HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jmcvey@boi.hp.com ( John McVey         x3638 )
Subject: Looking 4 SCT Corrector Pen-pal
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 19:41:38 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard / Boise, Idaho
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1scd1 PL4

Some one (Dave I think) wrote me that he was also interested
in getting his corrector plate re-coated.  Please send me
email again.  We may be able to reduce coating costs by
sharing the chamber.

Please write soon.

jmcvey@hpbslq.boi.hp.com
From: baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Re: HST sites
Date: 26 Jan 1993 01:31 UT
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    

In article <1993Jan25.084257.1@stsci.edu>, zellner@stsci.edu writes...
>In article <1jvcesINNki1@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu>, ko_mike@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu 
>(Michael Y Ko) writes:
> 
> > I know there are three main sites that receive and control information from 
> > the Hubble Space Telescope. I think they're JPL, Goddard, and Space
> > Telescope Institute in Baltimore.
> > 
>Goddard ships both the science and engineering telemetry to STScI in Baltimore.
>We also look at the engineering telemetry, but more specifically at the actual
>science observations in progress to verify that the science instruments did 
>they were supposed to do.  We get all the science data, take a quick look at 
>most of it to verify its integrity, package it up for the Investigators, and
>archive it.  Our real-time commanding is presently limited to making small
>pointing corrections and occasinally setting an event flag.  We will have more
>real-time responsibilities for aligning the COSTAR mirrors. 
> 
>I do not know of any real-time link to JPL.  Perhaps you are thinking of 
>Marshall Flight Center, which had some responsibilites in the early stages
>following launch.

The Deep Space Network (which is run by JPL) is a backup to Hubble should
anything happen to TDRS.  We have not had to backup Hubble since it has 
been launched, but the link it there. 
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Every once in a while,
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | try pushing your luck.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     |
From: jscotti@lpl.arizona.edu (Jim Scotti x2717)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Re: New planet
Date: 26 Jan 93 02:16:01 GMT
Organization: Lunar & Planetary Laboratory, Tucson AZ.

In article <1993Jan25.092930.24684@ugle.unit.no> frodet@brosme.dhmolde.no (Frode Tennebo) writes:
>
>Astronomers at the 2.2-meter-telescope at Mauna Kea have recently
>discovered a new planet in the solarsystem, which ut to this time has been
		  ^^^^^^
>unknown. The planet, which has temporarily has been named 1992 QB1
>(where those astronomers get their names from beats me), is more than six
>billion kilometers (app. 5.56 light-hours) away and orbits slowly around
>the sun outside the orbit of Pluto.
>
>1992 QB1 is much smaller than Pluto, perhaps only 200 kilometers in
>diameter. Pluto has a diameter of 2400 km.
>
>I don't know HOW new this information is and if it is common knowledge
>"out there", but if anybody has more information about this planet, I,
>and probably more with me, will be most interested.

  This has been covered before in this newsgroup.  This object is
definitely NOT a _planet_, but rather a minor planet or possibly even
a comet.  There are two other objects, namely (2060) Chiron and 
(5145) Pholus which are of comparable size in the outer solar system.  
The interesting thing about 1992 QB1 is that it may be the first member 
of a class of objects in the "Kuiper Belt", thought by some to be the 
source of low inclination, short period comets, and previously 
undetected.  The Kuiper belt is hypothesized to lie outside of the 
orbit of Neptune consists of relatively low inclination objects.

  The latest orbital elements for 1992 QB1 are:
	a=44.31 AU, e=0.10, i=2.2 degrees
  If these elements hold, (and I should remind you that even though
the arc is about 171 days on the observations, it has been observed
over an exceedingly small part of its orbit, so the elements are
necessarily uncertain) this would put QB1 on the inner edge of the
Kuiper Belt.

>--
>***************************************************************************
>* Frode Tennebo                         * It's better to live life in     *
>* email: frodet@brosme.dhmolde.no       * wealth and die poor, than live  * 
>* snail: Parkv. 44, 6400 Molde, NORWAY  * life in poverty and die rich.   *
>***************************************************************************

Jim.
---------------------------------------------
Jim Scotti 
{jscotti@lpl.arizona.edu}
Lunar & Planetary Laboratory
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721 USA
---------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: push@media.mit.edu (Pushpinder Singh)
Subject: What are Lc and Lb variable stars?
Organization: M.I.T. Media Laboratory
Distribution: sci
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 04:28:07 GMT


I'm posting this question for a friend, so please e-mail any responses
to her address (listed below).

----------------------------------------------------------------------

What are Lc and Lb variable stars?  I've looked through many astronomy
reference books and have found nothing.

Thanks for any information you can give me.

Kristin Lester
kristinl@athena.mit.edu
Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: moroney@world.std.com (Michael Moroney)
Subject: Re: Accretion Question
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1993 17:16:17 GMT

ludwigsburg@igc.apc.org (Ludwigsburg Middle School) writes:


>>planet.  In fact, a better understanding of accretion now leads
>to the
>>concept that an inner planet accreted from a range of objects up
>to 10
>>per cent of the planet's final mass - i.e. Earth was not built
>out of a
>>zillion bits of dust but out of 2 objects the size of Mars, 15
>the size of
>>the Moon, 40 the size of Ceres and so on.
>>Phil Stooke I may be in over my head with this since astronomy is
>my avocation and 8th grade earth science in my vocation, however
>if this explanation of planet formation is accurate how did the 2
>objects the size of Mars, 15 the size of the Moon, or 40 the size
>of Ceres form? I enjoy immensely reading this conference and I am
>learning continually from the discussions. Thanks folks!  Larry
>Bahn Patch American High School, Stuttgart, Germany

I'd assume it's a recursive processs.  If the above is true, the 3
Marses (2 forming the earth and the one left as a planet) were formed from a
bunch of Moon-sized things, a bunch of Ceres-sized things, and smaller,
the Moon-sized thinsg were formed from a whole hail of Ceres's and smaller
things, which formed from a bunch of boulders etc. until you have dust
accreting.

An exception may be our own moon, one theory was a Mars-sized thing hit the
proto-Earth and blasted a whole bunch of material into Earth orbit, and this
became the Moon (through a similar process).  This brings up teh question
why there aren't more large satellites of the inner planets, the only others
are the two probably captured asteroids around Mars.

-Mike
From: gibson@crisium.geop.ubc.ca (Brad Gibson)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Naive Metallicity Question (units)
Date: 28 Jan 1993 19:14:14 GMT
Organization: Dept. of Astronomy / Univ. of British Columbia
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: crisium.astro.ubc.ca

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--

Here's a naive question regarding units used to signify metallicity ...

Does [Fe/H] = [M/H] = [Z/Z_solar] for scaled solar abundances?
   (where M/H represents the number abundance of all elements more massive than
   Helium relative to Hydrogen and Z represents the elemental abundance of
   metals higher then He, by *mass" (not number)).

e.g., provided scaled solar abundances, does an [M/H] of say +1.0 imply an
      [Fe/H] of +1.0 and a Z of 0.2 (assuming Z_solar is about 0.02)?

I assume the above is true, but would of course break down under say the
conditions of alpha-element overabundance (like in the recent stellar evolution
tracks of VandenBerg & Bergbusch, for example).

Sound reasonable?  Told you it was a naive question ...

Brad

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Brad K. Gibson                           INTERNET: gibson@geop.ubc.ca
  Dept. of Geophysics & Astronomy         
  #129-2219 Main Mall                      PHONE: (604)822-6722
  University of British Columbia           FAX:   (604)822-6047
  Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  V6T 1Z4
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: km2011@andy.bgsu.edu (K. Errick Mebane)
Subject: Help w/ Solar neutrino, black holes
Followup-To: sci.astro
Organization: Bowling Green State University
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 07:02:44 GMT

To anyone with information,

I am currently working on two lectures for my advanced astronomy class. 
The first lecture is on the solar neutrino problem, and the second is on
supermassive black holes.  If anyone has any references or any interesting
info on these two subjects, please let me know.  Thanx!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
K. Errick Mebane (km2011@andy.bgsu.edu)
Xref: sparky sci.astro:14462 sci.space:19818
From: klaes@verga.enet.dec.com (Larry Klaes)
Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space
Subject: Alvan Clark telescope article in May 1990 EJASA
Keywords: Alvan Clark, telescope, refractor, observatory, ASA, EJASA
Date: 26 Jan 93 22:04:02 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation


        Regarding the discussion on the Alvan Clark telescope:

        In the May 1990 issue of the Electronic Journal of the Astronomical 
    Society of the Atlantic (EJASA), Volume 1, Number 10, there is an
    article by Alan Fleming on a 1988 visit to a 58-centimeter (23-inch) 
    Alvan Clark refractor at the Roper Mountain Science Center's Charles 
    E. Daniel Observatory in Greenville, South Carolina.  The article is
    titled "A Living Legend: The Alvan Clark Refractor".

        The May 1990 EJASA is available (as are all other EJASAs up to
    January 1993) from the ASA anonymous FTP site at chara.gsu.edu 
    (131.96.5.29).  If you cannot access the site, please let me know
    and I will E-Mail the issue to you.

        Regards,

        Larry Klaes  klaes@verga.enet.dec.com
		     or - ...!decwrl!verga.enet.dec.com!klaes
    		     or - klaes%verga.dec@decwrl.enet.dec.com
                     or - klaes%verga.enet.dec.com@uunet.uu.net

             "All the Universe, or nothing!" - H. G. Wells

        EJASA Editor, Astronomical Society of the Atlantic
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology-Office of Information Technology
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 03:58:06 EST
From: <LABBEY@GITVM1.BITNET>
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Re: Pronunciation of "Jansky"

My friend Bill Calder sat behind Jansky in high school.  The name is
pronounced the way it looks.  Totally american.

Leonard Abbey, F.R.A.S.
Georgia Tech Research Institute
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
labbey@gitvm1.gatech.edu
Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: acgoldis@athena.mit.edu (Andrew C Goldish)
Subject: Cosmology, computers, and graduate school
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1993 01:41:23 GMT

  I am considering cosmology and/or astrophysics for graduate school and am
wondering whether or not there are any fields or degree programs which make 
extensive use of mathematics and computer science.  Are there any such fields,
and if so, which schools have the best programs in each of them?

							Thanks in advance,

							A. Goldish

Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: randolph@est.enet.dec.com (Tom Randolph)
Subject: Re: Planetary Ephemeris Routines?
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: 21 JAN 93 13:56:58    


In article <3190@tymix.Tymnet.COM>, kopfj@bert.Tymnet.COM (John Kopf, X6305) writes...
>I suspect that a FAQ describing common algorithms in ALGEBRA (rather than in a
>particular computer language) would be welcome by many...I really hate the common
>practice of displaying programs in BASIC, as it is most difficult to transcribe to
>some other language.
> 
>A discussion of "precision" would also be useful for those of us who are not
>numerical analysts.
> 
>JK

This would quickly expand to occupy megabytes, which I imagine is why no one
ever posts it here. There's really no way to give it proper treatment without a
whole book's worth of formulae... hence the book references. "Astronomical
Algorithms" by Meeus is excellent.

BTW, bravo on the BASIC flame! Anyone using BASIC for serious number crunching
is probably crippling themself... I'd LOVE to see formulae in algebra in the
mags.
-Tom R.   randolph@est.enet.dec.com
Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: mock@space.mit.edu (Patrick C. Mock)
Subject: Re: "Modeling" the Expanding Universe? (was Re: That Great Pulsar Timing Flame War)
Originator: mock@benz
Reply-To: mock@space.mit.edu (Patrick C. Mock)
Organization: MIT Center for Space Research
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 04:46:21 GMT


In article <C15vrI.6yp@well.sf.ca.us>, metares@well.sf.ca.us (Tom Van Flandern) writes:
> ...stuff deleted...
>
>      So I then pointed out that the solar system has about 20 orders of
> magnitude higher matter density than the universe.  If much weaker matter
> densities will cause space in the universe to eventually contract, why
> doesn't it cause space in the solar system to contract now?  This does seem
> like an inconsistency to me.

This "inconsistency" is nonetheless predicted by GR and is consistent
with the observations.
	"Tis strange --- but true; for truth is always strange;
	 Stranger than fiction."           Lord Byron 1788-1824

> > Also, matter does cause local space-time to contract (althought I prefer
> > Ben Weiner's geodesic description).  This is the cause for the observed
> > deflection of starlight by the sun as predicted by GR.
> 
>      Let's not mix concepts.  According to GR, the Sun causes local
> spacetime to curve, not contract, and that is the cause of the deflection
> of starlight.  If there were any contraction, the average distances of the
> planets would be getting closer to the Sun, just as the average distance of
> galaxies now increases due to space expanding.

I stand corrected.  What is important here is that the observed
behavior of the solar system is consistent with GR.  If there are new
observations that contradict GR, I am not aware of them.

> > Tom, I don't understand your claims about the ad hoc nature of GR in the
> > big bang model.  As I understand GR has never predicted that the solar
> > system would be affected by the hubble expansion.
>
>  ...big deletion...  (Hopefully a real GR type will critique this section.)
>
>      I hope I have been clearer in pinpointing where I see an inconsistency
> in the present exposition of big bang cosmology.  -|Tom|-

What seems clear to me is that you do not accept general relativity.
Since GR is part of the foundation of big bang models, I would like to
encourage the discussion to focus on the validity of GR.

Finally, for the record, General Relativity has always predicted
that the solar system would not be affected by the hubble expansion.  
The big bang never required an ad hoc correction to account
for the observed "non-expansion" of the solar system.

Pat
Xref: sparky sci.astro:14241 alt.sci.planetary:592
From: baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.astro,alt.sci.planetary
Subject: Re: Killer-meteorite ?
Date: 21 Jan 1993 17:09 UT
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    

In article <93021.134733K3032E0@ALIJKU11.BITNET>, <K3032E0@ALIJKU11.BITNET> writes...
>An Austrian newspaper says that "a meteorite fell on a house in POREC,
>Croatia, killing two old brothers living there".
>Can anyone confirm this?
> 
>*Huch|* These space-rocks become agressive| First, killing cars in New York,
>then killing people in Croatia....

Meteorites hitting people and cars has happened before.
About 25 to 30 years ago, a meteorite hit a house and struck
the lady living there, and she survived with only a bruise.  I think this
happened somewhere in England, and the story and pictures are
on display at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.  One of the
SNC meteorite was supposed to have landed on and killed a dog.
The meteorite that landed last October in Peeksville, New York, was
the third or fourth occurrence of a meteorite hitting a car.  The
meteorite went through the trunk.  I just happen to have a piece of
this particular meteorite in my collection, and there is red paint
from the car still on the fusion crust.  The car and the Peeksville
meteorite will be on display at the Tuscon show next month.
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Every once in a while,
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | try pushing your luck.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     |

Newsgroups: sci.astro.hubble
From: cabanac@wood.phy.ulaval.ca (Remi Cabanac)
Subject: WD Spectra
Organization: Universite Laval, Ste-Foy, Qc, Canada
Distribution: sci.astro
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 13:17:08 GMT

Hello everybody,

I'm looking for white dwarfs spectra in the range of 350 to 1000 nm.
Does anybody have any idea where I could find and get back (by ftp) such
spectra.  I don't need a resolution better than 20 A.

You would be kind enough to answer directly be E-mail (cabanac@phy.ulaval.ca).

Thank you,

Remi Cabanac.(Vive le Quebec libre!)
Newsgroups: sci.astro,rec.radio.shortwave
From: oler@rho.uleth.ca (Cary Oler)
Subject: Daily Solar Geophysical Data Broadcast for 25 January
Organization: University of Lethbridge
Date: 26 Jan 93 06:56:50 GMT

!!BEGIN!! (1.0) S.T.D. Solar Geophysical Data Broadcast for DAY 025, 01/25/93
10.7 FLUX=105.8  90-AVG=138        SSN=075      BKI=0013 5443  BAI=016
BGND-XRAY=B1.6     FLU1=6.5E+05  FLU10=9.5E+03  PKI=1123 6443  PAI=018
  BOU-DEV=004,004,009,026,098,055,046,026   DEV-AVG=033 NT     SWF=00:000
 XRAY-MAX= B5.6   @ 0746UT    XRAY-MIN= B1.3   @ 1901UT   XRAY-AVG= B1.8
NEUTN-MAX= +002%  @ 1400UT   NEUTN-MIN= -002%  @ 2330UT  NEUTN-AVG= -0.0%
  PCA-MAX= +0.1DB @ 0335UT     PCA-MIN= -0.2DB @ 2355UT    PCA-AVG= -0.0DB
BOUTF-MAX=55418NT @ 1120UT   BOUTF-MIN=55371NT @ 1943UT  BOUTF-AVG=55406NT
GOES7-MAX=P:+132NT@ 1949UT   GOES7-MIN=N:-025NT@ 1341UT  G7-AVG=+084,+024,+011
GOES6-MAX=P:+153NT@ 1726UT   GOES6-MIN=N:-016NT@ 1951UT  G6-AVG=+104,-002,+033
 FLUXFCST=STD:105,105,110;SESC:105,105,110 BAI/PAI-FCST=020,020,015/025,020,015
    KFCST=3335 6333 3335 6333  27DAY-AP=029,042   27DAY-KP=2032 5555 5565 5533
 WARNINGS=*AURMIDWCH
   ALERTS=
!!END-DATA!!
From: Jeff.Cook@FtCollinsCO.NCR.COM (Jeff Cook)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Re: Refurbishing Observatory...SURPRISE !!
Date: 21 Jan 93 18:39:57 GMT
Organization: none
In-reply-to: jf4527@adx.adelphi.edu's message of 20 Jan 93 02:07:18 GMT

With all the excitement this has caused, you might want to take pictures
and keep good notes on what transpires during your project.  There seems
to be a lot of interest in what you're doing--perhaps a magazine like
Sky & Telescope would be interested in doing an article on it.  Give
them a call and let them know what you're up to.

--

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeff Cook                                  Jeff.Cook@FtCollinsCO.NCR.com
"Millions long for immortality who do not       72506.237@compuserve.com
know what to do with themselves on a rainy        Compuserve:  72506,237
Sunday afternoon."  -- Susan Ertz            
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: dsc@gemini.gsfc.nasa.gov (Doug S. Caprette Bldg. 28 W191 x3892)
Subject: Re: Comments from MEADE about SCT's
Organization: CDP VLBI
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 17:32:01 GMT

In article <93021.031222LABBEY@GITVM1.BITNET> <LABBEY@GITVM1.BITNET> writes:
>Re-coating a lens will improve its light transmission, and nothing else.
>It will NOT improve performance on the planets.
>
>Furthermore, it is a dangerous process, involving high temperatures.  There is
>some danger that the lens will break. 

Or, it may distort the corrector, changing its figure.   I understand that in
quality refractors, it was (maybe still is) the practice to leave the last
surface uncoated, and tweak the correction by refiguring the last surface
after the other three were coated.


>                                        Besides, the price you mentioned
>is a considerable percentage of the price of a new scope.
>
>Forget re-coating.  What you see on planets is mainly determined by the
>number of hours you spend at the eyepiece.  Join the ALPO and make sketches.

I think you missed the part about the corrector being covered with sleeks.
This would indeed be expected to degrade the resolution.  Moral of the story:
Don't clean your optics until they are absolutely filthy.  Less crudely put,
an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure--keep your optics from get-
ting dirty as much as possible so that you very seldom need to clean them.

>In two years you will be up there with the best of them.
>
>Oh yes, one other suggestion for viewing planets.  Buy an f/8 Newtonian.
>

Or longer.

--
dsc@gemini.gsfc.nasa.gov  
 |  Regards,         |   Hughes STX                |    Code 926.9 GSFC        |
 |  Doug Caprette    |   Lanham, Maryland          |    Greenbelt, MD  20771   |
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"...when the Saudis agreed to ask for American assistance.."
				  -- Dick Cheney 2/21/91

Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: dennisn@ecs.comm.mot.com (Dennis Newkirk)
Subject: Re: Eyeballing satellites???
Organization: Motorola
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 20:17:26 GMT

Also, for those too afraid to ask the questions...

In article <C1FIH6.36u@hfglobe.intel.com>, labelle@hfglobe.intel.com (George La Belle) writes:
> 	1) Satellites in orbit can be seen (by reflected light) going
> 	overhead at night. How large would it have to be to make out what
> 	it is? (not a point source).

Naked eye? At least dozens of meters. Years ago there was a scheme to launch a ring which 
would be visible but it fell through. For instance, Skylab was pretty big, but at best you 
could only see a couple of reflections from the different solar arrays, etc.. but you could
not discern any shape (unless you had a good imagination).

> 	2) What is the smallest thing that can be seen with the naked eye?

Under what conditions? From the top of a mountian? Lots of people like to watch satellites
and track them. I'm sure you could get several different answers. I've seen lots of 
unidentified satellites, I'd guess the smallest would probably be a few meters long or wide.

> 	3) What distance away is the space shuttle, when orbiting?

The shuttle is only capable of about 400 mile altitude circular orbit but usually is much
lower.  If your looking for a good target you will want to try Mir the Russian space station. 
It is visible periodicially and very easy to spot using shareware tracking programs. It can
rival Jupiter in brightness at best and usually is as bright as the brightest stars in the sky, but
if its at a bad angle and conditions a poor (light, weather, etc) you may not see it at all.

Check out your library for books on satellite observing. 

Dennis Newkirk (dennisn@ecs.comm.mot.com)
Motorola, Land Mobile Products Sector
Schaumburg, IL

Xref: sparky sci.astro:14233 alt.sci.planetary:591