Serious Time

One class, one field trip, one short discussion...and then vacation.  Hope it was fun.  I brushed up on the theory of relativity...and it's starting to make sense.  Well, not really.

Exciting news on the planet--a meteor explodes over Russia, and all those dash cams take the scene: Watch This: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130218.html
 

But that wasn't the only thing happening in the skies. Check this out: http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/02/11/asteroid_2012_da14_space_rock_will_miss_the_earth_by_17_000_miles.html?wpisrc=obinsite

On Feb. 15, the small asteroid 2012 DA14 will pass the Earth, similar to this artwork (which uses a real image of both Earth and the asteroid Matilde).
Image credits: Earth: ESA/Rosetta; asteroid Mathilde: NASA/NEAR

And since we missed Valentine's day, here is a picture (on the left) of an astro-valentine from space, taken on Feb. 14th, 2000, of the asteroid named 433 Eros. This spud-shaped rock is 34 x 11 x 11 kilometers (21 x 7 x 7 miles) in size, and sometimes approaches near the Earth (though we’re in no danger of it hitting us).



Back to our suject, LIGHT- The Whole Spectrum
Bad Astronomer blog http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/02/22/infrared_time_lapse_video_of_trees_in_the_infrared_is_eerie_and_beautiful.html

Video 56 minutes:

Light Fantastic 3 - The Stuff of Light 

Reading: 

1. Textbook - finish chapter 1: A Brief Introduction to the Universe

2. Handout - Asteroids AND/OR chapter 2 of God's Undertaker

3. I will post some short videos on FB periodically, as well as short thoughts.  Please also post your comments; I have set up an astronomy group, and I would love you to share stuff as well.