News - I can't believe it...it was clear again last night. Got some excellent views of Jupiter, Saturn, Orion Nebula and various objects in Canis Major and Monoceros.

I have told fellow astronomers that a GO TO scope is great to use, but you have to be very careful about setting it up or it won't work properly. Last night I a) put it on the mount backwards b) entered the wrong date c) did the wrong procedure for setting the Home position and d) had the battery on my red flashlight burn out. But I finally got my act together and the scope worked fine.

News -- Article about amateur astronomy in The Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35433-2003Feb20.html

Comment - I think we should be in major newspapers every day, but it was certainly nice to see an article in such a major paper. The article talks about how popular the hobby is getting, thanks in part to GO TO telescopes that make it easier for beginners to get started.

News -- Homeland Security Act means UPS won't ship model rocket motors: http://www.space-rockets.com/arsanews.html

Comment -- The problem is that they are considered hazardous shipments, and the Act requires companies to do stringent background checks on employees who would handle such items. It's cheaper to just ban the shipments rather than do the checks. The Law of Unintended Consequences strikes again.

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11:22:13 AM