Plateau Astro https://plateauastro.com/ News and thoughts about space and astronomy in Montréal and beyond. en The Stats: My Mobile Planetarium's First Year https://plateauastro.com/blog/2024-10-27/stats-my-mobile-planetariums-first-year <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/2024-10/448907341_877830654373993_2536098336258256877_n_0.jpg?itok=9v4G6Ozn" width="1650" height="1100" alt="" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /> How many shows and students did the planetarium reach in 2024? <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <p>2024 was the first year of Plateau Astro's mobile planetarium. I'm thrilled with the response that it received.</p> <p>Students loved the experience inside of the dome. Teachers loved they could just walk to the gymnasium to do the activity. And I'm certain school boards loved how cost-effective it was.</p> <p>In this brief post, I want to outline how many shows I did, how many students I was able to reach, and a few other fun statistics.</p> <p>Want to book a show? I'm now taking bookings for 2025. <a href="http://plateauastro.com/presentations/mobile-planetarium">Learn more here</a>!</p> <h2>Six months of Operation</h2> <p>Important to note: my first show was on February 14, 2024 and my last show was August 5, 2024. So this is only six months of operation, because I'm on paternity leave until January 2025. </p> <p>OK, let's get into the stats...</p> <h2>The Stats</h2> <ul><li>Students: 1652</li> <li>Shows: 91</li> <li>Installations: 13</li> </ul><p>In one sentence: I set up the planetarium 13 times, did 91 half-hour shows, and presented to 1652 students.</p> <h2>Locations</h2> <ul><li>Montréal, QC: 9</li> <li>Terrebonne, QC: 1</li> <li>Maniwaki, QC: 1</li> <li>Russell, ON: 2</li> </ul><p>Most of my shows were in Montréal. But I was fortunate to be asked to do shows in remote locations, such as Maniwaki where it is insanely cost-prohibitive to bus kids to a planetarium. This is where having the show brought to the school really shines.</p> <h2>Types of Clients</h2> <ul><li>Schools: 7</li> <li>Summer camp / youth group : 5</li> <li>Fundraiser: 1</li> </ul><p>Most shows were for schools, but a good chunk were for libraries and summer camps.</p> <h2>Language</h2> <ul><li>French: 50%</li> <li>English: 50%</li> </ul><p>This is a rough estimate, but my hunch is that the language divide was 50-50. I'll try to keep better stats for 2025.</p> <h2>Cost per Student</h2> <p>In 2024, I charged a $400 installation fee and $100 per half-hour show.</p> <p>There's some variation in each installation, but a typical day was around 6 shows and around 120 students total. Broken down:</p> <ul><li>$400 fee</li> <li>$100 * 6 shows = $600</li> <li>Total: $1000</li> <li>$1000 / 120 students = <strong>$8.33 / student</strong></li> </ul><p>So, less than $8.50 CAD per student for an immersive on-site experience at my 2024 rate.</p> <h2>Time-Savings</h2> <p>Another cost to consider is time saving. With the mobile planetarium, I set up in the school gymnasium and each class comes in. There's no school bus to march into, no long off-site road trip, no losing students along the way, etc...</p> <h2>Astronauts Who Visited Planetarium</h2> <ul><li>Astronauts: 1</li> </ul><p>Yes! I have to mention this. On June 20 at the Westmount Public Library, the TD Summer Reading Club was launched. I set up my planetarium for the day, and Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau was also there, reading from Chris Hadfield's book, <em>The Darkest Dark</em>.</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-img image-style-content-full-width"><img alt="Marc Garneau speaking to children at opening of TD Summer Reading Club" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b5f46de9-6aba-4394-84a4-84268f52c2b2" data-image-style="content_full_width" height="1100" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/448907661_877832314373827_2790540556120208089_n.jpg?itok=BTDf8XG5" typeof="Image" width="1650" /><figcaption>Photo Credit: Lina Samoukova</figcaption></figure><p>Although Mr Garneau didn't enter the planetarium (he had to get going), I did prepare a short video of clips from his missions in space. The kids thought it was really cool seeing footage of young Mr Garneau floating in zero-g.</p> <h2>The Future</h2> <p>I had no idea how this experiment would go. But reading these numbers, I'm thrilled.</p> <p>For early 2025, I'll still be taking care of our newborn, so won't be all-gas, no brakes. But I do plan to increase the number of installations, parenthood permitting.</p> <p>I also plan on doing public shows catered to a more mature audience. I like to think of these as kinda like my workshops, but done in a cozy, immersive environment. I'm on the search for affordable venues and some comfy bean bag chairs. </p> <p>I will also be writing separate blog posts on how I set up my planetarium: the hardware, the software, and the experience. Look for that coming soon.</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-img image-style-content-full-width"><img alt="Earth as seen inside the planetarium" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d04b9dac-5d16-412d-9058-25395f587e52" data-image-style="content_full_width" height="1100" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/Samoukova_TDSRC-WPL-289.jpg?itok=w1YnI2sI" typeof="Image" width="1650" /><figcaption>Photo Credit: Lina Samoukova</figcaption></figure><h2>Book a Show for 2025</h2> <p><a href="http://plateauastro.com/presentations/mobile-planetarium">I'm now taking bookings for 2025.</a></p> <p>Please read about the planetarium, shows I am currently offering, and send me a message on each pages contact form, or by emailing me at <a href="mailto:info@plateauastro.com">info@plateauastro.com</a>.</p> </div> </div> </div> Sun, 27 Oct 2024 13:37:57 -0400 Trevor Kjorlien c806db8c-f615-425a-a39c-c1048c06f266 Les statistiques : La première année de mon planétarium mobile https://plateauastro.com/fr/blog/2024-10-27/statistiques-premiere-annee-mon-planetarium-mobile <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/2024-10/448907341_877830654373993_2536098336258256877_n_0.jpg?itok=9v4G6Ozn" width="1650" height="1100" alt="" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /> Combien de spectacles et d&#039;élèves le planétarium a-t-il accueillis en 2024 ? <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <p>2024 a été la première année du planétarium mobile de Plateau Astro. Je suis ravi de l'accueil qui lui a été réservé.</p> <p>Les élèves ont adoré l'expérience à l'intérieur du dôme. Les enseignants ont apprécié de pouvoir se rendre à pied au gymnase pour faire l'activité. Et je suis certain que les conseils d'administration des écoles ont apprécié le rapport coût-efficacité de ce projet.</p> <p>Dans ce bref article, j'aimerais préciser le nombre de spectacles que j'ai organisés, le nombre d'élèves que j'ai pu toucher et quelques autres statistiques amusantes.</p> <p>Vous voulez réserver un spectacle ? Je prends maintenant des réservations pour 2025. <a href="https://plateauastro.com/fr/presentations/mobile-planetarium">Pour en savoir plus, cliquez ici</a> !</p> <h2>Six mois d'activité</h2> <p>Important à noter : mon premier spectacle a eu lieu le 14 février 2024 et mon dernier le 5 août 2024. Il ne s'agit donc que de six mois de fonctionnement, car je suis en congé paternité jusqu'en janvier 2025. </p> <p>Bon, passons aux statistiques...</p> <h2>Les statistiques</h2> <ul><li>Étudiants : 1652</li> <li>Spectacles : 91</li> <li>Installations : 13</li> </ul><p>En une phrase : J'ai installé le planétarium 13 fois, j'ai fait 91 spectacles d'une demi-heure et j'ai présenté des exposés à 1652 élèves.</p> <h2>Lieux des spectacles</h2> <ul><li>Montreal, QC: 9</li> <li>Terrebonne, QC: 1</li> <li>Maniwaki, QC: 1</li> <li>Russell, ON: 2</li> </ul><p>La plupart de mes spectacles ont eu lieu à Montréal. Mais j'ai eu la chance qu'on me demande de faire des spectacles dans des endroits éloignés, comme Maniwaki, où il est extrêmement coûteux d'emmener les enfants en autobus au planétarium. C'est là que le fait d'amener le spectacle à l'école est vraiment très intéressant.</p> <h2>Types de clients</h2> <ul><li>Écoles : 7</li> <li>Camp d'été / groupe de jeunes : 5</li> <li>Collecte de fonds : 1</li> </ul><p>La plupart des spectacles étaient destinés aux écoles, mais une bonne partie d'entre eux étaient destinés aux bibliothèques et aux colonies de vacances.</p> <h2>Langue</h2> <ul><li>Français : 50%</li> <li>Anglais : 50%</li> </ul><p>Il s'agit d'une estimation approximative, mais j'ai l'impression que le fossé linguistique était de 50-50. J'essaierai de conserver de meilleures statistiques pour 2025.</p> <h2>Coût par étudiant</h2> <p>En 2024, j'ai facturé 400 dollars de frais d'installation et 100 dollars par spectacle d'une demi-heure.</p> <p>Il y a des variations dans chaque installation, mais une journée typique comptait environ 6 spectacles et environ 120 étudiants au total. Ventilé :</p> <ul><li>400 $ de frais</li> <li>100 $ * 6 spectacles = 600</li> <li>Total : 1000</li> <li>1000 $ / 120 élèves = <strong>8,33 $ / élève</strong></li> </ul><p>Donc, moins de 8,50 $ CAD par étudiant pour une expérience immersive sur place à mon taux de 2024.</p> <h2>Gain de temps</h2> <p>Un autre coût à prendre en compte est le gain de temps. Avec le planétarium mobile, je m'installe dans le gymnase de l'école et chaque classe entre. Il n'y a pas de bus scolaire à prendre, pas de long voyage hors site, pas de perte d'élèves en cours de route, etc...</p> <h2>Astronautes ayant visité le Planétarium</h2> <ul><li>Astronautes : 1</li> </ul><p>Oui, je dois le mentionner. Le 20 juin, à la bibliothèque publique de Westmount, le Club de lecture d'été TD a été lancé. J'ai installé mon planétarium pour la journée, et l'astronaute canadien Marc Garneau était également présent, lisant un extrait du livre de Chris Hadfield, The Darkest Dark.</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-img image-style-content-full-width"><img alt="Marc Garneau speaking to children at opening of TD Summer Reading Club" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b5f46de9-6aba-4394-84a4-84268f52c2b2" data-image-style="content_full_width" height="1100" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/448907661_877832314373827_2790540556120208089_n.jpg?itok=BTDf8XG5" typeof="Image" width="1650" /><figcaption>Crédit photo: Lina Samoukova</figcaption></figure><p>Bien que M. Garneau ne soit pas entré dans le planétarium (il devait partir), j'ai préparé une courte vidéo de clips de ses missions dans l'espace. Les enfants ont trouvé ça vraiment cool de voir des images du jeune M. Garneau flottant dans l'espace.</p> <h2>L'avenir</h2> <p>Je n'avais aucune idée de la manière dont cette expérience se déroulerait. Mais à la lecture de ces chiffres, je suis ravie.</p> <p>Pour le début de l'année 2025, je m'occuperai encore de notre nouveau-né, donc je ne ferai pas tout au gaz, sans freins. Mais je prévois d'augmenter le nombre d'installations, si la parentalité le permet.</p> <p>Je prévois également d'organiser des expositions publiques destinées à un public plus mûr. J'aime à penser que ces expositions sont un peu comme mes ateliers, mais qu'elles se déroulent dans un environnement confortable et immersif. Je suis à la recherche de lieux abordables et de chaises confortables. </p> <p>J'écrirai également des articles de blog distincts sur la façon dont j'ai installé mon planétarium : le matériel, le logiciel et l'expérience. Cela ne saurait tarder.</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-img image-style-content-full-width"><img alt="Earth as seen inside the planetarium" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d04b9dac-5d16-412d-9058-25395f587e52" data-image-style="content_full_width" height="1100" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/Samoukova_TDSRC-WPL-289.jpg?itok=w1YnI2sI" typeof="Image" width="1650" /><figcaption>Crédit photo: Lina Samoukova</figcaption></figure><h2>Réservez un spectacle pour 2025</h2> <p><a href="https://plateauastro.com/fr/presentations/mobile-planetarium">Je prends désormais des réservations pour 2025.</a></p> <p>N'hésitez pas à vous renseigner sur le planétarium, sur les spectacles que je propose actuellement, et à m'envoyer un message en utilisant le formulaire de contact de chaque page, ou en m'envoyant un courriel à l'adresse suivante <a href="mailto:info@plateauastro.com">info@plateauastro.com</a>.</p> </div> </div> </div> Sun, 27 Oct 2024 13:37:57 -0400 Trevor Kjorlien c806db8c-f615-425a-a39c-c1048c06f266 We're rapidly losing daylight https://plateauastro.com/blog/2024-10-02/were-rapidly-losing-daylight <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/2024-10/IMG_6964.jpeg?itok=ptSuhT8B" width="1650" height="1100" alt="" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /> Around the Autumn Equinox is when we lose the most light per day <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <p>If you've been saying to yourself, "It feels like we're losing a lot of light" the last few days, your hunch is completely correct.</p> <p>We're now officially in Autumn, as marked by the Autumn Equinox on September 22. But we've actually been losing daylight since June 20 on the Summer Solstice. So why does it all of a sudden <em>feel</em> like we're losing a lot more light?</p> <p>The reason: we gain and lose light each day unevenly through the year.</p> <h2>How it changes through the year</h2> <p><em>Note: all the numbers below are for Montréal. These numbers will vary depending on your location.</em></p> <p>The day after the Summer Solstice, we only lost about 1 second of daylight. And each passing day, we slowly start to lose a bit more:</p> <ul><li>Jun 21: 1 sec</li> <li>Jun 22: 6 sec</li> <li>Jun 23: 10 sec</li> <li>Jun 24: 15 sec</li> <li>etc...</li> </ul><p>As we move further from the Summer Solstice, we lose more and more light. A look at July:</p> <ul><li>Jul 1: 46 sec</li> <li>Jul 10: 1 min, 22 sec</li> <li>Jul 20: 1 min, 57 sec</li> <li>Jul 30: 2 min, 23 sec</li> </ul><p>And so it goes. The daylight loss continues going up a few seconds each day until it plateaus around the Autumn Equinox:</p> <ul><li>Sep 1: 3 min, 4 sec</li> <li>Sep 10: 3 min, 8 sec</li> <li>Sep 20: 3 min, 9 sec</li> <li>Sep 30: 3 min, 9 sec</li> </ul><h2>We lose over 3 minutes of light per day</h2> <p>Our daylight loss peaks and stays here at over 3 minutes for a few weeks. Each day the sunrise gets later and the sunset gets earlier.</p> <p><img alt="Sunset in Montréal" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b6fba548-0350-484c-98d5-4e164d5f5a84" data-image-style="content_full_width" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/IMG_9310_1.jpeg?itok=GYBuYXOC" width="1650" height="1238" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /></p> <p>Eventually, though, that peak loss begins to go down:</p> <ul><li>Oct 5: 3 min, 8 sec</li> <li>Oct 15: 3 min, 5 sec</li> <li>Oct 25: 2 min, 57 sec</li> <li>Oct 31: 2 min, 51 sec</li> <li>etc...</li> </ul><p>The sunrise gets later and the sunset gets earlier, but at a slower rate. Until we reach the Winter Solstice, the day with the least amount of daylight.</p> <p>And here, the inverse happens: we <em>gain</em> light in the same slow-at-first, but then quickly-at-the-equinox pattern.</p> <p>If you're feeling rowdy, you can check the <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/canada/montreal?month=9&amp;year=2024">exact amount we lose each day here</a>.</p> <h2>Daylight Loss in Context</h2> <p>3 minutes per day might not sound like a lot, but draw that out over a week. That's over 21 minutes of total daylight lost!</p> <p>And in a month? That's over an hour and a half!</p> <p>If you add September and October's daylight loss together, it's over 3 hours. It's an extreme amount of change in just eight weeks.</p> <h2>A Land of Contrast</h2> <p>I get why people start getting bummed out this time of year. The darkness and cold temperatures can be oppressive in a place like Montréal.</p> <p>Nothing I can say will make shovelling out your car in -40°C any more fun.</p> <p>But compare this to a place like Quito, Ecuador (which definitely has its advantages, I'm sure). Here's the amount of daylength they get through the year:</p> <ul><li>Mar 21: 12 hours, 6 minutes</li> <li>Jun 21: 12 hours, 6 minutes</li> <li>Sep 21: 12 hours, 6 minutes</li> <li>Dec 21: 12 hours, 6 minutes</li> </ul><p>At the Equator, you get the same amount of daylight every single day of the year.</p> <p>I'm always amazed how Montréal pulls it off.</p> <p>In the dead of winter, I look outside and see three feet of snow, and temporarily forget how we can possibly have amazing summer hangs.</p> <p>And in the heat of summer while sitting out in a park, I forget that in six months time, I could sit here buried in snow.</p> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 02 Oct 2024 13:41:32 -0400 Trevor Kjorlien 2acf6fa9-6614-42a6-bbcb-2a9046084c57 A video intro to my most-used astronomy apps https://plateauastro.com/blog/2024-09-23/video-intro-my-most-used-astronomy-apps <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/2024-09/PlateauAstro-1.jpg?itok=awTcMf09" width="1650" height="1101" alt="" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /> A crash course on each astronomy app I&#039;ve come to trust over the years <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <p>Great news everyone: on September 10th, 2024, our daughter Marianne was born! We're all doing well and adjusting to our new life.</p> <p>I'm going to be on paternity leave for the next few months, so things will be a bit quieter. Before the birth, I decided to record a few "how-to" videos of my most used free apps. Then, if people asked me a certain question while I was on leave, I could link them these and they can (hopefully) learn to find the answer themselves.</p> <p>Each one is about 10 minutes long. Enjoy!</p> <h2>Stellarium Mobile</h2> <p>Learn to spot constellations, the positions of the planets and Moon, and a lot more...</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--video paragraph--view-mode--default container mt-4 mb-5"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <div class="media media--type-remote-video media--view-mode-default embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2>Aurora Forecast Apps</h2> <p>2024 and 2025 are great years to see the Aurora Borealis. In this video, I give a brief rundown of a few free apps...</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--video paragraph--view-mode--default container mt-4 mb-5"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <div class="media media--type-remote-video media--view-mode-default embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2>Solar Walk Lite</h2> <p>A mini solar system in your pocket, I've found this app immeasurably useful over the years to demonstrate how the planets move around the Sun...</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--video paragraph--view-mode--default container mt-4 mb-5"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <div class="media media--type-remote-video media--view-mode-default embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2>ISS Detector</h2> <p>From a few years back, learn how to see the International Space Station fly overhead with the naked eye...</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--video paragraph--view-mode--default container mt-4 mb-5"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <div class="media media--type-remote-video media--view-mode-default embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 23 Sep 2024 22:22:10 -0400 Trevor Kjorlien 953939d2-f02d-4796-9a44-70404ce483b6 S'il vous plaît, faites-nous savoir quand les avions à réaction passeront au-dessus de nos têtes https://plateauastro.com/fr/blog/2024-06-27/sil-vous-plait-faites-nous-savoir-quand-avions-reaction-passeront-au-dessus-nos <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/2024-06/top-gun-coffee-flyby-Montr%C3%A9al.jpg?itok=eUS50Y-x" width="1650" height="1238" alt="" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /> Montréal a besoin d&#039;être mieux informée lorsque les avions à réaction volent à basse altitude <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <p>Si vous étiez à Montréal jeudi dernier, vous avez peut-être entendu le grondement de quelque chose dans le ciel.</p> <p>Cela commence par un grondement sourd, puis devient rapidement plus fort, plus fort, et enfin WHOOSH ! Au loin, vous entendez un Anglo dans la rue qui crie : « Mais qu'est-ce que c'était que ça ?</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8dM5bbskLg/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"><div> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8dM5bbskLg/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> <div> <div></div> <div> <div></div> <div></div></div></div><div></div> <div></div><div> <div>View this post on Instagram</div></div><div></div> <div><div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div></div><div> <div></div> <div></div></div><div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div></div></div> <div> <div></div> <div></div></div></a><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8dM5bbskLg/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Mark Morgenstern (@mark_morgenstern)</a></p></div></blockquote> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <p> </p> <p>Jeudi dernier, c'est une paire d'avions de chasse CF-18 qui a célébré l'ouverture à domicile des Alouettes. Super cool ! J'adore les survols d'avions à réaction... quand je sais qu'ils vont se produire.</p> <p>Puis, mardi après-midi, cela s'est reproduit ! Cette fois, c'était l'armée de l'air italienne qui survolait le centre-ville.</p> <p>Dans les deux cas, saviez-vous que cela allait se produire ?</p> <h2>Envoyer un courriel aux Alouettes</h2> <p>Le 12 juin, j'ai envoyé un courriel à l'équipe de communication des Alouettes de Montréal pour leur demander s'ils avaient l'intention de faire un survol en avion à réaction. Cela s'est produit plusieurs années de suite et, à chaque fois, les habitants de la ville ne semblent pas préparés à l'événement. Je me suis dit que si je pouvais le savoir à l'avance, je pourrais utiliser ma plateforme pour avertir les gens et les enthousiasmer (encore une fois, j'adore les survols d'avions quand je sais qu'ils vont avoir lieu).</p> <p><img alt="Email to Montréal Alouettes" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2fce6c07-54db-489c-a0d0-afc3dbb2eb51" data-image-style="content_full_width" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/email-alouettes-comms.jpg?itok=AIeauCrm" width="1650" height="1618" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /></p> <p>Je n'ai pas reçu de réponse de l'équipe de communication.</p> <p>C'est compréhensible. Ils ont probablement un tas d'e-mails à traiter. Peut-être sur les médias sociaux ?</p> <ul><li>Instagram : J'ai fait défiler, mais je n'ai pas trouvé de message.</li> <li>Facebook : OK, oui, un survol de mauvaise qualité posté la veille.</li> <li>Facebook : OK, oui encore, une capture d'écran d'un horaire posté la veille.</li> <li>Blog : une mention sur leur blog publiée la veille</li> </ul><p>Je ne reprocherai pas aux Alouettes de ne pas avoir essayé. Il est difficile de faire passer le mot sur une chose ! (Il suffit de me demander ce qu'il en est de l'éclipse solaire). Mais j'ai essayé d'obtenir de l'information à ce sujet et je n'ai pas été en mesure de savoir à l'avance. Et je ne pense pas qu'il faille suivre une équipe sur les médias sociaux ou lire son blog pour savoir que des avions à réaction vont survoler la ville.</p> <p>J'ai publié un message sur les médias sociaux à propos du survol et j'ai reçu plus d'une douzaine de messages disant que les gens n'avaient aucune idée de ce qui se passait.</p> <h2>Puis vinrent les Italiens</h2> <p>Celui-ci est sorti de nulle part. Depuis Rosemont, nous avons entendu un grondement sourd, mais j'ai supposé qu'il s'agissait d'un gros avion de passagers décollant de YUL. Cela ne pouvait pas être un autre avion à réaction qui passait par là, n'est-ce pas ?</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8pvKPwPTV4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"><div> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8pvKPwPTV4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> <div> <div></div> <div> <div></div> <div></div></div></div><div></div> <div></div><div> <div>View this post on Instagram</div></div><div></div> <div><div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div></div><div> <div></div> <div></div></div><div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div></div></div> <div> <div></div> <div></div></div></a><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8pvKPwPTV4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Mark Morgenstern (@mark_morgenstern)</a></p></div></blockquote> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <p>Narrateur : « Il l'était ».</p> <p>Pour cette fois, il n'y avait pas de précédent annuel pour un survol (pour autant que je sache). Je suppose que je suis censé suivre le Consulat italien de Montréal sur Facebook ? C'est ma faute...</p> <h2>Nous avons besoin d'un meilleur système d'alerte</h2> <p>Encore une fois, j'adore les survols d'avions à réaction et je pense que c'est une façon inspirante d'intéresser les enfants à l'aviation et à l'ingénierie.</p> <p>Mais je comprends parfaitement pourquoi certaines personnes les détestent. Certains détestent tout simplement le bruit, d'autres n'aiment pas les démonstrations de puissance militaire, et d'autres encore souffrent d'un véritable traumatisme crânien.</p> <p>Ici, à Montréal, nous devrions être fiers d'accueillir des réfugiés de régions déchirées par la guerre. Mais il n'y a pas de quoi être fier de ne pas leur dire à l'avance que des engins de guerre vont effectuer un survol à basse altitude.</p> <h2>Ma suggestion</h2> <p>Voici quelques conseils à l'intention des organisations qui prévoient un survol. Je n'y ai pas encore réfléchi de manière approfondie, aussi considérez-vous qu'il s'agit d'une première ébauche d'idées :</p> <h3>Publier un message spécifique sur les médias sociaux</h3> <p>Au moins une semaine à l'avance, rédigez un billet contenant uniquement les informations relatives au survol. Inclure :</p> <ul><li>la date et l'heure du survol</li> <li>une carte montrant la trajectoire de vol prévue au-dessus de la ville</li> <li>le nombre de jets qui devraient être en formation</li> </ul><h3>Dites-le à la ville, et la ville nous le dira</h3> <p>Je suppose qu'il faut une autorisation pour effectuer un survol d'une ville en avion à réaction ? C'est exact ?</p> <p>Si c'est le cas, la ville de Montréal devrait également faire un post dédié avec les informations listées ci-dessus.</p> <h3>Partager/taguer avec les comptes de médias sociaux locaux</h3> <p>Ugh, l'état de la consommation des médias. Idéalement, vous pourriez envoyer un communiqué de presse à CBC, CTV, Montréal Gazette, etc... et l'information serait largement diffusée.</p> <p>La législation canadienne mise à part, les gens vont probablement entendre votre message par l'intermédiaire de grands comptes de médias sociaux locaux tels que fucknomtl. Renseignez-vous sur les comptes qui ont un impact important dans la ville et demandez-leur de partager votre message comme une sorte d'annonce de service public.</p> <p>En fait, nous ne devrions pas avoir à suivre de près une équipe sportive, un consulat ou un obscur groupe privé sur Facebook pour savoir quand ces événements vont se produire.</p> <h2>Juste... faites un meilleur travail pour nous le faire savoir</h2> <p>Encore une fois, je comprends la difficulté de faire connaître un événement. Ce n'est pas facile.</p> <p>En lisant ce post Reddit sur le flyby, même après une décennie d'ouverture à domicile des Alouettes, beaucoup (la plupart ?) n'ont aucune idée qu'ils vont avoir lieu. C'est un problème.</p> <p>Il y aura aussi des gens qui réagiront négativement à l'organisation des Alouettes, à l'Aviation royale du Canada, etc...</p> <p>Imaginez le moment différemment : vous avez fait passer le mot longtemps à l'avance. L'information est diffusée sur tous les médias sociaux. Et de nouvelles personnes sont maintenant au courant de votre match de football ou de votre consulat.</p> <p>À 18 heures, les gens se tiennent à l'extérieur et attendent le rugissement. Ils sont excités à l'idée du survol. Et lorsque le moment arrive, ils sont heureux d'en faire partie.</p> <p>Comparez cette situation à celle d'aujourd'hui, où un anglophone crie au loin : « Mais qu'est-ce que c'était que ça ?</p> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 27 Jun 2024 16:01:57 -0400 Trevor Kjorlien 719ef8d2-e688-49a5-abfe-318e89fb8ad2 Please, just let us know when the jets will fly overhead https://plateauastro.com/blog/2024-06-27/please-just-let-us-know-when-jets-will-fly-overhead <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/2024-06/top-gun-coffee-flyby-Montr%C3%A9al.jpg?itok=eUS50Y-x" width="1650" height="1238" alt="" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /> Montréal needs a better heads up when the jets fly low <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <p>If you were in Montréal last Thursday afternoon, you might have heard the booming roar of <em>something</em> in the sky.</p> <p>It starts as a low rumble, then quickly gets louder, louder, and then <em>WHOOSH! </em>Then in the distance you hear an Anglo in the street yelling, "What the hell was that?!"  </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8dM5bbskLg/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"><div> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8dM5bbskLg/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> <div> <div></div> <div> <div></div> <div></div></div></div><div></div> <div></div><div> <div>View this post on Instagram</div></div><div></div> <div><div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div></div><div> <div></div> <div></div></div><div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div></div></div> <div> <div></div> <div></div></div></a><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8dM5bbskLg/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Mark Morgenstern (@mark_morgenstern)</a></p></div></blockquote> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <p> </p> <p> Last Thursday, it was a pair of CF-18 fighter jets to celebrate the home opener of the Alouettes. Super cool! I love jet flyovers... when I know that they're going to happen.</p> <p>Then on Tuesday afternoon, it happened again! This time, it was the <a href="https://montreal.citynews.ca/2024/06/25/italian-air-force-flies-over-montreal/">Italian Air Force flying over downtown</a>.</p> <p>In both of these instances, did you know it was going to happen?</p> <h2>Emailing the Alouettes</h2> <p>On June 12th, I emailed the Montréal Alouettes communications team to ask if they planned on doing a jet flyover. This has happened a few years in a row, and each time the people of the city seem unprepared for it. I figured if I could find out in advance, I could use my platform to warn people, as well as get them excited for it (again, I love jet flyovers when I know they're coming).</p> <p><img alt="Email to Montréal Alouettes" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2fce6c07-54db-489c-a0d0-afc3dbb2eb51" data-image-style="content_full_width" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/email-alouettes-comms.jpg?itok=AIeauCrm" width="1650" height="1618" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /></p> <p>I didn't get a reply from the comms team.</p> <p>Understandable. They probably have a bunch of emails to answer. Maybe on social media?</p> <ul><li>Instagram: I scrolled, but couldn't find a post</li> <li>Facebook: OK, yes, a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/6iyUoJqAQuTUWjY7/">badass flyover </a>posted the day before</li> <li>Facebook: OK, yes again, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/gU5cVW79SdoQZ46D/">a screenshot of a schedule</a> posted the day before</li> <li>Blog: a <a href="https://en.montrealalouettes.com/2024/06/19/5-reasons-to-come-to-the-2024-home-opener/">mention on their blog</a> posted the day before</li> </ul><p>I'm not going to fault the Alouettes for not trying. Getting the word out on a thing is hard! (just ask me about the solar eclipse). But I <em>tried</em> to get info on this, and I wasn't able to know in advance. And I don't think I should have to follow a team on social media or read their blog to know jets are going to fly over the city.</p> <p>I posted on social media about the flyover and got over a dozen messages saying people had no idea what was going on.</p> <h2>Then came the Italians</h2> <p>This one came out of nowhere. From Rosemont we heard a low rumble, but I assumed it was a large passenger jet taking off from YUL. It couldn't be <em>another</em> jet flyby, could it?  </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8pvKPwPTV4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"><div> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8pvKPwPTV4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> <div> <div></div> <div> <div></div> <div></div></div></div><div></div> <div></div><div> <div>View this post on Instagram</div></div><div></div> <div><div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div></div><div> <div></div> <div></div></div><div> <div></div> <div></div> <div></div></div></div> <div> <div></div> <div></div></div></a><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8pvKPwPTV4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Mark Morgenstern (@mark_morgenstern)</a></p></div></blockquote> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <p> Narrator: "It was."</p> <p>For this one, there was no yearly precedent for a flyover (as far as I know). I guess I'm supposed to follow the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/tEhBiiWkhc52i7of/">Italian Consulate of Montréal on Facebook</a>? That's my bad...</p> <h2>We need a better warning system</h2> <p>Again, I love jet flyovers, and I think it can be an inspiring way to get kids interested in aviation and engineering.</p> <p>But I completely understand why some people hate them altogether. Some people just hate the loud noise, others dislike displays of military might, and some people have legit shell shock.</p> <p>Here in Montréal, we should be proud that we welcome refugees from war-torn regions. But not telling them in advance that war gear will be doing a low flyover pass is not something to be proud of.</p> <h2>My suggestion</h2> <p>Here's a few things that organizations who are planning a flyover should do. I haven't though about this too thoroughly, so consider this a first draft of ideas:</p> <h3>Make a dedicated social media post</h3> <p>At least a week in advance, make a post with just the info about the flyover. Include:</p> <ul><li>the date and time of when it's going to happen</li> <li>a map showing the predicted flight path over the city</li> <li>how many jets you expect to be in formation</li> </ul><h3>Tell the city, and the city tells us</h3> <p>I assume you need permission to do a jet flyover of a city? Right?</p> <p>If so, the city of Montréal should also make a dedicated post with the info listed above.</p> <h3>Share/tag with local social media accounts</h3> <p>Ugh, the state of media consumption. Ideally you could send a press release to CBC, CTV, Montréal Gazette, etc... and the info would be wide spread.</p> <p><a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/online-news.html">Canadian legislation aside</a>, folks are likely going to hear your message through large local social media accounts like <a href="https://www.instagram.com/fucknomtl">fucknomtl</a>. Learn which accounts have a big impact in the city and get them to share it as a kind of public service announcement.</p> <p>Basically... we shouldn't have to closely follow a sports team, a consulate, or an obscure private Facebook group to know when these are going to happen.</p> <h2>Just... do a better job of letting us know</h2> <p>Again, I understand the difficulty in getting the word out on an event. It's not easy.</p> <p>Reading this <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/montreal/comments/1dkpwg4/fighter_jet_in_montreal/">Reddit post on the flyby</a>, even after a decade of doing the Alouettes home opener, many (most?) have no idea they're going to happen. That's an issue.</p> <p>You're also going to get people who are gonna react negatively to the Alouettes organization, the Royal Canadian Air Force, etc...</p> <p>Imagine the moment differently: you've gotten the word out far in advance. It's shared all over social media. And some new people now know about your football game or your consulate.</p> <p>At 6:00 PM, people are standing outside awaiting the roar. They're excited for the flyby. And as the moment happens, they're glad to be a part of it.</p> <p>Compare that to now, where we have an Anglo yelling in the distance, "What the hell was that?!"</p> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 27 Jun 2024 16:01:57 -0400 Trevor Kjorlien 719ef8d2-e688-49a5-abfe-318e89fb8ad2 Where to Watch the Solar Eclipse in Montréal https://plateauastro.com/blog/2024-04-01/where-watch-solar-eclipse-montreal <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/2024-04/IMG_0017_0.jpeg?itok=ysr4gTvw" width="1650" height="1650" alt="" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /> A few eclipse viewing spots I recommend <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <p>The eclipse is almost here! And a question I've been getting a lot is "where is the best spot to watch the eclipse in Montréal?"</p> <p>Most importantly: make sure you're in the blue part of the map below. And the further "in" to the blue you are, the longer totality time you'll get. So if you're in Old Port, you'll get more totality time than if you were in Parc Jarry, for instance.</p> <p><img alt="Solar Eclipse Totality Map Montréal 2024" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="06b951ab-7ab2-45b1-8a6f-256624f28bdf" data-image-style="content_full_width" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/eclipse-2024_0.png?itok=aWMJsCID" width="1650" height="1179" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /></p> <p>There's no real "best" spot and you don't need to overthink this. But below, I'll list off a few spots that might be a good for you, and the pros and cons of each.</p> <h2>Things to consider</h2> <ul><li>already have a good spot in your backyard or patio? No need to go anywhere!</li> <li> a wide open space like a park is ideal. This will give you a good view of the 360° sunset that happens at totality!</li> <li>try to avoid places with tall buildings so they don't risk blocking the view</li> <li>use the metro, as road traffic will be busy</li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2>Parc Jeanne-Mance</h2> <p><img alt="Parc Jeanne-Mance" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="82220505-34b1-43ac-86ec-d113b700b4c2" data-image-style="content_full_width" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/IMG_5173.jpeg?itok=sHbvgviv" width="1650" height="1237" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /></p> <p>This is my top recommended spot. My hunch is that this will be less busy than a lot of other places and has enough open space to accommodate lots of people.</p> <p>This will also provide a good open view of the horizon to see some of the 360° sunset. Also: how iconic to look at the eclipse and see the Mont Royal cross to your left?</p> <ul><li><strong>Totality time</strong>: 1 min, 15 sec</li> <li><strong>Nearest metro</strong>: Mont-Royal</li> <li><a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/XhDD4q7wpx3nsGfk9">Google Map</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2>Parc Lafontaine</h2> <p><img alt="Parc Lafontaine" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0a69501e-568a-4418-abc1-4a26d6708e54" data-image-style="content_full_width" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/IMG_9471.jpeg?itok=0aDBONti" width="1650" height="1237" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /></p> <p>This is also another great centrally located spot. It lacks a bit of open space to see the 360° sunset and be sure to get a spot that isn't blocked by trees.</p> <p>The water won't be filled, so don't expect an idyllic scene. But come early enough and you might be able to grab a bench!</p> <ul><li><strong>Totality Time</strong>: 1 min, 14 sec</li> <li><strong>Nearest Metros</strong>: Sherbrooke, Mont-Royal</li> <li><a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/y1Np5AqUZ9UjbHgx9">Google Map</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2>Beaver Lake / Lac au Castors</h2> <p><img alt="Beaver Lake" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="3ae4fc07-c4bb-4920-9b54-afaf688db02a" data-image-style="content_full_width" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/IMG_0019.jpeg?itok=1_PNX1GP" width="1650" height="1652" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /></p> <p>This spot has a lot going for it, but will take about 30 minutes to walk to from the nearest metro. Seriously: don't even think about getting a parking spot nearby. There is a bus that goes directly here, but just assume traffic will be nuts.</p> <p>The eclipse will happen right above the St Joseph Oratory. You'll also have a solid view of the horizon to see part of the 360° sunset. You'll also have a clear view to see bright dots Jupiter and Venus at totality.</p> <ul><li><strong>Totality Time</strong>: 1 min, 24 sec</li> <li><strong>Nearest Metros</strong>: Guy Concordia (Green Line, 35 min walk), Côte-des-Neiges (Blue Line, 40 min walk)</li> <li><a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/jVaQ7X2uxfFFxct96">Google Map</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2>Belvédère Outremont</h2> <p><img alt="Belvédère Outremont" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1edcecb2-7969-4295-947d-1db650d7667f" data-image-style="content_full_width" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/IMG_7879.jpeg?itok=tSgyFdWW" width="1650" height="1238" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /></p> <p>This is the best sunset spot in the city, and this will be a really killer view. But there's some downsides.</p> <p>The available space for this lookout point is small, so it could be very crowded. Honestly: arrive here at like 12:00 PM if you want to guarantee a spot.</p> <p>Depending on how many people decide to come here, the trail leading up might be horribly congested. Again, arrive early?</p> <p>But if you do get a good spot here, you'll have an amazing view of the 360° sunset overlooking the horizon looking west. The Sun will be more to the "left" compared to the photo above, so you'll be facing more towards the south than you would for a usual western sunset.</p> <ul><li><strong>Totality Time</strong>: 1 min 17 sec</li> <li><strong>Nearest Metro</strong>: Édouard-Montpetit (Blue Line + 25 minute walk)</li> <li><a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/D13fTysvFwGFU4CB6">Google Map</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2>Parc Angrignon</h2> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-img image-style-content-full-width"><img alt="Parc Angrignon: Google Maps" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="08248877-8fe0-48ad-9f65-d75c94259b61" data-image-style="content_full_width" height="720" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/parc%20angrignon.jpg?itok=gYygQIMb" typeof="Image" width="1650" /><figcaption>Credit: Vivek Jariya, Google Maps</figcaption></figure><p>If you're on the southwest part of the island, Parc Angrignon might be a solid spot! And of all my picks here, has the longest totality time. Also, the metro station is just a few minutes walk away.</p> <ul><li><strong>Totality Time</strong>: 1 min 50 sec</li> <li><strong>Nearest Metro</strong>: Angrignon</li> <li><a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/oB4VwnCxWf76WhBy9">Google Map</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2>Parc Jarry</h2> <p><img alt="Parc Jarry" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ba58b1ae-c8a0-4867-ba39-40a928215201" data-image-style="content_full_width" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/IMG_7701.jpeg?itok=NOrr6OX6" width="1650" height="1238" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /></p> <p>Although this has less than a minute of totality time, Parc Jarry will have lots of available space and have a good view of the 360° sunset. Perhaps the best of all the spots listed here.</p> <p>If you can snag that small hilltop by the pond? Good on ya.</p> <ul><li><strong>Totality Time</strong>: 50 sec</li> <li><strong>Nearest Metros</strong>: De Castelneau, Parc (Blue Line)</li> <li><a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/bcyaXmaCkQsV7eBE8">Google Map</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2>St Joseph's Oratory</h2> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-img image-style-content-full-width"><img alt="St Joseph Oratory" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="de67006b-2881-42da-9852-6044c76bab00" data-image-style="content_full_width" height="1699" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/st-joseph-oratory-sunset.JPG?itok=GckbReg0" typeof="Image" width="1650" /><figcaption>Credit, Instagram: <a href="http://instagram.com/shirinanja/">@shirinanja</a></figcaption></figure><p>I imagine the Oratory will be packed. People flock here to watch the sunset and I can only imagine what it'll be like on April 8th.</p> <p>The stairs looking West provide great seating and you'll have an excellent view to see the 360° horizon. Also, if you feel you need to repent at the sight of totality, this might be your spot. But arrive earlier than you think. Like, church on Christmas Eve early.</p> <ul><li><strong>Totality Time</strong>: 1 min 22 sec</li> <li><strong>Nearest Metro</strong>: Côte-des-Neiges</li> <li><a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/wJgQg14acJMjsvSh8">Google Map</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2>Other Free Events</h2> <p>Although it'll be packed, you might enjoy the feeling of being around tens of thousand of other people during the eclipse. Some of these events might have a limited amount of free solar eclipse glasses. Again, don't count on getting glasses and be sure to arrive early:</p> <ul><li><a href="https://www.parcjeandrapeau.com/en/total-solar-eclipse-april-8-2024-parc-jean-drapeau-montreal/">Eclipse of the Century: Parc Jean Drapeau</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.montrealsciencecentre.com/special-event/total-solar-eclipse-at-the-montreal-science-centre">Total Solar Eclipse: Montréal Science Center, Old Port</a></li> <li><a href="https://tsi.mcgill.ca/index.php?page=eclipse-2024">Eclipse Fair &amp; Viewing Party: McGill Downtown Campus, Lower Field</a></li> <li><a href="https://allevents.in/beaconsfield/experience-the-total-solar-eclipse-april-8th-2024/200026049483111">Total Solar Eclipse: John Abbott College</a></li> </ul><p>If you don't need to drive, please don't. Use public transportation (metro will be easier). Arrive early. And be kind to the people around you.</p> <p>Have a great eclipse!</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--support paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-9 col-lg-7 col-xl-6"> <div class="text-align-center alert alert-warning my-5 py-4"> <p>Do you now know where you're gonna see the eclipse because of this article? Buy me a coffee or become a monthly supporter!</p> <div class="d-flex flex-column flex-sm-row justify-content-center"> <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=6977025" class="p-3"><img src="/themes/armstrong/images/support/patreon.png" class="mx-auto d-block" width="210" height="60" alt="Become a Patreon"></a> <a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/plateauastro" class="p-3"><img src="/themes/armstrong/images/support/bmc.png" class="mx-auto d-block" width="210" height="60" alt="Buy Me a Coffee"></a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 01 Apr 2024 13:10:26 -0400 Trevor Kjorlien 84a4001d-7570-47c0-ad1b-2cc145d8fa2d Why is 2024 a Leap Year? https://plateauastro.com/blog/2024-01-09/why-2024-leap-year <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/2024-01/IMG_5827_1.jpeg?itok=z5k1etAO" width="1650" height="1166" alt="" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /> And why do we do this every four years? <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <p>Every four years, we add an extra day to our calendar. The elusive February 29.</p> <p>Why do we do this every four years? Why do we do it at all?</p> <h2>How long is a year, really?</h2> <p>It’s common to say that it takes the Earth 365 days to go around the Sun. In everyday life, this is a pretty good number to use.</p> <p>But the Earth actually takes about 365 days<strong> </strong>and<strong> </strong>6 hours to go around the Sun once. Or, as shown in the diagram below, 365.25 days. </p> <p>That extra 6 hours is critical to why we have leap years.</p> <p><img alt="The Earth going around the Sun in 365.25 days" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="01592ecb-f7af-4ec9-aadc-8a94375dcdb6" data-image-style="content_full_width" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/leap%20year%20diagram.png?itok=6oOfgq-6" width="1650" height="1650" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2>Example</h2> <p>Let's pretend we have a calendar with only 365 days in it. No leap years.</p> <h3>Year 1</h3> <p>The Earth goes around the Sun once. And we’ve found that it’s 6 hours out of sync. But who cares? It’s just 6 hours, and compared to 365 days, that’s basically nothing.</p> <h3>Year 2</h3> <p>The Earth goes around the Sun again. At the end of the year, the Earth is now 12 hours out of sync. Again, is this really a big deal?</p> <h3>Year 3</h3> <p>The Earth goes around the Sun again. Now it’s 18 hours out of sync. Big whoop.</p> <h3>Year 4</h3> <p>The Earth goes around the Sun again. Now it's out of sync by 24 hours, an entire day. Now it starts to hit us...</p> <p><img alt="Sunset on Belvédère Outremont" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8268b09b-8cf8-4be1-8684-24772207c357" data-image-style="content_full_width" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/IMG_5842_0.jpeg?itok=mwPYprkH" width="1650" height="1100" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /></p> <h2>No Leap Year = Out of Sync</h2> <p>If we continued this example for 8 years, we'd be 2 days out of sync. 12 years, 3 days out of sync. And so on...</p> <p>After 100 years of using a 365 day calendar, it would be 25 days out of sync.</p> <p>Eventually, we would be looking at our calendars and the date wouldn't match what we would expect to see outside. The calendar would say something like July 1st and there would be two feet of snow on the ground.</p> <p>This is what adding a day every 4 years avoids. It keeps our calendars in sync.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2>Imagine a Different Planet</h2> <p>It might be good to hammer this home in your brain by imagining how often a Leap Year would happen on a different planet:</p> <h3>Questions</h3> <p>How often would a Leap Years happen if the planet took...</p> <ol><li>365 days and 12 hours to go around the Sun</li> <li>365 days and 4 hours to go around the Sun </li> <li>365 days and 1 hour to go around the Sun</li> </ol><p><img alt="Sunset on Belvédère Outremont" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="473b4244-a35b-43c2-89fb-06c2a7702929" data-image-style="content_full_width" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/IMG_5819.jpeg?itok=vIbEriNb" width="1650" height="1100" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /></p> <h3>Answers</h3> <ol><li>Every 2 years</li> <li>Every 6 years </li> <li>Every 24 years</li> </ol><p>Basically, we find how much "extra time" it takes the planet to go around the Sun. Then we divide 24 hours by that number.</p> <p>This assumes the planet also has a 24 hour day, but try and think about a planet that spins more slowly or quickly. What might their calendar look like?</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2>Not exactly 365.25 days</h2> <p>The Earth's orbit around the Sun is actually a little bit more than 365 days and 6 hours. It's more like 365 days, 6 hours, and 9 minutes (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth%27s_orbit">Wikipedia Page all about Earth's orbit</a>).</p> <p>To compensate for that little bit of difference, some years which would normally be a Leap Year do not. <a href="https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/which-years-are-leap-years-can-you-have-leap-seconds#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20leap%20year,year%2C%20although%201900%20was%20not.">To quote this website</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p><em>"After 1752 we adopted the system still in use today where an additional day is inserted in February in years wholly divisible by four, other than years ending in 00 with the exception of those divisible by 400 which are still leap years (like 2000)."</em></p> </blockquote> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2><img alt="Sun setting on the horizon on Belvédère Outremont" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a978b41b-e489-4de3-9def-ea07a380af89" data-image-style="content_full_width" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/IMG_5852.jpeg?itok=R9PNhry6" width="1650" height="1100" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /></h2> <h2>Nature is Imperfect</h2> <p>Before I was old enough to know better, I assumed that the calendar had 365 days because we humans willed it that way. It just sounded like a cool number that was close to 360 (also a very useful number, I'd been told). And we did Leap Years just to keep things interesting.</p> <p>But as I got older, it became clear that some of our human-made systems arise from nature. But nature can be imperfect, and so we need to conform our systems to natural reality.</p> <p>It would be easier if Earth took <em>exactly</em> 365 days to go around the Sun. We wouldn't need Leap Years. </p> <p>But here we are: making the best use of the natural world around us, and compensating when we need to.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--support paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-9 col-lg-7 col-xl-6"> <div class="text-align-center alert alert-warning my-5 py-4"> <p>Do you know why we have Leap Years now? Support my work!</p> <div class="d-flex flex-column flex-sm-row justify-content-center"> <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=6977025" class="p-3"><img src="/themes/armstrong/images/support/patreon.png" class="mx-auto d-block" width="210" height="60" alt="Become a Patreon"></a> <a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/plateauastro" class="p-3"><img src="/themes/armstrong/images/support/bmc.png" class="mx-auto d-block" width="210" height="60" alt="Buy Me a Coffee"></a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Tue, 09 Jan 2024 18:00:00 -0500 Trevor Kjorlien 87e8cd70-28fb-4753-8334-a16e91b2d682 Take me to Null Island https://plateauastro.com/blog/2023-12-20/take-me-null-island <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/2023-12/kramer-nexus-of-earth.jpg?itok=M0xUffKX" width="1650" height="1104" alt="" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /> The little spot on Earth where zero meets zero <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <p>There's a scene in Seinfeld that I've loved since I was a kid, and now I finally get to use it as an astronomy teaching tool.</p> <p>Kramer's lost. He calls Jerry on a payphone. Jerry asks where he is:</p> <p>Kramer: <em>“I’m on 1st and 1st. How can the same street intersect with itself? I must be at the Nexus of the Universe!”</em></p> <p>Roll the clip...</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--video paragraph--view-mode--default container mt-4 mb-5"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <div class="media media--type-remote-video media--view-mode-default embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <p>Kramer may have found it weird to be at the corner of 1st and 1st, but what if you found yourself at the corner of 0 and 0?</p> <h2>No Location = A Location</h2> <p>My friend Jonah posted a story on Instagram a few days ago. From what I gather, he was on a plane to Los Angeles and looked at the location on his phone.</p> <p>What did the map show? Something like this:</p> <p><img alt="Jonah's Errant Location" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="249a66e2-d9c2-40d4-998b-36f99236a9fe" data-image-style="content_full_width" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/null-island-location.jpeg?itok=ztFddJmk" width="1650" height="1313" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /></p> <p>Did the pilot take a wrong turn? Were they actually at the South Atlantic Ocean, below Ghana?</p> <p>No. But why did it show his location here in the middle of the ocean?</p> <h2>My web design past roars back</h2> <p>I'm super familiar with this exact spot as I've seen it over and over in my web design career.</p> <p>Many times, I've had to build sites with locations on a map. If you have no location coordinates – NULL coordinates – this is often where the default pin is set. </p> <p>But why here?</p> <p>This spot on Earth is where the latitude is 0° and the longitude is 0°.  "<em>How can the same map lines intersect with itself? I must be at the Nexus of the Planet!"</em></p> <p>You can find the position of any place on Earth with these two numbers.</p> <h3>Latitude</h3> <p>Latitude measures how far north-south you are.</p> <p>If you're at the Equator, we say you're at 0° latitude. If you go north 1°, we say your location is 1° N, and if you go south, you're at 1° S.</p> <p>So, this place is at the Equator (notice the dashed line in the map above indicating that).</p> <h3>Longitude</h3> <p>Longitude measures how far east-west you are. 0° is at a location called the Prime Meridian.</p> <p>It's not in the map above, so I've added here in the red dashed line:</p> <p><img alt="Null Island with Prime Meridian" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="45f6e661-efd4-45ab-a409-adfbc1286cd1" data-image-style="content_full_width" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/null-island-location-prime-meridian.jpeg?itok=5jyCMq1G" width="1650" height="1313" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /></p> <p>If you're on this line, we say you're at 0° longitude. If you go east 1°, we say your location is 1° E, and if you go west, you're at 1° W.</p> <p>Putting these two ideas together, we can pin down Montreal's location to 45°.5 N and 73.5° W.</p> <h2>Longitude is Arbitrary</h2> <p>There's no controversy in saying where the Equator is: it's at the halfway point between the North Pole and the South Pole. There's no debate to be had about where the halfway point is with latitude.</p> <p>Longitude is a different story. That vertical red line in the map above is a completely arbitrary line. For lack of a better term, it's not "naturally occurring".  </p> <p>We call this line the Prime Meridian.</p> <p>The Prime Meridian runs through the Greenwich Observatory, located in London, England. This location was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Meridian_Conference">decided in October 1884</a> at the International Meridian Conference (yes, this sounds like a 99% Invisible or Radiolab episode just waiting to happen).</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-img image-style-content-full-width"><img alt="Tourists at the Prime Meridian" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5c1e8f73-f5b1-4d6e-ae83-80e9e4d2aaf4" data-image-style="content_full_width" height="1084" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/Tourists_taking_pictures_at_Prime_Meridian_monument%2C_Greenwich_Observatory%2C_London.jpg?itok=wDXFPVQx" typeof="Image" width="1650" /><figcaption>Daniel Case</figcaption></figure><p>It surprises me how recent this is! I seriously thought it would have been a date in the 1500s or something, but nope. Very recent.</p> <p>You can read the Wikipedia page for the full details, but other countries also suggested the line run through their cities, but lost the vote to England. </p> <p>So the coordinates 0° latitude and 0° longitude are only in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean because of a human decision.</p> <h3>Alternate Prime Meridian</h3> <p>Just imagine that instead of London being chosen as the Prime Meridian, it was Rome. Here is where the point 0° and 0° would be:</p> <p><img alt="Alternate Prime Meridian" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="59088a11-574d-4a1a-a607-e88db976847f" data-image-style="content_full_width" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/Alternate%20Prime%20Meridian.jpeg?itok=zzF5k3zx" width="1650" height="1054" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /></p> <p>In one alternate timeline, the default spot for GPS coordinates could have been in the country of Gabon, nestled somewhere in Ivindo National Park:</p> <p><img alt="Alternate Prime Meridian in Rome, 0° and 0° location in Ivindo National Park" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="be5ecbb6-b08d-44a3-8b72-b9043c449c4b" data-image-style="content_full_width" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/Ivindo%20National%20Park.jpeg?itok=dtpac83M" width="1650" height="1485" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /></p> <p>But nope: history went one way and the intersection of 0° and 0° is in the middle of the water. But that didn't stop us from giving this spot a name: Null Island.</p> <h2>Null Island</h2> <p>The nearest land to this spot is about 600 kilometres away.</p> <p>0° and 0° is pretty remote, however a weather buoy named "Soul" is permanently stationed there. It's part of a network of buoys used to track changing climate.</p> <p>Fun fact: each buoy is named after a musical genres and dances. Other names include "Reggae", "Samba", and "Waltz".</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-img image-style-content-full-width"><img alt="Buoys at Null Island" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9d499b84-a74a-4e7f-822e-184eb137bbd2" data-image-style="content_full_width" height="1955" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/Null_Island_2017.jpg?itok=I-eaOo4i" typeof="Image" width="1650" /><figcaption>Graham Curran</figcaption></figure><p>In conclusion: if you see your GPS coordinates somewhere off the coast Ghana and you didn't have plans to be there, fear not. Your map just has no location and has put NULL values in place there.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--support paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-9 col-lg-7 col-xl-6"> <div class="text-align-center alert alert-warning my-5 py-4"> <p>Did this article help you find your way back home? Become a supporter so I can help other lost Null Island souls.</p> <div class="d-flex flex-column flex-sm-row justify-content-center"> <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=6977025" class="p-3"><img src="/themes/armstrong/images/support/patreon.png" class="mx-auto d-block" width="210" height="60" alt="Become a Patreon"></a> <a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/plateauastro" class="p-3"><img src="/themes/armstrong/images/support/bmc.png" class="mx-auto d-block" width="210" height="60" alt="Buy Me a Coffee"></a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 20 Dec 2023 14:30:00 -0500 Trevor Kjorlien 459ca381-d544-4cca-92be-eb27080b6966 Why isn't the Winter Solstice the Earliest Sunset? https://plateauastro.com/blog/2023-12-12/why-isnt-winter-solstice-earliest-sunset <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/2023-12/IMG_2151_0.jpeg?itok=mECzdXnR" width="1650" height="1238" alt="" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /> Why the earliest sunset of the year is a few days before you expect it should be <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <p>The earliest sunset of the year doesn’t happen on the Winter Solstice. This fact was a surprise to me when I first stumbled on it a few years ago. </p> <p>My intuition told me that because the Winter Solstice is the “darkest day of the year”, that would be the day of the earliest sunset. And from feedback I’ve gotten, most folks also think this.</p> <p>But no: the earliest sunset in Montréal is on December 9th or 10th each year. Why?</p> <p>I’ll admit: I’ve read about this for years and I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. I am going to do my best, but I am going to link to the resources that have helped me at the end and hopefully at least one of these will help you understand.</p> <p>OK, let’s get into it.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2>What is the Winter Solstice?</h2> <p>Let’s get this out of the way: what is the Winter Solstice? It is the day with the least amount of total daylight.</p> <p><img alt="Montréal December Daylength Sample" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="46736cc8-18d7-42c4-afc2-c4653baa03fd" data-image-style="content_full_width" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/Montr%C3%A9al-december-daylength-sample.png?itok=AOu-YIZ1" width="1650" height="1038" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /></p> <p>Above is a sample of dates for Montréal in December. You can <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/canada/montreal">visit this page</a> and look at the Daylength column for the full data.</p> <p>On December 21, we see the number 8:42:14 (8 hours, 42 minutes, and 14 seconds of daylight). All other days of the year have a higher number than this. This is why we call this the “darkest day of the year”.</p> <p>Everybody got that? Good.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2>The Dates and Times</h2> <p>Next, let’s look at the actual date and times of the sunset in Montréal. Look again at the table above.</p> <p>If you <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/canada/montreal">visit this page</a>, look at the Sunset column. Here’s a few to illustrate the pattern:</p> <ul><li>Dec 1: 4:12 PM</li> <li>Dec 10: 4:10 PM</li> <li>Dec 21: 4:13 PM</li> <li>Dec 31: 4:20 PM</li> </ul><p>The takeaway: the date with the earliest sunset is December 10 at 4:10 PM.</p> <p>On the Winter Solstice on December 21, it’s at 4:13 PM. The earliest sunset is <strong>not</strong> on the Winter Solstice.</p> <p>Everybody got that? Good.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2>The Length of a Day Changes Throughout the Year</h2> <p><img alt="Sunset over Montreal" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="26d11cb1-2508-4343-ad27-94fe9e312d09" data-image-style="content_full_width" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/IMG_3430.jpeg?itok=YW3fHk69" width="1650" height="1320" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /></p> <p>When trying to understand this entire concept, I stumbled over this particular part for a while. So hopefully I can help you avoid that.</p> <p>We have multiple ways of measuring how long a day is.</p> <ol><li>Using a clock. The length of it doesn’t change. It’s exactly 24 hours every single day. </li> <li>Using the Sun. The length of it varies throughout the year. Not much: only by a few seconds. Some days it’s 24 hours and 20 seconds long. Some days it’s 23 hours, 59 minutes and 40 seconds long.</li> </ol><p>How do we measure how long a day is using the Sun? Pretty simple:</p> <ul><li>When the Sun is exactly South in the sky, start a timer.</li> <li>The Earth will slowly rotate for about 24 hours, and the Sun will appear to move.</li> <li>Wait for the Sun to return again exactly South in the sky. Stop your timer.</li> </ul><p>You would think that this number would be the same every single day. But it’s not! How weird!</p> <p>How much does it vary?</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2>Time for a Graph</h2> <p>OK, it’s graph time. Sorry if that scares you, but I promise this will help!</p> <p>Here’s a graph you’ll see over and over again if you research this topic. I’ve modified it slightly from <a href="https://explainingscience.org/2015/08/24/september-18-the-shortest-day/">Explaining Science</a>.</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-img image-style-content-full-width"><img alt="Solar Daylength Graph" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="24e78848-933b-4e05-b85d-533d5832d61b" data-image-style="content_full_width" height="983" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/day-length-graph.jpg?itok=BHmTh1gz" typeof="Image" width="1650" /><figcaption>Credit: ExplainingScience.org</figcaption></figure><ul></ul><p>This shows how many seconds <em>plus</em> or <em>minus</em> 24 hours we get throughout the year. Here’s a few examples (note that I’m eyeballing these values from the graph):</p> <ul><li>Jan 1: +27 seconds</li> <li>Apr 1: -17 seconds</li> <li>Jun 1: +10 seconds</li> <li>Sep 15: -22 seconds</li> <li>Dec 1: +20 seconds</li> </ul><p>So on January 1, the day lasts: 24 hours and 27 seconds.</p> <p>And on April 1, the day lasts: 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 43 seconds. </p> <p>And so on.</p> <p>Honestly, this kinda blew me away. The length of a day changes?! Yes… if you were to measure the time just using the Sun.</p> <p>And this is the crux of why the earliest sunset is on December 10 instead of December 21. There is a discrepancy between how we humans measure time on our watches (24 hours) and the Solar Time (which varies).</p> <p>We don't need to know <em>why the solar day changes</em> to continue, but if you're interested, I <a href="https://explainingscience.org/2015/08/24/september-18-the-shortest-day/">highly recommend this blog post</a>.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2>When do sunsets start getting later?</h2> <p>What I found clicked for me when researching this was flipping the question on it's head:</p> <p>Instead of thinking <em>When is the earliest sunset and why is it not the Winter Solstice?</em>, I found it easier to think <em>When do sunsets start getting later?</em></p> <p>For me, this next graph made the concept finally sink in. I've recreated what <a href="https://explainingscience.org/2014/12/05/the-shortest-day/">ExplainingScience.org has done in their blog post</a>, but adapted it for Montreal.</p> <p><img alt="Montréal Daylength Graph" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="6bb4c620-6ba7-4f8c-95f5-543772245364" data-image-style="content_full_width" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/content_full_width/public/inline-images/earliest-daylength-graph.png?itok=Iwujvsts" width="1650" height="1100" typeof="Image" class="image-style-content-full-width" /></p> <p>Each orange bar shows the date that the Sun rises and sets. For example, December 1st, the Sun rises at 7:13 AM and sets at 4:12 PM.</p> <p>It also shows the amount of daylength in hours, minutes, and seconds.</p> <p>Remember how at this time of year, the Solar Day lasts about 24 hours and 30 seconds long? This means that, on our standard 24 hours watches and clocks, the sunrise will be "pushed" about 30 seconds later the following day.</p> <p>The pink arrows illustrate this push.</p> <p>What this also means is that the sunset on the following day will be "pushed" later, too.</p> <h3>The Push vs The Shrink</h3> <p>Look closely at the daylength of December 9, 10, and 11. The days keep shrinking and shrinking, and you would expect then, the sunset to get earlier and earlier.</p> <p>But on December 11, the "push" has a greater effect than the "shrink". On December 11, the sunset happens about 1 second later than December 10.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2>Conclusion: This Isn't Easy</h2> <p>If you found yourself really scratching your head here, that's totally OK! As an amateur myself, this took a lot of blog post reading, video watching, and walks outside to have it wrap around my head.</p> <p>If I had to summarize this entire concept, it would be this:</p> <ul><li>the length of a day with our human-made clocks is 24 hours long</li> <li>the length of a day using the Sun varies through the year</li> <li>the length of a day with the Sun varies a few seconds above or under 24 hours</li> <li>because of this discrepancy in time keeping, the Sunrise can be "pushed" ahead of what our clocks say it should be</li> <li>this "push" causes our Sunsets to start later in Montréal on December 11</li> </ul><p>I'm purposely omitting some stuff here, as I found it's what I needed to grasp the concept. I hope that it works for you, too.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <h2>Further Reading</h2> <p>I have to say a huge thanks to <a href="https://explainingscience.org">ExplainingScience.org</a> for their videos and blog posts. If you want to fully understand the concept, start by watching their brief video:</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--video paragraph--view-mode--default container mt-4 mb-5"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <div class="media media--type-remote-video media--view-mode-default embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-10 col-lg-9"> <p>Then, read their blog posts:</p> <ul><li><a href="https://explainingscience.org/2015/08/24/september-18-the-shortest-day/">How the length of a day changes over the year</a></li> <li><a href="https://explainingscience.org/2014/12/05/the-shortest-day/">The Shortest Day</a></li> </ul><p>You'll hear a term called "The Equation of Time" as you read about this topic. There's even a graph that repeatedly comes up. I had a draft of this post with that graph, but found that for myself, it was <em>too much information</em> and my brain was full even as I wrote this.</p> <p>I omitted it. I found the "push" concept was all that was needed for somebody totally fresh to this early sunset idea to get the basics.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--support paragraph--view-mode--default container"> <div class="row justify-content-center"> <div class="col-md-9 col-lg-7 col-xl-6"> <div class="text-align-center alert alert-warning my-5 py-4"> <p>Did this help you understand why the Winter Solstice doesn't have the earliest sunset? Support my work to help me explain more concepts like this!</p> <div class="d-flex flex-column flex-sm-row justify-content-center"> <a href="https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=6977025" class="p-3"><img src="/themes/armstrong/images/support/patreon.png" class="mx-auto d-block" width="210" height="60" alt="Become a Patreon"></a> <a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/plateauastro" class="p-3"><img src="/themes/armstrong/images/support/bmc.png" class="mx-auto d-block" width="210" height="60" alt="Buy Me a Coffee"></a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Tue, 12 Dec 2023 16:10:22 -0500 Trevor Kjorlien 5e7106c7-c88c-466c-9026-f2f538d42334