CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-06-19 21:38:56 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

What's that sound you say?

It's the sound of #microsoft  backpedaling as hard as they can after the #xbone  fiasco at E3.  

Microsoft recently announced they have reversed their policies on used games, and "always on-internet" being required. 

Still no word on the #NSA   -spycam- Kinect no longer being mandatory. 

#xboxone  

2013-06-19 17:25:13 (22 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

It looks like funding won't be provided for the proposed +NASA to snag an asteroid.  Instead, it seems there's more support for building bases on our Moon, and possibly Mars.   

The problem is a lunar base has been proposed several times in the past and has consistently been turned down.  A major problem that NASA suffers from is that long-term plans can be changed mid-way through. 

Should we just go straight to Mars, or should we establish outposts on the Moon and Mars first?  What do you think? 

#moonbases   #marsexploration   #planetaryscience   #fy2014  

2013-06-18 21:32:54 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 10 +1s)

+Bill Nye is, dare I say it? Changing the world!

Seriously though, if you haven't added +The Planetary Society to your Google+ circles, you are missing out on a lot of great space and science content.  

Learn more about Bill's efforts at the link below, or visit www.planetary.org

#scienceeveryday   #changetheworld   #billnyethescienceguy  

2013-06-18 16:46:24 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Space Fans:

Remember the fan-made LEGO kit of the +NASA Curiosity rover? 

Well, the decision has been made to make the kit available for purchase!  No word on an exact price or availability yet.  

This will be a GREAT addition to any people who are fans of +LEGO *AND* space exploration!

#lego   #marscuriosity  

2013-06-18 15:21:16 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 9 +1s)

Hey space fans!  If you didn't get enough of +Philip Plait and +Geoff Notkin during the +CosmoQuest  #hangoutathon , don't fret!

Phil and Geoff are the featured guests on the season one finale of +The Cosmic Ray Show. Enjoy!

2013-06-18 03:04:21 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 12 +1s)

Episode 10 of +The Cosmic Ray Show is live!  

Join me and my guests, +Philip Plait , +Geoff Notkin and +James Olmos 

#hangoutsonair  

2013-06-17 21:49:41 (17 comments, 10 reshares, 32 +1s)

Speaking of #moviemonday  , I was just told about "Gravity" - a sci-fi film due out this fall starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. 

The premise looks interesting enough.  Thoughts? 

2013-06-17 20:33:26 (8 comments, 7 reshares, 43 +1s)

Who saw  #manofsteel  this weekend?  

I'm wondering what "Man of Blue Steel" would have been like! 
Kind of a "Mystery Men" / "Zoolander combo, right? 

2013-06-17 18:43:04 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

I hope all the dads out there had a great Father's Day! 

Here's a great interview with astronaut/father Leroy Chiao by my pal, +Ian O'Neill at +Discovery News 

2013-06-16 22:25:27 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Join us on June 17th, at 8:00 PM Pacific for the next episode of our show!

To celebrate our 10th episode, we’re returning to our hour-long format with a blockbuster show

Our guests for Episode 10 are the “Bad Astronomer”, +Philip Plait and the host of Discovery’s “Meteorite Men”, +Geoff Notkin. We'll also have a musical performance by +James Olmos! James will be performing "I Fall Into You", from his latest album.

Learn more about Phil at: http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy.html
Learn more about Geoff at: http://www.meteoritemen.com/
You can check out music by James Olmos at: http://www.jamesolmos.com/

We’ll also have a new “This Month in Space History” segment with Amy Shira Teitel! Be sure to email any questions you have for Phil or Geoff to info@cosmicray.tv, or post them to the event page! 

Thevideo shown is for ou... more »

2013-06-16 22:23:05 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

"There is no road too long to the man who advances deliberately and without undue haste; there are no honors too distant to the man who prepares himself for them with patience."

--Jean de la Bruyere 
 

2013-06-16 08:20:15 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

+CosmoQuest  #hangoutathon  part 5 is live! Join us, won't you?

#hangoutsonair   #sciencesunday  

2013-06-16 04:04:49 (0 comments, 6 reshares, 5 +1s)

Part Four of the +CosmoQuest  #hangoutathon  kicks off with +Fraser Cain and a special +Virtual Star Party!

#hangoutsonair   #scienceeveryday  

2013-06-16 00:04:43 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Part 3 of the +CosmoQuest  #hangoutathon  is live! 

#hangoutsonair   #scienceeveryday  

2013-06-15 20:52:32 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Nicole Gugliucci is hanging out with 2 people right now in a live Hangout On Air! #hangoutsonair

2013-06-15 20:38:07 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Aside from watching the +CosmoQuest  #hangoutathon  , we'd be eternally grateful if you can help donate to support our #scienceeveryday  efforts. http://cosmoquest.org/blog/donate/?title=donate

2013-06-15 20:29:14 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Nicole Gugliucci was in a video call with 5 people. #hangoutsonair

2013-06-14 22:10:50 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 17 +1s)

Space Fans: 

Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space wants to travel to Mars, even if it meant going on a one-way mission.  

Check out the +Discovery News article by my pal +Ian O'Neill to learn more about Valentina's thoughts on going to Mars.

#spaceexploration   #marsone   #valentinatereshkova  

2013-06-14 19:48:33 (47 comments, 239 reshares, 540 +1s)

Father's Day: 

Well, actually, this is a combo #forcefriday ,  #funfriday , and #fathersday  post.  

Happy Father's Day to all you Dads out there!

2013-06-14 18:09:33 (17 comments, 30 reshares, 112 +1s)

It's #funfriday  , so to kick things off, here's the trailer for #elysium , starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster.  Elysium is written and directed by Neill Blomkamp (District 9). 

#intodarkness  and #manofsteel  are great movies, but this one seems a bit different from everything else.  

What are your thoughts on Elysium? Worth seeing in a theater, or wait for it to be out on cable/redbox/torrent? 

2013-06-13 22:42:24 (9 comments, 4 reshares, 23 +1s)

Tang Sucks!

That's right folks, famous Apollo astronaut +Buzz Aldrin has gone on the record to say the beverage made famous by NASA isn't very tasty.  Learn more at the link below. 

Note: Contrary to popular belief, NASA did not develop Tang.  

#tangsucks   #buzzaldrin   #nasa  

2013-06-13 17:57:44 (0 comments, 3 reshares, 8 +1s)

Space Fans:  

Don't forget the +CosmoQuest Hangout-a-thon this weekend! 

We've got some great people making guest appearances such as +Fraser Cain , +Kiki Sanford , +Philip Plait , +Amy Shira Teitel ,  +Amy Roth , and many others!

I wonder if we can get #hangoutathon  to trend today?  Share this with your science-minded friends here on Google+ and let's find out!

#hangoutsonair   #scienceeveryday   #citizenscience  

2013-06-13 14:34:52 (13 comments, 8 reshares, 56 +1s)

On September 3rd, 2003 The Hubble Space Telescope began pointing its camera at a small area of the night sky. This area, about 1/10th of the apparent size of the full Moon, appeared to be complete blackness with no stars visible to the naked eye. Hubble kept its camera pointed there for more than 4 months, taking in all the light it could. This is what the Hubble Telescope saw.

More recent images show even more detail. More information: http://1.usa.gov/18zwEz8

via fb.me/scienceisseriouslyawesome

2013-06-12 19:00:18 (17 comments, 3 reshares, 15 +1s)

Gamers: 

The next-gen consoles haven't even hit shelves, and it looks like the clear winner of this generation will be the #ps4  

Last round it was Sony who took heat for having the expensive console and a mis-managed launch.  

This time around, Microsoft completely alienated many gamers with their downright orwellian #xbone  platform. 

Which next-gen console would you purchase?  

2013-06-12 08:16:56 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Editing of +The Cosmic Ray Show - Episode 10 w/ +Philip Plait , +Geoff Notkin, and +James Olmos is coming along nicely, despite the previous post-production delays.  

New airdate will be posted soon! You won't want to miss our season finale!

#hangoutsonair   #scienceeveryday   

2013-06-11 22:07:12 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Space Fans: 

Want to read highlights from the past week in space and astronomy news?  Check out this week's Carnival of Space!

#scienceeveryday   #carnivalofspace  

2013-06-11 17:50:04 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

*TL;DR. +Pamela Gay & +Nicole Gugliucci will bring you a whole slew of guests, science, and fun during this 24-hour long fundraiser for CosmoQuest!

Event links for...
Part 1: https://plus.google.com/events/c8hipsag07ngda5h3r06bqbprv8
Part 2: https://plus.google.com/events/cglasd846s15n0n7sqdvs9nol3o
Part 3: https://plus.google.com/events/c7ntqnrh01rejv3smtq9dmmub4o
Part 4: https://plus.google.com/events/cagts10npsub757psnh1e4mbj0g
Part 5: https://plus.google.com/events/cchro36b2mlth0nv27ftgm1elqo
Part 6: https://plus.google.com/events/c3lu15j2t9p2o3tc0hv11ubjuu0

Faced with governmental funding cuts to science education and research, the CosmoQuest Virtual Research Facility (CosmoQuest.org) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has decided to go old school with a twist: On June 15-16, +Pamela Gay & +Nicole Gugliucci  are hosting atelethon ... more »

2013-06-11 15:40:50 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Added photos to Virtual Star Party - 9 June, 2013.

2013-06-11 15:39:01 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Since it's #starwarstuesday , I'll share the saga of Star Wars Actor Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and his run in with the TSA over his custom-made lightsaber cane. 

#maytheforcebewithyou   #letthewookiewin  

2013-06-11 15:36:37 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Only 3 Hours to Go! It has been an amazing year for Google Science Fair so far. We've seen some amazing things and enjoyed hanging out with you. Our panel of judges were incredibly impressed by the quality of entries this year.

2013-06-10 01:23:48 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 10 +1s)

Spending the day cutting and editing Episode 10 of +The Cosmic Ray Show!  

We're hoping to have Episode 10 live tomorrow evening.  

In the meantime, be sure to check out tonight's +Virtual Star Party with my pals +Fraser Cain and +Scott Lewis!

#hangoutsonair   #sciencesunday   #skysunday  

2013-06-09 18:34:43 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 8 +1s)

It's Sunday, which means it's time to join your favorite hosts: +Fraser Cain and +Scott Lewis for the +Virtual Star Party!! They'll be gathering up their phenomenal group of citizen astronomers from across the globe in order to share their view of the universe from their telescopes in a Google+ Hangout on Air!

In addition to Fraser, Scott, and the astronomers are PhD astronomers discussing and explaining the amazing space science and astronomy that's being viewed in the telescopes. We'll even take requests and answer questions left in the comments.

To make a suggestion, ask a question or just say "hi" to the team, please leave your comments below in the Google+ event, through any of the shares of the live show, or on Twitter using the hashtag   #StarParty  

Also, The VSP is now on Twitter and Facebook! Give us a follow and/or a like!  more »

2013-06-08 18:34:57 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 19 +1s)

A while back, TSA stopped Star Wars Actor Peter Mayhew because his cane is styled like a lightsaber.  

Eventually TSA allowed Mayhew to board the plane with his cane. You can read more about Mayhew's brief run-in with TSA at the link below. 

#starwarssaturday   #letthewookiewin   #securitytheater  

2013-06-07 22:05:42 (6 comments, 3 reshares, 43 +1s)

She's doing science and she's still alive. +NASA's Opportunity rover found clays that indicate past Mars was much wetter and favorable for life.

Nearing 10 years since launch, the rover is now on the way to Solander Point to investigate intriguing rock strata. Full report: http://go.nasa.gov/15HA5Pe

2013-06-07 17:39:06 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 18 +1s)

Where's Perry? 

If you are a Phineas and Ferb fan like I am, as well as a comic book nerd, you'll LOVE this upcoming Phineas and Ferb special!

Airing this summer, the special episode features The Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, Spider-Man, and Nick Fury!

#funfriday   #marvelcomics   #phineasandferb   #wheresperry  

2013-06-07 06:53:28 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

Hi folks.  I did a quick edit to "fix" what I thought was the best of the five images in the collage I posted earlier.  It seems two of the images were "doubled" due to me not using a tripod. Not sure. 

2013-06-07 06:51:34 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

I'm pretty sure a couple of the images I took of the #internationalspacestation  were distorted from not using a telescope.  

Here's a quick edit of one of them, in an attempt to "fix" it.   

2013-06-07 05:04:53 (7 comments, 1 reshares, 20 +1s)

Okay folks, here it is! After last night's attempt to take video of the #internationalspacestation  was a dismal failure due to severe overexposure, I set out tonight to get some still images. 

These were done with my 80mm diameter/400mm focal length refractor telescope connected to my Canon T1i DSLR.  1/100 sec exposure at ISO200. 

This is a collage of five images, while I can't say these are the best images, they certainly are the most interesting out of the set. 

#astrophotography   #canont1i   #failureisnotanoption  

2013-06-07 04:59:24 (8 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)

Hi folks! After last night's horrible attempt to take video of the ISS (it was badly over exposed), I tried to get some still images. Here's a collage of five images taken with my Canon t1i connected to an Orion ST80 refractor.  

I think next time, I'll add my 2x barlow into the image train and see what happens.  

Thoughts? 

2013-06-07 04:31:33 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

2nd test shot of Venus from tonight's ISS flyover image set. 

#astrophotography   #venus   #internationalspacestation  

2013-06-07 03:29:26 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

2nd attempt on the ISS tonight. Flyover was at 8:01 PM local time. 
This was a test focus image on Venus. Not bad for an 80mm diameter, 400mm focal length telescope attached to my DSLR. 

ISS pics later tonight after I process them. 

#astrophotography   #venus   #internationalspacestation  

2013-06-06 22:22:13 (6 comments, 19 reshares, 41 +1s)

Happy 30th anniversary to #readingrainbow  !

Thirty years ago this week, Reading Rainbow hit the airwaves. Hosted by +Levar Burton, the show became a cultural icon, and inspired many children with the catchphrase "take a look, it's in a book!".    

Now, Reading Rainbow has entered the digital age, with several apps to help encourage kids to read.  But don't take my word for it, take a look at LeVar's blog at: http://readingrainbowblog.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/reading-rainbows-30th-anniversary/

#readingisfundamental   #throwbackthursday   #jimmyfallon   #levarburton  

2013-06-06 18:52:26 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

In this week's Planetary Society Hangout on June 6 at noon Pacific / 1900 UTC, +Emily Lakdawalla and +Bruce Betts will be talking with  Planetary Resources' +Chris Lewicki. In less than a week, they've already raised more than $750,000 in a Kickstarter project to fund an ARKYD space telescope. Chris will tell us about the project and answer your questions.

2013-06-06 17:42:12 (2 comments, 22 reshares, 17 +1s)

SCIENCE!: 

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Thomas Dolby performed "She Blinded me With Science!"  Check it out!

#youtube   #scienceeveryday   #scienceisawesome   #sheblindedmewithscience  

2013-06-06 16:25:13 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Space Fans: 

My ASU robotics team is competing today at +NASA in Houston in the 2013 Robo-Ops Competition.  You can see our remotely-operated rover in action at the link below! 

#scienceeveryday   #robotics   #arduino   #nasa   #roboops2013  

2013-06-06 06:02:26 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 4 +1s)

I tried to take a video of the ISS flying over Arizona tonight. My goal was to take the frames and stack them into an image.  

The gear used was my Orion ST80 refractor connected via t-ring adapter to my Canon T1i.  The ST80 is only 400 mm focal length, so all I got was a bright dot.  

The lens cap has a removable center cap that stops the scope down to around 40mm and changes the focal ratio to around f/9. 

Anyone know what a good f/ratio is for getting detail on the ISS? I know higher is better.  I'm just used to using low focal ratio telescopes on distant galaxies. ;-) 

2013-06-06 05:57:45 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

No, I didn't record video of a UFO. Sure looks like it though. 
At 8:50 PM MST, the #internationalspacestation  flew over Arizona. 

I caught a couple minutes of the flyover with my Canon T1i connected to my +Orion Telescopes & Binoculars "ST80" telescope. 

A few lessons learned:  
1.) I need to use a tripod.
2.) CLEARLY, I need a higher focal ratio telescope. Something like a Celestron CPC800 with a 2000mm focal length instead of my ST80's 400mm.  

My lens cap on the ST80 has a removable center cap that changes the focal ratio to f 9/3 which might get me some detail. 

I'll have to try on the next flyover and see. 

2013-06-06 01:55:58 (8 comments, 11 reshares, 26 +1s)

Only 5% of the people who get an undergrad deg in Physics/Astronomy get a job in the field

While folks with phys/astro degrees have a low overall unemployment rate, the fact that so many work outside their field tells me one or of the following is likely true:
1) Lots of fields that require college degrees apparently don't care what your degree is in (like computer science),
2) Maybe physics prepares you better for some of those fields than an actual degree in that field does (computer science??),
3) We are wasting a lot of students' time on physics problem sets to teach them content they will never use and we don't want to grade just so we can teach them excellent problem solving skills.

There has got to be a better way.

2013-06-05 20:23:16 (2 comments, 8 reshares, 40 +1s)

Plusketeers: 

The response to the upcoming episode of +The Cosmic Ray Show has been incredible!   I've had to upgrade my webserver to handle all the traffic to www.cosmicray.tv  

So on that note, do me a quick favor and pull up the site and let me know how it is running now.  The server is tuned now to better handle sudden spikes in traffic. 

Since it's #webcamwednesday  , just a reminder that the next episode is on Monday, June 10th at 8PM Pacific. 

Thank you all for your support! You're awesome!

#hangoutsonair   #scienceeveryday   #scienceisawesome  

2013-06-05 17:20:15 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 7 +1s)

*TL;DR. +Pamela Gay & +Nicole Gugliucci will bring you a whole slew of guests, science, and fun during this 24-hour long fundraiser for CosmoQuest!

Event links for...
Part 1: https://plus.google.com/events/c8hipsag07ngda5h3r06bqbprv8
Part 2: https://plus.google.com/events/cglasd846s15n0n7sqdvs9nol3o
Part 3: https://plus.google.com/events/c7ntqnrh01rejv3smtq9dmmub4o
Part 4: https://plus.google.com/events/cagts10npsub757psnh1e4mbj0g
Part 5: https://plus.google.com/events/cchro36b2mlth0nv27ftgm1elqo
Part 6: https://plus.google.com/events/c3lu15j2t9p2o3tc0hv11ubjuu0

Faced with governmental funding cuts to science education and research, the CosmoQuest Virtual Research Facility (CosmoQuest.org) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has decided to go old school with a twist: On June 15-16, +Pamela Gay & +Nicole Gugliucci  are hosting atelethon ... more »