Public Perception and the Night Sky

It's interesting to note that with today's hectic world where most of the people don't bother do go out and "hang out" in nature, that sometimes - being unfamiliar with the surroundings - they "see things." Something that might be "ordinary" to astronomers might lead to an "oh wow, what's that?" moment to someone who is not knowledgeable of the night sky.

Case in point: it's been beautifully clear here for a week now, and with the warm evenings people have actually ventured outside, casting aside the computers and the television. Perhaps its to work in the yard; perhaps to take a stroll around the neighborhood. And as the daylight dims through twilight into darkness, the stars come out. Now, if you live in, or close to, a city, you don't get to see many stars, so if something in the sky catches your eye, especially something bright, it piques the interest.

So I receive an forwarded email from a local meteorologist, asking me if I had any clue to what this guy saw. Apparently the person was outside and saw a "real bright light in the southeast sky, and a 'much larger' one in the west. If you are an astronomy geek, you already know what this person had seen.

Yes, someone had stepped outside and saw Jupiter hanging low in the southeast, and when they turned around, there was Venus glowing like a beacon in the western sky. And since these two objects are the brightest things out at night currently (since the moon is nearly new) they "pop out" of the twilight sky much earlier than the stars. And they get the attention of the public.

But why did this person see Venus has "much larger?" It's all in the eyes and the brain. In the same vein as the "moon illusion" but with a twist.

Especially in the night sky, a person's eyes and brain work together to fool each other into thinking that "brighter is bigger." This phenomenon is not type-specific to the general public, but also includes members of the astronomical (and other scientific) community.

All you have to do is go out and look at the night sky some evening. You will see a smattering of stars across the canopy of the sky, and you will notice one thing right away: some stars are brighter than others. And even though they are all point light sources, your brain is fooled into thinking that the brighter ones are larger (and sometimes closer). But that is not always the case, especially with stars.

Basically all the stars we see in the night sky are so far away from Earth, they appear as points of light. But stars are not equal: some are brighter than others, and some are closer to earth than others. But they are all far enough away to present a pinpoint of light to the human eye. But a combination of distance and brightness lead our brains to think that if a star is brighter, it's bigger.

So what does that have to do with Jupiter and Venus? Everything. Although Jupiter is much larger than Venus (142,984 km vs. 12,103.6 km), it is much further away from the sun (778,000 km vs. 108,200 km). This also means two other things - Venus is closer to the Earth, and - because it's closer to the sun - receives a greater intensity of the sunlight. This, combined with the makeup of the Venusian atmosphere, means that more light is reflected from the planet than from Jupiter.

Visually, the apparent diameter of both planets at the current time gives the size advantage (almost double) to Jupiter. So in this case, "size doesn't matter." It all has to do wither perception. Because Venus is the brightest object in the night sky - apart from the moon - our brain sees it as being larger than anything else up there. Eyes+brain -- brighter=larger. We have been fooled.

Hopefully my explanation to this person (via the meteorologist) will cause them to look up and the night sky more, and even perhaps begin a wondrous astronomical journey through the universe.

Or the next time they will think it's a UFO.

{Shudder}

Out into the Black

Last evening, the space shuttle Atlantis leapt off the launch pad, setting a course to the International Space Station. They are bringing new truss segments, solar wings, swapping out crew members, and delivering supplies.

One of the items that is on the manifest, which was requested, is the DVD set of Firefly. It's funny. A television show that was canceled due to ineptness by narrow-minded corporate executives continues to live on, and is now going to be watched by people not living on the planet.

It goes to show that you can't stop the signal. There are Browncoats everywhere.

That is shiny!

The Curse of Perfection

"Well let me enlighten you people! This baby has satellite comlink. We've got on-board pulse Doppler, we've got NEXRAD real time. Today, we're gonna make history. So stick around. Cuz' the days of sniffin' the dirt are over." - Jonas Miller, Twister

And so goes the battle between technology and instinct.

Yesterday the word got out that there was a chance of some really severe weather in our area. All the signs looked right for a few days, and the media weather-panic machine was going into full "storm alert" mode. The one local station (which I've written about before, because they are evil) even has their meteorologists doing blogs on their websites, which the public can lave comments on.

Well, starting Wednesday the comments really began about the possibility of severe weather for Thursday. And yesterday morning they really ramped up, with some of the public comments bordering on really scared and frightened individuals.

So I got on there around 10.30 in the morning and tried to be the voice of calm and reason. That went over sort of okay, but there were some people on there - and I don't know their credentials - who were going on about how bad it was going to be in the area later in the evening and overnight. I kept up with the "everything's going to be fine," and at one point I basically said that there wasn't going to be any severe weather. Well, one voice in a choir isn't heard. And I said it more than once.

Sigh.

So I continue to make little comments there throughout the day, and in the meantime I'm on a weather forum talking about how I don't think we're going to get much. oh sure, there's tornado watches/warnings to the west in Wisconsin, but we have big old Lake Michigan between us, and it's water is still pretty cold. Storms that attempt to cross the lake don't usually make it, especially those that try it overnight when there's no heating from the sun. So despite what the meteorologists and the computers were saying, I didn't think we would get anything. Heck, I didn't even get out my chaser/spotter stuff.

In fact, at the 6pm news, the "evil media" station's meteorologist was still talking big, severe storms late at night, but the other station (which is not as evil) had their meteorologist talking about the storms moving to the south of us, and perhaps the local area getting nothing.

Well, just after 11pm the SPC (Storm Prediction Center) posted a tornado watch for our area until 6am. I thought it was a waste of a watch, and didn't pay any attention to it, and went to bed at my regular time.

Cut to 7.00am. I get out of bed, and look out the window. The pavement was wet (well, damp) but not soaked. The rain gauge said .02 inches of rain. Our patio, which floods when we get downpours, was dry. So there were no storms overnight, and especially no severe ones.

Once again, the media was crying wolf, and I was the voice of "reason." But since "Wolf!!" was being sounded so loud, I wasn't being heard.

So all these people yesterday were panicking for nothing.

Sigh.

I hate being right all the time. People just don’t understand what a burden it really is. :)

Is "Romantic" Astronomy Dead?

On CNN's site today is a link which says "Technology is taking romance out of astronomy." It's about Geoff Marcy and his search for planets outside of our solar system. In the article, Marcy is quoted as saying...

"There are no eyepieces anywhere. In fact, we don't have an eyepiece for the Keck telescope... Some of the romance of astronomy is gone."

He's absolutely correct, in my opinion.

Now, I'm not a Luddite. I know that the advances in technology are allowing us to peer farther into space than we have ever done before, opening up new vistas of wonder to the scientific community. But it is impersonal.

I remember having a conversation with a colleague a few years ago as we were sitting in one of the domes of our observatory doing some imaging. We were using a Paramount system, with the latest and greatest CCD cameras and filters. Sure, we were getting tremendous results, but it was antiseptic; there was no real work involved.

The telescope guided itself, the dome moved by itself, the filters changed automatically for each of the exposures. We just sat there in the dark and talked, looking out of the dome opening. Heck, we didn't even really need to be in the dome.

Our conversation was about the so-called progression of the art of astrophotography over the years. As we sat there letting the computers do all the work, I complained that the image would be good, but there's just something about putting a film camera to a telescope, meticulously focusing the image, and then being extra-extremely meticulous is keeping a star in the crosshairs of a guiding eyepiece for up to an hour at a time (in all kinds of temperatures) that gives a person more of a sense of accomplishment than just letting the scope and computer do all the work.

To take a photo with a film camera takes time, patience, and experience. The person earns the resulting photograph. With electronic imaging, you get a pretty picture by sitting around doing nothing. It takes no expertise at all to make a couple of mouse clicks and sit back in a lounge chair for a while.

(I'm not going to talk about the time it takes to manipulate the image in Photoshop or something like that. This has nothing to do with processing of images).

Technology is wonderful, but we are losing something in the transition. Wonderment is being supplanted by instant discoveries. The search is what is important to learning, in my opinion.

And it's not just the high-tech imaging that is ruining astronomy: it's other technology as well. Just try to get someone to go out and look up at the night sky; to put an eye to an eyepiece. Especially today's youth. Why would they want to, when they can sit in their homes and look at "pretty pictures" on the internet? Why take the time to learn the beauty of the night sky and take your own photographs when you can download a great Hubble shot? In this "age of the internet" people "want it now" without any exertion. Click and download, don't do it yourself. Sure, I think the work by Hubble and other instruments are glorious, and they serve a purpose. But photographs that I have taken personally mean more to me than anything I can download. They are personal; it was my knowledge and expertise that brought the image to life.

And this extends to astronomy and science in general. I said above that it's hard to get people to look up. Just try to get those same people to name constellations, or to point out a specific star or planet? Well, I can. I can go out and travel throughout the cosmos because I am familiar with the night sky. (Sometimes I think the people who swear they see "UFOs" wouldn't see them if they knew the night sky).

Some people say "I don't have time for stuff like that" but they can spend their time on frivolous things without thinking twice about it. I say if you have an interest in something, you make the time for it. You don't make excuses.

For me, my relationship with the cosmos is a personal one. It allows me a deeper understanding of the Universe because I take the time to learn. I don't "want it now." And so I pity those who don't spend time out under the stars.

Take the time. Gaze upwards. Experience the wonder of the Universe above you.

And bring a friend.

Saving the Night Sky!

I have been an astronomer for most of my life, and even after all these years I love "looking up." It never gets old. I can observe the moon, the planets, nebulae, galaxies, and everything else in the cosmos time and time again without losing my sense of awe, amazement, and interest. I want to know more.

But one of the things that screws up the view of the night sky is light pollution. It gets worse every year, and not much is done about it. The public is misinformed by the companies that make lighting fixtures, and even the power companies. But there have been studies and studies that show that many lights to not a secure place make.

Soon it will be impossible to see the night sky from even the suburbs. Forget about the cities already. But things are being done, thankfully.

I just ran across this link, and it piqued my interest. It's a "Declaration in Defence of the Night Sky."

From the site.... This initiative is designed as an international campaign in defence of the quality of the night skies and the general right to observe the stars, open to the participation of all scientific, cultural and citizens' associations and institutions related to the defence of the firmament.

Declaration in Defence of the Night Sky

We definitely need to save the night skies for the generations to come.

Please do your part.

Channeling the New Astronomers

Last night was the inaugural edition of International Sidewalk Astronomy Night where amateur astronomers the world over set up and bring the wonders of the night sky to the public.

Dr. Pamela Gay has written a great article about this on Sky & Telescope's website, so go check it out.

Unfortunately for my area we were cloudy, so nothing could be celebrated. But it's sure to go against next year.

And also unfortunately, since it was cloudy I missed out on taking some photos of the Moon/Venus apparition. It' snot that I don't have dozens of images like that already; it's just a chance to taken more. And as a photographer and an astronomer, who can pass up the chance if it's available.

The Evil Media

I’m going to vent here for a bit, because things like this tick me off.

There’s a local television station here – WOOD-TV – and they are about the worst example of a “news organization” that I have seen (although my friends in Los Angeles tell me that WOOD is tame compared to the stations out there). They (WOOD TV8) are the epitome of “If it Bleeds, it Leads.”

It seems like if there is something shocking, horrendous, or scandalous, it will be a Top Story on their station. They ignore “normal” things; nice things.

Case in point: Our astronomy club tries to get some publicity from local media for when we have open houses at our observatory, and other events. The other two main stations in town – WZZM and WXMI – have no problem giving us a plug on their newscasts and weathercasts. But WOOD? No way. We have tried and tried and tried, but they just won’t give us the time of day. A former high-up employee at WOOD told me last month that “if you don’t kill, rape, assault, or molest anyone, WOOD TV isn’t interested.” And this guy was a very popular personality on there, until they let him go, and kept some stupid air-head bitch who tries to pass herself off as a “kids reporter.”

In fact, it’s so bad that last year, when asked by WOOD to provide a graphic for them to use to promote us, they – after it was painstakingly made and submitted – never bothered to use it and, never gave us any publicity at all. The image was of a young lady using one of our large telescopes, and it showed that not only are kids interested in astronomy, girls are as well. Their excuses are “we don’t have any time to devote to that,” and then emailed about it, they don’t even bother to respond to the emails. The one time I called them, one of their head weather people said “I can’t tell what is email from people and what is from our blogs and forums, so I just don’t read them.” That’s a terrible thing to say: it just is proof that they have no respect or interest in the common people of the area. They believe they are better than the public. Well, they’re not. Not by a long shot.

They never know what they are doing, truthfully. Last spring there was a bright meteor observed in the sky, and did they call any of the experts of the local astronomy club? No, they got a hold of someone about 50 miles away, who – on the air – said it was probably a UFO. Oh My God.

Right now as I type this, there’s a possible tornado about 100 miles south of us. Out of their broadcast area. But is that stopping them? Heck no. They are live giving “breaking reports” about something that they know nothing about.

If you are a normal, law-abiding person, who never gets into trouble, you will never be on WOOD TV8 or have a story about you. But if you are a suspected murderer, rapist, molester, or abuser, they will make you a star. The have no morals, no honor, and no integrity. They are the scum of the earth.

My Life is a Dark Room

But not a Darkroom. I'm selling it. "Everything Must Go!" "Best Offer!!"

Here's a list of what I have...

1 – Beseler 67C Enlarger w/B&W Head
1 – Beseler Dichro 67 Color Head
1 – Beseler pm2L Color Analyzer
1 – Omega Color Analyzer
1 – Beseler 2.25x2.25 Negative Carrier
1 – Beseler 35mm Slide Carrier
1 – Beseler 110mm Negative Carrier
1 – Beseler 126mm Negative Carrier
1 – Beseler 35mm Negative Transport
1 – Beseler Analite 300
1 – Patterson Negative Focuser
1 – Negative Focuser (needs mirror)
1 – 11x14 Speed Easel
1 - 8x10 Speed Easel
1 – 5x7 Speed Easel
1 – 3.5x5 Speed Easel
1 – 8x10 Combo Easel

1 – GraLab Timer
2 – Unicolor Uniroller Base Units
1 – Unicolor 8x10 Paper Drum
1 – Unicolor 11x14 Paper Drum
1 – Unicolor Film Roller w/4 Negative Reels
1 – Omega Stainless 2-Reel Negative Tank w/2 Reels
1 – Omega Stainless 1-Reel Negative Tank w/1 Reel
1 – Stainless Film Tank w/2 Reels
1 – 110mm Plastic Negative Reel
3 – 11x14 Plastic Paper Trays
2 – 8x10 Plastic Paper Trays
3 – Cesco-Lite 8x10 Plastic Paper Trays
1 – 8x10 Paper Safe
6 – 16oz Chemical Bottles
4 – 96oz Chemical Bottles
6 – Negative/Paper Clips
1 – Kodak Color Print Filter Viewing Kit
1 – 8x10 Paper Squeegee
1 – Yankee Safe-lite SL-2
1 – Kodak 32oz Beaker
1 – 16oz Beaker

How much, you ask? As much as you're willing to spend. The two Color analyzers were originally over $500 each.

I'll take $800 OBO for the set.

Faint, Fuzzy Comets

Earlier this evening I managed to observe two of the comets that happen to be zooming around the solar system - C/2007 E1 Garradd and C/2007 E2 Lovejoy. We had a visitors' night at our observatory, and after the public left we got down to the business of looking at faint fuzzies.

I had the charts for the comets, and they were pretty easy to spot, as long as one was dark adapted. Garradd was low in the southwestern sky, but was visible as a smudge in the eyepiece of the 16-inch SCT. Lovejoy, hanging around in Draco, was a might easier, and stood out among the background stars.

All I need to do is observe two more comets, and I'll have reached the big 5-0. Yep, I have seen forty-eight comets as of tonight.

A Really Big Bang

About the largest thing in the Universe is a supernova. There are a couple of different types, and they all have different levels of energy, but the Chandra Observatory may have discovered a brand new classification.

This supernova was over one hundred times more powerful than any witnessed before and, according to the press release...

"That means the star that exploded might have been as massive as a star can get, about 150 times that of our sun. We've never seen that before."
-- Nathan Smith, UC Berkeley

They believe that what happened with this star is the same thing that could happen to the massive star Eta Carina, which is light years closer to us here on earth. This supernovas, cataloged as SN2006gy, was 240 million light years away in the galaxy NGC 1260. Eta Carina is only ~7500 light years away, and if - well, when - it blows, it could conceivably effect life here on earth.

You can read more about this in the Chandra Press Release.

The "Wally Show" Closes

I just found out that Wally Schirra, one of the Original Seven Mercury Astronauts, passed away today in California.

Yahoo News about it

I titled this "The Wally Show" because when he flew on Apollo 7 with Donn Eisele and Walt Cunningham, their antics caused some at NASA to call the mission the Wally, Walt & Donn Show."

Of the Original Seven, Only Scott Carpenter and John Glenn are left.

Godspeed Wally.

Wally's Website

Snakes & Arrows

That's the title of the new Rush CD, out in stores today.

I've heard the whole thing a few times, and I can definitely say this....

"Eh."

That's right, I don't like it that much. Oh, it's not their worst album, but it sure isn't the best. Scale of 1 - 5, I give it a 2.

Sorry guys.

Kurt Vonnegut - RIP

NEW YORK - Kurt Vonnegut, the satirical novelist who captured the absurdity of war and questioned the advances of science in darkly humorous works such as "Slaughterhouse-Five" and "Cat's Cradle," died Wednesday. He was 84.

Yahoo News

NWS to be Reorganized!

WASHINGTON (AP) — Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez announced a restructuring of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization (NOAA) will be undertaken by NOAA Chief Administrative Officer William F. Broglie, who will be responsible for said restructuring, which includes reallocating fund from the National Weather Service (NWS) to the National Park Service. The NWS will – as of 1 May 2007 – be under the regulatory jurisdiction of the Park Service, and will focus on forecasting exclusively for Visitor’s Centers at all United States National Parks. Mary Bomar, Director of the National Park Service, has promised that the transition will be undertaken with the minimum disruption possible, and the public should not even notice the change.

With the transition, responsibilities for meteorological forecasts will be the purview of local media. Grants will be made available from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the American Meteorological Society (AMS) to fund media outlets so they may be able to acquire materiel and personnel needed to make weather predictions.

Michael Stromsen, broadcast meteorologist for KRWM FM in Rawlings, Colorado is pleased with the change. “For many years we have been able to know what has been going on locally with much more confidence than the National Weather Service, so why shouldn’t we be in charge of local weather forecasts. The local weather people can easily tell at least 8 to 14 days out whether a local event should take place, because we are familiar with the area. No more ‘long-range forecasts’ that have to be changed all the time because they are not accurate.”

Richard A. Anthes, President of the American Meteorological Society, believes this will spur not only advances in technological research, but also in growth and educational opportunities. “The National Weather Service has to work under the constraints of a budget given them by Congress, whereas local media outlets are more readily able to spend the funds needed for research, training, and equipment by utilizing money from their parent corporations. These corporations are not hamstrung by the necessities of laws and regulations.”

Full reorganization and transfer of NWS responsibilities will be completed by February 2008.

Random Thoughts for Today

Fun Thought One: I got carded the other day. Me! That hasn't happened in quite a while, believe me. And what's more, I actually got indignant about it.

Fun Thought Two: It's Severe Weather Awareness Week where I live, and a local Poll had the question "Does your family have an emergency plan in case of a tornado warning?"

Our plan is:

Step 1: PANIC!!!
Step 2: Drop to knees and pray
Step 3: Change pants.

Isn't that right?

Spring has Spring!!

The first full day of spring, and we've got thunderstorms!!! Severe ones at that!!!

I love this stuff. I even went out and chased for a while.

God, how I miss it when it's winter.

I just hope to get more chances to chase this year, and get some great photographs.

The Sky at Night

Ah the beauty of the night sky.

For the first time in a long time, I went out under the stars tonight. I haven't done any observing in a long time, and I missed it. not only from a scientific viewpoint as an astronomer, but from a calming, aesthetic viewpoint as just a relief form the stresses of everyday life.

While either standing out under the canopy of the celestial sphere, or observing and becoming reacquainted with old friends through the telescope, it's a personal thrill just to be able to "unplug" from life and get back to the joys of discovery.

Spring Just Has to Come (Sometime)

(I posted this last year, but it's good information)

I'm just going to plug an item everyone should think about getting, especially those who live in bad weather areas.

It's a NOAA Weather Alert radio.

During severe weather, you can't always rely on the sirens going off - or your hearing them. That is, even if your town has warning sirens. And you can't trust the television stations either. What if they are off the air, or you don't have power?

The weather alert radios have a battery backup, so they will work without power if needed. If you don't know what they are, here's a quick overview...

It's just a small radio that is tuned to your local NWS (National Weather Service) office. When they send out watches and warnings, the first thing they do (I'm making this really simple) is trigger an alert tone to all radios set to their frequency. This tone "turns on" weather radios with an extremely loud alert siren/tone. This is followed by the actual alert which is read over the air.

I've done some timings in my area, and usually my radio "tones" up to 3-4 minutes ahead of the television stations alerting the public, and even the sirens going off (if it's a tornado warning). And those 3-4 minutes could save my life if there's something headed right at me.

(Of course, since I'm a weather chaser, I'm "out in it" anyways. )

There are several cities in the US near "tornado alley" where having a weather radio is "mandatory." Just like smoke detectors.

You can pick them up at local Radio Shacks or other electronic stores. They aren't that expensive, and the nice thing now is they come with SAME technology.

SAME, or Specific Area Message Encoding allows you to specify the particular area for which you wish to receive alerts. Most warnings and watches broadcast over NOAA Weather Radio are county- or independent city-based (parish-based in Louisiana), although in a few areas of the country the alerts are issued for portions of counties. Since most NWR transmitters are broadcasting for a number of counties, SAME receivers will respond only to alerts issued for the area (or areas) you have selected. This minimizes the number of “false alarms” for events which might be a few counties away from where you live.

Also, on some models, you can have it "ignore" warnings that you don't need to receive. Since I live in Michigan, I have "hurricane warning" turned off, since we rarely get hurricanes here.

Here's a link about the radios, what to look for, and where to buy...

Weather Alert Radios

We now return you to your regular programming.

Well, that was Fast

Spring's gone, and winter's back.

Stupid Michigan.

After all the fun yesterday, now we've got blowing and drifting snow, winds gusting to nearly 60 mph, and it's cold. At some points during the day - and even now - I can't see across the street. If it was colder I'd consider it a blizzard.

On top of it, in technology news: the NWS radar is down. So if you look at the regional radar plot, there's nothing going on here. But use low tech, and look out a window...

Like a Lion

March came in like a Lion, as the saying goes.

Today we had snow, then freezing rain, then sleet, then rain, and then thundershowers. Wow.

Spring's coming in full force: can chasing season be far behind? I think not!

Best Day in a While

Okay, perhaps not. But, for an ego-stroke, it was pretty good.

See, I'm participating in a research study to see how a certain medicine - Adenezine - works to help image the heart's blood vessels. Basically it takes 4 hours out of your life, but it may save your life (like mine did last year).

So this morning I meet the nurses who are the main researchers in the test, and go through all the stuff: electrodes on, IV tap, sit around, be imaged. Then comes the "stress" part.

When a different nurse/tech comes to get me from the waiting room, she says "you're really popular today. It's standing room only in the room. Hope you don't mind." Heck, why would I mind? It's for science.

Yeah, and cute nurses and techs too.

So I walk in, and there's eight women in the room. And the head one says "take off your shirt."

This is going well. :)

But then I just get wired up to the machine, and lay down on the exam table. After some adjusting of equipment, they inject the medicine right into my arm. So for six minutes I feel really weird, as the stuff does its thing. The nurses are hovering around me, checking pulse, blood pressure, wiping my forehead, giving me soft words of encouragement. Heck, if it weren't for the wires and test, I might be having a good time!

Finally the test is over, and they do the post-stress measurements. A little while longer laying there getting poked and prodded by beautiful nurses. What we do for science .

Then I had to sit around for another 45 minutes before the next series of images. Boring it was, but heck, I've never had that much attention from women in my life.

It was a good day. :)

frick frick frickin' frick frick

As the hot Dr. Elliot says.

Some of the WX numerical models suggest we could get up to a foot of stupid snow this weekend. Rats!!! I'm SOOO looking for spring to come in full force. We don't need this white crap.

Seems like another weekend in front of the DVD player. Good thing I don't have a life.

2001: North vs Kubrick

So to bring everyone up to speed.

When Stanley Kubrick was making the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, the studio forced him to use Alex North to score the film. Now, North scored Kubrick's Spartacus, so they had worked together before. But this time, Kubrick had it in his head what he wanted already, and didn't want anything North had to compose.

So Kubrick lead North on, letting him compose a score for the film, while all the time not even planning on listening to it, let alone using it in the movie. And North didn't even find out until the movie premiered.

Years later, North's music was finally released on CD, so we could all enjoy it. And what's better, the liner notes make it pretty clear where the music was going to be in the film.

So, a friend of mine mixed the music to the specific scenes in the film, and gave me a copy to watch, just to see if it would work. And here's what I think:

The music itself is wonderful, but in the film, it just doesn't work. I guess I'm going to have to give Kubrick his due. now, to be fair, I'm working on a nearly 40 year bias, as I've only seen 2001 one way all these times, and can never see it "for the first time" with North's music.

With the original North cues, the film takes on a very different tone. It's not as "deep" or "dramatic" as it was, and as I watched it, I seemed to not be able to immerse myself in the imagery as I could before. The music took me out of the experience.

Some places, like part of the Space Station Docking and Moon Rocket Bus do work to some extent, but it now - after knowing the film as I have - it takes away from the experience.

So I will continue to enjoy Alex North's music as it is on the CD - and wish he had scored more of the film - but I will continue to enjoy 2001 (the film) as Kubrick made it. And I won't wonder (much) anymore about "how it might have been."

"The Greatest Enthusiasm and Confidence in the Mission"

Prophetic words, spoken by an AI.

Those were spoken by HAL, as astronaut David Bowman was entering the computer's logic core to shut off HAL's higher functions.

The only reason I bring this up is that I got a CD in the mail today. It's the original score to the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, written by Alex North. He composed this music for the film, unaware that the film's director, Stanley Kubrick, had no intention of using it. So it sat unused and (basically) unheard for decades.

A bunch of years ago Mr. North gave Jerry Goldsmith a listen to the music, and Jerry convinced him that it should be recorded. The Varese Sarabande label put out a CD in 1993. It was marvelous music, even though a mistake was made, and the first track was actually for a different North score: the film Africa.

A few months ago word came out that the Intrada label was going to release the actual tracks from the score. Many people in the film score fan community were critical of this, as it wasn't going to be in the "new millennium super-duper-surround-sound-ultra-stereo." Didn't care: I wanted it. Trouble is, I couldn't really afford it, as I'm still unemployed. However, my friend - and fellow film music buff Ed - bought it for me for Christmas (even though it wasn't released until the end of January 2007).

I finally received it today, uploaded it into iTunes for my iPod, andwas going to listen, but...

While I was getting the computer going with iTunes, I found out that TCM channel was showing 2001 as part of their "31 Days of Oscar." So I just had to watch it; it's like a personal law to me.

So I still haven't been able to listen to the CD, but I will. And when visitors' nights at the observatory start up in the spring, this music, plus the music used in the film, the Varese issue of North's score, and the score to 2010 will be playing as I show people the wonders of the universe.

STS-107 (Columbia)

It was a great sixteen days in space. The space shuttle Columbia, the first operational space shuttle was orbiting the earth on it's mission of science and exploration. The mission was going so good, controllers gave them extra time to stay up. The new landing day was set for February First.

It looked like there would be a perfect ending to a perfect mission. But, unbeknownst to all, the shuttle had sustained damage during takeoff, when a piece of the foam insulation from the external tank flaked off during launch, and punched a hole in the carbon composite leading end of the left wing. But as Columbia was passing through the thousands-degree plasma of re-entry, those hot gases penetrated the left wing.

Sixteen minutes before the touchdown... sixteen minutes before the end of their sixteen day mission... the shuttle broke up and disintegrated over the southwest United States (mostly in Texas, although video showed pieces coming off as early as when the shuttle was over California).

Rick Husband
Willie McCool
Michael Anderson
Kalpana Chawla
David Brown
Laurel Clark
Ilan Ramon

Ilan Ramon had the honor of being the first astronaut from the country of Israel.

Interesting fact:

Launch - January 16
Mission Time - 16 days
Vehicle Lost - 16 minutes before landing

Again, it was the human element that failed. Nearly every mission had foam breaking off the ET and we had "gotten away" without any serious damage to the shuttle. But, as in the past, these things don't always turn out for the best. And again, there was another investigation, and more promises that it will "probably never happen again."

Well, things were changed, and in July of 2005 Discovery launched on a test mission.

So we are back in space. But have we learned the lessons of the past? How soon until there is another "accident?" We can only hope it's a long way off, if ever. But, that is the price we pay to be explorers.

Tribute page to Columbia

Twelve Commandments for Amateur Astronomers

1. Thou shalt have no white light before thee, behind thee, or to the side of thee whilst sharing the night sky with thy fellow stargazers.
2. Thou shalt not love thy telescope more than thy spouse or thy children; as much as, maybe, but not more.
3. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's telescope, unless it exceeds in aperture or electronics twice that of thy wildest dreams.
4. Thou shalt not read Astronomy or Sky & Telescope on company time, for thine employer makes it possible to continue thine astronomical hobby.
5. Thou shalt have at least two telescopes so as to keep thy spouse interested when the same accompanies thee under the night sky or on eclipse expeditions to strange lands where exotic wild animals doth roam freely.
6. Thou shalt not allow either thy sons or thy daughters to get married during the Holy Days of Starfest.
7. Thou shalt not reveal to thy spouse the true cost of thy telescope collection; only the individual components and that shall be done with great infrequency.
8. Thou shalt not buy thy spouse any lenses, filters, dew shields, maps, charts, or any other necessities for holidays, anniversaries, or birthdays unless thy spouse needs them for their own telescope.
9. Thou shalt not deceive thy spouse into thinking that ye are taking them for a romantic Saturday night drive when indeed thou art heading for a dark sky site.
10. Thou shalt not store thy telescope in thy living room, dining room, or bedroom, lest thou be sleeping with it full time.
11. Verily, observe not through thy neighbor's Astro-Physics or Takahashi, lest thee be utterly consumed by the lust of apo-fever, and thy brain and thy bank account shall shrivel and wither like branches in a flame.
12. Verily, observe not through thy neighbor's Dob of Goliath, lest thee be lain bare to the fires of aperture-fever, and thy sanity, thy sacroiliac and thy life savings be crushed as ye grapes of wrath.

STS-51L (Challenger)

All was fine for the space program, until a cold, clear morning in Florida on January 28, 1986. That day, the space shuttle Challenger was scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral on a (much delayed) mission, carrying the first teacher in space, Christa McAuliffe. It was a perfect morning, but it would not stay that way.

When Challenger launched at 11.38 am, everything appeared a-okay. But only for 73 seconds...

...when there was an enormous ball of fire which engulfed the shuttle, and seven astronauts lost their lives, with the whole world watching.

Francis R. Scobee
Michael J. Smith
Judith A. Resnik
Ellison S. Onizuka
Ronald E. McNair
Gregory B. Jarvis
Christa McAuliffe

And all because of people being sloppy, being careless, wanting to push on regardless of the data, of hubris.

The world was in a state of shock. Investigations were conducted; promises made. And we got back into space in nearly three years later.

And again, as with Apollo 1, we celebrated the successes in space, and forgot some of the lessons learned. For seventeen years and four days...

Apollo 1

40 years ago today, tragedy struck the space program, as fire engulfed the Apollo 1 capsule where the astronauts were in a final practice mission for their upcoming space shot.

The three astronauts who lost their lives in a short few seconds were..

Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom
Edward H. White, II
Roger B. Chaffee

It set the space program back a bit, but we persevered. And a short two years six months later, we walked on the moon.

And triumphs and applause reigned supreme over all until the next day, nineteen years later....

State of the "Art"?

For those of you who read this, please excuse this rant, but I have to get it off my chest.

In today's issue of the local newspaper, there is an image by a local photographer of the flyover for President Ford's internment a few weeks ago.

Here is a link to the image

It shows the 21 planes during the flyby up the Grand River. Looks good, doesn't it?

Except it's fake.

The photographer - who shall remain unnamed in case he somehow finds this (and me) and wants to sue - was quoted as saying "that's the photo that I had in my head. I think it's much more powerful that way." Well, to this photographer, that statement is bullsh*t.

I've been a photographer for over 25 years. In that time, I've shot my fair share of formal and informal events: from weddings, portraits, social gatherings, sports, etc. I've also done quote a bit of nature and specialized photography. And what you see is basically what I've shot.

Now, I'm not against working on the print to get the best available product from the negative. Heck, even Ansel Adams, perhaps the greatest American photographer who ever lived, considered (in musical composer terms) the negative "just the notes" and his finished print "the performed works." I've done my share of dodging, burning, and spotting in the darkroom to make a final print. And yes, in this age of digital imaging, I've used the computer to "fix" little things (a hair out of place, a straggling thread on a sleeve, etc.)

But I have never... NEVER... manipulated an image because what I saw in the "real world" wasn't what I saw "in my mind." To be, it's utter fabrication; it's blatant prevarication. You are, in essence, saying "that's not really how it happened, I know better."

This photographer is proud that he has manipulated his image to fit what he "thinks it should have been." In doing so, he's lowered himself to be as bad - if not worse - than someone who has stolen works and paraded them as their own (copyright infringement).

Thank you for letting me vent.

Comet Mc (Not) For Me... Again!

Comet McNaught. The brightest comet in the past three decades. And I have been unsuccessful in seeing it. And apparently it's visible in the daytime. So...

I tried around 1.30 this afternoon with no luck whatsoever. And I didn't just go out and hide the sun with a building and use binoculars.

I went out to our observatory, plugged up the optics, and used the shadows of the tubes to center the scopes on the sun. Then, using a white-light filter in our 4-inch TAK, I got the sun perfectly centered, then synced up in The Sky.

I slewed over to where the comet was, took off the filter, and saw.... nothing. Just to make sure everything was okay, I did another slew -- to Venus. Whammo! Venus was dead-center in the eyepiece. So back to where the comet was, and again... nothing.

I even tried our filters: OIII, UHC, and even a polarizer. Nada... nothing. Strike three.

So I packed up and went home to warm up.:)

Dunno if I will get to see it. I might cry.

The Rising Moon

Well, I started last night, and just finished, the porting over of my friend Bruce's astronomy program and website. The new URL is Moonrise.us.

Bruce is the friend of mine who unexpectedly passed away last September, and it was the wish of his family that the program stayed available. So they gave the program to the astronomy club, and any of the profits from the program (it's shareware, and a great little thing for $25.) go to his kids.

I got a domain for it, and ported over the website and all the program files. I'm keeping it basically the same as it was, but I'm going to make a few changes to it (the website, not the program).

There are a couple of things that should be done with the program to update some information, but I don't know anything about the programming language it was made in (Delphi).

I just hope I can do it justice.

Comet (Not) For Me

Well, I tried to observe comet McNaught this morning, and I busted. It was sort of clear, so I bundled up and got out around 7.15am to make a short trip east of town to a nice, flat horizon.

When I got to my destination (where I shot the conjunction last month), I noticed - in the brightening morning twilight - that there were some high clouds on the eastern horizon. But since the comet was supposed to be -2 mag., I thought I still had a shot. I mean, heck... there were pictures on Spaceweather.com of the comet through clouds, so I figured I had a chance.

I searched the horizon for a while, until about 5 minutes before sunrise, and never saw it. Figures. I have seen dozens of faint, fuzzball-type comets, but the brightest one in over 30 years? Nope.

And I froze out there as well. Even by the time I got all the way home, my fingers were still cold. But it was worth it, on the off chance I did get to see the comet.

Hail to the (Astro) Chief

I'm President again. Of my astronomy club.

Oh well.

I do think my musical accompaniment should be The Imperial March from Empire Strikes Back.

Obviously they've never heard of term limits.

New Member to the Blogosphere

I just ran across a new blog by Pamela Gay, Astronomer. Pamela used to be part of Slacker Astronomy, but has moved on to new things. She still does podcasts, though, with Fraser Cain of Universe Today. It's called AstronomyCast, and it's listed in my podcasting links.

(I knew she had a website up, but I hadn't checked it in a few months I guess. Oops. Sorry about that Pamela.)

Check our Pam's thoughts by hitting the Star Stryder link on the right side.

Comet Dust

I tried to observe a new comet that's out there - Comet MacNaught - but I was thwarted by fog and some clouds on the horizon. I got outside before dawn, to find there was no way I could see it that time.

This comet might be a great show when it comes back from its loop around the sun next week or so. I've got to see this, and add it to my ever-growing list of comets I have observed in my lifetime. I'm closing in on fifty.

President Ford Lying in State

As of midnight last night, there are nearly 60,000 people downtown waiting in line for up to eight hours to pay their respects, as President Ford lies in repose.

The line starts on the other side of the Public Museum on the foot bridge over the river, down Monroe to Pearl St. Down Pearl Street over the bridge to just at the front of the museum, then doubles back to Monroe.

Then the line goes down Monroe past DeVos Place, and turns right onto Bridge St. It goes down Bridge past the Post Office to Scribner, then doubles back AGAIN to DeVos Place. There, you go inside and wind your way around like you're in line at Disneyland/Cedar Point (serpentine-like), then you walk across another footbridge across the river to the Ford Museum.

They estimate the line, if people were single file, would stretch over 5 miles long.

I went down there this morning, and the line at 8.30 was only about 1/2 hour long. When I left, it was up to 2 hours long.

It was something to see. More when words can be written clearly.

President Ford's Homecoming

We welcome President Gerald Ford home to his final rest...

Dave Barry's Year in Review

Even though he doesn't write on a regular basis - column-wise - anymore, Dave Barry still stays abreast of current events. His annual "Year in Review is always a hoot, and for 2006 he had some science goodies...

MARCH
...In other science news, thrilled NASA astronomers, in what they describe as a "smashing, surprising" discovery, announce that they have found evidence of pockets of water beneath the surface of Enceladus, one of the moons of Saturn, which strongly suggests -- as has long been suspected -- that astronomers do not get out much.

MAY
...the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which has a budget of over $3 billion, predicts that the 2006 hurricane season will be worse than usual. This item will seem funnier later in the year. In related news, the voters of New Orleans re-elect Ray Nagin as mayor, proving that Hurricane Katrina killed far more brain cells than was previously believed.

JULY
...In other rocket news, the troubled U.S. space program suffers yet another setback when the launch of the shuttle Discovery is delayed for several days by Transportation Security Administration screeners, who insist that the astronauts remove their shoes before they go through the metal detector. Finally, however, Discovery blasts off and flies a flawless mission, highlighted by scientific experiments proving when you let go of things in space, they float around, same as last year.

Outer space remains in the news in...

AUGUST
...when the International Astronomical Union rules that Pluto will no longer be classified as a major planet, on the grounds that it is "less than half the size of James Gandolfini." A top U.S. law firm immediately files a class-action lawsuit on behalf of Pluto, as well as "anybody else who has been hurt by this ruling, or has ever experienced neck pain."

On the weather front, the until-now quiet hurricane season erupts in fearsome fury in the form of Tropical Storm Ernesto, which hurricane experts, using scientific computer models, predict could become a major storm and inflict devastation upon Texas, or possibly Florida, or Connecticut. A state of near-panic sets in as millions of coastal residents jam gas stations, hardware stores and supermarkets, while many schools and businesses close. Tension mounts for days, until finally Ernesto slams into Florida with all the fury of a diseased fruit fly. Life slowly returns to normal for everyone except the ever-vigilant hurricane experts, who immediately begin scanning their scientific computer simulations for the next potentially deadly threat.

NOVEMBER
...In other good news, with four days left in the virtually storm-free 2006 hurricane season and still no storms in sight, U.S. weather experts, citing new data, predict that the season will end up having been very mild. This forecast turns out to be right on the money, but the experts waste no time on self-congratulation, as they immediately begin making scientific predictions for next year's hurricane season, which, they warn, could be a bad one.

Like I said, he's always hilarious.

The Year of Bond... James Bond

Well, it's 2007. Or for Bond fans, 007.

And in Australia, they rang in the new year with the Bond theme song.

Very cool.

Now let's see if 007 will be better than 2006.

The Passing of a President

Sad news. President Gerald Ford passed away.

He was the only person in the history of the country to be both Vice-President and President, and was not elected to either post. He was appointed to the Vice-Presidency to fill the vacancy of Spiro Agnew, who resigned in 1973. And he then ascended to the Presidency in August of 1974, with the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

I had the honor of meeting him once when he was here in Grand Rapids after he was President. I remember back in 1977 when our “Close Up” high school group went to Washington DC, and we were saddened that he had not been reelected, and we didn’t get to meet him at the White House (President Carter stopped the meet & greet tours that year).

I also remember proudly wearing my WIN (Whip Inflation Now) button all the time.

And so passes the last honest President of the USA.

The True Meaning

"And there were in the same country shepherds, abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them! And they were sore afraid... And the angel said unto them, "Fear not! For, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all my people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

"And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth peace, and good will toward men."

"That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."
--Linus Van Pelt (and Charles M Schultz)

Remembering the "People's Astronomer"

"We have a choice: We can enhance life and come to know the Universe
that made us, or we can squander our [13.7] billion-year heritage in
meaningless self-destruction." - Carl Sagan (1934-1996)

I can't really believe it's been ten years since the death of Carl Sagan. I remember I heard the news just before going to my local astronomy club's winter "party" meeting, and he was the topic of much discussion, as he and his unique vision had touched all of us who were there. We ended the evening with a toast to his memory.

I believe, like many people, I got my first experience of Carl Sagan on television, watching him as a guest of Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. The way he explained things during the discussions that he and Carson had really brought science in focus for the "lay person" who wasn't really deep into the study of astronomy and space, but found it interesting. This publicity, I believe, spurred that interest in the general public to learn more.

When Cosmos first aired on PBS back in 1980, that hour would find me sitting on the floor in front of the television in a state of awe and amazement. I guess the only thing that disappointed me was that there were only thirteen episodes, but those few episodes rekindled my fascination with astronomy and space.

(Not that I wasn't interested in astronomy beforehand. I had a long history of fascination with the subject, having gotten my first telescope (albeit an inexpensive model) when I was four years old. I can remember watching Neil Armstrong step on the moon; my father would wake me up for lunar eclipses; I got to watch space launches all the time; I would spend warm August nights around my aunt's cottage - miles and miles away from any small town - watching the Perseid meteors. I was an amateur astronomer from a young age.)

In addition to watching (and trying to absorb) the television series, I had received the companion book for Christmas, have vivid memories of only being able to read a chapter, or part of a chapter, at a time, because trying to wrap my mind around the concepts presented gave me headaches (or brainaches). But I had to understand it, so I didn't give up, but dove right in again and read more.

I can remember reading that other astronomers were not kind to Carl, because of the way he brought astronomy to the masses, and I thought it was so elitist of them to want to "keep everything to themselves" and not let people into their wonderful world. Later I realized that many of them were simply jealous of Carl's "celebrity." The others were not receiving the "glory" from the public, and it hurt their egos. But I never thought Carl was doing it for the glory; he sincerely wanted to "get the word out to the world" about the subjects that he thought the public needed to know about, and be concerned about.

Over the years I enjoyed hearing his talks, reading his books, as he strove to get people involved in not only trying to save the planet (and themselves), but to also use their minds - to think critically, and not give in to the mindlessness of pseudoscience.

Years later, Cosmos came into my life again at Christmas as the series finally became available on DVD, thanks mainly to the work of his wife Ann Druyan. It's now become a staple to watch the series at least once per year.

There are some people now who actively bring science to the public, but I don't believe they will ever have the impact that Carl Sagan had. But the word is still getting out, more and more every day. I often wonder what Carl would think about this global, internet-driven society we live in today, and the new discoveries coming out almost every day. I also believe he would be saddened by the attempts of some to squelch said research and data on important scientific fields.

Even though I would still be an active amateur astronomer, I don't think that I would be doing the public outreach today without the inspiration of Carl Sagan. Every time I answer questions via our club's website, or from a visitor to our observatory, I like to think I am continuing Carl's legacy of bringing astronomy and science to the masses, in ways they can understand, and kindle an interest in them, as he did to me (and others) many years ago.

Thank you Carl. We miss you, and we will try to keep the candle lit.

Note: I wrote this as a part of the Carl Sagan memorial blog-a-thon (link below)

Some links..

Carl Sagan memorial blog-a-thon
Ten Times Around The Sun Without Carl - Ann Druyan
Nick Sagan (Carl's son)
Celebrating Sagan
What I learned from Carl Sagan - from Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer

The Carl Sagan Portal
The Planetary Society

Floating in Space

Here's hoping some photos turned out tonight.

I had noticed that the ISS (International Space Station) was going over my area this evening, and thought I would go and take a look. I've seen it many times before, but as an astronomer, I always get a kick out of seeing anything up there.

Discovery undocked from ISS about 50 minutes beforehand, so - even though they were going to Immelman the ISS, I thought I might be able to see both objects. After checking the predictions, I realized that they would be going right over my house, all lit up with Christmas lights. This was a photo opportunity!

I got out the camera and wide-angle lens, and waited. Sure enough, at 5.59pm there was the bright light in the southwest sky, traveling to the northeast. I sharting shooting photos a few minutes later, and could see a dimmer object in front of the ISS (which should be the shuttle). I framed it so ISS was going from upper right to lower left in the frame, with the house (and lights) at the bottom.

It should turn out, but I won't know until I get the film developed. Ah, to have a digital SLR... someday.

Help the Bad Astronomer do Good Astronomy!!

The Bad Astronomer - Phil Plait - has a blog on his sight. Wonderful science from a great astronomer.

His blog is up for a Weblog 2006 Award in the Science Category, and he needs help from everyone out there.

The deadline is Friday, and you can vote once every 24 hours. Or, like I just found out, you can use more than one computer and do it twice every 24 hours.:)

Vote early and often!!

Conjunction Junction?

Of a planetary nature.

This morning, the planets Mercury, Mars and Jupiter were only 0.3 degrees apart, and there won't be a "triple conjunction" like this until 2053. So naturally, I had to witness it.

The original plan was to just drive up to a local overlook and take some photos as the planets were rising in the morning twilight. That way I could get the shots, see the conjunction, and get back home, as it was surely going to be cold outside. But plans never survive the first minutes, as usual.

I got up around 6.30am, got dressed, grabbed the camera stuff, and headed out the door. I headed the car out to the northwest on the expressway, and halfway to my destination I decided that my brother was correct the night before, and the planned observing place would be too light, even in morning twilight. And by light, I mean light pollution. So I banged a u-turn on the expressway and headed southeast out of town towards the observatory. I had taken photos on the moon - and even another conjunction years earlier - on an out-of-the-way county road south of Lowell.

I could see morning twilight getting stronger as I headed east on the various roadways, and the star Vega was shining bright in the northeastern sky. By the time I navigated my way to the new destination, I could clearly see the planets hanging low in the southeast sky.

I jumped out of the car, opened the trunk, grabbing my tripod and camera. I had to work fast, as the skies were getting brighter by the second, and I needed to shoot these photos before it was too bright.

Oh yeah, did I mention yet it was really cold? And windy? I had to stand to the side of the tripod so the wind wouldn't shake the camera during the exposures.

I wasn't sure about the correct exposure times, so I bracketed. I learned that years ago in photography class: film is cheap, bracket to get the shot. So I ran the shutter speeds up and down from a 1/2 second to 15 seconds, hoping to get something.

The only problem I had was cold hands, as I had to take my gloves off to work the settings and dials on the camera. By the time I had shot the last frame, I actually couldn't feel my fingers. I could have shot more - as I had more film - but I decided that 20+ images was enough. I had seen the once-in-a-lifetime triple conjunction and taken photos of it.

It was now after 7.30am, and I drove back into town and dropped the roll of film off at the local one-hour place, and went back home.

After a little nap, I went back up and picked up the photos. They turned out, but they could have been better. So I went back home, scanned the best ones in, and sent them in to Spaceweather.com and the local television station. I just hope they use them.

I normally would have sent the photos to a second local TV station, but the meteorologist there back in November said - on the air - that someone else was his "go to guy" for astronomy images. So screw him.

Now let's hope for clear skies Wednesday night for the Geminid meteors.

We Have Liftoff!!

The space shuttle Discovery is safely on it's way into orbit. I can relax now.

Launch was a beautiful sight, and I just hope I get a chance to be down in Florida ocne to see it before it retires in 2010.

Ever since Challenger in 1986, I've always been nervous about the launches. You listen for the "go at throttle up" and know that's when the accident happened back 20 years ago. You hope and pray that everything's okay, and breathe a small sigh of relief when the SRBs let loose. And then you nervously wait for over six more minutes, until you near the MECO call, and know they are nearly in orbit.

Here's to a great mission guys!!!

Unbelievable!!

After having this blog for years (and another, secret one) the "Blogger Team" all of a sudden thinks this is a "spam blog." It is no such thing!

Would scientific professionals read this if it was? Heck, when I post to other blogs (Bad Astronomy, Astronomy Today, etc) I always provide a link back to this one. I'm part of the scientific community.

I hope they get their act together.

Early Sunsets

This is the time of the year when the sun sets the earliest around here. Since this past Sunday, the sunset has been at 5.08pm. It will continue to be at that time until Saturday the 16th, when we will gain one minute in the evening.

Of course, that doesn't mean much. We're still losing daylight in the morning, as the latest sunrise is December 31st at 8.14am. It stays at that time until January 6th, just past perihelion.

Not enough daylight around here. Counting the days until summer.

An Active Mars!!

Water on Mars now!

Also, evidence of new cratering.

More later....

Sheesh - What Four Days Can Do

Wasn't it just three or four days ago I was outside taking my walk without a jacket?

Thursday, November 30th - 62 degrees and thunderstorms
Sunday, December 3rd -lake effect snow and 21 degrees.

What happened to Global Warming? It must have went south for the winter.

Brr!!!

December 1 is the official start of meteorological winter, and winter sure arrived here today.

Freezing rain, snow, wind. Two days ago it was in the 60's with thunderstorms, and today it's 31 currently with heavy snow.

How long until Spring?

Boom!!

Oh Groovy!!

It's storming right now!! A thunderstorm in November!!

I love it.

But now the other shoe is around somewhere....

Congress and DST

Proof once again that the people in charge don't have any clue as to reality.

Congress passed changing Daylight Saving Time to start three weeks earlier (March 11th) and end a week later (November 4). They looked at 30+ year old data and said "we can save energy" despite all the current research that shows that we wouldn't save any energy. Just because it gets darker/lighter earlier doesn't mean we're going to change habits of heating our homes or, in this modern era, turning on or off our computers and electronic devices. Congress is simply out of touch with reality on this one.

For astronomers, it’s bad news, as we don’t have enough dark skies during the warmer months, and now we will have a month less. In reality, because we are just "shifting" the hours of daylight forward or backward, we're not actually "losing" anything. It just means starting an hour later each night. But it's a pain, and is unnecessary. But there's nothing we can do. Or is there?

An article that was in the Grand Rapids Press on October 29, 2006 said this…

“Congress passed the changes last year, but lawmakers reserved the right to scrap the new dates; if you don't like them, complain to the Secretary of Energy, who can recommend going back to the old ones.”

The astronomical community as a whole is against the new DST standards, and is speaking out. My astronomy club isn't actively taking sides in this, because it's against their non-partisan rules in their bylaws. So when I tell people to contact the Department of Energy Secretary, I'm just doing it as a "regular" person, and not someone who has any official capacity one way or another.
I think it's s a stupid idea, this change forced on us, and have already written my letter to the Secretary. I just hope enough people do.

Signed by the...

On another forum I (sometimes) frequent, people were listing things that they had autographed. I was trying to remember what I have autographed by famous individuals. Here's a partial list...


DVDs

Star Trek: The Motion Picture - autographed by Robert Wise (director)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn - autographed by Richardo Montalban (actor)
Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country - autographed by Nicholas Meyer (director)
Superman: The Movie - autographed by Richard Donner (director) and Tom Mankiewicz (writer)

CDs

Battlestar Galactica: The Mini-Series - autographed by Richard Gibbs (composer)
Far From Heaven - autographed by Elmer Bernstein (composer)
Serenity - autographed by David Newman (composer)
Superman Returns - autographed by John Ottman (composer)

Books

The Amateur Astronomer's Introduction to the Celestial Sphere - autographed by William C. Millar (author - astronomer)*
Daly Life - autographed by Chuck Daly (author - coach of the Detroit Pistons)
The Elegant Universe - autographed by Dr. Brian Greene (author)
The Fabric of the Cosmos - autographed by Dr. Brian Greene (author)
Standing Firm: A Vice-Presidential Memoir - autographed by Dan Quayle (author - former Vice-President of the USA)

Other

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Poster) - autographed by Robert Wise (director of the film)

* - Many of my photographs are published in this book, and will be in his future ones.

Pen in Hand

I'm currently writing to a friend of mine who is studying overseas for a few months. And by saying "writing" that's what I'm doing.

I've got a pad of paper and a nice pen. No computer, no typewriter, nothing fancy or electronic. Just a good old-fashioned letter.

I used to write my friend Mary like this, but have fallen from doing it. it's strange to actually try to write. Could I be a doctor? My penmanship - which was so great when I was younger - sucks now.

Oh well. But a letter to Thailand is something I've never done. Did many to Australia back in the day, but no where else.

An Anniversary - Pt 2

Tonight, years ago, I saw my first Star Trek episode.

It was The Corbomite Maneuver. I remember sitting on the floor in the living room at my cousin's house, and being scared when the bit "ping pong ball" ship - the Fesarius - approached really close to the Enterprise.

A Little Black Spot

Was on the Sun today.

The planet Mercury went across the disc of the Sun today, which it does periodically. I had seen this type of event in 1999, so I wasn't going to be too upset if I didn't see this one. But I managed to.

I used our 4-inch refractor at the observatory, with a Baader solar filter, and was fortunate to have about one-half hour of clear/semi-clear skies to take a few shots with my camera, and with my brother's digital SLR.

I had some equipment problems (focusing) and they didn't turn out as good as they could have. However, I did get a really cute picture of Paula's dog Willy peeking at the eyepiece.

Hubble will Live!!!

Just announced (but we all figured it would be).

Shuttle astronauts will make one final house call to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope as part of a mission to extend and improve the observatory's capabilities through 2013.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/servicing/index.html

The Force is NOT with Him

George Lucas the loser.

Lack of Spirit

You know, driving around all the time "just seeing the sights" has got to get boring after a while...

Mars Rover Beginning To Hate Mars

A "Swan" through the Clouds

Even though it was clear most of the day, it was clouding up towards evening, screwing up my chance to see one of the comets up there right now - C/2006 M4 (SWAN).

I got out to the observatory early, and as the clouds started to break up, I got things aligned and swung the 16-inch over to the west - where there were more clouds. So I patiently waited.

Finally, at around 8.15pm a sucker hole appeared, right in front of the scope's field of view. I jumped to the eyepiece, and there it was: a beautiful little bluish fuzzy, with an easily discernable coma. There were a few field stars in the area; otherwise the comet dominated the field at just over 100x.

Now for the new “Levy” comet. I was going to look for Faye, but upon going over my old notes I saw that one already. :)

But SWAN goes into the log, as my 46th comet observed over the years. But I want more, you understand!!!! MORE!!!!!!!

Not Ready for Prime-Time DVDs anyone?

Just read this on the Digital Bits website...

Universal has just officially announced the DVD release of Saturday Night Live 1975-1976: The Complete First Season for 12/5! The 8-disc set (SRP $69.98) will include all 24 90-minute episodes complete with their original hosts and all the original musical guests. You also get a 32-page book of liner notes and rare case photos. I'll tell you, we were wondering if this would EVER happen. How cool will it be to be able to go back and enjoy vintage SNL just as it was originally broadcast? Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, Garrett Morris, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman. Can you imagine? Frickin' awesome, man. AWESOME!

All I can say is: Yeah!! About frigging time!!!

Auto-Anniversary

Today I've had my car for four years. I've tried to take care of it as much as I can.

Mileage is 71905.

It's my baby.

Dark Side of the Grail, or Python and the Moon

It's the Full Moon!

Tonight's full moon will be bigger than usual, thanks to where it is in its orbit around the Earth.

Exact time of the "full moon" is 11.13pm EDT. So get ready to be mooned big!!!

In fact, I'm going out to photograph it.

Interesting fact 1: There is no dark side of the moon really. Matter of fact it's all dark.

Interesting Fact 2 (regarding the line above): [During the recording of Dark Side of the Moon] Studio time would be typically interrupted for one of two reasons, either soccer or Monty Python television broadcasts. In fact, Pink Floyd were such Python fans that they used some of the money they made from the initial success of the album to help fund Monty Python's The Holy Grail film.

Everyone Lives in the Dark

and now you're trembling on a rocky ledge
staring down into a heartless sea
can't face life on a razor's edge
nothing's what you thought it would be

All of us get lost in the darkness...
All of us do time in the gutter...

Sometimes.

Like I told a few people these past few days, there's a little bit in all of us (especially me) and it has to come to the surface once in a while. it can't be all roses and rainbows and ponies 24/7.

Sometimes you must give in to the dark.

Slowhand

Here's the setlist of the Clapton show. more later

Pretending
I Shot the Sheriff
Got to Get Better in a Little While
Old Love (with Robert Cray)
Everybody Oughta Make a Change
Motherless Children

**accoustic**
Back Home
I Am Yours
Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out
Running on Faith

After Midnight
Little Queen of Spades
Further On Up The Road
Wonderful Tonight
Layla
Cocaine

Encore
Crossroads (with Robert Cray)

Joy, Then Sadness

I wanted to write about an incredible concert I attended tonight, but when I walked into the house I was hit with bad news.

My friend Bruce - fellow astronomer and my dentist - was found dead in his house this evening.

I don't know what happened, and it's wrong to speculate.

I'll have to write about the Eric Clapton concert tomorrow.

A New Blogger

Found something cool.

Homer Hickam now has his own blog.

In case you don't know who he is, he's the author of Rocket Boys, which was made into the movie October Sky.

There's a link to his blog on the right side of the page.

Avast Mateys!!

Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day

So bring me grog and wenches!!!

A Flash of the Galaxy (Song)

Here's a flash animation of The Galaxy Song.

(Thanks to Phil Plait - the Bad Astronomer - for the link)

Goodbye SA, Hello SG

Some more about the end of Slacker Astronomy.

This podcast was the first one I had ever listened to. Now, over a year and a half later, I can't remember how I got turned onto it, but I sure am glad I was. I think I only missed the first "test cast" back in February of 2005. I even have the special, not-easy-to-find "The End of Slacker Astronomy" podcast that they did as an April Fool's joke.

Slacker Astronomy was fun, informative, and many other things I could write (but won't, because I can't find the adjectives), and the crew (Aaron, Pamela, & Travis) even got me thinking about doing a podcast for my astronomy club (an idea since put on the back burner). I've even had a few email conversations with them. They are good people.

But, things must change. Pamela got a new job, Aaron is going to grad school. And so comes the end of Slacker Astronomy.

But in it's ashes, like the mythological Phoenix, rises Slackerpedia Galactica.

No, it's not a missing BattleStar. it's a new podcast/website/forum that will rise ever higher.

And not to be missed, Pamela has a new podcast with Frasier Cain of Universe Today fame. It's called AstronomyCast.

A Sad Day

My favorite podcast - Slacker Astronomy - is no more. They have changed the way they are going to do things around there, but the great podcast that I've listened to for over a year is kaput.

I really think it had to do with Pamela moving away, but I don't know.

Be Afraid... Be Very Afraid

A friend of mine told me today that his wife has "plans for me."

This does not bode well, as being "set up" with a woman has never went well, where I am concerned.

Every time, the woman has something mentally "unbalanced" about them.

Five Years

Ago, I remember where I was. I think everyone above a certain age does.

I really can't say "my generation" because multiple generations area around, and "my generation" has had several of "these days" in the past.

January 28, 1986 - I remember exactly where I was when the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up.

February 1, 2003 - I remember exactly where I was when the Space Shuttle Columbia was destroyed.

And of course, I remember exactly where I was on September 11, 2001. What I originally wrote has been lost (mainly because after I calmed down a bit I erased it, but there is still part of it online.

An Anniversary

40 years ago this evening, Star Trek debuted on television.

Although I don't remember the day exactly (being a really little kid), I can remember the first episode I saw.

It was The Corbomite Maneuver, and it was November 10, 1966. I remember sitting on the floor in the living room at my cousin's house, and being scared when the bit "ping pong ball" ship - the Fesarius - approached really close to the Enterprise.

I've been a far since that day, but my fandom has been tested, mainly by the debacle that was Voyager, Enterprise, and the movie Nemesis. Of course, those were the "genius" of Rick Berman, who is an idiot. He's directly to blame for the floundering of Trek in recent years. Good thing he's gone now.

I'll post more later, as I reminisce more.

About The Baby

It's going to cost the people across the street nearly $1000 to fix the damage to my car.

They better frackin' pay up!!!

Aughh!! My Baby!!

I've had my car nearly four years now... beautiful Kaylee (I always name my cars after the first girl that sat in it). I treat her as carefully as I can, because who knows when I'll be able to get another one.

But tonight I failed her.

I had parked in the street in front of the house all day, so we could get the van in and out. And after dinner, the neighbor across the street backed out and hit my car!!!

Oh she was apologetic, and they have insurance. But my car has been violated in the worst way. Yeah, it can get fixed, but my Kaylee will never be the same. She'll be damaged for the rest of her life.

I failed her.

Pluto is Just Mickey's Dog now

It's official - there are only eight planets in the solar system. Pluto got demoted.

Pluto Demoted

Can't say that I'm surprised. But also, I can't say I'm sorry.

And I'm sure the debate will rage on for years.

Forum? Fiveum? Sixum?

Almost looks like I'm reverting back to the old ways on the internet. No, I'm not getting back into the whole "chat room" thing.

No, logging into forums. I've always been in a couple of them, even though I don't post to them much. But this past weekend I've joined three more. Actually I formed one of them for my local astronomy club, and I hope it's well-used by the members.

Does the Dark Really Matter?

Of course it does.

Word is getting out that there has been a breakthrough in the search for proof of Dark Matter. Here's the Press Release, and also more in depth commentary by Sean Carroll of the University of Chicago.

My friend Jake, who's a genius anyways, had this to say...

Okay. I can summarize the 'importance of the result.'

So: everyone knows dark matter is right. I mean, my opinion (and that of all my colleagues in high energy physics and cosmology) has been 'it is 99% likely that dark matter exists and it is composed of new matter particles.' I see no reason to suspect that demanding the existence of new particles as being 'hard to believe'---partly because such new particles are obviously predicted by theories without any reference to dark matter.

nonetheless…

The astro community (which I find hard to comprehend oftentimes) would rather believe that we don't understand anything (e.g. MOND=general relativity is wrong for no good reason) than believe that new particles exist beyond those in stars

Anyway, this result shows that dark matter does in fact exist, which everyone outside of astronomy has known since 1933.

(Note: Just as an FYI: "MOND" = Modified Newtonian Dynamics - a theory that explains the galaxy rotation problem without assuming the existence of dark matter.)

Just How Many Planets?

From the IAU (International Astronomical Union)

The IAU draft definition of "planet" and "plutons"

16. August 2006, Prague

The world's astronomers, under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), have concluded two years of work defining the difference between "planets" and the smaller "solar system bodies" such as comets and asteroids. If the definition is approved by the astronomers gathered 14-25 August 2006 at the IAU General Assembly in Prague, our Solar System will include 12 planets, with more to come: eight classical planets that dominate the system, three planets in a new and growing category of "plutons" - Pluto-like objects - and Ceres. Pluto remains a planet and is the prototype for the new category of "plutons."

So if this passes, we will immediately jump from nine planets to twelve. The new ones will be Ceres, Charon (currently Pluto's moon), and UB313 (it's current designation - a new name will come later).

I may only have one week to still say that I have seen every planet in the solar system. Because as of next Friday, it won't be true.

I Can See For Miles....

At 1:04pm EDT, or 17:04 UT, the odometer in my car turned 70,000 miles.

Guess I need to stop driving so much.

Flitting

While trying (unsuccessfully) to take photos of hummingbirds in the back yard, I just happened upon a butterfly on one of our bushes.

You can see the images at my website.

The Birthday Conundrum

I had a birthday recently (extremely recently – but I won’t tell you when), and got the usual grief from my family about not celebrating nor caring about it.

For the past few years we haven’t really celebrated any of our birthdays in the family, mainly because my brother and I have been “adults” for a long time now, and are past the “kids party” stuff. Now it’s perhaps a card, perhaps a gift. Nothing really big.

I guess my problem has to do with the sappy way everyone gets when it’s a birthday. People use their “cute” voice when they talk to you on that day, and heck, even my mom – in a “cute voice” – asked “well, and now how old are you today?” Frack, she knows how old I am; she was there, I think.

I guess I’m just embarrassed by the whole thing. But on the other hand, I don’t mind helping other people celebrate their birthday. Perhaps it’s because I’m not the “center of attention” if it’s someone else’s day.

(Now, those of you who think you know me are probably saying “but Kevin loves to be the center of attention!” But you are dead wrong. There’s too much pressure being the center of attention.)

A part of me does like the attention; the recognition. But I have always existed more with my head than my gut, and logic tells me that this “craving of attention and recognition” is wrong. So I get embarrassed.

I’ve always found it hard to talk about myself. Heck, if you look at our club’s newsletter, you will rarely see my name in it. Mainly because I write the thing, and can’t “toot my own horn” at all. It seems wrong some how. And that also is the reason I don’t have a “bio” on our club’s website. I’m not good at that stuff. Oh, I can write about others, but not about me.

So, where does that leave birthdays? Do I just leave the day out there, and let people know, so each year they can offer me well-wishes? Or do I still keep the date to myself, and then sulk about how no one cares? But I don’t think I really sulk; it just seems that way to me.

I guess it all goes back to not being a very open and trusting person, I reckon. And I don’t know, after all these years/decades, that I can change. Or perhaps because I don’t have anyone in my life to share it with (I’m talking a significant other, not family).

However... Happy Birthday to me.

Whenever it was.

Doing My Civic Duty - But Why Today?

Well, I have done my civic duty, as I went up and voted in the state primary. I tweaked my morning walk so I would go right past the polling place, and just stopped in on my way past.

As usual, there's really no one good to vote for, especially here in Michigan, where you can't split your ticket. I'm neither a republican nor democrat, but you have to vote for one party (if you want to vote in that area at all).

But why have the primary today, of all days? Sure, it's the second Tuesday of the month, but on the 8th? That's sacrelidge.

Dr. Tyson Speaks!!

Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson - who is the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium, among other things - was the guest Blogger on the Planetary Society's weblog (Emily Lakdawalla is on maternity leave - congrats Emily!!), and he had some great things to say. Here are the links to his weblogs...

Appetite for the Cosmos: The Fan
Appetite for the Cosmos: The Janitor
Appetite for the Cosmos: The Cabbie
Appetite for the Cosmos: The UPS Delivery Guy
Appetite for the Cosmos: The Sanitation Truck Driver

I had to drop him a note expressing my admiration for what he wrote. I also suggested that he perhaps think of doing something like that all the time, just like Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer.

We'll see if I get a reply.

It's Invaded my Brain!!!!

Was just out mowing the lawn.

So why do I have the Nick Gilder song "Hot Child in the City" running through my head?

Does anyone know?

The Sounds of Sirens

Man, I just love the first Friday of the month during the Spring - Fall. Right at noon.

That's when they test the tornado (civil defense) sirens.

I love to sit outside and listen.

Good times.... good times..

Looking for Dust

I'm now officially part of the "Stardust@Home" project.

What is that, you say?

Well, it's a world-wide effort by scientists to find particles of cometary material in the returned sample from the Stardust mission to Comet Wild2.

It's pretty fun, and I like it better than when I did Seti@Home.

Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday Julie.

Don't see ya much anymore, but I still remember my "little baby sisters'" birthday.

Cops for Pets

Was watching "Animal Cops: Houston" tonight, and it just makes me sick how some idiots have animals and abuse them.

I think that if you abuse a pet, you should have the same abuse given to you, only doubly so.

Girls Girls Girls

Hmm. I might have dissed a girl I know tonight, but I'm not sure.

I was out and about, and walking into this establishment in town, when I felt a (kind of) tap on my shoulder and someone say "Kevin?" At the time I thought I was late for something, and it didn't really register. Man, I hoipe it wasn't Cat, or Kate, or Steph. At the time those are the only ones I can think of.

Oh well. If you were the girl, drop me a note or call me.

Back in Time

This is sort of cryptic, but I'll understand.

Tonight I went back to November 17th, 1987.

Something that happened today directly links to my situation on that day. And I'm pretty damn happy about it.

The Guitar God II

Got my tickets for Clapton!!

Great seats, can't wait for the concert!