Dr. Boss and the Martians

By now, you’ve probably seen our Outreach Astronomer, Dr. Rapson, talking about the new discovery of exoplanets around the TRAPPIST-1 system.  Or maybe you’ve heard her talking about the coming solar eclipse, or the discovery of water on Mars, or any of a number of astronomical topics.  She’s fulfilling a role that the representatives from Dudley have…

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Edison and the Eclipse: Chickens Come Home to Roost

I mentioned the eclipse of 1878 a couple of weeks ago.  I am now required by the historian’s code of ethics and the miSci by-laws to mention the stories around Edison’s trip out to Wyoming. There are a lot of stories.  At the age of 31, Edison was already a folkhero.  Some of it stemmed from…

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From the Library: Solar Cooker

People forming the Solar Cooker

Here’s another “what is it?” from the image collection: If you’re like me, you associate the phrase “solar cooker” with a summer camp construction project made out of cardboard and aluminum foil, used to toast a marshmallow.  But that’s not the limit of solar ovens.  At the extreme end of the range, the Odeillo solar furnace…

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