Sanctum Sanctorum - Overrun!
2. An inviolably private place: The clubhouse was their sanctum sanctorum.
So last night my Sanctum Sanctorum was overrun. And I was allright with it all, indeed, I had invited them in. But it felt like a passage - wasnt I the only one who had seen it - labored on it for a couple years.. took a sledge hammer to a wall when it needed expanding, cursed when its roof wouldnt stop leaking? Wasnt I the one who had a bed out there, sleeping in it, so I could rise before the dawn and test my latest drillings quickly. Hadnt I spent countless silent summer afternoons on off days tweaking, soundtracking, photographing .. dreaming .. it didnt seem real. Two weeks ago a small group had come to be the first and that still felt private, as did my small family's visit. I could give small groups a look through my keyhole .. but last night was different .
They came in waves .. the first group precisely at six .. 8 of them, not too bad but one had a father who had lectured in his high school planetarium .. they were asking to see constellations .. wheres the lady in the chair one small child asked, startling me .. yet one husband exclaimed as he exited .. 'Im VERY impressed, you dont get this level of detail at a public planetarium' ... we did a standup runthru of my history theater, this I was more unsure of .. but they seemed interested in the pyramids and castle and even the titanic .. they laughed at the mummy in the big pyramid .. this was encouraging .. they left happy
But then the waves started. The second group arrived one van at a time .. home schoolers with their parents ... I had to put them in the barn .. first there were 6 .. then 4 more .. then 8 more .. the room filled up ... wait, theres more coming they said .. finally I had a crowd of over 30 big ones and little ones buzzing about me .. would they fit? They fit .. somehow.. they spilled out onto the floor, the kids did .. they were polite, asked good questions .. my sanctum sanctorum suddenly a church with a hushed multitude behind me.. it wasnt perfect - I bumbled with my constellation flashlights .. I spoke as much about building it as using it .. the history of it .. HPA .. the whole picture .. they drank it all in ..
Then came my own moment of truth .. they piled back into the Star Theater to see the pyramid show.. and here I was .. the stars I knew I could do, but a stage show - ??? - a sinking ship ... a castle with a comet .. a ghost in the machine .... I did it though ..and they laughed.. they gasped on cue when the mummy emerged .. they made 'jack' jokes when the titanic music played - this wasnt perfect either - I got out of sync with my music and had to stall - I just admitted it and laughed, told them this was SHOW ONE for this place and they seemed happy to be part of developing it .. there were no expectations .. just happy people there in my sanctum sanctorum ..
We went out and it was clear and saw the real constellations .. they were interested in everything .. a small boy uttered the quote of the night .. all of about 7, he looked up at me and uttered ... now I know what I want to study in college....
I hope he does. But even if he doesnt, I told them that Halleys comet would be back in exactly 50 years, 2161, and they might see it. And if they did, I asked them to remember this night in their distant childhood, and maybe a little comet dust would come up out of their memories.
There may be many reasons I built this sanctum sanctorum. but this was surely the best.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Titanic Survivors - Lifeboat 15 - Elisabeth, Eleanor, and Harold Johnson
Mrs Oscar W. Johnson (Alice ?Elisabeth Vilhelmina Backberg), 24, was born 24 January 1885.
Elisabeth was Married to editor Oscar Walter Johnson and lived with him and their children Harold Theodor and Eleanor Ileen in St. Charles, Illinois.
She and the children were returning from a visit to Oscar's parents home in Ramkvilla, Småland, Sweden. They travelled via Malmö (where they bought their tickets) and Copenhagen. They boarded the Titanic at Southampton.
Elisabeth and her children got into one of the last lifeboats on starboard side either lifeboat 13 or 15. A man, probably Gunnar Tenglin stepped out of the lifeboat to offer a place. After that he found there was still room left in the lifeboat and stepped back in.
In New York she was quartered on St. Lucas Hospital, where Red Cross gave them an unknown sum of money and a new trunk. 24 April she travelled via Chicago on her way home to St. Charles.
Her husband died in 1917, she then married Carl Peterson who died in 1964. Elisabeth Peterson (late Johnson, née Berg) died 19 December 1968.
Notes
Another source suggests she was in Finland visiting her dying father.
References
Claes-Göran Wetterholm (1988, 1996, 1999) Titanic. Prisma, Stockholm. ISBN 91 518 3644 0
Contributors
Phillip Gowan, USA
Leif Snellman, Finland
Travelling Companions (on same ticket)
Master Harold Theodor Johnson
Miss Eleanor Ileen Johnson
Elisabeth was Married to editor Oscar Walter Johnson and lived with him and their children Harold Theodor and Eleanor Ileen in St. Charles, Illinois.
She and the children were returning from a visit to Oscar's parents home in Ramkvilla, Småland, Sweden. They travelled via Malmö (where they bought their tickets) and Copenhagen. They boarded the Titanic at Southampton.
Elisabeth and her children got into one of the last lifeboats on starboard side either lifeboat 13 or 15. A man, probably Gunnar Tenglin stepped out of the lifeboat to offer a place. After that he found there was still room left in the lifeboat and stepped back in.
In New York she was quartered on St. Lucas Hospital, where Red Cross gave them an unknown sum of money and a new trunk. 24 April she travelled via Chicago on her way home to St. Charles.
Her husband died in 1917, she then married Carl Peterson who died in 1964. Elisabeth Peterson (late Johnson, née Berg) died 19 December 1968.
Notes
Another source suggests she was in Finland visiting her dying father.
References
Claes-Göran Wetterholm (1988, 1996, 1999) Titanic. Prisma, Stockholm. ISBN 91 518 3644 0
Contributors
Phillip Gowan, USA
Leif Snellman, Finland
Travelling Companions (on same ticket)
Master Harold Theodor Johnson
Miss Eleanor Ileen Johnson
Sir Fulke Greville - the ghost of Warwick Castle
he atmosphere of magnificent Warwick Castle is redolent of secrecy, mystery and intrigue, and to enter the spooky, fourteenth century Ghost Tower is a somewhat scary experience. Decorated in Jacobean style, with a gateway leading from the base to the river, this tower is said to be haunted by the restless spirit of Sir Fulke Greville, who was murdered there by his manservant.
A prominent Elizabethan-Jacobean courtier, Greville lived from 1554 to 1628 and was a gifted poet. Warwick Castle was granted to him in 1604 by James I, and he was at one time Chancellor of the Exchequer. On leaving this post in 1621, he was raised to the peerage and given the title of Baron Brook.
The castle had fallen into a state of advanced decay, and from the date he acquired it until his death, Greville devoted his time and fortune to its restoration. The gardens he planted were said to be unparalleled in this part of England, though during the Civil war they were dug up for gun emplacements by the garrison defending the castle.
Inside the gloomy Ghost Tower, creaks, groans and mutterings emanate from dark doorways as one explores the two rooms, one up one down, in which Greville lived whilst the castle was undergoing repairs. As one climbs the stairs to the bedroom, low voices, recounting the chilling tale of the murder, penetrate the inky blackness. They tell how, while Greville and one of his man-servants are away in London, an argument breaks out between the two men. It concerns the contents of Greville's will, Ralph Heywood, the manservant, being convinced that his master, however generous in his plans for the restoration of the castle, has been less so towards himself. Believing that Greville has not bequeathed to him his rightful due he draws a knife and stabs Sir Fulke; after which, realizing the enormity of the deed he has committed, he turns the blade on himself and dies immediately.
Greville, however, lingers on in agony, until after 27 days, despite the efforts of his surgeons, he too succumbs. His body is brought from London back to Warwick Castle, and he is laid to rest in St. Mary's Church in the town. His ghost, it is said, still haunts the tower that was once his home; for dying an unnatural death, his soul is said to be unquiet. On his death, Greville being unmarried and without heirs, the estate goes to his adopted heir, Robert Greville, the second Lord Brooke.
A prominent Elizabethan-Jacobean courtier, Greville lived from 1554 to 1628 and was a gifted poet. Warwick Castle was granted to him in 1604 by James I, and he was at one time Chancellor of the Exchequer. On leaving this post in 1621, he was raised to the peerage and given the title of Baron Brook.
The castle had fallen into a state of advanced decay, and from the date he acquired it until his death, Greville devoted his time and fortune to its restoration. The gardens he planted were said to be unparalleled in this part of England, though during the Civil war they were dug up for gun emplacements by the garrison defending the castle.
Inside the gloomy Ghost Tower, creaks, groans and mutterings emanate from dark doorways as one explores the two rooms, one up one down, in which Greville lived whilst the castle was undergoing repairs. As one climbs the stairs to the bedroom, low voices, recounting the chilling tale of the murder, penetrate the inky blackness. They tell how, while Greville and one of his man-servants are away in London, an argument breaks out between the two men. It concerns the contents of Greville's will, Ralph Heywood, the manservant, being convinced that his master, however generous in his plans for the restoration of the castle, has been less so towards himself. Believing that Greville has not bequeathed to him his rightful due he draws a knife and stabs Sir Fulke; after which, realizing the enormity of the deed he has committed, he turns the blade on himself and dies immediately.
Greville, however, lingers on in agony, until after 27 days, despite the efforts of his surgeons, he too succumbs. His body is brought from London back to Warwick Castle, and he is laid to rest in St. Mary's Church in the town. His ghost, it is said, still haunts the tower that was once his home; for dying an unnatural death, his soul is said to be unquiet. On his death, Greville being unmarried and without heirs, the estate goes to his adopted heir, Robert Greville, the second Lord Brooke.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Under Historical Skies - Warwick Castle, Great Britain
Pursuant to the last post, a portion of my Under Historical Skies planetarium show shall feature Halleys Comet of 1301, as SEEN from Warwick Castle in Britain .. It would have been easily visible, this was around the time the castle was being rebuilt from wood to stone (although this may have been completed about 1315.
Warwick Castle (i/ˈwɒrɪk/ worr-ik) is a medieval castle in Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire, England. It sits on a bend on the River Avon. The castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068 within or adjacent to the Anglo-Saxon burh of Warwick. It was used as a fortification until the early 17th century, when Sir Fulke Greville converted it to a country house. It was owned by the Greville family, who became earls of Warwick in 1759, until 1978.
From 1088, the castle traditionally belonged to the Earl of Warwick, and it served as a symbol of his power.
The castle was taken in 1153 by Henry of Anjou, later Henry II. It has been used to hold prisoners, including some from the Battle of Poitiers in the 14th century. Under the ownership of Richard Neville – also known as "Warwick the Kingmaker" – Warwick Castle was used in the 15th century to imprison the English king, Edward IV.
Since its construction in the 11th century, the castle has undergone structural changes with additions of towers and redesigned residential buildings. Originally a wooden motte-and-bailey, it was rebuilt in stone in the 12th century. During the Hundred Years War, the facade opposite the town was refortified, resulting in one of the most recognisable examples of 14th century military architecture.
In the 17th century the grounds were turned into a garden. The castle's defences were enhanced in the 1640s to prepare the castle for action in the English Civil War. Robert Greville, 2nd Baron Brooke, was a Parliamentarian, and Royalist forces laid siege to the castle. Warwick Castle withstood the siege and was later used to hold prisoners taken by the Parliamentarians. The Tussauds Group purchased Warwick Castle in 1978 and opened it as a tourist attraction. It is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument[1] and a Grade I listed building.[2]
Warwick Castle (i/ˈwɒrɪk/ worr-ik) is a medieval castle in Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire, England. It sits on a bend on the River Avon. The castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068 within or adjacent to the Anglo-Saxon burh of Warwick. It was used as a fortification until the early 17th century, when Sir Fulke Greville converted it to a country house. It was owned by the Greville family, who became earls of Warwick in 1759, until 1978.
From 1088, the castle traditionally belonged to the Earl of Warwick, and it served as a symbol of his power.
The castle was taken in 1153 by Henry of Anjou, later Henry II. It has been used to hold prisoners, including some from the Battle of Poitiers in the 14th century. Under the ownership of Richard Neville – also known as "Warwick the Kingmaker" – Warwick Castle was used in the 15th century to imprison the English king, Edward IV.
Since its construction in the 11th century, the castle has undergone structural changes with additions of towers and redesigned residential buildings. Originally a wooden motte-and-bailey, it was rebuilt in stone in the 12th century. During the Hundred Years War, the facade opposite the town was refortified, resulting in one of the most recognisable examples of 14th century military architecture.
In the 17th century the grounds were turned into a garden. The castle's defences were enhanced in the 1640s to prepare the castle for action in the English Civil War. Robert Greville, 2nd Baron Brooke, was a Parliamentarian, and Royalist forces laid siege to the castle. Warwick Castle withstood the siege and was later used to hold prisoners taken by the Parliamentarians. The Tussauds Group purchased Warwick Castle in 1978 and opened it as a tourist attraction. It is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument[1] and a Grade I listed building.[2]
Under Historical Skies - Halleys Comet in 1301
The text is written by an anonymous astrologer from the collection edited by Lynn Thorndike
Latin Treatises on Comets between 1238 and 1368 AD . My translation from Arcana Mundi- Antologia del pensiero astrologico antico (BUR, 1995)
Many thanks to Eddy in Skyscript forum, who checked Halley ephemeris for 1301.
In the year 1301, in the first day of September, a comet appeared in the West and was visible for a month and more. Because of its circular motion it was evident for experts that it was moving because of the motion of the vault of the sky, from East to West. Now, the cause of its motion was in the place it was produced, i.e. the upper part of air, because the comet moved from East to West in a contiguous space between the Air region and the Fire one, in this way, because of motion of the Primum Mobile, the elements of the upper spheres move.
In the last day of September 2 hours and 40 minutes after the sunset, I started to study carefully its motion.
I took the turquet (1) and determined the map of the sky on the ground of three stars I recognises Abramec (2), Alfecam (3), and Altayr (4) so I found that the longitude of the comet, by signs and degrees, was at 20 Scorpio and its latitude at 26 degrees north. And Mars was in that moment at 20 degrees of Scorpio, direct in motion, so Mars and the comet were almost in conjunction, if we consider their places not along the circle passing through the World Poles, but along the circle passing through the Zodiac Pole.
Going on with the observation for many nights, I found that the comet, in addition to the mentioned motion carried by the Primum Mobile from East to West, it moved from North to South. And the day 6th of October, the feast of Sancta Fides, in the same hour after the sunset, I found its longitude to the 1st degree of Sagittarius and its latitude was of 10 degrees north.
Now, the cause of the motion of this comet from West to East according the order of the signs can be reasonably understood like delay and weakness of its motion in respect of daily motion. Since the virtue of the Primum Mobile is absorbed in a weaker way by the lower and more distant things from the Primum Mobile, so the Fire and the Air, in its upper part, can be left behind the daily motion of the Sun, so the Comet which is generated in those regions, make its revolution together with the Fire and the Air, but it is slower than the sky’s motion. For this reason the comet is behind the other celestial bodies which are in motion and so it seems to move against the sky motion, from West to East with a motion similar to the planets, but just because of its delay and the weakness of its revolution.
About the comet motion from North to South, I believe it’s the attraction motion, i.e. the Comet is attracted by Mars, from which was generated. Mars in fact, which was not exceeding the zodiacal southern latitude, was in aspect with the Comet, whose latitude was more than 20 N degrees. For these reasons the Comet seemed to move from North to South toward East, so its eastern longitude grew and grew while northern latitude decreased and decreased.
In the same way and for the same reasons its tail moved. In fact in the beginning of its appearance, its tail stretched toward North and following its motion moved Eastwards, inclining towards South to the stat which is called Altayr, i.e. Vultur Volans, which has a longitude of 21.15 Capricorn and a latitude of 29.25 N. And in this way, slowly, it moved towards Mars.
So, after having carefully considered the nature and the temperament of the producing planet and of the receiving sign of the comet and its motion and every other detail about its nature, which I omit in order to be brief, I will go to the judgement.
So I say that this comet, for its different and several causes, it means several accidents.
It means in fact strong winds and earthquakes in the regions which are in familiarity and sometimes a dryness of the air preceding profuse rains, but this because of “accidens”, i.e. because southern and western winds, which will cause clouds and rains.
And because of the corruption of the air, death and plague, famine and illness to the genitals, to the bladder and lungs and pains for parturient women and miscarriages and difficult deliveries and plenty of visions.
It means that there will be many fights between powerful people, wars and murders, and the religion of Moors will be weaker, and on the Earth thieves and robbers will be more and more.
It means wars, quarrels and massacre, the death of the kings, princes and nobles, the coming from the West of a King’s enemy and the King violence on his people and his lust for money. It means at last the destitution of courters and the unfairness of their acts that will correspond to a great hardship for them. So, Mars was in Scorpio, in which it has many rights because it has here the triplicity and the domicile: having 8 points (5) will make stronger the meaning of the comet.
These judgements are based on the most important astrologers, Ptolemy and Albumasar and Aly Habenragel.
And many poets talked about the meanings of a comet. Virgil in facts wrote in the ninth book of the Aeneid:
“Sanguinei lugubre rubent de nocte comete”
Lugubre, gloomy: he used the name as an adverb. And he calls the comets “sanguineos”, bloody because they mean bloodshed.
Claudianus adds, talking about the comet:
“Et nunquam celo spectatum impune comete“
A comet was never seen in the sky without a disaster.
And Lucanus, talking about the wonders when the war between Pompeus and Caesar was near, says that the appearance of a comet means a change in the kingdom.
(1) a medieval astronomical instrument designed to take and convert measurements made in three sets of coordinates: Horizon, equatorial, and ecliptic ones.
(2) Arcturus, alpha Bootis
(3) Alphecca, alpha Coronae Borealis
(4) Altair, alpha Aquilae
(5) 5 because of domicile and 3 of triplicity
Latin Treatises on Comets between 1238 and 1368 AD . My translation from Arcana Mundi- Antologia del pensiero astrologico antico (BUR, 1995)
Many thanks to Eddy in Skyscript forum, who checked Halley ephemeris for 1301.
In the year 1301, in the first day of September, a comet appeared in the West and was visible for a month and more. Because of its circular motion it was evident for experts that it was moving because of the motion of the vault of the sky, from East to West. Now, the cause of its motion was in the place it was produced, i.e. the upper part of air, because the comet moved from East to West in a contiguous space between the Air region and the Fire one, in this way, because of motion of the Primum Mobile, the elements of the upper spheres move.
In the last day of September 2 hours and 40 minutes after the sunset, I started to study carefully its motion.
I took the turquet (1) and determined the map of the sky on the ground of three stars I recognises Abramec (2), Alfecam (3), and Altayr (4) so I found that the longitude of the comet, by signs and degrees, was at 20 Scorpio and its latitude at 26 degrees north. And Mars was in that moment at 20 degrees of Scorpio, direct in motion, so Mars and the comet were almost in conjunction, if we consider their places not along the circle passing through the World Poles, but along the circle passing through the Zodiac Pole.
Going on with the observation for many nights, I found that the comet, in addition to the mentioned motion carried by the Primum Mobile from East to West, it moved from North to South. And the day 6th of October, the feast of Sancta Fides, in the same hour after the sunset, I found its longitude to the 1st degree of Sagittarius and its latitude was of 10 degrees north.
Now, the cause of the motion of this comet from West to East according the order of the signs can be reasonably understood like delay and weakness of its motion in respect of daily motion. Since the virtue of the Primum Mobile is absorbed in a weaker way by the lower and more distant things from the Primum Mobile, so the Fire and the Air, in its upper part, can be left behind the daily motion of the Sun, so the Comet which is generated in those regions, make its revolution together with the Fire and the Air, but it is slower than the sky’s motion. For this reason the comet is behind the other celestial bodies which are in motion and so it seems to move against the sky motion, from West to East with a motion similar to the planets, but just because of its delay and the weakness of its revolution.
About the comet motion from North to South, I believe it’s the attraction motion, i.e. the Comet is attracted by Mars, from which was generated. Mars in fact, which was not exceeding the zodiacal southern latitude, was in aspect with the Comet, whose latitude was more than 20 N degrees. For these reasons the Comet seemed to move from North to South toward East, so its eastern longitude grew and grew while northern latitude decreased and decreased.
In the same way and for the same reasons its tail moved. In fact in the beginning of its appearance, its tail stretched toward North and following its motion moved Eastwards, inclining towards South to the stat which is called Altayr, i.e. Vultur Volans, which has a longitude of 21.15 Capricorn and a latitude of 29.25 N. And in this way, slowly, it moved towards Mars.
So, after having carefully considered the nature and the temperament of the producing planet and of the receiving sign of the comet and its motion and every other detail about its nature, which I omit in order to be brief, I will go to the judgement.
So I say that this comet, for its different and several causes, it means several accidents.
It means in fact strong winds and earthquakes in the regions which are in familiarity and sometimes a dryness of the air preceding profuse rains, but this because of “accidens”, i.e. because southern and western winds, which will cause clouds and rains.
And because of the corruption of the air, death and plague, famine and illness to the genitals, to the bladder and lungs and pains for parturient women and miscarriages and difficult deliveries and plenty of visions.
It means that there will be many fights between powerful people, wars and murders, and the religion of Moors will be weaker, and on the Earth thieves and robbers will be more and more.
It means wars, quarrels and massacre, the death of the kings, princes and nobles, the coming from the West of a King’s enemy and the King violence on his people and his lust for money. It means at last the destitution of courters and the unfairness of their acts that will correspond to a great hardship for them. So, Mars was in Scorpio, in which it has many rights because it has here the triplicity and the domicile: having 8 points (5) will make stronger the meaning of the comet.
These judgements are based on the most important astrologers, Ptolemy and Albumasar and Aly Habenragel.
And many poets talked about the meanings of a comet. Virgil in facts wrote in the ninth book of the Aeneid:
“Sanguinei lugubre rubent de nocte comete”
Lugubre, gloomy: he used the name as an adverb. And he calls the comets “sanguineos”, bloody because they mean bloodshed.
Claudianus adds, talking about the comet:
“Et nunquam celo spectatum impune comete“
A comet was never seen in the sky without a disaster.
And Lucanus, talking about the wonders when the war between Pompeus and Caesar was near, says that the appearance of a comet means a change in the kingdom.
(1) a medieval astronomical instrument designed to take and convert measurements made in three sets of coordinates: Horizon, equatorial, and ecliptic ones.
(2) Arcturus, alpha Bootis
(3) Alphecca, alpha Coronae Borealis
(4) Altair, alpha Aquilae
(5) 5 because of domicile and 3 of triplicity
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
A Tale of Two Windows
Picture two windows .. hanging in space before you. There is a candle in each window, with but a subtle difference. In one, the candle is on the inside of the window with you. This is your life. Inside your safe and warm room, illuminated from within, looking out only occasionally. Your room is your life, boxed into four walls.. Now look at the other window .. this is what a planetarium will do for you .. the candle is still on the inside .. but YOU are on the outside, glancing back in. You are now free to look up and see not merely what the small window showed you from your room, you are free to see all of the cosmos. Which will you choose?
To stay in and look out? Or to go out and look up?
To stay in and look out? Or to go out and look up?
Friday, August 19, 2011
Its Done - I Am A Star Cylinder Builder!
The Likert Star Cylinder is more or less complete, the only other two I know of are by Steven Smith and Charles Miller. This is a very select group of strange people! I will be publishing more on its construction and use.
Variability - Vary Vary Interesting
Even more than permanent 'quirks' in your own sky, I am fascinated by 'variability'. If we live in a dark desert location, the sky might look the same every night. But mine never does, it varies each time I go out due to conditions, moon, partial clouds, light glows etc. With a home planetarium we can vary the light source, I get different effects with the LED than with the bulbs .. the advantage of a cylinder over a sphere is, you can vary the HEIGHT of the light source (with the cylinder upright) - to see the stars at different heights in the sky. Having a sky right down to the floor is necessary, another change Im finding has really paid off in making the sky seem bigger - much more sky is there before the inevitable curve gets intense towards the ceiling. The top part of a planetarium sky always looks the most unrealistic to me, theres just no sense of 'distance'. If you put your horizon glow on a dimmer, you can simulate different city conditions (mine looks like Im up on a mountain looking out and down. And lastly, we can vary projectors, starballs ..... we can literally have a different looking sky for every show if we have this variability, this flexibility built in.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
My Unicorn's Brighter Than Yours!
My Unicorn, the constellation Monoceros to be exact, is way too bright compared to the real one. Sue me. But I made my own planetarium, overdrilled the holes of this normally very obscure, faint constellation, and its way more obvious in my own 'night sky' than in mother natures. And I've come to think maybe thats a good thing. This realization hit me after I drilled and drilled starholes into my cylinder projector, waited about a week, went out to my theater and ... I got lost in my own sky. I realized then I really only knew a handful of 'greatest hits' constellations.
So my sky isn't perfect. Its got quirks, like its creator. I suppose these conversations never take place about planetarium night skies anymore, if indeed they ever did. I know I've never seen comparison charts on how this projector and that projector's Orion look, side by side. Today I doubt if most would know if an entire constellation were missing. But when I start giving shows, I want to assume the kids know Orion. I want to teach them about that unicorn, and he needs to be easy to see. Not too easy - I wont project up some fanciful picture over the stars .. but my stars will be a little easier in places to identify. I can't take credit really - I overdrilled them and left them as is.
So my unicorn might be brighter than yours. And thats not a bad thing.
So my sky isn't perfect. Its got quirks, like its creator. I suppose these conversations never take place about planetarium night skies anymore, if indeed they ever did. I know I've never seen comparison charts on how this projector and that projector's Orion look, side by side. Today I doubt if most would know if an entire constellation were missing. But when I start giving shows, I want to assume the kids know Orion. I want to teach them about that unicorn, and he needs to be easy to see. Not too easy - I wont project up some fanciful picture over the stars .. but my stars will be a little easier in places to identify. I can't take credit really - I overdrilled them and left them as is.
So my unicorn might be brighter than yours. And thats not a bad thing.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Beacons in the Night
Does anyone here listen to the radio anymore?
I'm not talking about TV, or downloading music or even CDs. Im talking about spinning a radio dial. Even surfing cable with a remote isnt the same, because like as not youve got a TV guide available somewhere to guide your way. And we dont wonder where each cable channel IS, or where it COMES from .. a TV channel is just like a restaurant menu item, its just there for the choosing or leaving.
Not so with a radio. Or the stars. A radio is blind .. and stations are SOMEWHERE .. and they are broadcasting into the ether. Radios are blind, they just listen .. one can spin their dial at night say, and pick up who knows what .. much more at night actually, for the waves travel much further. Like the stars.. we can hear more.. and see more .. at night when we tune it. Radio stations waver in and out, like starlight. They require clear reception and can be blocked or interfered with, like starlight. These beacons in the night .. how we perceive and receive them varies with several things .. how powerfully are they transmitting? How far off are they? Station by station we may slowly turn the dial. But only one station at a time can be listened to..
Not so the stars. When we tune in with our eyes, this long distance radiation comes to us all at once.. all the beacons are visible together in the night sky .. some bright because they are near, some near and faint .. some bright because they are powerhouses, like some superstation in Chicao .. But its all long distance radiation thru the ether .. thru space .. to our eyes and ears ..
So some clear night, flip the dial of a radio .. listen to the din .. and realize too that the signals captured by your ears now are also radiating into space towards those same stars whose light rays you are receiving .. light and sound .. the waves will pass each other
Beacons in the night. They are out there. All we have to do is look. And listen.
I'm not talking about TV, or downloading music or even CDs. Im talking about spinning a radio dial. Even surfing cable with a remote isnt the same, because like as not youve got a TV guide available somewhere to guide your way. And we dont wonder where each cable channel IS, or where it COMES from .. a TV channel is just like a restaurant menu item, its just there for the choosing or leaving.
Not so with a radio. Or the stars. A radio is blind .. and stations are SOMEWHERE .. and they are broadcasting into the ether. Radios are blind, they just listen .. one can spin their dial at night say, and pick up who knows what .. much more at night actually, for the waves travel much further. Like the stars.. we can hear more.. and see more .. at night when we tune it. Radio stations waver in and out, like starlight. They require clear reception and can be blocked or interfered with, like starlight. These beacons in the night .. how we perceive and receive them varies with several things .. how powerfully are they transmitting? How far off are they? Station by station we may slowly turn the dial. But only one station at a time can be listened to..
Not so the stars. When we tune in with our eyes, this long distance radiation comes to us all at once.. all the beacons are visible together in the night sky .. some bright because they are near, some near and faint .. some bright because they are powerhouses, like some superstation in Chicao .. But its all long distance radiation thru the ether .. thru space .. to our eyes and ears ..
So some clear night, flip the dial of a radio .. listen to the din .. and realize too that the signals captured by your ears now are also radiating into space towards those same stars whose light rays you are receiving .. light and sound .. the waves will pass each other
Beacons in the night. They are out there. All we have to do is look. And listen.
Dont Build it for the Background
I see it all the time at the cellphone store where I work, the moment a new device is purchased, we must accessorize! We must download a dozen new apps .. before we even know how to turn the device on. How many features on how many products have we never heard of, never read the instructions for (instructions? they went out with the box and receipt)... the 'thing' we bought quickly recedes into the background .. the cake disappears under the icing. Now maybe Im just an icing man but
The same seems true of building/restoring/acquiring a planetarium projector and dome. Im fighting it right now with my biggest ever star projector hand made - that 'ok its done, the stars are there.. now what' feeling. I need special effects! I need software to go with the hardware!. the Stars are Never Enough it seems. Im having to reel myself in and think .. I didnt build it for the background. Isnt that whats happened to most planetariums?
Why arent the stars good enough? Why isnt Rigel and Antares just as important as .. (insert 20 special effects and videos here). Is it because our imaginations have been replaced?
So I say, dont build it for the background. Keep the stars in the foreground. Effects, other subjects .. icing ... can be done of course in other ways. But enjoy what you so painstakingly have produced - the night sky.. first. It may be enough.
The same seems true of building/restoring/acquiring a planetarium projector and dome. Im fighting it right now with my biggest ever star projector hand made - that 'ok its done, the stars are there.. now what' feeling. I need special effects! I need software to go with the hardware!. the Stars are Never Enough it seems. Im having to reel myself in and think .. I didnt build it for the background. Isnt that whats happened to most planetariums?
Why arent the stars good enough? Why isnt Rigel and Antares just as important as .. (insert 20 special effects and videos here). Is it because our imaginations have been replaced?
So I say, dont build it for the background. Keep the stars in the foreground. Effects, other subjects .. icing ... can be done of course in other ways. But enjoy what you so painstakingly have produced - the night sky.. first. It may be enough.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Its Bigger and Fainter Than You Think!
Finally drilling a big star projector is a revelation all its own, revealing for instance Ive never really LOOKED at the constellations in relation to one another. By that I mean, yes, Geminii is bigger than Orion, just fainter. The three Orion belt stars arent as bright as I thought, they just are hard to miss where they ARE.. and no, they are NOT in a straight line, they bend a little .. Sometimes I think I've looked at too many starmaps and books and not enough of the real thing. Orion has an upraised club right? I see it in every atlas. Have I ever seen it in the real sky? That would be .. umm no. I dont know where it goes ... its just .. up there over his head someplace .. and his shield .. the shield is problematic .. its very faint and keeps appearing brighter in my newly organizing sky .. I guess stars together or in a special place seem brighter, just like some brighter constellations seem bigger when they arent! Creating the sky maybe means understanding the skys true appearance. Like the stars themselves, its a very humbling experience. Ive spent a week on Orion and Geminii. And they still arent quite THERE yet ....
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Just Work Down, Thats Whats Up
As builders of our own sky, sometimes ironically, the sky IS the limit .. in less cryptic words, we cant go up any further. Zeniths might be higher than our ceilings, our shed roofs, or in my case, how high my original-yet-inept carpentry could take me (limiting factor, my ladders and my sense of equilibrium, neither which are too good)... So what to do .. when you cant work up anymore, try working down!
Lower the horizon .. the projector .. the chairs .. I havent dug into the ground yet but the thought has crossed my mind .. seen in the accompanying picture, I needed more sky due to my not high enough roof in my remodeled main theater .. so I napoleanized it (a new verb, you heard it hear first!) - I shortend everything. it should look good in the dark, and now Ive got more sky for the same price!
So keep looking up, but dont forget to look down too. For as they say, space really has no direction. Just ask the guys standing upside down in China !
Lower the horizon .. the projector .. the chairs .. I havent dug into the ground yet but the thought has crossed my mind .. seen in the accompanying picture, I needed more sky due to my not high enough roof in my remodeled main theater .. so I napoleanized it (a new verb, you heard it hear first!) - I shortend everything. it should look good in the dark, and now Ive got more sky for the same price!
So keep looking up, but dont forget to look down too. For as they say, space really has no direction. Just ask the guys standing upside down in China !
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Black Vinyl, YOURE FIRED!
Ive had it up to HERE (well maybe, here... ) with black vinyl. I have bought my FINAL VINYL. Ive finally gone spasstic over plastic, excuse me if thats a politically incorrect term nowadays. I have bought enough black vinyl plastic to cover Delaware . over my home planetarium years for all manner of purposes... and in two massive trips to the Sumner Landfill today, I swore off black vinyl! I used it to make rooms dark ... but it doesnt really unless you buy the 4 MIL .. the lower versions let light right through! And with my carpentry, the wind ALWAYS brings down the corners .. there arent enough staples in Staples to hold it .. I'll have star shows when it gets dark if I have to .. go back to nature! but BUT then my biggest folly - use it to fight roof leaks!! But what happens over and over is .. it merely amplifies and funnels leaks into a torrent of rainwater in some corner .. while HIDING the sources .. then it sits around outside and collects rainwater, which hidden in the folds grows rancid .. the wind blows it all over the yard .. its goes everywhere, disposing of it means taking a shower in said water .. and so
black vinyl .. YOURE FIRED!!!!
i feel better now
black vinyl .. YOURE FIRED!!!!
i feel better now
Friday, April 15, 2011
'Making' Planetariums
If I were to sum up what I've learned, 'making planetariums' means alot of different things to alot of different people. What IS a planetarium anyway? To some its a projector of the stars. To others, its a domed theater. To even more, its a model, functioning or static, which depicts the heavens or some aspect of them. Its childhood memories, and its teaching children of all ages. Its expressing that love in related art, reading related books, and writing related articles. Its maintaining and restoring the old, its inventing and reimagining the new in technology. Its combining scientific laws of optics, mechanics, geometry in ways that can be enjoyed from private lazyboys to public forums. Its bringing physics and romance into a garage or spare bedroom. 'Making' planetariums is finding new uses for old 'junk' or commonplace items. Its learning mythology and biography, and meeting people both deceased and very much alive today.
If I were asked, what do you mean, 'making planetariums', I'd actually be more hard pressed to say what it isn't.
If I were asked, what do you mean, 'making planetariums', I'd actually be more hard pressed to say what it isn't.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Astro Enhanced Art
I was frustrated, I couldn't find astro art that satisfied that odd mixture of science and emotion. Sure there was Starry Starry Night by Van Gogh .. stars dripping through the Paris(?) sky but where were my own mental images? Where was the secluded cove at Lake of the Ozarks watching the Cross slip into the darkened hills, time for Dad to fire up the 5 horse outboard and take us in. Where was Crux over south seas unimaginable as I stood for a few brief days on Maui and realized just how much larger the world was than my TV screen .. no art captured these emotions .. I found some pictures in old dusty shelf astronomy books and this brought the idea ..
I'd create my own .. enhance pictures I found that were ALMOST there in my mind .. the sunset, the sky .. the lake, the ocean . the scene .. how hard would it be to dab in some impressionistic yet realistic stars? Stars dont have to be pinpoints always .. we see them in our minds eye more a watercolor sometimes .. So I tried it .. I may make a collection .. just small additions
But is adding the cosmos to a scene small in any way? Or is it dreaming big?
I'd create my own .. enhance pictures I found that were ALMOST there in my mind .. the sunset, the sky .. the lake, the ocean . the scene .. how hard would it be to dab in some impressionistic yet realistic stars? Stars dont have to be pinpoints always .. we see them in our minds eye more a watercolor sometimes .. So I tried it .. I may make a collection .. just small additions
But is adding the cosmos to a scene small in any way? Or is it dreaming big?
Friday, February 25, 2011
I Might See my Future, and it Might Not be a Dome!
Ive got dome-fatigue you know, Ive built them out of sheets, posters, panels, displayboards .. and they arent ever tall enough, or smooth enough, or domey enough .. or big enough, or white enough, or light tighted enough!
So I mused as I lay in bed and gazed up in the dark at my square victorian bedchamber, 12 foot ceiling lost in dim haze and I thought .. I want kids to build star projectors darnit! Or buy my little one, my cakebox, if you will .. and use it where? where gare? Why in their bedroom of course .. nobody but my beloved geeky friends (i fly my geek flag high) are going to ever build a dome, or buy one ... I need stars on the ceiling ... And other folks are already selling these (see picture)
So I might see my future, and it might not be a dome..
I might need to build a bedroom out behind the barn to give shows in .. it might ought to be square not round ... pie r squared.. isnt that math?
Stars on the ceiling. As I lie there in bed ..
So I mused as I lay in bed and gazed up in the dark at my square victorian bedchamber, 12 foot ceiling lost in dim haze and I thought .. I want kids to build star projectors darnit! Or buy my little one, my cakebox, if you will .. and use it where? where gare? Why in their bedroom of course .. nobody but my beloved geeky friends (i fly my geek flag high) are going to ever build a dome, or buy one ... I need stars on the ceiling ... And other folks are already selling these (see picture)
So I might see my future, and it might not be a dome..
I might need to build a bedroom out behind the barn to give shows in .. it might ought to be square not round ... pie r squared.. isnt that math?
Stars on the ceiling. As I lie there in bed ..
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
DeClutter, but don't DePlane!
Anyone whose lost a parent goes through it .. their 'stuff' remains behind ... I once visited a tragically killed amateur astronomers observatory at the invitation of his mother. What about our 'stuff' when we're gone? Its an invitation to declutter . to weed out things we wouldnt want to burden loved ones with ..
But if we take it too far, arent we deplaning? Getting off the aircraft that flew with our dreams? Destroying a little of who we ARE for a time when we ARENT anymore?
I say declutter and find out whats really important to you. Make a will, a list of where things should go in the event you do.
But keeping flying. You havent landed yet. Long may we fly.
But if we take it too far, arent we deplaning? Getting off the aircraft that flew with our dreams? Destroying a little of who we ARE for a time when we ARENT anymore?
I say declutter and find out whats really important to you. Make a will, a list of where things should go in the event you do.
But keeping flying. You havent landed yet. Long may we fly.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Stars and Guitars (Back Then)
I used to be much more interesting. Back Then... I was all stars and guitars.. maybe I could be again.
Pouring over the charts, it was dark at 5 on these long winters eves .. a telescope in the basement by the washer.. M42 after supper .. a sears silvertone on my bed, and new Black Sabbath to learn .. stars and guitars . I kept notebooks .. I wrote little songs .. my best friend had a big telescope and his own guitar and we'd play in the garage .. duane (allman) and ritchie (blackmore) we were .. chords and lead .. comets and galaxies .. it was so much more exciting than jobs and babies and houses and bills .. I bought them again but they sit unused mostly .. Black Sabbath is Ozzie in rehab .. the stars out back are the glow from the stores along the strip in my town .. my best friend has kids and grandmother sisters and I have college bills larger than house payments .. wherefore art thou, stars and guitars?
I used to play chess .. cruise to the music shops.. buy things secondhand .. I used to be so much more interesting .
Back then
all stars and guitars
Maybe I could be again...
Pouring over the charts, it was dark at 5 on these long winters eves .. a telescope in the basement by the washer.. M42 after supper .. a sears silvertone on my bed, and new Black Sabbath to learn .. stars and guitars . I kept notebooks .. I wrote little songs .. my best friend had a big telescope and his own guitar and we'd play in the garage .. duane (allman) and ritchie (blackmore) we were .. chords and lead .. comets and galaxies .. it was so much more exciting than jobs and babies and houses and bills .. I bought them again but they sit unused mostly .. Black Sabbath is Ozzie in rehab .. the stars out back are the glow from the stores along the strip in my town .. my best friend has kids and grandmother sisters and I have college bills larger than house payments .. wherefore art thou, stars and guitars?
I used to play chess .. cruise to the music shops.. buy things secondhand .. I used to be so much more interesting .
Back then
all stars and guitars
Maybe I could be again...
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