16T01:00:00.002-06:00

William Herschel began systematic observations of Piazzi’s Ceres Ferdinandea and Dr. Olber’s Pallas in early 1802. Herschel had constructed some of the best optical systems in existence at the time. These he used to characterize the new planets. This included observing the orbs for color and visible characteristics, searching for moons, and determining the size with as much accuracy as possible.

These observations were published in the 1802, “Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London – Part II” In the same year he also released a catalog of “500 New Nebula” that he had discovered. If you have a chance to read about his life and accomplishments you will be absolutely amazed. The man lived for telescope time and the grinding of giant mirrors with legendary figure!

The following is a bit long but it gives you a sense of his observational and scientific skills. You can find this and the paper presenting the new nebulas on Google Books. (Click to Enlarge)

Clear Sky - Rich

November 15, 2010 #117 - Star-Names and Their Meanings

2010-11-15T16:07:00.014-06:00

When I was a boy in the sixties I purchased a copy of Dover’s reprint of “Star-Names and Their Meanings” by Richard H. Allen. This was my first introduction to what the origins for the names of all those places I pointed my telescope at in the night sky.

Today the critics say that the volume is full of inaccuracies, that the author was not conversant in Arabic and many of his sources were incorrect. But, I learned a lot over the years from my much thumbed through copy.

Many times on a search through Google Books, you will hit a book that is an unexpected treat, that was not what you were looking for. Imagine my delight when I found the (1899) first edition scanned and offered for reading. If you would like a copy, go to

http://books.google.com/books?id=5xQuAAAAIAAJ&ots=6qftP3wc78&dq=Star-names%20and%20their%20meanings%20By%20Richard%20Hinckley%20Allen&pg=PR9#v=onepage&q&f=false

If you would like a more modern guide, check into a web site by Gary D. Thompson, of Melton West, Australia. He has gathered a lot of good information. I especially enjoyed looking at his pre-historic sky maps taken from archeological investigations.

http://members.westnet.com.au/Gary-David-Thompson/index1.html

Clear Sky - Rich

November 14, 2010 #116 – Ceres Ferdinandea

2010-11-14T12:30:00.008-06:00

While reading the DAWN web site about the 2015 rendezvous with Ceres, I became curious about the discovery of the first minor planet. With a little searching I found that Bode had in 1772, “calculated from his theory of the harmonic ratio of intervals between planets, that such a planet might be discovered” in an orbit between Mars and Jupiter, that we today designate the "Asteroid Belt".

The Italian astronomer Piazzi, of the Observatory at Palermo, using this information, searched and found the moving star on the first day of 1801 in the constellation Taurus. He named the object (Ceres Ferdinandea). Piazzi became ill and the star was lost. Based on Piazzi’s observations, Gauss calculated where it should be and relocated it.

I have included two articles, located from Google Books, which document these events. (Click to Enlarge)

(The Monthly Mirror, Vol. XIII – 1802)

(The Philosophical Magazine Vol. XV – 1803)

Clear Sky - Rich

November 13, 2010 #115 – Interesting Picture taken from Opportunity Rover.

2010-11-13T22:34:00.009-06:00

I was checking out the latest pictures from Mars today, as I have been from day one. PIA13592 is a pan of “Intrepid” Crater with those wonderful crater rim/hills on the horizon, getting closer and closer.

As I panned around, a small rock not far away caught my eye. It looks like one of the ring shaped, cut-ham bones that my Springer, Ruby leaves around after she works out all the marrow. Now you will probably say are you one of those nuts? No, I’m not, the geology fascinates me but fossils are not one of the things that I think are going to show up. The best I could hope for would be something microscopic from the dawn of the planet. What fascinates me is what fantastic shapes that blowing sand and dust have formed on mars over eons of time. My favorite are the thin strands with the “Blue Berries “ attached to the end, left elevated above the surface. How delicate and other worldly they appear. Just imagine, did you ever think you would see Mars up close, I mean lay on your stomach and look closely! We live in wonderful times.

Pictures from the NASA Mars Rovers Site.

Here is Ruby’s lost dog bone.

Clear Sky - Rich

November 12, 2010 #114 - Mercury (sidius dolosum) and Achromatic Glasses

2010-11-12T01:00:00.001-06:00

I am including a couple more "1823 anecdotes" from the Brothers of the Benedictine Monastery, Mont Benger. Mercury the Eternal Torment of Astronomers and the Discovery of Achromatic Glasses in the 1700's.

(Click to Enlarge)

Clear Sky - Rich

November 11, 2010 #113 – Origin of the Telescope

2010-11-11T01:00:00.009-06:00

While searching for some new bits of astronomical history, Google Books hit upon a series of books published in the early 1820’s. These digitized volumes, “The Percy Anecdotes” were written by Sholto and Renben Percy, Brothers of the Benedictine Monastery, Mont Benger. I did a little detective work and found that they were actually Joseph Clinton Robertson and Thomas Byerley, newspaper men.

The anecdotes were compiled from British newspaper files and written for public enjoyment. These works were very popular at the time. As I began reading a chapter on science I found that there is a lot of good historical information. Many things I read were new to me. I will include a few articles over a couple of days on astronomical and optical history. (Click to enlarge)

Clear Sky -Rich

November 10, 2010 #112 – Finding the Vernal and Autumnal Equinox.

2010-11-10T01:00:00.024-06:00

Tonight I was browsing an 1897 book entitled, “A New Astronomy” , by David P. Todd. I admire a lot of the old drawings and illustrations from the period and have a habit of clipping the ones that strike my fancy. Sort of like the scrapbooks from my younger days.

This is the Front Plate, a solar eclipse painting, which looks as if it takes place in Holland. I think it is striking. It’s claimed to be close to the real color observed. No date was given for the event. (Click to enlarge)

I also found a couple of drawings illustrating how to locate the Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes. These charts illustrate using two star patterns I have not seen in any modern texts.

Clear Sky - Rich

November 9, 2010 #111 – An interesting Letter, about the Discovery of Uranus by William Hershel.

2010-11-09T01:00:00.002-06:00

There are a lot of surprises in some of the old astronomical journals that pop up as you read them closely. As I was reading the 1888, “Journal of the Liverpool Astronomical Society Vol. VI”, on Google Books, there were two letters that caught my eye. The first by William Herschel on the methods he used to discover the planet Uranus. He goes to some lengths in the narrative to explain the pains-taking work he put into his observations.

The second letter, published the next month, is about a statement that Caroline Herschel, his sister, made in late life. This I had not read about before, though it may be that I missed it in my astronomy readings in the past. She states that, “It was her eye that made the discovery”.(Click to read)

Clear Sky - Rich

November 8, 2010 #110 – Biographies of Famous Astronomers of the 1800’s.

2010-11-08T01:00:00.001-06:00

If you are interested in some of the people that were instrumental in hauling astronomy into the light of science, Google Books has a volume that is a must read. As I was looking at the offerings I came across a 1905 book entitled, “Astronomers of To-Day and Their Work”, by Hector Macpherson, Jr. In this volume there are biographies of twenty-seven renowned astronomers. Many of their names are still well known. Take a look, there is a lot of good historical information to be discovered in this book.
Here is some info about the contents.(Click to read)

Clear Sky - Rich

November 7, 2010 #109 – Sinuous meteor trails and the earth has 14 motions.

2010-11-07T16:30:00.000-06:00

In post #081, I talked about a meteor that I observed which developed a sinuous trail that lasted for quite a while. Well, as I was continuing my reading of old Astronomical journals an article appeared chronicling a similar occurrence on Oct. 22, 1895, in Grahamtown, Cape Colony, South Africa. It was printed in the 1896, “Popular Astronomy – Vol. III”

(Click to read)

The other short article discusses all the motions of the earth as postulated by Camille Flammarion. It lists 14 then adds two more conjectural motions. This was almost 90 years ago. It’s from the “Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada – Vol. XV” by editor C.A. Chant. It will give the reader a sense of how far the science of astronomy had advanced at that time. I sure missed a few!

Clear Sky - Rich

November 6, 2010 #108 – Telescopic Meteors and the Witness of A Fall of 15,019 Meteoric Stones from an exploding Aerolite in the 1912.

2010-11-06T01:00:00.003-05:00

I’m sure that most amateur astronomers, that have spent any time at the eyepiece of their telescope, have seen a few meteors flash through the field of view. I can recall a few occasions, as a boy, peering through the narrow field of my Unitron 125 that it happened. Each time I would be amazed and think about how low the odds were of this happening. That is until reading this article. It was published in the 1907 “Popular Astronomy – Vol.XV”

(Click to enlarge)

These two short articles caught my eye. It discusses meteors seen during a solar eclipse. Then the second confirms what I have observed, that it probably wasn’t meteors after all. It’s amazing what sun light will illuminate floating in the atmosphere. (See Post #037) The first article is in “Popular Astronomy – Vol. II and the second in Vol. III., 1895 & 96.

As we are camping in central Colorado I thought I might try and find some records of meteor falls in the region. This one actually raised dust in the desert, like rifle bullets as the fragments hit the ground, all 15,000 of them!! From the 1895 “Popular Astronomy – Vol. II”

Clear Sky - Rich

November 5, 2010 #107 – John A. Brashear Optics – Part 3

2010-11-05T01:36:00.009-05:00

If you looked at Part 1, you will have learned about many of the accomplishment and honors John Brashear received for his astronomical and scientific accomplishments. In this post I would like to include a paper titled, “The Production of Optical Surfaces” he presented to thirty-third meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1885. It described a new method of producing precision optical surfaces, and was a major improvement at this stage of optical production.

As was mentioned in an earlier post, the procurement of optical quality glass was the province of glass makers in Europe. This November, 1909 article in "The Optical Review" addresses this problem.

This December, 1909 article in "The Optical Review" addresses the strides that American Companies were making by this date.

Clear Sky - Rich

November 4, 2010 #106 – John A. Brashear Optics – Part 2

2010-11-04T01:00:00.001-05:00

My historical documents search found a copy of the 1906, “Catalogue – Optical, Physical, Astrophysical and Astronomical Instruments – John A. Brashear CO., LTD. – Allegheny, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.”. If you would like to see the entire 56 pages, it can be found on Google Books as a (pdf) file. It’s interesting to check the cost of good optics in that era, actually not a lot more than fine instruments cost today when you take into account inflation of the currency.

If you like to read old telescope catalogs like I do then here are a few pages for your reading pleasure. (Click to Enlarge)

Clear Sky - Rich

November 3, 2010 #105 – John A. Brashear Optics – Part 1

2010-11-03T01:00:00.002-05:00

When you were looking to obtain a quality optical instrument in the 1800’s or early 1900’s, one of the major manufacturers was John A. Brashear. He was born in November 1840, got a look through a telescope when he was eight, and was then taught a love of astronomy by his maternal grandfather as he grew up. He served a mechanical apprenticeship graduating in 1860. He then spent the next twenty one years working as a master mill wright in a series of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Roller Mills. He fell in love with Phoebe Stewart and married her in 1862. Thus began a story of an inspiring love between two people, of astronomy, and an odyssey of lens making which later led to a life of scientific achievement, and one of Americas foremost companies producing astronomical telescopes and ancillary instruments.

The following history was published in the 1910-11, “McClures’s Magazine – Vol. XXXVI”.

(Click to enlarge)

Clear Sky - Rich

November 2, 2010 #104 - Mountains of Saturn's Rings

2010-11-02T01:00:00.001-05:00

I continue over the years to download pictures of anything astronomical. You look at amazing data almost on a daily basis until you become a little jaded. So many wonderful vistas appear on your screen from different planets, moons, and other celestial places that we didn't even know existed a short time ago. I will soon be 65 so my eyes have taken in many new sights since the dawn of the space age. My head spins because I want to see it all, but data collection has surpassed, one human beings capacity to keep up. It is possible, as many have done, to look at pictures of mars that no human eye has looked at before in detail. Even scientists can not keep up.

Today, NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute released some new pictures of "Mountains" in the rings of Saturn.

(Click to enlarge)

I found that I was totally overwhelmed. What wonders our children and grandchildren will see! I think Carl Sagan said. "We live at the best time. We are the first to see the beginings of the exploration of the Cosmos." Carl, I would have loved to hear what you would say about this.

Clear Sky - Rich

November 1, 2010 #103 - Lightning Strikes on the Observatory

2010-11-01T18:11:00.011-05:00

Two years ago my wife and I were driving through a valley on our way to Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a clear beautiful day, when suddenly lightning struck a rock wall a thousand feet above the valley. Again, a few nights ago a fast moving storm swept across the College Mountain Range in CO, where we are camping. We could hear many strikes echoing in the valleys. This started a train of thought about astronomers on mountain tops and lightning strikes. Out of curiosity I cranked up the old search engine and began looking for articles on the subject written in the 1800's and early 1900's. I didn't find a lot but there were some interesting entries.

The first reference I found was written by J.A. Brashear, a renowned optical instrument builder. This article about a strike on an objective-lens is from the 1894-95, "Popular Astronomy Vol. II".

The second is a strike on the Observatorio National Argentino, found in the 1913 "Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Vol. XXV.

The Third is about a survey crew on Pikes Peak, CO that had their theodolite struck twice in one day, in the 1894, "Report of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey - Part II".

Number four I found, in of all places a 1912, "ABC Pathfinder Railway Guide" This article speaks of strikes on several observatories in Europe.

The final article is not strictly a strike on an observatory, but a horrific story of a geologic expedition to the mountains which turns into a life and death struggle with lightning, the story is as riveting as any fiction written. It comes from an 1874-75, "Bulletin of the U.S. Geological and Geographical Survey".

Clear Sky - Rich

October 31, 2010 #102 - Search for a Lunar Satellite During the Eclipses of 1888 & 95

2010-10-31T02:08:00.000-05:00

I was reading the 1895 "Astrophysical Journal - Vol. II" and came across an article written by E.E. Barnard. The title was "On a Photographic Search for a Satellite of the Moon". That is an intriguing thought, a satellite of a satellite. I have read that the earth has a few quasi-moons, 3753 Cruithne, 1998 UP1 and 2000 PH5, and we know that many Kuyper Belt objects and even asteroids have moons, but it had not occurred to me that Luna might have one.

In the present time frame the moons domain has been minutely surveyed by optical, radar, and spacecraft, both manned and unmanned. Data, probably amounting to many hundreds of terabytes and being collected at a prodigious rate by multiple nations in on going programs, has failed to find a satellite of Luna. But, in the late 1800's scientists were theorizing and working to prove or disprove the hypothesis.

I have included three pertinent articles. The first is from the 1892, "American Illustrated - Vol. IX ". The second is E.E. Barnard's article and the third is a part of an article by F.R. Moulton, from a June 1899 "Popular Astronomy - Vol. VII". This is a calculation on the distance that a Lunar Satellite could survive in orbit based on the gravitational influences of other bodies.

(Click on article to read)

Clear Sky - Rich

October 30, 2010 #101 - A Procession of Meteors on February 9, 1913

2010-10-30T02:40:00.000-05:00

While reading through the 1922 "Popular Astronomy Vol. XXX" I was intrigued by this article, written by William H. Pickering. This is the first time I've read about a train of meteors. I have plotted the path on a map to help me visualize the path. All I can say is this had to be quite spectacular.

(Click to enlarge for reading)

There was at least a second follow up article by Pickering but I have not been able to find it. Vol. XXX is the last Popular Astronomy that was in the archives.

Clear Sky - Rich

October 29, 2010 #100 - Alvin Clark & Sons Shop - Part 5

2010-10-29T01:37:00.000-05:00

I had only intended to Blog four posts on the Alvin Clark & Sons story, but a couple of nights ago, while I was panning for astronomical gold on Google Books, I found a couple of nuggets in the most unexpected places. In an 1874 publication titled "The Pennsylvania School Journal" Vol. XXII and in an 1875 Weekly publication titled "The Friend - A Religious and Literary Journal". These articles chronicle visits to the Clark optical shop. They describe the shop and steps that the Clark's went through in the manufacture of their crown and flint glass lenses from start to completion. Based on my earlier searches, I had almost zero hope of ever reading this story. Persistence can pay off in using search engines. I hope you will enjoy these articles. Once again Google Books, thank you, for these gold nuggets.

(Click to enlarge for reading)

("The Pennsylvania School Journal" Vol. XXII" - 1874)

("The Friend - A Religious and Literary Journal" - 1875)

You may have noticed with this post I have reached one hundred entries. When I started Blogging back in July 2008, I did not think that it would be this much fun. I would recommend this type of writing as a way to challenge your mind, it dredged up old memories, taught me a lot by getting me to research my hobby of astronomy, and I have met some very nice people along the way. What ever your hobby there are lots of people with the same interests, give it a try.

Clear Sky - Rich

October 28, 2010 #099 - Producing Lens Blanks in the 1800's

2010-10-28T01:00:00.010-05:00

During my reading of historical journals about lens manufacture, I found information recorded on how lenses were ground and polished but very little on how the glass was manufactured to produce the raw blanks. I found an article in the 1887, "Publications of the Lick Observatory Vol. I", giving a good explanation on the blank making procedures of the period as it related to the construction of the Lick Observatory telescope. Below is an interesting explanation of the process, very time and labor intensive, but it worked.

* * * * * * * * * *

During the summer of 1874, Mr. D. O. Mills visited Washington and New York and had frequent consultations with astronomers and others, specially with Professors Newcomb and Holden in Washington, and with Dr. Henry Draper in New York.

It was decided that Professor Newcomb should go to Europe to investigate the matter of procuring the glass necessary for a large reflector or a large refractor...

Professor Newcomb's report (dated March 4, 1875) is as follows:

REPORT OF PROFESSOR NEWCOMB

"I have the honor to report to the Lick Trustees, that in accordance with the request conveyed in your letter of December 3 to Mr. D. O. Mills, I have made a journey to Europe for the purpose of collecting such information as might enable the Trustees to decide upon the course to be adopted in order to secure for the State of California a telescope ' larger and more powerful than any yet made.' For this purpose I communicated with such of the leading men of science of England, France, and Germany as were most likely to give me either suggestions or information, having especially in view to learn (1) what is likely to be the limit of available size of a refractor, and (2) what optical firms could prudently be entrusted with the construction of such an instrument as that required by the Trustees. Beginning with the latter question, the result of my inquiries was, as might have been expected, that the majority of the opticians did not come within the range of the requirement. Not deeming it necessary to specify each firm by name, I may say in a general way that most of them, while of high character as men of business, had never successfully undertaken the production of a telescope of any but the smallest size, and there was no good reason to believe that an attempt on their part to make one of the size required would end in anything but failure.

Special details are given by Professor Newcomb of his negotiations with four several firms, viz.: G. & S. Merz, of Munich; Thomas Cooke's Sons, of York; Eichens & Martin, of Paris, and Howard Grubb, of Dublin; and copies of a set of provisional specifications drawn up by Professor Newcomb, and by him transmitted to these gentlemen, together with their replies and estimates, are appended to his report. As circumstances brought these negotiations to an end, it is not necessary to give this matter here. Professor Newcomb's report on the method of glass founding adopted by the two most celebrated makers has a permanent value, and is accordingly given below.

The Glass Discs.

"There are but two parties to choose from: Messrs. Chance Bros. & Co., of Birmingham, and Ch. Feil, of Paris. I regret to say that I could collect no certain evidence that either of these parties can really be relied on to furnish discs of much more than 30 inches in diameter within any reasonable length of time, and the claims of the two are so nearly balanced that I must request the Trustees to delay deciding between them until I have investigated the specimens of glass which each has furnished, in order to learn which is the best adapted to a great objective.

"The state of the case will be better understood by explaining the process of making such discs, as I learned it from the parties themselves and from others. The materials are mixed and melted in a clay pot holding from 500 pounds to a ton, and are constantly stirred with an iron rod until the proper combination is obtained. The heat is then slowly diminished until the glass becomes too stiff to be stirred longer, when the mass, pot and all, is placed in the annealing furnace. Here it must remain undisturbed for a period of a month or more, when it is taken out; the pot and the outside parts of the glass are broken away to find whether a lump suitable for the required disc can be found in the interior.

"If the interior were perfectly solid and homogeneous, there would be no further difficulty; the lumps would be softened by heat, pressed into a flat disc, and re-annealed, when the work would be complete. But in practice the interior is always found to be crossed in every direction by veins of unequal density, which will injure the performance of the glass; and the great mechanical difficulty in the production of the disc is to cut these veins out and still leave a mass which can be pressed into a disc without any folding of the original surface. Two parts or surfaces of the glass can never be joined or welded closely enough to serve the purpose; every change of shape in pressing the glass must therefore be made in the interior mass, as it were, without breaking the surface.

"The Messrs. Chance found it necessary to try a large number of pots of glass before they succeeded in producing one from which a disc of 26 inches clear aperture could be made. The time required for each trial depends on the stage of the process at which the failure is discovered. If on first breaking the pot, the interior mass is found too full of veins, only one or two months will have been occupied. But it may happen that after the disc has all been put into shape, annealed, and ground, the final trial may show a failure, and then several months will have been occupied in the trial. Practically the Messrs. Chance were four years in producing two pairs of 26-inch discs for Messrs. Alvan Clark & Sons.

"I could find only two points in which Feil's process differed from that of the Messrs. Chance:

"(1) His pots are much larger, about twice the size of Chance's, which, it seems to me, must be an advantage.

"(2) His system of cutting out the veins is more slow, careful, and elaborate.

"He reheats the glass a number of times and moulds it into shape gradually, cutting out all the veins he can reach after (each) cooling. As the glass must be re-annealed after every heating, each trial takes a much longer time than in the case of Chance, but final success is far more probable.

* * * * * * * * * *

"In the matter of finding a combination of glasses which shall be perfectly achromatic, I regret to say that my conferences with the highest authorities in Europe resulted in nothing satisfactory. Nothing can be done but to select from the specimens of glass furnished by the competing bidders that combination which gives the best results. According to Professor Stokes no improvement can now be made on the usual combination of hard crown and dense flint glass. Should this be so, I do not think any advantage will be gained by attempting more than 34 inches clear aperture."

Clear Sky - Rich

October 27, 2010 #098 - Alvin G. Clarks Double Star Discoveries - Part 4

2010-10-27T01:00:00.019-05:00

In the past few posts are mentioned the discoveries that the Clarks made while star testing new optics. As an occasional double star observer, I researched information on these discoveries. For those observers of double stars, here is a little observational data that I found in the "American Journal of Science and Arts" Vol. XXV - Second Series - 1858 and Vol. XVII - Third Series - 1879. The first is written by the Rev. W. R. Dawes and the second S.W. Burnham, both well known astronomers.

(By Rev. W. R. Dawes - 1858)

(By S.W. Burnham - 1879)

Clear Sky - Rich

October 26, 2010 #097 - A Visit to Alvin Clark & Sons - Part 3

2010-10-26T01:00:00.047-05:00

I have gone through the literature looking for pictures of Alvin Clark & Sons' work shops. There are very few photos in the old archives just a few of the finished products. Visitors to the shop were frequent but there is little that anyone has written or spoken of that point to innovations or new methods of manufacturing optics. In fact it was written that conditions were quite primitive. The high quality of production optical products was due to rigorous testing, and scrupulous attention to the surface figure of the glass. All surfaces were worked by hand until absolutely to the highest tolerance. This took a lot more man hours but it was what the Clarks demanded. They did not even record journals of the work progress. Each lens got thorough attention until it was finished.

Stephen Tilford of Cincinnati, OH, on his Blog, has the only picture I've seen, that may be taken in the Alvin Clark & Sons shop.

http://steves-astrocorner.blogspot.com/2010/02/tackling-16-alvan-clark-and-sons.html

A picture of the Yerkes lens as it was ready to be installed. This was one month before Alvin G. Clark died.

(Click to enlarge)

The following is an account of a visit to Alvin Clark & Sons by W.W. Payne Written in "Popular Astronomy" Vol. XV - No. 7 (August and September 1907)

Clear Sky - Rich

October 25, 2010 #096 - Alvin Clark & Sons - Part 2

2010-10-25T01:00:00.038-05:00

In this post I will add a little more history gleaned from several 1800's vintage journals, magazines, science compendiums, and astronomy books.

Alvin Clark was born on March 8, 1804 and married Maria Pease on March 25, 1824. His first son, George Bassett, was born February 14, 1827, and the second son, Alvin Gram, on July 10, 1832. In 1844, George became interested in grinding and polishing reflectors for telescope mirrors and his father took up the work and aided his son in experimenting with this type of telescope. Taking his fathers advice they abandoned the reflector and began work on refracting lenses. Father and son continued development of optical manufacturing skills over several years and produced the first production achromatic lenses made in the United States.

The Clarks established their company in 1846 and in 1852 the younger brother Alvin Gram, trained as a machinist at the public school of Cambridgport, joined his father and brother in lens production. Among their first objective lenses was a 4.75 inch which Mr. Clark used to discover two new double stars in 1852. In 1853, with a new lens of 7.5 inch aperture he discovered 95 Ceti and reported his discoveries to the Rev. W. R. Dawes, the famous double-star observer of England, who purchased from him this lens and later four others. One of these included an 8 inch objective, which Sir. William Huggins used to make the first visual observations of stellar and nebular spectra. This added to the reputation of quality that Clark Lenses provided the observer.

In 1859 he was a guest of Rev. Dawes in England where he visited the Greenwich Observatory and attended a meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society. It was there that he met Sir John Herschel and Lord Rosse. He sold one equatorial mounting and two objective lenses,one 8 and the other 8.25 inches. The results from the use of these was published by Rev. Dawes in the monthly report of the Royal Astronomical Society. This gave the American Manufacturer a wider international reputation. Rev. Dawes paper is provided below.

From Google Books, "Memoirs of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 29, 1861"

(Click on document to read)

Dr. F.A.P. Bernard ordered for the University of Mississippi an 18.5 inch telescope larger than any refractors ever before in service. The delivery was prevented by the civil war and the instrument was sold in Chicago and was afterwards in the charge of S.W. Burnham. This is the lens that the Clarks were testing when Sirus B was discovered in 1862.

The Clarks produced lenses of the highest quality for many years. The elder Clark died on August 19, 1887. He was still active in the business at the time of his death. George Bassett died on January 2, 1892, and Alvin Gram died on June 9, 1897.

Alvin Gram, was also a successful observer of astronomical phenomena and discovered 14 double stars, among them the companion of Sirus. He traveled world wide observing eclipses of the sun, and the 1869 transit of Venus. He completed a 30 inch objective lens for the government of Russia, a 36 for the Lick Observatory, 26 for the Washington Naval Observatory, 26 for Leander J. McCormick of Chicago for the University of Virginia. In May of 1897 he delivered the 41.5 to the Yerkes Observatory, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, the lens for the most powerful refracting telescope in America. Due to the extreme size of the lens blanks, it was an arduous process to secure glass of the quality required. This objective lens cost three years of labor with two assistants. The last survivor of the family of famous lens makers was in failing health as he supervised the installation and died just a month after this delivery.

The company's trained and dedicated work force, under the guidance of a 27 year associate of the Clarks, Optician - Carl Lundun, continued to manufacture unsurpassed optics, under the Alvin Clark & Sons name. The company was purchased in 1933 bringing an end to a great chapter of astronomical history.

Clear Sky - Rich

October 24, 2010 #095 - Alvin Clark & Sons Objective Lenses - Part 1

2010-10-24T01:00:00.043-05:00

As I have been going through old Astronomical Journals this year there is one phrase that keeps occurring. Alvin Clark & Sons, produced this lens. If an observatory either professional, academic, or private needed the best quality optics they went to Alvin Clarke & Sons. So it was time for me to search out some information on their almost mythical ability to produce objective lenses.

The following history of Alvin Clark is taken from William Henry Chaffee's "The Chaffee Genealogy" 1909.

Alvan Clark, born in Ashfield, Mass., March 8, 1804, died in Cambridge, Mass., August 19, 1887. He was the famous maker of telescopes, his factory being in Cambridgeport, Mass.

" He was attacked on the Wednesday preceding his death by a stomach trouble which his advanced age rendered him unable to throw off. Up to his last illness, Mr. Clark had followed the course of his business closely, and even after he turned seventy seemed to lose little or none of his extraordinary skill of eye and hand or patience.

"Alvan Clark was born on a farm at Ashfield, Mass. He received an ordinary education, but at an early age showed a great taste for drawing and engraving. He removed to Lowell in 1826 and obtained a situation as a calico engraver in a mill. Nine years afterward he became a portrait painter, and settled in Boston. About 1843 his son Alvan G. Clark became interested in the study of optics, and the father also began to study mechanics and astronomy. They experimented together a good deal and finally succeeded in making a reflecting telescope. Mr. Clark and his son spent nearly ten years in the study of optics and the art of telescope making, and in the making of small optical instruments, before their claims in this general department of astronomical science were recognized. The Rev. W. R. Dawes, of England, celebrated for his measurement of double stars, hearing that Mr. Clark was constructing instruments of superior purity and power ordered a glass for his own use, which was duly sent him in the fall of 1853. This was the starting point in Mr. Clark's career as a maker of telescopes, for the performance of this glass so greatly excited the admiration of English astronomers, that Mr. Clark found himself suddenly famous and rapidly received orders for telescopes both at home and from abroad. Through his efforts he has given to the world the largest and most powerful astronomical instruments ever made, the results being the discovery of celestial bodies heretofore unknown. From New York to St. Petersburg, and in every civilized country of the world, the name of Alvan Clark is a familiar one among scientists.

"The famous instrument in the Washington Observatory was made by him and required four years of labor. That presented to the Washington and Lee College, of Virginia, by Mr. McCormick of Chicago, costing $40,000, came also from the careful hands of Clark & Sons. The great telescope in California bequeathed by Mr. Lick, was made in the workshop of the Clarks, and also the famous telescope made a few years ago for the Pulkowa Observatory in Russia. He is also the inventor of a double eye-piece, an ingenious and valuable method of measuring small celestial arcs.

"On the night of January 31, 1862, he and his son, Alvan G., while making some observations with a newly finished telescope, discovered the companion of Sirius, for which the French Academy of Sciences bestowed on him the Lalande Medal." [New York Tribune.]

"Mr. Alvan Clark's personal qualities so strongly influenced his achievements that they form an interesting subject of study. Most remarkable was his aversion to advertising himself or his telescopes in any way whatever. He never sought an order. He could never be induced to place specimens of his handicraft on exhibition; even the Centennial at Philadelphia had nothing to show from his hands. Astronomers the world over applied in vain for a price-list of the productions of Alvan Clark & Sons. The firm would not print anything of the kind. Nowhere was anything arranged for display. Visitors to his workshop, whatever their rank, position or objects, were received with the same unstudied courtesy, and found everybody, from the head of the firm down, in his working garb. No pretensions to a secret art were ever made. When, in travelling abroad, members of the firm found their foreign colleagues afraid to show how they worked, the only impression conveyed was that human nature had its weaknesses. Never before was an art or manufacture built up on so admirable a moral basis." [New York Nation.]

The only Alvin Clark & Sons advertisement I have found was in an issue of Popular Astronomy dated after the last of the Clarks died..

More to the story on the next post.

Clear Sky - Rich

October 23, 2010 #094 - Thoughts on Astronomical History

2010-10-23T01:00:00.027-05:00

In my fun research into Astronomical History I am struck by how little people have changed over the past 250 years. On the earth we have been through much human struggling, slavery, suffrage, women trying to raise their standing in a male dominated society, political strife, competing economic systems, degradation of the environment, the fight for land and resources, the list goes on and on!

One of the surprises that has hit me as I delve into the past is that the world of Astronomy was not above it all. I, in my naive way thought that the field was on a higher plain. How could the study of the Cosmos, one of the purest sciences, be corrupted. I forgot one important fact, astronomy is conducted by human beings.

Within my lifetime I have read about the fights to build observatories on mountain tops that were the habitat of the last remnant of a fading species of plant or animal. There were political and economic battles over the prestige of having the latest technologically advanced astronomical instruments built in a specific country. Then of course there is the battle of egos, as a scientists work is refuted by a contemporary or the next generation of researchers.

One of the most obvious shortcomings of the astronomical community in the past was the value placed on women's contributions to the field. It is plain that many of the major accomplishments of the past were made by women working in the background, assisting husbands, working as human computers calculating data, sifting through millions of photographic plates, and contributing understanding to the field with brilliant minds, only to have it presented by others in papers and at gatherings of "Astronomers". Many of these great women were only recognized after they passed away, in obituaries of the time printed in obscure journals.

I might refer you to POPULAR ASTRONOMY 1898 Vol. VI (Woman Astronomers 400A.D. - 1750), (Woman Astronomers 1750 - 1890), and (Woman Astronomers Contemporary) Written by Herman Davis. This is a good primer on the subject. It can be read on Google Books.

Below are a couple clippings from my historical "scrapbook" that I think illustrate how things have changed very little.

(Click on picture to enlarge for reading.)

I don't recall my wife ever waking me and telling me that the occultation was about to start or wasn't the eclipse of the moon supposed to be about now. But then she did wake me for work when I had spent to long at the eyepiece, probably way more important in the scheme of things.

I guess this means that employees were just as unhappy with the boss in 1913 as people are today.

Clear Sky - Rich

October 22, 2010 #093 - Unique Meteor Sightings From Collection

2010-10-22T01:00:00.009-05:00

In this post I would like to pass along some unique historical meteor sightings that I have collected. The drawing is from South America and I have no source or date for it. The clippings are from various old periodicals from dates in the 1800's and early 1900's. I think you will agree that some are quite spectacular. It strikes me that the fall in Lake Ontario has a location documented well enough that it might be possible for a boat towing a magnetometer to locate the fall. I'm sure a large diameter iron meteor would set off the detector.

(Click on the individual page to enlarge it for reading)

Clear Sky - Rich

October 21, 2010 #092 - The "Fiery" Meteor of 1783

2010-10-21T01:00:00.126-05:00

One of my astronomical researches (for fun) projects has been to collect historical accounts of meteor sightings. There seems to be one account that stands out in the literature as Europe's most spectacular appearance. In the fall of 1783 a meteor entered the earths atmosphere over the North Sea traveled across the British Isle, crossed the Channel onto the Continent, and may have made it 1000 miles to Italy. As it traveled it threw off pieces and varied greatly in brightness.

(The pictures source and artist are unknown

but this is a contemporary representation of the event)

I found this account in "The Edinburgh Magazine" dated 1785 on Google Books. The article is included below. If you search you will find many references to what must have been a major event of the times and witnessed by tens of thousands of people.

(Click on the pages to enlarge for reading and remember,
at that time printers exchanged "f" for "S")

Clear Sky - Rich

October 20, 2010 #091 - Visiting Martian & Lunar Lava Tubes

2010-10-20T01:00:00.001-05:00

I went somewhere last night that I thought I would never be able to go in my wildest day-dreams. Having sat glued at my telescope eyepiece for hours, watching the moon passing below as the earth turned, it gave me the illusion of gliding in close orbit, but that was as if the eye was still miles above the surface.

In no way would I ever to be able to stroll freely where my feet would take me. Even the men who have actually been to the moon remained within relative close proximity to their lunar module, and who knows if we will ever walk on mars!

Thanks to NASA we now have two of the most remarkable data bases that could be imagined. LROC, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, and HIRISE, High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment. With their data your computer allows you to take a vantage point close enough to the surface for the eye to resolve the surface features a few feet across and in some cases inches.

I was "virtually" close enough to follow the trails of rocks rolling down hills on other worlds, cross lunar and martian bridges, see the tracks of Lunakhods, peer down where the roof collapsed into lava tubes, admitting the suns illumination where once glowing lava flowed. In my younger days I was able to walk through actual lava tubes in Idaho, so it took very little imagination for my minds eye to visualize where I could not yet travel, below the surface of another world. BUT, I stood on the edge of a pit on Mars last night and yearned to explore the unknown world below.

http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/

http://www.uahirise.org/nea.php

Below is what I saw standing on Mars & Luna.
(Click to enlarge)

Top image from HIRISE data and Bottom from LROC data.

Clear Sky - Rich

October 19, 2010 #090 - Barlow's Fluid Lenses

2010-10-19T01:00:00.009-05:00

Over the years I have seen a few references to lens constructed of liquids. For instance opticians and experimenters have tried various methods of using "quick-silver" or mercury to form concave mirrors to be used in reflecting telescopes. I've even seen references to the use of ice, in attempts to produce suitable mirrors and lenses. Everything I have read about has major drawbacks.

While searching the index of "The Practical Astronomer" an 1850 book by Thomas Dick marked Vol. IX, I came across an article about Dr. Barlows experiments with fluid lenses and his success in constructing very high quality astronomical telescopes. Dr. Peter Barlow was the inventor of the Barlow Lens, used widely in optical instruments. The short article has a wealth of information on what materials he used and his designs, along with observations he made to test the optical properties of the instruments. A preserved piece of astronomical history that took place over 160 years ago.

(Click on picture to enlarge for reading)

Clear Sky - Rich

October 18, 2010 #089 - Satellite of Venus

2010-10-18T01:00:00.008-05:00

One of the historical, observational anomalies, that has fascinated me since I was a young lad is the sighting of a moon orbiting Venus. We know now that there is no such beast, but that was not always true. This debate continued through the 18th and 19th centuries. In my recent searches through Google Books, I have turned up an in depth article in one of the most prestigious scientific journals - "Nature". Granted this is in the June 19, and July 7, 1876 issue, but from reading this information it strikes me that this publication has never lowered it's standards. The article is by none other than T.W. Webb, well known from his Observational Guides, still popular today. I gained a lot of enjoyable history from this paper and I hope you will enjoy reading it.

(Click on the individual page to enlarge it for reading)

Clear Sky - Rich

October 17, 2010 #088 - Spokes on Saturn's Rings in 1888

2010-10-17T01:00:00.029-05:00

NASA

As I was reading a Google scan of the February, 1888 - "The Journal of the Liverpool Astronomical Society", I was surprised when I looked at Plate XII (Figure 14 & 19). It is a drawing by a Society member, Thomas Gwyn Elger, of Saturn's Rings. What was striking about his drawings was an apparent record of "spokes" on the Rings. If memory serves me, I have read that these ghost like markings were discovered during the Voyager Mission as it scanned Saturn at the end of the 20th. century and more recently by the Cassini Mission. It appears to me that Mr. Elger may have got a jump on us by about a hundred years!

With a little Wiki research I found that Mr. Elger was a lunar mapper who had an observatory with an 8.5 inch refractor in Bedford, England. He was the first director of the Lunar Section of the British Astronomical Association and was a member of several other Astronomical Societies. His 1895 book - "The Moon: A Full description and Map of its Principal Physical Features" is highly regarded due to it's maps. (Available on Google Books) His sketches from 1884 to 1896 are now in the possession of the BAA. He even has a crater on the moon named in his honor.

These drawings and his notes are included for you to take a look at.

Clear Sky - Rich

October 16, 2010 #087 - The Canals of Mars

2010-10-16T01:00:00.044-05:00

A couple of posts back I mentioned the Canals of Mars. In my Google Books search into astronomy another trio of old gems turned up.

In 1921 the book "Mars" was published containing all the papers of importance written by William H. Pickering between 1890 and 1914. Below is a list of the 17 papers presented in the book. My favorite is "Signalling to Mars".

Two other books, I found, are by Percival Lowell. One is entitled "Mars and Its Canals". This was produced in 1906 and in 1915 "Memoirs of the Lowell Observatory - Memoir of a Trans-Neptunian Planet"

I visited the Lowell Observatory, in Flagstaff, Arizona during the early 1970's. In the late 1890's Lowell built the observatory there and did most of his work with the 24" Alvan Clark refractor. Percival Lowell's mausoleum was located on Mars Hill near the Observatory. I remember the observatory shaped structure with a beautiful blue glass dome, a fitting resting place for an avid astronomer. Hope you enjoy these gems.

Thanks! Google for preserving all these treasures. Without your efforts we would never have the chance to read these.

Clear Sky - Rich

October 15, 2010 #086 - Lava Tubes on the moon

2010-10-15T01:00:00.017-05:00

It is strange how science fiction writers develop story lines which predict, at least to a degree, scientific discoveries years later. When I was a young lad I was an avid reader of this genre. One of my favorite stories was an early book written by Donald A. Wollheim, titled - "One Against the Moon". This was the story of a boy stowing away on the first unmanned rocket to Luna. The craft crashes, he survives in a stolen spacesuit, and finds a habitat in the caves below the surface. This subterranean world was populated by an entire ecosystem of lunar flora and fauna.

Of course, this ecosystem does not exist. But, the earth's robotic lunar exploration satellites have recently discovered that lava tubes do exist below the lunar regolith! There is even some talk, in scientific circles, about building viable bases in these tubes in the future. "Wow!", the boy in me says. Maybe, Robert A. Heinlein's - "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" might come true!

The Japanese Lunar Space Craft Selene/Kaguya discovered this opening.
Credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University

Credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University

One final thought. Recently water has been discovered on Luna! For years I have read that not one drop could be found there. The master of scientific prediction, Arthur C. Clarke, wrote a line in "The Sentinel", in 1951, which still gives a thrill to my little boys heart.

"... some thousand million years before. When life was beginning on Earth, it was already dying here. The waters were retreating down the flanks of those stupendous cliff s, retreating into the empty heart of the Moon. Over the land which we were crossing, the tideless ocean had once been half a mile deep, and now the only trace of moisture was the hoarfrost one could sometimes find in caves which the searing sunlight never penetrated."

Is it such a leap to imagination that some future lunar probe or even a team of sub lunarian explorers will discover a living patch of mat like bacteria deep below the surface in some dark lunar passageway.

Clear Sky - Rich

October 14, 2010 #085 - The Planet Vulcan

2010-10-14T01:00:00.006-05:00

In my last post I wrote about an 1800's Amateur Astronomical publication that I have been reading on Google Books. Here is an article that I dredged up about the Planet Vulcan, supposed to be located between Mercury and the Sun! It was published at the turn of the century (Circa 1900) in The Chicago Times and also the Rochester Democrat. It is interesting that more than one scientist was convinced of the observations and their verification. I am reminded of the canals of mars of which many drawings and maps were produced. Enjoy this little piece of astronomical history, sort of the Supermarket Tabloid story of the time. (Click to enlarge)

Clear Sky - Rich

October 13, 2010 #084 - The Astronomical Register

2010-10-13T01:00:00.003-05:00

Over the past year I have been reading Astronomical Literature on Google Books. If you like to read old periodicals on astronomy then this is a treasure trove waiting to be discovered. One of the first series I downloaded was "The Astronomical Register". It started publication in 1863 as "A medium of communication for Amateur Observers, and all others interested in the science of Astronomy". I found all Volumes published from 1863 through 1886. (listed below to aide in your search) It is interesting to see how things have changed and how they have remain unchanged for almost 150 years. I am finding a lot of observational gems as I go through the volumes and possibly you will too.

Clear Sky - Rich

October 12, 2010 #083 - An interesting sky effect.

2010-10-12T01:00:00.000-05:00

My wife and I were on the shore of Lake Superior in September. It was an exceptionally fine day. Warm air and shallow water, warm enough to swim for hours giving us a wonderful day! This warmth only extends out to a depth of a few feet, cold water always lurks below Superiors surface. As a consequence a layer of fog hovers over those deeper waters in a layer, even when the sky is clear and sunny.

You can see this in the picture above. (Click to Enlarge) This photo was taken towards the north where Canada sits about twenty miles away. On Canada's shore and extending inland for several miles, is a hilly area where a giant wind farm has been constructed. The result is that you can see the lake surface, a bank of fog hiding Canada, and the immense wind generators floating on the "Clouds". To me it looks as if a city far away has been built on the clouds.

Clear Sky - Rich

October 11, 2010 #082 - The Dog that Watches the Sky.

2010-10-11T01:00:00.002-05:00

This is our traveling companion Ruby, an English Springer Spaniel. When she was a pup I amused her by moving a laser pointer all over the house for her to chase. Great fun but with lasting consequences. It seems that three years later she has a fondness for solar reflections and the moon. It is amazing but she has figured out that a combination of the sun and reflective objects produce moving sun beams. I have watched her move objects to cause the reflections to move then rushes to follow them. It is an action and reaction which she has figured out.

This is not all, she notices and watches objects in the sky. She will watch planes, from jets leaving contrails, to light planes, the flight of soaring hawks and high flying ravens fascinate her. Leaves and wind blown seeds making their way in the wind draw her notice. She also has a fascination with astronomical objects, and here is where I am most amazed. On our evening walks at dusk she will suddenly spot Venus or the moon. Some dogs and wolves howl at the moon but Ruby is different. She will pause, look at them, and stand on her hind legs, as if to get a closer look! - She's my little astronomer companion.

Clear Sky - Ruby & Rich

October 10, 2010 #081 - Skies of Colorado

2010-10-10T20:51:00.006-05:00

We have been set up in almost the exact center of Colorado for the last month. We are presently adjacent to the 12 to 14 thousand foot College Mountain Range at an altitude of about 8,000 ft. To say that the seeing is good, in most places, is not in the same class as high in the mountains. My aging eyes, when dark adapted, can see star clusters that are clearer than I can remember from my boyhood in rural Indiana.

I was out laying in my lawn chair, with my binoculars, watching for meteors a few nights ago. I picked up a few bright ones during the period between 3:30 and 4:30 am. After I would spy one I would quickly try to see the trail in the binoculars with only marginal success. As I caught #7 slightly to the SE of Polaris I quickly centered the trail in view. I was amazed to see the trail lingering. It remained a strait line the color and transparency of cigarette smoke for the first minute and expanding very little. To my amazement during the second and third minute it began to bend into an "S" shape similar to the constellation Draco not far away. In all it was visible about 3.5 minutes. When the excitement began to subside and I had time to think about what I had seen it struck me that this was an illustration of atmospheric currents at probably over 60 miles near the edge of space.

The next night I caught ISS going over and later two identical satellites in near polar orbit about ten degrees apart one right behind the other with exactly the same brightness. Tonight the thin crescent of the moon floats over 14,000 ft. Mt. Princeton. Exciting observations, for a boy from the flat lands of Indiana.

Clear Sky - Rich

October 9, 2010 #080 - Podcasts

2010-10-09T19:44:00.003-05:00

Whenever I can pickup WIFI, as we have traveled, it has been fun to download Astronomical Podcasts to play on my MP3 player at night. It helps me to keep up with the current news in Astronomy and Space exploration. Many good people are producing high quality programs for the shear joy of it. Some are top notch professionals in the field and others very enthusiastic hobbiests.

I especially enjoy Fraser Cain, the editor of The Universe Today & Dr. Pamela L. Gay, an assistant professor of Physics at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. Together they are the hosts of Astronomy Cast. Download their current and archived shows. I'm sure you will enjoy listening and you will learn a lot in the process. I have.

Some of my favorites are:
Astrocast - http://www.astronomycast.com/
The Planetary Society - http://planetary.org/misc/rss.html#podcast
Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics - http://www.jodcast.net/
Astronomy Magazine - http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=ss&id=104
365 Days of Astronomy - http://365daysofastronomy.org/

If you want a giant selection check:
Portal to The Universe - http://www.portaltotheuniverse.org/podcasts/

Clear Sky - Rich

October 8, 2010 #079 - Still on the Road

2010-10-08T22:26:00.009-05:00

My wife and I have now been on the road for over a year. We are traveling in a 20 year old motor home, and spent the winter in Louisiana and the summer in the upper Great Lakes. This fall we traveled across MI, WI, MN, SD, WY, and are presently in central CO. We have met many wonderful people where ever we have traveled.

On the astronomy side I have found splendid skies are returning in many rural areas. I think this is occurring as small towns are fading into the past. This economy forces people to move to the larger cities to find a living. It must be heart breaking for folks to uproot and leave these places they have loved. Small town homes are boarded up and businesses are closing. Even in the ranching areas of the plains, many have abandoned homesteads. Only around the larger cities are rural areas being built up. It is plain to see that America is changing.

One of the first questions people ask is what do you do with no house to live in? How can you give up a place? The answer is you live from day to day, much as you did before. The place changes, you meet new friends, you see the beauty of each new area, new plants, new animals, untold natural wonders are open to you. I love to kayak, read, hike, watch nature and the sky, and meet new people. We are doing all those things in abundance. Many tell us they have dreamed of traveling but...

Samuel Clemons said "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Clear Sky - Rich

September 25, 2009 #078 - Arkaroola Observatory

2009-09-25T01:00:00.005-05:00

Another stop on my Internet Aussie Walkabout was the Arkaroola Wilderness Area where there is an excellent observing site with lots of facilities for the southern hemisphere observer. What first caught my eye was the roll off roof observatory with three observing chairs that can be used to scan with binoculars. They mention that there can be large temperature variations from day to night. If you look closely at the pictures you will see a lot of reflective foil insulation to ward off daytime heat. Their list of available equipment is impressive. I have always been interested in mobile observing chairs since I first read Leslie Peltier's article on his Merry-Go -Round Chair in Sky & Telescope back in the 70's.

Surf around and you will discover a lot of interesting Australian Astronomy links. It's fun to "Walk-A-Bout".

http://www.arkaroola.com.au/astronomy.php

Clear Sky - Rich

September 24, 2009 #077 - Clavé Eyepieces

2009-09-24T01:00:00.003-05:00

During a recent Internet walkabout on the Australian astronomy sites I got a real shock. In Victoria, the owner of "Astronomy Alive", Cris Ellis is still offering Clavé eyepieces. The site shows f5mm, 6mm, 8mm, in 1.25"and 35mm in 2". In stock. I sure wouldn't think that he has very many as they have not been made, as far as I can determine, for years.

I have been using a Clavé 30mm and Clavé Barlow since the late 70's. I thought that the only way to pick any up were as they become available at infrequent personal sales. I would never give up mine as the quality of images they bring out on every scope I have had has been outstanding. I must admit that I have not used any of the new super lenses from Al Nagler. I can't seem to get past the fact that they cost more to purchase than I ever spent on a scope save for my 12.5" reflector.

By the way the French Company Clavé is still in business. They sell telescopes but do not mention the brand of eyepieces that they come with.

http://www.clave.fr/

http://www.astronomyalive.com.au/

Clear Sky - Rich

September 23, 2009 #076 - Telescope

2009-09-23T01:50:00.005-05:00

I was randomly browsing through some new commercial telescope web sites when I happened upon an Italian site with a novel type of scope for sale. I have seen this form in a few scopes built by ATM's in past years but not as a commercial offering. They are manufactured around a classical Dall-Kirkham optical system. I was struck by their outward beauty and the photos taken through them are equally impressive. Take a look and I think you might be impressed.

http://www.lazzarotti-optics.com/main.html

Clear Sky - Rich

September 22, 2009 #075 - Cassini

2009-09-22T10:01:00.016-05:00

On January 1st. I wrote a post about the beauty of a new Cassini full Saturn picture. She may have topped that picture. Take a look at the Cassini Equinox Mission Site by The Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This is how we dream that things will look through our backyard telescopes. They keep coming out with better versions just when I think things can't get any better. In addition the team has been doing a little star gazing of their own. They have posted a photo of the seven sisters from Saturn. And I thought stargazing from the surface of mars was something!

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/imagedetails/index.cfm?imageId=3661

The Seven Sisters picture can be seen at:

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/imagedetails/index.cfm?imageId=3496

Clear Sky - Rich

September 19, 2009 #074 - Luna

2009-09-19T21:38:00.006-05:00

It is an exciting time for lunar science. Both the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, in operation, and the JAXA - Kaguya (Selene) mission, which has now been completed, have returned some fantastic views of the lunar surface. Take some time to watch the movies, it feels like you are flying just above the lunar surface. Then look at the Apollo landing hardware, observed from orbit for the first time almost 40 years after the landings. Just out are some one meter resolution looks at the lunar south pole. Not in my wildest dreams did I ever hope to see such places with the clarity that is now available.

The JAXA movies can be found on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=DA9C6AA8E11F7E56

the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter pictures can be seen:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/main/index.html

Clear Sky - Rich

September 18, 2009 #073 - Astronomy Music

2009-09-18T01:00:00.002-05:00

Listening to Last FM Radio and found one of my favorite songs. If you haven't listened to Amethysium you have missed a treat. Try "Autumn Interlude" for a star observation listening treat.

"Feels like I could reach up into dark October skies
Scoop up seven of Orion’s stars, hold them like shiny diamonds
Then I turn and return to a world less than I’d like it to be
Strange thoughts staring at the stars on an autumn’s night "

http://www.last.fm/music/Amethystium/_/Autumn+Interlude

Clear Sky - Rich

September 17, 2009 #072 - Eyepieces

2009-09-17T13:21:00.006-05:00

I was browsing the Internet this morning and happened upon a telescope sales site in Japan by Kokusai Kohki. To my surprise I find that they sell erfle eyepieces, apparently on a production by order basis. Time span a few weeks. From the pictures they look very much like those sold by University Optics. University stopped selling the erfle several years ago. I am including a picture showing the apparent cosmetic quality of these eyepieces and a list of what is available. Has anyone out there had any experiences with this Brand? What kind of optical quality do they have? It would be interesting to hear about them.

http://www.kkohki.com/English/kkohkiparts.html

Clear Sky - Rich

September 2, 2009 #071 - Meteor

2009-09-04T10:51:00.009-05:00

We are sitting watching the moon and Jupiter rise out of Lake Superior on this beautiful Wisconsin evening. As we looked across the lake a meteor as bright as Jupiter falls north of the moon almost directly down towards the water. The color was a pale yellow until it neared the surface when there was a marked deceleration and the color turned bright sparkling silver. At the very lowest point, almost at the surface of the lake from our perspective, it dimmed and slowly lost its brightness, at it terminus it looked as if there was a trail of smoke like debris.

I spent several days watching meteors in the Perseid Shower period last month. On the peak evening I saw almost 90 per hour and half a dozen sporadic meteors before the moon became too bright. During the clear night a couple of days later there were still a few that were bright enough to be seen in the moon light.

Looking south I am reminded, as Scorpius sets, Sagittarius is at mid sky, and Orion makes an after midnight appearance, that winter again approaches. We are adjusting to retirement but why has the clock speeded up?

Clear Sky - Rich

June 4, 2009 #070 - A New Page

2009-06-04T21:58:00.003-05:00

It has been several months since I last added to my Blog. Change has come to our life as my wife and I have been preparing to retire. It sounds great but it is amazing the amount of preparation required to get from there to here. My advise to anyone planning to pull up roots: Simplify as early as you can! It is amazing the stuff you accumulate! Getting rid of books that were old friends, for me, is like pulling teeth. I have never thrown a Sky and Telescope or Astronomy Magazine away. How can one get rid of the first edition of Astronomy followed by a hundred pounds of wonderful issues? My earliest S&T's date back to the 50's. Every one is filled with articles too valuable to lose, though I've read them a hundred times! How will I fit all those telescopes in a motor home? I guess we will get through it, but does anyone have a cure for a Pack Rat?

Clear Sky - Rich

January 2, 2009 #069 - Mars

2009-01-02T01:03:00.003-06:00

As I set here today writing, snow flakes are drifting down softly from a gray sky. The Chickadee's have been feeding at the suet. Winter has a sure grip on the north land.

Yesterday, I was speaking about my favorite pictures from spacecraft roaming the solar system as the new year dawns. My second favorite view was captured by Opportunity as it treks across the Martian desert. This rover is racing time and entropy in a bid to reach Endeavour Crater before mechanical or electronic death embraces it. I can not help looking at this picture without remembering the martian named "Tweel" from "A Martian Odyssey" penned by Stanley G. Weinbaum in the 1930's. Like Opportunity, Stanley had only a short time to write his stories, as he was dying.

"Tweel" was described as bird like. As I look at images of Opportunity and especially it's shadow cast on the desert as the sun sets behind it the resemblance is striking. He traveled great distances by springing into the martian sky, and travelling much like a thrown javelin. The rover travels in spurts, gathering data for the next jump also.

Clear Sky - Rich

January 1, 2009 #068 - New Year

2009-01-01T10:35:00.015-06:00

I would like to wish you a Happy New Year and many Clear Skies for 2009!

My wife and I are spending the holidays on the shore of Lake Superior. There are 16 inches of snow and temperatures below zero here. It is wonderful, a winter out of a Currier & Ives print. Last night we went out for a celebratory early supper and were treated to a beautiful sight. The moon and Venus hung in the clear western sky, cold and sparkling.

I spent some time today catching up on web sites presenting information on the current probes orbiting, transiting to, or roving the solar system. The list is mind boggling: Mercury, Venus, Luna, Mars, Saturn and it's 60 plus moons, Pluto, Vesta and Ceres. NASA has a New Cassini portrait of Saturn that is now my current desktop. The clarity of this shot looking at the ringed planet takes my breath away.

A full size version in all it's glory can be found at:

http://ciclops.org/view/5155/Saturn_Four_Years_on

Clear Sky - Rich

December 18, 2008 #067 - SN 1987a

2008-12-18T18:35:00.004-06:00

I have been a shortwave listener since I was about 7 or 8 years old. My grandparents had a console radio, about 4 feet tall in a polished mahogany wood case with a wonderful large white multi-band dial. It was full of warm glowing vacuum tubes, a boy's dream. It also had speakers the size of dinner plates which produced a great sound. I'm sure you have seen pictures of families gathered around these, listening to the old time radio shows. That was not what I wanted to hear. Give me the BBC, time signals, tiny far off voices from places unknown. I thrived on Morse code and other strange tones that floated through the ether. This was only the first of many receivers to come.

Fast forward a few years. Late one night in February 1987 I was lounging on the bed and listening to shortwave broadcasts on my Kenwood R-1000 receiver with a long wire antenna. I was still tuning through the frequencies, listening here and there, writing what stations and type of traffic I picked up. Then to my surprise I hit upon traffic between South America and the United States. I was listening to the operators, speaking in English, transmitting information about a supernova just discovered in the southern skies. One of the brightest an nearest in modern times. They were talking about SN 1987a but it had no designation at that time.

This supernova was discovered on the 23rd day of February by a Canadian astronomer, Ian Shelton. He was working at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile when he made the discovery in the Large Magellanic Cloud. That would be about 160,000 light years away but it was visible to the naked eye. In the next few months and even today there is much excitement and research going on to discover the secrets of this explosion and what it can reveal to astronomers and stellar physicists.

The purpose of the message was to disseminate astronomical data between observatories and astronomers. This would facilitate more resources being brought to bear to study the fast breaking event. When I think back to that night It still amazes me that I caught that traffic. What are the odds of being on the shortwave at that specific time and hitting that one frequency out of a multitude of possible frequencies. The shortwave bounce had to be just right for my spot on the earth to pick up that transmission. It was kind of like hitting the lottery to hear this breaking news before the rest of the world heard it. Even though I have never seen this wonder in the night sky I will have this memory to treasure!

Clear Sky - Rich

December 16, 2008 #066 - First Lunar Eclipse

2008-12-16T09:56:00.005-06:00

As I was watching the full moon rise a couple of days ago, old memories began to float to the top and burst open like bubbles in a brook. It is always amazing to me what our minds retain of our early lives, hidden below the surface, waiting for the proper eddy to bring them up. For some reason that seems to occur more and more often these days. Dare I say old age.

Anyway, I remembered that a childhood friend "Bob" and I began a project in art class during early grade school that consumed many days of work. We decided to draw and color a 36" map of the moon. The teacher supplied us with a large white poster board to produce our masterpiece on. Remember, this is many years before the space age. We worked diligently drawing and coloring in craters, rills, seas, and mountains. What inspired this project is not clear anymore, maybe a lunar map in the back of an atlas of the earth or a magazine article photo in possibly Look, Life, or the Saturday Evening Post. We completed it over the coarse of many art class periods and it was quite impressive for a couple of young budding space science students. After completion it was hung in the class room by our teacher for the rest of the year. When summer vacation came we had a problem. How to divide one artwork by two boys. Being best friends we compromised and each kept it a month. Over the years it fell into disuse as boyhood things do, and one of our mothers probably decided to clean our rooms and the moon was lost.

This memory lead to another. A year or so later Bob and I decided to watch our first lunar eclipse. My parents had just purchased an old farm house, their dream home. No more rentals with Dad fixing the landlords properties for rent credit. It was a great place out in the country for astronomy. We rode the school bus home Friday evening and set up my Edmund 3" reflector for our observations late in the evening Saturday night. It was clear and cold with about an inch of snow. There was an old fuel platform out behind the smokehouse. This had once held a metal tank secured for gravity flow of fuel to the farm equipment. We decided that was our observatory. I can not explain why it was any better than on the ground!

Two boys went to bed that night but didn't sleep much. In anticipation we were up well in advance of the start of the event, bundled in heavy clothes. As the eclipse progressed we eagerly watched, one at the eyepiece and one eyeballing the moon and then switching places. Every once in awhile we would go inside to warm up. We survived the night on mutual excitement and eyes full of wonder at the moons changing aspect and seeing the earths shadow move through space. We were two tired boys when Bob's parents came to get him at the end of the weekend, but we had seen our eclipse!

NOVEMBER 18, 1956

Clear Sky - Rich

December 15, 2008 #065 - Red Shift Suite

2008-12-15T00:07:00.002-06:00

My music collection has another selection that might be of interest to astro music fans. In the late 1990's I purchased a version of planetarium software called Red Shift from Maris Software. They included a bonus Music CD. It was composed by Jean-Pierre Garatoni and was called "Redshift Suite - A Space Age Symphony". It contains 12 tracks which I would say are new age in timbre and play well in an astronomical setting or just casual listening. I have not been able to locate any place on the net where the CD is for sale save as a companion to the software. I did locate a site for the composer on iLike and Facebook. They indicate that the title is available on ITunes. I have included the site address if anyone would like to hear these selections.

http://www.ilike.com/artist/Jean-Pierre+Garatoni

Clear Sky - Rich

December 14, 2008 #064 - Amazing Full Moon

2008-12-14T00:01:00.002-06:00

I hope you went out and took a look at the amazing full moon last night. This full moon was close to it's orbital perigee and as such was the closest, largest diameter, and brightest in about 15 years. I watched it rise through the woods to the east of our house until it cleared the last of the branches and floated into the clear sky.

As I left for work at 3:15 am the sky was hazy which dimmed it's overall brightness. A half hour later I was standing where I had an unobstructed view for miles in every direction. It was at an altitude of about 15 degrees past the zenith. A ring appearing to have a faint rainbow hue with a wall thickness the same as the moon's diameter circled it at 23 degrees. Contained within this ring were six stars near mag 3 or brighter. I stood and took in this beautiful view for a while. There are some rewards for going to work at this time of the morning!

Clear Sky - Rich

December 13, 2008 #063 - Amateur Astronomy Handbook

2008-12-13T00:06:00.005-06:00

I wonder how many out there remember the Amateur Astronomy Handbook published by Fawcett as a How To Book #454 for 75 cents. It was published in 1960 and I found it at the local drug store along with several other how-to-books, in one of those revolving wire magazine racks that were placed near the check out counter in those days. I have saved it over these almost 50 years. I am sure the pages were turned hundreds of times during my boyhood. It contains plans for all kinds of astronomy projects and at one time or another I dreamed of building almost all of them.

My favorite project was the Wide Angle Telescope - Camera constructed with the lens from a K-22 Aerial Camera Lens Cone with a Tessor Optical System, f/6, 24" focal length. The cost of this lens was (Used $39.50) (New $59.50) at Edmund Scientific. It stated that this lens cost the U.S. Government $1200, and we talk about the cost of government hammers today. That would be about 10 times that amount in today's dollars. Of coarse that was way out of my reach even at the used price! But I did look at those pages over and over. They even had one of these Lens Cones at the local Army Surplus Store where I lingered many times looking at it from all directions.

Just looking at these pages again makes me want to see if that K-22 is still available on the net.

Clear Sky - Rich

December 12, 2008 #062 - Voyager Grand Tour Suite

2008-12-12T00:09:00.005-06:00

Today I would like to refer you to another CD that presents some sounds from space, intermixed with music. It commemorates the Voyager Grand Tour of the solar system. The composition was produced to archive 12 years of planetary exploration in music. Launched on August 20, 1977 and traveling out beyond Neptune's moon Triton on August 25, 1989, the two Voyager's photographed five planets and fifty seven moons.

The composition was composed by Michael Lee Thomas and is titled "Voyager- Grand Tour Suite". It was recorded by Bainbridge Records and is cataloged as BCD2503. It is still available on the net.

Clear Sky - Rich

December 11, 2008 #061 - Seeing In the Dark

2008-12-11T00:09:00.005-06:00

I was rummaging through a surplus book store and found a copy of the Timothy Ferris book "Seeing In the Dark". This is the companion to the PBS Channel program that ran in 2007. The book chronicles the changing landscape of amateur astronomy around the world, how astronomy has played a part in his life, and an overview of the universe. The style is reminiscent of Carl Sagan at his best. It dredged up memories of my youth and what drew me to enjoy the hobby over the years.

The book and a DVD of the show are still available through PBS. I know copies are available at many AV Centers of local libraries. I'm sure you will enjoy this chronicle about our hobby, as I did.

Mr. Ferris has a web site at:

http://www.timothyferris.com/

Public Broadcasting has a site at:

http://www.pbs.org/seeinginthedark/

Clear Sky - Rich

December 10, 2008 #060 - The Griffith Observer

2008-12-10T00:04:00.001-06:00

I picked up a pamphlet at a library sale not long ago that I could not pass up for a buck, even though it cost only 20 cents when it was published in 1958. It is called "The Griffith Observer". I have never seen a copy before, or been to the observatory, so I decided to do a little research on the web.

Griffith Observatory is located above Los Angeles, CA. They began publishing this booklet in 1937 and it is still published today. They have a cumulative index that you can download and they will provide photo copies back to the first issue. They are available for $8.00 each. The annual subscription is $23.00. Information can be found at:

http://www.griffithobservatory.org/observer.html

They have extensive programs for the public, all detailed on their website. The Sidewalk Astronomers even set up telescopes each month for public viewing. Based on the pictures, I would guess that as with many older observatory sites light pollution is a very bad problem for them. They have photos of binoculars mounted to provide views of Los Angeles, which doesn't look that far away. As many of us can attest, light polution is a common problem across much of the Midwest, not just California.

http://www.griffithobservatory.org/btelescopes.html

Clear Sky - Rich

December 9, 2008 #059 - The Sentinel

2008-12-09T00:02:00.007-06:00

Yesterday I wrote about the unused original sound track for "2001 A Space Odyssey". If you want to have some fun next time you are out walking across the lunar surface with your telescope, download and play "The Sentinel" by Arthur C. Clarke. This is the original short story, he wrote in 1951, which he expanded for the movie.

It was produced as a radio program for the series named Mind Webs. It is now public domain and can be obtained just for the downloading as an mp3. The production and quality are first class. It is my favorite of the hundreds of old time radio programs available for free on the Internet. If you are like me you will get a thrill as you listen and watch the moon drift across your field of view!

Go to:

http://www.archive.org/details/MindWebs-SciFi

Scroll down to:

Mindwebs-790128_TheSentinel

Download the 6.7 mb file and you can play it with a portable player or computer.

Clear Sky - Rich

December 8, 2008 #058 - 2001 A Space Odyssey

2008-12-08T10:12:00.011-06:00

The mid-western sky has been very cloudy and lake effect snow continues to make sky watching problematical in the early winter. As the Great Lakes cool down later, we can have very cold clear skies at mid-winter. As a result my outdoor observation time is scarce. So, I have been going through and listening to my music collection as I spend more time indoors.

If you are like me you purchase CD's, play them over and over for a time, then put them away to be rediscovered again at a later date. As I was preparing the last two blog entries, I came across one that I had forgotten for a few years. Everyone has probably seen the movie "2001 A Space Odyssey" by Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke. The sound track is one of the most memorable from my boyhood movie trips. I remember my father taking me to see it at the theater. I was one of those who came out with my eyes glazed and jaw dropping. The effect lasted for several days.

I am not sure how well known this information is, but I doubt many know that the actual music soundtrack was the second written for the movie. Composer Alex North wrote the original score, but it was never used. If you would like to hear it, the CD was released in 1993 by Varese Sarabande Records as "2001 The Legendary Original Score", performed by Jerry Goldsmith and The National Philharmonic Orchestra. The CD is #VSD-5400. It is still available on the net.

Clear Sky - Rich

December 7, 2008 #057 - Music From The Galaxies

2008-12-07T13:43:00.006-06:00

Yesterday I wrote about a NASA recording. This time I would like to tell you about another interesting CD made by Dr. Fiorella Terenzi. She is a Doctor of Physics with a specialization in Astrophysics. The radio emanations were recorded from a galaxy located 180 million light years away in Abell 6697. The observations were made by the staffs of the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope and the Very Large Array. The data was manipulated and synthesized and then digitally recorded. The CD was released in 1991 as 'Music From the Galaxies' by Island Records and is #422-848 768-2.

The composition is a little different from the NASA CD but I find it very interesting and easy to listen to. It is still available last time I looked at Barnes & Nobles in the New Age section.

Clear Sky - Rich

December 6, 2008 #056 - Symphonies of the Planets

2008-12-06T12:18:00.002-06:00

As a wildlife biologist, I have always enjoyed listening to natures sounds. Having astronomy as a hobby, I also enjoy the sounds of space. I hear someone saying you have got to be nuts. Let me explain. NASA has sent many probes throughout the solar system and beyond, which carry instruments that record frequencies above and below the human hearing range. Many radio telescopes also record these frequencies. Scientists have taken this data, shifted these frequencies into the human hearing range and in a few cases arranged them in artistic ways akin to a symphony. These presentations can be quite haunting and pleasing.

One of my favorites is a 5 CD set of sounds recorded during the two Voyager flights to the limits of the solar system. From the box, "Share the journey of a 5 billion mile trek to the outer limits of the solar system. Hear the beautiful sounds of the solar planets. The complex interactions of the cosmic plasma of the universe, charged electromagnetic particles from the solar wind, planetary magnetosphere, rings and moons create vibration 'soundscapes' which are utterly alien and deeply familiar to the ear. Some sounds are hauntingly like human voices singing, giant Tibetan bowls, wind, waves, birds and dolphins". If you can find this set either new, used, or maybe in a library, it is a unique and wonderful way to find out what we human beings are missing, due to our limited senses.

The set is 'Symphonies of the Planets' and was produced in 1990 by LaserLight Digital and is #15 925. It is still available on the net.

Clear Sky - Rich

December 4, 2008 #055 - Used Book Stores

2008-12-04T13:51:00.004-06:00

As my wife and I have traveled around the back country roads of America, we try to find the old used books stores that each small town seems to have. The next best place to find old books is at the small town library book sales. Many times this is in a basement room, where the treasures that no one reads anymore are offered to help support that library.

I love to look for books which cover my hobbies, astronomy and telescopes, kayaking, outdoor activities, and tons of other subjects. I have been a voracious reader all of my life. If I could I would have rooms full of books. Fortunately my wife tries to keep the brakes on me. She has the same likes but does not collect like I do. She reads and moves on, I tend to read and keep. Giving up a good book is like pulling teeth for me.

Not too long ago I found a complete, almost unused, bound set of Burnham's Celestial Handbook, Vol 1 thru 3 in a small town used book store. Now I realize that I had a paperback set, and that they were published in 66 and revised in 78, and so are a little long in the tooth. But, who in their right mind could pass this up for $15. I even ask the proprietor twice if that wasn't the per book price. "No" he said "For the set", gasp! Now, all my wife needs to do is figure out how to get me to part with the other set!

Clear Sky - Rich

December 3, 2008 #054 - Cloudy Nights Website

2008-12-03T10:44:00.005-06:00

Well, another long period of no time just work is coming to a close. Every year my wife and I look forward to the end of the October to mid December portion of the year. In my line of work these weeks consist of up at 2:30 AM and to bed by 6:00 PM. We look forward to the Christmas and New Years Holiday and a normal life again. There is one consolation for early rising each day in the winter. The predawn skies are spectacular, even if the telescope must stay at home. My going to work companion has been Orion.

I have, been following the Astronomical and Space News. What wonders we have seen in the last few weeks. A spectacular meteor fall over Canada, pictures of not one but several planets around other star systems, the polar lander holding on much longer than anyone thought it would, finally freezing in the cold dark martian night. Who would ever believe the rovers would still be sending back data from mars and one even hoping to complete a multi-year trek to a new and much larger crater.

I have also been spending time on the Cloudy Nights Astronomy Site. This web area is one of the best places to keep up with the amateur astronomy universe. It is worth your attention, it is moderated to prevent what has happened to sci.astronomy news groups. There is something there for every facet of your astronomical hobby.

Clear Sky - Rich

November 10, 2008 #053 - Ritchey - Chretien

2008-11-10T14:53:00.006-06:00

I mentioned back in Post #023 that in 1978, I purchased from Star Instruments a 4.5" f10 Ritchey - Chretien mirror set. If I remember correctly, these sets were offered as prototypes. They were testing production for a possible future line of optics. A couple of times years back, I asked on line if anyone else had purchased one of these mirror sets and if they had constructed a scope using them. I have never received a reply over the years. I'm still interested to hear from anyone about their experiences.

I am including a few pictures of the scope I constructed in the hope that it will bring back some memories. I know, that was 30 years ago!

Clear Sky - Rich

October 29, 2008 #052 – Maksutov Modification

2008-10-29T22:34:00.008-05:00

My Apex 127 Maksutov has been an excellent scope. Earlier this year I mounted it on a new William's Optics EZ mount. The addition of some mounting hardware from ADM produced a first class setup. After putting it through it's paces for a while using my 1.25” eyepieces I began to wonder if it was possible to use my University Optics F30mm - 2” eyepiece. After searching the groups for posts on this subject I received mixed signals. I decided to pick up an SCT Schmidt Adapter and a 2” GSO - SCT Diagonal from ScopeStuff. The GSO Diagonal has unbelievable quality. The quartz mirror is advertised as 1/12 wave with a 99% reflectivity dialectic coating. If it didn't work for the 2” the setup would raise the observational quality of my 1.25” eyepiece use, I reasoned!

Everything fit and worked great. I can detect no vignetting. Stars are pinpoint sharp and the Mak provides a very dark background. I can hear someone say, “Mak's are for higher power!” Yes but, this combo gives excellent views of globular clusters and low power views of the moon and brighter planets. My 1.25” eyepieces still provide that power boost. I have a Clave 30mm and Clave Barlow along with a couple of University Optics Konig's that brings the best out in the small scope at higher magnification.

The bottom line is that it works on my 127 and adds enjoyment to the hobby. What more could we ask for!

Clear Sky - Rich

October 11, 2008 #051 – Vacation Odyssey Episode 5

2008-10-11T19:15:00.006-05:00

After we left our son's home we had a week of vacation left. We decided to cross the mountains and then head north into Wyoming. That evening by luck we found a wonderful remote desert campground in southern Wyoming. There were no lights or light pollution, no other campers, and the moon was not due to make an appearance till almost dawn. It was a sky watchers paradise.

As the sun went down I stood and watched the sky darken. The stars began to appear, with more and more over the next few hours until I reached down to, at about midnight, a magnitude somewhere between 7 and 8 with my old eyes. M31 was amazing, the Coal Sack was as dark as I can ever recall seeing it. I had a hard time taking my eyes off the Milky Way. I do not think that I have ever seen so much even in the 1950's from my boyhood sky in the Midwest.

I must confess I never got out my telescope. I would stand and observe, jumping from one section of the sky to the next, then back again. Occasionally I would look through binocs but not for long. It was an eyes only night for me. A couple of times I caught a few winks in the tent then knowing that new stars were rising in the east I was up and out under the night sky again. I'm sure my wife thought I had lost my mind. My last observing session was just as the eastern night sky was beginning to fade and the crescent moon rose over the cliffs in that direction.

Over the next few days we traveled through the Tetons, Yellow Stone, west over the Big Horn Mountains, through southern South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and then a last minute dash home through the most light polluted skies in the Midwest, Chicago. I know that when I retire I will be spending more desert nights under the stars. Maybe I might get to that telescope!

Clear Sky - Rich

October 10, 2008 #050 - Mosquitos

2008-10-10T13:47:00.004-05:00

Here in the Midwest, at least at my observing location a biblical plague is upon us! The hurricane passed through in September dropping up to 12" of rain here in the lower great lakes region. This has produced blood suckers in clouds. I would estimate 5 anopheles, all biting females, per cubic foot of air. My record so far has been 7 killed with two slaps! I even considered cutting a hole in a mosquito net to stick the eyepiece through. Needless to say the sky is off limits till a good killing frost hits.

As a consolation for very little observation time, Mercury Messenger has returned some spectacular views on it second flyby. If you haven't seen them by all means take a look. Imagine what we will see when it goes into orbit in 2011.

The other story I have been following was the photographic capture and atmospheric entrance of the 3 to 15 foot Asteroid 2008 TC3 over Africa a few days ago. That must have been a spectacular sight. Most meteors are only the size of a grain of sand. It is amazing that even non professionals are able to catch photos at such short notice. Hope they didn't have to contend with the mosquitos maybe they used one of those remote control observatories! Perhaps I should look into that when my wife wins the lottery.

Clear Sky - Rich

October 9, 2008 #049 - Vacation Odyssey Episode 4

2008-10-09T01:00:00.003-05:00

During our stay in the Denver area one of my goals was to attend a meeting of the Denver Astronomical Society. A check of the Internet told me our stay fell between meetings so that was a disappointment. It leaves something to look forward to in the future.

Another goal was to visit S&S Optika in Denver. I remember when they were prominent advertisers in Sky & Telescope but they have not been present in recent times. My son and I drove through downtown and headed south toward their store location. It is not a big place but what wonders they have in their show room. They have rows of scopes and cabinets full of optical goodies. There were many excellent quality used scopes and the people working there were very helpful. If I were a wealthy man with a big truck I would have taken several with me. Kind of a kid in the candy store syndrome! They had some excellent deals. They also have evening observing sessions where the public is invited to try out the scopes. If you get a chance to stop in, by all means it is well worth it. I have scanned a copy of their flyer for the blog.

I received another astronomical treat from my son, which he brought back from a recent business trip to Australia. I mentioned that I would love to see a copy of the Australian Sky & Telescope which he picked up for me. It is an interesting read, the local stories and the southern sky articles were great although a portion was articles that were published in the North American issue. Of coarse it was great to browse through the advertisements.

Clear Sky - Rich

October 8, 2008 #048 - Vacation Odyssey Episode 3

2008-10-08T18:13:00.011-05:00

The night sky is great but other wonders pulled our eyes to the west. The Rockies are a wonder and to top it off snow fell in the high country. We took several trips to Rocky Mountain National Park, culminating in a drive to the alpine level above two miles.

One evening as we returned from the mountains their was a spectacular meteor fall just at dusk. We were traveling south about 40 miles north of Denver. A slow, brilliant green meteor trail began forming about 35 degrees above the city and appeared from our perspective to travel almost vertically down to burn out at about 5 degrees above the south horizon. I can only imagine what a show this would have been in dark skies away from the the city lights and an almost full moon.

On the subject of the moon, we were treated to amazing moon rises for almost a week. Coming off the mountains with the city lights stretching to the northern, eastern, and southern horizon the moon would rise, perfectly clear over the earths edge and looking larger than life. No haze was visible, and the lunar features were clear and distinct as it climbed above the earths limb. I have only observed this in the north country where the pristine orb rises out of Lake Superior, never over a fully illuminated city.

Clear Sky - Rich

October 7, 2008 #047 - Vacation Odyssey Episode 2

2008-10-07T07:58:00.019-05:00

We reached Denver, CO and the odometer read 1100 miles. That's a lot of small towns and some great scenery. All but the first night had been clear. The desert sky was dark, the stars were sharp and magnitude levels fell as we traveled west. We didn't have any physical problems with being a mile high. The only problem was the moon, it continued to take an ever larger bite from the night sky.

I have a Fuji E900 camera which takes great digital pics but the lens is not suited to photographing the night sky. I have always used a Cannon F1, 35 mm. This was a top of the line film camera in it's day but is now decidedly long in the tooth. My son had just purchased a new Nikon D40, just before we got there. I can never resist a new gadget. We began to experiment with it in the evening and after a while we were able to capture some serviceable lunar pics using the manual settings and a 300 mm lens.

It is amazing how sensitive these cameras are in low light conditions. Colors are captured even though the eye sees only shades of gray. The lights of Denver prevented any long exposures but here are four of our early tests. The fifth is a fast hand held snap of the moon with the E900 through the eyepiece of my 127mm maksutov.

Clear Sky - Rich

October 6, 2008 #046 - Vacation Odyssey Episode 1

2008-10-06T20:06:00.007-05:00

My wife and I left on vacation in early September. We were bound for Denver, CO to celebrate our only granddaughter's first birthday. This trip was kind of a first for us as we have always traveled in a pickup camper and later a motor home. Economic conditions being what they are, we decided that a tent might be more our style.

We have a Jeep TJ and behind it an old military trailer in which we packed all the Stuff. You can bet my telescope found it's way in! I was itching to see some western skies. We headed out US 136. Traveling has always been a treat for us. We like to see small towns on the back roads and take our time. Interstate roads are for trips home as we always stay gone to the last minute. We crossed the Mississippi River at Keokuk and headed west across Missouri and Nebraska.

We really got into this tent camping. It took a couple of nights to work out the system, I having camped but my wife is new to a tent. By the second night we had it down pat and began enjoying the new life style. When we hit Nebraska the skies were getting much darker and trees were becoming few and far between.

Picture of our setup.

Clear and Open Sky - Rich

October 1, 2008 #045 - Astro Vacation

2008-10-01T21:21:00.004-05:00

Have not written for a month as I have been on a vacation out west. Did some camping in Co., Wy., and SD. Will write of the trip more in the next few days. One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to Denver and S & S Optika. Spent some desert observation time and tried my hand at some digital photography of the night sky.

Clear Sky - Rich

August 30, 2008 #044 - Meade Instrument Co.

2008-08-30T01:01:00.001-05:00

Tonight I'll post the rest of the 70's vintage Meade catalog. Check out those prices! Oh, you say it's not the 70's anymore. Your sure right! The supreme top of the line Meade 16" LX400-ACF sells for $30,000!

Clear Sky - Rich

August 29, 2008 #043 - Meade Instrument Co.

2008-08-29T13:20:00.001-05:00

One of the more popular sellers of astronomical telescopes today is Meade. They advertise a spectacular range of instruments, from top of the line "RC Type", "Cats", you name it and they sell it or have sold it. Meade Instrument Company was started in the early 70's in a modest way by John C. Diebel. The company grew over the years into the giant it is today. In last couple of years it has fallen into economic troubles but seems to be recovering.

If you talk to almost any amateur they own or have owned a Meade Instrument. I had a 4" model 1022 Schmidt-Cassegrain for a few years. If you are interested in the history of the company I have a link that will give full details. There are a myriad of sites dedicated to these instruments.

I have a 70's vintage Meade catalog which I have scanned for the blog and will post over the weekend. It shows what they had for sale so you can compare it to the current offering.

By the way, doesn't the guy on page 8 look like Mr. Wizard? I can hear a chorus of who?

http://www.company7.com/meade/history.html

Clear Sky - Rich

August 28, 2008 #042 - Earth in the Night Sky

2008-08-28T22:17:00.002-05:00

As a boy I read a lot of science fiction. One of the themes that Arthur C. Clarke wrote about in a short story titled "A Transit of Earth" was in my thoughts as I "Star Gazed". I day dreamed of what it would be like to stand on the surface of mars and look back at the earth shining in the night sky. I imagined that it would appear much as Venus does to us only not quite as bright and with a bluish tint. With a telescope I imagined that the moon would appear, making a double star providing an ever changing pattern much like Jupiter and it's moons. His story tells of such a man in the future observing the earth pass in front of the sun. NASA in a way has allowed me to live my daydream. The astoundingly long lived martian rovers have sent back a picture of earth shining above the horizon. The mars orbiters have added the moon in many pictures. The boy in me never believed this would be possible in his lifetime.

Clear Sky - Rich

August 27, 2008 #041 - Can't sleep

2008-08-27T21:38:00.008-05:00

Last night I awoke at 3 am and looking out to a beautiful clear sky. I decided it was a good time for a little sky gazing. My wife of coarse thought I was crazy for getting up at that time of night. If your reading this I would bet you have the same affliction that I do! Anyway, I grabbed my binoculars and headed out to the yard.

The milky way was oriented in an east to west direction. Cassiopeia and the Double Cluster, my favorite, was high in the north. At the zenith was M31 very bright to the naked eye with Pegasus flying close by. At about 45 degrees was the Seven Sisters, then Taurus with the Red Eye, and lying on his side along the eastern horizon was Orion. Above Orion's head the crescent moon sailed like a ship riding along the northeast horizon.

After I gave the entire sky, that was free of tree tops, a good look, I began giving it a little going over with the binoculars. I spotted two satellites in polar orbit and two very fast meteors. After about an hour the east began to lose it's fainter stars as the moon ship sailed higher into the sky. I gave Orion's belt a last look and a lingering gaze at my favorite triangle of double stars in Taurus and headed back to bed. A fun hour, no telescope, but just the beauty of the late summer night. Sometimes we concentrate on the narrow view through the telescope and miss the beauty of the night. Sleep came easily as I pulled the covers on. My starry sleeping medication worked wonders.

Clear Sky - Rich

August 26, 2008 #040 - Walter Scott Houston

2008-08-26T18:23:00.008-05:00

I have been slowly going through my collection of Sky & Telescope magazines saved back to the 60's and even a few in the 50's when I could afford to buy one. I favor two columns more than others. One was "Telescope Making" "or "Gleanings for the ATM", depending on the year, and the other was "Deep-Sky Wonders" by Walter Scott Houston.

"Scotty" as they called him, was always shown in pictures with his trademark pipe. He began his articles in 1946 and he continued them for an amazing 49 years until his death in 1993. Each month he described a few observable deep sky objects with little observing challenges thrown in for spice. He liked to raise the bar and test his readers skills of observation and some times shake up established notions of what was quoted as the limits of observation. He had voluminous files of correspondence with people answering his challenges over the years.

His articles chronicle and document how observation and amateur telescopes have changed as the years have passed since mid century. Larger and more powerful amateur equipment have even surpassed what professional astronomers used at that time. Limiting magnitudes have crept ever higher not to mention fantastic digital pictures where the observer stacks hundreds of images and even use adaptive optics, controlled and processed by computers that would have been science fiction back then.

Some of us still enjoy chasing a small fuzzy with more mundane telescopes and a naked eye. These are more akin to the scopes of that time period. If you still practice this type of observing then his articles will be fresh and interesting to you. I am always finding something new in his columns. If you don't have access to back issues of Sky &Telescope you can purchase Stephan James O'meara's book (Deep-Sky Wonders by Walter Scott Houston a selection and commentary).

Clear Sky - Rich

August 25, 2008 #039 - Fred Hoyle

2008-08-25T19:21:00.006-05:00

Fred Hoyle was an astrophysicist of the first caliber. His main claim to fame was the steady state theory. This theory postulated that the universe had no beginning nor will it end. New stars were forming continuously, filling the void as it was formed by expansion of the universe. Another of his ideas was called Panspermia and it postulated that the precursors of life are scattered throughout space and where ever conditions are favorable to support life they are seeded by the constant exchange of matter carrying these seeds.

As a youngster I read his astronomy books as fast as they came out. "Frontiers of Astronomy " and "The Nature of the Universe" were published in the 50's. I also absorbed his other books which were science fiction. They were astronomy lessons in the form of thought provoking fiction. My favorite was "The Black Cloud". He began the story with an astronomer photographing an interstellar cloud of dust and gas. They can be found in deep sky atlases along the galactic equator. It was calculated to be heading directly towards the solar system, with all the problems you might imagine that would bring. Where this story gets wild is that they discover that the cloud has intelligence. It's organization is based on magnetic fields instead of biological constituents. It travels to star systems to gather energy, replicate, and roam the galaxy.

If you can find a copy, published in 1957, it's a fun read. Today, when ever I see one of these dark regions during one of my deep sky sessions, I remember the story and get a little chill at the back of my neck. Fun stuff.

Clear Sky - Rich

August 24, 2008 #038 - Kayak Astronomy

2008-08-24T01:00:00.002-05:00

As we reach our more mature years we are supposed to take things a little slower. To a degree that is what happened to me except that I have found an occasional new hobby. My latest (the last 5 years) has been Kayaking. Not the kind where young people dash down rushing streams paddle over waterfalls and through roaring rapids but the so called sea kayaking version. It came about when our daughter moved to the Apostle Islands area on Lake Superior where some of the most beautiful freshwater coastline in the U.S. can be found. There is a serenity about silently gliding over the waters, exploring wild shorelines with cliffs and overhanging pines, watching otter, and deer. Listening to the call of the loon right off your bow or an eagle taking fish as you watch.

You might ask what has this to do with astronomy? The first year on the water I discovered that a kayak beats any back yard naked eye and binocular viewing session. It started as I was returning from one of my earliest paddle sessions. It was after sunset and the water was like a sheet of glass. My wife was there to pick me up but the stars were coming out and I can't resist a beautiful night sky! I asked my wife to leave me and come back for me later.

Let me explain. A kayak seat is as comfortable as any chair you might choose to lay back in. With a small motion of the paddle you can smoothly turn in any direction. You are away from annoying lights. Add to this that the Apostle Island area has skies like I remember as a kid. Dark and clear, but with wonderful fresh pine scented air added to the mix. The stars can be hard and rock steady, and I can see down to magnitude 6.5 or sometimes even 7.

Back to the night. I watched the stars, trying to pick out old friends, and glancing through my binoculars. I turned this way and that as if seated in one of the home built rotating observing chairs you occasionally see in Sky & Telescope. Even A few meteors pulled my attention away from stargazing. As I lay back looking north an aurora flickered and danced in waves along the skyline, climbed to overhead, and then began to fade as the moon rose out of the waters of Lake Superior. It was one of those magical nights that you never forget.

Since that time I have gone back many times and practiced my Kayak Astronomy. If you get a chance to try it I hope you have-

Clear Sky - Rich

August 23, 2008 #037 - Sunspot Observation

2008-08-23T01:00:00.005-05:00

After yesterdays post a memory surfaced that I had recorded sunspot observations in the past, so I did a search of my files. (Sounds great "FILES") Actually card board boxes of papers with no order at all. I found a page of notes and drawings from May 3 & 11, 1968. It's amazing what the brain retains that can be unlocked with a little nudge. As I looked at them I could see those days 40 years ago. The brilliant blue sky after a rain washed it clean. The seeds of willows and cottonwoods drifting on the wind, shinning in the sunlight high in the sky as they traveled to new places to find a home.

I would set up my Unitron 2.4 in the yard, cap the end with a cover having a one inch stop and attach the projection unit. It was easier to see the projection if a canvas was placed over the observer while sitting in a lawn chair looking back at the screen. It could get mighty hot in there out on a sunny day.

As I would watch the image and sketch, an occasional turn of the slow motion drive cable would turn a worm gear to center the image as it would drift off the screen. I have scanned the page for the blog. They were in color but the years have faded the images and it took some contrast enhancement to make them readable. When you think about it is not much different from today's digital astronomy.

Clear Sky - Rich

August 22, 2008 #036 - Transit of Mercury

2008-08-22T01:00:00.000-05:00

A few days before 11/7/1960 I was reading my Sky & Telescope magazine about the transit of Mercury that was about to occur. My Unitron telescope was equipped for solar projection and I was anticipating seeing my first transit. I had seen mercury before low in the evening sky and I had taped graph paper to the projection screen several time and drawn in sunspot groups. There was one major problem. The transit was on a school day and there was zero chance of my parents letting me stay home from school just to see a rare astronomical event!

I thought of all kinds of excuses but could not figure out how they would square with me setting up my telescope in the yard if I was sick enough to stay home. Then a thought hit me. Why not talk to the science teacher, and try to set up an observing session at school for students to see this rare event. It worked, I was allowed to set up in the front yard of the school. As the planet began it's transit, the small dark spot began to cross the projected sun. Classes were brought out by the teachers and I pointed out the tiny black dot. It did not take long for everyone to take a look and return to class. This left me to follow Mercury's progress across the entire solar disk. As I watched, the thought crossed my mind that no one seemed to be as excited or as enthusiastic as I was, not even the science teacher. No one else at school had a telescope and I wondered if teachers had not brought each class outside, if anyone would have bothered to take a look.

In the end I decided that it didn't matter. I had seen my first transit and it was worth it. Even if I was the only one that liked to watch a little black spot cross the solar disk. Today I marvel at the magnificent pictures of Mercury being returned from a small spacecraft that will soon orbit the first planet out from the sun. I rejoice that there are people who are interested in those planets and even make them their life's work.

Clear Sky - Rich

August 21, 2008 #035 - Meteors and Terrorists

2008-08-21T18:53:00.006-05:00

On 9-11-2001 we were camped at St. Ignus, Michigan just above the bridge over the Straits. My wife and I had moved up from a truck camper to a used motor home once the kids began leaving the nest. So we had all the comforts of home. We got up that morning and turned on the T.V. and the first tower in New York had been hit and was burning. As we watched in horror the second plane slammed into the other tower. Then all hell broke loose. Needless to say the level of tension went up around the bridge and we began monitoring with a scanner. That day I filled up the tank so we would be able to make it home if the worst happened. Some gas prices jumped to over $5 a gallon until the governor stepped in.

We decided to continue north the next day to the Sault area where we planned to camp for the last two weeks of our vacation and monitor the situation. After we set up in a site it was a beautiful clear day so we moved outside to watch the ships and listen to the scanner. The government was on high alert around the Locks. The coast guard, security, and the international bridge had fast and furious radio traffic. I looked into the sky and high flying, pole crossing, passenger jets that were arriving at the U.S. border were turned around over Canada and headed back north. It was amazing to see contrails in a tight "U" shape. The government was taking no chances!

That night after we went to bed I continued to monitor the scanner. At a little after 3 am there was a tremendous explosion, the motor home shook an we came straight out of bed. I told my wife that I thought someone must have taken out the International Bridge. I went out but the bridge was OK. I could see it very well with binoculars and everything looked standing. The scanner came alive, with everyone asking what happened. Very little information was available until about an hour and a half later. The security forces had been advised that NORAD had seen a sizable meteor enter the lower atmosphere just about 20 miles north in Canada with a possible strike in a wilderness area near the small town of Heyden, Ontario. Needless to say as jumpy as everyone was in those days, NORAD was doing a sterling job of watching our skies, and they didn't let a little stone from space slip by unnoticed. A couple of days later we drove up to the area but everything was normal. The meteorite had hundreds of square miles to fall in and that is a very rugged place. I have never heard of anyone recovering any of it.

Clear Sky - Rich

August 20, 2008 #034 - Meteors

2008-08-20T20:53:00.003-05:00

As I was standing in the yard looking for Perseid meteors last week my mind traveled back to 1966. That fall the news media was hyping a Leonid meteor shower that could rival the 1866 and 67 peak. Astronomical predictions for showy meteor showers and comets tend to be overblown. Halley was a big disappointment after months of news media hype. It is the surprise event which usually turns out being spectacular. The peak which is associated with Comet Tempel-Tuttle was to occur that year on November 11.

I talked my sister into taking the army cots out in the back yard to count meteors. The sky was fortunately clear that night. It was, needless to say a little cool out so we both wrapped up in our sleeping bags and began looking for trails as twilight ended.

We were a little disappointed as early on things were slow. Then as the night wore on we began to notice more, including some very bright trails. My count reached about a hundred an hour. Then something fantastic occurred. The sky opened up and meteors began to rain on us. We lost count when we saw several at a time. The bright ones kept pulling our eyes to different parts of the sky. There were a lot of wows and look at that! Then a fantastic sight occurred! Literally hundreds of meteors began to be visible at any glance. It reminded me of driving through a snow storm with the flakes shining in the headlights, coming at you. It turned out to be the meteor storm of a lifetime. We just lay there and tried to take it all in. I read later in Sky & Telescope that it was estimated that the peak reached an estimated 10,000 per hour at some western locations in the U.S.

We finally left the yard for our beds late that night, cold but filled with wonder at what we had seen.

Clear Sky - Rich

August 19, 2008 #033 - Moon Gazing

2008-08-19T17:53:00.002-05:00

I was awake at 3:30 am this morning. One of those times when you awake and can't find sleep again. I decided to take a walk outside as the moon, just a few days past full, was casting shadows in the yard. The sky was clear but few stars were bright enough to overcome our impressive satellite. The Big Dipper and the Queens Chair were visible in the north but the stars of the Little Dipper were hard to discern. Brilliant Jupiter had set in the west. Not a good night for anything but Lunar Walking either with a telescope or a stroll through the yard. A few hours later as I was driving to work I noticed the moon was about 35 degrees above the western horizon, again very clear and trying to compete with the sun, up for about an hour and a half. I was drawn to something that I have not noticed before. There was a distinct impression of the moon appearing three dimensional to the naked eye, much as it appears through an optical instrument. What was interesting was the fact that I didn't observe this effect during the night when the sky was monochrome. I have never seen anything in print about this effect so I speculate it may be a result of color, the bluish illumination which surrounds and colors the darker features which produces this effect. If anyone else has read anything on this, I would be interested in hearing about it.

Clear Sky - Rich

August 18, 2008 #032 - First Telescope, Almost Lost Memory

2008-08-18T01:00:00.003-05:00

As I was looking at the April 1957 Mechanix Illustrated site mentioned in post #031 yesterday a memory returned from deep down in the old cortex somewhere. I have discovered that writing down memories opens doors that have not been opened in many, many years! I had written before about my first scope being a 3" Edmund Reflector. That is not entirely true. An advertisement that I spotted in that article opened one of those doors. I remember seeing it before and getting my dad to buy it and put a scope together.

The word poor optics, bad optics, even worthless don't quite convey how it performed. Even Galileo had a better view of the heavens. Everything came in a box about 2"X 3"X 5 ". Essentially what arrived was a single glass objective lens about two and half inches in diameter with a simple two lens set to construct an eyepiece and also a typewritten set of instructions with a drawing. I wish I had kept these instructions. Dad did a good job of construction. He took some heavy cardboard tubes and cut rings with which to secure the objective lens and the eyepiece. His construction let you focus if that was what you could call it. If memory serves it was a fairly long scope, about 4 or 5 foot in length. The mount was anything that could be used for a rest, the fence, a porch rail, or the dog house in the back yard. The moon had no craters just dark blobs that I assume were the maria. Venus was a crescent but drawn more by Picasso than Chesley Bonestell.

I guess you could say that was my first lesson in advertising hype. To this day I look with suspicion at the tiny ads in the back of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics. But the small boy in me still looks and thinks wow remember the jet engine you bought from one of those adds it really worked, well kind of. But, what about the Pluto Platter from Wham-o (Now Frisbee) and the boomerang, they worked great!

Clear Sky - Rich

August 17, 2008 #031 - Garth Optical

2008-08-17T01:00:00.008-05:00

I guess I sent for and received one of the last catalogs sent out by Garth Optical. Actually it is a copy of their catalog. It has prices changed and a new mailing address, inserted with pen. I was purchasing a Rack and Pinion Eyepiece Holder that looked very high quality for the time. It set me back $13.95 but I just had to have it for a new scope I was planning. I even did a drawing to scale before it arrived. (See scan) Of coarse I told myself it was planning, but that was a deception, it was more anticipation. I still use it today incorporated into my RC Scope.

Garth Optical was around for quite a few years at mid century. They were located at Springfield, Massachusetts and had just moved to Kendall Park, New Jersey when they sent me the catalog. They were advertisers in Sky & Telescope and Mechanix Illustrated, among others. I did a search and only found a couple of mentions. One advert on Phil Harrington's site, and one on a site with a wonderful old do it yourself scope page in Mechanix Illustrated for April 1957.

As a shock, look at the cost of aluminizing and coating a 12" mirror!!!

http://www.philharrington.net/old50.htm

http://www.4x4cherrypicker.com/stuff/plans/richest-field-telescope.pdf

Clear Sky - Rich

August 16, 2008 #030 - Unitron Telescope

2008-08-16T01:00:00.002-05:00

Here is the rest of the 1972 Unitron Telescope Catalog.

Clear Sky - Rich

August 15, 2008 #029 - Unitron Telescope

2008-08-15T10:21:00.009-05:00

Back in Post #016 I scanned and posted a Unitron Telescope components catalog from the early 70's. Today I'll begin posting the 1972 telescope lineup. These scopes were top of the line, with excellent optics and machining. I still have my late 60's model 124 Unitron with equatorial mount that I purchased when I was a youngster. It still produces excellent images. Although sky conditions have really deteriorated today, back when I first began using it, I was able to ferret out many faint galaxies even though it had a small aperture and was an f/15. The 4", 5", and 6" models, with mechanical clock drives, were the cream at the top of the milk bottle. The 6" cost what my father made in a year, at that time.

Clear Sky - Rich