h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Like a big pizza pie....that's amore!!

Sorry about that, I'm just giddy with excitement! The summer observing season is nearly upon us, and Peta has us all listed to do Field Research on the above topics.

Later this week, I plan to start new pages for each of my topics. I guess that's the first step. Then we need to find Researchers and whoever else is willing to help out and go from there.

I'll be willing to help on whatever you two are working on.

Joanna, my second Astronomy course in college was a survey of the solar system.

And Beeline, I should be able to swing some fun facts your way on NEOs and maybe even telescopes (though your dad seems like a top-choice Researcher for this one! (have you thought about getting him signed up with h2g2?)

I picked easy stuff for mine, but if you guys have any good observational information on the Messier objects, I'd love to hear about it. (I want to do both critiques of each object and explain a little of what they actually are.)

The other two are no brainers, but I'd still love to hear some observational anecdotes from you about lunar phases (like Joanna's Earthshine story) and especially good meteor showers. I've always been fond of the Leonids (since they peak on my birthday!) but the Persides are nice because they take place when it's warm!!

Enough of my babble!

Wahoo!! It's good to be a Guinea Pig!

- X

Cool Jimi, I already had you figured as someone I was hoping for help from...
So I'm going to go and farm out planets...

LOL!
I said the same thing to Peta about you!

Okaaaay! Woo hoo! Here we all are, then!

Alrighty - first thing I did was check out how much astro stuff there is out there already on h2g2. Under the Astronomy & Space Category (http://www.h2g2.com/C54) there is:

* Alpha Centauri
* Asteroids
* Astronomical Units
* Astronomy for Amateurs
* Longitude
* Parsecs
* The Roswell Incident
* Satellites
* The Solar System
* Total Solar Eclipses

Which is quite a lot already. Shall we just link all this in, and build on it as well? I guess so. The Solar System article there is fairly basic, so I'm sure there's lots you can add to in Joanna.

Otherwise, a standard h2g2 search brings up all sorts of things. I've seen an article or two on Tunguska, and other NEO-related stuff, so I'll look at them first.

Otherwise, I've been writing pages on my chosen topics, and will probably post some of them up today - or at least soon. I'm sure there are lots of bits of info that we can swap - JimiX seems to have the practical viewing side covered pretty well, and I go for the kind of 'popular science' approach (but with a little bit of technical stuff where necessary), but we can all share our little pools of knowledge!

My dad has a big old article he sent me on making his telescope. h2g2 is not really his scene, so I'll probably post it for him. I'm sure I'll convince him to drop by soon, though!

You're right - it IS GREAT to be a guinae pig!

I already had the solar system article as a jump of point, kind of along the lines of the "British Native Ponies" (http://www.h2g2.com/A303959 ) page that Abi did, a general introduction to the field. I have an entry on the sun going through the editorial process atm, so that'll be included, and theres the entry on asteroids already too, so there are the other planets and stuff...
I'm not supposed to be thinking astronomy today. *tries to get into differential equations mindset for this afternoon's exam* *tries hard*

Found an entry on Mars... (I knew there'd be one somewhere...) http://www.h2g2.com/A330823 posting the address here so I don't forget it by tomorrow...

Peta said she'd flag this page later this week. So we should be getting some hits then.

I've written up mock-ups of my pages so Researchers can see what directions I'm planning to go.

The pages are:

Lunar Phases at http://www.h2g2.com/A346673
Meteor Showers at http://www.h2g2.com/A346646
Messier Objects at http://www.h2g2.com/A346637

- X

Excellent - we're well underway.

I've posted some stuff up - now that we've got some pages actually created (although not necessarily filled) we can join up the links.

Here's what I've done so far:

Suggested core topics: http://www.h2g2.com/A347843
Why Astronomy: http://www.h2g2.com/A346844
My father's article on telescope making: http://www.h2g2.com/A346880
Near Earth Objects: http://www.h2g2.com/A347898
Ideas for the Dept.: http://www.h2g2.com/A347852

More to come...

Now I've got to do some searching for others' articles. Do we have free rein to use other people's material (crediting them, of course)? How do we do this - and does it have to be an approved article that we link to? I guess Peta can fill us in on this later on...

Peta said something about us being able to link to entries that were related, and incorperating and adding to existing entries.

How to View an Eclipse is a rather good job by Yoz of explaining the mechanics, though the title needs the word Solar in it somewhere as these elaborate precautions would be pointless with a lunar eclipse.

This one can be found at http://www.h2g2.com/A138151

And beeline already found the Solar Eclipse entry - which was rather well done and had a helpful graphic and everything!

Lisa, formerly ET http://www.h2g2.com/U50758 has agreed to be our Scout ACE. Just let her know when you need some help and she'll try to round them up.

I would suspect we'll be getting some visitors as she directs people to this page!

- X

Nice one Lisa - thanks in advance.

I think Peta's also going to post the whol kaboodle up on the front page soon, and no doubt there will be a very large number of people calling out to help - or at least pushing their pages our way for inclusion, assimilation or linking.

This thing is going to be big. Waaaay big!

BTW, say Mercury last night. It's ever so tiny, but amazingly bright!

Oooooh....

And I'm away next week. Typical.

Mercury is one I've never been able to view for an extended period. It's so close to the sun that it'll go through phases before it dips back below the horizon.

I'm hoping that this time, I'll be able to observe the phase changes. Of course, it's raining today.

But clearing is expected by the June 9 for it to be at its greatest height.

OK guys, barring a major deluge of Researchers with good anecdotes when these pages go live, the Meteor Showers page is finished. I'd appreciate it if y'all could go over there and read it over sometime.

I'm going to give it another proof in a few days to see if it still makes sense!

- X

Hi there!

Oh great , I've been wanting a thing like this for ages. Can I help (as an amature astronomer) I'm willing to write some articles as soon as the dreaded A-LEVELS are over! I've allready done one on Aurora here http://www.h2g2.com/A296697 and but I'm studying cosmology for physics so can do lots more. Intrests include Black Holes and other wierd/cool things, relativity, calculating distance of stars from back gardens, planets. Lots of stuff really. If I can help, let me know and I'll get typing (when I'm not revising!).

Nick Bailey



And slighly off the subject article on light polution (and a petition and some activities) accesed from my page. Not as a Uni article but it is important for astronomers.