Blog Comments

  1. Virgil's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Bluebiird
    That's why the silly nickname I came up with for you was Ōkami.
    I'll have to remember that.
  2. Virgil's Avatar
    My son loves Thomas the Tank Engine!! He's got so many of the different trains from the show and tons of track. Thomas is like the best export to ever come out of Britain! They have a Thomas mini theme park about three hours drive from where I live and we took Matthew there last year. It's kind of a small theme park as theme parks go but with a train museum; it doesn't have a lot but it does have a Thomas engine that one rides around. Matthew loved it. I should post a picture.

    And this past weekend they had a "Touch A Truck" day not far where they had one of most kinds of trucks that kids get to climb in. We took him. Matthew was in seventh heaven. He loves this stuff. I may have a mechanical engineer on my hands.

    Side question: Napoleon is your father? Why did I think he was your uncle?
  3. qimissung's Avatar
    Nostalgia is a funny thing, isn't it? Something will come along, you aren't even expecting it, and BOOM! there's your childhood laid out in front of you.

    Nice blog, Bluebiird.
  4. Bluebiird's Avatar
    Oh. By the way. I was using the word 'lunatics' in the wrong context deliberately throughout. I figured it was a fun way of saying could this weird, unexpected, sudden thing be due to the moon? But in a kind of wouldn't that be interesting way, and a good way to talk about the full moon too. The moon thing was actually an afterthought. The blog was originally meant to be about the dog but I ended up putting the moon in first. In case anyone was wondering.
    Updated 06-02-2013 at 12:48 AM by Bluebiird
  5. Bluebiird's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Virgil
    I've been known to turn into a wolf on full moons. Why do you think I picked my avatar?
    That's why the silly nickname I came up with for you was Ōkami.
  6. Bluebiird's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by qimissung
    So, do you think the owners let the dog back in? I hope he's OK.
    I think they just let him back in. At least I hope they did. I think we heard him barking the day after but we haven't heard him since.
    Updated 06-01-2013 at 10:58 PM by Bluebiird
  7. qimissung's Avatar
    So, do you think the owners let the dog back in? I hope he's OK.

    We have neighbors across the street who rent and have two dogs. The younger one chews on the fence and they occasionally get out. They got loose last summer and I kept them in my backyard for a day. They had to come home from their vacation a day early, lol.
  8. Virgil's Avatar
    I've been known to turn into a wolf on full moons. Why do you think I picked my avatar?
  9. drakemortuare13's Avatar
    Lunatic was used to describe a specific mental disorder called "lycanthropy". No, it does not mean the actual physical change of a man to a wolf, but it is similar. Around the early to mid- 1800's many mental patients believed that they were in fact werewolves. While the change was only mental, it was reported to occur most commonly during the full moon phase.
  10. cafolini's Avatar
    They are seamless today. If done with the latest tech, there is nobody who can verify anything. They are the tools of the greatest propaganda machine that ever existed.
  11. Bluebiird's Avatar
    I'm told that pictures of mars from a few years ago were edited to look more red than they really were, because people expect it to be red instead of a kind of dusty brown. It just makes me wonder if things like that can happen then what else have they edited over the years? I mean, it's not like there are many people who can verify these things.
  12. cafolini's Avatar
    Makes sense. Videos are easily edited and many have done it.
  13. Virgil's Avatar
    That's pretty good sky watching if you live in a city to see a constellation.. I think you said you live in London. Your telescope must be pretty good. Maybe there's a class in a local school/university you can take since you seem so interested. It may push you to another level.
  14. Virgil's Avatar
    Happy Birthday! Did you get to do one of those Lit net Get-to-know-you birthday questions or whatever it's called? Astronomy is cool hobby. Not that I practice it, but I know a few people who do. Actually one teaches astronomy at a local college as a side job and he sends me a lot of great pictures with what must be a huge telescope at the college.
  15. Bluebiird's Avatar
    I actually have a little update on "the round thing". I had a look out of my window about 2 hours earlier yesterday when it was higher in the sky. It looked a little whiter than before but this time I could see 4 dots instead of 3. According to my deck of flash cards Jupiter has 63+ moons and since it's so huge "the thing" being Jupiter makes a lot of sense. I can't zoom in enough to see any distinct features but I'm happy just to see it at all. To be honest I have wondered now and then whether other planets actually existed, having never been able to confirm that I've seen one myself. Kind of like the tooth fairy really. People tell you it exists but you can't prove it and then you find out the secret and you feel silly for believing it. I've only ever seen other planets in pictures or on TV and those aren't always accurate. I hear that pictures of mars are made a little redder than they actually are and that Pluto has never actually been photographed in any great detail so I began to wonder if the rest of space actually existed. Also I mentioned earlier that until recently I'd never been able to recognise a constellation so I couldn't be sure they existed. It's just very pleasing to confirm these things with my own eyes .
  16. TheFifthElement's Avatar
    Actually right now is a really great time to be looking at Jupiter as it is very visible in the night sky. Jupiter is appearing in the West; probably the best way to find it is to follow the path that the three stars that make up Orion's belt make towards the right and you'll see a very very bright object in the sky, bigger than any of the other stars. That is Jupiter. If you look at it through your telescope, depending on the apeture size and magnification, you may be able to discern some colour, perhaps the red spot, but more likely you will be able to just faintly make out its moons. It is very beautiful. Based on your description, I think it is highly likely that you have spotted Jupiter. There is something quite astonishing about seeing a planet with your own eyes. Apparently Saturn may be visible right now too, though it is quite low on the horizon. Saturn is very obviously a planet because when you view it through a telescope you can see its rings.

    I find this website handy for information about viewable planets: http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essent...saturn-mercury

    Also, there is an easy way to determine if the object you are seeing is a planet or a star without even using a telescope. The clue is in the old nursery rhyme twinkle twinkle little star - the stars 'twinkle' but planets do not. This is because the light from the planets is coming a much shorter distance, so is less affected by the aberration caused by the Earth's atmosphere. So if you look at the moon the light is very bright and clear, planets are generally quite bright and clear (and Mars has a noticeably red hue, though is not visible at the moment), and stars are twinkly.

    Orion is generally visible during Autumn - winter - spring time but in summer is not visible (northern hemisphere) as it becomes a 'daytime' constellation. Just below Orion's belt there is a nebula which can be seen as a kind of smudge with the naked eye, but would be wonderful to take a look at through your telescope. In the northern hemisphere Ursa Major (the Great Bear / the Plough) is always visible and once you've spotted it you can't miss it. Casseopia is also very easy to spot, as it is shaped very like a letter 'W'. You might benefit from buying a cheap planisphere which helps you to get an understanding of the constellations which are viewable dependent upon the time of year. I have one something like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-Plan...ref=pd_sim_b_5 though I got mine from an astronomy supplies shop rather than the dreaded Amazon.
  17. qimissung's Avatar
    Ah, Rich, if you came by more often you would get used to it.
  18. mtpspur's Avatar
    I'm in and out --more out lately--because i despise this new format and have YEY to figure out how to make a new blog entry but very glad I came online and discovered oyur birthday even though it's late. You are and continue to be a pesant memory for me when here. All the best--and no I can;t believe how fast the years are going by. Rich
  19. Gilliatt Gurgle's Avatar
    Happy birthday. Your "red star" caught my eye along with the new telescope. In case you didn't know, there is a nebulae within the Orion constellation that is nearly visible to the unaided eye, so you should be able to see a bit more of the cloud with the telescope. The nebulae and star cluster is below his belt. Another red super giant is Antares in the constellation Scorpius. Scorpius is coming into "season" in July. Have fun.
  20. qimissung's Avatar
    I love the title of your blog, it's quite beautiful. And I love the stories of your family's celebrations. You all always put a lot of care into what you do for one another. Mainly you and your mother, of course. And your dad always hangs around so much I'm not sure why he ever left. Silly rabbit.

    Anywho, that is a great gift. I look forward to more stories of your adventures in the skies.