Archives for August 2007
STS-118 returning
Published on 20 Aug 2007 at 11:59 pm.
4 Comments.
Filed under NASA, space shuttle.
In just over 12 hours from when I write this, the Space Shuttle Endeavour will return to Earth to finish the STS-118 mission. This has been another ISS construction mission. It was also the mission in which a teacher flew into space. Personally, I think that the teacher in space program is […]
End of the Summer Term
Published on 18 Aug 2007 at 2:31 pm.
3 Comments.
Filed under college teaching.
Well, I tried to post this yesterday, but I lost my internet connection just as I was about to post it!
The summer term ended for us yesterday. I gave the final exams on Thursday, and grades were due Friday. I had two finals that I gave back-to-back on Thursday night. Grades were […]
Antares
Published on 14 Aug 2007 at 9:12 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under stars.
On Saturday night, I gave a public presentation for a star party. Part of that involved pointing out some of the stars and constellations visible. Currently, the brightest thing in the southern sky is the planet Jupiter. You see it in twilight before any of the stars. But, once it gets dark enough, you see […]
Student Loans
Published on 11 Aug 2007 at 3:04 pm.
8 Comments.
Filed under college teaching, politics.
The Fall Semester is soon going to begin. Once again the campus will be filled with students looking for their classrooms and filling up the parking lots. This is going to be happening all over the country. But, these students are going to have to pay for their classes. In this […]
2007 Perseid Meteors
Published on 9 Aug 2007 at 12:55 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under meteors, skywatching.
Every August the Earth passes through a swarm of material shed by comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. This debris, mostly very small things about the size of a rice grain or sand grain, strikes the Earth’s atmosphere at 60 km/s. At that speed, they compress and ionize the air, creating a glowing spot streaking across the […]
Mars is Still Not Going to Appear as Big as the Moon!!!
Published on 8 Aug 2007 at 11:49 pm.
8 Comments.
Filed under Mars, astronomy, observing.
Well, the annual urban legend about Mars being as big as the Moon is making an appearance again. I’ve already gotten several questions about it. This seems to be a never ending problem. Every year, the same email goes around as if it is news. I blogged about this a year […]
Read ‘Mars is Still Not Going to Appear as Big as the Moon!!!’
Mauna Kea Observatories
Published on 5 Aug 2007 at 1:33 pm.
6 Comments.
Filed under astronomy, observatories, telescopes, wonders.
Situated atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii are 13 telescopes funded by 11 countries: 9 optical telescopes, 2 submillimeter telescopes, 1 submillimeter array, and 1 radio telescope. All together, this comprises the Mauna Kea Observatories (or the Mauna Kea Observatory as the whole installation is sometimes called).
The optical telescopes range in size from a […]
