local supercluster map

[mckitterick]

This is too cool. Clicky to see a 3-D map of the local superclusters.

Chris

Comments

[c3fyn.livejournal.com]

You know, it's that kind of thing that gets me all excited.

[skyflame.livejournal.com]

Is the Sol system at the center of the map? Just confirming, as it's not marked as such. (Bad map! No black hole supper for you!)

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Sure looks like it - we are in the Virgo Supercluster, after all.

Chris

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Me too. Having difficulty sitting normally. Heh.

Chris

[professormass.livejournal.com]

I'd meant to forward you this link, Chris, and your picture reminded me of it...

http://www.nbos.com/products/astro/astro.htm

Scope the gaming goodness.

[next-bold-move.livejournal.com]

We watched an episode of Cosmos (Number 10--The Edge of Forever) last night that had a very similar map in it. Carl Sagan's thought process always makes me feel like I'm having a drug flashback, though, so I can't watch more then one of those in a sitting. :)

[stuology.livejournal.com]

You would have really loved the two-day astronomy fest I had in Rochester this summer. I got to play with really big telescopes, peek at some research, and work with complicated technical equipment. It was a blast!

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Rock on! Reminds me of a program I wrote in high school (um, in Basic) that showed a simple map of the solar system and allowed users to zoom in to worlds and find data about all of them. Included some fictional stuff, too, for SFnal reasons.

Chris

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

That is SO cool. Which observatory is that, and what were you doing there?

I used to be the assistant director of Hobbs Observatory in Wisconsin. Loved it! The second dome and classroom went up while I worked there. Perhaps my fave job ever. We ran the big 24" scope with an Apple II, speaking of Basic....

Chris

[stuology.livejournal.com]

I was at the Mees Observatory in Rochester, NY. I have a friend who got his undergrad in astronomy there and now does sys admin for all of their servers as well as other programming. We didn't get to do any observing because the cloud cover never cleared, but I did get to take the telescope out for a spin. He also ran some new slides by me for a test run. The grad/undergrad students give tours out there.

Then I spent another day at U of R with some people in the astronomy department. They work on the Spitzer telescope project. I spent most of the time with Craig McMurtry while he showed me some of the chips they developed over 20 years for the telescope (and for military use), as well showed me how they troubleshoot problems with as close to space conditions as they can, since they can't fly out there :)

And I got to play with liquid Nitrogen.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Coolio. The Spitzer reminds me of one of the reasons I moved to Seattle: I had a job with the University of Washington to write tech docs and press releases for NASA's POLAR satellite. Then neocons cut the funding.

Pigfuckers. But all has turned out well anyhoo.

Chris