Blog Profile / Bad Astronomy
| URL : | http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/ | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Academics / Astronomy | |
| Posts on Regator: | 5173 | |
| Posts / Week: | 18.9 | |
| Archived Since: | February 24, 2008 | |
Blog Post Archive
Thank you
This is my last post for the Bad Astronomy Blog on Discover Magazine. As of today – Monday, November 12, 2012 – the blog has a new home at Slate magazine. It has been my pleasure and honor to be a Discover blogger for more than four years. Show More Summary
Revealed: My tattoo
Folks, it’s time. And an appropriate time: for my penultimate post here at Discover Magazine, I’ve decided to show you my tattoo. I’ve been meaning to post this for a while, but there were a lot of behind-the-scenes issues getting permissions I won’t bore you with. Show More Summary
A refreshing Shasta
The Cascade range of volcanoes is pretty impressive to see from the ground. Stretching from California up to Washington, it includes famous mountains like Saint Helens, Hood, and Rainier. I’ve seen many of these while driving in theShow More Summary
Nerd deGrasse Tyson
Speaking of Neil Tyson, if you’re a fan of his you’ll be pleased to know that his show, Star Talk Radio, is now going to be part of the Nerdist Channel network! Thats actually a pretty big deal; Chris Hardwick has created this juggernaut of Nerdist and it reaches a lot of folks. The new show is essentially a video version of the radio show. Show More Summary
Astronomy podcast for kids
I love it when kids get excited enough about science to go out and do something about it. That’s why I’m digging Jeffrey Tang – who’s 10 – because he created the Astronomy For Kids podcast, where he talks about different astronomical things. Show More Summary
Repost: Carl Sagan Day
[Today is Carl Sagan's birthday, celebrated by lovers of science and rationality around the planet. I wrote the following post last year, but I think it's still appropriate (and I updated his age). Happy birthday, Carl. It's a darker...Show More Summary
Moon bounce
Of all the amazing pictures returned from the moon by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter – and I may include the Apollo landing sites among them – I think my favorites are the ones showing boulders that rolled down slopes.
Did I say rolled?...Show More Summary
Uwingu wants you to submit names for their planetary baby book
Astronomers are discovering a lot of planets these days. The official count is 800+, with thousands of more candidates (unconfirmed but suspiciously planet-like).
Right now we give them alphabet soup names. Alpha Centauri Bb. HR 8799b (through HR8799 e). Show More Summary
Getting closer: Super-Earth found in a star’s habitable zone
Well now, this is an interesting discovery: astronomers have found what looks like a "super-Earth" – a planet more massive than Earth but still smaller than a gas giant – orbiting a nearby star at the right distance to have liquid water on it! Given that, it might – might – be Earthlike.
This is pretty cool news. Show More Summary
Back to work
A few people – including my pal Deric Hughes – put together this non-partisan and nicely done video in honor of democracy: If you like it, give it a thumbs-up on YouTube and Like it on FB. And they’re right. As I wrote last night, there is much work to be done. Show More Summary
Wanna see the space station overhead? NASA will send you mail!
Seeing the International Space Station pass overhead is pretty cool. It glides soundlessly across the sky, getting brighter as it gets closer to you, whizzing by hundreds of kilometers above your head at 8 kilometers per second.
I usually go to Heavens-Above when I think of it to check when the next few passes will be. Show More Summary
A step in the right direction… but there are many more steps to go
Well, it was quite a night. I’m trying to parse it all, and there’s a whole lot to parse. The big news, duh, is that President Obama won, and yes, I’m happy about that. Despite a lot of smoke and mirrors from pundits and campaign managers...Show More Summary
Time lapse: Helvetia’s Dream
Oh my, another lovely night sky (and landscape!) time lapse video; this time from Alessandro Della Bella, and called Helvetia’s Dream: [Make sure you set it to hi-def and make it full screen.] I love the opening shot! Unless it was just...Show More Summary
Unicorn chaser
I suspect something like half of the people reading my blog will, today, need this: a video of a puppy playing with a spring doorstop. [The term "unicorn chaser" comes from Boing Boing, and is akin to a palate-cleansing for your brain after something awful.] c/o my pal the geektastic Bonnie Burton.
Vote.
Listen. I want you to vote.
I won’t make that pandering "It doesn’t matter who you vote for" speech, because, geez, c’mon. It does matter.
But not voting at all is not an option. You need to vote.
I know a lot of folks are undecided, and getting mocked in the media for it. Show More Summary
DC comics pins Krypton to the star map
The story of Superman is so well known that I hardly need go into detail. But in case you’re some sort of commie, the idea is that he was born on the planet Krypton orbiting a far away red star, and sent to Earth while still a baby by his parents as their home planet exploded around them. Show More Summary
Breaking up is easy to do. If you’re a comet.
So there’s this comet named 168P/Hergenrother. It’s one of a bazillion such iceballs orbiting the Sun, but this one turns out to be more interesting than most. For one thing, it has a short period, orbiting the Sun once every 6.8 years or so. Show More Summary
The single greatest vacation picture ever taken
On Halloween 2012, when people were assembling their costumes and candy, the Mars Curiosity rover was assembling something truly spectacular: a jaw-dropping high-definition self-portrait that has to be seen to be believed:
[Click to enjohnny5enate. Show More Summary
How far back will we set our clocks?
This picture is going around Facebook. I tried to find the original, but it’s hopeless, so I’ll just put this here.
Remember, in the US we’re not just voting on the President, we’re voting on lots of Congresscritters, too. In that case,...Show More Summary
The return of Something Fierce
Regular readers of my long-standing crush on singer/songwriter/siren Marian Call. Her voice is lovely, her lyrics brain-poking, and her self-motivated music career an inspiration.
So I’m really pleased to let y’all know she is re-releasing her last album, Something Fierce. Show More Summary