Winner of Best Creative Project

The Mycroft Server Project: Mars Observer is humbled and honored to have been voted Best Creative Project in the RetroChallenge Winter Warm-Up 2008. The complete roster of this year's winners is posted here:

http://retrochallenge.net/2008/winter/progress.html

With Many Thanks,
Mycroft

Mars and Macs -- Project Summary

Procedure:
I made observations of the planet Mars each night during the month of January. The daily update included an image depicting the current position of Mars in relation to Earth using Orrery 1.2 and converted to a jpg image using GraphicConverter 2.2 (US). I sketched my observations of the planet using MacPaint 1.0.

Apparatus:
My telescope is a small Cstar Stratus refractor, with which I was able to discern the disk of the planet. I attempted some photographs using a 35 mm Fuji Discovery 500 zoom camera.

Conclusion:
I joined this Challenge with some concern that I would not have time to complete it. I had two important papers due during the month of January. One has been submitted now, and the other is in the final draft stage. I picked something that was obviously not too technical or time consuming, but something that allowed me to interact with my old computer and get me to systematically watch Mars. This is a goal I had had since I was gifted the telescope. The RetroChallenge helped motivate me to do it, despite how busy I was this month -- the last month Mars will be in a good viewing position for two or three years.

Oh, there were challenges! The attempt at photography failed. I wanted to try it again since I had obtained this photo a few years ago with the same camera:

http://homepage.mac.com/mhlewis/space/images/mars.jpg

Also, part of the tripod broke; I believe the very cold temperatures had something to do with that. Then there were the electrical problems -- the power surges that even took down my main computer! No one ever said exploring Mars would be easy! Still, I was able to follow the planet for a month and keep observations. Those observations were recorded on and posted from the Mycroft Server Project, and will remain here. I have got to combine two of my geek loves - Macs and Mars. It was a good month.

Regards,
Mycroft

Final Server Schedule

The Mycroft Server Project remains online at:
http://209.42.74.189
The server will shut down at 7:00 AM CST on February 1st (1300 GMT).
Enjoy the final run for RetroChallenge Winter Warm-Up 2008!
Mycroft

31 January Observations

Right ascension 5 hours, 33 minutes, 34 seconds
Declination 26 degrees, 40' 7"
Magnitude -0.6
Distance from Earth: 0.779 AU
Mars said good-bye tonight with a wink. Just as I began naked eye observations prior to focusing the telescope, the Red Planet disappeared for an instant. Sure, a bird flew by or something, but it was as if Mars winked good-bye.
Mycroft

30 January Observations

Right ascension 5 hours, 33 minutes, 31 seconds
Declination 26 degrees, 41' 7"
Magnitude -0.6
Distance from Earth: 0.771 AU
Living on the Great High Plains, a person gets close to the sky and to the weather. Tonight the sky is particularly dark. There are no stars or Mars to be seen. The clouds are close to the ground. Snow is predicted after midnight, with 30 mph winds. If it snows enough, that will be a fair blizzard. I'm staying in tonight, and hoping that the power holds!
Mycroft

29 January Observations

Right ascension 5 hours, 33 minutes, 32 seconds
Declination 26 degrees, 41' 59"
Magnitude -0.6
Distance from Earth: 0.764 AU
Mars is clear and bright directly overhead. It is a beautiful sight, but also at a most inconvenient angel for my telescope. Still, I was able to make some observations on this increasingly colder night. If the cold front moving through the Plains brings clouds, this may be the last clear night before the RetroChallenge ends. I am not sure if I made out surface detail, or if it was part of a phase.
Mycroft

The Server is Back Up!

The Mycroft Server Project is back online! I am truly uncertain how stable this connection will be, but check it out at:

http://209.42.74.189

After power surges ripped through the house, my main computer (a 6500) lost its power supply, my backup computer now sounds like a wind tunnel, and the Mycroft Server Project could not connect to the Internet.

The electric company has replaced the electrical box outside on the pole. I have replaced wall sockets on "the bridge" (my computer area), replaced the surge protectors, a replacement power supply is in the mail from the LEM swap list, and the Mycroft Server Project is back! The new, high tech surge protectors insist that the sockets are not grounded, leading me to believe the whole house is ungrounded.

If the server goes down, I will try to reconnect as soon as I can.

Enjoy!
Mycroft