The SBAU Forum

Quick notes!  Download and listen to attached mp3 file, 50 minutes.

170814 KZSB SBAU radio program AdrianL Summer Science B JW TW CM 2nd Monday

00:00.000 earth sky solar flares
01:29.739 it is 3pm. Baron-news: solar eclipse museum natural history
02:36.849 B-news: forest eclipse crowds & fires

03:21.774 song "summer 1609 Galileo" TW newsletter 14 yrs; CM Comtech computers; TW-adjunct Westmont; AdrianL VP will tell about summer sci progr in astrophysics; TW-NY Times 1919 eclipse supported relativity, read about supporting others to see it. Helen McDonald, "March 26 Turkey, hole in sky, very black at totality.  Hard to grasp.  ?Thot others would detract from event, but in a crowd there is a solidarity felt..."  TW-going to South Carolina, Greenville.  JW-near Salem Oregon, Pine Ridge resort outside of Mamouth; CM-Wyoming; AL-in town, school starting, may hand out some glasses.  Javier will talk at Dargan's Sci Pub tonite.

15:256.084 song "its been a long while" star trek.  Police Chief works out to Pink (singer).  SBAU.org .  CM-1955 SB star cluster, AdrianC biking across US.  B-getting pictures of members.  JW- last speaker Karl Blasius, Mars. B-Orion capsule, next gen JW-for manned missions, 2018 may be first mission.  B-will talk on eclipse later.  AdrianL 6-18 to 7-26 summer science program in astrophysics New Mexico, 36 kids.  Collaboration w/ Alumni Foundation, two campuses CU Boulder, and NM Inst Tech, Sicorro.  1hr s of Albuquere. Lecture 9-12, 1-4, work on P-sets, problem sets.  TW-very prestigious to be in. AL-Costs $5-6K, but had financial aid.  AL-P-sets one a day, main problem of summer was to determine orbit of an Asteroid.  Twice a week, 2hrs a night, observe w/ telescope, take pics, RA, Dec.  Teams of three.  18th mag or brighter asteroids can be seen. B-most between Mars & Jupiter.  TW-18th mag is 1000x dimmer than seen w naked eye.  B-all earth telescopes have tracking mech?  JW- CM-w/ telescopes can track in a few minutes.  Ceres 600 miles across.  B-Mars moons potatoes in space.  AL-name of asteroids 2005 TX68, 1999 LA, 1951 Lick; 12 teams.  Everyone successful in determining orbits.  AL-plan to major in physics, then astrophysics.  CM-he will come back and talk to our club.

28:34.084 song "once I had enough of a mass, i became a star of gas"  eclipse August 21 Monday, need special glasses.  B-shadow 70 miles across CM-partial shadow is much wider.  AL-problem angular momentum if Moon moving away, calc Earth slowing down. B-what to learn from eclipse?  JW-what can we know that we do not know  CM-different layers of Sun can be seen.  JW-coronagraph can work like a natural eclipse. JW-AL did you operate telescope?  AL-we did, but had help.  14" scope in New Mexico.  TW-hosted program at Westmont in past.  B-jazz  Gato Barberi "Europa"  beasts under the ice.

34:36.681 song "its been a long while" B-it's the AU hour, SBAU.org, astro unit, Richard Dupre: determining DEC/RA? AL-used that to calculate distance and movement, long of ascending nodes, RD-expression of orbit?  AL-determined orbit, RD-prediction? AL-not perfect.  RD-what math used?  AL-RA/DEC used astrometry, least squarese plate reduction using nearby ref stars, then method of Gauss CM-vector math.  B-calculus?  AL-partial deriv, figured in class, then plug in numbers. CM-gravity of Jupiter can throw orbits off.  AL-these were NEO asteroids.  JW-asteroids could interact and change orbits.  shatter or stick to each other also.  Shoemaker/Levy Jupiter tidal forces.  TW-Keplerian dynamics can show gravity effects.  JW-spot exoplanets by motion of stars; also transits.  B-all solar systems flat?  JW-comets come from various angles.  B-any friends made? AL-facebook group.  B-girls in STEM only 4%?  CM-prob going up.  TW-circuit class 3 or 4 of 10 female.  B-small class.  CM-my intro class had 300 students. TW-taught there, very diff from Evergreen college.

43:28.876 song "calm and cloudless night...1609 Galileo"  B-true? CM-he pushed his luck. Venus, Jupiter observations. CM-Cassini will go into Saturn soon.  Huygens probe dropped on Titan.  Juno mission around Jupiter B-pics of great red spot? JW-yes. radiation near planet.  B-New Horizons CM-going to a binary or elongated body dwarf planet, found by occultations.  B-great pics of Pluto, heart shape.  CM-may call it a planet again, anything in hydrostatic equilibrium JW-spherical.  B-did we land on asteroid? yes.  JW-dinosaurs did not have space program.  TW-James Webb coming up.  B-WISE telescope?  CM-wide field infrared survey.  B-not visual anymore?  JW-big ones still visual.  Thanks Adrian

49:08.845  end.  some news w/ Baron..renew energy vs gas plant in Oxnard.  50:26.331

170607 interview Thacher school astronomy. Drs Vyhnal and Swift
(download and play attached audio file)
00:00.000 early talk
01:26.515 pre 9am intros
03:09.481 1st section star trek music
13:13.261 2nd section music: 1609 Galileo
24:41.729 3rd section ... 25:14.426 power loss! for about 15minutes. 
4th section  sounds a little scratchy for a minute or so. 
Richard Dupree call re power loss...yes Thacher Obs dome can close if power is lost. 
42:14.943 end

170522 KZSB 1290AM SBAU radio hour 4th Monday notes w/ Baron Ron Herron, JerryW, ChuckMcP, TomT, BruceM
see attached file to download and playback
tt--if a spaceship lands on Uranus, will that make you itchy?
00:00.000 Teresa Brewer "Let me go" song, Baron preview SBAU
02:07.057  TT where should I put my millions?
02:22.178 
02:43.701 f-bomb?
02:56.741 B-in my studio, names, star party last saturday at Museum, JW-famous pic of Einstein taken at Museum; CM-after 1915 Einstein world famous; B-special relativity? JW-sure;

04:58.967 music: Galileo 1609; B-how do we know that? CM-he wrote about it, refractor.  JW-eyeglasses led to telescopes.  CM-seafarers did not have scopes until after Galileo.  B-Ben Franklin kite ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kite_experiment ); 400Hz freq for airplanes;

08:12.675 music: Star Trek; B, BruceM-June 3 next open console for Arlington Theater organ; B-Nemo's organ? TT, JW, CM intro suggested by Richard Dugan, AntiKythera Mechanism, an Orrey, B-needs oiling? BM-xray'd and replicated; B-Chariots of the Gods guy will claim something else; BM-60Hz used for carbon arcs; 400Hz used in aircraft for weight reasons.  JW-real bright lights were carbon arcs, and before light bulbs, Lime burned in theaters "limelight", and miners used underground. BM-acetylene to burn the lime; Edison bulbs; B-Edison direct current, Tesla A/c championed by Westinghouse.  BM-D/c needed power every mile.  JW-A/c electrons slosh back and forth.  B-lightning?  Exoplanets show lightning.

17:25.050 music: ST space, the final frontier; Richard Dupree call during break.  JW-earth one of most active lightning planet suitable for life, but Jupiter has much more; B-Sprites? JW-above the clouds, and go up. ISS has taken pictures.  B-uneven electrons amounts.  BM-Calcium Carbide for lamps. TT-3 types of sprites, jellyfish, column, carrots. B-JW do not believe in Dark Matter? JW-need to test and get evidence to support postulate.  DM is a simple explanation.  TT-may be MOND.  CM-no evidence.  JW-I think we will be surprised with final answer. B-Black holes, many solar masses...missing stars?  JW-are not enough to be dark matter BM-I heard opposite, more BH than stars. TT-maybe early in universe more massive stars that collapse to BHs.  JW-graviton not found yet. but cleverly made up.
BM-neutrino can go thru a light year of lead w/ 30% chance of hitting.  JW-produced in core of Sun, detected on earth.  3 types of neutrinos. Could account for missing numbers.  B-come from all stars.  CM-2 sec early warnings of supernova due to neutrino detection.  B-neutrino travel at speed of light, solar wind comes later.

30:00.401  music: Gato Barbieri.  B-SBAU potluck June 2 for members. Chips/Dip; Mac/Cheese.  CM-outreach 6-3 REfugio, 6 tele tues....Bacara, Museum, Westmont, Lopez Lake, Carp St Beach; Asteroid Day June 31 1908 Tunguska event in Siberia.  TT-RTMC.  B-eclipse story, Aug 21  JW-Hi to daughter Laura in Port Hueneme, texted back.  BM-gravity has waves, why not a particle involved? B-spacetime continum? JW-rubber sheet not literal.  TT-spacetime, 4D? JW-time is c x T....  B-special general relativity next

38:33.971  music: McP song collection; B-banjo space music; back w/ BM on phone, card carrying members, JW-"cannot lose it" not in my spacetime.  July meeting Yair Arcavi, Aug-Karl Blasius Mars. B-monolith. Genius TV show on Einstein..how can something go thru nothing.  JW-just wrote on that in SBAU newsletter, zero in math. Can vacuum exist?  no motion in vacuum?  1644 Torrecelli made vacuum with mercury in tube.  Barometer.  B-spec/gen rrelativity? JW-special is at constant velocity, zero acceleration, e=mc2, time dilation, twin paradox. General is with acceleration taking place, elevator falling.  grav mass = inertia mass.  JW-space ships that rotate to make gravity. B-earth? JW-want to travel in straight line, feel gravity from mass.  BM-gravity sucks JW-there is no gravity the earth sucks.  B-so?  JW-expl the universe  CM-then quantum mechanics.  LHC and Fermi Lab chicago.  Texas was too expensive for a LHC during Vietnam war.  B-anti-matter in LHC?  JW-can hold in magnetic bottle.  Star Trek Enterprise amount? JW-copius amount maybe in another method. Classical vacuum take everything out.  B-anti-protons, positrons = explosion? BM-energy.

49:14.323 music: star trek tv;  B-why not more members for AU?  many listeners TT-millions on internet.  B-trojan asteroids?  CM-occulations  TT-how many looking at same occultations? CM-up to 80, but usually just a few.  B-billions of rocks?  how to nail one?  CM-100Ks know.  TT-only in belt?  CM-also near earth objects.  CM-trojans in same orbit as planet BM-lagrange point. B-Ceres, dwarf planet.  B-wrap up hour outreaches, Museum, Westmont. CM-Cachuma in July. JW-Neil Degrasse Tyson, Physics not a belief system.
54:18.160

name           # in party      potluck dish
Tom/CezT           2               chicken & greek salad
ArtH                    2               Jello
Martin/JanetM      2                potato & macaroni salad
RonH                    1                chips & dip
TonyT               1                mac cheese bake
ZandraC             1               chicken salad
JerryW/PatF          2                chicken enchiladas
JimW                    1                 thai food
JohnE                    2                german potato salad kielbasa
JoeD/Connie        2             tbd
MarkP                     1                  chips a/o soda
PatrickW              2              tbd
MikeC                      2              tbd & jelly bellies
Russel/Diane         2                   sweet
DoraD                      1-2            dessert
EdgarO                 1                    chicken
ArdianL                 2               tbd
BillC                      2               tbd
BobB                      1-2               tbd

00:00.000 170508 KZSB radio intro w Baron, [see attached 46min audio file from Sunday 170514 replay 3pm]

00:15.456 Star Wars theme music; B-intro's: TomT-refreshments, JerryW-Prez, TomW-news, phone: BruceM, prez of organ society; & in Indiana, ChuckMcP-outreach, Pat, (nephew Daniel Cassidy graduating UI), B-Chuck give outreach like your face we had on the screen [by MikeF] at the May meeting? CM-June 2 potluck, 3rd Fri Westmont, Telescope Workshops on Tues; TimC sends out communications; ColinT treasury report;  "I would not join a club that would have me"-Mark Twain; Groucho-smuggler.  Baron-lenses?  TomW-mirrors; MikeC 14" porthole glass, B-smear w/ metal? JW-vacuum deposition of aluminum; TomW- Bob Fees up in bay area.  B-grinding?  JW-silicon carbide, used to be sand between stones; JW-hogged out using diamond grinding wheel. B-Hubble problems? Bruce-final shape was bad. B-lasers? JW-laser interferometry.  Celestron, Meade, TeleVue, A-P.  JW-webcams on telescopes.  Tony Galvan-used camera wo telescope (worked at NCAR, nat center atmos res).  ArtH 12"? lens + mirror  JW-  TT-ArtH to sell, RTMC, JW-generally half off.  KZSB names TT,CM,JW.

14:42.090 Star Wars music; BW-lives in IV; TomW-NY Times Science Tuesday:  Stamp to commemorate Total Solar Eclipse Aug 21, touch to change sun to moon, temp sensitive ink; TT-back of sheet of stamps shows eclipse path; TT-hope it is a "forever" stamp; Monday, Aug 21, Tele outreaches CM-see pigeons early summer eves;
TomW-NYT: building blocks from Mars soil, using pressure to make red bricks wo a kiln.  stronger than steel reinforced concrete; TT-moon dust 3D printer; JW-grains fuse TomW-squeezed out creatures, called Lunatics, JW-unfortunately they made it to earth, and all named Pat [PM-"I heard that"]; B-only a couple of years for rovers?  CM-90 days originally.  Curiousity, Opportunity still work on Mars.  B-wheel dragging, found something? JW-salt, but at pole water was found.  B-caves on Mars? JW-lava tubes found; B-Mars show showed that.  TomW-Mars bars. B-May meeting open mic, one speaker did not show? JW-Karl Blasius coming up in a few months on latest mars rover info.

23:57.091  Star Wars music: B-organizing a topic is not normal for this group.  TomW-gets NYT by 5am. B-google news does same.  TW-Cassini deep dives btw Saturn and rings.  21 more dives, Sept 15 is final plunge into the planet.  JW-do not want to contaminate moons. B-Titan had parachute ride down w/ Hyguens probe dropped by Cassini. Need to put on Planetarium dome. or Pat & Chuck dancing. CM-nothingess found, few hits on satellite.  B-Juno going around Jupiter? JW-not sure of death date, but big elliptical orbits CM-maybe 2 yr mission.  B-why radiation around Jupiter? JW-captures ionizing particles B-like earth JW-van allen belts.  TT-what particles are they? Nuclear? JW-Nu-cle-ar. BM-particles from sun.  JW-determining gravity fields around Jupiter.  BM-bulging at equator.  JW-we dumped a satellite into Jupiter before.  B-Voyager did pass bys of Jupiter before? Passengers movie swung spacecraft around a star, 40 sec, B-another break, back w/ AU hour

32:24.029 B-Star Wars! will the franchise ever end? Intro CM,BM, TT-United Meth church organ heard last Sat SBCC, "double double boil and trouble" sang in church! TomW-Cepheid variable stars Westmont 24" scope used, use model for pulsation.  CM-Polaris is one, hard to get distance? TomW-Yes.  TW-study ones with a few tenths of magnitude.  JW-satellites use star patterns to orientate, but one time a star disappeared because it was a variable, and the satellite had to be reprogrammed.  TW-first stars to extend the distance ladder.  JW-one found in Andromeda galaxy, and helped to get distance to it, inverse square law, and proved it to be outside of our galaxy.  Hubble did that. TT-Henrietta Levitt?  JW-she did study on the Cepheid variables.  B-not changing mass?  TW-color and temperature.  B-event horizons coming up by JW.

40:58.288 B-SBAU had an interesting round robin of talks at the meeting.  BM said that "there are more black holes in the universe than stars" possibly dark matter.  JW-talked about telescope the size of the earth of radio telescopes at extremes of the earth.  Took exposure over 5 days, looking for high resolution of the black hole at center of Milky Way and core of M81 galaxy (Bodes), perhaps to view the event horizon.  Parsec=3.26 light years.  B-parallax involved?  JW-right.  TT-frequency of light used?  JW-millimeters, can be influenced by water in atmosphere.  B-your article in newsletter JW-on telescope making.  BM-tomorrow night telescope workshop.  TomW-Nat geo program on Einstein is good.
46:17.106 end

170410 KZSB SBAU radio show quick sloppy notes:
(see attached radio audio file to click on or download to play)

00:00.000 approx. 840am, pre-show talk: B-trying to think of songs w/ girls names, and Texas has several. JerryW in, TomT not, B-SBAU next May meeting, AdrianL looking for members to talk?  B-signed up to ask Q's. Save me for afterwards? signed up to bring food to meeting.  JW-several members want to speak, 2 open w/ May speaker skipping till August. 

03:12.240 B-(talk w/ Donny) Felt guilty so bringing potluck food hot dogs or chips/dip to SBAU potluck next time.
03:47.679 B-waiting for capt. Breadbaker coming in? TomT has cold, maybe star party?
04:12.430 B-Full moon, sat night.  Aug 21, Total Solar eclipse coming up. nw to se. CM-72% covered in SB.
05:02.353 KZSB names. looney tunes. B-Bruce, did you set up telescope in driveway? yes 40ft from Chuck. JW yours there? no.  B-assignments? CM-used to give out handouts; students sometimes get extra credit.  JW-sometimes folks as for things; easy GoTo system on mount. BM-will do a tour w/ folks. B-color on Chucks? CMcP-Orion nebula in sword.

08:22.046 ~905am SBAU show start: music: Where are you little star?  B-three here, one on phone, missing TomW, TomT; BruceM on phone, sits up front at meetings. 1st Fri, then 2nd Sat.  JW and CMcP outreaches so much, he could not make last Friday general meeting, since he was outreaching.  CM-El Cap, under tarp in rain showing rocks. B-BruceM take telescopes out? Bruce almost all.  Places: CM-Carp St. Beach, Refugio, Cachuma, Bacara...   B-Camino Real Market, very bright  BM-do it for the bright moon or venus.  CM-1st qrt moon. BM-caters illum from side, some sense of depth. B-cannot see stuff on moon w/ biggest telescope? JW-not big enough, tele not big enuf.  CM-LRO pics on moon can now see footprints; by NASA.  BM-from earth of Apollo stuff would need 2mi across mirror. JW-30M tele. B-golden age of astronomy, every week something new.  CM-chem sees electrons.  B-Club telescope aspect; giveaways of telescopes?  JW-bought or donated, usu. a  raffle to giveaway.  Also, AU has scopes you can use 12".  B-in club are SBCC Erin Oconnor, CM-Sean Kelly, gave a talk. B-Sean Space Elevators talk last friday.  Carbon nanotubes.  JW-showed video of manuf, single layer flat hexagonal, rolled in tubes, strongest material.  B-Arthur C. Clarke came up w/ elevator, climbs cable.  JW-23K miles long. I'm calibrated in old english system. B-confusing to convert temps? JW-F,C,K  BM-metric system is nice, no conversion factors for MKS needed. B-which came first? BM-English system. Cubits?  866-564-1290, streaming on newspress.com.

19:00.222 all rise, monkey has learned how to use a bone 2001 music; psychotic red lens talking to astronauts; B-Jim Salser invited me to Oxnard rock event, bringing Led Zepellin, got to talk real low using Strauss to intro group.  Bruce-Pres Arlington Theatre Organ Society, 4 man, 27 rank.  Hal Conklin on board, running for mayor.  Anyone can play organ.  B-any office of AU?  BM-no, but 127 outreaches last year. B-was unfamiliar w/ outreach before joining SBAU.  CM-was computer nerd. JW-SBRC. Some folks snuck signatures on spacecraft components.  1998 Raytheon bought all of SBRC - Hughes, changed name to Direct TV.  B-Delco? JW-part of GM, Hughes was part of GM.  BM-when Hughes was taking over GM, but salaried union was upset.  JW-Hughes in 1957. started w/ Hughes research 1969, building Ranger to land on moon, it is said Hughes called to freeze the design as it worked adequately, not what engineers like to do.  B-today Nasa, Musk, Bezos.  getting boosters back.  Rockets landing engines first. JW-like old scifi stories. Companies work w/ UCSB, some call area Silicon Beach.  B-does Univ have Obs of own?  CM-Sedgwick. BM-robotic telescope.  B-ticks me off, DJs can run by laptop computer vs playing records directly.  B-did JW hit retirement age? JW-retired to avoid 10% loss in pay.  CM-worked for little co. CompTech bought by Northup Gruman.  Met Pat? 1988  BM-Delco 37 years, EE, all interesting.  Reliability 14K ft of water instrument built 1972, still working, they cannot kill it.  music...Ricard Strauss Thus spoke Zarathustra

30:34.509 "dah dah dum..., why havent i found you, oh baby, i tell every little star..." B-best star? CM-Alberio, BM-eye of swan.  B-half of stars are double? CM-or triples. BM-Alberio stars 4700AU apart, 100K yr orbit.  B-all doubles viewable?  Cub scout star JW-UCLA star.  CM-sometimes spectroscopic means needed to see.  B-name some? Alpha Centauri, Eta Carina, Regulus, Sirius, BM-some vary Mizar/Algol.  B-possible planets orbiting both stars at same time?  CM-yes, both ways. JW-planets orbit sun. BM-Jupiter moves Sun almost its diameter.  B-bigger stars far out from star? JW-giant gas planets are being found first as exoplanets near star, Hot Jupiters.  B-saw on youtube, fast stars going around black hole in Milky Way, some binary, occasionally, binary could lose one to black hole?  CM-could be three body interaction.  JW-yes possible.  CM-Globular Cluster have interactions like that, as stars get thrown off.  B-MW has? CM-about 150 Globs.  B-why not collapse?  CM-energy flying around, no organized pattern.  B-if collide?  CM-maybe a Blue Straggler forms.  B-2001, add mass to Jupiter, it would become a sun?  JW-yes, Jupiter radiates infrared heat. B-Io heat? CM-tidal force heating.  BM-many models of Callisto, layers of ice and salt water.  B-life replication? CM-not sure of initial chemistry, RNA maybe.  CM-polycyclichydrocarbons  B-maybe we can go speed of light, stars fly by in scifi, CM-dont bump into one.

44:01.299  music: "I've got sunshine on a cloudy day...my girl". B-so much to talk about, if geology show CM-talk about rocks and exoplanets.  B-next meeting, JW-guest had conflict, moved his talk to August.  JW-hard to fit in small talks before a major one.  making it a member's night, 3-4 talks.  Adrian coordinating, 2 openings.  B-i might have been first, but dont put me in if others apply, just wanted to ask questions.  Exoplanets, odds of catch planets on the ecliptic?  CM-transits; need several crossings to be sure. planets are like ants out there.  JW-few %, just random. CM-0.5% chance of edge on catching planet around a star; also grav lensing, testament to how smart people are.  BM-People thot that other solar systems would be like ours, but a lot of planets have short orbit times JW-those were picked up first. BM-but some thought it was just noise in signal. B-big teles? BM-just a camera. JW-spacecraft ones best. B-all stars systems disks?  CM-less likely, but can happen.  BM-pluto  CM-Oort cloud of outer items.  B-small galaxies merging w/ MW?  JW-some limping away after merging.  music: guitar twanging

50:47.999  music:  weird noise to old astro music  B-what is up?  CM-Westmont outreach this Friday. 29th is Astro day at Camino Real Marketplace. mirror making, some goodies. all day, stars at night. prizes. B-rulers?  B-fascination of so many things.  JW-sometimes we do not know the answer.  new knowledge, like relativity course as an undergraduate, takes time to understand.  B-multiverse, cannot be known? Q's from folks. CM-They grade on a curve, because it is all relative.  BM-article said real universe is 10 to 23rd larger than we can see.  Everyone has Univ around thme of 18B light years.  CM-13Blt yr radius. CM-  sbau.org  telescope tuesday.   music: astro still playing in background into news! 
55:45.148 end

Jill,
I heard Jerry, SBAU President, had sent you a reply already on this, but here and attached are some Celestron info in case his recommendations on eyepiece placement distance did not work (you are using a diagonal with the eyepiece, correct?).
Chuck McPartlin and I tried to help you set up your scope at his driveway, a while back.

If you still need help, please feel free to email me at tomcez @ gmail.com or call at 562-8795. Tom Totton

From the Celestron EdgeHD Series manual for OTA's (see attached file) this is the part about focusing and locking the clutches, so read it carefully.

"Focusing
Your telescope's focusing mechanism controls the primary mirror which is mounted on a ring
that slides back and forth on the primary baffle tube. The focusing knob, which moves the
primary mirror, is on the rear cell of the telescope just below the star diagonal and eyepiece.
Turn the focusing knob until the image is sharp. If the knob will not turn, it has reached the
end of its travel on the focusing mechanism. Turn the knob in the opposite direction until the
image is sharp. Once an image is in focus, turn the knob clockwise to focus on a closer object
and counterclockwise for a more distant object. A single turn of the focusing knob moves the
primary mirror only slightly. Therefore, it will take many turns (about 30) to go from close
focus to infinity.
For astronomical viewing, out of focus star images are very diffuse, making them difficult to
see. If you turn the focus knob too quickly, you can go right through focus without seeing the
image. To avoid this problem, your first astronomical target should be a bright object (like
the Moon or a planet) so that the image is visible even when out of focus. Critical focusing is
best accomplished when the focusing knob is turned in such a manner that the mirror moves
against the pull of gravity. In doing so, any mirror shift is minimized. For astronomical
observing, both visually and photographically, this is done by turning the focus knob
counterclockwise.
Mirror Support Clutches
The EdgeHD Optical tube is equipped with mirror tension
clutches to help support and minimize lateral movement of
the primary mirror during astrophotography.
To use the mirror clutches:
1. Use the focus knob to adjust the primary mirror
to the desired focus.
2. Once in focus, turn the two mirror lock knobs
clockwise until both are very tight and can be
turned no further.
Warning! Once the mirror is locked down, do not turn
the focuser knob without loosening the mirror locks first.
Although turning the focus knob should not damage the
telescope, undue stress can be placed on the focus mechanisms causing excessive image shift while focusing."

170327 KZSB SBAU radio show 4th Monday, from 9am Sunday 3pm repeat. Baron Ron Herron, Jerry Wilson, Tom Whittemore, Chuck McPartlin.   click on attached file for audio playback.

far from perfect notes:
00:15.642 song: "calm and cloudless night...Galileo used his telescope for the very first time" JerryW, ChuckMcP, TomT not here, should take Yamaha w/ wife on back, he is at high desert.  1st Friday of month AU has speaker, Jupiter 5AU, occultation, Baron-Q's about Sun today, Sean Kelly meeting, Q's during talk?  TomW not seated, Dr. Whittemore, Mcp is backbone of club, Chuck-more like rear end. B-Many outreaches, dont need Totton, kids like space. B-Sun, mostly H, JW-ball of plasma B-one of 4 states of matter, all of this H, in our Sun, 800,000 miles across, 100xEarth diameter. TW-fusion just in core.  B-light we see came from inside. JW-some from surface, electron fall in levels as plasma cools.  B-Sun fusing for 4.5Billion years, CM-3rd generation star B-begin of univ was all H CM-+He, CM-all protons in center, so need pressure to jam protons together to fusion.  TomW-random walk of gamma rays JW-drunkard finding his car.  JW-neutrinos go straight out from the core. B-all this stuff from the Sun may hit our DNA. JW-usually not good mutation.  CM-like throwing piece of metal into car engine.  "Galileo saw craters on the moon..."

14:08.078 Holst, Saturn music.  B-where Cassini probe has been CM-14yrs.  B-power from nuclear RTG. JW-launched over unpopulated areas usually. except for North Korea. Russia over unpop land.  CM-text Q from Tim Crawford, why gamma rays turn into visible light. JW-Sun emits wide range.  Dwarf star G2 is Sun, altho bigger than most stars.  JW-heat is produced by absorption of light and emitted as infrared[?].  B-flares? JW-CME corona mass ejection, throws particles. CM-mag field lines reconnect gives flares. TW-mag field has a source and entry, and out and an in, in on the North, out on the South. JW-  CM-Sun is a fluid ball B-Sun reverses? JW-all the time, mag field lines flip TW-differential rotation on the Sun, 27 days at equator, 36 days at poles of sun, causes mag fields. B-solar wind, we are protected by our Mag field, solar wind affected by Sun mag field?  JW-sun mag field lines split during flares. CM-mag fields extend far out from Sun also, carrying things.  B-Mars? JW-does not have dynamo, metal works well.  TW-Zyman effect of mag field, earth about 1/2 Gauss. 

25:40.959 Holst, Venus...B-all the planets are asleep with this music.  TomW-Jupiter is wild. worked at Lockheed, solar group, missions on sounding rockets measuring solar corona.  CM-possibly micro flares.  JW-very low density. TW-13 electrons ripped from iron, so hot plasma.  JW-leaving electrons behind like luggage.  B-gold particles from Sun?  CM-cosmic rays maybe heavy stuff.  B-neutrinos at speed of light, not stopped.  CM-can go thru 14 miles of lead before stopping.  JW-earth is transparent to them.  but neutrinos changed types between sun and earth.  B-dangerous?  JW-neutrinos postulated by Fermi that are not detectable.  CM-detecting neutrinos now, give warning of a supernova happening.  B-light tsunami.  heavy elements seem grouped together.  JW-earth lumps them together. B-Totton, he's not listening, probably in middle of cactus garden in Palm Springs.

32:40.183 Jean Luc Ponty music.  B-jW sent email about not being able to describe the Big Bang, but some do? JW-singularity, could have been spread over large area in other dimensions, TW-brane.  JW-like shower of sparks from metal colliding.  B-discovering Dark Matter not counteracting?  CM-more Dark Energy forcing things apart.  Dark means we do not know.  JW-may be property of spacetime itself.  B-may come back together?  JW-big crunch  CM-gnab gib, big bang backwards.  B-supernova like?  JW-our sun will not slam together and bounce back like that.  only white dwarf.  B-Helium has 2 protons, 2 neutrons, why fuse to Carbon, not elements inbetween?  TW-short lives of those elements. B-who knows this stuff? TW-quantum cowboys.

39:31.057  star trek Enterprise Tv show theme music "it's been a long time..." B-the Bare Naked Ladies did Big Bang Theory tv music.  B-April 7 Sean Kelly will do talk on space elevators, started by Arthur C. Clarke JW-also sync satellites B-22K miles above.  Asia has also? JW-yes, ring around the earth.  B-need spider web material for elevator string?  JW-stronger than spider silk.  B-carbon?  JW-single sheet of graphene is strongest, maybe rolled into a tube and many tubes together.  B-lots of weight, how far out?  CM-23K miles.  JW-theoretically possible.  B-not a rocket up?  FAA rules on planes to not hit cable?  B-know anything about Sean talk?  CM-probably a rope and someone to volunteer...  B-movie Gravity, toss ball to earth, it will go down?  JW-depends how you throw it, hard enuf, like 17,500mph, it should drop straight down.  B-last 30s, invite folks to join.  CM-1st Fri april 7, 7pm, web page sbau.org, 2nd Saturday star party telescopes.

Hi, I am really worried that I may have a very expensive hunk of scrap iron in my backyard right now! Basically, after a few months in storage (in the house) and a move across town, I set up my c11 tonight only to discover that while I could focus on my neighbor's window sharply enough to see the spider inside a web, I could not focus on anything in the sky. Not the sun (with my solar reflector on obviously), nor the moon, much less see any stars at all. The sun and moon I could tell I was centered on from the bright light through the eyepiece, but just couldn't focus any detail. And couldn't see any stars. The eyepiece I have is the celestron luminos. I might add that focusing on the neighbors window, I had to fiddle with the three knobs on the ota that are on the end with the eyepiece. But no matter how much I fiddled with them and the eyepiece together, I just could not see anything further. Not even the distant mountaintop. Where do you think my problem lies, where should I start?! The mirror and glass, etc all 'look' pristine, and the entire telescope has been stored securely in its original packaging all this time. I'd appreciate any advice!!!
Jill

170313 SBAU hour on KZSB 1290am radio quick notes--see attached audio file for playback
00:00.000 Baron most news
00:06.885 it's 3am [this is the Sunday 3am show repeat after the 2nd Monday]

00:22.264 Holst Mercury in honor of TomW, searching stars for permanent theme.  ChuckMcP, JerryW, TomT, wife's first names are Pat; BruceM, not going to solar eclipse due to lack of housing.  TT-refreshments. B-sitting on rocks at SBMNH not that great for star parties. JW-I bring my own.  Outreaches Chuck leading, TT-4 days a week, B-Camino real marketplace is bright, CM-but can see moon, double stars, Jupiter.  B-Proxima Centauri closest?  B-what is Trappist-1 star?  CM-named after Belgian beer monks.  TT-Budweiser planning to make beer on Mars.  CM-marketing is key word.  B-Vodka on Mars?  Potatoes growing? 564-1290

09:31.143  Mars Holst.  B-SBAU known by other names CM-SB Star Cluster. B-amazing stuff going on, new telescope named Webb CM-NASA administrator B-infrared on this one CM-1M miles out Lagrange point (L2) B-what is night vision goggles? JW-can be infrared or visible light BM-amplification. signal picked up by multiple earth satellites. B-CM planetarium show 20 min, Milky Way all the way around us, CM-thick toward center, B-radio look thru gas? CM-and infrared. JW-everytime a new wavelength, you see something new.  First infrared satellites data was classified secret by Air Force. B-galaxies expanding away will be seen by this Webb.  What about nearby galaxies?  CM-no problem.  JW-Local group with M31 possible blue shift coming towards us.  B-TomW, what are you teaching right now.  Analog computer building using 741 chips. BM-did moon simulation years ago with analog computer.  TW-simulation of arms race using circuits, linear; parameters indicate fear, goodwill equations.  Coupled oscillators, 2nd order diff eq, like pendulums attached to each other.  Can use computer simulation, Data Studio, for labs at Westmont.  B-lecture at lab?  TW-yes, post ideas for students, like Pi day (March 14, 3.14).  Raindrop simulation.  Ardino modules.  B-using batteries that burn up? TT-Lithium ion.  CM-very dense power. TT-80% of batteries chargers for cell phones may be counterfeit.

21:46.627  Holst Jupiter B-getting physics lecture from TomW, like UCSB prof [Blaes] talking about black holes, got flapping arms as gravitational waves.  TomW-students off this week, so trying to get Andrew to use op amps to simulate.  lecture is going to be about math, which TW loves.  B-Pi never repeats, CM-transcendental number.  B-story of Pi? kid on lifeboat with tiger. what a movie!  B-unsung wifes support you so well, do they enjoy talking shop with you?  CM-occasionally.  B-any single ladies interested?  Saw a lot of SBCC students, some asian, who have to pay a lot, one switched to astronomy from business.  JW-engineering firms hire them for math computer ability.  TT-also wall street Quants.  B-is there a whole generation getting into astro?  BM-one student said first time he had looked thru a telescope.  B-cameras on telescopes TT-CM uses time exposure; CM-showing spotted socks, called Poe a dot, MaxN also wears funny socks. BM-just had open console Theater organ last Sat.

31:34.093 Valkner music, Ride of the Valkyries.  B-Dr. Whittemore, NYTimes article on SN1987A, sequence of pics of shockwave extending out.  Missing a pulsar in middle. B-have to be close to see straight beams, so curved spirals? JW-spiral formed by spin. B-most galaxies are spiral? B-but also fuzzy galaxies? BM-galaxies outer speed same as inner area. B-how can we look back in time?  BM-no center in universe.  TT-B you are center of the universe. JW-traffic jam on S curve, is simulation of spiral galaxy arms, cars stop, then others back up, then go again.  JW-Goldilocks zone for galaxy as well.  B-galaxies have black holes, JW-some do not, other black holes? BM-read that more black holes than stars and planets!

39:34.848 Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis by Ralph Vaughan Williams.  Richard Dupree, I am shy, so since you are off the air, you have listeners. B-what, we are not on?  BM-have Celestron C8 telescopes. TT-have tried camera.  CM-red stars are Carbon stars.  JW-cameras can bring out the colors; a few people can see that thru telescope.  B-arms in galaxy, tens of thousands between arms?  CM-thousands.  B-what is white dwarf? CM-eletrons degeneracy holding up star surface, very compressed.  BM-look at M57, ring nebula, planetary nebula.  JW-our star has solar wind, so perhaps planets will float farther away due to mass loss.  B-30s: CM-Westmont Friday, JW-telescope workshop Tuesday night.  1st Fridays.
46:11.600 end