1. Messages
  2. Corrected Mercury Transit Forms

Re: Corrected Mercury Transit Forms

bob414
 

From the head procrastinator #1.

 

I did not like the error from the previous spreadsheet, so I decided to look harder when I had time.  Life got in the way, so I was pleased to see the update.  Plugging in the measurements into the new spreadsheet, errors dropped to 2 or 3 % or less.  I did finally submit last night.

 

Bob

 

From: backbayastro@... [mailto:backbayastro@...]
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2016 5:09 AM
To: backbayastro@...
Subject: RE: [backbayastro] Re: Corrected Mercury Transit Forms

 

 

The value really doesn’t matter folks.

READ REQ #5

 

J

 

From: backbayastro@... [mailto:backbayastro@...]
Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 11:32 PM
To: backbayastro@...
Subject: Re: [backbayastro] Re: Corrected Mercury Transit Forms

 

 

Yeah I noticed the values were way off too but it was expected there would be some error. I was going to resubmit. Do you think the older values will affect receiving the certificate?

 

Ciao,

Mel


On May 25, 2016, at 23:27, George Reynolds pathfinder027@... [backbayastro] <backbayastro@...> wrote:

 

I didn't check the calculations, I just accepted them.  I too wondered about the amount of error, but then Jack had said our calcs might be way off, so that's what i submitted to him.  I don't intend to re-submit with the more accurate data.

 

George

 


George Reynolds

"Solar System Ambassador" for South Hampton Roads, Virginia

Back Bay Amateur Astronomers (BBAA) 
http://www.backbayastro.org


 

 

From: "Charles Jagow chuck@... [backbayastro]" <backbayastro@...>
To: Jim Tallman <jctallman@...>; BBAA <backbayastro@...>
Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 4:44 PM
Subject: [backbayastro] Re: Corrected Mercury Transit Forms

 

 

Jim,  

 

Thank you for your excellent work in putting the spreadsheet together.  And thank you Jeff for helping to wring out straight.

 

The spreadsheet was a significant effort and GREATLY appreciated by us all.

 

I am glad we were able to work through the growing pains.

 

I learned how to combine images without loss of data, logically OR’ing them so the stacking did not remove faint bits of data, i.e. The dot of Mercury as it traversed the son.

 

I re-learned more about “why” trig calculations “work” than I care to admit, as I am NOT a math-head.  I probably could have called Jeff and, he would have found out how little I remembered from school, saved me a couple of days re-learning basic trig. 

 

I just could not let go that the calculations were so far off, after the Venus transit calculations were surprisingly close.  Order is everything, even in a spreadsheet!

 

Again Thank You Jim and Jeff.

 

From: Jim Tallman <jctallman@...>
Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 at 4:19 PM
To: Jim Tallman <jctallman@...>
Subject: Corrected Mercury Transit Forms

 

All,

  Just wanted to let you know that Chuck figured out why the calculations were coming up so far off.  Seems I did the SIN and TAN a bit backwards in Excel.   Attached is a corrected sheet, and it works well. He also provided a new photo that is easier to measure.

 

Well at least we will be ready for the next transit.  Sort of hard to figure out all of the excel formulas on the fly.

 

 

 

 

 

Jim

 
Join BackBayAstro@groups.io to automatically receive all group messages.