[DA July 31, 2009] Quiz: SP and PS

From the USM Southworth Planetarium “With a wink and a smirk.” THE DAILY ASTRONOMER July 31, 2009 Quiz: SP and PS SP strikes again! He has crafted more complex questions based on the DAs and that adds a bit of spice to the milky-white gruel. Be careful, though. Sometimes the SP can be a bit [...]

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[DA July 30, 2009] August Sky Calendar

From the USM Southworth Planetarium “Happy Nihilism Day: We don’t believe in tag lines” THE DAILY ASTRONOMER July 30, 2009 August Sky Calendar Ladies and gentlemen, we still have a nice solid block of summer left to enjoy. So, retailers can kindly dispense with these Early Autumn/Back to School/Pre-pre-holiday special catalogs, thank you very much. [...]

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[DA July 29, 2009] The Death of Astronomy

From the USM Southworth Planetarium “Portland’s Portal into the Universe” THE DAILY ASTRONOMER July 29, 2009 The Death of Astronomy There is one reason why astronomers know what they know about the Universe: because objects in the Universe emit radiation – light – that astronomers can capture, study and analyze. This method is employed by [...]

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[DA July 28, 2009] Pre-Dawn Pleiades

From the USM Southworth Planetarium “Keeping a watchful eye on a complex sky” THE DAILY ASTRONOMER July 28, 2009 Pre-dawn Pleiades After a decade-long hiatus, the sultry weather has finally arrived here in the place where dampness and frigidity are manufactured and shipped to all parts of the world. We realize that this announcement is [...]

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[DA July 27, 2009] Planetary Big Brother

From the USM Southworth Planetarium “A touch of clove and thistle in each astronomical epistle” THE DAILY ASTRONOMER July 27, 2009 Planetary Big Brother Are we here because of Jupiter? The “we” in this sense meaning life in general and humans in particular. The notion is a strange one. Of all the events we cite [...]

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[DA July 24, 2009] Quiz: Revenge of the Snapple Caps

From the USM Southworth Planetarium “Made from the best stuff off Earth” THE DAILY ASTRONOMER July 24, 2009 Quiz: Revenge of the Snapple Caps Not only is it still summer, but we have a lot of summer left, so we are entitled to a great measure of fun and games. Therefore, this week, we bring [...]

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[DA July 23, 2009] Round II: Astronomy vs. Astrophysics

From the USM Southworth Planetarium “Heavens above!” THE DAILY ASTRONOMER July 23, 2009 Round II: Astronomy vs. Astrophysics While we try to avoid injecting our own well-reasoned and insightful opinions into these articles, today we’re going to begin by stating that the term “amateur astronomer” is an eviscerating insult. It is one of those nasty [...]

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[DA July 22, 2009] Seeing the Space Shuttle Tonight!

From the USM Southworth Planetarium THE DAILY ASTRONOMER July 22, 2009 Space Shuttle Sighting We realize that earlier today millions of people on the other side of the world gathered to observe the 21st century’s longest solar eclipse. Alas, the fates being fickle, most of us western hemisphere dwellers were deprived of this magnificent sight. [...]

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[DA July 21, 2009] Astronomy vs. Astrology

From the USM Southworth Planetarium “A teeny, tiny, trickle of the tricky transcendental” THE DAILY ASTRONOMER July 21, 2009 Astronomy vs. Astrology It is not uncommon for the young, freshly minted astronomer to denounce as fradulent and irrational the continued practice of astrology. Regarding himself, quite understandably, as a member of the oldest science. said [...]

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[DA July 20, 2009] Wake Island

From the USM Southworth Planetarium “Across the void.” THE DAILY ASTRONOMER July 20, 2009 WAKE ISLAND July 20, 2019: Reporter Carl Lennox swatted irritably at the little strip on his lapel. Ironically, he mumbled, “They can put a man on the Moon, but they can’t invent a microphone lapel that fits properly.” He finally slapped [...]

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