Category: Science

Hazy Lazy Saturday

Apollo the Wonder-Rott
Apollo the Wonder-Rott

I motivated myself with the help of Apollo, my wonder-Rott, to take a longer walk this morning.  I found my sunglasses (left them in the car two days ago), found the dog leash near my walking shoes, and asked Terry to hang on to Roxy.  The minute I latched onto Apollo’s collar with the leash, Roxy set to whining, howling and other piteous moaning sounds made by pathetic spoiled canines.

The sun had barely risen when Apollo and I started swimming, er, I mean walking.  Even though the temperature was mild (in the 60s), the humidity was a hefty 87 percent!  My sunglasses kept fogging up while walking.  Usually, Apollo and I walk north for a couple of blocks to Mary Street and then head west crossing US-73/K-7 and walking within sight of Desoto Road.  Instead, we turned back south after crossing the highway and walked through the ‘Town Centre’ area.  Along the way I spied some flowering trees:

Of course, being the uninformed arborist, I have no idea what types of trees or shrubs these are, so please educate me!

Once Apollo and I returned home, I checked the forecast for today (well, actually for tonight), hoping for a chance to view Saturn again.  If nothing else, the Moon will be spectacular as it reaches it’s quarter crescent stage of waxing-ness.

In the meantime, while the sun is still shining, time to do some housework, clean off the DVR (Formula One weekend eats up so much space so quickly!) and catch up on some reading.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Moon Over My Meade

Just before dusk last night, I walked Roxy (my ‘ditsy’ Rottweiler).  I hoped to catch a glimpse of the crescent moon, since the new moon occurred just two days before on Sunday afternoon.  I had missed the first crescent on Monday night, mostly because of a large hill and trees to the west of my home.  When Roxy and I left the house, the sky had few clouds (just a few in the west) and a slight haze due to the rising humidity this time of year.  The clouds made a pretty sunset, but nothing spectacular.  Since I’d called my dad the previous evening during dusk, he returned the favor last night while I walked.  Neither one of us had spotted the crescent moon.

Just as I approached within a block of my house, I happened to look up quite a bit higher in the western sky than I had been searching, mostly to track a high-flying commercial jet airliner leaving a sunset-enhanced vapor trail.  I watched it spear through the faint crescent moon.  I called my dad to let him know I had found the moon, but he had just climbed over a fence chasing an errant piece of firewood, so our conversation ended abruptly.  Once he retrieved his delinquent wood, he called me back and we both exclaimed at how high the moon was in the western sky (much higher than we anticipated in relation to the sun and only two days since the new moon).

Meade ETX-90 and Field Tripod
Meade ETX-90 and Field Tripod

Once I got home, I moved my Meade ETX-90 on it’s field tripod from the master bedroom (where I’d last used it Monday evening in a vain attempt to find the crescent moon from my west-facing second story window) to the backyard.  I located a spot with no tall trees to the west and oriented the telescope to peer through the various electrical lines also crossing my westward sky view.  I brought only one eyepiece (the 26mm) since the moon is quite a large object and I only need to use that eyepiece as a viewfinder for the digital camera.  I attached the adapter ring for the camera and then carefully attached the Pentax K100D to the back of the telescope.  This causes stress and a constant downward pull declination gears.  I did not plan to use any of the motorized sidereal tracking or other features of the Autostar computer controller.  The small finder scope is difficult to use once the camera is attached since your head needs to be where the camera body is.  Eventually, I found the crescent moon and took a few snapshots.

Crescent Moon (early April 2011)
Crescent Moon (early April 2011)

I waited about an hour before moving the telescope to the east side of the house in an attempt to view Saturn.  Sadly, the haze that plague me earlier while photographing the moon had accumulated into a substantial cloud cover, preventing an unimpeded view of the ringed gas giant.

Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas
Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas

This morning, I went searching (again) for tips on repairing or tuning up the ETX 90 telescope.  I found this helpful article by Jordan Blessing complete with full color photos for tuning up the telescope.  Another helpful link, also found at Weasner’s ETX Tech Tips page, advertised a supercharge tune-up (and repair) service offered by the Arkansas Sky Observatory.   Lastly, I found a nice classified ads site called Cloudy Nights that had several ETX items posted.  I also need to buy at a minimum a half dozen astronomy research and reference books, the first one of which will probably be Sky & Telescope‘s Pocket Sky Atlas.

SGU: Carpio Fatum

After frustrating myself by trying to locate the first sliver of the waxing moon soon after the sunset, I opted to watch the movie ‘Unstoppable‘ at least until SGU was half-finished recording.  The movie proved such an adrenaline rush that Terry and I barely had time to blink before it finished after ten o’clock.  I hurried off to bed, only to jump back up, remembering that Monday night (April 4th) was the best viewing night for Saturn.  I dragged the telescope from my west-facing master bedroom window where I had earlier attempted to spy the sliver of moon to my east-facing ‘green’ room previous occupied by my daughter.  I spied Saturn, but the double-pane insulated and probably tinted window glass caused distortion and a double-image.  I should have gotten re-dressed and taken the telescope out on the front lawn, but five in the morning comes terribly early on a Tuesday.

I tossed and turned for an hour or two before drifting off.  I hit the snooze at least twice before scrambling through my morning routine.  I started watching ‘Seizure‘ just shy of 5:30 a.m., giving me at least five minutes slack time after finishing the episode to make it to my vanpool rendezvous. Wednesday morning ratings report: Holding steady with SGA crossover.  Follow Monday update:  Transcript for ‘Seizure’ episode.

Seizure (aired 4/4/2011)
Seizure (aired 4/4/2011)

I loved seeing both Robert Picardo (portraying Richard Woolsey) and David Hewlett (as Dr. Rodney McKay).  Telford is fast becoming my new ‘Rush’ … the character I love to hate.

Seizure, as with most SGU episode titles, has many meanings and layers.  Earth seizing the opportunity to thwart the Lucian Alliance and reconnect with Destiny through the Icharus-type planet Langara, who are reluctant to allow Earth to dial the 9th chevron and risk destroying their world.  McKay, typically arrogant and socially inept, affirms his new dialing algorithm eliminates any such risk.  Woolsey cautions the military to stand down with respect to the Langarans, but Telford (and Young) refuse to listen to saner diplomatic heads.

Back on Destiny, Amanda and Rush dally digitally and again I really didn’t need to know that much about the binary byplay between the two lovebirds.  Rush is pathetic rather than annoying this time around.  Amanda takes up lying in her attempt to ‘seize’ Rush for herself (ill-considered and poorly executed, even if her intentions were well-meaning) and Ginn and Eli display courage and integrity in contrast.

A nice well-rounded episode that I’d rate as better than a three but less than a four on a five star scale.  I’ll be re-watching this episode later in the week to more fully appreciate some of the nuances I missed on my first rushed viewing.  Transcript of last week’s ‘Hope’ episode for those interested found here.

I Spy Saturn

I unpacked my telescope this evening and re-read the instructions for polar mounting it to my tripod.  Tonight I anticipated the first clear skies in weeks and Saturn made it’s yearly debut in opposition to the Sun.  Basically, the Earth is between the Sun and Saturn and for the first time in a couple of years, Saturn’s rings are not ‘on edge’ to us.

Once I re-familiarized myself with my telescope, I took it out front of my house (east side) and used the tips in the article ‘Give me five minutes, and I’ll give you Saturn in April 2011’ to quickly locate Saturn in the eastern sky. Using the arc of the Big Dipper’s handle, I found the bright star Arcturus.  Then, I drew an imaginary line (from left to right) from Arcturus to Spica.  Almost directly above Spica, was a bright object which I guessed was Saturn.

Even though that section of the sky has the most light pollution (because Lansing, Kansas is 25 miles northwest of the Kansas City, Missouri metropolitan area and I’m also about ten miles west of KCI airport) and a few wispy clouds remained, I easily found Saturn.  Terry came out and took a look for a few minutes.

Since I polar mounted my telescope, I decided to try again to use the Autostar tracking device to align, find and track Saturn.  The gears still slip and have slack in them, but I don’t have any alternatives, since a call to Meade a couple of weeks ago proved disappointing.  Contrary to what I was told last fall, Meade will no longer repair the model I own.  They will, of course, sell me a refurbished one for $400.

Anyway, I was too close to the house to do a proper alignment on two stars, but when I told the Autostar to find Saturn, it did get within five or ten degrees of it.  Once I got in the neighborhood, I fine-tuned and center Saturn in the eyepiece and set the telescope to autotrack while I had fun observing the rings of Saturn and one of it’s moons (Titan I think).  I used a variety of eyepieces, down to a 7mm.

I hope it stays clear the rest of the weekend so I can see the slimmest crescent moon yet (tomorrow morning), Venus and maybe even Mercury (something I’ve yet to see).  And of course, Saturn.

I also need to remember to mail off my membership application to the Astronomical Society of Kansas City.  Then I can foray down south of Kansas City and use a larger telescope at the Powell Observatory.

Keep looking up!

What Do Blackbear, Hunger, Snow and Wind Have in Common?

According to today’s post at Earthsky, the second full moon of the year, which usually falls in February, can be referred to as the Snow Moon, the Wind Moon, the Blackbear Moon or the Hunger Moon.

I took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather today (74 degrees), I setup the telescope and attached the Pentax K100D to it for a couple of full moon snapshots:

Snow Moon Feb 2011
Snow Moon Feb 2011

I also took a quick look at the brightest star in the sky … Sirius (no photos yet, still need to have the tracking gears repaired on the Meade).

Review: All Seated on the Ground

All Seated on the GroundAll Seated on the Ground by Connie Willis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read the electronic version via the Asimov’s website: http://www.asimovs.com/_issue_0805/allse…

Probably rates a 3.5, but like Connie Willis, I love Christmas and singing in very large choirs. Combining the two, especially with Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus, is priceless.

And as Aunt Judith and the Altairi reminds us: ‘A prompt handwritten note expressing gratitude is the only proper form of thanks.’ I’ll be posting those notes to friends and family today.

Highly recommended, especially during this joyous season, bearing tidings of comfort and joy to all.

View all my reviews

Keep Looking Up for Meteors and Darkening Moons

Next week, as early as the night of the 13th, the Geminid meteor shower returns.  A week later, and just in time for the longest night of the year, a total lunar eclipse is visible from four continents and the only total lunar eclipse for 2010.

Saturn and Venus are visible in the early morning hours (before dawn), and Saturn’s rings have returned from a two year hiatus hiding on edge.

I just hope the clouds stay far far away.

December Meteor Shower and Total Lunar Eclipse article from Space.com

Pumpkin Pies and Moon Pies

I ran to the grocery store after work this evening to pickup supplies for pumpkin pie baking.  Finding a parking spot proved challenging as everyone else must have had the same idea I did.  I managed to get in and out in less than thirty minutes.

Once home, I scrounged around for the church cookbook where my mom’s pumpkin pie recipe languishes most of the year.  I only make it twice a year, for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Moss Family Pumpkin Pies Nov 2010
Moss Family Pumpkin Pies Nov 2010

2 cans (15 oz.) pumpkin
1.5 cups dark brown sugar
3/4 cup egg whites
1 cup half & half
2 T melted butter
2 T molasses
3-4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 pie crusts (9 inch deep dish)

I combined all the ingredients in my mixer and stirred on the lowest setting.  I preheated my oven to 425 degrees.  I used a large cookie sheet to hold my two pie crusts (I used frozen ready-made crusts as I didn’t have time or energy to mess with making them from scratch).  I poured half of the pumpkin pie filling into each shell.  I put the sheet with the two pies in the oven for fifteen minutes, then reduced the temperature to 350 degrees and baked for another 45 minutes.

While the pies were baking, I decided to drive across the river (almost due east from my home in Lansing) to Bed, Bath & Beyond to purchase a couple of pie carriers so I could transport the pies to Texas on Wednesday.  I took K5 for the first leg of the trip and the nearly full moon shone through the leafless trees and reflected off the railroad tracks.

Once I returned home, with such a clear sky and low humidity, I got the telescope out and attached the digital camera to take a few photos of the ‘blue moon’ (one day late).  After taking a half dozen shots of the very bright moon, I removed the digital camera and repositioned the telescope to view Jupiter.  I used various eye pieces and saw the stripes of Jupiter and four of its moons (all to the left of the gas giant at this time – around 8:00 pm Central Mon 22 Nov 2010).   Even though the evening was a bit chilly, I’m glad I had another chance to dodge the recent cloud cover and spy on the moon and Jupiter again before winter weather arrives.

Meteors and Moons … Oh My!

I completely missed the annual Leonid meteor shower thanks to cloudy and cold conditions and a bout of insomnia that left me tossing and turning and eventually snoozing through my alarm.  I might be able to catch a few strays and stragglers this evening (after midnight if I’m really ambitious), but I think I’ll take out the telescope and zoom in on the Moon and Jupiter (and its moons) this evening.

And speaking of the moon, Sunday will be our next Blue Moon (follow this link to an explanation, definition and debate regarding the definition of ‘Blue Moon’).

Venus, Spica and Saturn visible before dawn Nov 2010
East before dawn, November 2010 (Image made by Starry Night)

If I manage a good night’s sleep, I may even wake early to watch Venus rise before the sun and hope to spy Saturn as well.

This will be my last weekend for stargazing for the foreseeable future.  It’s high time I contacted Meade for an RMA and shipped the telescope off for repairs (estimated to take five to six weeks to complete).  Since the weather is quickly chilling and producing more cloud cover, this may be the best time to get that reconditioning work done.

Either way, with or without a telescope, keep looking up!

Sunset, Sunrise, New Moon, Old Stars

With the return to normal time (sans daylight savings time), the commute home last night included a typical Midwestern autumn sunset.   Clear blue orange sky streaked with white vapor trails of the jets filled with people from the coasts who hop over the Heart of America and rarely pause to visit.   I kept my eye out for the waxing moon’s sliver, since the new moon occurred around midnight Saturday.  After the sun set I finally spied it, much higher in the sky than I anticipated.

Terry had dinner nearly ready when I returned from my errand to WalMart where I invested more money in Hallmark than I do the rest of the year combined.  Terry had prepared pan friend pork chops with some glazed carrots that were yummy.   I ate my sourdough as an appetizer, although three slices may have been a bit much.  We retired to the great room to watch the new episode of House, after which Terry entered his food coma and I read myself to a similar somnolent state.

When I woke up this morning, I realized I had forgotten to contact my father, who was on the road to Virginia.    My uncle had remembered to call his brother last night and confirmed he’d finally stopped forging east in Coventry, Virginia, only about three hours shy of their home.  I call him this morning during my commute to work and we chatted for a few minutes as he once again headed east into the sunrise over the mountains in Virginia.  I used the same sunrise to continue reading until the van arrived at work.

Another aspect of the change in time, I don’t see as many stars when I leave the house in the morning.  By 6:15, the eastern sky is already a pale yellow, and I can barely see Sirius or the stars in Orion’s Belt.  Some stratus clouds were also interfering with stargazing this morning.