Astronomy in the Snow: Working Nature Like a Hand Puppet

Shovel your driveway, you poor soul. Just an idea from Carlsbad, CA. An
observatory from snow could be an igloo with a slotted roof.

"John Steinberg" wrote in message
...
We're currently sitting under about 6-inches of the fluffy white cold
stuff with another 4-9'' predicted overnight. So, I'm working on a
number of ideas to make lemonade from lemons.

Snow Concepts, Volume I, Part I, The Igloo Issue:

* Build an observatory from snow.
Pros: Cheap, readily available building material.
Cons: Getting the dome to rotate, and snow melt.

* Instead of a snowman, how about a snowroland?
Pros: Couldn't hurt.
Cons: Won't help.

* Making ice balls and knocking out all outdoor lighting.
Pros: Darker local conditions. Keeps the pitching arm in tune.
Cons: I look awful in prison orange, and those jumpsuits can really
ride up the butt.

* Natural cooling for my DSLR for long exposure astrophotography
Pros: Three hour guided shots with low/no noise.
Cons: Hypothermia, and electronics and water don't mix well.

Soliciting other ideas as well. Thanks!


--
-John Steinberg
email: lid

-= I link therefore I'm spammed =-

--
To reply, remove the "z" if one appears in my address
"John Steinberg" wrote in message
...
We're currently sitting under about 6-inches of the fluffy white cold
stuff with another 4-9'' predicted overnight. So, I'm working on a
number of ideas to make lemonade from lemons.

Snow Concepts, Volume I, Part I, The Igloo Issue:

* Build an observatory from snow.
Pros: Cheap, readily available building material.
Cons: Getting the dome to rotate, and snow melt.

* Instead of a snowman, how about a snowroland?
Pros: Couldn't hurt.
Cons: Won't help.

* Making ice balls and knocking out all outdoor lighting.
Pros: Darker local conditions. Keeps the pitching arm in tune.
Cons: I look awful in prison orange, and those jumpsuits can really
ride up the butt.

* Natural cooling for my DSLR for long exposure astrophotography
Pros: Three hour guided shots with low/no noise.
Cons: Hypothermia, and electronics and water don't mix well.

Soliciting other ideas as well. Thanks!


--
-John Steinberg

Cheer up!

The reality is that we've screwed up the atmosphere so badly that THIS
time, it ain't EVER gonna' melt, especially around New York (but worse
upstate). So you CAN rotate that dome on SNOWBALLS. In that kind of
weather, that's the best kind to have, anyway...

Partly cloudy and warm here (in the high 70's)...

Howard is contemplating first light tonight... Heheheh!

John Steinberg:
I look awful in prison orange, and those jumpsuits can really
ride up the butt.

Soliciting other ideas as well. Thanks!

Pro: Doesn't require air conditioning.
Con: Doesn't require air conditioning.

And a question and a comment.

As you your very self might say: And you know that you look awful in
prison orange because?

I've heard that in prison, it's not the jumpsuits that one has to worry
about riding up one's butt.

Davoud

--
usenet *at* davidillig dawt com

Amended Cons, based on experience...


"John Steinberg" wrote in message
...
* Build an observatory from snow.
Cons: Getting the dome to rotate, and snow melt.

Oh, it'll rotate just fine, its the rude sniping from the ATM/AOM types for
not getting the matte-black flocking to stick to the interior.

* Instead of a snowman, how about a snowroland?
Cons: Won't help.

A genuine roland operates best at salt mine temperatures - 45-64 F

* Making ice balls and knocking out all outdoor lighting.
Cons: I look awful in prison orange, and those jumpsuits can really
ride up the butt.

Next time, keep your hands in your pockets. It stretches out the fabric
across your behind for asset de-emphasis and keeps your mind occupied at the
same time. Learn to play cards; winning means staying in the game and
staying in the game means staying seated longer.

* Natural cooling for my DSLR for long exposure astrophotography
Cons: Hypothermia, and electronics and water don't mix well.

Try a schooner of Courvoisier Flambe' and a dash of PhotoShop. Won't matter
what your RAWs looked like, your finished JPGs will ROCK!


-Paul S. Walsh

Just what in the Hell is this New York place, anyway?

Three wise men on camels, moving slowly toward the tiny hamlet of
Jerusalem, at this time of year, once upon a time, never saw any f---ing
snow!!!

Must be a Hillary thing!

--
To reply, remove the "z" if one appears in my address
"John Steinberg" wrote in message
...
We're currently sitting under about 6-inches of the fluffy white cold
stuff with another 4-9'' predicted overnight. So, I'm working on a
number of ideas to make lemonade from lemons.

Snow Concepts, Volume I, Part I, The Igloo Issue:

* Build an observatory from snow.
Pros: Cheap, readily available building material.
Cons: Getting the dome to rotate, and snow melt.

* Instead of a snowman, how about a snowroland?
Pros: Couldn't hurt.
Cons: Won't help.

* Making ice balls and knocking out all outdoor lighting.
Pros: Darker local conditions. Keeps the pitching arm in tune.
Cons: I look awful in prison orange, and those jumpsuits can really
ride up the butt.

* Natural cooling for my DSLR for long exposure astrophotography
Pros: Three hour guided shots with low/no noise.
Cons: Hypothermia, and electronics and water don't mix well.

Soliciting other ideas as well. Thanks!


--
-John Steinberg
email: lid

-= I link therefore I'm spammed =-

On Sat, 06 Dec 2003 22:59:45 GMT, John Steinberg wrote:

We're currently sitting under about 6-inches of the fluffy white cold
stuff with another 4-9'' predicted overnight. So, I'm working on a
number of ideas to make lemonade from lemons.
...
Soliciting other ideas as well. Thanks!

Let's see, your in the northeast, right? So your precipitation contains all
manner of exotic chemical additives. How about finding a combination of ices
from nearby locales with different enough properties that you can chip out an
achromat? Maybe even an apo?

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com

Nahhh, Senator Schumer will want to ban or license it... Billary too...

--
To reply, remove the "z" if one appears in my address
"Chris L Peterson" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 06 Dec 2003 22:59:45 GMT, John Steinberg
wrote:

We're currently sitting under about 6-inches of the fluffy white cold
stuff with another 4-9'' predicted overnight. So, I'm working on a
number of ideas to make lemonade from lemons.
...
Soliciting other ideas as well. Thanks!

Let's see, your in the northeast, right? So your precipitation contains
all
manner of exotic chemical additives. How about finding a combination of
ices
from nearby locales with different enough properties that you can chip
out an
achromat? Maybe even an apo?

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com

Davoud wrote:

John Steinberg:


I look awful in prison orange, and those jumpsuits can really
ride up the butt.





Soliciting other ideas as well. Thanks!



Pro: Doesn't require air conditioning.
Con: Doesn't require air conditioning.

And a question and a comment.

As you your very self might say: And you know that you look awful in
prison orange because?


Davoud,

I've heard that in prison, it's not the jumpsuits that one has to worry
about riding up one's butt.

Awesome!!!!

Anthony.


Davoud

John,

Two quick comments .... your snow conditions made it on the
local news here in the Mediterranean where we had a pristine blue sky
today ... and, secondly, this one goes into my Astro-Jokes list (yes, at
your expense but it belongs in the list .... I like it!).

Wishing you some better skies and warmer conditions.

Anthony.

John Steinberg wrote:

We're currently sitting under about 6-inches of the fluffy white cold
stuff with another 4-9'' predicted overnight. So, I'm working on a
number of ideas to make lemonade from lemons.

Snow Concepts, Volume I, Part I, The Igloo Issue:

* Build an observatory from snow.
Pros: Cheap, readily available building material.
Cons: Getting the dome to rotate, and snow melt.

* Instead of a snowman, how about a snowroland?
Pros: Couldn't hurt.
Cons: Won't help.

* Making ice balls and knocking out all outdoor lighting.
Pros: Darker local conditions. Keeps the pitching arm in tune.
Cons: I look awful in prison orange, and those jumpsuits can really
ride up the butt.

* Natural cooling for my DSLR for long exposure astrophotography
Pros: Three hour guided shots with low/no noise.
Cons: Hypothermia, and electronics and water don't mix well.

Soliciting other ideas as well. Thanks!

Hi,

I feel your pain.
(We got blasted last night by that storm).
You reminded me of a little 'fun' website I put together about a year ago,
when the temp was hovering around zero:
It's called: 'How to Observe in O Degree Weather'
http://home.comcast.net/~lemaaap/vidcap/video5.htm

Enjoy,
Larry


John Steinberg wrote:

We're currently sitting under about 6-inches of the fluffy white cold
stuff with another 4-9'' predicted overnight. So, I'm working on a
number of ideas to make lemonade from lemons.

Snow Concepts, Volume I, Part I, The Igloo Issue:

* Build an observatory from snow.