2009 Colas For The Cosmos Binocular Giveaway

It's been a while since I have posted about the Colas For The Cosmos project, and given the upcoming holidays I figure now would be a great time to give away some binoculars that I have obtained through the Coke Rewards program..

Thanks to my addiction to Diet Coke, and a lot of help from some good friends in NWSFS, I have traded in enough Coke Rewards points to get four pair of Celestron UpClose 10x50 - Porro Binoculars for this year's giveaway.

I would like to give the binoculars away to children who are between the ages of 8 and 14 who have an interest in astronomy, but do not have the means to get their own astronomical equipment. While the binoculars are not the greatest, I think they are good enough to spark a child's imagination and help them pursue their interest in astronomy.

If you live in the Puget Sound region, and know of a child who has an interest in astronomy and would love a pair of binoculars then drop me a line at this munged email address. I will give preference to suggestions of deserving children that are made by members of NWSFS, SAS, EAS, or other local astronomy group. I really cannot afford shipping, but I can drop the binoculars off if you live in the greater Seattle area otherwise some arrangements for shipping must be made.

Hopefully next year I can get more people involved in this project, or interested in starting their own Colas For The Cosmos project. If you are interested in working with me or starting your own project then drop me a line.

Cheers,

Jim Cox / Cloudymidnights.

Are We Alone for 11/30/09 - Skeptic Check: Vaccines: Give 'Em Your Best Shot

Are We Alone - Skeptic Check: Vaccines: Give 'Em Your Best Shot

As the anti-vax campaign rages, parents are just saying “no” to vaccines. But now the incidence of childhood diseases such as whooping cough are on the rise.

A number of studies have refuted the link between vaccines, autism and other chronic conditions, yet the anti-vaccine movement continues. Find out why. Also, how the media have irresponsibility framed the debate.

Plus, we panic over plague, sweat about swine flu, but don’t think twice about jumping in a car and roaring down a crowded highway at 70 mph. Discover why most of our health worries are overblown.

Also, Brains on Vacation and Hollywood Reality Check separate the facts from the phony.

It’s Skeptic Check… but don’t take our word for it!

Guests:

• Paul Offit – Pediatrician, Chief of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and author of Autism’s False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure
• Phil Plait – Keeper of the skeptical website badastronomy.com and author of Death from the Skies!: These Are the Ways the World Will End . . .
• Steven Novella – Assistant professor of neurology at Yale School of Medicine and co-founder and editor of sciencebasedmedicine.org
• Philip Alcabes – Professor of urban public health at Hunter College, and author of Dread: How Fear and Fantasy have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to the Avian Flu

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Are We A Blog?, the companion blog to the radio show.

Thanksgiving Sky Show

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 25, 2009: http://spaceweather.com

DOUBLE FLYBY ALERT: Space shuttle Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) this morning at 4:53 am EST. Their separation sets the stage for double flybys of many towns and cities on Wednesday evening, Nov. 25th, when Atlantis and the ISS will soar through the night sky side by side--a fantastic sight. Atlantis is not scheduled to land until Friday morning, Nov. 27th, so the double apparitions will continue on Thursday, Nov. 26th, Thanksgiving in the United States. Check the Simple Satellite Tracker for flybys: http://spaceweather.com/flybys .

ISS FLYBY ALERTS: Would you like a phone call or text message when the ISS is about to fly over your back yard? Sign up for Spaceweather PHONE: http://spaceweatherphone.com

Monster Waves on the Sun are Real

Source - NASA Science News for November 24, 2009

Data from NASA's STEREO spacecraft have confirmed the stunning reality of monster waves on the sun known as "solar tsunamis."

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/24nov_solartsunami.htm?list894285

Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml

Are We Alone for 11/23/09 - Carbon Your Enthusiasm

Are We Alone - Carbon Your Enthusiasm

Bond it to oxygen and it’s the scourge of climate change. But earthly life wouldn’t be possible without carbon, and maybe that’s true for alien life, too.

And carbon has other exciting forms: tiny diamonds may be evidence of a catastrophic comet impact 13,000 years ago. And, chalky carbonates may point to a once-habitable Mars.

So get cozy with carbon. Find out if you could swap it for silicon in DNA. Plus, the conundrum of calculating a carbon footprint.

Guests

• Allen West – Retired Geophysicist
• Bethany Ehlmann – Geologist, Brown Unviversity
• Michael Mumma – Planetary scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
• John Murlis – Chief Scientific Advisor to the Carbon Neutral Company in the U.K.
• Steven Benner – Molecular Biologist, Founder of the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Are We A Blog?, the companion blog to the radio show.

SOFIA Seeks Secrets of Planetary Birth

Source - NASA Science News for November 19, 2009

Imagine cutting retractable doors in the side of a 747 airliner, installing a 17-ton telescope, and flying to the stratosphere to solve one of astronomy's greatest puzzles. That's what NASA and the German Aerospace Center plan to do with a cutting-edge airborne observatory named SOFIA.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/19nov_sofia.htm?list894285

Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml

Great Fireball over the Western USA

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 18, 2009: http://spaceweather.com

FIREBALLS AND METEORS: As forecasters predicted, the Leonid meteor shower peaked during the late hours of Nov. 17th, favoring sky watchers in Asia with an outburst of 100+ meteors per hour. Just as the outburst was dying down, an even bigger event took place over the western USA. Something hit Earth's atmosphere and exploded with an energy equivalent of 0.5 to 1 kiloton of TNT. Witnesses in Colorado, Utah, Idaho and elsewhere say the fireball "turned night into day" and "shook the ground" when it exploded just after midnight Mountain Standard Time. Researchers who are analyzing infrasound recordings of the blast say the fireball was not a Leonid. It was probably a small asteroid, now scattered in fragments across the countryside. Efforts are underway to measure the trajectory of the asteroid and guide meteorite recovery efforts.

Please visit http://spaceweather.com for images and updates.

Leonid Meteor Shower Peaks on Nov. 17th

Source - Space Weather News for Nov. 16, 2009: http://spaceweather.com

LEONID METEOR SHOWER: The Leonid meteor shower peaks on Tuesday, Nov. 17th, with a new Moon providing ideally-dark viewing conditions. Forecasters expect a relatively mild display (20 to 30 meteors per hour) over North America followed by a much stronger outburst (100 to 300 per hour) over Asia. No matter where you live, the best time to look is during the dark hours before sunrise on Tuesday morning.

Visit http://spaceweather.com for full coverage of the Leonids, including live audio from a meteor radar, a live chat with a NASA meteor scientist, sky maps, photos and more.

Are We Alone for 11/16/09 - SETI: Now What?

Are We Alone - SETI: Now What?

Hello! Is anyone out there? As the scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence marks its 50th anniversary, there’s been no contact as yet with alien beings. But SETI researchers maintain that we are not alone. Find out why in a SETI retrospective that looks at the past and future of the search.

We remember the first scientific SETI search… Carl Sagan… how the SETI Institute began… the WOW signal…and the 1993 NASA budget cuts.

We’ll also hear from critics of the search… scientists involved in optical SETI and SETI@home. Plus, international collaborations… and where the search is headed.

Guests:

• Frank Drake – Director of the Carl Sagan Center for the Study of Life in the Universe, SETI Institute
• Jill Tarter – Director of the Center for SETI Research, SETI Institute
• Tom Pierson – CEO, SETI Institute
• Paul Horowitz – Physicist, electrical engineer, Harvard University
  
• Dan Werthimer – Chief Scientist, SETI@home, University of California, Berkeley
• Ben Zuckerman – Physicist, Astronomer, UCLA

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Are We A Blog?, the companion blog to the radio show.

LCROSS Finds Water on the Moon

Source - NASA Science News for November 13, 2009

The argument that the Moon is a dry, desolate place no longer holds water. At a press conference today, researchers revealed data from NASA's LCROSS mission indicating that water exists in a permanently shadowed lunar crater.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/13nov_lcrossresults.htm?list894285

Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml

NASA to Begin Attempts to Free Sand-Trapped Mars Rover

Source - NASA Science News for November 12, 2009

On Monday, NASA will begin transmitting commands to its Mars exploration rover Spirit as part of an escape plan to free the venerable robot from its Martian sand trap.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/12nov_freespirit.htm?list894285

Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml

The 2009 Leonid Meteor Shower

Source - NASA Science News for November 10, 2009

The 2009 Leonid meteor shower peaks on Nov. 17th with a sprinkling of meteors over North America and a possible outburst over Asia.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/10nov_leonids2009.htm?list894285

Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml

Are We Alone for 11/09/09 - Skeptic Check: Doomsday at the Movies

Are We Alone - Skeptic Check: Doomsday at the Movies

ENCORE PRESENTATION: Hollywood has a few ideas of how the world will end: killer asteroids … lethal pandemics … deadly ice-ages. These themes have all played out on the big screen. But, hey, they’re only movies, right?

We’ll separate the science from the fiction in doomsday movies. From the 2012 prophesy of the Mayans … to colliding worlds … to abrupt climate change, find out which among this crowd of cinematic scares are for real, and which aren’t worth the price of popcorn.

Guests:

• Dave Morrison – Astrobiologist, NASA Ames Research Center
• Phil Plait – Astronomer, keeper of badastronomy.com, and author of Death from the Skies!: These Are the Ways the World Will End . . .
• Lynn Rothschild – Astrobiologist, NASA Ames Research Center
• Ken Caldeira – Scientist at the Carnegie Institution for Science’s Department of Global Ecology

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Are We A Blog?, the companion blog to the radio show.

A Tale of Planetary Woe

Source - NASA Science News for November 6, 2009

Long ago, something calamitous happened to Mars, transforming a warm and hospitable world into the frigid, seemingly lifeless desert we see today. Many scientists believe the Red Planet lost most of its atmosphere, but how? A new NASA mission named MAVEN is specifically designed to answer that question.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/06nov_maven.htm?list894285

Hidden Territory on Mercury Revealed

Source - NASA Science News for November 3, 2009

The MESSENGER spacecraft's third flyby of the planet Mercury has given scientists, for the first time, an almost complete view of the planet's surface and revealed some dramatic changes in Mercury's comet-like tail.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/03nov_hiddenterritory.htm?list894285

Check out our RSS feed at http://science.nasa.gov/rss.xml

SPACE.com: Strong Leonid Meteor Shower Expected Nov. 17

Yesterday (11/01/09) SPACE.com posted an article titled "Strong Leonid Meteor Shower Expected Nov. 17" regarding this months Leonid Meteor Shower.

Here are a few other articles about the upcoming Leonids:

• NASA - Leonids 2009
• NASA - 2009 Leonids Peak Visibility
• Mike’s Science and Nature Blog - Watch Out for Leonids 2009 Meteor Shower
• StarDate Online - 2009 Meteor Showers and Viewing Tips
• Bad Astronomy | Discover Magazine - Will the Leonids roar in 2009?

Hopefully the skies will be clear here in Seattle, and where ever you are ~ Jim Cox

A collection of cosmic headlines for November 01, 2009

You most likely have read these stories already, but I thought I would list the links just in case you had not. Leave a comment and let me know what you think of them:

• NASA - Happy Halloween - The Cassini team sends "bats wishes" for a happy, healthy and fun Halloween.
• Space Disco : Discovery Space: 5 Frightening (But True) Space Stories - Stranded cosmonauts vs. hungry wolves, Apollo Toilet Horrors, Decompression Blues, and more.
• Physicist makes new high-res panorama of Milky Way - I just wish that the article had included a larger image :(
• Do Jupiter's Red Storms Signal Massive Climate Change? - From The Daily Galaxy about possible climate changes on Jupiter.
• SPACE.com -- The Strangest Moments in Space Launch History - Alligators, bats, and wet spacesuits, Oh my!
• Robot Armada Might Scale New Worlds - This is a great article on how future robotic missions will be more autonomous.
  

Lastly PhysOrg.com is reporting that transparent aluminium is no longer the stuff of science fiction. Below is a snippet from the PhysOrg.com article:

"Oxford scientists have created a transparent form of aluminium by bombarding the metal with the world’s most powerful soft X-ray laser. 'Transparent aluminium' previously only existed in science fiction, featuring in the movie Star Trek IV, but the real material is an exotic new state of matter with implications for planetary science and nuclear fusion."

You can read the rest of the article here: http://www.physorg.com/news167925273.html

Are We Alone for 11/02/09 - Do Computers Byte?

Are We Alone - Do Computers Byte?

The march of computer technology continues. But as silicon chips and search engines become faster and more productive – can the same be said for us?

The creator of Wolfram Alpha describes how his new “computational knowledge engine” is changing – and improving – how we process information. Meanwhile, suffering from data and distraction burnout? Find out what extremes some folks take to stop their search engines.

Also, the Singularity sensation of humans merging with machines… and, why for the ancient Greeks all of this is “been, there, done that.” A deep sea dive turns up a 2,000 year old computer!

Guests:

• Jo Marchant – Freelance science journalist and author of Decoding the Heavens: A 2,000-Year-Old Computer—and the Century-Long Search to Discover Its Secrets
• Stephen Wolfram – Mathematican, computer programmer, and founder of Wolfram Research and Wolfram Alpha
• Fred Stutzman – PhD student at the University of North Carolina School of Information and Library Science
• Peggy Orenstein – author and contributing editor to the New York Times Magazine, which is where we found her article “Stop Your Search Engines”
• Ray Kurzweil – Inventor, futurist and author, most recently, of The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Are We A Blog?, the companion blog to the radio show.