# Conversation and Fun > Just Conversation >  Astronomy Anyone?

## Steve Machol

After a lifelong interest in Astromony but never doing a thing about it I finally decided to go into it with the best equipment I could afford. Anyone else doing Astronomy?

Here's my new telescope:

http://meade.telescopes.com/products...ngs-43528.html

The scope itself is kind of a monster. It weights 65 lbs. 

It's also American-made. :)

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## hcjilson

Congratulations! Arizona must be perfect for viewing. To much light here in the Northeast, to say nothing of the clouds.Have fun with it! hj

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## Cindy Hamlin

The only thing I know about telescopes was when we sold them at Christmas. Does it have a clock drive so that it follows with the earth's rotation? The astro people felt that was prized above all else!

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## rbaker

We visit a good friend in Tubac, AZ and the viewing there is awsome from his place. He is out near Patagonia and you can only see the lights of three houses many miles away. He ground a 12" mirror and built his own. If we had sky conditions in the Northeast and Northwest like you have in Arizona everyone would have a telescope.

Best thing in the world is to watch the face of a grandchild during their first view of the heavens.

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## Jacqui

Wisconsin has terrible conditions for watching, wish I were back in Nebraska or Wyoming where it's clear and dark.

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## Snitgirl

whoa... that is one machine.  enjoy your new adventure!

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## JRS

I too have a Meade. But just a simple ETX 125, not the big boy like yours. Had not had a scope in many years, but after being transferred to TX, thought it might be fun. I'm usually outside several times per week. Since I live in Denton, not Dallas, I'm away from most of the urban lights.

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## Steve Machol

> Does it have a clock drive so that it follows with the earth's rotation? The astro people felt that was prized above all else!


Yep, it has a built-in GPS, level and compass so it automatically aligns itself. After that all you need to do is choose one of the objects you want to see from a built-in database 145,000 objects. :)

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## Framebender

The only thing I remember about telescopes is that my Dad made one when we were stationed in Germany.  My brother and I were just getting interested in girls and that's what we used it for.  If we'd had a monster like this though we'd probably been arrested!  :Eek:

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## Dave Nelson

I've always had a bit of interest, but no time, money ect. There is a "blackout" park just outside my town just for amateur astronomers though, so I may just drop by sometime. Seen the "horsehead" yet?

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## Steve Machol

The Horsehead Nebula is not visible right now and won't be for several months.  I've seen the Great Orion Nebula (also no longer visible) and the Ring Nebula.

Next step - astrophotography.

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## Dave Nelson

If you get some cool photos, maybe you can post on the board. One of astronomies greatest pioneers in deep space long- exposure photography started as a mule driver who kept bothering the astronomers at an observatory for a job. Eventually they gave him a job sweeping floors, then went on to take photos of the most distant objects in the universe. (so maybe you better try driving mules first?):cheers:

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## Steve Machol

Well I'm going to ry and photograph the *Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3* tonight which shhould be very close to the Ring Nebula.  I'll have to be up way past midnight to have a chance to get any good shots though.

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## optigrrl

no telescope, but after visiting NY I look up and appreciate our skies here in AZ even more than I ever did before!

Congratulations on the new telescope.

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## Steve Machol

Okay, I guess I'm hooked.  I've bought 4 telescopes in the last few weeks and now I'm saving up for this one:

http://televue.telescopes.com/produc...ope-43326.html

Anyone want to donate to the fund? ;)

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## Jacqui

[QUOTE=Steve Machol]Okay, I guess I'm hooked.  I've bought 4 telescopes in the last few weeks and now I'm saving up for this one:QUOTE]

You're right, you're an ADDICT  :)  :)  :) But there is a 12 step group for this   :D  :D  :D

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## Pete Hanlin

First, its good to see your consulting is obviously going well (wow, expensive hobby)!!! :)  Congrats!

Second, I have always wanted to dabble in astronomy as well- I requested a telescope for Christmas when I was 10, but Santa brought a microscope instead (which was fun as well, but...).

Finally, JR- would LOVE to come up and gaze through your scope some day if its convenient!  We are a couple miles south of you, but- having recently built my deck out back- I've noticed we see a lot more stars here than in Tampa.

The only feature I'm able to instantly find on any given night is Orion's Belt- it's always been my favorite group of stars, and- I know it sounds odd- but those three aligned stars have provided many a comforting moment when the rest of the world seemed in disarray.

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## Pete Hanlin

Oh heck, I'm really proud of my deck (which I designed and built in a weekend)- so I figured I'd attach some pics. Just as an FYI, the "Trek-Dek" stuff (this is actually a similar product sold at Lowe's) is just an AWESOME decking material- no staining or painting, and its a breeze to cut and fasten).

...but who would have thought you could get a sunburn in March?!? Dallas is apparently in the Sun Belt!  :Confused: 

So, I have a great mounting location for a scope now- guess that will have to be next year's bonus!

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## Steve Machol

> First, its good to see your consulting is obviously going well (wow, expensive hobby)!!! :) Congrats!


Yeah. I'm afraid I've probably spent too much already.  :Eek:  




> The only feature I'm able to instantly find on any given night is Orion's Belt- it's always been my favorite group of stars, and- I know it sounds odd- but those three aligned stars have provided many a comforting moment when the rest of the world seemed in disarray.


You've just got to see the *Great Orion Nebula* through a decent scope and under dark skies with no light pollution.  But don't let the colors in photos of this and Nebulas deceive you.  The eye is not sensitive enough to the reds and oranges.  These colors only come out in astrophotos.

Also Jupiter is the brightest object in the sky right now, ewxcept for the Moon and Sun of course. (Look to the Southwest in early evening.) You can even see the bands and it's four Galliean moons with a decent pair of binoculars.

Next month is the annual *Grand Canyon Star Party*.  Marlena and I will  be going to the North Rim which few people get to because it's about 200 miles farther away. We've lived in Arizona most our lives and neither of us have ever beeen to the North Rim. It's supposed to be one of the most scenis drives in the US.  Looking forward to it. Also Mars and Saturn will be separated by only 0.5 degrees on June 17th which should be a great site in the telescope. :)

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## Sean

> Yep, it has a built-in GPS, level and compass so it automatically aligns itself. After that all you need to do is choose one of the objects you want to see from a built-in database 145,000 objects. :)


Here's a good site for those who have a telescope without a GPS 

HEAVENS ABOVE

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## k12311997

no opinion on astronomy, but the telescope cost as much as my last used car.

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## Steve Machol

Thanks Sean.  I had actually already joined that site and was using it to track *Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3*. You can also use it to track the times when the International Space Station will be visible in your area.

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## Bev Heishman

Awesome, Steve!

Can you take pictures? I also wanted to build one but....can't get any better than this.

My goal after my daughter's wedding next June.

Bev

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## Night Train

http://www.jacknewton.com/image_gallery.htm

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## Steve Machol

> Awesome, Steve!
> 
> Can you take pictures? I also wanted to build one but....can't get any better than this.
> 
> My goal after my daughter's wedding next June.
> 
> Bev


It runrs out that Artophotograshy, especially the kind taken through the telescope, is far more complicated and difficult to do and learn than I would have imagined.  For instance it's not uncommon to spend all night taking hondreds of pictures just to get one good one.  And this only after considerable processing.

The pictures you see published are almost certainly produced by stacking multiple images (sometimes in the hundreds and each requiring long exposure times) which have been calibrated by 'dark frames', 'flats' and 'lights'. (See: http://www.saratogaskies.com/article...ook/index.html)

After a few false starts I've pulled back until I have all the tools and knowledge necessary to do this correctly.

For now, here's a few shots taken from Lake Pleasant north of Phoenix.  This was during a near full moon and the brightest 'star' in some of the pics is actually Jupiter.

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## Steve Machol

> http://www.jacknewton.com/image_gallery.htm


Funny you should mention this.  Jack Newton is a well-known astronomer who us actully one of the founders of Arizona Sky Village.

http://arizonaskyvillage.com/index.html

I''ve actually been communicating with him via email.  Unfortunately all the plots are sold out right now.

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## Dave Nelson

Wow, some of the greatest wonders in the universe pictured on this thread. Ojects of brilliance, so far away in space and time, it almost seems like a miracle. But;)  an optician who can build a sundeck...THATS a miracle!

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## rinselberg

Big asteroid about to pass very close to earth: About as close as the moon.

Asteroid will reach its closest point to the earth on July 3.

Amateur astronomers will be watching.

*For the complete MSNBC report:*
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13556129/


_OptiBoard. Come for the optics, stay for the convo ..._

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## rinselberg

*New telescope will hunt dangerous asteroids*

22:45 27 June 2006
NewScientist.com news service
David Shiga

A new telescope designed to spot potentially dangerous asteroids has taken its first test images. When it is upgraded with the world's largest camera in 2007, it will be able to find space rocks as small as a few hundred metres wide.

The PS1 telescope is the first of four identical instruments in a project called the Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS). It boasts a 1.8-metre mirror and is located in Hawaii, US.

It is the first of a new generation of telescopes designed to find small asteroids and comets whose orbits bring them close to that of the Earth ...

*For the complete New Scientist report:*
http://www.newscientistspace.com/art...asteroids.html

To view a seven-minute Japanese video animation of an earth-asteroid collision:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JHdY...blog/index.php

In 1994, the spectacular collision between Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 and the planet Jupiter raised global awareness of the potential threat from NEAs (Near Earth Asteroids) and comets.

The goal of the B612 Foundation is to develop and demonstrate a planetary defense capability against NEAs and (theoretically) comets.

One possibility that has come to the forefront is called a gravity tug.

Surprisingly simple in concept, the idea is to send a rocket to rendezvous with an asteroid after it is determined that the object is on a collision course with earth.

The rocket would not land on or directly impact the asteroid. After being positioned close to the asteroid, the rocket would use its onboard thrust capability to accelerate in a carefully calculated direction, dragging the asteroid away from its dangerous trajectory only by the force of gravity.

The force emitted by a gravity tug would be almost nothing, compared to the gravitational field of the earth, but it is calculated to be enough to steer a dangerous asteroid away from its collision course with earth.


_Artist's conception: Gravity tug dragging an asteroid behind it._

Comets present a similar threat, but the parameters are very distinctive from asteroids, due to their long period orbits which close with the earth only about once every 200 years, on average.

The gas and dust trails ejected from a comet, called the comet's "tail", make its exact trajectory somewhat less predictable than an asteroid's.

This brief National Geographic report from 2003 assesses the distinctive collision threat posed by comets, vs. asteroids:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...28_comets.html



_See why computing with those tedious, old-fashioned bits (binary digits) is becoming so 20th century ...
http://www.optiboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17515_

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## 66Lenses

Im in huge envy of your huge telescope! Its a good deal for that price and im sure it provides hours of beautiful entertainment every night :) . I have always had an interest in astronomy - but doubt I could ever afford something like that.

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## Steve Machol

Look into the Meade ETX scopes.  Very good scopes with Goto capabilities for a decent price.  I even see used ones available at roughly half price on craigslist.com sometimes.

http://meade.telescopes.com/products...ngs-31936.html

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## Ory

Likely a silly question but does anyone rent telescopes?  I've wondered about trying out astronomy but don't really want to put in the $ right off the bat.

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## Steve Machol

Here's one:

*Scopes4Rent, LLC*

And here's a really interesting idea. You can rent time on a telescope in a New Mexico Observaroty and have the scope look at and photograpch specific objects, with the photos being sent to you:

*Robotic Astronomy*

However you first might to want to check out any astronomy clubs in your area. Almost all of these clubs have Public Star parties where you are welcome to come look through their scopes and ask questions. The Grand Canyon Star Party was a public event and I must have had 200 people look through my scope the first night there.

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## Ory

Thanks for the info Steve!:cheers:

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## Jacqui

> Here's one:
> 
> *Scopes4Rent, LLC*
> 
> And here's a really interesting idea. You can rent time on a telescope in a New Mexico Observaroty and have the scope look at and photograpch specific objects, with the photos being sent to you:
> 
> *Robotic Astronomy*
> 
> However you first might to want to check out any astronomy clubs in your area. Almost all of these clubs have Public Star parties where you are welcome to come look through their scopes and ask questions. The Grand Canyon Star Party was a public event and I must have had 200 people look through my scope the first night there.


You might also want to check with the local universities, many have astronomy departments and would love to show you how.

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## Rockstargazer

Steve,
I have enjoyed looking through my telescope for several years now.  Albeit a modest instrument compared to your behemeth, I'm so envious.........  I have a 4.5" newtonian reflector.  Not computerized either.  I have a friend who has a Meade EXT 90 and of course asked me to teach them how to use it, I found I much preferred the challenge of finding objects without it.   Some nights I'll loosen the RA and declination settings enough to "free float" around the sky.  It's pretty amazing what you see with no particular object to identify.  

I will never forget the night I found and saw so clearly the Trapezium cluster in the Orion Nebulae.  I knew immediately I had found it!!  The image of those 3 little baby stars are forever tatooed on my brain!!  It was an eyegasmic experience........  

I always look forward to viewing Jupiter and Saturn when they are visible at my latitude in No. CA.  Welcome to the night sky and it's incredible stars.

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## rinselberg

_The hole in the disc of matter in quasar Q0957+561 [nine billion light years from earth] could be the sign of an exotic compact object called a MECO (Artist's impression: Christine Pulliam/CfA)_

Mysterious quasar casts doubt on black holes: A controversial alternative to black hole theory has been bolstered by observations of an object in the distant universe, researchers say. If their interpretation is correct, it might mean [that] black holes do not exist and are in fact bizarre and compact balls of plasma called MECOs ...

A black hole, as traditionally understood, is an object with such a powerful gravitational field that even light is not fast enough to escape it. Anything that gets within a certain distance of the black hole's centre, called the event horizon, will be trapped ...

A well accepted property of black holes is that they cannot sustain a magnetic field of their own. But observations of quasar Q0957+561 indicate that the object powering it does have a magnetic field ... For this reason, they believe that rather than a black hole, this quasar contains something called a magnetospheric eternally collapsing object - or "MECO". If so, it would be the best evidence yet for such an object.

The researchers used gravitational lensing to make their close observation of the distant quasar ...

http://www.newscientistspace.com/art...ack-holes.html



Make RadioFreeRinsel your next Internet port of call.

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## rinselberg

Experts say there are about 1,100 comets and asteroids in the inner solar system that are at least a half-mile (one kilometer) across, and that any one of them could unleash a global cataclysm capable of killing millions of humans in a single blinding flash.

On Thursday, the International Astronomical Union said it has set up a special task force to sharpen its focus on threats from such near-Earth objects.

NASA - at the request of Congress - has also been considering the risks ...

For the complete MSNBC report:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14395543/

OptiBoard member rinselberg has posted previously on this topic under the post title B612 - the cure for (aste)roid rage?



*Only you can prevent CPU fires*

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## rinselberg

Updated: 11:39 a.m. PT Sept 3, 2006
DARMSTADT, Germany - Europe's first spacecraft to the moon ended its three-year mission Sunday with a planned crash, hitting its target after ground controllers had to maneuver it around a looming crater rim. The SMART-1 spacecraft slammed into a volcanic plain called the Lake of Excellence at 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) per second right on time. The impact was captured by observers on Earth, and scientists hoped the resulting cloud of dust and debris would provide clues to the geologic composition of the site.


SMART-1 was launched into Earth's orbit by an Ariane-5 booster rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, in September 2003. It used its ion engine to slowly raise its orbit over 14 months until the moon's gravity grabbed it. The engine, which uses electricity from the craft's solar panels to produce a stream of charged particles called ions, generates only small amounts of thrust but only needed 176 pounds (80 kilograms) of xenon fuel.

SMART-1, a cube measuring roughly a yard (meter) on each side, took the *long* way to the moon - more than 62 million miles (100 million kilometers) instead of the direct route of 217,000 to 250,000 miles (347,000 to 400,000 kilometers). But ESA did it for a relatively cheap $140 million.

In the image (above), the blue-colored traces show how SMART-1's ion engine was used to slowly raise the altitude of its orbit above the earth.

The green-colored traces show how the moon's gravity pulled SMART-1 into its final trajectory after the spacecraft reached a point about halfway between the moon and the earth.


*For more:*

Europe's first moon mission ends with a bang!
Revolutionary ion engine propels SMART-1 spacecraft to the moon
The "magic" of ion engines


Image editing courtesy of http://www.imageshack.us

Reprinted from Laramy-K Optical

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## rinselberg

More on the SMART-1 lunar spacecraft's revolutionary ion engine propulsion system ... the MSNBC interactive slideshow (see below) is brief but informative and very well done - although I have to admit, the very last slide with the oppositely charged electrostatic grids - ? - my Physics 101 just ain't good enough anymore, if ever it was ...


Electrons attracted into the discharge chamber collide with xenon atoms from the propellant gas supply, making charged atoms (ions). Current-carrying coils, inside and outside the doughnut-shaped discharge chamber, sustain a magnetic field oriented like the spokes of a wheel. By the Hall effect, ions and electrons swerving in opposite directions in the magnetic field create an electric field. This expels the xenon ions in a propulsive jet. Other emitted electrons then neutralize the xenon, producing the blue jet.

_Credit: http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/obj...objectid=30533_

Inside the Ion Engine - MSNBC interactive slideshow
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14622730/

SMART-1 Ion Engine - a "geek's eye" view ...
http://www.sflorg.com/technews/tn083106_01.html



rinselberg pays homage to Cadillac's "Art and Science" design philosophy. Click on the poster art for more about *rinselberg.*

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## rinselberg

There's another hurricane on the horizon. It's 5000 miles across. Winds are steady at about 350 miles per hour, so it's about Hurricane Force 800 or so ... and the cloud wall surrounding the eye is about five times as high as anyone has ever witnessed before.

But, fortunate to say, this storm is well outside of FEMA's jurisdiction ...


More than just a search for little green men

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## Dave Nelson

Quote: I will never forget the night I found and saw so clearly the Trapezium cluster in the Orion Nebulae. I knew immediately I had found it!! The image of those 3 little baby stars are forever tatooed on my brain!! It was an eyegasmic experience........ Rockstargazer
Eyegasmic. How does one go about having an eyegasm? is it legal? Is it regulated by any regulatory boards for opticians? Do you need a prescription? Can one have multiple eyegasms, or just one? Can women have them, or is that a myth? Is it acceptable to have one, then say "goodnight honey" and roll over and go to sleep? Do you need a big telescope, or does size matter?
Please help.

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## Rockstargazer

Hi Dave,
You made me laugh when I read your post!!  To answer your question about eyegasmic:
Eyegasmic. How does one go about having an eyegasm? An eyegasm happens when you look at something that is so incredibly beautiful it makes a permanent download in one's memory and cannot be deleted. 
is it legal? Perfectly
Is it regulated by any regulatory boards for opticians? No
Do you need a prescription? No, but seeing 20/20 could be advantageous for the maximum eyegasmic experience. 
Can one have multiple eyegasms, or just one? Multiples are more common than just one.
Can women have them, or is that a myth? Absolutely, no myth at all.
s it acceptable to have one, then say "goodnight honey" and roll over and go to sleep?  That's a personal decision, as the old saying goes, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...."
 
Do you need a big telescope, or does size matter?  Acutally one does not need a telescope at all, I've experienced eyegasms with the unaided eye. 
Please help.  Did this clarify things for you?  ;)

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## Sean

Start watching around 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Dec. 13th. The display will start small but grow in intensity as the night wears on. By Thursday morning, Dec. 14th, people in dark, rural areas could see one or two Geminids every minute.

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## rinselberg

By Joe Rao
Space.com skywatching columnist

Updated: 12:20 p.m. AKT Jan 19, 2007
Last week favorably placed observers viewed a comet so brilliant that it could be seen with the naked eye in broad daylight, when the sun was hidden behind the side of a house or even an outstretched hand. 

Comet McNaught, which was discovered last August by astronomer Robert McNaught at Australias Siding Spring Observatory, was one of the brightest comets in recent times. It evolved into a brilliant object as it swept past the sun on Jan. 12, at a distance of just 15.9 million miles.

The comet's show is mostly over for those south of the equator.

Yet even as the comet puts on a fantastic show in the evening sky for viewer's in the Southern Hemisphere, an incredible sight is also visible to seasoned observers in the Northern Hemisphere. From Colorado, Mary Laszlo used a 20-second exposure to capture the outer extremities of Comet McNaught's tail on Jan. 17. Paul Robinson of Boulder was credited as having realized such an image might be possible ... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16710667/

*Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.*


Robert McNaught, the Australian who discovered the comet that bears his name, finally got to photograph it this week when it became visible from the Southern Hemisphere.


The McNaught comet as seen early morning 19 January, 2007 from Pucon, Calafquen Lake sector, some 900 km (500 miles) south from Santiago, Chile. Photo: DAVID LILLO/AFP/Getty Images.


From Colorado, the outer extremities of Comet McNaught's tail on Jan. 17, 2007. Photo: Mary Laszlo.


When is a forum post *more* than just a forum post? See OptiBoard's Word of the Day!

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## jenyfari

I have been watching the McNaught comet from here in Australia. It's the best one I have ever seen.

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## rinselberg

*ALL EYES TO THE SOUTH*

Sirius above the southern horizon. This view is towards the southeast.


_SKY MAP: For Feb. 16 at 6:30 p.m. from mid-northern latitudes (space.com)._

Follow the line projected by Orion's belt (three closely spaced stars) to the southeast. It points to Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. But you can't see Sirius B, the companion star that orbits Sirius. Astronomers calculate that Sirius B is about the same mass as our sun, but packed into a volume that is 90,000 times smaller. If it were possible to bring a teaspoon-sized sample of Sirius B back to the earth and weigh it, it would register about two tons.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17191119/


*"HIGH FIVE" FOR NASA*

A Delta 2 rocket has launched from Cape Canaveral, boosting the five satellite THEMIS constellation into orbit. That's the largest number of satellites that NASA has ever launched all at once. In 2006, a joint venture between Taiwan and the National Science Foundation launched a constellation of six weather microsatellites on one rocket.

The THEMIS mission is to study powerful and dangerous geomagnetic storms that are generated periodically in the earth's magnetosphere.

Sources:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17206942/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16679845/


*UPDATE ON ASTEROID THREAT*

The AAAS briefed the media in San Francisco on the current status of near earth asteroids and the threats that they pose.

In 2005, Congress called on NASA to expand its sky survey of NEOs (Near Earth Objects). The new goal is to locate 90 percent of all NEOs that are 140 meters (460 feet) in diameter and up. A strike from even the smallest of these asteroids could devastate a region the size of England or Northern California. (Not that anyone in "Berserkly" would be likely to notice ...)

According to NASA's Doug Cooke, five NASA-supported search teams are currently involved in the first phase of the Spaceguard Survey.

In the next phase, NASA is considering plans to augment its current ground-based asteroid surveys, possibly with one or more space-based missions.

The B612 Foundation, which includes former astronauts Ed Lu and Russell Schweickart, favors the idea of using gravity - in the form of a space tractor - to deflect any asteroid on a collision course with earth and steer it safely around us.

Perhaps they could raise funds by selling T-shirts and other merchandise emblazoned with my proposal for a B612 marketing catch phrase:


> "Visit an asteroid before an asteroid visits you ..."


Source: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archi.../16/58617.aspx



More than just a search for little green men

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## rinselberg

GRBs (gamma ray bursts) ... for a brief moment, from as little as a fraction of a second up to as long as 100 seconds, they're the most energetic disturbances in the entire universe, radiating as much energy as a million galaxies.

They're the biggest explosions in the universe since the Big Bang at the very beginning of time.

Since GRBs have only been observed at intergalactic distances, and since most of their energy is radiated as X-rays or gamma rays, we can't see them with our unaided eyes.

There's general agreement that GRBs are the "funeral rites" of dying stars and the "birth ceremonies" of black holes.

Astrophysicists are trying to unravel how these massive bursts of energy are radiated into space like back-to-back laser beams; i.e., two "pencil-thin" beams ("pencil-thin" in astrophysical terms) that radiate from each end of the dying star's rotational axis - its north and south poles.



*Artist's rendering of a collapsing star as it explodes outward, triggering a GRB.*
Credit: MSNBC.


One theory invokes the incredibly strong magnetic fields emanating from the burnt-out, collapsing star.

The other side of the theoretical coin emphasizes the massive, superheated fireball of gas that expands outward from the nearly used-up star.

There may be _two_ kinds of GRBs - and so, both sides of the theoretical debate may prove to be valid.

Some scientists think that a GRB somewhat closer to the earth - as close, perhaps, as merely the "far side" of our own galaxy - triggered the second greatest mass extinction event in the history of life, some 450 million years ago: the Ordovician extinction.


*For the latest on GRBs:*
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18398244/




[move][/move]
How the world's largest predatory fish phones home ...

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## DragonLensmanWV

WOW! Beats the heck outta my old Gilbert 40X 3" reflector!!! :Eek: 

I have to admit my heart skipped a half beat when I saw the specs on that - I thought at first it sait UTMC coating.:D

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## Steve Machol

I had a chance to work with a 14" Meade LX200 scope at the City of Rocks Observatory a couple of weeks ago. Thye have aske me to join thew National Public Observatories program as an occasional instructor at their star parties.

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## gemstone

You got to join this.  
http://www.darksky.org/

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## Steve Machol

Good site.  It's one of the reasons we moved from Phoenix to a small town in SW New Mexico.  The skies are very dark here. :)

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## rinselberg

*Scientists identify brightest supernova ever recorded*

By Alan Boyle
Science editor
MSNBC
Updated: 2:15 p.m. PT May 7, 2007

WASHINGTON - Scientists say they have detected the brightest stellar explosion ever recorded, a new breed of supernova that may well be repeated sooner than they previously thought.

The violent explosion was observed by ground-based telescopes as well as NASA's orbiting Chandra X-Ray Observatory in a galaxy far from our own Milky Way. But the observations hint that an erupting star in our own galaxy, called Eta Carinae, could be close to the same kind of blast, astronomers say in a paper to be published in The Astrophysical Journal ...

For the complete MSNBC report with images and video:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18523377/



*Theory links ancient extinction to supernova
Stellar explosion may have triggered gamma-ray blast and ice age*

By Paul Recer (AP)
Updated: 6:13 p.m. AKT Jan 7, 2004

ATLANTA - The second-largest extinction in the Earth’s history, the killing of two-thirds of all species, may have been caused by ultraviolet radiation from the sun after gamma rays [from a nearby supernova] destroyed the Earth’s ozone layer ...

More: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3900550/



*Stellar Evolution: Large, info-packed poster representing the life cycles of different kinds of stars from first light to end state.*

View the poster online.

Learn more about the poster.



*Could amatuer astronomers be doing more to contribute to research on supernovas?* Scientists are mulling over how that might be accomplished under the topic heading of Supernova hunters wanted.

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## rinselberg

MSNBC's Cosmic Log reports on how a supernova in our own galaxy could affect life on earth. Includes links to NASA report and video animations.

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archi...10/188565.aspx


Charles Darwin's _Origin of Species_ and Wasatch Brewery's _Evolution_ Amber Ale - it's a winning combination at Beer Of The Day!

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## rinselberg

Have any OptiBoard sky-watchers ever seen true noctilucent or "night-shining" clouds? These are eerie looking clouds that form in the upper atmosphere, on the edge of space. They are not just typical clouds that happen to be illuminated by moonlight. Not much is known about them.

_For a science update on these unusual cloud formations including a ground photo and imagery from a new NASA satellite: http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...6&postcount=10_

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## rinselberg

*If you are interested in becoming an alpha tester for the Astrometry.net system ...*

That's the "bait" ... if you want to "bite", go here:
http://astrometry.net/use.html




> If you are a professional or amateur astronomer and you've ever had an image of the sky whose location or coordinates you did not know (or did not trust) then *Astrometry.net* is for you: Input an image and we'll give you back precise coordinates ("astrometry") for every pixel, plus lists of known objects falling inside the field of view.
> 
> We have built this astrometry service to create correct, standards-compliant astrometric meta data for every useful astronomical image ever taken, past and future, in any state of archival disarray.
> 
> We hope this will help organize, annotate and make searchable all the world's astronomical information.


http://www.astrometry.net/


MSNBC: New search engine IDs stars in sky photos


_I'm just reporting this. I'm not involved in "Astrometry.net" and I don't take any sky photos or use a telescope. But if this is interesting news to anyone, then I'm pleased to have been the one to post it._

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## Barry Santini

I was Product & Sales Manager of Tele Vue Optics from 1987 to 2004. I remain a consultant to them now, and most of what I know about optics that is beyond ophthalmic stuff comes from learning alongside Tele Vue president Al Nagler. Al was the lead engineer for NASA's Gemini, Apollo and Lunar Landing Simulators.

Check out their website at www.televue.com, and look for my contributions on Dioptrix (an astigmatism corrector for telescope eyepieces), and a lay primer on how to read your Rx:
http://www.televue.com/Pdf/Astigmatism_RX.pdf


FWIW

Barry

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## Steve Machol

Yeah, I'm still waiting for my complimentary *Ethos* eyepiece. ;)

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## Barry Santini

Me too! I'm going to the annual TVO office party next Friday nite, and I'm hopin to see the Ethos in person (I haven't actually seen the production models). Any Wishes?

Steve, you may be interested in some older, TVO eyepeices I have for sale (cheap). Let me know via PM.
Barry

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## ellivron55

Do Zeiss manufacture any astronomical telescopes? The star veiwing in Ireland was super this christmas.Milky Way clearly visible. Is Mars nearly directly above Orion at the moment?
regards
Pete

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## Rockstargazer

Hi Pete,
The planet directly above Orion right now is Saturn, I believe that is the one you are referring to?  I can always spot Saturn because of it's bright yellow color which is easily detected with the naked eye.  If you're viewing conditions have been exceptionally good in Ireland, you should point your scope at the Orion Nebulae (slightly below the belt to the left of center) and see if you can find the Trapezium. I have seen this gorgeous site with "me own eyes" (telescope enhanced of course)  The Trapezium is 3 young stars sitting in a star nursery.  Google the Trapezium for images first so you know what to look for.  You'll be delighted and in awe......    Good luck

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## Docspencer

I too got a Meade 8" lx90 GPS scope last summer. It is definitely more portable than the 10"  you got but otherwise similar. I joined the Muskegon Astronomical Society to learn more and have access to a dark site. Since Lake Michigan is to our west, we only get skyglow from 3 sides but the wastewater treatment plant has two domes and pads for up to 10 others to set up on a viewing night and is a couple miles from the nearest streetlight. I assume your multiple telescopes are for a quick view with a portable or a big session with the 10" that takes much longer to set up, transport and take down. Have you discovered the world of eyepieces? I have almost as much invested in the eyepieces as the scope. The latest batch I got for Christmas will have to wait for a clear night (rare in west Michigan this time of year due to lake effect clouds, snow, and today 55 degrees with 2"of rain! So join a local astronomy club. That gets you in a lifetime discounts club at suppliers like OPT Corp in Oceanside CA. Now I need a laptop to image my ccd camera in real time through the telescope.  Gary Spencer O.D.

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## Steve Machol

> Hi Pete,
> The planet directly above Orion right now is Saturn, I believe that is the one you are referring to?


That's Mars. Saturn does not rise until later in the evening.

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## rinselberg

Some Mac users may never forgive Microsoft for inflicting the ugliness of the Windows operating system and all its successors upon the world of personal and desktop computing. But thanks in part to a $20 million donation from former Microsoft executive Charles Simonyi and a $10 million gift  from Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, astronomers will soon have a powerful new optical telescope capable of scanning the entire night sky continuously in 72-hour long watches.

The new Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) is expected to become an important asset in the search for potentially dangerous asteroids; see this CBS News report from January 4.

There's more about the LSST on line from the San Francisco Sentinel.

In November (2007) the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics held a hearing to examine the status of NASAs Near-Earth Object survey program, review NASAs report to Congress "Near-Earth Object Survey and Deflection Analysis of Alternatives" and assess NASAs plans for complying with the NASA Authorization Act of 2005: A 12-page outline of the hearing is available on line.

This News page from the B612 Foundation website is a "must see" for anyone who wants to research this topic in depth.

_Are you running Linux on x86 architecture hardware? You could become an active participant in NASA's Near Earth Objects sky survey by running the BOINC orbits@home software. Software for other operating systems and hardware platforms is expected to materialize later this year._

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## DragonLensmanWV

> I was Product & Sales Manager of Tele Vue Optics from 1987 to 2004. I remain a consultant to them now, and most of what I know about optics that is beyond ophthalmic stuff comes from learning alongside Tele Vue president Al Nagler. Al was the lead engineer for NASA's Gemini, Apollo and Lunar Landing Simulators.
> 
> Check out their website at www.televue.com, and look for my contributions on Dioptrix (an astigmatism corrector for telescope eyepieces), and a lay primer on how to read your Rx:
> http://www.televue.com/Pdf/Astigmatism_RX.pdf
> 
> 
> FWIW
> 
> Barry


Hmm, several years ago I made some lenses for a guy in NY. They were all glass plano - cyls, from pl -.50 on through pl -2.50. I edged them down to a certain size with a flat bevel and slight touch-off. He was going to get the AR coated. The guy was making them to put in telescopic eyepieces as corrections for cylinder for people that didn't want to look through their eyeglasses when viewing their telescopes. I assumed that would work, but the axis problem is one I wondered bout, but I suppose you could just turn the eyepiece until it cleared up.

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## rinselberg

I wonder if anyone has seen the "Supernovas" episode from the History Channel's Universe series(?) The animations and science narration were top drawer. Some of the background for this episode--including some of the animations and images--can be found here.


_Are you running Linux or Windows 98 (or one of its successors) on x86 Intel family hardware? You could become an active participant in NASA's Near Earth Objects sky survey by running the BOINC orbit@home software. Software for other operating systems and hardware platforms may become available later in 2008._

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## rinselberg

How a star system 8000 light  years away has the potential to disrupt life on Earth:


Real Death Star could strike Earth

_Beam of gamma rays from fiery pinwheel in space could scorch planet_

By Charles Q. Choi of SPACE
updated 8:24 a.m. PT, Mon., March. 10, 2008


A beautiful pinwheel in space might one day blast Earth with death rays, scientists say.

Unlike the moon-sized Death Star from Star Wars, which has to get close to a planet to blast it, this blazing spiral has the potential to burn worlds from thousands of light-years away.


_Looking into the gun barrel: The Wolf-Rayet 104 binary star system, 8000 light years from Earth._

"I used to appreciate this spiral just for its beautiful form, but now I can't help a twinge of feeling that it is uncannily like looking down a rifle barrel," said researcher Peter Tuthill, an astronomer at the University of Sydney.


*For the complete MSNBC report:*
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23558888/


rinselberg: speaking for American foreign policy "until they pry the keyboard from my cold, dead hands.."

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## merrah

Wow! That is a good looking telescope. I always liked to venture to Astronomy can someone suggest to me a good telescope for newbies like me?

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## Dave Nelson

lets seee... a little calculating... If the death rays left the star 7,999 years, 364 days and 23 hours ago, they should be striking earth in...
:drop:

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## Dave Nelson

I'm safe, I just made a whole outfit, including funny cap, out of tin-foil.:bbg:

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## hcjilson

> I'm safe, I just made a whole outfit, including funny cap, out of tin-foil.:bbg:


If I read correctly, the gamma ray blast would be traveling at the speed of light.....which, if I am correct, would give us about a nanosecond's worth of advance notice..............Dave?...........DAVE???...........*DAVE???????*

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## rinselberg

Odds are that someone--probably more than just someone--was looking towards the sky in the right direction during the night of March 19. Odds are they saw the most distant (and most ancient) object ever known to reveal itself to unaided human eyes--visible light from a gamma ray burst that happened about 7.5 billion years ago--more than halfway backwards to the beginning of time. And odds are they didn't even know what they were looking at--apparently just another star in a star-studded sky.

Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) 080319B was a record smasher!

GRB 080319B's optical afterglow, which faded to nothing in just a few hours, was 2.5 million times more luminous than the next most luminous supernova ever recorded.

The next most distant object known to be visible to unaided human eyes is the nearby galaxy M33, a mere 2.9 million light-years away--more than a thousand times closer to Earth than GRB 080319B.

This is just Rinsel himself speculating, but had GRB 080319B been located within our own Milky Way Galaxy and pointed in the same direction--more or less directly at Earth-there might not be anyone to read this post. They don't call GRBs "Death Stars" for nothing.

Astrophysicists say that this brief gamma ray burst released more energy in just a few seconds than the Sun will radiate over its entire lifetime: from its first nuclear-fired glow about four billion years ago until the moment in the far distant future when it has finally burned itself down to a cold stellar ash.

For more:
http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2...e-visible-grb/
http://www.world-science.net/othernews/080320_grb.htm



_If you select ("click") the AUDIO icon, you can play "Star Eyes" (03:31) featuring the legendary Charlie Parker. If you're on broadband or DSL, it will take about a minute to download. If you're on dial-up.. you tell me._

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## Cayenne

One of my passions is Astronomy, behind golf, cars, bikes..... Anyway I have a Meade 10" LX200 polar mounted and a Stellarvue SV-105 mounted on a GM8.
Some pictures of my equipment on my web page.

http://discoverthemeadows.com/

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## rbaker

I bumped in to an old friend who is an amature telescope maker and he gave me this URL to pass along to you guys. He is in his eighties and still cranking them out - he is working on his thirty first mirror, a 16 incher. Back in the sixties when we switched to LMPA I gave him a hundred pounds of pitch for his laps. He is running out after all these years. He worked for American Optical as a tool maker and retired with fifty two years service. 

http://www.atmlist.net/

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## hcjilson

I am still trying to grasp how something that happened 7.5 billion years ago has just become visible in March. It is absolutely mind boggling.Today I learned something that had the same effect.

A photon created at the center of the sun takes a million years to get to the surface of the sun and only 8.5 minutes to get to earth from the surface. This is due to size of the sun, and the fact that a photon moving in any direction at the speed of light, doesn't know which way to go! How someone ever figured this out is beyond me!

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## Barry Santini

> . I assumed that would work, but the axis problem is one I wondered bout, but I suppose you could just turn the eyepiece until it cleared up.


Yes..that's exactly what we recommend!

barry

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## Sean

Has anyone checked out Microsofts World Wide Telescope yet?

World Wide Telescope

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## rbaker

Have any of you star gazers tried this:

http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/

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## rbaker

Here is another:

http://www.stellarium.org/

Just think, you don't have to go outside on these -40 nights!

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## hcjilson

System requirements exclude Macintosh unless, of course, you buy windows and boot camp! Bill Gates strikes again!

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## rbaker

> System requirements exclude Macintosh unless, of course, you buy windows and boot camp! Bill Gates strikes again!


I think the Stellarium works on your Macintosh.

And, hey, it's not little Billy Gates . . it's the consumer. Both computer products do essentially the same thing, it's just that some do it better.

How many banks, insurance companies or fortune 500 companies run their businesses on a Macintosh framework?

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## DragonLensmanWV

Check your local PBS listings for this program
http://www.pbs.org/seeinginthedark/

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## hcjilson

> I think the Stellarium works on your Macintosh.
> 
> And, hey, it's not little Billy Gates . . it's the consumer. Both computer products do essentially the same thing, it's just that some do it better.
> 
> How many banks, insurance companies or fortune 500 companies run their businesses on a Macintosh framework?


I'll stick with Apple, if its good enough for NASA and Disney, it's good enough for me....and I only have 53 or so known viruses to worry about.

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## DragonLensmanWV

> I'll stick with Apple, if its good enough for NASA and Disney, it's good enough for me....and I only have 53 or so known viruses to worry about.


And almost as many programs!:D:D:D:D

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## hcjilson

Check out MacBook- I can run any program you can!.......if I wanted to.......I just can't find any PC based programs I like better than mine.

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## rbaker

A tour of the Kitt Peak observatory in Arizona.

http://www.researchchannel.org/prog/...D=1951&fID=569

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## Steve Machol

Speaking of Kitt Peak, I'm going to do this one of these days: *Night Observing Program*

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## rbaker

> Speaking of Kitt Peak, I'm going to do this one of these days: *Night Observing Program*


I have a very good friend who lives in Rio Rico/Tubac. At night, the only man made lights seen from his home are the lights at Kitt. He is in the middle of 17,000 acres of nothing. It's starkly beautiful there but somewhat spooky. We will be visiting him in mid March.

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