LunarMark

Beware the Spinal Trap by Simon Singh

2009-07-29T15:38:00.001-04:00

Beware the Spinal Trap

Some practitioners claim it is a cure-all, but the research suggests chiropractic therapy has mixed results – and can even be lethal, says Simon Singh.

Simon Singh

On 29th July a number of magazines and websites are going to be publishing Simon Singh’s Guardian article on chiropractic from April 2008, with the part the BCA sued him for removed.

They are reprinting it, following the lead of Wilson da Silva at COSMOS magazine, because they think the public should have access to the evidence and the arguments in it that were lost when the Guardian withdrew the article after the British Chiropractic Association sued for libel.

We want as many people as possible around the world to print it or put it live on the internet at the same time to make an interesting story and prove that threatening libel or bringing a libel case against a science writer won’t necessarily shut down the debate.

You might be surprised to know that the founder of chiropractic therapy, Daniel David Palmer, wrote that “99% of all diseases are caused by displaced vertebrae”. In the 1860s, Palmer began to develop his theory that the spine was involved in almost every illness because the spinal cord connects the brain to the rest of the body. Therefore any misalignment could cause a problem in distant parts of the body.

In fact, Palmer’s first chiropractic intervention supposedly cured a man who had been profoundly deaf for 17 years. His second treatment was equally strange, because he claimed that he treated a patient with heart trouble by correcting a displaced vertebra.

You might think that modern chiropractors restrict themselves to treating back problems, but in fact some still possess quite wacky ideas. The fundamentalists argue that they can cure anything, including helping treat children with colic, sleeping and feeding problems, frequent ear infections, asthma and prolonged crying – even though there is not a jot of evidence.

I can confidently label these assertions as utter nonsense because I have co-authored a book about alternative medicine with the world’s first professor of complementary medicine, Edzard Ernst. He learned chiropractic techniques himself and used them as a doctor. This is when he began to see the need for some critical evaluation. Among other projects, he examined the evidence from 70 trials exploring the benefits of chiropractic therapy in conditions unrelated to the back. He found no evidence to suggest that chiropractors could treat any such conditions.

But what about chiropractic in the context of treating back problems? Manipulating the spine can cure some problems, but results are mixed. To be fair, conventional approaches, such as physiotherapy, also struggle to treat back problems with any consistency. Nevertheless, conventional therapy is still preferable because of the serious dangers associated with chiropractic.

In 2001, a systematic review of five studies revealed that roughly half of all chiropractic patients experience temporary adverse effects, such as pain, numbness, stiffness, dizziness and headaches. These are relatively minor effects, but the frequency is very high, and this has to be weighed against the limited benefit offered by chiropractors.

More worryingly, the hallmark technique of the chiropractor, known as high-velocity, low-amplitude thrust, carries much more significant risks. This involves pushing joints beyond their natural range of motion by applying a short, sharp force. Although this is a safe procedure for most patients, others can suffer dislocations and fractures.

Worse still, manipulation of the neck can damage the vertebral arteries, which supply blood to the brain. So-called vertebral dissection can ultimately cut off the blood supply, which in turn can lead to a stroke and even death. Because there is usually a delay between the vertebral dissection and the blockage of blood to the brain, the link between chiropractic and strokes went unnoticed for many years. Recently, however, it has been possible to identify cases where spinal manipulation has certainly been the cause of vertebral dissection.

Laurie Mathiason was a 20-year-old Canadian waitress who visited a chiropractor 21 times between 1997 and 1998 to relieve her low-back pain. On her penultimate visit she complained of stiffness in her neck. That evening she began dropping plates at the restaurant, so she returned to the chiropractor. As the chiropractor manipulated her neck, Mathiason began to cry, her eyes started to roll, she foamed at the mouth and her body began to convulse. She was rushed to hospital, slipped into a coma and died three days later. At the inquest, the coroner declared: “Laurie died of a ruptured vertebral artery, which occurred in association with a chiropractic manipulation of the neck.”

This case is not unique. In Canada alone there have been several other women who have died after receiving chiropractic therapy, and Edzard Ernst has identified about 700 cases of serious complications among the medical literature. This should be a major concern for health officials, particularly as under-reporting will mean that the actual number of cases is much higher.

If spinal manipulation were a drug with such serious adverse effects and so little demonstrable benefit, then it would almost certainly have been taken off the market.

Celebrating Apollo 11 at the Emmaus Library

2009-07-16T13:32:00.003-04:00

JULY 20, 1969

APOLLO 11

FIRST MOON LANDING

CELEBRATE FORTY YEARS

OF THIS INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENT

July 20, 2009 7pm at the Emmaus Public Library

Learn about the fragile four-legged spacecraft that landed, the three astronauts who were on this mission, what they collected to take back to earth and what they left behind. Lunar enthusiast Mark Tillotson will discuss the lunar landing with a multimedia presentation, including footage of the actual lunar surface activities.

All ages are welcome. Please call the library (610-965-9284) to register. Light refreshments will be served.

You Can Help AAVSO!

2009-03-29T22:14:00.002-04:00

Ever wanted to subscribe to Sky & Telescope? Need to renew? I recently received a special promotion just for you (my readers) and would like to pass it on. The picture below will lead you to a page where you can subscribe for 47% off. Also, $5.00 of your purchase goes straight to the American Asociation of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO).

So help yourself and AAVSO today!

NOTE: I receive NO compensation, monetary or otherwise, for the posting of this link.

In order to help the AAVSO I followed the lead of the Visual Astronomy blog in posting this offer from Sky & Telescope.

Astronomy Night at the Emmaus Public Library

2009-03-28T16:47:00.003-04:00

The last astronomy presentation at the library had a great turn-out so I scheduled more!

Here is the info for the next one:

The Power of Telescopes

In celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 a presentation about the The Power of Telescopes will be given by Mark Tillotson. A hands-on demonstration of how a telescope works will be presented along with a discussion of the different types of telescopes in use today and the pictures they produce.

The event is on Monday, April 6, 2009 at the Emmaus Public Library at 7 pm. If the skies are clear, I will set up a telescope after the presentation.

Future astronomy nights at the library are scheduled for Tuesday, May 12th and Monday, June 1st. Please join me at the library!

Fly Me to the Moon

2009-03-10T11:41:00.003-04:00

This seems to have become my theme song:

This is a great version. Frank dedicates it to the Apollo astronauts who landed on the Moon.

Shoot for the Stars

2009-01-28T14:46:00.005-05:00

Image: Caelum Observatory

“Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars.”

- Les Brown

Kanawha and A Landlocked Virginia

2009-01-21T00:32:00.003-05:00

This is a great 'strange map' and an interesting story. I'm sure Mr. Jefferson would not have approved of this. When Virginia seceeded from the Union, West Virginia seceeded from Virginia. This map represents a potential change in state boundaries and was created some time in 1861.

West Virginia is the state that seceded where others failed. When in 1861 the South broke away from the US to form the Confederacy, the Mountain State in its turn left Virginia to remain within the Union. The electoral process by which it did this was highly irregular, and its accession to the Union could be considered illegal and unconstitutional. But in wartime, legal niceties count for less than tactical advantage, and West Virginia became a full-fledged member of the United States in 1863. The wrangling about West Virginia’s secession stopped only in 1939, when it paid the final installment of its share of the pre-Civil War state debt to Virginia.

In this map Virginia is just a narrow strip along the Blue Ridge Mountains. Read the whole story at Strange Maps.

Methane on Mars

2009-01-19T18:35:00.003-05:00

Despite the tabloid headlines this does not mean that life on Mars has been found. It does mean that they found something unusual and they will investigate further.

This is such a great time to be an astronomer!

The Periodic Table of Videos

2009-01-16T23:29:00.003-05:00

The Periodic Table of Videos

This is a great site for all the science geeks out there (like me)! It is from the University of Nottingham and has a video for every element on the periodic table. This is the video for Sodium.

Star Party - February 7, 2009

2009-01-14T22:02:00.003-05:00

Star Party Program for February 7, 2009

7:00pm: Feature Program - "Planet Quest: The Search for Another Earth"

Club member Tim Reinhard will discuss the various techniques being used to locate and study planets around distant stars. It is now clear that extra solar planets around distant stars are common. The big questions are: do any contain life as we know it? Is there another earth out there?

8pm and again at 9pm: Planetarium Show of the Night Sky

Assistant planetarium director Pete Detterline will conduct the planetarium show this month featuring interesting facts about the February night sky.

Please note: Planetarium seating is limited. Because the dome is lowered, visitors must be seated under the dome to see the planetarium show.

7pm – 10pm: Telescope viewing of the Night Sky

Weather permitting, our observatory telescopes, plus individual club member telescopes, will be available for you to look through at various night sky objects. Feel free to ask questions about the objects you see or the telescopes you are looking through. This is an outdoor activity so dress warmly.

LEHIGH VALLEY AMATEUR ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY

620B E. Rock Rd., Allentown PA 18103

610-797-3476 • www.lvaas.net

A non-profit educational organization founded in 1957

Today in Astronomy: January 11

2009-01-11T00:05:00.000-05:00

William Tyler Olcott

January 11, 1873 – July 6, 1936

William Tyler Olcott was an American lawyer and amateur astronomer. In 1909, after attending a lecture by Edward Pickering, he developed an interest in observing variable stars. In 1911, he and professor Pickering founded the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO). Olcott also published several books to popularize the field of amateur astronomy. The Moon crater Olcott is named in his honor.

Today in Astronomy: Simon Marius

2009-01-10T00:01:00.002-05:00

January 10, 1573 – December 26, 1624

Simon Marius was a German astronomer. In 1614 Marius published his work Mundus Iovialis describing the planet Jupiter and its moons. Here he claimed to have discovered the planet's four major moons some days before Galileo. This led to a dispute with Galileo, who showed that Marius provided only one observation as early as Galileo's, and it matched Galileo's diagram for the same date, as published in 1610.

It is considered possible that Marius discovered the moons independently, but at least some days later than Galileo; if so, he is the only person known to have observed the moons in the period before Galileo published his observations. Regardless of priority, the mythological names by which these satellites are known today (Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto) are those given them by Marius. The Moon crater Marius is named in his honor.

Simon Marius also observed the Andromeda "nebula", which had in fact already been known to Arab astronomers of the Middle Ages.

Today in Astronomy: Caroline Herschel

2009-01-09T09:09:00.002-05:00

Caroline Lucretia Herschel

March 16, 1750 – January 9, 1848

Caroline Lucretia Herschel was a German-born British astronomer. She is the sister of astronomer Sir William Herschel with whom she worked throughout both of their careers. Her most significant contribution to astronomy was the discovery of several comets and in particular the periodic comet 35P/Herschel-Rigollet, which bears her name. The Moon crater C. Herschel is named in her honor.

Today in Astronomy: Galileo

2009-01-09T08:50:00.004-05:00

February 15, 1564 – January 8, 1642

Galileo Galilei was an Italian astronomer who played a major role in the scientific revolution. His achievements include the first systematic studies of uniformly accelerated motion, improvements to the telescope and consequent astronomical observations, and support for Copernicanism. Galileo's empirical work was a significant break from the abstract Aristotelian approach of his time.

It is Galileo's first use of a telescope in 1609 that inspired the International Year of Astronomy in 2009.

Today in Astronomy: Stephen Hawking

2009-01-08T09:13:00.002-05:00

Stephen William Hawking is a British theoretical physicist and was born on January 8, 1942.

Hawking is the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, a position once held by Issac Newton. He is known for his contributions to the fields of cosmology and quantum gravity, especially in the context of black holes, and his popular works in which he discusses his own theories and cosmology in general. These include the runaway popular science bestseller A Brief History of Time, which stayed on the British Sunday Times bestseller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks.

His key scientific works to date have included providing, with Roger Penrose, theorems regarding singularities in the framework of general relativity, and the theoretical prediction that black holes should emit radiation, which is today known as Hawking radiation.

Happy Birthday, Stephen!

Today in Astronomy

2009-01-06T10:40:00.004-05:00

NASA/JPL/DLR

January 7, 1610

Galileo Galilei observes the four largest moons of Jupiter for the first time. He named them and in turn the four are called the Galilean moons. Jupiter's 4 Galilean moons, in a composite image comparing their sizes and the size of Jupiter (Great Red Spot visible). From the top, they are Io,Europa, Ganymede and Callisto

The Moon and Venus

2008-12-31T17:42:00.002-05:00

The Moon and Venus over my house!

Happy New Year! But don't forget your leap second!

A Thin Crescent Moon

2008-12-30T01:25:00.003-05:00

Crescent Moon taken on August 26, 2008

I took advantage of the clear skies and went observing on Monday night. I arrived at LVAAS at sunset and had about half an hour of viewing a thin crescent Moon. It was the thinnest crescent I've viewed through a telescope - thinner than the image above. I managed to identify a small piece of Mare Crisium and a few other craters but it was difficult. I was viewing through some tree branches - so the image was fading in and out - and the view was so limited that I couldn't find the usual landmarks (moonmarks?).

Once I figured out what I was looking at I put away the lunar map and just enjoyed the view until it disappeared.

I then moved on to Venus. It was in a first-quarter phase which I had never seen before. That was cool, too.

I moved around the sky a bit: the Pleiades, Aldeberan, Capella. Then I found M42, the Orion Nebula. This was my first time viewing this great sight. While it didn't look like the Hubble images (which are in color), it was still impressive. It took up the whole field-of-view in the eyepiece and I could easily recognize the shape. It is so hard to imagine just how big this thing is!

So I had another great time looking at the night sky. Let me know if you'd like to join me sometime.

Moon Course

2008-12-25T21:28:00.005-05:00

Image: Mark Tillotson

NASA Returns to the Moon

Instructor: Mark Tillotson

12 weeks, Wednesday nights at 7 - 8 pm, Emmaus High School

Begins on February 4, 2009

NASA is currently planning a return to the Moon and many of it's scientists, engineers and contractors need to learn about the Moon. The Johnson Space Center sponsored Moon 101 - A Course in Lunar Science for Non-Specialists.

Using the information from Moon 101, this course will present the basics of Lunar science that NASA is using to plan future missions to the Moon to set up a permanent base. The course will cover topics such as geology and the physical characteristics of the soil and surface material that will effect living and working there, the crust and interior, environment, poles, and the lessons learned from Apollo. We will also learn about viewing Lunar features from Earth, meteorites, mapping and the search for water.

This course is designed for anyone with an interest in the Moon and astronomy. It will focus on the overview of Lunar science and will not require any special math skills.

The registration form is here. I hope you will join me on this exploration of the Moon.

Blue Sky Juxtaposition

2008-12-22T21:00:00.004-05:00

December 22, 2008

August 26, 2008

I miss summer...

The Moon and a Crow

2008-12-08T10:31:00.003-05:00

The Moon Poster by John Moore

I've been wanting this Moon poster for a long time and I finally have it! It's one of those 'early Christmas presents' that are the perfect excuse for spending money on yourself. It was created by my new friend, John Moore, from Ireland.

John Moore currently works as a freelance science and astronomy writer. He maintains a website about the Moon – unpaid and all done on a shoestring.

We 'met' through LPOD and the Moon Wiki. We have been e-mailing back and forth and this morning he sent me a picture he had taken. He saw in my blog that I also like birds and nature.

I see that you're into nature as well as being a lunartic like myself. I'm in the middle of nowhere over here and have loads of pics on nature -- from fungi, to trees, to animals, to birds..etc. Have included a small pic of a common crow I took the other day through my window as he posed for me -- I call it "Woaaaa dude, where's my bread?" :-)))

It's a great picture of an agitated crow! I think I've seen the same bird in my yard looking for sunflower seed...

"Woaaaa dude, where's my bread?

So here's to the Moon, a crow and the magic of the internet!

Cheers!

Moon 101

2008-11-11T09:05:00.001-05:00

This is from the 11/11/2008 LPOD by Chuck Wood:

A few years ago I taught online courses about lunar geology. Now NASA is actively working to return to the Moon and finds that many of its engineers and others need to learn about the Moon. Not just geology, but especially information about the physical characteristics of the soil and near surface material that will effect living and working there. So this year Johnson Space Center sponsored Moon 101 - A Course in Lunar Science for Non-Specialists, ten lectures apparently organized by Paul Spudis. The wonderful thing is that the Powerpoints - all 80 MB of them - are online for download and study by anyone interested. I printed them all out and spiral bound them, adding another significant reference to my lunar library collection. The presentations include basic geologic topics such as the surface, crust, and interior, and also more practical matters such as the environment, poles and lessons learned from the Apollo missions and where future bases should be sited. The last talk is on lunar meteorites, a wonderful source of free samples of the Moon (although you have to pay to go to Antarctica, the Sahara or Australia to find many), but their origin locations are unknown. Many LPOD readers will find some of this material familiar, but other parts, especially the geochemistry and petrology of lunar samples, will be new and somewhat complex. But download it, and as you read through remember that you are getting the same information as the NASA scientists and engineers who will take us back to the Moon. Thanks, Paul, for sharing these Powerpoints!

I'm downloading the files now. I've looked at some of the pages and they are great - if you're a lunatic like me!

Today in Astronomy: Vesto Slipher

2008-11-10T23:22:00.005-05:00

Vesto Melvin Slipher, born on November 11, 1875 (d. November 8, 1969), was an American astronomer. He spent his entire career at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, where he was director from 1916 to 1952. He used spectroscopy to investigate the rotation periods of planets and the composition of planetary atmospheres. In 1912, he was the first to observe the shift of spectral lines of galaxies, so he was the discoverer of galactic redshifts.

John Peacock, head of the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh, states:

a very large share of the credit for the discovery of the expanding universe is due to Slipher, and yet he tends to take very much second place to Hubble in most accounts.

While it was Edwin Hubble who received all the publicity, Vesto Slipher actually made the discovery that galaxies are moving away from us. He also determined that the Andromeda Galaxy is moving towards the Milky Way!

Slipher was also responsible for hiring Clyde Tombaugh and supervised the work that led to the discovery of Pluto. His brother Earl C. Slipher was also an astronomer. The Moon crater Slipher and a crater on Mars are named in his honor.

Vesto Slipher died in Flagstaff, AZ on November 8, 1969 at the age of 93. He was one of the giants of astronomy and deserves greater recognition.

Sources:
http://www.roe.ac.uk/~jap/slipher/
http://www.lowell.edu/Research/library/paper/vm_slipher.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesto_Melvin_Slipher

Notes from the Blogosphere: Stealth and Attitude

2008-11-10T09:11:00.007-05:00

One of the coolest birds in the park was a roosting eastern screech owl. The bird is perched on the edge of a cavity in the tree trunk. Check out how well the bird's feathers blend in with the bark--incredible. This was a particularly exciting eastern screech owl, park staff told our group that it was amccallii, and it's quite possible that the American Ornithologists' Union will make it a separate species from eastern screech owl. So, I kind of banked a life bird for another day.

No wonder I've never seen a screech owl in the woods! From Birdchick.com.

Today's Mystery Bird for you to Identify

[Mystery bird] endemic to thornbush and acacia country in Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, and East Africa. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image:GrrlScientist, 2 September 2008 [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.

Now, here's a bird with an attitude! Notice the 'band' on the left leg. These bands help scientists follow the migration and territories of birds. From: Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)

Hawk Mountain Hike

2008-11-09T20:31:00.004-05:00

Lee, Katie, Jill and I took a hike up Hawk Mountain today. It was a beautiful day; sunny, not too cold and there was still some color in the trees.

We went up to North Lookout and there was a large crowd. We even saw a bunch of Hawks - Red-tailed Hawks. There were probably 20 that flew past in the 2 hours we were at the lookout.

They also had a live display of a Broad-winged Hawk and a Barred Owl. It is fascinating to see them up close.

See all the photos from today here.

Chandrayaan-1 enters Moon orbit!

2008-11-08T09:39:00.003-05:00

Chandrayaan-1 successfully enters Moon orbit

NDTV Correspondent

Saturday, November 08, 2008 5:25 PM(New Delhi)

India's first unmanned lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 successfully entered moon orbit on Saturday. With this development, India's moon mission has been declared successful.

When India's first mission to the moon took off nearly a fortnight ago, there was both joy and anxiety. There was joy because the mission put India in an exclusive club of countries.

Though scientists rejoiced as the Chandrayaan blasted off, they knew they had a tougher job at hand, to put the satellite in moon's orbit. That happened on Saturday evening and the mission was declared a success.

Indian scientists were worried because the last part of Chandrayaan's journey was dangerous, as it had to go through an area in which the gravitational forces of the earth and moon nearly cancel each other out. Even a small deviation could have sent the spacecraft into a crash course towards the earth or on a path leading into deep space, but everything went according to plan.

When the spacecraft was about 500 km short of the moon, it was to be slowed down. The moon's gravity would then pull the craft into its orbit. Later, it would be stabilised in a 100 km circular orbit.

This is great! I can't wait for the new images and the science reports to start coming out. With Selene in orbit as well, we have a new era of Lunar exploration.

Math and the Mona Lisa

2008-11-07T23:44:00.003-05:00

"No human inquiry can be a science unless it pursues its path through mathematical exposition and demonstration."
- Leonardo da Vinci

I just finished this excellent book. There are many quotable passages but the above quote struck me. This is what comes to mind when I hear about the push to teach "Intelligent Design" in science classrooms. ID is not science. Leonardo knew the distinction 500 years ago. Teach science at school and religion at church.

OK, my rant is over. I highly recommend this book - the story of the intersection of art and science.

Thanks to Chris for loaning this book to me.

Math and the Mona Lisa ; The Art and Science of Leonardo da Vinci

Bulent Atalay

2006

p. 245

Amazon review:

Art and Science Synthesized in Leonardo's Mind and Method, April 23, 2004

By	Nicholas Murray (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Math and the Mona Lisa: The Art and Science of Leonardo da Vinci (Hardcover)

This is a genuinely astonishing book. Its essential idea is that the dichotomy between art and science is a relatively modern idea, that the distinction is not present in Leonardo's method of looking at the world. I've read a lot of good histories of art, and even a good history of science or two, but I've never seen an organic history of both, and that's Atalay's achievement. The illustrations alone -- showing the art in science and the science in art -- are a wonder, and well worth the price of the book. A very elegant entertainment.

November Lunar Calendar

2008-10-29T22:43:00.003-04:00

This is my list of important events for November.

New Moon

2008-10-29T01:12:00.003-04:00

“When the moon is not full, the stars shine more brightly”

So I guess when the Moon is new, the stars shine the brightest. The cloud cover has broken and Orion is bright.

What a beautiful sight...

The Darth Raker Invasion

2008-10-16T03:22:00.013-04:00

I spent most of the evening with Professor Darth Raker's Astronomy Class, which was visiting LVAAS to do some hands-on learning. It was a fun group, although Aimee 'White-Light' did cause some trouble in the beginning...

We looked at Jupiter through several different scopes and Bill showed us the 'Ring Nebula'. Will had fun showing off his 4.5" Celestron while I fiddled with both the 12" reflector (Roll-Off) and the 6" refractor (upstairs dome). Io went behind Jupiter at 7:19 pm. We had been watching it get closer and closer, wondering if it would cross in front or behind the giant planet. Ganymede, Europa and Calisto were also visible.

Fred gave them a Planetarium show and while the Prof was trying to take pictures I was nominated to lead the Library tour. Dave is the current club librarian and he said that it contains over 1,000 astronomy-related books, magazines, videos and DVD's. Quite a collection!!

The crowd departed with their notebooks - apparently a 4-page paper on Astronomy is due next week. They had fun and asked a lot of questions - which I was glad to answer. Good luck to all!

I then spent some quiet time with the Moon. The fast-moving clouds made for some interesting lighting on - and around - the Moon.

The rest of today's images are in my Picasa Web Album.

Thought for today:

“The moon, like a flower
In heaven's high bower,
With silent delight
Sits and smiles on the night.”

- William Blake (English Poet, Painter and Engraver. 1757-1827)

A Bunch of Grapes

2008-09-20T11:52:00.004-04:00

"The Sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent upon it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do."

- Galileo

Today in Astronomy

2008-09-14T12:54:00.004-04:00

Giovanni Domenico Cassini died on this day in 1712 in Paris. He was an Italian mathematician, astronomer, engineer, and astrologer. Cassini, also known as Giandomenico Cassini, was born on June 8, 1625 in Perinaldo, near Sanremo, at that time in the Republic of Genoa.

Cassini was an astronomer at the Panzano Observatory, from 1648 to 1669. He was a professor of astronomy at the University of Bologna and became, in 1671, director of the Paris Observatory. He thoroughly adopted his new country, to the extent that he became interchangeably known as Jean-Dominique Cassini —although that is also the name of his great-grand-son.

Along with Robert Hooke, Cassini is given credit for the discovery of the Great Red Spot on Jupiter (ca. 1665). Cassini was the first to observe four of Saturn's moons, which he called Sidera Lodoicea; he also discovered the Cassini Division (1675). Around 1690, Cassini was the first to observe differential rotation within Jupiter's atmosphere.

In 1672 he sent his colleague Jean Richer to Cayenne, French Guiana, while he himself stayed in Paris. The two made simultaneous observations of Mars and thus found its parallax to determine its distance, thus measuring for the first time the true dimensions of the solar system.

Cassini was the first to make successful measurements of longitude by the method suggested by Galileo, using eclipses of the satellites of Jupiter as a clock.

Named after Cassini

Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn
The Cassini Division in Saturn's rings
Cassini Regio, dark area on Iapetus
Cassini crater on Mars
Cassini crater on the Moon
Cassini's Laws
24101 Cassini, an asteroid
Cassini's identity for Fibonacci numbers
Cassini oval
Cassini Web Server

For more information visit the Astronomy Compendium.

The Moon became Mind, and Entered the Heart.

2008-09-12T19:57:00.005-04:00

Atman, the Creator, made Fire, Wind, Sun, Moon, and other divinities.

They said to him: ‘Find out for us an abode wherein we may be established and may eat food.’ He led up a bull to them. They said: ‘Verily, this is not sufficient for us.’ He led up a horse to them. They said: ‘Verily, this is not sufficient for us.’ He led up a person to them. They said: ‘Oh! well done!’—Verily, a person is a thing well done.— He said to them: ‘Enter into your respective abodes.’

Fire became speech, and entered the mouth.

Wind became breath, and entered the nostrils.

The Sun became sight, and entered the eyes.

The Moon became mind, and entered the heart.

The Moon: Myth and Image

By Jules Cashford, p. 118

Hindu myth circa eighth to sixth century BCE.

Irish Blessing

2008-09-01T18:00:00.000-04:00

“May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night and a smooth road all the way to your door.”

- Irish Blessing

A&E Entertainment Presents...

2008-08-31T21:25:00.008-04:00

The Annual Parkway Square-Dance
and Pig-Holler Hoe-Down!

Here we have the M.C. and his beautiful co-host, Sweetie!
This is a couple that likes both kinds of music - Country and Western.

The crowd get excited waiting for the festivities to begin...

The couples prepare for the grueling competition.

And the show begins!!

And it's at this point that things begin to go sadly awry...

The performances just weren't up to last years' standards.

The crowd turns hostile...

People begin leave...

And let's not even mention the pig holler...

Yet, despite all this, the day was not a complete loss.

The food, the games and the friendship was top notch!!

If you want to see more highlights -

and instructions on how to wear a hat properly -

Step on over to Lunar Mark's Picasa Web Albums.

The Day

2008-08-30T14:20:00.003-04:00

“The day, water, sun, moon, night - I do not have to purchase
these things with money.”

- Titus Maccius Plautus

LVAAS Star Party - September 6, 2008

2008-08-29T10:25:00.004-04:00

The Lehigh Valley Amateur Astronomical Society - LVAAS - is holding its monthly Star Party on Saturday, September 6, 2008.

This event is free and open to the public. If you would like to learn more about the night sky or take a look through a telescope, please join us!

7 pm: Feature Program - “A Trip to the Moon ”

Club member Mark Tillotson will take us on a journey to our nearest neighbor, the Moon. You will explore craters that are visible from Earth and see stunning new images of Tycho, taken by the Japanese lunar probe Selene. Learn about Tycho’s fascinating system of rays and the size of some of the incredible impact craters.

8 pm and again at 9 pm: Planetarium Show of the Night Sky

Assistant planetarium director Peter Detterliner will guide us through the September night sky this month. Please note: Planetarium seating is limited. Because the dome is lowered, visitors
must be seated under the dome to see the planetarium show.

7 pm – 10 pm: Telescope viewing of the Night Sky

You can learn more about LVAAS and the Star Party at www.lvaas.net.

Lunar Geese

2008-08-28T23:10:00.003-04:00

Image by Walter Siegmund, Fir Island, Washington.

What a beautiful image! It combines my two favorite hobbies: astronomy and birding. Click the image to see a larger version.

This was the August 28th post from LPOD - Lunar Photo of the Day.

Happy Birthday

2008-08-28T22:30:00.003-04:00

Happy Bird day to Lee
Happy Bird day to Lee
Happy Bird day dear Lee
Happy Bird day to Lee

He claims to be 32 but that may simply be a consequence of short-term memory loss. I remember that he was 32 last year...

That means he's 33!

The Truth

2008-08-26T22:34:00.002-04:00

“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”

- Buddha (Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.)

The 4 am Moon

2008-08-26T15:34:00.006-04:00

Music Mike and I went to the LVAAS site at South Mtn at 4am today to do some observing. By coincidence - the Moon had just risen...

While I was still talking about craters Mike found the Orion Nebula. It was great. Picasa has more photos from our little adventure - including some cool colors from the star 'Rigel' in Orion.

And if you want to know more about lunar craters - just ask! Sometimes I'm willing to talk about it...

Faded Letters

2008-08-25T08:35:00.002-04:00

Across the street from the PPL Plaza is a building with an old advertisement painted on the bricks. We spend some time trying to figure out what it says. Can anyone offer a guess or an answer?

Click on the image to enlarge it. You can post your thoughts by clicking the comment button below.

Sold Out

2008-08-24T22:05:00.007-04:00

What would you do if you arrived at the baseball stadium only to find the game is sold out?

Our next obvious choice involved food. After a brief discussion (it really was fairly brief) we decided on Johnny Manana's in Center City. So off we went for Mexican food.

And fun...

We all enjoyed the meal and then hung out in the plaza for a while.

Even though we were all up for eating peanuts and watching baseball it was a nice evening with family and friends. We saw a Peregrine Falcon and some bats. When it started to get dark we headed home.

View all of today's photos on Picasa.

What Is An IronPig?

2008-08-24T14:47:00.004-04:00

Here in the Lehigh Valley it is a AAA baseball team from the Philadelphia Phillies organization. They have a new stadium and I am going there today for the first time.

And as an added bonus: They are playing the Pawtucket Red Sox!

Go Red Sox!!!

A Beautiful Day

2008-08-24T02:37:00.001-04:00

I had a great day today. I was blessed with this beautiful sunset.

I saw the Biker escort for the WTC steel beam to PA memorial.

I went to a Peach Festival.

My daughter returned home from her week-long vacation visiting friends in Richmond, VA.

And now the Moon is up. I need to go look for new craters.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring...

Meanwhile, you can view more photos from today on my Picasa Web Album.