Welp, there goes another apocalyptic prophecy — this one grounded in reality, mind, but it means we can scrub the 2040 doomsday off our calendar. Earlier in 2012 only a few observations of AG5 could be made before it got too close to the Sun to see. Those allowed the crude estimate of where it …
Category Archive: Space
Dec 08 2012
Animation student’s thesis: Pale Blue Dot
Adam Winnik produced this lovely animation for Carl Sagan’s poetic musings on our place in the cosmos, as his school thesis. From his video’s description: I’ve been enrolled in illustration at Sheridan College for the the last 4 years and this is my final thesis project. I have always thought of Carl Sagan’s writings as …
Nov 17 2012
Sun vomits forth giant prominence
Think about the scale of this particular flare, which was captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory yesterday. I know it’s hard to imagine, with it zoomed in like this, but this is absolutely immense. Eyeballing it against a “size of stars” image I have up on the wall, I’d say both ends of this flare …
Aug 16 2012
Curiosity, from the eyes of one of its creators
I cannot imagine having had a single project for seven years that culminates in a seven minute Schrodinger’s Cat where your work either failed or succeeded. I cannot imagine the magnitude of relief or heartache or joy or sorrow that might have come from either result. This gives me the same sort of minute glimpse …
Aug 10 2012
Curiosity’s first full-color Mars panorama
Low res, but what are you gonna do for the first set of images the nuclear powered rover has managed to snap? Note that these are in true color, though if what I heard on a mission press conference is any indication, might have been brightened somewhat due to low light conditions when the work …
Aug 08 2012
NASA press conference: first color photos from Curiosity
Awwwww yeah, science baby. You need to check out this Youtube video to see — in high-def, if you choose to view it in that resolution — the entirety of Curiosity’s first day on Mars. Fabulous. And the technology that we managed to safely deposit on another planet is simply the best way to actually …
Aug 06 2012
Curiosity successfully touched down on Mars
The terror is over. Our first 256×256 snapshot of the surface of Mars after the utterly terrifying touchdown sequence. Eight years to plan and build this rover that’s bigger than your car and taller than you. 36 weeks of travel across 562 million kilometres of space travel. And it missed its mark by a mere …
Aug 05 2012
Curiosity piqued, tonight at 2:31am!
Atlantic Daylight Time, of course. So 05:31 UTC. Remember Curiosity and its Rube Goldberg-like planned landing? That happens tonight. Tomorrow morning, technically, for some of us. Phil Plait has details on how to participate in the fun: If you want to watch the proceedings live, I have a few things you can do. 1) Fraser …
Jul 10 2012
CONvergence: Doomsday Scenarios
Another of the three panels I was on, audio only unfortunately. Do let me know if the questions from the audience aren’t audible, I might be able to normalize the volume some. I’m not terribly experienced with Audacity, but I’m willing to play with it some more if you have problems. Also on the panel …
Jul 07 2012
Robots with rock-vaporizing lasers on Mars!
Ohhhh, this is just too damn cool. I had no idea Curiosity was so kitted out! On its way to the Gale Crater, right now, is NASA’s Curiosity rover, the most sophisticated robot in the history of space science: a dune buggy equipped with a set of tools and instruments to shame Inspector Gadget. Curiosity …
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I have opinions. So do you. You want to share them with me. I would like to do likewise. Please don't expect a platform for proselytizing that will go unchecked and unchallenged, though.
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Contact me via these services:
I reserve the right to publish any contact, especially if it's hateful or ridiculous.
Not detailed enough to allow for proper stalking? Please read my Hello Freethought Blogs post. I promise* it will include my favorite style of underwear.
* Not a real promise
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