Thursday, January 30, 2014

Mr. Holladay's Theory of Everything

Doing some reading recently, it came to my attention that TOE, while for this blog referring to, Today On Earth, in physics circles, refers to, Theory of Everything.   This is the idea that if you get down to a small enough level everything is made of the same "stuff" and that all that stuff in "our" universe is ruled neatly by the same laws or rules. That there is one theory for everything and that's the holy grail of physics. Hmmmmm...
Being an old, rock guy, my understanding of either astrophysics (the big stuff) or quantum mechanics (the small stuff) is somewhat limited but I have read or heard/seen enough about both to be both confused and informed. Obviously, our world/universe works; the particles in it, the forces acting on them all work in a manner that things are fairly stable as far as we can tell in our physical world. Getting into the quantum world of "strings"...multi-universes...multi-dimensions (beyond 4)...holographic images being our existence...Craziness! On the larger scales, if it doesn't give off radiation, we can't "see" it so now it's dark matter, dark energy...and it seems to dominate the universe...Craziness!
So, my take on the theory of everything is, even though not from Missouri, show me. Figure it out and explain it to me, so I could perhaps explain it to a ninth grader and I'll see if I buy into it. I know there is way more that we don't know than that we do and I've always liked the thought that "the universe is not wilder than we imagine, it's wilder than we can imagine" but we humans have pretty big imaginations! It seems pretty chaotic out there, atoms look like hurricanes that look like galaxies; seems to be an ordered chaos ruling the cosmos. I'm glad folks are looking into to it and I hope they figure out more and more and more about this wild planet and solar system and galaxy and local group and on and on in all directions and dimensions but I'll stick with getting out and enjoying, Today On Earth. Hope you do, too.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Cold Mixed With Snow!!

The cold front that came through and dropped the temperature 30 degrees the second half of Monday stalled just off the coast and set the stage for yesterday's snow event. Low pressure bringing Gulf and later Atlantic moisture drifted along the frontal boundary and hammered the south with snow.  And, that's when the adventure begins; snow in Atlanta: nightmare, OBX: lovely, Va. Beach: nightmare! Schools closed, cars wrecked and abandoned, it's a southern mess.
And, with 9 degrees in central Va. this morning even the bright sun isn't doing any melting. Temps are supposed to moderate a little tomorrow and more Friday with a chance of not-frozen moisture this coming, Super Bowl weekend. The fall/winter of 2013/14 continues with only minor variations on this year's theme (park high pressure over the west coast and let the jet stream dive way south on the east coast).
Hang on, it's lovely but cold out there, today on Earth.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

A Minor Lull and More Deep Cold!

A little snow and then a deep freeze has left many of Virginia's schools shut down for the past week and after a little warm up Monday the east coast will return to the deep freeze for the upcoming week. A coastal storm's path Wednesday, now looking off shore, could get interesting this week.  Greece and Burma appear on the quake list today - and the more usual spots as well.  The week's volcano list, once up and correct - still not sure what the Spanish volcano was about - has some new names, although all are on the ring of fire - well, Iceland, but it's its own little spot of fire. Central and South America dominate the volcano list with a calming in Indonesia and on the Kamchatka peninsula.
The waning crescent moon, above Antares, the heart of Scorpio, early this morning, will slide toward the morning star, Venus, for Tuesday and Wednesday morning.  The moon will continue to shrink this week, passing between us and the sun on Thursday afternoon: the New Moon. Rusty Mars rises before midnight, above bright Spica.  Golden Saturn, not up for a couple more hours spends the winter in Libra and is best seen high in the south just before dawn. But, it's cold out there so bundle up but don't let that stop you from getting out, today on Earth.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Deep Cold, Round 2

A child of the Polar Vortex has pushed deep into the southland of North America once again and is lingering a little longer than two weeks ago. High pressure parked over southern California has provided a roller coaster downhill plunge in the jet stream and while the shaky coast roasts the the east coast freezes. A little warm up this weekend (into the low 40's - wheeeh) before another blast from the pole arrives for next week. It was 2.7 here this morning, 7.5 degrees yesterday; brrrrrrrr!!
The monster, high pressure dome that has been stuck over the west coast for much of their normal, wet winter season has caused historical (or so they think) drought and Santa Anna winds have fueled fires (started by campfire building fools) in southern California.  Australia and much of the southern Hemisphere still swelters from record high temps. A little cold here, but don't think the planet isn't warming still; 2013 was the forth (4th) warmest year on record - 100+ years of records hardly tells the tale on a 4.6 billion year old planet. Just wait, things will change, both today, tomorrow and in the short and long term future. That's the only constant, change, Today on Earth.
Another, all too common change, a USGS site that isn't helpful; the only erupting volcano on EARTH seems to be in Spain - but there is no info...Look out Barcelona!!
The waning gibbous (near last quarter) moon was very near Spica early this morning, but it was too cold for me to be out checking it out too close. Mars is hanging in the same area. Good viewing with cold, dry skies but you better be dressed warm.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

The Cold Wedge Lingers

The mountains of Virginia don't seem like much when compared to younger ranges around this planet but they do influence the weather more than most people realize. The last couple of days have been a perfect example of their affect as the WEDGE lingers here in central Va. The WEDGE is the last of the cold air left by the polar vortex that being colder and more dense is banked up against the Blue Ridge mountains, and stays close to the ground and has kept central Va. in the 30's while all around us temperatures have climbed into the 40's, 50's and even 60's. Much warmer air, just full of Gulf moisture, is now riding up over the cold wedge and dumping rain on the entire east coast. And, while that warm air is at the surface in much of the region, it's still aloft over the wedge. Forecasters are claiming it will be gone soon, but soon seems to be taking much longer to get here than they have been predicting, for several days now.
I have been noticing the WEDGE around here more and more often (I'm sure it has been happening for millennia, and I've been late to notice) as big high pressure systems get cut off or stall over New England or the Canadian Maritimes.  With the clockwise circulation, the high flings a tongue or wedge of the cold, dry, dense air down the eastern seaboard where it is trapped up against the Blue Ridge. We are often at the southern tip of that wedge, stuck in the cold/cool air while all around the southern flow has warmed the world.  I'm guessing...maybe that is a part of the reason here in Louisa we are in a colder growing zone than Charlottesville to the west or Richmond to the east. It's the wedge!!
But, since I have been working on this post, the wedge has begun its retreat. The temp has edged from the upper 30's into the low 40's; the southern air is going to win today. Rain totals have gone to over an inch and a half since starting as frozen mist yesterday morning. A lull in the showers, the morning's thunderstorm, yes, thunderstorm, has moved on and I just darted outside to check things out. The recently frozen ground, solid but crunchy, is now a giant sponge, slipping and sliding your only option if you go out and move around. Be careful today on Earth.
As the cold front clears the area we will once again be able to see off of Earth and into the cosmos. The waxing gibbous moon will brighten the sky when the clouds move on and close in on the dominant star like object in the night sky, Jupiter. At opposition (directly behind the earth from the sun) on Jan. 5th, the king of the planets is up all night and while the winter sky is full of bright stars, Jupiter outshines them all. Check it out with binocs or a small scope and see which of the 4 Galilean moons you can spot. Venus is at inferior conjunction today, in about an hour, and in between the Earth and sun and not visible (unless you are very careful and very talented to spot it's tiny crescent and not be blinded by the sun). Our neighbor in space will speed past us and into the morning sky as the month goes on and dominate the winter and spring as the morning star. Mercury, Saturn and Mars are all in middle of the night or morning viewing positions. For more on them check the TOE sun and sky for details.
If you venture out today, be ready for rain, and lots of it. But, it's not freezing and a little rain won't hurt you, so, don't be afraid to get out, today on Earth.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Cold Perihelion

After a long, silent spell, Mr. H's TOE returns on perihelion, the point in Earth's elliptical orbit that we are closest to the sun for the entire year. For those of us, most anywhere in the US, it is also one of coldest starts to a morning in quite some time. With those two bits of information we can then clear up any season confusion; it's the 23.45 degree tilt of our planet that causes the seasons and has NOTHING to do with our distance from the sun. (Obviously, folks in the southern hemisphere, just 2 weeks into summer, might want to disagree with this but while they are likely not in the midst of an arctic blast the couple of million miles closer really doesn't affect things much - especially with the southern latitudes being mostly ocean, quite a heat sink.) The northern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun right now so even though we are close to our star, it's light is low in our sky, scattered and not very warm (well, it is behind a couple of layers of glass at the tire house).

Crazily, in addition to being closest to the sun today, the northern hemisphere also had the sun rise later than any other day of the year. But, the winter solstice is the shortest day...yes, but while the solstice does have a longer period of dark (or light for summer) than any other day, the rising and setting are not latest and earliest on the solstice. The earliest sunset is in early December and the latest sunrise is, again, today. This has to do with what sunrise and set really are; our rotation toward or away from the sun.  Think of a tilted ball rolling around an oval NASCAR track with you sitting in a tower in the infield. Just before the apex of the far turn (remember they go counterclockwise - a left turn) it would be hard to see the outside, right edge of the ball (early December - sunset) but as it comes out of the turn now it would be hard to see the left edge of the ball (today's sunrise). At the far point (solstice) you would see less of the top of the ball (remember, it's tipped away from you) but because it's tipped perfectly away you would see the edges equally that are a little hidden today (and back in early December for sunset).

And, thank some sky watching, math wiz for measuring things accurately enough to know all this stuff. Actually, our distant ancestors figured out the whole seasons thing, they had to know when things were going to change to stay alive (hunting and gathering and then farming requires seasonal knowledge). I'm not sure if they knew earliest and latest sunrise info because that requires some very accurate time keeping, a fairly recent phenomenon.

To wrap up this info filled, conceptual diatribe, it is cold here in central Va. but it's cold most everywhere in the US. A southern wind flow today should get temps above freezing and clouds will moderate temperatures for a day or so; drizzle, perhaps frozen, followed by rain and maybe finishing with snow will be the weather scene on Sunday into Monday morning. The cold front bringing that wet mess will clear the region Monday and temps will plummet, making today's low of 10 feel almost toasty. Tuesday should see temps at or below 0 (yes, zero, central Va.) with highs for the day only in the teens and Wednesday won't be much warmer. It will warm up some later next week but there will be no doubt that we are in winter.

With winter's still, cold air and long nights, the sky gazing will be spectacular. The moon is waxing, a thin crescent with lovely earth shine tonight but Venus, the bright beacon in the fall sky is gone. It will go between Earth and the sun on the 11th (but not directly in front of the sun, for another 103 years...) and will dominate the sky as the morning star for winter and spring. In it's place, Jupiter is at opposition tomorrow, in a line directly behind earth from the sun. That means, it's in the same position as the full moon and will rise as the sun sets (we turn away from the sun and toward Jupiter). It will be the brightest "star" in the sky, all night long. Check it with binoculars or a telescope - before the waxing moon gets too bright - and you will likely see little dots next to it. Those are the 4 Galilean moons.

Other TOE blogs will be caught up soon, so check them out, let me hear what you think, shoot me questions and bundle up and get out and enjoy today on earth.