Total Lunar Eclipse tonight (Sat 03/03/07)

"Boo" wrote in message
.. .
Hi,

I've just noticed on the BBC's website at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6411991.stm there's a total eclipse
of the moon tonight starting around 10:40.

Didn't see a heads up here so I thought I'd mention it.

Very odd looking at the moon through the 15x70 bins and seeing 5 and 5.8
magnitude stars standing out so close!

I have just signed into uk.sci.astronomy.

Thrilling,

Ben
90.126 n 35.539

Where is that?

Steve

Steve,
Coords are for Eastern Arkansas about 35 N of Memphis
and about 8 miles W of the Mississippi R.
At 01:00h UT umbra is about to cross Mare Nectaris.
Ben,
90.126 n 35.539

Dr J R Stockton wrote:

In uk.sci.astronomy message 1huezr1.l7ffvp19k1jvwN%wildrover.andy@googl
email.com, Sat, 3 Mar 2007 19:36:39, Andy Hewitt wildrover.andy@google
mail.com posted:
wrote:

Didn't see a heads up here so I thought I'd mention it.

In this weather?

I was just going to say that too. Bloody cloudy yet again :-( - might
get some sort of a view though, I can see the disc through the cloud
cover.

It started much earlier than stated earlier in thread, if penumbral
counts. Currently it is total, making Leo and Saturn very easy to spot.

Visibility here nigh-perfect - but just enough low haze to show that
there's an oscillating beam about 0.5 deg wide coming from a ground
point about SSE of here.


It would be better, though, a little later in the day and year.


It turned out perfect here too. Just for one a very nice view.

http://www.thehewitts.eclipse.co.uk/Eclipse2007/

While I was out, I waved the Dob about a bit and got a lovely view of
M81/M82. Saturn was a lovely site too.

--
Andy Hewitt
http://web.mac.com/andrewhewitt1/

In uk.sci.astronomy message , Sat, 3 Mar
2007 21:57:09, shazzbat posted:
Ben
90.126 n 35.539

Where is that?

"90.126" n must be just past the North Pole, starting maybe from
Greenland (if 35.539 W) or Murmansk (if 35.539 E).




The FAQ says

Where is this FAQ located?
The primary location is http://www.astronomycentre.org.uk/UKSA/faq.htm .
It is mirrored at http://www.astunit.com/faq/uksciastrofaq.htm

The primary (as given in "This page last modified 2005 February 20") does
not work.

ISTM that it would be nice to have the parts of the FAQ, or just part A,
or a reference to it, posted here routinely.

Stephen, the URL in your sig lacks the trailing "/". And at
http://astunit.com/astro.htm with moderate screen resolutions the "Web
Ring Ad" covers other material in WinXP sp2 IE6.

--
(c) John Stockton, Surrey, UK. Turnpike v6.05 MIME.
Web URL:http://www.merlyn.demon.co.uk/ - FAQqish topics, acronyms & links;
Astro stuff via astron-1.htm, gravity0.htm ; quotings.htm, pascal.htm, etc.
No Encoding. Quotes before replies. Snip well. Write clearly. Don't Mail News.

On Mar 4, 11:34 am, Dr J R Stockton
wrote:
In uk.sci.astronomy message , Sat, 3 Mar
2007 21:57:09, shazzbat posted:

Ben
90.126 n 35.539

Where is that?

"90.126" n must be just past the North Pole, starting maybe from
Greenland (if 35.539 W) or Murmansk (if 35.539 E).


from *Astronomical Algorithms* (J Meuss, Willman - Bell,
2nd edition, p.93)

We cannot understand why the International Astronomical
Union, having first decided to measure all planetocentric
longitudes in the direction opposite to that of rotation, then
alters the system for the Earth (1982). We shall *not* follow
this IAU resolution and we shall consider *west* longitudes
as positive. This is in conformity with the longitude systems
on the other planets.

It's just a shorthand and I really do live in Arkansas - don't
rub it in.

Ben
90.126 n 35.539

Ben wrote:
It's just a shorthand and I really do live in Arkansas

Ah so it's N35.539 E90.126 (or, if you really must E90.126 N35.539 )

we shall consider *west* longitudes as positive.

or merely:
35.539 90.126 (given the similar convention of having N positive)

:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

- don't rub it in.

.... as the intern said to the president from Arkansas... :-)

Best,
Stephen

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Ah so it's N35.539 E90.126 (or, if you really must E90.126 N35.539 )

No, it's W90.126. E 90.126 would place me near the city of
Xigaze in Tibet.

we shall consider *west* longitudes as positive.

Actually I consider it a *hour angle* as well. I place it first
because longitudes are more problematic than latitudes.
(Recall Harrison's clock)

35.539 90.126 (given the similar convention of having N positive)

That's OK too.

- don't rub it in.

... as the intern said to the president from Arkansas... :-)

Did she say THAT?

Regards
Ben
06 00.5h n 35.539

On Mar 5, 8:16 am, "Ben" wrote:
Ah so it's N35.539 E90.126 (or, if you really must E90.126 N35.539 )

No, it's W90.126. E 90.126 would place me near the city of
Xigaze in Tibet.

we shall consider *west* longitudes as positive.

Actually I consider it a *hour angle* as well. I place it first
because longitudes are more problematic than latitudes.
(Recall Harrison's clock)


A person who thinks longitudes are problematic in respect to the
correlation between the standard pace of clocks and geographical
seperation amounting to 4 minutes/1 degree of Longitude.

Is there some perverted satisfaction in being numbskulls for there is
absolutely no difficulty in determining how the average 24 hour day,a
human creation,was overlayed on the heliocentric principles which
recognises axial rotation as the cause of a daily cycle.

Is there some nobel prize for having the ability to ignore a basic
astronomical fact and building concepts on the wrong correlation which
keep clocks in sync with axial rotation,at least for pragmatic
purposes.

I would say humanity is in big trouble when it can afford to undo the
work of many careful and brilliant men and accept a false late 17th
century correlation that exists only in the imagination -

"... our clocks kept so good a correspondence with the Heavens that I
doubt it not but they would prove the revolutions of the Earth to be
isochronical... " John Flamsteed.

What an incredible sight,an entire group of people who cannot even
discern the factors involved in the creation of the 24 hour day,it
adaption to the axial rotational cycle as a correlation and the active
promotion of an imaginary celestial sphere/constellational system
representing axial/orbital dynamics rather than a calendrically driven
observational convenience that it actually is.

You want time to become familiar with the two step process involving
the human devised Equation of Time correction which is central to the
creation of the equable 24 hour day and subsequently the way
heliocentric timekeepers exploited it in order to mesh clock pace with
axialo rotation as a principle thereby creating the spectacular 4
minutes/1 degree correlation.

Christianity and faith is a matter of intutive intelligence and most
good and genuine people have it,there is no exception here in this
forum.A genuine astronomer will catch brief glimpses of the old
approach and new avenues simultaneously and this is applied to matters
of faith also ,always has -

http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/bible/mark/mark4.htm

I never doubted that people are aware of the correct correlation which
keeps clocks in sync with axial rotation at 24 hours/360 degrees but I
already know that it depends on the availible fertile intutive ground
to turn this small seed into something productive.The idea of "hearing
and seeing" in Christian terms is far more intense than just visual
recognition for all the mysteries of existence are contained in the
experience of joy and admiration.We are astronomers by living by the
cycles of the Earth and it is about time people did not try to force
artificial cycles which rob the appreciation of our recognition of not
just the human creation of the 24 hour day but also recognition that
our ancestors knew that no two cycles were the same length.

Presently you fail to match those great people who left the
timekeeping systems we use today hence you ultimately insult
yourselves in the barren and sterile fruit borne of the 'sidereal'
seed.










35.539 90.126 (given the similar convention of having N positive)

That's OK too.



- don't rub it in.

... as the intern said to the president from Arkansas... :-)

Did she say THAT?

Regards
Ben
06 00.5h n 35.539

Ben wrote:
No, it's W90.126.

Oh drat. It's a rule of the internet: you try to be a smart-arse and you
make a stupid error that turns around and bites you. :-)


E 90.126 would place me near the city of Xigaze in Tibet.

SO much more romantic than Arkansas!

Did she say THAT?

Well, she *could* have done...


Best,
Stephen

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