Messier Monday: Messier’s First Globular Cluster, M2
Posted by Ethan on June 17, 2013 
“God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so far behind that I will never die.” -Bill Watterson Welcome back to another Messier Monday, only here on Starts With A Bang! With each new Monday, we take an in-depth look at a prominently visible random object from Messier’s catalogue…
Weekend Diversion: The Master of Illusions
Posted by Ethan on June 16, 2013 
“Illusion is the first of all pleasures.” -Oscar Wilde It’s tough to tell fact from fiction, and sometimes just as hard to tell reality from illusion. As long as you’re enjoying yourself this weekend, I’d have to agree with Buckwheat Zydeco, and say Let The Good Times Roll. But despite what these images you’re looking…
You NEED more science in your politics! (Yes, YOU!)
Posted by Ethan on June 14, 2013 
“One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people’s minds.” -Frank Zappa One of the most difficult things to talk about, for any self-respecting scientist, is politics. Like all of you, I have my preferences, my opinions, and my…
What is the Big Bang all about?
Posted by Ethan on June 12, 2013 
“Twinkle, twinkle, quasi-star Biggest puzzle from afar How unlike the other ones Brighter than a billion suns Twinkle, twinkle, quasi-star How I wonder what you are.” -George Gamow The Big Bang is one of the greatest, revolutionary ideas in all of modern science, but it’s also one of the most successful ideas as far as…
Messier Monday: The Most Blueshifted Messier Object, M86
Posted by Ethan on June 10, 2013 “It’s coming right for us!” -Uncle Jimbo, from South Park Welcome back to another Messier Monday, only here on Starts With A Bang! Each Monday, we take an in-depth look at one of the 110 deep-sky objects that make up the Messier Catalogue, the first accurate and comprehensive deep-sky catalogue of relatively bright, extended celestial objects that…
Weekend Diversion: …it might just be their face?
Posted by Ethan on June 9, 2013 
“A man’s face is his autobiography. A woman’s face is her work of fiction.” -Oscar Wilde It’s an intense world out there, and life can leave you weary in many ways. And sometimes, making your way through each day makes it feel like the whole world is watching, and there’s no hiding. Have a listen,…
The 4 Jobs of a Referee in Peer Review
Posted by Ethan on June 7, 2013 
“From my close observation of writers… they fall into two groups: one, those who bleed copiously and visibly at any bad review, and two, those who bleed copiously and secretly at any bad review.” -Isaac Asimov You’d never know it unless you were one of about six people in the entire world, but today is…
Most of Earth’s twins aren’t identical, or even close!
Posted by Ethan on June 5, 2013 
“You can spend too much time wondering which of identical twins is the more alike.” -Robert Brault You’ve of course heard by now the news that Kepler, the most successful and prolific planet-finding mission of all time, has probably reached the end of its useful lifespan. With nearly 3,000 planet candidates under its belt, including…
Messier Monday: A Young Open Cluster in the Summer Triangle, M29
Posted by Ethan on June 3, 2013 
“In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” -Albert Camus Welcome back to another Messier Monday, only here on Starts With A Bang! The first accurate, large catalogue of fixed, deep-sky objects, Messier’s 110-object-strong catalogue features galaxies, clusters, nebulae and more, all visible with even primitive astronomical…
Weekend Diversion: The Varied Views of our Moon
Posted by Ethan on June 2, 2013 
“…because today, with cameras as pervasive as they are, there is no such thing really as professional photographers.” -Marissa Meyer Before you get irate, I don’t actually agree at all with that quote above; I have no talent for photography at all and a tremendous respect for those who do, and who cultivate it to produce something…
