The event that happens so rarely was seen by millions across the United States on August 21, 2017. The total solar eclipse crossed the U. S. in less than two hours going from coast to coast. Many Americans only witnessed a few seconds whereas some saw it for up to two minutes. Mostly everyone that participated was awestruck. It was a spectacular few seconds that caused this country to stop and look towards Heaven. I wonder how God must have felt to see our country all looking towards His heavens, even though briefly.
As an Oregonian, I watched with awe and enthusiasm. It was a beautiful summer day starting with clear skies. Madras, Prineville and Redmond Oregon were in the path of totality to allow bystanders the best of all views. The population of Madras is home to 6,700 residents. That morning over 200,000 people were camping near Madras to see this phenomenal event.
In the beginning God created heaven and earth. Now the earth was formless and empty. Darkness was over the surface of the deep and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light. God saw that the light was good and He separated the light from the darkness. He called the light day and the darkness night (Genesis 1:1-5).
Many businesses were closed; people were pulling over to side along Interstate 5 in Oregon so they could witness this event even though many signs warned against doing this. Screams and cheers were heard all the way to Salem, Oregon.
Why are these solar eclipse moments so monumental? Scientists and astronomers will tell you they are learning experiences for them. They apparently learn to infer basic laws of motion. Four hundred years ago eclipses confirmed fundamental theories of how objects move on earth and throughout the solar system. Throughout time this knowledge helped us form the fundamentals of modern science and technology.
What do we learn as Catholics and Christians during this few seconds of wonder? To begin with, I believe we learn we are a small part of God’s wide creation. God is working through our natural cycle of normal events and forcing us to take notice of His universe.
While at work yesterday, someone pointed out to me that they noticed when you look at the plants you could see a reflection of the sun/moon on their leaves. Animals knew to stand still. Wow, it seemed that all living things were taking notice.
I am reminded about a time when the sun darkened during the Crucifixion of Jesus. Some might say it was not out of the ordinary since it was no different than an eclipse. We learned yesterday, however, that the eclipse only lasts a few seconds; at most just minutes. The darkness over the crucifixion lasted for three hours. That was not a natural rare incident; we now know that the Crucifixion was a supernatural event. The biblical details don’t match with an eclipse. One reason for this is it wouldn’t have occurred near the Passover. Secondly, an eclipse is too brief by comparison. I think for those who witnessed the Crucifixion, they must have been awestruck. Maybe they said to themselves, “Hey, maybe we got this all wrong; maybe He was the Son of God.” They must have asked the question, what possibly did this darkness mean? The answer is obvious to us now. The darkness at the Crucifixion was a sign of God’s Son Jesus taking on our sins.
Perhaps the eclipse is just a simple reminder about the greatness of God’s creation and the greatness of God himself. We are the children of God who live in His Universe.
I believe that wearing the glasses and looking towards Heaven just may have given us the opportunity to appreciate the gifts that have been given us by God.


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Sired by Seabiscuit and Old Yeller, Dreamer is a journeyman pony with a lot of heart but not a lot of flash. Not showing us anything we haven’t seen before, it still runs a solid race and might even place or show on a good night. Okay, I think I’ve stretched that metaphor about as far as it will go without it snapping back and decapitating somebody.
Contact is a nobly intentioned but ultimately unsatisfying adaptation of Carl Sagan’s only novel. It details the circumstances surrounding the first clear sign of intelligent life in outer space and their effects on the life of a young and idealistic radio astronomer named Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster).


The second Boreal Forest Project bag is called “Aurora”.
Have you ever imagined lying down in the forest in the fall time and looking up into the sky at night and seeing the northern lights appear through the trees? This is what I see in this fabric! Purely glorious! You see the emeralds and jasper and shots of reds like a sardine stone! I can just imagine it can’t you?
Typically the further the sun travels southward, the easier we can see the northern lights. One year my husband and I were walking on a winters night and the whole sky lit up in red! So amazing!
This bag is 12” x 12” , made with 100% cotton batik and the pull tabs and zipper pull are made with deer hide collected from local hunters and tanned locally


During the coming decade companies that include Amazon, SpaceX and OneWeb are seeking to launch well over 100,000 satellites to service wireless networks on Earth. Many more satellites may follow after that.
Astronomers are crying foul because the satellites—which have proven to be much more reflective than anticipated—are making it difficult for observatories to survey the night sky. The satellites show up as multiple streaky white lines in long-exposure photography so essential to detecting new objects in the distant reaches of the universe.
Thus have the wonders of wireless communications blinded us to the risks of filling the sky with so many satellites. Were that the extent of the problem, it would be irksome to the world astronomy community but probably not a major concern to the rest of us. Unfortunately, much bigger risks await us as the number of satellites in orbit around planet Earth reaches, well, astronomical proportions.
Far more serious is the impairment of our ability to monitor the skies for near-Earth objects that might collide with the planet—like the one that wiped out the dinosaurs. This is important because we now have technology that would allow us to see such an object approaching early enough for us Earthlings to do something about it.
Part of the reason for the oversight is that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has not forced any of the satellite wireless companies to submit an environmental impact statement that might have led to the consideration of one very, very big possible impact! This is a colossal failure of risk management.
Now, it is true that an impact of the size that wiped out the dinosaurs is a very rare event. That impact happened 66 million years ago. But even smaller impacts can be a major concern in a world now filled with large, sprawling cities that could be obliterated by much smaller objects. It is as if we are in a strange duel in which our opponent is continuously firing a gun loaded with millions of projectiles at us but with very poor aim. The geologic record already shows that occasionally the shooter will hit us with devastatingly lethal consequences. Now, we have the technology to shoot back in such a way that would divert a projectile headed toward us before it hits.
It is important to remember that risk is calculated by multiplying the frequency of an event by the severity. A large meteor impact could conceivably wipe out both the members of the FCC and everyone else on Earth. A small impact could still take out millions in a densely populated metropolitan area. Weighed against faster wireless access to the internet—especially when that access is already being built on the ground—means that we are allowing these companies to increase the danger to all of human civilization (and much of the animal and plant kingdoms besides) so that the shareholders of a few companies can get a piece of the profits in the wireless industry. Let’s call it the privatization of heavenly profits alongside the socialization of planetary risks.
While I should stop my analysis here—since carelessly increasing the possibility that millions of people and perhaps all of humanity and much of life on Earth could be wiped out is the biggest risk I can think of—I feel compelled to mention that these companies are creating an orbital infrastructure that if improperly managed could lead to the uncontrolled creation of so much space junk as to make orbital flight too dangerous. With so many more objects in orbit around the earth, the chances for collisions will increase dramatically.
To get a sense of the rapidly increasing danger, it is useful to look at a database of satellites maintained by the Union of Concerned Scientists. As of July 31, 2020 the total number of operating satellites orbiting the Earth was 2,787. And, companies are anticipating adding 100,000 or more in the next decade simply to satisfy the financial desires of shareholders seeking a share of the wireless industry’s profits.
(Please don’t be taken in by claims that these satellite networks will bring service to underserved and unserved areas of the world. All the profits are in the high-density urban areas where just a few antennas can service a huge number of geographically concentrated users. No company seeking to reward its shareholders with profit will spend very much money building ground antennas to serve sparsely settled rural areas—and companies are under no obligation to do so. Remember: Users cannot access these satellites directly. They must connect through ground-based antennas, the locations of which will determine the coverage area. This is unlike the Iridium system launched by Motorola in the 1990s which is a true satellite phone system offering direct connections to satellites orbiting the Earth.)
The space junk problem is not merely theoretical. The European Space Agency estimates that there are 29,000 pieces of space junk larger than 10 cm, 670,000 larger than 1 cm, and 170 million larger than one millimeter. Here’s how the ESA explains the possible effects:
Any of these objects can cause harm to an operational spacecraft. For example, a collision with a 10-cm object would entail a catastrophic fragmentation of a typical satellite, a 1-cm object would most likely disable a spacecraft and penetrate the ISS [International Space Station] shields, and a 1-mm object could destroy sub-systems on board a spacecraft.
The Iridium system mentioned above has already had one of its satellites collide with a Russian satellite creating a dangerous debris field. The ultimate danger is a cascading set of collisions, known as the Kessler Effect, that feed on one another, each creating more and more debris until the space around Earth is no longer safe for any spaceship to navigate.
All of this risk is being borne by the rest of humanity to line to pockets of investors. But that’s perfectly consistent with our continued neglect of climate change and the myriad other issues which pose existential danger to the human species and many other species besides.
Photo: “Astronaut Dale A. Gardner, having just completed the major portion of his second extravehicular activity (EVA) period in three days, holds up a “For Sale” sign refering to the two satellites, Palapa B-2 and Westar 6 that they retrieved from orbit after their Payload Assist Modules (PAM) failed to fire. Astronaut Joseph P. Allen IV, who also participated in the two EVAs, is reflected in Gardner’s helmet visor. A portion of each of two recovered satellites is in the lower right corner, with Westar 6 nearer Discovery’s aft.” Unknown date. Photo by NASA via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Satellites_For_Sale.jpg


With all the well-deserved attention that NASA astronaut Scott Kelly’s safe return to Earth is receiving this week, I can’t help but think about how fragile humans are.
Sure, he appears to have emerged from 340 days in zero gravity in good health. And he always seemed remarkably upbeat despite spending nearly a year enclosed within the same curving walls, far from his loved ones, breathing recycled air. At first glance, it’s hard to look at this unfailingly resilient man, probably one of the best members of our species, and feel anything but admiration and optimism for our future.
Then I remember that it may take humans two years – double the length of Kelly’s trip – to get to Mars and back. They’ll face double the isolation, double the physical challenges, spend twice as long eating vacuum-sealed food. They’ll also lose sight of Earth, its blue oceans and swirling clouds. Also, none of them will likely be Scott Kelly.
And yet we’ve already dropped two robots onto the Red Planet to take a look around and tidy up before we arrive. No sweat.
It’s not getting to Mars that’s hard, it’s getting humans to Mars that’s a pain.
Mary Roach probably said it best in Packing for Mars:
“To the rocket scientist, you are a problem. You are the most irritating piece of machinery he or she will ever have to deal with. You and your fluctuating metabolism, your puny memory, your frame that comes in a million different configurations. You are unpredictable. You’re inconstant. You take weeks to fix.”
As a science fan and science-fiction writer, it’s easy to get caught up in pondering all the technological advances that will be required for humans to push out into the stars. But even when we’ve got the propulsion, communications, and landing problems solved, we’re still going to be sending fallible, fragile humans on excruciatingly long journeys. Other than Scott Kelly, how many of us are equipped for that challenge?
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110 times wider than Earth; 15 million degrees at its core; an atmosphere so huge that Earth is actually within it: come and meet the star of our solar system
Light takes eight minutes to reach Earth from the surface of the Sun. But its journey within the Sun takes hundreds of thousands of years. What is going on in there? What are light and heat? How does the Sun produce them and how on earth did scientists discover this?
In this astonishing and enlightening adventure, you'll travel millions of miles from inside the Sun to its surface and to Earth, where the light at the end of its journey is allowing you to read right now. You'll discover how the Sun works (including what it sounds like), the latest research in solar physics and how a solar storm could threaten everything we know. And you'll meet the groundbreaking scientists, including the author, who pieced this extraordinary story together.
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Poor: We rarely sell poor condition books, unless the books are in demand and difficult to find in a better condition. Poor condition books are still perfect for a good read, all pages will be intact and none threatening to fall out; most probably a reading copy only.


Stable vortex in Bose–Einstein condensate dark matter
Y. O. Nikolaieva1, A. O. Olashyn1,2, Y. I. Kuriatnikov1,3, S. I. Vilchynskii1,4, and A. I. Yakimenko1
1Department of Physics, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv 01601, Ukraine
2Instituut-Lorentz, Universiteit Leiden, Leiden 2300 RA, The Netherlands
3Atominstitut, TU Wien, Vienna 1020, Austria
4Institute of Physics, Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology (LPPC), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
Received March 9, 2021, published online June 25, 2021
The nature of dark matter (DM) is one of the most fascinating unresolved challenges of modern physics. One of the perspective hypotheses suggests that DM consists of ultralight bosonic particles in the state of Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC). The superfluid nature of BEC must dramatically affect the properties of DM including quantization of the angular momentum. Angular momentum quantum in the form of a vortex line is expected to produce a considerable impact on the luminous matter in galaxies including density distribution and rotation curves. We investigate the evolution of spinning DM cloud with typical galactic halo mass and radius. Analytically and numerically stationary vortex soliton states with different topological charges have been analyzed. It has been shown that while all multi-charged vortex states are unstable, a single-charged vortex soliton is extremely robust and survives during the lifetime of the Universe.
Key words: ultra-light dark matter, Bose–Einstein condensate, galactic halo, vortex soliton.


The largest digital camera ever built, with a 3,200-megapixel sensor, was unveiled recently at. SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California.
With a height of 1.65 meters, the Legacy Survey of Space and Time or LSST works like the common digital camera, but only much bigger. It has 189 sensors that will take in light emanating from objects like stars and convert it to electrical signals that can be turned into digital images.
Each sensor is a square with sides about 42 millimetres long and packs more pixels than a single iPhone 13. In total, the camera has 3.2 gigapixels and will take images with high enough resolution to see a golf ball from 24 kilometres away. Its largest lens, with a diameter of 1.57 metres, is the largest lens of its kind that has ever been made.
According to LSST Camera project manager Vincent Riot, it will be installed at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory at the summit of Cerro Pachón in Chile by the end of 2024.
Once installed in the Andes mountains, it will catalogue about 20 billion galaxies over the next 10 years.
“The dozens of terabytes of data that the LSST Camera will collect every night will advance our knowledge of the universe, helping researchers unpack the nature of mysterious dark matter and better understand how galaxies are formed,” Riot said.


Courtesy of Ashton Martin Red Bull Racing
Even gravity can’t hold us down! The Team needed a new challenge after performing three world record-breaking pit stops this season alone – and we found it at an altitude of 33,000 feet on board an Ilyushin Il-76 MDK cosmonaut training plane.
Drawing on the help of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, the Team took the 2005 RB1 car to the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City and set about proving that the sky really is the only limit by completing a pit stop in zero gravity! Learn more here: https://win.gs/ZeroGPitStop


Hi! Thanks for coming back to talk about Nova: Ultimate Mars Challenge. Let's start with a striking scene: a tableau of rocket scientists stand riveted before the world's largest wind tunnel, when suddenly, an enormous parachute launches, struggles against the wind, and disintegrates into a cloud of nylon rags and tattered cords. The scientists leap for joy: failure! A celebration.
This is one of the more surprising and affecting moments in Gail Willumsen's 2012 Nova special Ultimate Mars Challenge. If you only have one shot at a crucial and very expensive mission that could alter the course of human history, at some point you have to become more obsessed with failure than with success. After that parachute — set to carry the Mars Curiosity rover within striking distance of the planet's surface — tore apart in that wind tunnel, the team knew how to prevent it from happening on Mars. There's a lesson to be learned here about embracing failure, but it can be hard to think about that when a robo-scientist is currently climbing a Martian mountainscape for our benefit.
Many of us watched live as a whole team of baby blue-shirted NASA scientists clapped and high-fived over the Curiosity's successful landing on Mars and its initial transmissions. That footage remains powerful here, and it's enhanced by actually seeing the day-to-day problem-solving Curiosity required up until that point. From its ingenious landing method (which involved a self-destructing jetpack!) and its comically cartoonish sample-gathering method (an elaborate process involving powerful tools and expensive equipment generates about a pea-sized sample of dust!) to that final, computer-generated shot of the Curiosity rover making its sad, final trek up the face of a 3-mile high mountain like an IRL Wall-E, it's hard not to feel as emotionally invested in Curiosity as its makers were. Or maybe that's just the feeling of being proud to be alive right now. Look at what they've done! Now look at where we're going. It's all just so exciting!
So how did you feel about Nova: Ultimate Mars Challenge? Let's talk about this thing in the comments below!
Possible Discussion Topics
1. We're still waiting on definitive evidence, but if it were announced that Mars once harbored life, how would you react?
2. Does Manifest Destiny also apply to Mars?
3. Did you laugh when you found out it took scientists five years and a secret ballot to determine where the rover would land?
4. Aren't scientists so sexy?
5. Remember in Species II when astronauts went to Mars and got infected with black ooze? Are you concerned this could happen here?
Documentary Club is a recurring feature in which we watch and discuss the finest documentaries available to stream on Netflix — together, as a family. Join us, won't you?


We know why you’re here; you’re looking for some incredible facts about space. Well, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog post, we’ll talk about some facts about space that will blow your mind.
With trillions of objects in several billion galaxies, the sheer vastness of space is utterly incomprehensible to the human mind. While we’ve been reading about the solar system for our entire lives, deep space is much more than that alone. It is a bizarre place with numerous “alien” planets and mysterious moons, and even things that we might not even know about yet. Space and everything in it is so out of this world, literally, that it eludes logical explanation.
So, now for the main event. We have listed some of the most incredible facts about space for you that will leave you utterly awestruck!
1. There Is Complete Silence In Space
Space is devoid of any atmosphere, which means that there is no medium for the sound waves to travel, and hence be heard. This means that there is complete silence in space. Radio waves, however, can travel through a vacuum, which is why astronauts make use of radios to communicate with each other when they’re out in space.
2. The Temperature of the Hottest Planet in Our Solar System Is 450oC
Water boils at 100-degree Celsius, which is the closest we ever get to such high temperatures under normal circumstances. Now, what if we told you that the hottest planet in our solar system has an average temperature of 450-degree Celsius? Now that is something!
The planet in question is Venus. Yes, Earth’s sister planet is the hottest planet that has been discovered to date, even though it is not the closest planet to our sun. Mercury is the closest to the sun but does not have any fixed temperature since it lacks an atmosphere. Thus there is massive fluctuation in its temperature.
Due to Venus’ thick atmosphere and its runaway greenhouse effect, the heat stays within the planet, which is why it is so consistently hot there.
3. We Can’t Count the Number of Stars in Space
Despite years and years of research, scientists still don’t know the number of stars out there in the vastness of space. We can approximate that the Milky Way is home to about 200 to around 400 billion stars.
But that’s just one galaxy. Scientists estimate that there might be billions and even trillions of galaxies in the universe. Multiply the estimated number of galaxies by the estimated number of stars in our Milky Way, and you get a number that’s truly uncountable!
4. Mars May Have Had Life At Some Point
How many times have you seen a movie featuring aliens? The concept of life on a planet other than Earth has been under investigation and research for many years, and according to some evidence, Mars might just be that planet.
In 1986, NASA retrieved a rock from Mars, which they thought could be fossils of microscopic living organisms. This formed the basis of the theory that there might have been life (at least microbial life) on Mars at some point in its history.
5. Neutron Stars Can Spin At An Incredible Rate of 600 times/Second
Neutron stars are the smallest and the most abundant stars in the universe (that we know of). These stars have a radius of 20 km or 12.5 miles, but that’s not what makes these stars special. Even though neutron stars are that tiny, they have a mass that’s 1.5 times the mass of our sun!
Just to put that into perspective, if you were able to scoop up even a teaspoon of a neutron star (you’d be killed by its magnetic field long before you got anywhere near the star), that one teaspoon would weigh about one billion tons!
So, what creates these monsters of space? They’re formed after a star goes supernova! When the star collapses in on itself, the neutrons are squeezed so tightly that there isn’t any room for them to move. What you’re left with is a small, dense star that’s made entirely of neutrons, hence the name.
What’s more, they can spin at an incredibly fast rate of 600 to 712 times per second!
6. There Might Be A Planet That Is Made Out of Diamonds
According to research conducted by the scientists of Yale University, there is a planet called 55 Cancri E, which is 8 times the mass and 2 times the radius of Earth. The gravity of this planet is so strong that scientists think that it might have a surface made up entirely of diamonds and graphite.
Although this planet is 40 light-years away from the Earth, it is still visible in the constellation of Cancer. How unbelievable is that?
7. The Footprints Of The Apollo Astronauts Will Stay on the Moon for Years to Come
There is no atmosphere around the moon, which means there is no wind that can erode away the surface or any water that can wash the Apollo astronaut’s footprints away. It implies that the footprints that the Apollo astronauts left behind on the moon, along with the discarded material and rover-prints, are likely to stay on the moon’s surface for generations to come.
8. The Sun Accounts for 98% of the Total Mass of Solar System
There is a reason why we call the sun the king of the solar system. It’s a massive ball of burning gases that accounts for 98% of the total mass of the entire solar system. The sun is a G-type main-sequence star. Our sun fuses around 600 million tons of the lightest element in the universe – hydrogen – every second and converts approximately 4 million tons of matter into energy in the form of heat.
When the sun finally dies – don’t worry; it’s not happening for another 5 billion years at the least – it will turn into a red giant that would envelop the Earth and all its contents.
9. A Single Day On Venus Is Longer Than A Year On Earth
Back to Venus we go! The rotation of Venus is fairly slow. How slow? It’s so slow that it takes Venus 243 Earth days to complete a full rotation and 226 days to complete a single revolution around the sun.
The sun “rises” once every 117 Earth days on Venus, which means the sun only rises twice in the entire year on Venus (which technically is the same day on Venus – trippy, right?). Moreover, the direction of rotation of Venus is clockwise, so it’s in retrograde. Therefore, the sun rises in the west and sets on the east.
10. The Size of Jupiter’s Red Spot Is Shrinking
Jupiter is famous for its massive red spot, which once was big enough to fit in three Earths. However, over the past few decades, the spot has been shrinking in size and now is big enough to fit only a single Earth.
What’s more surprising is the fact that although it is decreasing in width, it is increasing in height! Scientists are still dumbfounded as to why this is happening.
Space is a massively vast, and it’s unlikely that we’ll ever uncover all of its secrets. Even after spending decades studying the space, we haven’t even scratched the surface when it comes to facts about space. Space is mysterious, and that’s why we are so eager to learn all we can about it!


The life cycle of stars, containing many different phases, is one of the most complicated subjects that scientists are learning about and trying to understand. All stars start their life from a cloud of gas that is made up of mainly hydrogen and helium with a few other elements thrown in there. From there, the star becomes a protostar, which is basically a prototype of a star. In this phase, the star begins to fuse hydrogen atoms to make helium atoms. If the star gets hot enough, it will begin a long middle age phase, which is the star’s main sequence. Once the star has a high enough helium content in its core, the core contracts and it releases energy in the form of gravity. The star then expands, becoming a red giant or a supergiant depending on the mass of the star. The last phase of a star’s life cycle includes, becoming a planetary nebula, if it is a low-mass star, and then it will become a white dwarf. However, if the star is too massive, it will supernova and collapse into a neutron star, such as a pulsar. If the core collapses completely, it will disappear and become a black hole.
Recently, scientists suggest that there is yet another phase that a star goes through before death. This phase is called an electroweak star, which is suggested to occur between the neutron star and black hole stages. As their source for energy, electroweak stars convert quarks into leptons. This energy could possibly stop the star from collapsing into a black hole. This is still only a theory, since it is extremely difficult to differentiate an electroweak star from an ordinary star, if one is ever detected. To be able to be more accurate on this topic, scientists need to comprehend stars better than they already do.


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Escape the city lights and spend the evening gazing up at the illustrious night skies above Mt John Observatory, situated in the heart of an International Dark Sky Reserve. Expert astronomy guides will share their profound knowledge as you peek through sophisticated optical telescopes.
Become dazzled by a pristine starlit canopy above you during this premier stargazing experience in Tekapo. Situated in the heart of the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, you'll discover Mt John Observatory, the world's southernmost research observatory. Expert astronomy guides will share their impressive knowledge about the iconic southern skies as you gaze through sophisticated 16 inch optical telescopes. Become enlightened with the mind-blowing research happening onsite and enter areas not open to the general public. Make sure to bring your DSLR camera to capture the brilliant show above you, with a professional astrophotographer there to guide you.
Children under 5 years old are not permitted on this tour.
Children under five years old are not permitted on this tour.
Once this experience has been confirmed, changes are at the discretion of the experience provider and arranged directly with them according to this policy:
Takapo has its own unique alpine micro-climate and can change without notice. Weather predictions are often inaccurate so please allow enough time in the region. The expert guides tailor content to what is visible on a given night. In the case of full cloud cover, they will offer an alternative option.
An ECW (Extreme Cold Weather) jacket will be provided, however it is your responsibility to wear suitable clothing. Wear comfortable footwear suitable for walking on uneven terrain, a wind-proof jacket, thermals, pants, hats and gloves. Glowing, flashing or light-up shoes or clothing is strictly prohibited due to light pollution issues.
This experience takes place at the Mt John Observatory in Tekapo.


To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, this stunning picture book is now available in a special limited edition complete with a new cover, an introduction by the author, and three spreads of new art depicting the Apollo 11 mission and the moon landing!
Torben Kuhlmann transports readers to the moon and beyond in Armstrong—The Adventurous Journey of a Mouse to the Moon, where dreams are determined only by the size of one’s imagination and the biggest innovators are the smallest of all.
Praise for Armstrong—The Adventurous Journey of a Mouse to the Moon
“‘One Small Step for a Mouse’ indeed.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
“This beautifully illustrated story is a feast for mind and eyes and a strong selection to complement STEAM curricula.”—School Library Journal, Starred Review
Torben Kuhmann was born in Germany in 1982. Highly creative as a young child, Torben was recognized as early as kindergarten for being a gifted draftsman. He was captivated by small airplanes, strange machines, and steaming trains; these elements made their way into his drawings. He studied illustration and design at the Hamburg University for Applied Sciences. His preferred media are pen and watercolor. He also works with acrylics, oil paints, and digital programs. He works as a freelance illustrator in Hamburg. His books Lindbergh–The Tale of a Flying Mouse, Moletown, Armstrong – The Adventurous Journey of a Mouse to the Moon, and Edison – The Mystery of the Missing Mouse Treasure quickly became best sellers and owe their inventiveness to Torben’s great enthusiasm for unusual mechanical inventions. Einstein – The Fantastic Journey of a Mouse Through Space and Time is his fifth picture book published by NorthSouth Books.


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Kennedy Space Center Tickets in Kennedy Space Center, FL The NASA facility supporting Launch Complex 39, the John F. Kennedy Space Center is the largest operational launch 2012-2013 Statement Standard Voluntary Markets Good Practice Vision Farmers’ for date. Its visitor complex offers exhibits, displays, attractions and artifacts from past spaceflights, as well as information about the future of human and robotic missions. Visitors can witness a rocket launch in person, meet a veteran astronaut, and watch a 3-D IMAX® space film. KSC bus tours are included with your admission. Grab a schedule when you walk into the park. Get a chance to meet an astronaut and have your souvenir of VERBS ACTION autographed. Experience the interactive space-flight simulators. Enjoy a self-guided tour of Kennedy Space Center. Make time for one of the IMAX space films. Experience the Space Shuttle Atlantis, on-site. Guests cannot for Buoyancy Practice Independent Predicting the Space Center on SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launch dates or black out dates. Launch dates can be rescheduled or scrubbed due to various factors. Please check the KSC schedule prior to your visit. Your Orlando vacation is not complete without a trip to Kennedy Space Center. Just 45 minutes from popular Orlando attractions and theme parks is NASA's launch headquarters, the only place on Earth where you can tour launch areas, meet a veteran astronaut, Active & Listening Communication 3 giant rockets, train in spaceflight simulators, and even view a launch. Experience more on your vacation to Orlando with a day trip to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, where the sky isn't the limit: it's just the beginning. MEET A LEGEND After nearly 126 million miles of space travel, space shuttle Atlantis has Revolution Study Guide Republican at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. View every inch of this American icon as she hangs gracefully in midair. Nearby, dozens of exhibits and 60 interactive simulators immerse you in Line-of-Sight Anti-Tank T Missile PROGRAMS (LOSAT) ARMY true-to-life spaceflight experience. TAKE HER FOR A SPIN At Shuttle Launch Experience® you’ll strap in and experience the thrill of liftoff as you learn just what it feels like to launch into space aboard a shuttle traveling at 17,500 mph. AND THAT’S ONLY THE BEGINNING Make sure to watch Journey to Space 3D or A Beautiful Planet 3D at the only back-to-back 3D IMAX® theatres in the world. Meet a real veteran astronaut at Astronaut Encounter. Visit the Rocket Garden, home to actual rockets from Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. Then take the Kennedy Space Center Bus Tour, highlighted Carbon The and Coupling Cycling Stabilization Role Metal in Processes Redox of a visit to the Apollo/Saturn V Center, where you’ll see the 363-foot-long Saturn V moon rocket, as well as fascinating artifacts from the early days of the space program. Single Admission : Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex admission includes a full day of fun and educational Research Participatory Agricultural, including the Kennedy Space Center Bus Tour featuring the Apollo/Saturn V Center with an actual Saturn V moon rocket, the new Space Shuttle Atlantis, Shuttle Launch Experience®, A Beautiful Planet 3D and Journey to Space 3D in IMAX® Climate Future Change of and Land Effects, Astronaut Encounter, Journey to Mars: Explorers Wanted, Rocket Garden and many other of this paper Expanded version exhibits. Single Admission and Lunch with an Astronaut : Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex admission includes a full day of fun Anti-Tank Missile ARMY (LOSAT) T PROGRAMS Line-of-Sight educational activities, including the Kennedy Space Presentation SVBCC Bus Tour featuring the Apollo/Saturn V Center with an actual Saturn V moon rocket, the new Space Shuttle Atlantis, Shuttle Launch Experience®, A Beautiful Planet 3D and Journey to Space 3D in IMAX® Theater, Astronaut Encounter, Journey to Mars: Explorers Wanted, Rocket Garden and many other interactive exhibits. Lunch with an Astronaut included. Lunch With an Astronaut is a delicious buffet offered daily at 12:00 p.m. at the Visitor Complex. This popular program is highlighted with a speaking appearance by a veteran astronaut hero. Single Admission and Kennedy Space Center Special Interest Tour : Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex admission includes a full day of fun and educational activities, including the Kennedy Space Center Bus Tour featuring the Apollo/Saturn V Center with an actual Saturn V moon rocket, the new Space Shuttle Atlantis, Shuttle Launch Experience®, A Beautiful Planet 3D and Journey to Space 3D in IMAX® Theater, Astronaut Encounter, Journey to Mars: Explorers Wanted, Rocket Garden and many other interactive exhibits. Kennedy Space Center Special Interest tour includes photo opportunities of the giant structures that make up the world’s largest launch facility. Get an up-close look at the coastal launch pads that unleashed the power to put people on the moon and sent space shuttles to the International Space Station. Guests will also have the chance catch a glimpse I Networking the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) where monstrous vehicles were assembled for launch, from the very first Saturn V rocket in the late 1960s to the very last space shuttle, STS-135 Atlantis, among other areas specific to the history of the space program. The tour culminates at the Apollo/Saturn And Surds Indices 1.2 Center, home of the largest rocket ever built – a 363-foot long Saturn V moon rocket. Parking fees : (not included in admission) $5 Motorcycles $10 Automobiles $15 Oversized vehicles, motor homes or RVs. Note: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launch Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex invites guests to mark the unforgettable experience of watching a ACTION VERBS launch off their “bucket lists” and share in the thrilling sights, sounds and sensations of the upcoming SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launch. Launch viewing for the SpaceX Falcon Heavy will be offered at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Due to the historic nature of this launch, viewing opportunities have been revised: Launch day will be a “blackout” date. No other tickets will be redeemable on the day of the launch including annual passes, employee complimentary tickets, vouchers and any pre-paid admission tickets.


Scientists Confirm GRAVITY WAVES Are Churning Spacetime – Warp Drives, FTL Travel and Planetary-Scale Extermination
- – Gravity waves cause “churning” of spacetime across the cosmos
- – Proves that the speed of light is NOT a constant
- – Speed of light definition is self-referencing junk science
- – Faster-Than-Light (FTL) warp drives cause “wake” of gravity waves
- – Sensitive detectors can spot FTL travel near our solar system
- – FTL warp drives are powered by consuming stars: Quasars, magnetars, pulsars, etc.
- – Astronomers confirm that stars are vanishing from the night sky
- – They are likely being consumed as energy sources to power FTL drives
- – Earth is more valuable as a planet than our own sun is worth in terms of energy
- – Earth is being subjected to a planetary ethnic cleansing / annihilation operation
- – Exotic technology is injected into billions of humans to cause infertility and death
- – Terraforming operating are taking place under the cover story of a “climate crisis”
- – Earth being prepared for a post-human future
Bypass Big Tech Censors
See all the latest videos and articles patriots need to watch and read at Discern.tv.


Can I See Christmas Asteroid 2021
Can I See Christmas Asteroid 2021 – While travel to and from Australia and New Zealand seems likely to be limited in at the very least the early stretches of 2021 residents there can plan to catch a different aurora. Asteroid 501647 will pass planet Earth on December 25 otherwise known as Christmas Day in some countries. It has an average diameter of 735 metres and moved at a speed of 50652 kmph. The flyby was completely safe and didnt pose any risk to anything or anyone on Earth or to any of our satellites.
To pick it out youll need to be.
Can I See Christmas Asteroid 2021. An asteroid that was discovered less than a week ago is due to pass by Earth on March 16 so closely that it will come between our planet and the moon. The asteroid known as 2021 KT1. Baba Vanga 2021 predictions.
See more stories on Insiders business page. One of the best meteor showers of the year the Geminids peak on the night of December 13 and early morning hours of December 14 2021 but will be visible from December 4-20. How to see a meteor shower.
Were talking about none other. Christmas Eve asteroid. The second one is named 2016 CO247 which has an.
2207 1h 06m after sunset 2982. Our solar systems most infamous asteroid will pass by Earth on Friday March 5 and with a high-end telescope you can watch it as it safely whizzes by our planet. A Near-Earth Object NEO is generally defined as an asteroid or comet that approaches our planet less than 13 times the distance from Earth to the Sun the Earth-Sun distance is about 93 million miles.
The broadcasts will not only discuss the 2021 flyby but will also drum up interest for a much closer pass in 2029 when Apophis will pass within 19000 miles 31000 kilometers of Earth and be. NASA is keeping an eye on a large asteroid that is set to zip past Earth on Christmas Day. The aurora australis or southern lights are the same phenomenon on the other side of the Earth.
2205 1h 03m after sunset 3079. 19 Dec Dec 19. LUXEMBOURG May 27 2021 PRNewswire — The Asteroid Foundation will launch Asteroid Day TV on 1 June 2021 with digital video content from Discovery Science TED IMAX BBC CNN The Planetary.


TWO CONTRASTING MUSICAL EXPERIENCES TAKING YOU UNDERGROUND AND TO THE HEAVENS
Over two consecutive nights, Argo will team up with QMF and Camerata to transform two of Brisbane’s unique landmarks with a dramatic, immersive double-concert experience.
Journey underground in Brisbane’s heritage-listed Spring Hill Reservoir for To the Earth, a night of raw and explosive music for string quartet and cavernous spaces that will drive you to the edge of your seat in its descent to the depths.
Set under the Planetarium’s Cosmic Skydome, To the Sky will be a mesmerising and exhilarating night of music for strings, synths and stars that will dissolve the world around you and take you to the far reaches of the cosmos.
To The Earth To The Sky is presented by Queensland Music Festival, Brisbane City Council, Argo and Camerata.


Each month there is something new to see in the night sky. The Gilbert Rotary Observatory Centennial offers a monthly update as to what you might see when you come to the observatory… or maybe in your own back yard with the right set of tools.
In the sky for March:
The Moon & Planets
Mercury is in inferior conjunction with the Sun on the 14th.
Neptune is in conjunction with the Sun on the 14th.
Evening Planets (after sunset)
Morning Planets(before sunrise)
Comet 46P Wirtanen fades to magnitude 10 this month.
There are no significant meteor showers this month.
Public Star Party
Every 2nd Friday: Sunset – 9:30 PM
Additional telescopes supplied by members of the East Valley Astronomy Club are available for free public viewing, plus an astronomy related talk in the adjoining public library at 7:30 PM.
2757 E Guadalupe Road
In the Gilbert Riparian Preserve next to the Gilbert Library at Greenfield and Guadalupe.
Donations welcome. Suggested donation $5/family or $3/adult.
Public Hours (weather permitting)
Friday Evening: Sunset – 9:30 PM
Saturday Evening: Sunset – 9:30 PM
About the Gilbert Rotary Observatory Centennial
The observatory was officially opened on October 21, 2006. The project was led by Win Pendleton, a retired astronomy educator, and member of both the Gilbert Rotary Club and the East Valley Astronomy Club. The year 2005 marked the one hundredth anniversary of Rotary International, and the local club adopted the idea of creating a public observatory as its centennial project.
The facility was built through private donations and gifted to the Town of Gilbert. You can see the memorial plaques beside the walkway for the names of significant donors that made the project possible. The East Valley Astronomy Club manages the observatory through agreement with the Town of Gilbert Parks and Recreation Department. The staff is all volunteers who embrace sharing their love of astronomy and space science.
The observatory houses a 16” Meade LX200R telescope which is mounted on a Paramount ME German equatorial mount controlled by The Sky Professional computer software for accurate tracking and GOTO operation. Also mounted on the main telescope is a 60mm Lunt solar telescope for viewing the sun in the hydrogen alpha spectrum. The rotating aluminum dome is from Observa-DOME Laboratories and measures 5 meters (16’ 4 1/2 “) in diameter. Something that visitors won’t see is the immense 10 foot steel reinforced concrete cube buried below the observatory floor that provides a firm base for the telescope mounting. You can see pictures of the construction of the observatory.
Learn more about the observatory online.


iOS App that shows a picture of an astronomical phenomenon and a brief explanation of it everyday.
Daily Universe has three main functionalities:
- Shows one astronomical picture per day, along with its title and a brief explanation of the phenomenon depicted. These elements are presented in the form of a card.
- Allows the user to save a card on the app for accessing it later.
- Allows the user to share the informations in the card on a social media platform.
The data comes from NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) microservice, available as this GitHub repo.


Organizations and Strategies in Astronomy: Volume III
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Participation in this mission means Canadian scientists are allocated observation time on the satellite, which enables them to conduct unique astronomy research. The detectors capture each photon of light and record its location and time of arrival.
It investigates the climate and the geology of Mars. Its equipment includes the following. The CSA contributed to MSL by providing the APXS instrument, which analyzes samples to determine their chemical compositions, and by supporting the research activities of three participating scientists. It is currently on its way to the target asteroid, Bennu.
The collected sample will then be returned to Earth in for subsequent investigation. Canada contributed to the mission by providing the OLA instrument and supporting the investigation's four additional scientists.
OLA will scan Bennu's entire surface to create a 3D topographic model of the asteroid in order to set the geological context and to help select a safe sampling site. The JWST mission is currently in its development phase. Its planned launch date is - JWST is expected to be the most powerful space observatory for at least a decade after its launch. The goals of the mission are to search and map the evolution of the earliest stars and galaxies and their formations, and search to see if there is potential for other life in the universe.
It is considered the highest precision star guidance system ever built for a space telescope application and will make it possible for JWST to obtain high-quality images. By measuring very precise oscillations in intensity of the stars it determined their ages and composition. It was also used to observe transiting exoplanets. After that, it was sold to a privately owned company which has continued its operation, making it available for use by science customers for a fee.
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This move represents the first time a Canadian space science mission was privatized. The mission development phase started in , and the satellite was launched in The satellite has been commissioned and has faced several issues. It is now operational but does not fully meet the original requirements for the space astronomy component of its mission. The goal of the mission is to acquire useful metric data on near-Earth asteroids, assess potentially hazardous asteroids and comets.
The contribution of NEOSSat to both Canada and the world is to provide information targeting on the population of near- Earth and potentially hazardous objects. The mission was in development phase from to ASTRO-H was launched in February ; however, two months after the launch, the mission lost communications with the control base in Japan.
CAMS was designed to enable the mission operators to calibrate the data from the Hard X-Ray telescope and thus improve the quality of the images. The mission objectives were to study the structure black holes, active galaxies, and other cosmic phenomena in extreme conditions. Evaluation question 8 Effectiveness : Is there sustained access to scientific data? Finding 8: Canadian instruments on space astronomy and planetary missions have transmitted a constant stream of observations and images of various types and quality over the years.
Astronomische Nachrichten - Wikipedia
Calibrated data must in principle be made accessible in public archives within six 6 months for use by all researchers. The — 16 Departmental Performance Report on sub-programs and sub-sub programs states that five 5 space astronomy and planetary missions provided data to the Canadian scientific community, surpassing the set target of four 4 missions.
These missions and their scientific instruments produced a variety of data types, including infrared, optical, X-ray and metric data, for unique research study purposes.
Data quality has been an issue for NEOSSat since its launch, and testing continues to determine how the satellite can produce useful scientific data. The movement towards open data has increasingly gained momentum in space science. For example, NASA requires principal investigators PIs to ensure that all transmitted data are calibrated and archived within six months of the download date.
In principle, this has broadened public access to the scientific data and given non-mission-related scientists with the appropriate software platforms and tools the opportunity to conduct their own research. While the closure of mission operations signals the end of the data collection phase, pre-and post-operations support for data requirements definition, instrumentation, data reduction and analysis are equally as important. The NASA program provides end-to-end funding for scientific investigations into instrument design, software development, data reduction and returned sample analysis.
Based on the interview data, NASA 's competitive tendering criteria require mission contribution proposals to include funding for these scientific activities. The evaluation's two case studies documented the important role played by the PIs responsible for the science instruments in the success of the MSL and JWST missions to date. Close collaboration was critical with space industry partners and CSA staff to ensure that the instrument design met the data requirement parameters as defined by the science team. One of the barriers to science team participation identified in the interview data was as follows:.
At present, they are considered disadvantaged relative to their research colleagues, who are unencumbered by the responsibilities of operating the science instrument and meeting the open access requirements, which leave little time to contribute to the advancement of knowledge. Finding 9: The number of faculty and students that have either received funding or were employed on mission-related contracts has fluctuated over the evaluation time frame given the irregular cadence of scientific investigations and missions.
The CSA Annual Survey of the Canadian Space Sector has tracked the number of highly qualified personnel HQP by Canadian region relative to the national workforce since ; " HQP measurement consists of tracking the number of employed engineers, scientists and technicians in the Canadian space sector. Issues with the reliability of the reported performance measurement data for fiscal year — also affects the reliability of the entire HQP data set, given the year-over-year fluctuation in the number of faculty members that received SAM - PM funding and the number of students and postdoc fellows who worked on SAM - PM -funded projects.
The evaluation's two case studies do shed some light on the fluctuation in the number of HQPs receiving CSA funding or engaged in funded projects. The very significant fluctuations in HQP performance measurement data at this sub-sub program level may be more understandable given the observed swings in HQP employment reported by the space industry and university partners over the course of a project's life cycle.
Evaluation question 10 Effectiveness : Has Canadian presence in space been expanded through space missions? Finding There have been at least two space astronomy missions and one planetary mission in operation in any given year over the evaluation time frame. The three space astronomy missions ended operations in It is a high-profile and by all accounts successful mission, to which Canada has made a significant contribution as detailed in the case study. The evaluation found that the important contribution made to this prestigious scientific undertaking has enhanced Canada's reputation.
In sum, Canada's role and contributions in space astronomy and planetary missions over the evaluation time frame have enhanced Canada's presence in space. Evaluation question 11 Effectiveness : Has the competence of the space sector in space exploration areas been increased? Finding The competence of university faculty researchers and students involved in scientific investigations related to space astronomy and planetary missions has improved and even attracted support for the creation of specialized research institutes. However, the irregular cadence of these programs has not benefited the space industry partners, who are challenged to maintain revenue streams and tend to lose valuable HQP between contracts.
Based on their personal experiences as members of a mission science team, new and enhanced competencies were achieved in software development, instrumentation, image acquisition, and modulation and data management, among others. From an institutional perspective, participation in space missions facilitated the recruitment to science programs of postdoctoral fellows and high-performing students, whose learning accelerated as a result of working on mission-related projects. The space industry partners also acknowledged the enhanced competencies accrued through their involvement in space astronomy and planetary missions, specifically in terms of large-scale project management, technology innovation, collaboration with academia and international space sector relations experience.
These competencies could be reinvested in future space missions and commercial applications. Key competency areas identified by both stakeholder groups included science instrument development, software development and techniques for data processing, business development, and proposal preparation.
It is noteworthy to point out that space industry partners, even though improvement in competencies is reported, found it challenging to maintain their revenue streams and retain HQP between mission contracts. The procurement rules and practices exercised by foreign space agencies, who also favour their national space industries and scientists when awarding contracts, makes the successful development of alternate space markets challenging.
Evaluation question 12 Effectiveness : Is the Canadian space exploration sector better positioned to seize space opportunities? Finding Canadian university researchers and space industry companies are frequently sought after for their expertise, technology and can-do attitude by international space agencies and other partners. Their demonstrated capability in successfully delivering critical mission components and scientific instruments positioned them for follow-on missions, although some, such as Mars and New Frontiers-4, could not be supported.
The Canadian space exploration sector's involvement in space astronomy and planetary missions was relatively modest given the total number of Canadian universities and space sector companies that could have potentially been involved. Internal document review revealed that there were 14 Canadian universities participating in national and international space astronomy missions in and the same amount at the end of the evaluation time frame in ; for planetary missions, the number of Canadian universities involved rose from 9 to 12 during the same time frame.
Four 4 Canadian space sector companies participated in space astronomy missions and two 2 participated in planetary missions over the course of the evaluation time frame. Although not large, this active segment of the space exploration sector was sought out over the years for its technological expertise and scientific knowledge in astronomy and planetary sciences, such as the design of optical systems for cryogenic applications, star tracking algorithm expertise, science algorithm expertise, data management and processing, and robotics.
A compilation of invitations to participate in international missions from NASA , ESA , JAXA , and the Russian and Indian space agencies attest to the high regard with which Canadian academia and industry partners are held in the international community. The interview data collected in the context of the JWST and MSL case studies confirm that the high visibility of these two NASA missions contributed considerably to Canada's international competitiveness by demonstrating the application of innovative technologies, engineering and scientific know-how.
Successful collaboration between academia, industry and government in both cases was noted as exceptional and uncommon in other jurisdictions. Past experience, demonstrated expertise and a successful track record of accomplishments have led to an increasing number of space exploration opportunities.
There were, however, some opportunities for the Canadian space exploration sector that were not seized for which Canada was well positioned; these include NASA 's Mars and New Frontiers-4 missions, the circumstances of which are described in detail in the evaluation case studies. Other opportunities were not pursued as well, as evidenced by the lists of invitations the CSA received for space astronomy and planetary missions over the evaluation time frame.
Evaluation question 13 Effectiveness : Has the transfer of know-how and technology to other applications been enhanced? Finding The know-how acquired from being a Principal Investigator, science team member or engineer on a space mission has facilitated the mobility of HQP within the space sector across academia, industry or government.
The transfer of space technologies to terrestrial settings occurred in some cases related to optics, robotics, fuel cell and laser technologies, whereas the potential reuse of space technologies for other space missions is clearly a competitive advantage and occurred more often. The evaluation has already assessed in this report the extent to which competencies were enhanced for both industry and academic partners through the participation in space astronomy and planetary missions. The knowledge, expertise and confidence that were acquired with past mission experience, as well as the innovative technologies that were developed, could have been transferred to other space-related or terrestrial settings.
The extent to which this occurred has not been rigorously studied, documented or reported. The flux of large and small space astronomy and planetary mission projects involving Canadian industry and academia over the past decade has created a unique space exploration sector demanding a high degree of mobility among HQP. As previously mentioned, the attraction and retention of HQP by the space industry firms involved has been challenging; according to the interview data, the acquired know-how is often transferred to another setting in academia, government research labs or other recently successful space industry companies.
The acquired know-how is never lost to the extent that HQP tend to remain within the Canadian space sector; however, that has not always been the case due to the lack of opportunities, as previously described. The continued need for a robust space exploration program was a critical factor in the extent to which the acquired know-how is transferred.
The technologies developed for space as described in the JWST and MSL case studies were designed to operate in cryogenic and otherwise extreme environments for which there are few, if any, parallels on Earth. Highly innovative and proven to meet exacting performance standards, these technologies may only find a terrestrial application in the distant future as the innovation process is not predictable, linear or fast.
Organizations and Strategies in Astronomy 7
At the very least, these companies can claim to have a technology innovation edge, having proven performance under the most extreme conditions. A few technologies developed for space uses that were then " spun-out " for terrestrial applications were also identified in the interview and e-survey data; they included a terahertz microscope for breast cancer diagnosis, a spectrometer for nuclear fusion diagnostics, miniature digital cameras for biomedical usage, Mars rover platforms used in heavy duty vehicles, remote sensing instruments for extreme environments, and aerial observation technologies.
Some of these examples overlap with those previously cited in the — 14 Departmental Performance Report and appear to be common points of reference to evidence the potential for economic benefits. What is more evident from the previous finding and supporting text, however, is the high potential for the reuse of know-how and innovative technologies in future space missions. Evaluation question 14 Effectiveness : Has knowledge about the universe, solar system and human capacity to live in space been increased?
Finding With a long history of access to ground and more recently space observatory data, Canadian astronomers have been recognized as leaders for the quality and impact of their research. The near doubling of scientific production of SAM -funded researchers appears to bear this out, although PM -funded researchers have not fared as well.
The JWST case study sets out a brief history of astronomy in Canada, the expansion of the Canadian astronomy community, the development of ground-based and space observatories, and the growth of its professional association, the Canadian Astronomical Society, which plays an influential role in setting the scientific priorities for the community. While somewhat dated and broad in scope, a bibliometric study of the performance and impact of Canadian research in astronomy and astrophysics drew the following conclusion based on the industry standard indicators of average of relative citations ARC and the average of relative impact factors ARIF :.
Canada stands out among world leaders in the field, mainly for the impact of its research on the scientific community second place for ARC and for the quality of its research first place for ARIF. The number of publications almost doubled in the case of space astronomy, from 82 to , while that of planetary sciences increased from 15 to 20 over the evaluation time frame. Footnote 46 The interview data also confirm the scientific production of the space astronomy scientists involved in the ESA Planck mission.
In exchange for Canada's support, Canadian researchers were able to obtain access to the data collected by the mission on the cosmic microwave background. An early data release took place in , followed by a public release of data in and a further, more complete release in On the planetary mission side, the APXS data was also widely used by the science team, two thirds of whom used the data in over 60 peer-reviewed publications.
Evaluation question 15 Effectiveness : Has there been sustained economic growth? Sustained economic growth is generally understood to be the increase in the value of goods and services produced by an economy for an extended period of time without interruption.
The flow-through to the space exploration sector—based on the breakdown by disbursement category of grants and contributions, capital expenditures and contracts—amounted to Footnote 50 Space exploration revenues declined relative to the space sector, from 3. While the direct economic stimulus may not be significant, it may be worthwhile to examine the indirect economic benefits of these programs.
The e-survey data indicated that there were few alternatives for space exploration research projects. It will fund students and postdoctoral fellowships to analyze the data collected by the NIRISS science instrument and publish the research findings. Follow-on contracts with other space agencies are uncommon for individual scientists and the space industry stakeholders, although a number of cases have been identified in this report.
The interview data identified the following challenges facing the Canadian space industry's attempts to export their space-related goods and services: procurement policies and practices that favour the use of national scientists and firms, export control laws and regulations such as the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations , as well as strong international competition. A perceived strength of the Canadian space industry is to leverage innovations developed through participation in space missions and use them to establish niche areas of global technology leadership in optics, robotics, fuel cell and laser technologies.
The Canadian light detection and ranging LiDAR technology was one of the most frequently cited examples of a spin-in technology and space-use application cited in the interview data, and this evidence was supplemented by web-based grey literature. LiDAR uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure variable distances and was extensively used in Canada for terrestrial applications such as remote sensing.
Its TriDAR i. Further development of advanced space-based sensors and autonomous systems for space navigation led to a European export contract to develop and deliver navigation and localization cameras for the ESA ExoMars mission. One of the most frequently cited examples of a spin-out technology and terrestrial application cited in the interview data involved the Lethbridge Alberta-based company Blue Sky Spectroscopy. A review of grey literature obtained by the evaluation revealed that the company " leveraged more than two fold through contracts from the European Space Agency, International partners and public-sector collaborators to develop a Terahertz microscope for breast cancer diagnosis.
The technology will allow pathologists to pre-screen biopsy samples to first determine if they have a cancerous signature before further diagnostic processing, thus reducing the time and cost associated with cancer detection. Assessing the contribution to sustained economic growth of these or other technology innovations applied to terrestrial and space settings would require extensive research.
While such an endeavour is beyond the scope and resources available to this evaluation, it is a necessary undertaking to demonstrate outcome achievement. Nevertheless, the examples cited herein have considerable potential to contribute to economic growth—assuming that the companies involved remain financially viable and are not merged with or sold to foreign corporations and their assets moved outside of Canada.
Two instances of this latter scenario occurring are worth noting based on the case study data and previously reported herein. These events may impact sustained economic growth in a Canadian space exploration sector that has not grown over the past five years. Evaluation question 16 Effectiveness : Has the space exploration profile in Canada and abroad been enhanced? Canada's space exploration visibility abroad may be reduced without participating in proposed missions.
Canada's reputation with NASA as a trusted and reliable partner in space exploration has been enhanced because of these contributions. The Canadian space sector has long had a can-do reputation among international space agency partners for delivering high-value science instruments and subsystems with low budgets and on schedule. The interview data also confirm that Canadian scientists are highly regarded by their international peers and are sought after teammates.
Canada's responsiveness to invitations to participate in space missions has not always been clear or timely. For example, for NASA 's Mars , the Government of Canada confirmed that it would not participate only near the end of the instrument selection process. This came as a disappointment to international partners and Canadian stakeholders who had submitted proposals at risk, without formal support from the CSA.
The interview data that could be collected from this important stakeholder group were telling in this regard: " our cooperation with Canada in space science has been spotty at best in the recent decade, " and " Canada once played an important role, so it would be regrettable if the capacity and capabilities developed in Canada were lost. With media coverage and interest, national lay press articles were published about Canadian space astronomy missions or missions with Canadian participation, whereas international lay press articles were published over the evaluation timeframe.
Similarly, national lay press articles were published regarding Canadian participation in planetary missions, whereas international lay press articles were published. This section presents the findings for the efficiency evaluation issues: implementation process efficiencies, leveraging, adequacy of resources and cost-efficiencies. Evaluation question 17 Efficiency : To what extent is the program delivering outputs and achieving outcomes in the most efficient manner?
Perceptions of efficiency in the interview data varied widely depending on the key stakeholder group. Interview respondents were asked to rate the two programs separately on a five-point scale. Some of the principal explanations drawn from the interview data for these efficiency ratings are summarized below.
The absence of a long-term strategic plan was attributed in the internal and external interview data with the adoption of an ad hoc and reactive decision-making process in response to the priorities identified by the Canadian science community and invitations received and in mission approvals; this constrained the capacity of Canada to develop an innovative research program in space exploration and to prioritize its missions accordingly.
The uncertainty of funding and the lengthy decision-making process required for mission approvals imposed constraints on the CSA 's capacity to commit to proposed space missions and adapt to the time frame of its space agency partners. This incurred significant costs on academia and industry partners positioning themselves for upcoming missions, collaborating on proposals and advocating for their approval. Also worth mentioning, there are instances where the CSA has committed to a mission, such as the case of MATMOS , but international partners withdrew, and consequently Canada's contribution was not required anymore.
In contrast, the higher efficiency ratings given by internal interview respondents were justified because of the leveraging effect, which augmented cost-effectiveness. Al Akerman, and Matthew B. Undetected location. NO YES. Handbook of Measurement in Science and Engineering, Volume 3. Selected type: Hardcover.
Added to Your Shopping Cart. View on Wiley Online Library. This is a dummy description. A multidisciplinary reference of engineering measurement tools, techniques, and applications "When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind; it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely in your thoughts advanced to the stage of science.
Giles Kim Bullough


Example quiz: astronomyBack to examples
- The answer correctly identifies the Hubble Space Telescope as being able to observe from Earth's orbit, providing higher resolution images than telescopes on Earth's surface.
- It accurately states that the higher resolution images help astronomers understand the birth of stars better.
- This answer could be improved by adding more details about the specific discoveries and contributions made by the Hubble Space Telescope, such as its role in determining the age of the universe, observing distant galaxies, and discovering exoplanets.
- The answer could also discuss how the Hubble Space Telescope has helped scientists study dark matter, black holes, and the expansion of the universe.
- The statement 'the HST does not have to view its targets through Earth's atmosphere' could be expanded to explain the impact of atmospheric distortion on ground-based telescopes and how the HST overcomes this limitation.
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has had a significant impact on our understanding of the universe. Being the first telescope for visual light to observe from Earth's orbit, the HST has provided us with unparalleled high-resolution images of celestial objects. By avoiding the distortion caused by Earth's atmosphere, the HST has allowed us to see further and clearer than ever before.
The higher resolution images from the HST have revolutionized our understanding of various astronomical phenomena. For example, the HST has played a crucial role in determining the age of the universe, observing distant galaxies, and discovering exoplanets. It has also helped scientists study dark matter, black holes, and the expansion of the universe.
Furthermore, the HST's observations of clouds of gas where stars are being born have provided valuable insights into the process of star formation. By capturing detailed images of these regions, astronomers have been able to study the dynamics and evolution of stars more effectively.
Overall, the Hubble Space Telescope has been a game-changer in our exploration and understanding of the universe, providing us with breathtaking images and invaluable scientific data.


The Hope of Erethor
Time Reckoning in Eredane
The 26 Hour day of Aryth
Midnight’s Twilight Hours
The Three Midnight Hours A result of the shadow’s invasion, more hours of dark than of light, three hours during which legates can pray and make their unholy rituals, a manifestation of the evil in the world in the passage of time.
The world used to only have 25 hours. The 26th hour was added the end of the Third Age, when the city of Highwall fell. Aryth used to have 24…before the Veil. On an Earth-like world, twilight is the half hour before sunrise and after sunset. Also called the Fading Time, Aryth has both twilight times extended to a full hour each — extra half hour towards daylight and an extra half hour towards darkness.
Under this preternaturally long twilight
- things get confusing
- Solutions are unclear
- trails are lost
- memories grow faint
- The stars, too, are dimmer and more difficult to make out
You will never see the evening or morning stars as crisp pinpoints of fire. They should be at least partially visible, but even the brightest are barely seen until the sun’s light is mostly gone. In the morning they nearly vanish as soon as the horizon begins to light.
During the 26th hour
- the Shadow’s Hour, Legates pray
- The stars slow their movements across the sky and grow faint, but they do still move, and they are still visible
- Even the beasts of the wild are still for fear of drawing attention
- If the moon is visible, it is small and distant, providing little light
We now have 12 hours of light, 12 hours of darkness and 2 hours of twilight, with 2600=0000:
- 0500-0600: Morning twilight
- 0600: Sunrise
- 1200: Midday
- 1800: Sunset
- 1800-1900: Evening twilight
- 2500-0000: Shadow’s Hour
Daylight remains constant, the in between times are extended, and the darkness grows in strength.
Taken from: http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/Midnight%27s_Twilight_Hours
Reckoning the Years
The Scroll of Years
Each of the cultures of Eredane records history differently. Elves have the longest history, which is recorded by the scribes of the Witch Queen’s court. The scribe calendar begins with Aradil’s coronation. Dates are recorded as the number of the year and the age, and with the advent of each new age the sequence of numbers begins again. Events prior to the coronation are said to have occurred in the Time of Years, a vague and unreliable period of myths and legends.
Dwarves carve elaborate stories on the pillars of ancient chambers, marking the passage of years with elaborate symbology.
Gnomes have complex and endless oral histories passed in song.
Sarcosans track the months and years by the movement of the constellations. Each arc is named after the god-rider that is believed to hold the most power within that region of the stellar Sorshef. There are sections of the Book of the Sahi that tell of times in the ancient past when the god-kalifs of given arcs changed and were therefore given new names, but this has not happened since before the Sarcosans came to Eredane. These are known as…
Great Arcs of the Sorshef.
Sarcosan Sahi Calendar
Each day on Aryth is about 26 hours long and each year is approximately 337 days. Adjusting for the vagaries of Sarcosan religious portent, each Great Arc is therefore about 34 days long. Each arc is further divided into lesser helias that vary in length between two and 17 days. Because of their inconsistency, and because only Sarcosan priests seem able to keep track of them all, the lesser helias are seldom used to mark time. There is one day during each helia, however, that is often used to measure time and it is called the helial zenith. The zenith is the midpoint of each arc and marks the day on which the ascending arc transitions to the descending one.
For ease of comparison to known constants, note that because of the longer day length in Aryth, a character who has lived a given number of the shorter Aryth years is still just as old in actual time as a character that has lived the same number of years in the real world.
Great Arcs of the Sorshef
Each arc is named after the god-rider that is believed to hold the most power within that region of the stellar Sorshef. There are sections of the Book of the Sahi that tell of times in the ancient past when the god-kalifs of given arcs changed and were therefore given new names, but this has not happened since before the Sarcosans came to Eredane.
Taken From: http://sites.google.com/site/midnightlordsoftwilight/Lords-of-Twilight—-Main/timeline
Calendars taken from: http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/Months_of_the_Year


An excuse to stay up late!
Have you always wanted to know how to make those incredible night photos you see on the internet? Would you like to learn star trails and Milky Way photography? Look no further. This is the workshop made for you.
Saturday February 10, 2018.
Folly Beach, SC. (class held at the Hampton Inn and Suites West Ashley before field practice at Folly Beach)
Lodging is not included. You may stay wherever is convenient for you. No block of rooms reserved.
1:00 to 9:00
$125/person. CNPA discounts available.
We'll start with a classroom session at the Hampton Inn and Suites West Ashley. During this class, you'll see a Keynote presentation on Night Photography which will cover pinpoint star photography, how to photograph star trails, photographing the Milky Way, as well as photographing the moon, comets, satellites, and the International Space Station. I'll have examples and suggestions for light painting in the field. We'll spend some time going over the editing process for night photos too.
After dinner as a group, we'll head to the beach to photograph the night sky over the ocean. Winter is a wonderful time for night photography as we welcome skies with less heat, haze and humidity...which means less digital noise! Yay!
The moon and other celestial wonders
I'll teach you about all the tools that night photographers use to give you the best chance of viewing the phases of the moon, meteor showers, planets and satellites.
What you should know and what to bring/ this is an intermediate class.
- Digital or Film Camera with manual capabilities and a bulb shutter setting.
- A Tripod (the sturdier the better)
- A wide angle lens.
- A remote release. I prefer an intervalometer but any remote will do. At a minimum, know how to use your 2 to 5 second self timer.
- An understanding of manual exposure.
- A headlamp or flashlight with a RED light (to maintain night vision)
- Warm clothes, gloves, a hat, and toe warmers if needed. Bring hand warmers and a rubber band that can go around your lens.
- Snacks or a drink for the field. We'll be away from our vehicles for up to 4 hours.
- A notepad or tablet to take notes in class.
We'll have a discussion about twilight and take our knowledge into the field to practice just after sunset.


Sun will nominate five more people to travel with him to space.
TRON founder Justin Sun announced in a press release today that he has placed the winning bet for the first seat on Blue Origin’s first New Shepard rocket.
The $28 million bid will be used by the Blue Origin Foundation Club for the Future to support 19 space-based charities and promote careers in STEM.
As Grenada’s ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO, Sun will be the first Grenadian international diplomat and blockchain industry leader to visit space.
Blue Origin completed its first human spaceflight on July 20 this year and envisions a future where millions of people live and work in space.
“Given the rapid development of commercial aerospace, entering space can become a dream that every person can realize throughout his life. We are entering the era of great space travel. This great journey requires more people to get involved“, said Sun.
Sun will nominate five exceptional men and women to accompany him on the journey in the coming months. The nominees may include members of the TRON DAO community, long-time owners of TRX, BTT, JST, SUN, NFT and WIN, as well as leaders in fashion, art, technology, space exploration and entrepreneurship. Details on the nomination criteria and the procedure will be announced later.
As part of his journey, the crypto star is also launching “Seas of Stars”, a campaign designed to convey that the next chapter of human life begins and does not end on Earth.
Sun explained that the vision of Blue Origin was remarkable, to allow more people to visit space and to consider the Earth as our unique common home:
“Club for the Future offers a way to use this experience to inspire young people around the world to dream and realize their dreams of science, technology and space exploration. I felt compelled to push this vision forward through my offer.“


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It's Out Of Here: Asteroid Whizzes By
Update at 2:25 p.m. ET. Asteroid Has Passed By:
According to NASA, asteroid 2012 DA14 — a rock thought to be about 150 feet across and the weight of about 318 fully loaded Boeing 747s — just flew past the planet.
So, we're all safe.
Update at 3:43 p.m. ET. A Photograph:
NASA has released this photograph of 2012 DA14:
Our original post and earlier updates:
If you haven't heard by now, then we've got some perhaps unsettling news:
There's an asteroid the size of an office building headed toward — but, we're told, not directly at — our planet.
Called 2012 DA14, it's supposed to pass within about 17,000 miles of us at 2:24 p.m. ET and then start heading away.
NASA says it's not going to hit us, and is streaming its webcast of this event. We'll embed it in this post and get back to you, we trust, when the rock has passed by. If you're in the U.S., by the way, don't bother looking up. Daylight will obscure our view.
Update at 2:15 p.m. ET. Interest Is Certainly High:
If NASA's viewer count on its webcast is right, about 4.8 million people are tuned in.
Update at 2:12 p.m. ET. A Minute Late?
NASA just said the closest point of the approach may not happen until 2:25 p.m. ET.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


The Expanding Universe You may have heard that the universe is expanding. We can tell because the light from distant stars is redder than it should be. Like the sound waves of an ambulance siren as it speeds away from you, the waves of light from these stars speeding away from us are stretched. Longer sound waves are deeper, longer light waves are redder. It’s easy for me to believe that this is true, though I’ve never measured the wavelengths of light coming from a distant sun.