(meteorobs) OT - Query

[Kim Youmans]

    Joseph's original binocular post again stirred longings to own a nice 
binocular setup myself.
My ideal project would include a stand (not tripod) that would allow me to 
recline in my lawnchair
and observe mostly hands-free for, perhaps, 30-minute stretches of time. 
The problem there is there
doesn't seem to be any low cost stand of this type readily available.
      The binoculars themselves would have some type of image/light 
intensification.  But, then why not thermal,
since meteors do generate heat?  For meteors +6 and fainter, what *would* be 
the best type
of intensifier for my dream meteor binocs?

Kim Youmans

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <prospector at znet.com>
To: "Global Meteor Observing Forum" <meteorobs at meteorobs.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2006 2:09 PM
Subject: Re: (meteorobs) OT - Query


>  Joseph and others,
>
>    James Muirden in "The Amateur Astronomer's Handbook" suggested to use
> a broom handle to steady binouclars. I followed his advice, except it's a
> pine branch about 24 inches long and it reduces jiggle about 70%. It can
> also be placed on my legs when I'm sitting while looking at terrestrial
> objects, very steady and I then can have two hands on the binoculars.
>
>     On 1 Feb. 1999 or 2000 I saw a meteor skip off the atmosphere. It 
> slow-
> ed and was moving directly away from me, looking all the world like a 
> spark-
> ler through my 10X50 binoculars, very pretty.
>
>     About 1985 I was using a simple table top telescope placed on a roof 
> of
> a car so I could draw the moon. I had just reajusted it when a small plane
> like black object traveled from about 4 to 10 o'clock in less than three
> seconds. It was about 1-2 arc seconds long. In my binocuars, it would have
> been a black dot, but invisible by eye. Our shuttle fleet was not flying 
> and
> the Russian look-a-like hadn't gone up yet. I've always believed it was 
> one
> of our spy planes, the Aurora. It had delta like wings, no projections 
> from
> the rear (engines, wings) and Carnard wings that were perfect sharp tri-
> angles. I figure it was traveling about 1100 mph, at about 240,000 feet, a
> suborbital flight and coming home. I did't say anything for 9 years about
> this sighting.
>
>                                    Dave English
>                               Oceanside, California
> Quoting MexicoDoug at aol.com:
>
>>
>> If the ISS is 347 km height and under optimal circumstances (passed
>> directly
>> overhead), and had a cross sectional length of 72 meters, that would be
>> about 43 arc seconds, about 23% (one dimensionally) greater than the
>> diameter of
>> Jupiter at the moment.  Can you resolve anything on  Jupiter?
>>
>> Saludos, Doug
>>
>> In a message dated 1/17/2006 11:55:21 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
>> josephasmus at cox.net writes:
>>
>> was  hoping to tap into some of the observing experience of listmembers.
>> With  my pair of recently acquired Celestron Skymaster 20x80's, would I
>> have been able to resolve any of the station's structure
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