astronomy

astronomy

To the moon and stars

To the moon and stars

, , , , Library Resources
On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross the sky over Richmond, Indiana for four minutes, starting at 3:07 PM.  The IU East campus is in the path of totality, which means that viewers of the eclipse will see the sun completely obscured.  This is a rare event, and the next eclipse of this kind is not expected to occur in this area until 2044.  The library has plenty of resources to assist in understanding the universe.  A good introductory source would be books on basic astronomy.  While the library has access to dictionaries and textbooks on astronomy, it also carries more popular materials as well.  Astrophysicists like Neil DeGrasse Tyson and well-respected scientists such as Stephen Hawking … Continued
Look, Up In the Sky

Look, Up In the Sky

, , Library Resources, Matt Dilworth
This year, eclipses are major news.  On October 14th there will be an annular eclipse (that is, one where the moon is too far away to completely block out the sun, and you can still see the outer ring of it). On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will be happening. For about four minutes, the sun will be completely blotted out of the sky, and only the solar corona will be visible. Many events are being planned locally around the eclipses, and special filtered glasses that allow people to look directly at them without damaging their eyes will be available from several organizations in our region, including IU East and the Morrisson-Reeves Public Library. Eclipses are academically important … Continued
Resources for the Skies

Resources for the Skies

, Library Resources, Matt Dilworth
On Christmas Day in 1758, Halley’s Comet appeared in the sky, sighted by Johann Palizsch.  This time, though, its appearance had been predicted in advance by the man it would come to be named after, Edmond Halley, who realized the comet was subject to Newtonian laws of motion and successfully connected it to historical sightings of particularly impressive comets at roughly seventy-five year intervals. Predicting other celestial phenomenon was well known – eclipses had been predictable for centuries.  Christopher Columbus, for example, had used the technique to intimidate the peoples of Jamaica into cooperation on his fourth trip to the Americas, in 1504; suggesting to them that he had much more power than he actually did.  But many cultures had … Continued