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[DA July 26, 2010] The Second Henge

From the Southworth Planetarium
“Great news! We spend one seventh of our lives on a Monday”

THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
July 26, 2010
The Second Henge

***************************************
Hey, gang!
We are pleased to announce that Professor Patrick Peoples
will present a “Mid Winters’s Eve at Stonehenge” on
December 20th at 7:00 p.m. For the first time, Professor
Peoples offers his Stonehenge program for the winter solstice.
(Previously, he’s only offered it around the summer solstice.)

Also, the lecture “The Astronomy of Stonehenge” follows
Prof. People’s presentation.
Admission by donation.
Call 207-780-4249 for more information.
*****************************************

Archaeologists are calling it one of the early 21st century’s most significant discoveries. Astronomers, most of whom are not naturally inclined to make such grand pronouncements, are intrigued, but silent. Druids are likewise reserving judgment. The discovery pertains to Stonehenge, the world famous, neolithic monument of more than 4,000 summers that stands battered but proud on southern England’s Salisbury Plain. Employing sophisticated scanning technologies, archaeologists have found evidence of a second henge encircling the massive stone structure. Positioned 2,950 feet from these stones, this henge represents the most exciting find at Stonehenge within the last half century. It bares noting, of course, that the 2008 archaeological effort which yielded this discovery was the first excavation at Stonehenge in about fifty years.

A “henge” is simply a circular ditch around which other structures are often erected for either ritualistic or astronomical purposes. This second henge is obviously larger and is believed to have used timber as markings instead of stones. Scientists think that ancient people constructed this timber hinge around the time when Stonehenge would have been at or near completion (i.e. when it contained the entire interlocking stone structure). So, instead of just stones, the entire complex would have been stones surrounded by timber poles. Subsequent excavations might indeed reveal evidence of yet unknown structures either around or possibly within the area these two henges encompass.

Those who want to understand Stonehenge’s astronomical function will likely have to re-formulate their hypotheses to incorporate this finding. The main problem with these formulations still continues to be the lack of written records. Stonehenge’s designers left no tablets or rune-inscribed obelisks to explain their intentions. Future generations have therefore been left with only speculation about the structure’s purpose and usage. It was only recently that some scientists concluded that Stonehenge must have had an astronomical aspect, either incidental or primary. They based such conclusions on the manner in which certain stones seemed aligned with significant astronomical events. For instance, at the summer solstice, the sun might have appeared to rise above the heelstone to any person situated in the henge’s center. Some astronomers futher assumed that Stonehenge’s sarsen circles and trilithons might have been components in a sophisticated system designed to predict lunar phases and eclipses.

The notions about Stonehenge astronomy are as complex as they are uncertain. Unfortunately, those who were involved in the multi-century effort to build Stonehenge are all dead and therefore unavailable for comment. Now that researchers have discovered an entirely new henge, complications will undoubtedly ensue. How were these timber poles involved in the astronomical calculations? Were they even involved? What was the purpose of having the timber henge that far from the stones?

These are questions that astronomers are already asking and might never answer with certainty.

[DA July 23, 2010] Quiz; SProsaic

From the Southworth Planetarium
“Out of sorts”

THE DAILY ASTRONOMER

July 23, 2010

Quiz: SProsaic

Today’s quiz is quite prosaic, in that it is a straightforward
astronomy quiz. The shadow professor (SP), a real specimen of flesh,
blood, bone and brain, crafts these questions based on DA articles.
Being properly concerned about his reputation, he naturally insists on
anonymity, This decision to remain unknown is understandable. We’d
disavow ourselves, too, if we could figure out how to do it.

One could consider this quiz a little test about some material covered
this month. Mind you, our main focus is for you to have fun and enjoy
the DA. If you learn something, lovely! If not, still lovely!

So, grind those pencil leads into a point and prepare for this week’s
prosaic quiz:

1. Venus, Saturn and Mars are:
(a) Very likely to collide in the next month.
(b) Unlikely to collide in the next month.
(c) Going to miss colliding with each other by about 1000 miles.
(d) Going to miss colliding with each other by only about 10,000
miles.
(e) Different points of light visible only from the southern
hemisphere.

2. Venus, Saturn and Mars
(a) Take about the same time (one year) to orbit the sun.
(b) Take about the same time (20 years) to orbit the sun.
(c) Are closer to the sun than the earth.
(d) Appear to be close to each other this month.
(e) Appear to be close to each other this year.

3. Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, Rigel and Saiph are stars associated with
which constellation?
(a) Leo
(b) Castor.
(c) Orion.
(d) Nigel.
(e) Pollux.

4. Which of the following probably lead to the extinction of the
dinosaurs?
(a) The existence of humans.
(b) Global warming.
(c) A meteor.
(d) A meteorite.
(e) Blindness caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation.

5. The K-T boundary is between
(a) The Cretaceous and Tertiary periods.
(b) The Cambrian and Tertiary periods.
(c) The Cretaceous and Triassic periods.
(d) The Cambrian and Triassic periods.
(e) There is no such thing as a K-T boundary.

6. The power source of the sun is:
(a) Thermonuclear fission.
(b) Thermonuclear fusion.
(c) Coal.
(d) Petrochemicals generally.
(e) Hot air provided by years of professorial lectures.

7. The Pleiades should be considered a:
(a) Constellation.
(b) Star cluster or asterism.
(c) Gravitationally bound system.
(d) Part of the Oort cloud
(e) Magical part of the galaxy.

ANSWERS

1. (b) Unlikely to collide in the next month.
The night sky is a tricky place. Venus, Mars and Saturn
appear close together next month, but will actually be millions of miles
apart. The night sky does not reveal depth, which made the task of
determining celestial distances one hell of a chore.

2.
(d) Appear to be close to each other this month.
(e) Appear to be close to each other this year.

SP is a tricky fellow. The answers he writes are often ambiguous,
deliberately misleading, and thought-inducing. He is one of these
types who thinks that the brain is best experienced if used. (yeah,
right) Therefore, he chose two answers to # 2 that I think are both
correct. Since I am in charge of the DA’s magnificent universe, I get
to grade the quizzes. Venus, Mars and Saturn will be close together
this month, but closer next month.

3. (c) Orion.
Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, Rigel and Saiph are the stars marking
Orion’s rectangular outline.

4. (d) A meteorite.
The Alvarez hypothesis asserts that a small asteroid impact led
to the Cretaceous Period extinction that killed the dinosaurs.
Scientists have not proven this theory. Instead, the theory is
consistent with information that we’ve gleaned about this epoch and
therefore is still considered as a valid explanation for what might have
killed the dinosaurs. Humans and dinosaurs did NOT co-exist. If
they did, humans would be extinct.

5. (a) The Cretaceous and Tertiary periods.
We call this the K-T boundary because the letter “C” denotes
Cambrian period. The relative abundance of iridium in the KT
boundary compelled scientists to conclude that an iridium-rich asteroid,
struck Earth about 65 million years ago.

6. (b) Thermonuclear fusion.
Hydrogen fuses into helium. These reactions generate the energy
that powers the Sun.

7. (b) Star cluster or asterism.
A star cluster is a collection of stars held together by
gravity, An asterism is a star pattern within a larger constellation.
The Pleiades Star Cluster can be correctly called either a cluster or
asterism.

RATINGS

7 CORRECT MASTER OF THE PROSAIC
Yours is a world of folded
napkins under forks; clean plates, and glasses full of ice water.

4 – 6 CORRECT MASTER APPRENTICE OF THE PROSAIC
If you could just remove the
phosphorescent lipstick while you’re making the bed, you’d be perfect.

1 – 3 CORRECT PROSAICALLY CHALLENGED
You discussed
epistemological philosophy, Pteradactyl breeding habits, and time travel
for so long, your
Soufflé collapsed.

0 CORRECT Strawberry fields forever.

Clarification:
We will accept
(b) and (c) as answers
for the last question.

The Pleiades IS a gravitationally
bound system. (choice C)
as well as being a star cluster
and asterism.

[DA July 22, 2010] The Scorpion’s No Claws (R)

From the Southworth Planetarium
“Growth opportunities are for rainforests.”

THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
July 22, 2010
The Scorpion’s No Claws (R)

Some days, the time gets away and we are compelled to
post a repeat. While some will say this is cheating and cheap,
we assert that we have strict standards for repeats. One,
the post has to be more than a year old; two, we have to be
able to find it.
We regret the necessity, implore for forgiveness, appreciate your
understanding, and thank you for reading.

The Scorpion article originally posted on June 9, 2009.

Quietly creeping and silently seething, there in the hollow of southeastern evening sky rises the arched frame and beating heart of the loathsome scorpion Scorpius. Redundant of name, but formidable in nature. A dark, brooding, spectre of peril sliding with gentle menace along our southern summer sky. Each year, when Orion descends into retreating late spring twilight, it emerges onto the dark stage. There in the underbrush this dreaded denizen of the Arachnid clan casts lurid eye upon the elongated frame of the unsuspecting virgin Virgo. Also redundant of name, but recumbent in posture, Virgo is traveling westward, wholly unaware that down on the haze-obscured horizon lurks the designing Scorpius in the grip of untoward intention, snapping his claws together in a frenzy of unconstrained excitement.

Scorpius: I’m gonna get me some of that!

But wait, Kahuna!

Scorpius the scorpion has no claws. One can’t snap claws together in any type of frenzy if one doesn’t have any claws to begin with. Certainly, he has a stinger, a curved body, and a massive beating heart. Yet, little good will those organs do him if he is sans claws down there in the sultry bayou of the southeastern sky. So, he can cast a lurid eye, even furtively if he desires, but no other move can he make for, as they say in the land of the combustible Jambalya, “that body ain’t made for snatching!”

DA: Ah, too bad. Here, have a pop tart.

Scorpius: B***h

DA: Oops, you dropped it

You understand, Scorpius is an ancient constellation of various associations. Perhaps the most famous of these is the story involving Orion. When the boastful hunter Orion bragged that he could slay any beast in the world, Artemis fashioned the scorpion out of spare parts to destroy Orion. This feat Scorpius accomplished in short order, nipping the hunter on the ankle almost as soon as he landed on Earth. Orion died and, along with his killer, was placed in the sky. Orion and Scorpius were arranged so that they would never be in the sky simultaneously, thereby precluding them from engaging in combat ever again.

Scorpius is low in the southeastern evening sky in the summer, whereas Orion is high in southern sky in the winter. When Orion sets, Scorpius appears. At this latitude the two antagonists cannot be in the sky together. (They can be in the sky together around the Antarctic circle: a region known to the ancients as the underside of Terra Incognita.)

Years ago, Scorpius the Scorpion was much larger than he is today. Apart from the j-shaped body, stinger, and head, it also had a set of super claws at the west, perfect for Orion nipping and maiden snatching. Unfortunately, Roman Dictator Julius Caesar (100 – 44 BCE), in an effort to cast his own personal imprint on everything he saw (the sky, the calendar, the recumbent Cleopatra) detached the claws from the Scorpion’s body. These claws were transformed into another constellation known as “Libra the Scales.” This “set of scales” is one of the few inanimate objects on the firmament. (Sagitta the arrow; Scutum the shield are other examples.)
The purpose of this detachment might have been to make the zodiac, as it was then called, conform in proportion to the Julian calendar. The calendar had twelve moon-ths (months) and each month would have its own zodiac symbol. Before the Scorpion’s truncation, the zodiac had eleven constellations.
With the addition of Libra, the zodiac consisted of twelve constellations aligned along the sun’s apparent annual path through the sky.
Today, this construct is known as the “ecliptic.”
The Sun passes through Libra during early November. It passes through Scorpius during the last part of November. Some refer to Scorpius as the “Thanksgiving constellation” because the Sun is generally in Scorpius during the range of dates on which Thanksgiving can occur. (November 22 – 28)
Libra’s two brightest stars, Zubenelgenubi and Zubenelschmali, are the Northern and Southern claws, respectively. These star names represent the last remnant of what used to be the strong and dangerous claws of the now declawed Scorpion.

[DA July 21, 2010] Meanwhile, in the West….

From the Southworth Planetarium
“A mischief of stars”

THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
July 21, 2010
Meanwhile, in the West………..

…the stage is set for a splendid planetary gathering.
We apologize for using such an over-utilized term, but such an analogy certainly applies. The western evening sky is a stage and upon it one will find Venus, Mars and Saturn. Throughout the next few weeks, observers can see them appearing to approach each other. Presently, brilliant white Venus stands apart from golden Saturn and crimson Mars. One can easily find all three worlds this evening. Venus is the closest to the horizon, while Saturn and Mars are close together and higher in the sky. These planets resemble stars, although Venus is far brighter than any night sky object, apart from the Moon, currently in the gibbous phase.

On August 8, these three planets will be within a circle of less than five degree diameter. Such a sight is rare, and, despite the internet hysteria this event will most likely engender, shall prove quite innocuous. That they will be so aligned is merely a line of sight effect, The planets are literally millions of miles apart. On August 8, Venus will be 72 million miles from Earth. Mars will be 188 million miles distant. Saturn will be 949 million miles away. Although we perceive this planetary trio as being at arm’s length, they are separated by a great deal of space that we cannot observe, as dark vacuums are notoriously difficult to see.

So, if you’re a planet watcher who likes to keep track of wandering worlds, there is no better time to pull out the grid-work star charts than right now.

[DA July 20, 2010] Leo’s Heart and Orion’s Shoulders

From the Southworth Planetarium
“I’ll nominative the genitive to date the accusatory and watch as the ablative vocalizes his first person declension.”

THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
July 20, 2010
Leo’s Heart and Orion’s Shoulders

Let’s cast our minds back to the April evening sky, in which an observer would see the magnificent Orion lurking in the west. Orion is the refrigerator with head: a rectangle forms his body. The northern two stars, Betelgeuse and Bellatrix mark his shoulders. The southern stars, Rigel and Saiph, represent knees. Trailing Orion like mindless sycophants are his hunting dogs, Canis Major and Minor. North of Canis Major -and east of Orion- is the two-line constellation representing the Gemini twins, Castor and Pollux. East of the twins is Cancer the Crab, the impossibly faint and featureless star pattern that no stable personality could ever regard as being crab-like. The crab’s only discernible feature is the beehive star cluster, a white splotch of light occupying the crab’s center. East of Cancer the Crab is Leo the Lion, a rare constellation that actually resembles its namesake character. A sickle arrangement of stars comprises his front section. This sickle resembles a mirror-image question mark. Its southern point star is Regulus, a star forming its heart. A triangle marks the Lion’s hindquarter section.

This April evening sky review should help us understand the sky as we observe it now. For, tonight, one would see Leo the Lion close to the western horizon after sunset. Such is its angle that Leo appears poised on its head, with his heart steeped in dusk twilight. Within a few hours after sunset, Leo sets. Fast forward through the night to the pre-dawn hours. In the eastern pre-dawn sky one will now just see Orion’s shoulder stars emerging as the dawn glow brightens. This time of year, Orion’s gradually re-appears just before sunrise. Throughout the next few weeks, Orion’s entire body slowly ascends into the eastern sky. Presently, however, we merely glimpse his shoulders.

We see Leo setting in the western evening sky and Orion slowly rising in the eastern pre-dawn sky because the Sun is currently passing through Gemini the Twins. By this statement we mean, of course, that Earth is on the far side of the Sun relative to the stars comprising the Gemini pattern. From our perspective, of course, it appears as though the Sun is actually progressing through the part of the sky Gemini occupies. It is “between” Orion and Leo. Therefore, tonight, we briefly see Leo after the sky darkens. Much later, we then briefly see the upper section of Orion before the Sun, in Gemini, draws too close to the eastern horizon and ruins our view.

It might seem rather strange that Leo and Orion, while close together in the sky, are visible at opposite ends of the night right now. Yet, such deceptively wide separations between proximate constellations occur when the Sun happens to travel between them. We’ll see Leo and Orion together again, in the early morning late autumn; late evening winter; or early evening spring sky.

August 2010 Planetarium Events

AUGUST 2010 PLANETARIUM EVENTS

To the devil with those golden August afternoons
and beachside frolicks. Your soul craves the
stygian gloom of an underworld planetarium
full of shadows, stars, and a private portal to the
most fantastic places in the cosmos.

We invite you to experience late summer
with us and discover that it looks the same down here now
as it does in late winter. Welcome to the eternal night of space.

We have our usual matinees, evening astronomy shows, and
one celestial poetry evening on August 1st. We also have a special
outreach program at Maine Audubon on August 12th in which we
shall -hopefully- observe the Perseid Meteor shower.

Admission prices:
Evening astronomy shows: $6.00 – adults; $5.00 – children, students and seniors
Matinees: $5.00 – adults; $4.00 – children, students and seniors
Poetry evening: Admission by donation

Sunday, August 1:

7:00 Lammas Celestial Poetry Evening:
local poets and writers read works about nature, the Universe, stars, the harvest,
love, and other disasters. -Admission by donation

Monday, August 2:

11:00 a.m. ABC’S OF THE SKY
This revamped show gives your child an outer space word for each letter in the alphabet

1:00 p.m. BLACK HOLES
An exciting show about the science of black holes: how do we find them; how do they distort space-time?

Tuesday, August 3:

11:00 a.m. RUSTY ROCKET’S LAST BLAST
Join Rusty Rocket and his band of rocket rookies as they explore the planets.

1:00 p.m. EXTREME PLANETS
A show about the search for and discovery of exo-planets: planets around other star systems.

Wednesday, August 4:

11:00 a.m. ABC’S OF THE SKY
This revamped show gives your child an outer space word for each letter in the alphabet

1:00 p.m. BLACK HOLES
An exciting show about the science of black holes: how do we find them; how do they distort space-time?

Thursday, August 5:

11:00 a.m. RUSTY ROCKET’S LAST BLAST
Join Rusty Rocket and his band of rocket rookies as they explore the planets.

1:00 p.m. EXTREME PLANETS
A show about the search for and discovery of exo-planets: planets around other star systems.

Friday, August 6:

7:00 p.m. RING WORLD
Follow the Cassini-Huygens mission as it travels to and explores the Saturn system

8:30 p.m. BLACK HOLES
An exciting show about the science of black holes: how do we find them; how do they distort space-time?

Saturday, August 7:

3:00 p.m. EIGHT PLANETS AND COUNTING
An updated solar system program. Explore the wonder worlds of our solar system.

Monday, August 9:

11:00 a.m. DINOSAURS
Accompany us as we return to the Mesozoic Era to the realm of the dinosaurs!

1:00 p.m. TWO PIECES OF GLASS
An interesting program about the history and science of telescopes

Tuesday, August 10:

11:00 a.m. EIGHT PLANETS AND COUNTING
An updated solar system program. Explore the wonder worlds of our solar system.

1:00 p.m. EXTREME PLANETS
A show about the search for and discovery of exo-planets: planets around other star systems.

Wednesday, August 11:

11:00 a.m. DINOSAURS
Accompany us as we return to the Mesozoic Era to the realm of the dinosaurs!

1:00 p.m. TWO PIECES OF GLASS
An interesting program about the history and science of telescopes.

Thursday, August 12:

11:00 a.m. EIGHT PLANETS AND COUNTING
An updated solar system program. Explore the wonder worlds of our solar system.

1:00 p.m. EXTREME PLANETS
A show about the search for and discovery of exo-planets: planets around other star systems.

Friday, August 13:

7:00 p.m. EXTREME PLANETS
A show about the search for and discovery of exo-planets: planets around other star systems.

8:30 p.m. EIGHT PLANETS AND COUNTING
An updated solar system program. Explore the wonder worlds of our solar system.

Saturday, August 14:

3:00 p.m. DINOSAURS
Accompany us as we return to the Mesozoic Era to the realm of the dinosaurs!

Monday, August 16:

11:00 a.m. ABC’S OF THE SKY
This revamped show gives your child an outer space word for each letter in the alphabet

1:00 p.m. BLACK HOLES
An exciting show about the science of black holes: how do we find them; how do they distort space-time?

Tuesday, August 17:

11:00 a.m. RUSTY ROCKET’S LAST BLAST
Join Rusty Rocket and his band of rocket rookies as they explore the planets.

1:00 p.m. EXTREME PLANETS
A show about the search for and discovery of exo-planets: planets around other star systems.

Wednesday, August 18:

11:00 a.m. ABC’S OF THE SKY
This revamped show gives your child an outer space word for each letter in the alphabet

1:00 p.m. BLACK HOLES
An exciting show about the science of black holes: how do we find them; how do they distort space-time?

Thursday, August 19:

11:00 a.m. RUSTY ROCKET’S LAST BLAST
Join Rusty Rocket and his band of rocket rookies as they explore the planets.

1:00 p.m. EXTREME PLANETS
A show about the search for and discovery of exo-planets: planets around other star systems.

Friday, August 20:

7:00 p.m. RING WORLD
Follow the Cassini-Huygens mission as it travels to and explores the Saturn system

8:30 p.m. BLACK HOLES
An exciting show about the science of black holes: how do we find them; how do they distort space-time?

Saturday, August 21:

3;00 p.m RUSTY ROCKET’S LAST BLAST
Join Rusty Rocket and his band of rocket rookies as they explore the planets.

Monday, August 23:

11:00 a.m. DINOSAURS
Accompany us as we return to the Mesozoic Era to the realm of the dinosaurs!

1:00 p.m. TWO PIECES OF GLASS
An interesting program about the history and science of telescopes

Tuesday, August 24:

11:00 a.m. EIGHT PLANETS AND COUNTING
An updated solar system program. Explore the wonder worlds of our solar system.

1:00 p.m. EXTREME PLANETS
A show about the search for and discovery of exo-planets: planets around other star systems.

Wednesday, August 25:

11:00 a.m. DINOSAURS
Accompany us as we return to the Mesozoic Era to the realm of the dinosaurs!

1:00 p.m. TWO PIECES OF GLASS
An interesting program about the history and science of telescopes

TELESCOPE NIGHT:

7:30 p.m. EIGHT PLANETS AND COUNTING
An updated solar system program. Explore the wonder worlds of our solar system.

8:30 p.m. Telescope Viewing

Thursday, August 26:

11:00 a.m. EIGHT PLANETS AND COUNTING
An updated solar system program. Explore the wonder worlds of our solar system.

1:00 p.m. EXTREME PLANETS
A show about the search for and discovery of exo-planets: planets around other star systems.

Saturday, August 28:

3:00 p.m. EIGHT PLANETS AND COUNTING
An updated solar system program. Explore the wonder worlds of our solar system.

[DA July 19, 2010] The Iridium Factor

From the Southworth Planetarium
“O, stars!”

THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
July 19, 2010
The Iridium Factor

*******************************
We announce a new DA feature at the
conclusion of today’s article.
*******************************

Most dinosaurs, having lived in tropical climates, were subjected to constant light from a high-altitude sun. Over generations, these sun-drenched dinos developed sight-obscuring cataracts. Their vision thus obscured, the dinosaurs met their end by all blindly walking off cliffs, like ten-ton lemmings. This extinction by pervasive clumsiness was, indeed, an actual theory to explain the massive die-offs that ended the Cretaceous period -and the dinosaurs- nearly sixty five million years ago. Long since debunked, this theory was just one among many that attempted to understand both the Cretaceous extinction in particular and the extinction phenomena in general.

Like ecosystems, themselves, the extinction question entails a quagmire of complexities involving climate, animal behavior pattern shifts, predator-prey dynamics, food source depletion, variations in topography such as droughts and floods, and even solar obscuration by volcanic outgassing. As any scientist will tell you, no natural system is short of variables. Theorizing about the Cretaceous period’s end is made all the more complicated by our temporal displacement from it: sixty-five million years! Geologists and palentologists can glean information about the past by studying the fossil records which are like imprints of the past. They also scrutinize layers of sediment that have gathered over the millions of years. These layers serve as repositories, enclosing evidence of ancient life.
It was by these sedimentary layer examinations that scientists discovered an unusually high concentration of iridium at the section known as the K-T boundary. (K-T stands for “Cretaceous-Tertiary,” the layer dividing the end of the Cretaceous period from the beginning of the Tertiary. They chose the letter “K” for Creteacous, as “C” was already used for the “Cambrian” era.) Iridium is the 77th element on the Periodic Table. It is hard, dense material, even by metallic standards. This iridium discovery along the K-T is important because iridium is quite uncommon in Earth’s crust, but plentiful in meteorites.* Walter Alvarez and his team discovered these iridium deposits at the K-T layer. Subsequent expeditions have uncovered similar iridium-rich K-T sediments at various locations around the planet. From these findings, scientists concluded that some event dispersed this iridium across Earth within a brief time span.

Alvarez theorized that a large meteorite must have crashed onto the planet around sixty-five million years ago. Calculations suggest that this space rock measured more than 10 miles in diameter and gouged a crater more than a hundred miles wide. The impact would have released gigantic plumes of vaporized material high into the atmosphere. This plume sent super heated matter all over the planet. The dispersed matter combined with the billowing smoke from innumerable fires to darken the sky. This obscuration would result in a rapid decrease in photosynthetic activity and a subsequent famine throughout the food chain. This impact, combined, perhaps, with unusually high volcanic activity, causes the annihilation of ninety percent of all species then living, including, most famously, the dinosaurs.

This Alvarez hypothesis (that a small asteroid killed the dinosaurs) has certainly settled into public consciousness. For instance, try the Dinosaurs ride in Disney World’s Animal Kingdom. Your objective is to capture a dinosaur in your time machine before the asteroid hits and smashes everything, including you and your generously priced earhat. We’re all supposed to know that the asteroid killed the dinosaurs. And, most scientists are hardly pleased about this association, for the link connecting the meteorite and dinosaur extinction is not established fact, only theory. Even though we’ve found many pieces of evidence supporting this theory and are quite certain that an asteroid did, indeed, strike Earth 65 million years ago, the actual cause of the extinction remains unresolved.

The iridium factor lent us insight into what transpired before the Cretaceous Period ended, but has not ended an investigation that might well be open for some time to come.

*Why should Iridium be rare on Earth, but abundant in meteorites? We should explain that by Earth, we refer to Earth’s crust, the region from which all metals are extractable. Scientists suspect that Earth’s inner regions contain much more iridium than one would find in the surface layers. You see, when Earth formed, it experienced the “differentiation of densities,” by which most of the heavy materials settled toward or around the core. Most of the iridium would have gravitated toward the inner Earth, leaving precious little within the crust. Conversely, an asteroid of stony-iron composition would have a higher abundance (by ratio of mass) of iridium because all of its initial iridium would still remain within it. Even if it did sink to the asteroid’s “core,” all of the iridium would be released when the asteroid slammed into Earth.

*********************************************
ANNOUNCING A NEW DA FEATURE STARTING IN SEPTEMBER:

There are few sensations more sedating than hopeless dread. After the first ring, the both of us nearly lapsed into a stupdor: a defense mechanism prompted by what we knew would be a wretched experience.

Second ring. Still no answer. We both sighed resignedly and winced, anticipating the pain.

Third ring. Perhaps there was a glimmer of hope, after all. The seconds became decades.

Fourth ring. We tried our hand at respiration again, but were still tense.

Fifth ring. I attempted a smile. “Maybe he’s not in his office.”
“Don’t jinx it!”

Sixth ring.
Heard a click. I turned to my fellow paladin. “It’s MacGregor’s machine, thank God.”

I turned on the speakerphone so that we could both hear Professor MacGregor’s recorded voice greeting us with
“I don’t care.” *beep*

“Hi, ah, Professor, this is, well, you know who this is because you probably recognize my voice because we’ve spoken a few times. I think, maybe, you remember. Anyway, I have good news. Well, I don’t know if it’s good, but it’s news and I thought it would interest you because it involves you, sort of. Well, more than sort of, actually. You see, we’ve made a decision and thought it would interest you…well, I said that, already. Well, maybe instead of beating around the bush, I should actually say something because I know you only have so much space in your voice mail. I also know how you like to have people come to the point without any, what do you call it, bruha…anyway, you are, surprisingly, a popular DA contributor. Well, I probably shouldn’t have said ‘surprisingly,’ because that was rude. Honest, of course, but still rud..ouch!” (I paused to nurse the shoulder my colleague punched) “And we wanted to give you the chance to present a series of historical astronomy lectures starting in September. It’d be during the regular semester. Not every day or even every week, of course. Just every so often you’d contribute an article guiding readers through, well, the history of astronomy. You’d start at, well, the beginning, I suppose and work your way forward. You’d have free rein to write what you want. You wouldn’t be edited for accuracy, because, as the director told me, you don’t think you need it. You wouldn’t be edited for grammar or libel because nobody wants to have to work through lunch. So, basically, it’s all yours. Unfiltered, like. We hope you’re interested because, well, we’ve already promised and if you refuse, we’re in a bind. You’ll get that pay differential that you will probably demand. So, please let us know if you want to do this. You better, um, tell me, because, well, you sort of make everybody else a bit nervous. You don’t have that effect on me, of course, because of this iron-core constitution, and, um, gosh, I hope I haven’t run out of tape….hello? hello? Well, he couldn’t hear me anyway, could he? Should I call and try again, do you think?….let’s hang up, see what happens…”
*click*
Professor MacGregor stared blankly at the answering machine until the message ended, at which point he sat at his desk, unfolded his glasses and quietly murmured. “Evolution loses again….”

[DA July 16, 2010] Quiz: Non Sequitur

From the Southworth Planetarium
“Far afield…”

THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
July 16, 2010
Quiz: Non Sequitur

It doesn’t follow.
That is the theme of this week’s quiz.
Sometimes it’s a pure pleasure to wander down a meandering path without previous knowledge of what you might encounter (unless, of course, you’re in a Michael Crichton novel.) The world is full of ideas, imagination, objects, and other enterprises that entertain active minds. So, today, we toss ourselves into reality and fantasy’s roiling vauldron to discover, well, we have no idea. But, we just can’t wait to find out…

Want to join us?

1. If you suffer from Ergophobia, you have an irrational fear of what?
(a) pretentious ways of saying “therefore.”
(b) bats
(c) work
(d) caves

2. The power source of the sun is:
(a) Thermonuclear fission.
(b) Thermonuclear fusion.
(c) Coal.
(d) Petrochemicals generally.
(e) Hot air provided by years of professorial lectures.

3. Salvador Dail’s painting ‘The Persistance of Memory’ features three_____________
(a) swans a self-mutilating
(b) tangerine cloud banks
(c) melting clocks
(d) dancing moustaches

4. The simplest recipe of beer consists of _______________________
(a) water, yeast, barley, myrrh
(b) water, yeast, malt, and hops
(c) hops, faith and charity
(d) yak saliva, gold food coloring,

5. More than 10,000 birds die each year doing what?
(a) smashing into windows
(b) flying into electrical wire
(c) posing for Thomas Kinkade jigsaw puzzles
(d) drowning in clouds

6. Chain mail armor appeared in the 12th century, About how long did it take one person to
make one suit of mail armor?
(a) fourteen weeks
(b) 10 months
(c) 1 year
(d) 5 years

7. War and Peace (translated into English) has how many words?
(a) about 100,101
(b) about 349,000
(c) about 560,000
(d) more than 710,000

8. Whicb MLB player has the greatest number of career hits?
(a) Ty Cobb
(b) Pete Rose
(c) Babe Ruth
(d) Joe Dimaggio

9. The Amazonian rain forest extends over how many countries?
(a) 4
(b) 6
(c) 7
(d) 9

10. When was Velcro invented?
(a) 1801
(b) 1883
(c) 1941
(d) 1978

ANSWERS

1. (c) work

2. (b) Thermonuclear fusion.

3. (c) melting clocks

4. (b) water, yeast, malt, and hops

5. (a) smashing into windows

6. (d) 5 years

7. (c) about 560,000

8. (b) Pete Rose has 4,256 hits; Ty Cobb had 4,191. Still, Pete Rose remains out of the baseball Hall of Fame,

9. (d) 9
Brazil, Columbia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guinea.

10. (c) 1941
It was called the loop and hook fastener when it was invented,

RATINGS

30 CORRECT! Um, what quiz were you taking, exactly?

10 CORRECT! Mixed Metaphor Master!
You’re the bear that has to repeatedly hammer investors until they lapse into despair

7 – 9 CORRECT Mixed Metaphor Maestro
You’re the greatest thing to happen to music since sliced bread

3 – 6 CORRECT Mixed Metaphoris Majoris
One of the brighter tacks in the shed

1 – 2 CORRECT Mixed Metaphoris Minoris
At least you haven’t put all your spoiled cooks in one basket

0 CORRECT Swimming at the altar of your discontent’s winter

[DA July 15, 2010] The Sun, For Instance….

From the Southworth Planetarium
“There’s always 2014″

THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
July 15, 2010
The Sun, For Instance..

To A:

“Misinformation.
“Those who pay close attention to these lectures will realize that this topic figures in quite frequently. Its inclusion is no accident. Through the ages, we have been as impeded as much as we’ve been propelled by what were perceived as facts. I could cite various examples, of course, the most famous of which was Ptolemy’s brilliantly conceived, but ultimately erroneous Earth-centered solar system model. Constrained by a paradigm that insisted that Earth occupy the center and that all orbits surrounding it be circular, Claudius Ptolemy devised a clockwork mechanism of deferents and epicycles to explain observed motions while not contradicting established thought. Ptolemy’s model represented the unholy fusion of mathematics and political correctness. It was taught as gospel for more than a millennium. So, whenever we presume to discuss any topic, we must proceed cautiously.
“Hence, the emphasis on misinformation. Though I stand here before you, a gentleman of formidable intellect and unassailable reputation, I, myself, am susceptible to the same weakness that plagues professors and teachers through the world as it certainly has through history: the inclination to become more of a propagandist than instructor. The tendency to disseminate information for your absorption and then eventual regurgitation. The unquestioning belief that I am spewing a sequence of absolute truths, of which our messy world has precious few.”

“Damn,” Professor MacGregor seethed as he disdainfully flicked his pencil onto the desk. He always hated that sentence, but was at a loss to alter it. Of all the writing on all the papers strewn across his desk, that one phrase was the worst: nothing but quills and mocking giggles. Painful. Awkward. Infuriating. Yet, there it remained, year after year. You see, every summer he scoured through his lectures to augment the facts, sharpen the structure and perfect the syntax. This was a secret ritual, of course, for nobody knew that we wrote all his lectures in advance and committed them to memory. He wanted students and colleagues alike to think that he always spoke extemporaneously. It was for this reason that he never consulted anybody for assistance, even English professors, who would likely cover the sheets with hemorrhaging outflows of red ink. For, you see, unbeknownst to about four people in the Southern Hemisphere, Professor MacGregor had ego issues and requesting assistance of any kind in any situation was unthinkable. If you don’t believe me, ask his fifth wife.
After a moment of labored breathing and pointless eye rubbing, Professor MacGregor saw that there was nothing else for it and picked up his pencil.

“Take the Sun, for instance. The slide you see is an image taken from an 1866 astronomy book. Can anybody in this room identify the image? [Ten seconds of what will likely be deafening silence.] Ok. Well, that image is of the Sun with emphasis on sunspots: those are the dark regions on the sun’s face. Would somebody in the class like to enlighten as to the causes of these sunspots? {Fifteen seconds of listening to fingernails grow.] Well, as you all know, but are too shy to reveal, sunspots are regions of intense magnetism that impede the flow of hot gases from the interior to the “surface,” a term I detest using. I resolve each year, of course, to find another….”

Professor MacGregor spotted the thesaurus four paces from his desk, nestled between the dirty espresso maker and the other dirty espresso maker. He knew that if he extended his arm, he could just about… “Oh, to hell wit….”

“…word, but a busy person such as myself has severe time demands and must prioritize. In any event, we know today through meticulous solar observations and studies of electromagnetism what causes sunspots, although we still don’t know the cause of the eleven year sunspot cycle, a topic we’ll discuss, in vain, of course, later in the semester. Yet, if you examine this slide image carefully, what will you notice? [11.3 second pause} Oh, and, you over there in seat (insert #), it would be best for you to pay attention to the lecture instead of indulging your {insert illicit intoxicant} habit, unless, of course, you brought enough for the class. Please remain seated. That was a joke.
"Now, you will notice the text indicating the cause of these sunspots: they are holes in the sun's outer luminous shell. These holes permit observers to view the opaque region contained within it. One should expect to see such opacity since the sun's fuel source is.....{Shout "No, not fusion!!" to whatever pedantic twit decides to interrupt me so he can show off.] Thermonuclear fusion was unheard of in 1866. That would only arise once Albert Einstein appeared with his reckless Relativity theory in the early 20th century. What else is dark and can be used for fuel? Of course…coal. A fuel source with which civilized people were most familiar. Coal burns. Produces heat and light. The Sun produces heat and light and is assumed therefore to burn, because we humans are nothing if not vulnerable to sophistries that seem profound. The Sun certainly doesn’t burn in the combustible sense. We are aware of this difference today, of course, but that is only because we’re 21st century inhabitants and have evolved to the level of intermediate gods.”

Pencil down. “Shameless thievery from Douglas Adams. Maybe I should take that out this year. I am assuming, of course, that people read books. Never mind.” Pencil up.

“Humanity was compelled to dispense with the coal theory because some clever schmuck calculated that even a solar interior’s worth of coal would not be sufficient to maintain it over millions of year. By this time, incidentally, the geologists were making short work of the notion that Earth was merely 5,000 years old. We assumed that the Sun would necessarily exist as long as Earth did and so if Earth were extant for millions of years, the Sun would be, as well. This, incidentally, is one of those simple assumptions that turns out to be correct. Once we abandoned coal, we then opted for the contraction theory. The notion is that the Sun generated energy through compression of its outer layers. Gravitational potential energy converted into heat energy. Such an idea was clever, but, then again, a thinker ruined it for everybody by determining that such a method would require that the Sun continuously shrink. Moreover, by calculating the energy outflow, we realized that the Sun’s outermost layer would had to have been at Earth’s orbit about forty million years ago. Well, yet again, the geological record indicated that Earth was much older than forty million years. Yet again, we had to cast away a theory like so much rubbish and begin again.
“Fortunately, Albert Einstein came along in 1905 with his Special Theory and then in 1916 with his General Theory. Albert really cast light on the sun with those theories. {Pause for laughter)….

“Yeah, from the crickets,” Professor MacGregor scoffed, setting his unused pencil down on the desk. That joke was there every year and every year it bombed hard. He kept it, though. Perhaps this year, he could devise another. All he’d need was some inspiration. He decided to take his shot glass and fill it with espresso. After all, it was only four paces away.