Monday, January 23, 2006
See how the geodesic dome on the left is nearly buried? That's why those orange buildings were put up: to replace it.
William Fox's excellent book Terra Antarctica has been a bedtime companion the past two weeks. Thoroughly recommended for its look at painting, photography, and Antarctic travelogue. I've rarely read something so diverse, engaging, and informative. My all-time favorite Antarctica book is Sara Wheeler's outstanding Terra Incognita. Funnt, that I never thought to search for internet material on Antarctica. But we can do that, of course, and find this NSF site with lots of links, including the IceCube project. Not rappers, no. There is an Antarctic-speak. They have writer and artist programs, too. Heh. I can just see Anita going for that now. "Honey, guess what?! They accepted me into the Antarctica program. Let's pack a truckload of blankets and flannel pajamas and go!"
Check out the way cool sun charts for Antarctic and other worldly locations: find out sunrise, sunset, twilight, and all that. Question: do liturgists use civil, nautical, or astronomical twilight to determine the proper time for the start of the Easter Vigil? If you're a Greenland Catholic, you might be liturgically SOL on Easter this year. I see no end to twilight during Triduum 2006. I'm sure you know there's a tourism thing going on with Antarctica, right? Penguin cruises, stuff like that. I can't explain my fascination for Antarctica. Maybe the ice reminds me of outer moons. Winter has always been my favorite season. At least it was before I started owning cars.
