Somnium, by Johannes Kepler

Somnium (Latin for "The Dream") is a fantasy written between 1620 and 1630, in Latin, by Johannes Kepler. In the narrative, a student of Tycho Brahe is transported to the Moon by occult forces. It presents a detailed imaginative description of how the earth might look when viewed from the moon, and is considered the first serious scientific treatise on lunar astronomy.

Somnium began as a student dissertation in which Kepler defended the Copernican doctrine of the motion of the Earth, suggesting that an observer on the Moon would find the planet's movements as clearly visible as the Moon's activity is to the Earth's inhabitants. Nearly 20 years later, Kepler added the dream framework, and after another decade, he drafted a series of explanatory notes reflecting upon his turbulent career and the stages of his intellectual development. The book was edited by his heirs, including Jacob Bartsch, after Kepler's death in 1630. It was published posthumously in 1634 by his son, Ludwig Kepler. Similarities with real life led to Kepler's own mother being arrested on charges of witchcraft.

The story is the tale of Duracotus, who was the son of an Icelandic witch named Fiolxhilda. During his youth she banished Duracotus to Denmark for five years. Upon his return, she decided to share some of her secrets with him. She explained that her instructor had been a demon who dwelt on the Moon. During a Solar Eclipse, the lunar demons were able to travel between the Earth and the Moon via a bridge of darkness. The son decided he wanted to make this journey, and so he was transported to the Moon by demons.

To ease his journey he was given a drowsing draught and moist sponges to hold under his nose. He was carried to the point of neutral gravity between the Earth and Moon, then allowed to drift down to the lunar surface. Thus the author understood some of the effects of gravity and the need for environmental protection above the atmosphere.

Modern Day
Fresh Aire V by the Mannheim Steamroller is a concept album based on the work.

The Power of the Church
Why did it take over 1600 years between the publication of A True Story and Somnium? Well, the church didn't like stories that postulated that there might be life on other planets. Nor did they like the fact that some people thought that the earth revolved around the sun, rather than the sun and other "wanderers" (aka planets) revolving around the Earth. It was therefore not particularly safe to publish such stories until the church lost a little bit (but only a little bit) of its grip on the mind of man.

Vera History, by Lukian/Lucian of Samosata

A 17th century fictional portrait of Lucian of Samosata.

Mankind has always dreamed of travelling to the Moon, and of travellers from outer space visiting Earth.

The first known story is Vera Historia ("True History" or "A True Story") written by a Syrian, Lukian/Lucian (in a variety of Greek dialects). It was written about AD 180, and describes a voyage to the moon by a ship, which is lifted to the surface of the moon with the aid of a giant whirlwind. [This story is therefore fantasy rather than science fiction, since the main characters do not reach outer space by any kind of mechanical means. Nevertheless, it shows mankind's fascination with space, and its generally accepted belief that there were inhabited worlds besides Earth.

This story is available for free on the Kindle (as is all Lucian's works) or at Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/10430/pg10430.txt) as a text file.

Lucian of Samosata
Lucian of Samosata (Latin: Lucianus Samosatensis; c. A.D. 125 – after A.D. 180) was an Assyrian rhetorician, and satirist who wrote in the Greek language.

Few details of Lucian's life are known. He claimed to have been born in Samosata, in the former kingdom of Commagene, which had been absorbed by the Roman Empire and made part of the province of Syria.

In his works, Lucian refers to himself as a "Syrian", "Assyrian" and "barbarian", perhaps indicating "he was from the Semitic and not the imported Greek population" of Samosata.

Lucian almost certainly did not write all of the more than eighty works that have been attributed to him: declamations, essays both laudatory and sarcastic, satiric epigrams, and comic dialogues and symposia with a satirical cast, studded with quotations in alarming contexts and allusions set in an unusual light, designed to be surprising and provocative.

His name added luster to any entertaining and sarcastic essay: over 150 surviving manuscripts attest to his continued popularity. The first printed edition of a selection of his works was issued at Florence in 1499. His best known works are A True Story (a romance, not "true" at all, which he admits in his introduction to the story), Dialogues of the Gods and Dialogues of the Dead.

Lucian was trained as a rhetorician, a vocation where one pleads in court, composing pleas for others, and teaching the art of pleading. Lucian's practice was to travel about, giving amusing discourses and witty lectures improvised on the spot. He travelled through Ionia and mainland Greece, to Italy and even to Gaul, and became not only famous but also wealthy.

Works
Lucian was one of the first novelists in western civilization. In A True Story, a fictional narrative work written in prose, he parodied some fantastic tales told by Homer in the Odyssey and some feeble fantasies that were popular in his time. He anticipated modern fictional themes like voyages to the moon and Venus, extraterrestrial life and wars between planets, more than a millennium before Jules Verne and H. G. Wells. His novel is widely regarded as an early, if not the earliest science fiction work.

Lucian also wrote a satire called The Passing of Peregrinus, in which the lead character, Peregrinus Proteus, takes advantage of the generosity and gullibility of Christians. This is one of the earliest surviving pagan perceptions of Christianity. His Philopseudes ("Lover of Lies or Cheater") is a frame story which includes the original version of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice".

Language
Lucian wrote in the Attic dialect "with a facility almost equal to [that of] Plato." He was able to imitate Herodotus's [Greek historian] Ionic dialect so successfully in his work "The Syrian Goddess" that some scholars refuse to recognize him as the author.

The Plot of A True Story

In True History, Lucian and a company of adventuring heroes sailing westward through the Pillars of Hercules (the Strait of Gibraltar) are blown off course by a strong wind, and after 79 days come to an island. This island is home to a river of wine filled with fish, and bears a marker indicating that Heracles and Dionysos have traveled to this point, along with normal footprints and giant footprints.

Shortly after leaving the island, they are lifted up by a giant waterspout and deposited on the Moon on the eighth day. There they find themselves embroiled in a full-scale war between the king of the Moon and the king of the Sun over colonisation of the Morning Star, involving armies which boast such exotica as stalk-and-mushroom men, acorn-dogs ("dog-faced men fighting on winged acorns"), and cloud-centaurs. Unusually, the Sun, Moon, stars and planets are portrayed as locales, each with its unique geographic details and inhabitants. The War is finally won by the Sun's armies clouding the moon over. Details of the moon follows, there are no women, and children grow inside the calf of men.

After returning to the Earth, the adventurers become trapped in a giant whale; inside the 200-mile-long animal, there live many groups of people whom they rout in war. They also reach a sea of milk, an island of cheese and the isle of the blessed. There, he meets the heroes of the Trojan War, other mythical men and animals, and even Homer. They find Herodotus being eternally punished for the "lies" he published in his Histories.

After leaving the Island of the Blessed, they deliver a letter to Calypso given to them by Odysseus explaining that he wishes he had stayed with her so he could have lived eternally. They then discover a chasm in the Ocean, but eventually sail around it, discover a far-off continent and decide to explore it. The book ends rather abruptly by Lucian saying that their adventure there will be the subject of following books.

Fireballs in the Sky- Geminids Meteor Shower on dec 14th

Fireballs in the Sky -
Geminids Meteor Shower on Dec 14th

Avid star gazers can soon witness another sky theatre spectacle in the mesmerizing night skies - the Geminids Meteor Shower, peaking on 13^th/14^th Dec. This is one of the best meteor showers of the year and never disappoints observers. The peak of the shower this year falls just after the first quarter Moon. Moonset is within half an hour of local midnight across the globe for the maximum, while the Geminid radiant will be overhead around 02h local time.

The source of the Geminids shower is asteroid 3200 Phaethon. There's a cloud of dust trailing the asteroid and the Earth plows through it every year in mid-December. Bits of dust traveling  at 80,000 mph hit our atmosphere and turn into glowing meteors.The Geminids got its name because its radiant position, from which it appears to originate, lies in the constellation Gemini.

Observe and Photograph the Geminids:
SPACE has the following handouts and suggestions to ensure that each one of you can go out and observe this wonderful spectacle:


SPACE suggests that students, amateur astronomers and the public go out on Dec 14th morning to a dark site away from lights and observe this nightsky spectacle. Details about timing and observing suggestions can be found listed below. Meteor Showers provide a wonderful photographic opportunity. Details on techniques and suggestions by SPACE to employ for meteor photography can be found here:
http://meteorshowersindia.blogspot.com/2009/12/photographing-geminds.html
 
SPACE will webcast a workshop on 'Meteor Showers and the Geminids' on 14th Dec. Find details on this website closer to the date.

Record and Report:
This year we would like all observers to become Citizen Scientists and record their results and report it to IMO (International Meteor Organization). Details can be found in the attachment, as well as on the IMO website, listed below. Each citizen scientist who reports their observations will have the privilege to have their names and results listed on the IMO website.

Interested in Joining an Observation?
If you or a group from your school would be interested in joining a tour to beautiful Rishikesh or to nearby Sakras to observe and photograph these spectacular fireballs, then contact STEPL Astrotourism at rishabhj@stepl.org for further details.

SPACE Plans:
SPACE plans to send a scientific team to witness and record the Geminids Meteor Showers to a dark site away from Delhi. In 2009, SPACE observed and created a very successful report for the IMO. This can be found on the blog listed below. 
 

Geminids Details:

Maxima - Dec 14^th at 11h UT or 16:30 h IST

ZHR (Zenith Hourly Rate) - around 120.

The best time to watch the activity near the peak in India is on 13th December night/early morning on 14^th after moonset.

Relevant Websites:
SPACE suggestions on how to photograph Geminids Meteor Shower:
http://meteorshowersindia.blogspot.com/2009/12/photographing-geminds.html  
SPACE astrophotography of Geminids:
http://picasaweb.google.com/organisationspace/Geminids2009#

IMO website Observations reporting location:
http://www.imo.net/visual/major/observation 

Enjoy the last meteor shower of the Year.

Manifesto

This blog is dedicated to the history of rocket travel, from the dreams of the ancient to the present day. We'll present biographies of rocket scientists, biographies of actual rockets, and news of the past, present and future devoted to rocketry.

Children's Fortnight celebrations at Nehru Planetarium

Children's Fortnight celebrations at Nehru Planetarium
The Nehru planetarium has an annual Children’s Fortnight celebration in the later half of November (15th - 30th), commemorating Pt. Nehru’s birthday. Special shows will be held in the planetarium, and activities will be conducted.

A complete list of activities and the schedule can be seen here:
http://nehruplanetarium.org/taarewiki/pmwiki.php?n=Site.ChildrensFortnightNovember2010

SPACE will be collaborating in some of the activities held during this time.  Please join us. These include:

November 16th - Moon and Jupiter Carnival
Sky theater live show on Moon and Jupiter. Free entry. Timings : 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM. Activity limited to 250 participants.Evening skywatch with telescopes. Viewing Moon and Jupiter through a telescope. Sunset to 8 PM
November 20th - Sun festival
Open outdoor activity. Anyone can participate in viewing sun projection through telescopes and binoculars, and in conducting some measurements and observations. Timings : 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM
November 23rd - Making and using sundials
Registered activity. Limited to 30 participants. In the activity area of the planetarium.
Timings: 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM.
November 24th - Matka Planetarium
Registered activity. Limited to 30 participants. In the activity area of the planetarium.
Timings: 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM.

Updated List of observers registered for the GISC till now!!!!

Following observers as per our registration data records have taken a step ahead and registered for the GISC and WWSC. SPACE wishes them good skies!!!

Vipul Raheja                      IIIT Hyderabad

chander devgun                    SPACE

Dinesh Nisang                     Bhaskaracharya Astronomy Research Centre

aditi                             avm convent dholpur

A.S Huidrom                       The Assam Valley School

prafull                           Ahlcon Public School

Ambrish Rawat                     IIT Delhi

Devendra Singh Raghuvanshi        Marudhar Engineering College, Raisar

astha sharma                      IIT DELHI, DELHI

Shekhar Suman Singh               LPU

Mohit Gupta                       Indian Institute of Technology , Delhi

Krushan                           Navrachana School, Sama

ARPIT SHUKLA                      Navarachana  Higher Secondary School

MANANK SHASTRI                    NAVRACHANA SCHOOL

Jaidrath Zaveri                   Navrachana, Vadodara, Gujarat

AADESH SHAH                       NAVRACHANA SCHOOL

PALLAV JHAVERI                    NAVRACHANA SCHOOL

AJINKYA THAKARE                   NAVRACHANA SCHOOL

GEHASHRAY TOOR                    NAVRACHANA SCHOOL

Rahul Arora                       Step By Step A-10 Sector 132,Noida

babita kundalia                   hillwoods Academy preet vihar

Megha Arora                       DPS,VASANT KUNJ

Anamitra Saha                     Educator

Gayatri P                         Educator

Leesha Jyoti                      Scientific Officer

Rahul A                           Junior RP

aanchal sharma                    hillwoods academy,delhi

PRASAHASTI                        HILWOODS ACADEMY

Nipun                             Springdales

harman singh chawla               sprigdales school, pusa road, new delhi

Tushar Sharma                     Maharaja Surajmal Institute of Tech.

Priyanka Srivastava               SPACE

SAURABH GUPTA                     HILLWOODS ACADEMY,PREET VIHAR,DELHI

swastik                           msit,ip university.

akash                             maharaja surajmal

sanyam kundlia                    hillwoods academy

Amol Garg                         Sri Aurobindo College

Sneh Kesari                       STEPL

aanchal sharma                    hillwoods academy

manav rathi                       Maharaja Surajmal Istitute of Technoly

Jaishree                          SPACE

mila mitra                        SPACE

Prashant Bansal                   Punj lloyd ltd.

Ritish Verma                      hillwoods academy

srijan devgun                     national victor public school

Rohit Kumar AT&T

Pooja Kumar SPACE

satvik step by step school

Sahil Wadhwa Ryan International

Rahul Arora Step By Step,Noida,A-10 Sector 132

Arpit Srivastava BITS, Pilani - K.K. Birla Goa Campus

suvriti dhawan apeejay school sheikh sarai

amanjot singh ryan international rohini

Shivam Goyal The Doon School

akanksha singh step by step

Venkat Arun Springdales School,  Pusa Road

Anandhi Mani Shri Natesan Vidyasala MHSS

Pooja Kumar SPACE

Rohit Kumar AT&T

Jagriti Saxena STEPL

Pratyaksh Singhal Step By Step school, Noida

mukund step by step noida

Angad Singh Step By Step School

Udisha Madan Step By Step 

mehar gulati step by step world school, noida

ananya gupta step by step

ishaan mehta step by step

Shivesh Chatrath Step By Step

Sean Hunt Step By Step World School

Jahan Jolly Step By Step World School

urvi varmani step by step world school, noida

Meghna Talreja Step By Step World School Noida

Mahira Dasgupta Step by Step world school

kabeer singh babbr Steb by steb

sukhmani navin vacher Step By Step

Hansa Kantor step by step world school ,noida 

vansh bhutani step by step

siddharth singh thosar step by step world school noida 

Krishaang Verma Step by Step world school

Shivesh Chatrath Step By Step School

Jai Chopra Step By Step 

Rishabh Johri  Step By Step World School

Avantika Tandon  step by step world school ,noida 

viraj randev step by step

Viraj Bahri Step By Step World School

Rushil Kapoor Step by Step world school

Naina D. Lavakare Step By Step, Noida

T.Manish Hyderabad Public School

rushil kapoor step by Step school

Another feather in the SPACE cap! MBA discovery!!!

Another feather in the SPACE cap!

Vikrant Narang and Mila Mitra from SPACE have made a Main Belt Asteroid Discovery on Oct 29th, as part of the NEO Plus campaign. 
Details from Patrick Miller, Director as below:

----------------------------------------------------MBA Discovery!! -- IASC

Greetings from the International Astronomical Search Collaboration

Congratulations are in order.  V. Narang & M. Mitra from S.P.A.C.E. in India discovered 2010 UJ98.  This is a Main Belt asteroid discovery made on October 29th.

During the current campaigns, there have been three MBA discoveries...one each from Japan, United States, and India:

Object  Students        School  Location        Date
2010 UR2        Y. Yatsuyanagi  Shizuoka University     Japan   10/17/10
2010 UN8        C. Pannill      Meredith College        NC      10/27/10
2010 UJ98       V. Narang & M. Mitra    S.P.A.C.E.      India   10/29/10

Congratulations to all of you!!

Happy Hunting!!

Dr. Patrick Miller
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“Hidden Treasures” — a free competition by ESO

Click here to go to the site

Great Indian Star Count clipping

Moon in HDR by SPACE team

Comet Hartley clicked from new observation site of SPACE at Sakras

Comet Hartley clicked on Nov 2 night from new observation site of SPACE at Sakras

Click on image to see hi res

Close encounters of Hartely!!!!

NASA's Deep Impact (EPOXI) probe has just completed its 435 mile flyby of Comet Hartley 2's nucleus. The spacecraft has turned its high-gain antenna toward Earth and data are being transmitted to mission control at JPL. The first raw images have just arrived and, even without processing, they are spectacular....

The first close-up image of Hartley

For more images click here..