Astrolabe alien views A photo page

Astrolabe alien views  A photo page

 

 

So still redundant   after a year  and  find  that  despite having  college level   further education teaching qualifications -  It was all a  lot of paper  and all a lot of study to get me  here - for what!

 

 I am   not really interview  wise  coming across as  right candidate  having taught    disabled Adults  not  emotionalist  behaviourist  Teenagers   which is the new funding fashion  and I  am   too   Short and too   Rick! ( see  my Moranis persona pre august   post)

 

After all at  interview  I  did not even mention my  second published  e book  of Poetry    and have  new poems for third book  nor  mentioned   my Alien Astronomy hobby  

 

 Star  dreaming  i suppose it is an excuse to leave Earth  that  has so little  to offer  me now

 

 After all as  one of my  readers commented  re  pirates life  my poetry   and indeed  everything  since redundancy  from a once beloved  job I admit I had  2/10  job satisfaction in at the end "a metaphor for escapism, and a desire to leave behind the landlubbers because of a negative experience.

 

 The Hawaiian star  compass was easy to do as  i used  the main north  constellations ie Pleiades and the main west summer constellations ie Vega    and  now working on alien astrolabe remapping  constellations

 

This post   is more  of a photopage  blog   using   astrofly  proper motion  calculator    and  hipparcos  catalogue

 

see images  of what  I  call   the  Stormhorse  constellation of Alpha Centauri  that stretches from  Eridanus  to Canis Major   through Aurigae  and on to Gemini, Taurus and ending in  Cetus   surrounding  the Archer  (Orion)  and our  Sun as seen  in  the  Harper  constellation(Cassiopeia)

I  did not draw lines  as  the  alien constellations shapes can be made out for example Harper   is  traditional   two of  the old 48   Perseus and  Cassiopeia  but  joined to make  up  a  biped  harpist  linked  by  the  bright  star which  is our sun 

 

 The  primeval  Stormhorses are  the  archetype   mythological   Therian monster 

 the Archer  and Harper  Creation  hero figures

 

 

Other starry nights  other  escapisms

 sort of under the Moons  of Mars  without any  my wife next star issues

 

here  for example are a  few  astrofly views of alien skies in Orion  as seen  Tau Cygni,  Electra   70  Ophiuchi    with changing if familiar star patterns  and  to  there anyone watching   different star  myths   or then again  perhaps   only night worms  and  night  fungi  look up from there

Astronexus Astrofly Electric Astrolabe and the tail of the six legged unicorn

 In 2010 long ago long ago  when I was a Adult  Education Teacher( just in living memory)   following  on  after the success  of  my earlier  numeracy sessions on   escape from death star  maths  and what do I weigh on other planets worksheets

I   planned to  deliver a  session on  internet astronomy search for SETI and exoplanets.

For this I  prepared  resources and work sheet to   introduce community learners  to  my favourite websites such as  Solstation,  Astronexus   and star gen    showing how  exoplanet data that could be used in spreadsheets  and  basic  calculation of viewpoints using a expanding   balloon   as scale.

Useful if  mainly  clicking  mouse   session made people aware of distances even if before   the only planets they  had heard of were Earth  and Mars

 I had fun anyway with the group   using  the  star flight  navigator simulator Astrofly  program   a sort of an electric astrolabe   which  like  Astronexus offers  full star  catalogue   but  can only focus on a  low focus  fly to the alien star   centred on where the sun is in that alien  sky  where as  Astronexus  provides   focus  on sun   plus north  and south   hemispheres alien  constellation views.

some  basic  screen  prints .making  night sky views   that  resemble dreaming under the wild  moons of Blue Antara  or "Tau cygni 5  as  your Earthlings call it"

Astronexus  is in its  hemispheres   based   on Earth tilt  perceptions  and the simple mathematics of two points in space and distance    for example  an  typical  nearby exo  planet has higher  axial  tilt at 27 ^o   and with two suns    a less  visible night sky

both astronexus and astrofly are old  points  of viewing  3D sphere  programs

 As far back as 1973  in his cosmic connection book  Carl Sagan used  Cornel university   main frames to create  early views of sun in centauri    and sun  from tau ceti  new constellation where  the sun appeared  at  the  arcturus plumed tail  top of a six legged Unicorn   horn Regulus to   Rasalas

so  playing with  astronexus and astrofly you cannot help starting to make  constellations patterns ie  "archer, harper,  dragon slayer, bird catcher,  clothes maker" from the slightly off centre    alien skies

Looking back over my  2005 -2012    back of  flyer notes  that I had  kept in an old envelope   struck by the fact that when employed  full time  I tended to fantasise  a lot   at  end of working days devoting myself    to  flights  of  imagination and  lesson planning  in equal measure .

This fantasying or "creativity"  was    mainly at the end of the day   pausing to  speculate  on at  least   150   alien    planetary  life forms  who could be watching Earth  at that moment  as I  closed up.

 At home on sunday afternoons   forgetting about  the   teaching professionalism   and writing   the  outlines of at least  30 fantasy and sci fi  novels avoiding the Galactic  "Pow"  Dreadnought   and  Empire  cliché   which however did not survive until  first teaching session Monday morning.

As part of the  audience or even deliverer  of  presentations  I remained   dedicated note taker  despite the bored temptation   to   chronicle   five different  Future Earth   millennium  histories during the key note speakers  address on stakeholder policy

Now  with all this redundant time  and endless  empty  days  lacking in day dreams  and something to be distracted from!

I   found post redundancy   I  do not write   the fourth novel in a fantasy trilogy ,  I do not speculate  on Plastiform  Sentient   life forms   62 light years  away,  or    explore the  best  possible   landing ground for an Alien Expedition to Earth  in the   Cretaceous period  as I used to  do.   All the  fun went out of my life when  I lost my job.

Sometimes feel  like Yoda on Dagobath