While I’ve run across a blind astronomer or two, astronomy starts with the seeing. Astronomy is all about light: detecting it, measuring it, recording it, dispersing it, polarizing it…seeing is believing.
I’m in a bit of disbelief this week. I use the below professionally and/or personally, and I miss them.
Astronomy Picture of the Day. I like to look every day.
High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center. This would be handy for a European X-ray Telescope proposal deadline that is next week.
NSF Fastlane. Glad I got my CV updated last week, and I hope things are better before the next proposal deadline approaches any closer.
JPL is up, but not being maintained. A bunch of things I use here.
The Mars Curiosity rover, with a finite lifetime, is sleeping on the job. I wonder if it dreams. Apparently we’ve stopped.
[Disclaimer: I have an approved research grant I’m waiting to be awarded, pending a budget for NASA, so I have a bias.]
I just got this email from NRAO on Friday:
Dear user community colleagues,
I am sorry to inform you that NRAO must temporarily suspend its North
American operations because of the US Federal Government shutdown. All
NRAO North American facilities will be closed effective 7 p.m. Eastern
Daylight Time, Friday, 4 October 2013.
NRAO Site Directors have identified a skeleton staff to maintain the
security, safety, and integrity of NRAO facilities, telescopes, and
systems during the shutdown; but no science observing will occur at the
Very Large Array, Very Long Baseline Array, or Green Bank Telescope. ALMA
operations at the Joint ALMA Observatory in Chile are unaffected, but no
user support will be available from the NRAO North American ALMA Science
Center.
NRAO personnel, other than the skeleton staff, will be on furlough. They
may not report to NRAO facilities or conduct Observatory business from
home. NRAO buildings and facilities will be closed. The NRAO Archives,
including the ALMA Science Archive, will not be accessible. Persons
planning to visit an NRAO site in the coming weeks will need to reschedule
their visits.
Up-to-date information regarding the Observatory’s operations status will
be available at
https://www.nrao.edu
Together with the National Science Foundation and Associated Universities,
Inc., we will do everything possible to quickly re-start full NRAO science
operations after the shutdown ends.
Tony Beasley
NRAO Director
So think about the marvel that is the VLA in New Mexico, its antennas pointed up…and detecting nothing.