Home on AlicesAstroInfo

Artemis II “Hello World”

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 14:12:51 -0700

I wanted to know which constellations we were seeing behind the Earth in the NASA Artemis II “Hello World” image taken by Reid Wiseman. I used Eyes on the Solar System and Stellarium to identify the background.

Original:

I adjusted due to the distortion in the maps used, so there may be small errors.

Artemis II Livestream Launch Watch

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 12:36:51 -0700

This page will change. Check back.

Join me to watch the NASA livestream of the historic Artemis II launch, sending people back to circle the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years.

My status update as of Wedneday 4/1/2026 6:00pm:

Launch watch event is COMPLETE!

Event Start Time: 2:45pm Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Where: Jerry M Brockey center on South Seattle College’s campus.

Launch itself: 3:24pm (Pacific).

Upcoming Nova in Corona Borealis

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 21:56:04 -0700

This summer, 2024, we are likely to have a unique opportunity. There is a star in the constellation of Corona Borealis that is going to go nova. This means it is going to get much brighter, and it will look like the constellation has a new star for a short period of time. The star is named T Coronae Borealis or the Blaze Star.
(Hint, don’t confuse it with τ Coronae Borealis).

Eclipse Events and Resources 2023-2024

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 13:24:13 -0700

I will be continuing to add resources and updates to this page.

#1 Most Important Thing

You can easily safely watch a partial solar eclipse, and you should! You just have to know how! Here are many ways: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/2023/oct-14-annular/safety/ (I am linking to the annular eclipse safety information because it is going to be partial here, not total.)

My favorite way to watch a solar eclipse is the indirect method using a colander/spaghetti strainer or other object with small even holes (circles or squares, not long lines).

Turn your back to the Sun.

Hold out the colander until you see its shadow on the ground showing all those little holes. Each one of those is a perfect little image of the Sun! When the Sun is partially eclipsed, you will see little crescents. This works even better if you put down a piece of plain paper or another flat “screen” for the shadow. You can also do this by interleaving your fingers to make a “hashtag” pattern with your fingers, or just look under a tree at the dappled light shining down.

Social Media Locations

Thu, 17 Nov 2022 22:08:44 -0800

Here are my social media links, just in case. I’m AlicesAstroInfo on all of them:

July 2025: I’m late to the party for updating this page, but for a while now I’ve been most active on BlueSky and Instagram, though cross-posting everything to mastodon, Facebook, and Threads. (My history before 2024 is predominantly on the bird app though.)

Seasonal Sunset Watches

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 23:16:54 -0700

It’s time for the seasonal sunset watch, every solstice and equinox sunset at Solstice Park in West Seattle. Here are the details for the next several events, times are Pacific:

#	Date	Event Time	Expected Actual Sunset Time	Official Sunset Time	Equinox/ Solstice Moment Time
70	September Equinox 2026 Tuesday, September 22, 2026	6:30 pm – 7:30 pm	6:50-6:55 pm (trees) 7:00 pm (horizon)	7:07 pm	5:05 pm
71	December Solstice 2026 Monday, December 21, 2026	3:45 pm – 4:45 pm	4:05 pm (trees?) 4:14 pm (horizon)	4:20 pm	12:50 pm
72	March Equinox 2027 Saturday, March 20, 2027	6:30 pm – 7:30 pm	6:50-6:55 pm (trees) 7:12 pm (horizon)	7:22 pm	1:25 pm
73	June Solstice 2027 Monday, June 21, 2027	8:30 pm – 9:30 pm	8:50-8:56 pm (trees)	9:11 pm	7:11 am

When:
- We have noticed that the Sun sets about 10-15 minutes earlier than the USNO‘s official prediction says, because of the horizon altitude. We use the PeakFinder app to determine exact sunset time, but I only use that the day of the event.
- The moment of the solstice/equinox doesn’t usually happen during this event, but I list it here for you to know.
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual. Consider your health when making your decision to attend. (Please do leash your dogs as we usually have a good number of people, kids, and other dogs around.)

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

Livestream Commentary: Mars Perseverance Entry, Descent, and Landing

Tue, 02 Feb 2021 17:10:19 -0800

I will be hosting live commentary over Zoom during the Entry, Descent, and Landing of Mars Perseverance.

When: Thursday, February 18, 2021 12:20pm-1:15pm

Where: Register in advance for this meeting (because it is public)

I will be livestreaming the splashdown via https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/timeline/landing/watch-online/ within the commentary. I will be chatting directly with you, and will attempt not to be talking over the NASA official commentators, but explaining some terms they use and answering your direct questions.

Crew Dragon Splashdown: Sunday August 2, 11:15am Pacific

Sun, 02 Aug 2020 03:13:03 -0700

I will be hosting live commentary over Zoom during the Splashdown of Crew Dragon (the return to Earth of NASA’s #LaunchAmerica: the first launch of crew to orbit in a commercial spacecraft).

When: Sunday, August 2, 2020 11:15am Pacific Time

Where: Register in advance for this meeting (because it is public): https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYkfuqvrz8tHtF1InWLMWB77rwAopWZc8cl

I will probably be livestreaming the splashdown via https://www.nasa.gov/live within the commentary. I will be commentating directly with you, and will attempt not to be talking over the NASA and SpaceX official commentators, but explaining some terms they use and answering your direct questions.

Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) from West Seattle

Thu, 09 Jul 2020 12:14:29 -0700

This comet is visible a couple hours before sunrise for the next few days (July 9, 10, 11) and shortly after sunset after July 12 or so. All dates and times I mention are for West Seattle, Washington, USA. We’re in Pacific Time and at latitude 47.5°. Most of the times will be approximately true for your local time if you’re between 30-50° latitude in the Northern Hemisphere.

The problem with Comet NEOWISE is, even though it is fairly bright for a comet, it is still very close to the Sun from our point of view. When the Sun is in the sky, or even not in the sky but near the horizon, the sky itself is bright, washing out dimmer stars and sky objects. So you have to find the balance point between the peak of the comet’s brightness (which seems to be today July 9) and its distance from the Sun in the sky. Starting July 12 it will get farther and farther from the Sun in our sky, and be visible later and later after sunset.

#LaunchAmerica Live Commentary: SpaceX Demo-2 test flight of Crew Dragon

Tue, 26 May 2020 13:06:26 -0700

I will be hosting live commentary over Zoom during NASA’s #LaunchAmerica: the first launch of crew to orbit in a commercial spacecraft. The launch is currently targeted for Wednesday, May 27, at 1:33pm Pacific time. I will start my commentary at 1:00pm Pacific Time. This will all be rescheduled if the launch gets rescheduled.

When: Wednesday, May 27, 1:00pm Pacific Time

Where: Register in advance for this meeting (because it is public):
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0rdu6rqTwiGtThxCfYc7rK-UgGcvDTj6qY

Seasonal Sunset Watches!

Thu, 20 Jun 2019 22:35:36 -0700

It’s time for the seasonal sunset watch, every solstice and equinox sunset at Solstice Park in West Seattle. Here are the details for the next several events:

#	Date	Event Time	Actual Sunset Time	Official Sunset Time	Equinox/ Solstice Moment Time
41	Summer Solstice 2019 Friday, June 21, 2019	8:30 pm – 9:30 pm	9:00 pm	9:11 pm	8:54 am
42	Fall Equinox 2019 Monday, September 23, 2019	6:30 pm – 7:30 pm	6:55 pm	7:05 pm	12:50 am
43	Winter Solstice 2019 Saturday, December 21, 2019	3:45 pm – 4:45 pm	4:05 pm	4:20 pm	8:19 pm
44	Spring Equinox 2020 Thursday, March 19, 2020WEBCAST VIA ZOOM.	6:30 pm – 7:30 pm VIA ZOOM.	7:00 pm	7:22 pm	8:50 pm
45	Summer Solstice 2020 June 20, 2020VIA ZOOM, register in advance for this meeting.	8:45 pm – 9:15 pm VIA ZOOM, register in advance for this meeting.	9:00 pm	9:11 pm	2:44 pm
46	Fall Equinox 2020 Tuesday, September 22, 2020 I will host via Zoom as has become usual.	6:45 pm – 7:15pm VIA ZOOM!	6:55 pm	7:05 pm	6:31 am
47	Winter Solstice 2020 Monday, December 21, 2020I will host via Zoom as has become usual. Zoom!	3:45 pm – 4:15 pm VIA ZOOM!	4:05 pm	4:20 pm	2:02 am
48	Spring Equinox 2021 Saturday, March 20, 2021 I will be live-Tweeting during the sunset. Tune in @AlicesAstroInfo	6:45 pm-7:15 pm ON TWITTER	7:00 pm	7:22 pm	2:37 am
49	Summer Solstice 2021 Sunday, June 20, 2021 VIA ZOOM, register in advance for this meeting. https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYpcuqgrj4pGN0SPUuK7TGLPT3YRgmcqviO (Twitter will be my backup plan in case of technical difficulties @AlicesAstroInfo)	8:45 pm-9:15 pm VIA ZOOM!	9:00 pm	9:11 pm	8:31 pm

When:
- We have noticed that the Sun sets about 15 minutes earlier than the USNO‘s official prediction says, because of the horizon altitude.
- The moment of the solstice/equinox doesn’t usually happen during this event, but I leave it here for you to know.
Where: I will host Summer 2021’s Solstice Sunset watch live on Zoom from an undisclosed West Seattle location.
- I want to support folks in continued social distancing to protect our children and unvaccinated vulnerable folks from SARS-Cov-2/coronavirus.
- I recommend you find a nice outdoor space to watch the sunset from, and tune in to the participatory webcast for some social interaction and celebration of the turning of the seasons.
- Please wear a mask and social distance from people until you discuss your combined comfort levels. Some people aren’t ready to give up masks, some people aren’t vaccinated, some people never worried about transmission in an outdoor setting. Let’s be polite and kind as we all navigate each other’s risk tolerances.
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual. (Please do leash your dogs as we usually have a good number of people, kids, and other dogs around.)

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

March 20 Spring Equinox Sunset Watch — 2019

Mon, 18 Mar 2019 15:50:22 -0700

It’s time for the 40th seasonal sunset watch!

40!!!

When: Wednesday, March 20, 7:00pm (so come at 6:30pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 7:22pm, but we have noticed that the Sun sets about 15 minutes earlier than the USNO says, because of the horizon altitude.
- The equinox moment is Wednesday, March 20, 2:58pm
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual. (Please do leash your dogs as we usually have a good number of people, kids, and other dogs around.)

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

December 21 Winter Solstice Sunset Watch — 2018

Tue, 18 Dec 2018 15:00:01 -0800

It’s time for the 39th seasonal sunset watch!

When: Friday, December 21, 4:05pm (so come at 3:45pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 4:20pm, but we have noticed that the Sun sets about 15 minutes earlier than the USNO says, because of the horizon altitude.
- The equinox moment is Friday, December 21, 2:23pm
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual. (Please do leash your dogs as we usually have a good number of people, kids, and other dogs around.)

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

September 19 Fall Equinox Sunset Watch — 2018

Mon, 17 Sep 2018 10:22:13 -0700

It’s time for the 38th seasonal sunset watch!

When: Wednesday September 19, 6:55pm (so come at 6:30pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 7:13pm, but we have noticed that the Sun sets about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says, because of the horizon altitude.
- The equinox moment is Saturday, September 22, 6:54pm
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual. (Please do leash your dogs as we usually have a good number of people, kids, and other dogs around.)

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

June 16 Summer Solstice Sunset Watch — 2018

Sun, 10 Jun 2018 10:11:42 -0700

It’s time for the 37th seasonal sunset watch!

When: Saturday, June 16 at 8:50pm (so come at 8:30pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 9:09pm, but we have noticed that the Sun sets about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says, because of the horizon altitude.
- The solstice moment is Thursday, June 21 at 3:07am
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual. (Please do leash your dogs as we usually have a good number of people, kids, and other dogs around.)

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

March 20 Spring Equinox Sunset Watch — 2018

Mon, 19 Mar 2018 16:15:40 -0700

It’s time for the 36th seasonal sunset watch! (It’s our NINE year anniversary!)

I can’t wait to see you for a reasonably-timed sunset.

When: Tuesday, March 20, 2018 at 7:10pm (so come at 6:30/6:45pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 7:22pm, but we have noticed that the Sun sets about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says, because of the horizon altitude.
- The equinox moment is Tuesday, March 20, 2018 9:15am
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual. (Please do leash your dogs as we usually have a good number of people, kids, and other dogs around.)

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

December 21 Winter Solstice Sunset Watch–2017

Thu, 21 Dec 2017 14:22:04 -0800

It’s time for the 35th seasonal sunset watch!

I can’t wait to see you for a chilly winter sunset. We’ll also watch for the fingernail-crescent of the Moon just after sunset.

When: Thursday, December 21 at 4:05pm (so come at 3:45pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 4:20pm, but we have noticed that the Sun sets about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says, because of the horizon altitude.
- The equinox moment is Thursday, December 21 at 8:28am
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual. (Please do leash your dogs as we usually have a good number of people, kids, and other dogs around.)

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

September 22 Fall Equinox Sunset Watch–2017

Tue, 19 Sep 2017 15:45:31 -0700

It’s time for the 34th seasonal sunset watch!

We’ll also share eclipse stories and favorite moments or pictures from Cassini (RIP, now part of Saturn). If you drew a picture of the eclipse, either before or after I would absolutely love to see it.

When: Friday, September 22 at 6:55pm (so come at 6:35pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 7:06pm, but we have noticed that the Sun sets about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says, because of the horizon altitude.
- The equinox moment is Friday, September 22 at 1:02pm
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual. (Please do leash your dogs as we usually have a good number of people, kids, and other dogs around.)

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

June 20 Summer Solstice Sunset Watch –2017

Wed, 14 Jun 2017 15:24:20 -0700

It’s time for the 33rd seasonal sunset watch!

This is also my last currently-scheduled event before the solar eclipse in August! Come and I’ll give tips and resources on safely observing the eclipse from Seattle, as well as a sites in Oregon. I’ve got more resources than anyone (practically) on safe observing for kids aged 18-months to 6 years, so bring the kiddos.

When: Tuesday, June 20 at 9:00pm (so come at 8:45pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 9:11pm, but we have noticed that the Sun sets about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says, because of the horizon altitude.
- The solstice moment is Tuesday, June 20 at 9:24pm so maybe we’ll stick around and celebrate that too, for once!
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual. (Please do leash your dogs as we usually have a good number of people, kids, and other dogs around.)

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

March 20 Spring Equinox Sunset Watch — 2017

Thu, 16 Mar 2017 03:02:12 -0700

It’s time for the 32nd seasonal sunset watch!

When: Monday, March 20 at 7:10pm (so come at 6:45pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 7:23pm, but we have noticed that the Sun sets about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says, because of the horizon altitude.
- The equinox moment is Monday, March 20 at 3:29am
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual. (Please do leash your dogs as we usually have a good number of people, kids, and other dogs around.)

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

December 21 Winter Solstice Sunset Watch — 2016

Thu, 15 Dec 2016 15:10:15 -0800

It’s time for the 31st seasonal sunset watch!

When: Wednesday, December 21 at 4:05 (so come at 3:45pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 4:20pm, but we have noticed that the Sun sets about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says, because of the horizon altitude.
- The equinox moment is Wednesday, December 21st at 2:44am
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual. (Please do leash your dogs as we usually have a good number of people, kids, and other dogs around.)

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

September 22 Fall Equinox Sunset Watch — 2016

Fri, 16 Sep 2016 10:17:40 -0700

It’s time for the 30th seasonal sunset watch!

When: Thursday, September 22 at 6:55pm (so come at 6:35pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 7:06pm, but we have noticed that the Sun sets about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says, because of the horizon altitude.
- The equinox moment is Thursday, September 22nd at 7:21am
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual. (Please do leash your dogs as we usually have a good number of people, kids, and other dogs around.)

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

June 20 Summer Solstice Sunset Watch — 2016

Sat, 18 Jun 2016 19:13:33 -0700

It’s time for the 29th seasonal sunset watch!

When: Monday, June 20th at 9:00pm (so come at 8:45pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 9:11pm, but we have noticed that the Sun sets about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says, because of the horizon altitude.
- The equinox moment is Monday, June 20th at 3:34pm
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual. (Please do leash your dogs as we usually have a good number of people, kids, and other dogs around.)

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

March 19 Spring Equinox Sunset Watch — 2016

Fri, 18 Mar 2016 17:04:36 -0700

It’s time for the 28th seasonal sunset watch!

When: Saturday, March 19th at 7:10pm (so come at 6:45pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 7:22pm, but we have noticed that the Sun sets about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says, because of the horizon altitude.
- The equinox moment is Saturday, March 19th at 9:30pm
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.
Bring (optional): Your smartphone or tablet with a stargazing app. If you do, I’ll spend a few minutes showing you how to use the app. Well, I’ll try anyway, this part of the evening is in beta testing. ;)

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

LIGO Gravitational Wave Detection – KOMO Radio Interview

Thu, 11 Feb 2016 17:16:20 -0800

I was interviewed on KOMO Radio on February 11, 2016 about the LIGO detection of Gravitational Waves. Listen here!

http://www.alicesastroinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2016-02-11-Alice-interview-KOMO.mp3

December 21st Winter Solstice Sunset Watch – 2015

Mon, 14 Dec 2015 21:32:33 -0800

It’s time for the 27th seasonal sunset watch!

When: Monday, December 21st at 4:05pm (so come at 3:45pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 7:05pm, but we have noticed that the Sun sets about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says, because of the horizon altitude.
- The equinox moment is at Monday, December 21st at 8:40pm
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

September 23 Fall Equinox Sunset Watch – 2015

Tue, 22 Sep 2015 21:20:39 -0700

It’s time for the 26th seasonal sunset watch!

When: Wednesday, September 23 at 6:55pm (so come at 6:40pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 7:05pm, but we have noticed that the Sun sets about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says, because of the horizon altitude.
- The equinox moment is at Wednesday, September 23 at 1:20am … but we’re watching the sunset the night before not the sunrise because of how the park lines up.
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

Aurora Viewing from Seattle — Basic Tips

Fri, 11 Sep 2015 17:00:06 -0700

Aurora viewing from Seattle, basic info, tips, locations and resources.
Summary: ALWAYS LOOK NORTH, and expect it to be dim. Predicting auroras is like predicting rainbows. Predicting the conditions for them is more accurate than predicting the event itself.

Cloudcover prediction for tonight at 11pm:

This image should have today’s date on it. If it does not, click on the image and choose “Sky Cover, 11pm” from the table on the left.

Where Should You Go for Stargazing or to watch the Perseids?

Wed, 12 Aug 2015 09:41:51 -0700

See the tab above that says “Seattle Stargazing“? That’s my most recent list of ideas for you.

The map can be found over on Google Maps as well.

My Perseids news coverage 2015

-Full article at West Seattle Blog.

-Interview on KUOW’s The Record for 8/12/2015.

-365 Days of Astronomy What’s Up Tonight, Southern Skies Edition August 2015 (includes tips on astrophotography)

–Alan Boyle’s article at GeekWire about Seattle stargazing spots

~ A l i c e !

Make Your Own Pluto Globe (MAPS as of 7-16-2015!)

Mon, 13 Jul 2015 22:29:29 -0700

This thumbnail links to the latest globe activity PDF

My dad has been hard at work on a project for my Plutopalooza New Horizons Phone Home event tomorrow. I promised you crafts, and for those of our who cannot attend the event in person, I’m posting this one here.

This is currently a globe of the very latest map available of Pluto from Björn Jónsson. We will be posting one update tomorrow (July 14, 2015) morning, and possibly one more tomorrow evening. Check back on this post for the final update.

EVENT: Plutopalooza Phone Home

Thu, 02 Jul 2015 11:15:23 -0700

NASA’s New Horizon’s mission will flyby Pluto on the morning of July 14th at 4:49am Pacific Time. As it will spend the full period of the flyby taking photos and data, we won’t hear from the craft about its success until 6:02pm when it “phones home.”

Join me for this nailbiting moment of suspense at High Point Branch Library. As far as I’ve been able to determine at this time, this is the only live local event taking place in Seattle for the Pluto flyby.

June 20 Summer Solstice Sunset Watch – 2015

Wed, 10 Jun 2015 13:33:54 -0700

It’s time for the 25th seasonal sunset watch! Wow. That’s a lot. We should probably have some kind quadrans-quarter-ennial, or icosipenta-seasonal-versary, or quasqui-quadmensiversary celebration, don’t you think?

When: Saturday, June 20, 2015 at 9:00pm (so come at 8:45pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 9:11pm, but we have noticed that the Sun sets about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says, because of the horizon altitude.
- The equinox moment is at Sunday, June 21, 2015 at 9:38 AM … but we’re watching the sunset the night before not the sunrise because of how the park lines up.
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

Aurora Alert: March 17, 2015 G4 Storm

Tue, 17 Mar 2015 15:24:59 -0700

3/17/2015: Latest predictions have good numbers for Seattle from darkness until 11pm or 1am. This morning was better. Tonight’s a little unpredictable.
From 3/17/2015 pm:

NOAA Kp index breakdown Mar 18-Mar 20 2015

            Mar 18     Mar 19     Mar 20
00-03UT        7 (G3)     4          2     5pm-8pm previous date
03-06UT        7 (G3)     3          2     8pm-11pm previous date
06-09UT        6 (G2)     3          2     11pm previous date 2am
09-12UT        5 (G1)     3          2     2am-5am
12-15UT        4          3          2     5am-8am
15-18UT        3          3          2     8am-11am
18-21UT        3          3          2     11am-2pm
21-00UT        3          4          2     2pm-5pm

Rationale: 18 March is expected to (G1-G3) storm conditions as the
effects from the CME persist. Following the end of CME effects,
geomagnetic activity should remain below G1 conditions for days two and
three (19-20 Mar).

Spring Equinox Sunset Watch – 2015

Mon, 16 Mar 2015 14:45:53 -0700

It’s time for the 24th seasonal sunset watch!!

When: Friday, March 20th at 7:10pm (so come at 6:45pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 7:22pm, but we have noticed that the Sun sets about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says it does, so I’ve moved the time of our sunset watch up so we don’t miss it.
- The equinox moment is at 3:45pm… but we’re watching the sunset because of how the park lines up.
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual, I’ll bring preschool activities to this one.

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

Conjunction, Seattle, Today 2-21-2015 5:30pm

Sat, 21 Feb 2015 13:23:36 -0800

Come watch the conjunction with me today from 5:30pm-6:15pm from the South end of the beach at Lincoln Park. I’ll be just across from the swings, with binoculars.

It will be pretty.

-Alice

P.S. Since I’ll have a tripod or two set up for this, if you bring your dog could you leash them while they’re near the equipment please? Thanks, that’s a big help! :)

Winter Solstice Sunset Watch – 2014

Thu, 18 Dec 2014 17:03:14 -0800

It’s time for the 23rd seasonal sunset watch!!

When: Sunday, December 21st at 4:05pm (so come at 3:45pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 4:20pm, but we have noticed that the Sun sets about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says it does, so I’ve moved the time of our sunset watch up so we don’t miss it.
- The solstice moment is at 3:03pm… but we’re watching the sunset because of how the park lines up.
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

Where to Find AstroInfo?

Mon, 17 Nov 2014 14:15:04 -0800

What’s become of me? Like many other vaguely-successful authors, you can now find my work in more places and less often back here at home. This is great news for me, tough news for trying to follow me. I’m not gone for good, but check these locations for more recent articles:

West Seattle Blog — Skies over West Seattle — more or less monthly articles
365 Days of Astronomy — monthly podcasts
KOMO NewsRadio — occasional short interviews, usually with Tom and Jane on weekday afternoons
Twitter — musings, discussions, astro stuff I think is cool, announcements of events and interviews

Thanks for keeping up!

Fall Equinox Sunset Watch with Preschool Activities! – 2014

Wed, 10 Sep 2014 23:13:48 -0700

It’s time for the 22nd seasonal sunset watch!!

I’ll be doing three special things for this special sunset watch: First, I’m going to bring some preschool-focused activities. I’ve been testing out. I know it is nearly bedtime, but bring your 3-5-year-olds out for a special early-childhood edition of the sunset watch.

Second, I’m going to be available to answer questions about preparing for viewing the partial solar eclipse in October. I’ll do this part after the sunset and after the toddler activities have wrapped up a bit. That’s because you grown-ups and older kids have a slightly easier time waiting than the little ones. If you miss this chance to talk to me, I’ll have a few activities and talks in the local branches of the Seattle Public Libraries in the days leading up to the eclipse.

Aurora Alert? Where to find more info

Tue, 19 Aug 2014 19:24:42 -0700

9/12/2014: Latest predictions have great numbers for Seattle from darkness until 11pm or 1am.

NOAA Kp index breakdown Sep 13-Sep 15 2014

            Sep 13     Sep 14     Sep 15
00-03UT        7 (G3)     4          4     
03-06UT        7 (G3)     5 (G1)     3     
06-09UT        6 (G2)     5 (G1)     3     
09-12UT        5 (G1)     4          3     
12-15UT        5 (G1)     3          2     
15-18UT        4          3          2     
18-21UT        4          3          2     
21-00UT        5 (G1)     4          2

Aurora viewing from Seattle, basic info, tips, locations and resources.

Interview with KOMO Radio – July 2014

Sat, 12 Jul 2014 17:10:39 -0700

Here’s a recording of my interview yesterday with Tom Huytler of KOMO Newsradio. It’s quite short as usual, and it was also quite fun!

http://www.alicesastroinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/AlicesAstroInfo-interview-KOMO-2014-07-11_128.mp3

Link to download recording. (.mp3 3.2M)

As always I have plenty of respect for the anchors and reporters over at KOMO. Ever since my first interview there with Kathi Goertzen so many years ago, I have never been treated so well or with so much respect as an interviewee as by all the folks at KOMO. Tom, Jane, Rick (and Kathi, when she was around) always give me space to say what I think is important on a topic, and don’t pressure me to give the answer “they” think would be most interesting or incendiary to the audience. I know that sounds like just plain good journalism practice when interviewing folks, but I’ve had other experiences too and you’ve seen other styles of interviewing in this (hopefully declining) age of reality television.

Summer Solstice Sunset Watch – 2014

Tue, 10 Jun 2014 12:00:28 -0700

It’s time for the 21st seasonal sunset watch!!

When: Saturday, June 21, 2014 at 9:00pm (so come at 8:45pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 9:11pm, but we have noticed that the Sun sets about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says it does, so I’ve moved the time of our sunset watch up so we don’t miss it.
- The equinox moment is at 3:51am… but we’re watching the sunset not the sunrise because of how the park lines up.
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

Which Binoculars Should I Buy? – 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast

Fri, 23 May 2014 22:26:26 -0700

Listen here.

How to build a mount here.

Buying Your First Binoculars

Hi, I’m Alice Enevoldsen, coming to you today from Alice’s AstroInfo headquartered in cloudy Seattle, Washington. Today we’re talking about purchasing a first pair of binoculars instead of a first telescope.

The two most common questions asked of those of us who host or teach stargazing are: “Hey! I saw this thing last night, what was it?” and “What should I buy for my daughter/ nephew/ friend/ self as his or her first telescope?”

Which Binoculars? – 365 Days of Astronomy

Thu, 22 May 2014 05:00:51 -0700

My latest podcast is live over at 365 Days of Astronomy – check it out!

~ A l i c e !

Spring Equinox Sunset Watch – 2014

Sat, 15 Mar 2014 12:25:16 -0700

It’s time for the 20th seasonal sunset watch!! (Wow! That’s 5 years of these things …)

I’m going to try the special-for-preschoolers activities again, and hope the weather cooperates this time. If you’re bringing young’uns, come on over and say hi, we’ll have some special books and materials. If your kid would rather just run around in circles, that’s fine with me too. We’ll probably practice with toilet-paper-tube binoculars, and decorate them as well. The ground will be muddy, and I don’t have a good sized table to work at, so bring rain pants.

More Exoplanets!

Thu, 27 Feb 2014 00:25:13 -0800

My FAKE exoplanet, which I made in NASA’s Extreme Planet Makeover Game

I expect posts announcing confirmations of new exoplanets to become fairly regular over the next few years. We (well, Dr. Jack and his team, and Dr. Jason and his team) confirmed more exoplanets!

The Upshot

Dr. Jack (Lissauer) and Dr. Jason (Rowe) confirmed 715 new planets out of the 4 years of planetary candidate data collected by NASA’s Kepler mission between 2009 and 2013. Our confirmed total is now 1792 1690, according to the Kepler team, though not all discovered by Kepler.

How Many Times Can One Spacecraft Leave the Solar System? – 365 Days of Astronomy

Thu, 20 Feb 2014 13:13:42 -0800

Head on over to 365 Days of Astronomy to hear my short podcast today about the defintion of the edge of the Solar System.

~ A l i c e !

Go to West Seattle Blog this week…

Sun, 02 Feb 2014 19:21:34 -0800

My latest post is over at West Seattle Blog! It’s a nice run down of the year.

~ A l i c e !

Winter Solstice Sunset Watch – 2013

Thu, 05 Dec 2013 23:35:15 -0800

It’s time for the 19th seasonal sunset watch!!

When: Saturday, December 21 at 4:05pm (so come at 3:30pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 4:20pm, but we have noticed that the Sun sets about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says it does, so I’ve moved the time of our sunset watch up so we don’t miss it.
- The equinox moment is at 9:11am… but we’re watching the sunset not the sunrise because of how the park lines up.
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

Parent and Child at Sunset by Kazuhiko Teramoto, skyseeker

Comet ISON from Seattle, after Perihelion (November 28)

Sun, 01 Dec 2013 15:35:12 -0800

Latest Updates on Comet ISON
by Alan MacRobert
“Only a dim “ghost of ISON” survived the comet’s November 28th passage around the Sun. The comet’s head dwindled away as it raced through the Sun’s greatest heat, but a headless streak emerged into spacecraft view out from the other side of the encounter. It’s traveling along the comet’s originally prescribed track but fading steadily, with no sign of cometary activity. Very little or nothing is likely to become visible from Earth.”

From: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/observingblog/193909261.html which is a good, trustworthy general observing resource

Watch the MAVEN Launch With Me: Monday at 10am Pacific

Wed, 13 Nov 2013 11:49:52 -0800

Hey everyone, I’ll be live-Google-Hangouting from the MAVEN launch (next mission to Mars) in Florida on Monday morning (November 18th. The launch is at about 10:20 Pacific Time, so tune in around 10am.). That’s right, you get me as an on-location reporter for this launch for the first time ever … I’ve never been to a real in-person launch before. I’ll be watching from the Causeway.

I’ll be co-hosting with Shannon Hall and Sarah Culp, who will be Hangouting from Pacific Science Center. Turn on NASA TV in one browser, and join our Hangout in another. Can’t wait to see you! I’ll be posting links here as I get them, and if all else fails check in on my Twitter and Pacific Science Center’s Twitter to get the full scoop that morning!

Comet ISON from Seattle

Sat, 07 Sep 2013 15:15:44 -0700

Ready to view Comet ISON? Here’s useful rise, set, and estimated magnitude for viewing from Seattle between now and March. I’ve color-coded it according to east of viewing. Magnitude (brightness) will change as we get more observations of ISON and see how it is responding to the Sun.

This is a useful table if you know what visual magnitude is. If you don’t, just go out too look for it on days that are highlighted yellow. Also, check out the “Special circumstances” for great viewing opportunities.

Fall Equinox Sunset Watch – 2013 – Toddler Special and ISON Q&A

Fri, 06 Sep 2013 19:03:24 -0700

Back on. See you in a few minutes!

CANCELLED.

It’s pouring rain, and if you’ll look below, absolute soaking rain (not just drizzle) is a reason I might cancel the sunset watch. Sadly. Take yourselves and your toddlers out to splash in the puddles somewhere closer to home, then turn in for a nice warm drink and reading your favorite book.
I recommend: Kitten’s First Full Moon in honor of Moon festival this past week.

BREAKING NEWS: Possible Nova in Delphinus

Thu, 15 Aug 2013 01:47:57 -0700

There is a new object, probably a nova, visible right now in the tiny constellation of Delphinus, between the bright stars Altair and Deneb in the Summer Triangle. This so-called “transient” object (because it wasn’t there before and will dim away and be gone at some point) is technically easy to see from Seattle. You’ll need binoculars, the clouds to go away, and some patience with yourself and the finder charts. The main barrier to seeing this object yourself is going to be knowing exactly which star is the nova, and learning to read increasingly-zoomed-in star-finder charts.

Summer Solstice Sunset Watch – 2013

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:39:15 -0700

It’s time for the 17th seasonal sunset watch!!

When: Thursday, June 20 at 9:00pm (so come at 8:45pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 9:11pm, but at the last summer solstice we noticed that the Sun set about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says it does, so I’ve moved the time of our sunset watch up so we don’t miss it. Last autumn the timing seemed to line up correctly – what will it do this time?
- The equinox moment is at 10:04pm… but we’re watching the sunset not the sunrise because of how the park lines up.
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

Sunset on September 23, 2011 Image credit: Jason Gift Enevoldsen

What If We Had No Moon? (Oblivion Spoilers)

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:48:43 -0700

I was alerted last week to the possibility that people might be asking questions about the scientific possibilities suggested in the movie Oblivion, released today. May I point out that ripping apart the science in movies like this is a form of entertainment for me? If you aren’t interested, go read someone else’s blog.

Shameless plug: You should go see Oblivion at Pacific Science Center in IMAX.

In order to address these issues, I have to talk about the movie, but I’m going to do my best not to spoil the whole thing since you might want to see it.

Where is Comet PanSTARRS? (Estimating the Sky in Degrees)

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 01:49:39 -0700

**This is an old post I thought you’d like.**

Okay. So. You’re trying to find the comet. This is a basic primer on how to estimate where things are in the sky without stars to help you.

Estimating Degrees on the Sky

Use Your Hands

Hold your hand at arms’ length. This works for any size hands assuming you are close to average human proportions, but only if you completely extend your arm.

Photo of Comet PanSTARRS from West Seattle: Through the Clouds

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:28:24 -0700

I will add more later, but here is the first photo my husband got of Comet PanSTARRS from Lincoln Park here in West Seattle. It was visible between the clouds for about three minutes.

Update, new image!

Comet PanSTARRS from West Seattle at 8:32pm on Friday 3/15/2013 (c) my husband Jason Ayres Gift Enevoldsen. E-mail him at jason dot enevoldsen at gmail dot com for reuse permission. Click for bigger. (This is the second, updated image. Below is the first)

Spring Equinox Sunset Watch — 2013

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 14:47:54 -0800

Is the Sunset Watch going on, even with this weather? Yes.

In case of pouring rain or lightning storm, this event will be cancelled.
In case of high wind (non-dangerous), spattering rain, or dense clouds, this event will CONTINUE TO HAPPEN.

Is the Comet Viewing happening tonight? Maybe.

I’ve been doing nightly comet spotting from the south end of Lincoln Park beach on nights that it are clear enough to see the comet. This is from 7:45pm-8:45pm, now through Sunday the 24th.
If you look towards the horizon and can see the Olympics, hold your fist out at arm’s length and line up the bottom of your fist with the far edge of the water. If the clouds on the horizon are shorter than your fist, I’ll be there with telescopes to help you find the comet. If the clouds are taller than your fist, they are likely obscuring the comet, and comet-viewing is cancelled for the night.

Too Many Meteors? Nah.

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 14:54:36 -0800

Sure seems like we’ve had more than our fair share of bollides this weekend (Russia, Cuba, and San Francisco to name a few). Guess what? I THOUGHT SO TOO. But I was also skeptical. So I asked the scientists I trust* and scientists who specialize in this. They said that we ARE NOT experiencing an apocalypse or really even an increase.

1. Please go read my blogfather, Phil Plait’s, article about this.

The rest of my article is mostly in addition to what he’s already said.

Russian Meteor [Update]

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 01:59:34 -0800

Okay. I trust Phil. He says this isn’t part of the passing asteroid 2012 DA14, and this is why I trust him:

The distance between Earth and 2012 DA14 is approximately correct. The length of the meteor trail is NOT. *

I have tried to be as clear as I can when I created this diagram. The Russian Meteor and asteroid 2012 DA14 have COMPLETELY different paths. The directions are more-or-less correct in this diagram. The length of the meteor trail is too long, but the distance between the Earth and the asteroid is about correct.

Russian Meteor

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 23:31:07 -0800

Go read Phil’s post, because the best that I could do is quote him.

As far as I can tell it is UNRELATED to asteroid 2012 DA14 and the close approach tomorrow.

BE SKEPTICAL of anything you read. Phil says there are already hoaxes about this. I’ll write a second post as soon as I can pull together some real information for you.

~ A l i c e !

Comet PanSTARRS

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:47:49 -0800

It’s been a while since we had a good comet. Long enough that children in North America probably haven’t seen one, and you might have forgotten just how amazing they can be.

Comets Are Awesome

Comet Huyakutake spanned 100 degrees in the sky.

I know you don’t believe me, but comets can be spectacular objects to view without any magnification at all. No binoculars, no telescope, no squinting. This one might take a little magnification though, we’ll see. Comets are also unpredictable.

2012 DA14: Alice on KOMO Radio

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 12:49:49 -0800

Quick link for you, KOMO’s Tom Hutyler and Jane Shannon interviewed me about the asteroid 2012 DA14 (close pass by the Earth on February 15 — no danger).

Hear it here: http://www.komonews.com/radio/home/featured/190111451.html

~ A l i c e !

Incoming: Asteroid 2012 DA14

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 13:48:17 -0800

An asteroid is going to miss the Earth by a somewhat narrow margin on February 15, 2013 at 11:25am Pacific Time.

What’s Special About This Asteroid Approach?

Closest “Ever”

Just like we keep finding water on Mars, internet commenters wax hyperbolic about the latest meme (“This is the best YouTube video EVAR!”), and we break a local weather record every three months, you can spin anything to be the most ever, the biggest ever, or the closest ever, as long as you add enough qualifiers.

Astronomy Books for the Very Young

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 02:21:47 -0800

I think you can guess what spurred me to search out astronomy books appropriate for ages 0-2. That’s right, my daughter. Feel free to chime in with your favorites in the comments, but remember we’re talking about 0-2-year-olds here, so board books or simple text. Rhyming or rhythmic text is also good.

I was very unhappy when I found that the selection for 0-2-year-olds was quite limited. I liked several books out of what was available though. I’ve finished my first draft of a board book of my own, but until I find a publisher I’ll stick with recommending other people’s books.

Green Meteor Over Seattle

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 02:34:05 -0800

There was a bright green meteor streaking through the western sky over Seattle a couple hours ago (midnight-thirty-ish local time). Check out West Seattle Blog’s continuing coverage to hear some first-hand accounts.

This was a bolide meteor (an exploding meteor/shooting star). It was part of the Quadrantid Meteor Shower. Read my article about why we see meteors below if you’re interested in some of the science behind that.

Also, why colors? The same reason different fuels burn with different colored flames: it depends on the chemicals in the fuel. Green is commonly produced by copper when conducting flame/fireworks color experiments here on Earth–doesn’t mean the fireball had any copper in it, that’s just a related piece of information. It is also true that our eyes are very bad at determining colors at night–so the green could just be an optical illusion and not related to the composition of the meteor.

My Favorite Maya Mythology and Astronomy

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 10:27:25 -0800

You’ve already been hearing about how the ancient Maya didn’t predict the end of the world today, that’s just misinformation, so I thought I’d share some of my favorite accurate topics about the ancient Maya astronomy and mythology.

Dark Constellations

In western astronomy and western mythology we recognize constellations as dot-to-dot pictures made of stars. In other words, we make images out of “positive space” to use some art terminology. The ancient Maya are a completely different culture: several of their constellations are made of “negative space.” They recognize images in the dark spaces between the stars. Here is an enhanced image, you can easily see the llama across the middle (with a star for an eye), and the snake in the upper right-hand corner:

Winter Solstice Sunset Watch – 2012 (NOT the end of the world)

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 02:28:03 -0800

It’s time for the 15th seasonal sunset watch!!

Also, no, the world isn’t ending, the planets aren’t aligning, gravity isn’t shifting. Go donate to your favorite science education or critical thinking organization in solidarity with scientific thinking.

When: Friday, December 21 at 4:05pm (so come at 3:45pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 4:20pm, but at the summer solstice we noticed that the Sun set about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says it does, so I’ve moved the time of our sunset watch up so we don’t miss it. Last autumn the timing seemed to line up correctly – what will it do this time?
- The equinox moment is at 3:12am… but we’re watching the sunset not the sunrise because of how the park lines up.
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

Sunset on September 23, 2011 Image credit: Jason Gift Enevoldsen

Henrietta Swan Leavitt… and Dolls

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:01:24 -0700

Happy Ada Lovelace Day everyone!

Because my birthday was this past weekend, I wanted to tell you about one of the great women of astrophysics: Henrietta Swan Leavitt.

What does this have to do with my birthday? I can hear you asking that. See, my parents are wonderful, thoughtful, creative geeks. And they got me an American Girl doll for my birthday. (YES, my birthday this year. YES, I’m an adult). But then they dressed her up like Henrietta Swan Leavitt. She even has accessories!

Fall Equinox Sunset Watch 2012

Sun, 16 Sep 2012 15:53:43 -0700

It’s time for the 14th seasonal sunset watch!!

When: Saturday, September 22 at 7:00pm (so come at 6:45pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 7:09pm, but at the summer solstice we noticed that the Sun set about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says it does, so I’ve moved the time of our sunset watch up so we don’t miss it. Last autumn the timing seemed to line up correctly – what will it do this time?
- The equinox moment is at 7:49am… but we’re watching the sunset not the sunrise.
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

Sunset on September 23, 2011 Image credit: Jason Gift Enevoldsen

Curiosity on Mars Memes

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 11:55:27 -0700

I had to do it. I’m collecting memes about Curiosity’s landing on Mars. I’ll do my best to keep up, but I will probably fail soon, due to the viral and meme-y nature of the internet.

A joke made by many.

The Flight Director.

He’s his own meme now too.

xkcd.
Not really a meme, but worth including.

Curiosity Lands on Mars!

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 03:43:29 -0700

There’s not much I can add to what’s already been said, so I’ll settle for answering a few questions brought up at tonight’s landing watch party and sharing some photos from our party as well as the first shots from Curiosity.

Your Questions, Answered

Is that really nylon rope?

Yes.

I was inspired by Emily Lakdawalla’s post about the “cables” used during the Sky Crane Maneuver to bring a sample to tonight’s party. She managed to get her hands on a piece of the cord that had been used during testing. The look and feel were identical to nylon rope, so I stopped by Home Depot to get 7.5 meters of nylon rope. I brought her photo along and bought the closest thing they had. It was pretty darn close: similar diameter, same color, braided (different braid pattern), nylon rope. You can see mine hanging from the ceiling in some of the party pictures below. This is a close-up of the real rope:

NASA vs. The Olympics–Inspiring or Ho-Hum?

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 17:50:42 -0700

So, I completely disagree with this guy.

My coworker sent me this (I’ve paraphrased slightly so it reads better here):

Alice-

I read this story this morning:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-kessler/why-you-should-be-more-interested-in-mars-than-the-olympics_b_1712462.html

[…] It’s essentially our mission statement in a nutshell: inspire. Something NASA, sadly isn’t doing so well these days, at least according to this writer. But this article is great! The comparison to the Olympics is superb. From 200 million miles away! [What would you say about this] in 140 characters or so?

S

Mars Landing Watch at The Kenney

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 12:47:51 -0700

(Links to the event)

On Sunday, August 5th at 10:31pm (Pacific Time) the newest Mars rover, Curiosity, will touch down on the red planet. I’m going to be hosting a landing “watch” at the Kenney, where we can all watch the folks in Mission Control bite their nails and wait for the signal telling us that Curiosity has landed safely.

When: Sunday, August 5th at 10:31pm (Pacific Time)
- Come around 10 to get settled.
Where: The Kenney, just down the street from my usual solstice gatherings.
- 7125 Fauntleroy Way SW, Seattle WA 98136-200
- Enter through the main doors and follow directions to the event
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

For the seven minutes of landing, Curiosity is completely out of radio contact and must execute the landing entirely autonomously (with no interference from people)

Mars Rover Rocker-Bogie Differential

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 19:15:20 -0700

Today’s is a guest post, brought to you by my father, engineer, physicist, computer programmer, and Lego, Mars, and animation enthusiast: Keith Enevoldsen. If you’re not caught by the title of the post, scroll down and look at the pictures… then scroll back up and read the rest of the article because it is fascinating stuff! (P.S. He has a website full of awesome science stuff too!)

A teaser for what you have to look forward to…

Summer Solstice Sunset Watch 2012

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 13:56:42 -0700

It’s time for the 13th seasonal sunset watch!!

When: Wednesday, June 20 at 9:01pm (so come at 8:45pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 9:11, but at the summer solstice we noticed that the Sun set about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says it does, so I’ve moved the time of our sunset watch up so we don’t miss it. In Autumn the timing seemed to line up correctly – what will it do this time?
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

Sunset on September 23, 2011 Image credit: Jason Gift Enevoldsen

Transit of Venus — Seattle Report (Yes, we saw it!)

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 23:14:10 -0700

It was cloudy and raining here in West Seattle. I gotta say though, perseverance won out. We had three “sun breaks.” The first two almost didn’t count the clouds were still so thick, but we did see the Sun. Everyone else saw Venus during the first break, but I didn’t see it until the second break. Then we had a good one about 10 minutes long about halfway through the event.

Transit of Venus Viewing – Solstice Park

Fri, 25 May 2012 22:13:45 -0700

The last transit of Venus in your lifetime will happen on Tuesday, June 5 (here in Seattle). Come to Solstice Park and share the experience. NEVER, EVER, EVER look directly at the Sun. Even when there is something cool to see. You risk damaging your eyes. To find safe ways to observe please visit this website. Sunglasses are not enough. Build a pinhole projector instead.

When: Tuesday June 5, 2012 at 3:06pm to 9:03pm
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the Sun! Go to this website to find the times for your location.)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

What is it?

The transit of Venus is when Venus passes in front of the Sun from the point of view of the Earth. In some ways it is like an eclipse, but since Venus is so far away it will look like a small dark dot on the face of the Sun.

Transit of Venus – Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Mon, 21 May 2012 05:34:59 -0700

Transit of Venus—Tuesday, June 5, 2012

There is a transit of Venus in early June. Venus will pass between the Earth and the Sun, and appear as a small dot slowly crawling across the face of the Sun.


Images from http://transitofvenus.nl/wp/where-when/local-transit-times/

Viewing Safety

Never look directly at the Sun. Safe viewing is paramount. Always use appropriate safety equipment to view the Sun. This can be:

Annular Solar Eclipse – Sunday May 20, 2012

Thu, 17 May 2012 15:13:17 -0700

There is a partial annular solar eclipse this Sunday. It’s visible from Seattle. A solar eclipse is when the Moon moves between the Earth and the Sun. A total eclipse is when, from this position, the Moon completely blocks our view of the Sun. An annular eclipse is when the Moon is just a little farther away, and so although it is completely in front of the Sun, it doesn’t completely block our view, we can still see a ring of Sun around the edge of the Moon. For this eclipse the most anyone will be able to see is an annular eclipse.

Partial Solar Eclipse Viewing 2012 – Solstice Park

Thu, 10 May 2012 15:52:43 -0700

Did you know there’s going to be a partial solar eclipse visible from Seattle in just over a week? Come to Solstice Park and share the experience. NEVER, EVER, EVER look directly at the Sun. Even when it is partially eclipsed. You risk damaging your eyes. To find safe ways to observe please visit this website. Sunglasses are not enough. Build a pinhole projector instead.

When: Sunday May 20, 2012 at 5:01pm-7:25pm (maximum eclipse is at 6:17pm)
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the Sun! Go to this website to find the times for your location.)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

This is a partial annular solar eclipse. This is the first solar eclipse visible from Seattle in ten years.

Spring Equinox Sunset Watch 2012

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 13:30:24 -0700

It’s time for the 12th seasonal sunset watch (We’re at 3 years of these, folks)!!

When: March 19, 2012 at 7:05pm (so come at 6:45pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 7:22, but at the summer solstice we noticed that the Sun set about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says it does, so I’ve moved the time of our sunset watch up so we don’t miss it. I added another 5 minutes for the tall trees of Lincoln Park blocking our view. In Autumn the timing seemed to line up correctly – what will it do this time?
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

Sunset on September 23, 2011 Image credit: Jason Gift Enevoldsen

The Eddy and the Plankton

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:31:27 -0800

Eddy off South Africa

I have to share. NASA released a couple of somewhat mind-blowing photos earlier this month. This is a 150-km-wide vortex off the coast of South Africa. You can see it because it is full of plankton.

The Eddy

There are currents in the ocean that are as big as the ocean itself (look up the North Pacific Gyre if you don’t believe me), so I shouldn’t be surprised to see a little whirlpool that’s a bit larger than Connecticut. It’s also the size of the Puget Sound area – defined as Olympia to Bellingham, Seattle to Snoqualmie Pass.

Winter Solstice Sunset Watch 2011

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:01:28 -0800

In light of the Lunar Eclipse this past weekend, it’s time for the 11th seasonal sunset watch!!

When: December 21, 2011 at 4:05pm (so come at 3:30pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 4:20, but at the summer solstice we noticed that the Sun set about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says it does, so I’ve moved the time of our sunset watch up so we don’t miss it. I added another 5 minutes for the tall trees of Lincoln Park blocking our view. In Autumn the timing seemed to line up correctly – what will it do this time?
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

Sunset on September 23, 2011 Image credit: Jason Gift Enevoldsen

Worlds of Stone: 11/23/2011

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:00:10 -0800

As part of the current show (Worlds of Stone) at Pacific Science Center we’re updating the images we show from NASA’s MESSENGER and Dawn missions on a weekly basis. I’ll try to show them to you the week after we use the in the planetarium.

Dawn

Vesta

NASA Caption

Date acquired: November 8, 2011
Release Date: November 22, 2011

This Dawn image shows a young, fresh crater, which is about 7 km in diameter, in the lower right part of the image. This crater has both dark and bright rays fanning out from it. The bright rays extend much farther from the crater than the dark rays, which are located close to the crater rim. Rays around a crater are formed when relatively small sized pieces of material are ejected by the impact that formed the crater. When larger pieces of material are ejected they can form secondary craters. Clusters and chains of sub-kilometer diameter secondary craters occur roughly 15 km to 20 km away from the rim of the 7 km crater. They are called secondary craters because the blocks that formed them were ejected from a crater formed by a primary impact. Sometimes blocks fall back into the initial crater. Many of these blocks can be seen on the floor and walls of the 7 km diameter crater. These blocks are several tens of meters in size.
Image Credit: NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ UCLA/ MPS/ DLR/ IDA

Worlds of Stone: 11/08/2011

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:04:37 -0800

Dawn

Vesta

NASA Caption

Released November 7, 2011

PASADENA, Calif. — These Dawn FC (framing camera) images show part of Vesta’s equatorial region, which contains a prominent, deep impact crater (lower center of image) and large troughs (linear depressions). The various colors correspond to the height of the area that they color. For example, the white areas in the bottom corners of the image are the highest areas and the blue areas along the top of the image are the lowest. The prominent impact crater is set into a topographically high area defined by the red and white color-coding. Above this area there are a number of deep troughs represented by green and blue color-coding. A conspicuous trough on the left, which looks like it could be quite deep in the albedo image, is shown by the color-coding in the topography image to be only a little shallower than the area surrounding it.
Image Credit: NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ UCLA/ MPS/ DLR/ IDA

Worlds of Stone: 10/25/2011

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:00:02 -0700

Dawn

Vesta in enhanced color

NASA Caption

Released October 25, 2011

Date acquired: August 11th 2011
Instrument: Dawn FC (framing camera)

Carnival of Space #220

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 23:48:11 -0700

Don’t miss this week’s Carnival of Space over at We Are All in the Gutter Looking at the Stars. They were thoughtful enough to include me, so definitely go see what everyone else has been up to!

~ A l i c e !

Worlds of Stone: 10/19/2011

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:00:25 -0700

Dawn

CGI Image of a Mountain on Vesta Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA/PSI

NASA Caption

Released October 11, 2011

PASADENA, Calif. — A new image from NASA’s Dawn spacecraft shows a mountain three times as high as Mt. Everest, amidst the topography in the south polar region of the giant asteroid Vesta.

Worlds of Stone, Worlds Unknown: NASA Investigates Mercury and the Asteroid Belt

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:41:04 -0700

We opened a new show in the Willard Smith Planetarium at Pacific Science Center. It’s all about NASA’s current missions in the inner solar system: MESSENGER to Mercury and Dawn to Vesta and Ceres.

As part of that show we’re updating the images we show from MESSENGER and Dawn on a weekly basis. I’ll try to show them to you the week after we use the in the planetarium.

Dawn

Boulders on Vesta Image Credit: NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ UCLA/ MPS/ DLR/ IDA

My Star Exploded Last Week

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:19:44 -0700

My star¹ exploded² sometime in the week preceding last Monday³.

Let me repeat that because it is awesome.

MY STAR EXPLODED LAST WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!

¹My star: back in the summer of 2000 I had the fortune to be working as an undergraduate peon researcher in an astrophysics lab at MIT. In my seemingly endless hours sifting through data I found a previously-unidentified star (technically “source”) which we creatively named XTEJ1837+037. I have ever since referred to this as “my star” assuming it was such a pointless little dot that no one would care if I claimed the credit or not. It’s pretty close to Vega, and might be a binary system – a star orbiting a black hole or neutron star. It is perhaps more accurate to say “there was an explosion at my star.”

Neutrinos Faster than Light?

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 02:43:32 -0700

The scientists running the OPERA detector in Italy detected some neutrinos from CERN 60 nanoseconds before photons travelling the same distance would have arrived. Hmm. Such data would indicate that the neutrinos are travelling faster than light. Hmm. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. These scientists are asking other scientists in the field to find the mistake in their research – so that’s ongoing.

Is This New?

We’ve seen this before. Neutrinos do not interact with anything (pretty much) – they sail through solid rock like it is empty space. Photons do interact, that’s why you can see. Imagine a race between two particle-people “N” and “P.” First, let’s have them both in empty space. They race from the Sun to the Earth (zoom!) and P wins by a bit. So we know P is faster. Now, let’s give P a handicap. P is going to race by swimming through molasses, while N still gets to run the race in empty space. Now who wins? Well, in this case N does, because he’s not hampered by the molasses. It is just like that with photons, they’re slowed down as they interact with matter – the Sun, the Earth, the solar wind, whatever is out there. The neutrinos just zip right through. So neutrinos from the middle of the Sun get to the Earth long before photons from the middle of the Sun – the photons have to get through all that Sun-material first. Neutrinos and photons from the surface of the Sun would arrive at Earth at about the same time though, because it’s mostly just space in between.

UARS Re-entry

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 02:18:54 -0700

NASA’s UARS (Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite) re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere last night between 8:20pm and 10:10pm Pacific Time. At the time of this writing (2am? Oops), the exact time and location of re-entry are unknown, though NASA says it was over the Pacific Ocean. There were some unconfirmed reports that it fell over northern Canada.

More Interesting

What I found most fascinating is why they were unable to predict the exact decay of this orbit: solar radiation. Solar radiation (think heat from the Sun, though it would be more precise to say photons from the Sun) heats up the Earth’s atmosphere, specifically the upper atmosphere where satellites in Low-Earth Orbit can be as their orbits decay. This heating makes that part of the Earth’s atmosphere both larger and less dense. NASA likens this to a marshmallow being toasted over a campfire. So now your satellite is travelling through a different density of atmosphere, where it will experience more or less drag depending on what exactly is happening between the Sun and the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Complicated, especially if you can’t see that density changing.

Autumn Equinox Sunset Watch 2011

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 11:36:47 -0700

Time for the seasonal sunset watch. I hope you’re excited, we had such fun at the last-minute stargazing last week.

When: September 23, 2011 at 6:50pm (so come at 6:30pm)
- Actual sunset is supposed to be at 7:05, but at the summer solstice we noticed that the Sun set about 10 minutes earlier than the USNO says it does, so I’ve moved the time of our sunset watch up so we don’t miss it. I added another 5 minutes for the tall trees of Lincoln Park blocking our view.
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

Sunset on June 21, 2011 at 9pm Credit: Jason Gift Enevoldsen

Last-Minute Stargazing – Comet Garradd and Supernova PTF11kly in Galaxy M101

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 14:12:10 -0700

The weather looks reasonable, so let’s try for some guerrilla stargazing at Solstice park tonight.

When: TODAY! Sept 4, 2011 at 9pm
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

Sunset at Solstice Park on June 21, 2011 at 9pm
Credit: Jason Gift Enevoldsen

Live Commentary – Last Shuttle Launch

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:04:39 -0700

Are you reading this in a pre-coffee haze? Click on this link:

Alice’s Live Shuttle Launch Comments

Here’s what’s happening, if you’re not in the haze of the uncaffinated early morning:

Provided the weather in Florida holds out, I’ll be commenting live about the final shuttle launch tomorrow morning around 7:30/7:45am Seattle time (PDT). I am still here in Seattle, but since the launch is scheduled for 8:26am our time and Pacific Science Center won’t be open yet, I thought we could chat online.

Rare Lunar Eclipse – June 15, 2011

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:12:15 -0700

There is an eclipse on Wednesday June 15, being touted as a rare central lunar eclipse. It is – but it is also very similar to the eclipse we had in December. The “rare” part is that it has a whopping 1 hour and 40 minutes of totality (that’s when the whole face of the moon is darkened by the Earth’s shadow). The eclipse we saw in December had 1 hour and 12 minutes of totality.

Summer Solstice Sunset Watch – 2011

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:43:00 -0700

I’m back! Time for the seasonal sunset watch!

When: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 9:11pm (so come at 8:45pm)
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

Sunset on June 21, 2011 at 9pm Credit: Jason Gift Enevoldsen

Seasons “Cheat Sheet”

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 01:21:35 -0700

WARNING: THIS POST IS OVERWHELMING. There is too much information in one place, but I promise there are fun and interesting gems hidden within. It is meant as a reference, and a starting point for discussion of each of these topics.

There are a few numbers and references I am often asked for, especially at the West Seattle solstice and equinox sunset watches. I thought I’d collect these things in one place for “easy” reference.

Spring Equinox Sunset Watch – 2011

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 23:23:39 -0800

Yup! It’s that time again. Time for the quarter-annual sunset watch … only this time I’ll be 8.25 months pregnant when we meet!

When: Sunday, March 20, 2011 at 7:22pm (so come at 7:00pm)
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

Sunset on June 11, 2009 Credit: Jason Gift Enevoldsen

Valentines: Stardust-NExT and Tempel 1

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 01:27:02 -0800

Late last night NASA’s probe Stardust-NExT had a close encounter with Comet Tempel 1, and took 70-some-odd pictures as it went by. Due to bandwidth as well as the limited speed of light, the images arrived at Earth around 12:45am Pacific Time – and then had to go through basic processing by the Science team.

First picture to come back.

There will be more, better, prettier images later on this morning. I’ll add to this post sometime after I wake up in the Seattle morning to make sure you see those. Meanwhile here is where they reside.

Depressing Historic Events in the Space Program

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:33:11 -0800

This is a week of sad anniversaries.

1/27/1967 – Apollo 1 lost (Crew of 3 – Gus Grissom, Ed White, Roger Chaffee)
1/28/1986 – Challenger lost (Crew of 7 – Dick Scobee, Michael Smith, Judith Resnik, Ron McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, Christa McAuliffe). Reagan postponed his State of the Union address in 1986 to speak in memory of the crew, dubbed the “Challenger 7.”
2/1/2003 – Columbia lost (Crew of 7 – Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Blair Salton Clark, Ilan Ramon). A range of hills on Mars near Gusev Crater is named after the crew, and was later explored by the rover Spirit.
The other three space missions which ended in loss of life were in April 1967 (Soyuz 1 – Vladimir Komarov), June 1969 (Soyuz 11 – Viktor Patsayev, Georgi Dobrovolsky, and Vladislav Volkov), and November 1967 (the X-15 – Michael Adams).

Diagram of “Significant Incidents”

I know this diagram is complex, but start with the bright yellow boxes – and go from there, although depressing there’s quite a lot if intriguing information packed in here.

Visiting AAS – An Intern’s View

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 14:02:20 -0800

Earlier this January I was able to take Pacific Science Center’s Discovery Corps Planetarium Intern, Sarah, to the American Astronomical Society meeting here in Seattle when she got out of school for the day. We had a grand time, and a big thank you is owed to AAS for granting Sarah admission despite her status as a high school student.

Here’s what Sarah has to say about the experience:

Caving in to Peer Pressure: Astrology

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 14:22:07 -0800

I wanted to ignore this because it is not new, and not news. Enough people have asked that it is time to weigh in. I REALLY wanted to ignore this.

Astrology is Not Science

Keep your sign. Change your sign. It’s your decision, not science.

I expect voicing this opinion and linking to this article will get me dismissed as lunatic and a scab by all the other astronomers out there, but I’d like to point out I am NOT supporting astrology. I agree with paragraphs 1-5 of the linked article, and ignore paragraphs 6-10 as the usual non-science stuff to which I can’t give merit. This is the key section:

Kepler 10b

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 20:13:41 -0800

Kepler 10B - Artists' Concept (Credit: NASA)

This newly-discovered planet whips round its star in less than an Earth day. Scientists used starquakes (starquakes!) to find out a little more about it, and they found that not only is it tiny, but it is also made of rock, just like our inner solar system.

It is a hot-lava planet.

A Confirmed Rocky Planet

I should mention that this planet is not Earth-like. Over the past couple years I’ve been hearing the phrase “most Earth-like planet ever discovered” bandied about by various news organizations, including some science press releases.

Thunderstorms and Gamma Ray Flashes?!

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 23:31:01 -0800

Image from NASA - just to add flavor

By far the thing that made me double-take today was what sounded like an off-hand comment from invited speaker Dr. Julie E. McEnery. She listed out the types of gamma ray events that Fermi (a satellite observatory) was detecting, and on that list was thunderstorms. On Earth.

Luckily she went on in more detail, but I was left with the feeling that I had missed something back in Astro 179. Why did I have the impression that gamma rays from thunderstorms was NEWS?

Hanny’s Voorwerp – now in HST!

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 15:17:15 -0800

Hanny's Voorwerp as seen by HST. Courtesy: NASA, ESA, W. Keel, and the Galaxy Zoo Team

In the vein of astronomical objects discovered by amateurs, I’ve got to mention the newly released Hubble image of Hanny’s Voorwerp.

I’ll tell you the story, but first a couple important links:

Galaxy Zoo (where the Voorwerp was discovered, and you can make discoveries of your own)
Hanny’s Voorwerp in Hanny’s words
The comic book (yes, there is now a comic book), Hanny and the Mystery of the Voorwerp

The Story

Once upon a time in 2007, Hanny von Arkel, a Dutch schoolteacher, logged into Galaxy Zoo to help scientists classify some galaxies. She hadn’t been at it very long when she found the picture at left.

Storm on Saturn – with a Tail

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 23:49:42 -0800

Storm on Saturn by Cassini from NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute.

There is a gigantic beautiful storm on Saturn, noticeable through amateur telescopes, but even more spectacular through Cassini’s instruments.

Quickies:

It’s new – discovered in early December 2010.
It’s changing a lot from picture to picture
It’s comparably sized to the Great Red Spot on Jupiter
It is an atmospheric storm
It was discovered by amateurs
You can see Saturn early in the morning right now.

Discovery and Info

There’s not that much to be said for this storm at the moment, though it is so cool I’m surprised to find so few articles about it. It was discovered by amateurs, and Cassini just happened to be in the right place to take a picture on December 24 (2010). That doesn’t leave time for analysis, what with holiday breaks, and the American Astronomical Society Conference starting today in Seattle.

Sunset Watch a Success!

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:54:15 -0800

You may or may not agree with me, since we saw neither Sun nor sunset, but I had a good time and it seems that everyone in attendance did too.

Coverage of Event

A surprising number of other folks reported on this event as well. For more pictures and description, visit them!

Seattle Times: Jack Broom’s article on the Weather Beat (great pictures!)

Solstice Lunar Eclipse, 2010 — from Seattle

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:47:23 -0800

Update: Here’s a better picture of the eclipse from Seattle, taken by my husband through one of the tiny thinner spots in the clouds. You can see the signature red color of a total lunar eclipse. I’d say you can see it “distinctly,” because as an astronomer I’d call this “bright red” but I know that the real world calls this “tinged with orange… if you look hard enough.”

Winter Solstice Sunset Watch – 2010

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 22:06:55 -0800

When: Tuesday, December 21, 2010 at 4:20pm (so come at 3:30pm)
Where: Solstice Park – all the way up the hill from the tennis courts (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

Sunset on June 11, 2009 Credit: Jason Gift Enevoldsen

Come watch the winter solstice sunset at Solstice Park in West Seattle on Tuesday. We’ll see if the sunset lines up with the placed marker. I’ll be there even if it is cloudy because sometimes the Sun peeks through just as it begins to set, but if it is driving rain or sleet I’m staying home with a cup of tea.

Astrobiology: Arsenic & New Bacteria

Sat, 04 Dec 2010 22:21:08 -0800

Quick Summary

NASA Astrobiology Scientist Dr. Felisa Wolfe-Simon (herein referred to as Felisa, per my attempt to make scientists sound like the real people they are) has bred a bacteria that uses arsenic in its molecules instead of phosphorus. So, if people are asking you about NASA’s Big Alien Life Announcement™, that’s it. It’s Earth-life though, not alien life.

Why Is This Cool?

In short, this opens the door for life being “not as we know it” – or at least based on other atoms than all life we have thus far found.

International Observe the Moon Night – 2010

Sat, 18 Sep 2010 23:21:23 -0700

Tonight was the first annual International Observe the Moon Night. What? You didn’t know? Oh, sorry Seattle, I kinda didn’t want to get your hopes too high … the forecast wasn’t that great. I apologize profusely.

It is, of course, raining.

We took a photo anyway (and submitted it for judging! I hope we win a side award for “funniest” picture of the Moon or something.):

Autumn Equinox Sunset Viewing – 2010

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:23:45 -0700

It’s time again! Add it to your calendar – the quarterly sunset viewing at Solstice Park is coming up in just a couple weeks!

When: Wednesday, September 22, 2010 at 7:07pm (so come at 6:30pm)
Where: Solstice Park (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

Sunset on June 11, 2009 Credit: Jason Gift Enevoldsen

Red Light and Night Vision

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 00:40:15 -0700

Today’s post is podcasted at 365 Days of Astronomy. Go listen!

It is commonly accepted as a fact that red light doesn’t damage your night vision as much as white light. In practical application this may be a little less straightforward than once thought.

Here’s a short summary to the best of my knowledge about which lights you should use while trying to preserve your night vision:

When looking at dim pinpoints of light use a fully-dimmable red light – or white if you prefer.
When spotting silhouettes in the dark use a fully-dimmable white light
When reading use a fully-dimmable white light, though red will do
When reading color charts use a fully-dimmable white light

Why Do You Care?

The real question is, what are you planning to do (both with the light and in the dark)? If you’re developing photos you’ll need different conditions than if you plan to go stargazing. The Navy did quite a number of studies on dark adaptation in the mid-eighties. It is my impression they were trying to find a solution that suited the officer of the deck – the guy on the periscope – as well as the other staff in the compartment who have varied duties which don’t require dark adaptation.

Mars as Big as the Moon – 2010

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:00:35 -0700

I got tired this year and made a deal with my friend the Half-Astrophysicist, Rob Sparks. He’s written this year’s post. I’ll write next years. So, go listen to him already! :) He’s got a beautiful photo of tonight’s sky, and what Mars really looks like from Arizona (and everywhere else it’s visible from).

Hey, I considered making it the desktop of my computer, but the hilarious, cringe-worthy, winsome, and geektaastic Wil+Felicia won out this week. Maybe next week Rob?

July-August 2010

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 16:54:58 -0700

July-August 2010 Starmap

Notable Sky Objects

Here’s a good link for getting rise/set data, and figuring out where to look for planets, comets, and the like: http://www.heavens-above.com/ (don’t forget to put in your location, the link I’ve given you assumes Seattle!).

JUPITER

Although it is not marked on the map, Jupiter rises just after midnight and will be visible in the early morning in the constellation Pisces (beside Pegasus).

VENUS and MARS and SATURN

After sunset watch above the Western horizon as it begins to get dark. You’ll see Venus, Regulus (bright star in Leo) Mars, and Saturn in that order, reading from right to left, making a nice long line across the sky. Venus has been beautiful the times I’ve seen it this month … that is, when the clouds cooperate and part for decent sky viewing. These planets will be visible until just about midnight, setting one by one until then.

Soil on Mars Honors Around the Americas

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 13:25:21 -0700

Happy Homecoming Ocean Watch, you now have a soil on Mars named after you. That’s right. A little patch of dirt* on Mars is now named “Ocean Watch.”

Wait, what’s Ocean Watch?

Pacific Science Center and Sailors for the Sea have just completed Around the Americas: a science outreach project to sail all the way around both North and South America (including through the Nortwest Passage). The boat they sailed was called Ocean Watch, and they did all kinds of fun science and activities with people at every port of call.

Summer Solstice Sunset – 2010

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:44:17 -0700

When: Monday, June 21, 2010 at 9:11pm (so come at 8:30pm)
Where: Solstice Park (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome, as usual.

Sunset on June 11, 2009 Credit: Jason Gift Enevoldsen

Come watch the summer solstice sunset at Solstice Park in West Seattle on Monday. We’ll see if the sunset lines up with the placed marker. I’ll be there even if it is cloudy because sometimes the Sun peeks through just as it begins to set, but if it is driving rain I’m staying home with a cup of tea.

Kepler Mission: Basic Background

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 08:00:38 -0700

Opening soon at the Willard Smith Planetarium will be Strange Planets, a show about how we detect planets around other stars. To whet your appetite – how about a few details about the Kepler Mission.

In short – the Kepler Mission is a telescope in orbit that is pointed at the exact same patch of sky for a period of four years (starting in 2009). It is detecting planets around other stars via the so-called transit method – watching as planets transit in front of their stars. By watching for five years it should be able to detect hundreds (if not thousands) of planets in Earth-like orbits, and therefore plenty of planets in their stars habitable zones.

Comet McNaught

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:32:33 -0700

I just got this in my e-mail. I can’t tell if this is a new “Comet McNaught” or a new approach by the same one we saw a couple years ago. This is a different comet than the “Comet McNaught” discovered a few years ago, but it was discovered by the same person! In any case – enjoy!

Space Weather News for June 8, 2010
http://spaceweather.com

NEW COMET McNAUGHT: A fresh comet is swinging through the inner solar system, and it is brightening rapidly as it approaches Earth for a 100 million mile close encounter in mid-June. Comet McNaught (C/2009 R1) has a vivid green head and a long wispy tail that look great through small telescopes. By the end of the month it could be visible to the naked eye perhaps as bright as the stars of the Big Dipper. Because this is the comet’s first visit to the inner solar system, predictions of future brightness are necessarily uncertain; amateur astronomers should be alert for the unexpected. Visit http://spaceweather.com for sky maps, photos and more information.

You are subscribed to the Space Weather mailing list, a free service of Spaceweather.com.

New subscribers may sign up for free space weather alerts at http://spaceweather.com/services/ .

IKAROS – Japan’s Solar Sail

Fri, 14 May 2010 10:02:56 -0700

What you need to know: Japan is launching two satellites on May 18th, 2010, one towards Venus and the other, IKAROS, to demonstrate the tranquil and romanticized method of interplanetary travel: the solar sail. A solar sail is unpowered, the spacecraft pushed by the force of the solar radiation. A solar power sail combines thin solar panels with the sail for on board power.

Edit 5/17 5pm PST: Launch scrubbed due to weather. The window is open until June 3, other wise Junya Terazono suggests that it may be launched in May 2011. No official word on any of that yet though.

Carnival of Space #153

Thu, 13 May 2010 21:09:45 -0700

Stuart Atkinson is hosting this week’s Carnival of Space over at Cumbrian Sky. He’s got some very flattering things to say about my Iapetus story (don’t believe everything you hear from him about me, he’s entirely too generous!)

Oh, and don’t forget your blue/red 3-D glasses …

~ A l i c e !

Stargazing

Tue, 11 May 2010 11:14:08 -0700

Let me quite briefly draw your attention to the tab in the upper left corner “Seattle Stargazing” (for those of you reading through RSS, the link will take you to the same place) where I recommend good locations near and in Seattle for urban and not-so-urban stargazing.

I’m getting ready to update it for 2010, but the recommended locations remain the same. If you’re clicking over here from Greg’s Seattle Astronomy Examiner article – that page probably has some places to interest you.

Space Missions You Really Should Know

Sun, 09 May 2010 05:00:32 -0700

Which missions do you wish people wouldn’t forget about? Here are some of mine:

Apollo 11. Humans first walked on the Moon. 2 American men: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Michael Collins piloted.
Sputnik. First man-made object in orbit – a beeping satellite from the USSR.
The Vostok Program: Yuri Gagarin – first human in space, first human to orbit the Earth. USSR.
Mercury (specifically “Freedom 7”): Alan Shephard – first American in space.
STS “Space Transport System” – the official name of the Space Shuttle program. Many important occurrences.
Pioneers 10 & 11, Voyagers 1 & 2 – Our first “close” views of the other planets.
Hubble – Hubble’s photos changed the average person’s view of astronomy, and advanced the science immensely.
Skylab, MIR, and ISS – these are some of our space stations, we had them serially not simultaneously. ISS is the only one now.
SpaceShip One: Burt Rutan flew the 1st commercial (non-government/non-military) flight into space on a reusable craft.
Last but not least, keep these in your heart: X-15, Soyuz 1, Soyuz 11, Apollo 1, Challenger, Columbia.
Just a couple inspiring names: Sally Ride, Valentina Tereshkova, John Glenn, Shenzhou

Iapetus and the Cassini Regio: 365 Days of Astronomy

Tue, 04 May 2010 00:05:08 -0700

By now my second podcast for 365 Days of Astronomy should be live, and here is the post to support it – containing links I mentioned in the podcast. So go listen already!

In this podcast I tell a story about Iapetus and the mystery shrouding her. And yes, I mean tell a story. I was inspired by Jay O’Callahan and his fact-tales.

By the way, this is the only thing I’ve put out on the internet that I haven’t licensed under Creative Commons. (Things that aren’t mine, but are posted by me may be excepted as well. For example, NASA retains the rights to their images though they allow generous usage of them, Jason retains the rights to his photographs, and there are others). I do, in fact, hold the copyright on this story. I’ve granted 365 Days of Astronomy the rights to replay it – and you can replay it as well and use it for personal and educational purposes, but don’t claim it as your own. Let me know if you want to use it for something else, I’ll probably says yes and be flattered.

May-June 2010 Sky

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 17:20:05 -0700

May-June 2010 Starmap

Time flies, and the sky slowly changes. Can you believe it’s May and time for the Summer Triangle already? Welp, it is! Check out the starmap and all these wonderful things to look at. For more – go to the Abrams Planetarium’s Night Sky Notes!

Notable Sky Objects

SATURN

Saturn is beautiful in the southern sky this month – in Virgo’s head. It’ll be one of the two brightest “stars” you can see in the south/southwest. Since Saturn is still mostly edge-on to us I’d recommend a small telescope to pick out the rings, whereas normally you can see them with steadied binoculars.

Particle Aquarium

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 00:30:37 -0700

One of the small, unassuming—and much cooler than you might expect—exhibits at Pacific Science Center is the Particle Aquarium, also known as a cloud chamber or cosmic ray aquarium.

In Short

The particle aquarium creates a supersaturated environment of alcohol vapor. Charged particles (from space as cosmic rays or from radioactive decay closer at hand) pass through this supersaturated field. They leave behind a trail of ions, and those ions are nucleation sites, places where the alcohol vapor can condense into liquid droplets, which makes a trail of tiny droplets of alcohol. You see those trails, so you’re seeing the path of a cosmic ray from space.

Iceland Volcano – Eyjafjöll (April 14, 2010)

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:48:18 -0700

Eyjafjallajökull's ash plume in April 2010 from NASA's Earth Observatory

The Eruptions

Eyjafjallajökull has been active in the last few days. Dr. Erik Klemetti of Eruptions blog has a great write up. Go listen to him. Also, Jorge Santos has the best picture of the ash.

Most recently, on 4/14/2010 (or 14-4-2010 if you’re not in the US):

After a few days of quiet in Eyjafjallajökull volcano, a new and much more forceful eruption has begun west of Fimmvörðuháls, under the ice-cap.

The eruption is below the highest peak of Eyjafjallajökull, at the southern rim of the caldera.

A plume rises at least 8 km into the air. No lava is seen yet but melt-water flows both north and south of the mountain.

-Iceland Meteorologic Office

Science with a Twist, Astronomy Day, and Carnival of Space

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:02:32 -0700

First off Astronaut Greg Johnson will be at this week’s Science with a Twist on Thursday April 15th at Pacific Science Center. The event is also on Facebook. I’ll be there too, holding a brief discussion about false color, and Toni Meyers, director of Hubble 3D will be speaking about the film.

“Science with a Twist will celebrate Hubble 3D. Toni and Greg will circulate during the event and introduce the film and answer questions after the film. Pacific Science Center’s resident NASA Solar System Ambassador, Alice Enevoldsen, will also lead you through an explanation of astronomical images: What do you see vs. What’s really there? Tickets for staff are only $17 (21 +, ID required)”

Toni Myers is the director and producer of Hubble 3D and one of the few women directors in the history of IMAX filmmaking. Toni has worked on IMAX documentaries since 1971. She has worked on every IMAX space film and has worked directly with over 120 astronauts and cosmonauts in the making of the IMAX space films. She has an extensive background in a variety of films in addition to IMAX filmmaking . In addition to documentary projects she has a background in the music world having worked on music projects for the Beatles’ company, Apple; and individual features and videos for John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The IMAX documentaries that Toni has worked on have been among the most successful here at the Science Center including Under the Sea 3D. For her work on Hubble 3D the astronauts of the STS-125 crew presented her with the Silver Snoopy Award in recognition of her excellence and

achievements in bringing the space experience to IMAX audiences around the world.

Greg Johnson graduated from West Seattle High School and from the UW with a degree in aerospace engineering. He received his Naval Aviator wings in December 1978. He served as a senior research officer in Office of Naval Research. He has logged over 9500 flying hours in 50 aircraft and has over 500 carrier landings. In 1990, he was accepted as an aerospace engineer and research pilot at NASA . He joined the astronaut program in 1998. He was the pilot the final Space Shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. On this mission he logged almost 13-days in space—–traveling 5,276,000 miles in 197 Earth orbits at 17,500 miles per hour. And he was an IMAX cinematographer on the mission.

Earthquakes and the Length of a Day

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 23:20:43 -0700

The fabulous and illustrious duo Beth and James requested that I educate you all further on the relationship between the Chilean Quake and the rotation of the Earth. A worthy topic.

In Short

The big earthquake in Chile shifted enough of the mass of the Earth far enough that (like a figure skater bringing her arms in toward his body) the Earth actually sped up slightly – shortening our day by 1.26 microseconds. Maybe – the number will be refined further.

Carnival of Space #147

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 11:16:45 -0700

Check out Carnival of Space #147 hosted by Weird Sciences. Phil’s got a great post linked.

~ A l i c e !

Earth-Centered Events

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 23:17:23 -0700

Today is “just” some photos for you of the Earth-Centered events that have happened over the last week. First, Earth Hour just finished here in Seattle – so a pretty before-and-after of Pacific Science Center and the Space Needle. (Click to get the full-resolution versions).

Pacific Science Center before Earth Hour 2010 Photo: (C) Jason Ayres Gift Enevoldsen

Pacific Science Center during Earth Hour 2010 Photo: (C) Jason Ayres Gift Enevoldsen

Expanding Your Horizons

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 09:23:15 -0700

Data for you!

MadeUpAstroData

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:41:16 -0700

Ada Lovelace Day Featuring: Pamela Gay

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 21:25:35 -0700

Yes, this is an actual photo of an actual astrophysicist. Why are you asking?

Good morning! Welcome to Ada Lovelace Day, a day where we celebrate women in technology (etc) through blogging.

I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine, Dr. Pamela Gay, research astronomer, podcaster, gateway to science for the average Mr. or Ms. Doe, Skye-rider (that’s her horse), and internet-addict. Oh, and P.S. – you didn’t hear it from me but she has two X chromosomes. That’s right, she’s female.

Carnival of Space & Link

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:59:35 -0700

If you’re not currently subscribed to my new feed through feedburner you should be. It’s easy just click here, or click the orange box at the top of the page near the search bar, or input http://feeds.feedburner.com/AlicesAstroInfo into your favorite RSS feed reader.

Onward:

Carnival of Space #146 is live at Simioastronomy – check it out, lots of Hubble goodness.

Also, Seattle Astronomy Examiner Greg Schneiderer reports on my Equinox Sunset party from Saturday evening. He’s got photos in case you missed it.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:18:01 -0700

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

We discussed how planets are detected. Gravitational detection (as for Pluto), astrometry – redshift/blueshift of a star as its planets pull on it, and transit detection. We talked about the Kepler mission. We watched 20 minutes of Armageddon and made fun of it, and we watched NASA’s Deep Impact mission crash into a real comet as well as some videos of astronauts falling down on the Moon.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:24:42 -0700

Beware the Ides of March!

We took a quiz on Jovian planets.

We talked about life in the Universe.

If you want, here’s a link to Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s NOVA Special “The Pluto Files“

Hubble 3D vs Life

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:00:50 -0700

I went to see the press preview of Hubble 3D at Pacific Science Center’s Boeing IMAX Theater. It’s opening on March 19th (2010) – tickets here. Full disclosure, in case you were unaware, I am employed by Pacific Science Center but my comments here are my own.

I have been looking forward to this film for months, and I was struck by the similarity to some of what I do. So, if you will excuse the conceit, I would like to share a double story with you.

Spring Equinox Sunset – 2010

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:24:23 -0800

When: Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 7:22pm (so come at 6:50pm)
Where: Solstice Park (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome. as usual.
This event is my part of NASA’s Solar System Ambassadors program, so if you have questions about NASA missions, bring them and I’ll do my best or direct you to somewhere that can answer!

Come watch the spring equinox sunset Solstice Park in West Seattle on Saturday. We’ll see if the sunset lines up with the placed marker. I’ll be there even if it is cloudy because sometimes the Sun peeks through just as it begins to set, but if it is driving rain or sleet I’m staying home with a hot cup of tea.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:39:49 -0800

We read these articles, and discussed the likelihood of life on the moons mentioned:

I handed out the homework: 2009_03_11 HW08 Space Mission (Due 3/17/2010)

You turned in your Planetary Children’s Books

We discussed the dwarf planets – so you should know the basics of them.

We also discussed “Moons of Note” – go to http://www.nineplanets.org/ or your book to check them out.

Carnival #144

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:52:22 -0800

Check out Carnival of Space #144!

~ A l i c e !

Monday, March 8, 2010

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:24:57 -0800

2010_03_09 LP18 & 19 Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune SS Review

We discussed Jupiter and Saturn

differential rotation
rings

and Uranus & Neptune

ice giant planets: see/hear this post
“ices”

Space Sounds

Wednesday, March 3

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:42:24 -0800

We did a comparative planetology activity in class comparing the Earth and Mars.

We talked Human Spaceflight and I gave you a list of missions and people you should have heard of in no particular order:

Apollo 11. Humans first walked on the Moon. 2 American men: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Michael Collins piloted.
Sputnik. First man-made object in orbit – a beeping satellite from the USSR.
The Vostok Program: Yuri Gagarin – first human in space, first human to orbit the Earth. USSR.
Mercury (specifically “Freedom 7”): Alan Shephard – first American in space.
STS “Space Transport System” – the official name of the Space Shuttle program. Many important occurrences.
Pioneers 10 & 11, Voyagers 1 & 2 – Our first “close” views of the other planets.
Hubble – Hubble’s photos changed the average person’s view of astronomy, and advanced the science immensely.
Skylab, MIR, and ISS – these are our space stations, we had them serially not simultaneously. ISS is the only one now.
SpaceShip One: Burt Rutan flew the 1st commercial (non-government/non-military) flight into space on a reusable craft.
Last but not least, keep these in your heart: X-15, Soyuz 1, Soyuz 11, Apollo 1, Challenger, Columbia.
Just a couple inspiring names: Sally Ride, Valentina Tereshkova, John Glenn, Shenzhou
Want more?
Disaster Details

We determined that all rocky solar system objects are mostly grey, with the exception of the outside edge of Mars rocks.

Last-Minute Stargazing Tonight – West Seattle

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 14:21:53 -0800

I declare it is time for another last-minute star party in West Seattle. This will be my second event as one of NASA’s Solar System Ambassadors.

Tonight, Saturday, March 6, 2010
Start: 9pm – I may leave around 10 or 10:30 unless no one shows up.
Solstice Park as usual (at the TOP, if you’re by the tennis courts go up)

As always, this is if the weather is permitting. If you can see stars I’ll be there (unless it gets really super freezing cold).

Monday, March 1, 2010

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:26:16 -0800

Evolution of the Solar System: Go here for the activity we did in class. Understand the basics.

Review what the book has on the terrestrial planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.

Keywords to research:

Comparative planetology
Resonance (in terms of orbits)
Tidal Lock
How Craters form, and what they look like
Albedo
Shield vs composite volcanoes

2009_02_25 LP15 Moon Mercury Structure of the Solar System

2009_03_02 LP16 Venus Earth Mars

March-April 2010 Sky

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:00:35 -0800

March-April 2010 Starmap

Upcoming Events

March 3-16, 2010 – GLOBE at Night

The annual citizen-science stargazing event is back! Go outside any one of the above dates and take a look at Orion – no telescope or binoculars needed. GLOBE at Night wants to know how many stars you can see with just your eyes. But wait! They make it easy – you don’t have to count the stars – just compare what you see to diagrams, and pick the one that matches and submit your observations online. This data will be compiled into maps which will help astronomers track light pollution and how stargazing quality in various parts of the world.
Go to their webpage, download an observation packet, and take your family out to your backyard for some real science!
You’ll need to know your latitude and longitude:
Seattle is at: 47°37’N, 122°20’W

Spring

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:27:10 -0800

… and suddenly it was spring!

Enjoy a picture …

Cherry Blossoms at South Seattle Community College

What? Not “astronomy” enough for you? Astronomy is the REASON we have cherry blossoms in spring!

… and Three Carnivals!

Carnival #142 – with wonderful illustrations, and featuring two of my posts! Check it out.

Carnival #141

Carnival #140

~ A l i c e !

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:07:20 -0800

We discussed the scale of the solar system.

We discussed cratering on the Moon and Mercury. 2009_02_25 LP15 Moon Mercury Structure of the Solar System

We took Quiz 4.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:02:15 -0800

We cleared up some last details about Cepheid variables, and covered the beginning and end of the universe: the Big Bang, Dark Energy, and the Big Rip.

2010_02_23 LP10 Beginning and End of the Universe – PowerPoint

Handout: 2009_02_25 HO Planets

Homework – Plotting the Moon: 2009_02_23 HW06 Charting the Moon

Homework/Project – Planet Children’s Book (working in groups):
Due: Wednesday, 3/10/2010
Pick a body in our solar system:
• Any planet but Earth
• A moon
• A dwarf planet
• An asteroid (you’d be making your life difficult choosing this)
Do a bit of research about the planet or moon. If there were life on it, what might it be like? Have fun; but show me that you understand the planet or moon that you are describing.

Which Way to Mars?

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:34:13 -0800

How long does it take to get to Mars? Well, that depends. As per usual I’ll give you the short answer first: 5-7-ish months.

Depending On …

Energy
- The faster you go, the more energy you must expend to get there. Energy is expensive.
When You Leave
- You could leave any time you wanted to, but if you don’t leave at the right time you’ll just end up chasing after Mars, or doodling around the orbit waiting for Mars to catch back up to you. It’s like catching a bus – you don’t want to wait around at the bus stop too long, but you also don’t want to miss the bus.
Length of Stay
- If you’re going to all the trouble of going to Mars, I would think you’d want to spend a little time there. Then, your return journey has to be timed just right

Some Choices

A Hohmann transfer orbit is one of the most common ways to move between orbits. It is energy-efficient without being incredibly slow.

Feed Trouble

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:33:16 -0800

I’m having trouble filtering my RSS feed correctly. Please bear with me, and if you’re not taking my Astr 100 class this term you’re welcome to ignore any posts with the date as the title that may have accidentally shown up in your feed reader.

It will be fixed soon!

~ A l i c e !

P.S. Take advantage of our beautiful sky and go look for Mars, Vesta, and ISS among the stars over Seattle this weekend. Mars and Vesta should be visible anywhere in the northern hemisphere, and you’ll need binoculars for Vesta unless you live somewhere with a lot less light than Seattle’s got.

Moon over West Seattle

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:41:41 -0800

We saw the crescent moon set beautifully over the Sound from here in West Seattle tonight.

Crescent Moon over West Seattle - Credit: Jason Enevoldsen

Mars and Orion - Credit: Jason Enevoldsen

Jason caught it on film – and he also caught Mars and Orion.

Enjoy!

~ A l i c e !

Communicating With Mars

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:58:31 -0800

One of the most basic questions when it comes to Martian expeditions is communication, namely “how long does it take to communicate with Mars?” The simple short answer is 4-20 minutes, depending on where the Earth and Mars are in their orbits. It also gets more difficult when Mars is near or behind the Sun from our point of view.

Interplanetary Internet

You’re probably quite used to looking up the answers to your questions on the internet anytime you want, but with the delay in communication in space, the internet can’t work quite the same way – besides the fact that you’ll be using a connection that feels like a very, very slow modem. The way webpages are designed now that would take forever.

Spirit at Troy

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 11:59:28 -0800

Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy Lunar New Year, Spirit! Here are some of our imaginings about how you look as a station!

Advanced Entries

Silence at Troy - Spirit's Next Million Years from Emmanuel Gaffard

There are six secrets hidden in this image. Emmanuel says: “Some are Mars exploration related. Kind of. Can you find them?” (I’ve found one so far … he sent me the answers, but I haven’t opened that file yet.) If you want the answers, comment below and I’ll e-mail them to you.

Why Is Rust Red?

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 02:22:14 -0800

This post is at a deeper level of understanding than a lot of what I write. If you’re lost by step one or two – review spectra and come back!

The Premise

When I think of a good question, I just can’t let it rest. Here’s what I tweeted today:

Why does iron make things red? Mars – blood – iron tablets – hematite scratch tests? (I don’t know)

I’ll clarify/deepen my question: Assume your audience groks spectra and color (in depth). Now answer “Why does iron oxide make things red?”

The Rocket and the Sundog

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:15:14 -0800

Watch this video from just a little earlier today: the SDO rocket’s shockwave distrupts a sundog!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:22:57 -0800

Homework: Galaxies – 2009_02_11 HW05 Galaxies

Handout – 2009_02_11 HO Galaxies & Clusters

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:43:24 -0800

Go to: zooniverse.org and join. (Create a login)
Go to galaxyzoo.org and click “How To Take Part.” Do the tutorial.
Go back to galaxyzoo.org and click “Classify.” Go!

We discussed Kepler’s Laws.

I forgot to hand out the homework.

Powerpoint – 2009_02_11 LP09 Galaxies

Don’t forget: No class 2/15, and class meets at Pacific Science Center 2/17!

Mineral Indications of Water

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:07:59 -0800

What you need to know:

Carbonates (like antacids that you dissolve in water) dissolve easily in water, and are deposited easily out of water. Sulfates (which are why Yellowstone’s fantastic mud-pots smell awful) are similar. Silica-rich deposits are more commonplace – so you need more detail to tell if they’re from water or not.

Up until now you’ve taken it for granted when you read in an article that a mineral discovered on Mars indicates the prehistoric existence of water. But how can a certain mineral in a rock tell you that there was once water? How can it tell you if that water was more recent or more ancient?

Monday, February 8, 2010

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:23:53 -0800

We took Test 1.

We discussed hoaxes, hoaxes, and more hoaxes.

2/10 – Meet in the Computer Lab OLY 203
2/15 – No Class
2/17 – Meet at Pacific Science Center

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:29:00 -0800

Important:

Prepare for Test #1 on Monday.
The field trip to Pacific Science Center is 2/17/2010 during class time. DO NOT BE LATE.
Be sure you can draw and label a picture of our galaxy from the side.

We finished the powerpoint from last time.

We talked about our galaxy, and finished quiz #3. The handout was about the Distance ladder – it is one of the pages in the powerpoint. 2010_02_04 LP08 Our Galactic Home

Monday, February 1, 2010

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 01:10:29 -0800

2009_02_02 LP07 Death and Black Holes

We covered deaths of stars, neutron Stars, black holes, what happens when you fall into a black hole etc. We got to page 16 in this powerpoint. We’ll pick up on Wednesday.

HR Diagram homework was due today.

Carnival of Space #139

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:26:42 -0800

Welcome Mama Joules to the astroblogger community – stop by Carnival of Space #139 hosted by her!

~ A l i c e !

Carnival of Space #138

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:50:49 -0800

Check out Carnival #138 over at Nancy Atkinson’s new blog!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:22:53 -0800

HR Diagram Homework was assigned – due Monday 2/1
PowerPoint We discussed the star life cycle.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:20:31 -0800

2010_01_25 LP05 Starlight Starbright
We covered spectra, light and how astronomers know what they know. Read chapters 6 & 7 to catch up.
Astronomers Homework was due today. No homework was assigned.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:19:28 -0800

Quiz #1 covering everything up to this point except cycles.
We reviewed cycles and talked about eclipses
UPDATE to the Homework: Astronomers, it should be written as a press release, as if this astronomer is coming to town to give a talk. Make it exciting and interesting.
Class next week may start a few minutes late, the classrooms should be open on time.
End of day note: let me know if you’re more of a writer or more of an artist. Let me know if there’s anyone in the class you think you absolutely can’t work with.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:18:40 -0800

Interactive Online Planetarium computer lab. Handout. Website choice 1. Website choice 2.
We covered lunar phases and reviewed for next week’s quiz.
Homework: Astronomers.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:16:14 -0800

We covered basic directions in the sky: Right Ascension and Declination.
We also began seasons and the cycles of the sky: days, months, and years.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:15:12 -0800

2010_01_07 LP03 What’s the Scope
Homework: 2010_01_07 HW01 Telescopes (Due 1/11/2010 despite what the file says)
Please read for Monday and highlight the words/sentences you don’t understand: The Kepler Five.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:13:17 -0800

2010_01_04 LP01 How Far is Far
Powers of Ten: http://vimeo.com/1066547
FAR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF2HG1PVZok
A Glorious Dawn: http://www.symphonyofscience.com/

Astronomy 100 – Winter 2010 – SSCC

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:42:05 -0800

2010 Winter Astro 100 Syllabus for South Seattle Community College

Course Calendar:

Notes on Grades:
Most of our assignments are graded out of 50, so here are the letter-grade breakdowns for normal assignments:
A = 45
B = 40
C = 37.5 (this level C keeps you at an average of 2.0/4.0)
C = 35 (minimum C)
D = 30

~ A l i c e !

A Challenge for Artists! Spirit at Troy

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:20:23 -0800

Update: This is the first event I’m officially hosting as one of NASA’s volunteer Solar System Ambassadors!

Well, Spirit is now a station at Troy rather than a rover somewhere south of Mars’ equator. Time to have some fun, while the drivers try to back her into the perfect parked position to get Sun on those solar panels!

Spirit Embedded at Troy

I know there’s lots of you artists out there itching to do some science illustration. We don’t have cameras that can show us what it looks like for Spirit to be stuck. Odd, isn’t it? There are what 6? 7? cameras onboard Spirit, and yet, that’s just the problem, they are all ON BOARD Spirit. We can see bits of her, but not the her whole body.

Stationary Science: Spirit at Troy

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:33:07 -0800

Spirit Embedded at Troy Credit: Keith Enevoldsen

Well, the “Free Spirit” campaign is over, she’s staying at Troy. Doug McCuiston, the director of the Mars Exploration Program says “We do not believe that Spirit is extractable.” He maintains that they might free her by accident, but the goal now is to position the solar panels to make it through the Martian winter, so she can wake up in spring and begin some amazing cool new stationary science.

Mars Calendar

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 11:31:47 -0800

Thank you Emily Lakdawalla!

I’m always trying to figure out what season it is on Mars, and she’s got it all calculated out. Check out her detailed and easy to reference Mars calendar.

A Sneak Peek

Northern Spring / Southern Autumn	Northern Summer / Southern Winter	Northern Autumn / Southern Spring	Northern Winter / Southern Summer
2009 Oct 27	2010 May 13	2010 Nov 13	2011 Apr 09

That data is entirely from Emily.

Look for the next post on Freeing Spirit.

Martian Adventures: A Tale of Two Robots

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:16:35 -0800

Opening today!

To go along with Pacific Science Center’s Facing Mars exhibit and Roving Mars IMAX film, we’ve created a new planetarium show.

Come hear stories about the adventures of NASA’s Mars Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. Make your own decisions regarding some of the challenges they’ve faced and learn to find Mars in tonight’s sky. View photos of the Martian surface that are less than a week old, and root for the rovers to keep on roving! Ticket required (FREE tickets for Pacific Science Center members!) 40 minutes – ages 4 and up. Children under 4 are not admitted.

Dunes on Mars – New HiRISE Images

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:10:42 -0800

Oh the beauty that can result in faraway places untouched by human interference:

Dunes from a crater in Noachis Terra, west of the giant Hellas impact basin. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

I’m getting so excited about Facing Mars coming up at Pacific Science Center. Just a little over one week to go! So, to keep myself entertained, I’ve been looking at some new Mars stuff.

Dark Days of Winter: 365 Days of Astronomy

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 01:00:28 -0800

Ahh! I found the original post – it had slid back to 2009! Here it is …

By now my first podcast for 365 Days of Astronomy should be live, and here is the post to support it – containing links and images I mention in the podcast. So go listen already!

Also, please excuse the terrible run-on sentences and immense number of “now”‘s in the transcript. I tried to write exactly what I said, and the way I speak is significantly messier than the way I write. And I always thought I wrote the way I spoke. Hmm.

Cooking In Space

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:54:54 -0800

As you may or may not have figured out, one of my other interests is baking, as well as eating yummy food.

What better for the holidays than a post all about cooking in space? Turns out, although most astronauts rehydrate and reheat the packages of food, one astronaut at least experimented with combining those foods and ways of cooking in space. Check out Nancy’s story about Astronaut Sandy Magnus and her adventures in preparing holiday food – over at Universe Today.

Carnival of Space #134

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:49:20 -0800

Stewart Atkinson of Cumbrian Sky is graciously hosting a holiday Carnival of Space #134. If you don’t go for any other reason, go to see his awesome space-y Christmas tree – it is what I’ve been trying to make mine look like for years. I still haven’t succeeded, though the star on top is a model of a star (our Sun).

Also, thanks to Stu for making sure everyone knows that Alice’s AstroInfo “does what it says on the tin” I think that’s hilarious. I like to think I provide information about Astronomy …

January-February 2010 Sky

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:14:06 -0800

Check out this month’s starmap.

Notable Sky Objects

HEY ALICE, I SAW …

Believe it or not, the answer this month is either Sirius or Mars – and they are in the same part of the sky.

PLANETS

Jupiter is up at sunset, setting around 7pm.
Mars will be up all night, and beautiful. Look midway up in the east around 10pm.
Saturn will be rising in the east around 10:30pm.
Venus will not be visible; it is in the same place as the Sun.
Mercury will also be very hard to find, but it rises just before the Sun, so you have a chance.

Jay O’Callahan and the NASA Story

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:01:29 -0800

THIS is what I’ve been waiting for. Yesterday I received wonderful news in my e-mail. Jay O’Callahan will tell his NASA Story on PRI’s Living on Earth the weekend after Christmas.

This is a well-written and well-told story of NASA’s first 50 years. You should all mark your calendars and drop everything for it.

I heard this story at the Astronomical Society of the Pacific meeting in September, and Jay moved the audience to tears.

Winter Solstice Sunset – 2009

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:37:42 -0800

Successful Solstice Sunset Viewing

When: Monday, December 21st 4:20pm (so come at 4)
Where: Solstice Park (or, if you’re not in Seattle, wherever you have a view of the western horizon!)
Who: Everyone welcome – like the last few events

Come watch the winter solstice sunset Solstice Park in West Seattle on Monday (the 21st). We’ll see if the sunset lines up with the placed marker. I’ll be there even if it is cloudy because sometimes the Sun peeks through just as it begins to set, but if it is driving rain or sleet I’m staying home with a hot cup of tea.

Magnetotactic Bacteria

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:04:06 -0800

Magnetotaxis is movement along magnetic field lines, from Latin magnes (magnet) and Greek taxis (arrangement). The Latin magnes is itself from Greek ho Magnes lithos “the Magnesian stone,”(This is what my etymology research turns up, if you know more, let me know so I can pass it on!)

Where Do They Live?

Magnetotactic bacteria on Earth are found in a layer of water called the oxic-anoxic transition zone: where the water goes from having oxygen to not having oxygen. The bacteria often occur within sediments (like the muck at the bottom of a pond – but that’s a simplified example). They don’t occur in all water at this transition zone, the water must be exactly the right composition.

Geminids at the Seattle Christmas Ship

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 23:37:43 -0800

We saw a couple of Geminids this evening while we were out watching the Christmas Ship at Lowman Beach in West Seattle. (For those of you who don’t know, or those of you not in Seattle, the Christmas Ship is a local tradition that’s been going for 60 years. Argosy cruises takes a choir and a majorly awesome sound system out on a cruise around Seattle. They stop at various beaches where folks are gathered and sing (from afar) Christmas carols at you).

Answering Questions: Life on Other Planets?

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:59:02 -0800

Here are my questions:

What is the possibility that intelligent life on other planets exists?

Have we found any signs of life on other planets?

What is the possibility that any life will be found on a moon such as Europa or Titan?

Again, I greatly appreciate your time, and thank you in advance for your response.

Many Thanks,

-Jacob

Jacob, ahh, these are the questions driving our exploration of the solar system.

West Seattle Stargazing Tonight – Solstice Park 12/7/2009

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:57:29 -0800

When: Tonight 5pm+
Where: Solstice Park
Who: Everyone welcome – like the last event

I have officially given up on “planned” stargazing in Seattle. I’ve been foiled by the weather too many times. I tip my hats to those of you who persevere. Hereafter you can expect all stargazing events from me to be last-minute, as with this one!

If the weather holds, tonight you will find me and my scopes at Solstice Park in West Seattle just as it begins to get dark starting between 4:30pm and 5pm. I’ll go until it clouds over or my fingers get too cold (and I can be quite a pansy). I may also be late – depending on the commute.

2009 Gift Guide

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:56:09 -0800

Since you asked me for the information, here you go!

Looking for something for that little (or big) astronomer in your life? Well, if you need a little help, or feel a like the possibilities are too infinite, I’ve gathered together some of my suggestions here. You should note: you know your friends and family best so ignore my age recommendations if you like. You should note, some of this sounds like I’m just advertising what we have to offer here at Pacific Science Center. Yes, I have a vested interest in Pacific Science Center doing well, but I promise this guide includes only gifts I would actually recommend or purchase myself for my own friends.

Magnetotactic Bacteria from Mars?

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:12:09 -0800

I read the papers. No, I mean the peer-reviewed scientific papers. The upshot is this. In 1984 we discovered a meteorite in Antarctica and proved it was from Mars. In 1996 a group of scientists released a paper claiming that there might be evidence for life in that meteorite, most famously in the form of “fossils of bacteria” (I’ll get more technical on that later). It didn’t take long for other scientists to come up with a series of other possible sources for the markers that the first group were claiming as markers of life. Although the work continues, for the last 13 years it has been widely accepted by the public and by many scientists that the markers in the meteorite (ALH 84001) were not formed by bacteria, they were formed by “plain old geology”. No life.

Links for December 2

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:40:12 -0800

Two links for you!

Carnival of Space #131 – Starry Critters – You’ve got to see this one, not only because the title of the blog is fantastic, but also because they gave my link first billing! Whee! Check out the latest astronomy news.

Astronomy Examiner – Greg Scheiderer a friend and member of the Seattle Astronomical Society (as well as the editor of their newsletter) has begun a new endeavor for Examiner.com – He’s the Seattle Astronomy Examiner! Check out his articles for the interesting happenings in astronomy, as well as announcements of lectures and events of interest in Seattle (and surroundings).

Thanksgiving and Astronomy

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:01:33 -0800

Thanksgiving is upon us, here in the United States. By now your in-laws, friends, acquaintances, and family have probably learned that you think Astronomy is cool. Which means you’re the expert. Awesome!

Wait, did that worry you a bit? Being called an expert in astronomy? I sure get worried when I’m called an expert. So, just for you, an astronomy cheat sheet for Thanksgiving dinner-table conversation! So, if you want to steer the conversation away from politics and religion, here are a few ideas – in no particular order.

November-December 2009

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:37:57 -0800

Yup, this is late. Way late. Enjoy!

2009 November-December Starmap

(Also, a Carnival of Space (#130) over at Chandra!)

Notable Sky Objects

HEY ALICE! I SAW …

Well, the answer this month is probably clouds, if you live in the same general area as I do. The Pacific Northwest has been pretty well socked in. My other best guess this time of year is Jupiter, bright in the Southwest just about to set.

More Happenings!

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:46:36 -0800

Life just keeps on coming! Here are a couple more spacey things happening tonight and this week.

Hubble Unveiling

The unveiling of our new Hubble/Chandra/Spitzer images went off without a hitch this morning, and Q13 interviewed us. If you want a peek at the pictures or need to know just why they are so cool, watch for me on Seattle’s channel 10 at 9pm or channel 13 at 10pm tonight.

Huge New NASA Photos at Pacific Science Center

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:30:11 -0800

Pacific Science Center just installed some amazing new photographs. They’re right outside the planetarium, beside the Gemini Capsule. Our public unveiling of these images is today, November 18th at 10am.

The images we’re putting up are a celebration of the International Year of Astronomy from three of NASA’s Great Observatories. I’m going to show you the images here, but to appreciate their full majesty you’ve got to stop by and see them in person.

Image Unveiling Celebration at Pacific Science Center

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:38:08 -0800

Pacific Science Center just installed some amazing new ginormous photographs. They’re right outside the planetarium, beside the Gemini Capsule. Our public unveiling of these images will be Wednesday, November 18th at 10am.

The images we’re putting up are a celebration of the International Year of Astronomy from three of NASA’s Great Observatories, and we’re launching a full morning of fun celebrating everything space-y! There will be fun space exhibits from Science on Wheels, science experts on hand, and free planetarium shows … not to mention the pictures themselves.

The Moon Has Water

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:15:35 -0800

“The Moon Has Water!” News Releases

This table has been created to be updated. The latest update is the date of the latest news release. This post is based on my Mars Has Water post that I’ve been updating since 2006. No matter how exciting it is to find water in these places, the press releases often have the same title: “[Planetary Body] Has Water!” Well, yes, and often we’ve found water there before. Each individual discovery has something new and interesting though, so I’m collating a list of those discoveries here. If you know of a discovery I’m missing, please e-mail me.

Answering Questions: Life on Mars?

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:11:51 -0800

Kiri writes –
Ok, then–thanks very much! Now… *clears throat*

Do you know of any unfrozen water on Mars?

Is there any evidence of life on Mars’s moons?

What is/are Phobos and Deimos’s general profiles? (i.e.
Atmosphere, temperature, ect.)

What might Martians be like?

What are some famous theories on Martian life?

Thank you very much for your time!

Kiri, good questions. I will take them in order.

Unfrozen Water on Mars

First I will refer you to a blog post I try to update every time there is a discovery of water on Mars. Pretty much all of these discoveries are of ice – though some are of ice that sublimes (evaporates) into a gas.

2012 – The (2009) Movie

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:00:41 -0800

Um. Um. Um. Um. Where do I begin?

The movie was entirely preposterous. There almost wasn’t enough science to make fun of! It ranks way above Sunshine in my ranking of action flicks full of terrible science, and yet it barely holds a candle to Armageddon. Perhaps no one can top Armageddon as the best movie to show an intro Astronomy class: the best movie to ask Astronomy students to rip to shreds.

Video: 2012 and Lecture: The Moon

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:47:15 -0800

Did you miss my little chat plus Q&A on 2012? Lucky you – KCTS recorded it and you can watch it here!

P.S. Don’t miss the lecture at the Pacific Science Center tomorrow (Thursday) night by Andrew Chaikin.

~ A l i c e !

2012

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:18:28 -0800

Update as of 11/2012: I am available to speak to your group on this topic in the greater Seattle area. E-mail me if you’re interested: alicesastroinfo [at] gmail [dot] com.

The 2012 Hoax – The Kitchen Sink

What do the non-existant planet Nibiru, the rollover of the Maya Long Count, a long-expected and non-conjunction of planets, some sunspots, and a lack of reversal in the Earth’s magnetic field, and the continued alignment of the Earth, Sun, and galactic center have in common? They all got picked up and sensationalized as part of a 2012 apocalypse story. This “hoax” rolls pretty much every apocalypse story into one.

November 2009

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:14:15 -0800

The deadline is November 30.

~ A l i c e !

Talk Coming Up! 2012: the Movie, the Astronomy, and the Hoax!

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:13:21 -0800

Hey all!

Pacific Science Center’s Science Cafe team just asked me to host a talk/Q&A at the next Science Cafe: TUESDAY, November 3! I’m going tackle “how to talk to your friends about 2012.”

Join us next Tuesday, November 3 for a myth busting Queen Anne Science Café. As we approach 2012, TV shows, new books – even a new movie – all sensationalize the idea of the world “ending” in 2012. Our next Science Café, 2012: The Movie, the Astronomy, and the Hoax, will debunk any fears you may have about the end of the world. Don’t miss a fascinating evening of science, drinks and hoaxes, 7:30 p.m. at T.S. McHugh’s.

Carnival of Space #124

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:30:36 -0700

We are All in the Gutter, Looking at the Stars is hosting this week’s Carnival – which is about a lot of different things, since all the Mercury and Moon kerfuffle happened last week.

~ A l i c e !

Alice’s AstroInfo Videocast and TV Interview

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:23:46 -0700

Answering some common questions about buying a first telescope.

Q13 FOX interviewed me for about 10 seconds last night about the LCROSS Mission. Have fun!

~ A l i c e !

LCROSS Impact

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:44:52 -0700

There are two important Moon stories that have happened or are happening in the current couple weeks. They range from exciting (confirmation of the discovery of water on the Moon) to super-exciting (we’re going to slam a spaceship into the Moon on Friday).

Story 1: The Near Future – LCROSS

On Friday October 9, 2009 (4:30am PST) NASA’s LCROSS spacecraft will separate into two parts (the “Centaur” followed by the “shepherding” observing spacecraft) and both will slam into a crater on the Moon, kicking up a plume of material big enough to be seen from Earth with 10- 12-inch telescopes. NASA has requested that astronomers (amateur and professional) observe the plume if possible to help out with the science of the mission. This is one of only a few NASA missions I know of to actively seek the participation of amateurs. Awesome.

Carnivals #121-123

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:59:27 -0700

Carnival of Spaces! Check them out to get your dose of Astronomy.

#121 – Hosted by Next Big Future!

#122 – Hosted by Cumbrian Sky!

#123 – Hosted by Weird Warp! (They even mention this little blog)

~ A l i c e !

Binocular Mount

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 12:00:12 -0700

When you ask most amateur astronomers (or me) which telescope we recommend for beginners, we will all tell you what you don’t want to hear: don’t buy a telescope first. Buy a pair of binoculars, learn the sky, and then buy a telescope. But that isn’t the answer you wanted, so you go buy a telescope anyway. I understand. I’ve been you. So, if you aren’t going to listen to me: here is my advice on what telescope to buy as a first telescope.

MESSENGER’s 3rd Flyby of Mercury

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:17:39 -0700

NASA’s MESSENGER just did its third flyby of Mercury on September 29th, 2009. It will enter orbit in March of 2011. Here are a few discoveries, with some personal notes and thoughts.

Bright Spot

Credit: NASA's MESSENGER

Interestingly, this bright spot has been seen and photographed only three times – twice by MESSENGER, and the first time from the ground. That ground image was by Ron Dantowitz, one of my coworkers from the Museum of Science! He used the Mt. Wilson Observatory to collect an incredible image.
The light parts are probably kicked-up material from the basin in the middle. Due to the shape and color, the basin may or may not be volcanic in nature. They’re still studying.

Equinox Event

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:27:38 -0700

Tomorrow (Tuesday, September 22) is the Fall Equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere. I’m planning to head over to Solstice Park in West Seattle (7400 Fauntleroy Way SW) to watch the Sun set over the Equinox marker at 7:06pm.

If you’d like to join me, please do – and your whole family is welcome too. If it is clear I’ll bring my new Galileoscope and we’ll see if we can’t find a few neat sky objects after it begins to get dark. If it isn’t clear, I’m still going to the park, but I won’t be bringing my telescopes.

September-October Sky 2009

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:05:10 -0700

September-October 2009 Starmap

(With an activity! If you complete it, you should send me a photo of yours, I’d love to see them!)

Notable Sky Objects

HEY ALICE! I SAW …

In every season’s sky there seems to be an object that is spectacular enough that people come up to me saying “Hey Alice, last night I saw…” I guess it is a little rude of me, so I apologize, but I can usually interrupt the sentence at this point and tell them what it was – which makes me seem almost psychic. Well sorry, but it isn’t magic, its pattern recognition. After three people have asked me about the same object, I naturally assume the next few will be asking about the same thing. I love supporting people’s excitement about the sky, and I love it that you come to me to ask what you saw – so keep it up, but just in case you want to make a guess for yourself first (or impress your friends), this season’s “Hey Alice!” object is the spectacular and bright Jupiter.

Quick Updates: Kepler, Saturn, Perseids, Jupiter

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:55:23 -0700

Perseids:

The Perseids peak tonight after midnight. They’re dust- and sand-sized debris left in our path from comet Swift-Tuttle. The air compressing in front of each meteor generates enough heat that the debris burns up and we see a streak of light.

Kepler:

The Kepler mission (looking for Earth-like planets around other stars) has just proved it definitely can detect planets, with more detail and precision than other methods. Kepler observed the planet HAT-P-7, which orbits its star once every 2.2 days, and was able to detect the atmosphere of the planet, and measure the daytime temperature at 4310 degrees F. Ouch.

Some Links

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 09:42:08 -0700

Life comes in waves – busy waves, and waves when you have lots of time to blog. You get one guess which wave I’m in now.

Meanwhile, I will leave you with some good links.

1. There is another Alice! Not only that, there is another Alice involved in informal astronomy education. Not only THAT, there is another Alice in the Pacific Northwest who is highly involved in informal astro ed. So, if you’re looking for Alice’s Astronomy a Go Go … you’re in the wrong place, you’re at Alice’s AstroInfo. But you should definitely head over there and check out her podcasts, she’s got some neat stuff.

Carnival of Space

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:58:33 -0700

21st Century Waves has this week’s Carnival of Space – #111! It is a celebration of the anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch! Woo!

Also, for celebrating the Moon landing, We Choose the Moon might be cool.

A Puzzle and Two Carnivals

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:21:13 -0700

Sunday mornings I enjoy playing the NPR’s puzzler with my family. I thought you might enjoy a puzzle/mindgame too.

It was late one December, and I was out for a walk with my family. The full moon was rising. It was rising almost due Northeast. Why?

This puzzle helped me solidify my understanding of the celestial sphere, so if you already completely understand the celestial sphere it might not be much of a puzzle – but if you’re still learning about it, figuring out this puzzle could be a turning point for you.

July-August Sky, 2009

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:20:09 -0700

July-August 2009 Starmap

Notable Sky Objects

JUPITER

Jupiter will be highly visible late at night, rising not long after sunset in July, and high overhead all night long through the end of August. It will be rising in the Southeast, near the constellation Capricorn.

MERCURY and SATURN

Technically they’ll be in the sky, but they aren’t up for long after sunset, so it will probably be too light to see them this month.

Two Carnivals (107 and 108)

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:53:15 -0700

The Solstice Edition of the Carnival of Space (#108) is up at Starts With a Bang, and I’m the first linked article. Wow!

And don’t miss Edition #107 over at Innumerable Worlds.

~ A l i c e !

Solstice Park, West Seattle

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:25:54 -0700

The solstice is on its way! Although there may be celebrations and fun all over Seattle, there is at least one place where you can actually measure the astronomical significance of the longest day of the year: Solstice Park in West Seattle.

Solstice Park Overlook Credit: Jason Gift Enevoldsen

You’ve never heard of Solstice Park?

It’s been there since July 2005 – across the street from Lincoln Park, but I have to admit, I only just visited for the first time on Thursday. I loved it. At the top of the hill are stonework and earthworks aligned for sunset on the winter solstice, the summer solstice, and the equinoxes.

Animal Astronomy

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 10:24:48 -0700

by Guest Writer Sophie Arlow

Many people assume that astronomy is solely a human endeavor. After all, we have named constellations, created telescopes, and even landed on the Moon. However, humans are not the only species to use astronomy – from the Moon and stars to magnetic fields, animals also use information from the earth and skies.

The Mystery of Magnetite

What do salmon, dolphins, sea turtles, and whales have in common? These animals share much more than an underwater habitat – all are believed to use a mineral called magnetite to assist in navigation and migration. Magnetite is a special type of iron oxide which, as you might have guessed, is magnetic! Early humans used naturally-occurring deposits of magnetite, called lodestones, as primitive compasses.

Mars as Big as the Moon 09 #2

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 22:24:15 -0700

Okay, I couldn’t resist. For all of you out there who have also been trying to educate folks about the Mars Hoax for years, I’ve created a brief respite.

As you know, this year’s version is going around as a PowerPoint. Once you’ve seen the hoax PowerPoint, you might enjoy my … “corrected” version. If you’re squeamish about random .pps files from the internet, I’ve attached still .jpgs here, but they’re not as cool – there aren’t any annoying animations to click through. The effect just isn’t the same. Enjoy!

Mars as Big as the Moon (2009 edition) – Still Not True

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:15:58 -0700

It’s back, and it’s more compelling than ever this year. My best post is last year’s. I have also made a corrected version of the e-mail that’s going around in the next post.

First off: Mars will NOT be as big as the Moon this August (or any August).
Secondly: Wouldn’t it be cool if it was? Well – it would look cool, but I’d be concerned about the gravitational effects on the Earth.
Thirdly: Would you like something cool to look for this August instead? Something real? How about the Perseid Meteor Shower? It peaks on August 12th, after midnight. Look Northeast. You can make as many wishes as you like on all those “shooting stars” – you could even wish for the Mars Hoax to come true, if you like.
Lastly: If you’re bent on seeing Mars, wait until December 2009, and you’ll see it rising in the East mid-evening. It will look like a bright-ish slightly-orange star.

Here are some quickie details:

Mars is at opposition with Earth (as close as we get) every 26 months.
This hoax has been going around every August since 2003.

Curious about how that opposition slips against Earth years? Here’s a short overview courtesy of the Students of Exploration and Development of Space.

A Few Good Links

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:37:25 -0700

Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer, is having an astrophotography contest over at his blog. It is sponsored by Discover Magazine and Celestron. It should be fun, and there are good prizes!

also –

Carnival of Space #103 – over at ChandraBlog has lots of good Hubble links.

Carnival of Space #104 – at Mang’s Bat Page with some cool info on planes and rockets, as well as some great photos.

and

Carnival of Space #105 – hosted by Space Disco also has photos of a number of the featured bloggers! Also, interesting articles and an e-mail with very strange title.

AstroInfo is One Year Old!

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:00:17 -0700

Well how about that, Alice’s AstroInfo has been live on the internet for a whole year! How exciting!

Time for a brief history lesson, and then we’ll get to the cake.

Remember?

AstroInfo didn’t begin as a blog. A few years ago, while I was still in school, Steve White wrote several one-page papers for the planetarians of the Pacific Science Center to help them be more on top of some of the cool current goings-on Out There in space. These pages were lovingly referred to as “Fornax Facts.” (or was it “Fornax’s Facts”? I can’t remember). You see, planetarians at Pacific Science Center have code-names that we usually choose for ourselves. I happen to be called Altair, Steve is Fornax, Holly is Amalthea … etc. Well, Steve got an awesome full-time job teaching Calculus (he still stops by now and then to do some shows of his own), and the job of answering staff questions came to me.

Carnival of Space (#101, #102)

Tue, 12 May 2009 17:12:58 -0700

Oops, I have some catching up to do:

Go see Carnival of Space #101 at Robot Explorers

and

Carnival of Space #102 – at The Spacewriter’s Ramblings

~ A l i c e !

Sunspots

Tue, 12 May 2009 16:50:53 -0700

I’ve gotten several questions about sunspots and the Sun lately, so I’m going to start off with a post about the basics of sunspots. Enjoy, but remember, NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN without proper eye-protection.

What is a sunspot?

Let’s use George Fisher’s words: “A sunspot is a dark part of the sun’s surface that is cooler than the surrounding area. It turns out it is cooler because of a strong magnetic field…”

May-June Sky

Sun, 10 May 2009 14:57:59 -0700

2009-May-Jun-Starmap-Full.pdf

Notable Sky Objects

SATURN

Saturn is still tilted edge-on to us, making fun telescope viewing. Look for it just below Leo’s tail. Note of interest regarding Saturn observation: Carolyn Porco, Cassini Imaging Team Leader, was the science consultant for the new Star Trek film – so when you see it keep your eyes peeled for the obvious contributions of an intelligent science consultant. If you want to watch for it, her name is 2/3 of the way through the credits, just AFTER the Klingon/Romulan language consultant.

Smithsonian Photography Contest

Mon, 04 May 2009 11:35:05 -0700

click! Photography Changes Everything is an online exhibit put on by the Smithsonian, and they’re looking to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy with us!

If you like photography and you like writing you might like to submit a photo and a short story.

This month’s focus: Seeing Other Worlds

Submit a photo showing how photography influences our ability to see ‘unseen’ or unfamiliar worlds to become part of this month’s focus, Seeing Other Worlds.

Some things to consider: How can photography help us see things that would otherwise go unnoticed in our everyday lives? How does micro- and macro- photography (e.g. from microscopic bacteria to galaxies far beyond the earth) change our perception of the world and our place in it? How do new imaging technologies and software (e.g. MRI’s, CAT scans, Google Earth, etc.) change what we’re able or want to see? How does photography shape awareness and shape our perception of other communities, cultures and lifestyles?

Carnival of Space #100

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 23:19:49 -0700

Wow – this carnival is one not to miss. Hosted by the One Minute Astronomer, this week’s Carnival of Space is a wonderful collection of awesome astronomy news and explanations.

~ A l i c e !

Earth Revealed: Astronomy Day 2009 at Pacific Science Center

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:22:30 -0700

Come one, come all to Pacific Science Center’s celebration of Astronomy on May 2, 2009 from 10am-6pm.

Here’s the quote from our website:

Earth Revealed

This spring, Pacific Science Center celebrates local scientific research focusing on all of the amazing things scientists learn by looking at Earth from satellites circling our planet in space. This series of programs showcases local scientists, allowing our visitors to meet and participate in hands-on activities with the people who conduct this cutting edge research.

[Our] month long celebration [Earth Revealed] culminates with a Special Event, Saturday, May 2, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Join Pacific Science Center as we showcase Earth as you have never seen it before. Over twenty hands-on activity stations will be ready to explore, all facilitated by local scientists. Additionally, KING 5 meteorologist, Jeff Renner will make a special presentation! This event is targeted to families with elementary and middle school aged children although will be most appropriate for kids 8-years-old and up.

Awesome Science!

Our ability to look back at Earth from space, using satellites and other space craft, has transformed what we know about our home planet over the last fifty years. From space, we can see weather patterns such as hurricanes and features such as glaciers, volcanoes and oceans in a whole new way. For the first time in human history, we can see ourselves living on and altering a dynamic planet. Discover this fascinating area of research during Pacific Science Center’s Earth Revealed: A View Of Our Planet From Space events!

Learn how scientists:

Understand and predict hurricane intensity by combining satellite data with information gathered during flights into real storms!

Study the beautiful and awe inspiring Northern Lights!

Determine the make-up of Earth’s atmosphere, and then look for similar planets outside of our own solar system!

Discover how fires affect our forests!

Gather information about the location and thickness of sea ice and glaciers!

Partners:

University of Washington participants include Applied Physics Lab, College of Forestry Resources, Department of Astronomy, School of Oceanography, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Department of Earth and Space Sciences and Department of Electrical Engineering. Other event participants include Microsoft, JISAO, Central Washington University, KING 5 News and NOAA National Weather Service.

Logo

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:07:06 -0700

For those of you who wanted to use my logo to link to me – I dropped a slightly more manageable version at the bottom of the left-hand column. It should also show up as a choice when sharing links to my site through facebook and the like.

Now don’t go abusing this and making it look like I support things I don’t!

~ A l i c e !

Carnival of Space #99

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 00:27:30 -0700

Welcome, one and all, to the 99th edition of the Carnival of Space. I feel special to host the last two-digit Carnival (and I can’t wait to see who gets #100!).

On with it!

I present this week’s Carnival in the form of my best recipe for bread (my friends call it Alice Bread, and it is quite easy to make):

First you need 1 Cup hot water (as hot as you can get from the tap) – and in that vein Christopher of the fairly new and piping hot Innumerable Worlds presents an analysis of the Sun’s wobble (What if we were looking back at ourselves from 10pc away? Would we detect the worlds we have here?).
Next, Brian, Next Big Future, tells us about eensy-weensy solar sails that are probably smaller than the 1 Tbsp Regular Yeast you’ll need next, and space based solar power.
Make sure your yeast is at least as fresh as the radio news from Nicole at One Astronomer’s Noise – don’t try this with a packet that’s been in the back of your cupboard for years.
A Babe in the Universe, Louise, celebrates Yuri’s Night with at least 1 Tbsp Sugar.
You can use any sweetener you like – just something for the yeast to eat, and to add a little flavor to the bread, and Alan from MSNBC offers a number of choices, addressing the questions of space-based solar power, Hubble’s “Hand” in space, and rocket racers.
Mang from the 433rd faces the oil (1 Tbsp Oil, that is) and water of the Pluto question.
Kimberly from the Chandra team shows us what Chandra is up to, combining its data with that from other scopes, just like I use various oils to get various flavors in this bread: I use olive for a “French” bread, and canola for a slightly plainer taste.
Emily, Planetary Society Weblog, loves the shadows on Saturn’s Rings, rings which we all know are made of tiny particles – just like the 3-5 Cups of Flour you’ll require.
I use All-Purpose white flour from the USA – if you love whole wheat I’d do several experiments instead of using this recipe as is. Speaking of experiments, Brian, the One-Minute Astronomer visited base camp for some very famous ones, and reports on his visit to Palomar. (Also, if you live in another country your flour may have a different gluten content, so try this recipe and let me know how it works, but the recipe is very flexible, so I’d expect it to turn out okay).
Heat a bowl. Ian from AstroEngine examines the Sun’s theoretical binary companion: it wouldn’t be very hot, comparatively, but still significantly hotter than you need to get the bowl you’ll be working with. I heat my bowl by running the backside of the bowl under hot water until it doesn’t feel cool anymore.
Put your hot water in the heated bowl, which is where the Mars Sample Return missions David at Rocket Explorers looks at never quite got.
Mix sugar and oil in with the hot water (the goal is to have warm, happy, well-fed yeast). I mean, if you were going to go meet aliens around another star, wouldn’t you want them to be warm, happy, and well fed? Paul from Centauri Dreams talks about human interstellar flight versus robotic probes creating a “telepresence.”
Add yeast to your hot water mix. Paul of the Meridiani Journal examines strange formations on Mars, much like the strange formations you’re about to observe in your yeast.
Stir once, and while you do so read Stuart’s presentation “Rover Hugger” (which I can’t wait to finish reading myself!).
Wait until the yeast reproduces (you’ll see it “bloom” or get foamy). This is the best part! This should take 2-5 minutes, and you can watch it happen before your very eyes. Ethan at Starts with a Bang has also been watching for evidence of “babies” on a much different scale and has the secret to why nature decorates her galactic nurseries for girls.
Add one cup of flour. Stir, just like Colbert stirred up the ISS-module-naming community over the last few weeks. Robert of Collect Space weighs in on the NASA/Colbert naming resolution.
Add another cup of flour. Stir, and since he stirred up the community so well, Irene from the Discovery Channel knows just what NASA should do about Colbert.
Add a third cup of flour, knead in – don’t cut like you would a pastry, or like Occam’s razor might if you were Tycho Brahe: Ian of Astroblog wonders what the real role of parallax measurements in Tycho’s rejection of the Copernican system was.
Hubble just keeps finding more cool stuff, in this case presented by Phil, the Bad Astronomer, and just like that, if you need more flour, keep adding and kneading – you want to have dough that forms a ball and stays that shape.
Don’t worry about overkneading, but also don’t add more flour than you need just because the recipe calls for 3-5 cups. Speaking of adding more than one might need (or perhaps not enough), Shubber of the Space Cynics opines about the bailout’s effect on space projects.
If it’s stiff after just 2.5 cups, let it be – you’re done, but Nancy from the Universe Today hopes this isn’t the case for our space station and that we extend the life of ISS.
Oil a second bowl. Use the same oil you used in the bread, and speaking of using something you’ve used before, Bruce examines the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still over at 21st Century Waves.
Place the dough in the bowl, turn once to get it coated in oil – it might even look like the Moon Alexander of Potentia Tenebras Repellendi is writing about in his search for the Moon’s mother.
Darnell of Colony Worlds wonders if space elevators are rising in the right direction. Your bread certainly should be: let it rise until it’s doubled in size, covered and warm (About 45 minutes). I preheat my oven to about ~100F (I know, you can’t do that, I just turn it on for 10 minutes and then turn it off and keep it closed).
Punch down, knead once or twice, and form into the shape you want – perhaps the shape of Ryan’s Moon rocks. He took a short detour from the Martian Chronicles to check out Moon rock processing at Johnson Space Center. I make an oval on my baking sheet, but it works in a loaf pan too.
Let rise again for at least 15 more minutes, but you can let it go for up to 45. At least you don’t have to wait 520 days like the people on the mission to Mars currently happening in Moscow. Bruce from Music of the Spheres reports.
Bake in a greased or completely non-stick pan at 350° F for 45 minutes. Speaking of baking, I really don’t want to be on this mission: Ralph from Discovery Enterprise suggests we send crewed missions to Venus, and Alex found a video about a Mars mission based on Apollo technology.

Okay, so my grammar had to get a little weird there, sorry. It’s kind of hard to make a carnival list fit a recipe.

GPS Satellites

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:18:54 -0700

Now that we’ve got this fun exhibit “GPS Adventures” here at Pacific Science Center I’m getting some questions about the GPS satellites themselves.

How many GPS Satellites are there?

This is a more fascinating question that you might think. Everywhere I look the answer is “more than 24.” I find that confusing. Do you mean 25? 30? Can’t you count them? Well, actually, not so much.

The way the technology is set up means that there need to be at least 24 operational GPS satellites at any given time. So, when one breaks there needs to be another already up there to take its place. I counted 25 on NASA/JPL’s JTrack list today. There have been as many as 30 in the past, and they’ll launch more as those 25 get older and need to be replaced.

Scientists Who Work in Astronomy-Related Fields Needed

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:59:00 -0700

It is currently the International Year of Astronomy and Pacific Science Center is embarking on a project with our high school interns this summer to create posters of current astronomers for display at Pacific Science Center and distribution to science teachers this fall. The detailed project description is below.

We have the interns, the cameras, the plan and now all we need is some astronomers! This is where I need your help.

Vacations to Mars and Pacific Science Center

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 01:00:32 -0700

I’ll bet most of you reading this post are dropping by because you want to visit Mars. (What? You don’t know that Expedia is selling vacation packages to Mars? Well, you really should go book your seat RIGHT NOW before they sell out.)

The funniest thing happened to me earlier this month, I got an e-mail from my friend Corinne Cooley with five extremely detailed questions about Mars. I did my best to help her out, and it turns out she was one of the masterminds behind arranging those vacation packages, and got me that nice link at the bottom of Expedia’s Flights to Mars page.

Carnival of Space #96

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:33:02 -0700

AstroEngine is hosting this week’s Carnival of Space (and my post about Susan Sakimoto is there, alongside Phil’s discussion of the merits of the Kepler mission).

What are you waiting for? Go check it out!

~ A l i c e !

American Moon Illusion

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 15:11:47 -0700

Dear Alice
Recently a friend of mine told me that her friends from India insist that the moon in Seattle is bigger than the moon they see back home. Could this be true?
I’ve often wondered why the moon appears larger near the horizon and why I can’t capture that huge moon in a photograph but it has never occurred to me that the moon might appear larger or smaller from different places on the planet. What’s with that?
Thank you for any insight you might have.

-Terry

Ada Lovelace Day and Carnivals of Space

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:00:30 -0700

Susan Sakimoto

I want to tell you about Susan Sakimoto. No, you haven’t heard of her. No, you won’t be asked to write a report on her (at least, probably not this year). She was the unofficial adviser for my Bachelor’s Honors thesis project in Astronomy-Geology at Whitman College. At the time she was working at NASA Goddard, now she’s a professor at Notre Dame. She studies lava flows … on Mars. And the part that really impresses me: she has kids (whose dad also works full-time at Notre Dame), she runs, and yet somehow her house is still cleaner than mine. Let me reiterate that:

NASA Update

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:32:59 -0700

Question: As you probably know, several of us from Pacific Science Center, went to a NASA Forum at the Museum of Flight on January 25, 2008. NASA officials talked about a very complicated plan for a manned-Mars mission sometime this century, using a permanent Moon base as a starting point. Have you heard anything more about this possible reality?

The Constellation Program

The program you’re asking about is called “Constellation” and the first goal is to put people back on the Moon by 2020. Indeed, the program is up and running and NASA is making progress as each day passes. The Constellation Program has three basic components. Let me look into the status of each.

Earth Hour

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:38:36 -0700

My website is going to go went black for Earth Hour – http://www.earthhour.org/home/

Join me!

New Home! Welcome!

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:19:39 -0700

Hi! Welcome to my new home … but bear with me, I’m still moving in.

P.S. If you’re new, and don’t know who I am or why I’m here, I run the Pacific Science Center’s planetarium in Seattle, WA. Come and visit, we’re the only planetarium in Washington that has regular public shows – and we’ve got shows EVERY DAY!

Planets Cards!

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 13:54:17 -0700

Do you need a Solar System? I’ve got one for you.

Bear with me, deep linking to the following website doesn’t work, so follow these quick instructions to acquire your own Solar System:

Go to Pacific Science Center’s website: http://www.pacificsciencecenter.org/
Click on “Store” in the middle of the right-hand column.
Click on “Gifts” in the left column.
Click on “Educational” in the middle pane.
You’re there! See “Solar System Cards” in that list? I made those. There are 44 awesome objects in our Solar System – plus several blanks and a list of suggested activities.

Funny Story:

So a few years ago, shortly after receiving my teaching certificate, Pluto was “demoted.” (In fact, my very first AstroInfo was about the new definition of planet!) Although people have many, many feelings about this, and there’s an ongoing argument, I’m going to ignore that part of the story for the time being.

NASA Mission Madness

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 01:11:50 -0700

You know how in sports they have playoffs with brackets where you predict which teams are going to win, and then of the teams that are left you make more predictions and so on until you have your prediction for the winner of everything?

I just spent half an hour on NASA’s “Mission Madness” predicting which Mission will “win” their “playoffs.” It was hilarious, and they made some of the decisions pretty hard.

Comet Lulin

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:23:01 -0800

Short for now – more to be added later.

I saw Comet Lulin last night – FROM SEATTLE – through a break in the clouds. I observed for about 30-45 minutes, and did some hand-observations:

Comet Lulin Observations - Click to see animation!

Here are some links if you want to learn more or see it yourself:

Video of it moving across the sky:
http://www.astrophotoinsight.com/node/1625

March is Imminent!

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:53:39 -0800

The 2009 March Starmap!

March is more-or-less here, and before I get to the upcoming constellations, I wanted to bring a few awesome stargazing opportunities to your attention!

This year is the International Year of Astronomy – and the 400th Anniversary of Galileo’s observations of Jupiter. Celebrate by doing some stargazing of your own. Here are just a few upcoming easy worldwide stargazing projects you can participate in!

March 16-28, 2009 – GLOBE at Night

Go outside any one of the above dates and take a look at Orion – no telescope or binoculars needed. GLOBE at Night wants to know how many stars you can see with just your eyes. But wait! They make it easy – you don’t have to count the stars – just compare what you see to diagrams, and pick the one that matches and submit your observations online. This data will be compiled into maps which will help astronomers track light pollution and how stargazing quality in various parts of the world.
Go to their webpage, download an observation packet, and take your family out to your backyard for some real science!
You’ll need to know your latitude and longitude:
Seattle is at: 47o37’N, 122o20’W

Carnival of Space #91 and a Side Note

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 12:53:46 -0800

Don’t miss this week’s Carnival of Space – hosted again by Brian at Next Big Future!

There are mentions of the recent Texas Fireball (did it really actually hit?!), a discussion of the possibility of liquid water on the legs of the Phoenix Lander, and Astroblog is rereading Galileo’s “bestseller” Starry Messenger and blogging about it as he goes through. So, get a taste for Galileo’s observations in his own words.

365 Days of Astronomy

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 23:42:45 -0800

365 Days of Astronomy

Carnival of Love! …. I mean, Space!

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 11:43:52 -0800

Gentle Reader,

We’re featured in the latest Carnival of Space (#90?) over at 21st Century Waves!

Also, I’m slow, so check out CoS #89 (The Moon Society Blog), CoS #88 (The Spacewriter’s Ramblings), and CoS #87 (The Martian Chronicles!).

Please stop by if you want a dose of Space news – there’s plenty out there – and you might find a new blog to add to your RSS reader!

~Alice!

Bright Stars Tonight

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 16:02:18 -0800

So you took a walk last night and you saw two beautiful bright stars. It was the planet Venus and the bright star Sirius, but look out – don’t miss cute little Saturn coming up in the East!

Venus:

So, look up, high in the West after sunset. You’ll see this object that is SO BRIGHT you won’t be able to believe it’s something celestial, but I promise you, it is.

Let it Be Known …

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 02:14:50 -0800

Let it be known that Kevin R. Grazier is a complete geek. He was the first to solve my Twittered/Facebooked riddle:

68 74 74 70 3a 2f 2f 74 69 6e 79 75 72 6c 2e 63 6f 6d 2f 66 65 62 36 62 64 61 79

He won a recipe of my choosing out of my collected recipes. Because.

(What? You wanted one too? Friend me and be on the lookout for geektastic insanity! Sometimes anyway. Especially while I’m grading. And they won’t be as bad as that one, I just happened to be inspired.)

Links from Class

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 13:24:41 -0800

I posted the PowerPoints from the first half of my ASTR 100 class on archive.org.

Try this link, but don’t shoot me if it doesn’t work yet: Astro 100 PowerPoints 1

Here is an incomplete list of the links I’ve used in class – either for images, or for movies. I will go through and make them all more specific, and make sure each is correctly referenced within the PowerPoint, but I wanted to give you something to work with for now.

Heat: We’re Doing it Wrong!

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:43:52 -0800

Oops. We’ve been teaching meteors wrong. I’ll bet it’s my fault.

The Short:

Meteors do not heat up due to friction with the atmosphere, unlike what our classic hand-rubbing demonstration leads you to believe. They heat up due to compression of the atmosphere. Mostly.

The Story:

So imagine a boat speeding across Lake Washington. See that bow shock, the beginning of the wake, which forms in front of your imaginary boat? That’s kinda what’s happening. Of course, water doesn’t compress (being a liquid), so you get up-and-down waves in water instead of compressed density waves, but gas like an atmosphere is VERY good at compressing, so for our meteor we’ll get nice compression. The speeding meteor-particle (yes, the tiny sand-sized piece of rock) compresses the air in front of it, like the boat’s bow shock.

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:20:05 -0800

Lookie!

Wow. BBC – huh. Their date for that clip is November 08. Well, that video of me is from … either _early_ 2008 or back in 2007 … or was it before that? I don’t remember – it wasn’t the November 08 or the ephemeral “recent” one – I didn’t report on either of those, but my clip got picked up for the one in November.

Especially since I was in FLORIDA enjoying the SUN when this happened…

Short. Life on Mars?

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 19:11:07 -0800

Scientists detected methane in Mars’s atmosphere. In fact, they’ve been detecting it for years. Methane should dissipate from the atmosphere in that time, but it didn’t. This means something on Mars is creating more methane. There are two giant ways to make methane:

1) Life (you know, even at the cellular level)
2) Geology (chemical reaction)

Either one of these is cool. We know there is a little geologically happening on Mars, but it seems fairly dead. Finding methane means that there are chemical processes going on.

Dark Energy

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:15:52 -0800

Our universe is not only expanding – but that expansion is accelerating. It’s expanding faster and faster and faster. When you’re driving your car you don’t speed up for no reason – either you step on the gas, you’re rolling down a hill, you get slammed from behind, or your engine suddenly and unexpectedly starts feeding gas to the engine (I hope not!). The universe’s expansion can’t speed up for no reason either. That energy MUST come from somewhere – but we don’t know where, so we’re calling this extra energy “Dark Energy.”

Carnival of Space #85 and #86

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:49:33 -0800

#86 is at collectSPACE – and features your favorite Alice’s Astro Info as hit number 2!

#85 is at Cheap Astronomy – and I’m not in it, but other awesome people are!

Blog Awards

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:37:39 -0800

Hey … do you like Alice’s Astro Info?

Maybe you’d like to nominate me for Best New Weblog of 2008?

And yes, I have older archives than that, but I started this blog at ASP in June of 2008 – the archives are just old stuff I used to write and print out for staff at Pacific Science Center. I transferred them here for your perusal.

January-February Sky

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:44:25 -0800

This guide is written to give hints to people who already know approximately what they’re looking at. For a good beginner’s guide to the sky, try StarDate, Sky and Telescope’s Stargazing Basics, or Sky and Telescope’s links to lots of beginning topics. (Or, if you know a better beginning stargazing site, put a link to it in a comment below!

This Month’s Starmap

Notable Sky Objects

VENUS

It may not be on my map, because the map is for later in the evening, but Venus is spectacular low in the southwest just after sunset. If you’ve got clear enough skies, poke your head out and learn why Venus has earned the moniker “the evening star.” (In a couple months you’ll be able to poke your head out early in the morning and learn why Venus ALSO earned the moniker “the morning star.”)

Calendrical Conundrums

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 11:10:46 -0800

Guest Writer: Jeremy Higgins, Planetarium and Stage Science Teacher Extraordinaire

Please enjoy this week’s AstroInfo, courtesy of Jeremy Higgins. He wrote our planetarium program on calendars (Ancient Skies, Ancient Eyes) that ran in conjunction with the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit a couple years ago. Recently, probably inspired by the lack of Sun in Seattle, he’s been looking into calendars and tracking time a bit more, and found some interesting things. It’s a great article – and the short of it is: it’s pretty hard to make a well balanced calendar based on the Sun or the Moon, especially if you care about keeping dates and holidays in the same part of the year. Here it is, enjoy!

The Star of Bethlehem

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 01:00:03 -0800

An important holiday is coming up for many people of the world – Christmas. One of the many symbols of Christmas is the Star of Bethlehem; the star that was said to shine in the East guiding the shepherds, kings, and wise men to the bedside of the newborn Jesus Christ.

“What was that star?” is a question that has fascinated astronomers and non-astronomers for centuries. Setting aside all other questions, there are several possible astronomical events that happened between 20 B.C.E (Before Common Era) and 10 C.E. (Common Era) that could have been described as a “new star” by people of that time period.

Carnival of Space #84

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 19:57:15 -0800

It’s time for the weekly carnival, hosted this week by Next Big Future!

We’re there, and thanks for your thoughtful comments on Aliens? Yes. UFOs? No.!!

Road Quality, West Seattle

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:33:29 -0800

Most of you don’t care, but for those of you who do, here’s a link to a map I’m making about the road quality during these icy conditions in West Seattle.

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=108064874253563525768.00045e6c7d8fab6caca49&ll=47.54943,-122.371023&spn=0.082187,0.07463&output=embed&s=AARTsJpF2poBEhBmylQEVgmlHKCO1BPqog&w=425&h=350]

It is based on comments posted in the threads on West Seattle Blog (the best place for super-current West Seattle News and Information)

Aliens? Yes. UFOs? No.

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:15:21 -0800

On the topic of aliens and UFOs, I agree with the giants of astronomy education (Carl Sagan, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and Phil Plait to name a few). Somewhere out there is life. It may or may not be intelligent, but it probably exists. Have “they” visited us? The possibility is vanishingly small. In short: Space is huge, it would be amazing if the right combination of our 120+ known elements only came together to form life here on Earth and nowhere else.

Carnival of Space #80, #81, #82, and #83

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 01:25:14 -0800

While I was off gadding about writing grants and training staff … No fewer than FOUR Carnivals went up. Here they are:

Carnival of Space #80 – The Thanksgiving Edition at Starts with a Bang

Carnival of Space #81 – hosted by Tiny Mantras

Carnival of Space #82 – in VIDEO format at Space Disco

and lastly, this week’s (in which I feature at the end, beside Nicole of One Astronomer’s Noise)

Carnival of Space #83 – The Antipodean Edition from Astroblog (in Australia!)

Rainbows and Stars

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:05:45 -0800

Eee-gads. It’s been a long time since I actually wrote for you – I jumped on the NSF-grant-submitting bandwagon, and the deadline is fast approaching. That took priority over AstroInfo for a while, much to my regret. I have a list of topics to address as long as my arm, so let’s start working through them, and hope that I haven’t lost all my readership!

Rainbows

As a birthday present to my brother, let’s talk about how birthday candles are related to rainbows, stars, and astronomers. Get out some rainbow glasses. What? You don’t have any? Well, the stores generally sell a bunch right now for looking at Holiday lights – so pick up a cheap pair at your local … well, it’s unpredictable who will carry them.

The Real Deal: Space Pens

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:12:21 -0800

You need to read this

Astronaut pens DIDN’T cost NASA $1million dollars, while Russia decided to use the pencil. Read it all here: Starts With a Bang

Carl Sagan’s Cosmos

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 00:01:56 -0800

I have been sick for several days, hence the lack of posts. Mostly I’ve been watching Heroes, Season 1, but my brain is awake enough now for something more: Carl Sagan’s Cosmos.

I saw this when I was very young, and I haven’t watched it since. Very young. I was born the year that it was originally released.

We just ran into this clip – human evolution, in orange-outlined animated goodness. Please enjoy it with me (and then come and see Lucy’s Legacy at Pacific Science Center).

Tyson’s Speech

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:12:55 -0800

This is not mine. It is Neil deGrasse Tyson’s but I can’t find a permanent link to it on the web, and it’s great.

The Search for Life in the Universe
An overview of the scientific and cultural implications of finding life in the cosmos

Neil deGrasse Tyson
Department of Astrophysics & Hayden Planetarium
American Museum of Natural History

11 July 2001

For the House Committee on Science, Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics.
To be summarized at 10:00AM, 12 July 2001

What Do You Want for Christmas?

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:45:32 -0800

Hey Astronomers!

If you could have anything, as an astronomer, given to you as a gift this holiday season, what would you want? Time on Hubble? A gift certificate for one of your papers to be automagically accepted to Astronomy and Astrophysics? A graduate student to do your data entry? Stuff from thinkgeek?

We’re trying to put together a tongue-in-cheek gift-buying guide for astronomers… and I could use some brainstorming.

Comment or email me at [thenameofthisblognospacesnoapostrophe] [at] [gmail]. Thanks for your input!

Carnival of Space #79

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:21:10 -0800

One Astronomer’s Noise is hosting this week’s carnival – and she’s nice enough to include me in the run-down of people who talked about the new exoplanets last week!

Thanks Nicole!

Exoplanets Photographed!

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:27:30 -0800

Quickie:

They got a photo of a planet around another star, and they’ve confirmed that it is actually a planet. (Actually, there are two discoveries, one planet around Fomalhaut, and three planets around, get this, HR8799.)

Planet around Fomalhaut b Credit: Hubble Team

An Actual Photo!

Eee gad! We finally did it. Although the current count of detected exoplanets is up to about 322, we don’t have photographs of any of those. Sadly. Over the years, there’ve been a number of false alerts, but none panned out. Most notable in my memory was May of 1998, about a month after I was hired here – they thought they found a protoplanet ejected from around a star in Taurus. Eventually they decided it was just a star in the background.

And the Winner Is ….

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:52:17 -0800

My Dad!

Yay! She’s so cute!

And if you look closely – those planets are pretty darn cool!

Deadline is approaching …

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 12:23:46 -0800

The deadline is approaching for my icon competition! In fact … it’s tomorrow!

Carnival of Space #77 … or is #78?

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 12:22:03 -0800

This week’s Carnival of Space is hosted by Tomorrow is Here – and Alice’s Astro Info is featured, so don’t miss it!

November-December Sky

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:17:30 -0800

A guide for what’s coming up this month. I tried to include a fact and a lesser-known story for each object. I didn’t completely succeed. This guide is written to give hints to people who already know approximately what they’re looking at. For a good beginner’s guide to the sky, try StarDate, Sky and Telescope’s Stargazing Basics, or Sky and Telescope’s links to lots of beginning topics. (Or, if you know a better beginning stargazing site, put a link to it in a comment below!

Gender Analyzer

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:47:02 -0800

Haha!! Gender Analyzer (http://www.genderanalyzer.com) thinks Alice’s Astro Info is written by a man:

Results

We think http://alicesastroinfo.wordpress.com is written by a man.

Phoenix Epitaph Contest!

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 23:34:23 -0800

Wired is having a contest to write the best epitaph for Phoenix!

Quick! You only have until 9am PST on Monday!

Carnival of Space #77

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:33:31 -0700

Check it out:
Tomorrow is Here

Density Waves: What’s Up with Galactic Spiral Arms?

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:14:19 -0700

What’s up with the spiral arms of our galaxy?

The short answer:

This is awesomely weird. Imagine a bike wheel – each spoke is an “arm.” When the wheel rotates, the arms rotate, right? This is NOTHING like our galaxy. Imagine a beanie hat with a propeller on top. Hold the propeller still, and spin the hat underneath. That’s a little more like it. The hat is the stars, dust, gas, and everything our galaxy is made of. It spins around, passing THROUGH the arms (the propeller) of our galaxy. The arms aren’t made of anything. Whoa, what?

Carnival of Space #76(?)

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 17:37:57 -0700

Is hosted over at As(si)tronomi! (in Egypt!) Oops, actually, I think Assi herself is in Egypt temporarily, but if I’m reading the signs (.se) correctly, she and her blog are based in Sweden. That would explain the umlauts in her other blog entries.

Icon Competition!

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:59:37 -0700

Hey y’all!

See that 8-bit blond girl behind the “AstroInfo” desk that adorns much of my AstroInfo correspondence? Well, she’s cute, but she’s a little generic, and she doesn’t fit in some places (like my banner). I generated her with one of those avatar makers. She’s got glasses, she’s blond-ish, she clearly likes stars, and she’s clearly the author of AstroInfo – but … she lacks something.

Alice

So, it’s time for a competition! I need a new AstroInfo logo/avatar. I know at least six of you out there are great artists and logo-designers, and I’m sure there’s more I don’t know so well.

Astronomy 100 Texts, Anyone?

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 21:47:30 -0700

So, I’m going to be teaching Astronomy 100 in the winter. I am dissatisfied with the text used. Please help me choose a better one.

I’m very open – it doesn’t really have to be a textbook, but it has to be good and thorough. If you don’t see one you like here, put in another.

[polldaddy poll=1020608]

You can also vote in the sidebar – I think the answers are tallied together.

Snow Falling on … Mars

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 21:09:15 -0700

The Main Idea:

The Phoenix Mars Lander’s weather instrument (a LIDAR – like radar, only with a laser) detected snow falling from clouds above the Phoenix Lander on 9/29/2008. The snow sublimed before it hit the ground, but we’re in Seattle, we’re used to celebrating snow that doesn’t hit the ground.

More?

I know, I’m sorry, I’m really late posting this. But this is a “Mars has Water!!” discovery that I actually think merits some kerfuffle (of the last eight I think there have been about two of discoveries that do).

Planets and Moons (from the BA)

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 12:43:37 -0700

“Wow, what a day. Great day to get out in the park and meet some new planets in this JANUS YOU STOP THAT RIGHT NOW beautiful solar system. Really, you work all week, on a Saturday you just need to enjoy the TETHYS GET OFF OF PANDORA GET OFF GET OFF TETHYS NO JANUS DON’T YOU GET INVOLVED TETHYS GET OFF GET GET little bit of relaxation. Maybe I’ll get to see that little blue-green number out by COME ON PALLANE COME ON STOP SNIFFING COME ON I HAVE PLACES TO BE Mars. Hope I don’t run into Uranus, though. He’s a nice enough guy but all those toilet jokes, jeez. Wow, I thought it was going to be cold, but the sun is IAPETUS GET OFF THAT COMET I’m so sorry, ma’am IAPETUS NO WAIT TETHYS YOU LEAVE PANDORA ALONE NO JANUS I SAID GET DOWN DIONE TELESTO NO IAPETUS Oh, no, is that Terra, KIVIUQ DO NOT GO OVER THERE NO KIVIUQ IAPETUS DON’T ENCOURAGE JANUS ALL OF YOU STOP THIS RIGHT NOW BEBHIONN SKOLL HYRROKKIN THAT’S IT ALL OF YOU ARE GOING TO THE POUND YOU HEAR ME THE POUN-

Carnival of Space #75

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 11:57:45 -0700

Check out this week’s carnival, election-style, at Lounge of the Lab Lemming!

The Next Carnival of Space (#73)

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:35:42 -0700

If you enjoyed last week’s Carnival of Space – check out this week’s over at Kentucky Space!

NEW Images from Mercury!!

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:41:40 -0700

The Key Stuff:

Woo hoo! New images of Mercury!
The way I’d introduce this and interpret it in the planetarium is just to ask questions about it, and collect visitor hypotheses. That’s all the scientists have right now: questions. They also have some hypotheses about bits of it, but they haven’t had time to think of ideas for everything, and even less to test or analyze those ideas.

Mercury Credit: MESSENGER

ISS Baby

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:29:51 -0700

You know how I warned you that if I wasn’t careful I was going to turn into the science music video blog? Well … I warned you. Here’s another (thanks Martian Chronicles).

Who says scientists aren’t cool?

Moon Mission – The Music Video

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:28:18 -0700

If you’re not following Martian Chronicles, you should be. He just linked over to some hilarious NASA music videos.

Lucy is SO AWESOME

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:00:36 -0700

Seattlites, and anyone who is visiting before March, I just have to say I am so proud of my institution.

We’re hosting Lucy (yes, the Lucy, the 3.2 million-year-old hominid fossil), exhibit to open on Saturday. Not only does the exhibit rock, effectively showing the region in which Lucy was found (Ethiopia), helping you discover for yourself why Lucy is such an important find, and majestically introducing you to Lucy herself … but our marketing department took a big step: the new tagline for Lucy’s Legacy:

Carnival of Space: October 2, 2008

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:00:09 -0700

In celebration of NASA’s 50th Anniversary, this week’s Carnival of Space is in the form of an acrostic.

H – Hills and what they have to do with moons are discussed by the Bad Astronomer over at Bad Astronomy

A – All’s quiet on the solar front, should we be worried? Alan Dyer of What’s Up Astronomy says “Nope.”

P – Posted by Space Video of the Day: the Falcon of SpaceX achieves orbit!

P – Poor Galileo – his saga is like a Mexican Soap Opera, or so claims Dr. Bruce Cordell of 21st Century Waves.

What Telescope Should I Buy?

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:49:53 -0700

I get asked this question regularly. I wish I could just say “learn enough about telescopes and the night sky so you can answer that question yourself,” but that advice is ignored because it is unsatisfactory. If you press me for an answer, this is what you’ll get.

Half of this is from guest blogger Keith Enevoldsen (my dad!) who didn’t know he was writing for this blog when he wrote these words, but it is sound advice and well worded.

Two Ways to Support AstroInfo

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:39:53 -0700

I assume since you’re reading this, you like what I’ve been writing. Great. Here are two ways to support Alice’s AstroInfo.

This one directly supports AstroInfo, because it supports my organization and my organization pays me to write the articles that I also post here:

Support Pacific Science Center

This one supports that which AstroInfo stands for (cool astronomy education for anyone who wants it):

International Year of Astronomy: US Branch

No Podcasts

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:44:05 -0700

In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m suspending podcasting for a while. If I hear an outcry I may bring it back, but until then you’ll have to call the planetarium hotline for your audio fix: 206-443-2920.

Note: this is NOT the same audio as AstroInfo, and it’s updated less often, but it’s something!

A List of Dwarf Planets

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:05:43 -0700

Updated September 18, 2008

Haumea:

Diameter: 1,320-1,550 km
Orbit Radius: 35.161-51.525 AU
Moons: Hi’iaka and Namaka
Composition: almost all rock
Discovered: 2003 Mike Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David Rabinowitz or Francisco José Aceituno Castro, Pablo Santos-Sanz, and Jose-Luis Ortiz
Resource: http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00001649/, http://web.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/2003EL61/
Other Classifications: Plutoids, Trans-Neptunian Object, Kuiper Belt Object

Make-make:

Diameter: 1,600 km
Orbit Radius: 38.666-52.809 AU
Moons: ?
Composition: ?
Discovered: 2005 Mike Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David Rabinowitz
Resource: http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00001553,
http://www.mikebrownsplanets.com/2008/06/whats-in-name.html
Other Classifications: Plutoids, Trans-Neptunian Object, Kuiper Belt Object

Seattleites: Come to Science with a Twist!

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:00:52 -0700

I thought you all might be specifically interested in this month’s Science with a Twist (science for a 21 and over audience) here at Pacific Science Center. The topic of the fun, interactive evening is “Are We Alone?”

Science with a Twist presents “Are We Alone?”
Thursday, September 18
6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Alien encounters – fact or fiction? Sip on eerie cocktails while exploring other galaxies in our planetarium, listen to accounts of extraterrestrial sightings and then decide for yourself if you are a believer! The evening begins with a paranormal happy hour featuring a presentation by Joe Hutchings, member of the Society for Sensible Explanations, entitled “Why Skeptics Can’t Win,” followed by “UFOs of the Northwest” presented by Charlette LeFevre and Philip Lipson, curators of Seattle’s Museum of the Mysteries. Decide if we are truly alone and then end the evening with a private space-themed Laser Show in the Seattle Laser Dome.

Why I Believe (In Dark Matter)

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:30:45 -0700

The Short Answer: (If you don’t read anything else, read this)

Using the force of gravity, astrophysicists predict the existence of a “dark matter” particle. It would make their math work out correctly. Particle physicists predict the existence of a particle with the EXACT same characteristics as the “dark matter particle,” but their predictions are based on the strong and weak forces – which are completely independent from gravity.

The Story and Explanation:

Up until June 2008 I didn’t believe that dark matter was really the best explanation for the inaccuracies that lead to the theory of dark matter. So at the American Astronomical Society conference I went seeking someone who could convince me that dark matter really was the best theory. I found someone.

DNA Rap

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:28:16 -0700

What did I tell you?

Video’s not as great on this one.

PCR R&B

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:25:30 -0700

If I’m not careful I’m going to become the repository for YouTube Science Song Sensations …

PCR:

I had to share …

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:00:42 -0700

Google ROCKS

Astrobiology Rap

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 23:14:16 -0700

Just click it.

Rockets Bursting in Air

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:44:41 -0700

Why do I keep hearing news about rockets exploding, crashing, and generally not doing what is hoped for? I’m glad I’m not a rocket scientist right now.

Here’s the rundown of what I’ve seen:

August, 22, 2008

NASA tried to launch a couple hypersonic suborbital experiments. It didn’t go so well.

August 19, 2008

NASA tried out their new parachutes for the Orion crew vehicle (the one that will be going to the Moon soon). Um. Watch eighteen-million parachutes not deploy in this hilarious video. From what I can tell from the press release, the first parachute failed, and everything depended on that. The following parachutes failed because the lander wasn’t at the correct speed or in the correct position.

Mars Hoax, Again Again and Again

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:49:46 -0700

Edited to add: The 2009 Edition of this post is up!

Phil reminded me, the Mars Hoax is coming around again.

Previously published here.

For those of you who are connected to the astronomy education world, it’s that time of year: the “Mars will be as big as the Moon” e-mail is going around again. The short answer is “Nope.”

The Beginning:
Mars and Earth regularly pass “close” to each other, but not that close. Astronomers get excited because we’re at “closest approach” or “opposition,” so our ground-based telescopes have a better view of Mars. Will you see a difference without a telescope? Not really, Mars may be a little brighter or a little redder, but it will still look, to your eyes, just like a star.

Do You Write About Astronomy?

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 04:16:55 -0700

If you write about astronomy (or something similar) contact Pamela Gay, she’s doing some hard work for the International Year of Astronomy.

From Pamela:

Here is my need: If you are a content provider, can you please email me at pamela@starstryder.com with the following informing:
Site Name, Site URL, RSS URL, Byline, Tagline, if your site is clean/explicit/somewhere inbetween, and information on what type of feed it is (Blog, images, twitter, video, etc). For office purposes only (where the office is the IAU IYA Secretariat), we also need to know who the correct contact person is, and what their email address is.

Planetary Alignment

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 20:35:24 -0700

Question:

“I’m interested in the stars and planets. One thing I always wondered about is if the planets in the solar system ever totally align with each other, so I mean not just a few planets but ALL of them. If this happens, how often does it occur? And is there a name for it? Thank you.”

Note:

This question comes up every once in a while. Partially it’s due to random doomsayers, and partially it’s due to Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, in which there is a planetary alignment causing widespread … actually, I don’t know what it causes, I haven’t seen the movie.

Mars Has Water – Yes, Again

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 06:01:04 -0700

Yup. Phoenix found water. For sure. Yup.

A complete table of the multiplicitous discoveries of water on Mars: my post from 2006.

The cool thing about this discovery, as compared to all the rest? We’ve actually picked up and touched this water. We are absolutely certain that it’s water. Very awesome, but not new news.

ALICE looks at collisions of lead ions

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:11:47 -0700

I’m long overdue for a post on my new agreement with (or is that understanding of?) the theory of dark matter. I promise I’ll work on it, but till then, here’s a hilarious music video of a new rap song about Cern’s new LHC (Large Hadron Collider)

The beginning is great, then you may start to feel like it’s dragging, but if you last through the first 3 minutes or so, you’ll get an pretty cool explanation of this “Higgs” that everyone is talking about.

The Pluto Debate Rolls On

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 21:29:42 -0700

I just read an interesting article from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (an international astronomy education organization), it’s a take on the whole Pluto debate – from the point of view of someone defending Ceres, rather than someone defending Pluto. My opinion remains strong: I think that the IAU reclassification of Pluto is great, engenders wonderful classroom debates, and doesn’t demean Pluto in any way. It’s just an opinion though.

Thanks Mike Brown!

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:32:40 -0700

Yii! My blog stats just skyrocketed (for me anyway) – and most of the incoming clicks are from Mike Brown’s blog (Mike Brown of multiplicitous dwarf planet discovery fame).

Wow. The net is so interconnected. (That being the point)

Thanks all. Maybe someday you’ll start commenting. Or maybe not. See you!

A New (Dwarf) Planet!

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:17:23 -0700

Makemake. A new name to add to your list.

Makemake (pronounced “maki-maki” “MAH-kay MAH-kay”) is the newest dwarf planet. It was discovered in 2005, but just gained its new official status (and name) in mid-July.

Artist’s conception of the largest known Kuiper Belt Objects and their moons.
Credit: A. Feild (Space Telescope Science Institute) edited by Alice

“Makemake is the creator of humanity and god of fertility in the mythology of the South Pacific island of Rapa Nui, known to most speakers of English as Easter Island” says Emily Lakdawalla. Oddly enough, in the interim between discovery and official naming, Mike Brown and his cohort have been calling this solar system object “Easterbunny.”

Retrograde Motion

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:44:28 -0700

So. You’ve heard of retrograde motion, and you’ve seen it in a planetarium or a video, and heard from your favorite astrologer that it means that now is not the time to start a new relationship, especially since the Moon is in Venus’s house (huh?). But now you want to explain it scientifically to someone, and you’re kinda stumped as to how to begin. What is retrograde motion really? Something about planets going backwards? Remember this: Retrograde happens when an inner planet laps an outer planet.

July-August Sky

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:33:28 -0700

Podcast for July-August Sky

Stargazing Opportunities

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:33:37 -0700

Podcast for Summer Stargazing in Seattle

Summer Stargazing in Seattle

Looking for stars in Seattle? The further you can get from streetlights, the better. Darkness is what you need for the best stargazing.* If you’d like to join other astronomy enthusiasts, try one of these local events!

Star Parties:

The Seattle Astronomical Society hosts stargazing parties in two locations in Seattle. http://www.seattleastro.org

Green Lake Star Party: Green Lake star parties are on the north shore at a grassy area west of the Bathhouse Theater, near the fishing piers on the lake.
July 12th and August 9th at 7pm

AstroInfo – Now Served in Audacious Audio!

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 04:57:23 -0700

As is only appropriate for astronomy – the science of many wavelengths – you can now download podcasts of select AstroInfos.

I’ll try to work backward and fill in the gaps, and I hope to keep recording the new ones for those of you who prefer a voice. Till then, you get what you’ve got. Links to each podcast are embedded in the individual posts, but here’s one to start you off:

The Ugly Ducklings: Composition of Uranus and Neptune

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:19:04 -0700

Podcast of The Ugly Ducklings: The Composition of Uranus and Neptune

Uranus and Neptune are not what I thought: they’re mostly made of fluid ices, not gasses.

A Brief Story

So, last week I was sitting in an invited talk by Dr. David Charbonneau at the American Astronomical Society’s summer conference. David is looking for exoplanets, and has found many. He’s the kind of person who should really know what he’s talking about when it comes to planets. When he uttered a sentence that went something like this: “Uranus isn’t really a gas giant, it’s an ice giant,” my ears perked up and I started thinking.

Ice on Mars! Umm… duh…

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:14:55 -0700

So, Phoenix found some ice on Mars. Yay! Here’s JPL’s picture:

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech//University of Arizona/Max Planck Institute

So, this is great, but I’m not gasping with shock, or even amazed. This was expected. Also, this is not the first time we’ve found water or ice on Mars. Let me recap an old AstroInfo for you that explains exactly how many times we’ve “discovered” water on Mars.

At ASP

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:38:58 -0700

Well, I’m at ASP (the Astronomical Society of the Pacific joint meeting with the American Astronomical Society) in St. Louis, and I finally decided that AstroInfo deserved a blog, instead of just a posting on the staff bulletin board. So here we go. And Phil Plait himself convinced me to join Facebook. So I’m there too.

I posted an AstroInfo from earlier this month to get you started. It hasn’t hit the web yet, but all you AstroInfo readers have seen it already.

Updating …

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:02:14 -0700

I’m in the process of transferring old AstroInfos to this new home. For a while they’ll be badly-formatted, badly-coded, and will completely lack pictures. Forgive me. I am not perfect, and can’t do everything at once, so I’m changing them over a bit at a time: text first, then formatting, then pictures.

Bear with me.

We Caught One! SWIFT Sees a Supernova!

Wed, 21 May 2008 14:14:51 -0700

Podcast of We Caught One! SWIFT Sees a Supernova

Caught in the Act …

Alicia Soderberg and her colleagues (I’ve since read that she was on a plane, and her friend actually noticed this) got very lucky. She had NASA’s Swift X-Ray Telescope pointed at a galaxy (NGC 2770 in the Northern constellation Lynx) when a supernova exploded right where she was looking.

Credit: NASA
Caption: SWIFT X-ray image (left) of Supernova 2008D, Visible image (right) of NGC 2770

A Series of Questions (II)

Mon, 19 May 2008 22:00:45 -0700

For this week’s AstroInfo I’m going to answer a set of questions posed by youth who are currently training to offer space-related interactive activities out among the Pacific Science Center’s exhibits. In several places I express my personal opinion – which you should note is NOT the same as fact.

When can the general population go into space without paying a lot of $?
Who knows, maybe 10 years? Maybe two years, maybe 50? There is a competition called the “X Prize” that’s trying to jumpstart space travel (and other sciences). Until a couple years ago, no new spaceships for carrying people had been invented since the Shuttle. The Ansari X-Prize (http://www.xprize.org/x-prizes/ansari-x-prize) offered $10 million dollars to anyone who could “launch a spacecraft capable of carrying three people to 100 kilometers above the earth’s surface, twice within two weeks.” Burt Rutan and company completed the task on October 4, 2004 – after spending more than $100 million creating SpaceShipOne (go to the Museum of Flight to see a mock-up of it). This should push the space-travel industry along a little faster.

Phoenix Landing

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:14:54 -0700

What’s the Deal with Phoenix?
Phoenix is going to Mars’s North Pole. Although it does NOT have rover, it has a 7.7 foot long arm.

Credit: JPL/NASA/University of Arizona
Caption: Phoenix Lander

What is Phoenix Doing?
Basically? Looking for place life could have been, or could be in the future. (N.B. This is not the same as looking for life).

WATER: Objective 1: Study the History of Water in All its Phases
We know there’s a little water vapor in Mars’s atmosphere, and a bit of water ice mixed in with the carbon dioxide ice at the poles. There are also a few pieces of evidence that there is liquid water in various places. Phoenix will be studying Mars’s water, because Mars is important for three basic reasons.
It shapes land and geology.
Life, as we know it, needs liquid water.
People need water – and can make air (O2) out of water. If we know of or find water there it will simplify human exploration of Mars.

Asteroid 2007 TU24 NOT Going to Hit the Earth

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 14:14:45 -0800

You may have seen the YouTube video. You may be reading a doomsayer’s blog. Maybe you watched Armageddon a little too recently. However you heard it, it’s not going to happen.

There’s an interesting claim being circulated that an asteroid will hit the Earth tonight. Not only is it not true, the asteroid is going to be so far away (half again as far as the Moon) you won’t even be able to see it (it will be magnitude 10.4)! And, if you’re reading this, Near-Earth Asteroid 2007 TU24 (the suspect rock) will have already passed us by, a near disaster averted by orbital mechanics once again.

Diffraction Spikes, or Why Stars Have Points

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 14:14:52 -0800

Stars with Points
Tis the season to draw stars – many different kinds of stars. The classic star drawn by elementary-schoolers is a 5-pointed star created in a single stroke, leaving a pentagon in the center. Other hand-drawn classics include: a “Star of David”-style star: two overlapping triangles; a simple starburst of three or more overlapping lines; and a “Christmas” star: four overlapping lines with a longer tail.

Caption: Hand-Drawn Stars

Comet Holmes (a.k.a. 17P)

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 14:14:38 -0800

Don’t miss Comet Holmes – visible tonight, and possibly all of November. It’s starting to dim down though, so go outside and check it out as soon as a clear night comes along.

This is a photo my husband and I took last night (November 5, 2007) through our little 4-5 inch Celestron NexStar telescope. It’s not very bright, but you can see the off-center bright spot in the middle.

Sputnik’s 50th

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 14:14:19 -0700

There is a strong argument that Sputnik is the reason the Pacific Science Center exists today.

Sputnik, the little, silver, antennaed ball with its classic “peep peep” radio signal, was launched on October 4, 1957. It marked the end of the first round of the Space Race, and lit a fire in the imaginations of people around the world, especially those in the United States. The unthinkable had happened: first, there was a man-made object circling around the Earth, and second, the Soviet Union had accomplished it first.

What’s Up with the Shuttle?

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 14:14:14 -0700

The space shuttle has become such a normal part of space life that now we only hear about it on the network news when something terrible, like the Columbia disaster, happens or when some new “first” takes place on board. So, let’s take a look at what’s … up … with the STS (Space Transportation System) missions.

Most Recent Mission: STS-118
STS-118 was the most recent mission, which returned on August 21, 2007 – and on board was Educator Astronaut Barbara Morgan (the successor to Christa McAuliffe). They also worked on construction of the right truss of ISS. This was also the first mission where the ground crew inspected the tiles using super-spiffy hand-held electronic scanners. In all previous missions they would just look at the tiles, and physically measure the size of visible cracks.
STS-118 was on the shuttle Endeavor, one of the 3 shuttles still flying.

Aurigid Meteor Shower

Sun, 26 Aug 2007 14:14:38 -0700

Watch the Aurigids at 4:30am on the night between August 31-September 1, 2007 for an “outburst” of meteors lasting about two hours. (It’s called an “outburst” instead of a “shower” because it’s so short and bright).

Why should I get up at 4:30am**?**

Although we’re only talking about several dozen meteors, these should be some of the brightest ones you’ve ever seen. According to NASA Ames Research Center, we will be looking at meteors brighter than the brightest stars in the night sky.

Mars Hoax Again

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 14:14:11 -0700

For those of you who are connected to the astronomy education world, it’s that time of year: the “Mars will be as big as the Moon” e-mail is going around again. The short answer is “Nope.”

Quasars vs Pulsars

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 14:14:24 -0700

Ever get pulsars and quasars confused? I do – they both sound to me like something from Star Trek that you use to stun the Romulans. The words may sound alike, but the objects aren’t even similar. Here’s the short answer: a pulsar is a star, and a quasar is a galaxy.

Credit: Hubble Space Telescope
Caption: Crab Nebula Pulsar

What is a Pulsar?
Basic Object: A star
Size: 20 km in diameter (that’s the distance from the tip of Alki Beach to the middle of downtown Bellevue.)
What makes it cool: It has a beam of light that is swinging around like a lighthouse, causing the star to appear to “pulse” THIS INFORMATION MAY BE OUT OF DATE. IT WAS TRUE OF OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW PULSARS WORK IN 2008, BUT FINDINGS REVEALED AT THE AAS JANUARY MEETING IN 2009 MAY HAVE CHANGED THIS. I HAVEN’T READ THE PAPERS YET.
Discovery attributed to: Jocelyn Bell Burnell
Discovery Year: 1967

Exo-Earth around Gliese 581?

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 14:14:59 -0700

A new planet has been discovered around a distant star, not that this in itself would be news – it seems that new planets are discovered around other stars every few days. Usually, though, these planets are several times the size of Jupiter, or are sometimes as “small” as Uranus or Neptune. Though exciting, these planets aren’t the best fodder for science fiction enthusiasts and don’t inspire dreams about terra-forming Earth 2.0.

The Tropics

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 16:00:09 -0700

What are the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn?

Think of the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn like the equator. On the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes (such as the one that just passed on March 20th) if you stand on the equator at noon the Sun will be directly overhead (at 90o). Here in Seattle the highest the Sun ever appears in the sky (at noon on the Summer Solstice) is 65o.

Stellar Clusters

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 14:14:01 -0800

There are two classifications of star clusters: globular clusters and open clusters. You can see some examples of each with the naked eye in tonight’s night sky, but there are even more that can be seen with binoculars and low-power telescopes. There are also distinct differences between the two types.

Globular Clusters:

Globular clusters are full of the wizened old stars of the galaxy. These stars have been around for 12 to 20 billion years (edited to add: as Ken pointed out, this would make these stars older than the universe which isn’t true. This estimate was come up with by analyzing the spectra of the cluster, and it should be limited by the age of the universe, so 12-14 billion years is a better number to keep in mind), and they clump tightly together in groups of about 10,000 to 1 million stars.

What is Hawking Radiation?

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 14:14:23 -0800

Hawking Radiation is the process by which black holes evaporate. Usually only small black holes actually evaporate, though Hawking Radiation is believed to happen to all black holes.

Background Information:

In spite of conservation of matter, we can assume that matter can be created from nothing, as long as it disappears quickly enough for the universe “not to notice.”

If you imagine that a particle is created from nothing, you can get away with it if its antiparticle (like a positive number and a negative number) is also created from nothing right next to it. The two particles immediately combine – going back into nothingness ((+1) + (–1) = 0). These imaginary particles are “virtual particles,” and their appearances and disappearances are called Vacuum Fluctuations.

A Series of Questions (I)

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 14:14:22 -0800

This was like taking my cumulative major exams all over again (without the math). I love you all.

–Alice

Why are there billions of stars?

I don’t know if anyone really knows how many stars there are in the universe. In our galaxy alone there are 100 billion-ish – and there are possibly hundreds of billions of galaxies.

There are billions of stars in our galaxy because of how the universe formed. There’s still a debate about which came first the chicken or the egg … I mean the star or the galaxy. Either the stars formed out of the primordial gasses of the universe and then were attracted (by their own gravity) into groups that we now call galaxies, OR the primordial gasses swirled into galaxy-sized clumps which then condensed (in little bits) to form the stars of those galaxies. Either way we ended up with billions of stars per galaxy.

Mercury at Greatest Elongation 2007

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 16:00:51 -0800

Although Mercury is often in our sky and listed as being “visible,” it’s usually quite hard to find. As the closest planet to the Sun in our solar system, Mercury is only visible just after sunset, or right before sunrise. This means that you’re looking for Mercury low in the sky – through whatever muck is in the atmosphere – and through dimming twilight, the hardest time of night to see anything. It’s not light enough to see objects on Earth, and it’s too light to see the stars. To see Mercury you usually have to know exactly where to look.

March Lunar Eclipse

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 14:14:04 -0800

June 2010: I feel the need to update this. Below I mention two lunar and two solar eclipses each year. Poking through some predictions of future eclipses I’ve found four lunars in 2009 and four solars in 2011. Other than that, there do seem to be two a year. Now I have to figure out exactly why, but my suspicion is that it has to do with perfecting the math, and that a lot of those “extra” eclipses are not total.

Chandra Sees Kepler’s Supernova

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 14:14:37 -0800

Four hundred years ago Johannes Kepler (the same Kepler who gave us Kepler’s laws) saw a new bright star in the sky: a supernova. Obviously, Kepler couldn’t take a photo of it, but he did take detailed notes. Those notes have allowed us to determine where in the sky we should look to see the remains of “his” supernova. Interestingly, this remnant has been puzzling current astronomers as much as it puzzled Kepler – even with all our new instruments.

Polaris: A Cepheid Variable

Fri, 29 Dec 2006 14:14:47 -0800

Polaris, the North Star, the 49th-brightest star in the sky, is a Cepheid variable star. Cepheid variables proved that galaxies are huge and far away instead of small and close by.

Why Stars Are Big:

A star stays star-sized the same way a balloon stays balloon-sized: competing forces. In the case of a Helium balloon the Helium is pushing out, trying to escape from the balloon. If it weren’t for the air around the balloon, it would explode – allowing the Helium to escape. The air (the atmosphere) is pushing back on the balloon, trying to flatten it.

Winter Solstice 2006 — Dark Days of Winter

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 16:00:17 -0800

It’s cold. It’s dark. It’s wet. There’s no fresh produce. It’s clearly time for a celebration.

It’s the winter solstice. This year (2006) the solstice occurs just after midnight at 12:22 a.m. between Thursday, December 21st and Friday, December 22nd. You may already know that the winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, and here are some other cool facts that you may not know.

Dark Days of Winter:

The United States Naval Observatory (USNO, a reliable source for all kinds of astronomical measurements) brought the “Dark Days of Winter” to my attention. Although the winter solstice is the shortest day and the longest night of the year, it’s not the day that the sun rises latest or the day the sun sets earliest. The earliest sunset happened two weeks ago on December 5th. Unfortunately, even after the solstice it’s going to continue to become harder to get up in the morning because the sun will be rising later and later all the way until January 3rd.

Mars Has Water …

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 14:14:19 -0800

“Mars Has Water!” News Releases

This table is updated often. The latest update is the date of the latest news release.


Date News Released	News Title, Mission, Evidence	Reliability of Evidence	Amount of Water	Date the Water May Have Been Liquid
September 24, 2009	Scientists See Water Ice in Fresh Meteorite Craters on Mars, HiRISE Camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, images and change in images over time. Very pure water ice found at mid-low latitudes on Mars was kicked up (excavated) when a meteor hit Mars creating a crater. This ice disappeared quickly over the course of the summer.	Medium	Small	A long time ago. The ice probably sublimed rather than melting.
September 29, 2008	NASA Mars Lander Sees Falling Snow, Soil Data Suggest Liquid Past, MET on Phoenix, LIDAR data on polar clouds	Medium	Small	Ice crystals that sublimed before hitting the surface
September 24, 2008	Evidence of Rain on Mars, HRSC on Express, MOC on Global Surveyor, HiRISE and CTX on MRO, Photograph of river channels and other water-eroded surface features	Medium	Medium	3.5-3.8 Billion Years Ago
July 31, 2008	NASA Spacecraft Confirms Martian Water, Mission Extended, Phoenix Lander, Direct Sampling and Gas Analysis	Extremely High	Small	Well, we melted it in TEGA, but other than that, unknown
May 30, 2008	NASA’s Phoenix Lander Robotic Arm Camera Sees Possible Ice, Phoenix Lander, Photograph of Ice followed by Photograph of Presumed Ice Sublimation	Medium	Small	Unknown
Dec. 6, 2006	NASA Images Suggest Water Still Flows in Brief Spurts on Mars, Mars Global Surveyor, Formation of new gullies in crater walls	High	Small	Between 1999 and 2005
May 28, 2002 (2001?)	Found it! Ice on Mars, Mars Odyssey, Large Amounts of Subsurface Hydrogen	Low	Large	Unknown: millions of years ago.
June 22, 2000	Mars Surprise, Mars Global Surveyor, Old Gullies	High	Small	In the last million years or last 100 years.
1999	Water on Mars: Not So Ancient, After All, Mars Global Surveyor, Large-Scale Landforms Possibly Created by Water	Medium	Medium	In the last 10 million years
1970s	North Pole Has Some Water Ice as well as Dry CO2 Ice, Mariner 9 and Earth-Based Observations, Spectrographic and Infrared Analysis	Medium	Very Small	Unknown: millions of years ago.

Laugh Out Loud Cats - Mars Has Ice! - Adam Koford

What is a Planet?

Fri, 25 Aug 2006 14:14:08 -0700

What is a Planet?

IAU Definition – August 24, 2006

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) voted on the definition of planet on August 24, 2006.

A Planet is:

1. Orbiting a star.

2. Big enough to be spherical – an IAU process will decide if any new bodies discovered are planets or not.

3. Massive enough to clear its orbit of similar bodies.

A Dwarf Planet is:

4. Orbiting a star.