Is there an online version of the manual

[geofflambert]

ORIGINAL: NigelKentarus

Go SOX!

If you don't wash them often enough, they start creeping around. Wanna hold some races? Bets will be accepted.

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

ORIGINAL: NigelKentarus

Go SOX!

If you don't wash them often enough, they start creeping around. Wanna hold some races? Bets will be accepted.

And if you don't pay your Sox enough, they turn Black and throw the Series.

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: dave sindel

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: dave sindel

Hey Moose - how are you doing ?

Good. Had my Major Birthday and survived. Playing less AE these days. My PBEM is on hold due to laptop issues, and I'm playing, and waiting on, other games.

Which "major" one. I hit 65 in another month.. [X(]

Majors (in my family) are always decimals. The only thing 65 is good for IMO is that sweet gummint check! [:'(]

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

ORIGINAL: dave sindel

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58




Good. Had my Major Birthday and survived. Playing less AE these days. My PBEM is on hold due to laptop issues, and I'm playing, and waiting on, other games.

Which "major" one. I hit 65 in another month.. [X(]

Crap, I hit 61 in a month. What a total let down. Nobody cares!

61 is like an "I got a rock" Halloween.

[dave sindel]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: dave sindel

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58




Good. Had my Major Birthday and survived. Playing less AE these days. My PBEM is on hold due to laptop issues, and I'm playing, and waiting on, other games.

Which "major" one. I hit 65 in another month.. [X(]

Majors (in my family) are always decimals. The only thing 65 is good for IMO is that sweet gummint check! [:'(]

found out the other day that if I wait to 66 I can get my SS full retirement AND can still work and earn as much as I want without penalty. I had planned to start at 67, but not any longer.

[HansBolter]

I have 5 years to get to 66-1/2 for full retirement benefits, but I thought the amount you can make per year under full benefits was limited.

Would be great if I can supplement the SS benefits with some part time drafting work.

Thansk to my younger brother I actually now have a real plan for retirement beyond simply living out my days in my paid for house in St. Petrsburg.
As some of you may know I am also an avid amatuer astronomer who regularly leaves urban megalopolis knwon as the Tampa Bay area for the dark country skies.


My younger brother recently weathered a divorce that left him with a nest egg from the sale of his house. He decided to use that money to purchase a country property.
His plan was thaty when I retire I can sell the house in St. Petersburg and use the profits to purchase a manufactured home to place on the country property and together we can escape the overcrowded, light polluted city.


We spent the last three months touring the state looking over properties and finally settled on a 2.24 acre plot on the eastern edge of the Gulf Hammock on the Nature Coast whith some of the darkest skies in all of Florida.

So far we have managed to clear a 3/4 acre observing field and a small capming area. Working on logistics now for getting the property fenced. We had opur first observing sesssion there during the October new moon and the sky was the darkest I have ever seen in my life.

It was 10 time better than I ever imagined and I desperately want to live there now.


I've atatched a light pollution map of central Florida highlighting the not very dark sky site our club uses east of Dade City, our friend Matt's location near Lake Panasofkee where we have been observing regularly that is darker than the club site and the location of teh new Wright brother property on the edge of the Gulf Hammock.


Can't wait to be able to live there.





p.s. please excuse my rapid fire hunt & peck dyslexic typing......

[Bullwinkle58]

The darkest sky I've ever seen was when we surfaced several hundred miles from the Bahamas for a surface transit (don't ask), and I spent a hour on the bridge. No running lights. A tiny red light on the bridge suitcase with the compass inside. Nothing else. I could not see my hand. The Milky Way was fully visible in a cloudless sky, and it was magnificent. I've never come close to seeing it in that detail anywhere else on earth.

Join the Navy. See the sky.

[mind_messing]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58


Join the Navy. See the sky.

That's one way to sell the silent service.

[dave sindel]

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

I have 5 years to get to 66-1/2 for full retirement benefits, but I thought the amount you can make per year under full benefits was limited.

Would be great if I can supplement the SS benefits with some part time drafting work.

Thansk to my younger brother I actually now have a real plan for retirement beyond simply living out my days in my paid for house in St. Petrsburg.
As some of you may know I am also an avid amatuer astronomer who regularly leaves urban megalopolis knwon as the Tampa Bay area for the dark country skies.


My younger brother recently weathered a divorce that left him with a nest egg from the sale of his house. He decided to use that money to purchase a country property.
His plan was thaty when I retire I can sell the house in St. Petersburg and use the profits to purchase a manufactured home to place on the country property and together we can escape the overcrowded, light polluted city.


We spent the last three months touring the state looking over properties and finally settled on a 2.24 acre plot on the eastern edge of the Gulf Hammock on the Nature Coast whith some of the darkest skies in all of Florida.

So far we have managed to clear a 3/4 acre observing field and a small capming area. Working on logistics now for getting the property fenced. We had opur first observing sesssion there during the October new moon and the sky was the darkest I have ever seen in my life.

It was 10 time better than I ever imagined and I desperately want to live there now.


I've atatched a light pollution map of central Florida highlighting the not very dark sky site our club uses east of Dade City, our friend Matt's location near Lake Panasofkee where we have been observing regularly that is darker than the club site and the location of teh new Wright brother property on the edge of the Gulf Hammock.


Can't wait to be able to live there.





p.s. please excuse my rapid fire hunt & peck dyslexic typing......

I was also surprised Hans. I was mentally geared to work until 67, but this information has me rethinking my plans.

[Macclan5]

Rugby North Dakota

..and its very famous Monument - the Geographical Center of Continental North America (including Alaska)

Stand there on a beautiful summer eve - or as much as say 500 yards away - and I am very confident your light pollution challenges are solved. Completely.

There are probably hundreds of similar locations in North Dakota, South Dakota, Western Minnesota, Montana and Wyoming.

Equally, in Canada in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, and the western most portion of North West Ontario.

Density of Population is very low in some locations.

I only mention it as it is a location I have been too and have fond memories; and the ease my American friends here would have getting there. Highway 2 USA and if I am not mistaken there used to be an Amtrack on "Burlington Northern Rails" although that could be a thing of the past.

I have failed perhaps to mention certain January temperatures wherein placing any skin contact on a cold metal telescope is likely not recommended. However the warmth of the local people more than offset the coldness of the climate.

[MBF]

Northern Maine in the winter - often can't see the north star cause the northern lights are too bright on some nights

[HansBolter]

Florida is a horrid climate for stargazing due to our high humidity.

Our struggle is with dew. Glass and metal surfaces rapidly cool to below ambient temperature inviting condensation.

We mount strip heaters on our primary mirrors, wrap them around our optical tubes and eyepieces and as a last resort break out a hair dryer.

I keep my eyepieces and binoculars arrayed on a table between two heating pads to keep them dry.

The best stargazing time in Florida is winter, just on the heels of a cold front when we sometimes see the humidity drop to around 20%.

I have had my best stargazing experiences in 26 degree weather with ice forming on the equipment at 4:00 AM.

I've spent most of my life in the constantly worsening light pollution of the Bay area.

We really did manage to find what is close to the darkest sky in the state.

The Gulf Hammock is darker than the Everglades thanks to the glow from Miami/Dade blowing out over half of the glades.

On our first outing we were blown away by a glowing band of Milky Way stretching from tree line to tree line.

I had never before seen the Milky Way extending through Cassiopea and into Perseus.

The entire constellation of Casseopea was completely embedded in a brightly glowing band of Milky Way stars.

Mars was so bright is was giving off flares and we had to use filters to soften the brightness in 12 and 16 inch reflectors to even be able to look at it.

Totally stoked over many great nights to come on that observing site.



Oh, and apologies for hijacking.

[CommandoSolo]

OK if you want to hijack it, lets go.

So I am with the Southwest Florida astronomical society here in Fort Myers.

Our deep sky site is here:

https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks ... state-park

we share that site with the Naples club and also Miami-Dade group. in fact the Maimi-Date group left Area 51 (which is 10 miles east on the alley) to come to our site.

you are more than welcome to come on out any weekend. Great place, lots of people. We are usually out there weekends except for the full moon weekends.
Also, the Fish and wild life officers know us and watch over us. Sometimes they even stop and we show them stuff. It works out well.

Show up before dark so you don't get lost.

[rustysi]

I have 5 years to get to 66-1/2 for full retirement benefits, but I thought the amount you can make per year under full benefits was limited.

No limit. Once you've hit the full retirement age for SSI you are free to make as much as you can. BTW I only know this because I recently retired, although I had enough to go at 62, I checked just in case. So even though I currently have a limit on income, if I choose to go back to work after I hit the age for full benefits I could make whatever I like. No plans to do so at the current time. Enjoying the rest, keeping busy, and have a sufficient income.[8D]

Edit:BTW I would still be at reduced SSI benefits, just free to make as much as I desired.

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: HansBolter

Florida is a horrid climate for stargazing due to our high humidity.

You could move to the Atacama desert; I hear it's great for stargazing. [:D]

[rustysi]

My younger brother recently weathered a divorce that left him with a nest egg from the sale of his house. He decided to use that money to purchase a country property.
His plan was thaty when I retire I can sell the house in St. Petersburg and use the profits to purchase a manufactured home to place on the country property and together we can escape the overcrowded, light polluted city.


We spent the last three months touring the state looking over properties and finally settled on a 2.24 acre plot on the eastern edge of the Gulf Hammock on the Nature Coast whith some of the darkest skies in all of Florida.

Sounds like a plan.[:D]

I like the Adirondacks in upstate NY for dark skies. No idea how the two would compare. Not an astronomer by any means, but its great to see a sky like that. It actually looked 'dusty'.

[rustysi]

Oh, and apologies for hijacking.

Eh, its an interesting topic. Besides I think the thread was otherwise dead.[;)]

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: CommandoSolo

OK if you want to hijack it, lets go.

So I am with the Southwest Florida astronomical society here in Fort Myers.

Our deep sky site is here:

https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks ... state-park

we share that site with the Naples club and also Miami-Dade group. in fact the Maimi-Date group left Area 51 (which is 10 miles east on the alley) to come to our site.

you are more than welcome to come on out any weekend. Great place, lots of people. We are usually out there weekends except for the full moon weekends.
Also, the Fish and wild life officers know us and watch over us. Sometimes they even stop and we show them stuff. It works out well.

Show up before dark so you don't get lost.

Thanks for the invite. We might try and make it down that way somtime. My furthest soutward forays for observing have been with the Sarasota club.

I was a member there for a few years, but have been member of the St. Petersburg club that touts itself as the largest club in the southeast for twenty years.

Attended my 20th club star party last year.

Its a very active club that runs it's own optical lab where you can grind your own mirror.

https://stpeteastronomyclub.org/

[tarkalak]

So I just went to visit the newly restored Sofian observatory last week and there is an astronomy hijack here.

Must be a coincidence. [:D]

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: tarkalak

So I just went to visit the newly restored Sofian observatory last week and there is an astronomy hijack here.

Must be a coincidence. [:D]

Are you saying the observatory had a copy of the manual on their computer? [:)]