Conservative Musings

Global Warming and the Sun

Tigerhawk makes a reference to a very good write up on planetary perspective.  One part of that concerns the sun's effect on the temperatures of the planets around it, specifically the Earth's temps.

What is very clear though, when you look at history, and the graph above, is that our earths atmosphere and resulting climate is extremely sensitive to variations in solar output. The sweet center point seems to be about 1365 watts per square meter of irradiance…what we consider as “normal” climate. Take 1.5 watts/sq. meter away, and we get significant cooling, harsh winters, cool summers, and increases in ice and glaciers. Add 1.5 watts,/sq. meter and we get hotter summers, mild winters, and melting of ice and glaciers.

We've been told through the years just how powerful nature is.  With God being taken out of the picture more and more by society, then common wisdom has to accept that nature is the most powerful force in the universe.  What are we mere humans compared to this vast natural power, represented by the sun in this case?  All this power, up against puny CO2 numbers?  So insignificant, if you ask me.

-Colonel Steve

Around The News Today

Susan Sarandon has stated that, if Senator John McCain is elected, she will move to either Italy or Canada.  My vote is to help her plan her move.  Anyone see some sort of movie star watch list for this election, I'd sure love to know.

Speaking of watch lists, John Fund at the Wall Street Journal speaks of Barack Obama's history of gaffes.  He is sure making enough of them for someone to have a watch list going for the gaffes.  Could be a full time job.

We've got computers being trained to read our minds.  Sure would help some of us men.  Finally, we could do those things our wives assumed we could do.

Closer to home, the University of Louisville's Rauch Planetarium is running the show "The Planets", narrated by Kate Mulgrew (Captain Kathryn Janeway on "Star Trek: Voyager"). 

-Colonel Steve

The Phoenix Has Landed

NASA's latest Mars lander, the Phoenix, has landed.

This one stays put.  Not roving around or surveying the area like some previous landers.  It's goal is to check out Mars northern polar arctic area.

No word yet on if its looking for the Martian version of global warming.  It's happening, but I'm sure Al Gore would wish to cover that up a little.

-Colonel Steve

18 Years of the Hubble Telescope

This past Thursday marks the 18th birthday of the Hubble Telescope.  Here's a greatest hits gallery of spectacular Hubble photos.

-Colonel Steve

Lunar Eclipse

Tomorrow night is the last total Lunar Eclipse until December 20, 2010.  The eclipse peaks at about 10pm. The Louisville area looks ok, with a few high clouds starting around ending around 7-730pm.  The big problem?   Brrrrr......it'll be 20 degrees and below for most of the evening.

Better have a heater around those telescopes!

-Colonel Steve

"Death Star" Galaxy

Scientists announced on December 17th the finding of what they have labeled a "Death Star" galaxy.  The black hole at the center of one galaxy is blasting a neighboring galaxy with a jet of highly charged radiation.  It earned the name Death Star due to the fact that it probably fried a bunch of atmospheres off of any planets in it way.

These pictures were an amalgamation of data taken from some of science's latest technology:
    NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory
    NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope
    National Radio Astronomy Observatory's
        Very Large Array
    U.K.'s MERLIN array of radio telescopes

There's very little fear that anything like this will be Earth's demise.  Any black hole near Earth that is capable of doing anything like this is MUCH further away.  We'll have many cycles of global warming before anything like that could occur.

-Colonel Steve

Astronomical Stuff

Those interested in watching the skies will get a treat this evening with the two brightest objects in the heavens.  At Moon-rise this evening, Mars will be withing 2 degrees of our lunar satellite (that means REALLY close).  Here in Louisville, it looks like the clouds won't be around to mess with the view.

Mars may also be in for a collision on January 30th (via Instapundit).  A recently discovered asteroid, designated 2007 WD5, has a 1 in 75 chance of impacting Mars.  Very good odds according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

-Colonel Steve

2008 Astronomical Happenings

Last night was the Louisville Astronomical Society’s yearly Christmas party and monthly meeting. The party was great!  During the meeting portion of the night, we discussed some of the society’s things going on in 2008 as well as some of the things going on in the sky.

The February 2008 Sky and Telescope magazine (due out in January) has an article on Louisvillian Chris Krauskopf’s homemade Yolo telescope (dubbed the “YoMax”). Homemade is an understatement.  Take a peek, I think you will agree! 

Our Urban Astronomy Center, at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park, will be holding public star viewings on January 18^th, February 15^th, March 14^th, April 11^th, May 16^th, June 13^th, July 4^th and 11^th, August 8^th, September 12^th, October 10^th, November 7^th, and December 5^th. Times will be dusk - ????

The evening of February 20^th will be a total lunar eclipse.  In the Louisville area, the moon will be in total eclipse from 10:00pm thru 10:51pm.  You will start seeing a shadow on the moons surface at 7:24pm, and it will complete leave the eclipse at 1:17am.

The comet 17p Holmes is heading away from us now, and is barely visible to the naked eye.  But, coming into view now is 8p Tuttle.  Their both in the same northeastern area of the sky, around Cassiopeia and Perseus, so they are almost a two-fer.

Tonight (December 18^th) Mars is the closest it will get this year.  Not the closest EVER, just the closest this year.  Mars should be great to view all month.

2008 also has several planet conjunctions, meaning where 2 or more planets come in close to each other.  More on that later.

Sounds like a fun year to take my telescope out.

-Colonel Steve

Comet 17P Holmes

For a little while, we have a new "star" in the night.  That star, found in the constellation Perseus, is the comet designated as 17P Holmes.  Spaceweather.com already has several pages of amateur astronomer photos.  One astrophotographer from Sweden even commented about his photo: "Amazing! The comet is so bright that I had to do a short exposure not getting the comet overexposured in the photo! A really surprise!"

So far, this comet hasn't approached the photogenic qualities of Hale-Bopp.  But, considering it's quick rise in brightness, we might just see some good looks at it's tail in the near future.

Holmes will be a great object to view this Wednesday night, as I'll be out at a fall festival at Forest Park Community Church.  A couple of other guys and myself will be setting up telescopes for the kids to get a different view of God's creation.

Update:  Check out the Heaven's Above page for information on 17P Holmes and other objects that can be seen in the sky.

-Colonel Steve

Famed Astronomer Visits Louisville

Those of you with telescopes would be familiar with some of the various types out there.....Refractor, Newtonian, Reflector, etc.  Next week, the Louisville Astronomical Society will be hosting a visit of John Dobson, inventor of the Dobsonian Telescope.  Check the LAS website for the Tuesday thru Saturday events that will be taking place while he's here.

Hope to see ya' at one of them!

Update:  See Bob Hill's column from Saturday's CJ on the going on's this coming week.

-Colonel Steve