Columbus Day

Just in time for our annual salute to the genocidal thug Christopher Columbus!

Flashback Friday

On Flashback Friday, a visit to the recent past, to the good ol' days, when we had a president who knew the issues, a president that was engaged and someone we could look up to that didn't lie 5-50 times per day. 

I tell you, that black president was simply a far, far better person than Donald Trump ever was or ever will be. It is pretty sad what this nation is doing these days in it's anti-Obama spasm. Perhaps Trumpie is still trying to get back at that n-... guy for ribbing him in public. That guy with the absurd hair holds a serious grudge.

from the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2011, a partial clip

Dec 14, 2020

We didn't get to see the recent total solar eclipse except on television. The next one in the US won't be until 2024, but there will be another one to cross southern South America on December 14, 2020. Now that we are "not working" I think I'd like to take our first trip to South America and see the total solar eclipse. Las Grutas is very well aligned (second pic). They are not booked solid yet (I checked).

Vamanos!

This info courtesy of NASA.

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE OF 2020 DEC 14

(these are just images and not interactive maps. If you want to use the interactive features, go here.)

This interactive Google map [1] shows the path of the Total Solar Eclipse of 2020 Dec 14. The northern and southern path limits are blue and the central line is red. You MUST be somewhere within the central path (between the blue lines) to see the total phase of the eclipse. The eclipse is longest on the central line (red). The yellow lines crossing the path indicate the time and position of maximum eclipse at 10-minute intervals.

The green marker labeled GE is the point of Greatest Eclipse. The magenta marker labeled GD is the point of Greatest Duration. This is the location where the total eclipse lasts the longest along the entire path. In this case, the Greatest Duration is 02m09.7s . This prediction does not take into account the mountains and valleys along the edge of the Moon. For the sake of speed and simplicity, the effects of the lunar limb profile are NOT used in the predictions and map presented on this page.

You can be hundreds of miles from the theoretical point of Greatest Duration and still enjoy totality lasting within a fraction of a second of the maximum possible (as long as you stay within several miles of the central line). It's much more important to watch the weather forecasts a day or two before the eclipse and choose a location with the best chance of a cloud-free sky during the eclipse. Good weather is the key to successful eclipse viewing - better to see a shorter eclipse from clear sky that a longer eclipse under clouds .

User Directions

The zoom bar (left edge of map) is used to change the magnification [3]. The four-way toggle arrows (upper left corner) are for navigating around the map. You can also move the map center around to reposition it by holding down the left mouse button and dragging. The two map buttons (top right) let you switch between map view and satellite view.

Click anywhere on the map to add a red marker. A popup window appears above the marker with the calculated eclipse times and duration of totality for that location (see explanation of Eclipse Circumstances below). The 'x' in the upper right corner of the popup window closes the popup window. Additional markers can be placed anywhere on the map. Move the cursor over a marker to reveal a popup window with the eclipse times for that position. The predictions in the popup window can also be displayed in a new web page via the Eclipse Times Popup button (bottom right). You can select and copy this infomation to paste into a word processor.

All the markers can be removed by using the Clear Marker button (below the map). Choose the Large Map check box to produce a bigger map (hint: enlarge the browser window to its maximum size before selecting the Large Map check box). This option is especially useful to users with large monitors.

Below the lower left corner of the map are three readouts. The first gives the geographic coordinates (latitude & longitude) of the map center while the second gives the geographic coordinates of the cursor position. The third line gives the distance of the cursor from the last marker. For more information, see Google Eclipse Map Instructions.

Eclipse Circumstances

When you click on the map a red marker is added and a popup window opens giving the Eclipse Circumstances calculated for that location. The predictions in the popup window can be divided into two sections.

In the top section, the decimal Latitude and Longitude of the marker are given. The Eclipse Type (either total, annular or partial) seen from that position is given. The Duration of Totality (or Duration of Annularity) lists the length of the total (or annular) phase in minutes and seconds. The Eclipse Magnitude is the fraction of the Sun's diameter eclipsed. The Eclipse Obscuration is the fraction of the Sun's area eclipsed.

(Example coordinates)

The bottom section consists of a table listing the times for important stages of the eclipse. The Event column lists eclipse phase, followed by the date and time (both in Universal Time). Finally, the Altitude and Azimuth of the Sun is given for each event. The altitude is measured from the horizon (0°) to the zenith (90°). The azimuth is measured from due North and rotating eastward (North = 0°, East = 90°, South = 180°, and West = 270°).

Important Note: The eclipse predictions in this interactive map DO NOT include the effects of mountains and valleys along the edge of the Moon. Such corrections for the lunar limb profile may change the contact times and eclipse durations by ~1-3 seconds. The exact location of Greatest Duration may also change by ~10-20 kilometers.

Footnotes

1. Other interactive Google eclipse maps include those by Xavier Jubier. ↩

3. This web page approximates the curved eclipse path by using a series or To maintain the validity of this approximation, the maximum zoom level is limited to ~1 mile/inch (~0.7 kilometers/centimeter). This should prevent over-interpretation of the eclipse path accuracy. You can disable the zoom limit using the link Maximum Zoom to reload the map. ↩

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Links for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2020 Dec 14

• Orthographic Map
• Google Map
• Animated Map
• Path Table
• Besselian Elements Table
• Saros 142 Table

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Eclipse Predictions

Predictions for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2020 Dec 14 were generated using the JPL DE405 solar and lunar ephemerides and a value of ΔT = 69.5 seconds.

The eclipse predictions presented here DO NOT include the effects of mountains and valleys along the edge of the Moon. Such corrections for the lunar limb profile may shift the limits of the eclipse path north or south by ~1-3 kilometers, and change the eclipse duration by ~1-3 seconds. More detailed predictions including the effects of the lunar limb profile are normally posted 12-18 months before each eclipse,

Acknowledgments

All eclipse calculations are by Fred Espenak, and he assumes full responsibility for their accuracy. Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by an acknowledgment:

"Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA's GSFC"

For more information, see: NASA Copyright Information

Please visit the Acknowledgments Page for additional acknowledgments, details and links.

Original.

US loses jobs!

On no, what will Trumpie do?! Jobs were actually LOST for the first month in over seven years!! This is so far far worse than Obama. It will probably enrage the lunatic into WW3. Or, he will just revert back to, "the numbers are fake people, they are trying to make me look bad!" or some similar nonsense.

U.S. lost jobs last month for the first time in 7 years

by Steve Benen

Every sitting president gets a sneak peek at U.S. job numbers the day before the official report is released. It’s just a perk of the job. So when Donald Trump started tweeting yesterday about how impressed he was with the stock market, he seemed to be sending a subtle signal: the job numbers probably weren’t great.

As it turns out, they were worse than anyone expected. While projections showed the U.S. economy adding about 80,000 jobs in September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this morning that the economy actually lost 33,000 jobs in September.

It’s important to emphasize that these totals were heavily affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which depressed hiring. That said, the new job numbers still fell short of low expectations. What’s more, the combined job totals from July and August were revised down, and that can’t be attributed to hurricanes.

This is the first time the U.S. economy has lost jobs since September 2010 – seven years ago. It interrupts the longest streak on record of consecutive months in which the economy added jobs.

Providing some additional context, the U.S. added 2.14 million over the first nine months of 2014, 1.89 million over the first nine months of 2015, 1.79 million over the first nine months of 2016, and 1.33 million over the first nine months of 2017.

Above you’ll find the chart I run every month, showing monthly changes in total jobs since the start of the Great Recession. The image makes a distinction: red columns point to monthly changes under the Bush and Trump administrations, while blue columns point to monthly job changes under the Obama administration.

Update: Here’s another chart, this one showing monthly job losses/gains in just the private sector since the start of the Great Recession.

Original.

Duty to Warn

John Gartner, Ph.D., has founded a group called, "Duty to Warn", an association of mental health professionals who believe it is their ethical duty to warn the public about the dangers associated with Donald Trump's severe mental illness. They even have a Facebook page. To date, over 60,000 mental health professionals have signed their petition, which states" 

“We, the undersigned mental health professionals, believe in our professional judgment that Donald Trump manifests a serious mental illness that renders him psychologically incapable of competently discharging the duties of President of the United States. And we respectfully request he be removed from office, according to article 4 of the 25th amendment to the Constitution, which states that the president will be replaced if he is ‘unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.’”

It is widely regarded as unethical—a violation of the so-called Goldwater Rule—for mental health experts to offer a professional diagnosis of any person they have not personally examined. The rule was established in 1973 by the American Psychiatric Association and is still in force today. Although psychologists are not expressly forbidden from making public pronouncements about the mental health of public figures, the American Psychological Association has affirmed the rule and psychologists generally abide by it.

Gartner contends that the mental health community has an obligation to protect the public that overrides the Goldwater Rule —we’ve advanced quite a lot in 44 years—and that Trump has proved himself a clear and present danger. Also, the Goldwater Rule is not relevant because it was established before the DSM made diagnosis behaviorally based.

more at the original in Psychology Today magazine.

And on Oct 3, Bandy Lee's book "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President" was published. Yikes. I'm sure it will be pooh-poohed by FOX and the other anti-intellectuals ravaging the landscape. Move along.

Sandcastle Days

Sure, I'm aware of what happened in Las Vegas. Instead of sending your "thoughts and prayers" how about we work towards some gun control? 

But closer to home...

South Padre Island Sandcastle Days

2015 Winner

Last year this even was over a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Apparently it's a big hit, so they have expanded it to FIVE days, starting this Wednesday, Oct. 3.

You can go here for all the details. What these folks can do is just amazing. I need to learn.

Located along the Gulf of Mexico at Clayton’s Beach Bar and Grill on Sunny South Padre Island. Packed with masterfully built sand sculptures, local art booths, music and memories … all on the beach and conveniently located to island hotels and condos.

The City of South Padre Island and Sandcastle Days founders Walter McDonald and Lucinda Wierenga are proud to welcome you to the 26th annual Sandcastle Days.

Master Sand sculptors Walter McDonald (aka Amazin Walter) and Lucinda Wierenga (aka Sandy Feet) are South Padre Island residents and 26 years ago started Sandcastle Days as a way to demonstrate the magical sculpting qualities of South Padre Island sand AND the critical importance of protecting our beautiful coastal shores. Over the years this family-fun event has grown from a local celebration to qualifying event for the World Championships of Sand Sculpting where 30,000+ fans come to watch the sand come alive. Check back here and on the event schedule page for more details!

October stargazing

It's finally fall! Not that this means all that much in South Texas, but we'll happily take a few degrees cooler. Even a couple!

courtesy of Sea & Sky

October 5 - Full Moon. Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 18:40 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Hunters Moon because at this time of year the leaves are falling and the game is fat and ready to hunt. This moon has also been known as the Travel Moon and the Blood Moon. This moon is also known as the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the September equinox each year.

October 8 - Draconids Meteor Shower. The Draconids is a minor meteor shower producing only about 10 meteors per hour. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner, which was first discovered in 1900. The Draconids is an unusual shower in that the best viewing is in the early evening instead of early morning like most other showers. The shower runs annually from October 6-10 and peaks this year on the the night of the 8th. Unfortunately, the nearly full moon will block all but the brightest meteors this year. If you are extremely patient, you may be able to catch a few good ones. Best viewing will be in the early evening from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Draco, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

October 19 - New Moon. The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 19:12 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

October 19 - Uranus at Opposition. The blue-green planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view Uranus. Due to its distance, it will only appear as a tiny blue-green dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.

October 21, 22 - Orionids Meteor Shower. The Orionids is an average shower producing up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Halley, which has been known and observed since ancient times. The shower runs annually from October 2 to November 7. It peaks this year on the night of October 21 and the morning of October 22. The crescent moon will set early in the evening leaving dark skies for what should be a good show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Orion, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

And check out StarDate.org.

And from Space.com

While the full Harvest Moon usually happens in September, skywatchers will be treated to a late Harvest Moon on Oct. 5 this year. 

According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the name of the full moon in October is usually "Hunter's Moon," as October is when people would hunt to store food for winter. However, this year is a bit out of the ordinary, and we'll have a Harvest Moon instead. 

The Harvest Moon is defined as the full moon that falls closest to the autumn equinox, which happened on Sept. 22. Usually September's full moon is called the Harvest Moon, but this year, it just so happened that October's full moon is closer to the equinox. So, September's full moon was named the "Corn Moon" instead, and the next Hunter's Moon won't happen until October 2018.

Native people in North America had several different associations and names for the full moons. According to the Ontario Native Literacy Coalition, the Ojibwe peoples called October's full moon the Mskawji Giizis, or the Freezing Moon, as the weather changes and first frosts occur at this time. Cree people called it Pimahamowipisim, or the Migrating Moon, as in northeastern North America, many bird species start migrating south for the winter in October. In the Pacific Northwest, the Tlingit called the lunation of October the Big Moon, while the Haida called the month the Ice Moon. 

In the Southern Hemisphere, the days are getting warmer and longer in October. The Māori of New Zealand described the lunar months in September to October as Whiringa-ā-nuku, which means, "The Earth has now become quite warm," according to "The Encyclopedia of New Zealand."

The full moon of October also marks an important holiday for Jewish people: Sukkot, the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. The holiday is also known as the Feast of Tabernacles, and is a celebration of the harvest and the exodus from Egypt. 

Keep looking up!