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Meet the astronomers. See where they work. Know what they know.


The Project:

The Cosmic Diary is not just about astronomy. It's more about what it is like to be an astronomer.

The Cosmic Diary aims to put a human face on astronomy: professional scientists will blog in text and images about their lives, families, friends, hobbies and interests, as well as their work, their latest research findings and the challenges that face them. The bloggers represent a vibrant cross-section of female and male working astronomers from around the world, coming from five different continents. Outside the observatories, labs and offices they are musicians, mothers, photographers, athletes, amateur astronomers. At work, they are managers, observers, graduate students, grant proposers, instrument builders and data analysts.

Throughout this project, all the bloggers will be asked to explain one particular aspect of their work to the public. In a true exercise of science communication, these scientists will use easy-to-understand language to translate the nuts and bolts of their scientific research into a popular science article. This will be their challenge.

Task Group:

Mariana Barrosa (Portugal, ESO ePOD)
Nuno Marques (Portugal, Web Developer)
Lee Pullen (UK, Freelance Science Communicator)
André Roquette (Portugal, ESO ePOD)

Jack Oughton (UK, Freelance Science Communicator)
Alice Enevoldsen (USA, Pacific Science Center)
Alberto Krone Martins (Brazil, Uni. S. Paulo / Uni. Bordeaux)
Kevin Govender (South Africa, S. A. A. O.)
Avivah Yamani (Indonesia, Rigel Kentaurus)
Henri Boffin (Belgium, ESO ePOD)

Jupiter Ho ! …from aboard a Cruise Ship!

I had the great fortune to be a guest speaker aboard the Golden Princess cruise ship for her two week journey from Los Angeles, CA to Hawaii during the Galilean Nights! When we were not in port, I gave a total of seven presentations on Astronomy and Space Exploration topics. I wasn’t sure what kind of attendance I would receive with all the distractions of a luxurious cruise ship, but I was pleasantly surprised when I found I had a strong following of over 100 people looking forward to each talk.

We also had the great fortune to have two clear moonless nights to observe from 25 degrees latitude, which put Jupiter high in the sky! The Princess cruise ship graciously provided an 8″ Dobsonian telescope and a place on the top deck to view from. The Cruise Director and his staff fully supported and encouraged my efforts to bring the exciting world of Astronomy to the passengers.

Clearly, it’s always a challenge to observe from a moving ship, but with a wide angle lens and patient passengers anxious to see Jupiter and its moons for the first time – both viewings turned out to be a great success! Over the two nights 85 happy passengers were heard to exclaim “Oh Wow!”, “That’s really Jupiter?”, “I can’t believe I’m seeing another planet!”

Everyone was also treated to a sky show, where I showed them how to find the North Star using Cassiopeia, view the Pleiades through binoculars, trace out the Summer Triangle, discover the Pegasus constellation and be completely in awe on seeing the farthest object a person can see with their eyes – the Andromeda Galaxy!

It was a great time to enjoy Astronomy and a great cruise too!

Just today, I received an email from a passenger thanking me for inspiring them and that they’re now looking for their own telescope.

I was so busy adjusting the telescope on the rocking deck and managing the crowds that I never had a chance to take any pictures. (I was also reluctant to disturb their acquired night vision.) Included are a few pictures from other parts of the voyage.

Paul Cirillo
www.AstronomyNJ.com

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This entry was posted on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 10:21 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.