HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: bill.nunnelee@the-matrix.com (Bill Nunnelee)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: MYSTERY OBJECT
Date: 3 Oct 92 13:58:00 GMT
Article-I.D.: the-matr.624.413.uupcb
Reply-To: bill.nunnelee@the-matrix.com (Bill Nunnelee)
Distribution: world
Organization: The MATRIX BBS - Birmingham, AL - 205-323-2016


    Several members of the Birmingham Astronomical Society observed an
unusual fireball (or possibily reentering space debris) on the night of
Wednesday September 30th at 8:17 CDT.  Six of us were at a location
just south of the city when an object was noticed traveling across the
northern sky in an easterly direction (roughly from Corona Borealis to
Aries and passing very near the Andromeda Galaxy).  The object was
approximately magnitude -1 or -2 and consisted of a pointlike head and a
30 degree or so "vapor trail"-like tail.  It moved at a speed consitent
with a satellite in low Earth orbit...which is to say, fast for an
aircraft, yet very slow for a meteor.  Of course, there was no source
for reflected light, and the object did not dim in what would have been
the Earth's shadow; in fact, its appearance remained extremely constant
from horizon to horizon (no tumbling, breaking up, lingering train, wind
dispersion, or noise).  One observer using binoculars said that it
looked the same through them.
    What really makes it interesting is that a second group of three
B.A.S.ers happened to see the same object from a location about 50
miles to the northeast.  There, it took a more southerly path across the
sky.  It passed between Beta and Gamma Lyrae, near Gamma Cygni, and near
Alpha Andromedae...parallel and roughly 20 degrees south of the first
track.  This would seem to rule out any sort of high-flying aircraft.
One observer was even able to capture several seconds of it on video.
Since he had previously been recording other objects with the same
settings (Venus and crescent Moon at sunset), it should be possible to
get a good fix on its brightness.
    We would very much be interested in any other observations of this
objects from amateur astronomers across the southeastern U.S.  If we
could get good timings and/or positions, it should be possible to
determine its altitude precisely and perhaps its orbit as well.
                                                                                                  
Xref: sparky sci.astro:10403 sci.physics:15884
From: sichase@csa3.lbl.gov (SCOTT I CHASE)
Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.physics
Subject: Re: Progress with New Cosmologies (& discrete redshifts)
Date: 4 Oct 1992 12:50 PST
Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory - Berkeley, CA, USA
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: 128.3.254.198
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    

In article <BvL0H2.F1s@well.sf.ca.us>, metares@well.sf.ca.us (Tom Van Flandern) writes...
> 
>     The Meta Research Bulletin, issued quarterly, is currently distributed
>free to contributors of $25 or more in any year to support the astronomy
>research activities of Meta Research.  The organization is a tax-emempt,
>non-profit, scientific research group based in Washington, DC.  A sample copy
>of the Bulletin is available on request.  Address: P.O. Box 15186, Chevy
>Chase, MD 20815.

I have a couple of prying questions, if you don't mind.  Roughly how many 
contributors do you currently have, who get your newsletter?  Who, other
than yourself, participates in the the work of the Meta Research Institute?
Does it have a scientific Board or Review Committee which oversees the
scientific program?  Etc.  Tell us more about your organization.  Is it a 
"scientific research group" of one?

-Scott
--------------------
Scott I. Chase			"The question seems to be of such a character
SICHASE@CSA2.LBL.GOV		that if I should come to life after my death
				and some mathematician were to tell me that it
				had been definitely settled, I think I would
				immediately drop dead again."      - Vandiver
From: j.jahn@abbs.hanse.de (Jost Jahn)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Sunspots at 03.10.1992.
Reply-To: j.jahn@abbs.hanse.de
Date: 03 Oct 92 12:01:00 MET
Distribution: sci
Organization: ABBS AstroMail, D-W 2121 Dahlenburg / Germany
X-Version: ZerUU V6.45c

Sunspots at 03.10.1992., 0 h UT.

No.    Pos.  Cl.  Ar.  Mag. SF  F  M  X
---------------------------------------
7293 07S 58W Cao   50   bg
7294 11S 33W Cho  270   b
7295 15N 10W Cso  120   b
7296 06N 10W Cro   20   b
7298 17N 22E Cao  100   b
7299 13N 39E Bxo    0   b
7300 12N 63E Cso   70   b
7301 16S 38E Cso   40   b    5     1
7302 12S 08E Axx    0   a
7303 12S 47E Bxo    0   b


Optical and x-ray flares in 02.10.92.

Date     Beg. Max. End   Posit. Xray Opt
----------------------------------------
02.10.92 0747 0751 0754 17S 48E M1.4 1N


 
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABBS AstroMail, the first and most popular German astronomical bulletin board
------------------------- for amateur astronomers ----------------------------
    + 49 5851 7896 / V.21, V.22, V.22bis, V.32, V.42, V.42bis and MNP5
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Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: rbunge@access.digex.com (Robert Bunge)
Subject: Mars Observation (10/6)
Organization: Express Access Online Communications Service, Greenbelt, Maryland USA
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 18:53:10 GMT


 
With the promise of clear skies, last night (10/5), I set my 4.25-inch
f/10.5 newtonian outside to await Mars.  At 4 am EST on 10/6, Mars
was a very nice sight at 225x (12mm erfle + 2.4x barlow).  The northern
polar cap was a very small point of white that was the first detail
seen.  The southern polar hood was a larger, not-as-bright white 
section to the south.  Some dark markings -- that appeared to be 
Syrtis Major -- were also visible.  Currently, Mars is 8 arcseconds 
across and is becoming big enough to see detail, even in a small scope. 
 
Bob Bunge
rbunge@access.digex.com
From: lew@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (lewis.h.mammel..jr)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Re: How to teach about free fall? (was Re: zero gravity)
Summary: Thought experiments contraindicated
Date: 28 Sep 92 01:47:14 GMT
Organization: AT&T

In article <12990038@hpspdla.spd.HP.COM>, paulz@hpspdla.spd.HP.COM (Paul Zander) writes:
> I was fortunate to have a high school physics teacher who was very
> careful to be technically precise.  One day he raised the question, "How
> much does the Earth weigh?"  
 
You know legally, weight is mass. There is, or used to be, a whole
section in the Enc. Brit. headed "Weights and Measures." "Weight" being
mass and "measures" being length, area and volume. The point is that
the standardization of the term "weight" to mean "force due to gravity"
is purely an invention of physics instruction. It's fine to have a standard
but I think it creates that false impression that other usages the
student was used to were somehow wrong. Sure, there's confusion, but
it's unhelpful to go around the rest of your life sniping "that's not
weight that's mass."

> Some students offered some very large values.  Then he reminded us that
> the definition of weight was the force of gravitational attraction.  So
> what is the Earth attracted to?  Where would you place a spring scale to
> weigh the Earth?  

Where would you place a spring scale to weigh a pound of butter ?
You don't have to go into space to become entangled with virtual frames
of reference! Onward to Einstein!

> Back to the original question of "weightlessness" in orbit, the
> explanation needs to include the closs relation between weight and
> acceleration.  Thought experiments with falling elevators might help get
> the point across.


Why do thought experiments when all you have to do is put
some Star Wars figures ( or something ) into a clear container
and throw it into the air? If you do it repeatedly you can
compensate to a degree for the short duration. Why not
videotape it? Use your imagination :-)




Lew Mammel, Jr.
From: sichase@csa1.lbl.gov (SCOTT I CHASE)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Re:  TIME HAS INERTIA
Date: 29 Sep 1992 14:23 PST
Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory - Berkeley, CA, USA
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: 128.3.254.196
Keywords: TIME, INERTIA, proof?
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    

In article <1992Sep25.104840@karma.astro.Virginia.EDU>, pcp2g@karma.astro.Virginia.EDU (Gilligan) writes...
> 
>Where exactly does this come from? According to the conservation of energy,
>the TOTAL energy of the universe is constant; possibly, in the Big Bang
>theory, the KINETIC energy of the universe is decreasing (being
>converted to gravitational potential energy).

Not true.  The total energy of our Universe is decreasing with time. 
Photons in the CBR are red-shifting into oblivion as the Universe expands.
The energy in these photons is simply disappearing.  Bummer, huh?
It is in fact impossible to construct any bilinear quantity which you
might want to call "energy" in GR because it is not time symmetric (i.e., 
does not admit a static solution, at least without a cosmological constant.) 
In other words, for those of you who like Noether's theorem, there is no
constant of the motion associated with time invariance of the Lagrangian.

Please see the sci.physics FAQ for details.

-Scott
--------------------
Scott I. Chase			"The question seems to be of such a character
SICHASE@CSA2.LBL.GOV		that if I should come to life after my death
				and some mathematician were to tell me that it
				had been definitely settled, I think I would
				immediately drop dead again."      - Vandiver
Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: cjr6495@tamsun.tamu.edu (Christopher James Rogers)
Subject: Re: ALTERNATIVE Heavy Element Creation in Universe
Organization: Texas A&M University, College Station
Date: Sat, 3 Oct 1992 01:21:39 GMT

In article <1992Sep30.132927.27444@twisto.eng.hou.compaq.com> mccreary@sword.eng.hou.compaq.com (Ed McCreary) writes:
>In article <1992Sep29.192437.1430@cnsvax.uwec.edu> mcelwre@cnsvax.uwec.edu writes:
>>          
>>
>>                            BIOLOGICAL TRANSMUTATIONS
>>
>>          ( ANOTHER Way That The Universe Creates Heavy Elements. )
>>
>>               A very simple experiment can demonstrate (PROVE) the 
>>          FACT of "BIOLOGICAL TRANSMUTATIONS" (reactions like Mg + O 
>>          --> Ca, Si + C --> Ca, K + H --> Ca, N2 --> CO, etc.), as 
>>          described in the BOOK "Biological Transmutations" by Louis 
>>          Kervran, [1972 Edition is BEST.], and in Chapter 17 of the 
>>          book "THE SECRET LIFE OF PLANTS" [see Footnote] by Peter 
>>          Tompkins and Christopher Bird, 1973: 
>
>Does this mean there really may be a goose that lays golden eggs?
>Where's Asimov when you need him.

Dead, unfortunatly...

>
>--
>In the midst of the word he was trying to say,|McCreary@sword.eng.hou.compaq.com
>     In the midst of his laughter and glee,   |Me, speak for Compaq?  
>He had softly and suddenly vanished away---   |Yeah, right.
>     For the Snark *was* a Boojum, you see.   |#include <stddisclaimer.h>
From: eric@cse.ucsc.edu (Eric Rosen)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Re: Review of Expert Astronomer (Mac software)
Date: 27 Sep 1992 22:37:48 GMT
Organization: University of California, Santa Cruz (CE/CIS Boards)
NNTP-Posting-Host: wiyot.ucsc.edu

In article <1a3fpeINNs94@mohawk.cs.utexas.edu> (Peter Newton) writes:
>If you buy only one Mac astronomy program, and the extra $50 is not a
>problem for you, I would choose Voyager.  But Expert Astronomer is
>interesting and a very good value.

Are you referring to Voyager 1.X or the new color version? Would anyone
care to review the improved Voyager 2.0 ?

--Eric
From: youngs@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Scott D. Young)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Re: Saturn Observations,
Date: 2 Oct 92 17:25:33 GMT
Organization: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada


   Regarding my earlier post about the band on Saturn, it is *not* the
   equatorial belt, but one of the temparate belts. Last night, while
   observing with a friend's 10" f/5 Dob, under very good seeing, I
   *thought* that the band may have been double. I was using a 4.8mm
   Nagler, which would be about 150x. Anyone else confirm this?

   Scott
From: newton@cs.utexas.edu (Peter Newton)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Review of Expert Astronomer (Mac software)
Date: 27 Sep 1992 00:11:10 -0500
Organization: CS Dept, University of Texas at Austin
NNTP-Posting-Host: mohawk.cs.utexas.edu


A friend of mine bought this program on am impulse.  I took a look at
it and thought a review might be of interest.  Basically, I compare it
to Voyager, which is the best Mac Astronomy program I have tried.

Program:  Expert Astronomer 1.0 (Macintosh)
          Expert Software, Coral Gables FL, 305-444-0080
Source:   MacWarehouse, $29, 800-255-6227
Summary:  Easily worth $29.

Expert Astronomer is much like Voyager, but not quite as
full-featured.  It graphically displays planets, the moon, minor
planets, stars, and deep sky objects.  There are over 9000 objects in
its database.  The basic premise is that you choose a location
somewhere in or near the solar system and Expert Astronomer shows you
what you would see if you looked in a particular direction.  It
supports zooming.  It is very easy to "fly" from object to object for
a different view of the solar system.  You can set magnitude limits,
etc.

You can click on an object and get rather complete information about
it including rise/set times, RA and Dec, and more.  There is a "time
lapse" mode that permits the motion of celestial bodies to be
animated.  There is also a conjection search mode.  You can observe
transits of Jupiter's moons and their shadows, but accuracy is limited
so the time information is not good enough to support observation.
However, I think that Voyager's accuracy is perhaps not much better.

Expert Astronomer can make use of but does not require a color
display.  It has simple maps of the surfaces of several planets, and
it displays major moons.  Speed is adequate on a Mac IIsi with no FPU,
although slower than Voyager.  Speed might be a problem on a Plus,
Classic, or SE.

Strengths...

1.  Display of a little surface detail on planets.
2.  Includes many moons.
3.  Easy to use time lapse mode.
4.  Color.
5.  Mostly good user inferface-- better than Voyager.
6.  Database of information on objects.
7.  Easy separations computation.
8.  Lots of grid types that can be displayed.

Weaknesses:

1.  Limited number of asteroids and comets built in.
2.  No ability to add new comets or asteroids.
3.  No starchart projection modes.
4.  Accuracy needs to be better.

If you buy only one Mac astronomy program, and the extra $50 is not a
problem for you, I would choose Voyager.  But Expert Astronomer is
interesting and a very good value.

Anyone out there with the Mac version of Distant Suns want to post a
review?

-- I have no association with the authors of this program.
-- 
 ----
Peter Newton (newton@cs.utexas.edu)
From: njzy@vax5.cit.cornell.edu (T. Joseph Lazio, Cornell University)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Re: Clinton and Space Funding
Date: 1 Oct 92 16:14:30 EDT
Followup-To: talk.politics.space,sci.astro
Distribution: sci
Organization: Cornell University

In article <1992Sep29.131331.8398@ke4zv.uucp>,
gary@ke4zv.uucp (Gary Coffman) writes: 
> 
> Government has been involved in a massive wealth transfer scam, pulling
> wealth from the private sector to the public sector where it's unavailable
> for capital formation. This enormous amount of money, nearly 3 trillion 
> dollars, is a mortgage on future generations. While consumers are succeeding
> in getting their debt under control, and business is succeeding in getting
> it's debt under control, the government continues to borrow and spend as
> if there were no ill effects from this process. Government spending is
> valuable in areas where private investors fear to tread, but government
> debt can't continue to grow indefinitely. It too must be managed in a
> sound fiscal way so that future generations will have capital left on
> which to operate. Right now the Democrats are paying the interest on
> one credit card by charging it on another. That's the road to bankruptcy
> and ruin for individuals and nations. A rubber stamp in the White House
> can only make matters worse.

 (U.S.) National Public Radio reported today that interest on the 
 national debt is now the single largest government expenditure.

-- 
 T. Joseph Lazio                | Why relativity? and Why  
 514 Space Sciences             | turbulence?  I really believe   
 Ithaca, NY  14853-6801         | [God] will have an answer for the
 (607) 255-6420                 | first [question].
 lazio@astrosun.tn.cornell.edu  |   -- W. Heisenberg, on his death bed
ICBM:                           |
 42 deg. 20' 08" N              |              STOP RAPE
 76 deg. 28' 48" W              |
From: irwin@iago.caltech.edu (Horowitz, Irwin Kenneth)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Columbus' Nationality (was Re: Explore->Colonies)
Date: 25 Sep 1992 23:12 PDT
Organization: California Institute of Technology
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: iago.caltech.edu
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    

In article <1992Sep25.210921.19935@Princeton.EDU>, phoenix.Princeton.EDU!carlosn (Carlos G. Niederstrasser) writes...
>After all, Columbus was Spanish, and so the first colonies were Spanish as  
>well.  By the way Columbus himself founded a couple of colonies in his third or  
>fourth voyage.  Can you imagine Neil Armstrong having a fourth trip, let alone  
>establishing a colony?!
> 
Sorry Carlos, but Columbus was Italian.  His sponsers were Spanish.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Irwin Horowitz                        |
Astronomy Department                  |"Whoever heard of a female astronomer?"
California Institute of Technology    |--Charlene Sinclair, "Dinosaurs"
irwin@iago.caltech.edu                |
ih@deimos.caltech.edu                 |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: palmer@sfu.ca (Leigh Palmer)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Atmospheric light scattering index
Date: 6 Oct 92 00:26:36 GMT
Organization: Simon Fraser University

I'm looking out my window at the sun, 15 degrees above the southwestern
horizon. The sky is white for 60 degrees around the sun! There's not a cloud in
the sky, and I don't think I'm looking at smog. There is a lot of scattering,
and I assume it is from dust in the upper atmosphere which is probably a
widespread phenomenon.

I've scheduled an observing session for my students tonight at about 300 meters
altitude. I moved it up from my favorite site beside a 20 m altitude lake
because I noticed that there was a lot of scattering from moonlight down there
last night, which I took to be fog. I know now that I was probably mistaken.
Tonight is probably not a good one for a session, but we'll go anyway.

I would like to know if there is an atmospheric scattering index published and
maintained anywhere in the world. I'm looking for something like Cary Oler's
aurora bulletins. What with all the volcanic activity we seem to be having
someone must monitor the dust.

Leigh Palmer
From: hodder@geop.ubc.ca (philip hodder)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Re: CCD photometry software
Date: 28 Sep 92 20:04:59 GMT
Reply-To: hodder@geop.ubc.ca
Organization: Geophysics & Astronomy, U.B.C. Vancouver, Canada

In article 7823@ac.dal.ca, ecu@ac.dal.ca () writes:
> Hello all:
> 
> 	I'm looking for software which can be used to process CCD images
> to determine BVRI photometry data.  The software should run on a PC or
> a Mac.  It will be used as part of an Graduate level observational
> astronomy course.  I already know of PC-Vista.
> 
> Thanks, Dave Lane, Dept of Astronomy, St. Mary's University
> 
> 
> -- 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
> David Lane - Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada --- Email: ECU@ac.dal.ca
> ------------------------------------------------------------------

Have a look in the A.S.P Conference Series, Volume 25 "Astronomical Data Analysis -
Softwarw and Systems I". Two PC based systems are described:

1) MIRA - Mike Newberry, Steward Observatory

2) PC-IPS - Smirnov, Piskunov, Afanasyev and Morozov

If anyone knows of other packages I would be interested in hearing about them.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Philip J. C. Hodder                      INTERNET: hodder@geop.ubc.ca
  Dept. of Geophysics & Astronomy          PHONE:    (604) 822-6722 
  #129-2219 Main Mall                      FAX:      (604) 822-6047
  University of British Columbia          
  Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada         
  V6T 1Z4                                  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It's another one of those irregular verbs, isn't it?:
	I give confidential press briefings,
	You leak,
	He gets charged under Section 2(a) of the Official Secrets Act!"

		Bernard Woolley in "Yes, Prime Minister"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: eric@ils.nwu.edu (Eric Goldstein)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: HRMS
Date: 6 Oct 92 18:50:55 GMT
Article-I.D.: ils.1992Oct6.185055.21075
Organization: The Institute for the Learning Sciences


Would HRMS be able to detect signals from Earth, if (lets pretend) it
was conducted at Tau Ceti?  In other words, do we generate signals at
the frequencies HRMS will be listening to?

              Thanks!
                 -- Eric     (eric@ils.nwu.edu)

(I asked this on sci.space too -- I thought the kind of answer I get
 might different here, but I hope the crossposting doesn't annoy anyone)
-- 
Newsgroups: sci.astro,rec.radio.amateur.misc,rec.radio.shortwave
From: oler@rho.uleth.ca (Cary Oler)
Subject: BULLETIN: New Auroral Activity Service Available
Organization: University of Lethbridge
Date: 29 Sep 92 17:20:24 GMT

                  /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

                           ADMINISTRATIVE BULLETIN

                              29 September, 1992

                  New Service Implemented for Internet Users
                                 
                  /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\


NEW AURORAL ACTIVITY SERVICE IMPLEMENTED FOR INTERNET USERS

     A new service has been implemented that can be easily accessed by those
with Internet FINGER capabilities.

     The most recent auroral activity sightings as well as the status of any
auroral activity warnings or watches can now be obtained by typing:
FINGER AURORA@XI.ULETH.CA or FINGER AURORA@142.66.3.29.  After the fingered
connection to xi.uleth.ca has been established, there will be a brief pause
(up to approximately 30 seconds), followed by the most recent list of
sightings.

     The information available through this service is updated once each
hour.  Fresh material is typically available by 30 to 35 minutes past each
hour.  Sighting reports are presently restricted to North America and are
only updated between 22:30 UTC and 17:30 UTC daily (approximately
corresponding to local daylight hours for North America).

     Any questions or comments regarding this new service should be directed
to: Oler@Rho.Uleth.CA, or: COler@Solar.Stanford.Edu.


**  End of Bulletin  **
Newsgroups: sci.astro
From: cjr6495@tamsun.tamu.edu (Christopher James Rogers)
Subject: Newly discovered planetoid
Organization: Texas A&M University, College Station
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1992 18:46:40 GMT

Can anyone tell me anything about a supposedly discovered planetoid.  It
was referenced in an earlier article, but I can't recal the number.


Later!
C J Rogers
Xref: sparky sci.astro:10230 k12.chat.teacher:3947