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Moondogs
I saw them on a trip Deep South, and then again on another trip Deep South, during the last few months. They are spectacular. Clearly, they are not spectacular in the way that bombs exploding or cop cars careering through … Continue reading
Posted in curmudgeonhood, false hope, fear for humanity, hope, no hope, outside, sky
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speaking of Sun Dogs
I saw some a couple days ago coming back from somewhere down South. Apparent ingredients needed: one sun, mist, rainbows. I win!
We will not survive
There are constraints written into the fabric of the world which we do not see but are nevertheless there. It’s fun to talk about planetary, stellar, and galactic civilizations as if we will inevitably progress to them; it’s fun. But … Continue reading
a battery-operated village elder
Celestron SkyScout Simply point the SkyScout at any star in the sky and click the “target” button. The SkyScout will tell you what object you are looking at. A lot like what I wanted in this post, only without having … Continue reading
Posted in big idea, sky
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Don’t forget your moonglasses
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Eclipse set to be ‘best in years’ [Robert Massey, spokesman for the UK’s Royal Astronomical Society] added that [the eclipse] was totally safe to observe and no protective filters were needed because the Moon would … Continue reading
Posted in fear for humanity, humor, science, sky
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It’s back!
The first day of the year I see Orion is a good one. Usually it doesn’t happen until October or November, but as I’m getting up before the crack of dawn, it happened earlier this year. Went out with the … Continue reading
365 days of skywatching
It’s a 400+ page free .pdf download you can get from universetoday.com. Every night there’s something else to see. Just another reference for your arsenal.
pinholes in black velvet
Through cunning devices and methods, people found out what stars are, and what they’re made of. They found out how big they are and how old they can get. I think that’s pretty amazing. Good for us!
Posted in mach?, sky, thought lozenges
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Bobo, part 2
After much thought and effort, I have named the constellations. They are Bobo, Little Bobo, the Duck’s Foot, the Rocking Horse, and Wendell the Paper Kite. Giving Wendell an unbelievably long and complicated tail was a huge timesaver.
Bobo the organ grinder monkey
Above: an artist’s conception of the constellations Bobo the Organ Grinder Monkey and Little Bobo the Organ Grinder Monkey I’ve decided to name my own constellations. You heard me! My education and inclination have failed me to the extent that … Continue reading
Sir, do you have a close, personal relationship with the stars?
My favorite constellation is Orion, as I’ve said before. The thing I like about Orion is its constellationness. It’s so obviously a constellation. I can show it to someone without the slightest knowledge of the stars, and he wouldn’t know … Continue reading
Posted in curmudgeonhood, mach?, sky
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a consequence of the quality of stars
Eric said that one of the things he looked at when getting his house was the quality of the stars in his backyard. That’s a good one. I’m incorporating that into my next house. Before, I always bought or rented … Continue reading
Posted in curmudgeonhood, humor, mach?, sky
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this is unacceptable
Dear God, while we commend You for acting on our petition in a timely manner, this act is not quite what we were looking for. Frankly, we expected more from You in the portents department. A giant explosion, the largest … Continue reading
Posted in humor, Links, mach?, sky, third person
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petitioning God
I want to start a formal petition to God, requesting a fabulous omen. I think I could get a lot of signatures.
Posted in false hope, hope, mach?, sky, thought lozenges
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my new root hero
In my speech class that I’m taking, a requirement to get a good grade for a speech is to cite a “wealth of sources.” My informational speech I’ll be giving concerns how to book the best flight when going on … Continue reading
Don’t know much about a science book
Here’s a little ditty from yesteryear that I read in a book that I got from my mother-in-law last Christmas, Seeing in the Dark, about stars: Follow the arc to Arcturus, and on to Spica go; Then turn northwest to … Continue reading
Posted in fear for humanity, hope, mach?, science, sky
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the Sun and the Moon
The Sun and the Moon set astronomy back thousands of years. As the only two things in the heavens that the ancients could look at and see any detail whatsoever, the fact that the Sun is a brilliant, featureless disk, … Continue reading
the Duck’s Foot, redux
To prepare for my hike with Dave in Yo, I took out my planisphere. Turns out the Duck’s Foot is part of Scorpio, with a couple stars that are unrelated. The Ancients obviously made a colossal mistake in not incorporating … Continue reading
Posted in curmudgeonhood, humor, mach?, sky, Yosemite
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