tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868Fri, 06 Sep 2024 22:43:39 +0000watch thisadventures in amateur naturalismfun with the skyspace newsnature newsthey make great petsanimaux sans vertebratesvegetable matterrecipes for celestio-faunal adventureshttp://peltzathand.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)Blogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-7784217872059081482Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:01:00 +00002007-09-22T10:45:36.606-07:00About a month ago, I decided to retire "Peltz at Hand". I'll continue to blog, but instead of posting in one place on such disparate topics as amateur astronomy and flora & fauna, I will post to separate blogs dedicated to these topics.For amateur astronomy (and layman's information on celestial events of interest), go to Revolving Rock. For flora, fauna, and amateur naturalism, the new blog http://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/09/peltz-at-hand-no-more.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-1628806633213171730Thu, 23 Aug 2007 05:21:00 +00002007-08-23T13:03:15.381-07:00If you're not too familiar with lunar eclipses, here's some good advice to keep in mind if you're planning to observe next week's event. Number one: staring at a lunar eclipse for too long will cause you to go blind. Just kidding. (But can you believe that that's apparently enough of a misconception that NASA feels it's worth speaking to, on their eclipse website?)Here's the real advice, with http://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/08/lunar-eclipse-advice.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-3199902325612000828Mon, 13 Aug 2007 00:47:00 +00002007-08-12T19:45:27.809-07:00Here's a heads up that the Moon will pass through the shadow of the Earth on Tuesday, August 28.There are always two lunar eclipses per year, some of them total, some of them only partial, and not all of them visible from your location.If you appreciate experiences of cosmic proportions, you'll find total lunar eclipses especially very beautiful. Not only are they a rare opportunity to directly http://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/08/lunar-eclipse-next-week.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-5844503097400484773Sat, 11 Aug 2007 16:46:00 +00002008-12-09T03:56:42.609-08:00fun with the skyPlan to head outside tonight or tomorrow night with your sweetie, a blanket, and a bottle of wine:The Earth is making its yearly passage through a drifting path of debris left by a comet named Swift-Tuttle. The result? The annual Perseid meteor shower takes place!You can probably expect to see 30-40 meteors per hour if you're viewing late tonight (Saturday); 45 per hour late Sunday night, and up http://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/08/meteor-shower-this-weekend.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-1100358371951666324Mon, 06 Aug 2007 01:50:00 +00002007-08-05T18:54:33.199-07:00adventures in amateur naturalismI really enjoyed this series of photographs. (Be sure to click "Next Page" at the bottom.)Hat tip: Uncle Duane.http://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/08/birth-of-hummingbird.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-7008716531937296866Fri, 03 Aug 2007 22:04:00 +00002007-08-04T12:11:11.226-07:00adventures in amateur naturalismI know that sometimes coyotes are within earshot of the school I work at, because my colleague Ray would hear them a couple of years ago when he was working late at night.But I was very surprised to hear them just now, sitting here in my classroom planning lessons, because it's three o'clock in the afternoon.Man are they loud! It's a whole orchestra of howls, concentrated a hundred yards or so http://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/08/coyotes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-1880759632711783888Sun, 29 Jul 2007 01:26:00 +00002007-07-29T00:08:11.794-07:00fun with the skywatch thisReports the SF Sidewalk Astronomers:"Stargazing is the subject of Seeing in the Dark, a 60-minute, state-of-the-art, high-definition (HDTV) documentary by Timothy Ferris that premieres September 19, 2007 at 8:00 p.m. on PBS (check local listings).The film, Ferris's third, is based on his book, _Seeing in the Dark_ (2002), named by the New York Times as one of the 10 best books of the year.Seeing http://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/07/seeing-in-dark_9445.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-7290382520139908224Thu, 26 Jul 2007 06:01:00 +00002008-12-09T03:56:43.051-08:00adventures in amateur naturalismWe saw one!This evening!Along our favorite nearby neighborhood trail!We approached it, though keeping a safe distance!It rattled at us!It was freaking awesome!!Here's a picture! Woo hoo!http://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/07/rattlesnake.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-2104269331772816781Sat, 14 Jul 2007 19:15:00 +00002008-12-09T03:56:43.371-08:00watch thisTo my mind, landing on the Moon remains the greatest technological achievement of mankind, and is the most vivid and awesome demonstration of the power of science. (That science is an unquestionable good--the proximate source of life-giving technology, material well-being, and serenity in cosmic contemplation--I here take for granted.)That's why you should go see this movie when it hits theatres http://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/07/in-shadow-of-moon.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-2624397095558269910Wed, 11 Jul 2007 03:30:00 +00002008-12-09T03:56:43.568-08:00space newswatch thisIo (pronounced EYE-oh) is one of the four largest moons of Jupiter, the so-called "Galilean satellites", named after their discoverer Galileo Galilei (the father of modern science) in 1610.Io is one of the more interesting moons out there. It is the fourth largest moon in the solar system (after Titan, Ganymede, and Callisto), and it is larger even than Pluto. But more noteworthy than this is itshttp://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/06/volcano-on-io.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-7938728988915892189Sat, 07 Jul 2007 01:06:00 +00002007-07-07T11:14:18.362-07:00It turns out that posting a picture per day ("OC Nature Picture of the Day") is going to require more time than I'm able to give it. The reason is that I found it unsatisfying to merely post a photo along with the name of the organism--I'm much more interested in doing a bit of research on the organism to find its range and any interesting facts about its life history.So "OC Nature Picture of thehttp://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/07/blog-update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-9029761060665564981Mon, 11 Jun 2007 04:53:00 +00002008-12-09T03:56:44.174-08:00watch thisIf you're a birdwatcher, you'll find this a fun concept. It was brought to my attention by Sandra, a friend and colleague:http://www.bigbearshores.com/nestcam/nestcam.htmIt's a webcam trained on a Steller's Jay nest at Big Bear Lake. It refreshes every five minutes.Unfortunately, I'm a little late in posting this. Sandra first observed the chicks around May 20 (around which time she captured http://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/06/nestcam.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-1668547075329558651Sun, 27 May 2007 23:46:00 +00002008-12-09T03:56:44.186-08:00In an effort to ensure that I am constantly learning the flora and fauna of my newly adopted territory, I present:"Orange County Nature Picture of the Day"The goal is to post a photograph of a new organism each day. If I have to skip days, then I have to make up for it at my soonest convenience by posting a bundle of photographs for however many days I missed.This may seem like a recipe for http://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/05/orange-county-naturalist.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-3346182675105638080Thu, 24 May 2007 04:00:00 +00002008-12-09T03:56:44.576-08:00space news(This is a post I drafted in late February, but had forgotten about until now.)On February 28, 2007, the New Horizons spacecraft reached Jupiter orbit, and took the below photograph.For those unfamiliar with this spacecraft, New Horizons is destined for Pluto and the other small, icy worlds beyond the orbit of Neptune. Neither Pluto nor these worlds have been photographed before, so there is http://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/03/new-horizons.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-6632760721770433352Thu, 17 May 2007 03:59:00 +00002007-07-29T00:09:57.029-07:00they make great petswatch thisEveryone who has ever kept a turtle as a pet knows that they are relatively shy and always tuck in their shells at the slightest hint of danger. Right? Wrong.http://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/05/killer-tortoise_839.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-3974901467844863882Sat, 05 May 2007 06:19:00 +00002008-12-09T03:56:44.921-08:00nature newsAmazingly, remnants of a 300 million year old jungle were recently found deep beneath the flat, blacksoil Illinois landscape not far from where I used to live (Champaign), in nextdoor Vermilion County.Did you get that?Remnants of a 300 million year old jungle were found by coal miners working no more than a 45 minute drive away from the University of Illinois."It covers about 15 square miles, allhttp://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/05/jungles-of-illinois.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-7190288276050501353Fri, 04 May 2007 06:30:00 +00002008-12-09T03:56:45.752-08:00animaux sans vertebratesthey make great petswatch thisIt seems like every animal exhibits unique and interesting behavior worthy of observation. Here is a post about land snails.Land snails are easy captives to maintain: if your life gets too busy, they are perfectly content to "clamp down" and wait it out until you find the time to feed and water them.But more importantly they are fun to observe, most of all because they engage in snail sex. Two http://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/05/snail-sex.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-1183533561375298621Mon, 23 Apr 2007 06:59:00 +00002008-12-09T03:56:45.913-08:00adventures in amateur naturalismI've been fairly busy of late, thus no posts. But my life and mind have been fertile with respect to nature adventures and ideas, so I've got plenty brewing for future posts.In the interrim, here's an update:1. I had a week of no classes (Spring Break), and in some of that time I managed to do some intended thinking and reading about "ecology". It isn't prudent for me to share my (premature) http://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/04/update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-5655968611273459235Sun, 04 Mar 2007 03:29:00 +00002008-12-09T03:56:47.419-08:00adventures in amateur naturalismToday marked the beginning of Dana Point's city festival, Festival of Whales, so to observe the occasion I went on the "Marine Mammal Cruise" this morning offered by the Ocean Institute (of which I am now a member).Despite the expectations, to everyone's surprise (including the onboard marine biologists) there was only one whale sighted--a juvenile Grey Whale leisurely heading northwards and http://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/03/festival-of-whales.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-2330796589408013488Fri, 02 Mar 2007 16:51:00 +00002008-12-09T03:56:47.626-08:00fun with the skywatch thisIf you're east of the Rocky Mountains tomorrow (Saturday), you'll get to see a partial lunar eclipse in the evening. Get the details (and an explanation of lunar eclipses) at this article on Sky & Telescope's website:"This Weekend's Lunar Eclipse"I won't be able to see it from California--the moon will have already grazed the Earth's shadow just before moonrise. I guess I'll just have to content http://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/03/partial-lunar-eclipse-tomorrow-but-not.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-1398543734700546982Sun, 18 Feb 2007 19:22:00 +00002008-12-09T03:56:48.700-08:00they make great petsOur hamster, Laura, died this morning. It was not unexpected--she was at least two years old, which as I understand is ripe old age for hamsters.Carrie and I thought she was the cutest little rodent we had ever seen--until one day we noticed that she looks like every other hamster at the pet store (and almost certainly acts like them, too). Even so, whether we could recognize her uniqueness or http://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/02/blog-post.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-725779003919227134Sat, 17 Feb 2007 07:36:00 +00002008-12-09T03:56:48.799-08:00Photo: A prickly pear cactus growing in Salt Creek Regional Park, outside my apartment.The theme of this blog is "Recipes for Celestio-Faunal Adventures", but somewhat tangentially to this theme, here's more like a recipe for a good dinner instead. While preparing a lesson on U.S. geography this afternoon, I was reminded of the fact that although I live near the ocean, I also live in the http://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/02/feeling-southwesty-tonight.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-2868947760423860951Sat, 03 Feb 2007 23:23:00 +00002008-12-09T03:56:49.198-08:00adventures in amateur naturalismnature newsIt's been a month since my last post and needless to say I have now arrived in Southern California and am very happily settled in my new home along the Orange Coast: a cozy apartment in Monarch Beach (a community within the city of Dana Point). And my universe would be a completely perfect, sunny California one if only my wife were here with me...I haven't posted in nearly a month. Here's a storyhttp://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2007/02/not-bad-for-my-first-week.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-5486281201084677126Sun, 31 Dec 2006 05:04:00 +00002008-12-09T03:56:50.128-08:00 You may have heard about the recent snowstorm that hit Colorado hard. Well, it also hit a large portion of Arizona and New Mexico hard, and caused I-40 (the interstate which cuts across the north-central regions of those states) to be closed for over 24 hours, which has disrupted my path across those two states while en route to California.After a race southwards from Amarillo, TX to Roswell, NMhttp://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2006/12/bear-republic-or-bust.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723868.post-6008297867532104134Fri, 22 Dec 2006 17:19:00 +00002008-12-09T03:56:50.234-08:00vegetable matterHow did the poinsettia come to be associated with Christmas? Read this week's interesting entry on Ask Yahoo!.Aren't poinsettias poisonous to humans? Snopes says Nope! (As for pets, it does not say, but from what facts are given, it seems unlikely.)And lastly, there's this:"Not only is poinsettia the most popular Christmas plant, it is the number-one flowering potted plant in the United States, http://peltzathand.blogspot.com/2006/12/poinsettia.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0