Into 2014

Well 2013 has gone and now we are into 2014, which so far has consisted of rain and wind. It was clear at midnight though and there was plenty of fireworks to see over Erdington. More impressive though was at about 12:04 when the clouds suddenly clear and i had a view of Orion clearer than i've seen for years. I don't know if its because the new street lights we are getting in the city are less light polluting or was just the skies being clearer than usual but i was able to see the "sword" of Orion for the first time since i was a boy. Perhaps that is some kind of omen?

Tour of the ISS

This fascinating video by Astronaut Sunita Williams is a tour of the International Space Station she made late last year prior to returning to Earth. The ISS is bigger than you might imagine and seems fun to fly around in zero gravity and i'm glad to see the various parts do seem to follow national stereotypes, the Russian toilet paper is coarse for example! I bought a book on the construction of the ISS a few days ago and i recommend it.