Astronomy with Erin

07/12/2024

Hey folks! This weekend I'll be working on an edutainment space-based trivia game, and I want to know your burning (or cool) space questions! The first chapter is all about the terrestrial planets and their moons: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars! So if you have a question or fun trivia about any of these, please post them! (I promise we'll be back for the next round--gas giants--in the near future!)

Story: A wayward space captain crash lands in your backyard and needs your help to rescue their crew and the other lost ships, and get everyone back home! Their energy levels are depleted, and the only way to revive them is to share new knowledge. What better way to do that than to explore the solar system with their new Earth Ambassador--you? But be careful, answering incorrectly too many times can lead to unexpected consequences.

05/14/2024

As a non-man with expertise in male-dominated fields, I tend to attract many people who feel empowered to correct me even when they have little to no experience, education, or training with what I do. This is especially true when talking about my job, which I have to frequently remind people I have. I *wish* it was an exaggeration or an only-me problem, but that is sadly not the case.

However, there are times when I AM wrong, times when one or both of us have only half the information, and times when we are looking at the topic from two different and conflicting perspectives that are perfectly correct in their own ways. It's never wrong to seek clarification, and correcting misinformation is hugely important in the era we live in, but there's a proper way to do it! (And that way is not "Well, actually...")

So, in the future, if you spot someone saying something you think is wrong, here's how you can respectfully handle it regardless of who is more experienced. All it takes is asking for clarification:

"I was under the impression that (insert what you think here), which conflicts with what you said. Can we talk more about it?"

That's it! It respects both of your respective intelligence and doesn't interrupt, step over/onto, infantilize, etc., the other person. It can also spark some mighty fascinating discussions! I used this frequently in school when I was confronted with information that didn't match what I had learned previously--and boy, have a lot of things changed in many school subjects over the decades!

I hope this little nugget of rambling is helpful to you in the future. :)

05/11/2024

Me looking at the current aurora circle and the forecast for tonight...

05/11/2024

Last night, I went to Battle Point Park to see the beautiful aurora, which was GORGEOUS! However, I overheard many people looking at the same sky and wondering where the northern lights were. They were disappointed that they couldn't see them while I was right next to them, vibrating out of my skin with excitement. It made me wonder: Do people actually know what to look for?

It turns out they don't! We've been inundated with gorgeous aurora pictures over the decades, not considering the differences between our eyes and cameras. Every bright, beautiful, colorful image of the aurora is 90% likely to be a time lapse! It may be a time lapse of only a few seconds, but it's still a time lapse. Human eyes can't do that!

The strength of the aurora determines its color, with the weakest strength being a milky gray and the strongest being a reddish-pink. There's a lot of science behind this, but it's mostly about electrons in nitrogen and oxygen getting excited and jumping to different orbital levels, which releases a photon of a specific wavelength (which equates to color) when it returns to its original place! SCIENCE!

So, what should you be looking for? Most commonly, you'll see vertical planes of gray-green towers. It's almost as if you painted the sky in watercolor, do you know what I mean? It's semi-transparent, but it has a clear shape. If you are in a darker area or the storm is producing more vivid aurorae, you may even see areas of red. But again, think watercolor! It's not opaque!

Thank you for listening to my ramblings; I'll now reward you with pretty pictures! Most of these are 3- to 6-second time lapses. (Again, something our eyes can't do!)

05/11/2024

I'm in absolute awe!

05/11/2024

We have an incredibly active sunspot region near the sun's equator, and an earlier coronal mass ejection has finally reached Earth! This solar wind shockwave created a geomagnetic storm here on Earth, and it is already producing beautiful aurorae in northern latitudes, particularly areas where the sun has set. Check out the Space Weather Prediction Center to see if you might experience this spectacle!

Bonus question: Do you know why a sunspot at the equator increases our chances of aurorae?

05/10/2024

Check out this event next Saturday!

Have you heard about Kids Club? Join us every third Saturday at noon for a fun, kid-focused activity or lesson! We'll alternate between educational crafts and lessons each month, and the minimum age will vary, but we promise fun every time! The link for this month's Kids Club is in the comments below.

Can't make it? Don't have a kid to bring? We have extra planters for sale! You can buy a planter using the same ticketing link.

Note: A parent or guardian must always be with the child!

05/08/2024

This is so creative!!!

05/04/2024

Not only can you see the shiny result, you can watch how it was done!

05/04/2024

Me whenever I see pictures of the newly coated Rubin Observatory mirror. Seriously, have y'all seen it? No? I'll share it. She's BEAUTIFUL!

04/27/2024

Repping Cerritos/Lower Decks with JJ Abrams lighting for my table and planetarium shows at WWU QueerCon today!