Earth Sky Stars » Astronomy http://earthskystars.net/blog blog for earthskystars Mon, 26 Jul 2010 08:35:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Earth Hour next Saturday (March 27th 8:30pm) http://earthskystars.net/blog/2010/03/21/earth-hour-next-saturday-march-27th-830pm/ http://earthskystars.net/blog/2010/03/21/earth-hour-next-saturday-march-27th-830pm/#comments Mon, 22 Mar 2010 05:14:18 +0000 Bill Clugston http://earthskystars.net/blog/2010/03/21/earth-hour-next-saturday-march-27th-830pm/ Don’t forget to turn your lights off (and everything else) on Saturday, March 27th for Earth Hour 2010. It may be symbolic, but it shows your support for action against Climate Change.

With health care reform done it will be back on Congress’ radar screen soon.

]]> http://earthskystars.net/blog/2010/03/21/earth-hour-next-saturday-march-27th-830pm/feed/ 0 Is the movie Avatar a game changer? You bet it is … http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/12/20/is-the-movie-avatar-a-game-changer-you-bet-it-is/ http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/12/20/is-the-movie-avatar-a-game-changer-you-bet-it-is/#comments Mon, 21 Dec 2009 02:36:07 +0000 Bill Clugston http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/12/20/is-the-movie-avatar-a-game-changer-you-bet-it-is/ Saw James Cameron’s new movie Avatar this weekend. I can say without reservation that the technology used to produce the movie is game changing. I have never seen such a seamless use of CGI and 3D technologies. Cameron has set the bar high for future Sci-Fi epics. Only one question, can we afford 500 million dollar movies?
One other stand-out feature of the movie was Cameron’s attention to detail. Aircraft actually looked used, the gas giant that Pandora orbited had a fast rotational rate, dust and vapor added to the realism.

]]> http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/12/20/is-the-movie-avatar-a-game-changer-you-bet-it-is/feed/ 0 Green Bank Star Party http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/06/27/green-bank-star-party/ http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/06/27/green-bank-star-party/#comments Sat, 27 Jun 2009 22:38:34 +0000 Bill Clugston http://earthskystars.net/blog/?p=176 Almost finished with the Green Bank Star Party. The star party is located at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia. The campground for the party sits in the shadow of the GBT (Green Bank Radio Telescope), the largest steerable radio telescope in the world. This thing is huge! You could drop two football fields inside of it!

The NRAO cafeteria serves great food, we have free showers, and great speakers. The bad news is almost every night has been cloudy. Hopefully tonight (Saturday) will be better.

]]> http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/06/27/green-bank-star-party/feed/ 0 North pole expedition looking for signs of climate change http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/03/16/north-pole-expedition-looking-for-signs-of-climate-change/ http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/03/16/north-pole-expedition-looking-for-signs-of-climate-change/#comments Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:49:53 +0000 Bill Clugston http://earthskystars.net/blog/?p=157 A British team is on the arctic ice this Spring looking for signs of climate change. The Catlin Arctic Survey will be trying to determine if the Arctic ice cap is breaking up and if it is, put a solid time frame on the break up. To this end, the three team members, Pen Hadow, Ann Daniels, and Martin Hartley will be out on the ice from February to about May. They will be carrying a ground-penetrating radar that allows the expedition to measure ice thickness and composition.

You can follow the survey at the Catlin Artic Survey’s website.

]]> http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/03/16/north-pole-expedition-looking-for-signs-of-climate-change/feed/ 0 Sanyo solar modules arrive! http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/01/06/sanyo-solar-modules-arrive/ http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/01/06/sanyo-solar-modules-arrive/#comments Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:16:25 +0000 Bill Clugston http://earthskystars.net/blog/?p=83 The photo-voltaic (solar) power system is now sitting in my garage! Hopefully, when the weather breaks on Thursday, Dave Cozine and crew can get them installed. Here’s a photo of the modules.

Sanyo 200 watt modules arrive

Sanyo 200 watt modules arrive

For each of the 10 modules (200 watt x 10 = 2,000 watts) there is an Enphase grid-tie inverter. Unlike most systems where there is a single, central inverter, the Enphase converts 32vdc to 240vac at the solar panel. If you lose an inverter you only lose the output from one module. Here’s a photo.

Photograph of Enphase grid-tie power inverter

Photograph of Enphase grid-tie power inverter

]]> http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/01/06/sanyo-solar-modules-arrive/feed/ 0 2008 Oregon Star Party http://earthskystars.net/blog/2008/09/28/2008-oregon-star-party/ http://earthskystars.net/blog/2008/09/28/2008-oregon-star-party/#comments Mon, 29 Sep 2008 06:16:00 +0000 Bill Clugston http://earthskystars.net/blog/?p=37 The 2008 Oregon Star Party was great! Some of the best viewing conditions I’ve ever seen. Good speakers, good friends, and great weather, OSP at its best. There was a threat of forest fires just before the event, but rain and cooler temperatures finished off the fires. I finally got my Pentax 75mm setup to work well and it delivered great wide-field photos. The photos will be in the gallery soon.

]]> http://earthskystars.net/blog/2008/09/28/2008-oregon-star-party/feed/ 0 It’s been a loonngg time! http://earthskystars.net/blog/2008/08/10/its-been-a-loonngg-time/ http://earthskystars.net/blog/2008/08/10/its-been-a-loonngg-time/#comments Mon, 11 Aug 2008 05:29:47 +0000 Bill Clugston http://earthskystars.net/blog/?p=35 Since my last post:( Truly both the web site and blog need attention. The kids are getting older and more independent — that may help. The Two Cats Observatory is up and running, so check that one off the list. Maybe some day I’ll catch up to the list:-)

Check out the POD from Google Earth:

Two Cats Observatory in backyard

Bill C.

]]> http://earthskystars.net/blog/2008/08/10/its-been-a-loonngg-time/feed/ 0 2007 Table Mountain Star Party http://earthskystars.net/blog/2007/10/28/32/ http://earthskystars.net/blog/2007/10/28/32/#comments Mon, 29 Oct 2007 04:26:11 +0000 Bill Clugston http://earthskystars.net/blog/2007/10/28/32/ The 2007 Edition of the Table Mountain Star Party was definitely a
roller-coaster ride. The dips included inconsistent weather (windy and
cloudy) and a Kendrick Astronomy tent that failed within 24 hours of its
first use (fortunately Kendrick has arranged for a replacement tent
pole). The highs included meeting old friends, some excellent
astrophotography, a great speaker list, and finally figuring out the
complexities of astrophotography software.

The speaker list included three “stand-out” speakers. The first was
Gary Seronik, associate editor of Sky and Telescope, who gave an
excellent talk on binocular astronomy. If you haven’t tried using
binoculars for astronomy you’re missing a real treat. Almost everyone
owns at least one pair of binoculars making it one of the most
accessible ways to start into astronomy. And some objects (M44, M31, and
the Pleiades) just look better in the wide field that a binocular
provides. Gary elaborated on these points and more. He also provided a
nice obscure target list for the evening’s viewing.

The next speaker of note was John Dobson. John is the inventor of the
Dobsonian mount. John is now 93 years old, but he is as opinionated and sharp-minded as ever!

The third speaker was Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, former Space Shuttle astronaut and current Director of the Seattle Museum of Flight. She gave wonderful insights into the Space Shuttle program and the future of U.S. manned space flight.

Link to Table Mountain Star Party Site

]]> http://earthskystars.net/blog/2007/10/28/32/feed/ 0 The SkyShed Pod arrives! http://earthskystars.net/blog/2007/07/21/the-skyshed-pod-arrives/ http://earthskystars.net/blog/2007/07/21/the-skyshed-pod-arrives/#comments Sun, 22 Jul 2007 04:30:38 +0000 Bill Clugston http://earthskystars.net/blog/2007/07/21/the-skyshed-pod-arrives/ The SkyShed Pod odyssey has ended! On Thursday, July 5th, a Old Dominion freight truck pulled up in front of my house and disgorged many large cardboard boxes containing the POD.

POD Arrival

Fortunately, all contents arrived in good order and without damage. After passing the large boxes off to local children (box forts!), construction of the POD began in the backyard. The lower walls were a snap to assemble. Wayne, Farhat, and SPI have done their homework! Hard work really began with the dome assembly. The dome halves are really a two person job (I did it myself, but don’t recommend it!) to assemble. When it comes to placing the domes halves on the wall please do yourself a favor — find a helper, maybe two helpers.

In any event, within 24 hours, I had an assembled POD.
Completed POD

Watch for more information on this exciting product.

]]> http://earthskystars.net/blog/2007/07/21/the-skyshed-pod-arrives/feed/ 0 My SkyPod XL3 ships! http://earthskystars.net/blog/2007/06/24/my-skypod-xl3-ships/ http://earthskystars.net/blog/2007/06/24/my-skypod-xl3-ships/#comments Sun, 24 Jun 2007 15:36:14 +0000 Bill Clugston http://earthskystars.net/blog/2007/06/24/my-skypod-xl3-ships/ Received the news I’ve been waiting for from Wayne of SkyShed. My POD has shipped! Apparently Wayne has had assorted problems with parts suppliers, probably not unusual for a new product. With any luck the POD will arrive before the Table Mountain Star party.

I just finished upgrading the solar panels on my Lazy Daze RV which gives me a spare 85 watt solar panel for the POD and its equipment. The panel will feed a 90 aH deep-cycle battery that in turn will run the telescope mount, cameras, and laptop. All I have to do is wire it all up :-)

BTW, if you’re ever looking for solar power equipment, check out Amsolar. Great kits and great support. Their address is: http://www.amsolar.com .

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