Saturday, November 30, 2013

Astronomical Calendar: 2013 December

Photo
of SW PA WWII Memorial

Nearing completion (photograph taken 2013 November 20) is the Southwestern
Pennsylvania World War II Memorial, which will be dedicated on December 6, the
day before Pearl Harbor Day. This Memorial is located near other memorials,
remembering veterans of the Korea and Vietnam conflicts, in the Roberto Clemente
North Shore Riverfront Park, a few blocks southwest of Pittsburgh's original Buhl
Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science. (Image Source: Friends of the Zeiss)
More images and information about the Southwestern Pennsylvania World War II
Memorial: Link >>> http://www.swpawwii.org/

Astronomical Calendar for 2013 December:

Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium4.tripod.com/astrocalendar/2013.html#dec


The current month's Astronomical Calendar can also be found on the cover page of the History of The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science, Pittsburgh web site at this link:

Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#astrocal


Source: Friends of the Zeiss.

Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor/Author: < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#GAW >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Comet ISON vs. the Solar Storm

splash
The Heliospheric Imager on NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft is tracking Comet ISON as it plunges toward the sun. In this movie, which spans a two day period from Nov. 20 to Nov. 22, 2013, the sun is off-screen to the right. Coincidentally, Comet Encke is present too. Movie, Commentary

In 2007, astronomers were amazed when a solar storm hit Comet Encke.  NASA STEREO spacecraft watched as a CME (coronal mass ejection) struck the comet head on and ripped off its tail.

The same thing could be in store for Comet ISON--only worse.

On Nov. 28th, Comet ISON will pass through the sun's atmosphere, flying little more than a million kilometers above the sun's surface. It will be ~30 times closer to the sun than Encke was in 2007 and more likely to encounter a ferocious solar storm.

"For one thing," says Angelos Vourlidas of the Naval Research Lab and a participant in NASA's Comet ISON Observing Campaign (CIOC), "the year 2007 was near solar minimum. Solar activity was low. Now, however, we are near the peak of the solar cycle and eruptions are more frequent."

"I would absolutely love to see Comet ISON get hit by a big CME," says Karl Battams, an astronomer at the Naval Research Lab who also works with the CIOC. "It won't hurt the comet, but it would give us a chance to study extreme interactions with the comet's tail."

More - Link >>> http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/24nov_isoncme/

Source: NASA Science News.

Related Blog Posts ---

Comet ISON -

Should We Worry About Comet ISON ?  (2013 Oct. 10):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2013/10/should-we-worry-about-comet-ison.html

 

Amateur Astronomers See Comet ISON  (2013 Sept. 26):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2013/09/amateur-astronomers-see-comet-ison.html

 

Comet ISON to Fly by Mars  (2013 Aug. 24):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2013/08/comet-ison-to-fly-by-mars.html

 

Comet ISON: Unique Meteor Shower Mid-January  (2013 April 20):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2013/04/comet-ison-unique-meteor-shower-mid.html

 

Astronomers Begin Study of Comet ISON  (2013 April 1):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2013/04/astronomers-begin-study-of-comet-ison.html

 

Comet of the Century? (2013 Jan. 19):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2013/01/comet-of-century.html


Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor/Author: < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#GAW >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Friday, November 22, 2013

JFK: Loss of the Man Who Sent Us to the Moon



President John F. Kennedy, speaking before a Joint Session of Congress on 1961 May 25, where he
states: "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth." (Image Source: NASA)

                        John Fitzgerald Kennedy:
           The Loss of the Man Who Sent Us to the Moon
           A Personal Remembrance From 50 Years Ago
                         By Glenn A. Walsh
                Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

At the moment of the posting of this blog post (blog post posted at 1:30 p.m. EST  / 12:30 p.m. CST in Dallas on 2013 November 22), it has been exactly fifty years since gun shots rang-out, in Dallas' Dealey Plaza, resulting in the fourth assassination of an American President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. President Kennedy was pronounced dead 30 minutes later at Parkland Hospital.

The man who had set the nation's agenda to a long-range, ten-year goal, a goal of scientific achievement, to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to the Earth, was suddenly gone. Such long-range goals of nations are extremely rare, particularly during peace time. The last previous, such scientific effort had been the Manhattan Project during World War II, which had allowed the United States to successfully perfect and use an atomic bomb.

Although a new type of conflict known as the "Cold War" was certainly the impetus for the new "Space Race" to the Moon. The shock of the Russian launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik on 1957 October 4, led to a huge American reinvestment in education and basic research, particularly in what is now known as the STEM fields: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Then a month before President Kennedy's speech before a Joint Session of Congress on 1961 May 25 where he launched the Moon landing goal, the Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the Earth in space on 1961 April 12.

After consulting with scientific experts, President Kennedy determined that a manned landing on the Moon would be a very challenging technological feat, but it was a feat that American technology and scientific expertise could achieve. With this vision of the youngest elected U.S. President, our country did succeed in landing 12 men on the Moon (including Pittsburgh native James B. Irwin) and returning them safely to the Earth. And, this was done probably earlier than it normally would have happened, had we waited until our technology, particularly computer technology, was mature enough to be more confident of a successful outcome. The computer I am using to write this blog-post is more powerful than the computers aboard the Apollo space capsules that went to the Moon.

However, despite the many problems that occurred during the Apollo missions, including the tragedy of the deaths of three astronauts during a test of Apollo 1 on 1967 January 27 and the near-tragedy of the oxygen tank explosion on Apollo 13 on 1970 April 13, America succeeded in this scientific achievement, without any wartime consequences. This is an amazing legacy for a President who served in office less than three years.

Like many baby-boomers of that era, despite my young age, I remember where I was and what I was doing the afternoon I learned of the death of the 35th President of the United States of America. I had just turned age eight, ten days earlier, and I was attending my third-grade class in the DeHaven Elementary School, in the north Pittsburgh suburb of Shaler Township.

Sometime in the mid-afternoon, probably around 2:30 p.m. EST, on Friday, 1963 November 22, our teacher was called to the school office. When she returned to the classroom, she informed the class that President Kennedy had been shot and killed. Unlike larger and more modern school buildings, DeHaven was a very old school building having opened in 1903 (the school closed in 1982 and was demolished several years ago), and hence, it had no public address system. While students at other schools around the country may have heard the news over their school's public address system, the students at DeHaven heard the news, personally, from their teacher. DeHaven classes were dismissed about a half-hour early that afternoon.

I, quickly, walked the quarter-mile home to tell my parents what I had learned at school. In addition to my mother (Eleanor) being at home that afternoon with my two young sisters (Gayle and Lynne) as usual, my father (William) had stayed-home sick that day. My father was a research chemist at the Gulf Oil Corporation's Gulf Research subsidiary research labs in the northeast Pittsburgh suburb of Harmarville (these research labs are now owned by the University of Pittsburgh).

When I arrived home, I found out that my parents had already heard the news shortly before I reached the house, a little after 3:30 p.m. EST. As usual, my mother had turned-on our large, vacuum-tube, black-and-white television set a few minutes early to warm-it-up, to watch the CBS-TV soap opera, The Edge of Night, on KDKA-TV 2 at 3:30 p.m. EST. At first, when she saw the news was being broadcast, she did not think much of it. In that era, CBS-TV broadcast a five-minute news update program with anchor Douglas Edwards, each weekday at 3:25 p.m. EST. When the news program continued past 3:30 p.m. EST (the continuing news coverage of the assassination, preempting the soap opera), she knew something was wrong and soon learned what had happened.

As I walked in my home's front door, my father was talking on our telephone, which was located adjacent to the kitchen in our small dining room. I remember him saying (probably to a friend or work colleague) that it was just "stupid" to assassinate the President of the United States.

Later in the weekend, while my family watched the continuing television news coverage, I remember my father (a great student of history, who had almost decided to become a history professor) telling me that I was watching "history in-the-making."

The Shaler Township School District cancelled classes on Monday (1963 November 25), the day of the televised state funeral for President Kennedy, as did many other school districts. However, the school vacation during the holidays was shortened by one day, to make-up for the cancellation of classes on that Monday.

I watched, with great interest, what has been described as the first "wall-to-wall" television coverage of a major national news event, the continuing coverage all weekend-long of the aftermath of the assassination of President Kennedy. As a child, I was just beginning to become interested in science, history, public and governmental affairs, and current events. My father, who was also very interested in these subjects, encouraged me. When we traveled, we would visit state capitols, historic attractions such as Fort McHenry and Fort Ticonderoga, as well as scientific sites such as the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Kennedy (now returned to its original name, Cape Canaveral).

As the Space Program proceeded into Project Gemini, I started a scapbook of news articles from the many space missions. Although activities clubs were rare in elementary schools in that era, when some sixth-graders at DeHaven School decided to start an Astronomy Club, I eagerly joined while in fifth-grade. Also, while in DeHaven School I entered the school science fair with a clay model of the ancient Stonehenge astronomical observatory. Although at first I did not win a prize, the teachers judging the competition changed their minds and decided to award me an Honorable Mention for the project.


Starting on my tenth birthday (1965 November 12) I made my first of many visits (particularly during junior high school) to Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science. Years later, I would go on to become Astronomical Observatory Coordinator and a Planetarium Lecturer at the original Buhl Planetarium, as well as Curator of a fairly unique embryology exhibit where chicks (and occasionally ducklings) were hatched before visitors' eyes every weekend.

It was the NASA Space Program of the 1960s which sparked my interest in Space and Astronomy. And, the father of that Space Program was John Fitzgerald Kennedy. His untimely death is a tragedy to American history, as well as to the American Space Program.

More on the decision to go to the Moon:
Link >>> http://history.nasa.gov/moondec.html
 
More on John Fitzgerald Kennedy:
Link >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jfk 

More on the assassination of President Kennedy:
Link >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_John_F._Kennedy

Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.

Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor/Author: < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#GAW >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Laserium: 40th Anniversary



By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower


Today (November 19) marks the 40th anniversary of the musical concert set to laser lights known as Laserium, once seen in many planetaria worldwide, including Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center). As Laserium is considered the first on-going laser show that was not part of a special or one-time event, it is also thought that Laserium launched the international laser display industry.

The first Laserium laser-light concert took place in the Griffith Observatory Planetarium, on a high hill in Griffith Park above the Hollywood section of Los Angeles, on 1973 November 19, produced by the new company known as Laser Images of Van Nuys, California. Laserium concerts went on to be shown in 46 other locations worldwide (and viewed by more than 20 million people), including in Buhl Planetarium's 425-seat Theater of the Stars four years later in the Summer of 1977. Taking advantage of scientifically-rooted entertainment programs in a scientifically-oriented venue, Laserium provided planetaria with new programming (mostly at night, after the conclusion of the day's last planetarium show, or when some planetaria were normally closed), a new and younger audience base, and a new revenue stream.

Apparently, there was some debate among Buhl Planetarium officials, as to whether to host Laserium at Buhl Planetarium. The late John Miller, who was Buhl Planetarium Floor Manager during the 1960s and 1970s, recalled an incident shortly following the conclusion of a Buhl Foundation Board of Directors meeting, which had been held in Buhl Planetarium's second-floor Library in late 1976 or early 1977. In Buhl Planetarium's first-floor Great Hall, near the entrance to the east staircase leading to the Library and also to the Astronomical Observatory, Buhl Planetarium Executive Director Carl F. Wapiennik was speaking with Buhl Foundation Board member (representing the City of Pittsburgh, as a then-member of Pittsburgh City Council; he is now a Judge on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, Orphans Court Division) Frank J. Lucchino. As John Miller remembered it, Frank Lucchino said to Carl Wapiennik, in no uncertain terms, "You get that Laserium!"

Buhl Planetarium began, on 1977 July 14, showing Laserium six nights a week, except Monday evening when Buhl was normally closed. By 1982, Laserium was shown Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings each week (as Buhl was now closed Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights), as well as a family-oriented Laserium concert on weekend afternoons.

Evening shows were usually scheduled at 8:00, and 9:15 Thursday through Sunday, with additional shows at 10:30 and at 11:45 or midnight on Friday and Saturday. Weekend matinees were scheduled at 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays and at 3:00 p.m. on Sundays. During the Christmas holidays, a holiday-themed laser show was offered on weekends and also at 3:00 p.m. during the extended holiday hours of Christmas week.

In the first fiscal year of Laserium operation at Buhl Planetarium, 1977-1978, 119,308 people attended a Laserium concert; of this number, 118,150 were paid admissions. Additionally, 4,448 students in 75 school group visits also attended Laserium.

In the late 1980s, Laserium ticket prices were $5 for adults and $3.50 for children ages 3 to 12 for evening shows. Prices for family matinees (usually on weekends and during holiday periods) were $3.85 for adults and $2.50 for children ages 3 to 12. There was no special price for senior citizens. People could call a special pre-recorded telephone message (different from the regular Buhl Planetarium pre-recorded activities messages) to learn of each week's concerts including times and prices, at 412-321-5554.

A Laserium exhibit, explaining the science of lasers, was also displayed in Buhl Planetarium's Great Hall, near the entrance to the Theater of the Stars, for several years. 

The Laserium staff at Buhl Planetarium consisted of two people. The person operating the Laser projector (which was installed adjacent to the planetarium control console) was known as the Laserist. At Buhl Planetarium, the primary Laserist was Jon Hanson Shisler, who simply used Jon Hanson as his stage name. There were several other part-time Laserists, often regular Buhl Planetarium employees, who performed a Laserium concert when Jon Hanson had a day-off.


Unlike other types of shows, including some planetarium shows, Laserium shows are not pre-recorded. The Laserist manipulates the laser and performs the show, live, at the time of the presentation. The multicolored laser light is choreographed to the pre-recorded music, usually rock-and-roll songs for young people in the evening shows. However, the family matinee shows often included classical music and holiday-themed music.

The second staff member was the Star Pilot, the person who operated Buhl's historic Zeiss II Planetarium Projector (and sometimes other planetarium special effects projectors), to display a star field during the Laserium concerts. It is believed that the position title of "Star Pilot" originated at Buhl Planetarium. Usually Buhl technicians or planetarium lecturers were Star Pilots for these shows.

Of course, regular Buhl Planetarium ticket cashiers sold tickets for Laserium. Buhl Floor Aides took the tickets at the Planetarium entrance, as well as seating latecomers with a red-lighted flashlight, entering from the side exits. A Buhl Floor Aide often sat-in on each concert, to ensure that there were no problems in the Planetarium, Buhl Planetarium paid for a City police officer, on special detail for Laserium, to be on-site during all evening Laserium concerts, to ensure security of the staff and patrons.

As an entertainment program, it was necessary for Buhl Planetarium to charge City of Pittsburgh Amusement Tax for each Laserium ticket, which was not necessary for Buhl's planetarium and other science education programs. Usually, this tax was hidden in the overall ticket price.


At that time, the City Amusement Tax was ten percent of the ticket price. The City Amusement Tax was cut in half, with the formation of the Allegheny Regional Asset District (ARAD) in 1994, which used half of the proceeds of a new one-percent sales and use tax levied in Allegheny County to help fund museums, libraries, sports stadia, and other cultural entities or "regional assets." Prior to the formation of ARAD, Buhl Planetarium had been subsidized by the City and County governments, sporadically.

As planetarium shows could be scheduled for school groups at Buhl Planetarium, Laserium shows could also be scheduled for the school students to see. To avoid charging schools the City Amusement Tax, Buhl Planetarium added an educational segment, which explained the science of lasers and their many uses, at the beginning of each school group Laserium concert.

Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh and his family visited Buhl Planetarium on 1984 May 25 to see Laserium. The Governor had been invited that evening by Buhl Science Center President Joshua C. Whetzel, Jr., who was lobbying for state funding for construction of a new science center building on the North Shore of the Ohio River, across from Downtown Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania did provide significant funding ($17 million of $40 million cost) for this project, which resulted in construction of The Carnegie Science Center.


That Friday evening, the Governor and his family attended the 9:15 p.m. Laserium performance. As the Governor's wife, Ginny, entered Buhl first, she was almost charged the regular ticket price, as the ticket cashier did not recognize her.

At that time, Buhl Planetarium's exhibit galleries closed to the public on Friday evenings at 9:30 p.m. So, since the Laserium show lasted about an hour, the Governor and his family, normally, would not have been able to see any Buhl exhibits after the show.


However, one Buhl exhibit (located in the Great Hall close to the building entrance), by necessity, actually operated 24 /7 /365: the BioCorner Embryology Exhibit, where chicks (and occasionally ducklings) were hatched in front of visitors' eyes every weekend and displayed in brooders the rest of the week. So, when the Governor and his family left the Theater of the Stars after the Laserium show, the SpaceWatchtower blog author, Glenn A. Walsh (who had created the exhibit a year earlier and was Curator of the exhibit), suggested that they visit the BioCorner exhibit before leaving Buhl Planerarium.

Josh Whetzel (who had originated the concept of a Buhl embryology exhibit, after seeing a similar exhibit at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry) agreed with this suggestion, and the Governor and his family spent the next ten minutes viewing the exhibit and petting, feeding, and holding the young chicks. This exhibit was of particular interest to the Governor's son, Peter, who has physical and intellectual disabilities.

While Laserium began the laser entertainment industry in 1973, competitors soon followed. Laserium continued performing shows at Los Angeles' Griffith Observatory until 2002. According to Laser Images, Laserium was the longest running theatrical attraction in the history of Los Angeles. Today, Laserium is shown at the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, California, and Laserium recently returned to the St. Louis Science Center. Laserium also offers shows at their Van Nuys studios on select dates, and they continue to perform laser shows at special events.


On 1987 October 1, Buhl Science Center management decided to begin showing laser shows from a newer company, Audio Visual Imagineering (AVI) with Laserist John McLeroy.

According to a news article in the 1987 October 1 issue of The Pittsburgh Press, Buhl Media Relations Assistant Mary Pat McCarthy said, "AVI is developing newer shows. They're on the cutting edge of the laser world. It just seemed to be more up-to-date." The news report also stated that the AVI laser to be used at Buhl Planetarium was a krypton laser, "about four times as powerful as Laserium's" according to Mr. McLeroy.

However, change in laser companies again came to Buhl Planetarium, when Laser Fantasy International (LFI) started showing laser shows in the Theater of the Stars on 1990 March 15. According to an article in the "Weekender" section of that day's issue of The Pittsburgh Press, Laser Fantasy would use "precision beam technology of the 5-watt Argon laser and the 1.5-watt Krypton laser."

Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center), which had opened as America's fifth major planetarium on 1939 October 24, closed permanently to general public visitation on 1991 August 31. The new Carnegie Science Center, with a new Henry Buhl Jr., Planetarium and Observatory, opened a mile away, on the North Shore of the Ohio River, on 1991 October 5.

The original Buhl Planetarium building was then designated  the Allegheny Square Annex of The Carnegie Science Center, a tutorial center for Science Center science and computer classes, as well as teacher professional development programs (as The Carnegie Science Center was purposely designed without classrooms). However, in a budget-cutting move, the original Buhl Planetarium building was completely closed (despite protests of this author) in February of 1994. Space was, then, renovated on The Carnegie Science Center's third floor for classrooms.

The original Buhl Planetarium building, today, is part of a complex used by the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. The complex also includes the historic 1897 original main post office for the City of Allegheny (which merged with the City of Pittsburgh in 1907) and a modern "Nightlight" building which connects the two historic structures. The Children's Museum is now, also, considering reuse of America's first publicly-funded Carnegie Library building, next-door, which was abandoned by The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (also protested by this author) after lightning struck the clock tower in 2006 (even though the City completely repaired the damages to the building).

Laser shows continue to be shown at The Carnegie Science Center. While they were shown in the Omnimax Theater in the first few years of the new Science Center's operation, they are now shown in the 156-seat Henry Buhl Jr. Planetarium. The laser shows are now operated by The Carnegie Science Center, using equipment built by Laser Fantasy International. According to the Science Center web site, the new laser technology, which uses less electricity than previous laser systems and does not require flowing water for cooling, will save approximately 300,000 gallons of water and more than 30,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year (which represents approximately 500,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emmissions).

November 19 marks another anniversary for Buhl Planetarium. On the evening of 1941 November 19, Buhl Planetarium's third-floor Astronomical Observatory (originally known as The People's Observatory) opened to the general public with the dedication of the rather unique 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope. Noted Astronomer Harlow Shapley, then Director of the Harvard College Observatory, gave the keynote address. First light through the telescope was the ringed-planet Saturn.

The same evening a new planetarium show premiered, titled "Bombers by Starlight," on celestial navigation. And, in the lower-level Octagon Gallery a new exhibit opened, titled, "Can America Be Bombed?" This was two and one-half weeks before the surprise Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii !



Early History of Laserium at Buhl Planetarium:
Link to first page >>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/BuhlAnnualRpt1979-80p24.JPG
Link to second page >>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/BuhlAnnualRpt1979-80p25.JPG

More on Laserium:
Link 1 >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laserium
Link 2 >>> http://www.laserium.com/

More on Buhl Planetarium's historic Theater of the Stars:
Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium3.tripod.com/BuhlZeissII.htm

More on Buhl Planetarium's BioCorner Embryology Exhibit:
Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium4.tripod.com/biocorner/historybiocorner.html  

More on Buhl Planetarium's historic Astronomical Observatory:
Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2011/11/70th-anniversary-buhl-planetarium.html

Special Thanks: Sharon Shanks, Planetarian Editor, and Scott Anderson, Laserium.

Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.

Related Blog Post ---

Former Buhl Science Center President Dies - Joshua C. Whetzel, Jr. (2012 Jan. 29):
Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2012/01/buhl-science-ctr.html
 
Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor/Author: < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#GAW >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Leonid Meteors Peak Sun. Just After Full Beaver Moon




By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower 

The Leonid Meteor Shower officially peaks at high Noon Eastern Standard Time on Sunday (17:00 Coordinated Universal Time), so obviously no one in North America will see meteors at that time. However, due to a Full Moon occurring less than two hours earlier, Leonid meteors will also be difficult to see late Saturday night--early Sunday morning and late Sunday night--early Monday morning.

Meteors from the Leonid Meteor Shower emanate from remnants of Comet Tempel-Tuttle. Leonid Meteor Storms occur once each 33 years (the last one was in 2009), when many meteors are visible. Other years, such as this year, the peak rate of meteors would be about 10 meteors per hour, under ideal conditions. And, with a Full Moon hampering the view, this year will not be ideal.

However, if you wish to try your luck with the Leonids this year, the best time to see any meteor shower is between local Midnight and Dawn, when the Earth is actually rotating into the meteor shower. The Leonids are so named because most meteors appear to radiate from the Constellation Leo the Lion. However, during any meteor shower, meteors can appear in any part of the sky at any time.

Telescopes and binoculars are of little use for finding meteors. Such optical devices restrict the field-of-view, thus that you could easily miss a lot of meteors, and the chance that you could observe a meteor with a telescope or binoculars is not very good. The best way to look for meteors is to lie down on the ground, in an area with an unobstructed view of most of the sky. Then, just keep scanning throughout the sky until you see a meteor.

The Full Moon of November, in the Northern Hemisphere, is generally known as the Beaver Moon. This was the time when Native Americans set-out beaver traps, before creeks and swamps froze-over, to ensure a good supply of warm furs for the coming Winter. Although beavers do not hibernate, by the following month the beavers would be in their lodges for the Winter, difficult for hunters to trap.

This beaver fur was its most usable at this time of year, both waterproof and warm. The furs also provided a special oil, used as a hair protector. The beaver was revered by the Native Americans, spiritually.

While most people consider the Full Moon as the Beaver Moon, the Native Americans actually considered the whole Moon cycle (all four Moon phases) as the Beaver Moon (i.e. the Beaver Month for the 28.5-day lunar cycle).

Other researchers believe the Beaver Moon name came from the fact that beavers, themselves, are active building water dams,  preparing for Winter.

The Beaver Moon occurs this year on Sunday, 2013 November 17 at 10:16 a.m. EST (15:16 Coordinated Universal Time).

This month's Full Moon sometimes is also referred to as the Frost or Frosty Moon. And, some Indian tribes referred to the November Full Moon as the Deer-Mating Moon or the Fur-Pelts Moon.

For years when the Harvest Moon occurs in October (when the October Full Moon date is closer to the Autumnal Equinox than the September Full Moon date), the November Full Moon is then known as the Hunter's Moon. However, this was not the case in 2013.

In the Southern Hemisphere, the Full Moon of November is known as the Corn Moon, Milk Moon, Flower Moon, and Hare Moon.

More on How to make the most of a low-key Leonid meteor shower:
Link >>> http://www.nbcnews.com/science/how-make-most-low-key-leonid-meteor-shower-2D11603441

More on the Leonid Meteor Shower:
Link >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonid_meteor_shower

More on Comet Tempel-Tuttle:
Link >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/55P/Tempel-Tuttle

More on Full Moon names ---
Link 1 >>> http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/full-moon-names
Link 2 >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_moon#Harvest_and_Hunter.27s_moons
Link 3 >>> http://www.farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names/

Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.

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Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor/Author: < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#GAW >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Time Travel Into Past Not Possible Says Philosophy Professor


by

Fanciful ideas of time travel to the past were dispelled by modern philosopher Ned Markosiah at Tuesday night’s (October 29) “Philosophy Today” lecture at the University of Alabama.

“So my argument is that time travel to the past is not possible if a certain theory of time is true. Namely, the dynamic theory of time, which I do think is true,” Markosian, a philosophy professor at Western Washington University, said. “So, I do think time travel to the past is not possible. As for time travel to the future, that could still be possible.”

The talk compared two competing schools of thought about time: static time and dynamic time.
According to static time, all times are equally real. So what happened a few days ago still exists in the same way as what is happening right now.

According to dynamic time, time is like a moving spotlight that shines on certain moments, and only the moments that are under the light exist. The spotlight keeps moving and cannot be stopped, just as time cannot be stopped.

Markosian said time travel to the past is impossible according to dynamic time theory for several reasons.

More - Link >>> http://cw.ua.edu/2013/10/30/visiting-philosopher-declares-time-travel-to-past-impossible/

Source: The Crimson White of the University of Alabama.

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gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor/Author: < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#GAW >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Huge Sunspot Group Faces Earth w/ X-Class Flares

Monster sunspot group 1890 now faces Earth. Taken on Nov. 8, 2013. Credit and copyright: Ron Cottrell.

Monster sunspot group 1890 now faces Earth. Taken on Nov. 8, 2013. Credit and copyright: Ron Cottrell.

The Sun is finally acting like it’s in solar maximum. Our Sun has emitted dozens of solar flares since Oct. 23, 2013, with at least six big X-class flares. On Friday morning (Coordinated Universal Time), it blasted out a X1.1 flare at 04:32 UT (11:32 p.m. EST on Nov. 7, 2013). While old Sol had been fairly quiet for the time where it was supposed to be active in its normal 11-year cycle, only recently has activity ramped up with increased flares and sunspots.

Speaking of sunspots, a huge group designated AR 1890 has turned to face Earth. This sunspot has a trend of producing very brief flares. The X1-flare today was no exception as it lasted barely a minute.

 More - Link >>> http://www.universetoday.com/106278/solar-activity-ramps-up-as-giant-sunspot-group-turns-to-face-earth/

Source: UniverseToday.com .

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gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor/Author: < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#GAW >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Asteroid w/ 6 Comet-like Tails Seen for 1st Time

Astronomers viewing our solar system's asteroid belt with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have seen for the first time an asteroid with six comet-like tails of dust. Designated P/2013 P5, the asteroid resembles a rotating lawn sprinkler.

"We were literally dumbfounded when we saw it," said lead investigator David Jewitt of the University of California at Los Angeles. "Even more amazing, its tail structures change dramatically in just 13 days as it belches out dust. That also caught us by surprise. It's hard to believe we’re looking at an asteroid."

splash
This NASA Hubble Space Telescope set of images reveals a never-before-seen set of six comet-like tails radiating from a body in the asteroid belt, designated P/2013 P5.
 
Jewitt leads a team whose research paper appears online in the Nov. 7 issue of the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

P/2013 P5 has been ejecting dust periodically for at least five months. Astronomers believe it is possible the asteroid's rotation rate increased to the point where its surface started flying apart. They do not believe the tails are the result of an impact with another asteroid because they have not seen a large quantity of dust blasted into space all at once.

More - Link >>> http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/07nov_6tails/

Source: NASA Science News.

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gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor/Author: < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#GAW >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Saving Library Materials: "Great Depression Mentality" ???

http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/Allegheny-Clocktower.JPG

Rising above the trees of Allegheny Square is the clocktower of America's first
publicly-funded Carnegie Library, the original Allegheny Regional Branch of
The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (originally the Carnegie Free Library of Allegheny)
which opened in the then-independent City of Allegheny (now Pittsburgh's North Side)
in 1890. After lightning struck the clocktower in 2006, and even though the City
repaired all damages, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh abandoned the original
building and built a new, smaller branch library three blocks north on Federal Street.
The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh is now considering reuse of the library building.
(Image Source: Friends of the Zeiss; Photographer: Lynne S. Walsh)
More on the history of the Carnegie Free Library of Allegheny:
Link >>> http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/photoalbumAlleghenyReg.htm

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

The reuse of library space for programming, rather than to store library materials, was one of the themes mentioned by Allegheny County Library Association (ACLA) Executive Director Marilyn Jenkins, during her annual budget presentation before the Board of Directors of the Allegheny Regional Asset District (ARAD) on August 20. She noted, approvingly, that some libraries were now reusing library space, which once contained book stacks, for programming for teenagers. In her statement, she disparaged older librarians, who she said had a "Great Depression mentality," for their reluctance to discard library materials and reuse the space for programming.

Glenn A. Walsh, former Life Trustee of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, found this statement appalling. Hence, Mr. Walsh delivered the following statement before the Board of Directors of the Allegheny Regional Asset District, at the District's annual public hearing on October 29:




Statement before the     Glenn A. Walsh
Annual Hearing of           P.O. Box 1041
   the Board of                   Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15230-1041 U.S.A.
 Directors of the               Telephone: 412-561-7876
 Allegheny Regional        Electronic Mail: < gaw@andrewcarnegie.cc >
   Asset District                 Internet Site: < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
 2013 October 29                 Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com >

Good afternoon. I am Glenn A. Walsh, 633 Royce Avenue, Mt. Lebanon. From 1995 to 2000, I was a Life Trustee on the Board of Trustees of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, and I author a web site on the History of Andrew Carnegie and Carnegie Libraries at < www.andrewcarnegie.cc >. Today, I am speaking as a private citizen representing no organization.

I was quite troubled, during your annual budget hearings, when the Executive Director of the Allegheny County Library Association spoke disparagingly about some librarians who she said had a “Great Depression mentality” regarding their reluctance to discard library materials.  I wonder if she has forgotten the primary purpose of a library is to hold and maintain published materials of interest to a wide variety of audiences.

When I was a Library Trustee, I sought and received the donation of several additional book stacks, so our small library did not have to weed as many materials out of the collection. At the same time, a reference librarian told me that many older books, magazines, and journals had been discarded from Carnegie Library’s Allegheny Regional Branch. Are all of these discarded materials now available on-line or on microfilm in Allegheny County? I doubt it.

As a former Library Trustee, I am fully aware of the space and financial limitations of public libraries. However, the published information they have acquired and preserved over years and decades should not be discarded simply due to lack of space or funding. 

I ask that the Allegheny Regional Asset District work with public libraries, and perhaps even academic libraries, to plan a special repository for published materials that community libraries can no longer host. Such a repository should include at least one copy of every published material, in whatever media is most efficient, if such a material can no longer be retained at any community library in Allegheny County.

I would be happy to assist with any such plan.

gaw


As an addendum, I would like to recognize and again thank the public libraries which donated book stacks and other materials to the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall in the late 1990s:

* Mount Lebanon Public Library - Donated surplus book stacks, when their library closed for an expansion project.

* Baldwin Township Public Library - Donated book stacks and books when, regrettably, their library had to close permanently.

* Robinson Township Public Library - When the first attempt to establish a public library in Robinson Township failed, the book stacks and other materials were donated to the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, which is patronized by Robinson Township residents. Some years later, the second attempt to establish a public library in Robinson Township was successful.

* Upper Saint Clair Public Library - Donated several brand-new computer carrels, for which their library had no use.

Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.

Related Blog Posts ---

Carnegie Library Bldg. May Be Reused by Children's Museum  (2013 Sept. 3):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2013/09/carnegie-library-bldg-may-be-reused-by.html


Buhl Community Park at Allegheny Square Opens  (2012 June 25):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2012/06/buhl-community-park-at-allegheny-square.html 


Want to receive SpaceWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < spacewatchtower@planetarium.cc >..

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor/Author: < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#GAW >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >