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The Coolest Thing I Ever Saw: The 1998 Leonid Meteor Shower August 28, 2007

Posted by webmaster in : Astronomers' Tales , 4 comments

Late 1998 was a busy time for me. As a Staff Sergeant in the US Air Force, I was old enough to have some responsibility in the form of supervising my own load crew but still low enough down the totem pole that virtually all of supervision sat squarely above me. I was stationed at Eielson Air Force base in Alaska with the 18th Fighter Squadron as a Aircraft Armament Systems specialist, a fancy way of saying that I loaded bombs. When I wasn’t destroying things, Astronomy was my main passion. Astronomy in Alaska was really a seasonal sport; winter was blistering cold, down to -60 degrees Fahrenheit and summer was constant daylight. This limited dark sky observing to about two month windows around either equinoxes. (more…)

Extreme Observing: Challenges on the Edge August 15, 2007

Posted by webmaster in : Extreme Astronomy , 4 comments

Astronomy is a life long pursuit. The universe and time are so vast, I have yet to meet someone who has truly seen it all, even from our sometimes beleaguered vantage point here on Earth. Some targets, like Saturn or the ring nebula, are never tiring to look at. However, as I rack up the years of observing, I find it fun and refreshing to push my skills to the edge. Call it Extreme Astronomy, a sport of sorts. Popular Messier marathons are in this vein. I find that this kind of pursuit can sharpen my skills and hone my knowledge. While I never tire of showing folks Andromeda during public observing, it can be fun to aim at a lesser known object that no one else at the star party has in the eyepiece. Anyhow, below are my top 12… some I’ve seen, some I’ve attempted, and some I know of but have yet try. I’ve tried to keep things as “visual” as possible (i.e. telescope only!), but technology can present is own challenges as well. After all, I’d hate to think I’ve finally seen everything! (more…)

Make Your Workout Pay; Collecting Cans While You Run August 1, 2007

Posted by webmaster in : Off Topic , add a comment

This topic has nothing to do with astronomy, except for the fact that the idea may be considered as well, in outer space to some. I live in and grew up in the state of Maine. Maine has a long tradition as being one of the first states to offer a return deposit for cans going back to 1976. I vividly remember spending endless hours peddling rural back roads looking for discarded cans. Back then return rates were in .05, .10, .20, and .50 increments… now they’re .05 for cans and bottles and .15 for large liquor bottles (I wonder why the rate hasn’t increased with the price of soda and beer?) Still, in the 1970s a dollar could buy you a comic (50 cents… “Destroy the Justice League, Super-Villians!”) and an ice cream or soda (or pop, as we say in Maine…and the redemption cycle continues.) (more…)