Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Eigentuesdays

Ah yes. This again. I often wake up from a daydream with the startling realization that I'm more than half done with college. Crap. Can I just go back to Freshman year and start over again? I've desperately tried to add a 5th year but I don't think that's going to work. I then try to add the rest of my life to my college years--that has a slightly better chance of working, actually, if I can teach here. That would be great.

Side note: what is an eigentuesday? I kind of know what eigenvalues are but I just liked the eigen- prefix and decided to add the word Tuesday to the end. It sounded good, so I kept it. Eigenvalue, eigenspace, eigenfunction, eigenface, eigentuesday. Whatever.

Haven't had much of a chance to take my telescope out yet. So far I've seen Jupiter with a 25mm eyepiece on a really hazy day with terrible seeing, so that wasn't terribly spectacular. Stay tuned though-it looks like it'll be clear tonight with sunset at 8:22. I'm hoping to see Jupiter again (but with a better eyepiece...I will have down to a 4mm this time), M31 (Andromeda Galaxy), Mizar/Alcor (apparent double star...Mizar actually is a double star in Ursa Major), and alpha Ursa Major (double star in the cup of the Big Dipper). The Pleiades rises ENE about midnight, but I'm not sure if I'll be out that late. At any rate, these shouldn't be too hard to find at all, since they are all naked-eye objects. I might try for M22 if I feel adventurous. I'll get more into the deep sky objects as I get used to the scope. I also need to find myself a flashlight and red cellophane...that might be kind of important.

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