It’s been a while since I wrote something about astronomy. Rest assured, I have been doing a lot of work over the past few months. The biggest news is that I’ve just resubmitted a paper after receiving comments from the peer-review process. I’ll try and write more about the paper later, but essentially it presents simulations of galaxy collisions that are matched to individual objects we see in the local universe. It’ll form a chapter of my dissertation, so it’s feels good to have it almost out the door.
Monday, 6 May 2013
Saturday, 20 April 2013
Hiking in Yosemite Valley
I had seen Yosemite from the air before, twice even, but had yet to set foot in this famous park. The last weekend in March provided an excellent opportunity to do so and also to meet up with Ryan (formerly of Cville, now of the Bay Area). Ryan snagged a camp site in the Valley and I drove up after work on Friday 29 March to meet them. The drive was nice (especially once I got out of LA!) and I was able to enjoy some nice scenery before it got dark.
I arrived first, set up camp, and waited for their arrival.
An hour or two later Ryan plus two friends (Steve and Nick) arrived and set up their tents. After a quick discussion of hiking possibilties, we settled on the Upper Yosemite Falls trail and called it a night.
Friday, 29 March 2013
Spring in Pasadena
On my walk to work the past few days, I’ve noticed more flowers in bloom. Spring must be here! It being Southern California, I can’t say it was a cold winter, but it’s nice to have things be warming up. I’m sure this will soon turn my attention to doing more running, hiking, and climbing in the mountains. But for now, here are some wildflower pictures for you to enjoy.
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
Conferencing in Switzerland
A little over a week ago I was sitting in a meeting room in Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland for the 43rd Saas Fee Course, on “Star formation in galaxy evolution: connecting numerical models to reality”. This 6 day school covered techinques related to computer simulations as well as the relevant physics for how stars form. The icing on the cake was the location: the heart of the Alps.
Thursday, 21 March 2013
Photograph: Clouds and a Power Tower
The week I left for the school on star formation (look for a future post wrapping that up) I woke up early to hike Echo Mountain, just North of Pasadena. It was a beautiful morning and I was rewarded with a photo worth sharing:
More photos of the hike can be found on flickr.
