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 The SpaceWriter's Ramblings |
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Anything and everything about science, especially astronomy and the cosmos. NOTE: This blog has migrated to a new address. Please update your favorites link accordingly.Visit my web site at Posting times are Powered by
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7.28.2003 Done, for Now!This past month I've been doing markups on the layouts for Visions of the Cosmos -- the book that Jack Brandt and I have written together, due out this fall from Cambridge University Press. It has been a time-consuming process -- crosschecking each page with the manuscript and images we sent to the press last spring. I call it the "fine-tooth comb" process and now that it's done, I'm glad it's over. But, while I'm doing it, it seems to last an eternity.
Now that it's done, I can turn my attention back to the sky. Most avid amateurs out there are checking out the planet Mars when they get a chance. For those of you who have been under a rock or eating your way across the south of France or living under cloudy skies, here's the scoop on the Red Planet's doings.
First of all, Mars is about as close in its orbit as it ever gets to Earth. On August 27, 2003 it will be about 35 million miles (that's about 56 million kilometers) away. So, that means if you're checking it out through a telescope, it will appear about as big in the eyepiece as it ever gets. Still, it won't be THAT big -- but depending on the size of your scope (say a 6-inch or larger), you should be able to make out the polar cap and maybe some dark markings. That is, of course, if the view isn't obscured by a dust storm at Mars or a cloud bottom here on Earth. Right now (the end of July, northern hemisphere) you can go out about midnight and look for the Red Planet low in the southeast in the constellation Aquarius.
What if you were on Mars, looking back at Earth? Well, right at opposition the view wouldn't be too good -- Earth would be pretty close to the Sun as seen from Mars. But, at other times of the year, if you were a Martian stargazer with a good backyard-type telescope, you'd see a bluish-white world with a good-sized moon in orbit around it.
This image was taken on May 8, 2003 by the Mars Global Surveyor that's orbiting Mars and mapping its surface. Kinda gives us a whole new way of looking at our home planet -- from the viewpoint of a Martian!
7.03.2003 Is the Cosmos Trying to Tell Us Something?
This sub-cloud is part of the Eta Carina complex in the southern hemisphere constellation of Carina (The Ship's Keel). It's a two-light-year-long region of dense gas and dust that is being eaten away by intense radiation from nearby stars. If there are any newly-forming stars inside this cloud, they'll stop growing as the gas and dust are destroyed because they won't have a source of material from which to form. This Carina sub-cloud -- imaged by Hubble Space Telescope in 1999 looks so striking because it reminds folks of things that look very familiar -- sort of like watching clouds in Earth's sky and figuring out what they resemble. The scientists who are studying this cosmic cloud suggest that it looks like a superhero flying through a cloud, arm up, with a saved person in tow below. That's all very noble and could mean lots of things politically. However many folks have seen this for another shape it very closely resembles -- as the universe giving us the cosmic finger! posted by CCP on 7/03/2003 08:57:00 AM | *
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Earth Hour! Do it for the Planet!
Blog RollPlanetarium-relatedLoch Ness ProductionsPurveyors of fine planetarium shows, music, and services. INTENSELY Good Space Music from a master in the genre! My cool astronomy cause: ScienceThe sites below belong to space and astronomy enthusiasts. I make every effort to check them and make sure they are still appropriate. However, I am not responsible for their content, nor do I endorse any of it by simply linking to them. As with all Web surfing, please exercise caution. Adot's Notblog A fellow traveler blogger and astronomy enthusiast! Astronomy Blog An astronomy blog pondering the big questions Astronomy Cast Astronomy Podcasting from Pamela Gay BadAstronomy.com Bad astronomy discussed and debunked along with fun stuff about really good astronomy! Chris Lintott's Universe Musings from an Oxford Astronomer. Cosmic Variance Random Samplings from a Universe of Ideas. Dave P's Astronomy blog Observational Astronomy and other TidBits European Southern Observatory Fine Ground-based astronomy images. Gemini Observatory Fine astronomy in infrared and visible wavelengths. Griffith Observatory's page. I wrote their exhibits! Observing The Sky Nightly Observation Reports from dedicated skygazers. The Official String Theory Web Site. Time to feed your mind! Pharyngula Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal. Cast off your blinders and come on in! Science Made Cool A compendium of discoveries, inventions and commentary. Slacker Astronomy Astronomy with a Slacker Twist. Space Telescope Science Institute The best from Hubble Space Telescope The Eternal Golden Braid Astronomy, Space Science, and Science Fiction Commentary. The Inoculated Mind Bills Itself as a weekly science mindcast. Thought-provoking, honest. Truth. UniqueThe Hairy Museum of Natural History
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