Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Arriving earlier than expected, a solar wind stream is buffeting Earth's magnetic field. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras tonight.

- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill!
Mammoth skull raised from ground

Palaeontologists working in southern France have used a crane to lift a "rare" mammoth skull out of the ground.

The 600kg fossil has lain in the earth near Saint Paulien, in the volcanic Auvergne region, for some 400,000 years, scientists estimate.

Researchers had to protect the fossil with a plaster jacket before lifting it with the crane and putting it on the back of a truck.

The species is described as a "missing link" in mammoth evolution.

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Monday, September 29, 2008

Successful re-entry marks bright future for ATV

ESA PR 41-2008. Europe’s first Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) Jules Verne successfully completed its six-month ISS logistics mission today with its controlled destructive re-entry over a completely uninhabited area of the South Pacific.

Following a final deorbit burn at 14:58 CEST which slowed its velocity by 70 m/s, the ATV entered the upper atmosphere at an altitude of 120 km at 15:31 CEST. It broke up at an altitude of 75 km with the remaining fragments falling into the Pacific some 12 minutes later.

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Winter heating can be environmentally friendly

The high cost of heating oil, electricity and natural gas prompt us to think about ways to save.

Many more folks are looking at wood heat, either with the intention to use more or to use it for the first time.

If you have or plan to look into a pellet stove, not much preparation is necessary to use that source of heat early this winter.

It's a different story if you plan on using cut wood.

Wood needs a full year to dry adequately.

If you didn't cut and split your wood last winter or earlier, it should not be burnt.

"Green" wood is difficult to burn, will not burn as hot as seasoned wood, and gives off more smoke and creosote. The smoke can be especially bad with outdoor wood boilers because the combustion temperature is lower than in an efficient indoor wood stove.

Outdoor furnaces have been controversial in many communities, not just because of the smoke they generate but because they emit that smoke very close to ground level. Tests done by the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Manage-ment found that particle emissions (a particularly harmful pollutant) from an outdoor wood burner were much higher than those from indoor wood stoves certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Though the outdoor furnace industry contests NESCAUM's conclusions, several states have restricted the use of the boilers or recommended that the public consider other alternatives.

No matter what you use, remember that any burner that uses unseasoned wood or other unsuitable materials is more polluting. Burning "green" wood also produces more creosote that accumulates in the chimney. This is the most common cause of flu fires.

If you intend to increase or explore burning wood or pellets, remember these helpful hints and safety recommendations.

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Sunday, September 28, 2008

Andromeda is in the northeast this evening. Its brightest star is Alpheratz, but the jewel of Andromeda is M31, the Andromeda galaxy, at a distance of 2.5 million light-years. From a dark skywatching spot it is just visible to the unaided eye.
Shenzhou 7 has returned to Earth.
JULES VERNE

On Sept. 29th, ESA mission controllers plan to send Jules Verne into Earth's atmosphere where it will disintegrate as a fireball over the Pacific Ocean.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Cygnus, the swan, soars overhead tonight. Its brightest stars form a cross. The long arm of the cross represents the swan's body and neck, while the short arm outlines its wings. The star at the intersection of the arms is Sadr, an Arabic name that means "the hen's breast."
Shenzhou 7 Tonight:

Shenzhou 7 07:17:26 pm W 54° 3.5 (dim)
Eichner Soars Aboard the Polaris Outlaw 525 S

The hot Arizona temperatures and Doug Eichner both soared at Round 7 of the ITP QuadCross Series held Saturday, September 20, 2008.

The temperatures at Arizona's Speedworld were more than 100 degrees during the day which made for grueling practice sessions. The Main Events, however, were held under the beautiful night sky making a perfect backdrop for Eichner and his impressive Outlaw 525 S.

The spectator stands were filled as Eichner cleared every challenge Speedworld offered. Eichner chose to equip his Polaris Outlaw with enhanced power and exhaust from Yoshimura R&D of America Inc., Lonestar Racing's A-Arms, Axle, Steering Stem and Hubs, Maxxis Tires, FOX Racing Shox Suspension, and the one-of-a-kind GPR Stabilizer among other top aftermarket products.

With nearly a full gate of pros, Eichner launched his Polaris Outlaw 525 S out of the starting gate grabbing the holeshot in both Motos, and never looked back. With Eichner's smooth riding style, the performance looked effortless as Eichner brought his Outlaw 525 S in for the checkered flag win in both Motos claiming the Open Pro win with a commanding lead for the Polaris/Lonestar/Eichner Racing Team.

Eichner currently holds the points lead in this division with two more rounds remaining in the ITP QuadCross Series.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Last night's observatory picture:


Not too bad, for a camera smaller than my hand!


- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill!
Solar Wind Loses Power, Hits 50-year Low

In a briefing at NASA headquarters, solar physicists announced that the solar wind is losing power.

"The average pressure of the solar wind has dropped more than 20% since the mid-1990s," says Dave McComas of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. "This is the weakest it's been since we began monitoring solar wind almost 50 years ago."

"What we're seeing is a long term trend, a steady decrease in pressure that began sometime in the mid-1990s," explains Arik Posner, NASA's Ulysses Program Scientist in Washington DC.

How unusual is this event?

"It's hard to say. We've only been monitoring solar wind since the early years of the Space Age—from the early 60s to the present," says Posner. "Over that period of time, it's unique. How the event stands out over centuries or millennia, however, is anybody's guess. We don't have data going back that far."

Flagging solar wind has repercussions across the entire solar system—beginning with the heliosphere.

The heliosphere is a bubble of magnetism springing from the sun and inflated to colossal proportions by the solar wind. Every planet from Mercury to Pluto and beyond is inside it. The heliosphere is our solar system's first line of defense against galactic cosmic rays. High-energy particles from black holes and supernovas try to enter the solar system, but most are deflected by the heliosphere's magnetic fields.

"The solar wind isn't inflating the heliosphere as much as it used to," says McComas. "That means less shielding against cosmic rays."

In addition to weakened solar wind, "Ulysses also finds that the sun's underlying magnetic field has weakened by more than 30% since the mid-1990s," says Posner. "This reduces natural shielding even more."

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ISS Tonight:

-1.0 18:52:33 W 37
Shenzhou 7 Tonight:

Shenzhou 7 06:57:31 pm W 65° 3.2 (dim)
Shenzhou 7 (Rocket Body) 08:03:20 pm W 33° 4.5 (dim)
Shenzhou 7 08:33:09 pm W 32° 4.6 (dim)

Thursday, September 25, 2008

CHINESE SPACE LAUNCH

China's Shenzhou 7 spacecraft carrying a 3-man crew lifted off today from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and is now in Earth orbit. During the upcoming three-day mission, Chinese astronauts, called taikonauts, will launch a small satellite and conduct their country's first spacewalk. Shenzhou 7 and the body of the rocket that launched it will be visible to the naked eye as they orbit Earth.

Tonight:

Shenzhou 7 (Rocket Body) 08:08:46 pm W 39° 4.2 (dim)
Shenzhou 7 08:13:08 pm W 54° 3.5 (dim)
A perfectly clear night last night!


Last night's Milky Way between Altair and Vega.


For a change, the sky was absolutely clear with no haze or fog or humidity etc. I hated to leave it eventually and go in for the night. I couldn't decide what to try to take a picture of, but settled on a wide shot of the Milky Way. Always a favorite! The Canon SX100 does better at wide shots anyway. We'll see what the new Panasonic LZ8K likes when it arrives today.

I learned many new things last night, but two of them were more important than others:
  1. When setting your equipment up in a bean field, first be absolutely sure that the bean pickers are done for the night. Otherwise you end up running for your life with telescope, chair, and camera dragging behind.
  2. Always carry toilet paper in your telescope backpack!
- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill!
4 Reasons to Buy a New Wood Stove

Newer doesn't automatically mean better, but when it comes to the tested technology of contemporary wood stoves, the benefits are hard to argue with. Current wood stove models--anything made after the early 1990s and approved by the Environmental Protection Agency--are at least a third more economical than the traditional pot belly stove. That means 33 percent less cash spent on seasoned wood (or 33 percent less elbow grease if you harvest your own fuel). In addition, today's wood burning stoves are nearly smokeless, keeping polluting fumes to a minimum. Let's break down the benefits in a little more detail.

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LORETTA LYNN - LYNN CALLS IN EXPERT TO TACKLE MANSION GHOSTS

Country legend LORETTA LYNN has called on celebrity ghost whisperer JAMES VAN PRAAGH in a bid to rid her haunted mansion of spooks.
The singer has had enough of the spirits that haunt her sprawling Tennessee home, but spirit talker Van Praagh was only able to confirm the place is riddled with ghosts - before he darted for the door.
In a chilling segment on U.S. news show The Insider, Van Praagh told Lynn he could see "blood everywhere," adding "I think people were killed here."
And now even Lynn is thinking about fleeing the mansion after her guest refused to spend the night - as planned.
He says, "I was going to stay the night but when they (spirits) said, 'Get out,' I thought, 'I should probably get out...' It feels like I'm in somebody's place and they don't want me to disrupt it."

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Winter is fast approaching!

Are you ready? I am. Bring it on!











- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill!
ISS Tonight:

-1.2 19:34:47 W 41
Crazy Bears and UFOs

In a shallow cave in a cliff face dwelt a beast with long, shiny black hair that covered its entire body, except for its palms and an area around its eyes. The manlike creature did not seem wild or vicious; it sat cross--legged, Indian-style, to wolf the raw meat. Wyatt described the creature as built like a big, well-developed man, except for its lack of neck and its long body hair. The creature's head seemed to rest directly on its shoulders.

Wyatt visited the man-beast in the cave more than a dozen times. After much questioning, and receiving two pounds of tobacco, a compass, and an axe, one of the men from the tribe took Wyatt to a high pinnacle of rock one clear night to tell him of the creature's origin.

"Crazy Bear," as the thing was called by the Indians, had been brought to the "Big Woods" from the stars. A "small moon" had flown down like a swooping eagle and had landed on a plateau a few miles away from the tribe's encampment. The beast in the cave and two other "crazy bears" had been flung out of the "moon" before the craft had once again soared off to the stars.

The man told Wyatt that other "crazy bears" had been left in the vicinity over the years. Wyatt's guide and several of his fellow villagers had occasionally seen the "men" who put the crazy bears off the small moons. They did, nor look like the giant hairy ones, but appeared to be more like men such as themselves. The men from the small moon had much shorter hair than the tribes people, though, and they wore shiny clothing. They always waved to the Indians in a friendly manner before they closed the door in their small moon and flew back to the stars.

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The constellations of autumn are moving into the prime-time evening viewing hours. The best known are five constellations from Greek mythology: Pegasus, Andromeda, Perseus, Cassiopeia, and Cepheus. All stand high overhead in mid evening.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008


The Great Andromeda Galaxy. The most distant thing humans can see with their naked eye. The light you see in this image left there over 2,000,000 years ago. If you look real close in this amateur picture, you can see it's two smaller companion galaxies that orbit it.


- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill!
ISS Tonight:

-2.3 19:08:03 SW 72
Fall is in full stride today, the first full day after the equinox. It is a time when day and night are just about equal across the entire planet. That makes it a time of balance in the sky, which was a time of year that held great significance for many cultures.
EPA-Qualified, High Efficiency Wood Boilers Combat Soaring Heating Oil Prices

The high cost of oil is causing many people to panic about winter heating bills as homeowners brace for higher prices than last year. According to estimates by the Department of Energy, households using heating oil will pay an average $4.34 a gallon, or $2,644 for the heating season, up more than 30 percent from last winter and up 150 percent since 2003. This uncertainty and added budget concerns are prompting people to purchase alternative heating options, such as wood boilers, wood stoves and pellet stoves.

Greenwood Technologies, a manufacturer of high efficiency, EPA-qualified wood boilers is one such company that has seen a dramatic increase in wood boiler sales over the past few months. This interest has been fueled not only by high fuel prices, but also by the growing awareness of performance and air quality improvements offered by clean technology appliances.

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Monday, September 22, 2008


Last night's Jupiter, moons, and a few stars. A composite of two images.



The Swan Nebula. It's the little wisp of purple in the middle of the picture.


- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill!
ISS Tonight:

-1.3 20:16:53 W 45
3 Steps to Picking the Perfect Wood Stove

When you set out to find the right stove for your home, there's a lot to think about. Fortunately, after you answer some basic questions, picking a wood stove becomes a question of style-not survival! Here are some steps to help you enjoy the buying experience.

Step one, know why you want a wood stove. What main purpose will the stove serve? Heating, cooking, ambiance-or some combination? How much heat does it need to provide? Are you heating a house with wood stoves, a single room, a whole floor, or a cottage? A final question is how often the stove will be used-frequently or occasionally? Knowing what you want your wood stove to accomplish is the first step toward buying the perfect model.

Step two, read the small print--but read it casually. When you look at models, find the stickers on the stoves that tell you they are certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This means they are environmentally friendly and burn efficiently. If you're shopping for stoves online, this information will be readily available. The EPA approval is the important thing. You'll find the Btu ratings and square footage heating estimates as well, but since they aren't standardized, it's a mistake to depend on them too much as you shop. Consider them rough estimates, and focus instead on the size of the stoves you're looking at. (See below.)



Step three, don't buy the biggest, shiniest stove you can find-unless that's what you need. You can buy a Hummer for cross-country driving without sacrificing comfort. But buying large stoves for small heating needs causes potential fire hazards and stuffy rooms. In addition, wood stoves that are too large cost you money. To control the heat, you'll be forced to cut down the stove's air supply-which will reduce efficiency and waste fuel. Buying over-sized wood stoves is a common mistake-but not one that you have to make. Practically, stoves come in only three sizes--small, medium, and large.

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Sunday, September 21, 2008

From the Grand Marsh Observatory:


Last night's Jupiter, through haze, clouds, fog, and dew on the lens. This is not a clickable image. That's all the better it gets folks, for now!...................
ISS Tonight:

-2.3 19:50:13 SW 63
Not that I've ever noticed, but I'll keep an eye on them -

Cows Have Strange Sixth Sense


A study of Google Earth satellite images has revealed that herds of cattle tend to face in the north-south direction of Earth's magnetic lines.

Staring at cows may not equal the thrill of spotting celebrities in public or rubbernecking at car accidents, but the researchers found nonetheless that our bovine friends display this strange sixth sense for direction.

Their field observations of red and roe deer also showed those animals facing toward magnetic north or south.

"Google Earth is perfect for this kind of research, because the animals are undisturbed by the observer," said Sabine Begall, a zoologist at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany and coauthor on the study detailed in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Wind and time of day did not offer better explanations for why 8,510 cattle in 308 locations around the world would mostly face north-south. Shadows suggested that many of the images were taken on cloudless, sunny days, so Begall's group also factored in direct ground observations of cattle herds.

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Saturday, September 20, 2008

The Super Bright Star Which Shines Overhead
Every Year On The Autumnal Equinox


Horkheimer: Greetings, greetings fellow star gazers. Next Monday September 22nd is the first day of autumn, the autumnal equinox. But did you know that if you go outside any night during the first week of autumn of any year and look straight up you will see one of the brightest stars in the heavens almost overhead? And that our Sun and Earth are actually flying toward it and getting closer every day? Let me show you.

O.K. we've got our skies set up for any clear night the first week of autumn between the hours of 8 and 9 p.m. your local time. And if you look straight up almost overhead you will see an extremely bright star right next to four dimmer stars which if connected by lines would make a lopsided rectangle which is more properly called a parallelogram. These stars plus a handful of others make up the ancient constellation Lyra the harp.

But Lyra's brightest star Vega is the real attention grabber. It is the fifth brightest star and compared to our Sun is a doozy. For starters while our Sun is 865 thousand miles wide, Vega is over twice as wide, two million miles. And Vega's blue­white color tells us that it is a super hot star, much hotter than our own yellow-orange Sun. In fact our Sun's surface temperature is a mere ten thousand degrees Fahrenheit whereas Vega's is a blistering 17,000 degrees. So because Vega is much bigger and hotter it is 60 times brighter! Talk about getting a suntan in a hurry!

But one of the really nifty things about Vega is that it once was and will again be our North Star, a much brighter one than our current North Star, which is the end star of the handle of the Little Dipper. You see the North Star is simply the star directly above our Earth's north pole, the one towards which our Earth's axis points. But because of a regular, very slow wobbling motion of our Earth, like a top slowing down, our Earth's axis doesn't always point to the same spot in the heavens. In fact our Earth's axis traces out a great circle in the sky. Right now our Earth's axis is pointed to a spot on that circle very close to our current North Star.

But the Earth's axis slowly drifts, constantly changing where it points in that circle. A hundred years from now it will point even closer to our current North Star but a thousand years from now it will be well past it. And once every 26,000 years it points to Vega. So 14 1/2 thousand years ago Vega was the North Star of our cave man ancestors and Vega will be our North Star once again eleven and a half thousand years from now. Wow!

But what I really love about Vega is that it marks the direction our Sun and Earth are headed. In fact our Sun and Earth are racing towards Vega at the incredible speed of 12 miles per second. But Vega is so far away it would take our Sun almost 500 million years to reach it. And unfortunately by the time we get there Vega will have already moved. So don't pack your bags for Vega yet.

Just go out any night next week the first week of autumn between 8 and 9 p.m., look overhead and contemplate the incredible beauty of this brilliant blue white star. And in your mind's eye see if you can almost feel our Earth and all of us on it zooming through space at 12 miles per second toward it. You know sometimes I feel as if I almost need a seat belt. Keep looking up!

Jack Horkheimer : Star Gazer....
Are Wood Stoves Environmentally Friendly?

That depends on the stove you have in your mind's eye. The old-fashioned, pot-belly stoves that appear in most Western movies didn't do the atmosphere any favors. But today's wood burning stoves, engineered with fuel economy in mind, are a different story.

Back in the days of cowboys and general stores, wood stoves could have been mistaken for indoor smokestacks--and that wouldn't have been too far from the truth. But modern stoves are actually one of the "greenest" sources of radiant heat available to home owners today. Here are some of the big reasons why.

Let's start with a little history. In the early 20th century, even the most efficient wood burning stoves left a lot to be desired and it wasn't hard to tell. The smoky haze these stoves produced was a telltale sign that an unknowing home owner was literally giving the torch to his heating budget. Fortunately, there has been a revolution in stove design since those days.

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ISS Tonight:

-0.8 20:59:03 WSW 37

Friday, September 19, 2008

ISS Tonight:

-2.0 20:32:32 SW 49
Happy 400th birthday to the telescope!

The telescope - specifically the refractor - was invented in September 1608 by Hans Lipperhey in the Netherlands.

This invention is incorrectly credited to Galileo, but not without reason; he was the first to effectively use it for astronomical research and also to try to popularize it.

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Thursday, September 18, 2008

It's been a couple weeks since I posted any pictures!

Even if I haven't posted any, I'm still always taking them! Here's a few:


Left to right: My Meade ETX-80 computerized telescope. - With my Canon SX-100 camera mounted on it.



Left to right: Last night's Moon. - Last night's Jupiter and it's moons.



Left to right: The Double Cluster in Perseus from two nights ago, 9/16/08. The Moon was too bright, hence the bright background sky. I only took about 10 15 second exposures of it, and the left picture is one of those. - Same thing but after all the exposures have been stacked. It's so light because of the moonlit background sky. - Same picture final image, after I darkened the background and brought the color up a little. If if if, I had better equipment, more experience, more knowledge........hee hee! But I make up for it in FUN!



Left to right: Last night's Wild Duck Cluster in the south, near Jupiter. Same process as above except the Moon was slightly better, hence the slightly darker background sky, and I combined 23 15 second exposures to get the final image. - The combined images. - The final image.



These are cropped closeups of the above images. Bear in mind, these were not taken through the telescope but with the cheap camera's own lens, as it rode on top of the telescope (see first set of pictures). Left to right: The Double Cluster. - The Wild Duck Cluster.
Team High Lifter-Polaris Racing Battles Adversity in Mississippi

The Members of Team High Lifter-Polaris Racing were not about to let the threat of hurricane Gustov keep them from racing as they made their way to the ATV Mudfest in Perkinston, Mississippi, just outside of Gulfport, for the Labor Day mud event. In its fifth year of hosting mudbogs, Red Creek Off Road Park had an average attendance of 3,000+ ATV enthusiasts. The event offered three days filled with ATV Barrel Races, Wheelie Contests, High Lifter Pro Series Racing Mud Bog Competitions and excellent ATV trail riding.

In the Bogger Class, team racer No. 8 Maggie Robertson finished in first place on her Polaris Sportsman 500. Making his racing debut as a member of Team High Lifter – Polaris Racing, No. 10, Blake Mann, finished in first place in the Pro Series “A” Class on his Polaris Sportsman 800. Team High Lifter – Polaris Racer No. 98 Alicia Gorman placed second in the Women’s Class while her husband, and recent addition to the team, No. 9 Josh Gorman placed second in the RUV Class in his Polaris RANGER RZR with team mate JW Otwell along for the ride in the passenger seat.

Team High Lifter-Polaris Racing will keep the winning streak going as they prepare for the final races of the season and look toward the coming year. For a complete schedule and more information on Team High Lifter-Polaris Racing see their official site at http://www.highlifter.com/content/teamhlpol.aspx/.
Intel cuts electric cords with wireless power system

Intel on Thursday showed off a wireless electric power system that analysts say could revolutionize modern life by freeing devices from transformers and wall outlets.

Intel chief technology officer Justin Rattner demonstrated a Wireless Energy Resonant Link as he spoke at the California firm's annual developers forum in San Francisco.

Electricity was sent wirelessly to a lamp on stage, lighting a 60 watt bulb that uses more power than a typical laptop computer.

Most importantly, the electricity was transmitted without zapping anything or anyone that got between the sending and receiving units.

"The trick with wireless power is not can you do it; it's can you do it safely and efficiently," Intel researcher Josh Smith said in an online video explaining the breakthrough.

"It turns out the human body is not affected by magnetic fields; it is affected by elective fields. So what we are doing is transmitting energy using the magnetic field not the electric field."

Examples of potential applications include airports, offices or other buildings that could be rigged to supply power to laptops, mobile telephones or other devices toted into them.

The technology could also be built into plugged in computer components, such as monitors, to enable them to broadcast power to devices left on desks or carried into rooms, according to Smith.

"Initially it eliminates chargers and eventually it eliminates batteries all together," analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group said of Intel's wireless power system.

"That is potentially a world changing event. This is the closest we've had to something being commercially available in this class."

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Wednesday, September 17, 2008

The Greatest Hurricanes Ever

* GALVESTON 1900
* ATLANTIC-GULF 1919
* MIAMI 1926
* SAN FELIPE-OKEECHOBEE 1928
* FLORIDA KEYS LABOR DAY 1935
* NEW ENGLAND 1938
* GREAT ATLANTIC 1944
* CAROL AND EDNA 1954
* HAZEL 1954
* CONNIE AND DIANE 1955
* AUDREY 1957
* DONNA 1960
* CAMILLE 1969
* AGNES 1972
* TROPICAL STORM CLAUDETTE 1979
* ALICIA 1983
* GILBERT 1988
* HUGO 1989
* ANDREW 1992
* TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO 1994
* OPAL 1995
* MITCH 1998
* FLOYD 1999
* KEITH 2000
* TROPICAL STORM ALLISON 2001
* IRIS 2001
* ISABEL 2003
* CHARLEY 2004
* FRANCES 2004
* IVAN 2004
* JEANNE 2004
* DENNIS 2005
* KATRINA 2005
* RITA 2005
* WILMA 2005


details....
Armada of UFOs buzzing Territory

COULD the Northern Territory be under attack from an armada of UFOs?

The Northern Territory News has been inundated in recent weeks with readers' pictures of possible UFO sightings.

The objects captured on camera have ranged from dark disks flying in broad daylight to strange lights glowing in the night sky.

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Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Just another little sample of the way things go. Here's one of my recent stories:

I'm no stranger to the night sky, having been fascinated with it all my life. Being born and raised in the middle of nowhere has encouraged that fascination. The biggest problem with viewing the dim objects is the obstruction caused by trees. Reasonably dark skies are the norm here in Central Wisconsin.

Recently I have become interested in taking pictures of the night sky. I have a cheap Canon that takes a fair picture when I stumble upon the right combination, especially after discovering the Deep Sky Stacker program (now if I can just figure out how to get the color to show up in my stacked pictures). My normal routine involves scanning the sky with my little binoculars for future targets while the camera is taking many exposures.

Now enters my desire to zoom in a little closer. But the stars get trails at anything over 5 seconds with the camera zoomed to 10x. Wouldn't it be cool if there was some way to make my camera follow the stars across the sky? I found an article about how to make a "Barn Door Tracker". Being a dairy farmer, it sounded like it was made for me! After careful consideration, it just seemed a little bit too much like all the other stuff I'm surrounded by everyday. I want something a bit shinier and prettier - something that stands apart from the equipment I'm used to!

I saw an article in Sky and Telescope about a factory-made camera mount that did the same thing as the barn door tracker. A mechanism called Astrotrac (?) that looked like what I wanted. But wow! What a price. More than I can spend on something like that.

I searched Wal-mart's website and found a Meade DS-2114 telescope that not only follows the stars across the sky like I want for my pictures, but also knows how to find them! I'm pretty good at finding them myself with a star map, but hey! I have a couple old reflector telescopes from days gone by, packed away somewhere, that are similar to the DS-2114 without the computerized mount. The ease and simplicity of the binoculars is really what I like between milking the cows late and early. The scope is not primarily what I'm after, but the motorized mount. I could make a bracket out of plumber's tape and a muffler hanger to mount my camera on the back of the scope. But from looking at the picture, and remembering how my old scopes are built, it appears that the eyepiece will be in the way.

A little further searching of Wal-mart and I came across a Meade ETX-80AT-TC that looks perfect. It's small, simple, has the computerized mount, and no eyepiece in the way. I would still have to build a bracket, and it's a little more money, but more or less within my budget. I read a review of it on the Cloudy Nights website that makes it sound like exactly what I want. The bonus being that I can look at the stars through the scope while I'm photographing them, when I'm not scanning with my binoculars. The ETX-80 is like half of a bigger pair of binoculars, but yet not so much to drag in and out of the house and mess around with like my old scopes are. Especially most nights when I only have a little time to enjoy it. I have a cheap spotting scope that is similar in size to the ETX-80, so I know what to expect (or not) from it. The motorized mount is the important thing.

OK, the ETX-80 is the one I want. I haven't used my credit card in years and this will be the first time I have ever made an on-line purchase. I'm paranoid about the horror stories of identity theft on-line. But everybody else does it so here goes. First try and Wal-mart says "sorry, contact your credit card company". OK, I did something wrong. Do it all over the second time. Wal-mart says "sorry, contact your credit card company". My assumption was that Wal-mart's website must be malfunctioning.

So I give up on Wal-mart and search for another vendor. I find one that handles the scope I want and it's even cheaper than Wal-mart was! And the best part - they have a "piggyback mount" just like what I was going to try to make myself! Excellent. I order the scope and the piggyback mount. The order is immediately confirmed via automated e-mail. Looking good!

Overnight I begin to think about my credit card not working for Wal-mart and worry that it won't work for the other company, despite the confirmation e-mail. I call my credit card company and no charges have been made to my account. Maybe the company I ordered from isn't open until Monday and then they will fill the order and charge my account?

Since I don't want any problems with my order, I talk to a representative at my credit card company. She tells me the reason why it wouldn't work at Wal-mart's website is because it was flagged as possible fraud. I haven't used my card in a long time and I have never ever charged anything on-line before and that's what puts the kibosh on my transaction. I tell her that I ordered something from the other company and she says she'll make sure the charge will go through without any complications. Still looking good!

Here is when I begin to think I made a mistake:

That was Saturday/Sunday, this is Tuesday. Still no charge on my credit card. I have heard nothing more from the company about my order after the immediate automated e-mail confirmation. In searching the Cloudy Nights discussion board, I have come across some discouraging information about them. It seems they are out of business, only half in business, or some other equally unreliable situation. Their shopping cart cheerfully accepted my personal credit card information, and if that's true, where did my information go? (See above about being paranoid.) Did I make a mistake by placing an order from that company?

Now what will I do? Wait and wait and wait, and then never get it anyway? I wanted it yesterday, if you know what I mean. If I know for sure that it's coming, I don't mind waiting a week or so. Should I take this as a sign to give up on it? Maybe it just wasn't meant to be. After all, there are many other things I could use that money for, albeit none so enjoyable. Excitement turned to discouragement turned to worry, just like that! Astronomics also has the scope I want (and the cheapest of all!), but no piggyback bracket. If I order the scope from them, will I then end up paying for two scopes if by some chance the other company is still in business?.......

Just my luck.

And then..................

It was hard to find a phone number for the company that I ordered from, because it's not clearly listed on their website. Not too surprised by that though, I guess, because the on-line Wal-mart # isn't listed very prominently on their site either. So I call it (Florida long distance) and the number has been disconnected! I'll start researching the other companies that carry the scope (as mentioned above), and see if they might have the piggyback mount too (ScopeTronix ETX 60AT & 70AT Piggyback Camera Mount STPB70). At this point I am a little gun-shy. I probably won't order from anybody unless I can actually call a toll free number (which is how I've always done it before). Even if I have to pay a few dollars extra.

And then...............................

I just got off the phone with Optics Planet. They had the cheapest price, free shipping, a toll free number prominently displayed on every page, and best of all she said I will have it already tomorrow or the next day!

They didn't have a piggyback camera mount that would work with it, so I will invent something when I get it. The saleslady even checked with a "scope specialist" to be sure.

And then.....................

That feeling of excitement I had at first and lost is starting to come back! UPS says it will be here today!

In several ways it turned out better. Wal-mart wanted $50 more for the ETX-80 than I ended up getting it for, they wanted almost $30 for shipping which I ended up with for free, and they said it could take a week to 10 days to get it, but from Optics Planet will be 24 hours or less if I get it today.

The clouds and rain are forecast to move in tonight for the next four days. But that's ok. It will give me plenty of time to read over the manual and familiarize myself with it.

I can't wait! A few of my wintertime favorites (Orion, Taurus, and the Seven Sisters) are up high in the morning on my way down to the barn. Unfortunately I don't have time then, other than looking up at them while I walk, but they will be up earlier in the evening before too long.

I won't be ordering anything from any companies in Florida for awhile. At least until I'm sure that my credit card is never charged or scammed.

And then.............

I got it! I ordered it from Optics Planet late yesterday at 3pm and I got it before noon today. Free shipping. I just can't get over that. I suppose I better at least open the box now.

And then...................

I open the box and unpack the stuff inside. The cover is off of the battery compartment. It and the holder for the six AA batteries are in the box under the base of the scope. The holder is crushed and smashed to smithereens. Everything else looks ok, including the battery cover. I call Optics Planet and the customer service rep. tells me they will begin an investigation. Don't touch a thing he says. Could take a week or so to figure out who is responsible.

C'mon! It's a simple little part that I could run to the hardware store or Radio Shack and get a replacement. I would do that, it's not really that big of a deal. I want to use the thing.

I'm Irish. I can hear the words I want to utter in my mind. My forehead is beginning to sweat.

And then.........................

Big sigh. At least they ship stuff real fast. And I already called Radio Shack. They handle battery holders like it for 2, 4, and 8 batteries but not for 6.

Greetings from OpticsPlanet.com!

We were recently informed that your merchandise was damaged in transit by UPS. We have filed an insurance claim for the damaged package. We kindly ask for you to reseal the damaged products using the original packaging material and UPS may be picking it up from you for an inspection. It is important that you hold on to the package for 30 days. If no pick up attempts have been made in that time, you can discard the damaged merchandise. Meanwhile, we will ship a replacement to you free of charge upon item(s) stock availability. You will be automatically notified with a tracking number once your order is shipped.

We thank you for your patience and we apologize for the inconvenience. Please let us know if you should have any further questions. We can be reached at (800) 504-5897 or by e-mail at Logistics@OpticsPlanet.com.

Thank you!

Best Regards,
OpticsPlanet.com Logistics Team
Logistics@OpticsPlanet.com
http://www.opticsplanet.com
Phone: (847) 513-6201
Toll-Free: (800) 504-5897
Fax: (847) 919-3003


And then......................

The damage doesn't look to be UPS's problem to me. It has been around the country, even has some other shipping address from Texas on it, besides Meade's California address. The packing material in the box has been bounced around a lot, possibly coming over the Rocky Mountains by horseback at least partway! I think the battery cover either fell off in transit and the holder worked it's way under the base of the scope, or someone had been playing with it (box had obviously been opened before, maybe even more than once) and just threw the battery cover and holder in the bottom of the box.

And then..........................

Still no tracking number or anything from Optics Planet or UPS this morning. I called them to ask what is going on. The e-mail they sent is incorrect. What the customer service told me on the phone is correct - UPS will pick it up, do an investigation to see who is responsible, which will take at least a week. Only then will they ship me a new scope. I tell them to send me a new scope now, bill me for it, then credit my account for the damaged one when the investigation is complete. I want a new, undamaged one before then. In the meantime, I have two scopes charged on my credit card.

And then..................................

I no sooner hang up the phone after ordering another scope from them, and UPS pulls in the driveway. Driver says it doesn't look like a damaged package to him either. He says they'll inspect it when he returns it to his terminal.

Tomorrow I should have a new and hopefully undamaged scope, and within a week maybe I will only have paid for one. I also ordered a universal camera adapter, so that it can be used for piggyback too!

And then................................

I got it yesterday! Again. Now I just need a refund for the first one and I'm a happy camper.

This one seems to be in new condition. The UPS driver said we better check it while he was here, because the package rattled. It looked like little pellets of fertilizer rolling all around. UPS driver thought maybe it was ball bearings, so he bites down on one and then starts spitting. He says "I don't think I should have done that"!

Turns out a package of desiccant was pinched between two pieces of cardboard and ripped open. The pellets were the contents of that. The eyepiece cover was off the scope, but it doesn't appear any got inside.

I haven't powered it up yet. It's been raining. I might do that in the house today. In the meantime I have been reading the manual, watched the DVD, and installed the software.

And then.............................

Over a week after this started, and I'm still waiting for a refund of the first broken scope. I researched the tracking number and UPS has delivered it back to Optics Planet, yesterday. Customer service tells me it could be another week or two yet before the investigation is complete and I have my refund.

Ongoing.......................
TONIGHT:

"UFOs: Seeing is Believing," to be broadcast in HDTV, airs on a special edition of "Primetime" Tuesday, September 16 from 8:30 - 10:00 p.m. CDT.


Could So Many UFO Witnesses Be Right?
"Primetime" Examines the Evidence for UFOs and Aliens


For decades, millions of people around the world have reported seeing UFOs hovering in their skies. It is a mystery that science has been unable to solve, and the phenomenon remains largely unexamined. Much of the reporting on this subject holds those who claim to have seen UFOs up to ridicule.

"UFOs: Seeing is Believing" takes a serious look at the phenomenon in today's world. The 90-minute special includes interviews with scientists searching for proof of life beyond earth and UFO witnesses who claim aliens are already here. Building on the original Peter Jennings report in 2005, David Muir reports on new sightings, as well as NASA's current search for life on Mars.

The program follows the entire scope of the UFO experience, from the first famous sighting by Kenneth Arnold in 1947 to the present day. Muir reports on a recent UFO sighting in Stephenville, Texas, where multiple witnesses reported seeing enormous lights moving in strange configurations on the evening of January 8, 2008. He interviews some of the most credible witnesses of the sighting and a radar expert who evaluated their claims and found something surprising in the data. Sophisticated animations approved by the eyewitnesses allow viewers to get a feel for the experience first hand.

The special draws on interviews with police officers, pilots, military personnel, scientists and ordinary citizens who give extraordinary accounts of encounters with the unexplained. While professional skeptics about UFOs speak out, including scientists who are leading the search for life forms elsewhere in the universe. The special also examines the most recent advances in the search for life on other planets. This past summer, NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, a robot that tests and analyzes soil on the planet, found conclusive evidence of water ice on Mars. You'll hear from scientists on the project about the real possibility of finding life on Earth's next-door neighbor.

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North Carolina Man Makes Record Catch With Barbie Fishing Rod

David Hayes was fishing with his granddaughter in a pond behind his house when she asked him to hold her Barbie fishing rod while she went to the bathroom.

The rest is North Carolina sports history.

Hayes took the fishing rod and seconds later the toy hooked a state-record channel catfish, at 21 pounds, 1 ounce.

"I was pretty sure I was going to lose it," he told The Winston-Salem Journal. "I was hoping I would hang on to it long enough for Alyssa to see it. When she did, she squealed so much it took off on its last run."

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Monday, September 15, 2008

One of the most beautiful stars in the night sky is actually two stars. Albireo, which represents the head of Cygnus, the swan, is high overhead in early evening. Both of its stars are visible through binoculars. One looks golden, the other blue.
THE 'WOW' MYSTERY TURNS 30

30 years ago, astronomer Jerry Ehman was looking over a printout of radio data from Ohio State University's Big Ear Radio Observatory when he saw a string of code so remarkable that he had to circle it and scribble "Wow!" in the margin. The printout recorded an anomalous signal so strong that it had to come from an extraordinary source.

Was it a burst of human-made interference? Or an alien broadcast from the stars? No one knows. The source of the "Wow" signal has never been heard from again - even though astronomers have looked for it dozens of times.

Now the SETI Institute is gearing up to look for it one more time, using the latest tool for seeking signals from extraterrestrial civilizations: the Allen Telescope Array in California.

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Scientists Interested In Large Footprint Discovery
Fossil Imprint Is 11 Inches Wide, 15 inches Long


Harold Jackson is an amateur archaeologist who enjoys collecting arrowheads and other Native American artifacts. But the most extraordinary find of his life came on his property near the Caney Fork River.

For months he stepped on a rock near his house that caught his eye. Finally, he brought the unusual rock home and cleaned it up. After all of the mud was removed, a remarkable discovery was revealed.

"(The print) is about 11 inches wide and about 15 inches long."

Jackson said the fossilized print clearly shows the heel and all five toes.

"It's got to be thousands of years old," said Jackson.

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Sunday, September 14, 2008

The Harvest Moon soars across the sky tonight. It is the full Moon closest to the autumnal equinox. For the farmers of yore, no full Moon was more welcome, because its brilliant glow lit the fields, allowing them to gather crops well into the night.
Mystery surrounds humming noise
Investigations have begun into the high-pitched drone


A mysterious humming sound has kept people in a Suffolk town awake for the last seven weeks.

The hum, which has been heard in Sudbury overnight, has led to 50 people contacting Sudbury Town Council.

Lord Philips of Sudbury said: "If someone had said to me a spacecraft had landed on the meadows last night I would have said 'well I heard it'."

A council spokeswoman said Babergh District Council was attempting to identify the noise.

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Saturday, September 13, 2008

Aquila, the eagle, is high in the southeast at nightfall, far above the gibbous Moon. It soars across the south in late evening, and sets before dawn. Its brightest star is Altair, one of the members of the bright Summer Triangle.

With summer nearing its end (on September 22nd this year), the Summer Triangle is only now reaching its highest overhead after dark. As the stars come out, look for bright Vega nearly straight up (if you live in the mid-northern latitudes). To Vega's east, by two or three fist-widths at arm's length, look for Deneb. Somewhat farther down from Vega toward the southeast is Altair.
Poltergeists and Our Plastic Reality

I have myself seen with my own eyes. and am prepared to swear on any oath, that the following occurred: 1.) A round Stone about an inch in diameter dropped from a completely bare ceiling; 2.) a piece of glazed tile fell out of a tiled roof; 3.) a knife flew past my face when I was the only person in the room; 4.) several potatoes and onions leaped out of a wooden box and rolled across the floor.

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Friday, September 12, 2008

Meet Yoda the cat with FOUR ears


If Batman had a cat, it would probably look something like this.

The household pet, named Yoda, was born with an extra set of ears.

Valerie and Ted Rock took him in two years ago after visiting a bar near their home in Chicago, where he was being passed round by curious drinkers.

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Thursday, September 11, 2008

Save Money and the Environment

Wood burning stoves are the choice for anyone who wants to look after the environment and their bank balance at the same time.

It is back to basics in the world of heating according to Euroheat managing director Simon Holden who says “burning wood is carbon neutral, the best way to help climate change.” The company have noted a demand like never before for their Scandinavian designed contemporary heating stoves.

The wood burning stoves have a patented ‘automatic’ system as standard which makes them as clean, economical and as energy efficient as possible. The ‘automatic’ system consists of a bimetallic strip that automatically regulates the supply of air for the stove’s combustion. Precisely engineered, it adjusts itself each time firewood is added to achieve optimal combustion.

The benefit of such efficient stove combustion is not only that it produces cleaner emissions but that it also increases energy output by up to 30% compared to conventional wood burning stoves. The improved energy-efficiency means that less wood is burnt to achieve the desired heat, therefore reducing the quantity of wood needed to run the stove.

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Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Jarring economy spurs rise in canning

To Amy Hobbs Harris, a dozen jars of strawberry preserves are worth $391 -- the amount she estimates she'll save in a year by canning the fruit herself.

Not that she normally would spend that much on jam. But the savings add up once she factors in other uses -- giving them away as gifts, for example, or stirring the preserves into plain yogurt instead of buying pricier flavored cups.

Harris, 33, of Tipp City, Ohio, started canning for the first time last summer, putting her a bit ahead of a trend seen around the country: As food prices rise and the economy declines, more people are turning to home canning.

I started canning to save money," said Harris. I really love the self-sufficiency of it, that I know where the produce started and what the process is."

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M17 - The Swan Nebula

Well-positioned for northern and southern observers, the Swan Nebula lies 5,000 light years away among the rich star clouds of Sagittarius about 10 degrees north of the “teapot”. The Swan is one of the three finest emission nebulae visible to small telescopes.

The Basics

• M17 is an emission nebula, which means it's made up of hydrogen gas that emits mostly reddish light upon stimulation from hot young stars that form inside the nebula but are hidden from our sight by obscuring dust.

• Along with the Orion Nebula (M42) and the Lagoon Nebula (M8), the Swan is one of the three finest emission nebula for northern observers with small backyard telescopes. Definitely worth observing over and over again.

A Deeper Look

• The Swan was first observed in the late 1700's, but it's true nature was not determined until William Huggins observed the nebula with a spectroscope and identified the glowing gas as hydrogen.

• Before spectroscopes were turned to the sky, no one was sure if nebula like the Swan were simply unresolved stars, a mysterious shining “fluid”, or something completely unknown. In fact, no one knew what stars were made of, and some respectable scientists declared in the 19th century that humans would never know what celestial objects were made of. Never say never, I suppose!

• In millions more years, the glowing gas of the Swan Nebula will be consumed in star formation, leaving a small open star cluster behind.

Good To Know

Also called the Omega Nebula, the Horseshoe Nebula, and the Checkmark Nebula. Depending on the seeing and levels of light-pollution, you may be able to see all these shapes in M17 as you vary your magnification. The delicate curve of the Swan's “head” is the hardest of all to see: breathe deeply and be patient.

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Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Wood stoves are a hot item

With predictions the average home's oil bill will top $4,000 this winter, hundreds of local people have decided not to wait for the sticker shock.

They are switching to wood and have been buying up wood and pellet stoves at a dizzying clip, according to Ken Naylor, manager of The Stove Shoppe in Windham.

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Outlaw "Dodges Kangaroos" To Win Australasian Safari

After more than 2500 miles and 7 torturous days, Polaris Outlaw mounted John Maragozidis has won the inaugural ATV Class at the “Dakar down under,” the Australasian Safari.

Maragozidis crossed the line in 31hr 42m, almost 2 hours ahead of his next rival.

With more than 1600 miles of timed competitive stages on some of Western Australia’s most punishing desert terrain, the Safari covers both private and public trails before finishing in the state capital, Perth.

The introduction of the quad class this year has added another dimension to the 21 year history of one of world motorsport’s most grueling events.

“Unlike the Dakar events in Europe and Africa, Australasian Safari competitors must also occasionally dodge 5ft tall Kangaroos and Australia’s maddest bird, the Emu, which is about the size of an Ostrich. They love to run along side you then cut out in front!” Said Polaris Australia’s National Sales Manager, Peter Harvey.

Unfortunately, this year an entrant in the ATV Class from South Africa hit a 150 pound Kangaroo. Reportedly he continued to race with what he thought was a painfully bruised thigh.

The Australasian Safari is a rally style event where competitors race at set intervals and compete against the clock. Cars, Motorbikes and ATVs all complete the same competitive sections.

“The Outlaw 525 IRS handled the terrain brilliantly. I don’t think I’d attempt this race on a quad without a independent rear suspension,” said Maragozidis. “When you’re belting across rocky terrain and bull dust at 100kmph, traction and handling are everything.”

“This year, Polaris Australia and its dealers have made an outstanding investment in ATV racing, and it is great to see the results,” said Harvey.

So far this year Polaris Racing has won the Australian ATV MX Tri-State Series, the Queensland ATV MX Championship, and currently has a solid lead in the Victorian ATV MX Series.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Task force reviews pros and cons of wood heat

Converting a large number of homes from oil heat to wood heat would save consumers money but could have implications for both the environment and other forest product industries, members of a task force were told Wednesday.

For the past seven months, members of the Governor’s Wood to Energy Task Force have explored the potential for lessening dependence on oil for heat. On Wednesday, the group heard comments on the pros and cons of switching to wood, a homegrown resource already central to the state’s economy.

John Parsons, representing the Oxford Hills School District, estimated that the district could save 80,000 gallons of oil — and therefore hundreds of thousands of dollars — by converting the local high school to a modern, high-efficiency wood boiler. Currently, Oxford Hills and other school systems across the state have to reduce teaching positions or eliminate educational programs just to keep the buildings warm.

"We are literally tossing our teachers into the boilers," Parsons said.

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Scientists get death threats over Large Hadron Collider

Scientists working on the world's biggest machine are being besieged by phone calls and emails from people who fear the world will end Wednesday, when the gigantic atom smasher starts up.

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Sunday, September 7, 2008

A recent Google search: polaris 2-up passenger right foot getting too hot

You'll get used to it. That's the way it feels on all of them, at first. Make sure you're wearing good shoes and hope for a wind blowing from the right in the meantime.
Jagged X’s RANGER RZR Dominates “Vegas to Reno”

Jagged X and their No. 1919 RANGER RZR repeated history and continued to dominate the Best in the Desert Series by taking their second “Vegas to Reno” win. The team finished the race in 17 hours and 26 minutes, a full hour and 18 minutes faster than the only other finisher. The win is the No. 1919’s tenth consecutive Best in the Desert finish.

Known as the longest and most grueling off-road race in the U.S., this year’s “Vegas to Reno” race was 457.5 miles with varying elevations consisting of 2,500 ft on the desert floor to more than 9,000 ft. in the mountains. Jagged X and the No. 1919 mastered the changing elevations and extreme temperature swings in true dominating style.

“The second ‘Vegas to Reno’ wins proves there’s nothing the RANGER RZR can’t dominate,” said Craig Scanlon, product line sales manager for Polaris. “This race threw everything at us; desert, mountains, steep climbs, extreme temperature changes and the RANGER RZR gobbled it up looking for more.”

Jagged X’s RANGER RZR, piloted once again by Brandon Schueler with co-driver Blake Van de Loo, took off in second place and within a few miles Team Jagged had taken the lead and was on a track to keep it. Temperatures were more than 100 degrees as the RANGER RZR made its way North towards Reno, Nevada and the finish line. The Jagged X lead was never challenged but at about 2:00 am, after nearly 400 miles of dirt and rocks, the No. 1919 hit a huge ledge hidden in the deep silt and damaged the left front suspension. Driver and Co-driver managed to three-wheel the car into the last pit where the pit crew was able to repair the damage and send the jagged X team, which was still in the lead, to the finish.

The next race for Jagged X and their RANGER RZR is "The Bilek Racing Silver State 300," in Mesquite, Nevada, September 26-28.
'Beer goggles' are real - it's official

THE next time you hear someone blaming "beer goggles" for their behavior, you may have to believe them. People really do appear more attractive when our perceptions are changed by drinking alcohol.

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Saturday, September 6, 2008

JULES VERNE UNDOCKS

The European Space Agency's robotic cargo carrier, Jules Verne, undocked from the ISS yesterday. Now the two spacecraft are flying through the night sky in tandem. This morning, the Jules Verne was visible at magnitude 0; the ISS at magnitude -2.
wood-burning ban irks couple

Avis and Tony Erickson recently purchased an outdoor wood-burning stove to heat their home in Stewartville to cut down on their heating bills, but they're unsure whether or not they'll ever get to use it.

The Stewartville City Council unanimously passed an ordinance banning outdoor wood- and corn-burning stoves last month. Avis Erickson said Monday that she hadn't heard about the ban until the stove had already been delivered from a Central Boiler dealer in Lake City.

Last winter, the couple paid $600 a month to heat their home with their natural gas furnace.

"We knew we had to make the decision to either find a cheaper way to heat the house or move to a smaller one," Erickson said. "We really don't want to move."

Stewartville City Administrator Bill Schimmel Jr. said while it's good that people are looking for alternative forms of energy, the smoke from the outdoor stoves can be a problem.

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The "False Comet" Cluster

This sparkling group of associated stars in a rich section of the Milky Way presents the uncanny appearance to the naked eye of a small comet. It's a beautiful sight this time of year.

The Basics

• The “False Comet” is a group of two star clusters next to a string of brighter stars in the tail of the constellation Scorpius. The collection spans some 2 degrees of sky and looks like a small comet with a curved tail pointing northward into the Milky Way.

• Easily visible with the naked eye, the “False Comet” has been known since antiquity, although comet hunter Charles Messier was too far north to include it in his famous catalog.

• The star cluster NGC 6231 forms the “head” of the comet; the large open cluster Trumpler 24 forms the tail. While cataloged as separate clusters, these stars are physically associated and formed out of the same massive nebula only 6-8 million years ago. The collection is roughly 6,000 light years from Earth.

A Deeper Look....

Friday, September 5, 2008

Winter heat in a small package

"Hotter than blue blazes" might sound cozy very soon.

Getting there could be cost-prohibitive. Prices of oil-based energy sources have risen considerably in the past year, as any consumer at the gas pumps can attest. Natural gas and propane follow that trend. Local heating-fuel vendors estimate increases ranging from more than 10 percent to at least 30 percent since August 2007.

One alternative is pellet fuel.

James Kneller of The Chimney Doctors Custom Fireplaces in South Jackson promotes stoves that heat by burning pellets that look like livestock food, corn and grain. Harman Stove Co. products are on the showroom floor with wood-burning items by Vermont Castings items and other top-of-the-line manufacturers, plus fireplaces, grates, mantels and accessories.

"There's been a renewed interest in wood burning," he said. "Cord wood is the cheapest and most dependable way to heat."

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Sun Makes History: First Spotless Month in a Century

Drop in solar activity has potential effect for climate on earth.

The sun has reached a milestone not seen for nearly 100 years: an entire month has passed without a single visible sunspot being noted.....

....In the past 1000 years, three previous such events -- the Dalton, Maunder, and Spörer Minimums, have all led to rapid cooling. One was large enough to be called a "mini ice age". For a society dependent on agriculture, cold is more damaging than heat. The growing season shortens, yields drop, and the occurrence of crop-destroying frosts increases.

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Thursday, September 4, 2008

JULES VERNE

Europe's robotic cargo carrier, ATV Jules Verne, is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station on Sept. 5th. The ATV is wrapping up a successful five-month mission, delivering supplies, reboosting the ISS, and serving as an impromptu bedroom for the ISS crew. On Sept. 29th, ESA mission controllers plan to send Jules Verne into Earth's atmosphere where it will disintegrate as a fireball over the Pacific Ocean.
SPIRIT UPDATE: Waiting Out the Winter

Spirit's battery levels are slowly edging upward, thanks to a slight decrease in atmospheric dust (Tau) and a gradual increase in sunlight as winter gives way to spring.

Early in the week, Spirit spent two Martian days carrying out contingency plans following a temporary delay in data transmission from Earth. Spirit implemented the so-called "runout" portion of an earlier master sequence on sols 1628 and 1629. Subsequent relays of new instructions from Earth on sols 1629 and 1632 went off without a hitch.

Spirit remains healthy, with all subsystems performing as expected as of sol 1630.


OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Opportunity Eyes Challenges Ahead


Opportunity faces several challenges on the way out of "Victoria Crater" but continues to make steady progress. The first of these is a traverse of approximately 10 meters (30 feet, a little longer than a double-decker bus) across a sandy, 17-degree slope. Opportunity is more than halfway through that part of the journey. The next is a drive across 30 to 50 meters (100 to 160 feet), depending on the route taken, of rocky outcrop. The final leg of the climb will require Opportunity to cross the ripple surrounding the alcove known as "Duck Bay."

Because Opportunity is facing the threat of a drive-motor failure on the left front wheel, the engineering team has been working on pseudo-"Mars time" for the past week to take advantage of extra drive opportunities.

Opportunity remains healthy, with all subsystems performing as expected as of the downlink of information from NASA's Odyssey orbiter on sol 1620.

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Home Heat: a Rush for Alternatives

Higher Energy Prices Spark
Frenzy for Wood, Pellet Stoves;
Hot Models in Tight Supply


Instead of spending summer days sunning by the pool, some homeowners were jostling with heat-seeking crowds of a different sort -- at the local fireplace dealer.

With record-high winter fuel costs on the horizon, a midsummer panic to find alternative heat sources was sparking unusual early demand for an old warmth standby: the wood-burning stove. Brisk early sales in cold weather states of these units, as well as other hearth appliances that burn sawdust pellets, corn, and even cherry and olive pits, caught manufacturers and dealers by surprise after two years of tepid sales. Many are reporting backlogs of models that in some cases won't arrive until next year.

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Wednesday, September 3, 2008

A solar wind stream is approaching Earth, due to hit late on Sept. 3rd or Sept. 4th. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras.
Divine lightning reaction?

A Chinese man who swore to God that he didn't owe money to a neighbour was hit by lightning a minute later.

The man, named Xu, made the oath in front of a crowd of neighbours in Fuqing city, reports Southeast Express.

He vowed that he had never borrowed money from Mr Huang, who claimed Xu borrowed 500 yuan, the equivalent of £40, from him three years earlier.

"He borrowed 500 yuan three years ago from me for a friend's marriage gift, but he has denied it ever since then," said Huang, who went to Xu's home to demand payment.

"I told him that if he dared to swear to God that he didn't owe me the money, then I would waive his debt," said Huang.

Xu made the oath, but was suddenly struck by lightning a minute later.

He was immediately taken to hospital where doctors confirmed he had been hit by lightning. He is expected to make a full recovery.

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More People Turn To Wood Heat For Winter

Allan Poole, of Allan’s Tree Services, said his customers are buying five cords of wood at a time, as opposed to the typical one cord, in preparation for winter.

Last year, he said he only sold 50 cords.

He said he expects to sell his entire 75-cord stock this year.

He said demand has made him able to charge more, too.

“The interesting thing is a cord of wood would have to cost $600 to be on par with what the price of oil is now, so it's still a bargain,” he said.

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Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Sunday, August 31st, was our first 90 degree day of 2008. (90.1) Today, September 2nd, is our hottest day of the year. (91.5) It's weird how our hottest days waited until the very end of Summer.
With summer soon to change to fall, the Great Square of Pegasus is well up in the east after dark. Look for it balancing on one corner. It's a bit larger than your fist held at arm's length.
SOME 150 UFO have been spotted in the UK so far this year — up from 135 in 2007.

In July, writer Pat Regan, 51, snapped a greenish disc on a fishing trip in Lancashire.

And Royal Navy aircraft engineer Michael Madden, 25, spotted a flying craft above the M5 near Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.

An “alien fleet” of 12 objects buzzed Basingstoke for half an hour in June — the glowing orange objects captured on film by David Osborne, 47.

And a police helicopter took evasive action after a mystery craft zoomed straight at it over Cardiff. Cops gave chase but it escaped.

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Soaring heating oil prices ignite firewood demand

On a recent scorching-hot summer day, workers at Reed's Firewood used heavy equipment to cut and split logs into firewood until it was too dark to see.

Despite its relentless pace, the family-run business is failing to keep up with demand as homeowners shellshocked by the price of heating oil look to old-fashioned firewood as a way to lower their bills this winter.

The cost of seasoned firewood in Maine has jumped roughly 50 percent from a year ago, but it remains a relative bargain when compared with heating oil, which is nearly $2 per gallon more than last year. Many customers are doubling their usual orders and some firewood dealers are turning away customers.

"We've really never seen anything like this before," said Lloyd Irland, who teaches forestry economics at Yale University and runs a consulting business in Maine.

While most heating oil customers aren't dumping the fuel altogether, they're using less by upgrading furnaces, turning down thermostats, insulating their homes and turning to alternative fuels, including firewood.

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Monday, September 1, 2008

The town of Pray? You can't get there from here.

Yesterday was a great day for an ATV ride! I was pretty tired from astrophotography practice the night before (or early that morning, depending on how you look at it), so petered out earlier than the others. I was home by 7pm. Still, I rode 125 miles and the others were out there somewhere yet when I left!

We really had to look hard to find any mud on the trails. The closest thing we came to it was one or two spots where there was no dust! There isn't much "trail" left in trail-riding nowadays.

I didn't see this happen, but what I was told was that on the way into Hatfield our group met some cars with the occupants giving us the thumbs down sign. Most likely silent sports' arrogant bastards. I enjoy some silent sports myself, but I'm not so narrow-mindedly pigheaded that I would for a moment think of trying to tell others what recreations they can or cannot enjoy. I guess Darwin gave them a salute back, with a finger that did not include the thumb. If I had seen it, I may have tracked them down and pounded the piss out of them! HA HA! As I get older I find that I have less and less patience, especially for those that try to take away your Freedom to pick and choose the way you relax on your day off.


Out Of Order? Usually!



This guy was cruising around Necedah in the morning. Looks like fun. I'm for all kinds of recreation (whether silent or not), I'd give it a try.



Here's to the next 1000 miles on my Polaris Hawkeye!
Shamanic Astronomer AJ McGettigan writes

For more than a year, the largest planet in our solar system has been transiting across the center of our Milky Way galaxy. This alignment happens only once every 12 years. Several things are notable about this event at this time. First, Jupiter is currently hovering on the eastern edge of the center of the Milky Way. Antares, one of the brightest stars in our sky, holds a permanent position on the western edge of the galactic central bulge. The position of Jupiter affords a breath-taking view of the immense size of the center of our galaxy in the sky.

My picture of Jupiter and the center of the Milky Way from 2 nights ago. Jupiter is the brightest "star" in the picture. Antares is not in the picture, off the lower right side. The large, brightness along the bottom is the bulge of the center of our galaxy. -quads

The visible width and breadth of the central portion of our galaxy fills an area more than 5,000 times greater than the apparent size of our moon. Jupiter’s current placement provides a beautiful highlight bringing the attentive viewers’ awareness to the immense dimensions of the heart of the largest of cosmic beings within which we all live together.

Sky watchers looking to the south right after dark will witness this incredible sight--even those who live near bright city lights. Jupiter is easily visible as the brightest object in the southern sky. Sharing the southern sky on the western edge of the heart of our galaxy is the bright orange star, Antares (Heart of the Scorpion) In early September at dusk, the line between Jupiter and Antares will be mostly horizontal, and centered in the south. To locate Antares, hold your hands together at arms length in front of you. With your left pinky near Jupiter, Antares will be the bright orange star close to your right pinky.

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47 Ursae Majoris, a star system with at least one planet, is just visible below the bowl of the Big Dipper, which is in the northwest this evening. The planet is more massive than Jupiter, the giant of our solar system, but it is too faint to see even with a telescope.
Homeowners cope with heating oil prices

James Cross sat in his car on a hot Monday afternoon and cheerfully talked about the difficulties he's going to face this winter paying his bills.

Of course, when you had a heart transplant less than a year ago, getting to see another winter — no matter how expensive — might tend to brighten your attitude about struggles like this.

Cross' heart transplant came up as he discussed his need to find some help this winter. It'll be the second time in the 12 years he's been a homeowner that he will need help.

Cross noted with irony that he was a dispatcher for a heating oil company until about April 2007, when his heart trouble forced him to stop working. He had a heart transplant in September that year. He said he has monthly appointments to check on his progress and so far, so good.

"I think oil is going to be sky high," Cross said. "They're not making it easy to heat with oil."

That's exactly what thousands of Connecticut residents are thinking as they try to figure out how to pay for 700 to more than 1,000 gallons of oil they'll need to get through the year.

Heating oil prices were flirting with $5 a gallon recently but have come down and are nearing the $4 range, which is still much higher than a year ago.

Responses to the looming expense vary and include crossing fingers, trimming use, installing new heating systems and trying to work out payment plans with dealers.

Some dealers aren't even offering firm contracts for heating oil because the price has been so volatile and high. "I've lost 100 customers because I'm not offering fixed prices," said Sam Livieri Jr., vice president of West Haven-based Apple Oil Co. Apple has customers throughout New Haven and Fairfield counties.


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