Category Archives: Astronomy

Giotto’s Comet

Posted on 4 January 2019 by

Seasonally appropriate, perhaps you know Giotto’s Adoration of the Magi. The star of wonder looks like a comet to me. Europe’s 1980’s probe to Halley’s comet was named for him, because of this painting. Giotto was thought to have been … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Christmas | 1 Comment

a.k.a. 2014 MU69

Posted on 2 January 2019 by

The object stuck with the unofficial name “Ultima Thule.” A few things about this: 1. There’s already a solar system body named Thule. By the way, it was the 279th discovery in the asteroid belt. 2. Cool. This is a … Continue reading →

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Under The Starry Heavens

Posted on 31 July 2018 by

Two years ago, I blogged here with another image of Ignatius and his beloved stars. One of my favorite images of today’s saint, Ignatius of Loyola, is above. I wish I could locate a credit and artist; the best I … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, spirituality | Tagged | 6 Comments

On My Bookshelf: The Planet Factory

Posted on 10 February 2018 by

When I was a boy, I read of Peter van de Kamp‘s insistence on having discovered two planets in orbit around Barnard’s Star, a small red orb in our galactic neighborhood. The promise was that being so “close” to us–a … Continue reading →

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To The Marius Hills

Posted on 24 October 2017 by

Image Credit: NASA, Lunar Orbiter 2; Inset: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Our grandchildren might live on the moon. If so, one likely place for a base would be the volcanic landscape of the Marius Hills. Or, more accurately, under it. Today’s … Continue reading →

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Coverage of the Sun

Posted on 21 August 2017 by

Put up earlier on my facebook page. Getting ourselves set up on the side porch. The young miss with NASA tv on the laptop. My half-broken binoculars projecting the sun’s image onto a clothing box: My guess is that we … Continue reading →

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Miguel de Cervantes in Space

Posted on 16 May 2017 by

As far as we yet know, the stellar system Mu Arae has four planets. Some three-hundred trillion miles away, it is not a particularly conspicuous star in the not particularly conspicuous constellation of Ara, the altar. A few years ago, … Continue reading →

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