Driving home, north on 74, the moon was over my shoulder. It was eerie through the light clouds, and just to the east, shining brightly, was Jupiter. Astronomical pictures from a smartphone often fail. More luck than skill that anything turned out at all.
Tag Archives: Jupiter
Space Brings Back Boyish Wonder
There’s a Carbon Leaf song that’s an especial favorite of mine — “Blue Ridge Laughing” from Ether-Electrified Porch Music has this magnificent line: “Space brings back boyish wonder.” I cite it from time to time, especially on clear nights when you can see clear into infinity, such as here or especially here: The sky tonightContinue reading “Space Brings Back Boyish Wonder”
Pluto and the Solar Systems of Distant Suns
This morning, on my way into the office, I was thinking about Pluto and why its surface appears to be so young. I began to formulate a hypothesis in which Pluto, in the early days of the solar system, was actually in the inner solar system, then through gravitational interactions it was flung into theContinue reading “Pluto and the Solar Systems of Distant Suns”
On Seeing Things From Mars
I came across this remarkable astronomical photograph today–a conjunction of Earth and Jupiter as seen from Mars. Jupiter, as seen from Mars, presents a disc, and quite a large one–no mere point of light, Jupiter, no. Earth, on the other hand, shows phases, much as the Moon, Venus, and Mercury show phases when seen fromContinue reading “On Seeing Things From Mars”