I already knew Wolfram|Alpha could do some cool astronomy calculations, like comparing the escape velocities of the Galilean moons. A recent W|A blog post also pointed out that you can calculate the next lunar eclipse. So I tried to see when the next solar eclipse would be for my area and it came up with [...]
Posts Tagged ‘astronomy’
Next total solar eclipse in Atlanta
Posted: 4 August 2009 in UncategorizedTags: astronomy, futureme, solar eclipse, wolfram alpha
1
Lunar Eclipse February 20, 2008
Posted: 21 February 2008 in UncategorizedTags: astronomy, clouds, lunar eclipse, moon, pittsburgh, regulus, saturn
Last night was the last total lunar eclipse for two years and it was quite good. Pittsburgh weather cleared long enough for me to snap a couple shots of the unobstructed moon with Regulus (the brightest star in the constellation Leo) bright above it and Saturn even brighter to the bottom left. There was still [...]
Worldwide Telescope
Posted: 18 February 2008 in UncategorizedTags: astronomy, astronomy software, google sky, hubble, microsoft, open source, stellarium, worldwide telescope
Rumors are brewing that Microsoft is going to announce the release of a new product called Worldwide Telescope later this month. WT should allow users to zoom in on parts of the sky for which data exists. Data will be drawn from a number of ground-based telescopes as well as Hubble. Google Sky does this [...]
Moon in the Clouds
Posted: 28 January 2008 in UncategorizedTags: astronomy, digital cameras, model rockets, moon, photography
I can stare at the moon on a clear night for quite a while. When I was very young, I felt like I could reach out and touch it. When I first got into model rockets (around 8 years old), I thought I could build one big enough one day to send it to the [...]
Galactic Attactic
Posted: 18 December 2007 in UncategorizedTags: 3c321, astronomy, blagoblag, galaxies, galaxy wars, headlines, humor, star wars
When you subscribe to a crapload of feeds that have overlapping subject matter, you see interesting themes emerge. In the astronomy subblogosphere, the recent news about the double galaxy 3c321 has sparked yet another competition over who can come up with the coolest headline. In case you haven’t heard about it, 3c321 consists of two [...]
Phaethon Cometh
Posted: 7 December 2007 in UncategorizedTags: asteroids, astronomy, celestia, comets, geminids, meteor showers, meteors, phaethon, space
One of the dark horses of the inner solar system makes its closest approach to Earth since it was discovered in 1983 soon. Phaethon is an asteroid (perhaps the burnt out core of a comet). We pass through its debris trail every December, resulting in the Geminid meteor shower. This year, the Geminids will peak [...]
Celestia
Posted: 1 December 2007 in UncategorizedTags: astronomy, astrophysics, celestia, dreams, open source, physics, software, space, space visualization
When I was around 12 or 13, I first got a hold of my stepfather’s physics text book. It was magic. The rules that governed the physical world were right there in the form of equations on a page. I was totally captivated. Newton’s laws of motion, gravity, angular momentum, and the theory of relativity. [...]
Leonid Meteor Shower
Posted: 16 November 2007 in UncategorizedTags: astronomy, comets, leonids, meteor showers, meteor storms, meteors, pittsburgh, saturn, snow
This weekend will be the peak time for the Leonid meteor shower. It is so-named because the meteors originate from the section of the sky corresponding to the constellation Leo. The most locateable star in Leo is Regulus, which rises these days just after midnight on the eastern horizon. A little while later, Saturn rises [...]
Wherefore art thou Dark Matter?
Posted: 29 October 2007 in UncategorizedTags: astronomy, astrophysics, blagoblag, dark galaxy, dark matter, ether, modified gravity, space
Astronomers have theorized for years that there must be more mass out there than we can see. Based on the movements of galaxies, star systems, and gas clouds the number of stars just can’t account for it all. Enter dark matter. Matter we can’t see. Special stuff. Even a whole Dark Galaxy. On a side [...]
Cassini Contest for Kids
Posted: 23 October 2007 in UncategorizedTags: astronomy, cassini, contest, kids, nasa, nobel prize, nobel turds, saturn, science education, space, spacecraft, spaceflight
I caught Randy Pausch on Oprah yesterday (and yes, a dying CMU professor IS the one of the few things that will make me endure watching Oprah). His last lecture focused on the importance of childhood dreams and he mentioned the landing of men on the moon as a pretty fundamental motivator. Heck, it inspires [...]
