Even a four-year-old can do it! Seriously, look at that! Did you know you can stand your broom upright? No, it doesn’t have anything to do with the date, or the earth’s tilt (which stays the same - science, people...), but the fact that it has a low center of gravity. I was happy to … Continue reading Bibbity-bobbity-broom
science
Chemtrails, Conspiracies, and the Garden of Eden
As some of you know, I have a Twitter account for meteorological interests. I eschew all arguments, politics, etc. which means I follow a handful of National Weather Service accounts, some meteorologists, and other similar accounts. Nothing is immune from controversy so on rare occasions I bump into tweets about “chemtrails”, the name some people … Continue reading Chemtrails, Conspiracies, and the Garden of Eden
Sunset, Moonrise, Bubbles
I took these photos yesterday evening, first when the sun was setting, and then a little later as the moon rose. This morning it was cool, cloudy, and gusty. I took the little ones out to blow bubbles.
Lunar Eclipse
In this part of TX totality came very close to moonset this morning so we had some visibility problems, what with haze near the horizon and trees. The best view turned out to be from my bathroom window. Three of the children had asked to be awakened early to see it. I think they were … Continue reading Lunar Eclipse
Symmetry
Have you ever seen a hurricane hold its circulation so well after landfall? The lack of steering currents is obvious. (We're at 5 inches of rain so far. It's hard to imagine 5 more days of this...)
One spacecraft, one system
In March of 1966, Dave Scott and Neil Armstrong were 180 miles above the earth carrying out the Gemini 8 mission (rendezvous and docking with an Agena rocket). During a maneuver after docking a roll thruster developed a short and was firing intermittently. For a few minutes the problem seemed corrected, then a roll rate … Continue reading One spacecraft, one system
Solar Eclipse
We first noticed a change around 11:55. Maximum seemed to be at 1:20 at our house. The sky did turn a darker blue and you could stand in the sun without broiling. Father noticed the temperature actually dropped a degree. I made sure to photograph the neat patterns made by the sun shining through the … Continue reading Solar Eclipse
Pre-Eclipse: making viewers
In Houston we're not even getting to 70% coverage of the sun, but we will make do with what we have. This morning I made two viewers which are not beautiful, but are functional. I wanted to use longer boxes to get as large a projection as possible so I retrieved two 12-pack boxes from … Continue reading Pre-Eclipse: making viewers
Chaos Theory
From Wikipedia: In common usage, "chaos" means "a state of disorder".[11] However, in chaos theory, the term is defined more precisely. Although no universally accepted mathematical definition of chaos exists, a commonly used definition originally formulated by Robert L. Devaney says that, to classify a dynamical system as chaotic, it must have these properties:[12] it … Continue reading Chaos Theory
Book review: Let There Be Light!
I was so delighted to see this book by Alisa Rakich Brooks previewed on Facebook. After reading the description I decided I would order it at the earliest opportunity. That opportunity came in a slightly different form than I was expecting: I was asked to review it! I was honored to accept and the book arrived … Continue reading Book review: Let There Be Light!
