Kathleen Charters and Lawrence Charters
Explorations large and small
In May 2024, a series of CMEs (coronal mass ejections) sent billions of tons of highly charged particles rushing outward from the Sun at between 500 to 3000 kilometers per second. When some of these particles reached the upper atmosphere Continue reading Aurora Borealis, May 2024
As mentioned elsewhere, NOAA has a wave pool. Designed by Jim Sanborn, it is formally known as Coastline, but there is no plaque or signage that displays the name, and almost no one knows it by any other name than Continue reading More on the NOAA Wave Pool
One of the most violent channels along the coast of the United States can be found off Cape Disappointment, at the mouth of the Columbia River. The cape is on the north side of the Columbia River as it flows Continue reading Cape Disappointment on a sunny day
While living in the San Francisco Bay area, I was fascinated with how people’s expectations met with reality. A common example: people would plan for years — sometimes their entire lives — to travel to San Francisco and see the Continue reading Golden Gate on a sunny day
The NOAA Wave Pool (also concatenated as “Wavepool”) is a kinetic sculpture created by Jim Sanborn. It is located in the courtyard of Silver Spring Metro Center 4, on the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) campus in Silver Spring, Continue reading NOAA Wave Pool
Everyone wants to be recognized for something. This has resulted in an explosion of different ways to be recognized, ranging from spending money to get your own trophy (or get your name engraved on a brick, or monogrammed shirts, or…) Continue reading Awards and Honors
The Naval Observatory photo gallery has been updated with a new responsive design. The old design was “responsive,” but the images were too small, and the JavaScript was awkward. In July 2007, as part of a science partnership with the Continue reading US Naval Observatory
After resisting for years, I was finally told I had to move out of my office. The walls were going to be demolished, the electrical circuits jerked out, and all six of my high-speed Ethernet links cut. I was sad. Continue reading March of the Penguins
Checklist of World Heritage Sites visited in the United States. This is a dynamic list, with plans for checking off more sites in the future. ✔︎ means “visited,” and ✖︎ means “need to visit.” Mesa Verde National Park – ✖︎ Continue reading World Heritage Sites, United States