Category Archives: Astronomy

Covers Astronomy, astrophysics, space travel, maybe geography and cartography.

1959: NASA introduces America’s first astronauts

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Steve

Even if not everything in the movie or book, The Right Stuff, is completely true, I think most Americans know the story about the Mercury Seven. Back when the US was trying to catch up to the Soviet Union, military test … Continue reading →

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Annual stupidity begins, aka DST

Posted on March 10, 2019 by Steve

When I was a kid, I didn’t mind Daylight Savings Time as much. It didn’t start until April and in the Midwest its arrival meant that Spring was here to stay…usually. The original purpose for DST in the Modern Era … Continue reading →

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RIP Bob Dorough

Posted on April 27, 2018 by Steve

Sad to see that he passed away earlier this week. I will never be able to thank him enough too. If you grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons in the Seventies, Bob’s idea was mandatory viewing on ABC…more like, those … Continue reading →

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RIP: Dr. Stephen Hawking

Posted on March 14, 2018 by Steve

One of the greatest living Physicists passed away today and what made Hawking more remarkable is that he pushed on through despite ALS slowly destroying his body. I think he’s one of the longest surviving people to have the disease. … Continue reading →

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A real ET…that’s a rock

Posted on December 17, 2017 by Steve

Sorry I wasn’t very timely on Oumuamua’s passing by the earth but I was excited about our Astronomers finally discovering and confirming an object passing through our solar system that didn’t originate “here.” According NPR stories, Oumuamua on now hurtling on its … Continue reading →

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Italian #45: Giovanni Domenico Cassini

Posted on October 8, 2017 by Steve

I will readily admit my annual celebration for Italian Heritage is off to a slow start. I blame too many things but in the end it’s my own fault. This year I did get some help from a real Italian … Continue reading →

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Farewell Cassini

Posted on September 17, 2017 by Steve

Friday signaled the end for the Cassini probe as NASA crashed it into the atmosphere of Saturn. It will probably be months before we get a better idea what the ringed-world’s composition was before all contact was last. In high school I … Continue reading →

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My shot back at the anti-Science crowd

Posted on September 13, 2017 by Steve
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It seems we live in the Anthropocene Period

Posted on April 14, 2017 by Steve

Last week, co-host Brooke Gladstone of On the Media interviewed stratigrapher Jan Zalasiewicz. They discussed what aliens or future humans would find if they dug up our epoch for the Holocene Era (starts around 7000 BC) is definitely over. The period I think … Continue reading →

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Italian #43: Giovanni Schiaparelli

Posted on October 19, 2016 by Steve

This year, my tribute to famous Italians has been heavy on the Science side, namely Astronomy but Dr. Schiaparelli is relevant due to the joint ESA-Russia Schiaparelli mission to Mars. Today is the day the probe makes its attempt to land … Continue reading →

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Italian #38: Giuseppe Piazzi

Posted on October 2, 2016 by Steve

With all the news about Rosetta landing on a comet after 12 years in space, I wanted to kick off with the person who discovered the largest asteroid in our solar system, or maybe it’s a dwarf planet now…Ceres. Back when I … Continue reading →

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Universal comparison

Posted on August 7, 2016 by Steve

Makes you think how small our world is and how immense the multiverse is theoretically given we can only “see” back about 13 billion years and change.

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Celebrating Scott Kelly’s return!

Posted on March 5, 2016 by Steve

It may not have been in the news given all the Trump/Billary bullshit taking up the SCLM’s attention but astronaut Scott Kelly has returned to earth after being on ISS for one whole year. Big deal? Yes. We’ve never had … Continue reading →

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Happy Leap Day!

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Steve

Ahh, the somewhat weird event we have every four years because the Earth can’t follow the precision of a Cesium atom! I wonder how long it really took Astronomers and other related Scientists to figure out the compromise of getting … Continue reading →

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Happy Solstice!

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Steve

The “shortest day” of the year happened about 10:48 PM CST in Austin. What passes for Winter down here has begun. To all you who rationalize your generally crappy weather with “I’d miss the change of seasons” cliché, keep telling … Continue reading →

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