Saturday, June 28, 2014

Higgs Boson Theorist Claims Universe Shouldn't Exist



According to the Big Bang model, the universe expanded from an extremely dense and hot state and continues to expand today. The graphic scheme above is an artist's concept illustrating the expansion of a portion of a flat universe. (Image Source: Wikipedia.org )

By Tia Ghose, LiveScience.com

The universe shouldn't exist — at least according to a new theory.

Modeling of conditions soon after the Big Bang suggests the universe should have collapsed just microseconds after its explosive birth, the new study suggests.

"During the early universe, we expected cosmic inflation — this is a rapid expansion of the universe right after the Big Bang," said study co-author Robert Hogan, a doctoral candidate in physics at King's College in London. "This expansion causes lots of stuff to shake around, and if we shake it too much, we could go into this new energy space, which could cause the universe to collapse." 

Physicists draw that conclusion from a model that accounts for the properties of the newly discovered Higgs boson particle, which is thought to explain how other particles get their mass. Faint traces of gravitational waves formed at the universe's origin also inform the conclusion.

Of course, there must be something missing from these calculations. 

"We are here talking about it," Hogan told LiveScience. "That means we have to extend our theories to explain why this didn't happen."

More - Link >>> http://www.nbcnews.com/science/weird-science/say-what-higgs-boson-theorist-claims-universe-shouldnt-exist-n138911

Sources: LiveScience.com , NBC News.

Related Blog Post ---

Gravity Waves Found: Strong Evidence of Big Bang Theory  (2014 March 17):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2014/03/gravity-waves-found-strong-evidence-of.html

 

2014: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Historic Zeiss II Planetarium Projector at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.


Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Asteroid Named for Henry Buhl of Buhl Planetarium


Henry Buhl, Jr., whose 1927 bequest formed the Buhl Foundation,
which funded the 1939 construction of Pittsburgh's original
Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

An asteroid between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter has been named in memory of wealthy Pittsburgh merchant and philanthropist Henry Buhl, Jr., whose bequest led to the establishment of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science in 1939. Asteroid, or more technically correct Minor Planet, (4384) 1990 AA Henrybuhl, which was previously numerically designated but unnamed, was discovered by two Japanese amateur astronomers, Tsutomu Hioki and Shuji Hayakawa, in Okutama Tokyo on 1990 January 3.

This honoring of the memory of Henry Buhl, Jr. comes during the 75th year of Buhl Planetarium. The actual 75th anniversary of The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science will be October 24.

The idea for naming a Minor Planet after Henry Buhl, Jr. came, this past Spring, from two staff members of the Henry Buhl, Jr. Planetarium and Observatory at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Science Center, Dan Malerbo (who began as a Planetarium Lecturer at the original Buhl Planetarium) and Frank Mancuso. They proposed the idea to the Minor Planet Center at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, part of the Harvard - Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The proposal was later approved by the International Astronomical Union, based in Paris.

In 1869, Henry Buhl, Jr., along with his brother-in-law Russell H. Boggs, opened the Boggs and Buhl Department Store in the downtown business district of Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, which today is the Lower North Side of Pittsburgh. Located just across the Allegheny River from Downtown Pittsburgh, Boggs and Buhl soon became one of the leading department stores in the Pittsburgh region. It became a Pittsburgh department store when Allegheny City was annexed by the City of Pittsburgh in 1907.

Henry Buhl, Jr. passed-away on 1927 June 11. He had no heirs, so he had arranged for most of his fortune to be managed by a new foundation to be established in the memory of his wife, Louise, who had died in 1922. At that time with an endowment of $11 million, the Buhl Foundation was one of the ten largest foundations in the country.

In 1935, the Buhl Foundation announced that, as a gift to the City of Pittsburgh, they would completely fund construction of a memorial to Henry Buhl, Jr., that would enhance public education in the city: The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science. Opened in 1939 at a cost of $1.07 million, the new educational facility included one of the largest planetarium chambers in the country with a Zeiss II Planetarium Projector, 250-seat Lecture Hall, 800-volume Science Library, and five exhibit galleries. It was the fifth major planetarium built in the United States and the last one constructed before World War II. In 1941, a public astronomical observatory was added, with a rather unique 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope.

Although the Buhl Foundation had originally only committed to funding the unfunded deficit of the Buhl Planetarium's operating expenses for the first six years, the Buhl Foundation continued underwriting the operation of Buhl Planetarium until February of 1982. At that time, an independent Buhl Science Center took over operation, but the Buhl Foundation continued assisting with capital and special grants. Buhl Science Center merged with The Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh (Carnegie Institute) in January of 1987.

The Buhl Foundation provided $1 million when a new Carnegie Science Center was built, on the Ohio River a mile southwest of the original Buhl Planetarium, for construction of a new Henry Buhl, Jr. Planetarium and Observatory in 1991. For the Buhl Foundation's 75th anniversary, the Foundation funded the Henry Buhl, Jr. Chair for the Directorship of The Carnegie Science Center, with an endowment of $3 million. The current Henry Buhl, Jr. Co-Directors of The Carnegie Scienec Center are Ronald J. Baillie (who was hired as Director of Exhibits, Programs, and Technical Services at the original Buhl Planetarium in 1983) and Ann M. Metzger. Additionally, the Buhl Foundation and its Frick Educational Fund (originally the Henry Clay Frick Educational Commission first headed by John Brashear) funds other Carnegie Science Center educational programs including the annual Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair (started by Buhl Planetarium in the Spring of 1940) and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) programs.

In 2004, the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, which had originally been housed in the Old Allegheny Post Office across Allegheny Square West Street from the original Buhl Planetarium building, expanded its operation to include the historic Buhl Planetarium building. The $28 million expansion project was aided by a $1.5 million grant from the Buhl Foundation. The Buhl Foundation also provides funding for Children's Museum educational programming.

On 2012 June 23, Buhl Community Park at Allegheny Square opened, replacing the below street-level Allegheny Square Plaza, sponsored by the Buhl Foundation and the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. The Buhl Community Park at Allegheny Square sits directly between the original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science building and the former site of the Boggs and Buhl Department Store.

The Buhl Foundation has also provided funding to assist with capital and programming needs of The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and other public libraries in Allegheny County. America's first publicly-funded Carnegie Library, opened in 1890, was located across Federal Street from the original Buhl Planetarium.

Minor Planet (4384) 1990 AA Henrybuhl is a faint object, looking from Earth, with a visual magnitude or brightness of +16. While Earth usually takes 365 days to orbit the Sun, Minor Planet (4384) 1990 AA Henrybuhl takes 1,549 Earth days to make one solar revolution.

Asteroids or Minor Planets have been named after several people and places with local, scientific, or educational reputations:

* Pittsburghia - In honor of the City of Pittsburgh and its scientific and industrial heritage.
* Alleghenia - In honor of the City of Allegheny, Pennsylvania, original home to the Allegheny Observatory.
* Carnegia - In honor of Andrew Carnegie, who funded more than 2,500 public libraries worldwide and financially assisted Pittsburgh's Allegheny Observatory, as well as founding The Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the Carnegie Technical Schools (now Carnegie Mellon University) in Pittsburgh and the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington (which created Mount Wilson Observatory, among several other scientific departments and laboratories).
* Langley - In honor of Samuel Pierpont Langley, the first professional Director of the Allegheny Observatory, who went on to become Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
* Keeler - In honor of James E. Keeler, a Director of Allegheny Observatory who discovered two asteroids and determined the composition of the rings of Saturn with Allegheny Observatory's 13-inch Fitz-Clark Refractor Telescope.
* Brashear - In honor of Astronomer and Telescope-maker John A. Brashear, who served as a Director of the Allegheny Observatory and a Chancellor of the Western University of Pennsylvania (now the University of Pittsburgh).
* Schlesinger - In honor of Astronomer Frank Schlesinger, a Director of the Allegheny Observatory.
* Shapleya - In honor of Astronomer Harlow Shapley, a Director of the Harvard College Observatory, who gave the keynote address at the dedication of the original Buhl Planetarium Observatory in 1941.
* Wagman - In honor of Astronomer Nicholas E. Wagman, a Director of  the Allegheny Observatory and one of  the first Planetarium Lecturers at Pittsburgh's  original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.
* Scanlon - In honor of Leo Scanlon, the co-founder of the Amateur Astronomers' Association of Pittsburgh and one of the first Planetarium Lecturers at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science, who developed the first all-aluminum astronomical observatory dome in 1930.
* Kohman - In honor of Carnegie Mellon University Professor of Chemistry Truman Kohman, who had been a very active amateur astronomer.
* Hapke - Asteroid 3549 Hapke was named in honor of Bruce William Hapke, Professor of Planetary Sciences in the Department of Geology and Planetary Science at the University of Pittsburgh, where he has spent his entire career.
* Emmons - Asteroid 5391 Emmons was named in honor of small planetarium pioneer Richard H. Emmons, who used inspiration from Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium to help him and his students construct a small classroom planetarium at the Canton Campus of Kent State University in 1949.
* Misterrogers - In honor of Pittsburgh television icon Fred Rogers, who produced national children's educational television programs for several decades. A children's planetarium show, based on the characters from the MisterRogers Neighborhood PBS television program, was produced by the Henry Buhl, Jr. Planetarium and Observatory at The Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh.

Carnegie Science Center News Release on the naming of Asteroid Henrybuhl:
Link >>> http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/csc_content/press/pdf/2014_June_20_BuhlAsteroid.pdf

Biography of Henry Buhl, Jr.: Link >>> http://www.buhlfoundation.org/whoweare/henry-buhl-jr.php

History of the Boggs and Buhl Department Store:
Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/bio/boggsbuhl.htm

History of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science:
Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/75years/quickhistory.html

Related Blog Posts ---

Buhl Planetarium Scale-Model Joins Miniature Railroad and Village (2014 Nov. 27): Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2014/11/buhl-planetarium-scale-model-joins.html

 

75th Anniversary of America's 5th Major Planetarium  (2014 Oct. 24):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2014/10/75th-anniversary-of-americas-5th-major.html

 

Solar Eclipse on Eve of Buhl Planetarium's 75th Anniversary (2014 Oct. 21):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2014/10/solar-eclipse-on-eve-of-buhl.html

 

Buhl Community Park at Allegheny Square Opens  (2012 June 25):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2012/06/buhl-community-park-at-allegheny-square.html

 

70th Anniversary: Buhl Planetarium Observatory  (2011 Nov. 19):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2011/11/70th-anniversary-buhl-planetarium.html


Source: Glenn A. Walsh, Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.


2014: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Historic Zeiss II Planetarium Projector at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.


Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Thursday: Hotel Sponsors Free Astronomy & Stargazing Event


The historic, 13-story Fulton Building, built in 1906 overlooking the Allegheny River in Downtown Pittsburgh, is now home to the Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel. On June 26, the Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel will be one of more than 150 Renaissance Hotels to sponsor a "Global Day of Discovery." The Pittsburgh event includes a lecture and a film on Astronomy, as well as telescope viewing for the public.
(Image Source: Wikipedia.org )

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

A "Global Day of Discovery" event, free-of-charge to the general public, will be sponsored by more than 150 Renaissance Hotels worldwide on June 26. The Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel event will include a lecture and a film on Astronomy, as well as telescope viewing for the public.

The Pittsburgh event will occur at the Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel, located at 107 Sixth Street in Downtown Pittsburgh, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday Evening, 2014 June 26. This is the kick-off to the Renaissance Hotels' "Summer of Discovery" events.

According to the Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel's "Global Day of Discovery" Facebook Page: "As revolutionary astronomer and philosopher, Galileo, was once inspired by the artistic tradition of the Italian renaissance period, the ornate lobby of The Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel is set to become the launch pad for an evening devoted to astronomy’s infinite frontier."

This "Stargazing" event will feature a guided planetary exploration by Dr. Brendan Mullan, Astrobiologist and newly appointed Director of the Henry Buhl, Jr. Planetarium and Observatory at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Science Center. He will be assisted by members of the Amateur Astronomers' Association of Pittsburgh with their telescopes on a hotel patio.

The event will also include the free-of-charge public screening of the film, “Undaunted – The Forgotten Giants of the Allegheny Observatory," a film by Dan Handley featuring the original musical score by Scott Michael Burns. This film tells the story of Pittsburgh's historic Allegheny Observatory and the scientists who made history with its telescopes. SpaceWatchtower blog author / editor Glenn A. Walsh served as a historical consultant for this film.

Astrophotographer Bill Snyder will showcase his artwork at the event.

The event will also include a poetry performance by acclaimed actor, Randy Kovitz, who currently stars in the hit movie, “Fault in our Stars.”

More on  the Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel event:
Link >>> https://www.facebook.com/events/635378769890551/?source=1

Locations of Renaissance Hotels Worldwide:
Link >>> http://renaissance-hotels.marriott.com/hotel-locations

"Renaissance Hotels Kicks Off A Summer of Discovery With Third Annual Global Day of Discovery." The Wall Street Journal On-Line 2014 June 12:
Link >>> http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20140612-905456.html

Related Blog Posts ---

Centennial: New Allegheny Observatory Dedication (2012 Aug. 28):


Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2012/08/centennial-new-allegheny-observatory.html

 

Pittsburgh's Allegheny Observatory History Video Now Available  (2012 July 25):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2012/07/pittsburghs-allegheny-observatory.html

 

Pittsburgh's Allegheny Observatory: New History Film (2012 April 19):
Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2012/04/pittsburghs-allegheny-observatory-new.html 


Source: Glenn A. Walsh, Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.


2014: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Historic Zeiss II Planetarium Projector at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.


Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Saturday, June 21, 2014

NASA Seeks Public Comments on 2020 Mars Rover Mission

Planning for NASA's 2020 Mars rover envisions a basic structure that capitalizes on the design Planning for NASA's 2020 Mars rover envisions a basic structure that capitalizes on the design and engineering work done for the NASA rover Curiosity, which landed on Mars in 2012, but with new science instruments selected through competition for accomplishing different science objectives. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
› Full image and caption


NASA is requesting the public and interested organizations to review and comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the agency's proposed Mars 2020 mission. The comment period runs through July 21.

During the comment period, NASA will host an online public meeting from 10 a.m. to noon PDT (1 to 3 p.m. EDT) Thursday, June 26, at:

https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/mars2020

The meeting site will be accessible to participants at 9:45 a.m. PDT (12:45 p.m. EDT). The meeting will include briefings about the proposed mission, its power source options, and the findings of the DEIS. A question-and-answer session and an open period for the public to submit live written comments will follow. Advance registration for the meeting is not required.

The DEIS addresses the potential environmental impacts associated with carrying out the Mars 2020 mission, a continuation of NASA's in-depth exploration of the planet. The mission would include a mobile science rover based closely on the design of the Curiosity rover, which was launched in November 2011 and is operating successfully on Mars.

The mission is planned to launch in July or August 2020 from Florida on an expendable launch vehicle.

NASA will consider all received comments in the development of its Mars 2020 Final Environmental Impact Statement, and comments received, and responses to these comments, will be included in the final document.

The DEIS, background material on the proposed mission, and instructions on how to submit comments on the DEIS are available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/agency/nepa/mars2020eis

More - Link >>> http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mars2020/news/whatsnew/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=1651

Source: NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory - California Institute of Technology



2014: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Historic Zeiss II Planetarium Projector at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.


Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Summer Begins Saturday Morning at 6:51 a.m. EDT

File:North season.jpg

The Earth at the start of the 4 (astronomical) seasons as seen from the north and ignoring the atmosphere (no clouds, no twilight). Front left: Summer Solstice for the Northern Hemisphere. Rear right: Summer Solstice for the Southern Hemisphere. (Image Source: Wikipedia.org )

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower


The moment of the Summer Solstice, heralded as the beginning of the season of Summer in Earth's Northern Hemisphere (and the season of Winter in the Southern Hemisphere), will be early Saturday Morning, 2014 June 21, at 6:51 a.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT) / 10:51 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). A little more than a week earlier came the Full Moon on Friday the 13th.

In etymology, the word solstice comes from the Latin terms sol (Sun) and sistere (to stand still). In ancient times, astronomers / astrologers / priests recognized that on one day of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere, near the day we now call June 21), the Sun would appear to reach its highest point in the sky for the year. The motion of the Sun's apparent path in the sky (what is known astronomically, today, as the Sun's declination) would cease on this day, before reversing direction.

Today, we know that, while the Sun does have motions, it is actually the motion of the Earth, tilted on its axis 23.44 degrees while revolving around the Sun, that causes the Earth's seasons. Hence, as the Earth arrives at the point in its orbit around the Sun, when the north polar axis is most directly inclined toward the Sun, this marks the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.

Alternately, the Winter Solstice, in the Northern Hemisphere, occurs when the Earth reaches the point in its orbit when the north polar axis is most directly inclined away the Sun. And, conversely, at this time Summer begins in the planet's Southern Hemisphere.


Although the Summer months in the Northern Hemisphere are known for the year's warmest weather, the Earth is actually at the point in its orbit farthest from the Sun (astronomically known as the point of
aphelion) around July 5; the Earth's closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) each year is around January 2. Solar radiation, and hence the heat from the Sun, depends on the length of daylight and the angle of the Sun above the horizon. The tilt of the planet's axis toward the Sun determines the additional and more direct solar radiation received by a planet's northern or southern hemisphere, and hence, the warmer season of the respective hemisphere.

The Vernal Equinox, when the season of Spring begins in the Northern Hemisphere, occurs between the Winter and Summer Solstices when the Earth reaches the point in its orbit around the Sun when the Earth's axis is inclined neither toward nor away from the Sun. Likewise, when the Earth reaches the point in its orbit around the Sun when the Earth's axis is inclined neither toward nor away from the Sun, between the Summer and Winter Solstices, this is known as the Autumnal Equinox. And, half-way between the beginning points of each season are Cross-Quarter Days, related to the traditional holidays of Groundhog Day, May Day, Lammas Day (traditionally, first harvest festival of the year on August 1), and Halloween Day.

In ancient times, the Summer Solstice was known as Midsummer Day, in earlier calendars celebrated around June 24. Such early European celebrations were pre-Christian in origin. Many will associate this ancient holiday with the famous William Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. Some speculate that the play was written for the Queen of England, to celebrate the Feast Day of Saint John.

As with the Roman Catholic Church's decision to christianize the pagan Winter Solstice festivals with the introduction of Christmas Day on December 25, the Church began to associate the Midsummer festivals with the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist on June 24. In the Bible, the Gospel of Saint Luke implies that John was born six months before the birth of Jesus, although no specific birth dates are provided.

More on the Summer Solstice -
Link 1 >>> http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/SummerSolstice.html
Link 2 >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_solstice

More on the Season of Summer: Link >>>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer

More on the history of Midsummer: Link >>>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummer

Summer "Solstice Day" Annual Free-of-Charge Day, 1985 to 1991, at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center):

Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/Buhlexhibits.htm#solstice

Related Blog Post ---

Friday the 13th Full Moon !  (2014 June 12):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2014/06/friday-13th-full-moon.html

 

Special Thanks: Eric G. Canali, former Floor Manager of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science and Founder of the South Hills Backyard Astronomers amateur astronomy club.

 

Source: Glenn A. Walsh, Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.


2014: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Historic Zeiss II Planetarium Projector at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.


Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

CMU Part of Time / Computer Synchronization Project

Principal and co-principal investigators of the Roseline project (clockwise from top left): UCLA's Mani Srivastava and Sudhakar Pamarti; UCSD's Rajesh Gupta; Carnegie Mellon's Ragunathan Rajkumar and Anthony Rowe; UC Santa Barbara's João Hespanha and Thomas Schmid from the University of Utah. Image: Doug Ramsey, UC San Diego
Principal and co-principal investigators of the Roseline project (clockwise from top left): UCLA's Mani Srivastava and Sudhakar Pamarti; UCSD's Rajesh Gupta; Carnegie Mellon's Ragunathan Rajkumar and Anthony Rowe; UC Santa Barbara's João Hespanha and Thomas Schmid from the University of Utah. Image: Doug Ramsey, UC San Diego.













Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University, along with four other universities, are participating in a new National Science Foundation-funded project, to improve time synchronization in advanced computer systems.

The National Science Foundation has announced a five-year, $4 million award to tackle the challenge of synchronizing time in cyber-physical systems (CPS), which are systems that integrate sensing, computation, control and networking into physical objects and infrastructure.
 
Examples of cyber-physical systems include autonomous cars, aircraft autopilot systems, tele-robotics devices and energy-efficient buildings, among many others.

The grant brings together expertise from five universities and establishes a center-scale research activity to improve the accuracy, efficiency, robustness and security with which computers maintain knowledge of time and synchronize it with other networked devices in the emerging "Internet of Things."

Time has always been a critical issue in science and technology. From pendulums to atomic clocks, the accurate measurement of time has helped drive scientific discovery and engineering innovation throughout history. For example, advances in distributed clock synchronization technology enabled GPS satellites to precisely measure distances. This, in turn, created new opportunities and even entirely new industries, enabling the development of mobile navigation systems. However, many other areas of clock technology are still ripe for development.

Time synchronization presents a particular fundamental challenge in emerging applications of CPS, which connect computers, communication, sensors and actuator technologies to objects and play a critical role in our physical and network infrastructure. Cyber-physical systems depend on precise knowledge of time to infer location, control communication and accurately coordinate activities. They are critical to real-time situational awareness, security and control in a broad and growing range of applications.

"The National Science Foundation has long supported research to integrate cyber and physical systems and has supported the experimentation and prototyping of these systems in a number of different sectors—from transportation and energy to medical systems," said Farnam Jahanian, head of NSF's Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering. "As the 'Internet of Things' becomes more pervasive in our lives, precise timing will be critical for these systems to be more responsive, reliable and efficient."

The NSF award will support a project called Roseline, which seeks to develop new clocking technologies, synchronization protocols, operating system methods, as well as control and sensing algorithms. The project is led by engineering faculty from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and includes electrical engineering and computer science faculty from the University of California, San Diego; Carnegie Mellon University; the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of Utah.

More - Link >>> http://www.rdmag.com/news/2014/06/new-effort-revolutionize-time-keeping-cyber-physical-systems?et_cid=3997816&et_rid=544605860&location=top

Sources: National Science Foundation, R & D Magazine.

2014: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Historic Zeiss II Planetarium Projector at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.


Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Mullaney Astronomy Book Now Published in Dutch & German

James Mullaney 'Celebrating the Universe!' book in English, Dutch, and German
Celebrating the Universe! by former Buhl Planetarium Astronomy Curator James Mullaney
is now available in the Dutch and German languages, as well as in English.

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

The book, Celebrating the Universe!  by James Mullaney, published in English last year, has now been published in the Dutch and German languages.

Celebrating the Universe! goes beyond science to explain the personal benefits of communing with the night sky. Perhaps the first book of its kind, this book also goes into little known aspects of stargazing including therapeutic relaxation, celestial meditation, and looking at astronomy from a spiritual perspective.

The author, James Mullaney, is a lifelong astronomer who has served as Curator of Exhibits and Astronomy at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science and Staff Astronomer at the Allegheny Observatory. He was also Director of the DuPont Planetarium on the campus of the University of South Carolina, Aiken.

Recently, Mr. Mullaney also published the article, "Stargazing Simplified," in the April issue of Sky and Telescope Magazine. According to Mr. Mullaney, this article, about getting back to basics and the simple joy of astronomical observing, has received the most enthusiastic response of any article he has written for the magazine--and, he has been writing for Sky and Telescope Magazine since 1962!

More & How to Order Book -
Paperback Book: Link >>> http://www.hayhouse.com/details.php?id=8292
E-Book Format: Link >>> http://www.hayhouse.com/details.php?id=8291

Related Blog Posts ---

Former Buhl Planetarium Curator Jim Mullaney To Be On National Radio  (2013 June 26):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2013/06/former-buhl-planetarium-curator-jim.html


New Mullaney Book: "Celebrating the Universe!"  (2013 May 18):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2013/05/new-mullaney-book-celebrating-universe.html


Source: Glenn A. Walsh, Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.

2014: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Historic Zeiss II Planetarium Projector at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.


Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Friday the 13th Full Moon !

Photo of the full moon over the Temple of Poseidon in Greece.
June Full Moon rising over Greece's Temple of Poseidon in 2008.
(Image Source: National Geographic Society)

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

The Full Moon in June of 2014 occurs shortly after Midnight, in the Eastern Time Zone, on Friday the 13th: at precisely 12:11 a.m. EDT / 4:11 Coordinated Universal Time.

A honey-hued-color Full Moon, around the time of the Summer Solstice (which will occur June 21, 6:51 a.m. EDT / 10:51 UTC), may have led to the traditional term of "Honeymoon," as weddings were traditionally held in June, when the good weather days of Summer would begin. The term "Honeymoon" can be traced as far back as 1552. At that time, marriage was compared to the phases of the Moon, with a Full Moon analogous to the wedding, the most happy time of a relationship.

To the Algonquin Indians of North America, the June Full Moon was known as the Strawberry Moon. This was due to the relatively short harvest season for strawberries, which always came in June.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the June Full Moon is also known as the Flower Moon and the Corn-Planting Moon. In Europe, the June Full Moon was known as the Rose Moon.

In the Southern Hemisphere, where the season of Winter is about to begin, the June Full Moon is known as the Oak Moon, Cold Moon, and Long-Night's Moon.

Almost two days after Full Moon, at the end of Flag Day (June 14) at 11:00 p.m. EDT / June 15, 3:00 UTC, the Moon reaches perigee, the closest point in its orbit to the Earth, at a distance of 362,065 kilometers. So even two days earlier, the Full Moon may appear a little larger than normal.

Also, remember that if you display the American Flag on Flag Day (as recommended by the Flag Code), the Flag Code does suggest that the Flag should be taken off of display by local sunset (long before the Moon perigee), unless there is artificial lighting of the Flag for nighttime display (Sunset for Pittsburgh: June 14, 8:52 p.m. EDT / June 15, 0:52 UTC).

The superstition surrounding Friday the 13th (which dates to the 19th century) seems to be an amalgamation of two superstitions from earlier in history: the number "13" as an unlucky number and the day "Friday" as an unlucky day.

In the 1960s, the Pittsburgh-produced, national children's television program, "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," used a puppet to end this superstition in the minds of children. In the long-time PBS program (which actually started airing nationally on the earlier National Educational Television network), King Friday the 13th was the monarch of the "Neighborhood of Make-Believe."

Program creator Fred Rogers got the idea for the puppet character, when he participated in an earlier program, "Children's Corner," which began broadcasting on the local Pittsburgh educational television station, WQED-TV channel 13, in 1954.

More on the Full Moon: Link >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_moon

More on Full Moon names ---
Link 1 >>> http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/full-moon-names
Link 2 >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_moon#Harvest_and_Hunter.27s_moons
Link 3 >>> http://www.farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names/

More on the Honeymoon: Link >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeymoon

More on Flag Day (National Flag Foundation, Pittsburgh):
Link >>>  http://www.usflag.org/history/flagday.html

More on Friday the 13th --
Astronomical: Link >>> http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/FridaytheThirteenth.html
Superstition: Link >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th
King Friday the 13th: Link >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Friday_XIII#Regular_puppets

Source: Glenn A. Walsh, Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.

2014: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Historic Zeiss II Planetarium Projector at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.


Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Sunspot Count Max Finally Arrives, But 'Mini-Max'

Years ago, in 2008 and 2009 an eerie quiet descended on the sun.  Sunspot counts dropped to historically-low levels and solar flares ceased altogether.  As the longest and deepest solar minimum in a century unfolded, bored solar physicists wondered when "Solar Max" would ever return.

They can stop wondering. "It's back," says Dean Pesnell of the Goddard Space Flight Center.  "Solar Max has arrived."

splash
A new ScienceCast video examines the curious Solar Max of 2014.  Play it
Pesnell is a leading member of the NOAA/NASA Solar Cycle Prediction Panel, a blue-ribbon group of solar physicists who meet from time to time to forecast future solar cycles.  It's not as easy as it sounds. Although textbooks call it the "11-year solar cycle," the actual cycle can take anywhere from 9 to 14 years to complete.  Some Solar Maxes are strong, others weak, and, sometimes, as happened for nearly 70 years in the 17th century, the solar cycle can vanish altogether.

And, experts agree that this Solar Max is not very impressive, more a "mini-max."

More - Link >>> http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/10jun_solarminimax/

Source: NASA Science News.

2014: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Historic Zeiss II Planetarium Projector at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.


Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Saturday, June 7, 2014

HD Video Beamed From Space Station w/ New Laser-Com Instrument

OPALS and the Moon This animated GIF shows Earth's moon moving below NASA's OPALS laser instrument as seen by a robotic camera on the exterior of the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
› Full image and caption


NASA successfully beamed a high-definition video 260 miles from the International Space Station to Earth Thursday using a new laser communications instrument.

Transmission of "Hello, World!" as a video message was the first 175-megabit communication for the Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS), a technology demonstration that allows NASA to test methods for communication with future spacecraft using higher bandwidth than radio waves.

"The International Space Station is a test bed for a host of technologies that are helping us increase our knowledge of how we operate in space and enable us to explore even farther into the solar system," said Sam Scimemi, International Space Station division director at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Using the space station to investigate ways we can improve communication rates with spacecraft beyond low-Earth orbit is another example of how the orbital complex serves as a stepping stone to human deep space exploration."

Optical communication tools like OPALS use focused laser energy to reach data rates between 10 and 1,000 times higher than current space communications, which rely on radio portions of the electromagnetic spectrum.

More - Link >>> http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-177

Source: NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory - California Institute of Technology

Related Blog Post ---

Lunar Laser Com-System Sets Data Transmission Record (2013 Oct. 24):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2013/10/lunar-laser-com-system-sets-data.html


2014: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Historic Zeiss II Planetarium Projector at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.


Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Thursday, June 5, 2014

The Art of Eleanor Walsh Perrine


This is one of the paintings, by artist Eleanor Walsh Perrine (1931 to 2009), on display during the month of June in the Mount Lebanon Public Library in south suburban Pittsburgh.
(Image Source: Friends of the Zeiss; Photographer: Lynne S. Walsh)

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

An exhibition of 15 paintings by artist Eleanor Walsh Perrine (1931 to 2009) is on display throughout the month of June of 2014, at the Mount Lebanon Public Library, 16 Castle Shannon Boulevard (near Washington Road) at the southern end of the Mount Lebanon business district, in south suburban Pittsburgh.

Eleanor Walsh Perrine, mother of SpaceWatchtower blog author Glenn A. Walsh, developed an interest in art at an early age. While in grade school, Eleanor was awarded yearly scholarships to the Tam O'Shanter Saturday morning art classes at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Institute Museum of Art.

She primarily painted landscapes, and her favorite subject was waterfalls. She and her family traveled all over the United States and Canada to visit different waterfalls, which she would photograph (another of Eleanor's hobbies) and paint from the photographs at home.

Sometimes Eleanor did paint on-site, such as during their annual visits to rural New Hampshire. This occurred while her first husband, William L. Walsh, a research chemist, attended an annual research conference at a college in the small village of New London, New Hampshire.

Other favorite subjects of her photography and art included brooks, mountains, covered bridges, barns, lighthouses, and small-town churches.

This Mount Lebanon Public Library exhibition is open during all library hours throughout the month of June of 2014 ---

Monday through Thursday:  9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. EDT
Friday and Saturday:            9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT
Sunday                                  1:00 to 5:00 p.m. EDT

More on Eleanor Walsh Perrine, including images of some of her paintings:
Link >>> http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/ewp/

Special Thanks for assisting with preparation of this exhibition: Lynne S. Walsh, Kiera Thrasher, Sean W. Comunale, and James McKee.

Source: Glenn A. Walsh, Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.

2014: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Historic Zeiss II Planetarium Projector at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.


Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >