Tuesday 29 January 2013

Charles Messier's final resting place

I recently visited the grave of astronomer Charles Messier.



The Frenchman started the famed Messier Catalogue of 110 astronomical objects, which we have been gradually covering for Deep Sky Videos.



Messier worked at the Hotel De Cluny in Paris - the observatory itself was atop the thick tower at the right of this picture (the observatory itself is now gone). See below.



The building is now a museum dedicated to the middles ages. Staff inside seemed to know very little about its association with Messier. I was disappointed.

However the SEDS site has some nice stuff about the building and Messier, including a picture of when the observatory was on top of the tower - worth a look.

Next stop was Messier's grave, at the famed Père Lachaise Cemetery.

The cemetery is full of famous people - including Oscar Wilde and Jim Morisson - and there is a map at the entrance with directions to famous sites.

But again Messier - the seemingly forgotten man - was not included.

Luckily I'd found plenty of helpful tips and directions on the web, and found the grave with only minimal fuss.

VIDEO


While I was there, Mrs PeriodicVideos took my job as interviewer and fired a few extra questions at me.

VIDEO



Tuesday 22 January 2013

Photos of me filming stuff

Today I was asked if I had a photograph of me "filming stuff".

I started this collection as a joke and got carried away!

Links to the videos, etc, under some (but not all) of the pictures.

Large Hadron Collider - Above the ring

Large Hadron Collider - CMS

Large Hadron Collider - ATLAS

Large Hadron Collider - CMS Control Room


Israel - Armageddon

Israel - Jerusalem

Switzerland - Maiden Flight

Large Hadron Collider - ATLAS

Brazil

Brazil - Copacabana Beach

Darmstadt - GSI

Israel - Dead Sea

Darmstadt - GSI

Australia

China - Ningbo (solar eclipse)

China - Ningbo

Israel - Dead Sea

Israel - (Good Samaritan)

Israel - Sea of Galilee

Israel - Dead Sea


India

Australia

Australia



Mumbai - India


Australia



Jerusalem - Mount of Olives

Posed photo shoot!


Israel - Dead Sea Scrolls - Qumran



La Palma

Israel - Sea of Galilee

Israel - Mt Tabor

Israel - Jerusalem

Large Hadron Collider - CMS

China - Taxi

India - Tsunami-hit area

Australia


India - Water Tower

Sweden - Ytterby