06 October 2008 by Tristan Gooley
One of my secret hopes when launching the beginner’s courses was that it would attract a varied gang. I am delighted to be able to write that the early indications are very promising. Those walking away with a certificate already include a submariner and Royal Navy officer as well as a brace of desert-crossers, holidaymakers, engineers and writers.
This really adds to the day as everyone’s varying backgrounds and experiences allow them to offer fresh perspectives on new and familiar territory. It also means that the learning never stops for me too. On the course last Saturday I learnt something new about archaeoastronomy and the ancient observatory at Chichen Itza in Mexico and found out about the Geochron clock, which shows in real time the areas of earth that are in light and dark.
Tags: archaeoastronomy, beginner's courses, chichen itza, geochron, observatory |
02 October 2008 by Tristan Gooley
Twilight at either end of the day is a good time to look south this month. At dusk Jupiter is the first night object to appear, narrowly but clearly, above the southern horizon. This morning at sunrise Sirius was the last object to disappear, again it was due south. I took these two pictures at 6.30am, one looking east showing the red dawn. The other looking south. It is not a fascinating photo of Sirius but it does at least show that there is nothing else visible around it.
On a tangent, the expression ‘go south’ is often used to mean something is past its best. ‘Tottenham seem to have gone south under Ramos’ influence.’ In the US it was more usually ‘gone west’, but even there south seems to be winning through. If you are something of a verbal sleuth there is a thorough tour of these expressions…
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Tags: east, jupiter, Sirius, south, twilight |
