Rick,

If you don't yet have a good pair of binos, a good all-around pair is the Orion 8x42 Ultraview.? Here is something I wrote a while back, and it still holds:

Alan Adler's great article on binoculars in the September, 2002 issue hit the mark for me.? I had a cheap pair of Simmons 10x50's ($24.95 at Wal-Mart) and last year, on the strength of Alan Adler's review in a link off the Todd Gross Weatherman web site*, I purchased a pair of Orion Ultra-View 8x42 binos and use them regularly in my observing.? I enjoy the bino views of M6, M7, M45 (The Pleiades), the Double Cluster in Perseus and of course, M31 The Great Andromeda Galaxy, as well as just wandering through the Milky Way.? I also use them consistently to find targets to point my scope at.? I wish my finder scope had the good contrast the Ultra-Views have.? Alan could have included "8x42" in his "Astro Index" table on page 96.? It would fall between the 7x50 and 9x63 binos, with an astro index of 50.

* Superb article by Alan Adler on

George Reynolds

?"Rick Bish <2bookworms@...>" <2bookworms@...> wrote:

Hey Dale, were you able to use the Barska 15 X 70's much before the
flood hit Tidewater? I believe you were the one who got a good deal
on them online (Jan. meeting). What have you seen in them? Are you
happy with them? I've been kicking around getting a pair, but I'm not
much of an "equipment person" though they might come in handy in
getting my Lunar Cert.

Rick Bish




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George Reynolds, Deputy Commander, Tidewater South Section Royal Rangers

Visit my Web page:? ?

"Solar System Ambassador" for South Hampton Roads, Virginia

?Member, Back Bay Amateur Astronomers (BBAA)?

---

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- Powerful. Affordable.

Now, just watch -- there will be a run on the album at Planet Music when all the backbayastro lurkers will rush out and?ask for?it!? I gotta get there right away, before the crowd!?

G3

?"kentblackwell " wrote:

I enjoyed reading Joe Piotrowski's History Corner article in the
current Back Bay Observer, and in particular his notes about Sir
Williams Herschel. For those interested I'd like to draw attention to
a wonderful CD containing music written by none other than Sir
William. Yes, he was quite the musician. I purchased my copy from
Planet Music, in the classical department.

Father of Modern Astronomy
Music By Sir William Herschel
Newport Classics 85612

While on the subject of astronomical themes you might enjoy what I
feel is one of the best performances of Holsts', The Planets, though
Holsts' music really was written more on an astrological theme. It
has recently been reissued on CD, from a 1972 performance by Zubin
Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. I was so glad to see it
reissued. London Records has issued it in one of their Double Decker
series, so you get two CDs for the price of one. Paired with The
Planets is a wonderful performance of Strauss's Also Sprach
Zarathustra (theme from 2001). A 29 minute suite from Star Wars is
also included, as well as a fine performance of Close Encounters of
the Third Kind suite. I think Zuby Baby even surpasses John Williams
performance of Close Encounters. The recorded sound is good, though
still can't hold a candle to the audiophile sound on the original LP.

I thought some of you might like something to do on a cloudy night.
Music soothes the savage beast.

Planets/Star Wars/Zarathustra
Zubin Mehta
London 289 452 910 2
(Planet Music had this in stock a few days ago)

Kent Blackwell




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backbayastro-unsubscribe@...



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George Reynolds, Deputy Commander, Tidewater South Section Royal Rangers

Visit my Web page:? ?

"Solar System Ambassador" for South Hampton Roads, Virginia

?Member, Back Bay Amateur Astronomers (BBAA)?

---

Do you Yahoo!?
- Powerful. Affordable.

I enjoyed reading Joe Piotrowski's History Corner article in the
current Back Bay Observer, and in particular his notes about Sir
Williams Herschel. For those interested I'd like to draw attention to
a wonderful CD containing music written by none other than Sir
William. Yes, he was quite the musician. I purchased my copy from
Planet Music, in the classical department.

Father of Modern Astronomy
Music By Sir William Herschel
Newport Classics 85612

While on the subject of astronomical themes you might enjoy what I
feel is one of the best performances of Holsts', The Planets, though
Holsts' music really was written more on an astrological theme. It
has recently been reissued on CD, from a 1972 performance by Zubin
Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. I was so glad to see it
reissued. London Records has issued it in one of their Double Decker
series, so you get two CDs for the price of one. Paired with The
Planets is a wonderful performance of Strauss's Also Sprach
Zarathustra (theme from 2001). A 29 minute suite from Star Wars is
also included, as well as a fine performance of Close Encounters of
the Third Kind suite. I think Zuby Baby even surpasses John Williams
performance of Close Encounters. The recorded sound is good, though
still can't hold a candle to the audiophile sound on the original LP.

I thought some of you might like something to do on a cloudy night.
Music soothes the savage beast.

Planets/Star Wars/Zarathustra
Zubin Mehta
London 289 452 910 2
(Planet Music had this in stock a few days ago)

Kent Blackwell

开云体育

开云体育

Hey Dale, were you able to use the Barska 15 X 70's much before the
flood hit Tidewater? I believe you were the one who got a good deal
on them online (Jan. meeting). What have you seen in them? Are you
happy with them? I've been kicking around getting a pair, but I'm not
much of an "equipment person" though they might come in handy in
getting my Lunar Cert.

Rick Bish

Kent,

Please add my name.

Rob






From: "kentblackwell <kent@...>" <kent@...>
Reply-To: backbayastro@...
To: backbayastro@...
Subject: [backbayastro] Observing this weekend
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2003 02:41:19 -0000

It looks like the weekend is shaping up to be a cloudy one. Can you
belive it? I mean we've had such a cloud-free winter season. Yea,
right. Let's hope we have better luck next new moon, and better luck
at the East Coast Star Party.

If anyone isn't already on my ECSP email list but wishes to be please
let me know.

Thanks.

Kent Blackwell



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Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online

We just need to coordinate all our scope deliveries for the day of the full moon....

Rob





From: "joseph_piotrowski <joepiotrowski@...>" <joepiotrowski@...>
Reply-To: backbayastro@...
To: backbayastro@...
Subject: [backbayastro] Mea Culpa
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2003 02:00:42 -0000

All,
I accept full responsibilty for the bad weather of late.I had the
audacity of offending the Gods of astronomy by getting a new scope.I
think someone Ptol on me.There may be something to that geocentric
model too.Please accept my humble apologies.
Joe



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_________________________________________________________________
Add photos to your e-mail with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*.

开云体育

Kent,
I originally was able to arrange for the May weekend off but when the
date was finalized for March I will unfortunately be on call. Wish I
could be there. Maybe, however since I won't be there you can be
assured of good weather.
Joe Piotrowski

If anyone isn't already on my ECSP email list but wishes to be

please

let me know.

Thanks.

Kent Blackwell

You are not alone my friend, for I too have surely offended these same Gods ...?since last September when?my new scope arrived.? Please add my humble apologies to the pot!

Mike (Collins)? Not yet a bona fide member of the BBAA

?"joseph_piotrowski " wrote:

All,
I accept full responsibilty for the bad weather of late.I had the
audacity of offending the Gods of astronomy by getting a new scope.I
think someone Ptol on me.There may be something to that geocentric
model too.Please accept my humble apologies.
Joe



To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
backbayastro-unsubscribe@...



Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the .

---

Do you Yahoo!?
- forms, calculators, tips, and more

It looks like the weekend is shaping up to be a cloudy one. Can you
belive it? I mean we've had such a cloud-free winter season. Yea,
right. Let's hope we have better luck next new moon, and better luck
at the East Coast Star Party.

If anyone isn't already on my ECSP email list but wishes to be please
let me know.

Thanks.

Kent Blackwell

All,
I accept full responsibilty for the bad weather of late.I had the
audacity of offending the Gods of astronomy by getting a new scope.I
think someone Ptol on me.There may be something to that geocentric
model too.Please accept my humble apologies.
Joe

That works for me... I guess it's an issue of how much storage space she has.

Rob






From: twforte@...
Reply-To: backbayastro@...
To: backbayastro@...
Subject: Re: [backbayastro] Re: Newsletter
Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2003 17:36:19 EST

Great, guys and gals!? We are really coming UPTOWN!?

I am proud to be a member of this fine group.

George

?twforte@... wrote:

In a message dated 2/24/03 8:15:40 PM Eastern Standard Time,
robschonk@... writes:

<< They can be uploaded to our Yahoo group under "files"
? >>

Just looked at the page Marla built and it has some distinct advantages over
the file section here ... its flashy and professional looking and she can
maintain it from work (she cannot access this site from the school).?

You gotta see it, looks great!? I'll build a link from our site, (she has a
link on the page that takes you back to the BBAA site.).? I think this will
work wonderfully.? What I suggest is that we keep six months on her site for
promotional purposes and as the issues rotate off we can archive them here on
Yahoo.? Sort of for an "historical" record.

Ted


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backbayastro-unsubscribe@...



Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the .

George Reynolds, Deputy Commander, Tidewater South Section Royal Rangers

Visit my Web page:? ?

"Solar System Ambassador" for South Hampton Roads, Virginia

?Member, Back Bay Amateur Astronomers (BBAA)?

---

Do you Yahoo!?
- Powerful. Affordable.

Sorry, I'll be out of town. I've heard that lecture and it's most
interesting. Good luck.

Kent Blackwell

Hey guys,

I'm also a member of this association. This is great stuff. It
combines both my profession and my hobby. I am forwarding this info
to see if any of my fellow BBAA's would like to attend this with me.

Let me know.

Eric

Egiles1@...


Hampton Roads AITP (Assoc. of Information Technology Professionals)


March Meeting Preview

Prasun Desai, NASA

Our March speaker will be Prasun N. Desai from the NASA Langley
Research Center. Mr. Desai will speak on "The Mars Exploration
Project."

Over the coming decade, NASA plans to send a multitude of missions to
the Red planet. The missions will consist of various types: Landers,
Orbiters, Rovers, and maybe even Airplanes. The goal of these
missions is to perform scientific investigations of Mars to help
determine and understand it's geologic, climatic, and mineralogic
history and identify where the conditions may have been favorable to
the preservation of evidence of pre-botic or biotic processes.
Simply stated, the motto of these missions is to "follow the water."
This presentation will include an overview of past missions that have
flown to Mars, current missions that are being developed, and future
mission the are being planned and their goals.

*

Our Next Meeting is Tuesday, March 4th, 2003
Point Plaza Suites & Conference Hotel (formerly the Ramada Inn) at I-
64 & US 17, Newport News, Va.
Social Hour - 5:30 PM, Dinner - 6:30 PM, Program - 7:30 PM
Members - $16, Spouse/Significant Other - $19, Guests - $19,
Students - $13
If you will be joining us for the speaker and not for dinner, we
request a donation of $5.
For Reservations: Call Digital Applications Inc., at 827-1250 no
later than noon on the Friday preceding the meeting.

Full Newsletter is at www.aitp-hr.com

*

In a message dated 2/24/03 8:15:40 PM Eastern Standard Time,
robschonk@... writes:

<< They can be uploaded to our Yahoo group under "files"
>>

Just looked at the page Marla built and it has some distinct advantages over
the file section here ... its flashy and professional looking and she can
maintain it from work (she cannot access this site from the school).

You gotta see it, looks great! I'll build a link from our site, (she has a
link on the page that takes you back to the BBAA site.). I think this will
work wonderfully. What I suggest is that we keep six months on her site for
promotional purposes and as the issues rotate off we can archive them here on
Yahoo. Sort of for an "historical" record.

Ted

Lelane Arneson sent me this, thought Id put it out here due to the short time
frame:

Item Name Sale-Lot Number Current
Bid State Number of
Bidders Close Time
(*) Possible Extension. See Bidding Rules.
MODEL, SPACE TELESCOPE 31FBPI03032002 180 USD per lot VA 5 03/01 07:28 PM

CST *

Item Description

Bidding Details

Bidding Rules

Bid History

Completed Trades



ONE LOT CONSISTING OF MODEL, SPACE TELESCOPE SPACE TELESCOPE MOUNTED ON

WOODEN BOARD HAS ONE BROKEN SOLARPANEL. 12" X 18" X18", DATE MFG: 19870101,
(1 EA); EXHIBIT COMPOSITES THIS COMPOSITES EXHIBIT WAS ON LONG TERM LOAN TO
THE VIRGINIA AIR AND SPACE CENTER. IT IS NOW EXCESS TO THE NEED OF THE
TRAVELING EXHIBITS PROGRAM. (1 EA); -USED- *NON-US CITIZENS WILL NOT BE
AUTHORIZED ON NASA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER TO INSPECT OF PICKUP SURPLUS
PERSONAL PROPERTY. (803301/2308,S016/2318,S015) MAKE: ECHELON TECH MODEL:
1/25

If this auction is scheduled to close on or after March 2, 2003, new Terms

& Conditions apply. The new terms and conditions require that all registered
users must provide credit card information. Beginning March 2 when you log
in, you will automatically be prompted to provide credit card information

Special Inspection Information:
ONE DAY INSPECTIONWEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 26, 20039:00AM-2:30 PM

Please contact the custodian for additional information about this item(s)

and for inspection dates and times.

Successful bidders are cautioned that they will be responsible for loading

and removal of any and all property awarded to them from the exact place
where the property is located, as indicated below

Property Location and Custodian Information:
NASA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER
MAIL STOP 381
4 SOUTH MARVIN STREET
HAMPTON,VA 23681-0001

Contact: LOLIA DEAL
phone:757-864-8307 ext: 0000000
fax:757-864-3388

For additional inquiries about payment and pickup of this item(s), contact:
US General Services Administration
The Strawbridges Bldg.
20 North 8th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107-3191
Phone: 215-446-5065
FAX: 215-446-5117
GSAAuctions.MidAtlantic@...

Marla,

You are a wonder!? A real gem!? You put out a masterpiece every month, and now you are adding archives.? I think that's great!? Thank you for all you do.

George

?"Marla " wrote:

Thanks, Georgie! I appreciate all you do to get the hard copy
newsletters out too!! I know you're at my mercy every month as to
when you can do your part. I try hard to accommodate your schedule!!

I'm working on a new site with the archived newsletters too... it
just takes me awhile. I'll not put the current ones on for public
viewing until they are dated a couple months. The url for it is
if any of you newer
members would like to read some of the older newsletters. I have
November and December on the site as of today. I'll probably put
about 6 months worth on it at a time.

It is great that we have so many articles for our newsletter that I
can't fit them all in. I hope the font size didn't make any of you
have to get new glasses in order to read it! I was just trying to
get as much in it as possible.

And it is good to get articles from the new members, and they were
very good articles.? But since I'm still too new at the
astronomy "stuff," I'll just leave the writing to you guys for
awhile (quite awhile probably) and I'll just do what I do best.

I do like reading all of the information that is going back and
forth from you guys who know what you're talking about. Maybe some
of it will sink in!!!

Thanks again!
Marla

--- In backbayastro@..., "Georgie "
wrote:
> WOW!? Another great BBAA newsletter!
>
> It's GREAT to see articles written by some of our new members.?
Way
> to Go Joe Piotrowski and Rick Bish!?
>
> What a great article on Bob Hitt's African Safari and eclipse trip
> also!
>
> georgie :)



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George Reynolds, Deputy Commander, Tidewater South Section Royal Rangers

Visit my Web page:? ?

"Solar System Ambassador" for South Hampton Roads, Virginia

?Member, Back Bay Amateur Astronomers (BBAA)?

---

Do you Yahoo!?
- Powerful. Affordable.