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A Brief History of Quantized Time,
by William G. Tifft
Maybe the universe isn't expanding
after all; maybe dark matter isn't necessary to explain the
behavior of galaxies and galaxy clusters. If we revise our ideas
of time, many of the strange properties of the universe start
to make sense. |
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Astronomy at the Cultural Crossroads,
by Pamela Eastlick
On the Pacific islands of Micronesia,
people often feel part neither of the global village nor of
their traditional culture. Many believe science is incompatible
with their way of life. But astronomy educators are trying to
prove otherwise. |
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23 |
The Prodigal Sister, by Nadine G. Barlow
If you think Venus is a hellhole
now, be thankful you weren't there 500 million years ago. Those
were the days, many planetary scientists believe, of apocalypse
on our sister world: Volcanoes wracked the land, while greenhouse
gases broiled the air. Is this the Earth's fate, too? |
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28 |
The Double Life, by Jill S. Price,
Abigail A. Hafer, and KarenAnn Caldwell
Can you have a baby and be an astronomer, too? One astronomer
had to quit her job because she was denied maternity leave;
another astro-parent was told by her professor that she should
have gone to work at Burger King. Battered by skimpy benefits
and the pressure to publish, parents are calling on the professional
societies to do something. |
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32 |
The Astronomer's Disease, by William
Lowell Putnam and Charles Snead Houston
Air gets in the way of observing,
but it's nice to have around when you're breathing. The dilemma
is acute for astronomers who observe at high altitudes. Fortunately,
they can avoid illness and debilitation by taking some basic
precautions. |
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Departments
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2 |
Editorial,
by George Musser |
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4 |
Letters to the Editor |
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6 |
Society News |
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World
Beat: Croatia, by Vladis
Vujnovic
The situation in ex-Yugoslavia
deteriorates almost by the day. Croatian astronomy is a happy
exception. |
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Black Holes to Blackboards, by Jeffrey
F. Lockwood
What better way to teach science
than to have kids do science? The whole idea sounds intimidating
to many teachers, but all it takes is some planning and help
from local scientists. |
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Guest
Observer, by James C.
White II
To get you involved in observing,
every issue will outline a simple project and ask you to submit
your findings for publication in a future issue. The first project:
the October total eclipse of the Sun. |
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Point-Counterpoint, by Norman H. Sleep,
Kenneth L. Tanaka
Did Mars have plate tectonics?
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Sky
Calendars
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35 |
Echoes of the Past, by Katherine Bracher
The Mars opposition of 1995 came
and went, but no one reported seeing canals or other last-ditch
(so to speak) engineering feats by drought-stricken civilizations.
A hundred years ago, even 40 years ago, scientists were not
so sure. |
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36 |
Bruce Medalist Profile: Alfred Fowler,
by Joseph S. Tenn
Alfred Fowler was to stars what
Scotland Yard is to criminals. In his laboratory, spectra became
a way to fingerprint stars and deduce their composition. Yet
for years Fowler's efforts went unrecognized, because his boss
took the credit. |
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38 |
Book Review, by W. John Cocke
Soul: God, Self, and the
New Cosmology by Angela Tilby. The Last Three Minutes
by Paul Davies. The Origin of the Universe by John
D. Barrow. |
