The Union of Venus & Mars

On January 30, 2017, our sister world Venus completes her march towards the red planet Mars, a baby moon tagging along at her heels. And on this day, this daughter of Venus will march toward my own love and partner, a man of Mars. The very symbols of these ancient wanders marking man & wife in harmony with the cosmos. At 1:30 on 1/30, beneath the radiance of our sun and the hidden brilliance of these two worlds, these two Earthlings become one.
For better or worse, we are ready for this adventure.
We welcome the Union of Venus & Mars! 

- My final post as S.S.

My View Indoors

I'd like to post a note, for the record, of the beautiful view I see daily as I walk to and from my office. A stellar masterpiece glistening with silent energy and beckoning my mind beyond the clouds. Its a mini dome in the lobby replicating the larger 40 ft dome of the Bishop Planetarium.
So many stories begin here...

 I'd also like to post a note, for the record, that the frequency of published blog posts is inversely related to the number of hours I spend indoors gazing digital stars. Celebrating 50 years of the Bishop planetarium in 2016. Big, important history, big important stories to tell.

But alas I don't want to lapse so long I risk losing the blog or worse, forgetting I have it, so here is another fun pic found on the phone:

FeNi (our museum's hunky Campo de Cielo meteorite fragment) lovingly polished by visiting 4th grade friends. You can't even see the meteorite there are so many little human hands! I love it! 

The Unblinking Eye of Mars

Click to enlarge

Tis the season in our brother world's orbit when its face looks brighter than ever. Swinging into position behind the Earth so that it is opposite the sun in our sky, Mars will appear fully illuminated to our Earthbound eyes. Just as a Full Moon sits behind the Earth and receives full sunlight, so too does Mars this season. This is why the placement is called opposition.

The real treat comes in the early morning hours of Tuesday, April 15. At around 1:30 A.M. the Full Moon, fully illuminated by the Sun, will pass into the shadow of the Earth. Scattering the white sunlight of the Sun, the shadow will cast a dark red cloak upon the surface of our Moon. Bathed in this red blood light, the Moon will nearly disappear from view for over an hour before it pulls itself out of the heavenly darkness and is reborn into the full radiant of pure sunlight. All of this happens in just the right spot, opposite the sun, where Mars is hanging out.

Playing around with the Bishop Planetarium's amazing Digistar5 star system, I ran a simulation of the lunar eclipse with Mars unnaturally giant in the background. Here La Luna drifts into the shadow...lingers in darkness...and then emerges safely on the other side...

1:30 am 4/15/14 

3:00 am 4/15/14

4:30 am 4/15/14 

Feeling adventurous? Brew yourself that perfect cup of coffee at 11:55 P.M. on Monday April 14, go out and find yourself a nice dark spot to watch the celestial drama of our Moon being swallowed whole only to reemerge as glorious and full as ever.

Dark Side of Oz: The Sync Experience

You've heard of it before...now see it for yourself: 

Pink Floyd's iconic Dark Side of the Moon in sync 

with The Wizard of Oz. 

Sonic wizardry meets full prism Technicolor.

Pink Floyd online http://www.pinkfloydonline.com/dark-side-of-the-moon-wizard-of-oz/

Sometime last year I convinced my boss to let us tryout this synchronization project in our planetarium. The Bishop has a deep history of Floyd and so the mission was green lighted. I had heard of the sync for years. Begin playing Dark Side upon the MGM lion's 3rd roar. Sit back and watch the film and music lineup.

But there is a problem, Dark Side only plays 42 minutes while Oz is 102 minutes. What do you do at minute 43? Some suggest playing Dark Side over again. Some suggest turning to Wish You Were Here or Animals. Neither of those were a perfect fit.

And so began my journey down the yellow brick road, each night listening to my Floyd albums with newly tuned ears, listening for stories, emotions, moments which run parallel to the journey of our four screen friends. In the end, I complied a list of songs which sang to me the missing links. I sat down and scripted the sync out to get an idea of timing and jive. IT -WAS -  PERFECT. If you play the songs I suggest, with the timed version I suggest, you simply hit PLAY at the 3rd lion roar and watch as the synchronization takes over your world.

The version you see before you debuted at the Bishop Planetarium January 25, 2014. In addition to the amazing technicolor of the film and the sweet sound system of our dome, I also flew the audience around the universe using our state-of-the-art technology. Past planets and moons, dodging asteroids and beyond our own galaxy, it was literally an out of this world experience.

In all honesty, I can take little credit for this added sync. Pairing one of the greatest scripts and cinematography films of all time to one of the best bands to ever create music, pretty straightforward stuff. I felt like the music itself was leading the compilation, I simply had to organize share it with the world. I dedicated this sync experience to my dad, Michael E. Sprague who put the love of Floyd and the night sky in me. And I rededicate now to also my mom, Angela Sprague, for putting the love of Oz in me and always daring me to dream and fly higher and higher...

And so, dear Floyd fans, I welcome you to the Dark Side of Oz...

** Details**

1) I chose to use Spotify as my music player. I pay for the ad-free version and I love it. All of the tracks I used were the digitally remastered versions. For a straightforward Dark Side sync you can use the album for a more legit experience. However, if you want to use the medley I offer, you will need access to many albums back to back.

2) Hit PLAY upon the MGM lion's 3rd roar

3) For fun, you can slide the dvd volume up from time to time to accentuate your favorite movie lines. This is dramatic and snaps viewers back and forth in and out of their timespace. The audience loved it. 

3) I've provided you the song titles, album, length of song (in case multiple versions are available) and the movie sync time. For the live performance I needed it to be perfect. Plus I am an anal sob, with the exception of two songs where I was always so mesmerized by the screen I never got a sync count. 

3) Yes, I do recycle Brain Damage and Eclipse for the end of the show.
Can you get a better finale ever?

Enjoy, friends. 

Check out pinkfloyd.com for a trip up the vortex of  floyd spacetime fun.

Pink Floyd Online 

Goodbye, Old Friend

Inverted SkyScan & Projector D

This morning welcomed rain and thunder tearing around town like a hurricane. Yet within the thick walls of the Bishop Planetarium, no sound could be heard. I fired up the dome as usual, but for one last time. Ctrl 10 Ent. Turn on all. Yes. Cntrl 9 Ent. Start Digital Sky. Slide right. Green box check. Inverted sky grid. Cntrl 10 Ent. Projector D shut down.

Tonight, after one last stelliferous star talk hurrah, the 7 projectors A,B,C,D,E,F & G will be shut down for the final time. The harmony of their projection, the hum and buzz of their fans will find silence and peace in the last soft beams of the hazy purple light. And following, a moment of silence before all hell breaks loose as the team arrives to lay to rest our old machinery and deliver a new life. The Bishop Planetarium is entering a new era of technical upgrade. This era buries the past in thick dust, bringing brilliant resolution and clarity to the dark rounded corners. Tearing us from the comfort of our earthbound throne, we are beamed across the universe to the very edge of it all. Spiraling back in as if drawn to the drain, our travels will encourage all manner of exploration, investigation and discovery.

Dome center, Projector G

Digistar 5, an Evan & Sutherland creation. I do not know all of the details of this new system yet, but from behind the door I see a light so bright and wonderful its as if I've seen that rare meteor fire streak across the heavens and causing floods of inquisitive daydreaming. The future is here at the Bishop. The greatest of man's achievement in the planetarium arts. Though the sky is thick with clouds and fury tonight, our glowing lights resurrect the forgotten stars and witness the dance of the wanders. I sit in community with Plato, Aristotle, Ptolemy, Copernicus, Galileo, Brahe, Cellarius, Kepler, Newton, Messier, Herschel, Hubble, Sagan and all the other men and women of history who have looked up at the sky, wondered, contemplated, discussed and created systems from observation. And now, with the sophisticated tools of our time, we look out into the deepest of beyond, bending and gathering light with a tool more powerful than any one tool or organism ever created. And the view will be breathtaking. I can't freaking wait.

Jupiter Venus Mercury

For the last three nights, I have faithfully journeyed to the shore to give witness and homage to the brilliant dancing glow of our sister worlds, Jupiter Venus Mercury. And for the last three nights, clouds as dense as the ocean itself poured their libations directly upon our heavenly kin. So I spent some time on Stellarium (a free star map software program available online) mapping out what I missed and making this cool mural.

Beginning in late May, when Venus began her ascension past the sun and into our darkening twilight, the paths of the three planets were destined to meet, forming the beautiful and rare CoNjUnCtIoN. An ironic intersection of time / space where to our Earthbound eyes the gentle wanderers appear to head toward collision and certain death. Yet in the sprawling metropolis of solar satellites, there is currently little fear of such destruction. (While rouge asteroids and comets travel to the beat of their own orbits, and occasionally make contact with a planet, the solar system has chilled out greatly since its earlier party days and few mega collisions happen anymore.) So while we watch Venus shooting up like a Chinese lantern on a windless night, inching past Jupiter and mingling with the usually shy Mercury, take note that this brilliant ballet is nothing more than a quirk in our earthbound skies. And I love every moment.

See You on the Dark Side of the Moon

When I was a little girl, I lived near a pasture clearing in the deep woods of Florida. Thick pines and soft deciduous trees lined my little world and at night, the darkness of night hung low and personal. My young mind wandered and wondered through the clouds and stars, filling in my own treatise and creation myths. I thought that the sky was a dark colander, tipped over the Earth and hiding back the brilliant white light that peeked through the tiny holes. I dreamed of flying beyond in the brightness, my body as light as the beams themselves. I saw the birds flying above the trees and whispered my ideas to them so they could fly high and examine the world as I could not.
I remember seeing three little stars clustered together and thought of my two best friends and I, hanging in the sky forever together. Me, Violeta and Linda Estrella.
At some point in my ponderings, my father bought me a telescope. Mechanically challenged and disinclined to measurements, I wrapped my attention around the colorful posters hidden folded in the box. Our solar system in dust rings around a burning sun. A giant green moon mountainous and glowing.
I didn't know many facts those days. I could not have told you how many days it takes for our Earth to move around the sun once. I had no notion the moon moved separately each moment. The stars' pictures were evident enough to me, though written in no book ever or since. And the telescope, it lay in pieces in a drawer, its red shell a warning sign to my novice youth. But my mind was ablaze with spinning planets, drifting dust comets and the peace and strength of the moon.
I don't know why exactly I have such a deep link of my father and sister moon, waxing away the shadows. It would be years after his death that I would fully embrace and understand the pull she has on my heart and the power she has on our Earth. I can't truthfully recall a time we looked at the moon together, through my two small pieces of glass, though I have memory flickers I dare say spring from my imagination. But when I see that moon, and when I think of that man, my heart swells and one particular heart string hums a melody of love.

My father died six years ago of viral meningitis, brain damage. Though he smoked his whole life, ate ramen noodles and drank rotations of Coffee and Mellow Yellow and broke a sweat only at the heat of his wild hot sauce, the great end did not take his lungs, liver, kidneys or heart. The great end took his brain. In two days his masterful machine slowly melted under the pressure and greed of the undead virus. Eyes open, calling calling, eyes weak, fighting fighting, eyes closed, forever.

In the pain and fear and numbfoundness that followed, my heart whispered to his, "I'll see you on the dark side of the moon."

We played the Pink Floyd album, Dark Side of the Moon at his wake in the funeral home. Breathe, Time, Great Gig in the Sky...Brain Damage, Eclipse. I read the album cover with silent understanding of what I may never really know. The beauty and sadness and ultimateness of the universe pulsing through the melody and lyrics like the gentle heart of the mother's womb.

A mysterious link connects my father and I and the moon. A link found as common as in the ocean shells and sunflower petals and moisure clouds and ladybug dots. A link that tells us, We are One. And like the moon, we will rise again.

The lunatic is on the grass
The lunatic is on the grass
Remembering games and daisy chains and laughs
Got to keep the loonies on the path
The lunatic is in the hall
The lunatics are in my hall
The paper holds their folded faces to the floor
And every day the paper boy brings more
And if the dam breaks open many years too soon
And if there is no room upon the hill
And if your head explodes with dark forbodings too
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon
The lunatic is in my head
The lunatic is in my head
You raise the blade, you make the change
You re-arrange me 'till I'm sane
You lock the door
And throw away the key
There's someone in my head but it's not me.
And if the cloud bursts, thunder in your ear
You shout and no one seems to hear
And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon

Helllooo Spring!

Today, Tuesday March 20, marks the beginning of our Earth's Spring or Vernal Equinox. But while the calendar's little 20 box may look to be the start of this season, it is really the rotation of our world and its slow progression around our sun that delivers us into this warming season of growth. This morning, the Sun perfectly aligned  along our Earth's Eastern point and will continue to glide along the eccliptic,  setting perfectly in our Western sky. This perfection happens but twice a year as our Earth wobbles on its axis, creating  the dual equinox event in Spring and Fall. (This wobble also accounts for the Sun's procession across the sky that completes its own rotation every 26,000 years.) For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, we have begun to once again point closer to the sun thus receiving more and more sunlight and therefore more warmth. In contrast, the Southern Hemisphere is now beginning to point away from the sun, creeping into colder and more dark days. But for two days of the year all Earthings will experience the same exact thing. A day and night of equal length. Everyone on Earth today will experience a 12 hour day and 12 hour night. If we did not wobble, that is if our poles aligned directly north and south, but spun directly up like a freshly released spinning top, we would have eternal equinox. If our poles aligned more like Uranus, running East and West, one half of the Earth would forever be bathed in sunlight while night forever held the other. Fortunately, for now, our poles are positioned in such a way to make Earth habitable to its beautifully diverse flora and fauna. And as we wobble closer to the sun and gain its warm glow, fresh life buds from the dark soil, springs up from the rocks and breaths life into the stiff winter air.
It is a time to rejoice in new life and embrace the fruits of the Earth. Early humans celebrated the arrival of spring with festivals of bounty and the intricate decoration of eggs, the symbol of life. We have similiar rituals of celebration today from Easter to Picnicing to Baseball Spring Training. The glory of the Christian Resurrection, the return of lush green grass and leaves, the smell of sweat and leather of the baseball field. It is a time of joy, a time of celebration, and a time of gratitude. Take time today to acknowledge the warmth of the sun, the fresh oxygen from budding plants and the wondrous movement of our little spaceship Earth.

Cassiopeia Reigns the Night

At midnight tonight I spotted the season's reigning royal hanging boldly in the sky. Made of five bright stars, her angles carve out a crown of heavenly proportions.

To Spot Her:
Face NE, 2oclock, look for the #3.
Once you see it, you can't unsee it.

Cassiopeia is a constellation named for the Greek Queen, mother of Andromeda and Wife of Cepheus. This family caused a lot of drama and were immortalized in star-form as befitting their celebrity.

Banished from Earth by the Olypmian Gods and hung upside down for her insolence, Cassiopeia still holds an elegant beauty. And, she lights the way for more amazing star finds. If the crown is a 3, there are two peaks. The 1st top peak points directly to the Andromeda Galaxy-M31-nesseled right at the heart of the princess constellation. This galaxy can be seen in very dark environments. It is the closest neighbor galaxy and it getting closer. Scientists estimate our Milky Way galaxy will collide with Andromeda in the next 2 billion years. With a telescope, you can easily find evidence of Andromeda's collision history. The wreckage-M32-fell into the orbital spin of the monster cluster. The sight is at once violent and peaceful.

The bottom, shorter peak of Cassiopeia's 3 opens like  > to reveal the King of the earthbound sky, Polaris. The North Star. Sitting spot on the magnetic north pole of our celestial sphere. For now, in our precious experience, this star is the ultimate GPS unit. But in 13,000 years, forget it. We will have spun off center of his position and approach the lyre and its Vega. Funny wonderful coincedence.

This is my favorite time of year for stargazing. There is something about this season that pulls at my heart strings just right. And its always amazing to share that moment with fellow dreamers, if only in silent oblivion.Thanks for reading, keep looking up!



**GoogleSky App is the coolest tool you will ever find for stargazing. A PC version is available. Astronomy Today is a great resource for celestial data and DomeoftheSky rocks for mythology.**

Prehistoric Planetarium of Lascaux

17,000 years ago our human ancestors gazed upon the same earthbound sky we now enjoy. Armed with growing brains and wild imagination, they created rich paintings upon cave walls. They depicted the most important events and spectacles of their age. Animals and rituals of the hunt, lush and beautiful vegetation, and of course the greatest wonder in nature: the human form. But among the images another sort are found --thousands of years later our contemporary eyes recognize this illustrations as common nightly visions. Sketched in brilliant pigments, these ancient murals detail the position of the stars. Vega, Denebe and Altair- the three stars of the summer triangle, take a prominent position in the cave art. Seven tiny dots form the Seven Sister of The Pleiades. Above a curve figure seems to represent the extrordinary sight of the Northern Crown. Were the caves a quiet refuge in which our early brothers educated their kind with maps and stories of wonder? It would appear so. Dr. Rappenglueck, a German scientist, tells BBC News Online, "It is a map of the prehistoric cosmos. It was their sky, full of animals and spirit guides."


From tiny paint dots on a cave wall, to elaborate digital machines capable of projecting thousands of tiny starlike lights on domed screen, man is obsessed with capturing the wonders of nature with tools of his hands. So the next time you are sitting in the quiet, cool refuge of your local planetarium, close your eyes and imagine sitting in the quiet, cool refuge of a natural cave, listening to your elders relay the wisdom and wonder unique to our human minds. Tat Tvam Asi. We are One.

Creating Constellations

There is no rule in astronomy that's says you can't create your own constellations. Perseus, Pegasus, Cassiopia, long dead heros of another time. The big dipper is cool, I totally spot my curry ladle twisting round in the north. But the little dipper? Forget it, even I have never seen it clearly. I love spotting Orion in his manly stance, but Sagitarius the archer only looks like a little teapot. No, I much rather enjoy connecting-the-stars in more familiar shapes like the VW beetle, lollipops, and the "mind blowing star made of stars."
With this personal affinity for creating constellations you can imagine my grotesque excitement when I stumbled upon this t-shirt. While I wanted it more than anything, it simply was not meant for me. Instead I gifted it to my best astrogeek friend Maxwell. (Though I did wear it to bed one night, shhh don't tell him.) Afterall, if there was ever a star gaze to find "pterodactyl with machine gun" it would be Death Bear.

Clear Sky Adventures

Each night, as our Earth spins away from the Sun, our sky dims to dark allowing the tiny vibrancy of our intersteller comrades to shine through to wide eyed eager eyes. Generation after generation we are sharing this earthbound sky, sharing stories and knowledge binds us as a human race. And yet, despite this nightly show, most people do not look up but with a passing glance of admiration. As an astronomy teacher I always embrace the chance to talk to friends and probe their knowledge of the extraterrestrial realm. From hunting out favorite constellations to locating the eclliptic or discovering satellites, my fellow humanoids generally love having a knowledgable pal handy.

Often times people are intimated by the great size and span of the space beyond. I've heard friends say, "I love space, but there is so much to know, I'll never know what Im looking at." Well fear no more fellow star gazers! For those living in the Tampa Bay area, a new astronomy master has entered the teaching arena. Clear Sky Adventures offers a wealth of learning programs and outtings. Equipped with the best telescope gadgetry on the market, their experienced Science Guides will work to squeeze the vastness of space into easily understandable lessons for ages 3-93. Friendly, passionate and skilled in star gazing navigation an evening with these astrogeeks will not disappoint!

For booking information and details check out their new site: http://www.clearskyadventures.com/
*Tell them I sent you over and you will receive the friendliest service ever! :D

Happy Star Gazing!

Star Lab Day


Last Friday, on an evening with a brilliant yellow fingernailofGod Moon, I volunteered in my good friend's first grade class. That day was to be Star Lab Day and tension hung in the air like mountain fog. The students' constant obsession, the teachers' reluctant preparation, the giant plastic dome sprawling across the media center floor jiggling with blown air, fear and wonder colliding.


The day began routine enough for the students and their charming teacher, Mrs. B. Scrambled moments of homework return, morning greetings and the pledge of allegiance signaled the starting line of this first grade day. Yet today also delivered the wonderful questions of confusion marked by large attentive eyes commonly known as Star Lab mania. Standing firm in her position, like the Captain of a rowdy vessel, Mrs. B guided the sea of minds with masterly command and gentle care .Mother to 18 bouncing heads, her movements are quick but her tongue quicker. One tandrum quailed with soft understanding nods while an ambush to the side simmers in reflection of lost rewards. My role is simple in this erratic ballet, I float and I push the other dancers along.



The hour then peaks with midday in sky, while inside the darkness pulls in eager minds. Ahead of the gang with time to prepare, I crawl through the cold opening of plastic and air. Flashlights in hand, in slow pointed steps, I explore the small meadow under an electric night. Large points of light steal the gaze while fainter sisters wait patiently for the adjusting eye. By fours bodies enter, giggling and rushed, as my lightbeam directs them to crowded carpet spots. Squeals of delight mask fearful faces, questions and comments racing across the dome like invisible comets of hot air. It is hot and stuffy with 20+ bodies, the heat of the projector only absorbing the chill of the mighty blowers. Yet in the heat and darkness and noise, adventurous scenes captivate the gazers. Points of light once distinct now merge to form shapes of beauty and beasts alike. A dipper awakens into the Big Bear, the familar W of Casseopia outlines her eternal crown. Cygnus dives deep into the dark West while Orion stands tall,his bright nosed puppy in toe. Hands on the head in V-like form, for powerful horns, we spot Taurus the Bull dodging the two hunters in their rythmic chase. With arching observation we see the moon's path as the remaining zodiac animals parade through the night.

In the heat and the darkness and the noise, wonder strikes. Eyes to the heavens and minds in a blaze, each gazer promises tonight they will look up! Though only electric points of light on thin floating plastic, the radiance and glory of the beyond shine through. First grade or 34, each soul gains the lightness of experiencing the night. Once feared and avoided, now embraced and explored. This is the mission of the Star Lab. And today, this mission was mine.





Yaniel, Katie and I at a telescope event with an amazing Space Shuttle inflatable slide!! March 2010



Sol Luna Tierra II

 There is no greater inspiration than my earthbound view of the heavens. My art can say the rest...

Planetary Mandalas

http://www.ccrsdodona.org/m_dilemma/1990/sag/mandalas.html

Like Time, nothing remains still in space. Time and space are one. And as bodies drift along in timespace, an invisible trail marks their path. Like sparklers burning designs in thin air,
our sister worlds carve intricate doodlings in emptiness of space. Using special logarthims and specialized software some scientist artists are recreating these patterns of planetary movements. The images are striking. In a function of time and space the gentle glidings appear like dancers with long
ribbons of silk. At once elaborate and simplistic, these creations exude elegance, evidence of a great design. So named beause of their resemblence to the beautiful mandalas drawn by Hindu and Buddhist monks as a spiritual devotion to the Creator.

I love staring into a mandala. The puzzlelike angles drawing in the eye while the mind relaxs into a silent witness state lost in intricacy. Swaying with the curves I feel a tune vibrating from the bottomlessness. They never get old, they are never truely mastered. I post them on my walls, I doodle them on notebooks and in the sand, I trace them in the air with incense.

And to think, these artistic devotions, so earthly in origin, are but recreations of an ancient art forged in the heat of creation. Our constellations and amatuer attempts to calcuate motions are like childish scribbles in the gallery of mastered mandala movements. Where, oh wandering stars, will your doodlings lead you to night?

For the kid in you...

My boyfriend's eight year old son lives in Chile and has recently earned the honor of presenting a speech to classmates and city dignitaries. With the world's topics at his fingertips, the young scientist jumped out of the box, and off the Earth as it were, to discuss to his peers The Origin of the Universe. Sensing the ambition beyond this endeavor he decided to relax just a little and focus in specific on the creation of the Solar System.
Although the young mind does not need my assistance, he nevertheless asked politely for my advice on his research. I did not want to give him any aswers. The hardest, yet most important part of learning is finding the right questions to ask. I just hoped to aim his questions and curiousity in the right direction...
Compiling a short list of websites and animations, I helped steer his mighty quest with this letter, written in English and translated into Spanish by my language expert, Alejandro.


Janito,
I hear you earned a prestigious opportunity to show your classmates how smart you are! What an amazing adventure. And even more so because you choose one of the most difficult yet wondrous topics in the entire universe. Your speech will be 100% yours, but you know I love any opportunity to talk about the science of astronomy, and I hope I can help you in any way possible. There are great websites and videos available to you for research, and I have included a few to get you started. But maybe I can tell you a little story first...

Humans have always looked up with wonder at the sky above. Ancients believed the sun and moon to be gods, and that their movement through the stars influenced the growing of plants, the movement of the wind, even the lives of men. The stars were so important, professional astronomers watched the sky over hundreds of years, trying to unlock the secrets of the heavens.

Some of the things we have learned in the last in 7000 years...

The planets are not stars, they are more like us made of rock and gas. The word planet means "wandering star" because every night they move just a little across the "surface" of the sky.

The planets move in a line across the surface of the sky. It is like the equator but at a funny angle higher, or lower than the equator at different times of year.

The sun and moon also move along this line. Because of this, the line is called the Ecliptic because it is on this line that the sun and moon meet. This meeting is beautiful to watch from Earth, we call it the Eclipse. You can find this line if you look East and trace a line across the sky all the way to West.

For thousands of years humans thought that the sun, moon and planets are all moving around the earth because the earth is the center of the universe. This idea is called the Geocentric theory. If go out and look at the sky tonight, you can easily image why they thought this, it really does look like the sky is moving around us!

But, about 400 years ago, scientific observation showed us something new! A scientist named Copernicus noticed that the planets Mercury and Venus move very strange across our sky. Playing with the mathematics of their orbits, he imaged almost as a joke, "what if the sun was at the center of the solar system not the Earth?" He laughed, and so did many people, but the math was too good and some people stopped laughing and started looking up at the sky.

Galileo Galilei as one of the men who looked up. Using the spyglass that was used for war, he looked up to the sky to see what was out there. First he looked at the moon. He observed that the moon, like the earth, has big mountains and valleys. How did this happen? Then he looked at Jupiter, the biggest planet and saw that it had four orbiting stars of its own! The little moons were moving around Jupiter just like our Moon moves around Earth! "Hmm", he thought, "what if Copernicus is right and the sun is really at the center and all the planets, including Earth, move around it!?"

This was an amazing idea! Scientific observation was showing humans a very different world. A world tiny and distant from a giant, blazing hot sun. This idea became known as the Heliocentric model or... the Solar System.

And the rest of the story belongs to science. Many men and women have devoted their lives to understanding WHAT, HOW, WHEN, and WHY the solar system looks the way it does. Where did the sun come from? What are the stars made of? How do planets form? Why do some planets have moon and others do not? Are there more planets in universe? Is there maybe life on other planets?

Best of luck on your journey to explore the universe. The best way to talk to teach other people about something is to love whatever it is you are talking about. The stars are huge and the math that governs them is precise, but everyone can understand and love the sky if they stop, look, and think about what they see. And remember, we all look up at the same sky. Have fun!!

Heavenly Hugs

Tonight, here at about 28° N latitude in Tampa, Florida a stunning Moon will gracefully slide by Jupiter in a heavenly greeting. Even before the sunsets, in the darkening twilight, the two sisters will shine brillantly to unsuspecting eyes.
Pull out the telescopes for an extraordinary double dose of wondrous sights. Waxing away the shadows, the sunlight illuminates the jagged terrain of La Luna while Jupiter and his loyal moons perform a celestial ballet. Near zenith at sundown, the two will remain in the sky until late evening providing the opportunity to witness movement among the Galilean moons over the hours. While you have the scope out look to the East just a the horizon. Orion returns to the winter sky, boosting his beautiful Nebula just under his three-starred belt within the faint dagger. A telescope will reveal the misty web of the nebula's cloud of gas and dust. Four little stars shine brightly blue in the fog forming the Trapezium constellation.
Chilly, dry and clear tonight should be perfect star gazing conditions. Keep looking up.

A View of Galelio's Sky

400 years ago, in 1610, Galileo Galilee took the Spyglass that was used for war, and turned its gaze to the heavens. Although Galileo did not invent the telescope, he was the first to use its powerful viewing lens for astronomical observation. Looking up, he positioned his two small pieces of glass to the most stellar of our outter space companions, La Luna. The Moon. Her silvery glow illuminates the dark night, enticing men with her perfectly spherical curve and complexion. The slow dance along an invisible trail puzzled early watchers as they stood mesmerized by the gentle waxing away of shadows and the inevitable return of the dark curtain. Yet the shy beauty, with all her grandeur and luminosity, bowed to the golden flame of master sun. A perfect companion to the king of the heavens.

And yet with a watchful eye, Galileo discovered imperfections. Deep caverns and rifts depicted not a polished, smooth surface but rather a jagged terrain scarred from the violence of an active beyond. With each passing night, the silent wax and wane of shadows spotlighted features which screamed of revelation. The Moon, goddess companion to The Sun, dethroned by the vulgar peeping eyes of one Italian. Modesty could not save The Queen, for in his observations Galileo revealed her earthlikeness. The Queen became The Sister.

Enraptured by his revelations and eager to discover all the secrets of the heavens, Galileo turned his scope away from little sister and onto her baby brother, wandering star Jupiter. Following in her steps and shining brilliantly, Jupiter crawls through the night sky as if trying to show his big sister how important he too is.

And in one fateful evening, Jupiter dethroned the entire human model of the universe.

Triple taking the sight within his lens Galileo observed four tiny stars hugging the glittering giant. Desperate for answers his gazed remained fixed for hours. In those moments his old eyes watched as the stars moved around like dancers around a campfire. Each maintained a personal rhythm, a style. Night after night the loyal children accompanied their great father through his tireless journey across the ecliptic. Doubtlessly familiar with Archimedes’ work Galileo might have shouted “EUREKA!” or “TROVATO!” as he was Italian.

With the evidence collected via his  “far”scope, Galileo set out to prove good old Copernicus’ heliocentric universe. And the rest, as they say, is history. 400 years later our earthbound skies tell a very different story. We now know we live in a universe filled with rocky earthlike planets, moons, comets, asteroids and dust grains so fine they sparkle like glitter. King Sun’s throne has been appropriately moved center, while our little planet glides 94,500,000 miles from its heat.

This is a great time of year to time travel back to Galileo’s days. At sunset Jupiter shines brilliantly through the darkening eastern sky, reaching our Florida zenith (straight up) around 10pm. Go out and find him. And when you do, erase your modern knowledge…and just look. Imagine yourself 400 years in the past, when the Moon was a graceful queen, the sun our loyal orbiter and the earth, the center of it all.

Head above the clouds



Above the clouds over Snowdonia, New West Wales Copyright John Rowlands



Although we astronomers curse clouds by night, the dreamer in us prays for clouds by day.

 Clouds- nature's elegant storage system for the most precious compound on Earth. The wisdom of the stars owes gratitude to dancing percipitation. Without the occassional absence man would never have looked past the earthbound fog, never have measured and predicted the movement and position of our fellow playmates in the universe.



And yet without clouds' rain and mists and suncanopies, the Earth would be a more deserted palaette of sands. Traveling across the planet with a determined crawl they deliver reflecting crystals of life down to lush greenspaces, gathering fluid bodies and thirsty heartbeats. Only after long journys over mountains and plains, through rock and mud, and along twisting rivers can the tiny droplets begin the ascent back into the formless tangle at the outter space above.

The Cloud Appreciation Society dedicates itself to the wide appreciation of our cumulus, stratus and cirrus friends. Browse photos, read inspired poetry, or add to the abundance of cloud art.







Rings of Mars

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   Towering among the old oaks like a makeshift tree house, the stage whispered enticements to all who passed. Flying down Magnolia on my two wheels I passed walking students, strollered children, leashed dogs and even raced a few skateboards. Together we mustered on the brown hay field. Standing at full attention or kneeling on blankets as if in prayer we waited through a torrent of openers, waiting for the moment when the clouds would part and Mars would take the stage. Thirty Seconds to Mars, that its. Last Friday night, just after sundown, a free concert featuring the kings of promise, New Politics and Neon Trees graced the fields of campus. 

A music devotee, I saddled my schwinn, cruised down to The Meadows and claimed a choice canopy spot in the 5^th stage orbital. My peers in this outer space sat cuddled together in talk or fiddled with their cell phones. Ahead of us lingerers tiptoed on the outskirts of the pulsing crowd, waiting for their chance to enter, or perhaps daring no closer. With each foot deeper, the rings grew more energetic. Barely able to fit into the tiny inner space, bodies jumped around utilizing the space above. On the stage more bodies danced and jerked in the glowing ethereal greens and blue hues. 

And then, darkness. All was quiet. In the moments of set change, the energy died to a faint hum. But the crowd did not cease and the pressure of their compacted bodies bore a tension which seemed to strum the strings and beat the drums onstage. A melody of anticipation. A rhythmic cardiac bass, mixed with a delicate slide along the chimes and now spiked with hard beats of drum drama. My back straightened in reverence, my skin aglow with boiling excitement. Flexing my head back to deeply inhale the moment, I recognized two heavenly spectators out to cheer on their planetary pal. Positioned over my right shoulder brilliant Jupiter beamed gaily while over my left a waxing gibbous Moon smiled gracefully. Outstretching my hands to each and opening my chest to the waves of music I felt like a buoy bobbing from the vibrations of energy but powerless to move.

Bringing my eyes back down to Earth I fixed my sight on the Rings of Mars. Lost in their sonic synthesis  the Letos and Tomo radiated sunbursts of energy into a chaotic and dense cloud of satellites. With an inescapable gravitational pull the stage collected massive rings of dancers, listeners and air guitarists. From the comfort of my 5^th ring, I was safe from the occasional comet loosened by a trip or shove from the pit. Beyond my ring, yet another slower moving ring coalesced from passersby, police officers and their groupies. Though on the fringe, they too were powerless over the paralyzing melodies and exhaustless vigor. 

Under a velvet black sky 100% free of clouds and boasting a beautiful view of the heavens, the band erupted into The Ride and stole the glory of the night. Goosebumps from the music and chills from the air, I took my leave. Coasting home, the remaining score escorted my ride with reverberations from building walls while open sky lit my path in flickers of moonlight.