What are all the types of colors of the comet goldfishes?
June 14th, 2009
Alex asked:
You know the comet goldfishes? They’re also called Sarasa goldfishes… (THEY ARE NOT, I repeat, NOT related to common goldfishes or feeder goldfishes).
You know the comet goldfishes? They’re also called Sarasa goldfishes… (THEY ARE NOT, I repeat, NOT related to common goldfishes or feeder goldfishes).
What are all the types of colors of the comet goldfishes?
What about black?
Mathew
A Haymaker From Shoemaker
June 12th, 2009
Ernie Fitzpatrick asked:
Scientists from around the planet got reminded of how little they know and how powerful and unpredictable space out there can be. There are many UNKNOWNS an even the KNOWNS are not sure things. The Larousse Enclyclopedia of Astronomy says, “The perfect timing and positioning required to make the possibility of a collision between a meteor and planet in our solar system extremely slight.” Slight came home to roost in 1994.
Few are aware of what happened out there in space in 1994. Who cares!
For the record Jupiter was struck by a massive barrage of meteors from the comet Shoemaker-Levy. The comet somehow broke up when it encountered the Jovian gravatational field. You do remember this, right? It was in July of 1994 that the pieces (some 1.5 miles long) came into Jupiters space and the game of destruction was on. Good thing there’s no life there, as here.
As scientists watched from around the globe some 21 fragments of Shoemaker-Levy layed a haymaker on old Jupiter. Attacking at more than 306,000 miles an hour (who can fathom such?) the impact shot flames into the amosphere several thousand miles high. Can you grasp such a thing?
Fireballs as large as the earth itself exploded and were monitored and seen from the Hubble space telescope.
Gas bubbles large enough to swallow our earth still exist. Jupiter is still smarting. But so much for Jupiter as the point I want to make and remind us of is that we’re not as sure about what might lurk out there as we’d like to think. And it behooves us to spend some of our life pondering what life is all about, both from the past and future, but bringing everyhting into the NOW.
That which scientists didn’t think could happen in 1994 did. Now, what is it that scientists think can’t happen in 2012, or 2010 for that matter. Since we are spirit beings, we need to live more of our life in that consciousness which is eternal, timeless, and the immaterial essence of who we are.
There is more to lie than what you see in the mirror. Much more!
Shane
Scientists from around the planet got reminded of how little they know and how powerful and unpredictable space out there can be. There are many UNKNOWNS an even the KNOWNS are not sure things. The Larousse Enclyclopedia of Astronomy says, “The perfect timing and positioning required to make the possibility of a collision between a meteor and planet in our solar system extremely slight.” Slight came home to roost in 1994.
Few are aware of what happened out there in space in 1994. Who cares!
For the record Jupiter was struck by a massive barrage of meteors from the comet Shoemaker-Levy. The comet somehow broke up when it encountered the Jovian gravatational field. You do remember this, right? It was in July of 1994 that the pieces (some 1.5 miles long) came into Jupiters space and the game of destruction was on. Good thing there’s no life there, as here.
As scientists watched from around the globe some 21 fragments of Shoemaker-Levy layed a haymaker on old Jupiter. Attacking at more than 306,000 miles an hour (who can fathom such?) the impact shot flames into the amosphere several thousand miles high. Can you grasp such a thing?
Fireballs as large as the earth itself exploded and were monitored and seen from the Hubble space telescope.
Gas bubbles large enough to swallow our earth still exist. Jupiter is still smarting. But so much for Jupiter as the point I want to make and remind us of is that we’re not as sure about what might lurk out there as we’d like to think. And it behooves us to spend some of our life pondering what life is all about, both from the past and future, but bringing everyhting into the NOW.
That which scientists didn’t think could happen in 1994 did. Now, what is it that scientists think can’t happen in 2012, or 2010 for that matter. Since we are spirit beings, we need to live more of our life in that consciousness which is eternal, timeless, and the immaterial essence of who we are.
There is more to lie than what you see in the mirror. Much more!
Shane
How should I move a Comet Goldfish from a tank to outdoor pond properly?
June 11th, 2009
watermelon9226 asked:
I have a small-medium sized Comet Goldfish that I got this October. I have a large outdoor pond with 4 somewhat large goldfish and about 3 or 4 black mosquito eater fish. Those fish are currently hibernating under the ice. When spring comes and the pond thaws, how should I make the transition from indoor tank to outdoor pond without killing my fish?
Elizabeth
I have a small-medium sized Comet Goldfish that I got this October. I have a large outdoor pond with 4 somewhat large goldfish and about 3 or 4 black mosquito eater fish. Those fish are currently hibernating under the ice. When spring comes and the pond thaws, how should I make the transition from indoor tank to outdoor pond without killing my fish?
Elizabeth
Ayreon - Ride the Comet
June 11th, 2009Global Warming Concerns Astrophysics
June 5th, 2009
Trailer Park Boys: The Movie trailer
Dilip Dahanukar asked:
My wife told me one evening that her friend Sarah was to visit India and would be spending a day with her. There was nothing in it that alarmed me as my wife, who is a painter, has friends all over the World and somebody or the other is always visiting her. But when she told me that Sarah was an astrophysicist, my ears perked up. She had missed me during her visit last year as I was out of town.
Sarah arrived wearing a gorgeous sari looking like a senior accomplished stately woman. Indians like me are now used to a white woman in a sari with years of watching Sonia Gandhi on the TV. With Sarah was her friend Needra, a young tall dark beautiful Sri Lankan woman who too was an astrophysicist! She said she was wearing a sari for the first time at the insistence of Sarah. When I asked her about it, Sarah went on a detailed narrative how she was initiated into wearing a sari by the wife of the Director of the Institute and had thereafter adopted the sari as her preferred dress. I noted her crystal clear memory as the event had taken place at least thirty years back!
Sarah started talking to me about my book which I had written in 1978 and a copy of which my wife had given her on her last visit. The book was about National Planning and many of the ideas written in it had since then materialized. But I had forgotten about it! I brushed it aside and told them about my new books on science fiction. One of them, titled Alby was about a computer entity who ventured out into deep space. But I wanted them to read it first so I gave them a copy and didn’t tell them what it was all about. I also gave them a copy of my book eMaya on how to stop Global warming, to see if they are interested about our planet.
I offered them Single Malt whiskey to get them talking, but as they sipped they did not bring up any topics of Universe or Space. Neither of them mentioned any galaxies, black holes, not even the solar system! Sarah talked about the scientists and the lives of their families, and many small memorable events that took place when she worked with them in India. Needra was to give a lecture on a subject of astrophysics in Pune to a group of scientists there. She did not disclose any snippets from her forthcoming speech. She never even mentioned the subject of her lecture.
But the amazing quality which seeped through their beings vibed something immortal. They watched everything with tremendous zeal and intensity and absorbed their communication with whomever they met with rapt attention of all their senses. Looking back about my encounter with them I felt that they were like visitors from deep space; from an unknown destination wandering about from galaxy to galaxy imbibing everything what they sensed to take it back with them. They appeared timeless creatures wandering about in appreciation of the Universe.
Why do they radiate such immortality? Why do they appear so close yet so distant? Why do they take such deep interest in their fellow colleagues and their families? These were the question marks which popped up in my mind. I tried to find answers and in the process discovered the truth. They were into astrophysics which is the science of the Universe. A dictionary search as to its meaning yielded the following:
Astrophysics: The branch of astronomy that deals with the physical and chemical processes that occur in stars, galaxies, and interstellar space. Astrophysics deals with the structure and evolution of stars, the properties of interstellar space and its interactions with systems of stars, and with the structure and dynamics of clusters of stars such as galaxies.
It dawned on me that if you are dealing with the structure and evolution of stars and dynamics of galaxies, you are exploring and trying to understand a very long time span ranging for billions of years. When you study the subject intensely, you go deep into it and it occupies your mind. No doubt the mind of a devoted astrophysicist is possessed with stars, comets and galaxies. Their minds are stretched to infinity. They pervade the whole Universe. These astros dream into space, of black holes and super novas. Why are they dwelling on such remote objects? Are they agents of Providence to prepare Man for his scheme of things?
Then I realized that there are only a few persons in the whole World who are into this discipline. Their knowledge is of no practical use to any human requirement now or in anyone’s lifetime. As their knowledge does not touch the life of the common man, they keep it within themselves taking care not to mention it in public. I thought that if they talked about a twin star system in a distant galaxy 1000 light years away and the rotation of their moons, they might find the eyes of the lay listeners questioning their sanity. But within their community there are open and frank and have nothing to hide about the sky and what it beholds! They band together as a very closely knit family. Everyone knows everyone in the field and they exchange the smallest detail about the lives of one another. But this intensive interest in life spills over to their friends who are not into astrophysics. My wife and I are fortunate to experience such extraordinary friendship.
Sarah and Needra went travelling to South India where they met more of their kind. And when they returned, we had them over for dinner. Much to my disappointment, they had not read my science fiction book Alby. They were more interested in participating in their friends’ earthly lives. I was a bit disappointed as I looked forward to an interesting discussion on my science fiction. I mentioned to them parts of the story and that the spaceship engine in the book accelerates the ship to 80% of the speed of light without ejecting out any mass! It is a practical answer to travel to nearby stars of the Milky Way. It was then the two sat up. Sarah immediately discarded my idea. But I goaded them to read the book and check the results of the prototype engine on Google.
But they had perused through my other book eMaya on Global warming. Sarah had seen the reviews on Amazon. She got talking on it. She said she was impressed with the way I had handled a difficult and a dry subject and brought the concerns about emissions, ice melting, nuclear power and population in simple and lucid terms. Needra remarked that it had a lot of information on all subjects concerning climate control of Earth and much more. They both really enjoyed reading it. I was amused to see that these astrophysicists were concerned about few degrees rise in temperature of our planet. Normally they wouldn’t bat an eyelid to see the temperature of a star shoot up by a million degrees, explode and become Super Nova! But Sarah had liked the book and agreed with the conclusions of eMaya on climate control.
We parted with hugs, handshakes, and pleasantries. I got a feeling that these starry women knew more than any mortal like me. I wondered what their mission would be in their next lives. I wished I could offer them a galactic penny for their thoughts! But I consoled my mind by saying that wait, they will be back! And now I am patiently waiting for the next encounter.
Raul
Canadian Scientists Disclose Tactics for Asteroid-hunting Satellite
June 4th, 2009
Mejo John asked:
Canada’s space industry is out to attest again that good quality science can come in a tiny package.
On Thursday, the Canadian Space Bureau as well as the Defence Research Development Canada publicized they are prepared to start the, NEOSSat, otherwise Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite a valise sized telescope capable of spotting space asteroids and tracks high-altitude satellites and space wreckage.
NEOSSat pursue on the achievement of the MOST (Micro variability and Oscillations of Stars) telescope, the 60 kilograms star watching satellite which was launched in 2003 and gets operated on a shoestring budget.
Like its precursor, NEOSSat is small, with a weight of 65 kilograms with a telescope of 15 centimeters opening, smaller than most proletarian astronomers’ telescopes.
And like MOST, it will be inexpensive too, pricing $12 million to construct, launch and operate.
Scheduled to launch into space station in 2010, NEOSSat will have two major science tasks: HEOSS (High Earth Orbit Space Surveillance) program, and the NESS (Near Earth Space Surveillance) asteroid search program which will trail satellites and further objects hovering in high orbit around Earth.
First asteroid-track space telescope
Asteroid hunts are more than just scientific inquisitiveness, said University of Calgary lecturer Alan Hildebrand, the director scientist for the NESS program. Even though the orbit bodies, at times called “minor planets,” do supply insight into birth of the solar system, there are numerous practical explanations to track the pathway of asteroids, he says.
Perhaps the head concern for a few is the risk of a collision with Earth. Scientists have found proof of asteroid collision with Earth, the most noteworthy being the collision site off the shore of the Yucatan cape in Mexico. The site, obscured by ocean sediments at present, is consideration to be a record of an impact that occurs 65 million years past. Scientists have hypothesized that the collision cleans out the dinosaurs by causing an cataclysm in the planet’s weather.
A latest collision occurred 100 years before on June 30, when a tiny object consideration to be a comet with a diameter of fewer than 100 meters - impacted close to the Tunguska area of Siberia in 1908. The resultant shockwave knocks down trees for hundreds of square kilometers and blazed an area about 80 kilometers across.
Whereas NASA’s Near-Earth Object (NEO) program headquarters tracks the pathway of both near-Earth asteroids as well as comets from the earth and has revealed over 5,000, NEOSSat will be the first asteroid-tracking space telescope to function from space, a viewpoint that will permit scientists to track a class of asteroids ground base observatories usually can’t see.
These asteroids, identified as Aten-class asteroids, are idiosyncratic since the bulk of their orbital pathway around the sun lies inside Earth’s orbit. This make them difficult to mark from earth based observatories, since the ideal time to mark them from the Earth would be during hours of daylight.
NEOSSat, orbiting 700 kilometers over the Earth’s atmosphere, won’t be mired by day-night limitations, whispered Hildebrand, nor will bad climate affect its view, that allows it to operate 24 hours a daytime, seven days a week. The satellite, orbits from pole to pole each 50 minutes, will send dozens of imagery to the earth every time it passes above Canada.
Since it will be able to take imagery from either face of the Earth, it will besides be able to get an improved read on the distance of asteroids by judging their place in relation to the fixed place of stars, he said.
“We anticipate that we’ll locate as lots of Atens in three years as all the earth based telescopes have found previous to,” said Hildebrand.
Aten asteroids are significant not only since so little is known about them, but also as their orbits make them separately more likely to have collision with Earth rather than other asteroids.
Manuel
Canada’s space industry is out to attest again that good quality science can come in a tiny package.
On Thursday, the Canadian Space Bureau as well as the Defence Research Development Canada publicized they are prepared to start the, NEOSSat, otherwise Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite a valise sized telescope capable of spotting space asteroids and tracks high-altitude satellites and space wreckage.
NEOSSat pursue on the achievement of the MOST (Micro variability and Oscillations of Stars) telescope, the 60 kilograms star watching satellite which was launched in 2003 and gets operated on a shoestring budget.
Like its precursor, NEOSSat is small, with a weight of 65 kilograms with a telescope of 15 centimeters opening, smaller than most proletarian astronomers’ telescopes.
And like MOST, it will be inexpensive too, pricing $12 million to construct, launch and operate.
Scheduled to launch into space station in 2010, NEOSSat will have two major science tasks: HEOSS (High Earth Orbit Space Surveillance) program, and the NESS (Near Earth Space Surveillance) asteroid search program which will trail satellites and further objects hovering in high orbit around Earth.
First asteroid-track space telescope
Asteroid hunts are more than just scientific inquisitiveness, said University of Calgary lecturer Alan Hildebrand, the director scientist for the NESS program. Even though the orbit bodies, at times called “minor planets,” do supply insight into birth of the solar system, there are numerous practical explanations to track the pathway of asteroids, he says.
Perhaps the head concern for a few is the risk of a collision with Earth. Scientists have found proof of asteroid collision with Earth, the most noteworthy being the collision site off the shore of the Yucatan cape in Mexico. The site, obscured by ocean sediments at present, is consideration to be a record of an impact that occurs 65 million years past. Scientists have hypothesized that the collision cleans out the dinosaurs by causing an cataclysm in the planet’s weather.
A latest collision occurred 100 years before on June 30, when a tiny object consideration to be a comet with a diameter of fewer than 100 meters - impacted close to the Tunguska area of Siberia in 1908. The resultant shockwave knocks down trees for hundreds of square kilometers and blazed an area about 80 kilometers across.
Whereas NASA’s Near-Earth Object (NEO) program headquarters tracks the pathway of both near-Earth asteroids as well as comets from the earth and has revealed over 5,000, NEOSSat will be the first asteroid-tracking space telescope to function from space, a viewpoint that will permit scientists to track a class of asteroids ground base observatories usually can’t see.
These asteroids, identified as Aten-class asteroids, are idiosyncratic since the bulk of their orbital pathway around the sun lies inside Earth’s orbit. This make them difficult to mark from earth based observatories, since the ideal time to mark them from the Earth would be during hours of daylight.
NEOSSat, orbiting 700 kilometers over the Earth’s atmosphere, won’t be mired by day-night limitations, whispered Hildebrand, nor will bad climate affect its view, that allows it to operate 24 hours a daytime, seven days a week. The satellite, orbits from pole to pole each 50 minutes, will send dozens of imagery to the earth every time it passes above Canada.
Since it will be able to take imagery from either face of the Earth, it will besides be able to get an improved read on the distance of asteroids by judging their place in relation to the fixed place of stars, he said.
“We anticipate that we’ll locate as lots of Atens in three years as all the earth based telescopes have found previous to,” said Hildebrand.
Aten asteroids are significant not only since so little is known about them, but also as their orbits make them separately more likely to have collision with Earth rather than other asteroids.
Manuel
How to Explore the Night Sky Without a Telescope
June 3rd, 2009
Willard Kalif asked:
You don’t need a telescope to see a lot of wonderful things in the night sky. For example five of the planets are often readily visible with the ***** eye. There are lots of amazing things you can see and this guide will help you find them.
To maximize what you can see in the night sky there are a few things you should do as preparation. Of course the first thing you need is a clear and cloudless night. And this includes the moon. You should try to do your observing on a night with no moon; or at the least the smallest sliver of moon possible. Its brightness will wash out many of the dimmest and most dramatic objects in the sky. Second you should consider your comfort. Make sure you dress appropriately for the weather and bring extra layers of clothing if you are observing during cold months. The temperature late in the evening can be substantially lower than it is during the day and because observing the sky means not moving around much you will be even colder. Bring along any items to help your comfort like a lawn chair or a reclining lawn chair so you can look up without craning your neck.
Find yourself a spot to observe from that is as dark as possible. This means get away from street lights, city lights, house lights, or any other type of light source. Ideally you should drive away from any city that is nearby. If this is not possible then try to find the darkest spot you can. Man-made Light sources have an effect on the night sky by washing out the dimmer objects and they have an effect on your eyes by causing your pupils to close. This will decrease your ability to see the dimmer objects.
Beginning your observing is the most critical time for one big reason and this is why a lot of people don’t realize how rich the night sky really is. It takes your eyes up to a half an hour to fully adjust to the darkness outside. If you go outside and immediately begin looking for object in the sky you may be disappointed but this is because your eyes haven’t adjusted yet! Give it some time and let your eyes fully adjust and you will be amazed at how many more things you see in just a half hour time.
Equipment and stuff to bring along
Get some star maps, planet charts, and reference materials and bring them right outside with you. They will help you to find various objects. But it will be dark outside so you won’t be able to read them! And if you turn on some kind of a light or flashlight your night vision will be ruined. But there is a way to read your charts and materials without ruining your night vision. Cover your flashlight with some type of red cellophane or tape so it only gives off a dim red glow. The reduction in light will have less of an effect on your viewing and your eyes are very insensitive to red light so your pupils will not dilate. You can buy flashlights with red covers online, at astronomy and optical shops, or even at military surplus stores.
Suggested Materials List:
· Lawn Chair or Reclining Chair
· Constellation Chart
· Planetary Chart
· Lunar Chart
· Plenty of Warm clothing
· Flashlight covered with red cellophane
· Snacks and hot beverages
Things to See
The first place you can start with is the moon (If it is out). And the best viewing will be when it is only a think crescent. This is because when it is like this the sun is casting light on it at a very sharp angle and the surface features will cast long shadows which makes them easier to see. With a full or near full moon the light hits the surface of the moon directly and casts no shadows.
The Milky Way Galaxy – Our solar system is part of a tremendous spiral galaxy called the Milky Way galaxy. You can see this galaxy as a band of diffuse light that stretches across the sky. It takes dark skies and well adjusted night vision to see it but it is quite a remarkable sight. Every star and constellation map will show you where the milky way stretches across the sky.
The Constellations – Finding and identifying various constellations can be a lot of fun. Each constellation represents an object, animal, or historic figure; and learning the story behind them can also be a lot of fun. Identifying constellations is also the only way to go deeper and find other objects like planets and comets. They form the background that everything moves within and they give you a frame of reference for finding these objects. Identifying constellations should be part of every star gazing event you undertake.
The Planets – The planets move around in the sky quite a bit and sometimes they are too close to the position of the sun which means they are not visible at night but five of the planets, when in the right position are easily visible with the ***** eye. These are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. And often times these planets are the brightest objects in the sky. Refer to you planet charts to find current locations of them. One rule of thumb for figuring out whether something is a star or a planet is whether or not it twinkles. Stars twinkle and planets do not. So if you locate an object that you believe is a planet you can watch it for several minutes to see if it twinkles like other stars. If it does not then chances are good you have found a planet.
Colorful Stars – Stars are not all white. This is a common misunderstanding that people have. Stars come in a wide variety of brilliant colors and some of the more notable ones are the bright red Betelgeuse in Orion, the bright light-blue Rigel in Orion, the yellowish-white Altair in Aquila, and the bright red Antares in Scorpio. Finding and identifying these colorful stars can be a lot of fun. It can also be quite easy because some of the brightest stars in the sky are also very colorful from white to blue and red.
Some Objects of Particular Note
There are two very unique objects that are very easily seen with the ***** eye on a dark night in the northern hemisphere. These are the Andromeda galaxy and the Hercules Nebula. They appear as tiny wisps of white smoke that look like small cotton balls. Once you start getting familiar with the constellations you should look for these two objects. The Andromeda galaxy is in the constellation Andromeda and the Hercules nebula is in the constellation Hercules.
Periodic and occasional Objects
The night sky is filled with a lot of objects that come and go in different patterns. Some of them, like meteor showers, occur at around the same time every year. This is when the Earth passes through clouds of space debris. You can check a chart of meteor showers and plan an evening or several evening of watching them. Some meteor showers can give as many as 120 falling stars every hour.
Comets – These can be difficult to view because they are often very dim. But occasionally a comet will become very bright and be easily visible with the ***** eye.
The night sky is more than just the moon and the stars. It is a extraordinarily rich environment with objects of all kinds. And given a little bit of time and dark skies you will discover and explore many of the beautiful secrets that it holds; and you can do it without a telescope. All you need is dark skies, a few charts, and a little bit of time.
Ron
You don’t need a telescope to see a lot of wonderful things in the night sky. For example five of the planets are often readily visible with the ***** eye. There are lots of amazing things you can see and this guide will help you find them.
To maximize what you can see in the night sky there are a few things you should do as preparation. Of course the first thing you need is a clear and cloudless night. And this includes the moon. You should try to do your observing on a night with no moon; or at the least the smallest sliver of moon possible. Its brightness will wash out many of the dimmest and most dramatic objects in the sky. Second you should consider your comfort. Make sure you dress appropriately for the weather and bring extra layers of clothing if you are observing during cold months. The temperature late in the evening can be substantially lower than it is during the day and because observing the sky means not moving around much you will be even colder. Bring along any items to help your comfort like a lawn chair or a reclining lawn chair so you can look up without craning your neck.
Find yourself a spot to observe from that is as dark as possible. This means get away from street lights, city lights, house lights, or any other type of light source. Ideally you should drive away from any city that is nearby. If this is not possible then try to find the darkest spot you can. Man-made Light sources have an effect on the night sky by washing out the dimmer objects and they have an effect on your eyes by causing your pupils to close. This will decrease your ability to see the dimmer objects.
Beginning your observing is the most critical time for one big reason and this is why a lot of people don’t realize how rich the night sky really is. It takes your eyes up to a half an hour to fully adjust to the darkness outside. If you go outside and immediately begin looking for object in the sky you may be disappointed but this is because your eyes haven’t adjusted yet! Give it some time and let your eyes fully adjust and you will be amazed at how many more things you see in just a half hour time.
Equipment and stuff to bring along
Get some star maps, planet charts, and reference materials and bring them right outside with you. They will help you to find various objects. But it will be dark outside so you won’t be able to read them! And if you turn on some kind of a light or flashlight your night vision will be ruined. But there is a way to read your charts and materials without ruining your night vision. Cover your flashlight with some type of red cellophane or tape so it only gives off a dim red glow. The reduction in light will have less of an effect on your viewing and your eyes are very insensitive to red light so your pupils will not dilate. You can buy flashlights with red covers online, at astronomy and optical shops, or even at military surplus stores.
Suggested Materials List:
· Lawn Chair or Reclining Chair
· Constellation Chart
· Planetary Chart
· Lunar Chart
· Plenty of Warm clothing
· Flashlight covered with red cellophane
· Snacks and hot beverages
Things to See
The first place you can start with is the moon (If it is out). And the best viewing will be when it is only a think crescent. This is because when it is like this the sun is casting light on it at a very sharp angle and the surface features will cast long shadows which makes them easier to see. With a full or near full moon the light hits the surface of the moon directly and casts no shadows.
The Milky Way Galaxy – Our solar system is part of a tremendous spiral galaxy called the Milky Way galaxy. You can see this galaxy as a band of diffuse light that stretches across the sky. It takes dark skies and well adjusted night vision to see it but it is quite a remarkable sight. Every star and constellation map will show you where the milky way stretches across the sky.
The Constellations – Finding and identifying various constellations can be a lot of fun. Each constellation represents an object, animal, or historic figure; and learning the story behind them can also be a lot of fun. Identifying constellations is also the only way to go deeper and find other objects like planets and comets. They form the background that everything moves within and they give you a frame of reference for finding these objects. Identifying constellations should be part of every star gazing event you undertake.
The Planets – The planets move around in the sky quite a bit and sometimes they are too close to the position of the sun which means they are not visible at night but five of the planets, when in the right position are easily visible with the ***** eye. These are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. And often times these planets are the brightest objects in the sky. Refer to you planet charts to find current locations of them. One rule of thumb for figuring out whether something is a star or a planet is whether or not it twinkles. Stars twinkle and planets do not. So if you locate an object that you believe is a planet you can watch it for several minutes to see if it twinkles like other stars. If it does not then chances are good you have found a planet.
Colorful Stars – Stars are not all white. This is a common misunderstanding that people have. Stars come in a wide variety of brilliant colors and some of the more notable ones are the bright red Betelgeuse in Orion, the bright light-blue Rigel in Orion, the yellowish-white Altair in Aquila, and the bright red Antares in Scorpio. Finding and identifying these colorful stars can be a lot of fun. It can also be quite easy because some of the brightest stars in the sky are also very colorful from white to blue and red.
Some Objects of Particular Note
There are two very unique objects that are very easily seen with the ***** eye on a dark night in the northern hemisphere. These are the Andromeda galaxy and the Hercules Nebula. They appear as tiny wisps of white smoke that look like small cotton balls. Once you start getting familiar with the constellations you should look for these two objects. The Andromeda galaxy is in the constellation Andromeda and the Hercules nebula is in the constellation Hercules.
Periodic and occasional Objects
The night sky is filled with a lot of objects that come and go in different patterns. Some of them, like meteor showers, occur at around the same time every year. This is when the Earth passes through clouds of space debris. You can check a chart of meteor showers and plan an evening or several evening of watching them. Some meteor showers can give as many as 120 falling stars every hour.
Comets – These can be difficult to view because they are often very dim. But occasionally a comet will become very bright and be easily visible with the ***** eye.
The night sky is more than just the moon and the stars. It is a extraordinarily rich environment with objects of all kinds. And given a little bit of time and dark skies you will discover and explore many of the beautiful secrets that it holds; and you can do it without a telescope. All you need is dark skies, a few charts, and a little bit of time.
Ron
Trained Goldfish Performs Amazing Tricks!
May 30th, 2009r2fishschool asked:
http://www.r2fishschool.com - Comet, a common goldfish, performing incredible tricks he learned using the R2 Fish School Training system. These surprisingly easy to learn tricks include limbo, soccer, football, basketball, slalom and many more! To learn more visit: http://www.r2fishschool.com …
Lynn
The Shiva Hypothesis
May 28th, 2009
Ernie Fitzpatrick asked:
Darwin has a fairly logical approach to how life on earth has evolved- maybe too logical? The creation story of Ussher some 6,000 years ago doesn’t work either. So, does that leave us with the “Shiva Hypothesis” as a potential answer to the history of life on earth? And what exactly is the Shiva Hypothesis? Named after the Hindu god of destruction, the Shiva Hypothesis is a scientific theory that purports to explain an apparent pattern in mass extinctions caused by impact events.
The theory, created by Michael Rampino of New York University, says that gravitational disturbances caused by the Earth crossing the plane of the Milky Way galaxy are enough to disturb comets in the Oort cloud surrounding the solar system. This sends comets in towards the inner solar system, which raises the chance of an impact. According to the hypothesis, this results in the Earth experiencing large impact events about every 30 million years or so.
No wonder people don’t remember it!
Have cyclical mass extinctions of life on Earth resulted from impacts of comets or asteroids? What we know is that 65 million years ago, a huge asteroid or comet caused a crater at Chicxulub on the Yucatan peninsula with a diameter of 200 km. The current scientific community believes it was that event 65 million years ago that wiped out the dinosaurs. Collisions with Earth-crossing asteroids and comets, a few km in diameter are calculated to produce widespread environmental disasters (dust clouds, wildfires), and occur with the proper frequency to account for the record of five major mass extinctions, and 20 minor mass extinctions are recorded in the past 540 million years.
Recent studies of a number of extinctions show evidence of severe environmental disturbances and mass mortality consistent with the expected after-effects of catastrophic impacts. At least six cases of features generally considered diagnostic of large impacts are known at or close to extinction-event boundaries. Six additional cases of elevated iridium levels at or near extinction boundaries are of the amplitude that might be expected from collision of relatively low-Ir objects such as comets.
The records of cratering and mass extinction show a correlation, and might be explained by a combination of periodic and stochastic impactors. This galactic carrousel that we’re riding on provides a viable perturber of the Oort Cloud comets, producing periodic showers of comets in the inner Solar System. These impact pulses, along with stochastic impactors, may represent the major punctuations in earth history.
And then we have explosions from within the earth like the Toba supervolcano expolosion around 70,000 years ago that destroyed an estimated 90% of the earths humanoid population. Life on earth is not a stable fare to say the least.
Jackie
Darwin has a fairly logical approach to how life on earth has evolved- maybe too logical? The creation story of Ussher some 6,000 years ago doesn’t work either. So, does that leave us with the “Shiva Hypothesis” as a potential answer to the history of life on earth? And what exactly is the Shiva Hypothesis? Named after the Hindu god of destruction, the Shiva Hypothesis is a scientific theory that purports to explain an apparent pattern in mass extinctions caused by impact events.
The theory, created by Michael Rampino of New York University, says that gravitational disturbances caused by the Earth crossing the plane of the Milky Way galaxy are enough to disturb comets in the Oort cloud surrounding the solar system. This sends comets in towards the inner solar system, which raises the chance of an impact. According to the hypothesis, this results in the Earth experiencing large impact events about every 30 million years or so.
No wonder people don’t remember it!
Have cyclical mass extinctions of life on Earth resulted from impacts of comets or asteroids? What we know is that 65 million years ago, a huge asteroid or comet caused a crater at Chicxulub on the Yucatan peninsula with a diameter of 200 km. The current scientific community believes it was that event 65 million years ago that wiped out the dinosaurs. Collisions with Earth-crossing asteroids and comets, a few km in diameter are calculated to produce widespread environmental disasters (dust clouds, wildfires), and occur with the proper frequency to account for the record of five major mass extinctions, and 20 minor mass extinctions are recorded in the past 540 million years.
Recent studies of a number of extinctions show evidence of severe environmental disturbances and mass mortality consistent with the expected after-effects of catastrophic impacts. At least six cases of features generally considered diagnostic of large impacts are known at or close to extinction-event boundaries. Six additional cases of elevated iridium levels at or near extinction boundaries are of the amplitude that might be expected from collision of relatively low-Ir objects such as comets.
The records of cratering and mass extinction show a correlation, and might be explained by a combination of periodic and stochastic impactors. This galactic carrousel that we’re riding on provides a viable perturber of the Oort Cloud comets, producing periodic showers of comets in the inner Solar System. These impact pulses, along with stochastic impactors, may represent the major punctuations in earth history.
And then we have explosions from within the earth like the Toba supervolcano expolosion around 70,000 years ago that destroyed an estimated 90% of the earths humanoid population. Life on earth is not a stable fare to say the least.
Jackie