planets wander among us

This is a poorly maintained blog, but then think of the number of nights you've not bothered to look at the stars.

There was only one downside to the recent Mars proximity hoopla: the number of people quoted as saying that being able to see a planet with the naked eye was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and the number of media editors who let the quotations stand without comment.

I did take the telescope out for one night during that, but we had wobble since I didn't wait until I could use the picnic table (and still haven't unpacked the tripod) and the 'squitos were coming in station wagons.

I was there for Galileo. I cried with everyone else. Our hamster Mazrim decided to change his name to "Mazrim Galileo." I know that a generation or two from now this will look as reactionary as all the George Washington Smiths of the early 19th century censuses, but it's good to see one of Snout's sons showing respect for his hamsternaut origins.