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Posts Made By: Tom McDonough

March 18, 2006 08:40 PM Forum: After Dark

messier marathon

Posted By Tom McDonough
Here is my observing log and charts generated with CdC that I have made available to anyone. I used these charts last year to find 90 objects in my first marathon.

http://astrotulsa.com/pub/MessierMarathon2006.pdf

June 22, 2006 03:44 PM Forum: Eyepieces

1.25" Low Power Eyepiece

Posted By Tom McDonough
You guys are correct, after crunching some specs there is no practical difference in true FOV between the 32 and 40mm. Therefore it looks like I will set my sights on a 32mm.
So now the decision is between which of the brands will be the better preformer.

Tom

August 26, 2006 01:15 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

Full Moon + Sunglasses = Good Views

Posted By Tom McDonough
Whenever I observe the moon between first and last quarter with my 15X70 binoculars, I put on my sunglasses. Makes the view very comfortable. I have never been able to find moon filters for binoculars.

November 25, 2006 06:58 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Agena Astro Products

Posted By Tom McDonough
Thanks for the advice. Sounds like a good company.

January 10, 2007 12:56 AM Forum: Solar System Observing

Comet McNaught

Posted By Tom McDonough
I just observed Comet McNaught from 5:58PM to 6:09PM CST. It was a fantastic sight; I would definitely say it is the brightest comet I’ve seen since West in 1976. Once I first spotted it in my 15X70 binoculars it was an easy naked eye object for around 5 minutes. At the end of my observing window I could still see some tail even though the comet was 0.5° above the horizon!

Tom


January 13, 2007 01:41 AM Forum: Solar System Observing

Mc What?

Posted By Tom McDonough
Starry Night is set by default to read only 150 comets at startup from the comets.txt file. Unfortunately, new comets are at the BOTTOM of this file which currently contains 190 entries. Navigate to File > Preferences > Startup/AutoUpdates. I set comets, asteroids, and satellites to 600 to be sure I don't miss any.

Tom

August 1, 2007 08:43 PM Forum: Deep Sky Observing

Your favourite low power view

Posted By Tom McDonough
My favorite is Kemble's Cascade/NGC 1502. An amazing sight in a pair of big binoculars.

Tom

October 10, 2007 10:02 PM Forum: Deep Sky Observing

October Messier Marathon - sequence?

Posted By Tom McDonough
I generated a set of charts for last year along with log sheets. Except for the position of the planets, they should still be good. http://astrotulsa.com/pub/FallMessierMarathon2006.pdf (1.4MB)

Enjoy,
Tom

January 1, 2008 03:12 PM Forum: Global Warming - REAL or NOT

More global warming myths

Posted By Tom McDonough
The last ice age ended just a scant 10,000 years ago, we should be getting warmer. For most of the earth's history it's been much warmer than it is now. The fossil record bears this out. Our current global temperature is abnormal, most likely due to a slight decrease in the energy output from the sun and/or a small increase in the ellipticity of the earth's orbit. Those factors are much more significant than the amount of pollutants we're putting into the atmosphere. I don't buy the hype.

Tom
BS Professional Geology
University of Oklahoma

January 12, 2008 02:55 PM Forum: After Dark

cloud cover

Posted By Tom McDonough
I like the NOAA Aviation Digital Data Service (ADDS) http://adds.aviationweather.gov/satellite/
This site has everything you want to know about the current state of the atmosphere.

Tom

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