Dr. Boss and the Martians

May 4, 2023

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…

Read More

Edison and the Eclipse: Chickens Come Home to Roost

May 4, 2023

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. …

Read More

From the Library: “A Plan for Securing Observations of the Variable Stars”

May 4, 2023

Pamphlets were the blog posts of the nineteenth century.  They could be quickly and cheaply produced, then distributed either for free or for a few pennies to cover printing costs.  If popular, they could be bound and go from being…

Read More
People forming the Solar Cooker

From the Library: Solar Cooker

May 4, 2023

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…

Read More