National Geographic Channel's "A Traveler's Guide to The Planets"

Get ready with an out of this world journey to the planets with National Geographic Channel's "A Traveler's Guide To The Planets" a 3 day, 6 part mini series premiering Sunday February 14, a.k.a Valentines Day 9pm EDT. What better way to cap off an evening with that someone special then to tour Saturn and Jupiter.

Using a combination of the latest images taken with the biggest and best Earth telescopes and stunning CGI animations you'll navigate through Saturn's rings, tour it's surface and view it's amazing auroras, then it's on to Jupiter, dive below it's atmosphere which is so dense the pressure of which could crush a car into the size of a tin can. Jupiter the solar system's vacuum cleaner, with it's immence gravitational pull sucking in comets and asteroids that would otherwise pummel the Earth, without Jupiter they estimate we'd be hit by a comet every 50 years or so, life as we know it would not exist.


Monday, February 15, at 9pm EDT. Travel to Mars, Venus and Mercury. Did you know that 4.5 billion years ago Venus and Earth began as planetary twins, formed right next to each other, even exchanging materials, parts of Venus were falling on Earth and visa versa. You'll learn all kinds of cool things about these 3 planets, again the animations and visuals on the preview dvds were awesome.


Tuesday, February 16, at 9pm EDT. Last stops on our journey of the Planets, Neptune, Uranus and yes..little Pluto, still a planet in Bobland. You'll see stunning new pictures of these planets and visit the New Horizons control room where scientists are working with the first spacecraft to visit Pluto around 2015, just past Jupiter, 1979 more days to arrival at Pluto.

Unfortunately the mini series is only showing for now in the U.S. but as in past NGC space shows have come to Canada within 6-8 months through the Discovery and Canadian National Geographic Channels.. I will update you on this one either through my blog or my Facebook where I am spending some time at.

I'll leave you now with a preview clip of Saturn.

10 Places to Learn More about Astronomy Online

You may remember a while back Karen Schweitzer did a guest post for Black holes called
"10 Places to get a Free Astronomy Education Online", well Karen, the About.com guide to Business School has offered her excellent services once again with suggestions for another 10 free places to learn of Astronomy online.



The web is a great place for amateur and experienced astronomers to learn more about stars, planets, comets, galaxies, and other celestial objects. Here are 10 free education resources that almost any astronomer will benefit from.

1. Astronomy.com - Astronomy, the world's bestselling astronomy magazine, also has a website with educational resources for astronomers of all ages. Only magazine subscribers can gain access to the site's premium features, but there are a number of free resources that are available to everyone.


2. Sky and Telescope - Sky and Telescope, another popular astronomy magazine, uses their online presence to provide astronomy news, highlights from the magazine, observation tips, and interactive sky charts. Other notable features include a site blog and community forum.

3. - KidsAstronomy - As the name implies, KidsAstronomy.com is an astronomy site for kids. The site offers a free astronomy course, sky map, astronomy games, activities, fun facts, and other resources to educate kids about outer space.

4. Windows to the Universe - This award-winning site from the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research provides a user-friendly education system for anyone who is interested in learning more about earth and space sciences.

5. Astronomy Cast - This popular astronomy podcast is aimed at amateur astronomers, but also provides educational material for more advanced learners. Several new episodes are published each month and old episodes are archived so that listeners can review information they may have missed.



6. Astronomy Picture of the Day -NASA posts a new astronomy picture each day along with an explanation of what viewers are seeing. Old pictures (dating back to 1995) have been archived so that site visitors can explore images they may have missed.

7. Sky View Cafe - Sky View Cafe is a free web application that offers an astronomical event calendar, star charts, and other useful astronomical information. Users can also use Sky View Cafe to see which stars and planets will be viewable in their area each night.

8. Stellarium - This free multi-platform software displays a realistic night sky in 3D on your computer screen. It can also be used in planetarium projectors.

9. Your Sky - This interactive web planetarium allows users to create personalized sky maps that show the entire sky as it looks at a particular day and time.

10. My Online Astronomy Journal - My Online Astronomy Journal is a community based website for amateur astronomers who want to record their observations and share them with other people. Membership is free and open to everyone.

Thanks again Karen for taking the time to put together this collection of great Astronomy links, and thanks to everybody who took time to comment on my last post and send me encouraging emails of support, also Astro-Nuts for showing me a major signpost.

I had mentioned on my last post I was taking some time off to look for my next signpost to guide me to get to where I need to be, since then I have found many, and many have helped, and I thank you all. When all seems lost and nothing seems right it's good to know that Christ our Savior is always there to get us through, 1Peter 5:7-11, some verses I found when I really needed them most.

ps, see you in Vancouver in December Livingsword

Last Post .......for a while

So I was driving down a dark country road, I had just been out in the afternoon to scout out a location in the country to view a Moon and Pleiades conjunction. Always easier to find a new location during the day then head back out at night.

I was driving what seemed like forever looking for the turnoff that would get me to the place I needed to be but I couldn't find it, must have missed it, but how could I have, I thought there was a sign, did I drive by it? I started getting a little anxious, was I on the right road, the millage was off compared to what it was the first time out, drove what seemed like forever, pulled over and turned around and headed back towards safety and home. Wasn't more then just a few minutes and straight head a sign I was looking for pointed me in the right direction, wow talk about being relieved.

Took my images packed my stuff away and started home... true story, as I was heading home a car came towards me with his brights on, as I looked away I noticed in my rear view mirror the sign, all big, green and shiny and I thought to myself how on earth did I miss it?

Life can be that way sometimes, always easy to see clearly when looking back at stuff then it is when your in the middle of it. I will be away for awhile looking for my next signpost but this time not fretting about the destination. I want to thank all of you who have given me so much encouragement the last couple years with your kind comments, we've laughed, we've cried, mostly laughed though and I treasure every last moment we've shared.



I thought my latest Sunset clip would be fitting for my "Last Post...for a while". With every Sunset there is a Sunrise, and with it a new day with new hopes and aspirations...so no goodbyes...just good memories.

Daytime Moon and Zodiacal Light

Wife: Whatcha up to?

Me: Looking at a daytime crescent Moon...just above that tree over there..see it?

Wife: .......No.

Me: Okay, look at the top of that pine over there and then a little to the left...see it?

Wife: .......No.

Me: Alright watch where I'm pointing, the Moon is sitting on top of my finger....see it?

Wife: .........If I say yes will you stop?



This conversation actually took place, the daytime crescent Moon can be a hard target to find but boy is it worth it, looks so majestic in the daytime.



If you're interested you can go here to see the current phase of the Moon and go here to find out where it is. I eventually set up the telescope and took some images for her to see later, which I don't think she did, but hey if she reads the post she will.


Just a reminder, in the early morning hours of this coming Thursday the Moon and Pleiades will be in conjunction, but you can enjoy the coupling late Wednesday evening, just grab some binocs, find the Moon then just off to the left will be the Pleiades, granted you won't have me to point them out to you but you should be good to go on your own.

Zodiacal Light ..credit The Worlds Of David Darling

Mark September 16th. on your calender for an awesome showing of the Slim Crescent Moon, Venus, and...and, the Zodiacal Light, triple whammy. The Zodiacal light will be putting on quite the show for a few days beyond the 16th., until the Moon gets brighter and takes away it's cool soft glow.

First you have to get up a couple hours before Sunrise, leave the glare of the city lights, and look to the east. You will see a faint triangle of light rising up from the horizon, very beautiful. The Zodiacal light is the result of Sunlight reflecting off dust particles left behind by comets and collisions between asteroids, best seen the beginning of fall before Sunrise in the east and spring after Sunset in the west. You may or may not know that the Zodiacal light is responsible for 60% of the skylight on a moonless night.

I'll leave you now with an animation of a Sunset I took a week ago.

10 Places to Get a Free Astronomy Education Online

Old Shanghai Observatory Star Theater


Something special and new for you this this time round. Karen Schweitzer will be doing a guest post. Karen is the About.com guide to Business School. Karen also writes reviews of Online Colleges for OnlineColleges.net. There is some great stuff here, I have reviewed all the links Karen has provided and have actually printed some of the study materials down to read and incorporate in future posts, take it away Karen.


Whether you are a beginning astronomer or a professional who is interested in learning more about a specific topic, there are plenty of places to get a free astronomy education online. Here are ten courses, podcasts, encyclopedias, and other education resources to explore:

Introduction to Astronomy- The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) offers this free course to introduce self-learners to astronomy. The course includes readings, study materials, assignments, and quizzes with an answer key.

Elementary Astronomy- This free online course from the College of Eastern Utah focuses on the formation and existence of the sun, moon, planets, stars, and comets. The course includes 38 pages of informative handouts with illustrations.

Astronomy 101- The About.com Guide to Astronomy offers this free online course to self-learners who are interested in learning the basics of astronomy. The 10-lesson course includes an assignment, links to more in-depth information, a final quiz, and forums where students can ask questions. A certificate is awarded to those who finish the course.

Hands-On Astronomy- This free online astronomy course from MIT focuses on observing stars and planets. The course teaches students how to use small telescopes with lecture notes and other self-study materials.

Old Shanghai Observatory Star Theater

The Solar System- This free online course, also from MIT, provides an introduction to the solar system. Students learn about the formation and life of the solar system through assignments, fact sheets, and other course materials.

Essential Radio Astronomy- This advanced-level astronomy course was designed for students who already have some knowledge of astronomy. The text-based course includes problems sets and exams with solutions.

Weekly Astronomy Podcast- Astronomy magazine's free weekly podcast is an excellent educational resource for astronomy enthusiasts. Episodes include astronomy news, information on upcoming sky events, and much more.

Astronomy Network- The Astronomy Network is a social network for astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts. The site is a great place to learn more about astronomy online through discussions, blog posts, and videos.

World Of Astronomy- World of Astronomy is a comprehensive online encyclopedia of astronomy topics. Visitors can learn more about galactic astronomy, observational astronomy, the solar system, stars, and much more.

Ask An Astronomer- Volunteers at Cornell University's Astronomy Department offer this free public service to people around the world who are interested in astronomy. You can browse previously asked questions or submit your own question to be answered by one of the graduate students at Cornell.


Thank you Karen, with all the information out there it's nice to have an expert do the research on where to get stuff. I'll leave you now with an animation of the Greater Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an China, built in 652 it was used to hold sutras and figurines that were brought back from India by Xuanzang