BellaOnline Forums Travel and Culture Polish Culture In The Footsteps of Copernicus

A recent article in "Astronomy" magazine describes the planetry system around a Pulsar. The studies were done by three people two of whom are Poles and have websites. A Pulsar is the collapsing core of a giant star and ends in a supernova and no one believed that this would be a nurturing environment for planets.
Pulsar PSR B1257+12 was studied by Alex Wolszczan, Majiej Konacki and Dale Frail who recently found the 4th planet.

the websites are as follows:
For Alex Wolszcan,
http:www.astro.psu.edu/users/alex

For Maciej Konacki,
http:www.gps.caltech.edu/~maciej/

I might add that a Google search of the names will result in many links to these people and their works.

Today is a fullmoon......beware

I just came in the house after spending two hours observing that moon with my new telescope. I used a Lunar filter and it wasen't quite enough to cut down on the glare so I doubled the filter and that helped out quite a bit. If you look at a full moon without any filter the glare can almost blind you. I am waiting for the 29th of this month when Mars will make its close approach (I hope it doesn't rain or have an overcast sky).

It better not rain...its my birthday <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

So... Happy Birthday to You, rdywenur!

BTW, could you please explain where your nick comes from? I find it really difficult to pronounce.

Bob
It is hopeless indeed observing the Moon at full phase - apart from light and dark areas there is nothing to be seen because of lack of shadows. Better to have a look at it through a pair of binoculars. If you want to use your 'scope to its best on the Moon, observe it when the terminator is creeping across the surface and observe near the terminator where the shadows are most evident. Look out for 'domes' - they look like small craters with a crate in the middle often - they can be differentiated from craters by the shadow being cast outside rather than inside. I wrote a monograph on these little beauties years ago - must look it out although I think it disappeared at the time of my first divorce 28 years ago!!!
There is a Polish proverb (well it is really international) - Za jednego bitego dwoch nie bitych daja (Once bitten twice shy).
Can anyone retranslate this for me into Twice bitten, never again!
Pozdrawiam
Leslie

Hi Leslie, I have never heard the proverb but the meaning of the words in Polish doesn't even suggest it can be the same proverb (I mean the message of course). Could any one help me with this proverb?
For me the English one "Once bitten, twice shy" means that after the first trouble, bad experience, next time you're more careful. Am I right? Then I'll try to find its Polish equivalent.

Czesc Leslie. You are correct, viewing a full Moon is very difficult but, I was just trying to learn the "Autostar" and tracking. I did see a dome near the edge of the moon and another thing that is amazing are the "trails" left by metors as they crashed into the Moon. What wows me is that you look at a part of the sky that seems devoid of stars but with a telescope, they just pop out. I think my next purchase will be a Planosphere so that I have an idea where I am at. I do have a subscription to "Astronomy" magazine and they do include a monthly star map but I think that a planosphere may be of more help.
If you are going to map out and catalog the Moon, you have a job cut out for you. This looks like almost a lifetime endevor to complete.

Sto lat!

zooba. You are correct with your translation of the proverb. Another one in the same catagory is "Fools rush in where Angels fear to thred/walk".