Andy’s Astronomy: Back to the Moon
Last week I sat in front of the television watching the countdown and final liftoff as Artemis II not only returned humans to space, but back to the Moon as well.
I did the same over 50 years ago, watching Gemini and Apollo missions until in 1969, humans landed on the Moon. I can still hear the narration by CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite.
As this is being written, the Orion capsule is less than 60,000 miles from the Moon, already having flown a distance exceeding 219,000 miles with a speed of over 1,500 miles per hour. To track the Orion capsule, go to https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis-ii/arow/
Godspeed to the astronauts on board. Fly safe as you lead us back into space.
By ANDY KOBER
Last week I sat in front of the television watching the countdown and final liftoff as Artemis II not only returned humans to space, but back to the Moon as well.
I did the same over 50 years ago, watching Gemini and Apollo missions until in 1969, humans landed on the Moon. I can still hear the narration by CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite.
As this is being written, the Orion capsule is less than 60,000 miles from the Moon, already having flown a distance exceeding 219,000 miles with a speed of over 1,500 miles per hour. To track the Orion capsule, go to https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis-ii/arow/
Godspeed to the astronauts on board. Fly safe as you lead us back into space.
Keep your eyes on the sky for passing fireballs.
Meteors can flash across the sky anytime, day or night, and extraordinarily bright meteors are often referred to as fireballs — and they are spotted quite often.
On Saturday, Apr. 4, 19 people across Florida and Georgia reported seeing a fireball.
The fireball was first reported at 9:45 pm by a skywatcher in Savannah, GA. The fireball was seen as far north as East Dublin, GA, as far east as Ormond Beach, FL, as far south as Bonita Beach, FL, and as far west as Destin, FL. Elsewhere in Georgia, the fireball was spotted by skywatchers in Brooklet, Jekyll Island, Millwood, and Richmond Hill. The fireball appeared to be travelling from east-southeast to west-northwest.
Two people reported witnessing the fireball fragment into pieces.
Anyone seeing a fireball is urged to report the sighting to https://amsmeteors.org
We will continue researching planets found in science fiction soon. In the meantime going outside and looking at the sky, especially the night sky, can be fun and educational for the entire family.
There are a number of free apps available to help identify stars and constellations, and some of the apps will show satellites.
Happy skywatching!
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This Week in American History: 2014 – Student Stabs 20 Others at Penn. High School
• Apr. 9. On this day in 2014, 16-year old Alexander Hribal enters Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville, Pennsylvania, carrying two eight-inch kitchen knives. At about 7:15 am, Hribal stabs and slashes several students, then activates a fire alarm, bringing more students into the hallways and attacks more. Quick reaction by the school’s assistant principal and another student results in Hribal being subdued. Twenty students are injured, with some of the injuries severe, but there are no fatalities. Hribal will be charged on multiple counts, convicted, and sentenced to 23-1/2 years to 60 years. He is currently incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution in Albion, PA. Evil does not need a firearm.
DID YOU KNOW …? Did a baseball star and the actor who played him in a movie have a previous connection in their lives?
So, how did you do?
Last week was the annual April Fool edition of this silly column, wherein I set three items that were totally false, and you had to figure out which ones they were. You probably said, “He’ll just tell me next week,” and went on with your day.
You were right; I will tell you. The incorrect ones were:
1. The liter was not named after a person. The story about Claude Èmile Jean-Baptist Litre was created in 1978 by a student at the University of Waterloo to justify using a capital “L” to denote the unit of measurement.
2. Bagpipes are not a Scottish invention. Instruments similar to the pipes have been recorded in Middle Eastern nations during the earliest part of the modern era, long before they arrived in Scotland.
3. The Morse code for “SOS” does not mean anything specific. It’s simply three dots, three dashes, and three dots, and very quick and easy to send repeatedly.
And yes, as silly as it sounds, the one about Pistols ‘n Petticoats is a real item, not a gag.
I hope you got them all! Now get this …
* That’s Why Jesus Had To Bleed And Die! *
Greetings and blessings! Today, across the globe, we graciously celebrated Easter/Resurrection (Christianity and Holy) Sunday. So then, my mind once again took me back to a childhood song that I perhaps mentioned before but still, always appropriate for such a time. So much so that I song a little of it in church,
“Why did Jesus have to bleed and die?” Of course, the answer is, “for you and I.” Rightly so, I learned the divine song while traveling around in several counties singing as a little boy with my dear mother. Anyhow the group was called “Note Singes” which unfortunately, no one nowadays does anymore in this area and all have passed on.