Merry Christmas 2013
Have a wonderful Christmas, (or whatever else you celebrate). I hope 2014 brings you whatever you most hope for.
astronomy
Schrödinger’s comet
As far as I can tell, Comet ISON is neither alive not dead, but in some stage in-between. Something came out from behind the sun. Watch this space. Por lo que puedo decir, el cometa ISON no está ni vivo ni muerto, pero en algún en el medio. Algo salió de detrás del sol. Mire este espacio. Soweit ich das beurteilen kann, ist weder lebendig Comet ISON nicht tot, sondern…
R.I.P. Comet ISON (probably)
< It looks like comet ISON has broken up. I’m disappointed, but I’m not surprised. The comet’s closest approach was just 1,165,000 km (724,000 mi) from the surface of the sun. This is not a safe place for a snowball. The image above shows just how close it got. The black disc in the centre of the picture is called a cronograph. It covers up the sun so that...
Puntagorda Market
This weekend, Puntagorda market has a special attraction. Astrotour will be offering free astronomical observations of the sun, together with workshops and games for children. And on Sunday morning, there’s a workshop on solar energy. There will also be nighttime astronomical observations on the Avenida Almendos near Cafe Itaca. Puntagorda is a village and municipality in the north west of the island. Every Saturday and Sunday, they have a farmers’…
Comet ISON is visible to the naked eye
As comets approach the sun, they warm up and the head and tail grow bigger and brighter. ISON is now visible, in the constellation Virgo, near the bright star Spica. That’s in the east before dawn. There’s a finder chart at http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/2012S1/2012S1.html and more informationa at Phil Plait’s blog. Please excuse the rush. I’m trying to finish a book of children’s stories about La Palma’s amazing night sky. Cuando los…
A lovely calendar
Vanessa Sancho is originally from Barcelona, but she’s been living in La Palma for the last 18 months. The island’s amazing skies inspired her to produce very good pastel paintings of nebulae. She’s crowdfunding a calendar of her paintings, and I’ve already signed up for one. The calendar is A4 (opens to A3) and each month includes a colour painting, an explanation of what it is an where you can…