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Astronomy in the Desert

While we were at Joshua Tree National Park in California last weekend, Margaret and I went to the monthly Dark Sky Program at the nearby Sky's The Limit (STL) Observatory and Nature Center in Twenty Nine Palms

We had a bit of cloud cover that evening but Ann Congdon, President of STL, kindly shared with me couple of photos of spectacular skies other guests have captured above their dome.

Nonetheless, it was a thrill to get a tour of the skies by Allen Schiano, who has a doctorate in Astronomy and Astrophysics and teaches at Irvine Valley College in Irvine. He previously worked at UC Irvine as a Director of Instructional and Research Computing. He was on stage with John Hill who is the Technical Director at the Large Binocular Telescope operated by the Steward Observatory of U of Arizona.

With their laser pointer as guide, us amateurs got to see

• Sirius, the brightest star in the sky
• The three stars in a straight line in Orion’s Belt
• The Big Dipper and the North Star
• The open star cluster, Pleiades, also known as The Seven Sisters

They answered a bunch of questions including how the recently launched James Webb Space telescope will be able to look farther back in time than previous telescopes using infrared light and will allow scientists to look through dust to see stars forming inside.

But the highlight was an experiment they ran as the clouds cleared. Allen describes it:

“It's a long story but the video at the end is worth the time it takes to read what it's all about.

My buddies John Hill and John Hoey and I had a crazy idea to try to see something with a 14 inch telescope that had only been seen with telescopes larger that twice that size.  And we didn't use the method usually employed - a spinning disk in the focal plane - since it requires more equipment and expertise than most people could achieve. That was our goal-  something simple others with amateur telescopes could do.

What were we trying to do, you say?  We wanted to see the Crab Nebula pulsar 'pulse' on its close to 30 Hz frequency by taking 30 second images at the scope.  Those could easily be shown to people watching with current amateur level equipment.

We rigged my Celestron C14HD SCT telescope with 'woofer' speakers and pumped nearly 30 Hz signals into speakers we had taped to its side (Data from the Jodrell Bank, UK ephemeris of the Crab were used to calculate the exact frequency which is critical). We aimed the scope at the Crab Nebula, specifically at the pulsar in the nebula which is the remnants of the star that exploded in a supernova which people saw on Earth in 1054 AD. The neutron star is 1.4 times the mass of the Sun and is about 10 km in diameter. It spins at a dizzying 30 times per second. Like a lighthouse, with every rotation it sweeps a beam of light past us. We see it as a 30 Hz pulse. That's too fast to detect visually for most people.

This video consists of four frames captured while aimed at the pulsar and with the speakers vibrating the scope just below 30Hz. You can see the stars bouncing around while the pulsar remains stationary.  The pulsar does bounce around in the same direction as the stars since the location of the pulse is defined by the exact timing of each frame which we did not control.

As far as we know, this is a brand new technique for capturing the pulses of the pulsar and requires only a modest investment in equipment that almost any amateur astronomer could afford.

Instead of seeing it blink on and off this video captures its image as it vibrates 30 times per second. All the stars and background bounce back and forth as does the pulsar. But the pulsar is only lit for a brief moment every 1/30 of a second so it seems to stand still.

The images aren't perfect. This was our first attempt. But this definitely proves this concept works. And that is totally cool!

Tech Specs:  Celestron C14HD at f11/Mallincam DS10cTEC camera/30 sec exposures at gain=110/160 and bin=1/image processing by GIMP (cropping, rotation), Topaz Labs DeNoise AI (noise reduction), and PixInsight (animation)

The video is here.”

In preparation for the trip, Margaret had tried out several monocular lenses to attach to her iPhone. Assembly turned out to be a bridge too far in the dark. So it is a bit embarrassing to see how deftly Allen assembles his 250 lb. telescope.

Talking about the dark, Margaret did bring along a tactical flashlight with red/green/blue lights. We used the red light to walk around and not spoil the viewing for others. Red light has a wavelength of around 650 nm. That can be detected by cone cells, but not rod cells in our eyes. Cone cells dark adapt much quicker than rod cells.

BTW, even a day trip to STL is worthwhile. It has an Orrery – walkable model of the solar system at 20 billion-to-1 scale, trails with desert flora and a variety of sculptures. It is off the grid thanks to eight solar panels plus a bank of reclaimed batteries donated by the USMC which has a large base in town. This system provides the power for computers, projectors, a weather station, and more.

Quite a memorable visit.

Photo Credit - STL and guests who signed them.

Hydroelectric as most popular renewable fuel

Investments in the sector slowed somewhat before 2020 as other renewable sources such as wind and solar PV gained momentum, a situation exacerbated by delays to several major hydropower projects and some regions’ lack of policy changes, which also stunted growth. The industry is, however, experiencing a renaissance as countries are increasingly motivated to find suitable renewable options to decarbonize their energy supply.

“Hydropower is the backbone of low-carbon electricity generation and has been rising since the 1970s. Over the last two decades, the installed global capacity of hydropower has grown from 680 GW in 2000 to nearly 1,200 GW in 2021, a surge of more than 75%,” says Rystad Energy analyst Karan Satwani.

Oil Price

Video of the massive Baihetan project in China 

Ancient solution for a modern problem

Hurd, a falconer, and Cheddar, a juvenile Harris’s hawk, are contractors hired by Tampa International Airport to visit a few times a month and deal with unwanted guests.

It’s a 3,000-year-old, human-devised method for fighting a 100-year-old, human-made problem.

Airfield operations compliance manager Brett Bell is the guy driving the truck.

Planes take off and land at Tampa International Airport each day carrying thousands of passengers blissfully unaware of what’s happening in the giant, grassy fields below. Bell and his small team are the specks down there, looking out for the even-smaller specks — herons, egrets, turkey vultures, pigeons, gulls and so on — threatening to damage or bring down airplanes.

Tampa Bay Times

One of the hawks was profiled in the Mike Rowe episode on the airport in the “How America Works” series. Preview below

Auto features on a subscription basis

Although consumers might have gotten used to subscribing to music, movies, and TV shows, and even clothing, a subscription model for automotive options would be a dramatic shift in how cars have been sold for more than a century. Traditionally, a vehicle’s factory-equipped options are permanent, regardless of whether a car is 10 years old or whether it has been sold to a second or third owner.

But under some of the subscription model scenarios suggested by automakers, certain features might disappear as soon as the monthly or yearly payment stops, in the same way your streaming or phone services stop when you cancel your subscription or fail to pay. On the upside, analysts say that subscriptions may encourage automakers to provide software updates that help features evolve after purchase—especially when it comes to vehicles with cutting-edge technology. Some consumers also might like the idea of paying only for the non-essential luxury features they want, such as voice recognition or parking assist, for example.

Consumer Reports

Both Tesla and GM’s Cadillac unit offer their self-driving features on a subscription basis

Exciting nuclear fusion progress

"The JET experiments put us a step closer to fusion power," said Dr Joe Milnes, the head of operations at the reactor lab. "We've demonstrated that we can create a mini star inside of our machine and hold it there for five seconds and get high performance, which really takes us into a new realm."

The ITER facility in southern France is supported by a consortium of world governments, including from EU member states, the US, China and Russia. It is expected to be the last step in proving nuclear fusion can become a reliable energy provider in the second half of this century.

Operating the power plants of the future based on fusion would produce no greenhouse gases and only very small amounts of short-lived radioactive waste.

BBC News Thanks to Frank Scavo for pointer

Vegan Travel

Last year, Responsible Travel added roughly 1,000 vegan-friendly trips as part of its commitment to becoming “nature positive,” a vow to not harm wildlife or habitats but leave them more protected and supported, by 2030.

Its vegan-only vacations include a 10-day vegan tour of Ethiopia (from roughly $2,300; prices exclude flights), seven days of hiking volcanoes in Guatemala (from about $1,360) and eight days of snowshoeing in Austria (from about $1,160).

New York Times

Of course, if McDonalds continues to introduce its McPlant products not much travel may be required

Rain forest hotels

There's nothing quite like waking up in a rain forest — the sounds, sensations, and sheer size of these biodiverse landscapes are a magical reminder of the magnificence of nature. But unless you're traveling with your own camping gear (and some serious survival skills), the best option is to check into a well-appointed lodge for a worry-free wilderness retreat. Fortunately, many eco hotels in rain forests also encourage responsible tourism, from preventing deforestation by buying huge swaths of forests to supporting wildlife conservation projects. As more travelers seek new ways to consciously connect with nature, here are some of the best rain forest stays for 2022.

Travel and Leisure

Here is one in Peru profiled in the article

 

Rethinking the TV Remote

To bring remotes from the age of 1,000 buttons to the age of modern tech, companies downsized. For some, it was because of a realization that consumers wanted simplicity. Others were prodded along by the minimalism of Apple Inc. and Roku remotes. The way we watched TV was changing—more on-demand streaming, less regular programming—and so was the way we interacted with all of our devices. Voice assistants became the most prominent characteristic of the modern remote, featured in those for Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Google’s Chromecast, as well as Roku.

WSJ

 

 

Consumer Reports – what an awesome resource

As a technology analyst I have always been impressed with the wide coverage and rigor Consumer Reports brings to its analysis of autos, home appliances and consumer tech. I scan through every monthly issue and especially the annual Top Picks and Auto issues.

It has stayed true for 75 years to its motto of being a “force for honesty and integrity in the marketplace” and is broadening its horizons. They shared their vision in their strategic plan here. 

It is one of the best nonprofits we support and would encourage others to do the same.

 

Sporting Goods continue to evolve

With many people still working from home, athleisure has gained further ground, reflecting new attitudes toward traditional workwear. Increased health awareness has given many people a new perspective on sports and general fitness. E-commerce has thrived, as consumers continue to shop online, even as lockdown measures have eased. Digital forms of individual or community-based exercise and physical activity have become more popular and have created new possibilities for sporting-goods companies. Meanwhile, sustainability is more important than ever, with the COP26 Climate Change Conference emphasizing the need for companies to increase their efforts to decarbonize as they seek to differentiate their offerings.

McKinsey

Video on how Dick Sporting Goods continues to invest heavily in brick and mortar