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Space Topics: Planetary AnalogsStars Above, Earth BelowAstronomy and Space Exploration in America's National Parks
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Jupiter rises over Jackson Glacier
One of Glacier National Park's receding glaciers shines by moonlight beneath Jupiter. For once I can't really think of what Jupiter has to tell us about glaciers (or vice versa). I would have preferred if this was Venus or Mars, but they weren't up, so this is all I had. Credit: Tyler Nordgren |
by Tyler
Nordgren
August 3, 2008
Glaciers and the Cosmos
Glacier National Park, Montana -- I’m back in Glacier
National Park for the second time on this year-long trek through the nation’s
national parks. This time I am here as their 2008 Artist-In-Residence.
Since I arrived two weeks ago I have given astronomy talks from one end
of the park to the other and taken part in the Wright
Center for Science Education at Tufts University’s week-long
workshop on the Climate Change in Glacier. I got a chance to talk with
Wright Center Director and astrophysicist Eric Chaisson about the intersection
of astrophysics and climate change while hiking up to see Grinnell Glacier.
I also spent quite a while talking with Chandra Observatory Education and
Public Outreach director Donna Young about the ability of ice cores to
record supernovae explosions that happened during historical times.
These encounters, together with what I learned about glaciation and past climate change on Venus and Mars during my trip here last year, make Glacier a wonderful laboratory to learn about astronomy and planetary science. Although twilight comes very late here during the summer (astronomical twilight ends near midnight now!) and there are grizzly bears nearby, I have had wonderfully large crowds show up for my evening talks and telescope viewings.
In fact I just returned from two nights at the back-country Granite Park Chalet just beneath the Continental Divide (where guests must hike in and hike out over some of the most beautiful country I’ve yet crossed). During a gorgeous, clear first night, we had nearly a dozen campers spread out on picnic tables and benches watching for the first traces of the Perseid Meteor shower due to peak during the second week of August. The manager of the chalet informs me that she is looking to begin educational workshops at the remote chalet devoted to areas of flora, fauna and eventually astronomy.
I’m afraid this posting will be rather short as I need to find an internet site before planning tomorrow night’s evening talk and telescope viewing on the East Side of Glacier. Future venues will include an evening telescope viewing at the Apgar Boat Launch on the West Side of Glacier August 6th (10:30pm) and a Perseid talk at the Lake McDonald Lodge on August 10th at 8:30pm followed by a meteor viewing on the lake at 10:30pm.
Granite Park Chalet and the Milky Way
The very presence of the Milky Way high overhead prevents the skies above Glacier from being the darkest I have yet seen. The late hour of sunset and the proximity of bears keeps many people indoors and unable to appreciate the beauty of the night skies. I take the bear threat seriously; in all my wandering through Glacier at night, I have taken care never to be more than 15 yards from my car (or the front door of a nice warm chalet). Credit: Tyler Nordgren |
I finally leave for home on August 15, when I will have to start teaching again. In addition I will be spending the next year working on the book and other material to come out of this year on the road (as well as some plans the folks at The Planetary Society and I have been talking about for the International Year of Astronomy next year). I’ll have a “Concluding Thoughts” post soon after I get home, followed by more information about what will be coming next to these pages. In the meantime, get outside and see the astronomy on display all around you.
On the beach at Lake McDonald
Here's where we'll be spending the evening watching for the Perseids on the morning of August 11 (a day before the actual peak). Even by the light of the Lake McDonald Lodge, the sky is spectacular. Credit: Tyler Nordgren |
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