Summit Lake State Park

On my birthday we took a morning hike at Summit Lake State Park in Indiana. The park is named after the large lake in its boundaries. Compared to other state parks in Indiana, there are not as many hiking trails and the trails are shorter. The longest trail is about two miles in length. The park makes up for it in the quality of the trails. Several of the trails border the lake, giving some amazing views. The longest trail takes you through forest, prairie, and along the lake, providing a great variety of nature!

Above is a view of the lake along the trail we hiked. Although our purpose for visiting the park was a morning hike, there are several picnic shelters, a campground, and a beach for swimming, so plenty of options for some outdoor family fun.

State parks are a great way to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Take advantage of state parks near you to get out and enjoy nature if you can. Although many programs are shut down due to COVID-19, you can still social distance at a park. They are great ways to get out of the house, remains safe, and take in the views nature provides.

Grumpy Cat Birthday Cake

I recently had a birthday. Another trip around the Sun. Another year older. Another year closer to death. Too grim? :-) I had a great birthday. I took the day off and with my wife and kids, took a hike at a state park, ate too many chicken wings, took an afternoon nap, and had some cake. My kids made this cake for me:

That's right, my kids made me a Grumpy Cat birthday cake! And they did an amazing job on it. As much as I didn't want to cut into it, it was a cake, so it had to be eaten. And it was delicious!

This Blog's History: What is Iron?

For This Friday in This Blog's History, I point you back to a post I wrote on iron. Iron may be only the 26th element on the periodic table, but it is the heaviest element that can be created through fusion in the core of a store. For more on iron in the Universe, see the original post, linked below.

What is Iron?

The Next Total Lunar Eclipse

Yesterday I wrote a bit about the next total solar eclipse. Today I write about the next lunar eclipse. Solar and lunar eclipses are similar in that they involve one object in the Solar System casting a shadow on another object. During a solar eclipse, the Moon casts a shadow on Earth. During a lunar eclipse, Earth casts a shadow on the Moon. The rate of frequency of solar and lunar eclipses is about the same, but it is much easier to see a total lunar eclipse because Earth casts a much bigger shadow. This means that instead of having to be at a specific location to view a solar eclipse, you can be pretty much anywhere on one half of Earth to view a total lunar eclipse.

Jakub Fryš / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

I've seen several total lunar eclipses in my lifetime and there's a good chance you have too. The last total lunar eclipse was on Jan 21, 2019, viewable from much of the United States. It was a very cold evening out, so we were in the house, staring almost straight up out the the window. We caught the first part of totality just before the Moon cross overhead and went out of view from the window. We managed to avoid going outside. :-)

There have been several partial eclipses since. There are only partial eclipses in 2020. The next total lunar eclipse is May 26, 2021, although most of us in the U.S. will not see this eclipse. If you are on the west coast, you might catch a glimpse of this eclipse. For better viewing, you need to be in Australia, Hawaii, or one of the islands in the Pacific Ocean. Or a boat! :-)

The next total lunar eclipse viewable from the mainland United States is May 16, 2022. Although the frequency of lunar and solar eclipses is about the same, many more people can view a total lunar eclipse without traveling, due to the much larger shadow cast onto Earth.

The Next Total Solar Eclipse

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves directly between the Earth and the Sun and casts a shadow on a small portion of Earth's surface. Solar eclipses are not all that rare. A total solar eclipse happens every year or two somewhere on Earth, but if you select a specific location on Earth it is rare to see a total solar eclipse from that location. Counting the total solar eclipse at the end of this year, there were 44 solar eclipses of some type in the first 20 years of the decade. That's an average of just over 2 per year. Of these solar eclipses, 13 were total solar eclipses in which the Moon covers the full disk of the Sun, approximately one every 560 days.

There was an annular solar eclipse viewable from parts of Africa and Asia three days ago on June 21. An annular eclipse occurs when the Moon sits in front of the Sun but is just a bit farther away such that the Moon's disk is slightly smaller than the Sun's disk, thus not completely blocking the Sun's light. An example of an annual eclipse is shown below.

Carl Drinkwater / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

The next total solar eclipse takes place later this year on December 14, 2020, viewable from parts of South America. The last total solar eclipse in the United States was on August 21, 2017, one that my family and I witnessed in real time. It was super cool!!! The next total solar eclipse viewable from the United States is April 8, 2024. If I don't move in the next four years, I will be able to view this eclipse from my house, the first time in over a 1000 years my location has the pleasure of a total solar eclipse.

If you've never seen a total solar eclipse, pictures do not do it justice. If you ever have the opportunity to view a total solar eclipse, please do so! I guarantee that you will not be disappointed. It is an emotional experience you will never forget!

Protect and Defend - Book Review

Yes, I'm a sucker for any book in the Mitch Rapp series. Do the stories reflect reality? No, not even close, but they are exciting and add to the variety of books I read. The latest book I read in the Mitch Rapp series was Protect and Defend by Vince Flynn.

This is the tenth book in the series and Mitch Rapp is still reeling from the loss of a loved one in the eighth book. In Protect and Defend, terrorists kidnap Mitch's respected colleague and boss and intend to use her to acquire U.S. secrets. Mitch must step in and save the day.

This book is by no means a literary classic, but if you like excitement, well, this book has some excitement in it! :-)

Newton and Stairs

I'm going to start out the week with yet another picture of our cat, Newton. In this picture he is laying at the top of the stairs, the perfect place for any cat to lay, creating a deadly obstacle for its human roommates!

Newton's (Isaac) first law states that objects in motion remain in motion unless a net force is present. This means that I will stay at the top of the stairs until a net force, Newton (our cat) acts on me to cause me to fall down the stairs. I will continue falling down the stairs until a net force, the floor, acts on me to cause me to stop. :-)

This Blog's History: The Dark Magazine

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 after discovering The Dark Magazine. This is a great e-magazine for the science fiction and horror story lover and a great gift idea!

The Dark Magazine

Ouabache State Park

We've stayed close to home as our area works through its re-opening phases due to COVID-19. We recently ventured out to Ouabache State Park in Indiana. A great opportunity to get outdoors, but also be safe and keep a distance from other people. This was our first visit to the park and it was a good one. The weather was perfect. Not too cold. Not too hot. This state park has a good number of nice hiking trails. We hiked about six miles. Along the way, we found this critter:

 

Cool! Near one of the trails, or you can drive and park in the lot next to it, is a bison exhibit which is a unique feature of this park.

The bison were right up next to the fence on the trail, so we got a very close up look at them! Again, very cool!

In addition to the trails and bison exhibit, Ouabachee State Park has a nice, small lake you can walk around. You can rent kayaks and go out on the lake or you can rent bicycles and take a ride on the separate paved bike trail that goes through the park.

A great state park in Indiana and one I'm glad we visited!

Ashes - Book Review

After previously reading Chains and Forge, the first two books in the Seeds of America trilogy by Laurie Halse Anderson, I recently finished the last book, Ashes. An excellent, excellent series that everyone should read. This should be required reading for all students, starting in middle school.

The three books are historical fiction that follows the lives of three young slaves, Isabel, Ruth, and Curzon. Isabel and Ruth are sisters. Curzon is a friend they find in the first book. The first book starts out just before the start of the Revolutionary War when Isabel is about 12 years old and Ruth is about 7 years old. Curzon is about the same age as Isabel.

Throughout the series, the three escape their owners, are captured, escape again, join in various roles in the war, and must navigate through the promises and lies of the both the British and Continental armies as they seek true freedom. It's a harrowing story of life as a young slave in the early years of America.

Too often the history books whitewash away the role of slaves during the Revolutionary War and focus too much on the successes of the Continental Army, completely ignoring that humans of a darker skin color were owned by those who were white.

Please, read these books! You can buy the books, but I guarantee you will most likely find them at your local library.

What is #44: Uranium?

The last post in this series looked at iron, the last element on the periodic table that is the result of fusion in the core of a star due to it having the lowest mass per nuclear particle. Today we take a look at Uranium, element number 92.

Unknown author / Public domain

Uranium is used as nuclear fuel on Earth. In the Universe, it is produced in very high energy events. This possibly includes a supernova, but more likely requires an even higher energy event such as the collision of two neutron stars.

There are more elements heavier than Uranium on the periodic table, but Uranium is the last, by mass, of the naturally produced elements. All elements heavier than Uranium were created in labs on Earth by humans.

Uranium has many uses on Earth and is the last of the naturally produced elements on the periodic table. Now you know!

My New Co-Worker

I'm going to start things off light this week. The other day I had a new co-worker in my home office. :-)

 

I had the window open and it was raining out so he was curious. He climbed right up into the window sill and hung out for a few minutes before deciding I was too boring. LOL!

This Blog's History: Hydrogen

In case you missed it last time, for This Friday in This Blog's History I point you to the post I wrote on hydrogen as part of the What Is series on this blog. There isn't a more important element in the Universe. Debatable, sure. But without hydrogen, there's not much else. :-)

What is Hydrogen?

XKCD - Stargazing

Here's a bit of astronomy humor today, courtesy of XKCD.

https://xkcd.com/1644/

If you've never checked out XKCD comics, you are missing out. Check them out now!

Delayed Astronomy Projects

The coronavirus pandemic has changed all of our lives the past couple of months and will continue to change our lives for some time to come. The long term ramifications are yet unknown. For some, the changes are small while for others the changes are very drastic. The field of astronomy is no different.

Many telescopes used by astronomers can be remotely operated, but that doesn't mean there aren't delays or shutdowns in observing sessions. Depending on who has to be at the telescope for maintenance, remotely operated telescopes may be down. Telescopes currently under construction, such as the James Webb Space Telescope, are facing additional delays as workers are sent home or only a few can work at a time with stringent social distancing rules in place.

Another concern astronomers are facing is an upcoming budget shortfall. With the overall economy taking a huge hit, educational institutions that support many astronomers are likely to suffer major budget shortfalls. How will this affect the work of astronomers? Will astronomers working at government labs see shortfalls in science research budgeting? We don't know at this point but the future is not rosy in this area. There will almost certainly be budget cuts. The question is how drastic the cuts will be.

For more information, here is a great article looking at the specifics of how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting astronomy.

Coronavirus pandemic delays major astronomy projects

Clarkesworld Magazine

I recently shared my discovery of two short story magazines, The Dark Magazine, and Lightspeed Magazine. Both of these electronic magazines publish short stories in the genre of fantasy, science fiction, and a bit of horror. Another great electronic magazine I've discovered is Clarkesworld Magazine. Similar to the other two, Clarkesworld is published monthly with several science-fiction and fantasy stories each month.

Clarkesworld Magazine

For $2.99 a month, you get quite a few short stories of high quality. I was really impressed with the first issue I read, April 2020, and thoroughly enjoyed each story. Although I've only read one or two issues of each to date, right now, based on one issue, I rank Clarkesworld above the others, but that doesn't hold much meaning. My opinion could very well change after reading a few more issues of each.

If in need of some new fantasy/science-fiction reading, or in need of a good gift idea for someone, a Clarkesworld Magazine e-subcription is a great option!

NPR's Short Wave Podcast

I'm always on the lookout for new podcasts. I'm a big fan of science and political podcasts and the occasional sports podcast. I recently discovered that NPR has quite a few podcasts on different topics and many of them are relatively short, making it easy to listen to and fit into your schedule. In today's post, I'm highlighting NPR's Short Wave podcast.

NPR's Short Wave Podcast

Short Wave is a podcast focusing on new discoveries in science and delivers a bit of science in short podcasts that are typically about ten minutes in length. Many of the more recent episodes are looking at various aspects of coronavirus, given the huge focus on it right now for obvious reasons. Other podcast episodes have looked at "Murder Hornets" and the mysteries of dark energy in the Universe.

This is a high quality podcast and one I highly recommend you add to your list! If you have room. I don't have room so whenever I add a new podcast I have to remove an old one. :-)

This Blog's History: Forge

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 on Forge, the second book in the Seeds of America trilogy. An excellent book that everyone should read! This series is a three-book series every middle school and high school student should read in school. It's that important!

Forge

Honoring my Dad

Today marks the third anniversary of my Dad's death in 2017. He suffered from brain cancer. A tumor. Glioblastoma. The cancer was terminal. Radiation and chemotherapy extended his life for three years, most of it a high quality of living. In the last couple of months, cancer stole most of his physical and mental capabilities. Thus the day of his death was more a relief than a day filled with sadness. A relief that any pain he may have been experiencing was over. I'll never forget the times I had with my Dad, playing catch, playing basketball, talking politics, etc. It's been three years, but I still miss you Dad!

Hank Green (@hankgreen) on Twitter

Admit it. You do not follow enough science communicators on Twitter. No worries as I have another individual you should definitely be following on Twitter. Go back through this blog, filtering out for the "Twitter" tag, and you'll find several individuals I've already discussed that you should follow. Add Hank Green (@hankgreen) to your list.

I know Green through his work as co-creator of SciShow, a very awesome YouTube series on tons of science topics. Green is also co-creator of Crash Course, another awesome science series. And he's an author. On Twitter, he shares and advocates for science. So give him a follow and enjoy some awesome science communication from him.

Eight Year Anniversary

Believe it or not, this past weekend marked the eight-year anniversary of this blog! Wow! I started writing this blog on May 30, 2012, as a way of sharing the different science-related activities and events I was doing with my kids. Today's post is #2150! Double wow! I started writing posts mainly focused on science demos and experiments I was doing with my kids (5 and 2 the first year). Over the years I've transitioned to more posts on books I've read or my kids have read, the science-related experiences we've had on vacations, and current events in astronomy.

My kids are more heavily involved in sports and other after school activities, so there is less time for science demos, but there is still plenty of science in this house! It's been an amazing time writing this blog while watching my daughters grow into the wonderful young adults they now are. The past couple of months with stay-at-home orders in place have offered an opportunity to hang out, relax, go on walks, bike rides, play board games, and take a step back from the very busy day to day schedules we had before. This is not an ideal situation, but there are some positives for us in it. Oh, and we started watching Farscape. More on that in a future post!

I'm not sure how long I will continue to write this blog. I did not expect it to last eight years when I first started, but I've enjoyed it and kept up with it. Will it go another eight years? I don't know, but right now I have no plans to quit.

Keeper of the Lost Cities

My daughter has had the book, Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger, on her shelf for the last year or two. During stay-at-home orders, we decided to read it as a family. We didn't read it out loud, but we each read it on our own time during the same week period. It was cool reading at the same time to be able to talk about the book and see what we all thought about it.

Overall this was a really good young adult book that looks at the life of a teenage girl who learns the truth about her parents, mixed in with a non-human society of elves that have magical abilities. A unique story that is definitely a page-turner! The series currently has eight books, so the story is far from over. Count us in for reading the next book!