AstronomyTeacher
News articles and posts about astronomy and astronomy educationSaturday, February 09, 2008
Star eats star and builds planets from the crumbs - space - 08 February 2008 - New Scientist Space
Star eats star and builds planets from the crumbs - space - 08 February 2008 - New Scientist Space: "An unusual star may have swallowed its stellar companion and burped out a planet-forming cloud as a result, a new study reports"
Thursday, February 07, 2008
GLAST Name Form
GLAST Name Form
Welcome to the GLAST naming page! It is YOUR turn to suggest a name for NASA's newest astronomical observatory.
Before the latest chapter in the search begins for supermassive black holes, new laws of physics and the mysterious dark matter, you’ll have the historic chance to help name the satellite that makes it all possible. This unique opportunity is open to the public across the globe. Now, YOU may be the one to offer the name which will be given to the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) after its launch in 2008. GLAST is NASA’s next generation gamma-ray mission, designed to explore the most extreme phenomena in our Universe and probe energy regimes far beyond anything possible on Earth.
NASA's GLAST mission is an astrophysics and particle physics partnership, developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, along with important contributions from academic institutions and partners in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, and the U.S.
No longer is NASA limiting the naming of satellites to important scientists (but they are not excluded, either). The search has begun for popular names that will engage the public in GLAST’s mission and make it a household name.
Welcome to the GLAST naming page! It is YOUR turn to suggest a name for NASA's newest astronomical observatory.
Before the latest chapter in the search begins for supermassive black holes, new laws of physics and the mysterious dark matter, you’ll have the historic chance to help name the satellite that makes it all possible. This unique opportunity is open to the public across the globe. Now, YOU may be the one to offer the name which will be given to the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) after its launch in 2008. GLAST is NASA’s next generation gamma-ray mission, designed to explore the most extreme phenomena in our Universe and probe energy regimes far beyond anything possible on Earth.
NASA's GLAST mission is an astrophysics and particle physics partnership, developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, along with important contributions from academic institutions and partners in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, and the U.S.
No longer is NASA limiting the naming of satellites to important scientists (but they are not excluded, either). The search has begun for popular names that will engage the public in GLAST’s mission and make it a household name.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Book a space now on out of this world tourist flight| News | This is London
Book a space now on out of this world tourist flight| News | This is London: "The Virgin Galactic spacecraft, which was being unveiled in New York today, is already under construction. Test flights are expected to begin in June, with commercial flights starting 12 months later.
More than 200 potential astronauts are believed to have already paid deposits for the 100,000 pound (British unit of currency) flights, including actress Victoria Principal, scientist Stephen Hawking, and Princess Beatrice"
More than 200 potential astronauts are believed to have already paid deposits for the 100,000 pound (British unit of currency) flights, including actress Victoria Principal, scientist Stephen Hawking, and Princess Beatrice"
Monday, December 31, 2007
NASA -
NASA -
10,000 Earths' Worth of Fresh Dust Found Near Star Explosion: "Astronomers have at last found definitive evidence that the universe's first dust - the celestial stuff that seeded future generations of stars and planets - was forged in the explosions of massive stars.
The findings, made with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, are the most significant clue yet in the longstanding mystery of where the dust in our very young universe came from. Scientists had suspected that exploding stars, or supernovae, were the primary source, but nobody had been able to demonstrate that they can create copious amounts of dust - until now. Spitzer's sensitive infrared detectors have found 10,000 Earth masses worth of dust in the blown-out remains of the well-known supernova remnant Cassiopeia A."
10,000 Earths' Worth of Fresh Dust Found Near Star Explosion: "Astronomers have at last found definitive evidence that the universe's first dust - the celestial stuff that seeded future generations of stars and planets - was forged in the explosions of massive stars.
The findings, made with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, are the most significant clue yet in the longstanding mystery of where the dust in our very young universe came from. Scientists had suspected that exploding stars, or supernovae, were the primary source, but nobody had been able to demonstrate that they can create copious amounts of dust - until now. Spitzer's sensitive infrared detectors have found 10,000 Earth masses worth of dust in the blown-out remains of the well-known supernova remnant Cassiopeia A."
Thursday, December 27, 2007
TWAN project official website - About TWAN
TWAN project official website - About TWAN: "The World At Night (TWAN) is a new program to create and exhibit a collection of stunning photographs of the world’s most beautiful and historic sites against a nighttime backdrop of stars, planets and celestial events. The eternally peaceful sky looks the same above all the landmarks and symbols of different nations and regions, attesting to the truly unified nature of Earth as a planet rather than an amalgam of human-designated territories. Those involved in global programs learn to see humanity as a family living together on a single planet amidst the vast ocean of our Universe. This global perspective motivates us to work for a better, more peaceful planet for all the world’s inhabitants. Astronomers Without Borders was created to work toward this goal. TWAN is an innovative new approach to expanding this global perspective."
InterPlanetaryVentures.org
Chandra :: Photo Album :: 3C321 :: 17 December 07
Chandra :: Photo Album :: 3C321 :: 17 December 07: "This composite image shows the jet from a black hole at the center of a galaxy striking the edge of another galaxy, the first time such an interaction has been found."
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
UC Davis News & Information :: Earliest Stage of Planet Formation Dated
UC Davis News & Information :: Earliest Stage of Planet Formation Dated: "UC Davis researchers have dated the earliest step in the formation of the solar system -- when microscopic interstellar dust coalesced into mountain-sized chunks of rock -- to 4,568 million years ago, within a range of about 2,080,000 years.
UC Davis postdoctoral researcher Frederic Moynier, Qing-zhu Yin, assistant professor of geology, and graduate student Benjamin Jacobsen established the dates by analyzing a particular type of meteorite, called a carbonaceous chondrite, which represents the oldest material left over from the formation of the solar system."
UC Davis postdoctoral researcher Frederic Moynier, Qing-zhu Yin, assistant professor of geology, and graduate student Benjamin Jacobsen established the dates by analyzing a particular type of meteorite, called a carbonaceous chondrite, which represents the oldest material left over from the formation of the solar system."
Thursday, December 13, 2007
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Great beasts peppered from space
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Great beasts peppered from space: "Startling evidence has been found which shows mammoth and other great beasts from the last ice age were blasted with material that came from space. Eight tusks dating to some 35,000 years ago all show signs of having being peppered with meteorite fragments."
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Gimpy rover has turned up a surprise on Mars / Jammed front wheel plowing surface has uncovered signs of habitability in silica
Gimpy rover has turned up a surprise on Mars / Jammed front wheel plowing surface has uncovered signs of habitability in silica: "On the opening day of the American Geophysical Union's annual meeting in San Francisco on Monday, Steven Squyres of Cornell, the Mars mission's principal investigator for science, disclosed that the rover's dragging wheel has serendipitously been working as a plow and has turned over yards and yards of Martian crust to reveal a startlingly white track of almost pure silica - the material that makes ordinary glass. The tracks also reveal small amounts of titanium."
Thursday, December 06, 2007
%u2018Flying saucers%u2019 around Saturn explained - Space.com- msnbc.com
%u2018Flying saucers%u2019 around Saturn explained - Space.com- msnbc.com: "The formation of strange flying-saucer-shaped moons embedded in Saturn's rings have baffled scientists. New findings suggest they're born largely from clumps of icy particles in the rings themselves, an insight that could shed light on how Earth and other planets coalesced from the disk of matter that once surrounded our newborn sun."
Follow the link for a picture-- note, however, the first picture you see is computer-generated and not an acutal photo.
Follow the link for a picture-- note, however, the first picture you see is computer-generated and not an acutal photo.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Texas official resigns, cites creationism conflict - USATODAY.com
Texas official resigns, cites creationism conflict - USATODAY.com: "AUSTIN (AP) %u2014 The state's director of science curriculum said she resigned this month under pressure from officials who felt she gave the appearance of criticizing the instruction of intelligent design. "
Thursday, November 29, 2007
The Cool News
The Cool News: "The Great Wall of China is NOT particularly visible from space While at a low orbit, the Great Wall of China can certainly be seen from space but it is not unique in that regard. From a low orbit of the earth, many artificial objects are visible on the earth, not just the Great Wall of China. Highways, ships in the sea, dams, railroads, cities, fields of crops, and even some individual buildings. As to the claim that it%u2019s the only man-made object visible from the moon, Apollo astronauts have reported that they could not see any man-made object from the moon, not even the Great Wall."
Read the comments. Really geeky stuff.
Read the comments. Really geeky stuff.
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Nasa outlines manned Mars vision
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Nasa outlines manned Mars vision: "The US space agency envisages despatching a 'minimal' crew on a 30-month round trip to the Red Planet "
Universe Today � Neutron Star Seen Hurtling Out of the Milky Way
Universe Today : Neutron Star Seen Hurtling Out of the Milky Way: "Like a baseball struck by a bat, there's a neutron star out there that's going, going, gone. Discovered using the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, the neutron star appears to be the result of a lopsided supernova explosion. It's now hurtling away from the Milky Way faster than 4.8 million km/h (3 million mph). And it's never coming back."
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Mankind 'shortening the universe's life' - Telegraph
Mankind 'shortening the universe's life' - Telegraph : "The startling claim is made by a pair of American cosmologists investigating the consequences for the cosmos of quantum theory, the most successful theory we have. Over the past few years, cosmologists have taken this powerful theory of what happens at the level of subatomic particles and tried to extend it to understand the universe, since it began in the subatomic realm during the Big Bang."
Friday, November 23, 2007
Tides trigger tremors deep inside the Earth
Tides trigger tremors deep inside the Earth: "A new mystery faces scientists who study stresses that trigger earthquakes both large or small: Even the rise and fall of the ocean's tides are strong enough to trigger pulses of underground tremors that periodically send seismic faults slowly slipping beneath the northwest coast, quake researchers have found."
Friday, November 09, 2007
Big bright puffball Holmes is a comet like no other
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Astronomy - See the Moon turn red -
Monday, August 20, 2007
Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Award - Wirefly X PRIZE CUP
Friday, August 10, 2007
Meteor Shower Peaks This Weekend
Meteor Shower Peaks This Weekend: "Summer's annual meteor shower promises to put on a dazzling show when it peaks this weekend %u2014 provided you're far from city lights. With no moon in sight to interfere with the Perseid meteor shower, skygazers can expect to spot streaking fireballs late Sunday into dawn Monday regardless of time zone. Astronomers estimate as many as 60 meteors per hour could flit across the sky at the shower's peak."
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
SPACE.com -- Astronomers Witness Whopper Galaxy Collision
SPACE.com -- Astronomers Witness Whopper Galaxy Collision : "A major cosmic pileup involving four large galaxies could give rise to one of the largest galaxies the universe has ever known, scientists say.
Each of the four galaxies is at least the size of the Milky Way, and each is home to billions of stars.
The galaxies will eventually merge into a single, colossal galaxy up to 10 times as massive as our own Milky Way."
Each of the four galaxies is at least the size of the Milky Way, and each is home to billions of stars.
The galaxies will eventually merge into a single, colossal galaxy up to 10 times as massive as our own Milky Way."
Monday, August 06, 2007
NSTA :: News Story
NSTA :: News Story
NSTA member Barbara R. Morgan believes students learn best by “doing and being actively engaged.” Now Morgan, a former Idaho elementary science teacher, is preparing to be actively engaged in space exploration as one of five NASA mission specialists aboard space shuttle Endeavour, now scheduled to launch on August 8. Endeavour’s 11-day mission, designated STS-118, will continue assembly of the International Space Station. In addition to leading in-orbit educational activities, Morgan’s duties will include operating the shuttle’s and station’s robotic arms during spacewalks and other activities and overseeing the transfer of 5,000 pounds of supplies and equipment between the shuttle and station. She will also be on the flight deck to assist with re-entry. She says she looks forward to “doing the job of an astronaut with the eyes, ears, heart, and mind of a teacher.”
Morgan, 55, has waited 22 years to board a shuttle—although she asserts that she has spent the time working, not passively waiting. In 1985, she was chosen as the backup candidate for the NASA Teacher in Space Program and trained with Christa McAuliffe, the teacher who perished in the space shuttle Challenger accident. Since then, Morgan has worked with NASA’s Education Division on such tasks as public speaking, educational consulting, and curriculum design. In 1998, NASA selected her to become the first Educator Astronaut: a teacher...
Read more by following the link.
NASA - Join the Challenge
This is the registration page to participate in the latest teacher from space activity, involving testing space exposed seeds and seeds kept on earth as a control. This is very similar in concept to the Space Exposed Experiment Designed for Students (SEEDS) that NASA ran in the 1980s.
NASA -
Join the Challenge
NASA -
Join the Challenge
Saturday, August 04, 2007
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Queen star hands in science PhD
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Queen star hands in science PhD: "Queen guitarist Brian May has handed in his astronomy PhD thesis - 36 years after abandoning it to join the band.
May recently carried out observational work in Tenerife, where he studied the formation of 'zodiacal dust clouds'.
The subject forms the basis of a 48,000-word thesis for Imperial College, London, where 60-year-old May studied before becoming a rock star."
May recently carried out observational work in Tenerife, where he studied the formation of 'zodiacal dust clouds'.
The subject forms the basis of a 48,000-word thesis for Imperial College, London, where 60-year-old May studied before becoming a rock star."
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Advice for Students: How to Write Research Papers that Rock! - lifehack.org
Advice for Students: How to Write Research Papers that Rock! - lifehack.org
The article's OK--but you should read the comments. The comments are in many ways better than the article.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Home | Galaxy Zoo
Home | Galaxy Zoo
: "Welcome to
GalaxyZoo
, the project which harnesses the power of the internet - and your brain - to classify a million galaxies. By taking part, you'll not only be contributing to scientific research, but you'll view parts of the Universe that literally no-one has ever seen before and get a sense of the glorious diversity of galaxies that pepper the sky.
Why do we need you?
The simple answer is that the human brain is much better at recognising patterns than a computer can ever be. Any computer program we write to sort our galaxies into categories would do a reasonable job, but it would also inevitably throw out the unusual, the weird and the wonderful. To rescue these interesting systems which have a story to tell, we need you."
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Universe in the Classroom newsletter
A new issue of the Universe in the Classroom is now available:
http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/71/howfast.html
How Fast Are You Moving When You Are Sitting Still?
by Andrew Fraknoi, Foothill College & the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Have you ever considered how fast you are really moving when it seems you are not moving at all? How fast does the Earth move in its daily rotation and in its yearly revolution around the Sun? How fast do we travel together with the Sun through the Milky Way Galaxy and how quickly does the galaxy move through the universe? Find out more in this issue.
Topics include:
* Daily and yearly motion
* The Sun's motion within the Milky Way Galaxy
* The galaxy's motion through the universe
* The Big Bang
* Cosmic Background Radiation
* Two classroom activities about our place in space and time
http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/71/howfast.html
http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/71/howfast.html
How Fast Are You Moving When You Are Sitting Still?
by Andrew Fraknoi, Foothill College & the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Have you ever considered how fast you are really moving when it seems you are not moving at all? How fast does the Earth move in its daily rotation and in its yearly revolution around the Sun? How fast do we travel together with the Sun through the Milky Way Galaxy and how quickly does the galaxy move through the universe? Find out more in this issue.
Topics include:
* Daily and yearly motion
* The Sun's motion within the Milky Way Galaxy
* The galaxy's motion through the universe
* The Big Bang
* Cosmic Background Radiation
* Two classroom activities about our place in space and time
http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/71/howfast.html
Astrobiology workshop
"Living in the Microbial World"
an intensive hands-on workshop for middle and high school teachers
Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA,
August 6 - 13, 2007
Microbes are the most numerous organisms on the planet, are found in almost
every environment and play central roles in biogeochemical cycles. The
diversity of bacteria, fungi, and protists and the roles of these
micro-organisms in shaping our environment are given only cursory mention in
elementary and secondary classrooms. Often bacteria are presented only as
"germs" or disease agents. The evolutionary, ecological, and economic
importance of microbes is not well known among the general public.
The Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA is offering a hands-on
workshop for middle and high school teachers (grades 6-12) The workshop
emphasizes activities and experimental systems that can be used easily and
inexpensively in the classroom to teach basic biological principles.
Resident and visiting scientists from the Woods Hole community will present
teachers background information and current research developments on a
variety of topics related to the importance of microbes and microbial
processes in the biosphere. Participating teachers will spend time in the
laboratory engaging in hands-on activities and will also tour MBL
facilities. In the laboratory, there is also a focus on forming testable
questions and designing simple experimental systems for inquiry-based
investigation. Participants are allowed time to examine new curriculum
materials and share teaching experiences.
Support for the workshop is provided by the Pfizer Foundation and the NASA
Astrobiology Institute. Travel funds are not available, but room, board,
tuition and teaching materials are provided at no charge to the teacher. A
$50 registration fee is required.
Space is still available and the application deadline has been extended
until June 15th. For application materials visit
http://www.mbl.edu/education/courses/other_programs/teachers.html
an intensive hands-on workshop for middle and high school teachers
Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA,
August 6 - 13, 2007
Microbes are the most numerous organisms on the planet, are found in almost
every environment and play central roles in biogeochemical cycles. The
diversity of bacteria, fungi, and protists and the roles of these
micro-organisms in shaping our environment are given only cursory mention in
elementary and secondary classrooms. Often bacteria are presented only as
"germs" or disease agents. The evolutionary, ecological, and economic
importance of microbes is not well known among the general public.
The Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA is offering a hands-on
workshop for middle and high school teachers (grades 6-12) The workshop
emphasizes activities and experimental systems that can be used easily and
inexpensively in the classroom to teach basic biological principles.
Resident and visiting scientists from the Woods Hole community will present
teachers background information and current research developments on a
variety of topics related to the importance of microbes and microbial
processes in the biosphere. Participating teachers will spend time in the
laboratory engaging in hands-on activities and will also tour MBL
facilities. In the laboratory, there is also a focus on forming testable
questions and designing simple experimental systems for inquiry-based
investigation. Participants are allowed time to examine new curriculum
materials and share teaching experiences.
Support for the workshop is provided by the Pfizer Foundation and the NASA
Astrobiology Institute. Travel funds are not available, but room, board,
tuition and teaching materials are provided at no charge to the teacher. A
$50 registration fee is required.
Space is still available and the application deadline has been extended
until June 15th. For application materials visit
http://www.mbl.edu/education/courses/other_programs/teachers.html
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
NASA - Venus Flyby
NASA - Venus Flyby\
June 5, 2007: Picture this: A spaceship swoops in from the void, plunging toward a cloudy planet about the size of Earth. A laser beam lances out from the ship; it probes the planet's clouds, striving to reach the hidden surface below. Meanwhile, back on the craft's home world, scientists perch on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happens.
Sounds like science fiction? This is real, and it's happening today.
June 5, 2007: Picture this: A spaceship swoops in from the void, plunging toward a cloudy planet about the size of Earth. A laser beam lances out from the ship; it probes the planet's clouds, striving to reach the hidden surface below. Meanwhile, back on the craft's home world, scientists perch on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happens.
Sounds like science fiction? This is real, and it's happening today.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Over 200 exoplanets now
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070528_exoplanet_report.html
The rate of discovery is increasing...
The rate of discovery is increasing...
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
FOXNews.com - Astronomers Astonished by 'Monstrous' Star Explosion - Science News | Current Articles
FOXNews.com - Astronomers Astonished by 'Monstrous' Star Explosion - Science News | Current Articles
The SN 2006gy explosion occurred in a galaxy 240 million light years away, called NGC 1260, and was 100 times more energetic than typical supernovae.
The SN 2006gy explosion occurred in a galaxy 240 million light years away, called NGC 1260, and was 100 times more energetic than typical supernovae.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Beyond Einstein: Education and Outreach
Beyond Einstein: Education and Outreach
The Beyond Einstein Explorers’ Program (BEEP) is an after-school program for middle-school students. This program introduces participants to basic tools of astronomy (such as using light to gather information about objects) and to the Universe outside the solar system. BEEP was developed in partnership with the Imagine the Universe! program.
Participants learn the fundamentals of astronomy while doing hands-on activities in a more flexible environment than a classroom setting. BEEP aims to inspire a sense of curiosity about the Universe and allow students to explore and have fun learning. It also prepares students who are interested in astronomy to participate in other programs that can teach them more about the Beyond Einstein science topics. [Take a look at an outline of the program sessions.]
We piloted BEEP in summer 2006 in partnership with the Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation in Washington, DC. [Learn more about the pilot program.] We are currently in the process of refining and revising this program based on feedback from the pilot. The revised activity manual will be available at the end of May.
We are currently recruiting participants to conduct a second round of pilot testing this summer. Help us develop a program that best suits your needs! If you are an afterschool program leader who works with 6th-8th grade students or an astronomer seeking engagement in education and public outreach, we would like to work with you. You will be provided with a two-day free training and an activity manual.
Follow the link for more information.
The Beyond Einstein Explorers’ Program (BEEP) is an after-school program for middle-school students. This program introduces participants to basic tools of astronomy (such as using light to gather information about objects) and to the Universe outside the solar system. BEEP was developed in partnership with the Imagine the Universe! program.
Participants learn the fundamentals of astronomy while doing hands-on activities in a more flexible environment than a classroom setting. BEEP aims to inspire a sense of curiosity about the Universe and allow students to explore and have fun learning. It also prepares students who are interested in astronomy to participate in other programs that can teach them more about the Beyond Einstein science topics. [Take a look at an outline of the program sessions.]
We piloted BEEP in summer 2006 in partnership with the Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation in Washington, DC. [Learn more about the pilot program.] We are currently in the process of refining and revising this program based on feedback from the pilot. The revised activity manual will be available at the end of May.
We are currently recruiting participants to conduct a second round of pilot testing this summer. Help us develop a program that best suits your needs! If you are an afterschool program leader who works with 6th-8th grade students or an astronomer seeking engagement in education and public outreach, we would like to work with you. You will be provided with a two-day free training and an activity manual.
Follow the link for more information.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Power station harnesses Sun's rays
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Phoenix Student Interns Program PSIP
From: "Anita M. Sohus"
Subject: Deadline Extended: Mars Phoenix Student Interns Program
Application Deadline has been extended to Wednesday May 9:
The Phoenix Student Interns Program (PSIP) is a unique opportunity to become part of the Phoenix Science Team for the 2007-2008 Phoenix Mars Lander Mission. From around the country, selected teachers and their chosen students will work with scientists to prepare for surface operations on Mars, analyze data during the mission, and reach out to other students, teachers, and the public through presentations, articles, and web sites. Following months of preparation and special training, teachers and students will spend one week at the Science Operations Center in Tucson, AZ during landed operations to help investigate the surface of Mars. It could be you!
Informal educators are welcome to apply but should make a case for how you will extend the impact of your participation (since you may not have a traditional classroom into which you can disseminate what you learn). Also, you'll need to share your qualifications for being able to support the scientific activities.
Download information and application materials from http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/edu_psip.php
If you have any questions about the program or application process, please contact Cassie Bowman at cbowman@mail.arc.nasa.gov or 650-269-2787.
Subject: Deadline Extended: Mars Phoenix Student Interns Program
Application Deadline has been extended to Wednesday May 9:
The Phoenix Student Interns Program (PSIP) is a unique opportunity to become part of the Phoenix Science Team for the 2007-2008 Phoenix Mars Lander Mission. From around the country, selected teachers and their chosen students will work with scientists to prepare for surface operations on Mars, analyze data during the mission, and reach out to other students, teachers, and the public through presentations, articles, and web sites. Following months of preparation and special training, teachers and students will spend one week at the Science Operations Center in Tucson, AZ during landed operations to help investigate the surface of Mars. It could be you!
Informal educators are welcome to apply but should make a case for how you will extend the impact of your participation (since you may not have a traditional classroom into which you can disseminate what you learn). Also, you'll need to share your qualifications for being able to support the scientific activities.
Download information and application materials from http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/edu_psip.php
If you have any questions about the program or application process, please contact Cassie Bowman at cbowman@mail.arc.nasa.gov or 650-269-2787.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
The View - Science Festival April 21
The View - Science Festival April 21
Science Festival April 21
Science Festival 2007 will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Science and VBT buildings. Parking and admission is free.
The College of Science faculty, staff and students are hosting Science Festival 2007, a tradition going back to 1974. We're not only celebrating this tradition, but CSUEB's 50th anniversary, Astronomy Day and the International Heliophysical Year 2007!
Our festival is being billed as a Day of Learning and Adventure for the Curious of All Ages!!; an opportunity for the young and old to experience science. We'll have demonstrations, experiments, hands-on activities, exhibits, lectures and much, much more! Watch a chemistry magic show, observe the sun with a telescope, geophysical prospecting, fossil casting, mathematical puzzles, computer simulations and dancing DNA are just a few of our activities planned.
Representatives from Chabot Space and Science Center, Eastbay Astronomical Society, Stanford Solar Center, Vintage Computer Festival, Computer History Museum, Alameda County Mosquito District and PG&E will also be participating.
Please join us!
For more information, contact 510-885-3441
Science Festival April 21
Science Festival 2007 will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Science and VBT buildings. Parking and admission is free.
The College of Science faculty, staff and students are hosting Science Festival 2007, a tradition going back to 1974. We're not only celebrating this tradition, but CSUEB's 50th anniversary, Astronomy Day and the International Heliophysical Year 2007!
Our festival is being billed as a Day of Learning and Adventure for the Curious of All Ages!!; an opportunity for the young and old to experience science. We'll have demonstrations, experiments, hands-on activities, exhibits, lectures and much, much more! Watch a chemistry magic show, observe the sun with a telescope, geophysical prospecting, fossil casting, mathematical puzzles, computer simulations and dancing DNA are just a few of our activities planned.
Representatives from Chabot Space and Science Center, Eastbay Astronomical Society, Stanford Solar Center, Vintage Computer Festival, Computer History Museum, Alameda County Mosquito District and PG&E will also be participating.
Please join us!
For more information, contact 510-885-3441
Friday, April 13, 2007
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Mars-probe failure 'human error'
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Mars-probe failure 'human error': "The US space agency, Nasa, has said that human error was to blame for the failure of the $154m (�77.5m) Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft.
Engineers lost contact with the probe in early November and later admitted it was lost and irrecoverable.
Nasa said that faulty changes made to the spacecraft's computer memory caused the battery to overheat.
The 10-year-old craft had sent thousands of images of Mars back to Earth, suggesting water once flowed."
Engineers lost contact with the probe in early November and later admitted it was lost and irrecoverable.
Nasa said that faulty changes made to the spacecraft's computer memory caused the battery to overheat.
The 10-year-old craft had sent thousands of images of Mars back to Earth, suggesting water once flowed."
Saturday, March 24, 2007
www.developmentcenter.info
www.developmentcenter.info
Pictures from a new solar spacecraft, including some ultra-high resolution images of the surface of the sun, and the usual scale picture showing the sun with the earth in the image to scale. Nice images though.
Pictures from a new solar spacecraft, including some ultra-high resolution images of the surface of the sun, and the usual scale picture showing the sun with the earth in the image to scale. Nice images though.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Climate Catastrophes
Via Andrew Fraknoi
Free Public Talk on Climate Catastrophes Among the Planets
(Dr. David Grinspoon to Receive Carl Sagan Medal at the Event)
==============================================
On Wednesday, April 11, 2007, at 7 pm,
Astronomer David Grinspoon (of the Denver Museum
of Nature and Science) will give a
non-technical, illustrated talk on:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Comparing Worlds: Climate Catastrophes in
the Solar System"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
as part of the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures
in the Smithwick Theater, Foothill College,
El Monte Road and Freeway 280,
in Los Altos Hills, California.
Free and open to the public.
Parking on campus costs $2.
Call the series hot-line at 650-949-7888 for
more information and driving directions.
This will be the Carl Sagan Medal Lecture
of the American Astronomical Society.
No background in science will be required for
this talk.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
What happened to the lost oceans of Mars and Venus?
What have scientists been discovering about the thick
atmosphere on Saturn's moon Titan? How has the climate
changed on each of these worlds, and could what happened
to them happen to our Earth? Take an entertaining and
enlightening journey through the history of our solar system,
discovering runaway greenhouses and snowball planets.
And, most important, learn how studying the evolution of other
planets can help us understand and predict climate change
on Earth.
Dr. David Grinspoon is the recipient of the 2006 Carl Sagan
Medal for Excellence in Public Communication, awarded
by the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American
Astronomical Society. Among his many accomplishments,
the awards committee cited his ability "to make science hip."
He will receive his medal at the beginning of the program.
Dr. Grinspoon is the Curator of Astrobiology at the Denver
Museum of Nature & Science, having previously been a
Professor of Astronomy at the University of Colorado. He is
Interdisciplinary Scientist on the European Venus Express
mission, serves as an advisor to NASA on space exploration strategy,
and studies the possible evolution of Earth-like planets elsewhere
in the universe. He is the author of two popular books, "Lonely
Planets" and "Venus Revealed" and gives many public lectures
on planetary science around the country. Dr. Grinspoon appears
regularly on television and radio, explaining planetary developments.
He also played lead guitar for a band called "The Geeks."
The lecture is co-sponsored by:
* NASA Ames Research Center
* The Foothill College Astronomy Program
* The SETI Institute
* The Astronomical Society of the Pacific.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Past Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures are now available
in MP3 format at:
http://www.astrosociety.org/education/podcast/index.html
Free Public Talk on Climate Catastrophes Among the Planets
(Dr. David Grinspoon to Receive Carl Sagan Medal at the Event)
==============================================
On Wednesday, April 11, 2007, at 7 pm,
Astronomer David Grinspoon (of the Denver Museum
of Nature and Science) will give a
non-technical, illustrated talk on:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Comparing Worlds: Climate Catastrophes in
the Solar System"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
as part of the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures
in the Smithwick Theater, Foothill College,
El Monte Road and Freeway 280,
in Los Altos Hills, California.
Free and open to the public.
Parking on campus costs $2.
Call the series hot-line at 650-949-7888 for
more information and driving directions.
This will be the Carl Sagan Medal Lecture
of the American Astronomical Society.
No background in science will be required for
this talk.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
What happened to the lost oceans of Mars and Venus?
What have scientists been discovering about the thick
atmosphere on Saturn's moon Titan? How has the climate
changed on each of these worlds, and could what happened
to them happen to our Earth? Take an entertaining and
enlightening journey through the history of our solar system,
discovering runaway greenhouses and snowball planets.
And, most important, learn how studying the evolution of other
planets can help us understand and predict climate change
on Earth.
Dr. David Grinspoon is the recipient of the 2006 Carl Sagan
Medal for Excellence in Public Communication, awarded
by the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American
Astronomical Society. Among his many accomplishments,
the awards committee cited his ability "to make science hip."
He will receive his medal at the beginning of the program.
Dr. Grinspoon is the Curator of Astrobiology at the Denver
Museum of Nature & Science, having previously been a
Professor of Astronomy at the University of Colorado. He is
Interdisciplinary Scientist on the European Venus Express
mission, serves as an advisor to NASA on space exploration strategy,
and studies the possible evolution of Earth-like planets elsewhere
in the universe. He is the author of two popular books, "Lonely
Planets" and "Venus Revealed" and gives many public lectures
on planetary science around the country. Dr. Grinspoon appears
regularly on television and radio, explaining planetary developments.
He also played lead guitar for a band called "The Geeks."
The lecture is co-sponsored by:
* NASA Ames Research Center
* The Foothill College Astronomy Program
* The SETI Institute
* The Astronomical Society of the Pacific.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Past Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures are now available
in MP3 format at:
http://www.astrosociety.org/education/podcast/index.html
The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
From Theresa Schwerin, FYI. Please pass this along to anyone you know who would be interested in this opportunity.
************************************************************
Thacher Scholars Award: Deadline Approaching
* Earth Science Contest for Grades 9-12
* Cash Awards: $2,000, $1,000 and $500
* Entries Postmarked by April 2, 2007
The countdown has begun! Entries for the 2007 Thacher Scholars Award must be postmarked by April 2, 2007. The award will be given by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) to secondary school students designing and conducting the best projects using satellite remote sensing of the Earth.
U.S. students in grades 9-12, including U.S. citizens attending schools in foreign countries, are eligible to receive cash awards in the amount of $2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second place and $500 for third place. For each winning student, a teacher or designated adult coach will receive a $200 gift card to Amazon.com.
Entries will be judged by IGES staff based on their scientific and technical accuracy; creativity and originality; quality of presentation; thoroughness of research, methods and procedures; and demonstration of knowledge gained. Winners will be announced by May 2, 2007.
For more information on the Thacher Scholars Award, including contest rules and guidelines, please visit:
http://www.strategies.org/ThacherScholars
CONTACT
Theresa Schwerin
Associate Director, Education
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
E-mail: theresa_schwerin@strategies.org
Thanks to Jim Head for passing along this opportunity.
From Theresa Schwerin, FYI. Please pass this along to anyone you know who would be interested in this opportunity.
************************************************************
Thacher Scholars Award: Deadline Approaching
* Earth Science Contest for Grades 9-12
* Cash Awards: $2,000, $1,000 and $500
* Entries Postmarked by April 2, 2007
The countdown has begun! Entries for the 2007 Thacher Scholars Award must be postmarked by April 2, 2007. The award will be given by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) to secondary school students designing and conducting the best projects using satellite remote sensing of the Earth.
U.S. students in grades 9-12, including U.S. citizens attending schools in foreign countries, are eligible to receive cash awards in the amount of $2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second place and $500 for third place. For each winning student, a teacher or designated adult coach will receive a $200 gift card to Amazon.com.
Entries will be judged by IGES staff based on their scientific and technical accuracy; creativity and originality; quality of presentation; thoroughness of research, methods and procedures; and demonstration of knowledge gained. Winners will be announced by May 2, 2007.
For more information on the Thacher Scholars Award, including contest rules and guidelines, please visit:
http://www.strategies.org/ThacherScholars
CONTACT
Theresa Schwerin
Associate Director, Education
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
E-mail: theresa_schwerin@strategies.org
Thanks to Jim Head for passing along this opportunity.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Telling Time by the Stars - Sidereal Time�
Telling Time by the Stars - Sidereal Time�
Interesting mathematical back-of-the-envelope projects, several of which deal with astronomical topics.
Interesting mathematical back-of-the-envelope projects, several of which deal with astronomical topics.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Saturn's Icy Moon May Have Been Hot Enough for Life, Study Finds
Saturn's Icy Moon May Have Been Hot Enough for Life, Study Finds: "One of the places in the solar system most likely to have
extraterrestrial life may have gotten off to a hot, highly radioactive
start, scientists reported yesterday at a meeting in Houston, Texas.
Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, stunned scientists two years ago when NASA's Cassini orbiter discovered geyser-like jets of water vapor shooting into space from its south pole."
extraterrestrial life may have gotten off to a hot, highly radioactive
start, scientists reported yesterday at a meeting in Houston, Texas.
Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, stunned scientists two years ago when NASA's Cassini orbiter discovered geyser-like jets of water vapor shooting into space from its south pole."
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Wired News: March 13, 1781: Heavenly Body
Wired News: March 13, 1781: Heavenly Body: "Herschel originally christened his discovery Georgium Sidus ('George's Star') in honor of Britain's King George III and, in fact, a host of names were proposed before Uranus finally won out."
I believe one of the other names was Herschel. It took a generation of astronomers dying off before all the "modern" names gave way to the planet Uranus.
BTW it's Yoo RahNuss, not Yer Anus, or Urine-Us. Nineplanets.org has a link to each planet's name with the proper pronounciation. Lends a little gravitas to your argument with the kiddies.
I believe one of the other names was Herschel. It took a generation of astronomers dying off before all the "modern" names gave way to the planet Uranus.
BTW it's Yoo RahNuss, not Yer Anus, or Urine-Us. Nineplanets.org has a link to each planet's name with the proper pronounciation. Lends a little gravitas to your argument with the kiddies.
Hermograph Press: The Astronomy Times & Review
Hermograph Press: The Astronomy Times & Review : "The Real Zodiac :Odds Are You Aren't The Sign You Think You Are"
While the newspapers may list 12 equally sized star groupings for horoscope lovers, the astronomical fact is that the Sun passes through 13 constellations and touches a 14th. This automatically means that the sun can not possibly spend 30 days in each constellation!
While the newspapers may list 12 equally sized star groupings for horoscope lovers, the astronomical fact is that the Sun passes through 13 constellations and touches a 14th. This automatically means that the sun can not possibly spend 30 days in each constellation!
Monday, March 12, 2007
NASA - Stereo Eclipse
NASA - Stereo Eclipse
"What an extraordinary view," says Lika Guhathakurta, STEREO Program Scientist at NASA headquarters. The fantastically-colored star is our own sun as STEREO sees it in four wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet light. The black disk is the Moon. "We caught a lunar transit of the sun," she explains.
"What an extraordinary view," says Lika Guhathakurta, STEREO Program Scientist at NASA headquarters. The fantastically-colored star is our own sun as STEREO sees it in four wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet light. The black disk is the Moon. "We caught a lunar transit of the sun," she explains.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
New Mexico Lawmaker Petitions to Restore Pluto's Planet Status - Yahoo! News
New Mexico Lawmaker Petitions to Restore Pluto's Planet Status - Yahoo! News: "The state of New Mexico could effectively secede from the astronomical community if a resolution to call Pluto a planet is passed."
Supporting Educational Materials for the TLRBSE Solar Magnetic Fields Research Project
Telescope Poem
From a listserv posting sent by Alan Gould:
In appreciation of Astronomy
This is a poem by our national poet laureate Tom Kooser, and is submitted by in appreciation of the work of astronomy teachers everywhere.
Telescope
This is the pipe that pierces the dam
that holds back the universe
that takes off some off the pressure,
keeping the weight of the unknown
and washing us all down the valley
Because of this small tube,
through which a cold light rushes
from the bottom of time
the depth of the stars
stays always constant
and we are able to sleep,
at least for now,
beneath the straining wall of darkness
In appreciation of Astronomy
This is a poem by our national poet laureate Tom Kooser, and is submitted by in appreciation of the work of astronomy teachers everywhere.
Telescope
This is the pipe that pierces the dam
that holds back the universe
that takes off some off the pressure,
keeping the weight of the unknown
and washing us all down the valley
Because of this small tube,
through which a cold light rushes
from the bottom of time
the depth of the stars
stays always constant
and we are able to sleep,
at least for now,
beneath the straining wall of darkness
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Memos Tell Officials How to Discuss Climate - New York Times
Memos Tell Officials How to Discuss Climate - New York Times: "Internal memorandums circulated in the Alaskan division of the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service appear to require government biologists or other employees traveling in countries around the Arctic not to discuss climate change, polar bears or sea ice if they are not designated to do so."
Scientists show that asteroids are solar powered| Science| Reuters
Scientists show that asteroids are solar powered
| Science
| Reuters
: "By Will Dunham
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sunlight can cause asteroids to spin more quickly, scientists said on Wednesday, showing anew just how dynamic a place our solar system can be."
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Neatorama � Blog Archive � 9 Laws of Physics That Don%u2019t Apply in Hollywood
Neatorama Blog Archive 9 Laws of Physics That Don't Apply in Hollywood: "Yeah, the action scenes look great and all, but in reality momentum is conserved, such that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. So, when you see a gal kick someone across the room, technically, the kicker (or holder of a gun) must fly across the room in the opposite direction %u2013 unless she has a back against the wall."
Monday, March 05, 2007
MIT OpenCourseWare |Physics
MIT OpenCourseWare: Physics
MIT's open courseware project includes lecture notes and assignments from students attending MIT's classes. An invaluable resource.
MIT's open courseware project includes lecture notes and assignments from students attending MIT's classes. An invaluable resource.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Pluto probe swings by Jupiter - CNN.com
Pluto probe swings by Jupiter - CNN.com: "CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) -- A small spacecraft en route to Pluto flew past Jupiter early on Wednesday, picking up enough speed from the giant planet's gravity field to shave three years off what would have been a 12-year voyage.In exchange, the New Horizons spacecraft is taking a lingering and long-awaited look at Jupiter, which was the focus of the now-defunct, eight-year Galileo mission. Of particular interest is Europa, a large Jovian moon that shows strong evidence of a subterranean, salty ocean."
Landstrom's Eclispe file
Landstrom's Eclispe file
MARCH + MOON + MAROON
Free telescope viewing to watch a total eclipse of the full moon.
MARCH + MOON + MAROON
Free telescope viewing to watch a total eclipse of the full moon.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Space probe performs Mars fly-by
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Space probe performs Mars fly-by: "The unmanned Rosetta craft passed within some 250 km (150 miles) of Mars.
In a precise move, the probe used the planet's gravity to change course on its voyage to the Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet out near Jupiter."
Rosetta will be the first mission to land a probe on a comet. It is a European Space Agency mission.
In a precise move, the probe used the planet's gravity to change course on its voyage to the Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet out near Jupiter."
Rosetta will be the first mission to land a probe on a comet. It is a European Space Agency mission.
Friday, February 23, 2007
"Follow the Drinking Gourd": A Cultural History
"Follow the Drinking Gourd": A Cultural History
A well-researched and interesting analysis of the popular "Drinking Gourd" song shown by some planetaria during Black History Month. Did escaping slaves actually use this song to escape the slavery of the south, or was the song an inspiration to civil rights leaders after the war? It's a good example of history and music and science all blending together.
A well-researched and interesting analysis of the popular "Drinking Gourd" song shown by some planetaria during Black History Month. Did escaping slaves actually use this song to escape the slavery of the south, or was the song an inspiration to civil rights leaders after the war? It's a good example of history and music and science all blending together.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Cosmic Journey: A History of Scientific Cosmology
Cosmic Journey: A History of Scientific Cosmology
This is excellent reading for those interested in the development of astronomy as a science.
This is excellent reading for those interested in the development of astronomy as a science.
New naked-eye nova
SkyTonight.com - Homepage Observing - A Naked-Eye Nova in Scorpius
I was alerted to this by an email from Katy Garmany.
From the article (which includes a finder chart):
Nova Scorpii 2007 wasn't a big deal when two Japanese nova hunters, Yuji Nakamura and Yukio Sakurai, independently discovered it at 9th magnitude on February 4th. But that was then and this is now. The nova brightened and brightened, peaking at about magnitude 3.9 on Friday the 16th. As of Monday morning the 19th, it had faded slightly to about 4.3.
That still puts it in fairly easy naked-eye view if you don't have a too-badly light-polluted sky. Binoculars show it very well from anywhere. On the morning of the 17th I spotted it immediately with binoculars through tree branches and a closed bathroom window.
I was alerted to this by an email from Katy Garmany.
From the article (which includes a finder chart):
Nova Scorpii 2007 wasn't a big deal when two Japanese nova hunters, Yuji Nakamura and Yukio Sakurai, independently discovered it at 9th magnitude on February 4th. But that was then and this is now. The nova brightened and brightened, peaking at about magnitude 3.9 on Friday the 16th. As of Monday morning the 19th, it had faded slightly to about 4.3.
That still puts it in fairly easy naked-eye view if you don't have a too-badly light-polluted sky. Binoculars show it very well from anywhere. On the morning of the 17th I spotted it immediately with binoculars through tree branches and a closed bathroom window.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
SPACE.com -- When Did Science Become the Enemy?
SPACE.com -- When Did Science Become the Enemy?: "The fact
that you%u2019re confronting this column on a web site devoted to space science and
astronomy makes you roughly as rare as technetium.� Despite the fact that
astronomy is one of the two most popular science subjects in American schools
(the other is biology), it%u2019s really not that popular."
that you%u2019re confronting this column on a web site devoted to space science and
astronomy makes you roughly as rare as technetium.� Despite the fact that
astronomy is one of the two most popular science subjects in American schools
(the other is biology), it%u2019s really not that popular."
The Nasa Blog � Take a trip through the Mars Mariner valley
Hayabusa probe to attempt return journey - space - 13 February 2007 - New Scientist Space
Hayabusa probe to attempt return journey - space - 13 February 2007 - New Scientist Space
Japan's problem-plagued Hayabusa spacecraft will attempt to return to Earth at the end of March, mission controllers say.
If the craft does return as planned in 2010, researchers would finally find out whether it collected the first-ever samples from an asteroid during its two landings on the tiny space rock Itokawa.
Hayabusa was meant to collect the samples by firing pellets into the surface of the 535-metre-long rock and scooping up the resulting debris. But data from two landings in November 2005 suggest the pellets never fired because the craft's onboard computer sent conflicting signals to its collection instruments. Still, mission officials hoped to bring the spacecraft back to Earth in case some asteroid dust had slipped into its collection chamber by chance.
Japan's problem-plagued Hayabusa spacecraft will attempt to return to Earth at the end of March, mission controllers say.
If the craft does return as planned in 2010, researchers would finally find out whether it collected the first-ever samples from an asteroid during its two landings on the tiny space rock Itokawa.
Hayabusa was meant to collect the samples by firing pellets into the surface of the 535-metre-long rock and scooping up the resulting debris. But data from two landings in November 2005 suggest the pellets never fired because the craft's onboard computer sent conflicting signals to its collection instruments. Still, mission officials hoped to bring the spacecraft back to Earth in case some asteroid dust had slipped into its collection chamber by chance.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Astronaut Faces Serious Charges
WTKR.COM YOUR NEWSCHANNEL 3 - Astronaut Faces Very Serious Charges: "Last summer, astronaut Lisa Nowak was soaring 220 miles above Earth, floating in the rarefied air of the international space station. The 43-year-old robotics specialist was in quite a different place Monday night: A dingy jail among suspected drug dealers and prostitutes, where she awaited a scheduled court appearance Tuesday. Nowak, a married mother of three who police believe was in a love triangle with a fellow astronaut, was charged with trying to abduct a woman she saw as her romantic rival, authorities said. "
The AstronomyTeacher says: There's so much here to talk about. Everything from our over-inflated expectations of our hero astronauts to possible discussions of side effects of weightlessness. You can talk about the gender issues--pressures on female, married mother astronauts vs. single male astronauts, for example-- and NASA's role in moving Ms. Nowak across the country. This is, ironically, a new frontier for NASA-- finding itself in the tabloid spotlight instead of in the mainstream. Look for late night talk show hosts to run with this for weeks.
The AstronomyTeacher says: There's so much here to talk about. Everything from our over-inflated expectations of our hero astronauts to possible discussions of side effects of weightlessness. You can talk about the gender issues--pressures on female, married mother astronauts vs. single male astronauts, for example-- and NASA's role in moving Ms. Nowak across the country. This is, ironically, a new frontier for NASA-- finding itself in the tabloid spotlight instead of in the mainstream. Look for late night talk show hosts to run with this for weeks.
Don't try this as an educational strategy
BBC NEWS | UK | England | Manchester | Pupils scared by asteroid spoof: "Pupils were left in tears after a teacher told them that an asteroid was about to hit Earth and kill them all.
The spoof announcement was designed to teach 14-year-olds the importance of
seizing the day but backfired after they became visibly frightened.
Keith Hogan, head teacher at St Matthew's RC High School in Moston, Manchester, said he regretted any distress caused to the 230 pupils.
The head of year behind the assembly 'stunt' later moved to reassure them.
He had told the year nine students that the asteroid was on a 'collision course'.
It is also believed that the students were told that they should go home and say 'final farewells' to their families."
The AstronomyTeacher says: This was an exceptionally bad idea, especially within an assembly setting, which lends more credence to the story from the kid's perspective. Imagine if the teacher had suggested a nuclear war was imminent, or the country had been attacked by terrorists in some major way.
The spoof announcement was designed to teach 14-year-olds the importance of
seizing the day but backfired after they became visibly frightened.
Keith Hogan, head teacher at St Matthew's RC High School in Moston, Manchester, said he regretted any distress caused to the 230 pupils.
The head of year behind the assembly 'stunt' later moved to reassure them.
He had told the year nine students that the asteroid was on a 'collision course'.
It is also believed that the students were told that they should go home and say 'final farewells' to their families."
The AstronomyTeacher says: This was an exceptionally bad idea, especially within an assembly setting, which lends more credence to the story from the kid's perspective. Imagine if the teacher had suggested a nuclear war was imminent, or the country had been attacked by terrorists in some major way.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Price of Next Big Thing in Physics: $6.7 Billion - New York Times
Price of Next Big Thing in Physics: $6.7 Billion - New York Times: "At a news conference in Beijing, an international consortium of physicists released the first detailed design of what they believe will be the Next Big Thing in physics: a machine 20 miles long that will slam together electrons and their evil-twin opposites, positrons, to produce fireballs of energy recreating conditions when the universe was only a trillionth of a second old."
Friday, February 09, 2007
adiabatic vs. isothermal
During our unit on energy, we can help students to learn the concepts
associated with the words "adiabatic" and "isothermal"..two words that
cause students in AP Chem, for example, to switch to memorization mode.
Suppose a block slides across a table, slowing down and coming to a stop.
Take the block as the system and the table as part of the surroundings.
We have to make a decision about the 'dissipated' energy. We hear sound
and can detect that the block and table increase in temperature. We can
simplify by assuming the dissipated energy is accounted as thermal energy.
Can we determine how much thermal energy is apportioned to the block, the
system, and how much to the table, the surroundings? No, not easily. So
we make a modeling assumption: either all the thermal energy is in the
system account, or all the thermal energy is in the surroundings account.
The first assumption is called an "adiabatic" model for the interaction.
The second assumption is called an "isothermal" model for the interaction.
Concepts before vocabulary. In later classes, students will now be able to move on to the intricacies.
This was from a post by Andy Edington on the modeling listserv. Very insightful (at least for me!)
associated with the words "adiabatic" and "isothermal"..two words that
cause students in AP Chem, for example, to switch to memorization mode.
Suppose a block slides across a table, slowing down and coming to a stop.
Take the block as the system and the table as part of the surroundings.
We have to make a decision about the 'dissipated' energy. We hear sound
and can detect that the block and table increase in temperature. We can
simplify by assuming the dissipated energy is accounted as thermal energy.
Can we determine how much thermal energy is apportioned to the block, the
system, and how much to the table, the surroundings? No, not easily. So
we make a modeling assumption: either all the thermal energy is in the
system account, or all the thermal energy is in the surroundings account.
The first assumption is called an "adiabatic" model for the interaction.
The second assumption is called an "isothermal" model for the interaction.
Concepts before vocabulary. In later classes, students will now be able to move on to the intricacies.
This was from a post by Andy Edington on the modeling listserv. Very insightful (at least for me!)
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Apollo 11-17 First man on the Moon - Apollo Moon Landings - QTVR photos from panoramas.dk
Apollo 11-17 First man on the Moon - Apollo Moon Landings - QTVR photos from panoramas.dk
Panos from around the moon, requires Quicktime VR.
Panos from around the moon, requires Quicktime VR.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
NASA - 181 Things to Do on the Moon
NASA - 181 Things to Do on the Moon
The moon could also provide some creative commercial opportunities: lunar power from solar cells, protected data archives, mining of lunar metals, and research under conditions of low gravity and high vacuum, to name a few. In fact, mining the moon may eventually yield rocket propellant that could be sold to commercial satellite operators to access and service their satellite assets in Earth orbit. Beyond charging space tourists for a chance to visit the moon, lunar entrepreneurs might host special television events from the moon to boost publicity, or place a remote-controlled rover on the moon. People back on Earth could pay to take turns controlling the rover from their Internet-connected computers, letting them take a virtual drive across the moon's crater-pocked surface. In short, let your imagination be your guide!
The moon could also provide some creative commercial opportunities: lunar power from solar cells, protected data archives, mining of lunar metals, and research under conditions of low gravity and high vacuum, to name a few. In fact, mining the moon may eventually yield rocket propellant that could be sold to commercial satellite operators to access and service their satellite assets in Earth orbit. Beyond charging space tourists for a chance to visit the moon, lunar entrepreneurs might host special television events from the moon to boost publicity, or place a remote-controlled rover on the moon. People back on Earth could pay to take turns controlling the rover from their Internet-connected computers, letting them take a virtual drive across the moon's crater-pocked surface. In short, let your imagination be your guide!
Wanted: Home-builders for the moon - Space News - MSNBC.com
Wanted: Home-builders for the moon - Space News - MSNBC.com
Imagine a world where microwave-beaming rovers cook dust into concrete landing pads ... where your living quarters are dropped onto the land from above, then inflated like an inner tube ... where the grit is so abrasive that even the robots have to wear protective coveralls.
... includes a slide show with some pretty pictures.
Imagine a world where microwave-beaming rovers cook dust into concrete landing pads ... where your living quarters are dropped onto the land from above, then inflated like an inner tube ... where the grit is so abrasive that even the robots have to wear protective coveralls.
... includes a slide show with some pretty pictures.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Flight Patterns
Flight Patterns: "The Flight Patterns visualizations are the result of experiments leading to the project Celestial Mechanics by Scott Hessels and Gabriel Dunne. FAA data was parsed and plotted using the Processing programming environment. The frames were composited with Adobe After Effects and/or Maya."
I think this a more important video than you might think at first glance. It shows how the visual interpretation of data sets can be influenced by artistic sensibilities. I would argue it shows a glaring lack of artistic training in our scientists and engineers because we don't see more of this. There is tremendous potential here to interpret all sorts of data.
I think this a more important video than you might think at first glance. It shows how the visual interpretation of data sets can be influenced by artistic sensibilities. I would argue it shows a glaring lack of artistic training in our scientists and engineers because we don't see more of this. There is tremendous potential here to interpret all sorts of data.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
NASA - Lunar Transient Phenomena
NASA - Lunar Transient Phenomena
An airplane passes right in front of the moon as the camera is recording. Startling.
An airplane passes right in front of the moon as the camera is recording. Startling.
Photos: Best photos of Saturn--and the winners are | CNET News.com
Photos: Best photos of Saturn--and the winners are | CNET News.com: "NASA announced the winners of its contest to choose the best photograph taken by the Cassini spacecraft as it nears its second anniversary at the planet Saturn. NASA also announced winners of its Mars rovers' photo contest."
Monday, January 22, 2007
New Theory of the Universe Marries Two of its Biggest Mysteries
New Theory of the Universe Marries Two of its Biggest Mysteries: "%u201CWe propose that at some point in the very early universe, dark matter interacted with regular matter in a particular way so as to shift the balance between matter and anti-matter ever so slightly towards matter, a process known as baryogenesis,%u201D said Jeff Jones, a University of California-Santa Cruz physicist involved in the work, to PhysOrg.com. %u201CWe have proposed a new mechanism for baryogenesis that ties together these two mysteries, which are usually assumed to be unrelated.%u201D
"
"
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Lewis Center for Educational Research
Lewis Center for Educational Research
This is a you-pay-for-it opportunity to get access to a giant radio telescope in California. You and your students run the telescope by remote control. The price is around $500.
This is a you-pay-for-it opportunity to get access to a giant radio telescope in California. You and your students run the telescope by remote control. The price is around $500.
Lewis Center for Educational Research
Lewis Center for Educational Research
This is a you-pay-for-it opportunity to get access to a giant radio telescope in California. You and your students run the telescope by remote control. The price is around $500.
This is a you-pay-for-it opportunity to get access to a giant radio telescope in California. You and your students run the telescope by remote control. The price is around $500.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Gravity Launch
SPACE.com -- Pluto-Bound Spacecraft to Nab Speed Boost in Jupiter Flyby
SPACE.com -- Pluto-Bound Spacecraft to Nab Speed Boost in Jupiter Flyby: "At its
closest approach, New Horizons will swing within 1.7 million miles (2.3 million
kilometers) of Jupiter to grab a gravity boost that will shave three years off
its flight to Pluto, researchers said [image].�
%u201CWe%u2019ve
designed this particular flyby to be a stress test on our spacecraft to work
out the kinks,%u201D Stern added."
closest approach, New Horizons will swing within 1.7 million miles (2.3 million
kilometers) of Jupiter to grab a gravity boost that will shave three years off
its flight to Pluto, researchers said [image].�
%u201CWe%u2019ve
designed this particular flyby to be a stress test on our spacecraft to work
out the kinks,%u201D Stern added."
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Belief and knowledge%u2014a plea about language - Physics Today January 2007
Belief and knowledge%u2014a plea about language - Physics Today January 2007: "A few words in elementary physics%u2014
force, work, momentum, and energy%u2014have carefully defined physics meanings. Their much
broader everyday usage causes students a great deal of confusion until they learn the precise physics
concepts. Rather than belabor such cases, I will focus on some words that are, I think, the root of
considerable public misunderstanding of science: belief, hypothesis, theory, and knowledge."
Not about astronomy per se but any science teacher will find fertile ground in this topic. I agree completely that most of the problem in communicating about science to the public is the risky proposition of redefining words used in ordinary conversation with specific meanings.
force, work, momentum, and energy%u2014have carefully defined physics meanings. Their much
broader everyday usage causes students a great deal of confusion until they learn the precise physics
concepts. Rather than belabor such cases, I will focus on some words that are, I think, the root of
considerable public misunderstanding of science: belief, hypothesis, theory, and knowledge."
Not about astronomy per se but any science teacher will find fertile ground in this topic. I agree completely that most of the problem in communicating about science to the public is the risky proposition of redefining words used in ordinary conversation with specific meanings.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Hands-On Universe Research
Hands-On Universe Research: "The
International Asteroid Search Campaign (IASC) is a program
for high school and college students who search real-time astronomical
images for original discoveries.� These discoveries include
asteroids, near-Earth objects (NEO), Kuiper Belt objects (KBO),
supernovae (SNe), and active galactic nuclei (AGN).� Students
download the images on a daily basis, perform the analysis
with provided software tools, and report their discoveries,
which ultimately are recognized by the Minor Planet Center
(MPC; Harvard University) and the International Astronomical
Union (IAU)."
International Asteroid Search Campaign (IASC) is a program
for high school and college students who search real-time astronomical
images for original discoveries.� These discoveries include
asteroids, near-Earth objects (NEO), Kuiper Belt objects (KBO),
supernovae (SNe), and active galactic nuclei (AGN).� Students
download the images on a daily basis, perform the analysis
with provided software tools, and report their discoveries,
which ultimately are recognized by the Minor Planet Center
(MPC; Harvard University) and the International Astronomical
Union (IAU)."
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Online astronomers seek out new worlds - Yahoo! News
Online astronomers seek out new worlds - Yahoo! News: "n 1995, neophyte stargazer Thomas Bopp gained fame for co-discovering what would be known as Comet Hale-Bopp. Two years ago, in what was billed as the first such find by an amateur in 65 years, Jay McNeil of Kentucky took a picture of a new nebula %u2014 an illuminated cloud of gas and dust lit by what is believed to be a newborn star.
Since the late 1990s, virtual astronomy has boomed. One of the earliest online citizen scientist projects was SETI(at)home, which distributed software that created a virtual supercomputer by harnessing idle, Web-connected PCs to search for alien radio transmissions."
Since the late 1990s, virtual astronomy has boomed. One of the earliest online citizen scientist projects was SETI(at)home, which distributed software that created a virtual supercomputer by harnessing idle, Web-connected PCs to search for alien radio transmissions."
SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids
Comet McNaught is visible in daylight! Spaceweather, for the next few days, gives the details. I've seen it 3 times at sunset myself. SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Seven Warning Signs of Bogus Science
Seven Warning Signs of Bogus Science: "Justice Stephen G. Breyer encouraged
trial judges to appoint independent experts to help them. He noted
that courts can turn to scientific organizations, like the National
Academy of Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement
of Science, to identify neutral experts who could preview questionable
scientific testimony and advise a judge on whether a jury should
be exposed to it. Judges are still concerned about meeting their
responsibilities under the Daubert decision, and a group of them
asked me how to recognize questionable scientific claims. What
are the warning signs?
I have identified seven indicators that
a scientific claim lies well outside the bounds of rational scientific
discourse. Of course, they are only warning signs -- even a claim
with several of the signs could be legitimate."
trial judges to appoint independent experts to help them. He noted
that courts can turn to scientific organizations, like the National
Academy of Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement
of Science, to identify neutral experts who could preview questionable
scientific testimony and advise a judge on whether a jury should
be exposed to it. Judges are still concerned about meeting their
responsibilities under the Daubert decision, and a group of them
asked me how to recognize questionable scientific claims. What
are the warning signs?
I have identified seven indicators that
a scientific claim lies well outside the bounds of rational scientific
discourse. Of course, they are only warning signs -- even a claim
with several of the signs could be legitimate."
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Doom for Hubble's iconic pillars
SPACE.com -- NASA Finally Goes Metric
SPACE.com -- NASA Finally Goes Metric: "When NASA returns astronauts to the Moon, the mission will be measured kilometers, not miles.
The agency has decided to use metric units for all operations on the lunar surface, according to a statement released today.
The change will standardize parts and tools. It means Russian wrenches could be used to fix an air leak in a U.S.-built habitat. It will also make communications easier, such as when determining how far to send a rover for a science project.
NASA has ostensibly used the metric system since about 1990, the statement said, but English units are still employed on some missions, and a few projects use both. NASA uses both English and metric aboard the International Space Station."
The agency has decided to use metric units for all operations on the lunar surface, according to a statement released today.
The change will standardize parts and tools. It means Russian wrenches could be used to fix an air leak in a U.S.-built habitat. It will also make communications easier, such as when determining how far to send a rover for a science project.
NASA has ostensibly used the metric system since about 1990, the statement said, but English units are still employed on some missions, and a few projects use both. NASA uses both English and metric aboard the International Space Station."
Monday, January 08, 2007
SPACE.com -- Andromeda Galaxy Five Time Bigger Than Thought
SPACE.com -- Andromeda Galaxy Five Time Bigger Than Thought: "According to current galactic formation theories, the halo is the first part of a galaxy that forms. Stars in the halo are predicted to be metal poor because they formed during a time when the universe had much less heavy metal content than it does now. Heavy metals are created as stars evolve and then spewed out into interstellar space when ancient stars either explode as supernovas or shed their outer layers to become white dwarfs.
'The first stars are expected to be chemically deficient, and as these other components such as the disk of the galaxy form later, it is contaminated by the products of those first stars, so those stars are more metal rich,' Kalirai said.
However, instead of being metal-poor, previous studies have found that Andromeda's halo stars were actually 10 times richer in metals than halo stars in our galaxy. This finding puzzled astronomers because both Andromeda and the Milky Way should have similar formation histories."
'The first stars are expected to be chemically deficient, and as these other components such as the disk of the galaxy form later, it is contaminated by the products of those first stars, so those stars are more metal rich,' Kalirai said.
However, instead of being metal-poor, previous studies have found that Andromeda's halo stars were actually 10 times richer in metals than halo stars in our galaxy. This finding puzzled astronomers because both Andromeda and the Milky Way should have similar formation histories."
Lego Mindstorms NXT Segway
I wonder how segway technology might be adaptable to a space probe...
I wonder how segway technology might be adaptable to a space probe...
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Stellar Bang with a New Twist -- Berardelli 2007 (105): 2 -- ScienceNOW
Stellar Bang with a New Twist -- Berardelli 2007 (105): 2 -- ScienceNOW: "For years, astronomers have relied on a valuable observational tool to study the expansion of the universe: a variety of supernova called a Type Ia. These titanic explosions were thought to erupt under conditions that produced a consistent brightness. Using that 'standard candle,' astronomers could calculate a supernova's distance from Earth and, by detecting stretches in the wavelengths of its light, also track the acceleration of the universe caused by the mysterious force called dark energy. Now, the discovery of two supernova remnants in a nearby galaxy calls the consistency of Type Ia explosions into question."
Friday, January 05, 2007
SPACE.com -- Skywatcher's Almanac: Celestial Highlights in 2007
SPACE.com -- Skywatcher's Almanac: Celestial Highlights in 2007: "From a potentially spectacular summer meteor shower to a pair of lunar eclipses and compelling appearances of the planets, this year will be an excellent one for skywatching. Hot New Comet! Right now, a newfound comet is brightening rapidly and could put on a fantastic show over the next few days.
This astronomical almanac of sorts can serve as a planning guide. Specific events will be discussed in greater detail just prior to their occurrences."
This astronomical almanac of sorts can serve as a planning guide. Specific events will be discussed in greater detail just prior to their occurrences."
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Diamond star thrills astronomers
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Diamond star thrills astronomers
: "The cosmic diamond is a chunk of crystallised carbon, 4,000 km across, some 50 light-years from the Earth in the constellation Centaurus."
: "The cosmic diamond is a chunk of crystallised carbon, 4,000 km across, some 50 light-years from the Earth in the constellation Centaurus."
Thursday, January 04, 2007
SkyTonight.com - Homepage Observing - January's Surprise Comet
SkyTonight.com - Homepage Observing - January's Surprise Comet: "A major comet, known as Comet McNaught or C/2006 P1, is right now making its way through the inner solar system. It%u2019s already as bright as the brightest stars, but it is also sticking close to the glare of the Sun. For this reason the general public won%u2019t be gathering on street corners to gaze at it, as they did Comet Hyakutake (in 1996) or Comet Hale-Bopp (1997). But amateur astronomers in north-temperate latitudes, with their observing know-how, have an excellent chance of spotting Comet McNaught in the next week or so, very low in the bright glow of evening twilight."
Cops baffled by mystery object that crashed into home - CNN.com
Cops baffled by mystery object that crashed into home - CNN.com: "Nobody was injured when the golf ball-sized object, weighing nearly as much as a can of soup, struck the home and embedded itself in a wall Tuesday night. Federal officials sent to the scene said it was not from an aircraft.The rough-surfaced object, with a metallic glint, was displayed Wednesday by police."
MyFox Colorado | Watch Spectacular Video of A Meteor Shower
MyFox Colorado | Watch Spectacular Video of A Meteor Shower
At the time, the newsfolken thought it was a meteor-- "parts of an extinct constellation[sic]" says the weather guy. Later we found out it was a Russian rocket breaking up in the atmosphere.
At the time, the newsfolken thought it was a meteor-- "parts of an extinct constellation[sic]" says the weather guy. Later we found out it was a Russian rocket breaking up in the atmosphere.
Brightest supernova discovery hints at stellar collision - space - 03 January 2007 - New Scientist Space
Brightest supernova discovery hints at stellar collision - space - 03 January 2007 - New Scientist Space: "Because merger-generated explosions are likely so rare, they should not affect the interpretation of cosmological studies that rely on type Ia supernovae -- including measurements of dark energy, he says."
ESA Portal - Black hole boldly goes where no black hole has gone before
ESA Portal - Black hole boldly goes where no black hole has gone before: "XMM-Newton is extremely sensitive to variable X-ray sources and can efficiently search across large patches of the sky. The team also used NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, which has superb angular resolution to pinpoint the X-ray source's location. This allowed them to match up the position of the X-ray source with optical images to prove that the black hole was indeed in a globular cluster."
Monday, January 01, 2007
Friday the 13th, 2029
Friday the 13th, 2029: "The asteroid is about 320 meters wide. 'That's big enough to punch through Earth's atmosphere,' devastating a region the size of, say, Texas, if it hit land, or causing widespread tsunamis if it hit ocean, says Chodas. So much for holiday cheer."
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Would Stephen Jay Gould Have Signed the %u201CSteves%u201D List?
Would Stephen Jay Gould Have Signed the "Steves"?: "That summer, and every other summer I worked teaching science to the public, I met a lot of them. Though most objectors would just walk away from the program, some mothers would cover their children's ears to protect them from the "blasphemous park ranger." One man, after I patiently explained how we know the age of rocks, finally just threw up his hands, exclaimed, 'The Devil made that rock look that old to turn you away from God,'and led his family back up the trail."
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Sci-Fi Lists - Top 100 Sci-Fi Books
NASA - True Fakes: Scientists make simulated lunar soil
NASA - True Fakes: Scientists make simulated lunar soil : "'We don't have enough real moondust to go around,' says Larry Taylor, director of Planetary Geosciences Institute at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. To run all the tests, 'we need to make a well-qualified lunar simulant.' And not just a few bags will do. 'We need tons of it, mainly for working on technologies for diggers and wheels and machinery on the surface,' adds David S. McKay, chief scientist for astrobiology at the Johnson Space Center (JSC)."
Friday, December 29, 2006
Astronomy Picture of the Day
HTML Version of AstroWeb Database
7th Ave & Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101 - Google Maps
7th Ave & Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101 - Google Maps
Looks like these two buildings are falling on each other. Can you tell why, astronomy students?
Looks like these two buildings are falling on each other. Can you tell why, astronomy students?
Thursday, December 28, 2006
The Standard - China's Business Newspaper
The Standard - China's Business Newspaper: "Young Americans have high levels of apathy about NASA's new vision of sending astronauts back to the moon by 2017 and eventually on to Mars, recent surveys show.Concerned about this lack of interest, NASA's image-makers are taking a hard look at how to win over the young generation - media-saturated teens and 20-somethings growing up on YouTube and Google and largely indifferent to manned space flight.The 2004 and 2006 surveys by a Houston company, Dittmar Associates, revealed high levels of indifference among 18- to 25-year-olds toward manned trips to the moon and Mars."
What%u2019s Up - 365 Days of Skywatching � Download the Book
What's Up - 365 Days of Skywatching Download the Book
A free ebook that teaches you the sky, one day at a time. A print version is also available.
A free ebook that teaches you the sky, one day at a time. A print version is also available.
Bad Astronomy Blog � The Top Ten Astronomy Images of 2006
Comment is free: Big mistake
Comment is free: Big mistake: "McIntosh thinks, on biblical authority alone, that it is less than 10,000 years. We establishment fuddyduddies think, using mutually corroborating evidence from many sources including several different radioactive isotopes in the rocks, that it is about 4.6 billion years. I shall not say here why I think we are right and McIntosh wrong. Instead, I shall simply calculate the magnitude of the difference between the two estimates. We of the 'establishment' think the Earth is 460,000 times older than McIntosh's estimate. It is as though McIntosh estimated the height of a man as 6 feet and then accused the rest of us of believing that the same man was 460,000 times as tall, or 521 miles. Or, looking the other way, it is as though McIntosh looked at the establishment geographers' measurement of the distance from New York to San Francisco and claimed that the true distance from sea to shining sea was 460,000 times smaller, namely about ten yards. Maybe McIntosh is right and all the rest of us wrong. All I have done here is calculate how spectacularly wrong we would be, if McIntosh is right."
Slice of Scifi - Science Fiction TV & Movie News, Interviews & more � Scientists Launch %u2018Planet Hunter%u2019
Slice of Scifi - Science Fiction TV & Movie News, Interviews & more "Scientists Launch Planet Hunter: "We expect to obtain a better vision of planet systems beyond the solar system, about the distribution of planet sizes,she said. And finally, it will allow us to estimate the likelihood of there existing planets resembling the Earth in the neighborhood of the sun or further away in the galaxy."
Lenticular Clouds
valuca
Amazing lenticular cloud site. Some look like UFO's, some look like bowls, waves in water, etc. Definitely worth a look.
Amazing lenticular cloud site. Some look like UFO's, some look like bowls, waves in water, etc. Definitely worth a look.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Alka-seltzer in zero g
Water as large as your head ...IN SPACE.
Water as large as your head ...IN SPACE.
Friday, December 22, 2006
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Space shuttle returns to Florida
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Space shuttle returns to Florida: "May should see the maiden flight of a new re-supply vessel for the station.
Known as the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), it will be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from the European spaceport at Kourou in French Guiana."
Known as the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), it will be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from the European spaceport at Kourou in French Guiana."
White dwarf shreds and vaporises asteroid - space - 21 December 2006 - New Scientist Space
White dwarf shreds and vaporises asteroid - space - 21 December 2006 - New Scientist Space: "An asteroid has been ripped to shreds and vaporised after straying too close to a hot white dwarf star, observations suggest. The asteroid was probably flung towards the white dwarf by the gravity of one or more unseen planets, astronomers say."
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Astronomy Teaching Survey-- please participate!
When every high school is sweating to the reading and math testing of No Child Left Behind, how does an astronomy class manage to exist? And what does the class look like compared to those of previous decades?
I am a Ph.D. student at the University of Georgia, and an astronomy educator. I've been a high school physics and astronomy teacher, both in and out of planetarium situations. If high school astronomy teaching interests you, then I would like to invite you to participate in a survey of high school astronomy courses.
The substance of my dissertation will be looking at the current status and makeup of these courses, how teachers express why the course should exist, and how No Child Left Behind has affected astronomy teaching. The field has not been surveyed since the early 1990's, since before NCLB and even before the full effect of national standards in science or standardized testing in general. The findings could help schools that want to have astronomy courses in the future, or maintain them in the present.
I need teachers who have taught or currently teach a bona fide course in astronomy at the high school level. It doesn't matter if you are a regular classroom teacher or a planetarium educator. Your name and school identification information will be removed from the dissertation and future published articles so you can be assured of anonymity. If you agree, all you will do is simply take a survey, which may take 30-45 minutes at most. A few teachers will be interviewed. Your voluntary participation in this project will take place at one of three times between January and September
of 2007.
If you would be interested in helping assess the national view of astronomy at the high school level, please contact me by email at lkrumena@uga.edu . A more formal invitation to participate will be emailed to you. You may also mail an inquiry to me at Larry Krumenaker, Dept of Math and Science Education, 212 Aderhold Hall, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30306.
I am a Ph.D. student at the University of Georgia, and an astronomy educator. I've been a high school physics and astronomy teacher, both in and out of planetarium situations. If high school astronomy teaching interests you, then I would like to invite you to participate in a survey of high school astronomy courses.
The substance of my dissertation will be looking at the current status and makeup of these courses, how teachers express why the course should exist, and how No Child Left Behind has affected astronomy teaching. The field has not been surveyed since the early 1990's, since before NCLB and even before the full effect of national standards in science or standardized testing in general. The findings could help schools that want to have astronomy courses in the future, or maintain them in the present.
I need teachers who have taught or currently teach a bona fide course in astronomy at the high school level. It doesn't matter if you are a regular classroom teacher or a planetarium educator. Your name and school identification information will be removed from the dissertation and future published articles so you can be assured of anonymity. If you agree, all you will do is simply take a survey, which may take 30-45 minutes at most. A few teachers will be interviewed. Your voluntary participation in this project will take place at one of three times between January and September
of 2007.
If you would be interested in helping assess the national view of astronomy at the high school level, please contact me by email at lkrumena@uga.edu . A more formal invitation to participate will be emailed to you. You may also mail an inquiry to me at Larry Krumenaker, Dept of Math and Science Education, 212 Aderhold Hall, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30306.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Hybrids in the Universe
Hybrids in the Universe: "Scientists working with NASA data recently made a discovery that forced them to re-think their theories on gamma-ray bursts - the most powerful cosmic explosions. A year ago scientists thought they had figured out the nature of gamma-ray bursts. They signal the birth of black holes and traditionally, fall into one of two categories: long or short.
A newly discovered hybrid burst has properties of both known classes of gamma-ray bursts yet possesses features that remain unexplained."
A newly discovered hybrid burst has properties of both known classes of gamma-ray bursts yet possesses features that remain unexplained."
A zoom-in on the face on Mars
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
20 Greatest Inventions by Muslims
20 Greatest Inventions by Muslims: "The
system of numbering in
use all round the world
is probably Indian in
origin but the style of
the numerals is Arabic
and first appears in print
in the work of the Muslim
mathematicians al-Khwarizmi
and al-Kindi around 825.
Algebra was named after
al-Khwarizmi's book, Al-Jabr
wa-al-Muqabilah, much
of whose contents are
still in use. The work
of Muslim maths scholars
was imported into Europe
300 years later by the
Italian mathematician
Fibonacci. Algorithms
and much of the theory
of trigonometry came from
the Muslim world.
And Al-Kindi's discovery
of frequency analysis
rendered all the codes
of the ancient world soluble
and created the basis
of modern cryptology."
system of numbering in
use all round the world
is probably Indian in
origin but the style of
the numerals is Arabic
and first appears in print
in the work of the Muslim
mathematicians al-Khwarizmi
and al-Kindi around 825.
Algebra was named after
al-Khwarizmi's book, Al-Jabr
wa-al-Muqabilah, much
of whose contents are
still in use. The work
of Muslim maths scholars
was imported into Europe
300 years later by the
Italian mathematician
Fibonacci. Algorithms
and much of the theory
of trigonometry came from
the Muslim world.
And Al-Kindi's discovery
of frequency analysis
rendered all the codes
of the ancient world soluble
and created the basis
of modern cryptology."
Press Release: NASA Telescope Picks Up Glow of Universe's First Objects
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Astronaut Loses Camera in Space !
Notice how well it obey's Newton's first law
Notice how well it obey's Newton's first law
...some stars and planets in scale - Google Video
NASA - Some Emerging Possibilities
Real research on warp drive tech. NASA - Some Emerging Possibilities
A cosmic hall of mirrors (September 2005) - Physics World - PhysicsWeb
A cosmic hall of mirrors (September 2005) - Physics World - PhysicsWeb: "Most astronomers think that the universe is infinite, but recent measurements suggest that it could be finite and relatively small. Indeed, as Jean-Pierre Luminet describes, we could be living in an exotic universe shaped rather like a football"
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Alternative theory of gravity explains large structure formation -- without dark matter
Alternative theory of gravity explains large structure formation -- without dark matter: "While altering the theory of gravity may seem like pulling the rug out from under a century of observations and pain-staking calculations, an alternative theory may simply be %u201Cmore correct%u201D than today%u2019s standard theory. Just as Einstein%u2019s theory was %u201Cmore correct%u201D than Newton%u2019s because it improved upon the older one by noticing more specific details (e.g. extraordinary masses and speeds), a new alternative theory may only drastically change gravity at certain scales. "
Photo-s116e05401
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
SPACE.com -- New Forecast: Severe Space Storm Headed to Earth
SPACE.com -- New Forecast: Severe Space Storm Headed to Earth: "Space weather forecasters revised their predictions for storminess after a major flare erupted on the Sun overnight threatening damage to communication systems and power grids while offering up the wonder of Northern Lights.
'We're looking for very strong, severe geomagnetic storming' to begin probably around mid-day Thursday, Joe Kunches, Lead Forecaster at the NOAA Space Environment Center, told SPACE.com this afternoon."
'We're looking for very strong, severe geomagnetic storming' to begin probably around mid-day Thursday, Joe Kunches, Lead Forecaster at the NOAA Space Environment Center, told SPACE.com this afternoon."
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
A hint
For those of you searching for something...that's what the little search box sponsored by Google is for...!
BTW if you click on the ads to the right, income that supports this site is generated. Click away!
BTW if you click on the ads to the right, income that supports this site is generated. Click away!
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Kennedy Media Gallery
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Planetary triple play on deck Sunday | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
Planetary triple play on deck Sunday | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.
Stargazers will get a rare triple planetary treat this weekend with Jupiter, Mercury and Mars appearing to nestle together in the predawn skies. About 45 minutes before dawn on Sunday those three planets will be so close that the average person's thumb can obscure all three from view."
Stargazers will get a rare triple planetary treat this weekend with Jupiter, Mercury and Mars appearing to nestle together in the predawn skies. About 45 minutes before dawn on Sunday those three planets will be so close that the average person's thumb can obscure all three from view."
Friday, December 08, 2006
NASA crushes lunar real estate industry | The Register
NASA crushes lunar real estate industry | The Register : "A NASA spokesman told us: 'Property rights on the moon are governed by the United Nations. Those are all just frauds.'"
NASA crushes lunar real estate industry | The Register
NASA crushes lunar real estate industry | The Register : "A NASA spokesman told us: 'Property rights on the moon are governed by the United Nations. Those are all just frauds.'"
Thursday, December 07, 2006
SPACE.com -- Where are the Future Rocket Scientists?
SPACE.com -- Where are the Future Rocket Scientists?: "They found that students who expected to pursue a career in science were more likely to achieve a BA or BS (with a STEM major) than their fellow students who aspired to non-STEM careers. Students with non-STEM career aspirations were also less likely to graduate.�"
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
NASA - NASA Podcasting
Does water STILL flow on Mars? | the Daily Mail
Does water STILL flow on Mars? | the Daily Mail: "Striking new images of the Red Planet have raised hopes life could be found on Mars after all.
Scientists say they have photographic evidence that suggests liquid water may have been on the planet as little as five years ago.
Experts last night said Mars now appears more active than previously thought and the latest study shows why it is vital to continue to search for life on our planetary neighbour."
Scientists say they have photographic evidence that suggests liquid water may have been on the planet as little as five years ago.
Experts last night said Mars now appears more active than previously thought and the latest study shows why it is vital to continue to search for life on our planetary neighbour."
Monday, December 04, 2006
NASA to set up polar moon camp - Space.com - MSNBC.com
NASA to set up polar moon camp -Space.com - MSNBC.com: "One particular area that's already receiving high marks by NASA's lunar architecture team is at the South Pole--a spot on the rim of Shackleton Crater that's almost permanently sunlit. It's also adjacent to a permanently dark region in which there are potentially volatiles that we can extract and use, said NASA's Doug Cooke, Deputy Associate Administrator of the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate."
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Gulfnews: Star trek 'will save humans'
Gulfnews: Star trek 'will save humans': "
Mankind will need to venture far beyond Earth to ensure the long-term survival of our species, Professor Stephen Hawking said.
The Cambridge University cosmologist said spacecraft propelled by the kind of technology popularised in Star Trek would be needed to colonise hospitable planets orbiting alien stars. He also disclosed his own ambition to go into space, saying: 'Maybe Richard Branson will help me"
Mankind will need to venture far beyond Earth to ensure the long-term survival of our species, Professor Stephen Hawking said.
The Cambridge University cosmologist said spacecraft propelled by the kind of technology popularised in Star Trek would be needed to colonise hospitable planets orbiting alien stars. He also disclosed his own ambition to go into space, saying: 'Maybe Richard Branson will help me"
Sunday, November 26, 2006
SPACE.com -- Great Chance to Spot Planet Mercury
SPACE.com -- Great Chance to Spot Planet Mercury: "...during these next two weeks we will be presented with an excellent opportunity to view Mercury in the early morning dawn sky..."
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Conic - Juggling in a Cone (Preview)
This video shows a guy juggling in a cone. Every free-moving path shown is a conic section. Every orbit due to gravity is a conic section as well.
This video shows a guy juggling in a cone. Every free-moving path shown is a conic section. Every orbit due to gravity is a conic section as well.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
The Peekskill Meteorite October 9
Calendar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The wikipedia entry on Calendars, very interesting reading about how celestial events govern our time units.
Calendar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Calendar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Weekend Meteor Shower for New England
ASP awards
The Astronomical Society of the Pacific is now accepting nominations
for the Society's 2007 awards honoring special accomplishments in
astronomy education and public outreach. Recipients receive a cash
award and engraved plaque, as well as travel and lodging to accept
the award at the Society's 119th annual meeting, to be held in
Chicago, Illinois, September 5-7, 2007.
The Richard Emmons Award celebrates outstanding achievement in the
teaching of college-level introductory astronomy for non-science majors.
The Klumpke-Roberts Award recognizes those who have made outstanding
contributions to the public understanding and appreciation of astronomy.
The Thomas J. Brennan Award is given for excellence in the teaching
of astronomy at the high school level in North America.
The Las Cumbres Amateur Outreach Award honors outstanding
educational outreach by an amateur astronomer to K-12 students and the
public.
Deadlines, submission guidelines, and lists of past recipients can be
found at http://www.astrosociety.org/membership/awards/awards.html.
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact
Marilyn Delgado at 415.337.1100 x 100 or mdelgado@astrosociety.org.
for the Society's 2007 awards honoring special accomplishments in
astronomy education and public outreach. Recipients receive a cash
award and engraved plaque, as well as travel and lodging to accept
the award at the Society's 119th annual meeting, to be held in
Chicago, Illinois, September 5-7, 2007.
The Richard Emmons Award celebrates outstanding achievement in the
teaching of college-level introductory astronomy for non-science majors.
The Klumpke-Roberts Award recognizes those who have made outstanding
contributions to the public understanding and appreciation of astronomy.
The Thomas J. Brennan Award is given for excellence in the teaching
of astronomy at the high school level in North America.
The Las Cumbres Amateur Outreach Award honors outstanding
educational outreach by an amateur astronomer to K-12 students and the
public.
Deadlines, submission guidelines, and lists of past recipients can be
found at http://www.astrosociety.org/membership/awards/awards.html.
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact
Marilyn Delgado at 415.337.1100 x 100 or mdelgado@astrosociety.org.
McDonald Observatory Opportunity
Summer 2007 Workshops at McDonald Observatory
McDonald Observatory offers a unique setting for teacher workshops: the
Observatory and Visitors Center in the Davis Mountains of West Texas.
Not only will you do inquiry-based activities aligned with science and
mathematics TEKS and TAKS, you will practice your new astronomy skills
under the Observatory's dark skies, weather permitting, and partner with
trained and nationally recognized astronomy educators. Teachers must
provide their own transportation to the Observatory. The deadline for
applications for federally funded programs is February 1, 2007.
Applications received after this date will be considered on a
space-available basis. For more information and to apply for one of the
workshops, go to http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/teachers/profdev/.
McDonald Observatory offers a unique setting for teacher workshops: the
Observatory and Visitors Center in the Davis Mountains of West Texas.
Not only will you do inquiry-based activities aligned with science and
mathematics TEKS and TAKS, you will practice your new astronomy skills
under the Observatory's dark skies, weather permitting, and partner with
trained and nationally recognized astronomy educators. Teachers must
provide their own transportation to the Observatory. The deadline for
applications for federally funded programs is February 1, 2007.
Applications received after this date will be considered on a
space-available basis. For more information and to apply for one of the
workshops, go to http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/teachers/profdev/.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Hubble Telescope Makes New Discovery - washingtonpost.com
Hubble Telescope Makes New Discovery - washingtonpost.com: "Nearby supernovae were receding more quickly than expected. That could only be true if some mysterious force were causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate over time.Cosmologists dubbed the force 'dark energy,' and ever since they've been trying to figure out what it is."
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Wanted: man to land on killer asteroid and gently nudge it from path to Earth | Science | Guardian Unlimited
Wanted: man to land on killer asteroid and gently nudge it from path to Earth | Science | Guardian Unlimited: "To save the day, Nasa now plans to go where only Bruce Willis has gone before. The US space agency is drawing up plans to land an astronaut on an asteroid hurtling through space at more than 30,000 mph. It wants to know whether humans could master techniques needed to deflect such a doomsday object when it is eventually identified. The proposals are at an early stage, and a spacecraft needed just to send an astronaut that far into space exists only on the drawing board, but they are deadly serious. A smallish asteroid called Apophis has already been identified as a possible threat to Earth in 2036."
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
SPACE.com -- NASA Weighs U.S. Strategy for Moon Exploration
SPACE.com -- NASA Weighs U.S. Strategy for Moon Exploration: "The
space agency plan is a key component in the response to U.S. President George
W. Bush%u2019s Vision
for Space Exploration %u2013 a call to action that he sketched out in early 2004.
That
far-reaching, big picture White House agenda included as a goal the return of humans to the
Moon%u2019s surface by 2020 - as the launching point for missions beyond. Also,
starting no later than 2008, a series of robotic missions would be dispatched
to the lunar surface to research and prepare for future human exploration."
space agency plan is a key component in the response to U.S. President George
W. Bush%u2019s Vision
for Space Exploration %u2013 a call to action that he sketched out in early 2004.
That
far-reaching, big picture White House agenda included as a goal the return of humans to the
Moon%u2019s surface by 2020 - as the launching point for missions beyond. Also,
starting no later than 2008, a series of robotic missions would be dispatched
to the lunar surface to research and prepare for future human exploration."
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Nasa has few options to fix failed Mars probe - New Zealand's source for World News on Stuff.co.nz
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Waves in a Large Free Sphere of Water
Interesting observations of a water bubble aboard the international space station. There are elastic collisions, centripetal forces, and surface tension forces at play here.
Interesting observations of a water bubble aboard the international space station. There are elastic collisions, centripetal forces, and surface tension forces at play here.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
SPACE.com -- NASA Loses Contact With Mars Global Surveyor
SPACE.com -- NASA Loses Contact With Mars Global Surveyor: "NASA's Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft has failed to check in with Earth for the fifth straight day in a row, after losing contact during a routine adjustment of its solar array.
If contact is not reestablished by Saturday, NASA might try to have another Mars-orbiting spacecraft take pictures of MGS to assess its condition."
If contact is not reestablished by Saturday, NASA might try to have another Mars-orbiting spacecraft take pictures of MGS to assess its condition."
Friday, November 10, 2006
First Photo From Space
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Cassini-Huygens: News-Press Releases-2006
Cassini-Huygens: News-Press Releases-2006: "A movie taken by Cassini's camera over a three-hour period reveals winds around Saturn's south pole blowing clockwise at 550 kilometers (350 miles) per hour. The camera also saw the shadow cast by a ring of towering clouds surrounding the pole, and two spiral arms of clouds extending from the central ring. These ring clouds, 30 to 75 kilometers (20 to 45 miles) above those in the center of the storm, are two to five times taller than the clouds of thunderstorms and hurricanes on Earth. "
i pledge alliegance to the test - Google Search
I thought you might enjoy this little ditty:
I pledge allegiance to the test
From the State Department of Education
And to the Standards for which it stands
One assessment, with a rubric
With Performance Goals, and Accountability, for all.
Any day now, teachers in California are going to have to start reciting this in the morning.
I pledge allegiance to the test
From the State Department of Education
And to the Standards for which it stands
One assessment, with a rubric
With Performance Goals, and Accountability, for all.
Any day now, teachers in California are going to have to start reciting this in the morning.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Bill Gates says West not supplying enough IT talent�|�Tech&Sci�|�Technology�|�Reuters.com
Sunday, November 05, 2006
God vs. science: Can religion stand up to the test? - CNN.com
OddPeak - 10 Most Impressive Photos of our Universe
Corpus Christi, TX - KRISTV.COM - Helium shortage grips suppliers across Texas, country
Corpus Christi, TX - KRISTV.COM - Helium shortage grips suppliers across Texas, country: "Helium now appears to be a finite resource that could soon disappear in Amarillo. The reserve is supposed to keep 600 million cubic feet, but workers at the facility are skeptical that will happen.'Our equipment is designed to produce 6.1 million cubic feet per day, and we've been pretty successful at getting that done,' said Theiss. 'But demand is outstripping the market right now.'Helium is produced by radioactive decay of elements such as thorium or uranium.Robert Park, a University of Maryland physics professor and officer of the American Physical Society, worries that helium will one day be scarce at a time when mankind really needs it."
BBC NEWS | In pictures: Very Large Telescope, Eye on the stars
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