Archives for May 2007
Danger, Will Robinson!
Published on 12 May 2007 at 6:15 pm.
No Comments.
Filed under Mars, science fiction, space exploration.
In September, 1965, CBS launched the TV show Lost in Space. The premise of the show was that an interstellar space mission to the star Alpha Centauri was to be crewed primarily by a family. Professor John Robinson, an astrophysicist, was the expedition’s leader. He was accompanied by his wife, biochemist Dr. […]
The semester is over!
Published on 11 May 2007 at 6:06 pm.
1 Comment.
Filed under college teaching.
Back when I was a student, I struggled at the end of every semester. There was too much due at the end, and the exams were all high pressure, and there were a lot of them all within a few days. How terrible it seemed! And, I thought that my professors didn’t understand. I felt […]
The meteorite and the tornado
Published on 9 May 2007 at 1:10 pm.
3 Comments.
Filed under Uncategorized, meteors.
The news media pride themselves on accurate unbiased reporting of important events. Yeah, right. I’ll grant that they report on events. Those adjectives, though, …
An example came just a little while ago. Someone asked me about the meteorite that fell during the monster tornado that destroyed the town of Greensburg, Kansas. […]
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The brightest supernova, ever.
Published on 7 May 2007 at 2:46 pm.
15 Comments.
Filed under supernova.
At a NASA press conference today, astronomers released some information about the most luminous supernova ever seen. This supernova, SN 2006gy, was not the brightest in the sky, but rather it shone with the most light. The brightest appearing supernovae are the ones in our own galaxy. This supernova occurred in the […]
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LZ 129 Hindenburg
Published on 6 May 2007 at 3:44 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under aeronautics.
Here’s another non-astronomy entry.
70 years ago today, the era of the great airships came to an end. Yes, Zeppelins (giant rigid airships) continued to fly for a few years, and airships still fly today in the form of blimps (smaller non-rigid airships). But the large rigid airships would never again […]
Ascending Node
Published on 4 May 2007 at 4:18 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under astronomy.
Looking for something to blog about, I looked in my Observer’s Handbook under today’s date. It said “Mercury at Ascending Node.” OK, cool. I’ll write about that. So, what is this “ascending node” stuff all about?
The terms ascending node and descending node come from a study of planetary orbits. To […]
Walter Marty Schirra, Jr. (Mar. 12, 1923 - May 3, 2007)
Published on 3 May 2007 at 4:43 pm.
No Comments.
Filed under astronauts.
Wally Schirra was among the first seven American astronauts selected for Project Mercury. Schirra was a naval aviator, flying combat missions in the Korean War, where he shot down at least one (and possibly two) MIG-15s. After the war, he served as a test pilot and flight instructor. Schirra was selected to […]
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