Rocky Start

          Third Rock was a TV sitcom popular back in the '90's. I don't watch the tube so I never saw the show, but I've heard it was fun. Something about a family of clueless aliens trying to live on Earth in human form. The title Third Rock was just a clever way of saying that their new home orbited in the solar system's number three position going out from the Sun.

     If you're willing to get up before dawn on these cold February mornings you can currently see all four of the rocky planets at the same time. Mercury, Venus and Mars are visible in the eastern sky before sunrise and you'll be standing on the third rock ... Earth. Dazzling Venus is by far the 'star' of the show. Mars is dim by comparison and Mercury can be tough to spot down lower and closer to the brightening horizon as day approaches. 

From Sky and Telescope website

     These four relatively small terrestrial bodies are contrasted with the four giant gas/ice planets much further out from the Sun. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune may (or may not) have solid cores but mostly they are huge balls of hydrogen and helium (Jupiter and Saturn) or water, methane and ammonia (Uranus and Neptune). While Jupiter and Saturn are made of the same stuff as the Sun they lack sufficient mass to 'ignite'. That's why they are sometimes called failed stars.

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     Why are there a group of small, solid inner planets, then an asteroid belt of even smaller rocks followed by four entirely different objects? Astronomers posit that the solar system formed from a rotating disk of gas and dust 4.6 billion years ago. Gravity caused the material to collapse and concentrate into a core that became the Sun. When this young natal star had accreted sufficient mass, pressures and temperatures rose to the point where nuclear fusion could begin. Once a star begins to produce and radiate energy (light, heat and the solar wind) the process of gravitational collapse ends and is reversed with leftover material being pushed outward.

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     Gases, being lighter, were pushed further away before eventually coalescing into those four distant behemoths while heavier solids stayed closer to the Sun and formed the 'rocks' that you can see in the dawn sky (plus the one you live on). At least that's one theory. Of course, it's more complicated than that and as we learn more about exo-planets around distant stars hopefully we'll understand our own local family better. In the meantime, bundle up and see if you can spot some of our nearest neighbors on the next clear morning. 

NASA's famous Blue Marble photo

* Here's a link to Neil Young's After the Goldrush. Is there a 'new home in the Sun' or is it 'all in a dream'.

  

Spring Semester

     'Know thyself.'

     OK. Sounds like a good idea.

     Who am I to argue with a Greek philosopher? Socrates no less. Unfortunately I can't help you much with that task. It's kind of a 'between you and you' thing.

      'Know thy place.'

      Now that is more up my alley. Exploring the world around us and pondering how we fit into it.

     With that in mind I want to pass along a list of upcoming tours offered thru SUNY Adirondack's continuing ed program. They look like fun ways to 'Know thy place.' These are all Washington County oriented but there are others in Warren and Saratoga. Check the website for a complete list.

* Mapleland Farms Tour

   March 23 - Wednesday - From 2 to 4pm

   Visit the Campbell family's operation during the height of 'sugar season'. See how the trees are tapped and the sap turned into syrup. Bonus: the breathtaking view of the Taconics looking east from Bunker Hill Road.

* Northern Cross Vineyard Tour

   April 8 - Friday - From 2 to 4pm

   Featuring another of my favorite liquids! See how grapes are grown and wine is made.

Dave and Marge

* Ideal Dairy & Argyle Cheese Farmer Tour

   April 13 - Wednesday - 1 to 3pm

   I milked one cow this morning. At Ideal Dairy they milk 3000 cows. So I guess we're in the same business. Sort of. See how dairying has evolved and then visit  Argyle Cheese's processing plant and store. Both are in Hudson Falls and if you're wondering why it's called Argyle Cheese you'll just have to ask Marge. She used to do my taxes and I still miss the view from the office/home/farm up on Coach Road. And I miss seeing Marge too. An amazing lady.

* Pleasant Valley Farm Tour

   April 25 - Monday - 1 to 3pm

   Here's a chance to visit another farm and this one was still in Argyle last time I checked. Paul and Sandy Arnold have been growing veggies, fruits and herbs since 1988. 

* Old Fort House Museum Tour

   April 27 - Wednesday - 1 to 3pm

   Local historian R. Paul McCarty will show you the buildings and grounds of this Fort Edward landmark.

* Strand Theatre Tour

   April 29 - Friday - 1 to 3pm

   Another local landmark. Hudson Fall's Strand Theatre has been around (off and on) since 1923. It's currently enjoying an exciting rebirth.

On Rogers Island

* Rogers Island Tour

   May 4 - Wednesday - 1 to 3pm

   Rogers Island is more than a Hudson River stepping stone on the way to Fort Edward. Archeologists have uncovered a rich history here dating back to early Native Americans and the frontier wars before the Revolution. R. Paul McCarty will share his knowledge on this walking tour of the island and visitors center.

* Tour and lunch at Skene Manor

   May 6 - Friday - 11:30am to 1:30pm

   Views, lunch and a look at the opulent splendor of days gone by in Whitehall.

* Salem Art Works

   May 18 - 1 to 3pm

   The Cary Hill Sculpture Park never fails to amaze and the views into Vermont aren't too shabby either. The pond and Beaver Brook add to the ambience.