Count me in too.  See you there.  Under what name will the reservation be
made?

Bruce McGlashan

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Richard Harding [mailto:rharding@...]
> Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 03:39
> To: OAFs@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [OAFs] Friday at Kelsey's
>
>
> I wish to make the reservation at Kelsey's by noon today.  So
> far, it seems that I have:
>
> Ziggy
> Jan
> Hilderic
> Janice
> Roland
> Frank
> Albert
> Matt
> Rob
> Attilla
> Moi
> ...or 11 people.
>
> If I have missed anyone, please advise me before noon.  After
> 12:00, all others will have to call Kelsey's directly and modify
> the reservation (if possible).
> See you all Friday!!
>
> Richard
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>

Ok, I'll bite the difference in these 2 shots is increadible, what did
you do differently. What do you mean by co-register the LRGB files?

ziggy (confused as ever)

--- In OAFs@y..., "albertsaikaley" <Albert.Saikaley@c...> wrote:
> I took this image back on Dec. 7 which was the last really great sky
> (excellent transparency).  I finally figured out that I should
> co-register the LRGB files and not assume that since they were done
> with a one-shot camera that they would be perfectly aligned.
>
> Here is the new image:
>
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OAFs/files/Albert%27s%20Images/M74c.jpg
>
> Here is the old image for comparison:
>
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OAFs/files/Albert%27s%20Images/74.jpg
>
> Comments are always welcome.
>
> Cheers,
> Albert.

Mike,
As you know,  the MX cameras take a single shot with a CCD chip that has the
filters built in.  The software then extracts the 4 files (LRBG).  What I'm
saying is this: don't count on those files to be perfectly aligned.  If they
are not when you join the files to create the colour image it ends up being
one hue and no matter what you do it the colour really stays kinda
monochromatic.  Using AIP4WIN, AstroAtro and I'm guessing MaximDL there are
functions to co-register images.  You basically take one images say the L
and use it as a baseline.  Pick a minimum of 3 stars (that's what I did with
M74) in each image then co-registered each using the L as the baseline or
reference image.  That shifts each of the other images to line up exactly
with the reference image (in this case the L).  Then you join them to create
the colour image.  The real power of co-registering is that you can take
images of different sizes and it will handle creating images that are
aligned and of the same size.  Roland can correct me if I'm wrong here.

Cheers,
Albert.

-----Original Message-----
From: zeidler01 [mailto:zeidler@...]
Sent: Friday, February 01, 2002 09:10
To: OAFs@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [OAFs] Re: M74 Reprocessed


Ok, I'll bite the difference in these 2 shots is increadible, what did
you do differently. What do you mean by co-register the LRGB files?

ziggy (confused as ever)

--- In OAFs@y..., "albertsaikaley" <Albert.Saikaley@c...> wrote:
> I took this image back on Dec. 7 which was the last really great sky
> (excellent transparency).  I finally figured out that I should
> co-register the LRGB files and not assume that since they were done
> with a one-shot camera that they would be perfectly aligned.
>
> Here is the new image:
>
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OAFs/files/Albert%27s%20Images/M74c.jpg
>
> Here is the old image for comparison:
>
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OAFs/files/Albert%27s%20Images/74.jpg
>
> Comments are always welcome.
>
> Cheers,
> Albert.





Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/


This message may contain privileged and/or confidential information.  If you
have received this e-mail in error or are not the intended recipient, you
may not use, copy, disseminate or distribute it; do not open any
attachments, delete it immediately from your system and notify the sender
promptly by e-mail that you have done so.  Thank you.

Hi All!!
The reservation at Kelsey's is under the name of "Harding".  It is for 5:45, and
I will be there at 5:30.  The reservation is for 14.
Richard

"Saikaley, Albert" wrote:
>
> ......  Using AIP4WIN, AstroAtro and I'm guessing MaximDL there are
> functions to co-register images.  You basically take one images say the L
> and use it as a baseline.  Pick a minimum of 3 stars (that's what I did with
> M74) in each image then co-registered each using the L as the baseline or
> reference image.  That shifts each of the other images to line up exactly
> with the reference image (in this case the L).  Then you join them to create
> the colour image.  The real power of co-registering is that you can take
> images of different sizes and it will handle creating images that are
> aligned and of the same size.  Roland can correct me if I'm wrong here.

I am very impressed with the difference between the two images, but still
a bit confused about what you did.

The raw images are apparently based on 50 exposures of 60 seconds. Did
you align and combine the 50 raw images first, then convert that to
LRGB, and finally co-register those and convert to colour, or did
you convert each raw image to LRGB, then align and combine each of
the flavours into a final LRGB set, then finally co-register and convert
to colour? Whatever you did was obviously a big step forward.

Have not had the opportunity to do much imaging yet with my camera yet
(mono-chrome plus filter wheel), but that little has convinced me of the
importance of accurate registration for combining anything; multiple
raw images or LRGB components.

Also, MaxIm DL will do the alignment of images doing a shift (one reference
star), or shift and rotate (two reference stars). It will not do re-sizing.
I have not checked, but I suspect AIP4WIN, and AstroAtro will not do the
re-sizing either. Registar is the software that can do resizing and
distortion compensation on image combining.

Cheers - Al

Al,
Here's how it goes.

1. MX camera spits out 50 images that have the LRBG mashed into each file.
2. Software extras each image into 4 files (LRBG).  Now we have 200 images
(YIKES!)
3. Align all the L's, the R's, the B's, the G's.  Now we have 4 files.
4. Heres my new step:  co-register the 4 files.
5. Combine the 4 files and fool around with the colour (if necessary) to
produce and image that is close to real but not to wild as to cause your
astro-buddies to fall of their seats laughing.

Albert.

-----Original Message-----
From: Al Seaman [mailto:alseaman@...]
Sent: Friday, February 01, 2002 13:01
To: OAFs@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [OAFs] Re: M74 Reprocessed


"Saikaley, Albert" wrote:
>
> ......  Using AIP4WIN, AstroAtro and I'm guessing MaximDL there are
> functions to co-register images.  You basically take one images say the L
> and use it as a baseline.  Pick a minimum of 3 stars (that's what I did
with
> M74) in each image then co-registered each using the L as the baseline or
> reference image.  That shifts each of the other images to line up exactly
> with the reference image (in this case the L).  Then you join them to
create
> the colour image.  The real power of co-registering is that you can take
> images of different sizes and it will handle creating images that are
> aligned and of the same size.  Roland can correct me if I'm wrong here.

I am very impressed with the difference between the two images, but still
a bit confused about what you did.

The raw images are apparently based on 50 exposures of 60 seconds. Did
you align and combine the 50 raw images first, then convert that to
LRGB, and finally co-register those and convert to colour, or did
you convert each raw image to LRGB, then align and combine each of
the flavours into a final LRGB set, then finally co-register and convert
to colour? Whatever you did was obviously a big step forward.

Have not had the opportunity to do much imaging yet with my camera yet
(mono-chrome plus filter wheel), but that little has convinced me of the
importance of accurate registration for combining anything; multiple
raw images or LRGB components.

Also, MaxIm DL will do the alignment of images doing a shift (one reference
star), or shift and rotate (two reference stars). It will not do re-sizing.
I have not checked, but I suspect AIP4WIN, and AstroAtro will not do the
re-sizing either. Registar is the software that can do resizing and
distortion compensation on image combining.

Cheers - Al




Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/


This message may contain privileged and/or confidential information.  If you
have received this e-mail in error or are not the intended recipient, you
may not use, copy, disseminate or distribute it; do not open any
attachments, delete it immediately from your system and notify the sender
promptly by e-mail that you have done so.  Thank you.

"Saikaley, Albert" wrote:
>
> Here's how it goes.
>
> 1. MX camera spits out 50 images that have the LRBG mashed into each file.
> 2. Software extras each image into 4 files (LRBG).  Now we have 200 images
> (YIKES!)

That's what I thought, and YIKES**4! That's a lot of work.

> 3. Align all the L's, the R's, the B's, the G's.  Now we have 4 files.
> 4. Heres my new step:  co-register the 4 files.
> 5. Combine the 4 files and fool around with the colour (if necessary) to
> produce and image that is close to real but not to wild as to cause your
> astro-buddies to fall of their seats laughing.

Thanks for the clarification. Also, good astro-buddies never "fall off their
seats laughing". Shake their heads silently in disbelief maybe, but never
fall off their seats laughing.   :-)

May all your photons survive their expansion, aligning, combining,
co-registering and converting to colour.

Cheers - Al

Well I just wanted to relate a first for my observatory. This is the
first time I have had the roof blow open and snow blow in to cover my
equipment. In 2 years of use this must be the strongest wind we have
had from the NW.
I came home tonight from the meeting (the pre meeting dinner was great
as usual) and just happened to glance at the observatory. I saw  a
slight optical distortion of roof and side wall.

Not wanting to just run out to check this I grabbed my trusty
cunstruction laser (red) and aimed it at the joint between roof and
wall. My theory was that if the roof was lined up perfectly with the
wall as it should be then the laser spot should appear the same size
on the roof end gable and the wall.

Well there was a perceptable delta to the spot size so I grabbed my
winter gear and headed back outside. When I opened the door to the
observatory I was greated to ~ 2mm of snow covering everything, floor,
computer, desk, dew shield, and scope. The roof had moved inward
almost 3 inches and as a result the weather guard on the end of the
roof was no longer engaged.

I have now secured the roof with wood clamps, suggestions for a
permanent fix are welcome.

PS

I guess my modifications to make the roof easier to roll worked, maybe
just a little too well.

ziggy

PPS
The sky was awesome, if there had been a little less wind and blowing
snow it would have been worth while observing.

> Not wanting to just run out to check this I grabbed my trusty
> cunstruction laser (red) and aimed it at the joint between roof and
> wall. My theory was that if the roof was lined up perfectly with the
> wall as it should be then the laser spot should appear the same size
> on the roof end gable and the wall.

Clever. I can see the title of the paper now:

"Remote sensing of the integrity of protective structures for optical
equipment."

> I have now secured the roof with wood clamps, suggestions for a
> permanent fix are welcome.

Pizzle's rachet clamp system seems to work well. You could probably
get away with much smaller rachet clamps.

  > The sky was awesome, if there had been a little less wind and blowing
> snow it would have been worth while observing.

Yeah. I was so cool to the the moon. It was so cool to see _anything_!

-ad

Dear OAF's

I went down to the Edmonton Space Science Museum today (Friday) which is
called the Odyssium. (from odyssey) This Museum includes a science
museum, an IMAX theatre and the Margaret Zeidler Star Theatre (a
planetarium!).

I watched a very enjoyable 35 minute show called “Alberta Skies”. On
leaving the theatre I noticed that the Edmonton RASC ran an observatory
on the grounds and, weather permitting, had a public viewing tonight
from 8 to 10 PM.

At 7:50 I checked the sky and found it mostly clear with scattered high
clouds, so I headed down town to the observatory.

On my arrival, I found the observatory to be a roll off half building
(the roof and half the walls rolled off). It faced south and they ran
the roll off sections toward the east and the west. They went far enough
to not block the view. Inside the observatory they had 6 permanently
mounted scopes. They were using 3 tonight. They were a 7 inch refractor
(unknown brand), a 4 inch wide field refractor (unknown brand) and a 14
inch Celestron SC.

The sky was clear and very steady.  The temperature was -10ºC (balmy for
Edmonton). The 7 inch was aimed at Jupiter and gave a very nice image,
though it seemed as though there was some haze. The 4 inch was aimed at
the Orion Nebula and was nice but unspectacular. The 14 inch was aimed
at Saturn. Wow, the best view I have ever seen. Rock steady at 200X. No
haze at all. It was even better than my previous best which was the
Helen Hogg scope in Ottawa. Six moons were easily seen.

The targets were then shuffled around between the scopes. The 7 inch on
Saturn (very nice, no haze, but less magnification than the 14 inch),
the 4 inch on the Pleiades (very nice) and the 14 inch on Jupiter
(fantastic, the moons were disks, the belts were clear and showing some
details) and it was easy to see that the red spot was not there).

They then pointed the 14 inch at the Orion Nebula. At 200 power the
nebula filled the field of view. It was a wonderful sight.

I had killed one and a half hours hopping between the scopes. No line
ups at all. The crowd changed continually during the evening with only
about 3 or 4 other members of the public present at any one time. It was
just like owning these scopes myself!

The club members then mentioned that they were expecting a Cub Scout
group at any moment, so I took that as a hint that I should be on my
way. Even though the observatory is in a large city with a lot of light
pollution, the views of these bright targets were wonderful. During
times of steady seeing (like tonight) that 14 inch sure was a great
instrument.

Hope the meeting tonight was good. I hope to be home for the next one.

PS   The Edmonton RASC uses a sky clock run by some guy called Attilla
Danko.

Last nite's dinner at Kelsey's...

Was too wiped from teaching this week to attend the RASC meeting, but
I did at least want to attend the OAFs get together.  As usual, I
enjoyed the converstaion with the people I was sitting with.

Topics in our corner?

- Richard's new Pronto "guidescope" ( his term ) that he was nice
enough to have us Paw.  BTW, when we were leaving we shuffled the
scope's carrying box around a bit on him for fun.  Richard just
grinned.

- Ziggy's Vienna trip, the most important aspect of which, for me,
was the poor quality of the astronomy equipment stores over there.
We also got a weather report for over there -- cloudy, like here.

- John's aurora sound files that I had listened to on this site.  I
like weird expansive sounds and these certainly are very interesting.

- Albert's hard won success in getting his CCD camera to guide.  Tho'
Albert, I think that, enthusiasm aside, I gotta watch for the volume
of my voice, shouting cross-table. ;-)

- Frank mentionned the high percentage of cloudy nights lately, and
that precipitated a veritable avalanche of similar complaints,
sometimes accompanied by moans and groans.

- I brought up the topic of the name OAFs, wondering what people
thought of it now that there were so many more members than when the
name was originally chosen.  There were some mixed opinions on that
one.  Interesting.

- Rob still had not had much of a chance to use his new scope, and we
joked about his "purchase" getting blamed for all the bad weather in
the last couple of months.  Then we discussed a particular Nikkon
digital photo camera, and how it can expose for up to one minute.
Some interesting 1-minute "afocal shots" will be stackable using that
camera.

- Bruce spoke of piggyback astrophotography, and how he got all that
he needed to persue this for X-mas, but how the weather had not co-
operated.  I expressed how much I'm looking forward to some of his
shots.

- Attila spoke of the Texas star party, and the fact that none of us
seemed to be going this year.  Then, I expressed my view regarding
Attila's weather clock, saying that this might be the best amateur
sky prediction tool ever ( no blushing allowed on this group ) and
that it should be publicized or spread around, somehow.  I just feel
lucky to have access to such an online interface.

There were many more conversations, but you get the general idea.

The only negative thing for me was that I couldn't chat with the
people at the very other end of the table.  I would have especially
liked to sit with Pat Browne, Matt, etc. - as I've been reading the
reports they post here and enjoying those alot.  Oh well, maybe next
time...  ;-)


I was still exhausted from the teaching, but smiling, when I drove
home.

Merci a tous,
Roland

Ours once travelled  50 m and is still intact - but John may have
other comments :)

-----Original Message-----
From: zeidler01 [mailto:zeidler@...]
Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2002 12:21 AM
To: OAFs@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [OAFs] Great stars ... bad wind


Well I just wanted to relate a first for my observatory. This is the
first time I have had the roof blow open and snow blow in to cover my
equipment. In 2 years of use this must be the strongest wind we have
had from the NW.
I came home tonight from the meeting (the pre meeting dinner was great
as usual) and just happened to glance at the observatory. I saw  a
slight optical distortion of roof and side wall.

Not wanting to just run out to check this I grabbed my trusty
cunstruction laser (red) and aimed it at the joint between roof and
wall. My theory was that if the roof was lined up perfectly with the
wall as it should be then the laser spot should appear the same size
on the roof end gable and the wall.

Well there was a perceptable delta to the spot size so I grabbed my
winter gear and headed back outside. When I opened the door to the
observatory I was greated to ~ 2mm of snow covering everything, floor,
computer, desk, dew shield, and scope. The roof had moved inward
almost 3 inches and as a result the weather guard on the end of the
roof was no longer engaged.

I have now secured the roof with wood clamps, suggestions for a
permanent fix are welcome.

PS

I guess my modifications to make the roof easier to roll worked, maybe
just a little too well.

ziggy

PPS
The sky was awesome, if there had been a little less wind and blowing
snow it would have been worth while observing.





Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

OH MY GOD...Is "Fat Man" OK?

I'm assuming that the roof didn't just roll ajar..it actually jumped
the track?

The RiverWood Observatory was rock solid and perfectly in place.

Let me know what you choose as the permanent solution.

Cheers,
Albert.
--- In OAFs@y..., "zeidler01" <zeidler@i...> wrote:
> Well I just wanted to relate a first for my observatory. This is the
> first time I have had the roof blow open and snow blow in to cover
my
> equipment. In 2 years of use this must be the strongest wind we have
> had from the NW.
> I came home tonight from the meeting (the pre meeting dinner was
great
> as usual) and just happened to glance at the observatory. I saw  a
> slight optical distortion of roof and side wall.
>
> Not wanting to just run out to check this I grabbed my trusty
> cunstruction laser (red) and aimed it at the joint between roof and
> wall. My theory was that if the roof was lined up perfectly with the
> wall as it should be then the laser spot should appear the same size
> on the roof end gable and the wall.
>
> Well there was a perceptable delta to the spot size so I grabbed my
> winter gear and headed back outside. When I opened the door to the
> observatory I was greated to ~ 2mm of snow covering everything,
floor,
> computer, desk, dew shield, and scope. The roof had moved inward
> almost 3 inches and as a result the weather guard on the end of the
> roof was no longer engaged.
>
> I have now secured the roof with wood clamps, suggestions for a
> permanent fix are welcome.
>
> PS
>
> I guess my modifications to make the roof easier to roll worked,
maybe
> just a little too well.
>
> ziggy
>
> PPS
> The sky was awesome, if there had been a little less wind and
blowing
> snow it would have been worth while observing.

Bob,
Thanks for the report.  It was way to windy to open up the Helen Hogg
scope after our RASC meeting.

PS. That "some guy named Attilla Danko" is our very own CEO (Cheif
Executive OAF).

Cheers,
Albert


--- In OAFs@y..., Bob Olson <r.olson@r...> wrote:
> Dear OAF's
>
> I went down to the Edmonton Space Science Museum today (Friday)
which is
> called the Odyssium. (from odyssey) This Museum includes a science
> museum, an IMAX theatre and the Margaret Zeidler Star Theatre (a
> planetarium!).
>
> I watched a very enjoyable 35 minute show called "Alberta Skies". On
> leaving the theatre I noticed that the Edmonton RASC ran an
observatory
> on the grounds and, weather permitting, had a public viewing tonight
> from 8 to 10 PM.
>
> At 7:50 I checked the sky and found it mostly clear with scattered
high
> clouds, so I headed down town to the observatory.
>
> On my arrival, I found the observatory to be a roll off half
building
> (the roof and half the walls rolled off). It faced south and they
ran
> the roll off sections toward the east and the west. They went far
enough
> to not block the view. Inside the observatory they had 6 permanently
> mounted scopes. They were using 3 tonight. They were a 7 inch
refractor
> (unknown brand), a 4 inch wide field refractor (unknown brand) and a
14
> inch Celestron SC.
>
> The sky was clear and very steady.  The temperature was -10ºC (balmy
for
> Edmonton). The 7 inch was aimed at Jupiter and gave a very nice
image,
> though it seemed as though there was some haze. The 4 inch was aimed
at
> the Orion Nebula and was nice but unspectacular. The 14 inch was
aimed
> at Saturn. Wow, the best view I have ever seen. Rock steady at 200X.
No
> haze at all. It was even better than my previous best which was the
> Helen Hogg scope in Ottawa. Six moons were easily seen.
>
> The targets were then shuffled around between the scopes. The 7 inch
on
> Saturn (very nice, no haze, but less magnification than the 14
inch),
> the 4 inch on the Pleiades (very nice) and the 14 inch on Jupiter
> (fantastic, the moons were disks, the belts were clear and showing
some
> details) and it was easy to see that the red spot was not there).
>
> They then pointed the 14 inch at the Orion Nebula. At 200 power the
> nebula filled the field of view. It was a wonderful sight.
>
> I had killed one and a half hours hopping between the scopes. No
line
> ups at all. The crowd changed continually during the evening with
only
> about 3 or 4 other members of the public present at any one time. It
was
> just like owning these scopes myself!
>
> The club members then mentioned that they were expecting a Cub Scout
> group at any moment, so I took that as a hint that I should be on my
> way. Even though the observatory is in a large city with a lot of
light
> pollution, the views of these bright targets were wonderful. During
> times of steady seeing (like tonight) that 14 inch sure was a great
> instrument.
>
> Hope the meeting tonight was good. I hope to be home for the next
one.
>
> PS   The Edmonton RASC uses a sky clock run by some guy called
Attilla
> Danko.

zeidler01 wrote:

> I have now secured the roof with wood clamps, suggestions for a
> permanent fix are welcome.

How about something low-tech, like hooks and eyes?   I know how you must have
felt - my first (and only) such experience was with our club observatory
outside Windsor, the Four Heavens Observatory.  It was a group project by our
high-school age astronomy club, with a 10" f/10 telescope in a concrete
block, roll off roof observatory on donated land outside the city (total cost
~ $250, with some donations in kind and many, many hours of sweat equity -
those were the days!).  After seeing our roof blown part way off its tracks,
with one corner hanging down into the building, we had to do something, and
the aforementioned hooks and eyes worked fine.

John

Hello all,

If the weather holds I am planning on heading out to FLO to get some
much needed observing in.  I would arrive around 6 or 6:30 and stay
untill the clouds and moon interfere.

Hope to see others there,

Matt

Last night at dinner there was some discussion of the difference
between a super nova and a hypernova.  I quick search lead me to an
old astronomy POD which talks about them.

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990420.html


P.S.: John, you were right they are assosiated with GRB's.

Matt

I will post some photos of our arrangement. We have 2 sets of hooks and
eyes,
east and west, and a latch that attaches the flap to the roof on the south
end, Ziggy you probably rememberhow it's set up.[However that remained
"latched" during its airborne activity].
At the North end 2 wooden blocks with bolts and wingnuts. It's not
going anywhere. THe occasion of the Mary Poppins flight was a tornado
through North Gower - i.e. not in its present location

-----Original Message-----
From: John Thompson [mailto:thompsjm@...]
Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2002 12:51 PM
To: OAFs@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [OAFs] Great stars ... bad wind


zeidler01 wrote:

> I have now secured the roof with wood clamps, suggestions for a
> permanent fix are welcome.

How about something low-tech, like hooks and eyes?   I know how you must
have
felt - my first (and only) such experience was with our club observatory
outside Windsor, the Four Heavens Observatory.  It was a group project by
our
high-school age astronomy club, with a 10" f/10 telescope in a concrete
block, roll off roof observatory on donated land outside the city (total
cost
~ $250, with some donations in kind and many, many hours of sweat equity -
those were the days!).  After seeing our roof blown part way off its tracks,
with one corner hanging down into the building, we had to do something, and
the aforementioned hooks and eyes worked fine.

John





Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

No, no jumping, it did just roll ajar, the chains that I use to secure
it in high winds just happen to have enough slack to let it roll. I
now have tie downs that let me remove any possible slack.

Last year with the smaller wheels and the pully system needed to open
it the wind did not have a chance. Now with the bigger wheels and the
fact that I can roll it with one hand gave the advantage to the wind,
live and learn I always say.

Anyway "Fat Man" is in fine shape and is now covered with his cosmic
shield.

ziggy

--- In OAFs@y..., "albertsaikaley" <Albert.Saikaley@c...> wrote:
> OH MY GOD...Is "Fat Man" OK?
>
> I'm assuming that the roof didn't just roll ajar..it actually jumped
> the track?
>
> The RiverWood Observatory was rock solid and perfectly in place.
>
> Let me know what you choose as the permanent solution.
>
> Cheers,
> Albert.
> --- In OAFs@y..., "zeidler01" <zeidler@i...> wrote:
> > Well I just wanted to relate a first for my observatory. This is the
> > first time I have had the roof blow open and snow blow in to cover
> my
> > equipment. In 2 years of use this must be the strongest wind we have
> > had from the NW.
> > I came home tonight from the meeting (the pre meeting dinner was
> great
> > as usual) and just happened to glance at the observatory. I saw  a
> > slight optical distortion of roof and side wall.
> >
> > Not wanting to just run out to check this I grabbed my trusty
> > cunstruction laser (red) and aimed it at the joint between roof and
> > wall. My theory was that if the roof was lined up perfectly with the
> > wall as it should be then the laser spot should appear the same size
> > on the roof end gable and the wall.
> >
> > Well there was a perceptable delta to the spot size so I grabbed my
> > winter gear and headed back outside. When I opened the door to the
> > observatory I was greated to ~ 2mm of snow covering everything,
> floor,
> > computer, desk, dew shield, and scope. The roof had moved inward
> > almost 3 inches and as a result the weather guard on the end of the
> > roof was no longer engaged.
> >
> > I have now secured the roof with wood clamps, suggestions for a
> > permanent fix are welcome.
> >
> > PS
> >
> > I guess my modifications to make the roof easier to roll worked,
> maybe
> > just a little too well.
> >
> > ziggy
> >
> > PPS
> > The sky was awesome, if there had been a little less wind and
> blowing
> > snow it would have been worth while observing.

mweekscan wrote:
>
> If the weather holds I am planning on heading out to FLO to get some
> much needed observing in.  I would arrive around 6 or 6:30 and stay
> untill the clouds and moon interfere.
>
> Hope to see others there,

Since there is some prospect of clear weather for a while this evening,
I checked on the state of the road in this afternoon about 2 pm.

Although there are some snowplow droppings at the gate, and some crusty
snow on the road, it is quite driveable with the standard test vehicle
(my Taurus station wagon).

Since I am still not qualified for shovelling, I have not cleaned the
pathway at the observatory. If someone would care to, cleaning the path
and the gate area would be much appreciated.

Cheers - Al

Thanks for the update Al,

If someone doesn't beat me to it, I'll gladly shovel what needs to be
shoveled.

Clear skies,

Matt

--- In OAFs@y..., Al Seaman <alseaman@a...> wrote:
> mweekscan wrote:
> >
> > If the weather holds I am planning on heading out to FLO to get
some
> > much needed observing in.  I would arrive around 6 or 6:30 and
stay
> > untill the clouds and moon interfere.
> >
> > Hope to see others there,
>
> Since there is some prospect of clear weather for a while this
evening,
> I checked on the state of the road in this afternoon about 2 pm.
>
> Although there are some snowplow droppings at the gate, and some
crusty
> snow on the road, it is quite driveable with the standard test
vehicle
> (my Taurus station wagon).
>
> Since I am still not qualified for shovelling, I have not cleaned
the
> pathway at the observatory. If someone would care to, cleaning the
path
> and the gate area would be much appreciated.
>
> Cheers - Al

Me too, me too!  I'm planning to leave here about 16:30 or so.

Which end of the scope do you look in again?  8-)

Bruce McGlashan

> -----Original Message-----
> From: mweekscan [mailto:mweeks@...]
> Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2002 13:05
> To: OAFs@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [OAFs] Observing tonight
>
>
> Hello all,
>
> If the weather holds I am planning on heading out to FLO to get some
> much needed observing in.  I would arrive around 6 or 6:30 and stay
> untill the clouds and moon interfere.
>
> Hope to see others there,
>
> Matt
>
>
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>

I too will be heading to FLO.  See you all there!!
Richard
   ----- Original Message -----
   From: Bruce McGlashan
   To: OAFs@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2002 3:49 PM
   Subject: RE: [OAFs] Observing tonight


   Me too, me too!  I'm planning to leave here about 16:30 or so.

   Which end of the scope do you look in again?  8-)

   Bruce McGlashan

   > -----Original Message-----
   > From: mweekscan [mailto:mweeks@...]
   > Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2002 13:05
   > To: OAFs@yahoogroups.com
   > Subject: [OAFs] Observing tonight
   >
   >
   > Hello all,
   >
   > If the weather holds I am planning on heading out to FLO to get some
   > much needed observing in.  I would arrive around 6 or 6:30 and stay
   > untill the clouds and moon interfere.
   >
   > Hope to see others there,
   >
   > Matt
   >
   >
   >
   >
   >
   > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
   >
   >


         Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
               ADVERTISEMENT




   Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Who can tell me how to get to FLO?
Hélène
--- Al Seaman <alseaman@...> wrote:
> mweekscan wrote:
> >
> > If the weather holds I am planning on heading out
> to FLO to get some
> > much needed observing in.  I would arrive around 6
> or 6:30 and stay
> > untill the clouds and moon interfere.
> >
> > Hope to see others there,
>
> Since there is some prospect of clear weather for a
> while this evening,
> I checked on the state of the road in this afternoon
> about 2 pm.
>
> Although there are some snowplow droppings at the
> gate, and some crusty
> snow on the road, it is quite driveable with the
> standard test vehicle
> (my Taurus station wagon).
>
> Since I am still not qualified for shovelling, I
> have not cleaned the
> pathway at the observatory. If someone would care
> to, cleaning the path
> and the gate area would be much appreciated.
>
> Cheers - Al
>


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Great stuff seeking new owners in Yahoo! Auctions!
http://auctions.yahoo.com

Thought I would drop in to FLO after skating.
Arrived around 7:45 . Parking lot was lined with cars.
Richard had nice views of M33 and M42. Matt was doing NGC936 -
face-on spiral in Cetus.. then on to M74 and the sN hunt inside of it.

I simply wasn't dressed for it.. and split - so thanks for the
nano seconds of viewing.. Next time gotta pile on the layers


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Helene,
Apologies for the late reply - this is probably for future reference...

Queensway West to the Almonte Exit. Turn left off the exit, travelling
  west on regional  49 through Almonte. At the corner of  49 and regional
road
29 is a Petrocan Station. Turn right onto  29 (now travelling North torwards
Packenham). Go past the sign for the Clayton Road, until you see a sign
for Blakeney on your right and Bennies Corners Road on your left.
Turn left onto Bennies Corners Road - follow it around the bend, until
you see a barn on your right (roughly 1 km). On your left is the Stelco
gate.
THis is the entrance. If it's open, proceed into the laneway which leads you
into the parking area (300m)



-----Original Message-----
From: helene gousseau [mailto:helenegousseau2020@...]
Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2002 5:20 PM
To: OAFs@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [OAFs] Observing tonight


Who can tell me how to get to FLO?
Hélène
--- Al Seaman <alseaman@...> wrote:
> mweekscan wrote:
> >
> > If the weather holds I am planning on heading out
> to FLO to get some
> > much needed observing in.  I would arrive around 6
> or 6:30 and stay
> > untill the clouds and moon interfere.
> >
> > Hope to see others there,
>
> Since there is some prospect of clear weather for a
> while this evening,
> I checked on the state of the road in this afternoon
> about 2 pm.
>
> Although there are some snowplow droppings at the
> gate, and some crusty
> snow on the road, it is quite driveable with the
> standard test vehicle
> (my Taurus station wagon).
>
> Since I am still not qualified for shovelling, I
> have not cleaned the
> pathway at the observatory. If someone would care
> to, cleaning the path
> and the gate area would be much appreciated.
>
> Cheers - Al
>


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Great stuff seeking new owners in Yahoo! Auctions!
http://auctions.yahoo.com




Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I'm sure others will have more to report, but I thought I'd let those that
weren't at FLO last evening know how things went.

We had a very good turn-out - Rob Reylea, Geoff Meeks, Ron St. Martin, Rick
Potvin, Richard Harding, Matt Weeks, a brief visit by Pat Browne, and
myself.  The weather was clear until about 23:00 (just as the Sky Clock
predicted), -13C and calm.  Since moonrise was at 23:20, nobody seemed too
bummed out when the cloud came in, and we were all on our way home by
midnight.  The seeing seemed particularly good, as a number of us commented
on the exceptional views of Saturn and Jupiter.  I think, though, that even
if the seeing had been crummy, we all would have had a good time, just being
out under the stars again.  The camaraderie in the clubhouse during breaks
was wonderful, as usual.

Interestingly, nobody opened up the observatory.  Maybe we were all like me,
eager to finally get a chance to try out some Christmas gifts.

As for my observations, it was a night of new sights and miserable technical
problems.  I'm sure you're going to laugh, but one thing I'd not had a
chance to explore yet with my own scope was M42.  I got my scope too late in
the season last year, and I've been dying ever since to have a serious look
at it.  That was my first target, and I spent a good deal of time with it.

When I switched to Saturn next (after hearing Richard's oohs and ahhs), I
discovered that my scope wasn't tracking properly.  No matter what I did,
for the rest of the evening, I was struggling just to stay on a target, and
it really took the wind out of my sails.  I think the problem was
power-related (I had my new Telrad dew-heater plugged into the same power
supply as my mount), but it could also have been tension from the cables or
the grease in my mount becoming too stiff.  When I got the scope last March,
I didn't have any tracking problems, despite sessions at Armstrong Road that
were much colder than last night.  That makes me think that my little 17
Amp-hour power supply is not sufficient for both the scope and dew heater.
Or possibly the grease has worn out after the hot sessions last summer.
Maybe both - who knows.

Ironically, while others seemed to have problems with frost last night, my
optics stayed completely frost-free, even without dew-heaters.  Maybe it was
slow burn I was doing in the vicinity.

On a cheerier note, I did manage to see the GRS on Jupiter for the very
first time.  I couldn't find the spot that was mentioned at the RASC
meeting, but I could see bands that I've never been able to see in my 8" SCT
before.  Richard also spent some time on Jupiter, and said that he saw the
new spot in a brief moment of clarity.  A number of us had a chance to look
at Jupiter, Saturn and a few other objects through his very fine Pentax
10.5mm EP.  Very nice.  Thanks, Sir Richard!

Matt was set up in the middle of the parking lot.  I never got over to see
how things were going, but he told us he located the new comet (Ikeya-Zhang)
and had a very productive night otherwise too.   I look forward to reading
your report, Matt.

So, finally I have a session 2002-001 in my logbook.  Not exactly a success,
but it was just great to be out under the stars again.

Bruce McGlashan

I'm really disappointed to have missed out on last night but I've a
a bit of a cold happening.

It was very cool to be reading Pat's update last night while you guys
were still at it!

Bruce,
As for your tracking issue:  last summer when I got my Kendrick Money
removers, I found that every time the heaters kicked on,  my drive
electrons would reset.  Very annoying! I never noticed anything with
the tracking but it is a different mount.  I now use 2 power supplies.
  8o(

Cheers,
Albert.

--- In OAFs@y..., "Bruce McGlashan" <mcglashanb2@r...> wrote:
> I'm sure others will have more to report, but I thought I'd let
those that
> weren't at FLO last evening know how things went.
>
> We had a very good turn-out - Rob Reylea, Geoff Meeks, Ron St.
Martin, Rick
> Potvin, Richard Harding, Matt Weeks, a brief visit by Pat Browne,
and
> myself.  The weather was clear until about 23:00 (just as the Sky
Clock
> predicted), -13C and calm.  Since moonrise was at 23:20, nobody
seemed too
> bummed out when the cloud came in, and we were all on our way home
by
> midnight.  The seeing seemed particularly good, as a number of us
commented
> on the exceptional views of Saturn and Jupiter.  I think, though,
that even
> if the seeing had been crummy, we all would have had a good time,
just being
> out under the stars again.  The camaraderie in the clubhouse during
breaks
> was wonderful, as usual.
>
> Interestingly, nobody opened up the observatory.  Maybe we were all
like me,
> eager to finally get a chance to try out some Christmas gifts.
>
> As for my observations, it was a night of new sights and miserable
technical
> problems.  I'm sure you're going to laugh, but one thing I'd not had
a
> chance to explore yet with my own scope was M42.  I got my scope too
late in
> the season last year, and I've been dying ever since to have a
serious look
> at it.  That was my first target, and I spent a good deal of time
with it.
>
> When I switched to Saturn next (after hearing Richard's oohs and
ahhs), I
> discovered that my scope wasn't tracking properly.  No matter what I
did,
> for the rest of the evening, I was struggling just to stay on a
target, and
> it really took the wind out of my sails.  I think the problem was
> power-related (I had my new Telrad dew-heater plugged into the same
power
> supply as my mount), but it could also have been tension from the
cables or
> the grease in my mount becoming too stiff.  When I got the scope
last March,
> I didn't have any tracking problems, despite sessions at Armstrong
Road that
> were much colder than last night.  That makes me think that my
little 17
> Amp-hour power supply is not sufficient for both the scope and dew
heater.
> Or possibly the grease has worn out after the hot sessions last
summer.
> Maybe both - who knows.
>
> Ironically, while others seemed to have problems with frost last
night, my
> optics stayed completely frost-free, even without dew-heaters.
Maybe it was
> slow burn I was doing in the vicinity.
>
> On a cheerier note, I did manage to see the GRS on Jupiter for the
very
> first time.  I couldn't find the spot that was mentioned at the RASC
> meeting, but I could see bands that I've never been able to see in
my 8" SCT
> before.  Richard also spent some time on Jupiter, and said that he
saw the
> new spot in a brief moment of clarity.  A number of us had a chance
to look
> at Jupiter, Saturn and a few other objects through his very fine
Pentax
> 10.5mm EP.  Very nice.  Thanks, Sir Richard!
>
> Matt was set up in the middle of the parking lot.  I never got over
to see
> how things were going, but he told us he located the new comet
(Ikeya-Zhang)
> and had a very productive night otherwise too.   I look forward to
reading
> your report, Matt.
>
> So, finally I have a session 2002-001 in my logbook.  Not exactly a
success,
> but it was just great to be out under the stars again.
>
> Bruce McGlashan

> Bruce,
> As for your tracking issue:  last summer when I got my Kendrick Money
> removers, I found that every time the heaters kicked on,  my drive
> electrons would reset.  Very annoying!

Hmm. I've heard that the Kendrick power controller is a very noisy
noisy (cheap design). Putting a couple of capacitors across your
12v power lines would probably allow your to use one battery.
But two batteries seems like a pretty good solution.

-ad

Albert wrote...
----Original Message-----
From: albertsaikaley [mailto:Albert.Saikaley@...]
Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2002 4:53 PM
To: OAFs@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [OAFs] Re: Last evening at FLO

	 "I'm really disappointed to have missed out on last night but I've a

	 a bit of a cold happening.
	 It was very cool to be reading Pat's update last night while you
guys
	 were still at it!
	 "

Yes, Roland has some very very wise words to say on this topic:
"- windproof snowmobile suit, chemical toe and finger warmers, warmer
fingerless gloves with flap covers.  This is in addition to polar fleece
longjohns, -72C rated boots, polypropylene socks
covered by thick wool socks, 5 layers of clothing, balaclava and toque...

All I can say is: winter observing can be enjoyable, but it needs a bit of
an extra effort with agood dose of realism as well."

I learnt my lesson - coming from skating, and figuring I'd only stay for an
hour... even so I should have donned my snowsuit. Never underestimate the
cool
in cool observing!

A few questions:
1)I find the fingerless gloves very spongy and awkward. Are there
alternatives? Where do you buy them. Interestingly, it was when I pulled off
my mitts to point at starcharts that the cold really hurt.

2)Where do you get the polar fleece.. does it come in kids sizes?
3) ditto for boots




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]