Twenty Years Ago

And sixty pounds lighter.


This must have been the summer after my freshman year--1984. Clint's old boat on Lake Conroe. David took the picture.


David took this one too. Spring semester 1985, sophomore year. I was living on campus at J324 Prather Hall, and my phone number was 495-DUMB, but I don't remember my roommate's name that semester. (Marc?) I do remember he kept sweat-soaked hockey gear in the closet and was a cheapskate moocher. Anyway, I must have had a really repulsive personality, because if I couldn't get laid with body ...

Pants on Fire

It's not my fault that politics is so interesting these days; CNN keeps lobbing up these softballs, and I'm compelled to swing at them.

"He lied so the plot could proceed unimpeded," Robert Spencer said in his opening statement. "He lied, and 3,000 people died."

Is Spencer referring to A: Admitted al Qaeda member Zacarias Moussaoui, or B: George W. Bush?

Not Too Shabby

CSC said 3/5, so I went for it. Dropped the frame rate on the NexImage from "best" to 5 with interesting results--the image is actually noisier. I took a minute to tweak collimation beforehand too, and it may have helped. If it was out, it was a very close, as I just barely touched it.

Will the Real Patriot Please Stand Up?

OK, one more political post. I thought it was ironic that this moron said this while discussing renewing the "Patriot" act:

"Civil liberties do not mean much when you are dead," Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Kentucky, told the Senate.

Looks like we've come a long way from "Give me liberty, or give me death."

Religious Freedom in Texas

I was renewing my vehicle registration today when I came across an insert urging me to purchase these religious license plates for my car:




It struck me as being awfully close to the State promoting religion, a specific religion, namely Judea-Christian monotheism. I doubt we'll ever see Texas plates expressing "Allahu Akbar" or respecting "the Goddess" (which is ironic if you look at all the pentacles around Austin these days).

I even looked it up in the Texas Constitution. Article 1, section 6: "... No preference shall ever be given by law to any religious society ..." That's pretty clear to me. And we all know about the First Amendment to the US Constitution, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."

So what's the deal? Am I off-base here, or is the State?

Three Weeks Later

Finally, a clear night. This is a pretty typical shot it seems. I'm so close, but still not quite where I want to be. I'm going to try again to collimate, but I'm not convinced that I'm not simply battling the atmosphere itself.

I'm trying to get a pier built in the back yard for a more permanent setup. I'm learning about concrete almost as fast as I am about astronomy.

My Exciting Life

I finally fixed the freezer door so we once again can get ice by pushing a cup into the slot. Which is fine, but I'm not looking forward to the boy learning about it.



In other news, I'm thinking about getting one of these for the back yard. What happened to trying to decide which bar to go drinking at?

Winter Olympics

I still love watching the downhill and the bobsledding, but my new favorite Winter Olympic sport has to be snowboard cross. Which is weird, because I've never gotten into the whole snowboard "scene," preferring regular skiing. (I always claimed it was because I didn't have a goofy hat.)

A Mild Rant

I'm a member of several mailing lists, and I see this sort of thing happen way too often. Someone has a problem, and asks how to fix it. Today was, "I've stripped a screw head. How can I get the screw out?"

So I go to Google, type in "remove stripped screw," and in 0.21 seconds I've got 363,000 results on how to remove a stripped screw.

Is it really that difficult for people to do their own searches?

I worked with a woman at a job years ago. She was moaning and carrying on about how she couldn't find the lyrics to some song. Fifteen seconds into her rant, I was reading the lyrics aloud. Pissed her off mightily, but I didn't care.

Dam Astronomers

I opened a Dam Astronomers Cafe Press store with this design:




Please buy lots of stuff!

"Bush Urges End To Cartoon Violence"

Today's top story on CNN.com:



Could this mean the end of Itchy & Scratchy?

Seeing: 4/5

Finally, a decent night! I just came in from imaging this. Saturn at 260x was tack-sharp in the eyepiece. The picture doesn't really do it justice.

Helping Out

Jay posted a request yesterday for volunteers to come out to the elementary school where his wife teaches for a star party. I packed up the big scope and the 6" dob, and headed over after work. We lucked out--it was cloudy as we set up, the sky cleared right at sunset, and 2 hours later when all the kids were through, the clouds came back.

Observations: Everybody loves looking at Saturn. The Orion Nebula is cool, but Andromeda is unimpressive in city skies. Kids like watching the scope slew from one object to another almost as much as looking through it. Everyone wants to see the lunar landers, and are disappointed when I explain you'd need a telescope with a 200-meter mirror. I can't explain why Saturn is the only planet with rings. It's not, but that's even harder to explain.

And here's a really unimpressive first-light imaged using the new focuser. It looked sharper in the eyepiece is all I have to say.

Grumpy

Thursday night I walked the dog about 9:00 and noticed how clear the sky was. As we walked, I also noticed how steady it was. Sure, there was a little twinkling down low, but overhead was really quite still.

"Cool," I thought. "I'll be able to try out the new two-speed focuser."

So I set up in the back yard, plugged the $2.00 SCT cooler in, and headed back inside to catch The Daily Show while the scope cooled off.

Thirty minutes later, I headed back outside to look at an entirely featureless night sky. We went from 0 to 100% cloud cover in just 40 minutes.

So you'll just have to imagine a really nice picture of Saturn here. Tonight's the opposition, so I'm a little bummed to be missing it. CSC says clear tomorrow night, but we're back to that 2/5 seeing. We'll see (or not).

Meanwhile, here's a picture I took today that turned out better than I expected. I can't tell you what it is, yet, but I think it's neat.

Saturn Rising

This would have looked better if I had waited another 3 hours. Or, three hours after I took this it could have been cloudy. You takes what you can gets. Seeing maybe 3/5--not all that bad, but some mid-level clouds forming.

A Long Dry Spell

I've been heeding Dooce's advice about not blogging about work ("Be ye not so stupid."), so when you've had a week that was nothing but work, it doesn't leave much to say.

The astro front's been pretty quiet for a while now. It's either been cloudy, or clear with lousy seeing. Warm days and cold nights might be nice weather, but the rapidly dropping temps play havoc with picture-taking. It's also been surprisingly windy--which just stirs up more cedar pollen. Arrrgh.

I did acquire a new piece of gear--a William Optics crayford focuser. It's a nice piece of kit, but the purchasing experience left something to be desired. I wanted a two-speed focuser for imaging, and all of the pictures of the focuser on this page are of a two-speed unit. There's no text describing it one way or the other. Add it to the shopping cart brings you to a page with a picture of a single-speed unit, until you click the "click to enlarge" link.

Well, it turns out you will indeed receive a single-speed focuser. WO has a good return policy, and they were willing to let me exchange the single-speeed for a dual speed. I countered by asking for a deal on the two-speed upgrade they sell, and they agreed, so I'll wind up with what I wanted for a fair price. But man, what a hassle!

In other news, I've been following a discussion on Cloudy Nights about an inexpensive observatory dome. The name went through several revisions, and guys were posting logo ideas. Most of the submissions were, um, amateur, so I tossed a couple of ideas out as well. After all of the revisions, here's what we finally wound up with:


I'm not crazy about the star, but I think the final logo turned out pretty well. I gave it away--an agency would have charged $1,500. I think I should get a dome out of the deal, but I'm happy just to have the work recognized.

iSight

I got Mom an iSight camera for Christmas to go with her Mac mini. I gotta say, sure Apple hypes their products (the famous Reality Distortion Field), but this thing works great. We may not have gotten our flying cars for the 21st century, but we got our picture phones.

Also, I don't know about the Winblows side of the world, but do you know how complicated it was to set up her Mac with high-speed internet? You gotta plug the thing in. I mean really, unless they get it a little more simple, I don't think this whole inter-web thingy is going to catch on.

A Punchline That's Just Waiting For A Joke

On CNN today: "Pamela Anderson calls for removal of Colonel's bust."

So-So Saturn & Mars

CSC said 3/5 for seeing, and that seems about right. A high-frequency vibration. Temps were falling pretty steadily all evening, too.

These were shot with the 2x barlow instead of the 2.5x PowerMate, so they're a shade smaller than usual.

South Mall

Click for full-size.

The original file for this 3-shot mosaic is 47 MB--nearly 300 dpi for just shy of 11x17. I think I need to print a poster.

National Champions

Click for full size.

From the East Mall. It was a great big party atmosphere on campus--still.

Moon+Mars

Dam Mars

Down to 11 arcseconds. Through the eyepiece, Mars is little more than a small, bright disc.

I had camera/computer weirdness Friday--a herringbone interference pattern on the screen. I borrowed another, brand-new NexImage and saw the same thing, so it had to be something in the laptop. Tried it again last night in the driveway and everything was fine. All I can figure is that the iBook was cold, but it's been colder before, I think.

Speaking of last night in the driveway, the wind started blowing. And then it blew some more. And then a little more. The scope, mounted in alt-az and on the anti-vibe pads, was moving around so much I couldn't keep Saturn on the chip.

And the seeing during all this blusteryness? Probably 4/5. I can't win.

M1, The Crab Nebula

Photographed from Mansfield Dam, Austin, Texas. Meade 10" LX200 @ f/6.3, Canon Digital Rebel XT, 29 x 30 seconds. Stretched & sharpened in Photoshop.

13-0

Holy crap! We won! This town is going to erupt.

I gotta go take a Xanex or something. Wow! National champions, baby!

Just Shut Up Already

Keith Jackson should just retire already. What a buffoon.

Happy New Year

We had a Dam good Friday night: good transparency, good seeing, and moderate temperatures. Most all of the regulars except Todd were there, and we had several visitors. I got to spend some time with a family looking to buy their first scope, and I hope they left less confused than they were when they got there.

I didn't set up to take any pictures--I haven't spent much time lately just looking through the eyepiece, so it was a nice change of pace. Besides, I was going to the Ranch the next day where the stars at night are big and bright.

And Saturday night at Linda's started out beautifully. Clear as a bell, and probably 4/5 seeing. I spent a little time tweaking the collimation on the LX200, then shot this image of Mars:



The breeze was blowing pretty good, but I hoped that it would die down as it got later. I came in to process the Mars shots (and have some champagne). I was planning on heading back out to try M1 (the Crab Nebula) with the Rebel, and was really looking forward to a new Saturn with the new collimation.

The wind was actually picking up when I went back out, and what the --? Fog? Yup. We were fully socked in. *sigh* At least I got a decent Mars.

And of course tonight's CSC calls for more of that 4/5 seeing, but there's no way I can stay up until 0200 and be functional at work tomorrow. It's just not fair, I tell ya!

Things That Look Ridiculous

Part I: An ETX-90 on a Meade Super Wedge. A classic case of too much firepower. (File under Astronomy Nerd Humor.)

That's More Like It

There's still room for improvement, but this is more like it.

CSC said 4/5 for seeing, but I don't think it was that good. A low-frequency undulation, like the image was breathing.

12 Arcseconds

Mars is now just 60% as large as it was at the end of October--12 arcseconds.

Pretty good seeing for a change.

Disappointing Saturn

I actually rolled out of bed at 0200 to shoot this. The scope had been sitting out for 6 hours, so it should have been well-cooled. Seeing seemed pretty good, but it was kinda breezy out. So I'm just not sure why I can't seem to get a good, sharp focus on these. I shot a series of six, adjusting slightly between each one, and the third one was the best--but that's not saying much.

Collimation looks good to my eye--maybe I need someone more experienced to take a look.

I wonder if performing the raw mod to the NexImage would make a difference ...

M42 II

Turns out there was a lot more in there to be seen. Layered in PS CS2, layer masked out the core to keep it from blowing out, Noise Fixer filter.

M42, the Orion Nebula

Click image for full-size.

It may not be the greatest M42 shot ever, but it's mine and I'm proud of it! Digital Rebel XT, 10" LX200@f/6.3, 8 x 30 sec, ISO 1600.

Mars Is Shrinking

Time's running rapidly out for the Red Planet.

Lord of the Rings

First try with the NexImage on Saturn. It was still kind of early, and the planet was only about 45° up. Seeing probably 3/5. They'll get better.

I'm Your Venus

It's OK if you don't get too excited about this shot of Venus--it's not all that exciting. But consider that this is the sight that got Galileo kicked out of the Church, and it's a little more interesting.

French

I used to think Ian was speaking Chinese, but am now pretty sure it's French, at least when he's watching Clone Wars and shouting "light say-BARE" at the screen.

10 Days Old

Last night's Mars shots just plain sucked, but this shot of the 10-day-old moon with the Digital Rebel XT turned out pretty good I think.

Mini-Hands On: Meade LightBridge

I had an opportunity last night to get my hands on Meade's new truss-tube dobsonian, the LightBridge. Cloudy skies prevented actually observing with the telescope, so I'll just describe the mechanics.

The scope comes packaged in two large cardboard boxes, one for the base and another containing the optical tube assembly (OTA) and truss tubes. The base is typical for a commercial dob, being constructed of particle board covered with a white melamine veneer. Assembly is straightforward with the supplied allen wrench.

Meade offers the LightBridge in two variations--"standard" and "deluxe." The primary difference between the two involves the azimuth bearings in the base. The standard version consists of hard plastic pads, similar to the bearings found in other imported dobs. The deluxe version I used had a 10-inch or so roller bearing assembly sandwiched between two metal plates. The bolt holding the swivel base together has a hand knob for easy assembly, and uses a thrust washer to allow adjusting the tension of the azimuth motion. I found the motion to be smooth and precise, without the stiction I have with my smaller Hardin Deep Space Hunter. By tightening the tension, I didn't experience the loose feeling that other roller-bearing designs sometimes have.

The OTA is in two pieces, obviously. The primary mirror has a removable cover, but the secondary remains exposed. The six truss tubes are permanently attached in three sets of two. Attaching the poles to the primary tube involves fitting the flattened end of the tube into a slot and over a pin, an arrangement that worked well and felt secure. Three knobs held the tubes in place. The upper cage then attached easily with three more knobs. It wasn't immediately obvious which way to turn the upper tube, but it's correct when the seams on the two tubes align. The finished assembly felt rigid and secure. The truss assembly is open, with a shroud planned for future release. The white finish is attractive, but the flat black interior wasn't particularly black. Further, some parts of the white trim are visible through the focuser drawtube. Serious observers may want to flock the interior of the upper tube. The altitude bearings are aluminum, and rode on a felt-like material on the base. The motion was smooth, but not balanced at low elevations. Meade apparently is holding up the final release of the LightBridge so that a friction brake can be installed.

The supplied 2-inch crayford focuser felt smooth throughout its range, with only light effort required to turn the aluminum knobs. There's no finder scope, but Meade is including either a red dot finder on the standard model, or an advanced reflex finder (actually a modified rifle sight) on the deluxe model.

The optics are made in Taiwan by Guan Sheng, which enjoys a reputation for "surprisingly good" quality. The primary is center spotted--a good thing since this telescope will require collimation every time it is set up. Meade isn't including any type of collimation aid in the package, nor do they sell one themselves. The representative I spoke with uses an Orion LaserMate.

The LightBridge is certainly attractive to look at, and I suspect it's nice to look through. I don't know how useful a truss is at the small sizes the scope is currently offered at. The lack of a finder scope or object locator makes the scope a bit more challenging to use. Still, it's a nice package and I expect it to sell well.

<edit> Read another review on the LightBridge here.</edit>

Better: Part III

Reprocessed less aggressively, and tweaked color to be more "Hubblesque."

Better: Part II

Processed with iCCD.

Better

This is the first, quickly processed image from this evening. Much better seeing, and it shows.

Seeing: 2/5 Part II

This is Hamal through my Hartman Mask last night. The image is in focus when the 2 images converge into one. Good luck focusing when this is going on.

Seeing: 2/5

Not too horrible. 400/2000 stacked & processed. This is the rush job, so I didn't spend a lot of time on it. The planet's noticeably smaller from even just a week ago; down to 16" (from a max of 20") according to the LX200 controller.

Enthusiasm, or the Lack Thereof

I stood on the front porch and looked at the sky for about five minutes last night, then headed back in. I swear I could see Mars twinkle. Maybe I'm loosing my enthusiasm, but I just couldn't get motivated to haul a hundred pounds of gear to the end of the driveway to try and make pictures of a fuzzy ball dancing all over the sky while the temperature dropped 30 degrees. Seeing's gotta get better soon, right?

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving photos are up on the .Mac page.

M31

My first DSO @ prime focus. Digital Rebel XT + f/6.3 focal reducer + 10" LX200 Classic. 31 x 15 seconds unguided. I haven't trained the PEC on this setup, hence the short exposures. I'm pleased the stars aren't more "blobby." I used iAstroPhoto (a Mac version of DSLR Focus) to assist in focusing.

Looks like it could have used more frames. Still, I'm not unhappy for a first attempt.

Again?

Mars, The Moon & Saturn

CSC had seeing at just 2/5, but I set up in the back yard anyway.
First up is Mars with the new NexImage. I'm pretty pleased with the early results, and am looking forward to reprocessing these, plus trying again with better seeing.



That picture of the Moon and Mars that I wish I had made? I did get a shot of the Moon and Saturn.

First Light: Canon Digital Rebel XT

A triple whammy today! My generous employer purchased a Canon Digital Rebel XT, so I got myself a t-ring to attach it to the LX200 at prime focus, and a piggyback bracket for the top of the scope.

This first shot is with the piggyback. I used a 100 mm macro @ f/2.8, 4.5 seconds x 12, unguided, ISO 800, stacked & resampled in KIS, levels & noise filtering in PS CS2. My very first DSO photograph is of Pleiades (M45). I'm rather pleased that some of the nebulosity shows up.



The second shot is at prime focus. It's a two-image mosaic, each one a single image, 1/125 sec, ISO 100. Composited in PS CS2, resampled down and sharpened, levels. The focus is off a bit--I was focusing strictly through the viewfinder. I'll try out iAstroPhoto once I get all the software installed to control the camera.