Far Out!!!!!

Griffith Observatory, viewed from the "Orbit of Pluto"

Yeah, it's been a while.

I'm again vacillating on what I intend to accomplish with my blogging. Because such naval-gazing grows tedious, I'll spare you the details. However, Paideia will probably go "photoblog" for the next month or so. There will be daily updates of image posts, occasionally with a bit of prose and exposition.

Come mid-August, there might be a change of program. We'll see how it goes. ;-)

For now. . .

Enjoy!!!

Lovejoy Lives!!!

The comet Lovejoy faced likely destruction when it entered the Sun's atmosphere (Image: NASA)


Over at Space.com, there's an interesting article about the comet Lovejoy's trip into the Sun's atmosphere. It traveled within 87,000 miles of the solar surface and withstood temperatures of up to 2 million degrees Fahrenheit!!!!!

It was a near certainty that the comet would be destroyed, but NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory filmed it escaping from the fiery inferno, zipping off into space. Lovejoy has definitely earned the title of "Sungrazer." ;-)

Enjoy!!!

Beyond the Crystal Spheres

Uranus Rings (1987) by David A. Hardy

In 1738, Sir William Herschel was born. His career in science was prestigious, including the discoveries of Uranus and infrared radiation, the coining of the word "asteroid", and the improvement of telescope technology. And he composed symphonic music as well!!!

Although I rarely cover "science" topics, I couldn't let Herschel's genius go uncelebrated. Too often, we spend our time celebrating "popular" figures, overlooking those individuals who may have been less glamorous but, nevertheless, contributed significant ideas or inventions to humanity. That's not to say that "media darlings" or celebrities are not important, but, instead, that a discerning society ought to give equal or greater interest and respect to those who labor in obscurity, as is appropriate to their contributions to society.

Our current Age of Information was founded upon the genius of prior scientists and thinkers. Herschel was one of these great men.

William Herschel's 40 ft. telescope, 1789

So, let's give thanks to Herschel and those innovative thinkers, famous or obscure, who have made our world a better place.

Successfully Navigating an Asteroid Field

More planet-destroying terror from space! ;-)

There's an brief interesting article at Discovery News. There's not much info, but it has cool graphics and informative links. And "killer asteroids" are one of my pet topics.

I'm a Science Fiction enthusiast. Two classic SF novels that I'd recommend on this topic are Lucifer's Hammer and the Hammer of God. Both are thought-provoking reads.

Calling Mr. Carrington

On Thursday, February 24, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory caught this big ol' solar flare. It's an M 3.6 class flare, which is pretty impressive, albeit well below the X class.

I have a morbid fascination with solar flares. They are awesome expressions of cosmic power beyond human capacity. An event like the Solar Storm of 1859, the "Carrington Event", would mess up our modern communications something fierce. Of course, it could be even worse. Yikes!!!

This Pop Sci article has some more info.

Fortunately, it discharged away from Earth, so no electronic disruptions. That means we can enjoy this video worry and guilt free. Woo hoo!!!