This Blog's History: Newton's First Law

In case you missed it earlier this week, for This Friday in This Blog's History, I point you to a post I wrote about a very cool video I found demonstrating Newton's First Law. There's a T-Rex figurine in the video, so you know it has to be cool! :-)

To read the original post, click the link below.

Newton's First Law in Action

Finding Habitable Planets

Astronomers are constantly on the search for new planets beyond our Solar System. There's even a search for additional planets in our own Solar System. The number of known exoplanets (planets beyond the Solar System) as of August 1, 2019 is 4,103. Wow, over 4,000 planets! When I last wrote about exoplanets on May 7, 2019, there were 4,023 known exoplanets. That number has increased by 80 planets in just 3 months!!!

Exoplanets are interesting, but what is really interesting is the discovery of earth-sized planets existing in a star's habitable zone. These are the planets that potentially have liquid water on the surface and might harbor life! Astronomers have recently developed a 'fingerprint' technique to help identify habitable planets. This method using a technique that can identify molecules that are unique to life on Earth. Very cool!

Will we find life on other planets in my lifetime? I hope so! I plan on living at least another 4 decades, so there's still plenty of time. Discovering life is difficult, but finding habitable planets first is a key piece in the discovery of life outside of our Solar System.

Still Playing Catch-Up

I'm still playing catch-up to start the school year and am behind on keeping up with blog posts. I'm enjoying what I do in education, so it's a good problem to have, but I hate being behind in blogs. Thus I don't have much to add today, but I saw this funny astronomy meme the other day, so here it is:

Some Mondays are definitely as long as a single day on Mercury! LOL! There may be more funny astronomy memes coming along as I continue to play catch-up. That and pictures of my cat. :-) But before I go, let's do a bit of science. The length of a Mercury day is actually 1407.5 days. Too picky? :-)

Newton's First Law in Action

Anyone taking a basic science class or a physics class is introduced to Newton's three laws of motion. The first law states that objects will remain in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. This also means objects in rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. There are several demos one can do to show this, but I came across this video over the weekend that illustrates Newton's first law in a very cool way!

Newton's First Law Meets a T-Rex

The title of the video says it all. There's a T-Rex in it! This is a super cool video and I shared it to my astronomy students. It wouldn't be the same without the T-Rex video.

Check out the video, share it, show it to your students, etc. This video brought a smile to my face when I first saw it...on a Monday. A great way to start the week. :-)

It's Monday. Time for Cat Pictures!

Sometimes Mondays can be rough, so if yours is rough, here are a few pictures of my cat I took last week. I took these in the morning as he curled up next to me as I put on my shoes on my way out the door to work. He was making it very difficult to go to work!!!

Now you can see why it was hard to go to work! I wanted to lay down and rest all day too!

This Blog's History: Soldiers Memorial Military Museum

In case you missed it last time, for This Friday in This Blog's History, I point you to the post I wrote detailing my visit to the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum in St. Louis during my trip there in April 2019. A great museum at a great price (free!) filled with military history of the region!

Soldiers Memorial Military Museum

Scientist Figurines

Both of my kids know me so well that they can immediately spot geeky/nerdy items in the store that I would love to have at home or in my office. The lobster socks I shared yesterday are a perfect example of this! The other day at Target my 9 year old found this very cool set of 2 scientist figurines. They aren't official Lego figurines, but knock off brands are just as cool!

Super cool! According to the little box they came in, the one on the right is named Taylor and the one on the left is named Evan. Now they sit on my desk in my office. :-) Love my kiddos! Always looking out for my geeky ways!

Trip to Maine - Post #4: Lobster Socks

While visiting Maine this past summer we hit up several shops, some very touristy, to pick up a few souvenirs. At several of the shops were interesting dress socks, but when my kids found a set of lobster socks, they immediately said I had to buy them! And buy them I did! And wear them I did! And wear them to work I did! LOL!

These go perfect with my astronaut socks and my Saturn (the planet) socks! I love my kids...always on the lookout for some new themed socks for me. :-) It's why I keep them around. :-)

Jamie Kubiak on Twitter

Science on Twitter

There are many negatives with social media but also many positives. Among those positives is the great number of amazing scientists using Twitter to share science news! Not only are there scientists, but there are telescopes and rovers with their own Twitter accounts sharing their findings. You just have to use social media in such a way the positives outweigh the negatives. Following scientists is a great way to gain those positives.

Jamie Kubiak

I met Jamie Kubiak at the 2019 National Science Teachers Association annual conference in St. Louis, MO. I focused mainly on sessions looking at improving/increasing inclusivity in the classroom. Jamie is a high school chemistry teacher and he led an amazing session that left many in the crowd in tears. I could immediately tell he was an individual with a genuine caring for ALL people who creates a classroom that is welcoming and safe for all students. His goal at the session I attended was to inform the audience of the steps he's taken in the classroom, the challenges in doing so, and the push-back that unfortunately sometimes happens by other teachers, administrators, and parents.

One would think that in the year 2019 we'd have a world in which everyone welcomes everyone else, but we are far from that world. People like Jamie are a true inspiration and drive me to be a better person and to work harder to protect my students. Thank you Jamie!

Please follow him on Twitter. He has great ideas and will have great contributions to educate and humanity for decades to come!

Jamie Kubiak on Twitter

What Is #24: The Winter Solstice?

The 'What Is' Series

Early this year I started a new series on this blog titled "What Is". Thus far the focus is on the field of astronomy where we hear all sorts of cool science taking place in space. The goal of this series is to explain the details of different objects we hear about relatively frequently. It's been a couple of months since I last posted in this series, so it's time to pick things back up.

What is the Winter Solstice?

The last post in this series took a look at the summer solstice, but what is the winter solstice? Well, the winter solstice is basically the opposite of the summer solstice. If the Sun's rays are most direct on Earth's northern hemisphere on the summer solstice, than they are the least direct on the Earth's northern hemisphere on the winter solstice. Or another way to put it is to say that the Sun's rays are most direct on the SOUTHERN hemisphere on the winter solstice.

What causes this? The reason we have the summer/winter solstice, and the spring/fall equinox, is due to Earth's tilt of about 23.5 degrees. Because Earth is titled with an axis always pointing in the same direction, the angle the Sun's light hits the Earth changes.

The next winter solstice occurs on December 21, 2019. Although the winter solstice is usually on December 21, it can shift to December 20 or 22 depending on the exact time it takes place. On the winter solstice, the Sun is at its lowest point in the the northern hemisphere (or highest point in the southern hemisphere). 

In the last post in this series on the summer solstice I noted that this was not typically the hottest day of the year because it takes time for land and water to warm up. This is similar for the winter solstice. The winter solstice is not the coldest time of the year even though the northern hemisphere is receiving less energy from the Sun than on any other day. Why? It's the opposite of the summer solstice. It takes time for the land and water to release energy and cool down. Thus January and February are typically colder than December in the northern hemisphere. 

We are now done with the two solstices, but up next are the equinoxes!

This Blog's History: Ribbit Adventures

In case you missed it the first time, for This Friday in This Blog's History I point you back to the post I wrote detailing the very cool boat ride we took with Ribbit Adventures on our vacation to Maine this past summer. You can't go wrong when booking a boating experience with this husband/wife team.

Ribbit Adventures

Trip to Maine - Post #3: Portland Head Light

Portland, Maine is a wonderful area. There is so much to see and so much to do. We spent four nights in Portland and explored the city and surrounding area and still there was so much more we could have explored! One of the areas we explored was the Portland Head Light. If you take a boat ride of any kind in the bay adjacent to Portland you'll like be taken for a close up view of the Portland Head Light from the water. Although you will get a great view of the lighthouse, I highly recommend you take a drive and view from the land. It's part of a beautiful park!

Simply beautiful! There are walking paths all along the shoreline that take you along the rocks. Find a place to sit on the rocks and watch the waves crashing against the shore. We visited close to sunset and the views were amazing! One word of caution, and this is true all over Maine. Be very careful stepping on wet rocks near the shoreline. They are very, very, slippery. I guarantee that if you don't take care you will slip and fall on wet rocks!

So visit the Portland Head Light. Take a book and find a good rock. Or pack a picnic lunch and have a great view while you eat!

More Posts Coming Soon

It has been an insanely busy start to the school year and I've fallen behind on blog posts. Don't worry though, more are coming soon. Please be patient!

This Blog's History: Trip to Maine

In case you missed it last time, for This Friday in This Blog's History I point you back to the first post regarding our trip to Maine. Loved Maine! If you've never been, you should go! Beautiful! To read my original post that provides an overview of our trip, click the link below.

Trip to Maine

Let it Bleed - Book Review

Since visiting Scotland in 2017 I've enjoyed working through the Inspector Rebus murder/mystery series by Ian Rankin. I recently finished the seventh book in the series, Let it Bleed.

As with the first six books in the series, I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Inspector Rebus is a character easy to connect with as he lives a life with many complications. In other words, he lives a normal human life that has normal human complications that everyone has to deal with at some time or another. This book starts a bit different with a wild car chase that at first appears to have no connection to a murder, but we later discover has a very important connection. And Rebus has to make some very tough decisions. Again, something all of us have to do in our lives. 

The book is very well written and cements Inspector Rebus as one of Scotland's most famous fictional detectives!

Trip to Maine - Post #2: Taking a Boat Ride

The first leg of our trip to Maine took us to Portland, the largest city in Maine with a population of 65-70 thousand people. Portland itself is beautiful, although be prepared to pay a premium for parking if you park down along the coast line. I've never paid this much in parking in a city this size before! Parking costs rivaled that of larger cities. Our first full day in Portland took us on a boat ride in the bay. There are a ton of options for boat rides from large schooners to smaller boats. We took a small, 6 person boat, through a wonderful operation called Ribbit Adventures.

Ribbit Adventures is run by a husband/wife team and they offer very personalized tours. Our family of 4 were the only 4 guest passengers on the boat for our trip. They take you around the bay, pointing out sites, and offering a history lesson on the area. We were able to go much farther and see much more than we would have on one of the larger boats. They took us out to a small island that sometimes has seals basking in the Sun. We lucked out and there were several seals basking!

Super cool! Most of the boating businesses have high Trip Advisor ratings, but as of this rating, Ribbit Adventures has 92 reviews and every one of them is a 5 star rating! Although you can probably get an excellent boating experience with many other companies, I can attest that Ribbit Adventures is EXCELLENT!

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Book Review

On of the latest books I've read was the book that vaulted Agatha Christie's career as a prominent murder/mystery author, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

The book starts as most Agatha Christie books start. There's a murder and a detective comes in to solve the crime. The book quickly differentiates itself as every possible suspect has their reasons for committing the crime but also their alibis and/or reasons for not committing the crime. Then there's the shocking twist at the end! I can see why this book rose Christie's fame!

If you enjoy classic murder/mystery fiction, this is a great choice for your next book.

Exploring the U.S.

Readers of this blog know that I am a big proponent of exploring the world in which we live. The phrase "exploring the world" means many things, but for today's post I take the literal meaning. Get out and physical explore the world! As a family we recently expanded our exploration of the world by visiting several new states along our trip to Maine for family vacation in July. We added Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont.

What is my definition of visiting the world? Airport visits don't count. You can't say you've visited a country or state if your only physical presence in the country/state was the airport terminal while you waited for your next connection. You have to physically do or visit something in the state. Does driving through the state count? I'd say yes, but I up my game and require myself to do something or spend the night. As we drove to/from Maine, we drove through Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont without spending the night. But in each of those states we stopped and found a geocache, checking off the box of doing something in the state.

How many countries have I visited? 7. Here they are in the order they were visited.

• United States (home)
• Chile
• Canada
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Northern Ireland
• Scotland

How many states have I visited? 32 Here they are from approximately west to east.

• Hawaii
• Washington
• California
• Nevada
• Wyoming
• Colorado
• South Dakota
• Nebraska
• Kansas
• Minnesota
• Iowa
• Missouri
• Wisconsin
• Illinois
• Michigan
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Tennessee
• Ohio
• Florida
• Georgia
• North Carolina
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Maryland
• Pennsylvania
• New York
• Connecticut
• Massachusetts
• Vermont
• New Hampshire
• Maine

Only eighteen states to go! Go out and explore. You don't need to spend a lot of money doing so. Even if it's a weekend across the state border into a new state, take advantage. The world is a big place and there are some many exciting things to see and do. I know far too many people that rarely leave the county they were born in, let alone the state or country!!!

This Blog's History: Nine Princes in Amber

In case you missed the original post, for This Friday in This Blog's History I point you back to my book review of Nine Princes in Amber. I've read a lot of science fiction and fantasy, so it was refreshing to start a new series that was different from your standard sci-fi/fantasy series. Not that there's anything wrong with the standard sci-fi/fantasy, but coming across something different is exciting! For the full book review, click the link to the original post below.

Nine Princes in Amber

Trip to Maine - Post #1: Overview

This year, for family vacation, we took a long road trip to Maine. It was a ten day road trip to Maine in mid-July that took us through several new states we had never visited. For all of us, the states of New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont were all new. For my wife and kids, Pennsylvania was also a new state. I've visited PA a few times during my grad school years for conferences and telescope observing sessions. We had never been to the north-east U.S. before and wanted to check it out, thus the rationale for a vacation to Maine.

We spent four nights in Portland, exploring Portland and the southern coast of Maine. We then drove further northeast along the coast up to Acadia National Park. We stayed in Ellsworth and spent a couple of days exploring Acadia. Loved the trip! There was so much to do, so much to explore, and so much delicious seafood to eat! On the way how we took an alternative route home so we could drive through Vermont. A beautiful drive through the Green Mountain National Forest.

Over the next few weeks I'll share many of the cool things we saw and did while in Maine. Maine is a vacation destination that I highly recommend! Absolutely beautiful! Our kids loved it and we loved it and we want to go back!