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Galaxiki
by Molly McCall
Mon, August 27, 2007, 3:00 am PDT

Boldly going where no site has gone before, Galxiki has created "a fictional online galaxy (that) anyone can edit," regardless of Star Fleet accreditation. Membership is free, "science fiction lovers and creative people are welcome," and anyone who has ever stared longingly at the stars should come aboard. The site has only been live for about two months, but it already boasts hundreds of members and intricately mapped cosmos. To think that something like the Hausa solar system—with its 2 planets, 166 moons, and usual crowd of asteroids, comets, and interplanetary dust—exists only in the realm of Galaxiki left us a little dizzy. And that was before we examined each planet's atmosphere, mass, axial tilt, and temperature. Admitted ground-gazers that we are, it was astonishing for us to see the complexity and realism of this world. To the astronomy enthusiast—professional and amateur alike—it must feel like home.
Visit Galaxiki

Filed under: Astronomy, Space, Games

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A Photo Gallery of MeteorWrongs
by Molly McCall
Fri, June 22, 2007, 8:00 am PDT

Dr. Randy Korotev boasts an impressive resume. When Apollo 11 astronauts returned from the Moon bearing lunar samples, Dr. Korotev was one of the lucky group to examine the space souvenirs. In 1988, he joined a team that collected hundreds of meteorites from Antarctica. He has written and contributed to papers on meteorites (among many other things) and has served on teams with names like "Meteorite Working Group."

Since 1979, this lunar geochemist has taught in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in Saint Louis. It is there that he curates A Photo Gallery of MeteorWrongs, a web site that shows off the unbelievable number of rocks, chunks of organic matter, and other blobs mistaken for meteorites and sent in to the professionals for study.

We love this site and featured it in Yahoo! Picks in 2005. Now, we catch up with Dr. Korotev to see how the Web has changed his opinion of humanity and how—just maybe—one lunar geochemist has changed humanity's opinions on what it finds in its backyards. Read the full profile...

Filed under: Science, Astronomy, Geology, Yahoo! Picks Profiles

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NASA Science: Satellite Tracking
by Molly McCall
Sun, January 01, 2006, 3:00 am PST

The satellites and massive telescopes of space just got alot closer. International Space Station? Check. Weather satellites, U.S. Navy monitoring orbs? They're here. Thanks to the Missions Operations Laboratory at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, we now know right where they all are. From the Chandra Observatory to hundreds of artificial objects "swarming about our earth," much of what is hovering up there can be tracked and scrutinized from the comfort of the Web. Once launched, each of the mapping applications available here runs live, and several offer stunning 3D positioning. Rotate the displays, zoom in or out, and select coordinates. Then, just before you tear yourself away, sign up for an email alert so you can receive advance notice of future objects passing overhead.
Visit NASA Science: Satellite Tracking

Filed under: NASA, Astronomy, Space

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A Photo Gallery of Meteorwrongs
by Jon Brooks
Thu, November 03, 2005, 2:00 am PST

Apparently too many well-meaning astronomy fans are mistaking rocks that look like upside-down mushrooms or charred tofu for meteorites, and sending them off to the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University. Now it seems this amateur dabbling has lost its charm, and the boys and girls over at the lab want any would-be space archaeologists to think-damn-you before you send them photos of your discovery. So here's a checklist of features found in both meteorites and "meteorwrongs," the latter category including those would-be space rocks that are too spherical or pockmarked with holes, have a goofy shape, contain "layer, lamination, or other planar features," or display writing or pictures. And remember to follow the department's "rude admonishments," including: "We don't want to hear, 'Maybe this is a kind of meteorite nobody's ever seen before.' Get real."
Visit A Photo Gallery of Meteorwrongs

Filed under: Science, Astronomy, Geology

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Traditions of the Sun
by Molly McCall
Sat, July 30, 2005, 3:00 am PDT

How often do you get to see the day's first light through an ancient Mayan archway? With this site, crack-of-dawn-loving organizations NASA and the National Park Service extend an invitation to do just that. Using two "explorer modes," Traditions of the Sun leads you to ancient solar observatories in the Yucatan and New Mexico's Chaco Canyon. From there, you can investigate how ancestral people built those locales to reflect and interact with the sun. There's a wealth of stuff here, but we particularly recommend the time-lapse movies: Glimpse the first blush of sunrise at the Sun Temple in Dzibilchaltun. Behold the sun as it creeps across the great house of Pueblo Bonito. Or see a shaft of light briefly illuminate a Native American rock painting. It's like a date with daylight; don't miss it.
Visit Traditions of the Sun

Filed under: Astronomy, Parks, Archaeology, United States, Anthropology

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