November 1, 2009
Shooting Stars - Very Beautiful Or Just Plain Unfortunate?
The beauty of a shooting star crossing the night sky is undeniable, but while for some people
this is very romantic, for others it just suggests a bad omen. The understanding of the shooting star in
different parts of the world is both varied and suggestive. Thus, westerners commonly make a wish when they
see a falling star, while in other traditions, any shooting
star tells people that someone has passed away. Yet,
although we give all sorts of explanations to such sky events, they have a very reasonable and easy to
understand scientific background. Beautiful and great as a shooting star may be, it is just a
false star. Click through here for extra
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A shooting star is a meteoroid, or some form of
debris that enters
Earth's atmosphere and gets on fire. The great friction of the air masses and the presence of the oxygen associated with the high
velocity of the meteoroid cause the star-like appearance. Thus, the shooting star often doesn't even get to touch the ground as it
burns completely in the atmosphere. Big-sized meteoroids may not burn completely and they fall on the ground causing
crater formations. Such falling stars are known as meteors.
Scientists can identify the chemical
structure of a shooting star by observing the light specter during the descent as well as the
trajectory through the atmosphere. Though noticeable with the naked eye
only at night, meteoroids and meteors also fall during
the day, but this time they are detected only by radio signals, with the sunlight making them very difficult to spot
otherwise. Thus, scientists have
determined that the weight and structure of a shooting star can vary
a lot from snowball lightness to metal heaviness. A special kind of shooting star here is
the one that passes through an atmosphere sector and gets out into space again to continue its speedy
course. You
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A shooting star with a high burning intensity is called a
fireball and the measurements result from comparing the light intensity of
the meteor with that of a planet. As beautiful
as it may look, a shooting star has a huge
destructive potential if it is not totally combusted during the
flight through the atmosphere. Past collisions were
devastating for ecosystems, with great flora and fauna damage; should such a shooting star fall in a city,
the effect would be that of a bomb dropping, with
a higher or lower
destructive force depending on the size of the meteor. You can
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Filed under History of Astronomy by astronomy_fan
Discover all that Alabama Tourism has to offer your family getaway
Ensure you plan a stop at the Alabama State Capitol when you're making your plans for your Alabama tourism visit. Here you'll have the opportunity to search into the history not only of Alabama but of the Confederate movement and establishment of the Confederate State. Jefferson Davis was sworn in to the presidency of the Confederacy in the Alabama State Capitol in 1861. This commenced with representatives from South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana meeting in Montgomery to secede from the Union. You'll be able to see there is a memorial brass marker in the shape of a six-pointed star is set at the exact location ( on the top step, to the right of the door, between the middle columns ) where Jefferson Davis stood on February eighteen, 1861, to take his oath of office as first ( and only ) President of the Confederate States of America. One of many Alabama attractions that you can enjoy on your family vacation to Alabama.
Many years on the State Capitol was once again the appearance of a rebellion of a type. The 1965 Voting Rights March ended on the street right in front of the capitol. The march had begun in Selma with 3,200 marchers but when it reached Montgomery there were 25,000 people gathered together. This march was pivotal in getting President Lyndon Johnson to sign the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The structure itself was occupied in 1851 following the construction that happened after the first capitol building burned down in 1849. It is sat in the same location on the top of Goat Hill. The first center core of the capitol building is done in the Greek Revival style featuring a circular drum tower capped with a dome and cupola. At a later time the Neoclassical wings were added at the sides and the back.
Montgomery ended up being the capital after it had moved round the state to 4 other locations. When an enduring home was required the General Assembly voted to move it to Montgomery and make it a permanent home for the state.
There are tours available for the general public which are self-guided from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. CST. This is a great way to have your Alabama vacation be a learning time as well as a most enjoyable experience. Bring your family and come to visit the State Capitol in Montgomery, you'll be pleased you took the time.
Filed under History of Astronomy by astronomy_fan
July 9, 2009
National Heritage Museum and Massachusetts Tourism
The National Heritage Museum is something that you need to include when you are making your Massachusetts tourism plans. This opportunity to follow the developments of the American Revolution from the very beginning will give you a sense of just how dedicated the entire community of Lexington was in the cause. The displays take you through everything from the 1770's to the present day. You will be able to learn about the people, lifestyles and changes that have occurred during the evolution of our country.
The Museum has incorporated new and innovative ways to make the displays come "alive". You will feel the emotions of the time, hear the sounds and see the people that made the American Revolution happen. You will learn about the characters and their lives as farmers and citizen soldiers. The experience will be a lasting one for you and your family.
The Van Gorden-Williams Library and Archives will enable you to do the research you desire to learn even more. Although you can not remove the books and periodicals from the library you are welcome to study them here. The staff of the library will be more than happy to help you find the information you are searching for as well as answer any questions you may have. The library has it's foundation in the Masons. It was founded by the Scottish Rite Masons of the Northern Jurisdiction of the United States.
Filed under History of Astronomy by astronomy_fan
January 28, 2009
Ptolemaic Alexandria and the Development of Horoscopic Astrology
Readers looking for new things will be pleasantly surprised with this article. There are books and articles out there on the that pertain to to the heavens you can really enjoy and you don't have to be a genius to understand them. You can just sit back and spend time relaxing while you enjoy basking in their knowledge. Personally, I am completely different.
The foundations of western astrology started long before the ancient Greeks. The people who settled in Mesopotamia (It is in the general vicinity of what is now called southern Iraq) around 4000 BC considered the sun, the moon and Venus to be gods, or the homes of gods. Mixed with the other people were those who were believed to have the ability to contact Gods. They understood the basic cycles of the planets and stars and could predict major natural events such as eclipses. Later held beliefs and astrological traditions, including the practices of classical Greek and Hellenistic astronomies, were based on the astrological theories initially developed in ancient Mesopotamia.
Both Hellenistic and Western Astrology were influenced by Islamic astrology.
How is Ptolemaic Alexandria defined? Alexandria, Egypt was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC and became the capital of the Ptolemaic Kingdom (named after its first ruler, Ptolemy) from 332 BC (when the Alexander died) up until the Roman conquest of Egypt in 30 BC. Alexandria continued to be the capital of Egypt for nearly a thousand years until the Muslim conquest of the country in the middle of the 7th century AD and Hellenism (the Greek way of life spread by Alexander) continued to prosper there throughout that time.
Hellenism is unique with distinct features that blend Classical Greek culture with the cultures of people, conquered by Alexander the Great, who were living east and south of them.
In Alexandria, this translated into a mixture of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Macedonian, Persian, Syrian, Jewish, and Babylonian (Mesopotamian) cultures. One aspect of the rich cultural activity underway in Ptolemaic Alexandria is the development of Astrology Readings.
Babylonian astrologists first invented signs of the zodiac around 600 BC, but the earliest Babylonian horoscopes that were developed are only rudimentary charts that show the positions of celestial bodies at the exact times of particular occurrences (usually the conception or the birth of a person); most contain no predictions. Nevertheless, horoscopic astrology had its beginnings in Babylonian astrology.
Around 350 BC, Babylonian astrology entered into Greece. At this time, Greek Myths became entwined with astrology, creating the names that we know now. However, the most significant contribution of the Greeks to Western Astrology was the development of Horoscopic Astrology under Hellenistic rule – in Ptolemaic Alexandria.
The nucleus of Greek society, Ptolemaic Alexandria, melded the traditions of Babylonian astrology and Pharaonic Egyptian astronomy together. Greek had become the language of communication from Greece to India to Egypt, allowing for unprecedented amalgamation of knowledge. Hellenistic astrology was built on Egyptian and Babylonian traditions and produced a system of Horoscopic Astrology that is the origin of the modern day western Horoscopic Astrology.
The work of an astronomer / astrologer by the name of Claudius Ptolemy was particularly important to the development of horoscopic astrology in Alexandria at the time.
Ptolemy was a Hellenistic scholar and although he was born in the south of Egypt (85 BC?) also perished within Alexandria (165 BC?), it was unknown if he was an Egyptian or a Greek. He was a Greek man who had been born in Egypt yet resided in Rome, but it did not make the difference that it does now.
Ptolemy, a writer, is famous for his works the Tetrabiblios (where he compiled all known astrological theories of the time), and the Almagest (an examination of the workings of the solar system contained in thirteen volumes). Ptolemy not only believed that the earth was round, he also thinks that the sun and the planets revolved around the earth. The Ptolemaic theory, as set down in the Almagest was a work of reference for astronomy students for almost 1400 years, until it was established that the earth revolves around the sun. In spite of his contribution to the theory of Horoscopic Astrology, no horoscopes actually made by Ptolemy have ever been discovered.
However, several zodiac wheels found in Egypt are dated from the Ptolemaic era and provide evidence of that eras contribution to Horoscopic Astrology.
The most widely known of these is the Dendera zodiac ,found on the ceiling of a chapel dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Osiris.
It can be viewed at Paris' famous Louvre Museum.
In the early 19th century, the renowned French linguist Jean-Francois Champollion (they were the ones who had figured out what the hieroglyphics had stood for a number of years earlier.) correctly dated the Dendera zodiac to the Ptolemaic era. Currently the date that is agreed upon is 50 BC since it demonstrates the situation of the stars and planets as they would have been observed then. The Dendera zodiac is a map of the stars on a plane projection and shows the twelve constellations (zodiacal band) forming 36 ten-day Decans, and is further evidence of how Babylonian astrology merged with traditional Egyptian Decanic astrology.
The Horoscopic Astrology Symbols developed by Hellenistic scholars in Ptolemaic Alexandria was the result of the fusion of Mesopotamian, Egyptian and Greek astrology. Hellenistic astrology lasted until about the seventh century AD. In the eighth century, Muslim scholars revitalized interest in the basic elements of ancient astronomy to provide the original source for Western Horoscopic Astrology as we know it today.
Filed under History of Astronomy by astronomy_fan
August 25, 2008
Why is the Sky Dark at Night
Why is the sky dark at night? What are you talking about Carl, there is no sun of course it's dark. Well I got to thinking about this after looking at some star fields one night. There are billions upon billions of stars in every direction you look, so shouldn't their combined output leave the sky awash in light? Everywhere you look there should be a star right? Seemed reasonable so it was time for some searching.
Here is a picture explaining the question:

It seems Johannes Kepler pondered this very idea back in the early 1600's. But it really took root in the mind of Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers in 1823 and then when his work was published in 1826 it became known as Olbers' Paradox. If we assume that the universe contains an infinite amount of stars then, every sight line should end at a star, and each point in space should be as bright as a star.
The answer, it turns out, is twofold, 1) that because the universe is expanding the light from distant stars is red-shifted to be unseen and 2) because the universe is of a finite age (14 billion years) light from objects further than 14 billion light years away have not had time to reach us.
Edgar Alan Poe seems to be the first one to get it right,
"Were the succession of stars endless, then the background of the sky would present us a uniform luminosity, like that displayed by the Galaxy –since there could be absolutely no point, in all that background, at which would not exist a star. The only mode, therefore, in which, under such a state of affairs, we could comprehend the voids which our telescopes find in innumerable directions, would be by supposing the distance of the invisible background so immense that no ray from it has yet been able to reach us at all." From 'Edgar Allan Poe: Eureka–A Prose Poem'
There you have it.
Filed under History of Astronomy by admin
