Thursday, December 3, 2009

Mathematically speaking, it's logical

Any one who knows me more than five minutes knows that I have many many other interests besides books and movies. One of my other interests is astronomy, and I'd consider myself more of an amateur astronomers if I actually made it outside a bit more.

Any one who knows me also knows I read pretty much anything and everything I can get my hands on, including National Geographic. And this month's issue briefly profiles a topic that I've been following for years.

The search for planets outside our solar system has heated up this past decade, with new discoveries coming almost at a steady stream. As the equipment and search techniques have gotten better the search for a terrestrial, Earth-like planet has intensified.

While the article in this National Geographic doesn't present any new material to someone who's been staying on top of this field of research, it does offer some really cool pull-out graphics that help readers grasp the discoveries and put everything in a physical perspective unlike many other magazines. The article is also a good introduction for those unfamiliar with the search.

As an avid reader and astronomy nut, I recommend picking up this issue, or at the very least, checking it out from your local library.

In the meantime, to borrow and paraphrase a phrase from a few friends of mine:

Until Next Time...
Keeping a Watch on the Skies,
Michael