Convention - Sacred Space Astronomy

In the Sky this Week – January 23, 2018

Posted on January 23, 2018 by Bob TrembleyJanuary 23, 2018

This entry is part 2 of 131 in the series In the Sky This Week

In the southern predawn sky, Mars and Jupiter continue to separate after their recent conjunction; Mars will slowly make its way southeast towards Saturn over the next several weeks. Saturn will get higher in the southeastern predawn sky with each passing morning. The Moon The Moon is a waxing crescent, visible in the southwestern sky at dusk, and setting around midnight. The Moon will be at first-quarter on the 24th, and will be a waxing gibbous for the rest of the week, heading toward full on the 31st. The Moon will be a great observing target this week. On January 31st there will be a total lunar eclipse – this will be the first Blue Moon eclipse in 150 years! The Sun The Sun is spot-free, which was a shame last weekend – I set up my telescopes at ConFusion – a Science Fiction convention in the Metro-Detroit area. I’ve been bringing my telescopes to these conventions for several years now, and … Continue reading →

Turn Left at MuseCon

Posted on April 4, 2015 by Bob TrembleyApril 4, 2015

The artwork for MuseCon’s Tee-Shirt looks kinda familiar! Almost exactly like the artwork for Turn Left at Orion – which it IS! The image was made from the original artwork provided by Mary Lynn Skirvin. I am SO pre-ordering a couple of these tees! Br. Guy will be the Guest of Honor (GoH) at this convention. Bill Higgins, myself, and my wife Constance L. Martin-Trembley, all three volunteer NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassadors, will be attending and lecturing as well. I will have my telescopes there, and weather-permitting I’ll get to show the Sun and Saturn. MuseCon VOF Calendar Entry … Continue reading →

Br. Guy Consolmagno January 16, 2020 at 3:33 pm on Stupid Astronomer Tricks #4: Keep CalmThe title is actually a play on the old Letterman feature "Stupid Pet Tricks" -- Nancy Lebofsky suggested it, and she and Larry have provided many of the incidents I will be reporting here. By the way, if anyone else has a story to tell, they should email me and...
Ed Yepez January 16, 2020 at 3:32 pm on Stupid Astronomer Tricks #4: Keep CalmFrom "Black Adder Goes Forth": Gen Melchett: It's a barren, desolate featureless desert out there! Cpt. Darling: The other side (of the map) sir. I just tell people that's it's a particularly dark night out, and quietly remove the lens cap as they look up at all the bright stars....
Steven Lanoux January 16, 2020 at 8:42 am on Stupid Astronomer Tricks #4: Keep CalmHaving enjoyed a Jesuit education myself, and knowing that Ph.D.s are not earned lightly, I assume that Brother Guy created an ambiguity intentionally. Positional analysis of the title of the articles implies that this is about "stupid astronomers," but we know that this is an oxymoron. Therefore the grammar is...
Bob Prokop January 16, 2020 at 7:39 am on Stupid Astronomer Tricks #4: Keep CalmI sympathize with that student. A couple of years ago, I couldn't understand one night why I wasn't seeing anything through my 90mm refractor. I finally realized that I had left the lens cap on.
Deirdre Kelleghan January 16, 2020 at 5:54 am on An asteroid with my name on itThank you BOB !!
Deirdre Kelleghan January 16, 2020 at 5:53 am on An asteroid with my name on itThank you very much :-)
Christopher M. Graney January 14, 2020 at 4:53 pm on Stupid Astronomer Tricks #2: The anti-terroristFor Readers who are not up on the way scientists talk about each other: Scientists break down loosely into two groups: “Theorists” and "Experimentalists". These two groups are famous for making jokes about each other -- especially the experimentalists making jokes about the theorists. The stereotype is that the theorist...
Christopher M. Graney January 11, 2020 at 2:35 pm on Johannes Kepler’s Harmony of the WorldThanks!
Richard Saam January 11, 2020 at 11:51 am on Johannes Kepler’s Harmony of the WorldChristopher Graney- Some of your Kepler perspectives have been further noted in a APS Jan 2020 Physics Today article: https://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/PT.3.4388 Johannes Keplers Pursuit of Harmony by Aviva Rothman – Department of History Case Western Reserve University Although Kepler is most known for his astronomical accomplishments, his theological/philosophical pursuits were more...
Bob Trembley January 6, 2020 at 3:29 am on Observing Asteroids at VATT, Part 2I MUST have mentioned that when it comes to astronomy, asteroids are pretty much RIGHT ON THE TOP of my list of interests. :) Do you know if these observations will be listed in the next Minor Planet Center circular? https://minorplanetcenter.net//iau/ECS/MPCArchive/MPCArchive_TBL.html
Richard Saam January 5, 2020 at 2:02 pm on The Quest and Questions of the MagiAdding to the astrophysical mechanisms for the Star of Bethlehem conventionally done by 'searched tables of conjunctions', recent sky surveys introduce another possibility: The star may have come into and out of visual contact during the Magi time frame. This seems scientifically possible in context of 'The Vanishing & Appearing...
Christopher M. Graney December 30, 2019 at 1:10 pm on Blaise Pascal: to God through MathThanks for the comments! And we will indeed continue in 2020.
Tracy Lunquist December 28, 2019 at 2:50 pm on Misplaced Obsessions: Understanding Why Christmas Is On December 25th.Obsessively focusing on solving the wrong problem seems to be basic to the human condition. I think we are also fond of having things to argue about. If we don't have anything of actual substance to argue about, or if our substantive disagreements are too scary, we'll invent inconsequential things...
Joe Fabrizio December 28, 2019 at 8:13 am on Blaise Pascal: to God through MathVery Interesting thoughts to chew on. Thank you.
Franca Gallucci December 28, 2019 at 7:00 am on Blaise Pascal: to God through MathThank you Christopher and VO team! How could this not be of interest to anyone who thinks and reflects and prays? I will try in 2020 to suggest that these posts be added to our Toronto archdiocese website, to our school board website, or at least to our parish website....
Br. Guy Consolmagno December 23, 2019 at 10:33 am on ⓜ Dracula, Green Slime, and Christmas… Diary of 23 December, 2019I hope I am over my bug by then!
Fr. Timothy Sauppé December 23, 2019 at 5:40 am on ⓜ Dracula, Green Slime, and Christmas… Diary of 23 December, 2019Merry Christmas from the U.S.A. See you April 8, 2024. ;)
Bob Trembley December 17, 2019 at 4:51 am on An asteroid with my name on itThat is SO COOL! Congrats!
Christopher M. Graney December 16, 2019 at 9:57 am on An asteroid with my name on itWell congratulations! That really ROCKS! (get it? rocks?) :)
Bob Prokop December 11, 2019 at 12:53 pm on Skyward by David Levy: December 2019 – When Poetry Reaches the StarsMy own favorite poem about the stars is Gerard Manley Hopkins' The Starlight Night. One really needs to read this poem aloud to get its fullest effect. Look at the stars! look, look up at the skies! O look at all the fire-folk sitting in the air! The bright boroughs,...