Perseverance Rover, from Jezero Crater, Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Hello again Science fans!
Like me, most of you are probably preparing for Thanksgiving, that annual tradition of food, football and family. I’ve got my turkey and the ingredients for some sides, and am only short cranberry sauce. The deli counter in my local market hasn’t got theirs out yet.
We have a lot of news to report, mostly astronomical. So lets jump in, starting with Mars.
Personally, I think we should all consider ourselves a "science practitioner". Have you ever noticed that the definition according to a search engine like Google doesn’t always agree with you? Given that, let’s think a bit about what sets someone who appreciates, practices, or supports science, apart from many who think science is for people in lab coats and has little to do with our lives.
Hello Fans of Science, Reason, and Critical Thinking,
Well a lot of soul searching has been going on around the country, if not the planet, since Tue night or Wed morning. I would only like to say that the most reliable source of information for making many decisions these days is SCIENCE and REASON. I hope that we can all rally to support it whenever the opportunity or necessity arises. If or when you reach out to any leaders in the community, local, national, or international, I hope that you will look to science, reason, and critical thinking. to inform all concerned. There is much work to be done and our support is essential. That includes gathering reliable information to inform ourselves in what we do and support.
It has been a busy few weeks, so let’s get right into it.
As you may have heard, there’s a lot going on up in the night sky. The Aurora Borealis has been seen quite far south again, including some sightings in the Bay Area. Alex Filippenko, famed UC Berkeley astronomer, sent this update:
The Sun has been very active the past few weeks, with many big sunspots visible (e.g.,
