The First Photograph of the Moon

The earliest extant photograph of the moon:  Draper, John W., “First Astronomical Photograph - Draper's Moon Daguerreotype,” Greenwich Village History, accessed January 6, 2012, http://aphdigital.org/GVH/items/show/119.

On this day in 1839, French photographer Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre (1789–1851) took the first photograph of the moon.  This photograph was burned in the March 8, 1839 fire that destroyed Daguerre's laboratory.  The photograph was actually a daguerreotype, an early method of photography named after Louis Daguerre.  During this photographic process a silver-coated copper plate is treated with iodine vapor.  Prior to this invention, pictures of the moon for texts and articles had to be drawn by hand.

My favorite moon photos are those with astronauts walking around, because they make me imagine what that might feel like.  What are your favorite moon photos?

Would You Fly In A Plastic Plane?

Photo courtesy of boeing787.net

The newest airplane in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner series landed its inaugural flight in Hong Kong a couple of hours ago.  This new plane is made of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic, not the metal of traditional planes.  It is comparatively light-weight, therefore is requires less fuel and maintenance, and so is cheaper to operate.

For more information, see an older news-story on the website for BBC News, and a current update from the Associated Press story in the Peoria, IL Journal Star newspaper's website.

What does Denim have to do with the metal Iron?

Photos courtesy of 123rf.com

In the process of dying bluejean-denim indigo blue, the synthetic indigo-dye first turns the cotton yarn a bright green, then as it dries the oxidation process turns it dark indigo blue, a process that is much the same as the oxidation of iron.  See how it's done on "Factory Made" on the Science Channel today: http://science.discovery.com/videos/factory-made-full/