Today, the Royal Observatory of the United Kingdom and Sky at Night Magazine announced the winners of the 2013 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. The competition opens every year for professionals and amateurs alike to submit their best photos of the universe. The winners this year, as always, were stunning, as were all of the entries.

Guiding Light to the Stars by Mark Gee. 2013 Astronomy Photographer of the Year Overall Winner. 

I think that contests like this one are important to the future of astronomy. It gets the public interested in not only the beauty of space, but also in the importance of studying it scientifically. Categories like the Young Astronomer Photographer of the Year and Newcomer of the Year celebrate new additions to the cosmology world.

Newcomer of the Year Winner: “Venus Transit.” Foxhunter’s Grave, Welsh Highlands. Photocredit: Sam Cornwell

Additionally, any opportunity when science and art can exist cohesively is worth an entire exhibition. One does not usually think of the two together, yet they often compliment each other beautifully. I recommend a scientific art exhibition to anyone who has the chance to see one, whether it is long exposures of the night sky or magnified strands of cells or DNA.

Art in Science. Precursor Neural Cells. Photo Credit: Su-Chun Zhang.

Anyway, back on topic! You can check out these amazing photos online on the observatory’s website as well as Flickr. I suggest checking out all the winners of every category, as well as browsing the entries and winning shots from previous years. I have also provided a hyperlink to the overall winner, Mark Gee’s, personal Flickr page. He has many amazing photos of the night sky over New Zealand that are worth checking out!

My brother and I recently became interested in astrophotography. This is one of his shots from outside Zion National Park in Utah. Photocredit: Leon Emmett Sport III

I hope these images further inspire you to pursue an interest in outer space and our place in the universe. I also hope you may be inspired to pick up a camera and try to make some images yourself. I know I am! Here are some easy instructions on how to take long exposures of the night sky at home. You can always consult your camera’s manual or Google the model for further information. Stay golden!

Additional Sources:

http://www.universetoday.com/104869/and-the-winners-are-amazing-astronomy-photographer-of-the-year-2013-photos-revealed/

“The known is finite, the unknown infinite; intellectually we stand on an islet in the midst of an illimitable ocean of inexplicability. Our business in every generation is to reclaim a little more land.” -T.H. Huxley

Lake Surprise, Mountainside, NJ. Photo Credit: Santos  (_atrographic on Flickr)

In class, we have moved on from astronomy and are now discussing geology and its effects on life. Since geology is so important to not only the formation of life, but also its continuation, I thought it might be interesting to investigate the geology that affects me the most: the geology of my hometown.

Moutainside, NJ. Photo Credit: Sperling’s Best Places

Mountainside, New Jersey is surprisingly full of interesting geological features. Ravines, springs, highland swamps, mineral and rock deposits, a quarry! But the most prominent feature would have to be the one the borough is named for, the mountain.

The “mountain” in Mountainside is no mountain by Colorado standards. In fact, it would probably only be considered a sorry hill, but to me it makes all the difference. Mountainside is, in fact, located on the “side” of said mountain. My house is situated at the top of the ridge, across the street from the Watchung Reservation, a forest preserve. The ridge is the first major increase in elevation from the coast, so from merely two houses down from me, you can see the entire New York City skyline and sometimes, the ocean (especially in the winter)!

The Sierra Trail, Watchung Reservation. Photo Credit: County of Union, NJ

The mountain is one of 3 ridges that make up the Watchung Mountains (from the Lenape Wach Unks, or “high hills”). Being the furthest east, it is denoted as the 1st Watchung Mountain. I live on a southern subsection that is part of the Newark Mountains near the Hobart Gap.

The Watchungs. I live just southeast of Springfield. Photo credit: lithium6ion

The Watchung mountains are of volcanic origin and run for 40 miles roughly north to south in north central New Jersey. They can range from 400 to almost 900 feet in height (above the sea level surroundings). They were formed in a giant rift valley 200 million years ago when the supercontinent, Pangea, broke apart. They are made of Watchung basalt and Jurassic sedimentary rock. They were worn down by erosion and during the last ice age, shaped by glaciers. The third mountain encloses the Great Swamp, the remnants of Glacial Lake Passaic.

The Great Swamp National Refuge. Photo Credit: Flat Rock

They are home to many different minerals, rare traprock, and endangered ecosystems and flora and fauna. Dinosaurs have roamed, Native Americans thrived, Washington even used them to strategically place encampments during the Revolution! But to me, they are home.

The Watchung Stables, where I learned to ride growing up. It was originally created as a Nike Missile Base Control Station during the Cold Way and utilized the Watchungs’ strategic position to protect New York City. Photo credit: Gone Hikin’

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchung_Mountains

http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/us/watchung-mountains.html

Today our class attempted to form tri-color images of celestial objects. We used images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope (spacetelescope.com) and used photoshop to layer them together. By using 3 different exposures, I was able to incorporate red, blue, and green aspects and merge the images to form the final project. I must admit, I have never used photoshop before and my final image is not quite what I’d like it to be. I don’t think the blue really shows through.

The subject of the photo, the Andromeda Galaxy (also known as Messier 31), is our closest galactic neighbor. In fact, the Milky Way is currently on a collision course with it. It is the only other large galaxy in our Local Group and is currently 2.5 million light years away. It contains 1 trillion stars and can be seen with the naked eye.

“It is not from space that I must seek my dignity, but from the government of my thought. I shall have no more if I possess worlds. By space the universe encompasses and swallows me up like an atom; by thought I comprehend the world.” -Blaise Pascal, Penseés

Credit: xkcd -Sphere

When discussing a topic like life in the universe, it is impossible to neglect the impact that science fiction has had on popular culture’s views of extraterrestrial life. Movies and books such as Dune, Slaughterhouse 5, Men in Black, Alien, and Star Wars dominate the television screens and hearts of the public. Today I decided to take a look at a popular science fiction film and see how it stacked up to the real world.

2001: A Space Odyssey, more like 2001: What were the Directors On? If you could not already tell, I did not enjoy this “epic drama.” Too many things rub one the wrong way.

To start off with, the film takes at least an hour too long to get through the storyline. During half the scenes, one cannot help feeling like the painstakingly slow cinematography resembles nails on a chalkboard (the soundtrack does not help either). There are also quite a few scenes that could be lopped off entirely.

Although the premise is good, a controlling, murderous supercomputer AND mysterious extraterrestrial life that interferes with human evolution overwhelms the film with too wide an array of science fiction topics, which makes the plotline seem improbable. Although one may say a secret government agency that protects the world from evil aliens may seem improbable as well (MIB reference), at least they are not also battling robots.

Part 4 of the movie, Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite, pulls the final straw. A strange wormhole scene lasts for 7 minutes, 5 minutes longer than necessary. By strange, I mean the cinematographer must have been tripping on acid. Then again, it was the 60’s. Then Bowman, the astronaut “taken” by the aliens, experiences the progression of his life on this alien world by seeing himself at progressively older states, changing perspectives each time. I get it; he is in a strange place being held by aliens. It should be weird. However, the next piece takes the cake. As he lies on his deathbed, the bizarre monolith (a creation of this alien species that influences human beings) reappears and HE TURNS INTO A FETUS. ORBITING EARTH. What!? And the movie ends. Again, WHAT!?!?

The movie does have its good qualities. The acting was good and the special effects were fantastic for the period it was made in. It also emphasizes facets of the human condition, like loneliness, curiosity, innovation, ambition, and the need for human control over situations and the helplessness when it is lost. A solid use of symbolism (like the pen floating away representing a loss of human control over the tools which they evolved to use) is prevalent throughout as well.

Who knows, maybe someone should have warned me it was scary (I hate horror films, even their commercials). This science fiction movie was just a little too far out for my tastes. I should have stuck with Star Wars.

This video was shown to me today by my professor. The universe is awe-inspiring. We are awe-inspiring. We should be reminded of that sometimes.

“Astrophysicist Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson was asked by a reader of TIME magazine, ‘What is the most astounding fact you can share with us about the Universe?’ This is his answer.” -Max Schlickenmeyer

I hope it brings tears to your eyes, as it did to mine.

(I suggest watching in at least 720p for best effect.)

Photo credit Jim Wintering

In recent years, government funding for scientific research has been slashed in most fields. We have seen federal backing cut by more than 8% in the last year (after alreadybeing cut year after year) and the end of pioneering endeavors such as NASA’s space shuttle program. Budgets have grown, however, for far less desirable focuses such as the national defense (or military) research budget, which in 2012 topped the list among all countries of the world, doubling second-place China’s spending with an annual expenditure of over $1.7 trillion (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Yearbook 2012).

With the decline of government capital available to scientists, the private sector has stepped in to fill the void. Some companies are American, though many are based across the globe, particularly in Asia. In a survey taken by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology this year, 80% of scientists said they were spending considerably more time writing grant applications than in 2010. 67% also said they were receiving considerably less funding as well. The survey continues to reveal that 1/5 of American scientists are seriously contemplating moving abroad to access better conditions for their research (Unlimited Potential, Vanishing Opportunity).

This poses a serious question: What do we do now? Do we let the great thinkers of our generation leave us behind for greener pastures, or do we rally for more administrative support and fight with and for our scientists?

Even if our researchers remain in the states, industrial control over patents and research have serious negative side effects. For example, pharmaceutical companies maintain a monopoly over most drugs offered to the public today. Only in the past few months have patents on genes like BRCA1 and BRCA2 been struckdown in the Supreme Court. Until then, a lack of competition would cost an individual thousands of dollars to see her susceptibility to breast cancer.

The only feasible solution is to increase public support for federal funding. In the article, Does Science Matter? (Broad and Glanz), the authors argue that the public has become increasingly apathetic towards science in the last 50 years. I disagree. I believe that although the general public may not understand much of the necessity or use for specific research, most still value science immensely. It should, considering science has given us everything from the Internet, which you use now, to the medical treatment one receives from a doctor.

This is also a fault of our government. Today, Asian and European countries frequently overshadow our science programs, and while, “90 percent of adult Americans say they are very or moderately interested in science discoveries,” the level of science education we receive is modest compared to others.

I suggest that collectively, as a people and country, we assemble to increase the scientific education and support for scientific endeavors in our country. Once the winner of the space race, it would be nothing short of a travesty to let our science programs decay into a hunt for money or drift off across the oceans.

For my first official post, I thought it would be a nice idea if you got to know the person behind the screen. After all, a faceless voice coming from the depths of cyberspace is a little impersonal, don’t you think?

As I mentioned previously, my name is Margaret Sport, and I am currently a freshman at Colorado College in Colorado Springs. I am originally from a small town in north-central New Jersey. Ever since I was a small child, I have been fascinated with the sky and the secrets it holds. As a toddler, my parents would take me outside at night so I could lift my hand and say hello to the moon. I would eagerly anticipate our family camping trips so I would be able to gaze at the stars without the unrelenting purple haze emitted by New York City crowding out all other light. As I have grown older, my enchantment with all things celestial has matured as well. I now find myself a reader of Carl Sagan, an avid watcher of NOVA, and an aspiring astrophysicist. That being said, picking a course as incredible as Life in the Universe for my freshman seminar was a no-brainer for me.

Of course, my interests are not solely otherworldly. During high school, I attended a career academy aimed at molding the health professionals of tomorrow. There, instead of drawing and painting, I took medical school courses along with my normal coursework. I am still very interested in becoming a physician and currently volunteer as an Emergency Medical Technician in my hometown. I play a variety of sports, from softball to horseback riding, and enjoy debate and playing classical piano. In college, I hope to study a multitude of subjects, such as Spanish, music, ethics, and biology (and, of course, astronomy and physics).

During these next two months of my life (CC operates on a unique “block” system where one immerses oneself in only one subject for a month at a time; LITU is a two-block class) I hope to gain knowledge in all subjects the class touches upon, particularly in geology, astronomy, and large scale physics. I hope to learn more about the origin of life in the universe and the possibility for other forms out there, as well as bond with those who share this interest with me.

Some subjects that particularly interest me are the overarching structure of the universe, which expands from solar systems and galaxies to supercluster complexes, or galaxy filaments, and the ongoing fight between matter and antimatter and the puzzles they pose in the universe.

I hope you will journey with me as I explore these and other topics. Till next time!