After just under a year without new classical content, here are a few new Astronomy Pictures of the Day with classical content:
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110117.html - Night and Day above Almost Planet Sounio
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110114.html - Quadrantids over Qumis
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110109.html - The Antikythera Mechanism
-- Robert
It seems strange to think of a world where there was not a giant telescope orbiting and sending us fantastic photos day-in-day-out (or should that be night-in-night-out?), but the Hubble Space Telescope is celebrating the 20th anniversary of it’s launch.
http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/hubble_20/
-- Robert
Powers of Ten is a 1977 American documentary short film written and directed by Ray Eames and her husband, Charles Eames. The film depicts the relative scale of the Universe in factors of ten.
Wikipedia website
Official website
Since the Age of the Internet, more of these sort of videos have appeared, often with a slider so that you, the viewer, can control the speed and location of the zoom.
Here are two I found recently and really liked:
One problem with them is the fact that they’re un-editable.
I’d like to be able to show my young nephews these, but they are so chock-a-block with items that would need explanation that the wood would be lost for the trees.
Does anyone know of a simple, or editable, Power of Ten clone?
After ignoring my blog for a few/many months, I’ve started updating it again.
I’ll continue where I stopped, with an update to Astronomy Picture of the Day with classical content.
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap100118.html - Eclipse over the Temple of Poseidon
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap091223.html - December Sunrise, Cape Sounion
I don’t think there’s been anything I’ve missed – but if I have, please let me know!
Astronomy Picture of the Day is one of the most popular astronomical web sites on the 'net. Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer
Today's picture is that of the Parthenon, with a dramatic background of the rising Sun.
(picture created and copyrighted by Anthony Ayiomamitis)
I've put together a list of all the Classically themed pictures which I've found. Of course, many more of the pictures have some classical connection because so many of the night sky is named after Greek and Roman gods, heroes and miscellanies...
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090621.html - Sunrise over the Parthenon
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090320.html - Sunset at the Portara
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap081221.html - Analemma Over the Porch of Maidens
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap081216.html - Orion over Nemrut Dagh
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080718.html - Jupiter over Ephesus
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070420.html - Pantheon Earth and Moon
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap061223.html - The Analemma and the Temple of Olympian Zeus
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap061205.html - The Antikythera Mechanism
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap040621.html - Analemma over Ancient Nemea
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap040229.html - Julius Caesar and Leap Days
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030320.html - Sunrise Analemma
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap020113.html - Hypatia of Alexandria
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap000229.html - Julius Caesar and Leap Days
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap960229.html - Julius Caesar and Leap Days
I'll update this list whenever I think a new picture is classically themed. If you know of one I've missed, them please drop me a note.
Since Copernicus showed that the Earth orbits the Sun, we've known that we're not the only planet in the universe. 20 years ago was the first discovery of an exo-planet - a planet which orbits a different star. Over 350 of them have been discovered over the years. BUT... until this week, all these discoveries were made with various techniques which detected the planet, but did not show it. This is similar to knowing that an airplane is flying near you because you can see it on radar or see it's contrail, but not ever seeing one.
Last week the Hubble Space Telescope took a picture of Fomalhaut and saw .. really saw a planet.
Picture courtesy Astronomy Picture of the Day
For a better articulated explanation - and information about another stunning exo-planetary discovery, click here.
-- Robert
I'll write a longer post tomorrow of the next day, but I've got to put something up now. 39 years ago, at 02:56 GMT 21st of July, 1969 a man, Neil Armstrong, stepped on the Moon.
"That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind"
If thinking about that doesn't make you pause, then think about it again.
Read more about the mission here on Kennedy Space Center's site and Wikipedia.
During the last few days there have been some amazing results from some newer missions:
The EPOXI mission has video showing the Moon orbiting the Earth. I know that we all know this logically, but here you can actually SEE the moon moving!
For more details, see the Bad Astronomy Blog - which is actually very good.
Another space probe, called SELENE, has taken pictures of the moon which show debris from a later moon landing, Apollo 15.
Last link for now - VERY high resolution images of Tycho, one the largest craters on the Moon taken by SELENE,
Think about it again when you look up at the moon. 39 years ago there was someone there!
-- Robert
There have recently been a few studies of the ancient world which have been aided by astronomy:
Dating Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain through tides (effects of the moon)
http://www.txstate.edu/news/news_releases/news_archive/2008/06/Caesar062308.html
Dating Odysseus's Return from the Trojan War through a (suspected) Solar Eclipse
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=2008-06-23_D91G27MO0&show_article=1&cat=breaking
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=homers-odyssey-may-document-eclipse
And Thale's eclipse which I blogged about before.
A lot of this stuff I get from Rogueclassicism.
-- Robert
Here's a cute summary of some superstitions held by those who seem like the most rational people possible - Astronauts and Cosmonauts.
Of course, now I must send you to a site which debunks and refutes every space related superstition.
Robert
More than 2,500 years ago, Thales, one of the first Greek philosopher-scientists, predicted an solar eclipse.
Without the Internet, with no computers, not even decent pen and paper for a scratch pad he managed to use science to predict what, till then, was deemed to be the work of a god.
The eclipse duly took place as he predicted - probably on the 28th of May 585 BC
Here are some links about Thales and his eclipse.
The Phoenix space probe has landed on Mars!
Here are a few links:
The next few weeks will be very interesting...
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