Starship Asterisk*

the equinox means that today will have a nighttime and daytime that are both 12 hours long.

JohnCarswell wrote:Why did they build a fence in Antartica? ...keep the penguins out?

Indigo_Sunrise wrote:

JohnCarswell wrote:
Why did they build a fence in Antartica?
...keep the penguins out?

I wondered that too!

Indigo_Sunrise wrote:
I also wondered about the 'asymmetry' that another poster pointed out.

Indigo_Sunrise wrote:
And doesn't the foreground portion of the image look a little strange with the shadows not 'right', in relation to the sun?

• . http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap081221.html
  . http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101231.html
  . http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap061223.html
  . http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130922.html

JohnCarswell wrote:Why did they build a fence in Antartica? ...keep the penguins out?

bjmb wrote: ... Conversely, today the Sun sets at the North Pole after half a year of continuous daylight." it will set only on september 25, two days from now - all due to the lifting of the sun through the atmosphere and the apparent size of the sun.

Sunrise and sunset. For computational purposes, sunrise or sunset is defined to occur when the geometric zenith distance of center of the Sun is 90.8333 degrees. That is, the center of the Sun is geometrically 50 arcminutes below a horizontal plane. For an observer at sea level with a level, unobstructed horizon, under average atmospheric conditions, the upper limb of the Sun will then appear to be tangent to the horizon. The 50-arcminute geometric depression of the Sun's center used for the computations is obtained by adding the average apparent radius of the Sun (16 arcminutes) to the average amount of atmospheric refraction at the horizon (34 arcminutes).

Rdlm wrote:

JohnCarswell wrote:
Why did they build a fence in Antartica? ...keep the penguins out?

I think it's used as handrails in order to avoid being lost during storm when you can't even see your noze. Being lost there means Death!

http://www.antarctica.gov.au/living-and-working/stations/mawson/this-week-at-mawson/2012/this-week-at-mawson-11-may-2012/2 wrote:

---

• To each his sufferings: all are men,
  Condemn'd alike to groan—
  The tender for another's pain,
  Th' unfeeling for his own.
  Yet, ah! why should they know their fate,
  Since sorrow never comes too late,
  And happiness too swiftly flies?
  Thought would destroy their Paradise.
  No more;—where ignorance is bliss,
  'Tis folly to be wise. - Thomas Gray

---------------------------------------------------
Blizz lines
This week at Mawson: 11 May 2012

<<Blizz lines or blizzard lines are ropes connecting one building to another, which we use when we are walking around the station or in the field in blizzards. What is a blizzard (blizz)? A blizzard must satisfy 4 factors. The wind must be equal to or greater than 34 knots, the temperature must be below zero, the visibility must be less than 100m and all these factors must last for at least one hour. So a blizzard is a gale force wind with blowing snow reducing visibility. In these situations and remember it could be dark, we walk from one building to another, holding onto a blizz line.

Malcolm is the blizz line monitor and he has spent many hours over the last week installing new sections, improving others, digging steps over and down blizz tails (bank of snow deposited downwind from any obstruction as a building, large boulder etc) and generally maintaining and improving all the lines. The most used blizz line is the section from the EVS (Emergency Vehicle Shelter) to the Trades Workshop. Seven people use this line several times every day. An accident occurred on this line where it crosses a blizz tail, so after speaking to all the users of the line a plan of action was developed. As it was not sensible to totally remove the blizz tail after every blizzard, Malcolm and Ian set to realigning the entire blizz line, transferring the rope so that it is always on the right hand side as one walks south from the Workshop to the EVS. This involved removing many obstructions and installing 2 additional drums full of rocks into the line. This realignment then allowed us to tension the rope as it crosses the blizz tail. We also aligned the rope with a series of steps up the blizz tail, improving the safety for the users. It will be interesting to assess the improvements during our next blizzard.

In addition to the blizz lines, when we walk in a blizzard we also have a Field Travel Conditions Advice Sheet, which is known colloquially in Antarctica as “Traffic Lights” as it has 4 categories of Field Travel (Normal, Caution, Danger and Stop) each with its own colour code (green, yellow, red and black). Since our arrival, 3 blizzards have been recorded in the red category for travel. In these conditions we only travel outside when it is necessary and in addition to the blizz lines we travel in pairs when possible, carry a radio and tell others where we are going and then ring them when we arrive at our destination. We also dress appropriately for the conditions wearing warm and windproof clothes, goggles, gloves and most importantly balaclavas and wristlets.>>

Zuben L. Genubi wrote:
I hope we are "barring atmospheric effects" not "baring" them. I'm not sure I could handle seeing totally naked atmospheric effects! Whichever the case, we will be "bearing" them either way. Doubtless Vitus Bering, aka "Ivan", the Danish explorer, would have appreciated this polar view of long summer days, during which in 1925 he discovered the straits bearing his name, and after which he reported straight back to Peter the Great. Got it straight?

BMAONE23 wrote:What causes the Red Fire patches to the left of the Analemma?
It looks like LMC and SMC or Red Aurorae but ???

Ron-Astro Pharmacist wrote:I don't suppose that's the most southern set of McArches is it? Leave it to a "Ronald" to notice them. Keeping the fries hot all the way home is tough enough here.

Ronald.jpg

C'est tout ce que j'aime.

dennisma wrote:These shadows look all wrong. It looks like the sun farther right and behind the camera not right in front.