Author Archives: thegarrettnondorf

Observing and Reddit

Posted on April 29, 2014 by thegarrettnondorf

Interested in learning more about Astronomy or finding a community of people who love astronomy? Try the Astronomy subreddit on the website Reddit.com. They have monthly observing challenges and ask/answer all kinds of questions about astronomy. Some examples – “I want to spend my dying years observing the unknown universe from my roof. What’s the … Continue reading Observing and Reddit → Continue reading →

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Halley’s Comet

Posted on April 29, 2014 by thegarrettnondorf

Edmond Halley was the first to predict this comet’s 76 year orbit. It was named in his honor and is known today as Halley’s Comet. Would you like to see it? Stick around until 2061 and you can! Fun fact – Mark Twain was born and died in the same years that Halley’s Comet made … Continue reading Halley’s Comet → Continue reading →

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My Big Takeaway

Posted on April 29, 2014 by thegarrettnondorf

Astronomy has taught me a lot of stuff about the universe that I didn’t know. What I will remember learning though is the size of our earth. Relative to our Sun, we are quite small. Relative to our solar system, we are barely visible, and relative to our galaxy, earth is nothing. The lesson is that … Continue reading My Big Takeaway → Continue reading →

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New Zealanders

Posted on April 27, 2014 by thegarrettnondorf

Picture from here. Improvise, adapt, and overcome. That’s what the Marines say. That’s what Life does, when you put it under extreme circumstances. The Anglerfish is one example of this adaptation and in this post, I’d like to take a look at some much simpler examples known as extremophiles. My parents recently took a trip … Continue reading New Zealanders → Continue reading →

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The Prodigious Sun

Posted on March 16, 2014 by thegarrettnondorf

Is the Sun an efficient producer of energy via nuclear fusion? While humanity may be years away from commercializing nuclear fusion power, the Sun has been doing it for a while now (and for free!). The Sun is the most efficient generator of nuclear power in our solar system. Inside the Sun, nuclear reactions are … Continue reading The Prodigious Sun → Continue reading →

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Telescope Stuff

Posted on February 17, 2014 by thegarrettnondorf

We’ve all had the urge. The urge to buy a camper, drive and drive till civilization disappears, and finally, under the starlit sky, to use the six foot telescope located in the back of the camper. Check it out. Picture That is how Man was meant to gaze at the stars. With a telescope lens … Continue reading Telescope Stuff → Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 10, 2014 by thegarrettnondorf

Sir Isaac Newton 1642-1727 Quite a smart man was Newton. He invented calculus. (pause in amazement) He also came up with the aptly named Newton’s Laws of Physics (or the 3 Laws of Motion). These three rules were a significant upgrade to the system astronomers were using at the time. We have the Law of … Continue reading Historical Astronomers in Context → Continue reading →

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Faster than you can say, “3.0 times ten to the eighth meters per second”

Posted on January 27, 2014 by thegarrettnondorf

  photo from here When I was young, I read a biography of Einstein’s life. (If he wasn’t so brilliant, we might know him as Honest Al). In this book, a story was told about young Albert at the ship docks. A worker had Al stand 50 yards away from him and swung a hammer at … Continue reading Faster than you can say, “3.0 times ten to the eighth meters per second” → Continue reading →

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First Post

Posted on January 14, 2014 by thegarrettnondorf

Me as an 8 year old. It was a school play.
Picture from Empire Online
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