Temporarily Interrupted

Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)

The sun and the moon over the North Pole.
Photographer: Unknown.

I am teaching a graduate journalism class at NYU today, so I won’t be back at the keyboard until this afternoon or evening. Today’s lecture? The wonders of writing about science on a blog. This will be an interesting experience for me because I am not a journalist and also because blogging is such a rapidly evolving cultural phenomenon that I think it is difficult to speak coherently about it.

So I will leave you with this lovely photograph that a friend sent to me to share with you. If you click on the image, a much larger version will pop up in its own window — you might want to download this as your wallpaper or screensaver.

Comments

#1 coturnix
March 21, 2006

I expect a full report tonight: complete notes, questions, answers, impressions….
#2 John Wilkins
March 21, 2006

C’mon. That picture is so PhotoShopped it’s ridiculous. When has the apparent aspect of the moon been more than a fraction of the apparent aspect of the sun? Never seen an eclipse?
#3 P.M.Bryant
March 21, 2006

Agree with John. That’s a mesmerizing image, but it sure can’t be a photograph taken from the Earth. Not if that big cresent thing is supposed to be the Moon.

Enjoy your talk, today!
#4 Lab Cat
March 21, 2006

I was gonna say “nice picture” until some one decided to critique it and spoilt it for me. It still is great though.

Be interested to hear about how your talk goes.
#5 GrrlScientist
March 21, 2006

that, my friends, it not photoshop; that is a slice of cheese. carefully cut. carefully placed. carefully photographed.

i am pleased to see that you were entertained by it.
#6 Lab Cat
March 21, 2006

It must the the lighting you used. Gave it that special look.
#7 Tabor
March 21, 2006

I also like the artwork. Let us know how you approached the lecture and what questions/response you got.
#8 justawriter
March 23, 2006

Yes it is a lovely picture and was the top story on spaceweather.com this morning. The spoilsports.
#9 Stephen Uitti
March 27, 2006

We have a total eclipse coming up in a couple days. My friend is in Turkey to see it. These happen because the apparent size of the Sun and Moon are about the same. There are atmospheric effects that magnify these objects at the horizon a little, but it’s hard to imagine that one might shrink the lower one, by that much. The North pole just isn’t that much further from the Sun than the equator. So, the question is, the North Pole of what?

Interesting image, all the same.
#10 Pep
July 25, 2006

Another point for the Photoshop.

The sun is more brilliant in the reflex than in the real image, and should be in the other oposite way…

And, the moon is turning in circles… and should be at the same distance of the earth in all the places, is not the same than the sun.

They took a picture with only the sun, then add the reflex of a normal caribean day and then add a artifial moon and the reflex…

Anyway… nice artwork