I miss programming. It was the last thing I was good at. Which is not to claim any particular demonstrable level of skill or aptitude. But that one class I took in 2012 I worked hard at, and I got good grades for my hard work. I miss having something I could work at and feel I was making progress in understanding and skill. Unfortunately I keep ( Read more... )

Originally published at a denizen's entertainment. You can comment here or there.

This is intriguing news.

Am amused by the number of people in comments pointing out Kepler has a selection bias toward detecting multi-planet systems in which the orbital plane is relatively 'flat' compared to our solar system. It certainly does, since the closer ( Read more... )

Originally published at a denizen's entertainment. You can comment here or there.

I disagree with the IAU's decision on defining planets, sure. But articles like Should The Cluttered Skies Demote Earth? (and comments of a similar style) make me want to ask people to please stop helping.

Pluto and other 'dwarf planets' have crossed a threshold. Their ( Read more... )

Originally published at a denizen's entertainment. You can comment here or there.

First unequivocally 'solid' extrasolar planet has been confirmed. Others we've found I'm pretty sure qualify, but this is the first pinned well enough it can't be hiding non-terrestrial nature in statistical outlier.

Further details and my news source at Bad Astronomy.
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Originally published at a denizen's entertainment. You can comment here or there.

Increasingly less recently I had been discussing with Pazi a game project. I wanted to do something useful so I offered to craft a little program module which could generate 'realistic enough' star systems. Something that would not simulate stellar formation and ( Read more... )

Originally published at a denizen's entertainment. You can comment here or there.
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Lately have been using this image as my desktop background:

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Originally published at a denizen's entertainment. You can comment here or there.

In the past week I have been surprised by two pieces of news concerning Saturn and rings.

First, from the Planetary Society Blog: findings which might be evidence for a posited ring around Rhea. As described in that article, a series of equatorial spots on Rhea bright ( Read more... )

Originally published at a denizen's entertainment. You can comment here or there.

Last week seems to have been a good week for news in astronomy. At the least of the sorts that capture my especial interest.

From Universe Today, Spot Discovered On Haumea Rich With Organics And Minerals.

Haumea, one of those planets called dwarfs, is notable for its ( Read more... )

Phil Plait has put together a fun list of Ten Things You Didn't Know About Pluto. I still had fun reading it even knowing the items on it already, so definitely recommending people take a look if they want a bit of astronomy for the day.

Going now to look at the other such lists he has done.