Bob Siederer
10 February 2025

Hello again Science Fans!

Have you ever suddenly wondered about a perfectly normal English word that you probably use now and then? I woke up the other day with the word “bushel” stuck in my thoughts. The more I wondered about why it was there, the stranger the word seemed.

I know how the word came into my head. The night before, I was in the YouTube rabbit hole again, watching a post from a young farmer in Nebraska who was talking about how many bushels of corn from her farm she was taking to the storage facility. My subconscous must have been working on this for me to wake up wit

Bob Siederer
27 January 2025

Hello again Science Fans!

It is the last week of the first month of 2025, and already it has been an unprecedented month. From the fires in and around Los Angeles to Trump’s first week in office, a lot has happened.

Let’s start with the end of the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission. Gaia saw first light in July, 2014. As the image above shows, it was busy, lasting almost twice as long as expected.

Gaia’s primary mission was to develop a precise map of the Milky Way, our home galaxy. Data from the mission is still being analyzed and we can expect more announcement of discoverie

Hello again Science Fans!

Bob Siederer
25 November 2024

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.

The Perseverance rover has been

Bob Siederer
28 October 2024

Hello again Science fans!

This is the last week of daylight savings time for us here in California. Early next Sunday morning we revert to standard time and, while it will

Bob Siederer
21 October 2024

Hello again Science Fans!

I’m sure this has happened to most of you. The “algorithm” adds a video to your feed on YouTube or Instagram, you click

Bob Siederer
Oct 14, 2024

Hello again Science Fans!

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., 

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Bob Siederer
23 September 2024

Hello again Science Fans!

Did you notice a change today? Me either, but at 5:44 AM today, astronomical Autumn began in the Northern Hemisphere, the Autumnal Equinox. So happy fall.

Our calendar has gotten much more active now that schools are back in session and more seminars are on the schedules. We’re listing 94 events over the next two weeks. More will be added to our calendar as we find them, and some already listed will be updated as titles, abstracts, and speakers are provided. As always, should you want to attend an event we list, click through to the host’s website for any last minute updates or cancellations. Or 

Bob Siederer
9 September 2024

Hello again Science fans!

Let’s start out with something fun, and not truly science-related. It may make you laugh, may make you mad, may make you shrug your shoulders and go “so w

BOB SIEDERER
12 August 2024

Hello again Science fans!

These past few years have put us all through a bit of a wringer. Prior to the pandemic, 11% of Americans reported symptoms of anxiety and depression, according to the Household Pulse Survey, a tool of the Census Bureau. Then came COVID, and that number increased to 42.6%. Today, it is down to 20.7%, but that is still almost double pre-pandemic numbers. The political climate certainly contributes to this, I’m sure. But the biggest component seems to be young adults. According to “The Morning” newsletter from the New York Times on August 8, the percentage of young adults reporting symptoms had been rising for around a decade before COVID. Uncertainty about their future, inflatio