Interferometer Tour at Anderson Mesa

Aerial View
Courtesy NPOI

Thanks to Lowell Observatory, Naval Observatory and the Naval Research Laboratory for a fantastic tour of the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer (NPOI) on Sunday, September 28, during the 2008 Flagstaff Festival of Science.

Jim Clark, Senior Mechanical Engineer, was our guide for the tour. His hospitality and his extensive knowledge combined to give us a most enjoyable, as well as educational, view of the NPOI on Anderson Mesa.

I highly recommend this once a year opportunity. But, you'll have to wait until the 2009 Flagstaff Festival of Science.

Siderostat Station
M. Crain 9-28-2008

2008 Flagstaff Festival of Science Day #10

On the last day of the Festival of Science, Sunday, October 5, we still have some interesting activities on the schedule.

From 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., visit the Slide Rock State Park Open House at Slide Rock State Park, Oak Creek Canyon.

At 10 a.m., you can take the *Scenic Science Skyride at Arizona Snowbowl.

From 12:30 – 4:30 p.m., attend the U.S. Naval Observatory Open House.

At 7 p.m., Riordan Mansion State Historic Park will host Human Life in the Little Colorado River Valley with Linda Marie Golier, from the Center for Desert Archaeology.

From 7:30-10:00 p.m., you'll have one last opportunity to Zoom into Planets, Stars, Nebulae & Galaxies at the NAU Campus Observatory.

Get details at 2008 Festival of Science.
*This requires reservations.

2008 Flagstaff Festival of Science Day #9

This going to be a full day for the Festival of Science. Here's what you can do on Saturday, October 4:

Day trips:

From 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., you can attend Jerome State historic Park Open House.

From 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., think about attending the Meteor Crater Open House. If you are so inclined, you can take the rare opportunity to go on a walk around the *whole rim of the crater.

From 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., take part in the Homolovi Ruins State Park: Crossroads of Exploration Presentation & Hike.

From 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument Open House takes place.

From 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., visit Wupatki National Monument Open House.

At 10 a.m. & 1 p.m., Wupatki National Monument offers Archaeology of the Citadel District Walking Tours.

From 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., you can attend the National Weather Service Open House & Balloon Launch at Camp Navajo Army Depot.

From 1 – 5 p.m., The Arboretum at Flagstaff holds an Open House.

From 2 – 4 p.m., take the Keyhole Sink Rock Hike.

From 7 – 10 p.m., U.S. Naval Observatory is having a Deep Sky Star Party.

Closer to home, in Flagstaff:

From 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Night Visions III continues at the Coconino Center for the Arts.

At 7 p.m., Riordan Mansion State Historic Park hosts The 1917-1918 Flu Epidemic in Flagstaff by Bee Valvo, NAU Cline Library Special Collections and Archives

From 7:30-10:00 p.m., you'll have another opportunity to Zoom into Planets, Stars, Nebulae & Galaxies at the NAU Campus Observatory.

Get details at 2008 Festival of Science.
*This walk requires reservations.

2008 Flagstaff Festival of Science Day #8

What does the Festival of Science offer on Friday, October 3?

From 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Night Visions III continues at the Coconino Center for the Arts.

From 3 – 4 p.m., you can see what Flagstaff recycling is all about when you take the Norton Materials Recovery Facility Public Tour.

At 4 p.m., Lowell Observatory hosts Caves on Earth and Mars: The Search for Life with J. Judson Wynne from the Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research at USGS.

At 5 p.m., Lowell Observatory then presents Dr. G. Kent Colbath, a retired paleontologist, speaking about Worms that eat Fish: The Surprising Fossil History of Killer Worms.

At 7:00 p.m., the Museum of Northern Arizona hosts Zooming in on Mars from Orbit: Updates from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter with Dr. Laszlo Keszthelyi, USGS.

At 7:00 p.m., join Richard and Sherry Mangum, Flagstaff Historians and Neil Weintraub, from Kaibab National Forest, as they present Preserving and Interpreting the 1892–1900 Grand Canyon-Flagstaff Stage Coach Line, at Riordan Mansion State Historic.

From 7 – 9 p.m., you have a chance to attend a pre-release screening of the new PBS film, HotSpots. NAU Cline Library is host.

From 7:30-10:00 p.m., you'll have another opportunity to Zoom into Planets, Stars, Nebulae & Galaxies at the NAU Campus Observatory.

Details at 2008 Festival of Science.

2008 Flagstaff Festival of Science Day #7

Thursday, October 2, at the Festival of Science, looks like this:

From 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Night Visions III continues at the Coconino Center for the Arts.

At 4 p.m., Lowell Observatory hosts When Scorpions Ruled the World, with Dr. Larry Stevens, Museum of Northern Arizona.

At 5 p.m., Lowell Observatory then presents Zooming into Mars with the Microscopic Imagers on Spirit and Opportunity with Dr. Ken Herkenhoff, U.S. Geological Survey.

At 7 p.m., Museum of Northern Arizona gives us the scoop on Flagstaff’s Carbon Footprint by Nicole Woodman, City of Flagstaff.

Get the details at 2008 Flagstaff Festival of Science.

2008 Flagstaff Festival of Science Day #6

It's time to take a look at the Festival of Science on October 1.

10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Take this final opportunity during the Festival to participate in the Hart Prairie Guided Nature Walk.

From 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Night Visions III continues at the Coconino Center for the Arts. It's a visual celebration of Flagstaff’s 50th anniversary as the world’s first International Dark Skies City.

From Noon – 6 p.m., attend the Willow Bend Environmental Education Center Open House with its exhibit, Sustainable Living: It’s Easy Being Green.

At 4 p.m., you can go to Lowell Observatory and learn about Astronomical Sketching: Learning to Draw the Wonders of the Sky from Jeremy Perez with W. L. Gore & Associates.

At 5 p.m., still at Lowell Observatory, you can hear a lecture, How Ancient and Current Cultures Use Science by Bryan Bates, Coconino Community College.

At 7 p.m., the Museum of Northern Arizona hosts Natural Zoomers: Dragonflies of Northern Arizona, with Dr. Larry Stevens, MNA.

Get the details at 2008 Flagstaff Festival of Science.

2008 Flagstaff Festival of Science Day #5

It's time to talk about the fifth day ( September 30) of Flagstaff Festival of Science. Lots of interesting things going on.

From 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., fourth graders from Flagstaff schools can Make a Splash with Project WET Water Festival at the Thorpe Park Ballfields.

From 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Night Visions III continues at Coconino Center for the Arts.

At 4 p.m., Lowell Observatory presents Tassel-eared Squirrels, a lecture by Dr. Sylvester Allred from NAU.

At 5 p.m., still at Lowell, Dr. Marc Murison with the U.S. Naval Observatory will speak about The Search for Extrasolar Planets.

At 7 p.m., the Museum of Northern Arizona is host to Jillian Worssam, National PolarTREC Teacher, and The Bering Sea: Life Magnified.

Get the details at 2008 Flagstaff Festival of Science.

2008 Flagstaff Festival of Science Day #4

What's happening on Monday, September 29? Not quite as many Festival of Science choices to make. However, the lectures sound great and if the timing is just right between the last two, you might just make all three.

At 4 p.m., Lowell Observatory presents NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander Discoveries with Sanlyn Buxner & Carla Bitter from the University of Arizona.

Then you don't even have to move from your seat to hear the next lecture.

At 5 p.m., Lisa Leap from Grand Canyon National Park will speak about the archaeological sites at the bottom of the Grand Canyon that are in jeopardy.

At 7 p.m., if you hurry, you can hear about Earthquakes: From Quakelets to Megakillers, from Dr. David Brumbaugh scientist with the NAU Arizona Earthquake Information Center. This lecture is across town at the Museum of Northern Arizona.

Get the details at 2008 Flagstaff Festival of Science.

2008 Flagstaff Festival of Science Day #3

Now for September 28, Sunday's possibilities during the Festival of Science.

Day trips:

From 9 a.m.–5 p.m., you can attend the Walnut Canyon National Monument Open House.

At 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., with *reservations, you'll be able to go on the 90-minute tour of the Interferometer at Anderson Mesa.

At 10 a.m., you can join a Coconino National Forest Lava River Cave Tour. *Reservations needed.

From 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. you can take the Hart Prairie Guided Nature Walk. Be sure to read the instructions about this beautiful and educational walk.

At 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m., you can tour the Elden Pueblo Project.

From 1–4 p.m., you can attend Fort Valley Experimental Forest Station Centennial Open House.

Closer to home in Flagstaff:

From 2-4 p.m., take the family to the Science Poetry Slam for Kids at East Flagstaff Public Library.

At 4 p.m., Judy Springer, of the NAU Ecological Restoration Institute, will talk about Creating Moon Gardens for Mystical Nighttime Enjoyment, at the Coconino Center for the Arts.

From 5:30 – 9:30 p.m., Lowell Observatory Open House gives you a chance to do a little star-gazing and learn about buying a telescope and observing.

At 7:00 p.m., you can learn about Fort Valley Experimental Forest at 100 Years from Historian Susan Olberding, at Riordan Mansion State Historic Park. In addition to the lecture, an exhibit of hand-tinted glass slides will be on display at West House from 6-7 p.m.

From 7:30-10:00 p.m., you'll have a third opportunity to Zoom into Planets, Stars, Nebulae & Galaxies at the NAU Campus Observatory.

*Telephone number for reservations is listed at Flagstaff Festival of Science Schedule.

2008 Flagstaff Festival of Science Day #2

The Festival of Science offers eleven things to do from 8 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. today. It will be hard to know what to choose. We'll all probably have to take a family vote, unless we're going solo.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

If you want to take a little day trip, here's what you can do:

From 8 a.m.-5:oo p.m. Tuzigoot National Monument is having an Open House.

From 8 a.m.-5:00 p.m. you might decide to attend the Montezuma Castle National Monument Open House.

From 9:00a.m.-4:00 p.m. you can participate in all the activities or just enjoy the beautiful surroundings at Verde River Day at Dead Horse Ranch State Park and Verde River Greenway.

From 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. you can take the Hart Prairie Guided Nature Walk. Be sure to read the instructions about this beautiful and educational walk.

Closer to home in Flagstaff:

From 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., you can enjoy Science in the Park at Wheeler Park.

From Noon-4 p.m., Flagstaff Medical Center is hosting an event for school-aged children, called Fantastic Voyage.

From 1:00-4:00 p.m., you might choose to attend Mountain Campus Science & Engineering Day at the NAU High Country Conference Center.

At 4:00 p.m., Jerry Snow will present his view of On the Beale Road with Peachy G. Breckinridge, 1857-1859. at Riordan Mansion State Park Courtyard.

From 6:00-8:00 p.m., you can attend the Night Visions III Opening Reception.

At 7:00 pm. Dr. Gerald G. Schaber will talk about the Apollo Missions in Flagstaff at Riordan Mansion State Park Courtyard.

From 7:30-10:00 p.m., you'll have a second opportunity to Zoom into Planets, Stars, Nebulae & Galaxies at the NAU Campus Observatory.

Get all the details at 2008 Festival of Science.

2008 Flagstaff Festival of Science Day #1

The 2008 Festival of Science starts in Flagstaff next Friday night, so we're going to visit each day of the festival daily until it starts. Just a heads up so you'll know what's happening when. We talked a bit about the Festival on August 12, 2008.

Friday, September 26, 2008

At 7:00 p.m., in the NAU Ardrey Auditorium, the Festival kicks off with the Zoom into Science Ballet, followed by the Shoemaker Keynote Lecture and science author Richard Preston. From a personal point of view, I can't think of a more appropriate speaker since he introduced me to Gene Shoemaker in his book First Light: The Search for the Edge of the Universe about the Hale Telescope.

At 7:30-10:00 p.m., the NAU Campus Observatory will open its doors with Zoom into Planets, Star, Nebulae & Galaxies and its new 20-inch telescope. Don't worry if you can't make it to the observatory Friday night, you'll have the opportunity again later in the week.

Tomorrow, we'll take a look at Day 2 of the Festival.

Athletics at NAU

If you are interested in attending athletic events at Northern Arizona University (NAU) you'll like the NAU Lumberjacks website. One really handy resource is the Event Calendar. You can see each days' events by a simple mouse-over of the date. Easy access to the times for all activities, including volleyball, tennis, soccer, not just the big sports like football and basketball.

In addition you can see current news about NAU sports, like recaps of recent games or profiles of players. This is such a good resource since we no longer have Channel 2 News to keep us up-to-date on what's happening around town in Flagstaff and around campus.

Note: You can also see the TV Schedules for events that can be viewed on cable.

Hole in the Rock Expedition at Cline Library

The 2008 Community Lecture Series begins at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow night, September 17, at Cline Library, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff. The first lecture, by Stewart Aitchison, is The Last Wagon Train: The Hole-in-the Rock Expedition. Aitchison is a zoologist, geologist and naturalist.

Get more details at Grand Canyon Association Calendar.

We're really looking forward to this season of lectures.

A. E. Douglas by George Ernest Webb

Want to learn more about A.E. Douglas and the part he played in establishing Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff? Then you'll want to take a little trip to the library, your favorite used bookstore or Amazon.com to find a copy of Tree Rings and Telescopes: The Scientific Career of A. E. Douglass by George Ernest Webb. In its pages you will find that and much more.

Beginning with the first page of the preface, Webb catches your attention and doesn't let you go until the end of the last chapter, The Final Quest.

The first paragraph begins with, "On March 15, 1960, more than 100 persons gathered on the sun-warmed summit of a southern Arizona mountain to dedicate Kitt Peak National Observatory. From the beginning of the ceremonies, one man gained particular notice. Andrew Ellicott Douglass (1867-1962), ninety-three years old, listened intently to the speakers and carefully explored the site of the largest single collection of astronomical instruments in the United States."

Webb ends with, "Few scientists establish enviable reputations in two fields; fewer still create and entirely new discipline. Douglass's success in achieving both these feats assures his place among the leaders of modern science."

And in the 190 pages in between, he details the career of A. E. Douglass. From Harvard University, to Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, to the University of Arizona in Tucson, Steward Observatory and the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, his impact on the making of science in the Southwest is explored with a sense of wonder and admiration.

This book is well-researched and includes extensive chapter notes and an impressive bibliography. I highly recommend it.

Arizona Geology Blog

Today seems like a good day to take a virtual trip over to Arizona Geology, the blog of the State Geologist of Arizona. To find out about Lee Allison, the blog's author, State Geologist and Director Arizona Geological Survey, and his reasons for starting Arizona Geology, see his first post on January 1, 2007. It is entitled Arizona lives and dies by its geology.

You may actually want to go back and browse all of the posts. There is a lot of extremely interesting information in these blog archives. For instance, Basin & Range aquifers 4th most heavily used in nation is a very welcome post.

I've added Arizona Geology to The Conconino Chronicles' Blogs of Note in the sidebar.

Flagstaff Bed Races

This weekend, join the fun and support Toys for Toys at the Flagstaff Bed Races. It all starts at Wheeler Park and its free. On Saturday, September 13, 2008, activities run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 10:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m.

You can watch the Bed Races and the Toys for Tots Parade. This will be two days of fun for the kids, too. There will be a ferris wheel, a bounce house and lots of kid's activities.

Don't forget the food and the craft show. Sounds like something for everyone at this 14th annual Flagstaff Bed Races.

Flagstaff Prelude to Open Studios

The Prelude to Open Studios exhibit is now open at the Coconino Center for the Arts. The Prelude is a glimpse of what we will be able to see during Flagstaff Open Studios, September 20-21, 2008. This exhibit features new works by all the artists participating in Open Studios.

You can get the details at Flagstaff Cultural Partners. Printed brochure maps for Open Studios are available at the Flagstaff Visitor Center, as well as at the Coconino Center for the Arts.

Flagstaff Weekend Events--So Much To Do

Flagstaff Route 66 Days has arrived. Lots of things going on tonight through Sunday. See the calendar of events here.

In addition, if hot cars amid "the cool pines of Arizona's High Country" is not for you, then head over to FlagstaffArizona.org and check out the calendar for the weekend. There's just too much to highlight it all here.

You have your choice of everything from a public recycling tour this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. to NAU Women's Soccer or NAU Football to the Grand Canyon Music Festival on the South Rim.

Sounds like there is something for everyone. Now, if we only knew what to do first.

Flagstaff First Friday ArtWalk

Remember that tomorrow, September 5, 2008, is the date for Flagstaff's First Friday ArtWalk. The time is 6-9 p.m. You can get all the details on this website. They even have a September ArtWalk Map that can be downloaded as a pdf.

If you've never been to this monthly event, it time to check it out. Enjoy the atmosphere of historic downtown and see what's new from Flagstaff artist's and artisans.

Seems like a really good time to also enjoy this wonderful cool mountain weather.

Coconino County Crater

It's been a while since we took a trip back to look at Coconino County history. So, here's an interesting excerpt from the 1906 Bulletin of the American Geographical Society, about Meteor Crater, then called Coon Mountain:

"COON MOUNTAIN'S SO-CALLED CRATER. — Messrs. P. M. Barringer and B. C. Tilghman have made an examination of Coon Mountain in Arizona, and the results of their work are published in the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (December, 1905). Coon Mountain or Butte rises above the plain about five miles south of Sunshine station in Coconino County, Arizona.

The evidence collected has convinced the investigators that the "crater" was produced by the impact of an iron body falling out of space. The so-called mountain consists of a circular ridge from 130 to 160 feet in height, surrounding an almost circular depression in the earth varying from 3,600 to 3,800 feet in diameter and about 400 feet deep.

Viewed from the inside the surrounding ridge is about 560 feet above the level of the crater bottom. As this hole has a general resemblance to a crater, some observers have surmised that it was really the crater of a long-extinct volcano. The rim around it, however, is not composed of volcanic outpourings; the hole penetrates strata of red sandstone, yellowish limestone, gray sandstone, and, finally, a brownish sandstone, in which it terminates. The writers dismiss as untenable the theory that this is a volcanic crater.

Another theory is that the hole was produced by a steam explosion; but the vast amount of steam required could be stored up only in regions of volcanic activity, and there is no evidence that this was ever such a region.

The writers believe the evidence to be overwhelming that the cavity was formed by the impact of a large meteorite. Much of the rock was ground by the collision into fine particles and almost impalpable dust, and a great part of the crater rim is formed of this debris. The colliding body itself was, to a large extent, broken into pieces. Borings have revealed small fragments and splinters of it, but no large piece has been found beneath the floor of the crater. On the other hand, several tons of meteoric iron have been collected around the crater. Seven pieces of it weigh from 600 to over 1,000 pounds each, and smaller pieces were found around the crater to a distance of two and a half miles.

These iron specimens contain iron, nickel, iridium, and platinum, and there are millions of particles of it scattered far and wide around the crater. A shaft is now to be sunk in the centre of the crater, and, if possible, sufficient depth will be reached to demonstrate whether or not there are parts of the supposed foreign body buried several hundred feet beneath the central plain."

Pages 306-307
Bulletin of the American Geographical Society
By American Geographical Society of New York
Published by The Society, 1906