tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post4638153176223549780..comments2024-02-07T22:52:15.919-07:00Comments on Partial Ellipsis of the Sun: A Blog for Scientists who like Words and Writers who like Science: Am I Brilliant Blue? Lapis Lazuli Embedded in a 1000-Year-Old Woman’s TeethWord Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15491300694641304112noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-49993346050242077772019-02-17T20:40:46.516-07:002019-02-17T20:40:46.516-07:00New post on "The Pink Meanie, New Jellyfish S...New post on "The Pink Meanie, New Jellyfish Species: Pair With a Nice Peanut Butter?" is now up. Don't be jelly -- enjoy!Word Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15491300694641304112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-35572494383372097352019-02-16T19:21:17.742-07:002019-02-16T19:21:17.742-07:00Now I can tell my clients that my tardi-ness is a ...Now I can tell my clients that my tardi-ness is a survival skill!ecoarchitecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02824602705492756728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-62282361585070786752019-02-16T13:25:09.906-07:002019-02-16T13:25:09.906-07:00Ah, I see, as in “Try a lil’ bite” of science. I m...Ah, I see, as in “Try a lil’ bite” of science. I missed the column announcement so was happily and excitedly looking for a connection between trilobites and tardigrades. . .Wouldn’t that be cool?!Word Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15491300694641304112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-14161925640867260312019-02-16T11:56:15.092-07:002019-02-16T11:56:15.092-07:00The Trilobites column in The New York Times, dedic...<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/24/learning/lesson-plans/teaching-science-with-the-trilobites-column.html" rel="nofollow">The Trilobites column in The New York Times, dedicated to “unearthing fascinating morsels of science,” publishes several bite-size articles on a vast range of scientific topics each week.</a><br />janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05927176621372532733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-71126952915426188632019-02-16T11:31:43.628-07:002019-02-16T11:31:43.628-07:00Searching Tardigrades for Lifesaving Secrets >...Searching Tardigrades for Lifesaving Secrets >>><br /><br />https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/15/health/tardigrades-suspended-animation.html<br /><br />Interesting, of course, but why the “TRILOBITES” heading?!?Word Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15491300694641304112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-44982841688092431952019-02-12T16:21:25.289-07:002019-02-12T16:21:25.289-07:004.5° isn't much of a heading difference. Runw...4.5° isn't much of a heading difference. Runways are designated 1 through 36 by their heading <i>to the nearest 10 degrees</i>. (Runway 36 points to the magnetic North, 18 is the number painted at the opposite end of the same runway.)janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05927176621372532733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-9222856961025749742019-02-12T16:07:04.743-07:002019-02-12T16:07:04.743-07:00I have no idea how much the runway markings matter...I have no idea how much the runway markings matter.<br /><br />Cleveland to Chicago (316 air miles) is about 4.5° difference. I once passenged from DC to Durham (225 miles) and back in an evening in a Cessna 152, so that kind of hop isn't unreasonable.<br /><br />ecoarchitecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02824602705492756728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-46789946984475204752019-02-12T14:45:00.103-07:002019-02-12T14:45:00.103-07:00The declination doesn't change much over the d...The declination doesn't change much over the distance of a typical light plan hop. And airports typically don't have so many runways that a pilot would be confused by a difference between magnetic and geographic heading.janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05927176621372532733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-88113864430265571522019-02-12T14:19:55.664-07:002019-02-12T14:19:55.664-07:00Speaking as a non-pilot who has only occasionally ...Speaking as a non-pilot who has only occasionally been in a small plane, wouldn't that require the pilot to make a mathematical conversion from the magnetic bearing that their plane shows to the geographic heading on the runway? Especially difficult for a pilot landing someplace they've never been before, where they won't know the local declination. <br /><br />18 months ago the Stanley ID little airstrip had more planes land in one week than they typically have all year - all to see the eclipse. I suspect 95% of the pilots had never been there before, and many may have flown up there on a whim. One of my clients used to fly 120 miles, land, have lunch, and then fly back. Not much planning involved.<br /><br />And small plane pilots aren't always the brightest lights in the candelabra.... lots of amateurs, lots of mistakes.ecoarchitecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02824602705492756728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-43116282106217680822019-02-12T12:56:07.787-07:002019-02-12T12:56:07.787-07:00For pilots navigating the old-fashioned way, there...For pilots navigating the old-fashioned way, there's plenty of conversion from geographic to magnetic headings anyway. Changing runway designation from magnetic to geographic would be a one-time headache that would save all future headaches resulting from changing declination.janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05927176621372532733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-25272837287368138992019-02-12T12:34:07.860-07:002019-02-12T12:34:07.860-07:00I cruise Google Earth or Google Maps if I can’t sl...I cruise Google Earth or Google Maps if I can’t sleep. Now, I have a new toy to add to the mix.Word Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15491300694641304112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-59121894158075908632019-02-12T08:25:35.006-07:002019-02-12T08:25:35.006-07:00I too am drawn to such things.I too am drawn to such things.ecoarchitecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02824602705492756728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-44475957358255463442019-02-12T06:38:18.520-07:002019-02-12T06:38:18.520-07:00My, what magnetic personalities you have, jan and ...My, what magnetic personalities you have, jan and eco! That’s a very cool site, eco. I could spend far too much time there. And the magnetic declination would change if I did so ;-).Word Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15491300694641304112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-5795116916322695502019-02-12T00:45:54.470-07:002019-02-12T00:45:54.470-07:00Last thought: Does this prove the decline and fal...Last thought: Does this prove the decline and fall of Western Civilization?ecoarchitecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02824602705492756728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-88613962044123320012019-02-12T00:39:52.512-07:002019-02-12T00:39:52.512-07:00For those staying up at night wondering about magn...For those staying up at night wondering about magnetic declination, <b><a href="https://maps.ngdc.noaa.gov/viewers/historical_declination/" rel="nofollow">NOAA has a website</a></b> that shows magnetic declination over time, from 1590 to 2020. And for the moment I feel like I'm not losing my mind, the declination for SF/ Berkeley was just a hair under 16° east of north 30 years ago, this map shows it as +/-13.4° today. Time to go to Room 101 for reorientation.<br /><br />Denver was about 11.3°, and is now a mere 8.1°, you are a shifty lot. For the Jersey Boy trying not to get lost at Wildwood (no doubt Jan knows about that), it was about 11.3° west of north, and now is just a bit over 12°. ecoarchitecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02824602705492756728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-79850449152428343792019-02-10T14:05:43.049-07:002019-02-10T14:05:43.049-07:00I think many navigational devices still use magnet...I think many navigational devices still use magnetic bearings, especially in smaller planes. And I really don't want pilots to be doing the mathematical interpolations in their head while trying to land.<br /><br />Interestingly, the magnetic declination for my fair city is now 13°23', as I recall it used to be ~16°.ecoarchitecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02824602705492756728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-65148804686950271812019-02-10T05:48:51.544-07:002019-02-10T05:48:51.544-07:00The magnetic North Pole keeps shifting. But why d...<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/04/science/north-magnetic-pole-model.html" rel="nofollow">The magnetic North Pole keeps shifting</a>. But why do we need to keep repainting airport runway numbers, and, more to the point, keep redesignating all the associated published FAA airport diagrams, aeronautical navigation charts, instrument approach and departure procedures, etc.? The magnetic declination has always appeared on all charts; why not just agree worldwide to designate runways based on their geographic, rather than magnetic, heading? That way, when the declination changes, all you have to change is the published declination, rather than the designation of every runway.janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05927176621372532733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-32445208800278306822019-02-08T19:50:35.940-07:002019-02-08T19:50:35.940-07:00Rosalind Franklin Mars Rover!
>>...Rosalind Franklin Mars Rover! <br /><br /> >>><br /><br />https://www.zmescience.com/space/europes-mars-rover-named-rosalind-franklin-in-honor-of-dna-pioneer/Word Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15491300694641304112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-84207828445927014172019-02-08T17:40:40.481-07:002019-02-08T17:40:40.481-07:00Then, the three of you are up a tree.Then, the three of you are up a tree.janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05927176621372532733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-35365324563683863992019-02-08T17:31:07.648-07:002019-02-08T17:31:07.648-07:00What if I can't run faster than my pet sloth?What if I can't run faster than my pet sloth?ecoarchitecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02824602705492756728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-39789665130606833172019-02-08T14:10:12.273-07:002019-02-08T14:10:12.273-07:00:):)Word Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15491300694641304112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-86965321592654198332019-02-08T06:01:58.433-07:002019-02-08T06:01:58.433-07:00Do you tell your pet sloth, "I don't have...Do you tell your pet sloth, "I don't have to be able to run faster than a mountain lion. I just have to run faster than you."?janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05927176621372532733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-48967350193899922212019-02-05T19:15:32.884-07:002019-02-05T19:15:32.884-07:00Another reason to not go jogging. My sloth protec...Another reason to <b><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/02/05/mountain-lion-mauled-trail-runner-man-fought-back-killed-it/" rel="nofollow">not go jogging.</a></b> My sloth protects predators.ecoarchitecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02824602705492756728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-4930109936026120052019-02-05T19:12:53.514-07:002019-02-05T19:12:53.514-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.ecoarchitecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02824602705492756728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915875085991225575.post-60272067652102019082019-02-03T11:11:35.773-07:002019-02-03T11:11:35.773-07:00YOLO? Do you mean YLOO? >>>
https://www....YOLO? Do you mean YLOO? >>><br /><br />https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/01/books/benjamin-dreyer-english-grammar-writers-writing.htmlWord Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15491300694641304112noreply@blogger.com