Rare Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse

A sight not seen in 372 years, the Total Lunar Eclipse on this winter solstice will shine its coppery red hue down upon us. It will be the first time that a total lunar eclipse coincides with the winter solstice since 1638 (UPDATED : Credit: Geoff Chester of the US Naval Observatory). 

On early morning this Tuesday the 21st of December, The eclipse will be visible in the Northern Hemisphere.  Starting at 1:33AM EST, the moon will be partially eclipsed.  The moon will reach totality at 2:41AM EST, and it will last a generous 72 minutes.  It will return to partiality at 3:53AM EST, and will end at 5:01AM EST.

The best time to view the coppery red hue of the totality will be during its mid-point at 3:17AM EST. 

The coppery red hue is a result of the many sunrises and sunsets ringing the Earth at the time of the eclipse. The Earth’s atmosphere scatters and bends the sunlight giving it a penny-like coppery red color.

Here’s hoping the weather in the US will allow optimal viewing of this rare event.

To study a star, is to study the past.

Peace
G

UPDATE: Science@NASA has updated their Coincidence Information (The last Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse was in 1638).

@Thanks to Sky & Telescope and Science@NASA

The Cloud Mystery

This series of video clips was pointed out by a commenter on Watts Up With That?  It is a 52-Minute documentary which aired on TV in Europe…Henrik Svensmark’s theory about how the climate on earth is greatly affected by Cosmic Rays from the sun and outer space is a very interesting scientific view which was dismissed (without debate) by the AGW alarmists…they couldn’t seriously support such a theory…they can’t tax Cosmic Rays or Clouds…that would be absurd!

Very interesting…You have to ask yourself “why hasn’t anyone else come up with a theory showing the Sun and Space are more responsible for the climate variability?” You mean someone actually has the nerve to suggest that that large bright yellow ball of hot gases in the sky might actually have a dominating affect on our climate!?!  I can see why everyone missed it…It’s too simple! hmm!?!

Oh…FYI – for those that have never heard this…Water vapor (i.e. clouds) is the dominant Greenhouse Gas (GHG) not CO2.  But, since water vapor occurs naturally, they couldn’t expect to be able to tax clouds…that would be even too absurd for them to consider.

The documentary is divided into 6 clips.  If you don’t want to invest the time in watching all 52-minutes…I’d recommend watching Part 1 (9:24) and Part 6 (3:31)…Enjoy!

Peace
G

Part 1/6

 

Part 2/6

 

Part 3/6

 

Part 4/6

 

Part 5/6

 

Part 6/6

- Don’t buy the hype, think for yourself!

Black Carbon Responsible for Himalayan Warming

Well...who would of thought it? NASA Goddard finally does useful science.

Seems that Dr. Roger Pielke Sr. knows more than some AGW religious fanatics give him credit. Dr Pielke Sr has always held the opinion that other forcings were more responsible than Greenhouse Gases.

A new study from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD shows that Soot (also known as Black Carbon) is more responsible for warming temperatures in the Himalayas than Carbon Dioxide. Turns out that the melting in the Himalayan mountains may be caused by man after all, but instead of continually blaming it on Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) it seems that black carbon soot is the real culprit. As the article states, soot is produced "When fossil fuels are burned without enough oxygen to complete combustion, one of the byproducts is black carbon, an aerosol that absorbs solar radiation..." This black carbon comes from poorly developed regions in Asia with large populations of people, like China, India, etc. And, guess what...It's relatively easy to remedy, and could have much quicker results to the climate. More study of this has been proposed and should be done. Let's hope that the misguided religious fanatics don't start hooking their CO2 hooks into this. Let's hope some real science comes of this.

Maybe ClimateGate wasn't such a bad thing after all...Amen to that!

See the article from NASA - http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/himalayan-warming.html

or, see Dr Pielke Sr's take on it - http://pielkeclimatesci.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/news-release-on-soot-effects-on-climate-in-the-himalayas-its-larger-than-the-forcing-from-the-human-input-of-co2/


Oh and by the way, Himalayan warming is not global warming...The key word being "global". =)

"Don't buy the hype, think for yourself!"

Peace
G

Not Enough Hurricanes - No Problem

This just goes to show how far Mr Gore will go to make everyone believe his bullshit...Truth is there is no link between Global Warming and increased Hurricane activity. When the facts don't support the theory, make up the facts as you see fit...

Taking advice on science from this jackass is like taking a public speaking class from GW Bush! Stuuuupid!


This article is from Anthony Watts' climate science blog...all credit to his blog for true scientific discussion and debate.

From: Watts Up With That (http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/11/19/not-finding-any-gore-airbrushes-in-hurricanes-for-his-new-book/)

Not finding any, Gore airbrushes in hurricanes for his new book

19 11 2009

Al Gore’s new book had a problem – no big hurricanes since Katrina to put in the book to look “threatening” to the USA. Any imagined link between hurricanes and global warming has evaporated.

Solution: the artists airbrush.

Ryan Maue, hurricane expert from the University of Florida writes:

Anthony,

Not a lot of hurricanes here

The cover opens and closes half and half — so you only see one hurricane…as in the press release photo or the one on Amazon.

But this is the real picture sequence from the book which I looked at Borders today and took cell-phone pictures, original (before the retouching by some “artist”) Note all of the Arctic ice and the size of the Florida Peninsula…

and the final product:

Now with 4 scary hurricanes - hey where's the ice?

WUWT?

A midget Southern Hemisphere cyclone is off the coast of Florida, another hurricane is sitting on the equator off the coast of Peru — and the Arctic Ice is gone (perhaps it is summer) and the Florida Peninsula is half gone

There are other differences I am sure you can find — but the hurricanes are just nonsense…

Ryan

Here’s the book cover:

Nonsense? No more like scaremongering, especially when it has been shown time and again that there is no hurricane to global warming linkage, and we are at a 30 year low.

Mr. Gore, you are a charlatan.