Mario Cuomo Has Died. [Greg Laden's Blog]

I was a citizen of New York when Mario Cuomo became governor. I’ve written before about the ethnic angle of that event, how Cuomo, who was Italian, was the highest ranking ethnic Italian in New York, Italian immigrant still being repressed and seen as lesser folk by many even at that late date. When he became Governor, as I recall, people stopped telling certain jokes. He may have been one of the best governors ever, anywhere.

He got a lot done as governor. It was almost like he could be in two places at once. And, actually, he did that once. Let me tell you the story.

When my father retired, my sister pretended for a moment to be the governor. Convincingly.

You see, my father’s retirement was a big deal. The mayor, many other elected officials including members of the state government and federal legislator (present and former) were there. The governor was supposed to come but he could not make it. The retirement dinner was at the Italian American Club out on Wolf Road, which was a public (and very good) restaurant. The club tended to be visited mainly by members of the Italian-American community, as one might expect. But it was always a very welcoming place.

My siblings and I arranged to have a limo pick us all up near downtown, then drive to my parent’s house, where we would pick them up, then drive out to the retirement dinner. But, while we were hanging around in the back of this huge stretch limo, we didn’t notice that the driver was utterly lost and had driven several miles in the wrong direction. We got him headed the right way, but by the time we got to my parent’s house, my mother had gotten antsy about being late, and she and my dad drove out to the Italian American Club on their own.

So, we had to do something about that. We were wearing cocktail dresses and suits (I had opted for the suit). We got to the club and had the limo pull out in front. People sitting at the long glass windows at the front of the building, diners, noticed the limo, and many were watching. I got out of the car by myself, and tried to look as much as I could like a body guard. I went into the club, and said just loudly enough to be heard by several diners, “The governor is out front. He does not have time to stop in to Joe Laden’s retirement dinner, but he’s like Mr. Laden to come out and say hello. Which way is the banquet hall?”

The maître d’ accompanied me back to the dining hall, where I found my father. He saw right through my disguise, but I said to him, “The governor is out front, it turns out, in his limo. He wants to say hi.”

So he came out in front with me. By this time half of the diners who were not seated by the windows were over there staring out at the limo. So almost everyone in the restaurant was watching. I accompanied my father to the limo, still trying to look like a body guard (thinking the suit was a good choice, instead of the cocktail dress). The back window of the limo opened, and a hand came out. It was my sister’s hand but you couldn’t tell who it was. My sister and father shook hands, exchanged a few words, and he went back inside. We had the limo drive around to the side of the building and eventually we all piled out and joined the reception.

So that is how, on one occasion at least, Governor Mario Cuomo got to be in two places at once.

You may not know this now, but there was real hope at one point that Mario Cuomo would run for and become president. But the world was not ready yet, at least in the US, for Italians to rise that high up. The glass ceiling was still in place, only partly shattered. The moment when many of us felt most strongly that he should be our leader is recorded, of course, in the following video:

Don’t you agree?

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1vN8EiS

I was a citizen of New York when Mario Cuomo became governor. I’ve written before about the ethnic angle of that event, how Cuomo, who was Italian, was the highest ranking ethnic Italian in New York, Italian immigrant still being repressed and seen as lesser folk by many even at that late date. When he became Governor, as I recall, people stopped telling certain jokes. He may have been one of the best governors ever, anywhere.

He got a lot done as governor. It was almost like he could be in two places at once. And, actually, he did that once. Let me tell you the story.

When my father retired, my sister pretended for a moment to be the governor. Convincingly.

You see, my father’s retirement was a big deal. The mayor, many other elected officials including members of the state government and federal legislator (present and former) were there. The governor was supposed to come but he could not make it. The retirement dinner was at the Italian American Club out on Wolf Road, which was a public (and very good) restaurant. The club tended to be visited mainly by members of the Italian-American community, as one might expect. But it was always a very welcoming place.

My siblings and I arranged to have a limo pick us all up near downtown, then drive to my parent’s house, where we would pick them up, then drive out to the retirement dinner. But, while we were hanging around in the back of this huge stretch limo, we didn’t notice that the driver was utterly lost and had driven several miles in the wrong direction. We got him headed the right way, but by the time we got to my parent’s house, my mother had gotten antsy about being late, and she and my dad drove out to the Italian American Club on their own.

So, we had to do something about that. We were wearing cocktail dresses and suits (I had opted for the suit). We got to the club and had the limo pull out in front. People sitting at the long glass windows at the front of the building, diners, noticed the limo, and many were watching. I got out of the car by myself, and tried to look as much as I could like a body guard. I went into the club, and said just loudly enough to be heard by several diners, “The governor is out front. He does not have time to stop in to Joe Laden’s retirement dinner, but he’s like Mr. Laden to come out and say hello. Which way is the banquet hall?”

The maître d’ accompanied me back to the dining hall, where I found my father. He saw right through my disguise, but I said to him, “The governor is out front, it turns out, in his limo. He wants to say hi.”

So he came out in front with me. By this time half of the diners who were not seated by the windows were over there staring out at the limo. So almost everyone in the restaurant was watching. I accompanied my father to the limo, still trying to look like a body guard (thinking the suit was a good choice, instead of the cocktail dress). The back window of the limo opened, and a hand came out. It was my sister’s hand but you couldn’t tell who it was. My sister and father shook hands, exchanged a few words, and he went back inside. We had the limo drive around to the side of the building and eventually we all piled out and joined the reception.

So that is how, on one occasion at least, Governor Mario Cuomo got to be in two places at once.

You may not know this now, but there was real hope at one point that Mario Cuomo would run for and become president. But the world was not ready yet, at least in the US, for Italians to rise that high up. The glass ceiling was still in place, only partly shattered. The moment when many of us felt most strongly that he should be our leader is recorded, of course, in the following video:

Don’t you agree?

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1vN8EiS

2014 Was Just This Year, You Know? [Uncertain Principles]

So, it’s January 1, which means a ton of social-media traffic commenting on the year just concluded, most of it very negative– “Good riddance, 2014, don’t let the door hit you on the way out, etc.” I’m a little more ambivalent about the whole 2014 thing, and of course, being a good squishy liberal, I feel guilty about that.

Because, of course, in a lot of ways, 2014 was very good for me, personally. This is probably exemplified by my current circumstances– I’m typing this from the tail end of the Renaissance Weekend (actually, from a Starbucks across the street, because I thought that blogging during the final session might be considered poor form…). This is a high-power collection of people, and it’s an honor to have been invited here. And it’s been a really great experience, meeting some fascinating people, and my presentations were well received (even if the small kids were more interested in the colored sugar I was using for a prop than the basics of quantum physics…).

And that’s only one of a bunch of cool opportunities I had this past year– I also wrote four video lessons for TED-Ed (one, two, three, four), each of which has been viewed more than 100,000 times. I got to visit the UK, Ireland, and Sweden, and gave well-recieved talks in Bristol and Stockholm. And, of course, I finished Eureka: Discovering Your Inner Scientist, which has gotten some excellent reviews. In a lot of ways, 2014 was a great year on a personal and professional level.

But, of course, it was also a year that sucked in a big way on a more global level, with the media (both international and social varieties) dominated by a series of brutally unpleasant stories– Ukraine, Ferguson, Gamergate, the NYPD, UVA/Rolling Stone, etc. On a political level, this was, as somebody put it on Twitter, a dumpster fire of a year. I fully understand the desire to push all that stuff into the past as quickly and thoroughly as possible. And there was some stuff personally and professionally that I’m very glad to relegate to history, to whatever extent that’s possible, but can’t really talk about here. (212 days.)

So, you know, a very mixed bag. Which makes me feel the usual crippling liberal guilt for celebrating my personal accomplishments in a year that was so bad for so many people. I feel a bit bad that my good year didn’t fall in a better year for more of my friends and acquaintances. Which is, of course, kind of stupid, since it’s not like that’s in my control, but there you go.

Anyway, the one bright spot in all the domestic political mess– even a dumpster fire sheds a little light, after all, amid the smoke and stench– is, somewhat paradoxically, that very little of this was really new. The bad stories that dominated the news in 2014 weren’t a sudden explosion of unprecedented bad behavior, but people on a national level becoming aware of bad shit that’s been going on for a long time. And while that makes for a real bummer of a year, it’s also the essential first step toward addressing those problems. Which won’t be fun and easy, but will make everything better down the line.

So, you know, goodbye to 2014. And may 2015 be the first of many better years to come.

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1vKBr7H

So, it’s January 1, which means a ton of social-media traffic commenting on the year just concluded, most of it very negative– “Good riddance, 2014, don’t let the door hit you on the way out, etc.” I’m a little more ambivalent about the whole 2014 thing, and of course, being a good squishy liberal, I feel guilty about that.

Because, of course, in a lot of ways, 2014 was very good for me, personally. This is probably exemplified by my current circumstances– I’m typing this from the tail end of the Renaissance Weekend (actually, from a Starbucks across the street, because I thought that blogging during the final session might be considered poor form…). This is a high-power collection of people, and it’s an honor to have been invited here. And it’s been a really great experience, meeting some fascinating people, and my presentations were well received (even if the small kids were more interested in the colored sugar I was using for a prop than the basics of quantum physics…).

And that’s only one of a bunch of cool opportunities I had this past year– I also wrote four video lessons for TED-Ed (one, two, three, four), each of which has been viewed more than 100,000 times. I got to visit the UK, Ireland, and Sweden, and gave well-recieved talks in Bristol and Stockholm. And, of course, I finished Eureka: Discovering Your Inner Scientist, which has gotten some excellent reviews. In a lot of ways, 2014 was a great year on a personal and professional level.

But, of course, it was also a year that sucked in a big way on a more global level, with the media (both international and social varieties) dominated by a series of brutally unpleasant stories– Ukraine, Ferguson, Gamergate, the NYPD, UVA/Rolling Stone, etc. On a political level, this was, as somebody put it on Twitter, a dumpster fire of a year. I fully understand the desire to push all that stuff into the past as quickly and thoroughly as possible. And there was some stuff personally and professionally that I’m very glad to relegate to history, to whatever extent that’s possible, but can’t really talk about here. (212 days.)

So, you know, a very mixed bag. Which makes me feel the usual crippling liberal guilt for celebrating my personal accomplishments in a year that was so bad for so many people. I feel a bit bad that my good year didn’t fall in a better year for more of my friends and acquaintances. Which is, of course, kind of stupid, since it’s not like that’s in my control, but there you go.

Anyway, the one bright spot in all the domestic political mess– even a dumpster fire sheds a little light, after all, amid the smoke and stench– is, somewhat paradoxically, that very little of this was really new. The bad stories that dominated the news in 2014 weren’t a sudden explosion of unprecedented bad behavior, but people on a national level becoming aware of bad shit that’s been going on for a long time. And while that makes for a real bummer of a year, it’s also the essential first step toward addressing those problems. Which won’t be fun and easy, but will make everything better down the line.

So, you know, goodbye to 2014. And may 2015 be the first of many better years to come.

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1vKBr7H

One step in solving the police problem [Greg Laden's Blog]

People, usually people of color, more often than not Native Americans and African Americans (according the the available statistics) suffer regular repression by the police. Day to day, the most common form of repression is about the small stuff. Jay walking, being out after curfew, walking around in a shopping mall, driving while black, and similar imagined (or at worst, very minor) offenses bring the police into contact with individuals, making day to day existence harder and for many building up a list of arrests, charges, and convictions that form an ever-growing albatross around those individuals’ necks.

The recent work slowdown in New York is being heralded by astute observers as an inadvertent, almost ironic, positive step. As long as the police refuse to “do their jobs” in this manner, they are incidentally refusing to engage in this day to day repression.

It is generally thought that the small stuff — citations for minor offenses that often don’t even rise to the level of violations of law — make up a part of the public safety or, more broadly, municipal budgets of the governmental institutions supporting the police (city, county, state).

But what if that income was never accessible to those institutions? What if all of the money collected in fines could not be put against the city, county, or state budget? That might remove the impetus, in part, to engage in this kind of policing. I’m not entirely sure where the money should go. If it went into some public program (food shelters, etc.) it might replace other budget items at the same level of government. That would not serve the intended purpose of sequestering these funds. But with a little imagination, it probably would not be too hard to find a way to use that flow of cash for purposes that would not benefit the government responsible for the police force, or any other class of people, corporation, or pubic authority that might have the power to direct increased enforcement.

A law, or in some cases, a constitutional amendment (at the state level) could suffice for this purpose. Don’t fund the police, or any unit of government, on the backs of those being repressed. This is only a partial solution to a larger problem but it could be a useful and meaningful single step. The “Back Turning” law.

Thoughts?

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1xxGM8k

People, usually people of color, more often than not Native Americans and African Americans (according the the available statistics) suffer regular repression by the police. Day to day, the most common form of repression is about the small stuff. Jay walking, being out after curfew, walking around in a shopping mall, driving while black, and similar imagined (or at worst, very minor) offenses bring the police into contact with individuals, making day to day existence harder and for many building up a list of arrests, charges, and convictions that form an ever-growing albatross around those individuals’ necks.

The recent work slowdown in New York is being heralded by astute observers as an inadvertent, almost ironic, positive step. As long as the police refuse to “do their jobs” in this manner, they are incidentally refusing to engage in this day to day repression.

It is generally thought that the small stuff — citations for minor offenses that often don’t even rise to the level of violations of law — make up a part of the public safety or, more broadly, municipal budgets of the governmental institutions supporting the police (city, county, state).

But what if that income was never accessible to those institutions? What if all of the money collected in fines could not be put against the city, county, or state budget? That might remove the impetus, in part, to engage in this kind of policing. I’m not entirely sure where the money should go. If it went into some public program (food shelters, etc.) it might replace other budget items at the same level of government. That would not serve the intended purpose of sequestering these funds. But with a little imagination, it probably would not be too hard to find a way to use that flow of cash for purposes that would not benefit the government responsible for the police force, or any other class of people, corporation, or pubic authority that might have the power to direct increased enforcement.

A law, or in some cases, a constitutional amendment (at the state level) could suffice for this purpose. Don’t fund the police, or any unit of government, on the backs of those being repressed. This is only a partial solution to a larger problem but it could be a useful and meaningful single step. The “Back Turning” law.

Thoughts?

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1xxGM8k

Most-played Boardgames of 2014 [Aardvarchaeology]

Here are the ten boardgames I played the most during 2014.

• Sechs nimmt / Category 5 (1994, gets swift intense buy-in even from non-gamers) *


• Innovation (2010)


• Magic: the Gathering (1993) *


• Plato 3000 (2012) *


• Keltis (2008, travel version, very handy)


• Glass Road (2013) *


• Archaeology: the Card Game (2007) *


• For Sale (1997)


• Qwirkle (2006) *


• Samurai (1998) *

These are mostly short games that you can play repeatedly in one evening. Only Glass Road, Qwirkle and Samurai are a bit longer. Another long game that I played a lot of was Elfenland. All are highly recommended! Except Archaeology, a game of which I got tired fairly quickly – unlike its scientific namesake.

I played 62 different boardgames in 2014, less than the year before because I concentrated on ones I’ve got that hadn’t seen much play. Looking back since mid-2008, the number is 216, and 19 were new to me this year. Dear Reader, what was your biggest boardgaming hit in 2014?

Stats courtesy of Boardgame Geek. And here’s my list for 2013. Asterisks above mark 2014 arrivals on the top list.

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1EOGa1y

Here are the ten boardgames I played the most during 2014.

• Sechs nimmt / Category 5 (1994, gets swift intense buy-in even from non-gamers) *


• Innovation (2010)


• Magic: the Gathering (1993) *


• Plato 3000 (2012) *


• Keltis (2008, travel version, very handy)


• Glass Road (2013) *


• Archaeology: the Card Game (2007) *


• For Sale (1997)


• Qwirkle (2006) *


• Samurai (1998) *

These are mostly short games that you can play repeatedly in one evening. Only Glass Road, Qwirkle and Samurai are a bit longer. Another long game that I played a lot of was Elfenland. All are highly recommended! Except Archaeology, a game of which I got tired fairly quickly – unlike its scientific namesake.

I played 62 different boardgames in 2014, less than the year before because I concentrated on ones I’ve got that hadn’t seen much play. Looking back since mid-2008, the number is 216, and 19 were new to me this year. Dear Reader, what was your biggest boardgaming hit in 2014?

Stats courtesy of Boardgame Geek. And here’s my list for 2013. Asterisks above mark 2014 arrivals on the top list.

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1EOGa1y

What’s the birthstone for January?

Photo credit: cobalt123

January’s birthstone is the garnet.

The name “garnet” is derived from the Latin “granatum” meaning “pomegranate” because the crystals resemble the red color and seed-like form of this fruit. Most people think of the garnet as a red gemstone, but in fact, it exists in all kinds of colors, such as black, many shades of red and green, or even colorless. The garnet’s variety of colors comes from metals such as manganese, iron, calcium, and aluminum. Some varieties even contain mineral fibers that produce the illusion of a four- or six-rayed star within the stone. Green garnets are most highly prized but are very rare. Emerald green and colorless stones are highly valued, followed by pure red garnets.

Image Credit: USGS

Garnets are commonly found as small pebbles in streams, where the igneous and metamorphic rocks that contain them have weathered away. They’re found in many places around the world, including North and South America, Australia, India, Asia and Spain.

Ancient warriors believed that garnets brought victory. The Crusaders used them as protection against wounds and accidents during their journeys. In contrast, Asiatic warriors believed that glowing garnets, used as bullets, inflicted more severe wounds. In 1892, during hostilities on the Kashmir frontier, the Hanza tribesmen fired on British soldiers with garnet bullets, believing them to be more effective than lead bullets.

In the former Czechoslovakia, evidence of garnet jewelry dating to the Bronze age was found in ancient graves. Garnet jewelry has also been discovered dating back to 3100 B.C. in Egypt, 2300 B.C. in Sumeria, and 2000-1000 B.C. in Sweden. Garnets were treasured in 3rd and 4th century Greece, and continued in popularity during Roman times. Across the Atlantic, Pre-Columbian Aztec and Native Americans also used garnets in their ornaments.

As with many precious stones, garnets were once believed to hold medicinal powers. In Medieval times, it protected its wearer against poisons, wounds and bad dreams, and cured depression. Red garnets relieved fever, hemorrhages and inflammatory diseases.

January’s birthstone, the garnet, symbolizes a light heart, loyalty and enduring affections. Find out about the birthstones for the other months of the year.

January birthstone

February birthstone

March birthstone

April birthstone

May birthstone

June birthstone

July birthstone

August birthstone

September birthstone

October birthstone

November birthstone

December birthstone

Image Credit: Rob Lavinsky

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/SdpVoH

Photo credit: cobalt123

January’s birthstone is the garnet.

The name “garnet” is derived from the Latin “granatum” meaning “pomegranate” because the crystals resemble the red color and seed-like form of this fruit. Most people think of the garnet as a red gemstone, but in fact, it exists in all kinds of colors, such as black, many shades of red and green, or even colorless. The garnet’s variety of colors comes from metals such as manganese, iron, calcium, and aluminum. Some varieties even contain mineral fibers that produce the illusion of a four- or six-rayed star within the stone. Green garnets are most highly prized but are very rare. Emerald green and colorless stones are highly valued, followed by pure red garnets.

Image Credit: USGS

Garnets are commonly found as small pebbles in streams, where the igneous and metamorphic rocks that contain them have weathered away. They’re found in many places around the world, including North and South America, Australia, India, Asia and Spain.

Ancient warriors believed that garnets brought victory. The Crusaders used them as protection against wounds and accidents during their journeys. In contrast, Asiatic warriors believed that glowing garnets, used as bullets, inflicted more severe wounds. In 1892, during hostilities on the Kashmir frontier, the Hanza tribesmen fired on British soldiers with garnet bullets, believing them to be more effective than lead bullets.

In the former Czechoslovakia, evidence of garnet jewelry dating to the Bronze age was found in ancient graves. Garnet jewelry has also been discovered dating back to 3100 B.C. in Egypt, 2300 B.C. in Sumeria, and 2000-1000 B.C. in Sweden. Garnets were treasured in 3rd and 4th century Greece, and continued in popularity during Roman times. Across the Atlantic, Pre-Columbian Aztec and Native Americans also used garnets in their ornaments.

As with many precious stones, garnets were once believed to hold medicinal powers. In Medieval times, it protected its wearer against poisons, wounds and bad dreams, and cured depression. Red garnets relieved fever, hemorrhages and inflammatory diseases.

January’s birthstone, the garnet, symbolizes a light heart, loyalty and enduring affections. Find out about the birthstones for the other months of the year.

January birthstone

February birthstone

March birthstone

April birthstone

May birthstone

June birthstone

July birthstone

August birthstone

September birthstone

October birthstone

November birthstone

December birthstone

Image Credit: Rob Lavinsky

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/SdpVoH

Why does the new year begin on January 1?

The date of New Year’s Day seems so fundamental that it’s almost as though nature ordained it. But New Year’s Day is a civil event. Its date isn’t precisely fixed by any natural seasonal marker.

Our modern celebration of New Year’s Day stems from an ancient Roman custom, the feast of the Roman god Janus – god of doorways and beginnings. The name for the month of January also comes from Janus, who was depicted as having two faces. One face of Janus looked back into the past, and the other peered forward to the future.

For us in the Northern Hemisphere, early January is a logical time for new beginnings. At the December solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, we had the shortest day of the year. By early January, our days are obviously lengthening again. This return of longer hours of daylight had a profound effect on cultures that were tied to agricultural cycles. It has an emotional effect on people even in cities today.

Everything you need to know: December solstice

Photo credit: Daniel Moile

The early calendar-makers didn’t know it, but today we know there is another bit of astronomical logic behind beginning the year on January 1. Earth is always closest to the sun in its yearly orbit around this time. This event is called Earth’s perihelion.

People didn’t always celebrate the new year on January 1. The earliest recording of a new year celebration is believed to have been in Mesopotamia, circa 2000 B.C. That celebration – and many other ancient celebrations of the new year following it – were celebrated around the time of the vernal equinox, around March 20. Meanwhile, the ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Persians began their new year with the autumnal equinox around September 20. And the ancient Greeks celebrated on the winter solstice, around December 20.

By the Middle Ages, though, in many places the new year began in March. Around the 16th century, a movement developed to restore January 1 as New Year’s Day. In the New Style or Gregorian calendar, the New Year begins on the first of January.

Bottom line: There’s no astronomical reason to celebrate New Year’s Day on January 1. Instead, our modern New Year’s celebration stems from the ancient, two-faced, Roman god Janus – for whom the month of January is also named. One face of Janus looked back into the past, and the other peered forward to the future.

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1vdAyn3

The date of New Year’s Day seems so fundamental that it’s almost as though nature ordained it. But New Year’s Day is a civil event. Its date isn’t precisely fixed by any natural seasonal marker.

Our modern celebration of New Year’s Day stems from an ancient Roman custom, the feast of the Roman god Janus – god of doorways and beginnings. The name for the month of January also comes from Janus, who was depicted as having two faces. One face of Janus looked back into the past, and the other peered forward to the future.

For us in the Northern Hemisphere, early January is a logical time for new beginnings. At the December solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, we had the shortest day of the year. By early January, our days are obviously lengthening again. This return of longer hours of daylight had a profound effect on cultures that were tied to agricultural cycles. It has an emotional effect on people even in cities today.

Everything you need to know: December solstice

Photo credit: Daniel Moile

The early calendar-makers didn’t know it, but today we know there is another bit of astronomical logic behind beginning the year on January 1. Earth is always closest to the sun in its yearly orbit around this time. This event is called Earth’s perihelion.

People didn’t always celebrate the new year on January 1. The earliest recording of a new year celebration is believed to have been in Mesopotamia, circa 2000 B.C. That celebration – and many other ancient celebrations of the new year following it – were celebrated around the time of the vernal equinox, around March 20. Meanwhile, the ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Persians began their new year with the autumnal equinox around September 20. And the ancient Greeks celebrated on the winter solstice, around December 20.

By the Middle Ages, though, in many places the new year began in March. Around the 16th century, a movement developed to restore January 1 as New Year’s Day. In the New Style or Gregorian calendar, the New Year begins on the first of January.

Bottom line: There’s no astronomical reason to celebrate New Year’s Day on January 1. Instead, our modern New Year’s celebration stems from the ancient, two-faced, Roman god Janus – for whom the month of January is also named. One face of Janus looked back into the past, and the other peered forward to the future.

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1vdAyn3

Watch for Mercury below Venus after sunset

Happy New Year! Tonight, celebrate 2015 by looking for the two innermost worlds in our solar system – Mercury and Venus. Brilliant Venus has slipped back into our evening sky after sunset. Now many are spotting it. You might also catch Mercury in the sunset direction in early January. Venus passed behind the sun in October, and Mercury passed behind the sun on December 8, 2014. That’s when these worlds transitioned from Earth’s morning to evening sky. Have you seen Venus yet? It’s the sky’s brightest planet and can withstand the glare of evening twilight. Mercury is fainter. You might catch Mercury in the sunset direction this evening around 45 to 60 minutes after sunset. If you have binoculars, bring them! Aim your binoculars at the dazzling planet Venus, the brightest starlike object in the sky, to find nearby Mercury.

Don’t give up if you don’t spot Mercury on the evening of January 1, 2015. As darkness falls for the next couple of weeks, look for Mercury to climb higher up from the sunset glare and to set later after the sun.

Not too late. Order your 2015 EarthSky Lunar Calendar today!

Watch Mercury and Venus draw closer in early January, 2015. They are closest on January 10. It’ll be their closest coupling on the sky’s dome until May 13, 2016.

By January 16, Mercury is farther from Venus – but setting later – about one and one-half hours after sundown.

On January 1, at mid-northern latitudes, Mercury sets about one hour after the sun.

One week later, around January 8, Mercury sets about one and one-third hours after sunset.

Two weeks later, on January 16, Mercury sets about one and one-half hours after sundown.

Then three weeks later, on January 24, Mercury sets about one hour after the sun at mid-northern latitudes. Mercury leaves the evening sky by the end of the month, leaving Venus behind to shine brightly after sunset for much of the coming year.

Be sure to circle January 10 on your calendar. That’s when Mercury and Venus meet up to showcase their closest coupling on the sky’s dome until May 13, 2016. The width of your little finger at an arm length will cover over both worlds. Keep in mind, however, that these two worlds will still be plenty close together for a good week before and after their closest showing on the evenings of January 10. In other words, if you have binoculars, aim them at Venus to reel in Mercury!

An unobstructed horizon in the direction of sunset will be to your advantage for finding Mercury (and Venus). Although Mercury pales next to Venus, Mercury still shines on par with the sky’s brightest stars. The evening twilight may obscure the Mercury’s luster, but you’ll be surprised at how bright Mercury can appear once you find it. If you can’t see Mercury with the eye alone, you might be looking too soon after sunset. Or there might be thin clouds and haze in the direction to your horizon. Try your luck with binoculars. If still no luck, try again in the days ahead, for you’ll have several weeks to catch Mercury, the innermost planet of the solar system.

A planisphere is virtually indispensable for beginning stargazers. Order your EarthSky Planisphere today!

Mercury wins superlatives for being the solar system planet with the shortest year – yet the longest day. In fact, a day on Mercury lasts twice as long as its year. On Mercury, one day equals 176 Earth-days while one year is only half that long: 88 Earth-days.

Spencer Mann in Atascadero, California wrote, “As I was watching the sunset and photographing Venus, I was surprised when a glint caught my eye near the hills in the distance. When I zoomed in with my camera, I realized that Mercury was there. It was the first I had seen Mercury since August when it was in the morning sky.” Thanks, Spencer!

Bottom line: On these January 2015 evenings, look for the planet Mercury to pop out over the sunset point on the horizon as dusk is ebbing toward darkness. If you have them, aim binoculars at the dazzling planet Venus to spot nearby Mercury. Good luck!

Looking for a sky almanac? EarthSky recommends…

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1zTqZB1

Happy New Year! Tonight, celebrate 2015 by looking for the two innermost worlds in our solar system – Mercury and Venus. Brilliant Venus has slipped back into our evening sky after sunset. Now many are spotting it. You might also catch Mercury in the sunset direction in early January. Venus passed behind the sun in October, and Mercury passed behind the sun on December 8, 2014. That’s when these worlds transitioned from Earth’s morning to evening sky. Have you seen Venus yet? It’s the sky’s brightest planet and can withstand the glare of evening twilight. Mercury is fainter. You might catch Mercury in the sunset direction this evening around 45 to 60 minutes after sunset. If you have binoculars, bring them! Aim your binoculars at the dazzling planet Venus, the brightest starlike object in the sky, to find nearby Mercury.

Don’t give up if you don’t spot Mercury on the evening of January 1, 2015. As darkness falls for the next couple of weeks, look for Mercury to climb higher up from the sunset glare and to set later after the sun.

Not too late. Order your 2015 EarthSky Lunar Calendar today!

Watch Mercury and Venus draw closer in early January, 2015. They are closest on January 10. It’ll be their closest coupling on the sky’s dome until May 13, 2016.

By January 16, Mercury is farther from Venus – but setting later – about one and one-half hours after sundown.

On January 1, at mid-northern latitudes, Mercury sets about one hour after the sun.

One week later, around January 8, Mercury sets about one and one-third hours after sunset.

Two weeks later, on January 16, Mercury sets about one and one-half hours after sundown.

Then three weeks later, on January 24, Mercury sets about one hour after the sun at mid-northern latitudes. Mercury leaves the evening sky by the end of the month, leaving Venus behind to shine brightly after sunset for much of the coming year.

Be sure to circle January 10 on your calendar. That’s when Mercury and Venus meet up to showcase their closest coupling on the sky’s dome until May 13, 2016. The width of your little finger at an arm length will cover over both worlds. Keep in mind, however, that these two worlds will still be plenty close together for a good week before and after their closest showing on the evenings of January 10. In other words, if you have binoculars, aim them at Venus to reel in Mercury!

An unobstructed horizon in the direction of sunset will be to your advantage for finding Mercury (and Venus). Although Mercury pales next to Venus, Mercury still shines on par with the sky’s brightest stars. The evening twilight may obscure the Mercury’s luster, but you’ll be surprised at how bright Mercury can appear once you find it. If you can’t see Mercury with the eye alone, you might be looking too soon after sunset. Or there might be thin clouds and haze in the direction to your horizon. Try your luck with binoculars. If still no luck, try again in the days ahead, for you’ll have several weeks to catch Mercury, the innermost planet of the solar system.

A planisphere is virtually indispensable for beginning stargazers. Order your EarthSky Planisphere today!

Mercury wins superlatives for being the solar system planet with the shortest year – yet the longest day. In fact, a day on Mercury lasts twice as long as its year. On Mercury, one day equals 176 Earth-days while one year is only half that long: 88 Earth-days.

Spencer Mann in Atascadero, California wrote, “As I was watching the sunset and photographing Venus, I was surprised when a glint caught my eye near the hills in the distance. When I zoomed in with my camera, I realized that Mercury was there. It was the first I had seen Mercury since August when it was in the morning sky.” Thanks, Spencer!

Bottom line: On these January 2015 evenings, look for the planet Mercury to pop out over the sunset point on the horizon as dusk is ebbing toward darkness. If you have them, aim binoculars at the dazzling planet Venus to spot nearby Mercury. Good luck!

Looking for a sky almanac? EarthSky recommends…

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1zTqZB1