Archives for March 2006
Posted by Davin Flateau on 1 Mar 2006 at 6:01 pm.
2 Comments. Filed under General, Astronomy.
Lunacy:
The word is borrowed via French from Latin “lunaticus”, which gains its stem from “luna” for moon, which denotes the traditional link made in folklore between madness and the phases of the moon.
The association of craziness and the Moon may be outdated, but today, many lunar astronomers would tell you they’re crazy for the […]
Posted by Davin Flateau on 6 Mar 2006 at 11:24 am.
Make a Comment. Filed under Astronomy.
Many people know about Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, the huge atmospheric storm three times the size of the Earth that’s been churning away for at least 300 years. Astronomers report that the planet’s cauldron of gasses has recently produced another red spot not far from the first. The new superstorm is officially called […]
Posted by Davin Flateau on 6 Mar 2006 at 5:19 pm.
Make a Comment. Filed under General.
I’m not originally from Kansas. I grew up about a mile from the H.J. Heinz headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA. Depending on the direction of the wind, the entire neighborhood would often be inundated with the smell of vinegar wafting from the plant which packaged pickles and ketchup. It sounds awful, but you […]
Posted by Davin Flateau on 9 Mar 2006 at 11:46 am.
Make a Comment. Filed under Astronomy.
On Friday at 3:25 p.m. CST, the largest satellite ever sent to Mars will fire its propellant for 27 minutes to gently fall into its invisible orbit around the red planet. The truck-sized Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will join the three satellites and two rovers already poking and prodding the planet for its many secrets.
Mars […]
Posted by Davin Flateau on 9 Mar 2006 at 12:09 pm.
2 Comments. Filed under Astronomy.
Update 1:23pm CST: From the offical press release from NASA:
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft may have found evidence of liquid water reservoirs that erupt in Yellowstone-like geysers on Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The rare occurrence of liquid water so near the surface raises many new questions about the mysterious moon.
“We realize that this is a radical […]
Read ‘Breaking News: Liquid Water on Saturn Moon?’
Posted by Davin Flateau on 10 Mar 2006 at 11:20 am.
Make a Comment. Filed under General.
Just a reminder: The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter goes into orbit today! Pop some popcorn, turn on NASA TV, and watch humans navigate a spacecraft to Mars.
NASA TV coverage:
MRO Pre Arrival briefing 11 am CST
Live Mars Orbit Insertion Coverage 2:30pm CST to 4:45pm CST
From NASA:
All About orbit insertion
Follow along step by step
Watch the signal
Watch NASA […]
Read ‘Reminder: Mars Recon Orbiter Today’
Posted by Davin Flateau on 10 Mar 2006 at 5:39 pm.
Make a Comment. Filed under General.
MRO Mission Control just erupted in applause as the Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter was confirmed to be in orbit around Mars! Horray! And phew! Many spacecraft have turned from multimillion dollar missions into useless junk or crash debris at this stage, but not today. NASA’s batting average goes up a little.
Today, we […]
Posted by Davin Flateau on 13 Mar 2006 at 4:13 pm.
1 Comment. Filed under General.
You’ve got to hand it to the folks at Google - their geekiness knows no bounds. If you’ve ever gone to Google during a holiday or during a popular event (like the recent Olympics), you’ve probably noticed that they modify the google banner in the spirit of the event. Hearts on Valentine Day, […]
Posted by Davin Flateau on 14 Mar 2006 at 11:19 am.
Make a Comment. Filed under Astronomy.
It’s Albert Einstein’s 127th birthday! He looks good for that age.
The centenary of his famous scientific revolution last year was the focus of a huge worldwide celebration. But hey, that doesn’t mean we have to wait another 100 to truly appreciate what he did.
Among other things, he opened our eyes […]
Posted by Davin Flateau on 14 Mar 2006 at 11:52 am.
1 Comment. Filed under General.
It’s also March 14… 3/14… or 3.14, or everyone’s favorite transcendental number, Pi. Happy Pi Day! It’s simple enough - just divide any circle’s circumference by its diameter. You’ll get a string of numbers that goes on forever…
3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841
971693993751058209749445923078164062862
089986280348253421170679821480865132823
066470938446095505822317253594081284811
174502841027019385211055596446229489549
303819644288109756659334461284756482337
867831652712019091456485669234603486104
543266482133936072602491412737245870066
063155881748815209209628292540917153643
678925903600113305305488204665213841469
51941511609…
Wikipedia tells us the proper time to celebrate the day:
It is usually celebrated at 1:59 […]
