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February 20, 2008 - St. Bernard's School and the Artic Eclipse... Comments: Where have I been? Socked in by snow. My visit to St. Bernard's High School was actually scheduled for Feb. 13, but there was so much snow on that day school was cancelled. Here and there we've seen a moment of sunshine, or an equally brief moment when the clouds would break and you'd see Moon... But the weather has just been artic cold and nasty. Guess what? It snowed this morning as well. Although I dislike taking road trips across the one lane backwoods when I know it hasn't been plowed, I really don't want to miss my visit as St. Bernard's today, either. So... Off we go!  I had a great class for 80 minutes and we had a wonderful time! I took them from one side of the solar system to the other and all across the cosmos as well. We explored sizes, distances, composition, solar physics, spectra, meteor showers, crater formation, comets, transits, space exploration and, of course... eclipses. The kids really had a great time and so did I! The weather was forecast to clear for tonight's total lunar eclipse, but it snowed all the way home.I just tried not to worry about it. Either I'd get a chance to watch tonight's eclipse and Saturn appulse - or not. At the appointed time when the Moon started sliding into the Earth's penumbral shadow, I knocked off work and went out... To a cloudy sky. Oh, well. I took my camera out and picked off a few shots in the clouds anyhow. Once in a while you could see Saturn sparkiling alongside the Moon and I was just happy I could see celestial mechanics in action. It didn't have to be perfect.  As totality neared, the skies became clearer and clearer. What a miracle! Of course, the temperatures here were around 8F (for all of you who use a different scale, that's -13.3C) and you could barely stand to be outside for very long. Heck, I had so many clothes on I could barely walk and one of my fingers actually froze to the top of the car where I was trying to balance my camera! I had to spit on it to release it from the metal without tearing the skin... No matter. I took loads and loads of pictures. Most of them are bad because I am not a good photographer and timed shots required absolutely steady hands. Some of the ones that turned out really good show all the stars around the eclipsed Moon, (in particular Regulus and Saturn), but for some reason I can see them on the camera's screen but not on here! Again, no matter. While our annular solar eclipse this year happened in the Antartic, at least this year's total lunar eclipse... Happened in artic Ohio! "And I wonder when we are ever gonna change it... Living under the fear till nothing else remains. |
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February 9, 2008 - Scouts at the Observatory, M46, M47, M93 and ThunderSnow... Comments: It had been awhile since we'd given a program at the Observatory and I'm ready. After all, that's what it's all about... Sharing what you love! With a group of around 40 of us all together, we had a wonderful evening. The boys were smart, polite and interested and two hours simply flew by. Of course, programs consisted of my "normal" spiel along with some of the new projects I'm working on. And... of all things... We had clear sky! Ken had set up one of the dobs outside and as much as I"d like to treat them to a view through the big scope, the weather is just too unstable. And about to get more unstable. As I was driving home, I noticed to the northeast what appeared to be lightning. I sorta' shrugged it off and just went about my business. When I got back the skies were still clear, so I hurried through my taco and went out with the binoculars to have a look at those great clusters in Puppis. I could see stringy clouds coming in behind me, but didn't think too much about it... Until the lightning flashed and the thunder rolled! What's this? A thunderstorm in February? Holy katz... Well, I went back in and H was happily trying to dig his way under the sofa. More light and more thunder rolling... and what looks like... Snow! It was indeed snow and ice. Today I asked around because I thought it was so strange and found out the old-timers call the phenomena "Thunder Snow" and it isn't the first time it's ever happened. It was gone soon enough, replaced by driving winds and temperatures well below freezing. Another weather oddity! Brought to you by Ohio... "We are the children... The last generation.... We are the ones they left behind." |
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February 2, 2008 - RAS Meeting and Staring At The Stars... Comments: Hey. I was psyched up again. It seems like a new year means new progress. I was so pleased with everything... Certificates for outreach work, award pins, good news on our upcoming Hidden Hollow and even some old issues finally resolved after months of trying. I haven't been well for awhile, but it's not important. I watch the steroids plump me up and grin as I find a whole new life and a whole new style... Just tryin' to be happy that I am. I'm ready early, packed, good to go... And my little sportscar has a flat tire. Ain't that the way of things? You work so hard to get everything right and there's something wrong in the end. The only fault is my own... Procrastination. I'd known for a long time that my car needed new tires and I'd kept putting it off. You know, the old "wait til' tomorrow" gig? What happens is when you wait forever it finally catches up with you. But you know what? It's better the flat tire happened right here in my own driveway than when I was out running Mach 3, you know? And so I turn over the reins to the truck. It guzzles gas. It wallows when you drive it. It feels like steering the living room sofa down the highway instead of a sleek silver machine. It's not my favorite tool, but it gets me there. And getting there is what's important. We sit down to our pleasant dinner. I don't know about everyone else, but I enjoy it tremendously since I rarely leave the house now and even more rarely have restaurant food. It's nice to smile and talk with others... To see excitement... To know that someone is proud of what they've done and eager to share their accomplishments. It's been a long race to run - and I know I am tiring. About me is a team... A team that it takes time to build. We may not always like a member's running style, but we have to remember the goal is to win the race. A lot of reality checks have to go into place when leading a team... And that's knowing when you are tiring. Where I once could not wait to grab the baton and sprint to the first turn, I find myself winding... Not carry that torch as high as I once did. As wise leader knows and sees it happening... And looks ahead to pass the torch on. Where is the lesson in all this? I am babbling in cryptic terms - gentle words on a harsh situation. As you may have guessed, we had an incidence that hurt me deeply. I have come to love these people and to see one upset or hurt affects me as surely as it does them. Where does the mark of the leader stand? Do I work to please all of the people all of the time? Do I struggle to please some of the people some of the time? You know the answer to that one. If we are to win the race, someone must carry the torch high and it needs to burn. If it gets dropped and goes out... We cannot "wait til' tomorrow" to find the matches that we no longer remember where we put. If someone has a lighter, for heavens sake, hand them the torch and let them run! We may feel like we need to light the sacred flame with old sacred matches... But what if when we find them, we discover they no longer light? Pass the torch on, brothers. Stand by the side of the track and watch them run. If they stumble and fall, you've had time to catch your breath and help them to their feet. If they finish the race... You are rested enough to cheer them on. And so many thoughts race through my head as I drive back home. I deposit the Taco Bell into the group food bank and when all is quiet, I go out to look at the stars. As I stand there watching Leo, gazing towards all those distant galaxies, I realize that running an organization is a whole lot like getting ready to go somewhere and discovering you have a flat tire. If you don't have time to change it to get to where you're going on time, then you just take another vehicle. It might not be the comfortable little car you're used to... But it gets you there. I haven't the ambition to take out a telescope tonight, but I look up at all those distant torches running the race of the night... And wish them well. "Out of the ruins... Out from the wreckage... Can't make the same mistake this time." |
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