Spacewoman!

by JonathanNo Comments
NEW DOCUMENTARY SPACEWOMAN WILL CELEBRATE EILEEN COLLINS: THE FIRST WOMAN EVER TO PILOT AND THEN COMMAND A SPACE SHUTTLE London 06 February 2024: Multi award-winning producers Keith Haviland, Haviland Digital [Last Man on the Moon, Chasing the Moon, Gazza, Lancaster] and Natasha Dack Ojumu, Tigerlily [ENO, Blue Bag Life, The Lovers and the Despot] today announce that they are making a new landmark feature documentary called SPACEWOMAN about the extraordinary achievements of Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command a spacecraft, paving the way for the next generation of female space explorers.  The film is based on her memoir “Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars” written by Eileen and Jonathan H. Ward and is directed by Hannah Berryman [Coco Chanel: Unbuttoned, Rockfield: the Studio on the Farm, Princess Margaret: The Rebel Royal)  Hannah Berryman, director said: 'Eileen's journey from an underprivileged childhood in small town America to becoming the first woman to pilot and command a space shuttle is a fascinating one. The emotional drama of her family's tale is just...
Read More
Astounding Alta Auroras

Astounding Alta Auroras

by JonathanNo Comments
Our northern lights display in Tromsø was just the appetizer for the main course in Alta on the evening of Friday, 13 October 2023! Multicolored pillars at 10:13 pm I wasn’t able to take an excursion out into the countryside this evening, so I scouted the container yard and airport perimeter near the ship to try to find a place with as few streetlights as possible. When I checked the forecast at 9:30 pm, I saw that an “interplanetary storm” was underway. Time to run out and get to work! I was in place by 10 pm. Curtain forming at 10:27 pm As soon as my eyes adapted to the dark, I saw auroras forming to the northeast. They quickly developed into a multi-colored curtain that shimmered and steadily grew in height and length. The pillars grow in height at 10:35 pm The curtain continued to dance, and the colors were more intense than any I’d seen before. https://youtu.be/Sh-54Ch2JG4 Animation of auroras between 10:34 and 10:36 pm 10:37 pm The...
Read More
Glorious lights in Tromsø

Glorious lights in Tromsø

by JonathanNo Comments
Guests from the Silversea Silver Dawn were treated to a stunning display of northern lights from a husky camp on Kvaløya (Whale Island), west of Tromsø, on the evening of October 12, 2023. As always seems to happen with aurora-watching excursions, the forecast for the evening was not promising: overcast with snow developing, and the Glendale app predicted no chance of auroras developing. I almost left my camera and tripod on the ship, but changed my mind at the last minute. After we greeted the friendly huskies at the camp, we went inside a hut to warm up and feast on some delicious bacalao, an amazing cod stew. Our local guides, Eike and Carlo, were enthusiastic and optimistic that we would see something in the sky that evening. They huddled around the campfire outside while we ate dinner. I excused myself after wolfing down my bowl of stew and went outside to check the sky. It was 8:45 pm. I hadn't been...
Read More
Photographing the Northern Lights

Photographing the Northern Lights

by JonathanNo Comments
Click here to check out my photos of a great Northern Lights display near Tromsø on October 12, 2023! Here's a quick summary of my suggestions and tips for taking photos of auroras on a cruise. What apps will tell me if auroras are visible? There are many out there, most pull info from the same sources. "Live Aurora Network" is not free, but it provides real-time sighting information and sky images from multiple locations, and it will send you alerts when there is auroral activity. SpaceWeatherLive and the Glendale App use more scientific data that some people might find difficult to interpret. What's the best way to take photos of auroras? The two most critical things are finding ways to steady your camera and to take manual control of settings if possible. You'll need to take exposures of several seconds in the dark, and the autofocus on cameras can easily get confused by auroras. It's helpful if you have a tripod or...
Read More
Telescopes

Telescopes

by JonathanNo Comments
The question I'm asked most frequently on cruises is, "What kind of telescope should I buy?" There's no single right answer for that question. It's the Golden Age of Telescope Gadgetry, and there's practically no limit of ways to spend your money in this hobby. The type of telescope to get will depend on many factors: Your budget What you want to see (Moon, planets, deep sky, double stars, etc.) Portability and "footprint" How familiar you are with finding your way around the sky Your expectations That being said, here are some possibilities to consider. Incidentally, I am not compensated by any telescope or gear manufacturers. And I am not necessarily recommending specific brands, although some have some unique features. "Telescope of the Year" designation is from High Point Scientific, Inc. (https://highpointscientific.com), who are a reputable and popular retailer in the US. Too Long; Didn't Read -- a Quick Suggestion If there is an astronomy club in your area, see if they have any scheduled public observing sessions. It's...
Read More
Tag-Teaming with Eileen Collins at NEAF

Tag-Teaming with Eileen Collins at NEAF

by JonathanNo Comments
How do you summarize a whirlwind weekend at the world’s largest astronomy forum? The exhibit floor at NEAF (photo courtesy Mark Usciak) The Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF) is a production of the Rockland Astronomy Club in Suffern, NY. Thousands of astronomers and space enthusiasts enjoy a weekend of lectures, workshops, and a fieldhouse full of astonishing astronomy gear at Rockland Community College. Mike Leinbach and I presented here in 2018. Eileen Collins and I were invited to speak in 2022, but the event was cancelled because of Covid. I loved seeing everything in full vibrant swing again this year when the Forum kicked off on Saturday, April 15. Andy Poniros interviews Eileen and me (photo courtesy Tony Achilles) Eileen and I began our day with an interview on Cosmic Perspective Radio with host Andy Poniros and producer Tony Achilles, two friends from many Spacefests and other space events. Eileen is a big draw wherever she goes. A crowd quickly gathered around us after the...
Read More
Fluffy and Pointy

Fluffy and Pointy

by JonathanNo Comments
Spring can be a dull season for casual, naked-eye stargazing in the Northern Hemisphere. Broad stretches of the sky are devoid of bright stars. Dim constellations completely disappear for an observer within or near a city. For the astrophotographer, though, it’s Galaxy Season. The Virgo and Coma superclusters of galaxies, completely invisible to the naked-eye, make for rich hunting in the telescope. It’s a rare treat for a North Carolina astrophotographer to have two clear, moonless nights in the same April week. I tried to make the most of the opportunity by imaging two contrasting galaxies. First up is galaxy NGC 2403, in the constellation Camelopardalis (the Giraffe). NGC 2403 is a “flocculent” – fluffy – spiral galaxy. Its arms are alive with bright clumps, which are sites of active star formation. NGC 2403 is about 57 million light years from Earth. On the evening of April 12, I imaged the “Needle Galaxy,” NGC 4565. The Needle was the cover story for the...
Read More

With Eileen Collins at Tulsa Air & Space Museum

by JonathanNo Comments
Saturday March 25 was one of those days when I pinch myself and say, “I can’t believe I get to do this.” Eileen Collins and I signed 300 copies of her memoirs today at the Tulsa Air and Space Museum. EVERY child in attendance received a free, personalized copy of the book, thanks to the generosity of Spirit AeroSystems. What a remarkable way to inspire the generation who will take us to Mars and beyond in their lifetimes! Eileen and I also spoke in the planetarium about her career and answered questions from the audience. Thanks to Tonya Lewis Blansett for inviting us to be part of this event, to Dayle Kenyon and Lois Huneycutt for crowd control and taking photos, to Bill Moore for his fascinating perspectives on Oklahoma aerospace history, and to the staff of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum for treating us like royalty. Signing books and welcoming the public!...
Read More

The Hidden Galaxy, IC 342

by JonathanNo Comments
You need a strong tolerance for chaos to survive serious astrophotography. I lost nearly two years while troubleshooting an issue, which I thought was with my telescope, but turned out to be a power supply. Suddenly, there was a six-month period where things seemed relatively stable. And then, Windows decided to explode on my laptop, requiring a complete reinstall -- none of the backups worked! I had to reinstall and reconfigure all of my apps and get them talking to the finicky hardware again. Four hours under the sky one night verified that everything was more or less functional again. Then I had to wait for the next clear, moonless night for my chosen target -- the Hidden Galaxy, IC 342. Located in the constellation Camelopardalis, IC 342 lies right along the Milky Way's equator. That means we are looking out through the disk of the Milky Way at this galaxy -- our galaxy would appear edge-on to them. Lying along the...
Read More

A Salute to Hemphill, Texas

by JonathanNo Comments
Texas Highways magazine was the first periodical to feature "Bringing Columbia Home." There's a very poignant article about Hemphill and Sabine County, Texas in the January 2023 issue, which also mentions the book. https://texashighways.com/culture/history/hemphill-remembers-the-columbia-disaster-20-years-later/ Mike Leinbach and I will forever be grateful that we were able to help honor the heroic deeds of the people who assisted in the recovery of Columbia and her crew.  If you're ever in East Texas, please consider making a pilgrimage to Hemphill to see the incredible Remembering Columbia Museum and meet some of the people who answered the call in the darkest hours following the accident in 2003....
Read More