Wednesday, May 12, 2004
I'm loving these updates from Saturn
Did I mention my daughter can tell the difference between the planets? Saturn "looks oval" on low power in the backyard telescope. (Galileo reported it had "ears," and it wasn't until the next half of the 17th century that Cassini determined these were rings.)
"Do you see the brown stripe on the planet?"
"Yeah, Dad."
"That's Jupiter. Now tell me how many little moons are on a line with that stripe."
"Three -- no! Four."
That's my kid! She's located Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. The names haven't stuck yet, but I know that if she's ever trapped in Jovian space, she'll be able to navigate her way around.
Spring checklist:
Phases of Venus
Mars
moons and bands of Jupiter
rings of Saturn
an open cluster (Pleiades)
This summer:
Lunar maria, especially Tranquility
mountains, especially the lunar Apennines (did you know lunar mountain ranges were named for earth's?)
craters, especially Tycho and its rays
Titan, moon of Saturn
Uranus and Neptune
a globular cluster
Every kid needs a basic curriculum in Astronomy.
