HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: dbriggs@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Daniel Briggs)
Subject: Re: A 100 Billion?  (and Nemesis again)
Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro NM
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 92 02:54:03 GMT

In article <1992Oct14.173404.1@fnala.fnal.gov>
  higgins@fnala.fnal.gov (Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey) writes:
>In article <1992Oct14.045250.2312@zia.aoc.nrao.edu>, dbriggs@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Daniel Briggs) writes:
>> The basic search
>> strategy is to teach an automated telescope to do the parallax
>> measurements, and go through the whole sky down to some reasonable limiting
>> magnitude.  
>
>Shouldn't this pop right out of the Hipparcos data?  Hipparcos is an
>ESA satellite launched in 1989.  It has a small telescope to do
>astrometric measurements, including parallax, on essentially the whole
>sky.

Well, I asked Rich Muller about this a few years ago.  (He's the fellow I
was referring to earlier.)  As I remember, he sort of shrugged it off.  At
the time, there was a fair chance that they could get into full production
before Hipparcos.  (Now, it looks like it's the other way around.)  I think
Hipparcos would find such a star, if it was on the list.  (Though you have
to wonder what the limits of the parallax measurements are.  Wouldn't it be
ironic if the processing software were to dismiss a three arc second
parallax as an "out-of-lock" error.  Or worse, that the Hipparcos couldn't
find the star in the first place?)  Anyway, Rich indicated that there were
enough differences in the Hipparcos search and his own that the ground
based search was worth doing no matter whether or not he beat NASA to the
punch.  He wanted the thing found, first of all, and if it was found he
hoped to be the one to do it.  Natural enough.

-- 
| Daniel Briggs  (dbriggs@nrao.edu)                      |        USPA B-14993
| New Mexico Tech / National Radio Astronomy Observatory |            DoD #387
| P.O. Box O / Socorro, NM 87801   (505) 835-7391        |
Support the League for Programming Freedom  (info from league@prep.ai.mit.edu)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: dsc@gemini.tmc.edu (Doug S. Caprette Bldg. 28 W191 x3892)
Subject: Re: rumor concerning Saturn's rings
Organization: NASA GSFC CDP VLBI
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 18:11:20 GMT

In article <1992Oct14.200106.1@stsci.edu> gawne@stsci.edu writes:
>
>
>Along empirical lines, when I worked with the FAA on low light level
>vision experiments, I asked a number of Air Traffic Controler candidates
>to tell me if they could see anything unusual about Jupiter.  Of all
>these people who had excellent (20/20) vision nobody ever noticed 
                      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Let me hasten to point out that 20/20 vision is not excellent (though I would 
love to have it, uncorrected), it is normal vision.  That is, anyone 
who has vision worse than 20/20 has something 'wrong' with their eysight.  

I know several people who had better than 20/20 when they were younger.
While my own eyesight was about 20/50, uncorrected, until a few years back
it was correctable to 20/10.  That is to say, with the best correction 
available in the optometrist's office, I could read a line on the eye chart
while 20 feet away, that a person with normal vision could not read from
farther than 10 feet away.  I have developed astigmatism since.

>Jovian moons.  Sure, I sometimes *think* I see Ganymede or Callisto
>but wouldn't bet on it until I check with binoculars.  I think that
>the glare of Jupiter is the big problem.
     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
     Precisely.  A technique I've never tried, but which seems to be sound,
     is to occult Jupiter by standing under a tree and positioning one's eye
     so that a leaf tip or twig just covers the planet but leaves the moon
     visible through a gap.

>                                          Somebody else mentioned
>astigmatism, but according to my last eye exam I don't have that
>problem.  It also may be that Leigh has the benefit of looking thru
>the clear air of British Columbia while I usually worked north of
>Dallas or here in Baltimore.
>

Bear in mind, however, that the person who examined your eyes has some finite
standard, or limit, in determining the presence of astigmatism.  It is not
likely that the test you took was as exacting as trying to resolve the
Callisto/Jupiter pair. 
--
dsc@gemini.gsfc.nasa.gov  
 |  Regards,         |   Hughes STX                |    Code 926.9 GSFC        |
 |  Doug Caprette    |   Lanham, Maryland          |    Greenbelt, MD  20771   |
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"No one is completely worthless...  they can always serve as a bad example."
                                  -- Unknown
Xref: sparky sci.astro:10864 rec.arts.sf.fandom:1101
From: noekel@ztivax.UUCP (Dr Klaus Noekel)
Newsgroups: sci.astro,rec.arts.sf.fandom
Subject: Address of Robert L. Forward?
Keywords: Forward
Date: 16 Oct 92 08:15:48 GMT
Organization: Siemens AG, Munich, W-Germany

Fellow netters,

does anyone out there know the address of
Dr. Robert L. Forward who is apparently
both astrophysics consultant and sci-fi
writer?

Please, reply by email to noekel@ztivax.zfe.siemens.de.

Any help is appreciated!

Klaus
Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: ka1gt@cbnewsm.cb.att.com (robert.m.atkins)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Tele Vue Barlow(s) for sale (1.25", 1.8x, 2.5x)
Date: 9 Oct 92 17:33:19 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: AT&T

I'm hoping to aquire a Tele Vue 2" barlow soon, and so I am offering my
1.25" barlows (or at least one of them) for sale. They are in absolutely
MINT condition - no scratches, scuffs, chips etc. In fact they have only
been out of their boxes a couple of times. They are the typical very high
quality Tele Vue product, fully multi-coated, blackened, anti-reflection
barrels etc. Original packaging, caps etc. I have one 1.8x and one 2.5x
and I would be prepared to sell either. Current list price is $125, but
they typically sell discount (Orion, Lumicon etc.) for $90. Since they are
in mint condition, the price is $60 (+ shipping). Used with a Genesis and
TeleVue eyepieces they perform very well, with no image degradation as far
as I can tell. The only reason I am selling is that for full field 
photographic use, I need the 2" barlow (there is some corner vignetting
with the 1.25" barlows - fine for sun and moon shots, where it doesn't
show, but a problem if you want full unobstructed field). For visual use
the 1.25" barlows have no problems that I can detect.

Bob Atkins  AT&T Bell Labs   email (direct) att!clockwise!rma
(908) 582 5120 (daytime, eastern time)
From: j.jahn@abbs.hanse.de (Jost Jahn)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Sunspots at 11.10.1992.
Reply-To: j.jahn@abbs.hanse.de
Date: 11 Oct 92 08:48:00 MET
Distribution: sci
Organization: ABBS AstroMail, D-W 2121 Dahlenburg / Germany
X-Version: ZerUU V6.45c

Sunspots at 11.10.1992., 0 h UT.

No.    Pos.  Cl.  Ar.  Mag. SF  F  M  X
---------------------------------------
7298 17N 81W Dso  110   b
7301 16S 68W Bxo   10   b
7303 13S 61W Dso  100   b    1
7305 11N 38W Cso   30   b
7306 08S 17W Dai  140   gd   4     1
7307 16S 27E Bxo   10   b
7308 09N 07W Axx    0   a


Optical and x-ray flares in 10.10.92.

Date     Beg. Max. End   Posit. Xray Opt
----------------------------------------
10.10.92 0710 0720 0739 08S 11W M2.1 1B


 
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Newsgroups: sci.astro,rec.radio.amateur.misc,rec.radio.shortwave
From: mmf@evolving.com (Mark Frazier)
Subject: Re: Meteoryite hits car in New York state
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 14:52:41 GMT
Organization: Evolving Systems, Inc.
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4

moersch@theory.TC.Cornell.EDU (Jeff Moersch) writes:
: In article <28666@scicom.AlphaCDC.COM> wats@scicom.AlphaCDC.COM (Bruce Watson) writes:
: 
: >  From an AP article in the Sunday Denver Post: Michelle Knapp, 18,
: >  of Peekskill, NY, heard a loud crash, Friday, that shook the windows of her
: >  house. Her 1980 Chevy Malibu had suffered a hole straight through the trunk. 
: >  (Repo Man?) A small crater was seen in the ground underneath. The meteorite 
: >  was still "pretty hot" and was found to weigh 30 lbs and measured about 
:               ^^^^^^^^^^
: >  1 foot in diameter.
: 
: Very strange.  The director of the Center for Meteorite Studies at
: Arizona State U. loves to talk about how he can always tell if a
: reported fall is a hoax because people who aren't describing a true
: meteorite hit invariably describe the sample as "still hot" when they
: found it, when in fact actual meteorites are usually very *cold*.  As

The actual truth of the matter is this car was originally owned by the parents
of Maggie O'Connell on Northern Exposure. It was the car her father used
to teach her all about mechanics, and she was once heard to claim that
that car was her "first love". This explains the sudden bizzare attempt
to end it's life well before it's time.

Sorry, I couldn't resist. Apologies to non-N.E. fans.

MMF
From: andromed@cs.dal.ca (Mike Boschat)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Meteorite..!!whats with it??
Date: 15 Oct 92 19:46:19 GMT
Organization: Math, Stats & CS, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada


 What is with this meteorite thing all of the sudden ?
I saw it on CNN and  our local newspapers, so it was 30 lbs,
so it hit a car ..it looked like a stony-iron to me..
Why all the fuss about it ??

 A meteorite can be warm on the outside but if you broke it open
it would be ice cold inside since the heat had no time to get through
the object.
 

						Clear skies

						Mike Boschat

 -------------------------------------------------------------------
| " Our problems are man-made,             |  JOHN F. KENNEDY       |
|   therefore they can be solved by man."  |                        |
|                                          | ASTRONOMY  OBSERVATORY |
|                   JOHN F. KENNEDY        |                        |    
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: MEDELMA@cms.cc.wayne.edu (Michael Edelman)
Subject: Celestron SP-C80 has been sold
Organization: Wayne State University, C&IT
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 15:13:04 GMT

My Celestron SP-80C has been sold. Thanks to all who inquired.
            --mike
From: scott.smith@the-matrix.com (Scott Smith) 
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Re: Comet Swift-Tuttle..diameter ???
Date: 11 Oct 92 18:56:00 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: The MATRIX BBS - Birmingham, AL - 205-323-2016
Reply-To: scott.smith@the-matrix.com (Scott Smith) 

To: alfa@csource.oz.au
From: Scott.Smith@the-matrix.com

Glenn Durden sayeth....

GD>Better still, can someone post an ephemeris for Swift-Tuttle, for the folks
GD>(like me) who havnt seen it yet.

Well, first of all, I hope you receive this, as this is my first attempt
at sending an internet E-mail message.  Anyway, I've seen it through my
RV-6 newtonian reflector at about 70x and it was very faint, low surface
brightness, and of indistinct shape (apparently round).  I estimated it
to be approximately 9.0 magnitude on the day of this observation, which
was 06 October 1992, at 0030UT, from North Alabama, USA.
Here is some data I have on this comet:

----------------------------------------------------------------
                      P/Swift-Tuttle

  T:  1992 DEC 12.39100000      Peri:  152.97900000 |
  e:    0.96362000              Node:  139.43000000 | (J2000.0)
  q:    0.95876000                 i:  113.40800000 |

Absolute Magnitude:  5.87   Magnitude Coefficient: 10.00
Time of Observations:  7:00 pm, CDT  (Starting JD=2448897.5000)
Period: 135.29 Years  Ephemeris computed for equinox 2000.0

1992      R.A.(H,M)   DEC(D,M)    R     DELTA   ELONG   MAG

OCT 11    13  43.2     58  15   1.398   1.464    66.0   8.2
OCT 13    14   1.0     57  39   1.375   1.426    66.4   8.0
OCT 15    14  19.2     56  53   1.353   1.389    66.8   7.9
OCT 17    14  37.6     55  55   1.331   1.355    67.0   7.8
OCT 19    14  55.9     54  46   1.309   1.322    67.1   7.6

OCT 21    15  14.0     53  24   1.288   1.292    67.1   7.5
OCT 23    15  31.7     51  50   1.267   1.265    67.0   7.4
OCT 25    15  48.9     50   3   1.246   1.241    66.7   7.3
OCT 27    16   5.5     48   5   1.226   1.220    66.4   7.2
OCT 29    16  21.3     45  55   1.206   1.202    65.9   7.1
----------------------------------------------------------------

             ********  Scott  *  Smith  ********


 * SLMR 2.1a * Almost everything is not yet known...
                                
Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space
From: nickh@CS.CMU.EDU (Nick Haines)
Subject: Re: Too thin for light pressure? (was Re: Diesen sphere or Strungen Sphere)
Originator: nickh@VOILA.VENARI.CS.CMU.EDU
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
	<Bw2zHD.AvI@news.cso.uiuc.edu>
	<1992Oct14.001905.25147@infodev.cam.ac.uk>
	<1992Oct14.013809.1@fnalc.fnal.gov>
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 21:16:14 GMT

In article <1992Oct14.013809.1@fnalc.fnal.gov> higgins@fnalc.fnal.gov (Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey) writes:

   I doubt whether 3 microns is enough to be reasonably opaque, let alone
   a nearly perfect reflector (which you want when building a solar
   sail.)

What's the solar wind pressure at 1AU? Are those protons slow enough
to be stopped by 3 microns of rock?

Nick
Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: jls2@teal.csn.org (Jeff Stoner)
Subject: Hubble Images
Organization: Colorado SuperNet, Inc.
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 23:31:11 GMT

I hate to ask a question that's almost a FAQ...

I need to collect up some spiffy images taken by the Hubble Space
Telescope for some upcoming NASA-related online demos. I'd like
to get them in .GIF, .JPG or FITS binary (i.e., formats xv or
saoimage can read).

The FAQs here and in a graphics newsgroup pointed me to ames.arc.nasa.gov,
where there seems to be little or nothing in various directories (did I
miss one?) and a machine called "iris1...ca" (don't have all of it
right in front of me) that's been down.

Is there any other place folks could point me? With the demos starting
in about two weeks, I don't have alot of time to digitized photos,
etc. at this point.

Thanks for any help you can give!

-- 
====== Jeff L. Stoner === Boulder, Colo. ============ /\ = /\ ========== |
                                                 /\  /  \ /  /\  /\    --*--
   Home: jls2 @ bearhug.boulder.co.us         /\/  \/    /  /  \/  /\    |
   News: jls2 @ csn.org                    /\/  \   \  /\  /    \    /\
Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: vivek gupta <vigupta@tope.cs.indiana.edu>
Subject: Astrophotography?
Organization: Computer Science, Indiana University
Date: Wed, 07 Oct 92 23:07:36 -0500

Hi,

I am interested in taking various pictures of the moon, stars, and other planets. I am an amateur photographer and have been fascinated by the nite sky for quite some time. I was wondering what sort of equipment I would need to start.

I have a cannon T-70 camera, with long exposure (up to almost 24 hrs.) Since I will be doing this for personal pleasure and I don't have an enormous budget, what are some low cost telescopes and camera mounts, etc.

I am a novice, so please list all items I would need, so when I go calling around I can get total estimates.

Thanx in advance,
Vivek GUpta
vigupta@greatwhite.cs.indiana.edu
From: ja_houser@vax.muskingum.edu (Vince Houser)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: FIREBALL/METEOR
Date: 16 Oct 92 07:47:30 GMT
Article-I.D.: vax.1992Oct16.134731.3858
Organization: Muskingum College

fellow astronomers 

i have not had enogh time lately to read the board
so please send me all observations ,information and anything else that had to
do with that fireball/meteorite that was seen over New York

e-mail to..

ja_houser@vax.muskingum.edu

thanks 

jim houser
From: metzler@pablo.physics.lsa.umich.edu (Chris Metzler)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Re: Creation science and moon dust theory
Date: 14 Oct 1992 00:21:26 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan Department of Physics
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: pablo.physics.lsa.umich.edu

In article <tslage78.718856765@ursa>, tslage78@ursa.calvin.edu (Thomas Slager) writes:
|> Sorry to even bring this up, but I go to a private college that is fairly 
|> conservative religously.  I was arguing with this kid about the age of the 
|> earth, saying that it was at least 4 billion years old, and he pulled this moon
|> dust theory on me that there would be more dust than we found if the moon were
|> as old as we think.  
|> 
|> I have heard of this before, but can anyone tell me the reason this theory was
|> shot down?  I need to throw some reality back in his face.
|> 
|> Thanks.  
|> tom.  ( I really am not trying to start creation/evolution flame wars.)

The best analysis of this issue I've seen, actually, was in the Straight Dope,
from which I now quote:

Q:  The other day I got into an argument with a friend who's a Christian and
he claimed it can be proved the moon is only 12,000 years old (thus bolstering
creationst claims about evolution) by the amount of meteoric dust on its
surface.  He said that some scientists have calculated that if the moon were
really billions of years old it would have five feet of dust surrounding its
surface features.  However, when Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon in 1969,
there was only one inch of dust!  What's the scoop? -- George W., Baltimore

A:  There's a lot more than one inch of dust on the moon; Armstrong only
SANK IN one inch, which is a different matter entirely.  After all, you only
sink into loose beach sand about an inch, although it's certainly a lot
deeper.  The surface of the moon is composed primarily of debris called
"regolith," which is from 36 to 60 feet deep and consists of boulders of
varying size mixed with dust.  Most of the material is made up of lunar rock
shattered by meteorites; the remaining 1 - 2 1/2 percent is the pulverized
remnants of the meteorites themselves.  Much of the dust is in the form of
tiny glass spheres created in the heat of the meteorite impact.  Dating of
lunar samples has established the age of the moon at 4.6 billion years.  None
of this will make the slightest difference to your friend, of course.
Creationists have a powerful affection for the ridiculous.

Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: gliba@scivax.stsci.edu
Subject: No Draconid Storm Seen
Organization: Space Telescope Science Institute
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 14:38:50 GMT



No Draconid Storm Seen


   This morning between 6:05 to 6:20 UT I looked for Draconids, but saw
none. The sky was mostly clear, but was bright due to the strong moonlight.
Perhaps someone else saw some earlier, later, or farther West.


G.W. Gliba - 'I would rather see starlight than streetlights'
From: sudhama@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (C. Sudhama)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Cosmic ray statistics
Summary: wanted
Date: 17 Oct 92 03:09:31 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX

In order to design circuits and chips for space applications,
a colleague wishes to obtain data on the # of particles for
a given energy (in as wide an energy range as possible) in 
cosmic rays. In particular, he is interested in the counts for
electrons and alpha-particles. Where can one get the data for
the last few years?

email replies are appreciated.
thanks.
sudhama

sudhama@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu
From: morgans@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Re: THE TRUE CAUSE & ORIGIN OF EARTHQUAKES (AND THEIR PREDICTION)
Date: 16 Oct 92 09:19:29 -0500
Followup-To: ca.earthquakes
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <4380@wet.UUCP>, c@wet.UUCP (Chuck Charlton) writes:
> He's from Indiana, huh?  Isn't that the state that tried to define pi as 3? 

Also the state that gave us Dan Quayle.

(Oh I knew I shouldn't have said that, but it was just too easy)

Back to astronomy folks - that's ASTRONOMY.

Here's a question - how do you tell the difference between h and Chi Persei 
(and I don't want to get responses like look in a book), but how do their 
appearances differ.  

Siobahn (Shabang) Morgan
morgans@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: roelle@uars_mag.jhuapl.edu (Curtis Roelle)
Subject: Re: Bright Green Fireball
Organization: Johns Hopkins University
Distribution: na
Date: 13 Oct 92 19:42:20 GMT

martin@space.ualberta.ca (Martin Connors) writes:

>In article <1992Oct12.085326.1@scivax.stsci.edu> gliba@scivax.stsci.edu  
>(G.W. Gliba) writes:

>>    A bright green fireball was seen over several states on friday night.
>> It was said to be nearly as bright as the moon.

>No-one seems to have focussed on what makes a fireball bright green. I saw  
>a bright green fireball several months ago...the first of this color I  
>have seen among thousands of meteors I have seen. The green was very  
>startling, but what makes it. It is NOT the auroral green line. What IS  
>it?

The green line is ionized oxygen.  Can't recall off the top of my head
how many times ionized, but hopefully someone in authority will
followup with the necessary details.

Now here's a true story:

Several years ago I received a telephone call out of the blue from a
woman who been given my name, a local amateur astronomer, by the
county library.  It seems she had observed a UFO ten days before and
had confined herself to her house ever since.  She was in hiding with
her doors locked and curtains drawn.  She had used her telephone to
keep in touch with the world and had managed, through her UFO story
and paranoid behavior, to alienate her neighbors who must have
concluded she had flipped her lid.  Having become somewhat of a crank
her friends avoided her calls.  When the conversation began she was
quite hysterical as she had been deeply disturbed by her experience
and was obsessing over it.  This woman was at the edge, needed serious
help, but had called me instead.  What was I to do?

Not knowing what to tell her (and suspecting she was nuts) I had her
recall all the facts she could: 1) She had been in her car traveling
apparently west; 2) it was twilight; the UFO was 3) traveling north,
parallel to the horizon, and 4) was green in color.  I explained to
her that bright meteors, or fireballs, are often a vivid emerald
green.

After hearing this she immediately calmed down.  Regaining her
composure she proclaimed, "that must have been it, thank you very much,
I feel so relieved."  Now she could tell her friends that an
astronomer (an amateur but that didn't matter) had turned the UFO into
an IFO.  She had not imagined it, it was nothing more than a meteor --
albeit a bright meteor.  

That's my little story.  Amateur astronomer turned amateur shrink.

Curt Roelle
roelle@sigi.jhuapl.edu





From: paulz@hpspdla.spd.HP.COM (Paul Zander)
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 23:37:31 GMT
Subject: Re: Debris from Meteor Shower Friday??
Organization: HP Stanford Park - Palo Alto, CA
Newsgroups: sci.astro

On the Sunday TV news, they showed a parked car with a big hole where
a meteroite (2 pounds ?) had landed.  It hit the trunk lid, came out
the bottom of the car, and made a hole in the pavement.  

They concluded by mentioning that the insurance covered collisions with
other cars, but not meteorites!

Paul Zander