Category: Astronomy

132/366: New Phone Test

Crescent moon just after sunset, taken with my new phone.

Having picked up a new phone last week, it seems sort of appropriate to give a photo-a-day to a picture taken with that phone, as a kind of test. Also, I realized while on the way to SteelyKid’s taekwondo class that I had forgotten to take any photos with the good camera, and wanted some… Continue reading 132/366: New Phone Test

038/366: Cloudy Conjunction

Shots of the Moon and Venus from yesterday (left) and today (right).

In yesterday’s crude astrophotography post, I mentioned that the conjunction of Venus and the Moon would be closer this morning, but I took a shot of it yesterday because there’s no telling with the weather here this time of year. When I first went outside this morning, though, the sky was beautiful and clear and… Continue reading 038/366: Cloudy Conjunction

027/366: #SuperBloodMoon

SteelyKid looking at the eclipse through her telescope.

Really, was there any question at all what the subject of today’s photo would be? I mean, I’m a geek, I have a fancy camera– of course I was taking pictures of the lunar eclipse. But more importantly, I was sharing it with SteelyKid: That’s SteelyKid looking through her telescope at the early stages of… Continue reading 027/366: #SuperBloodMoon

014/366: Summer Stars

Stars from the backyard at Chateau Steelypips.

Today was Rosh Hashanah– happy new year to those who celebrate it– meaning that both SteelyKid’s school and The Pip’s day care were closed. In an effort to maintain my sanity while keeping them entertained, I took them to the local science museum to rampage through hands-on exhibits. We also caught the planetarium show, because… Continue reading 014/366: Summer Stars

Seven Years of SteelyKid

SteelyKid with her new telescope.

Today is SteelyKid’s seventh birthday, which she’s been counting down to for a good while. It’s a little hard to believe it’s seven years since she was substantially smaller than her stuffed Appa toy. She’s become quite a handful in that time, with boundless energy apparently derived from photosynthesis (since she hardly eats anything), and… Continue reading Seven Years of SteelyKid

My Week in Waterloo

My trip to Waterloo and back for the Convergence meeting accounts for almost 1% of the miles on my car.

I spent the last few days in Ontario, attending the Convergence meeting at the Perimeter Institute. This brought a bunch of Perimeter alumni and other big names together for a series of talks and discussions about the current state and future course of physics. My role at this was basically to impersonate a journalist, and… Continue reading My Week in Waterloo

Tiny Forces, Artificial Materials, and Wobbling Stars: Physics Post Round-Up

I’ve been really busy with year-end wrap-up stuff, but have also posted a bunch of stuff at Forbes. which I’ve fallen down on my obligation to promote here… So, somewhat belatedly, here’s a collection of physics-y stuff that I’ve written recently: — Using Atoms To Measure Tiny Forces: A post reporting on some very cool… Continue reading Tiny Forces, Artificial Materials, and Wobbling Stars: Physics Post Round-Up

SteelyKid, Galactic Engineer

SteelyKid experimenting with a balloon.

“Hey, Daddy, did you know that in five or six million years the Sun is going to explode.” “It’s five or six billion years, with a ‘b.’” “Right, in five or six billion years, the Sun’s going to explode.” “Well, a star like our Sun won’t really explode. It’ll swell up really big, probably swallow… Continue reading SteelyKid, Galactic Engineer