I’m itching to write a little about my recent trip to Cozumel, but I’m a bit bogged down by homework for the next few days. Even so, the homework in my Principles of Nanotechnology course overlaps with some interesting observations about geckos I made while in Mexico (that they can walk on walls and ceilings in various conditions), so I thought I’d share. Unfortunately, my camera broke, so you’ll have to do with a picture I took at the California Academy of Sciences. Anyway, the homework assignment is all about the nanotechnology of gecko feet, and what makes them stick. Hit the read more link for the rest of the goodies.
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September 22nd, 2009
Ross
It has come to my attention that there continues to be a lot of confusion about what is happening in the night sky. I’m currently doing my teaching-assistantship at the University of Alberta’s Observatory, where I tutor students interested in learning about amateur astronomy, and expose the public to the wonders of our (visible) universe.
One of my all-time favourite tools for predicting interesting events in the sky is Heavens-Above.com. With the website you can check the configuration of the planets and stars for almost any night (a reasonable time past and present), check the rise and set times of the Sun and Moon, and predict what satellites will be visible, and where and when they’ll appear in the sky. I’ve even found it useful for identifying an object after I’ve seen it. I’ll give you a quick run down of how to use it and what cool things you can see (no telescope or binoculars required)!
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Here’s a quick test of Google’s Maps embedding functions. I work almost precisely at the latitude and longitude of: 53.5287626358291,-113.52613806724548, which corresponds to the map below.
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