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Posts Made By: James McSheehy

July 7, 2012 04:23 PM Forum: My Favorite WIMP.COM or YOUTUBE.COM

JPL goes Hollywood (still good though)

Posted By James McSheehy
Here is a 5-minute video from JPL describing the upcoming Mars landing. Heavy on the theatrics, but hey whatever works to get people interested these days:

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/index.cfm?id=1090

August 13, 2012 07:16 PM Forum: Politics

Land of the Free

Posted By James McSheehy
While you were distracted by false political choices and nonsensical "debates", the beavers have been busy:

http://db.tt/klgYRAzb

Over 200 million Americans now live in a zone where their Contitutional rights are somewhat fuzzy. Find out for yourselves what the federal authorities claim they can do in these zones without judicial oversight or any right of appeal. It's not tin-foil hat stuff anymore. DHS is buying over a billion rounds of ammunition, I wonder why?

August 19, 2012 01:10 PM Forum: Eyepieces

Re: Blackened lens edges question

Posted By James McSheehy
Blackening edges may reduce scattered light but I doubt many visual observers could notice the tiny benefit. In AP the filter edges in CCD cameras are sometimes blackened and there are articles that show it actually improves the final image.

The downside is that paints and inks used to blacken edges can dissolve when the lenses are cleaned and leave residue on the glass.

August 20, 2012 01:29 PM Forum: Reflectors

TEC announces two new RCs

Posted By James McSheehy
The guys in Golden, CO are introducing two new, large-aperture, Richey Chretien OTAs at the ASAE show in November. They are billed as lightweight without carbon fiber parts, and use optics made from Astrosital and quartz. The focus is temperature compensated by the choice of materials and mechanical design.

400 mm, f/8, ~90 pounds
500 mm, f/9, ~120 pounds

Yuri says they might offer these in a turn-key package with the new A-P 1600 mount. (maybe he's never heard of that other mount company in Golden? 8) )

September 6, 2012 05:10 PM Forum: ASTRONOMY

Voyager is officially interstellar

Posted By James McSheehy
Our messenger to the cosmos has left the building, now what? Of course it has the obligatory plaques and a gold-plated phonograph record that will yield some facts about our species if anyone ever finds them. Forty years later, here is an interesting review of the contents of Voyager's time capsule:

http://davidszondy.com/future/timecapsule/voyager.htm

The politics and intrigue surrounding the selection of contents for the "messages" parallel what Gregory Benford described in his book Deep Time. Committees of uber-PC academics feud and fuss over "we're not worthy" vignettes for a 25 mm, laser-inscribed, sapphire disk left on Titan by the Huygens lander!

September 11, 2012 04:39 AM Forum: Solar System Observing

Jupiter Impact 9/10/12 11:35 UT

Posted By James McSheehy
Dan Petersen and several others report an impact event on Jupiter, lat N12, long 335, 9-10-12, 11:35 UT.
Image from George Hall:
http://georgeastro.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/3/4/13344093/jupiterimpact.jpg

September 25, 2012 04:15 AM Forum: Comets

Possible major comet next year

Posted By James McSheehy
New comet with parabolic orbitals:

C2012 S1 ISON

Projected to graze the sun (0.012AU) and reach mag -4 in Oct-Nov 2013, 0.4 AU from Earth.

About damn time! 8)

September 26, 2012 04:50 AM Forum: Politics

Hobson's Choice

Posted By James McSheehy
As far as the Presidential election goes, this sums it up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R4KtYVF-74&feature=youtu.be

Heads they win, tails we lose.

September 29, 2012 05:25 PM Forum: SCI-FI

Sci-fi meets politics the Gray State indie film

Posted By James McSheehy
An interesting concept in the vein of Nineteen Eighty Four, crowd-sourced funding:

http://en.indiegogo.com/Graystatemovie?c=home

October 23, 2012 10:18 PM Forum: Politics

The October Surprise!

Posted By James McSheehy
You knew it was coming:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/b1j0mxh684spkqt/Photo%20Sep%2022%2C%2010%2018%2000%20PM.jpg

8)

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