For the Love of it!

The Astronomical League has presented the “Leslie Peltier Award” to Elizabeth Waagen of the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO). The award is given for service above and beyond the call of duty, to the cause of amateur-professional collaboration in astronomy.

CO2: They call it “life” …

The Anthropogenic Global Warming hypothesis (AGW) is the belief that we (humankind) are responsible for earth’s climate change. The ultimate cause, says the hypothesis, is the addition of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. These gases absorb infrared radiation, which is the principal way by which earth radiates energy to space. By blocking energy from leaving earth, greenhouse gases raise earth’s temperature.

The principal greenhouse gas which mankind has been adding to the atmosphere is carbon dioxide, or CO2. This raises such questions as, “Is CO2 concentration higher than it was in the past?” “If so, is the rise due to human activity?”