http://www.giveyoujoy.net/awe/blog/ A journal of my journey through this universe. en-us 2008-12-27T12:54:53-05:00 http://www.giveyoujoy.net/awe/blog/archives/2008/12/scale_model.html Foundations Greg Stone 2008-12-27T12:54:53-05:00 http://www.giveyoujoy.net/awe/blog/archives/2008/11/archives_this_b.html I have decided to put all my blog entries on all subjects in a single place. However, you can find all new - after October, 2008 - astronomy blog entries here. The home page for all my current blog entries... Greg Stone 2008-11-30T04:23:09-05:00 http://www.giveyoujoy.net/awe/blog/archives/2008/09/love_who_undest.html Looking at giant Rigel this morning - 40,000 times brighter than our Sun - I found myself pondering two questions: 1. Why do I love double stars so? 2. And why do I love this little 80mm Orion Eon telescope... Equipment Greg Stone 2008-09-23T05:59:28-05:00 http://www.giveyoujoy.net/awe/blog/archives/2008/08/a_flock_of_fier.html We think we know them, of course, because we can name them – meteors. In fact, we can get more particular and call these the “Perseids,” meteors that appear near mid-August of each year and seem to stream out of... Observations Greg Stone 2008-08-13T06:10:04-05:00 http://www.giveyoujoy.net/awe/blog/archives/2008/08/discovery.html Once more, tired, but with too many small pains to sleep, I roll out of bed about 3:15 am and as I glance out the door to the upper deck I see it is wonderfully clear. Ten minutes later, tea... Meditative Observations Greg Stone 2008-08-09T05:13:14-05:00 http://www.giveyoujoy.net/awe/blog/archives/2008/08/its_gotta_be_mo.html Well, at least it has to be a time when I'm well rested. And that, more often than not is 2-3 am - but there's more. That's also a time when the air is likely to be steadiest - the... Meditative Observations Greg Stone 2008-08-05T05:00:56-05:00 http://www.giveyoujoy.net/awe/blog/archives/2008/08/from_andromeda.html Putting on my watch cap - now that's a weird experience in August, but I noticed the temperature was 65 degrees and while any reasonable person would call that warm, most "reasonable" persons don't roll out of bed and head... Meditative Observations Greg Stone 2008-08-04T04:47:04-05:00 http://www.giveyoujoy.net/awe/blog/archives/2008/05/saturn_through.html The above image of Saturn - complete with Cassini Division (a difficult target now) and the shadow of the planet on the rings, was taken by Steen Weichel and sent to me today with the following note. I think... Observations Greg Stone 2008-05-15T09:15:05-05:00 http://www.giveyoujoy.net/awe/blog/archives/2008/05/ethos_vs_hyperi.html Well, I've had a couple of reasonably clear mornings to begin to appreciate the Ethos. My conclusion: Put me on a lonely island with a dozen telescopes and one eyepiece and I want that eyepiece to be the 13mm Televue... Equipment Greg Stone 2008-05-07T05:46:04-05:00 http://www.giveyoujoy.net/awe/blog/archives/2008/05/the_most_import.html What's going on this month on Mars may, IMHO, prove to be the most important story of our lifetime. It's not getting the hype it deserves from the press, but that's no surprise. I've written about this before, but what... In the news Greg Stone 2008-05-06T02:12:00-05:00 http://www.giveyoujoy.net/awe/blog/archives/2008/05/building_an_eye.html Well, not just exit pupil, but of the various numbers associated with eyepieces the exit pupil is a good way to set one limit. My new 'Ethos' arrived - the most expensive eyepiece I ever dreamed of purchasing -... Equipment Greg Stone 2008-05-03T09:50:24-05:00 http://www.giveyoujoy.net/awe/blog/archives/2008/05/seeing_red_ux_d.html May 1,2008 - 4 am - T5, S3 8-inch LX90 Take your average nuclear explosion, mix in a lot of carbon to absorb the blue light, and what you get is one unequivocally red star. The one I was looking... Observations Greg Stone 2008-05-01T07:51:18-05:00 http://www.giveyoujoy.net/awe/blog/archives/2008/04/silence_under_t.html "Silence under the Stars:Connecting with the Universe" is a new program of free, public observing at Driftway Observatory introduces two changes in the way we approach the universe. First, we will start each observing period with a period of... Public programs Greg Stone 2008-04-10T08:41:14-05:00 http://www.giveyoujoy.net/awe/blog/archives/2008/04/more_observatio.html April 3, 2008 - 3:15 am - 5:30 am - T4-5, S3 This was a wonderful, refreshing session, though cold got to my hands once ina while. What I did most of the time was play with the Orion... Equipment Greg Stone 2008-04-03T04:42:13-05:00 http://www.giveyoujoy.net/awe/blog/archives/2008/04/winter_wear.html Notes to myself - At 32 and below I need chemical toe warmers and handwarmers to be comfortable, plus silk glove libers and heated vest. I need hat on top of balaclava plus scarf At 32 - 50 - Silk... Equipment Greg Stone 2008-04-03T04:37:54-05:00