September 5th, 2015

[BigAL]

Get your telescopes out.

[Deaf Bob]

You mean my U shaped telescope?
Explain please...

[BigAL]

You mean my U shaped telescope?
Explain please...

Sorry I was informed that no telescope is needed! Just take one of your dinner plates & wrap it in foil. Make sure it's shiny side out, and not the dull side (so, like, opposite of grilling fish). Aim it at the Big Dipper shortly after sunset. What you will see is the reflection of the earth off cosmic dust.

[Deaf Bob]

Hope it is clear that night!
Be interesting to see!

[RockJustRock]

I hope it won't interfere with THIS!

[BigAL]

I hope it won't interfere with THIS!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1053417[/ATTACH]

This is what the people on the southern side of the hemisphere will see.

[RockJustRock]

Now for the logical side. You see, the moon is actually just a giant mirror. The only time you see it is when light from the sun is reflected off it. SO when the planets align JUST RIGHT it can reflect an image of Earth.

[pdub]

Okay I think I have this phenomenon figured out. When there's a full moon on earth, it's a new earth as seen from the moon (no earth, the moon is looking at the dark side of earth).

So when you hold the tinfoil covered dinner plate up you'll see darkness, which is exactly what the earth looks like from the moon. So it actually works. And you can do it every 28 days, don't have to wait until the year 2419 to do it again. And when your neighbors come out and ask what you're doing, and you tell them, the parents will shoo the kids back in the house and they'll let the shades down and peek out from between the slats.

[RockJustRock]

At times I have had the pleasure of initiating people into the wonders of computers One of my favorite things to show them is Mapping and Google Earth. When you start it and the map of the area you're at comes up it is impressive. Then you can narrow it down to the street you are on. At that time you turn of the satellite view and it gets more exciting. Next zoom in on the building and you can see what your roof and yard looks like from above. At that point I say "Now run outside and wave so I can see you.". I'll get quite the quizzical stare!