pluto, the previous planet - live!

a couple weeks ago fred watson and i dusted off our musical collaboration and performed a live version of "pluto, the previous planet!"

the only video recording was from a phone in the back of the room, but enough of you requested to see and listen to the "performance" that i put together this video - i hope you enjoy!



the audience of 400 was in coonabarabran that evening for "science in the pub," where nobel laureate brian schmidt, prof matthew colless and prof ken freeman discussed dark matter, dark energy, and the concept of "reality." ("three astronomers walk into a pub...").

(L to R) Matthew Colless, Ken Freeman, Brian Schmidt, Fred Watson

but they were stuck listening to our song near the end ;)

Fred Watson and I finishing "Pluto, the Previous Planet" (Photo Credit: Helen Sim)

some of you might recall the official video for "pluto, the previous planet" was produced as a hack day project at dotAstronomy 3 a couple years ago. that video can still be seen at youpiter.org and the full story of the song's conception and video's production can be found HERE.  

on the news!

just before the starfest weekend at siding spring observatory, channel 7 sunrise national news morning program sent their weather team to site to feature all the great views of the recovering landscape and cutting edge astronomical technology.

this video shows all the footage from siding spring, condensed into a 12 minute collection.   can you spot edwina's major faux pas?  she apologised afterwards, sort of, but we all screamed off-camera when we heard her say it!

also, i dont remember feeling so short standing next to her!   she had heels on her shoes, but seriously, i look small.  remind me to wear some higher shoes next time!



fun stuff!

Sunrise news crew and several AAO staff

adventures in flatland

the best part of this flatland-inspired comic by abstruse goose is the hidden alternative text for the image, which i'll reveal after you read it.

the alternative text: "sometimes i think i'm surrounded by idiots everywhere.  then i remind myself that that's exactly what an idiot would think."

in case youre interested in some accessible science reading, i highly recommend going through the short novel, Flatland: A Romance in Many Dimensions. by edwin abbott abbott (yes, that's abbott-squared). it was written in 1884, includes adorable illustrations and describes "the journeys of A. Square, a resident of Flatland, and his adventures in Spaceland (three dimensions), Lineland (one dimension) and Pointland (no dimensions). A. Square also entertains thoughts of visiting a land of four dimensions; a revolutionary idea for which he is banished from Spaceland."

note to self...

saw this in the paper the other day :)

5 fun science experiments for kids

need something to entertain some young people?   this is a fun video showing 5 simple science experiments that can be done at home!

i'll admit, i watched the video all the way through, and unfortunately, i was not with any young humans.  it's fun!



via orbiting frog.

the symphony of life

we often speak of life as a journey with some distinct destination or goal at the end.  i like the alternative view proposed by alan watts and animated in the video below.

instead of viewed as a "pilgrimage" with something at the end, life is best appreciated as a symphony, with crescendos and retreats, build ups and disappointments, different movements sparking a range of emotions - the total effect changing all the time and built from an ensemble of characters working together along the way.

the hi(gg)story

a well-known prize just went to Peter Higgs and François Englert for "the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, and which recently was confirmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle, by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN's Large Hadron Collider."

i remember where i was last year when the 5 sigma detection of the higgs boson was announced: with a group of other physicists, enjoying the higgsteria (and cringing at the comic sans).

you can read about ALL the twists and turns of the hi(gg)story in a nice article by matt strassler, or you can watch the series done by brady and the sixty symbols crew.

for instance, you can learn what would happen if you put your hand inside the large hadron collider:



and of course, learn about the two experiments using the large hadron collider (LHC) that discovered the higgs boson!

CMS:



ATLAS:

an open letter

an honest subtitle from xkcd: "are you ok? do you need help?"

live from siding spring observatory

i'm up at siding spring observatory this week for many events during the upcoming StarFest weekend extravaganza!  this morning, the australian national news program, channel 7 sunrise, broadcast their show from different parts around the observatory!   i featured in a couple segments, talking about the science we can do with our 4 meter AAT telescope and showing some pretty pictures on computers in the control room.

you can watch one quick segment HERE (at least for the next month or so).

overall, it was a very fun experience, but the super early wake up call was not my favourite part of the day!

sunrise over siding spring observatory

here is sam, a PhD student who was up all night observing, talking about the exciting new SAMI instrument and its capabilities.

sam showing off SAMI and the AAT to edwina bartholemew

we did a few scenes outside with the view, a few inside the dome with the big telescope and inside the control room. can you spot the gag that came right at the end of the scene ;) 

behind-the-scenes from the news spot this morning

i found it fascinating to watch the small news crew smoothly organize every scene setup and shot.  they were in control.  an impressive operation!

several AAO staff with the channel 7 sunrise weather team

this is my first trip to siding spring since the fires in january.  its springtime and regrowth is happening all over!   its nice to see.

springtime flourishes at siding spring observatory

the sunrise view from the top of siding spring