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Category Archives: Education

Crater Virus infects Science Week Drawings

Recently here in Ireland we had the phenomena that is Science Week. A nationwide effort by hundreds of people to open the many facets of science to children and adults all over the country.  My offerings were workshops about the Apollo 11 moon landing called Let’s Go To The Moon – Apollo 11, Deadly Moons and Marvellous Mars. All of which I have written about in the past hit the links to check them out. This year a unique crater virus came to visit and spread itself around many drawings. Guidance Increasingly I have being introducing drawing techniques in my workshops.  Sometimes the effect has a slow uptake and other times it has an immediate viral effect. One such action is a tip on crater drawing , kids just love it. Here below we see some drawings that benefited from simple guidence. Examples of the crater virus that invaded hundreds of drawings and created smiles all over the room.   … Continue reading →


Go Observe – 46P/ Wirtanen Good Luck

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Two sketches of 46P/Wirtanen creating one gif showing the comets movement over time. 20:40 UT Dec 9th 2018 & 00:50 UT Dec 10th 2018. Dob, 1,200 mm FL / 32 mm eyepiece/ 37X/ pastel and gel pen. 4.5 mag, DC 4 coma visible naked eye , huge diffuse object. While viewing I thought I observed some radial features but not clear enough to include in the sketches. The edges / shape of the coma was difficult to see.  No green observed or  tail visible to me at the time. This is a view from my dob therefore  south is at the top. The comet is acutally heading upwards in the nightsky. It is remarkable how quickly it is moving away from the star  94 Cet in my drawings.       This comet has a coma of circa 36,000 km. The nucleus  is spewing out gas and dust.   To my eye it had no green tint. Only comet  C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy in 2015 … Continue reading →

The birth of Astrophotography

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The following I wrote for a talk given to the The Naperville Astronomical Association on November 4th of this year. Warren De LaRue was a businessman, creating the first pregummed stamps, and a process for mechanically folding envelopes. He was also a gentleman scientist. You see, back in the early days of the industrial revolution and before, much of the scientific knowledge was attained by the upper class. There were, naturally university positions that were designed for research, but those were in a specific area of study. The wealthy members of learned societies were able to fund their own research and collaborate with each other. That is not to say they were solely responsible for breakthroughs, for instance Joseph Fraunhofer was a glassmaker, who through calamity followed by good fortune was able to invent, among other things a polishing machine for large objectives, and the spectroscope. Astronomy was a costly endeavor. For example a 6” speculum mirror outfit cost 88 … Continue reading →

Ultima Thule – resistance is futile

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  During World Space Week I was invited to do my workshop Pluto WOW !!!  for a small group of children .   I put the workshop together in order to highlight the incredible images sent back by the New Horizons Spacecraft.  This year it was impossible to resist including Ultima Thule the new flyby target of New Horizons. Pluto WOW ! When I was a child there were nine planets in the solar system , that was my reality. Pluto being the farthest planet was almost a myth as there were no proper images of it for many years.  The Hubble Space Telescope wonderful  as it is only managed unclear nondescript photographs. When New Horizons left Earth to flyby Pluto it was still a proper member of the planet family. Along that journey the status of Pluto was altered forever, when it was demoted to being merely a dwarf planet.   New Horizons continued its pioneering journey to discover what Pluto … Continue reading →

Space Week – Apollo 11

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During Space Week 2018  Let’s Go To The Moon  offered  children the chance to draw some aspect of Apollo 11’s iconic mission.  Almost 400  took part in various venues across the country.  This therefore offered me an ideal opportunity to vary the subjects of the drawing challenges for the kids. Drawing tuition During all workshops I  offer a demonstration drawing . This is done in seconds to help the children focus on the important aspects of drawing.  Each child has about 20 minutes to draw therefore focus is vital. Teaching  them to observe the subject before starting is key.  Asking the kids if they agree with me about recognisable shapes within for example Buzz Aldrin’s helmet and visor. Inviting  them to look closely at where the shadows are and  where the light is. Requesting the children  to be mindful of curves , rectangles, cylinders, cones and key markings is a good way to go. I  encougage the children not to … Continue reading →

Knowing the Moon’s Distance (re-run)

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This is a “re-run” of a post that originally ran on March 24, 2016. How do we know what we know in science? What is the distance from the Earth to the moon? You can easily find that information using a smart phone and Google. Google says that distance is 238,900 miles. Fine, but how do you know that value is right? Google’s business is not astronomical research. No doubt Google got the value from some “Scientific Authority.” Do you believe Google? Do you believe Scientific Authority? How do you know the moon isn’t just on some dome up there, way above the clouds? Seriously—how do you know? You may simply believe Authority, but plenty of people do not. Just recently [in early 2016] Neil deGrasse Tyson felt the need to respond to rapper B.o.B’s assertion that the world is flat, an idea no more absurd than the moon being on a dome above the clouds. So how might people … Continue reading →

The Mound, the Fort, and the Church: The Trees Speak to Science (Part II)

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How old is Serpent Mound, a Native American monument notable in part for its astronomical alignments? Last week we saw how E. G. Squier and E. H. Davis argued that the Native American works that they surveyed in the 1840’s had to be many centuries old, by reason of the trees growing on those works. However, you may recall from my post of three weeks ago that the Ohio History Connection (formerly the Ohio Historical Society), who operates the Serpent Mounds site, states that— Thousands of years ago, Native Ohioans populated the landscape with mounds and massive earthworks. In the late 19th century, Harvard University archaeologist Frederic Ward Putnam excavated Serpent Mound, but he found no artifacts in the Serpent that might allow archaeologists to assign it to a particular culture. Based largely on the nearby presence of Adena burial mounds, later archaeologists attributed the effigy to the Adena culture that flourished from 800 B.C. to A.D. 100. This theory … Continue reading →

The Mound, the Fort, and the Church: The Trees Speak to Science (Part I)

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My post from two weeks ago discussed Serpent Mound, a large Native American monument, and the possible astronomical alignments in the mound, and really how uncertain is the question of those astronomical alignments. As the Ohio History Connection (formerly the Ohio Historical Society) says— Due to the short sight lines and the inability to define precise alignments… it may not be possible to determine whether the builders of the Serpent really intended it to be aligned to either the sun or the moon. Then last week’s post featured “astronomical alignments” in St. Louis Bertrand Church in my home town of Louisville, Kentucky, and how reliable the calculations and repeatable the results are regarding the position of the sun shining into that church (or into anything else). Not much is uncertain in that case. One nice thing about astronomy is just how reliable and repeatable it can be in so many cases—science at its cleanest and brightest: here are my calculations; … Continue reading →

Dark Sky Painting 3 Edu-painting

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  August 25th I gave a presentation about the Heritage of Astronomy in Ireland. The event was part of Heritage Week 2018. The talk emphasised the fact that Mayo has some of the darkest skies in Europe, therefore we should embrace that fact.  Our Neolithic ancestors claimed their heritage moments in standing stones and circles. These incredible menhirs are still tactile in the land today. Their heritage moments linking them for centuries to our star and the dark sky heavens above. The audience agreed to be some of the ingredients of my Dark Sky Painting homage.  The dark sky reminds us of our place on Earth  and in the universe.  The dark sky teaches us that we to are part of the landscape.  It is in our sprits as are the flora and fauna that surrounds us in this beautiful county. Our 2018 heritage week  moment. The Edu- Painting The painting shows the view looking to the north-east and slightly … Continue reading →

Time’s running out!

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… to apply for the Faith and Astronomy Workshop! Here’s some eye-candy to draw your attention… We’ve had an excellent response so far, and it will be a challenge to select 25 participants from the more-than-25 who have already applied. But there’s still plenty of time to make our decision even more challenging! It only takes a minute or two to apply, and frankly, when it comes to the selection process, the more the merrier! Just click on the box on this web site to be directed to the application form. Find out more about the workshop here: Apply Now for the 2019 Faith and Astronomy Workshop!   … Continue reading →

International Observe the Moon Night – Oct. 20

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International Observe the Moon Night is a worldwide celebration of lunar science and exploration held annually since 2010. One day each year, everyone on Earth is invited to observe and learn about the Moon together, and to celebrate the cultural and personal connections we all have with our nearest neighbor. The event occurs in September or October, when the Moon is around first quarter. A first quarter Moon is visible in the afternoon and evening, a convenient time for most hosts and participants. Furthermore, the best lunar observing is typically along the dusk/dawn terminator, where shadows are the longest, rather than at full Moon. The International Observe the Moon Night website has list of scheduled events – you can register your event here. Resources for hosting your event here. NASA’s Moon Phase and Libration website will show you the phase of the Moon for any date in 2018 – the image below is how the Moon will appear on Oct. 20th. … Continue reading →

The Light of Truth

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My post for last week discussed Serpent Mound in Ohio, and possible astronomical alignments present in that Native American monument. Today is the Autumnal Equinox—one of the days that supposedly is marked by the bends in Serpent Mound—so I am sticking with the theme of astronomical alignments. It turns out that astronomical alignments can be found in all sorts of places, if you think to look for them. A friend of mine, Justin Elliott, is the sort of person who thinks to look for them. He and his family regularly attend either the 9:00 AM or 10:30 AM Mass at St. Louis Bertrand Church in my hometown of Louisville. Perhaps because Justin grew up attending a “megachurch” that is relatively plain compared to St. Louis Bertrand, or perhaps because he has read too many mystery books to his own children, or perhaps because he watched too many movies of the “Indiana Jones” or “DaVinci Code” genres, Justin has a fascination … Continue reading →

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