Telescope and Mount Recommendation
The ranger (Austin) in North Carolina that we work for their annual statewide star party is interested in getting an entry level solar telescope. Does anyone have suggestions?
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Do you think this one is better than the Coronado PST?
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If neither, can someone recommend one near the $1000 price point? I see High Point has a good selection but I'm not sure which is the best one to recommend to them.
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Does anyone know a good tracking mount to use with it? The club has the iOptron Cube and it works great. Unfortunately it has been discontinued or I would recommend it. I think they would rather have an easy to use tracking mount than manual but I am sure that Austin would be interested in any recommendations we can give him.
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Thank you!
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Re: Sad news from solar eclipse guru Fred Espenak
Won't be easy to fill those shoes
On Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at 09:43:31 PM EDT, Roy Diffrient <mail@...> wrote:
Oh, that¡¯s horrible! ?Lots of sympathy for Fred, his wife and family. ?And what grace and courage in facing the demise he knows is coming very soon. ?Poor Fred ¨C he will certainly be greatly missed by many.
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On 04/15/2025 7:38 PM EDT Kent Blackwell via groups.io <kent@...> wrote:
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I just read this from Fred Espenak. Fred is and always will be regarded as the authority of eclipses, both lunar and solar. I have all his books and guides.?
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I want to share some sad news.
I was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) five years ago. I did not have any significant symptoms until last year. That changed dramatically in 2025 and my health has rapidly deteriorated.
I have spent the last two weeks in a Phoenix hospital undergoing exhaustive testing to determine whether I am a candidate for a lung transplant. Unfortunately, my IPF has progressed too far for a transplant.
I expect to be placed into hospice care tomorrow and will probably be gone within a few days or less.
But I cannot complain. I have had a marvelous life of eclipses, astronomy, a NASA career, and my wonderful wife Pat, the greatest love of my life.
I wish those I leave behind many more years of clear eclipses and awe for the heavens.
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Re: Sad news from solar eclipse guru Fred Espenak
He loves(d) not only chasing eclipses but an accomplished amateur, both a visual observer and an astrophotographer.?
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Re: Sad news from solar eclipse guru Fred Espenak
Oh, that¡¯s horrible! ?Lots of sympathy for Fred, his wife and family. ?And what grace and courage in facing the demise he knows is coming very soon. ?Poor Fred ¨C he will certainly be greatly missed by many.
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On 04/15/2025 7:38 PM EDT Kent Blackwell via groups.io <kent@...> wrote:
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I just read this from Fred Espenak. Fred is and always will be regarded as the authority of eclipses, both lunar and solar. I have all his books and guides.?
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I want to share some sad news.
I was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) five years ago. I did not have any significant symptoms until last year. That changed dramatically in 2025 and my health has rapidly deteriorated.
I have spent the last two weeks in a Phoenix hospital undergoing exhaustive testing to determine whether I am a candidate for a lung transplant. Unfortunately, my IPF has progressed too far for a transplant.
I expect to be placed into hospice care tomorrow and will probably be gone within a few days or less.
But I cannot complain. I have had a marvelous life of eclipses, astronomy, a NASA career, and my wonderful wife Pat, the greatest love of my life.
I wish those I leave behind many more years of clear eclipses and awe for the heavens.
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Re: Sad news from solar eclipse guru Fred Espenak
Our hearts go out to Dr. Espenak, and to Pat.? The legacy and wonder he created and will leave behind him are a great accomplishment.
Sad, indeed. ? ? I just read this from Fred Espenak. Fred is and always will be regarded as the authority of eclipses, both lunar and solar. I have all his books and guides.? I want to share some sad news. I was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) five years ago. I did not have any significant symptoms until last year. That changed dramatically in 2025 and my health has rapidly deteriorated. I have spent the last two weeks in a Phoenix hospital undergoing exhaustive testing to determine whether I am a candidate for a lung transplant. Unfortunately, my IPF has progressed too far for a transplant. I expect to be placed into hospice care tomorrow and will probably be gone within a few days or less. But I cannot complain. I have had a marvelous life of eclipses, astronomy, a NASA career, and my wonderful wife Pat, the greatest love of my life. I wish those I leave behind many more years of clear eclipses and awe for the heavens.
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Re: Sad news from solar eclipse guru Fred Espenak
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Show quoted text
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Kent Blackwell via groups.io
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2025 4:38 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [BackBayAstro] Sad news from solar eclipse guru Fred Espenak? I just read this from Fred Espenak. Fred is and always will be regarded as the authority of eclipses, both lunar and solar. I have all his books and guides.? I want to share some sad news. I was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) five years ago. I did not have any significant symptoms until last year. That changed dramatically in 2025 and my health has rapidly deteriorated. I have spent the last two weeks in a Phoenix hospital undergoing exhaustive testing to determine whether I am a candidate for a lung transplant. Unfortunately, my IPF has progressed too far for a transplant. I expect to be placed into hospice care tomorrow and will probably be gone within a few days or less. But I cannot complain. I have had a marvelous life of eclipses, astronomy, a NASA career, and my wonderful wife Pat, the greatest love of my life. I wish those I leave behind many more years of clear eclipses and awe for the heavens.
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Sad news from solar eclipse guru Fred Espenak
I just read this from Fred Espenak. Fred is and always will be regarded as the authority of eclipses, both lunar and solar. I have all his books and guides.?
?
I want to share some sad news.
I was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) five years ago. I did not have any significant symptoms until last year. That changed dramatically in 2025 and my health has rapidly deteriorated.
I have spent the last two weeks in a Phoenix hospital undergoing exhaustive testing to determine whether I am a candidate for a lung transplant. Unfortunately, my IPF has progressed too far for a transplant.
I expect to be placed into hospice care tomorrow and will probably be gone within a few days or less.
But I cannot complain. I have had a marvelous life of eclipses, astronomy, a NASA career, and my wonderful wife Pat, the greatest love of my life.
I wish those I leave behind many more years of clear eclipses and awe for the heavens.
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Saturday Night: YRSP outreach & open observing session
Our?monthly scheduled outreach & open observing session at???is this?Saturday Night.?The extended forecast isn't great but we're still 5-days & nights out.?
Calendar Note:?if there is another event on the VPAS or Back Bay calendars, this is an?additional event?and it does not supersede nor replace any other event. ? Address:?9801 York River Park Rd, Williamsburg, VA 23188 Park Phone: 757-566-3036 Lat:?37.414639 Long:?-76.713562
GPS Coordinates:
37¡ã 24' 52.7004'' N ? ? 76¡ã 42' 48.8232'' W ? The public is invited & this event is posted on the YRSP Website calendar & their Facebook page.?We ask that members of the public who are attending to please park in?designated visitor parking?& walk to the site so there is enough space for the amateur astronomers to transport & park next to their gear on the observing field.?After outreach, the amateur astronomers take over and we have YRSP to ourselves as long as we wish to observe. The sky at YRSP is as dark as it can get in this area.? ? Important:?the gate will be?dummy-locked?by the departing duty Ranger. If anyone leaves early, you¡¯ll have to open the gate, close it and (re)dummy-lock it?(please do not lock the rest of us in). ? Observing Site?(see attached map): After entering the park (the entrance fee is waived for amateur astronomers), the participating amateur astronomers should drive to & enter the ¡®right¡¯ parking lot. At the back/riverside corner of the lot, take the ¡°No Admittance¡± gravel road/path (we are allowed to drive on it) to the observing site where you may park & unload.?If you notice public outreach attendees driving to the observing site, please help me police the area by re-directing them to the visitor parking lots. ? Due to the proximity of the river, be prepared to battle dew in any season. Consider bringing a lightweight tarp to cover your eyepieces and other accessories on your observing table. Those who have scopes susceptible to dew, you will likely need a dew heater. ? We¡¯ll start at sunset ¨C??- and?observe until we get tired.? ? Forecast Links:
? A Go/No Go will be posted on the VPAS & Back Bay Groups on Saturday AFTN NLT (no later than) 3:00 PM. ? Hopefully the weather cooperates - and the tree pollen?subsides.
Cheers,
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Confirmed the solar flare observation today at 1403 UTC
Confirmed the flare on the sunspot 4055 at 1403 UTC, 1003 EDT. It only lasted about a minute or two and then vanished. Data confirms my observation on spaceweatherlive.com
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could be
On Friday, April 11, 2025 at 07:52:18 PM EDT, Jeremy via groups.io <jsaria@...> wrote:
I suppose that could explain the delay!
On Fri, Apr 11, 2025, 7:47 PM jimcoble2000 via <jimcoble2000= [email protected]> wrote:
Are those pre tariff cloud filters?
On Friday, April 11, 2025 at 07:28:42 PM EDT, Jeremy via <jsaria= [email protected]> wrote:
Evening, folks!
As some of you have probably seen, we are canceled for tomorrow. I am still waiting on the shipment of cloud filters.
Hope to see everyone next week at Skywatch!
(With hopes of eventual) clear skies,
Jeremy
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I suppose that could explain the delay!
On Fri, Apr 11, 2025, 7:47 PM jimcoble2000 via <jimcoble2000= [email protected]> wrote:
Are those pre tariff cloud filters?
On Friday, April 11, 2025 at 07:28:42 PM EDT, Jeremy via <jsaria= [email protected]> wrote:
Evening, folks!
As some of you have probably seen, we are canceled for tomorrow. I am still waiting on the shipment of cloud filters.
Hope to see everyone next week at Skywatch!
(With hopes of eventual) clear skies,
Jeremy
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Are those pre tariff cloud filters?
On Friday, April 11, 2025 at 07:28:42 PM EDT, Jeremy via groups.io <jsaria@...> wrote:
Evening, folks!
As some of you have probably seen, we are canceled for tomorrow. I am still waiting on the shipment of cloud filters.
Hope to see everyone next week at Skywatch!
(With hopes of eventual) clear skies,
Jeremy
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Abandon hope all ye who enter here.............................
On Friday, April 11, 2025 at 07:28:42 PM EDT, Jeremy via groups.io <jsaria@...> wrote:
Evening, folks!
As some of you have probably seen, we are canceled for tomorrow. I am still waiting on the shipment of cloud filters.
Hope to see everyone next week at Skywatch!
(With hopes of eventual) clear skies,
Jeremy
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Evening, folks!
As some of you have probably seen, we are canceled for tomorrow. I am still waiting on the shipment of cloud filters.
Hope to see everyone next week at Skywatch!
(With hopes of eventual) clear skies,
Jeremy
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The moon at the public event
Mare Humorum was prominent Wednesday night for the public event. That is the circular dark Mare so prominent to the naked eye when the moon is approaching full phase. That would be 11.08 days of the lunation (days from the new moon). Humorum is a text book for basin? formation and lunar forms. It is circular and though it is a bit more subtle that Imbrium or Crisium, Humorum has all the important features of a multi ring impact basin.
It is circular first off and the first ring of the impact basin is the dark mare material itself. Other rings are a bit harder to distinguish but remnants are there.? There are three craters on the edge of the mare forming a triangle. Gassendi in the north, Doppelmayer in the south west, and Hippalus in the east. Notice that they all have something in common. The crater walls facing radially inward to the basin center are all low and flooded. The outward walls, facing out, are higher above the surface. Each crater has a flat flooded floor of lava. Around the edge of the mare are what appears to be cracks or linear features concentric to the circumference of the mare. These combined, suggest that the weight of the overlying lava depressed the center of the basin into the softer mantle of the moon. As the center sank, lava poured in to the low spots in the crater walls, flooding the floors of the three craters. These lava were quite thin, about the viscosity of motor oil to cover so much ground.? Cracks and ridges formed at the edge in response to the sinking of the mare. Crater density in the mare clearly shows it is of younger age than the heavily cratered surrounding bright highlands. It is often wrongly assumed that the mantle of the earth and moon are molten and very soft. That is not really correct in the short time. Examined, it would look quite solid. But over time it does flow (long time). A great way to visualize this is to take a stick of butter and bridge it across two plates at the ends of the stick. Initially it seems stiff and non flexible (unless you break it) but leave it there for a day and see what happens over a time period. Gravity will start to deform the butter into a u shape over time. Slow steady force over time is the key point to deformation. same for planetary crusts.
Humorum is a good example of an interesting observation that is more than just a pretty impression.?
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Re: Deep Creek Elementary School Friday 4/11
I would but I¡¯m working today.?
On Thu, Apr 10, 2025 at 6:48?PM George Reynolds via <pathfinder027= [email protected]> wrote: Can someone RSVP to help Jeff Goldstein tomorrow at DCES all day from 0800 to 1500???
I had planned to be there, but something came up and I can't make it.
George
George Reynolds
"Solar System Ambassador" for South Hampton Roads, Virginia
Back Bay Amateur Astronomers (BBAA)?
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Yeah, pretty cool (but really not surprising since uncle Kent knows everybody who¡¯s anybody in this hobby!) ? Ted ?
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From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of jimcoble2000 via groups.io
Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2025 5:33 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [BackBayAstro] Norm Sperling? On Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 05:14:38 PM EDT, Kent Blackwell via groups.io <kent@...> wrote: I just watched an interesting, but L-O-N-G YouTube about Norm Sperling. Back in the early 70's he visited the Chesapeake Planetarium. I invited Norm to come look through my 8" f/8 Optical Craftsman telescope, a telescope I have always regretting selling. Gosh, I'd like to have that scope back. I think Dick Nelson, owner of The Optical Craftsman made the mirror. Norm and I spent most of the night stargazing in my backyard in Chesapeake. Anyway, back to the YouTube. I never knew later on Norm invented a telescope which became what is possibly the biggest selling telescope of all times, the Edmund Astroscan. For those youngsters who've never heard of it, Google Edmund Astroscan.
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classic
On Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 05:14:38 PM EDT, Kent Blackwell via groups.io <kent@...> wrote:
I just watched an interesting, but L-O-N-G YouTube about Norm Sperling. Back in the early 70's he visited the Chesapeake Planetarium. I invited Norm to come look through my 8" f/8 Optical Craftsman telescope, a telescope I have always regretting selling. Gosh, I'd like to have that scope back. I think Dick Nelson, owner of The Optical Craftsman made the mirror. Norm and I spent most of the night stargazing in my backyard in Chesapeake. Anyway, back to the YouTube. I never knew later on Norm invented a telescope which became what is possibly the biggest selling telescope of all times, the Edmund Astroscan. For those youngsters who've never heard of it, Google Edmund Astroscan.
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Kent Blackwell
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Deep Creek Elementary School Friday 4/11
Can someone RSVP to help Jeff Goldstein tomorrow at DCES all day from 0800 to 1500???
I had planned to be there, but something came up and I can't make it.
George
George Reynolds
"Solar System Ambassador" for South Hampton Roads, Virginia
Back Bay Amateur Astronomers (BBAA)?
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Shawn Loescher
Kent Blackwell
Ted Forte
