To my knowledge, because of the peculiarieties of the air turbulances and such, we are not able to view things highier than some specified resolution (the actual statistics escape me. I'll try to search them out). So, we'll never actually see the the fooprints as, no matter what the size of the telescope is, it won't give use the necessary resoultion for such detailed viewing. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
Cheers, Translator

Translator,
With new computer programs and calibrations while firing a laser into the sky most ground based telescopes can now almost reach the resolution of the Hubble, according to Dr. John Grunsfeld its principle investigator.
The Keck telescopes in Hawaii of which there are two, and the Mt. Paranel telescopes in Peru of which there are 4 and the largest single mirror telescopes on Earth; work as interferometers. That cancels out close 98% of all atmospheric distortion.
Interferometry on the ground is reaching unbelievable capabilities. As for when we finally put an interferometer in space...well we'll be able to see the planets we've been discoverying through the wobble effect of stars.

John

Adaptive Optics was demonstrated during the "Star Wars" years of the Reagan administration. Only became unclassified in recent times, and is now used on all the big ground based telescopes with better lasers to simulate the guide star. The laser beam is read real time and the atmospheric turbulence is captured and then offset from the image using the tunable mirror secments in the telescopes. Maybe one day soon a few amateur astronomers will have this capabilty? How about Hubble quality from your backyard?

Have we awakened the ancient civilization detailed in the Chronicles?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3520636.stm

You think maybe Beagle 2 was shot down by a man with a long yellowish tube ending in a bellows and a trigger? Making the sound of bees?

- Phil

Hello,
we are, all of us, lucky to be alive. 6 minutes ago a 30 m asteroid went by within 40 thousand kms of earth. Anyone who knows anything about astronomical distances should begin thanking their lucky stars right about now.
Cheers, Translator

*********************
The thing was 30 m, not km in size. Sorry for the fingerfehler. I edited it above.
Cheers, Translator

[This message has been edited by Translator (edited 03-20-2004).]

Yow! That was CLOSE!

Here's a time-lapse video of that asteroid passing just beyond the orbit of some of our geostationary weather satellites.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/asteroid_animation_040319.html

Last evening I watched a PBS presentation on Incan culture and its unfortunate rapid demise. I was captured by the similarities of what was being said by the archeologists and the narrator during the documentary with The Martian Chronicles and the fictional culture of the planet.

I had always thought the book was addressing the occurrences of the early pioneers and the opening of the great plains by Eastern settlers and corporations. I am to some extent sure that RB was thinking of this when writing the stories. However, a more exact metaphor is recognized with the Incan culture and the arrival of the Spaniards.

The scenes from MC: ancient libraries, the canals, dark they were and golden eyed, the use of Tomas and the Martian's encounter, the ancient architecture long abandoned.

Any ideas on this one? See the site below and consider the magnificent images from MC. I could not help but wonder if Mr. Bradbury's ventures into this region of the world preceded his writing of the book. (I also realize he was thinking about the ancient civilizations of Egypt when creating some of his episodes.) The Incan connection is just too powerful not to mention! Scroll through this site and enjoy many marvelous examples of which I speak. http://gallery.sjsu.edu/sacrifice/precolumbian.html


[This message has been edited by fjpalumbo (edited 03-25-2004).]