Crossplatform version of AltiSight app.

I have updated a software utility that I created for amateur rocketeers called AltiSight. As before, it is offered free to the public and it now has some extra functionality. But the biggest change is that (unlike the previous version) it is no longer a "Windows only" app! Now Linux and Mac users can download a version of AltiSight that will run on their computers. I hope to add versions that will run on Android tablets and iPads in the near future. For details, go to my Singularity Scientific website (by clicking the image below). Once you are at the website, click the AltiSight link in the menu frame to the left of the screen.

An example of output from the AltiSight app.

See the Moon, Venus and Mercury very close together!

The Moon, Venus and Mercury will all be within a mere 5 degrees of each other on February 6, 2016 in the southeast.  They will be very low, so you will need to be at a location that has no tall trees or buildings obscuring your view in that direction.  All the other planets that are visible to the unaided eye will also be visible farther to the west.  Julie and I have been enjoying observing all of these planets for about a week now (as of February 2) during our early morning walks.

Baseless Smear Article: "Opinion: Despite Boozer’s claims NewSpace needs NASA"

Article by Jason Rhian here at Spaceflight Insider: http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/editorial/opinion-newspace-needs-nasa-know/

First inaccuracy:
"Despite Boozer’s claims, NewSpace needs NASA"
Fact:
I never said NewSpace doesn't need NASA and have never believed that.

Another whopper:
"... would be wise to tamp down the “defund NASA” rhetoric"
????
Where did he get the nutty idea that I want to defund NASA?  I have made it plain numerous times over the years that what I and most other anti-SLS advocates really want is for NASA to not be milked by pork-barrel politicians.  Defunding of NASA is the last thing I want.

"The refrain employed by Boozer that NASA didn’t “want” SLS – bears little resemblance with what these officials have stated repeatedly."
OK, I did say NASA didn't want SLS.  It is Rihan's long standing claim that this is not so which is patently false. An article by me with links embedded in its text that lead to documents backing up my assertion can be found here: http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2532/1

Rhian states, "NASA should serve as a pathfinder, with commercial companies taking over operations that NASA has left behind."
A true statement, but not in the way he means.  As I have always stated, NASA indeed should be the pathfinder developing new cutting edge technologies with the commercial companies doing the stuff that has been tried-and-true for so long that it is beneath what NASA should be doing.  The trouble is that SLS is NOT new cutting edge tech and it costs more than it should, as explained in the article by me to which I supplied the link above.

There are many other misrepresentations in Rhian's piece that I do not have time to address.  It is starting to really bother me because this B.S. article now comes up on the first page of results from search engines when they are queried about my name.

Public Speaking Presentations by Rick Boozer

Rick Boozer is available to give the following presentations at club meetings and conventions (as well as other public events).

Hunting an Exoplanet with Stellar Photometry

The science of photometry can be used by both amateur and professional astronomers for some very advanced scientific work.  You can detect the light changes caused by eclipsing binary stars, plot the changes in luminosity of a variable star and even detect an exoplanet orbiting another star.  Rick Boozer’s presentation on stellar photometry will generally demonstrate how he used the Magnitude Measurement Tool (that comes with the renowned astronomical imaging software known as AIP4WIN by Richard Berry and Robert Burnell) in an attempt to detect a known exoplanet orbiting the star Gliese 876.

The Amazing Magellanic Clouds: What Nobody Knew Until Now

Covers some eye-opening discoveries concerning our Milky Way Galaxy’s two most prominent satellite galaxies.  Includes some of the Mr. Boozer’s work on the Large Magellanic Cloud using data from the ATCA radio interferometer.  Much of this astounding information has not appeared in Astronomy or Sky and Telescope.

Astrophotography with Robotic Telescopes at Remote Distances

Mr. Boozer presents many of the most impressive images he obtained under a grant of telescope time on instruments in New Mexico and Australia that he controlled over the internet from his home in Greer, South Carolina.

Spreading Americans into the Solar System, starting NOW

What’s holding US back and how to fix it

Rick Boozer, member of the Space Development Steering Committee and author of the book The Plundering of NASA explains how NASA can do exciting manned spaceflight back to the Moon, an asteroid and Mars without raising NASA’s budget.

Galileo's Fingers

Rick's newest presentation is a photographic exhibition covering a thousand years of scientific research instruments.  More information is available here: http://astromaven.blogspot.com/2015/03/galileos-fingers-photographic.html  

About the speaker:

R.D. (Rick) Boozer is an astrophysics researcher, public speaker, spaceflight advocate, author of the book The Plundering of NASA and member of the Space Development Steering Committee.  He has a Master of Astronomy degree in astrophysics with high distinction and was awarded the University Medal “for outstanding academic achievement at the Master’s level”.  From childhood he has been an enthusiast for all things related to astronomy and space travel.  He has been the featured guest on such globally popular space issues shows as The Space Show with Dr. David Livingston, Spacevidcast and Mars Pirate Radio.  His public speaking engagements on astronomy and spaceflight as well (as his articles for such online publications as Space.com and The Space Review) have been received by audiences with enthusiasm.  He runs the science education websites Astro Maven Blog and Singularity Scientific as a public service.

Galileo’s Fingers -- a Photographic Exploration of Antique Scientific Instruments

The Science Museum in Florence, Italy

My wife Julie and I went to Italy to celebrate our 30^th anniversary.  I have put together a new educational public photo presentation about our fascinating visit to the Museo Galileo in Florence.  I call the talk, “Galileo’s Fingers”.  While at the museum, I saw two telescopes that were actually made by Galileo, as well as a number of other scientific instruments constructed by this great genius.  The museum was filled with interesting archaic scientific instruments from many sources dating back over a span of a thousand years, including: antique telescopes, armillary spheres, celestial globes, etc.

Why a peculiar title like “Galileo’s Fingers”?  Well, preserved in ornate glass bell jars, I saw and photographed (you guessed it) Galileo’s fingers!

Anyone interested in a presentation of this program for their group can message me on Facebook or Twitter or leave a comment here.  For a list of my other public presentations, click this link: http://astromaven.blogspot.com/2015/03/public-speaking-presentations-by-rick.html