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Meet the astronomers. See where they work. Know what they know.


The Project:

The Cosmic Diary is not just about astronomy. It's more about what it is like to be an astronomer.

The Cosmic Diary aims to put a human face on astronomy: professional scientists will blog in text and images about their lives, families, friends, hobbies and interests, as well as their work, their latest research findings and the challenges that face them. The bloggers represent a vibrant cross-section of female and male working astronomers from around the world, coming from five different continents. Outside the observatories, labs and offices they are musicians, mothers, photographers, athletes, amateur astronomers. At work, they are managers, observers, graduate students, grant proposers, instrument builders and data analysts.

Throughout this project, all the bloggers will be asked to explain one particular aspect of their work to the public. In a true exercise of science communication, these scientists will use easy-to-understand language to translate the nuts and bolts of their scientific research into a popular science article. This will be their challenge.

Task Group:

Mariana Barrosa (Portugal, ESO ePOD)
Nuno Marques (Portugal, Web Developer)
Lee Pullen (UK, Freelance Science Communicator)
André Roquette (Portugal, ESO ePOD)

Jack Oughton (UK, Freelance Science Communicator)
Alice Enevoldsen (USA, Pacific Science Center)
Alberto Krone Martins (Brazil, Uni. S. Paulo / Uni. Bordeaux)
Kevin Govender (South Africa, S. A. A. O.)
Avivah Yamani (Indonesia, Rigel Kentaurus)
Henri Boffin (Belgium, ESO ePOD)

Archive for the ‘Astronomy and poetry’ Category

Do frogs exist there too?

And now for something completely different! On a recent visit to Ondřejov Observatory near Prague (see my Cosmic Diary blog of 2 July) I was introduced to the Czech writer Jan Neruda (1834-91). As well as a writer, he was a poet, journalist and Czech patriot.

Jan Neruda published a series of poems in 1878 entitled Cosmic Songs (or Písně Kosmické) and Cosmic Song number 22 is entitled ‘Do frogs exist there too?’ I was introduced to Jan Neruda because he was a friend of the founder of the Ondřejov Observatory, Josef Frič. One of the original buildings at Ondřejov is a house whose exterior wall depicts a scene from Neruda’s poem. It shows frogs sitting around a pond with their frog teacher delivering a discourse on the marvels of the universe above, with stars and the Milky Way.

August 6th, 2009 | posted by john in Astronomy and poetry, History of astronomy