Thursday, April 2, 2009
Welcome 365 Days of Astronomy Listeners!
If you followed the link to my blog from the April 2nd podcast, please note that I've moved! Check out the new home of One Astronomer's Noise and the special 365 Days of Astronomy information page. Thanks!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
I'm Moving!
Okay, not really. But my blog is moving over to Wordpress, because I've been pretty impressed by that format. And I wanted to change the blog url for a while anyway, to ditch my old undergrad handle. So please don't hate me for making you update your bookmarks and feed reader!
Go check it out and let me know what you think: http://astronoise.wordpress.com
So if you are landing on this blog at any point on or after March 17, 2009, go to the new link! I'll be updating my own links slowly...
Go check it out and let me know what you think: http://astronoise.wordpress.com
So if you are landing on this blog at any point on or after March 17, 2009, go to the new link! I'll be updating my own links slowly...
Friday, March 13, 2009
Ben Goldacre on MMR, autism, and the media
Ben Goldacre has an important message about the MMR vaccine, autism, and children's health. In fact his website, Bad Science, is chock-full of science, pseudo-science, and those that can't tell the difference.
And, despite his blog title, the hair is adorable. Very Tom Baker-esque. Also, I've added that "Talk nerdy to me" sticker to my Amazon wishlist. Nerd boys FTW.
And, despite his blog title, the hair is adorable. Very Tom Baker-esque. Also, I've added that "Talk nerdy to me" sticker to my Amazon wishlist. Nerd boys FTW.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Marking the PAPER Trail
So last week I finally got out to Green Bank, West Virginia, to do some field work on our array, PAPER, or the Precision Array to Probe the Epoch of Reionization. It's quite nice to run around outside and work on something physical to jumpstart your brain after being zombied-out in front of your computer. *sigh* Okay, also, I've been spending a lot of time developing assignments (loosely based on PAPER) for a radio instrumentation class, and needed to get back into actual research!
PAPER is an interferometer that is working in the frequency regime around 150 MHz. (Pay attention to an upcoming 365 Days of Astronomy podcast to hear all about the science!) We have a prototype sixteen antenna array at the NRAO's site in Green Bank, in the Radio Quiet Zone. We have this great little field called "Galford Meadow" with a small equipment hut in the center and the antennas on a circle around the hut.
The Galford Meadow from Google Maps. You can see the hut, two tiny antennas, and the road. Okay, by road, I mean tire tracks.
I have proposed to add three outrigger antennas at greater distances from the hut, thus making longer baselines for better spatial resolution. Hopefully, this will give us an idea of the bubble, bubble, toil, and trouble that the ionosphere will cause for our imaging!
For this very first step, my friend and co-worker and I scoped out the farthest corners of the field and placed markers. That is what I snapped a picture of and posted a few days ago.
Looking back at two more antennas and the hut, from a pink-marked stake. The hut is almost 900ft away.
We then used a theodolite to survey the positions of the stake and mark appromiately 100-ft steps back towards the circle. This was really cool, since that means I got to learn how to use surveying equipment! It helps to know quite well where the antennas are in order to then calibrate the data. Also, my dear friend has very well calibrated steps and could walk almost exactly 100-ft just by counting paces. She was frequently within a fraction of a foot! That always helps.
We also explored the outer edges of the field, which seems to be bordered on all sides by a small metal fence from long ago. Hopefully, the metal won't disturb our ability to take and analyze data too much. There seems to be a clearing in the northeast corner which can hold even longer baseline outriggers, as long as the wires can safely cross a small creek.
Frozen creek!
While we did this, two more of our friends and co-workers (we're a close-knit lab) were out building new groundscreens for antennas that will be shipped to Western Australia. These just look cool when all assembled around our shipping container.
Field of telescopes, with the GBT feedarm in the background.
And, we got a visit from a girls high school group that was visiting on site! Sue Anne, Green Bank's fabulous outreach and communications officer, noticed that we Charlottsville ladies (our lab is also mostly female!) were on site and asked if we'd be able to show the girls what we do. Of course we would! They seemed pretty interested in what we showed them, and they had a lot of good questions about our college experiences and how we got into science. So I was unintentionally doing some She is an Astronomer outreach. Cool.
Hope you enjoyed this little peek into the world of PAPER!
Next to 85-2, we are small but mighty.
PAPER is an interferometer that is working in the frequency regime around 150 MHz. (Pay attention to an upcoming 365 Days of Astronomy podcast to hear all about the science!) We have a prototype sixteen antenna array at the NRAO's site in Green Bank, in the Radio Quiet Zone. We have this great little field called "Galford Meadow" with a small equipment hut in the center and the antennas on a circle around the hut.
The Galford Meadow from Google Maps. You can see the hut, two tiny antennas, and the road. Okay, by road, I mean tire tracks.
I have proposed to add three outrigger antennas at greater distances from the hut, thus making longer baselines for better spatial resolution. Hopefully, this will give us an idea of the bubble, bubble, toil, and trouble that the ionosphere will cause for our imaging!
For this very first step, my friend and co-worker and I scoped out the farthest corners of the field and placed markers. That is what I snapped a picture of and posted a few days ago.
Looking back at two more antennas and the hut, from a pink-marked stake. The hut is almost 900ft away.
We then used a theodolite to survey the positions of the stake and mark appromiately 100-ft steps back towards the circle. This was really cool, since that means I got to learn how to use surveying equipment! It helps to know quite well where the antennas are in order to then calibrate the data. Also, my dear friend has very well calibrated steps and could walk almost exactly 100-ft just by counting paces. She was frequently within a fraction of a foot! That always helps.
We also explored the outer edges of the field, which seems to be bordered on all sides by a small metal fence from long ago. Hopefully, the metal won't disturb our ability to take and analyze data too much. There seems to be a clearing in the northeast corner which can hold even longer baseline outriggers, as long as the wires can safely cross a small creek.
Frozen creek!
While we did this, two more of our friends and co-workers (we're a close-knit lab) were out building new groundscreens for antennas that will be shipped to Western Australia. These just look cool when all assembled around our shipping container.
Field of telescopes, with the GBT feedarm in the background.
And, we got a visit from a girls high school group that was visiting on site! Sue Anne, Green Bank's fabulous outreach and communications officer, noticed that we Charlottsville ladies (our lab is also mostly female!) were on site and asked if we'd be able to show the girls what we do. Of course we would! They seemed pretty interested in what we showed them, and they had a lot of good questions about our college experiences and how we got into science. So I was unintentionally doing some She is an Astronomer outreach. Cool.
Hope you enjoyed this little peek into the world of PAPER!
Next to 85-2, we are small but mighty.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
PAPER Trail...
I keep promising that once I get the time and mental power to write, I'll post some stuff on PAPER. I think last week's Green Bank trip would be pretty fun to recount. But I've been so busy working, thankfully, that I haven't been able to muster anything worthwhile. So, here's a tease...
AstroGrrls Unite!
So I totally missed this "International Women's Day" thing that happened on Sunday. It was a wonderful time to talk about one of the IYA's cornerstone projects, She is an Astronomer, reminding girls of all the opportunities that they have in science. (Being a geek: not just for dudes anymore!) I'll be celebrating next weekend by helping at a Girl Scout event at the National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center, the place with the space shuttle Enterprise is on display. SarahAskew celebrates with a nod to some of the space-girls on the blogosphere (thank you!!) and the Bad Astronomer (not a girl, but he's cool anyway) also recognizes female achievement in astronomy and reflects on where we've been, and where we're going.
Also, if we're going to talk about women in astronomy, we can't forget the pioneers, The Harvard Computers.
Also, if we're going to talk about women in astronomy, we can't forget the pioneers, The Harvard Computers.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Bright, shining astronomy day
So, last weekend, last Sunday more specifically, it snowed here in Charlottesville, Virginia. We had quite a few inches by Monday morning, and I was kind of surprised to get into work at the NRAO and find it... closed, along with area schools. (I have a key, that didn't stop me.) Today, it's well on it's way to 80. (Yes, I'm using Fahrenheit, boo.) Yesterday I spent outside all day learning how to change my oil, change a tire, fix my taillights (wish I had a voltmeter with me though), and take apart my door to attempt to fix the automatic windows (we got the driver's side working!) That was fun, and I love learning hands-on things like that*. And it gave me an excuse to be outside all day and still be productive. And I was told I looked like Kaylee with a big smile on my face, covered in grease. Total win.
Anyway, while I catch up on indoor, computer related things, here's the 93rd Carnival of Space by Emily Lakdawalla at the Planetary Society blog. Emily keeps us up to date on all things planetary, and she even joined Twitter in the midst of the of the Kepler Launch!
So, unless you've been living under a space rock, you may have heard about the launch of Kepler, which will do a three-year search for transiting exoplanets, hopefully finding Earth-like planets and estimating their numbers in the galaxy. Of course, if we are serious about finding life in the galaxy, we need to consider all kinds of possibilities for life, from the familiar to the foreign. But it helps to start with something we know. And besides, if we are to colonize the galaxy, Trantorian Empire-style, we need to know how many planets we might be able to inhabit.
I was watching the third-to-last episode of Battlestar Galactica at a friend's house while the launch was on, so I kept up with the updates via Twitter on my iPod. I *heart* social media. You can read all about the launch, and the role of Twitter, at Wired's blog and see the NASA-TV launch footage on YouTube.
The announcer's comments at the moment of launch made me... um... get something in my eye. Yeah. That was it. Allergies... or something. Actually, as usual, the Bad Astronomer encapsulates the moment well on Twitter with, "We launch spacecraft! To look for planets! AROUND OTHER STARS!! Humans are so cool."
We have a long way to go. But, we rock.
*Thanks, Howard! And you thought I was going to be all "girly" about it.
Anyway, while I catch up on indoor, computer related things, here's the 93rd Carnival of Space by Emily Lakdawalla at the Planetary Society blog. Emily keeps us up to date on all things planetary, and she even joined Twitter in the midst of the of the Kepler Launch!
So, unless you've been living under a space rock, you may have heard about the launch of Kepler, which will do a three-year search for transiting exoplanets, hopefully finding Earth-like planets and estimating their numbers in the galaxy. Of course, if we are serious about finding life in the galaxy, we need to consider all kinds of possibilities for life, from the familiar to the foreign. But it helps to start with something we know. And besides, if we are to colonize the galaxy, Trantorian Empire-style, we need to know how many planets we might be able to inhabit.
I was watching the third-to-last episode of Battlestar Galactica at a friend's house while the launch was on, so I kept up with the updates via Twitter on my iPod. I *heart* social media. You can read all about the launch, and the role of Twitter, at Wired's blog and see the NASA-TV launch footage on YouTube.
The announcer's comments at the moment of launch made me... um... get something in my eye. Yeah. That was it. Allergies... or something. Actually, as usual, the Bad Astronomer encapsulates the moment well on Twitter with, "We launch spacecraft! To look for planets! AROUND OTHER STARS!! Humans are so cool."
We have a long way to go. But, we rock.
*Thanks, Howard! And you thought I was going to be all "girly" about it.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!
I was particularly intrigued by a story on This Week in Science, well, this week, about a mountain range as big as the Alps that has been found under the Antarctic ice sheet. Thanks to radar, we can now map these mountains, which will help scientists understand how the Antarctic ice sheet may have formed. Whereas the Alps were formed 50 to 60 million years ago, these mountains had to have been in place at least 500 million years ago! As the show's co-hosts, Kirsten Sanford (aka Dr. Kiki, on whom I think I have a girl-crush) and Justin Jackson, talk excitedly about the prospects of exploring this new territory, my mind began to wander. Huge mountains... Antarctica... ancient huge mountains in Antarctica.... Oh no.
Nightmares, my friends. Nightmares.
The Elder Ones will not approve of this.
Thanks again to the lovely Gail, for she lent me her collection of Lovecraft stories so I could scare the snot out of myself before bed every night.
Nightmares, my friends. Nightmares.
The Elder Ones will not approve of this.
Thanks again to the lovely Gail, for she lent me her collection of Lovecraft stories so I could scare the snot out of myself before bed every night.
For your listening pleasure and amusement...
Neil deGrasse Tyson, super cool astronomer, director of the Hayden Planetarium, and science popularizer extraordinaire, is wrapping up his Pluto Files book tour, including a stop in the "city of brotherly love" this past week. The Free Library of Philadelphia posted a recording of the talk, including the question and answer session, and it's really fun! Go ahead, take a listen. Thanks to Tim for pointing this out (but I'm jealous because he got to GO), and also for explaining that the giggling in the beginning is because Tyson kept emptying his pockets, which seemed infinite in volume, and then finally took off his boots and lectured in his socks. Rawk.
Added to my Amazon wishlist... (Update: Removed, once I learned that Tim got me an autographed copy. *SQUEE!*)
Also, on the way to Green Bank yesterday, the song "As I Lay Me Down" came on the radio. If you don't remember it, click the link to the Youtube video and remind yourself before reading further. Anyway, my friend starts giggling and recounts the story of when she tried to figure out if the "Ooh ah ka ko" in the background was actually words, and her husband finally declared that it is saying "I like tacos" and "You like tacos.*" And we all burst into fits of laughter everytime the chorus came one because NOW we couldn't NOT hear a line about tacos in the middle of an otherwise serious and sad song. Go ahead. Try to not hear that now. That is audio pareidolia in action, baby. So next time you think there's an artificially constructed landform on another planet or a child's toy with a hidden message, remember, your brain is very good at finding patterns... even when they aren't there.
I do, in fact, like tacos. From +fatman+ on Flickr.
So, catching up on work, getting a lot done. Will be back to normal... eventually. :-D
* A little googling revealed that this is a common "misheard lyric."
Added to my Amazon wishlist... (Update: Removed, once I learned that Tim got me an autographed copy. *SQUEE!*)
Also, on the way to Green Bank yesterday, the song "As I Lay Me Down" came on the radio. If you don't remember it, click the link to the Youtube video and remind yourself before reading further. Anyway, my friend starts giggling and recounts the story of when she tried to figure out if the "Ooh ah ka ko" in the background was actually words, and her husband finally declared that it is saying "I like tacos" and "You like tacos.*" And we all burst into fits of laughter everytime the chorus came one because NOW we couldn't NOT hear a line about tacos in the middle of an otherwise serious and sad song. Go ahead. Try to not hear that now. That is audio pareidolia in action, baby. So next time you think there's an artificially constructed landform on another planet or a child's toy with a hidden message, remember, your brain is very good at finding patterns... even when they aren't there.
I do, in fact, like tacos. From +fatman+ on Flickr.
So, catching up on work, getting a lot done. Will be back to normal... eventually. :-D
* A little googling revealed that this is a common "misheard lyric."
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
"The Sun is a mass of incandescent gas..."
"... a gigantic nuclear furnace!"
The Bad Astronomer presents the next installment of his "10 Things You Don't Know About..." and this one is all about our parent star, the Sun. Okay, so you may know a fair number of them, but a few of them highlight common misconceptions that have made their way into our teaching about the Sun. Sure, I should know better, being Master of the Universe... I mean, having a masters in astronomy... but I forgot that calling the Sun an "average-sized star" may make sense when you look at an H-R diagram, but don't make sense when you take a census of the stars in the galaxy. Read all about the Sun in his well presented article, and learn more about how the Sun can destroy us (mwah haha ha... oh...) in Death from the Skies!
In other news... Kepler is looking to launch this Friday! No, not Johannes Kepler, the Kepler Mission which aims to determine how many Earth-sized planets are in the galaxy. There's been so much coverage of it around the space blogosphere, that I won't even pretend to be able to keep up this week.
As for me, I have an early bedtime, so I can get up early and do some fieldwork tomorrow in Green Bank! Maybe I'll get a fun, ice and mud filled post for you all after that...
The Bad Astronomer presents the next installment of his "10 Things You Don't Know About..." and this one is all about our parent star, the Sun. Okay, so you may know a fair number of them, but a few of them highlight common misconceptions that have made their way into our teaching about the Sun. Sure, I should know better, being Master of the Universe... I mean, having a masters in astronomy... but I forgot that calling the Sun an "average-sized star" may make sense when you look at an H-R diagram, but don't make sense when you take a census of the stars in the galaxy. Read all about the Sun in his well presented article, and learn more about how the Sun can destroy us (mwah haha ha... oh...) in Death from the Skies!
In other news... Kepler is looking to launch this Friday! No, not Johannes Kepler, the Kepler Mission which aims to determine how many Earth-sized planets are in the galaxy. There's been so much coverage of it around the space blogosphere, that I won't even pretend to be able to keep up this week.
As for me, I have an early bedtime, so I can get up early and do some fieldwork tomorrow in Green Bank! Maybe I'll get a fun, ice and mud filled post for you all after that...
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