Jump to content
  • Member Statistics

    17,600
    Total Members
    7,904
    Most Online
    ArlyDude
    Newest Member
    ArlyDude
    Joined

Autumn 2020 Banter


doncat
 Share

Recommended Posts

2 hours ago, BxEngine said:

Oh its a sign alright. 

I had to go up to the row house roof for a leaf check and even at twilight the light pollution, from the Brooklyn skyline, was breathtaking. I forego the shorts because I do have consideration/respect for the ambiance of the surrounding area. As always ....

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You guys really need to watch Cosmos: Possible Worlds.  Excellent narration by Neil DeGrasse Tyson.  Season 3 Episode 7- The Four Kingdoms of Life- was particularly memorable.  He mentioned the intelligence and empathy of trees and bees (and the mathematical and astronomical knowledge that bees possess) and how humans first need to realize the sentience that exists on earth itself before they go looking for it elsewhere.

 

Talks about empathy, sentience and intelligence among nonhumans (including trees!)  And how human-centricism may prevent us from recognizing it elsewhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, LibertyBell said:

You guys really need to watch Cosmos: Possible Worlds.  Excellent narration by Neil DeGrasse Tyson.  Season 3 Episode 7- The Four Kingdoms of Life- was particularly memorable.  He mentioned the intelligence and empathy of trees and bees (and the mathematical and astronomical knowledge that bees possess) and how humans first need to realize the sentience that exists on earth itself before they go looking for it elsewhere.

 

Talks about empathy, sentience and intelligence among nonhumans (including trees!)  And how human-centricism may prevent us from recognizing it elsewhere.

the original was better with Carl Sagan...he was the man...

  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, LibertyBell said:

I've never agreed with this policy of hacking down a tree and putting it in the middle of Rockefeller Center.

Liberty, the attached photo is from a book titled The Christmas Tree At Rockefeller Center. A pictorial history of the tree. Ironically the forward of the book is by Willard Scott a TV weather person, it came out over 20 years ago. The photo below is from page 68, titled Patriotic Statement. The year was 1942 and conservation for the war effort was in effect. The trees, three of them, remained unlit,  alive, root bagged for replanting. Each Norway Spruce was thirty feet high. The next year the same was done with a 55 foot Norway Spruce. I would like to see a resumption of the replanting tradition. I’m not a horticulturist and not even sure if it is possible with a live tree or if it was even successful during the years mentioned. To me that type of preservation is very Patriotic. As always ....

 

69BCB465-A3B6-43D4-950C-F1C5786F1DFA.jpeg

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/20/2020 at 8:47 AM, rclab said:

Liberty, the attached photo is from a book titled The Christmas Tree At Rockefeller Center. A pictorial history of the tree. Ironically the forward of the book is by Willard Scott a TV weather person, it came out over 20 years ago. The photo below is from page 68, titled Patriotic Statement. The year was 1942 and conservation for the war effort was in effect. The trees, three of them, remained unlit,  alive, root bagged for replanting. Each Norway Spruce was thirty feet high. The next year the same was done with a 55 foot Norway Spruce. I would like to see a resumption of the replanting tradition. I’m not a horticulturist and not even sure if it is possible with a live tree or if it was even successful during the years mentioned. To me that type of preservation is very Patriotic. As always ....

 

69BCB465-A3B6-43D4-950C-F1C5786F1DFA.jpeg

I always wondered why they can’t just plant a tree and leave it there all year around.

It would be the most famous urban tree in the world.

Although, in fairness, a lot of the Rock Center trees have been in distressed situations and needed to be removed anyway (at least they usually say that)

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I concur with you guys, it would be amazing if they could replant it.  I also gained some more empathy for trees after watching Cosmos s 3 e 7, where it was mentioned that trees reach out with their roots to sustain one of their own that just got cut off at the trunk and how a "mother" tree controls the growth of her offspring.  All very eye-opening.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, IrishRob17 said:

Will have to throw @Juliancolton in the mix too as he is know for exterior illumination skills. 

One last touch, we can ask Liberty to operate a snowmaker on the roof of one of the Rock Center buildings, for lighting day. We just have to hope it can reach the ground still frozen. As always ....

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/23/2020 at 4:08 PM, Juliancolton said:

First order of business is switching back to incandescent bulbs. Let's show the city folk what real Christmas lights look like.

did you hear about this big event that will occur in the latter part of December?

Wow this link says they will be close enough to seem like a single point of light

https://www.sciencealert.com/the-planets-will-align-in-christmas-week-for-a-rare-spectacle-not-seen-in-800-years?fbclid=IwAR1R1rtsaSHcIAh8yKaFgAM99SLeBDPlhoPnTEKWg-mvd-V98VNK-34h7bw

In that image you can see their moons clustered around them as if they were all about to collide.....

"You'd have to go all the way back to just before dawn on March 4, 1226, to see a closer alignment between these objects visible in the night sky."

To get the best viewing experience for this spectacular show, you're going to need to be somewhere near the equator – but if the skies are clear then the alignment should still be visible from just about anywhere on Earth.

The pair of planets will show up in the night sky for about an hour after sunset each evening, according to astronomers. If you're hoping to catch a glimpse yourself, you'll need to point your telescope towards the western sky.

"On the evening of closest approach on Dec 21 they will look like a double planet, separated by only 1/5th the diameter of the full moon," says Hartigan. "For most telescope viewers, each planet and several of their largest moons will be visible in the same field of view that evening."

"The further north a viewer is, the less time they'll have to catch a glimpse of the conjunction before the planets sink below the horizon."

The planets will be bright enough in the sky to be visible in twilight, which might be the best time to try and take a look at them if you're in the US. Websites such as Stellarium should help you work out where you should be looking from your vantage point.

While this kind of alignment hasn't occurred since the Middle Ages, it will happen again fairly soon, in March 2080. After that though, Jupiter and Saturn won't get as close in our night sky until 2400.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, that'll be cool. The angular separation of 6' is about half the apparent distance between Mizar and Alcor in the Big Dipper. I can just resolve that double star if skies are clear and my prescription is up to date (and the creek don't rise?), so I can buy that Jupiter and Saturn will just about show as a single point for most folks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...