Philae: landing once at "J" before proceeding to

Need to rotate the next image 90 degrees clockwise to match the above right image.

Agilkia from Philae:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

67P from 3.1km:

67P from 67.4m

from 57.9m

from 48.5m

from 40m

from 38.6 m (speed approx 1m/sec)

from a height above 67P of 28.9m

Note how the lander shadow moves across the surface; the comet is also rotating significantly.
Height will now be 18.8m:

And 9m:

Rosetta and OSIRIS camera were active too:

Maybe tomorrow I can add the bounce - wob

1000 Words! No camera but Aurora this morning - beautiful

Yesterday was a very active day for me showing the sun to 50-60 young library visitors.
The sun was rather quiet so I did not expect to see anything during the night. However ...

I was awakened around 2:30am by something - maybe a star shining our window? At 2:45
I finally got to have a look and there was a band across the NNE horizon. Husband's dilemma: to waken wife or not. If a husband locks his wife and dog in a room for an hour, who will be happy to see him when he opens the door? Hint: it wags a tail; the other choice is the lawyer starting divorce proceedings!

I woke up Vicki and we spent an hour on the balcony watching the arc become curtains and streamers. There was some colour, mostly green but an occasional touch of purple-red. The intensity varied on a scale of minutes, I guess.

Sorry my camera is not working - did take it out to show it what it was missing, but the shutter did nothing. I do not think this a 1000 words but will have to do - maybe a reflection of my photographic skills? Oh  yes, there were reflections off the lake. I do hope Vick managed some good images. I did manage eventually to get her to use the tripod - wag a tail, wob

Powers of Ten: Astronomy Picture of the Day, 2015 March 24

I am trying to prepare for the unknown!

What better way than with this narrated classic: Powers of Ten

Click on the image and enjoy a "picnic".

NATURE: "The scientist of the future" 15 July 2015

Tomorrow I begin the first of 4 sessions in the library over two days. I do not know what to expect. Nor do
I know what to do - I shall try to be flexible and do my best with humour.

So I was intrigued by this link
 And I followed itto here.

Click on the page numbers to see how we can all benefit.

A full listing
Active Learning
 A road map
Creative STEM science tducation programmes
Early child development
leadership skills - humanities 101!
Thinkers in science and education: to build a scientist


And I would like to recall here:  Ken Robinson's TED talk on creativity .

Have a great day,

W O B 

The old order changeth - the end of the K10D

Last Thursday I was out in the kayak when it happened. Here are the last 2 images, and the only 2 I could take on Thur July 16 2015:

It doesn't often happen, but I do still have the first pair of images taken with the camera - by Claudia - on April 20, 2007 when I bought the camera::

And the first pair that I took:

And we are still friends!

I think I/the camera may have taken just 35684 images. I spent many a thought-filled moment contemplating what I was so fortunate to see.

I do not know what will come next. I had ideas for this blog for the rest of this year - maybe some of them will be fulfilled. Others won't be.

Best wishes,
wob

And more things: Pluto and fish!

This just arrived from NATURE:   24 hours of Pluto 
The fly-by is on July 14 and the results will take 26 months to be returned to earth. No conspiracy, just vast distances and low data transmission rates - I think they practised here in Canada?
Maybe too much practice?

Friends and colleagues in Germany have taken time off from Rosetta to work on some radio experiments. I hope that come September, results about Pluto and 67P will become available. I might also be lucky in October to meet the New Horizons pilot, Alan Stern,

Now I have just answered an email which reminded me that I was busy yesterday observing a rather large slender fish about 40cm long - longer than my feet stretched out before me in the kayak - in perhaps 50cm deep water near the Leacock boathouse.

I do not know what kind of fish - not a bass, not quite a sucker or a pike. A sturgeon?

I do other things!

A touch of red - and can Autumn be far away? And winter?

Really, also yesterday:

And this is for David T-C

wob

Belted Kingfisher

I saw my first kingfisher, maybe in 1987, certaily in 1989 in Algonquin/Opeongo Lake. Here on Lake Couchiching they tend to be shy - maybe because there are not too many places where they can hide from so many people. And here comes another one!

I know where the nearby nest is and try not to linger there too long - did drive off a raccoon from the area last year. The female is on the left with the rusty "belt". Maybe the male, probably a youngster on the right. The kingfishers were back very early this Spring with the lake still mostly ice-covered. I was surprised.

I took 24 photos that were worth reducing in size - ie., were in focus - but these were the closest I managed to get. I think you can tell that it was hot.

I have had some troubles with the Internet, so Knossos, while nearly ready, will not be going up soon. I might manage my Saturday tour of Mariposa this afternoon. It is complete but I was thinking of adding some images taken a couple of years ago from on-site.

W O B

Eastern Kingbird

I often see these birds around the Leacock boathouse and yesterday a couple put on a display - for me!

Interesting to see how birds fly - like hugging the air.

Damselflies

Damselflies are difficult to photograph while flying!

So yesterday I was fortunate to get some lucky shots. Here are some exuviae 

They can be quite interesting in their own right and have a connection to comets and asteroids! Anybody going to bite and ask me how/why? Com mon naturalists of the world!

I was in the kayak drifting around Brewery Bay.