Chicago Panoramas

Looking north from Shedd Aquarium.


Looking north from Museum Campus.


Looking east from Sears Tower.

Another Couple of Busy Days

One of these days we'll get back to astronomy …

Meanwhile, here's a bit of 3D work that's different from the stuff I usually do. Client sends over an image from a video: "Can you copy this?"


Modeled in Sketchup, rendered with Indigo.

Say Hello To My Leeetle Friend

Colt M4 Carbine, .22
25 yards, standing, iron sights. Not awful for the first time out. Gun shoots great.

A Proposal For Private Spaceflight

How to pay for a trip to the Moon with private money. Just do it.

A Very Busy Couple of Days

120,000-volt electrical termination, drawn in Adobe Illustrator.

CVS/Pharmacy Ripped Me Off

When I asked about the difference, the clerk told me "Maybe that's the price with a CVS card. Do you have a CVS card?"

Wankers.

NGC 4565

Edge on galaxy in Coma Berenices.

Heritage Park Observatory, Cedar Park, TX
Exposure: 72 x 2 1/2 minutes
Camera: Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D)
Scope: Meade LX200 @ f/10
Mount: Meade LX200
Guider: ST80, Meade DSI
Filter: Astronomik CLS
Software: PHD Guiding, Nebulosity, Photoshop

It's Funny 'Cuz It's True

Pretty Dang Amazing

This close-up of photographer Thierry Legault's snapshot zooms in on the space shuttle Atlantis and International Space Station as they transited across the sun on May 16, 2010. This photo was taken from Madrid, Spain. Full Story.

A Disappointing Saturn

For whatever reason, I just couldn't get the camera to focus as sharply as I was seeing in the eyepiece.

Heritage Park Observatory, Cedar Park, TX
Exposure: 1500 frames each L, R, G, B
Camera: Imaging Source DMK21AF04.US
Scope: Meade LX200 10", Televue 2.5x Powermate (f/25)
Mount: Meade LX200
Guider: none
Filter: Orion LRGB set
Software: AstroIIDC, Registax, Photoshop

Sunset at LKY Ranch

Binocular Astronomy

My presentation on Binocular Astronomy for the Wine & Starshine benefit is here. (12 MB PDF)

Trade Expert

I'm talking to you, Mike Rowe. Stop it.

No Really, iDo

Stirring The Pot

This morning I was awoken by my alarm clock powered by electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the United States Department of Energy. I then took a shower in the clean water provided by the municipal water utility. After that, I turned on the TV to one of the Federal Communications Commission regulated channels to see what the National Weather Service of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration determined the weather was going to be like using satellites designed, built, and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. I watched this while eating my breakfast of United States Department of Agriculture inspected food and taking the drugs which have been determined as safe by the Food and Drug Administration.

At the appropriate time as regulated by the United States congress and kept accurate by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the United States Naval Observatory, I get into my National Highway Traffic Safety Administration approved automobile and set out to work on the roads built by the local, state, and federal Departments of Transportation, possibly stopping to purchase additional fuel of a quality level determined by the Environmental Protection Agency, using legal tender issued by the Federal Reserve Bank. On the way out the door I deposit any mail I have to be sent out via the United States Postal Service and drop the kids off at the public school.

After work, I drive my NHTSA car back home on DOT roads, to my house which has not burned down in my absence because of the state and local building codes and fire marshal's inspection, and which has not been plundered of all its valuables thanks to the local police department.

I then log onto the internet which was developed by the defense advanced research projects administration and post on freerepublic.com and fox news forums about how socialsism in medicine is bad because the government can't do anything right.

M81 & M82, Bode's Galaxy & Cigar Galaxy

Third time around for this pair of galaxies. Had a nasty gradient background that I haven't seen before. The scope was awful close to the roof of the observatory--I wonder if that might have had anything to do with it.

Heritage Park Observatory, Cedar Park, TX
Exposure: 30 x 2 minutes
Camera: Modified Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D)
Scope: Astro-Tech AT80ED 80mm APO refractor, AT field flattener
Mount: Meade LX200
Guider: Meade LX200 @ f/3, Meade DSI
Filter: Astronomik CLS
Software: PHD Guiding, Nebulosity, Photoshop

My Code Name

JCN Splice Illustration

Trying out the Indigo renderer with Google Sketchup. This is part of a high voltage cable splice. The main conductor in the center needs some work, but the neutral wires around the outside look pretty good I think.

Happy Texas Independence Day!

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A TEXAN
by Bum Phillips Bob Wheeler

Dear Friends,

Last year, I wrote a small piece about what it means to me to be a Texan. My friends know it means about damned near everything. Anyway, this fella asked me to reprint what I’d wrote and I didn’t have it. So I set out to think about rewriting something. I considered writing about all the great things I love about Texas. There are way too many things to list. I can’t even begin to do it justice.

Lemme let you in on my short list.

It starts with The Window at Big Bend, which in and of itself is proof of God. It goes to Lake Sam Rayburn where my Grandad taught me more about life than fishin, and enough about fishin to last a lifetime. I can talk about Tyler, and Longview, and Odessa and Cisco, and Abilene and Poteet and every place in between.

Every little part of Texas feels special. Every person who ever flew the Lone Star thinks of Bandera or Victoria or Manor or wherever they call “home” as the best little part of the best state.

So I got to thinkin about it, and here’s what I really want to say.

Last year, I talked about all the great places and great heroes who make Texas what it is. I talked about Willie and Waylon and Michael Dell and Michael DeBakey and my Dad and LBJ and Denton Cooley. I talked about everybody that came to mind. It took me sitting here tonight reading this stack of emails and thinkin about where I’ve been and what I’ve done since the last time I wrote on this occasion to remind me what it is about Texas that is really great.

You see, this last month or so I finally went to Europe for the first time. I hadn’t ever been, and didn’t too much want to. But you know all my damned friends are always talking about “the time they went to Europe.” So, I finally went. It was a hell of a trip to be sure. All they did when they saw me was say the same thing, before they’d ever met me. “Hey cowboy, we love Texas.” I guess the hat tipped em off.

But let me tell you what, they all came up with a smile on their faces. You know why? They knew for damned sure that I was gonna be nice to ‘em. They knew it ‘cause they knew I was from Texas. They knew something that hadn’t even hit me. They knew Texans, even though they’d never met one.

That’s when it occurred to me. Do you know what is great about Texas? Do you know why when my friend Beverly and I were trekking across country to see 15 baseball games we got sick and had to come home after 8? Do you know why every time I cross the border I say, “Lord, please don’t let me die in_____”? Do you know why children in Japan can look at a picture of the great State and know exactly what it is about the same time they can tell a rhombus from a trapezoid?

I can tell you that right quick. You.

The same spirit that made 186 men cross that line in the sand in San Antonio damned near 165 years ago is still in you today. Why else would my friend send me William Barrett Travis’ plea for help in an email just a week ago, or why would Charles Stanfield ask me to reprint a Texas Independence column from a year ago? What would make my friend Elizabeth say, “I don’t know if I can marry a man who doesn’t love Texas like I do?” Why in the hell are 1,000 people coming to my house this weekend to celebrate a holiday for what used to be a nation that is now a state?

Because the spirit that made that nation is the spirit that burned in every person who founded this great place we call Texas, and they passed it on through blood or sweat to everyone of us.

You see, that spirit that made Texas what it is is alive in all of us, even if we can’t stand next to a cannon to prove it, and it’s our responsibility to keep that fire burning. Every person who ever put a “Native Texan” or an “I wasn’t born in Texas but I got here as fast as I could” sticker on his car understands.

Anyone who ever hung a map of Texas on their wall or flew a Lone Star flag on their porch knows what I mean. My Dad’s buddy Bill has an old saying. He says that some people were forged of a hotter fire. Well, that’s what it is to be Texan. To be forged of a hotter fire. To know that part of Colorado was Texas. That part of New Mexico was Texas. That part of Oklahoma was Texas. Yep. Talk all you want. Part of what you got was what we gave you. To look at a picture of Idaho or Istanbul and say, “what the Hell is that?” when you know that anyone in Idaho or Istanbul who sees a picture of Texas knows damned good and well what it is. It isn’t the shape, it isn’t the state, it’s the state of mind.

You’re what makes Texas. The fact that you would take 15 minutes out of your day to read this, because that’s what Texas means to you, that’s what makes Texas what it is. The fact that when you see the guy in front of you litter you honk and think, “Sonofabitch. Littering on MY highway.”

When was the last time you went to a person’s house in New York and you saw a big map of New York on their wall? That was never. When did you ever drive through Oklahoma and see their flag waving on four businesses in a row? Can you even tell me what the flag in Louisiana looks like? I damned sure can’t. But I bet my ass you can’t drive 20 minutes from your house and not see a business that has a big Texas flag as part of its logo. If you haven’t done business with someone called AllTex something or Lone Star somebody or other, or Texas such and such, you hadn’t lived here for too long.

When you ask a man from New York what he is, he’ll say a stockbroker, or an accountant, or an ad exec. When you ask a woman from California what she is, she’ll tell you her last name or her major. Hell either of em might say “I’m a republican,” or they might be a democrat. When you ask a Texan what they are, before they say, “I’m a Methodist,” or “I’m a lawyer,” or “I’m a Smith,” they tell you they’re a Texan.

I got nothin against all those other places, and Lord knows they’ve probably got some fine folks, but in your gut you know it just like I do, Texas is just a little different.

So tomorrow when you drive down the road and you see a person broken down on the side of the road, stop and help. When you are in a bar in California, buy a Californian a drink and tell him it’s for Texas Independence Day. Remind the person in the cube next to you that he wouldn’t be here enjoying this if it weren’t for Sam Houston, and if he or she doesn’t know the story, tell them.

When William Barrettt Travis wrote in 1836 that he would never surrender and he would have Victory or Death, what he was really saying was that he and his men were forged of a hotter fire. They weren’t your average everyday men. Well, that is what it means to be a Texan. It meant it then, and that’s why it means it today. It means just what all those people North of the Red River accuse us of thinking it means. It means there’s no mountain that we can’t climb. It means that we can swim the Gulf in the winter. It means that Earl Campbell ran harder and Houston is bigger and Dallas is richer and Alpine is hotter and Stevie Ray was smoother and God vacations in Texas. It means that come Hell or high water, when the chips are down and the Good Lord is watching, we’re Texans by damned, and just like in 1836, that counts for something.

So for today at least, when your chance comes around, go out and prove it. It’s true because we believe it’s true. If you are sitting wondering what the Hell I’m talking about, this ain’t for you. But if the first thing you are going to do when the Good Lord calls your number is find the men who sat in that tiny mission in San Antonio and shake their hands, then you’re the reason I wrote this night, and this is for you.

So until next time you hear from me, God Bless and Happy Texas Independence Day.

February Mars Reprocessed

Went back over Sunday night's imagines and cleaned up the processing. Turned out better than I first thought!



Enlarged 150%:



I always wonder, "What am I looking at?" Here's a labeled view:

February Mars

A rare night of reasonable seeing. Caught Mars right overhead.

My First Date With Olympic Women's Moguls Skiing Gold Medalist Hannah Kearney

"So, um, I hear you're really good at skiing."

Awkward pause.

"Um, so you must really like snow."

Jumping on the iPad Bandwagon

So, you may have heard about the Apple iPad by now. I have a thought.

The device will come with calendar and address book apps. And the thing is, they look fabulously better than the iCal and Address Book applications that come with the Mac. So what's the deal? Why can't I get this slick interface on my Mac?

iCal and Address Book on the Mac


Calendar and Contacts apps on iPad

Spirit

Mars opposition was this week, and we're completely socked in. So here's a comic from XKCD to fill the time.

Lean On Me

I was fooling around on my Ian's keyboard last night when I realized that those three chords sounded like "Lean On Me." I looked up the song on YouTube and sure enough, the song really is that simple. So I sat down this morning with the keyboard and guitar and put this bit together in GarageBand.

I knew those childhood piano lessons would someday pay off!

Lean On Me

Pinewood Derby

I'm afraid this car is slower than it looks. I must have put the weight too far to the rear--the car wobbled all the way down the track. At least we won "Best Paint Job."

Mars 2010.2

I opened the roof on the observatory at sunset, and by the time I got out to shoot this at 1:00 a.m., the scope was covered in frost. I had to hit the corrector on the LX200 with the hair dryer a couple of times to keep the dew under control. What was interesting was how much the heat from the hair dryer would degrade the image. It took several minutes after clearing it for the image to settle back down. Of course by then the dew wasn't far behind, so I had to work quickly.

ClearSkyClock had forecast 4/5 seeing, and that seemed about right. You can see the difference between tonight's and last night's shot.

Mars is still just 13 arc-seconds across in this shot.

Heritage Park Observatory, Cedar Park, TX
Camera: DMK21AF04.US
Scope: Meade 10" LX200, TeleVue 2.5x Powermate
Mount: Meade LX200
Filter: Orion LRGB
Software: AstroIIDC, RegiStax, Photoshop

Happy New Year, and the First Mars of the Year

Has it been two years already? Here's the first shot from the 2010 Mars opposition. Kinda mushy skies for New Year's Eve. It had been cloudy early, but clear after midnight.

Heritage Park Observatory, Cedar Park, TX
Camera: DMK21AF04.US
Scope: Meade 10" LX200, TeleVue 2.5x Powermate
Mount: Meade LX200
Filter: Orion LRGB
Software: AstroIIDC, RegiStax, Photoshop

Something Happened

My nominee for most useful alert box. I usually make fun of Windows when this happens. Most unsettling.

M42, The Orion Nebula

Because you can never have too many pictures of the Orion Nebula.

Heritage Park Observatory, Cedar Park, TX
Exposure: 30 x 45 seconds
Camera: Modified Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D)
Scope: Meade 10" LX200, Meade f/6.3 focal reducer
Mount: Meade LX200
Guider: Short Tube 80, Meade DSI
Filter: Astronomik CLS
Software: PHD Guiding, Nebulosity, Photoshop

Oh Dear

Saw one of these in a truck stop over the weekend:



(Here's a hint: Remember the movie 'Top Gun?')

Tell Me The Truth

said Ian. "About what?" I asked.

"You." He said. "And Christmas."

"What's that, buddy?"

"You're really Santa Claus."

"Uh oh," I thought. Is this the year? "Why do you think I'm Santa Claus?"

"Your beard has that white part, and I heard you going 'ho, ho, ho.'"

Gift Idea

OK, I know. It's been forever since this thing got updated. But here's the deal. The Astronomy Gods have been offended somewhere, because the weather has sucked for the last, well, forever. But as soon as that changes, I'm gonna be right out there sucking down some photons. Mars is coming soon.

Meanwhile, the holiday gift giving season is upon us. And I know, you're all wondering, what does imjeffp want to find under the tree on the big morning? My friends, look no further (or farther, or whatever)--this could well be heaven in a jar.

Baconnaise.

Yup.

Now, I've not had the opportunity to try this stuff, but Lord! IT'S BACON! AND MAYONNAISE! TOGETHER!

So please, Santa, you know I've been good. At least nothing the grand jury could pin on me. Do me a favor this year.

Wings Over Houston

I paid a little extra this year to sit in the "Photo Pit" for the Wings Over Houston air show, and I'm glad I did. I don't recall the exact number of shots I took, but I filled up three 1 GB memory cards. I rented a 300-mm image-stabilized telephoto lens, and I think that made all the difference. Look for a calendar coming soon.

Photo Page

Happy Designer Halloween

Dang, I wish I had thought of this. Thanks Sone!

OU Sucks

I put up a new CafePress store to point out that no matter what the score, OU still sucks.

It's Popcorn Time!

Hi friends. How would you like to help support Ian's Cub Scout pack? Maybe help pay for a kid to go camping? Or help one with a Pinewood Derby Car? Or just pay for the patches on his uniform? You can do all of that and more when you buy popcorn! 70% of your purchase goes to the Scouts, but 100% of your purchase will be delicious!

Send me an email if you're interested, and I'll make sure your order gets to you.

Popcorn Brochure

A Prediction

Sorry for the long delay folks. When you have a month of clouds, there's just not much astronomy to write about. I was all set to shoot the LCROSS impact, but after seeing the lack of results from everyone else, I'm not too upset to be clouded out.

Anyway, to fill the time, here's my prediction for this weekend's Texas-OU game. OU leading at the half, 7-3. Texas comes back in the second half to get the win, 13-7. Texas's only touchdown will come from a turnover or a return.

Take Note Kiddies: This Is How You Do It

A Very Busy Day

A connector for 120,000-volt electric equipment.

T-28 Trojan

Caught this beautiful silver T-28 Trojan sitting on the ramp in Brenham.

Peanuts

PC and Pixel

Third Jupiter of the Year, Part II

A little sharper and a lot cleaner. I'm still frustrated though. I see other folks using similar gear to mine turning out better shots, and I don't know what I can do better.

10" LX200, 250 frames LRGB, DMK21AF04, Televue 2.5x Powermate

Third Jupiter of the Year

Not necessarily the final image from tonight, but the first of four processed. Pretty good seeing; call it 3/5 with a slow undulation.

Second Jupiter of the Year

A little soft in worsening seeing. The moons are Ganymede and Europa. If I had stayed up another couple of hours we could have tried to catch them in front of the planet. Oh well. Finally got the LX200 remounted in the observatory--I told myself I was going to wait until we got a break from 100-degree days. We may have a few left, but it IS September, right?

250 frames ea LRGB, DMK21AF

More Drawerings

Since the heat and/or clouds have been keeping me in, you get to look at stuff from my day job.

Drawering

Drawing a milk jug is harder than it sounds. There's a reason the handle is hidden behind the pitcher.

First Day, First Grade, Take Two

Just like last time. And the time before that, and the time before that ...

Courtesy of my Mother-In-Law

How to say 'I love you' in 25 languages

English I Love You
Spanish Te Amo
French Je T'aime
German lch Liebe Dich
Japanese Ai Shite Imasu
Thai Phom rak khun
Italian Ti amo
Chinese Wo Ai Ni
Swedish Jag Alskar
Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and parts of Florida
Nice ass, get in the truck

Four Craters

Looking at the southeast edge of the Moon, one day after full. The four craters, from top to bottom: Langrenus, Vendelinus, Petavius and Furnerius. In the upper left are two small craters with a "comet tail." Those are Messier and Messier A.

DMK21AF04.US, C6 @ f/10, 3 frame mosaic

Jupiter in the C6

First Jupiter of the year. Shot this at the dam through the 6-inch Celestron SCT. Not quite as much resolution as I'm used to getting, but I'm pretty happy with the results through the little scope. Poor to average seeing. Altitude 30°. LRGB, DMK21AF04.US, C6 @ f/25.

We Mosey Very, Very Fast

A Cool Space Shuttle Photo

Came across this photo on Space.com today:

Hey, That's Me!

Check out the byline.

Sadly, it's not me. But it would be cool if it were!