HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: gak@gakbox.Corp.Sun.COM (Richard Stueven)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Re: Shape and Size of Universe
Date: 15 Apr 92 23:30:34 GMT
Reply-To: gak@gakbox.Corp.Sun.COM
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
NNTP-Posting-Host: gakbox.corp.sun.com

In article 5155@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU, jcm3r@faraday.clas.Virginia.EDU (John Carl Martin) writes:
>In article <kumihhINN6dt@pollux.usc.edu> aabdalla@pollux.usc.edu (Ahmed Abd-Allah) writes:
>>1.  What is the most widely accepted theory of the shape of the
>>	universe?  A four-dimensional hypersphere? 
>                                     ^^^^^^^^^^^
>Since when is 'hypersphere' a layman's term?

Since when are "laymen" interested in the Shape and Size of the Universe?  :-)

---
Richard Stueven       AHA# 22584 |----------| Affix the screen to your nipple
Internet:       gak@Corp.Sun.COM |----GO----| instead of your elbow.
ATTMAIL:         ...!attmail!gak |---SHARX--|                    - CR Saikley
Cow Palace: Sec 107 Row F Seat 9 |----------| 
Xref: sparky sci.astro:4953 sci.space:7453 comp.org.eff.talk:3418 talk.politics.space:702
From: leech@cs.unc.edu (Jon Leech)
Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space,comp.org.eff.talk,talk.politics.space
Subject: Re: Stategic Defense System, Accidental Launch System, and related.
Date: 10 Apr 92 14:52:17 GMT
Followup-To: sci.military
Organization: UNC-Chapel Hill Computer Science

In article <2833@ub.d.umn.edu>, jremer@ub.d.umn.edu (Jeremy C. Remer) writes:
> I would like to start a discussion about the Stategic
> Defense Inititive (SDI) and the Accidental Launch Protection System (ALPS).

    Please start it in the right group. It's not appropriate for any
of the space and astro groups you posted to. Followups to
sci.military.
--
    Jon Leech (leech@cs.unc.edu)    __@/
    ``The tuba recital is one of the most memorable experiences of
      music school.''
	- Seen on a bulletin board in the UNC Music School
Newsgroups: sci.astro,misc.forsale
From: cpetterb@javelin.sim.es.com (Cary Petterborg)
Subject: For Sale:  Celestron Comet Catcher RFT
Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp.
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 00:31:54 GMT

For sale:

	Celestron Comet Catcher - 4.5 inch RFT reflector telescope,
		includes one eyepiece, hard case (Celestron supplied),
		and collimation tool.  If you are unfamiliar with the
		scope, it is a short focal length reflector with sealed,
		corrected optics.  It doesn't have either a mount
		(it does have a tripod adapter on the housing, though),
		or a spotting scope.  It uses 1.25" eyepieces and the
		included eypiece is (I think) a 19mm orthoscopic.
		Since it is short focal length it is great for nebula
		viewing.  With a good barlow it can be used for viewing
		planets, etc.  I'm keeping my barlow and other eyepieces
		for my next scope, but it performs quite well for a
		small telescope.  The length of the tube is less than
		two feet.

	Original price - $435 which was a discount price at the time.
		The scope was $350.  The case was $60.  The collimation
		tool was $25.  Plus tax and no shipping, the total was
		actually about $460.  All parts are the original parts
		from Celestron.  No service has ever needed to be
		performed.

	Condition - Practically new.  Used only a little back when
		Halley's Comet was around (6 years ago).  Used very
		little since, though not from any deficiency of the
		scope.  It is still in precise collimation, and very
		clean.  I don't think there are any scratches on it
		either (the housing, NONE for sure on the optics)

	Reason for sale - I want to get a Celestron SS-80, which is
		even more portable and better suited to terrestrial
		viewing.

	Asking Price - $300 + shipping.  I'll pay additional insurance
		and COD fee.  That price is negotiable and I would
		consider a trade for an SS-80.

--
_______________
Cary Petterborg					   (801)582-5847 x6627
Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp.  Simulation Division   SLC, UT 84108
UUCP: ...!uunet!sim.es.com!cpetterb  *NET: cpetterb@javelin.sim.es.com
_______________
Not everything that counts can be counted.  Not everything that can be
counted counts.   - Charles Garfield
Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: dierick@ketje.enet.dec.com (Dominique Dierick)
Subject: Re: Save Palomar Observatory!
Reply-To: dierick@ketje.enet.dec.com (Dominique Dierick)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1992 10:26:26 GMT


My two cents :


	Let people watch television all evening, preferably US crime series.
	They'll see on average 2 murders, 5 drug abuses and a couple
	of other crimes per evening - mostly situated in dark alleys or
	parking lots.
	Repeat this for years.
	Next have the television news talking loud and clear with as
	much "realistic" film material as possible about crime in your
	neighbourhood.

	You are guaranteed to create a feeling of unsafety and a cry
	for more safety at night.

	Take an average politician who must gain votes from the public.
	What can he do to get votes ? He can't limit television (mis)use,
	but he can gain votes by supporting the citizens in their general
	unsafety feeling. And he can offer them bright streetlights. It
	won't solve existing crime, but at least he'll get elected again.

	Bingo. There you go with your observatory. You'll have to come
	with very good arguments to turn over the general opinion.


Dominique


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

name    : Dominique Dierick

address : Digital Equipment Corporation
          Luchtschipstraat 1
          Brussels
          Belgium

email   : dierick@ketje.enet.dec.com
From: malcolm@hpwin052.uksr.hp.com (Malcolm Porter)
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1992 11:36:10 GMT
Subject: H-ALPHA FILTERS
Organization: HP AEO - London, England
Newsgroups: sci.astro

 I am interested in using my C8 to observe the Sun in H-Alpha
light - can anyone out there recommend a good narrow-band filter?
I'd be interested to hear of people's experience with the commercially
available instruments.

                              Malcolm Porter.
Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: jafoust@cco.caltech.edu (Jeffrey Alan Foust)
Subject: Re: Where are the philanthropists [was Save Palomar]
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1992 12:17:29 GMT

In article <1405@newave.UUCP> john@newave.UUCP (John A. Weeks III) writes:
>In article <music.702327163@batman> music@moravian.edu (Steve Heller) writes:
>> It's a shame that one or more of the world's wealthiest people and
>> corporations would have the interest in building superior telescopes.
>> An expenditure of $50-75 million could establish the finest observatory
>> on Earth.
>
>Isn't this exactly what is currently happening?  Keck and Keck II were
>both privately funded to the tune of about $100-million each.

Keck I and Keck II are estimated to cost about $94 million each.  The W. M.
Keck Foundation contributed $70 million towards Keck I and $74.6 million
towards Keck II.  NASA indicated that they would like about one-sixth of the
observing time on Keck, and kicked in a corresponding amount of money for 
construction.  The University of California will handle the operating costs
for Keck for the first 25 years, and the University of Hawaii donated the
land in exchange for a share of telescope time.  In other words, mostly
privately funded, but with a non-zero fraction of public money thrown in.

(Source: _Caltech_Engineering_&_Science_ magazine, Winter 1992 issue, p. 4)

-- 
Jeff Foust                        Junior, Geophysics/Planetary Science, Caltech
jafoust@cco.caltech.edu   	        	    jeff@seismo.gps.caltech.edu
  "American catfish are not good at earthquake predicting.  They're only good
    for eating." - Yasuo Baba, Tokyo Metropolitan Marine Experiment Station
Newsgroups: sci.astro,misc.forsale
From: cpetterb@javelin.sim.es.com (Cary Petterborg)
Subject: Re: For Sale:  Celestron Comet Catcher RFT
Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp.
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 19:00:06 GMT

Well, I made some mistakes in the information I posted about this
telescope.

	1- It's a 5.5 inch f/3.6, not a 4.5 inch.

	2- The standard ocular is 18mm orthoscopic, not 19mm.

I know a couple of people have noted my mistakes and I hope it
didn't cause anyone too much confusion.

Cary
--
_______________
Cary Petterborg					   (801)582-5847 x6627
Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp.  Simulation Division   SLC, UT 84108
UUCP: ...!uunet!sim.es.com!cpetterb  *NET: cpetterb@javelin.sim.es.com
_______________
Not everything that counts can be counted.  Not everything that can be
counted counts.   - Charles Garfield
Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space
From: mike@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Mike Smithwick)
Subject: Desperately seeking spacecraft orbital elements
Organization: SF-Bay Public-Access Unix
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 17:55:10 GMT

[]

Recently the orbital elements for Galileo were posted, and I am
needing the same for the Voyagers, Pioneers, Ulysses, etc. The 
gentleman who posted it got it from someone at JPL who supposedly
got the data from nssdca. I can't find any elements on nssdca
(only heliocentric coordinates) and wonder if anyone has any
other possible sources, or the data itself.

mike

-- 
"There is no problem too big that can't be solved with high explosives"-Rush

Mike Smithwick - ames!zorch!mike

Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space,sci.electronics
From: dave@imax.imax.com (Dave Martindale)
Subject: Re: Telescope Drive Systems.
Keywords: Close/Open loop control system, DC/AC/Step Motors
Organization: Imax Corporation, Mississauga Canada
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1992 04:55:00 GMT

dpeterso@mipos2.UUCP (David Peterson) writes:

>Hello netlanders,
>       I am a recent electrical engineering graduate and an amature
>astronomer, and I have a friend that is trying to figure out what it 
>would take to build a small observatory. He doesn't have an electronics
>backgroud, so he is asking me to help him figure out what to do for a
>drive system. After some thought I have come up with some questions
>on building drive systems that I thought were appropriate for sci.astro.

Start by buying or borrowing

	Microcomputer Control of Telescopes
	Mark Trueblood and Russell Genet
	ISBN 0-943396-05-0

publisher:

	Willmann-Bell Inc.
	P.O. Box 3125
	Richmond, Virginia 23235
	804-320-7016

It talks about motors, gearing, encoders, control systems, mechanical
and astronomical correction factors, and more.
From: gwc@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Greg F Walz Chojnacki)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Re: Jupiter Transits
Date: 12 Apr 92 22:49:54 GMT
Article-I.D.: uwm.1992Apr12.224954.6394
Reply-To: gwc@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Originator: gwc@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

From article <1251@wtcp.DaytonOH.NCR.COM>, by dgrimmer@wtcp.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (Dave Grimmer):
> A few months ago I asked a question in this forum about finding an
> algorithm to predict eclipses and transits of Jupiter and its moons.
> I didn't get any response at all  :-(  ...   Maybe the posting didn't
> get off my local machine.
> 
> Can someone tell me where I can find the formulas/algorithms to calculate
> eclipses and transits of Jupiter and its moons?  I see tables of this
> information published in S&T and the Observer's Handbook.  Where do these
> tables come from?  I would like to find a PC package that would present
> a picture of these type of events.  Is there already a package on the 
> market that will do this?  I already have software that will show the 
> motions of the 4 major moons, but nothing to show eclipse and transit
> times.
> 
> If no package already exists that presents a graphical display of these
> events, I would consider writing one if there is enough interest.  Does
> anyone have a program like this?  If not, does anyone want a package
> like this?
> -- 
> Dave Grimmer
Dave, 
There are several programs that do what you want. I see you have a CIS 
address. I can't believe there aren't 
several available there.  Check it out.
> email: Dave.Grimmer@DaytonOH.NCR.COM    CompuServe: 70412,2455
Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.chem
From: bankst@kauri.vuw.ac.nz (Timothy Banks)
Subject: Re: helium again
Organization: Victoria University of Wellington
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 20:45:18 GMT

In article <1992Apr7.235223.7986@athena.cs.uga.edu> pellock@athena.cs.uga.edu (Rebekah Turner) writes:
>Hi again.
>Could someone post or email me who discovered helium and when?
>Thanks in advance!!!
>

Norman Lockyer, in 1868, noted a yellow emission line of a then unknown
element in the spectrum of the Sun's chromosphere during an eclipse. 


-- 
Timothy Banks, Physics Department, Victoria University of Wellington, NZ.
  Bankst@kauri.vuw.ac.nz, bankst@matai.vuw.ac.nz, bankst@rata.vuw.ac.nz
         Banks@beagle.phys.vuw.ac.nz, CCD@vuwst1.vuw.ac.nz 
  "He's dead, Jim!" "OK, you take the tricorder, I'll take the wallet!"
From: john@newave.UUCP (John A. Weeks III)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Re: Sky & Tel article says "New planets discovered" at PSR1257+12
Keywords: planets?
Date: 6 Apr 92 04:15:11 GMT
Article-I.D.: newave.1409
Reply-To: john@newave.UUCP (John A. Weeks III)
Organization: NeWave Communications Ltd, Lake Wobegon, MN

In article <1992Apr5.223735.12581@cbfsb.cb.att.com> wa2ise@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (robert.f.casey) writes:
> Just read an article in the May '92 issue of Sky & Telescope saying
> that planets are (99% probability or so) discovered orbiting pulsar
> PSR 1257+12.  As it takes something like 6 weeks between writing an
> article to when subscribers get the magazine, was wondering if these
> planets are still suspected orbiting this pulsar.  The article shows
> a pridiction: as the two planets orbit, they interact gravitationally,
> and the orbital eccentricity will change in a predictable manor.  And
> this will show up in the pulsar's wobble.  It's too early to check
> this, the graph on page 495 is ten years long.  But has something else
> come up (since the last thread on this!) to shoot this down?

As I understand the situation, there are two groups of Astronomers and
two different pulsars.  The first group discovered a single large planet
orbiting close to a pulsar.  As second group discovers what you mention
above, using much the same methods.  The first group then discovered that
an important number was left out of their equations.  When the equations
were corrected, the planet was no longer there.  The second group aparently
did not make this error, and their claim still stands.

The CBC interviewed the lead Astronomer of the group that made the error
last week on the Quirks and Quarks radio show.  After discovering the error,
the lead Astronomer was completely horrified.  He decided to make a public
statement on the error because the original discovery has received such
widespread publicity.  

-john-

-- 
=============================================================================
John A. Weeks III               (612) 942-6969             john@newave.mn.org
NeWave Communications, Ltd.           ...uunet!umn-cs!kksys!tcnet!newave!john
From: sichase@csa1.lbl.gov (SCOTT I CHASE)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Re: Stategic Defense System, Accidental Launch System, and related.
Date: 10 Apr 92 17:35:36 GMT
Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory - Berkeley, CA, USA
Distribution: na
Reply-To: sichase@csa1.lbl.gov
NNTP-Posting-Host: 128.3.254.196
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.3-4   

In article <1992Apr10.023849.20345@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu>, swoodcoc@isis.cs.du.edu (Steven Markus Woodcock) writes...

>   I strongly believe that investing in SDI is one of the best things
>the US (and other countries) can do with their defense dollars.  Right now,
>there's NOTHING to stop a nuclear or chemical warhead...nothing.  

For years, the nuclear arms experts and the politicians assured us that 
DETERENCE was the most effective way to stop a nuclear or chemical warhead.
I guess deterence didn't cost enough, though, for a decade in which the public
coffers are overflowing and we just don't know what else to do with a trillion
dollars over the next ten or twenty years. 

-Scott
From: dsc@gemini.tmc.edu (Doug S. Caprette Bldg. 28 W191 x3892)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Re: sci.astro.amateur?
Keywords: Does anybody actually read these?
Date: 7 Apr 92 15:01:10 GMT
Article-I.D.: nsisrv.1992Apr7.150110.7927
Organization: NASA GSFC CDP VLBI

In article <1992Apr7.001540.20151@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> jcastner@isis.cs.du.edu (John Castner) writes:
>
>   I was wondering if anyone else out there saw a need for a new
>newsgroup, devoted to amateur astronomy, and containing primarily
>the many discussions on telescopes and telescope making presently
>found in this group.  I feel that as someone interested in astronomy,
>...

Since amateur astronomy is a recreation activity, even when 'real' science is
being done (its still fun) how about:

rec.astro

?


 |  Regards,         |   Hughes STX                |    Code 926.9 GSFC        |
 |  Doug Caprette    |   Lanham, Maryland          |    Greenbelt, MD  20771   |
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Is a bear Catholic?  Does the pope, er--never mind." -- Doug Caprette
From: greg@rio.Columbia.NCR.COM (Greg Porr)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Re: sci.astro.amateur
Date: 10 Apr 92 17:52:46 GMT
Organization: NCR Corp, E&M-Columbia, Columbia, SC
Originator: greg@rio


A few months ago, I had thought about the idea of splitting sci.astro,
as I'm mainly interested from the point of view as an amateur observer.
It would seem that sci.astro would be more suited to the scientific
discussions, and rec.astro.amateur would be appropriate for what I'm
interested in.

However, I'd vote against such a proposal now.  I think it would be too
difficult to know where some articles should be posted, with the main
result being that either too many articles would be cross-posted, or,
more likely, those who subscribed to only one of the two groups would
miss articles that they'd actually be interested in.

Over the months, I've found that my interests are expanding, so I won't
necessarily skip over as many of the scientific/theoretical discussions
as I used to.  I would hope that keeping the group together would also
have the same effect of broadening the interests of other people.

The diversity of our newsgroup is not unlike Sky & Telescope or Astronomy, and
I think that both of those magazines would do well to continue providing
articles that appeal to a wide range of astronomical interests.


-- Greg Porr
   (greg@rio.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: tholen@galileo.ifa.hawaii.edu (Dave Tholen)
Subject: Re: comet approaching?
Organization: Institute for Astronomy, Hawaii
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1992 09:23:12 GMT

Bruce Edwards writes:

> From what I've read it would be *extremely* difficult to actually track
> and subsequently intercept an incoming astronomical object.  Why?
> 
> 1. Very high velocities are involved (an understatement).
> 2. One which was headed "right at us" would not show apparent
>    motion against the background of stars but would appear
>    star-like until it was too late.
> 
> Yes? No....

Yes, the velocities are high, but they are extremely predictable.  It's
not like trying to swat a fly that has a mind of its own.  Asteroids do
not abruptly change course.  We've already demonstrated the ability to
navigate spacecraft to eight of the planets (some of which move even
faster than the typical Earth-approaching asteroid), Halley's comet,
Giacobini-Zinner, and 951 Gaspra.  Interception is not that difficult
a problem.

The idea is to survey the population of Earth approaching objects now, in
hopes of finding them all well in advance of any potential collision.
During previous close approaches, there would be apparent motion.  By the
way, the lack of apparent motion is limited to only a very short time
before impact.  Remember, orbits are not straight lines but conic sections,
so "heading right at us" isn't the best way to think of it.  Rather, it's
more like "heading right where we'll be".
Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: dnash@jarthur.claremont.edu (Dave Nash)
Subject: Re: sci.astro.amateur?
Summary: Like the idea a lot.  Now, how to implement it...??
Keywords: Yes, people DO read this field on occasion.  ;-)
Organization: Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1992 20:00:11 GMT

In article <121988@lll-winken.LLNL.GOV> howell@grover.llnl.gov (Louis Howell) writes:
>In article <1992Apr7.150110.7927@nsisrv.gsfc.nasa.gov>, dsc@gemini.tmc.edu (Doug S. Caprette Bldg. 28 W191 x3892) writes:
>
>I don't think that an amateur/pro division of the group, whatever the
>names, would work very well.  Too much of the traffic here does not
>clearly fall into one category or the other.  Consider the "Save
>Palomar Observatory" thread---is this an amateur or a professional
>issue (and who's supposed to write all the letters)?  What about the Nova
>Cygni thread, or announcements of other recent discoveries?  Since
>the professionals presumably hear about such things through other
>channels, couldn't essentially all of the material here be considered
>amateur-based?

Not really.  I've seen a fair number of posts that are more like
professional-to-professional remarks, things like trying to describe some
aspect of a project or equipment, rather than professionals writing general
interest articles or the like.  I've been doing amateur astro for a long
time now, yet I probably "n" past most of the articles in this particular group
on any given day.  (I'd probably read sci.astro.amateur and jettison
sci.astro if the division of material worked well) Put differently:  the 
"feel" of sci.astro is very different from that of an amateur-oriented 
publication like _Astronomy_ magazine or a handbook on observing.

>
...
>
>Here are some suggestions for possible subgroups that would not be quite
>so ambiguous.  I'm not pushing for any of these, just tossing them out
>as alternatives.
>
...possible hierarchy deleted...

I too wouldn't mind seeing a sci.astro.amateur - type of group myself, since
I'm not one of the professionals and (as I mentioned) many of the 
professional-astronomy type of posts just go over my head.  On the other 
hand, I don't see how there's enough traffic in sci.astro to justify making 
up a whole new sci.astro.amateur.* hierarchy.  The amateur-oriented posts 
seem to be a minority of the material on here, in most cases.  
Maybe 5-10 a day, typically, unless someone gets a bad scope or two from
Meade ;-).  It seems to make sense to just
throw them into one "big" group for now and see how it fares.

>-- 
>Louis Howell  (nazgul@llnl.gov)
-- 
David Nash                    | This .sig is made of 100% recycled electrons. 
(dnash@jarthur.claremont.edu) | No binary trees were killed to make it.
From: pnd@jach.hawaii.edu (Phil Daly, JAC, 665 Komohana St, Hilo HI 96720, USA)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Real-time Weather GIFs
Date: 9 Apr 92 02:51:42 GMT
Reply-To: pnd@jach.hawaii.edu
Organization: UK/Canada/Netherlands Joint Astronomy Centre, Hilo, HI

There was a discussion recently about weather GIFs but I missed most of it.
So, does anyone know of an FTP site that gets real-time weather pictures
from NOAA etc (specifically for Hawai`i) and places them in a public directory
in GIF (or JPEG) format so that I can anonymous FTP them and update the
local weather situation for visiting astronomers?