AstronomyTeacher
News articles and posts about astronomy and astronomy educationSunday, 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"
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