Archive of Writings
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Galactic Morning: Andromeda XII, M81, and a Pushy Void
This mornings first press conference spanned the scales of the Universe. From a high speed dwarf galaxy only 1/20,000 times the size of our galaxy, to a new picture of M81 (a nearby spiral galaxy – image shown), to information on how a lack of gravitational pull is causing the local group to wander away a local void, the scientists took us on a wild ride through the universe.
An Apple World
Short message while I write longer content on this mornings first, galaxy rich, press conference.
This I walked into the press conference room and their was a giant, fresh from the press, printed Hubble Heritage image off to the side. Okay that’s cool.
What really caught my eye was the three scientists and their three Apple laptops.
And, at the back of the room, Apple affiliated folks (not sure, but I think Apple Employees) were recording the press conference to be podcast at some future date (will link when I know where to link to).
The search for Chotchkies and Bling-Bling
One of the odd side activities at AAS meetings is the search for neat give aways from the different space missions, companies, and publishers. These items generally take the form of lanyards, pens, and posters. I picked up something kind of new and neat and just in time for pool parties last night : A WMAP beach ball depicting the cosmic microwave background. I’ll now be able to toss the fingerprint of the big bang around my classroom or back yard. There was also a happy cheerful button that proclaimed “I’m a Scientist” with a telescope and satellite.
And this was just at a pre-meeting dinner.
Currently, it’s looking like I should have brought a bigger bag.
No Child Left Inside Plan
Today, while in a meeting for the International Year of Astronomy, someone mentioned hearing someone state that we need a goal of no child left inside. Instead of just showing them imaged stars with robot telescopes across the Internet, we need to send them outside to look up. Instead of just giving them synthetic experiences in virtual realities, we need to send them outside to lookup. Instead of just bringing them real data that comes from data archives, we need to send them outside to look up.
There are places for Internet-based learning tools, but while we prepare our virtual experiences and aim for large impact, we also need to get everyone – everyone – to just go outside and look up.
Leave no child inside. When the skies are clear, take a little one by the hand and go outside and look up.
Getting to Hawaii is…
…made easier when the airline over compensates for mistakes by bumping you to first class
…made less pleasant by the lack of outlets in St Louis and LA airports
…made easier with good astronomy on the other end
…made harder by the need to prepare to present at the other end
… accomplished in one piece. I’m here. I’m in my room. I’m ready to blog. I have a meeting for the 2009 International Year of Astronomy (friend them on MySpace!) tomorrow, and a got talked into giving a talk on Sunday by a fellow EPO person I ran into on the bus from the airport to the hotel. The main event starts Sunday night.
Carnival Time
It’s that time of week again: There is a Space Carnival in progress over at Universe Today. Make sure you get there while the news is fresh and check out all the free links – Some of them just might take you out of the universe.
A Brown Dwarf, A Black Hole, and 4 Jets …
Opening my press release email folder this morning, I found what could have been the beginning of a good joke if I were actually a skilled humorist. So a black hole and a brown dwarf both start to form. As the black hole consumes his parent star, he shots powerful gamma ray jets off to announce his arrival. At the same time, a little brown dwarf, with a not so little planet, works to spring out of its proto-stellar cloud, and it blows with its feeble little jets as hard as it can to announce its arrival. The black hole looks at the brown dwarf and laughs and says “[insert something witty and demeaning]”. The brown dwarf, not one to be discouraged, just smiles and states “[Something thoughtful and witty that puts the black hole in his place]”
Not being a good humorist, I will not try to fill in the blanks. I will simply work to explain how two such very different objects can announce their formation via the same physical process.
Death by a 1000 paper boxes
It all started back in the 1890s. Catalogues came to farmers. Farmers sent their money. Good arrived in boxes. Those goods — everything from watches to carriages to entire houses in kits — came from Sears, Roebuck and Company. The goods were often things that couldn’t be bought locally at reasonable prices or with a reasonable selection and Sears et al was able to earn business by offering greater selection at lower prices with free delivery. I’m not sure what the farmers did with their Sear’s boxes. Probably reused them for something, but… but eventually I’m guessing most of them found their way into the garbage pile along with the rest of the packing materials.
Right now there is a box of boxes on my back stoop that is human-sized in volume, and almost human massed (see picture: note single serving Silk yogurt for scale). It is the result of shopping online where the selection is higher, the prices are often lower, and sometimes there is free delivery. Amazon, Drs. Foster and Smith, and eBay are all to blame. As much as I hate the mega-malls, the strip malls, and, well, even the local mall, I have to wonder if their isn’t a more eco-friendly way to purchase the things that can’t be acquired on a walk through the mom and pop stores of main street?
AAS: T minus 1-week and counting
Just a heads up: I will be attending the American Astronomical Societies Summer meeting in Honolulu next week. Expect lots of news and interviews.
Anyone wanting to meeting up can find me at 6:20pm on Monday (after the Cannon lecture) outside of registration.
1st International Sidewalk Astronomy Night
Tonight, all across the world, guerilla astronomy will be waged on the public as amateur and professional astronomers inflict their hobby on individuals in random locations. Today is the 1st Annual International Sidewalk Astronomy Night. There is a nice article (written by yours truly with great editting by David Tytell) on the Sky and Telescope website. Check it out and get involved!
Image by: Claudio Lopresti