BAN #461: Astronomer in Residence at the Grand Canyon, Happy Breakaway Day

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Astro Tidbit

A brief synopsis of some interesting astronomy/science news

Hey! Are you a professional astronomer, an amateur, an astrophotographer, astronomy writer, communicator, or other kind of wonderful spacey outreach person?

Then do I have an opportunity for you!

The Grand Canyon National Park has a wonderful program called “Astronomer in Residence” — a six-week residency AT THE GRAND CANYON where you can do outreach to the public, show them the night sky, work on outreach with park rangers, and generally have a tremendous time.

If you’ve ever been to the Grand Canyon then you know how truly life-altering it is to experience. And if you haven’t been, it’s truly a life-altering experience.

The park is seeking applications from people all over the planet for the 2023 program. Take a look at that page and see if it’s something you can contribute to and be a part of. It really is an extraordinary opportunity for people to share their joy of the Universe with others, and do it in a way that fits with what they do. They’ve had astronomers as part of the program, an astrophotographer, even a poet, which I love.

I had a Zoom meeting with the rangers who run the program and they were lovely and really dedicated to and enthusiastic about the residency. I was very interested in doing it myself but my schedule for next year prevents it. I’m looking at 2024…

So please, if you think this is something for you, it’s a phenomenal chance. Take a look. The deadline for applications for the 2023 program is September 30, 2022, so hurry!

Blog Jam

What I’ve recently written on the blog, ICYMI

Monday 5 September, 2022:  What reionized the Universe, and when?

Tuesday6 September, 2022: A nearby super-Earth may be a water world

Wednesday 7 September, 2022: The infrared heart of the Tarantula

Thursday 8 September, 2022: A still-forming exoplanet predicted to exist is found in exactly the right spot

Friday 9 September, 2022: A new way to find old impact craters: Look at the burned plants

I recommend

Something I think you’ll like

[WARNING: Niche nerd alert]

As all humans on Earth remember, tomorrow, September 13, is the anniversary of the Moon blasting out of Earth orbit, along with Moonbase Alpha, the jewel of the Moon. All 311 personnel were presumed lost.

Has it really been 23 years?

Or has it been 47 years (plus one week) since “Breakaway”, the premier episode of Space:1999 aired? Well, yes, that.

When I was a kid I loved this show, and it still sits in a happy place in my heart. It was a Gerry Anderson production — he also did U.F.O, Thunderbirds, and all those “supermarionation” shows back in the 60s. His son, Jamie, has taken up the mantle of his father’s legacy, and I had a great interview with him a while back about it all.

When he asked me to write a short piece for his upcoming Moonbase Alpha Operations Technical Manual, I barely hesitated. I wrote about this when he put them up for preorder, but I realized I never talked about getting the book.

With Breakaway Day tomorrow, why not now?

The Tech Manual itself is a wonderful oversize (30 x 23 cm) coffee table book. It’s loaded with photos and gorgeous art, and was clearly made with care and love. I’ve been reading it and enjoying the heck out of myself doing so.

I got the deluxe version — sadly sold out now — which comes in a retro-futuristic Moonbase flight case. Included is a travel tube access card, a Security badge, a Moonbase Alpha patch, “radiation pills” (take as needed), a welcome letter from Commissioner Simmons, a cool litho of art, and — and I love this so much — an actual EMF meter which measures changes in magnetic flux around you. I tried it and my computer made it tick over a bit, while my microwave sent it right into the red. I’ll note that in the pilot episode the mystery starts with Eagle spaceship pilots getting brain damage from an unknown source which turns out to be huge magnetic field flux changes. With my meter now I can measure them.

While this deluxe edition is sold out, the book itself is a must-have for the true fan. It really is amazing, and well done. You can pick up your copy here. Amazon also has a boxed set of blu-rays for both seasons of the show. Various services stream it, too, like Peacock, but that can change at any time. Look it up if you’re curious.

I just reread what I wrote for the manual, and I’m pretty proud of it. I enjoy writing fiction but don’t do it much, so a first-person log entry as a scientist on the show I loved? Yeah, a dream come true. And to actually do a bit of philosophical musing and retconning some of the science to explain the more, um, out-there ideas from the show and have it become canon since it’s in the official Tech Manual?

<chef’s kiss>

Et alia

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