Hyperbolic Obit for Hyperbolic Orbit

Did you see the lunar eclipse this morning? Did you see the one last month!? Do you even watch the sky, bro??

Comet Leonard [not named after Colts All-Pro Shaquille Darius Leonard] aka "c/2021", the year's best & brightest, will make it's first and only appearance in the East before sunrise (between Big Dipper's handle & Arcturus) and then in the western sky after sunset starting on the 14th, looking towards the sun (ouch!) 

I say "only" appearance because this happened might've happened 80,000 years ago but let's be honest they probably didn't have the tools we have now, and we're not yet positive this'll even be visible to our unaided eye. But we do know it's hyperbolic path will fling the comet out of the Milky Way, and possibly into another solar system lightyears away. 

RIP Comet Leonard 12/12/21
You're a Star (& comet!)

My MLB tour/roadtrip to Maine

Step 1: Why?
Combining two bucket lists into one: visiting all 50 states in the U.S. and visit every MLB stadium. Crossed off 6 states in New England which now puts me at 48 of the 50 (New Mexico & Alaska).

Step 2: When?
Juggling over a dozen different MLB schedules in late July, I wound up attending 8 games at 8 ballparks in 11 days. The Phillies gifted me a surprise double-header - ended by a walk-off Grand Slam - and I attended the Fenway tour, but unfortunately no game. 

Step 3: Where?
Starting from Circle City - also visiting Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.

Step 4: How?
Using Hotels.com, HipCamp, Google Maps, Trip Advisor and the Ballpark app. I drove, camped, disc'd, fished, cheered & jeered, went sight-seeing & wondering & touring & exploring, slept in the car & hotel & tent & friend's house, and had gobs of seafood & ice cream along the way.

Some of my favorite photos (below) with more on IG: @Schrockstar

  

  

  

 

 

 

Total Eclipse of the Sun

My girlfriend & I met up with my best friend (& his fam) at Deer Run campground in Golconda, Illinois before trekking our way down to Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky on Saturday. We watched an exhilarating laser-light show at Golden Pond Planetarium - listening to and watching a rendition of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon".  Afterwards, we attended the Western Kentucky Amateur Astronomers' star party at the Observatory where dozens of enthusiasts brought their high-powered telescopes and pointed them at the night sky; we were able to see the moons and rings of Saturn! With our naked eye we could see Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and thousands of stars - and the Milky Way 'cloud' lit up like a dream.

On Sunday, we attended the "Little Green Men" festival in Kelly near Hopkinsville, KY. The town celebrates an event from 1955 in which it's reported that aliens visited a local farm. There were hayrides, carnival rides and booths - but I didn't get to buy a t-shirt commemorating the event, because they were sold out! However, I did cop a tee highlighting The Main Event...


On Monday (August 21st 2017) we went to Lake Glendale in Shawnee National Forest near our campsite. After some hiking, swimming, and relaxing in a hammock, we put our shades on and craned our necks for a couple hours to witness a once-in-a-lifetime event: a total solar eclipse. We were directly under the path of 100% totality, which meant in addition to the moon's shadow falling over us, the temperature dropped, the sky got dark, the crickets started chirping. At 1:23pm local time, we witnessed history: