Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, astronomy on August 31, 2023| Leave a Comment »
This week, we’ve touched on time lapse videos and astronomy, so let’s just round it out with an exoplanetary time lapse!
Stunning timelapse video captures 17-year journey of exoplanet around its star | Space
Beta Pictoris b’s footage was created by scientists who condensed videos created with real datasets that were collected between 2003 and 2020.
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, astronomy, inspiration, supermoon on August 30, 2023| 1 Comment »
If you have clear skies tonight, take a moment to look up. There will be a super blue moon overhead, and if last night’s preview is any indication, it will be glorious.
How Rare Is the ‘Super Blue Moon’ Appearing in Skies Later This Week?
This special event is the coincidence of two uncommon moon traits: A supermoon, which occurs when the moon appears larger than usual, and a blue moon, or the second full moon in a month.
More on what and how!
Blue supermoon: what is it, when it peaks and how to see it – NPR
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, Thoughts on August 26, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Excerpt from a random discussion with my father, recreated here in case you too want to know:*
I’d include some interesting factoids about the speed of light or something, but I decided to make bread followed by a whipped cream cake (we finished the cheesecake last night), so I’ll end with this:
Posted in Entertainment, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, astronomy, inspiration, look up, yay on August 11, 2023| Leave a Comment »
What are you doing this weekend? Maybe you have plans for an all-night rave this weekend, but if you’re free at some point between the hours of dark Saturday night and dawn Sunday morning, consider the Perseids.
That’s right, it’s that time again, for one of the best shows in the night sky, the Perseid Meteor Shower. And unlike last year, the Moon won’t be crashing the party.
Here’s a time-lapse video from 2021 to whet your appetite:
How to Watch the Highly Anticipated Perseid Meteor Shower | Smart News| Smithsonian Magazine
The Perseids are known to treat viewers to a fantastic display, and coupled with a particularly dark sky, this year’s show is shaping up to be one you won’t want to miss…
During a meteor shower such as the Perseids, Earth passes through a large cloud of debris in space. Right now, the planet is moving amid the rocks and ice left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle, which last was seen from Earth in 1992. The 16-mile-long comet orbits the sun over a 133-year period, which means it won’t be seen again until 2125. But every August, its remains create the radiant Perseid meteor shower.
/rubs hands in anticipation
This weekend’s Perseid meteor shower is ‘worth staying up for’ | CBC News
While there’s a major meteor shower every month, there’s nothing quite like the Perseid shower for those in the northern hemisphere, with the warm summer nights and better chances of clear skies. And this year, Canada is in a particularly favourable position for the peak night of Aug. 12–13.
And what do you know? I’m in Canada!
Perhaps you’re interested in a bunch of complicated graphs and a cool “activity level” dial? The Global Meteor Network has you covered.
The dial shows the peak sum of activity from all currently active showers and the sporadic background in the next 24 hours.
More interesting background information:
The 2023 Perseids Meteor Shower – YouTube
Sky & Telescope gives advice on how to watch the 2023 #perseids and explains how the #Perseids are formed in this video.
Not into staying up late? In that case, I recommend looking for new time lapse video of the weekend event on Monday morning.
Because this weekend, the best show in the solar system will be right on our doorstep.
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Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, STEM stuff, Thoughts, writing on August 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »
All good advice, and the world needs more inventors because the world needs more solutions. But if you’re not into soldering or whatever and still want to create, remember kids, writing fiction is always an option!
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Posted in Likes, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, cool stuff, creativity, fun, Thoughts on July 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Dear Readers,
Attached please find important information for your enjoyment and edification. It may be particularly appropriate for a quiet Sunday afternoon.
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Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, fun with words and other things, science, sky, Thoughts, Writers on July 19, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Today’s Word of the Day (in my world, at least) is “noctilucent.”
The term is typically applied to a specific type of cloud, “a luminous thin usually colored cloud seen especially at twilight at a height of about 50 miles (80 kilometers).” It’s the luminous aspect that makes these clouds particularly dramatic.
Noctilucent clouds: What are they and how can you see them? | Space
The name noctilucent is derived from the Latin words “nocto” and “lucent” which translates to “night” and “shining” respectively, according to Merriam Webster.
These clouds are seasonal, and in the Northern hemisphere that season is now.
Noctilucent clouds: The season starts now!
The season for noctilucent clouds at northerly latitudes is now. People at high latitudes report seeing noctilucent clouds. This happens every year, from about May through August in the Northern Hemisphere, and from November through February in the Southern Hemisphere.
I chose this word because its Latin origins are interesting to unpack, it refers to a beautiful and intriguing phenomenon, and it’s fun to say.
The world is a marvelous, mysterious and magical place. Science (and science fiction!) just makes it that much better.
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Posted in Likes, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, climate change, summer, Thoughts on July 15, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Mr Man and I went for a walk today, a hot, sticky endeavor that reminded me of childhood summers. Humidity, thunderstorms, and lightning bugs.
We have fireflies in the yard now, enjoying our long grass and pine litter and bird bath. They appeared outside a could of weeks ago, and now we turn off as many lights as we can to help them find love.
Turn Off Your Lights and Welcome Fireflies
Many of my best summer memories involve fireflies, so now I’m doing what I can to help future generations have such memories too.
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Posted in Holidays, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, astronomy, science on June 21, 2023| 1 Comment »
Happy summer solstice, everyone! (Fine, it’s called the June Solstice, but we all know what that means here in the Northern Hemisphere, don’t we? Summer!)
What is it?
Do You Really Know Why Earth Has A Solstice? – 13.7- Cosmos And Culture – NPR
Remarkably, Earth has seasons for the same reason that a good quarterback can throw a tight spiral.
Even more explanations:
June Solstice 2023: Shortest & Longest Day of the Year
Why is it a thing?
Because it’s cool. And also because our ancestors knew a lot about practical astronomy. Seasons mattered.
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Posted in Favorites, Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, behavioral science, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on June 4, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Some days it feels as though all the ideas have been done. We went for a walk today and passed a posse of girls in the park. I did a double take, because it was as if I’d been pulled back in time to the 1980s, at least as far as their outfits went. Are those high-waisted (deeply uncomfortable) stiff denim jeans I see? Check. What’s that, a Madonna-esque bustier? Check. Could that be a pair of Converse sneakers and a fluffy scrunchie? Check and check.
That got me thinking about Ötzi the Ice Man, a Neolithic-era man whose body (with clothing) was discovered in the South Tyrol Alps between Austria and Italy more than 5,000 years after his death.
Ötzi’s equipment is the oldest and best preserved in the world. His Copper Age clothing and weapons were frozen in the ice with him and therefore remained well preserved to this day.
— Ötzi’s New Clothes
If you follow that link, you’ll see that his clothes are surprisingly stylish.
I have no idea exactly why someone murdered Ötzi (not for his excellent goatskin coat, apparently), but it was probably for a reason we would at least recognize, if not condone: love, hate, anger, fear, revenge, greed, justice or security, just to name a few. Human needs, human abilities, human issues haven’t changed all that much in millennia. Even so, it would still be fascinating to know the specifics of Ötzi’s story.
In some ways, it can be the same with story ideas. The ingredients are the same, it’s how you mix them up that matters.
On the Quest for Originality, Recombine the Familiar – By Adam Alter – Behavioral Scientist
Often, the best way to get unstuck on the quest for originality is to combine two old ideas to form a new one, rather than searching for a single, novel creative nugget…. Trying to do something completely new is a recipe for paralysis.
If you’re stuck on a project and looking for a way forward that doesn’t feel like a 5,000 year old retread of the same old same old, this approach might help.
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