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mikemarotta

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Everything posted by mikemarotta

  1. Arrived this afternoon. (I was already at the box once at 5:00 PM and when I got home, there was another email. So, I went back... and got this..._) Threading back, I see that this is on the Greatest Hits list. Nice to be in with the in-crowd.
  2. In the course of things, Cannon published a lot more. She was interested in doing that. And she mentored others among the computers. In any large enterprise, there will be a range of actions and interests. Over 80 women worked at Harvard between the 1880s and 1930s. Fleming was not even the first. Others soon worked at Yerkes and Lick. Sociology is whatever it is and societal attitudes change slowly. They just look rapid in retrospect. I had a history teacher who finally got us to differentiate "the American revolution" from "the war for independence." His point was that "the American revolution" took place from 1756 to 1763 and it was a decade brewing after that until the effects of the revolution were undeniably perceptable. So, too, with women in astronomy. You certainly must know Caroline Herschel. I found the book, The Unforgotten Sisters by Gabriella Bernardi very helpful, despite its stylistic problems. Christine Kirch as the first woman to be a professional astronomer. Starting in 1776, she was paid 400 thalers a year by the Berlin Academy of Prussia. Christine Kirch was the daughter of Gottried Kirch and Maria-Margaretha Winkelmann-Kirch. Winkelmann-Kirch has her own entry. She worked and socialized among astronomers, including Christoph Arnold Sommerfeld, before meeting Gottfried Kirch. She was his third wife and 30 years his junior. Their children were raised in the family business. Following the death of her husband, Winkelmann-Kirch was offered a post in Saint Petersburg after showing sunspots and other phenomena to the Tsar, but she refused because her son, Christfried, accepted a post at the Berlin Observatory. She died three years later.
  3. Commemorative issues make money for the state because it costs them far less than their face values to churn these out. The thing is, though, that they are lawful obligation of the central bank. So, unlike postage stamps (which are consumables), banknotes tend to be more permanent issues, changed less often. Before the adoption of the euro, the interesting exception was Greece. For historical reasons, the law regarded coins as the official obligation of the Treasury, while banknotes were a fiduciary instrument of a (quasi) private corporation. The security features on this polymer note include see-through windows (showing up black here).
  4. In America, we call these "Conder Tokens" after an earlier cataloguer (and issuer). The proper name is "British Provincial Tokens." They were issued by merchants and other individuals, struck at the Heaton Mint of James Watt and Francis Boulton (among others). They far surpassed the workmanship of the British Royal Mint of the time. They also filled a desperate need for small change. The Mint could not make money on full-value copper coinage. It was a deadweight loss to the Crown. But with steam engines and tariffed at 240 (or 480) to the pound - payable pretty far from wherever you happen to be - these worked. This series, perhaps six or eight varieties in all, were issued from Norwich and celebrated Sir Isaac Newton.
  5. Postage stamps are consumables, so they offer many more opportunities for celebration and commemoration.
  6. Cannon was born on December 11, 1863, in Dover, Delaware. Her father, Wilson Cannon, was a state senator, while her mother, Mary Jump, taught Annie the constellations at a young age and ignited her interest in the stars. Cannon graduated from Wellesley College, where she studied physics and astronomy. https://www.usmint.gov/coins/coin-medal-programs/american-innovation-dollar-coins/delaware-classifying-stars Annie Jump Cannon was a world-famous astronomer. An astronomer is a scientist who studies the universe. She invented a system for classifying the stars that is still used today. Cannon faced many obstacles. She was almost deaf, likely due to scarlet fever. But she overcame them and became a pioneer in science. She was the first woman to receive an honorary doctorate degree from Oxford University. https://www.usmint.gov/learn/kids/library/american-innovation-dollar-coins/de-classifying-stars On Nov. 7, the U.S. Mint released the Reverse Proof version of the American Innovation coin honoring Delaware. Minted at the San Francisco Mint, the new coin features an inverted proof finish with a frosted background. All of the design elements are polished to the same mirror-like finish https://www.numismaticnews.net/world-coins/delaware-american-innovation-2019-1-reverse-proof-coin The American Innovation $1 Coin–Delaware recognizes astronomer Annie Jump Cannon who developed a system for classifying the stars that is still used today. The coin’s reverse features a silhouette of Annie Jump Cannon against the night sky, with a number of stars visible. Inscriptions are “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” ANNIE JUMP CANNON,” “CLASSIFYING THE STARS,” and “DELAWARE.” The obverse (heads) features a dramatic representation of the Statue of Liberty in profile with the inscriptions “IN GOD WE TRUST” and “$1.” The obverse also includes a privy mark of a stylized gear, representing industry and innovation. The year of minting, mint mark, and inscription “E PLURIBUS UNUM” are incused on the edge of the coin. https://coinweek.com/us-mint-news/first-2019-american-innovation-1-coin-on-sale-september-19/
  7. I read Part IV about the 15th century. Thanks. Mike M.
  8. That's awful nice of you, Therapod. I will have a front row seat here in Central Texas. But, truthfully, I am less than sanguine about piling on and piling in with a million strangers just to see an astronomical event that will be recorded well by others in many wavelengths. I enjoyed a good partial about 20 years ago, dark blue sky, cold air, no birds chirping. But, OK... Best Regards, Mike M.
  9. It is difficult to diagnose over a distance like this especially without pictures. If you were collimated incorrectly -- off my a little bit, not wildly wrong-- you would still get some kind of image. What you are looking for here is another Zhumell user who knows by experience what an inexperienced person does wrong the first time. Is there someone you can go to in person, like at a local astronomy club? I know that with Covid and all, they are not all active in person, but just for instance, when I pick up and drop off stuff with our equipment chairman, we wear masks and all that. It's not impossible.
  10. mikemarotta

    Hi everyone!

    Welcome! You will get a lot of good advice here. We look forward to your images.
  11. Makers are all pretty much competitive for price. You get what you pay for regardless of company. I agree with the size of your instrument for portability and useability. I bought an Explore Scientific First Light 102 mm refractor because it only weights 17 lbs total. The mount is a simple tilt-pan, not an EQ. I can lift it with one hand and carry it with two, out my office, through the living room, through the kitchen and out the back door without hitting anything. Can't do that with a dob. On another forum, one of the posters mentioned splitting Castor A1 and A2 with a 90mm refractor and good skies. You can see a lot just by looking.
  12. I am sorry that I can only give you one <heart>. You deserve a special nod for getting good service from a small instrument that too many in my crowd call "hobby killers." (My local club only lends out Dobsonians.) Anyway, I am encouraged to give it a try with my 102 when and as the skies permit. My passion for the history of astronomy taught me that a lot of good work was done with instruments far below today's hobbyist tier.
  13. Thanks for the recommendation. I found it new from a Mom & Pop.
  14. That's pretty good work for the smaller aperture. What is the telescope and what are its specifications? I did think that my 102mm would be enough, but apparently, I need to spend more time actually looking and less time recording.
  15. Hello, colleagues. The History of Astronomy Division of the American Astronomical Society is looking for entries for our calendar for 2021-2022. The column is open to amateurs and professionals at all levels. You do not need to be an AAS member. Right now, we are looking to fill April and May 2021 and are open to consider October and November 2021, which we have now as place-holders. We are wide open for 2022. “This Month in the History of Astronomy” runs about 500 words and celebrates physical events, discoveries, inventions, and the birthdays of those who are associated with them. The range of topics can be broad, but subjects are always tied to the month of the publication date. A Sampling of Recent Entries · February 2021: Founding of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific · October 2020: The First Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram · September 2020: Bayer's Uranometria · August 2020: America's First Woman Astronomer: Maria Mitchell (1818-1889) · January 2020: The Birth of Stellafane · October 2019: 50 Years of Charge-Coupled Devices · August 2019: Reflections on 100 Years of the International Astronomical Union · October 2018: Karl Jansky and the Discovery of Cosmic Radio Waves · July 2018: Henrietta Swan Leavitt · June 2018: The Bicentenary of the Birth of Angelo Secchi, SJ · February 2018: One of America's Early African American Astronomers · January 2018: The Discovery of Ceres · July 2017: Solar Eclipse of 1878 · May 2017: Women Computers at Dudley Observatory · August 2016: The Moons of Mars · July 2016: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 The entire index is here: https://had.aas.org/resources/astro-history The column is open to amateurs and professionals at all levels. Submissions are reviewed by the editorial staff of the Historical Astronomy Division of the American Astronomical Society. Guidelines for contributors are here: https://had.aas.org/sites/had.aas.org/files/HAD-TMIAH-Author-Guidelines.pdf About HAD “The Division shall exist for the purpose of advancing interest in topics relating to the historical nature of astronomy. By historical astronomy we include the history of astronomy; what has come to be known as archaeoastronomy; and the application of historical records to modern astrophysical problems. … The Division will assist the Society in the commemoration of important historical anniversaries and in the archival preservation of current materials of importance to future historians of astronomy.” Best Regards, Mike M.
  16. Thanks! If I start running low, I will pull in for a fill-up. Thanks. I just got the Bečvář Atlas Coeli because it has a table of orbital elements for some binaries. I have several references on celestial mechanics. I have been working through problems and exercises. It is a lot of fun for me, what most others here and abouts invest in astrophotography, I put into arithmetic.
  17. Finding binary stars has been fun and rewarding on several levels. Of course, there is the pleasure in discovery. Deeper is the satisfaction from getting beyond the so-called "natural" five senses and perceiving something that is not obvious. So many stars that appear as one are actually pairs and more. That leads to a deeper understanding that binaries and systems are the rule, not the exception. I also like being able to measue what I observe. In another topic I mentioned having been loaned a Baader Micro-Guide reticle. But even before that I figured out that I could keep both eyes open an use a simple ruler to help me scale my sketches. A third point, from the first, is that 200 years after Galileo, William Herschel came to understand that binaries are a natural phenomenon, not visual accidents. For me, that means retracing the steps of the first pioneers in astronomy. It is analogous to the small wonder of holding an ancient coin and understanding it as a window into their time and place, their cultural context.
  18. On 26 January 2021 at 1925 hrs (CST / 0025 on the 27th UTC) I split Polaris. with my Explore Scientific 102 mm refractor using 8mm Ploessl with a 2x Barlow. On 03 February 2021 at 1945 hrs CST I split Castor with the ES 102 and a 17mm with 2X Barlow. Stepped down to the 8mm and then 6 mm (both with the 2X) and the stars got bigger and more clearly separated, of course. I noted that B is about two-thirds the size of A and separated by about the diameter of B.
  19. I received a Baader Micro Guide Reticle on loan from a friend whom I met on another discussion board. It took me a few nights and different instruments to get a handle on it. I still need more practice. My instruments are all manual control. So, the ten-inch (254 mm) focal length 2500 mm Meade "advanced" (i.e. fake) Ritchey-Cretien was a challenge because everything zoomed by pretty quickly. I settle on a National Geographic 70 mm f/10. I bought it used (and abused) about four years ago and it is held together with rubber bands, but I got some measurements. Unfortunately, it does not have enough aperture to split Polaris or the Double-Double in Lyra. (I have tried.) Be all that as it may... I viewed the Trapezium in M42 and measured it as 1 division. It was pretty easy to align the Baader and let the stars drift across the scale. I did that several times. I calculated the size of Trapezium as 29 arc-seconds by 29 arc-seconds. Burnham's gives 12x13, but I am pretty happy with the first try. I also viewed Eta Cassiopeiae. They are close together, so I let them drift across the scale and measured them against the center between the two rows of divisions, which Baader says is 35 micrometers wide. From that, I calculated a separation of 10.3 arc seconds. I found online from a report at the Havering Astro club UK 13.4 arc-seconds. Again, I was satisified with the first attempt will try again another night.
  20. Late additions. This actually came on loan from a friend whom I met on another discussion board. I mentioned not being able to find one for sale immediately, and he sent me his. I have been out with it a few times. (Report follows in a different Forum later.) My passions are more for the maths than observing, though, of course, I do go out often. I want to understand what I am looking at. I got this because it has a table with orbital elements from some binary stars. It will take some data reduction to move the numbers from Epoch 1950.0 to 2000.0 but, it is all just grinding through arithmetic. I know you won't believe this but I would rather do that than hassle with hardware in the dark -- not that I don't do that, too, of course...
  21. Congratulations on a nice bit of work. No need to apologize. We appreciate the detail. You are, after all, entering a scientific report. You verified that these things exist and are pretty much as described. I judge regional science fairs and we never (well hardly ever) reward kids for validating the works of others. Yet, one of the hidden shames of modern science is that hardly any research publications are ever validated by other, independent researchers. Have you heard of the case of "Plastic Fantastic"? That all being as it may, of course, we do this for ourselves; and that needs no justification. Again, nicely done, Kon.
  22. 13 January 2021 2314 hours Messier 41 Following the star maps from Sky & Telescope, I found M41 below Sirius. ES-102 mm refractor. Started with 14mm and 2X Barlow and then used 32mm X2 and 25 mmX2 and then 12x50 binoculars. Could not find it naked eye. (Bortle 6-7 sky.) Identified: Orange-yellow star in the middle of the visual field. About 25 stars easy to see and maybe another 25 fainter also in the field. FOV = 50/77.5 = 0.66 degrees = 38.6 minutes. 14 Jan 1100 hrs. I put all the equipment away and checked the write-ups online about M-41 and found that my observations align with accepted knowledge. (https://www.messier-objects.com/messier-41/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_41) The “orange-yellow” star I found at the center is a K3 red giant. The size of the cluster is given as 38 minutes about the same as a full Moon. Unlike most nights, I did not research my target before going out. So, my observations are getting better.
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