Really late in commenting (my inbox has been out of control for two weeks, it seems) but I really enjoyed this post. Astronomy is something I don't know much about, but I love chemistry and so it was fascinating connecting that to the processes within stars.
Very late to the party -- which looks like it's been a blast -- on this one, but I wanted to be able to read this post without squeezing it in between a hundred other things. Astronomy is something I love reading about! And you brought iron and supernovae to life in ways I haven't read before. Thank you. Wonderful post, and fun to read! Everything IS amazing ;)
so great and the video at end!!! my Dad was a coach and teacher couldnt dance worth a shit but yes the good ones like your friend are a credit to this planet msde possible by of all things and who knew!!!!??? IRON!!! (a kewl fact i will cherish...now tho i want you to describe Black Holes, im NEVER satisfied just ask anne ha)
Mark I agree this was one of your best posts and maybe THE best! It was a delight and I am so happy to sort of understand now at a basic level what fission is and what fusion is and what a supernova is and what is the deal with planet earth!
Your sense of wonder and appreciation also came through especially in this post.
Really enjoyed this post, Mark! Thank you for explaining a topic that I ordinarily wouldn’t be interested in with clarity and a true sense of wonder. That’s what good teachers do.
Oh those pandemic lockdown days! That video is an absolute gem--what an incredible teacher he must have been. A moment in time. And the rest of the post ain't bad, either my friend. You have a knack for explaining things clearly.
This is my favorite post too! Wonderful info and explained so a kid can understand. (I’m the kid.) We are all stardust. We all come from the same place. We are all connected. Love the video. ❤️ Have to see Oppenheimer but I need to investigate the falsehoods. I heard there were a few. Congrats on this wonderful post.
For the crowd that scours the comments, one of the inspirations for the post (and certainly the video at the end) is my former neighbor. I would imagine a 3rd grade teacher like him would be a pretty fine result.
Dave was also kind enough to share a video from an interactive lesson plan about supernovas for 3rd graders. This sort of thing is the reason I don't worry about the children of flyover country being ready to engage in the future.
"And this short clip is from a 3rd grade supernova lesson (this is the demo video) we called "Playground Supernova." The kids get to try it with their own set of three balls up on the playground. Equal parts hilarious pandemonium, sudden and amazing success (when they finally get it to work) and science."
Jul 31, 2023·edited Jul 31, 2023Liked by Mark Dolan
Thank you for the kind words, Mark on the video. Perhaps it serves as an apt metaphor of "fusion." The amount of energy released from this group of students fusing together is so much greater.
Iron. I love this topic, Mark. I know it is a little obvious to say that "iron flows through my veins," but from the turn of the 20th century, my relatives have worked the mines along the Iron Range in northern Minnesota right up through the 1970's. The Iron Range remains a cultural touchstone for our family.
Teaching Minnesota history to my elementary school students, I would point to a ferocious (ferrous??) looking World War II battleship sailing across the Pacific and say that is literally a part of Minnesota leading the allies to victory. Teaching the science of magnets and electricity, my students were amazed when we tossed a dollar bill in a blender and pulled out the iron filings in the ink with a powerful magnet – and then absolutely stunned when we pulled the iron out of fortified breakfast cereal.
To turn it back to the topic of your post, in Astronomy I did my best to impress upon those students of the deep cosmic connection we have to everyone on the planet, people like us and people very different from us – no matter how we dance, we are all made of the same star stuff. And for those students willing to take the next step, the tree outside our window, that mountain, that ocean, looking up at that moon hanging there in the sky, those crickets chirping on a summer night – and below your feet, this planet Earth and its core of iron, we are all connected. We are all star stuff.
I loved this post too--I always learn so much from your writing and this post is no exception! Thanks for holding our hands through this one (I say this as someone who loves science but doesn't know as much as I'd like about it).
Everything is made of star dust.... wonderful post! And your friend's infectiously cheerful video was a great way to start my morning - his students must love him! Unfortunately, while I was able to "like" it on YouTube, comments had been turned off, so there was no way to let him know how awesome I think it is... if you're still in touch, please pass along my compliments! Thank you again for a nice jumpstart for the week. 😊
Mark, No pressure saying this is your favorite post yet! 'Twas an excellent post and noteworthy collection of ideas that come together at a perfect time in July 2023 with great interest in the periodic table and hit movie Oppenheimer. I don't recall what happened in 1054 but I do recall a 1969 song Woodstock by Joni Mitchell that made Me think about this for the first time : " We are stardust, We are golden, We are billion year old carbon..."
Really late in commenting (my inbox has been out of control for two weeks, it seems) but I really enjoyed this post. Astronomy is something I don't know much about, but I love chemistry and so it was fascinating connecting that to the processes within stars.
Very late to the party -- which looks like it's been a blast -- on this one, but I wanted to be able to read this post without squeezing it in between a hundred other things. Astronomy is something I love reading about! And you brought iron and supernovae to life in ways I haven't read before. Thank you. Wonderful post, and fun to read! Everything IS amazing ;)
so great and the video at end!!! my Dad was a coach and teacher couldnt dance worth a shit but yes the good ones like your friend are a credit to this planet msde possible by of all things and who knew!!!!??? IRON!!! (a kewl fact i will cherish...now tho i want you to describe Black Holes, im NEVER satisfied just ask anne ha)
Mark I agree this was one of your best posts and maybe THE best! It was a delight and I am so happy to sort of understand now at a basic level what fission is and what fusion is and what a supernova is and what is the deal with planet earth!
Your sense of wonder and appreciation also came through especially in this post.
Really enjoyed this post, Mark! Thank you for explaining a topic that I ordinarily wouldn’t be interested in with clarity and a true sense of wonder. That’s what good teachers do.
One of your best posts.
Once again, I take exception to your statement that China was the only civilization documenting astronomical events in 1054.
Oh those pandemic lockdown days! That video is an absolute gem--what an incredible teacher he must have been. A moment in time. And the rest of the post ain't bad, either my friend. You have a knack for explaining things clearly.
This is my favorite post too! Wonderful info and explained so a kid can understand. (I’m the kid.) We are all stardust. We all come from the same place. We are all connected. Love the video. ❤️ Have to see Oppenheimer but I need to investigate the falsehoods. I heard there were a few. Congrats on this wonderful post.
For the crowd that scours the comments, one of the inspirations for the post (and certainly the video at the end) is my former neighbor. I would imagine a 3rd grade teacher like him would be a pretty fine result.
Here is the video from the end of the post available for comment and likes https://youtu.be/KTmHzc8HuCQ
Dave was also kind enough to share a video from an interactive lesson plan about supernovas for 3rd graders. This sort of thing is the reason I don't worry about the children of flyover country being ready to engage in the future.
"And this short clip is from a 3rd grade supernova lesson (this is the demo video) we called "Playground Supernova." The kids get to try it with their own set of three balls up on the playground. Equal parts hilarious pandemonium, sudden and amazing success (when they finally get it to work) and science."
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-Nder1H4bzA
Thank you for the kind words, Mark on the video. Perhaps it serves as an apt metaphor of "fusion." The amount of energy released from this group of students fusing together is so much greater.
Iron. I love this topic, Mark. I know it is a little obvious to say that "iron flows through my veins," but from the turn of the 20th century, my relatives have worked the mines along the Iron Range in northern Minnesota right up through the 1970's. The Iron Range remains a cultural touchstone for our family.
Teaching Minnesota history to my elementary school students, I would point to a ferocious (ferrous??) looking World War II battleship sailing across the Pacific and say that is literally a part of Minnesota leading the allies to victory. Teaching the science of magnets and electricity, my students were amazed when we tossed a dollar bill in a blender and pulled out the iron filings in the ink with a powerful magnet – and then absolutely stunned when we pulled the iron out of fortified breakfast cereal.
To turn it back to the topic of your post, in Astronomy I did my best to impress upon those students of the deep cosmic connection we have to everyone on the planet, people like us and people very different from us – no matter how we dance, we are all made of the same star stuff. And for those students willing to take the next step, the tree outside our window, that mountain, that ocean, looking up at that moon hanging there in the sky, those crickets chirping on a summer night – and below your feet, this planet Earth and its core of iron, we are all connected. We are all star stuff.
(Current home for the "Star Stuff" video: https://youtu.be/KTmHzc8HuCQ)
I loved this post too--I always learn so much from your writing and this post is no exception! Thanks for holding our hands through this one (I say this as someone who loves science but doesn't know as much as I'd like about it).
Everything is made of star dust.... wonderful post! And your friend's infectiously cheerful video was a great way to start my morning - his students must love him! Unfortunately, while I was able to "like" it on YouTube, comments had been turned off, so there was no way to let him know how awesome I think it is... if you're still in touch, please pass along my compliments! Thank you again for a nice jumpstart for the week. 😊
Mark, No pressure saying this is your favorite post yet! 'Twas an excellent post and noteworthy collection of ideas that come together at a perfect time in July 2023 with great interest in the periodic table and hit movie Oppenheimer. I don't recall what happened in 1054 but I do recall a 1969 song Woodstock by Joni Mitchell that made Me think about this for the first time : " We are stardust, We are golden, We are billion year old carbon..."