Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Look How Far We've Come!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The Final Blog, The Blog Finale, Finally.
But not really--I will probably keep blogging.
Nummer Einz (#1):
I would call myself a synthesizing mind because I mostly compiled other people's input and sought to comment on it and make evaluations. For example, my penultimate blog post contained an excerpt from the novel the curious incident of the dog in the night-time, which I swear simply has no capitalization. While I sometimes drew somewhat original deductions from these sources, it was mostly reiteration.
Nummer Zwei (#2):
a) I think challenging my beliefs was my primary intent. I am a natural mugwump. Having concrete opinions frightens me. In this blog, I challenged myself to think extensively on topics such as the wisdom of cutting NASA funds, whether Pluto's demotion from planet status was necessary, and how the world will end.
b) By challenging my beliefs, I managed to generate a few hypotheses, which did not go unchallenged by my readers, most faithfully the Alternative Energy guru Bryan, whose vast database of miscellaneous trivia was key in The Quest for Truth. For instance, I suggested that we as society worry less about the apocalypse becasue by the time it happened, no humans would be around anymore anyway. I also hypothesized that an alien invasion of earth is sort of inevitable--a mere matter of "when"--and that this could be a more serious issue if they are anything like the European colonists were upon settling in America.
c) Finally, I read with awareness of myself and of others. I know that I am indecisive, and I took others' opinions into account in order to formulate my own. If this included admitting a piece of faulty information, I accepted that.
Nummer Drei (#3):
The piece about an alien invasion was probably the most startling. I began this blog under the impression that the most urgent matter in the Astronomy world was the potential for cuts in NASA's budget, which might be bad. Now I know that there are some who say we need to worry about territorial extraterrestrial lifeforms. I'm of the mindset that there isn't much we can do, so worrying about that would serve little purpose, but it was alarming to hear.
And now, without further ado, I conclude the AP Language chapter of my Astronomy-related blogging. I'll try to stay posted on the world of Astronomy and keep any readers I may maintain posted as well. But this is me saying "Auf Wiedersehen" to my greatest source of motivation. You stay classy.
Nummer Einz (#1):
I would call myself a synthesizing mind because I mostly compiled other people's input and sought to comment on it and make evaluations. For example, my penultimate blog post contained an excerpt from the novel the curious incident of the dog in the night-time, which I swear simply has no capitalization. While I sometimes drew somewhat original deductions from these sources, it was mostly reiteration.
Nummer Zwei (#2):
a) I think challenging my beliefs was my primary intent. I am a natural mugwump. Having concrete opinions frightens me. In this blog, I challenged myself to think extensively on topics such as the wisdom of cutting NASA funds, whether Pluto's demotion from planet status was necessary, and how the world will end.
b) By challenging my beliefs, I managed to generate a few hypotheses, which did not go unchallenged by my readers, most faithfully the Alternative Energy guru Bryan, whose vast database of miscellaneous trivia was key in The Quest for Truth. For instance, I suggested that we as society worry less about the apocalypse becasue by the time it happened, no humans would be around anymore anyway. I also hypothesized that an alien invasion of earth is sort of inevitable--a mere matter of "when"--and that this could be a more serious issue if they are anything like the European colonists were upon settling in America.
c) Finally, I read with awareness of myself and of others. I know that I am indecisive, and I took others' opinions into account in order to formulate my own. If this included admitting a piece of faulty information, I accepted that.
Nummer Drei (#3):
The piece about an alien invasion was probably the most startling. I began this blog under the impression that the most urgent matter in the Astronomy world was the potential for cuts in NASA's budget, which might be bad. Now I know that there are some who say we need to worry about territorial extraterrestrial lifeforms. I'm of the mindset that there isn't much we can do, so worrying about that would serve little purpose, but it was alarming to hear.
And now, without further ado, I conclude the AP Language chapter of my Astronomy-related blogging. I'll try to stay posted on the world of Astronomy and keep any readers I may maintain posted as well. But this is me saying "Auf Wiedersehen" to my greatest source of motivation. You stay classy.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
An Excerpt from the curious incident of the dog in the night-time, by Mark Haddon
...which one would think should have more capitalization, but it doesn't. Also, I haven't worked out how to italicize in title bars yet.
I watched the sky as we drove toward the town center. It was a clear night and you could see the Milky Way.
Some people think the Milky Way is a long line of stars, but it isn't. Our galaxy is a huge disk of stars millions of light-years across, and the solar system is somewhere near the outside edge of the disk.
When you look in direction A, at 90ยบ to the disk, you don't see many stars. But when you look in direction B, you see lots more stars because you are looking into the main body of the galaxy, and because the galaxy is a disk you see a stripe of stars.
And then I thought about how for a long time scientists were puzzled by the fact that the sky is dark at night, even though there are billions of stars in the universe and there must be stars in every direction you look, so that the sky should be full of starlight because there is very little in the way to stop the light from reaching earth.
Then they worked out that the universe was expanding, that the stars were all rushing away from one another after the Big Bang, and the further the stars were away from us the faster they were moving, some of them nearly as fast as the speed of light, which was why their light never reached us.
I like this fact. It is something you can work out in your own mind just by looking at the sky above your head at night and thinking without having to ask anyone.
And when the universe has finished exploding, all the stars will slow down, like a ball that has been thrown into the air, and they will come to a halt and they will all begin to fall toward the center of the universe again. And then there will be nothing to stop us from seeing all the stars in the world because they will all be moving toward us, gradually faster and faster, and we will know that the world is going to end soon because when we look up into the sky at night there will be no darkness, just the blazing light of billions and billions of stars, all falling.
Except that no one will see this because there will be no people left on earth to see it. They will probably have become extinct by then. And even if there are people still in existence, they will not see it because the light will be so bright and hot that everyone will be burned to death, even if they live in tunnels.
That made me think a lot, which I like in a novel. We've all feared the end of the world at some point. I have a shirt that whimsically portrays a myriad of ways we may see the apocalypse, and people who take the time to read each of the little boxes will laugh, but deep down, there's something sinister.
But more likely than not, the world won't end in 2012 because of any Mayan calendar. The world will end the way it began. And you may of course feel free to register your thoughts on the subject, but I see the beginning of the world as a God-spurred Big Bang. Thusly, I see the end of the world as a God-spurred... Big Vortex. And just as there were no humans in the beginning, there will be none in the end. And I suppose if we're determined to be concerned about something, we can worry about why that will transpire, but I say hakuna matata.
I watched the sky as we drove toward the town center. It was a clear night and you could see the Milky Way.
Some people think the Milky Way is a long line of stars, but it isn't. Our galaxy is a huge disk of stars millions of light-years across, and the solar system is somewhere near the outside edge of the disk.
When you look in direction A, at 90ยบ to the disk, you don't see many stars. But when you look in direction B, you see lots more stars because you are looking into the main body of the galaxy, and because the galaxy is a disk you see a stripe of stars.
[Insert diagram I attempted to replicate via Adobe Illustrator, then failed to upload and gave up. Blasted technology--you've thwarted me again! *shakes fist*]
And then I thought about how for a long time scientists were puzzled by the fact that the sky is dark at night, even though there are billions of stars in the universe and there must be stars in every direction you look, so that the sky should be full of starlight because there is very little in the way to stop the light from reaching earth.
Then they worked out that the universe was expanding, that the stars were all rushing away from one another after the Big Bang, and the further the stars were away from us the faster they were moving, some of them nearly as fast as the speed of light, which was why their light never reached us.
I like this fact. It is something you can work out in your own mind just by looking at the sky above your head at night and thinking without having to ask anyone.
And when the universe has finished exploding, all the stars will slow down, like a ball that has been thrown into the air, and they will come to a halt and they will all begin to fall toward the center of the universe again. And then there will be nothing to stop us from seeing all the stars in the world because they will all be moving toward us, gradually faster and faster, and we will know that the world is going to end soon because when we look up into the sky at night there will be no darkness, just the blazing light of billions and billions of stars, all falling.
Except that no one will see this because there will be no people left on earth to see it. They will probably have become extinct by then. And even if there are people still in existence, they will not see it because the light will be so bright and hot that everyone will be burned to death, even if they live in tunnels.
That made me think a lot, which I like in a novel. We've all feared the end of the world at some point. I have a shirt that whimsically portrays a myriad of ways we may see the apocalypse, and people who take the time to read each of the little boxes will laugh, but deep down, there's something sinister.
But more likely than not, the world won't end in 2012 because of any Mayan calendar. The world will end the way it began. And you may of course feel free to register your thoughts on the subject, but I see the beginning of the world as a God-spurred Big Bang. Thusly, I see the end of the world as a God-spurred... Big Vortex. And just as there were no humans in the beginning, there will be none in the end. And I suppose if we're determined to be concerned about something, we can worry about why that will transpire, but I say hakuna matata.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
A flat-out rant about Toy Story, which may or may not eventually relate to astronomy.
I left the house for a few hours on Sunday to go to my Germany Spring Break Reunion Party, and when I got back, do you know what I found?
Actually, nothing. But my sister-in-law found it in the guest bedroom closet.
Anyway, I'm sure you've guessed by now that it's Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl we found, trapped in a closet that hasn't seen a working lightbulb in living memory and suffering sensory deprivation torture thusly. And upon her rescue, she was nearly put in the garage sale pile.
Yes, I do see the parallels, thanks. I am sufficiently ashamed--perhaps excessively so, actually, and this is where the ranting begins.
Where does Pixar get off ending the movie that way? Disney-Pixar, no less! Inflicting guilt for ignoring one's' toys upon unsuspecting children--it's unjustifiable.
Rest assured that Jessie is resting comfortably in a place of honor in my bedroom now. She won't be neglected again. And perhaps that means I'm a little left of center, but such is life. Jessie and I can take turns suffering the insanity caused by the Toy Story franchise now.
So yes, the tie-in is that Buzz Lightyear is an astronaut, and they go to space.
More relevantly, The FINANCIAL released, five hours ago, that the shuttle Atlantis will begin one final voyage to the International Space Station on May 14. And I would like to point out that the ISS is neither infinity nor beyond, so what's up with that?
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Hey Everyguys,
Look outside tonight because it's the full moon I was talking about. It's a magical time, even if you're not superstitious enough to believe in things like werewolves and witchcraft. And most of us aren't. The point is the mystery of it; we don't know who or what is lurking out there. We don't exactly know what function we all serve, floating around a gigantic ball of burning energy. But on nights of the full moon, we remember that we are, and it gives us pause.
When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator. - Mohandas Gandhi
When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator. - Mohandas Gandhi
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Is That Even Legal?
That's what some people are wondering about New Mexico's legislation that February 18, 2010 was "Pluto is a Planet in New Mexico Day." It honors the eightieth anniversary of the discovery of the dwarf planet Pluto. I think we should hop on board too! =D? What do you think? Read my source here.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Say What?
According to Stephen Hawking and Yahoo! News, efforts have been made to contact potential extra-terrestrial life, and such lifeforms are statistically likely to exist. To send a message of peace, "Across the Universe" by the Beatles was beamed into space. This was a necessary precaution, as in recalling Columbus' "discovery" of America, we recall how wars were waged against the Native Americans there for ages, and the scenarios would be similar. You can read the piece that made me feel gullible for even considering its apparent validity here, and Across the Universe can be heard, once again, in the music player gadget at the bottom of this page.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Consistency Conschmistency
I know I said I'd be covering Astronomy in Harry Potter for a while, but I was feeling uninspired.
Instead, I'm going to venture into the realm of Astrology. Personally, I think it's mostly a bunch of hokum. It reminds me of Divination in Harry Potter, actually (hey, hey--I did it--Harry Potter and Astronomy). The horoscopes more often than not predict common occurrences that will probably happen to everyone every day, and they describe those with certain "astronomical signs" with very basic, general characteristics that are also relatively universal.
But it's still kind of fun to look at them.
As a Virgo, this is my forecast for the day:
You may have a hard time keeping up with the flow of activity today — but not because you’re disorganized! It’s just a bit much, though by the end of the day, you should have a better sense of what’s important.
Eh. I am disorganized, actually, and I will probably have a better sense of something by the time I hit the sack, yes. (By the way, if you're interested, I found the horoscope here.)
My thoughts headed this direction, though, because I caught a glimpse of our Daily Moon Phase on the right sidebar, and the full moon is creeping up on us again. I checked the moon calendar, and it's this coming Thursday, in fact. And weird things happen on the full moon. More babies are born on that day of the month than on any other, usually--myself included. This is said to have something to do with the tide and the gravitational pull and whatnot. I dunno about that because... I was a C-section kid. But some people also believe that people born on the full moon tend to be more free-spirited, and I like to think that about myself as well. Was anybody else out there born under the full moon? What do you make of all this?
*Virgo constellation
Instead, I'm going to venture into the realm of Astrology. Personally, I think it's mostly a bunch of hokum. It reminds me of Divination in Harry Potter, actually (hey, hey--I did it--Harry Potter and Astronomy). The horoscopes more often than not predict common occurrences that will probably happen to everyone every day, and they describe those with certain "astronomical signs" with very basic, general characteristics that are also relatively universal.
But it's still kind of fun to look at them.
As a Virgo, this is my forecast for the day:
You may have a hard time keeping up with the flow of activity today — but not because you’re disorganized! It’s just a bit much, though by the end of the day, you should have a better sense of what’s important.
Eh. I am disorganized, actually, and I will probably have a better sense of something by the time I hit the sack, yes. (By the way, if you're interested, I found the horoscope here.)
My thoughts headed this direction, though, because I caught a glimpse of our Daily Moon Phase on the right sidebar, and the full moon is creeping up on us again. I checked the moon calendar, and it's this coming Thursday, in fact. And weird things happen on the full moon. More babies are born on that day of the month than on any other, usually--myself included. This is said to have something to do with the tide and the gravitational pull and whatnot. I dunno about that because... I was a C-section kid. But some people also believe that people born on the full moon tend to be more free-spirited, and I like to think that about myself as well. Was anybody else out there born under the full moon? What do you make of all this?
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Good News and Bad News
The bad news is this: John Green interpreted the theme to be "mind-blowing things" instead of astronomy, so there'll be no more astronomy-themed video blogs from them this week.... But if you like covert birthday planning, go ahead and check it out anyway; Hank's turning thirty.
The good news is that Hubble would be an adorable name for a goldfish.
But also, I've found a couple of other old astronomy books, and I think I'll blog about Harry Potter-related constellations... because I love Harry Potter. And there are a lot of them.
So, for today, Sirius is part of the dog-star constellation. The brightest star in the night sky, Sirius is part of Canis Major. This star was on the tongue of the dog, and Sirius itself wasn't particularly significant to the ancient Greeks, but its rising is connected with "the scorching heat of midsummer" (Condos)*. And of course, Sirius Black was Harry Potter's godfather in the Harry Potter series. Worthy of note is that his animagus form was actually, like Canis Major, a dog.
*Star Myths of the Greeks and Romans: A Sourcebook by Theony Condos
The good news is that Hubble would be an adorable name for a goldfish.
But also, I've found a couple of other old astronomy books, and I think I'll blog about Harry Potter-related constellations... because I love Harry Potter. And there are a lot of them.
So, for today, Sirius is part of the dog-star constellation. The brightest star in the night sky, Sirius is part of Canis Major. This star was on the tongue of the dog, and Sirius itself wasn't particularly significant to the ancient Greeks, but its rising is connected with "the scorching heat of midsummer" (Condos)*. And of course, Sirius Black was Harry Potter's godfather in the Harry Potter series. Worthy of note is that his animagus form was actually, like Canis Major, a dog.
*Star Myths of the Greeks and Romans: A Sourcebook by Theony Condos
Yeah.... I don't really see it either.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Touchdoooown!
After a rain/fog delay, the space shuttle Discovery has safely returned home, marking the third-to-last of such missions. The next one, originally scheduled for July, will probably be delayed, according to these guys. The journey lasted fifteen days and crossed over six million miles to and from the International Space Center. It should perhaps be noted that when I was searching for a detailed account of this story, I was bombarded with over six thousand news results alone. This stuff isn't obsolete; (I was going to reference Season 1, Episode 3 of The Big Bang Theory here to explain how astronomy is more interesting than physics, but I can't seem to find the clip on YouTube). (...But the transcript is here.)
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
This Just In
Here's a shout-out to Mrs. Sander for having the word "Mars" in her name. I am jealous.
Marsha
Mars, ha!
Marsha
Mars, ha!
Potential Astronomy Club T-Shirt Designs
We Come In Peace: with one of those adorable Toy Story three-eyed aliens
Make a Wish: with a shooting star
Shoot for the Moon: with a cool crescent moon and something dangling there or something like that
Starry Night: with some version of the Van Gogh painting on it
Out of this World: with Earth and somebody on top of it?
To Infinity and Beyond!: with Buzz Lightyear
Traversing the Galaxy on Intergalactic Travels to Mars: with an A Very Potter Musical Draco Malfoy animation
Take Us To Your Leader: with an alien of some sort, maybe Toy Story
Star-Crossed Wanderers: with Simba and Nala from Lion King
Or if you have a better idea, leave it below in the comments! =D
Make a Wish: with a shooting star
Shoot for the Moon: with a cool crescent moon and something dangling there or something like that
Starry Night: with some version of the Van Gogh painting on it
Out of this World: with Earth and somebody on top of it?
To Infinity and Beyond!: with Buzz Lightyear
Traversing the Galaxy on Intergalactic Travels to Mars: with an A Very Potter Musical Draco Malfoy animation
Take Us To Your Leader: with an alien of some sort, maybe Toy Story
Star-Crossed Wanderers: with Simba and Nala from Lion King
Or if you have a better idea, leave it below in the comments! =D
Monday, April 19, 2010
Total Mind-Blowing!
The Vlogbrothers, John and Hank Green, are my favorite people in the whole YouTube. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, they come out with delightfully insightful and witty under-four-minute videos, sometimes in song form, and sometimes in cute baby form. As it happens, the theme of this week seems to be--you guessed it--astronomy! I... am stoked about it. You know that I am stoked from my use of the word "stoked," which I believe normally ought to refer only to the verb involving fire. Today's video covers the hugeness that is the universe and the galaxies of which it is composed, as well as the role of the Hubble telescope. View it here, and let me know if you manage to glean anything from it that I've missed, which is probably plenty.
Remember the time I complained about the Pluto thing, and how it came outta nowhere?
I'm reading a book now. Well, "reading." I'm on page two, currently. But it's called The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet, by Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Before the whole deplanetization thing, I have to confess that I was pretty partial to Jupiter--it's just so giant and orange!--but now, I am rather severely attached to the little dwarf planet. (I'm not poking fun; that's really what it's called these days.) And after some skimming, I am convinced that it'll provide an entertaining reading experience. It mentions my favorite Jonathan Coulton song, I'm Your Moon (which you can hear by typing in "Jonathan Coulton" and scrolling around a bit in the music-player gadget at the bottom of this page), as well as several others, and it contains several letters from angry Pluto-lovers young and old, all of which, as far as I've seen, are adorable.
Okay, more on that later. Until next time, shoot for the stars! =]
Okay, more on that later. Until next time, shoot for the stars! =]
Hubble 3D and the Embarrassing Blunders of Me
So, I was supposed to go see Hubble 3D, an IMAX experience, with the Astronomy Club two Saturday mornings ago, but my mental calendar leaves a little something to be desired, and my physical calendar doesn't have enough space for all my activities of late, anyway. Also, I don't carry it on me.
Thusly, I missed said IMAX experience, but I may go later and then post a review. The synopsis says it's a movie about the fascinating discoveries that have been made since our original landing on the moon in the summer of '69 and featuring footage from the Hubble telescope. (Pictures from the telescope can be found at the bottom of this blog, by the way.)
Now, that's that, and no harm done. Pea soup?
(If you can tell me the movie that's referencing, I'll love you forever.)
Thusly, I missed said IMAX experience, but I may go later and then post a review. The synopsis says it's a movie about the fascinating discoveries that have been made since our original landing on the moon in the summer of '69 and featuring footage from the Hubble telescope. (Pictures from the telescope can be found at the bottom of this blog, by the way.)
Now, that's that, and no harm done. Pea soup?
(If you can tell me the movie that's referencing, I'll love you forever.)
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Masters of the Universe
I've been reading some more, and this person believes the NASA program was responsible for making America sort of the "Master of the Universe," if you will. The first moon landing was a great victory for America in the Cold War with the Soviet Union, and it has been called America's finest hour. Today, many seem to believe that America has fallen from its pedestal of universe mastery, but also that a return to the moon could restore her. The article's criticism of Obama's alleged "No we can't" attitude seems a little harsh, however. His acceptance speech was strewn with "Yes We Can"s. Maybe that's supposed to be irony. I don't really know! That's the whole point. I'm on a quest for the truth, here, and I need your opinions! Go go go!
Speaking of Buzz Aldrin...
Friday, April 16, 2010
On A Side Note....
TOY STORY 3!!!!! Coming June 18, 2010 to theaters near you. Do you think Buzz Lightyear got his name from Buzz Aldrin? Let me know! Also, you can view the trailer here. I don't think Buzz would be a fan of the budget cuts... if there are indeed budget cuts with which to be concerned.
Politics....
They confuse me. After reading the article from the Associated Press (available here), I still don't really know what's going on with Obama's new goals for NASA. Does he have any? I was under the impression that the NASA program would be undergoing extreme budget cuts, which would cause many people involved to be laid off from their jobs, though admittedly, they can probably afford it at this point. Yet the President says that he plans to "be around to see" our landing on Mars. What do you think?
Thursday, April 15, 2010
NASA: Out of This World (I am hilarious.)
It's great, because that has three possible meanings, and I mean all of them!!!
1) NASA is literally not completely grounded on Earth. Although, I guess space is still probably part of the world. But I digress.
2) NASA is the most fascinating branch of science in existence. It almost makes chemistry class worth it. (No offense, Mr. North, but your class makes my head spin.)
3) NASA may be undergoing severe budget cuts that nearly erase it from this world. And that's not cool! NASA gave us GPS systems, without which I would be indelibly lost in a corn field several times over by now.
So my goal with this blog is to keep up on the news surrounding the possibility of NASA cuts as well as any other developments NASA may see. I'm finished with being caught offguard with crazy stories like, "Hey Abby, did you know Pluto's not a planet anymore?" Nonsense! Baloney! Balderdash! No!
To infinity, and BEYOND!
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