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“The method of science, as stodgy and grumpy as it may seem, is far more important than the findings of science.”
– Carl Sagan’s Fine Art of Baloney Detection, extracted from The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark Rules for critical thinking (1 of 10): Carl Sagan developed a “baloney detection kit” — a set of cognitive tools and techniques that fortify the mind against penetration by falsehoods. But the kit, Sagan argues,…
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“At night the stars put on a show for free … And darling, you can share it all with me”
– Gerry Goffin, Carole King The great song writing duo Goffin and King with Up on the Roof, first recorded by Little Eva, the Drifters and many others. Do the lyrics “evinces a quiet sense of sadness, an urban dissatisfaction that moves beyond anything conceived by the rose-spectacled Tin Pan Alley writers of the early…
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“The wondrous thing about science is that nobody knows the right answer.”
Dr. Becky Smethurst, Astrophysicist. Science Communicator. Author. The full quote from the preface of her book (Space at the Speed of Light: The History of 14 Billion Years for People Short on Time) is: “The wondrous thing about science is that nobody knows the right answer. This is not how we are taught science as…
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“We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others, too.”
Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:President_Kennedy_-We_Choose_to_Go_to_the_Moon(29533458786).jpg Speaking of perserverance as I was (see here) the US effort on behalf of mankind in the 60s and 70s shows exactly what humanity is capable of. The video of President Kennedy’s still excites and sets the hair on the back of the neck: Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th5A6ZQ28pE PS: I love coffee. BuyMeACoffee, leave a message…
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“Never give up, never surrender”
Jason Nesmith playing Cmdr. Peter Quincy Taggart (Tim Allen), Galaxy Quest Credit: https://media.giphy.com/media/2rIDTzizHRQv6/giphy.gif The best Star Trek movie never made! The quote is self-explanatory. Don’t give up when faced with roadblocks or challenges or if you hit problems. Also have the attitude to not give up and push through hardship. Because if we surrender at…
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Are comets and shooting stars the same?
Caption: Perseid Meteor from UK 12-13 Aug 2021 (credit in ALT) I was asked this question during a recent talk on stargazing. Easy question to answer, was my first thought. I started with confirming that they were indeed different phenomena and went on to discuss where comets came from, their usual long orbits (unless they…
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“Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before!”
– Gene Rodenberry (19 August 1921 – 24 October 1991) The opening lines of the most famous science fiction show ever made. Star Trek showcased many technologies that are now common place. It started at least one astronaut on her career. Lets all praise Nichelle Nicols. Credit: https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/3008fl/mae_jemison_the_first_black_astronaut_and/ The show presented a future that normalised…
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“Man must rise above the Earth—to the top of the atmosphere and beyond—for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives.”
– Socrates (469-399 BC) This quote appears in the Plato’s Dialogue, Phaedo, around 109e. The Greek text is: τὸ δὲ εἶναι ταὐτόν, ὑπ᾽ ἀσθενείας καὶ βραδυτῆτος οὐχ οἵους τε εἶναι ἡμᾶς διεξελθεῖν ἐπ᾽ ἔσχατον τὸν ἀέρα: ἐπεί, εἴ τις αὐτοῦ ἐπ᾽ ἄκρα ἔλθοι ἢ πτηνὸς γενόμενος ἀνάπτοιτο, κατιδεῖν ἂν ἀνακύψαντα, ὥσπερ ἐνθάδε οἱ ἐκ τῆς…
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“There are no borders or boundaries on our planet …”
– Frank White, Author, Space Philosopher, Consultant William Shatner cried upon returning from space. The “overview effect” explains why. The “overview effect”, experienced by astronauts when they view the Earth from outer space, irrevocably changes your perspective as a human. Coined by Frank White in 1987, the overview effect describes what the spaceflight experience, for…
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“… we watched the stars …”
― Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space “Before we invented civilization our ancestors lived mainly in the open out under the sky. Before we devised artificial lights and atmospheric pollution and modern forms of nocturnal entertainment, we watched the stars. There were practical calendar reasons of course but…
Stargazing Guy
Connecting people to the Stars
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“Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas.”
– Maria Salomea Skłodowska Curie (Marie Curie) (7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) She was a was a Polish and naturalised-French physicist and chemist. The first woman to win a Nobel Prize. The first person to win a Nobel Prize twice. The only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different scientific fields.…
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You Can Still Read NASA’s Deleted “First Woman” Graphic Novels
With thanks to Keith Cowing of NASAWatch.com Credit: https://nasawatch.com/education/you-can-still-read-nasas-deleted-first-woman-graphic-novels/ ____________________________________________________________________ The following is mainly taken from NASAWatch.com‘s page about this story. In 2021 NASA issued the first of two interactive comic books/graphic novels (“First Woman: Dream to Reality”) depicting young women dreaming of – and then training for – a future that would comprise the…
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One Penny for Space
Will you sign the petition? I have. Credit: https://pennyforspace.vercel.app/ ____________________________________________________________________ One Penny for Space is a petition to ask the UK government to increase spending on space to 1%. Click on the badge below to learn more about the petition by Peter Hague of Plutocracy. ____________________________________________________________________ PS: I love coffee. BuyMeACoffee, leave a message with a…
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Space and science-related puns & jokes no. 76
Everyone loves a pune (or pun) or a joke. Here follows more space and science-related puns/jokes – enjoy or groan or meh. More to follow! __________________________________________________________________ Q: If you know nothing about constellations at least learn Ursa MinorA: …that’s the bear minimum This will be the last pun/joke for a while – due to some…
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Space and science-related puns & jokes no. 75
Everyone loves a pune (or pun) or a joke. Here follows more space and science-related puns/jokes – enjoy or groan or meh. More to follow! __________________________________________________________________ Q: Why are they called Hemorrhoids?A: Because Asteroids was already taken __________________________________________________________________ PS: I love coffee. BuyMeACoffee, leave a message with a date and time and we can In the…
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Space and science-related puns & jokes no. 74
Everyone loves a pune (or pun) or a joke. Here follows more space and science-related puns/jokes – enjoy or groan or meh. More to follow! __________________________________________________________________ Apologies, yet another image/meme. If you can’t mix jokes/puns with memes … well you can and I have! __________________________________________________________________ PS: I love coffee. BuyMeACoffee, leave a message with a date…
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