Should we ever adopt the International Fixed Calendar, we’d have 13 months in a year, with each month containing a Friday the 13th. Friggatriskaidekaphobia – aka fear of Friday the 13th – would be rampant! Or not. Read more about this calendar system here. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/13-month-calendar-would-mean-13-friday-the-13ths…
Tag: fun
All you need to know: Draconids in 2019
October’s Draconid meteor shower – sometimes called the Giacobinids – is expected to peak at nightfall or early evening on October 8, 2019, though under a moon-drenched sky. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-draconid-meteor-shower…
Every visible star is within Milky Way
When you look up on a starry evening, you might think you’re looking across the universe. In fact, all the stars we see with the unaided eye belong to our Milky Way galaxy. Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/before-summer-ends-see-the-milky-way…
Scientists use drones to probe earthly dust devils, with an eye toward Mars
Dust devils are common are common on Earth, but ubiquitous on Mars, a desert world. Scientists are using drones carrying cameras and other instruments to gain new insights. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/scientists-use-drones-dust-devils-earth-mars…
Meet Delta Cephei, a famous variable star
Delta Cephei doubles in brightness on a precise schedule, every 5.36 days. Its brightness changes are tied to its absolute brightness. Learn how this star helped establish the known distance scale of our galaxy and universe. Source: https://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/delta-cephei-the-kings-famous-variable-star…
Do Coders Crave a Sense of Control?
This week Stack Overflow’s CEO/founder Joel Spolsky spoke to Clive Thompson, the tech journalist who just published the new book Coders: the Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World . “It’s a sort of ethnographic history of this particular tribe,” explains a blog post at Stack Overflow, “examining how software developers fit into the world of business…