12 Very Special Events for the Century.
October 7, 2009 by David Dickinson
Filed under Astro News, Astro News & Commentary, Extreme Astronomy, Observational Astronomy, Off Topic
“Bizarreness” is part of our business in astronomy. We always get the top billing with the “how big, how far, how bright” records, but one thing that is hard to quantify is just how unique certain events are. Here, I present you a quick list, a baker’s dozen of astronomical oddities that are worth [...]
30.9.9:Messenger; A 1st Look at the 3rd Pass.
September 30, 2009 by David Dickinson
Filed under Off Topic
NASA’s Messenger spacecraft skimmed the barren surface of the solar systems’ inner most world Tuesday evening, revealing more of its unmapped surface. Messenger zipped 141 miles above the surface of Mercury and was occulted briefly before resuming telemetry broadcasting back to Earth. The image above was taken with the Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) looking over [...]
Review: Heaven’s Touch by James B. Kaler
September 11, 2009 by David Dickinson
Filed under Off Topic
Out now from Princeton University Press!
Everyone seems to be in a “Death from Above” mood this year. At the happier end of the cosmic spectrum, I give you Heavens Touch, by professor James B. Kaler and out recently courtesy of Princeton Press. Ever wonder were the elemental boron in your laundry cleaner came from? This [...]
17.08.09: A Ramadan Moon.
August 17, 2009 by David Dickinson
Filed under Off Topic
Slender New crescent Moons are always a fun and interesting challenge to spot…but this week’s crescent Moon is special. For the astronomy challenge of the week, I give you a Ramadan Moon. The Muslim calendar is one of several that are lunar based, meaning that it follows a cycle of complete phases of the Moon [...]
End of the Century by Chris Roberson
July 31, 2009 by David Dickinson
Filed under Off Topic
Out Now from Pyr Books!
Few remember, or care to think about how silly they acted, during those halcyon days that were Y2K… End of the Century by Chris Roberson commemorates this saga with a unique fantasy tale. Out this past February courtesy of Pyr books, this is a complex weave that will keep you guessing [...]
Themes in Science Fiction.
July 29, 2009 by David Dickinson
Filed under Off Topic
Zombies. Ray-guns. Spacecraft that defy physics. Sure, sci-fi is rife with, well, bad plot devices that you could fly an Imperial Star Destroyer through. But if you subsist on a steady diet of the fantastic, a set of themes emerge. Here is an Astroguyz tongue-and-cheek original, a quick baker’s dozen of the themes that [...]
