Friday, December 16, 2005
Planet George
Alaska is a great place for stargazing, especially in the winter. Long nights provide plenty of time to scan the heavens. One can trot outside and plop down in a snowbank and within a few minutes begins freezing from head to toe. Maybe it is not such a good idea after all! This brings us to the curious case of Planet George. Yes Planet George. Never heard of it? It does not fit into the mnemonic “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Peas?” Here are the facts. In 1781 an amateur astronomer and professional musician using a homemade telescope thought he saw a comet but after doing some calculations he realized that he had discovered a planet. Wishing to honor his benefactor, he decided to name it George in honor of George III. This did not set well with the Americans and the French who were busy fighting a war with “George.” Astronomers then stepped in and decided the planet should be named “Herschel” after its “discoverer” William Herschel. Heresy! If the planet was not fit for a king, then it certainly was not fit for an “commoner.” After a meeting of the minds it was decided that the new planet should be renamed for a god—a Greek god at that. It was christened “Uranus.” Since then a naming convention has been established that prohibits giving celestial objects political, religious or military names. No more planet Georges!
Alaska is a great place for stargazing, especially in the winter. Long nights provide plenty of time to scan the heavens. One can trot outside and plop down in a snowbank and within a few minutes begins freezing from head to toe. Maybe it is not such a good idea after all! This brings us to the curious case of Planet George. Yes Planet George. Never heard of it? It does not fit into the mnemonic “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Peas?” Here are the facts. In 1781 an amateur astronomer and professional musician using a homemade telescope thought he saw a comet but after doing some calculations he realized that he had discovered a planet. Wishing to honor his benefactor, he decided to name it George in honor of George III. This did not set well with the Americans and the French who were busy fighting a war with “George.” Astronomers then stepped in and decided the planet should be named “Herschel” after its “discoverer” William Herschel. Heresy! If the planet was not fit for a king, then it certainly was not fit for an “commoner.” After a meeting of the minds it was decided that the new planet should be renamed for a god—a Greek god at that. It was christened “Uranus.” Since then a naming convention has been established that prohibits giving celestial objects political, religious or military names. No more planet Georges!
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Alaskan Nativity Scene
Christmas is a bit different in Alaska. There is a blend of Greek and Russian Orthodox traditions and Native-American customs coupled along side the Protestant and Catholic versions. Christmas does not translate very well among the native tribes. In southern Alaska one can travel by dugout while in the north one can employ a dog sled but certainly not a donkey. There is no such thing as a stable so a longhouse or an igloo or a dogsled has to suffice. The Three Wisemen may be Aleut, Athabaskan and Tlingit or some combination of the other tribes. An Alaskan Nativity set of gifts may include a king salmon, a piece of muktuk and a bladder of seal oil or a birch basket, oomiak and a button robe. The animal witnesses generally include a polar bear or a brown bear (no large grizzly since that might traumatize a baby Jesus), a walrus, a seal or a moose and a husky.
Christmas is a bit different in Alaska. There is a blend of Greek and Russian Orthodox traditions and Native-American customs coupled along side the Protestant and Catholic versions. Christmas does not translate very well among the native tribes. In southern Alaska one can travel by dugout while in the north one can employ a dog sled but certainly not a donkey. There is no such thing as a stable so a longhouse or an igloo or a dogsled has to suffice. The Three Wisemen may be Aleut, Athabaskan and Tlingit or some combination of the other tribes. An Alaskan Nativity set of gifts may include a king salmon, a piece of muktuk and a bladder of seal oil or a birch basket, oomiak and a button robe. The animal witnesses generally include a polar bear or a brown bear (no large grizzly since that might traumatize a baby Jesus), a walrus, a seal or a moose and a husky.
Monday, December 12, 2005
Northern Lights to be Outsourced!
This just in! The north magnetic pole has served notice that it is moving to Siberia and taking the northern lights with it. In fifty years according to scientists the only northern lights one will be able to see in Alaska will be “northern lites.” Over the centuries the pole has shifted from Canada to Siberia and is now in the process of shifting back. Back in September the aurora borealis put on a spectacular show right after we left to go back to New Mexico and has experienced a lingering case of stage fright ever since we arrived back in November. There is too much city light and clouds here in Anchorage for a great performance at the present time. An additional factor is that the northern lights run on an eleven year cycle and are currently at a low point in that cycle. Sometime in the next month we will probably drive north for a better view.
Alaska’s loss will be Europe’s gain. For the record in the Middle Ages the aurora display was known to strike terror into the hearts of Europeans when it was suddenly visible to many of them for a once in a lifetime occurrence. They believed that it was a warning from God when he seemed to be a little short on comets.
