What are you Optimistic About? Edited by John Brockman

Few books go against the grain of relative pessimism that permeates modern culture. In “What are you Optimistic About?” John Brockman challenges some of the leading thinkers of our time to think of the glass as half full. Each year, the Edge website www.edge.org has asked a simple question to the great thinkers of our time.

Determine your Longitude: the Lunar Eclipse Method Part II

(All Photos by Author).
Hopefully, you had clear skies at your locale. My luck was pretty good… mostly clear skies through-out! My initial impressions were that of a very bright eclipse; the southern rim of the moon seemed especially bright. The color ranged from a dark blood red on the northern edge to an overall brownish glow. [...]

A Lunar Eclipse Update:

A quick update concerning tonight’s Lunar Eclipse; in the event of clouds at your location, the eclipse can be viewed live via webcast on several sites.

Determine Your Longitude: the Lunar Eclipse Method Part I

A Ruddy Lunar Eclipse. (All photos by Author).
We’re back now with a new look! Hopefully, it’s less of an eyestrain for our loyal legion of readers… and just in time for this months’ Lunar Eclipse!

Getting an accurate fix on your position has long been a bane of the world traveler. Long before Global Positioning Systems, [...]

A Martian Bigfoot? The Affinity for Illusions

Who is that amid the rocks? (All photos except noted credited to NASA/JPL).
Something strange is happening on the surface of Mars. The above image has circulated around the Internet the past few weeks. Taken from the Spirit rover, the panorama shows a vast, Martian landscape. The close up inset above appears to show a vague [...]

Astro-Themed Drinks for Cloudy Nights

To drink…(and/or) observe? (Photo by Author).
There is a long tradition of alcohol in Astronomy. Tycho Brahe was a great imbiber. Beer Crater (actually named after the imminent selenographer, Wilhelm Beer) on the Moon may well be ultimate site for a brewery one day. But when the cirrus starts getting thick, what’s one to do? [...]