A Bloy and his Blog » Astronomy

NASA Images

Jonathan — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 19:36:02 +0000

I recently discovered a wonderful website for anyone interested in astronomy and space: NASA Images.

In addition to the huge collection of images and multimedia of the universe, our solar system, the Earth, aeronautics and astronauts, it’s also got a nice time line from the late 1950’s until the present day.

High resolution versions of the images are available for download.

via: Librarians’ Internet Index

Nothing like the Sun

Jonathan — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 21:45:23 +0000

Did you see the lunar eclipse last night? I stepped out of my place about every 15 minutes or so to watch the show. When I was out there I wondered how many other people throughout the ages watched the moon darken with awe, as I was doing. Watching the Earth’s shadow slowly make its way across the lunar surface, I could understand how ancient peoples might start freaking out during such an event. I was also reminded of “Sister Moon,” the title song from Sting’s excellent album, …Nothing Like The Sun (who actually lifted that line from Shakespeare’s My Mistress’ Eyes sonnet).

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the Sun.
My hunger for her explains everything I’ve done.
To howl at the moon the whole night through,
And they really don’t care if I do.
I’d go out of my mind, but for you.

I didn’t have enough ambition to mess around with my camera and tripod during last night’s -5 F temperatures, but you can see images of the eclipse from SpaceWeather.com.

Contemplating the Milky Way

Jonathan — Wed, 15 Sep 2004 01:05:58 +0000

One of the things I love about camping it is usually means I’m far away from the glow of city lights. Last Monday night, when I was at Peninsula State Park, I was treated to a spectacular view of the night sky. The realization that I am away from from city lights really hits me when I can see that ribbon of stars across the sky, the Milky Way.

After my campfire was out that night I must have spent a half an hour gazing up at the astounding beauty above me. From every compass point there were stars too many to count. Across the Milky Way stars were so close together they were impossible to distinguish with the naked eye.

Contemplating all those stars in our galaxy alone can make you feel very insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe. With the recent discovery of new planets, I wonder if someone was looking up at their planet’s night sky contemplating the same thing.

Milestones

Jonathan — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Tomorrow I will have worked at the Oak Creek Public Library for fourteen years. When I first started at Oak Creek I figured I would probably be there for five, maybe seven years. Fourteen years have past and I wonder where the time went. As Groucho Marx once said, “Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.”

In other news, today the planet Mars is the closest it’s been to the Earth in 60,000 years. Head outside tonight and take a look.

Dark skies at night

Jonathan — Wed, 27 Nov 2002 02:16:33 +0000

The cold, crisp air and the dusting of snow on the ground really made it feel like winter to me today. One thing I like about winter — the night skies are a lot more clear which makes stargazing a little easier. I’ve noticed the sky is a little darker outside my condo compared to where I used to live (I’m a little farther away from the city lights of Milwaukee). Last night when I got home about 9pm I looked up and saw the the Pleiades star cluster. That’s a constellation I don’t ever remember being able to see from my home before.

Check out the International Dark-Sky Association to learn more about light pollution and keeping our night skies dark.

Visions of Leonids

Jonathan — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Did you see the Leonid Meteor Shower last night? Since the peak was early this morning, I decided to set my alarm for 4:45am. After checking out the window that that sky was clear, I got dressed and headed outside. I spent about 15 minutes with my head turned skyward and saw a total of 18 meteorites. That’s pretty good when you consider the moon was almost full and I was watching the night sky in the middle of a metropolitan area. Imagine the visions of Leonids dancing before my eyes if I were out on a moonless night in the country.

Wonders of the Universe

Jonathan — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

The wonders of the universe we live in never cease to amaze me. Today NASA released spectacular pictures taken from a new camera recently installed on the Hubble Space Telescope. Looking at those breathtaking images brings several questions to my mind. Will humans ever see beautiful scenes like this in person? If so, how long until we do? Are there beings out there pointing their telescopes toward our galaxy and pondering these same thoughts?

Winter solstice

Jonathan — Fri, 21 Dec 2001 16:19:29 +0000

Happy winter solstice! Well, at least for those of you living in the northern hemisphere. On this half of the planet, the sun is at its lowest point in the sky and we have the least amount of daylight for the year. Native peoples living in the North America believed it was a time for renewal, a time to celebrate. Once the longest night of the year has past, the Coldmaker relinquishes it’s influence on the sky, the sun begins to travel north again and we will have another warm summer to look forward to. So in the spirit of the solstice, may your darkness get a little lighter everyday and may you enjoy warm, brighter things in the coming year.

Leonid Meteor Showers

Jonathan — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

For you sky watchers out there… Don’t forget that early Sunday morning the Leonid Meteor Showers will be putting on their show. This year, the Leonids have been predicted to be one of the best meteor showers in decades. I hope the skies will be clear where you are.