December 20, 2010
I love to photograph at this time of the year. The sun never rises high in the sky, and even in the middle of the afternoon, the fields are bathed in long, purple shadows.
The Native American people call the December moon the "Long Night Moon." A child might think that the longest night of the year is dark and quiet, both animals and plants resting and still. But even on the longest night, the winter solstice, life goes on all around us.
I’ve been tinkering with an idea for a book called THE LONGEST NIGHT. I like the idea of writing about the simple science behind the poetry and beauty of the longest night of the year. Snow crystals dance in the air and settle slowly down on the ground…starlings and nuthatches feed at the bird feeder in the last bit of twilight…a red fox moves through the moonlit night…the full moon reflects on the snow, making it seem as though all the world glistening.
It might start something like this:
What do you think? Is this a book you would like to read with your family?
Posted by: Seymour Simon
December 20, 2010
We have nearly reached the longest night of the year here in the northern hemisphere. Tomorrow night, December 21 (or December 22 in some years), known as the "winter solstice," is also the day we consider to be the official beginning of winter. Solstice means "the sun stands still," and the winter solstice is the day when the midday sun is at its lowest point above the horizon. It seems to hover there, never rising very high in the sky, and then sets again - hence the idea that the sun is "standing still." This happens because Earth is tilted on its axis in such a way that the northern hemisphere is pointing farther away from the sun than at any other time of the year.
This year’s "longest night" will be an even darker night than usual during a full moon (at least for some hours), because the arrival of the winter solstice coincides with a full eclipse of the moon in the early hours of December 21 (late tonight). And this lunar eclipse is going to be a beauty - visible to everyone in Northern and Central America (if the skies are clear and the weather cooperates).
Do you know what happens during a lunar eclipse?
Think about it. We see the full moon shining brightly in the sky because it is illuminated by the sun. What we call "moonlight" is really just sunlight reflected back at us from the moon. So, what would cause the full moon to suddenly go dark?
It could only happen if the sunlight were cut off.
And what could possible block sunlight from reaching Earth’s moon? That’s right, our planet EARTH itself! A lunar eclipse happens when the Sun, Earth and the Moon are all in a straight line, so that for a little over an hour, the moon is completely in the darkness of earth’s shadow.
It will not completely disappear - instead, it becomes
a deep, deep orange color. It takes 3 to 4 hours to
see the whole event from when the first shadow starts
to creep across the moon’s surface until it is fully
obscured, and then the shadow gradually recedes,
eventually leaving the full moon glowing in the sky again.
Here are the times, if you decide to stay up (or go to bed and then get up in the middle of the night) to see it.
Happy Winter Solstice, everyone!
Posted by: Seymour Simon
December 18, 2010
This tiny marine snail has a unique way of protecting itself. When it feels threatened, it lights up its plain, yellowish shell and emits a bright, neon green light. It probably makes it appear larger than it is to potential predators. In a laboratory experiment, scientists found that the snail lit up when confronted by crabs and swimming shrimp.
The snail, Hinea brasiliana, is a type of clusterwink snail that is typically found bunched up in groups along rocky shorelines. The green glow results from a phenomenon known as bioluminescence - or light made by living animals (pronounced "bio-loom-i-NESS-ens"). The most familiar example of bioluminescence is the firefly, which is actually a beetle. Fireflies use the flickering patterns of light to attract mates.
Photo: Dimitri Deheyn / SIO / UCSD
Posted by: Liz Nealon
December 17, 2010
Now you can see a preview of one of the original eBooks that you can download from Seymour’s new SCIENCE FUN TO GO app. At only $3.99, it’s fun and it builds early literacy skills for your favorite elementary schooler! CLICK HERE to view a sample of how the "Read to Me" functionality works for younger kids.
We’ve also heard rumors that there may be some price discounting before Christmas. Keep checking back here (or on the app itself) for details!
Posted by: Liz Nealon
December 16, 2010
What do you think the snake in this picture is doing?
If you said she’s trying to bite someone or something, I’m afraid you’re mistaken. If you said she is smelling the air around her, you got it it right! Snakes use their tongues to smell. She is flicking her tongue in the air because she’s looking for prey, or perhaps checking to see if there are predators nearby.
This is a European Grass Snake (Natrix natrix), sometimes called the Ringed Snake or Water Snake. This female is almost three-feet long (as tall as a first grader), but she is a non-venomous snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians.
Photo: Wilder Kaiser
Posted by: Seymour Simon
December 14, 2010
I received a wonderful (electronic) packet of letters today from an elementary school teacher in Casablanca, Morocco. It began with the salutation "Salam Aleikum (peace be upon you - our greeting here)," which I thought was a very nice way to begin my day!
She sent me some letters written by students in her fifth grade ESL class, who have been studying my book STARS. They asked some great questions, which I thought I would answer here.
Q: (from M’hamed M.) I want to tell you that I loved Stars. I wonder: why did you change from a teacher to writer?
A: I had been writing science articles and books for many years while I was a teacher, and I finally had so many contracts for new books that I decided to focus full-time on writing. However, I don’t think I’ve ever really stopped being a teacher. As long as I am writing books and visiting schools to speak to kids, I’m still teaching, and that makes me very happy.
Q: (from Ahmed A.) I would love to read the book Cats. I hope the book Cats is your favorite.
A: Well, Ahmed, I do love cats very much. You might like to read this story about my two cats, Newty Frewty and Mittens, and how they got their names. Asking an author which is my favorite book is like asking a parent which is their favorite child! I love all my books the same, and if I have a "favorite," it is the one that I am writing at any given moment.
Q: (from Nadia C.) Do you write about dolphins? Do you have children?
A: Yes, Nadia, I have written a book called DOLPHINS. They are wonderful animals, and very intelligent. You might like to read this story about experiments that you and your class can do to learn about dolphins.
Yes, I do have children. My oldest son, Robert, is a professor of Computer Science at George Mason University, outside of Washington, DC. My youngest son, Michael, lives in Los Angeles and is a television director. And I have a step-daughter, Jules, who is studying Literature at American University in Washington, DC.
And finally, Alia Z. shared some wonderful information about STARS in her letter.
(Alia) I am going to tell you wonderful and splendid fact. Stars are red balls of gas. There are millions of stars in one galaxy. Galileo saw stars that nobody on earth ever saw before.
I am always happy to hear from my readers, and especially pleased when the letters come from overseas. Thanks to all the kids at the George Washington Academy in Casablanca for reading my STARS book and taking the time to write!
Posted by: Seymour Simon
December 13, 2010
This weekend I spent a lot of time fooling around with Google Earth, marveling at the incredibly crisp and clear satellite photographs of my house, my street, my neighborhood….. It is incredible (though a little spooky!) to see the kind of pictures we can capture from cameras orbiting in the exosphere (the outermost portion of Earth’s atmosphere).
Then this morning I came across this photograph of the tallest building in the world - the Burj Khalifa building in Dubai. It was taken by the GeoEye-1 satellite from an altitude of 423 miles. Look at how tiny the other buildings down on the ground look…..and then look at how big the Buri Khalifa appears. Can you think of another way to know, by looking at this photograph, that the building is very tall?
You can tell by looking at the shadows cast by all of the buildings in the photograph. The big building has a shadow that is at least 5 times longer than the shadow of any other building in this cityscape. That really tells you something about how tall this building is!
This skyscraper stands 2,717 feet high, has 160 floors, and is the tallest human-made structure ever built. When the building was opened in January of this year, it returned the location of Earth’s tallest free-standing structure to the Middle East, where the Great Pyramid of Giza held the record for almost four thousand years (up until 1311, when they built the Lincoln Cathedral in England).
When I wrote my book SKYSCRAPERS in 2005, the tallest building in the world was Taipei Financial Center in Taiwan. It rose 1,667 feet into the air, and had 101 stories.
I wrote in that book:
Skyscrapers are super-tall buildings that seem to scrape against the sky.
When you look down from a high window, people on the streets look like tiny ants.
Clouds may drift by below your view. It feels like you’re on top of the world.
How I would love to be able to look down from the top of this new record-holder. Talk about being in the clouds!
Posted by: Seymour Simon
December 10, 2010
Christmas came early this year for gorillla conservation experts. A census that counted endangered mountain gorillas in their African habitat shows that their number has grown by more than 25% since 2003. This is big news because just 30 years ago we were down to 250 mountain gorillas, and scientists believed that the species was in danger of extinction.
Scientists who did the census this spring found 480 mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) living in 36 groups, plus 14 solitary silverback males. They live in a huge park called the Virunga Massif which spans three countries - the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. The governments of these nations are credited with working hard alongside wildlife conservation groups to protect the gorillas by policing poachers and protecting against accidental snaring by local hunters.
"The mountain gorilla is the only one of the nine subspecies of African great apes experiencing a population increase. While we celebrate this collective achievement, we must also increase efforts to safeguard the remaining eight subspecies of great apes," said David Greer, African Great Ape Coordinator at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
You can learn more about mountain gorillas in my book, and visit the International Gorilla Conservation Program website to learn how you can help.
Posted by: Seymour Simon
December 8, 2010
I’m so excited to see my new App, Science Fun to Go, become available in the Apple App Store for free download onto your iPhone, iTouch and iPad. My App is also available for all Android phones and tablets. All you have to do on your Android phone or tablet is go to the Android Market and search for either Seymour Simon or Science Fun to Go. Then just click to download the App, and you’re all set to enjoy Science Fun to Go.
Science Fun to Go is a way you can find up-to-date science news on my blog, view exciting video trailers of my new books as well as video postings (which I’ll be doing on a regular basis), online quizzes, laught at jokes and riddles, plus the chance to preview and purchase new ebooks Seymour Simon right on your mobile phone or tablet.The App and the books are geared for all ages, from the youngest (in age and spirit) with titles such as SILLY DINOSAUR RIDDLES, and ANIMAL FACT/ ANIMAL FABLE, to titles for older kids and adults such as two exciting fully illustrated titles about animal migrations, RIDE THE WIND and THEY SWIM THE SEAS. Many more of my books are scheduled in future weeks and will be available exclusively on the App for the first 30 days. All of the books on the App include new "read to me" or "let me read" features.
This year I’ve already spoken to thousands of kids at schools in Great Neck, New York, Dallas and Arlington, Texas and I’ll be speaking thousands more kids in San Antonio, Texas all of next week. I hope that everyone in my audience whose family has one these mobile phones or tablets will download my first-ever App, Science Fun to Go.
Posted by: Seymour Simon
December 4, 2010
How does the new NASA announcement impact my old book, SPACE MONSTERS?
The first book I ever wrote was titled SPACE MONSTERS. I wrote it when I was in 2nd Grade in elementary school in the Bronx. It was about taking a trip to a strange planet circling some distant star way out in the Milky Way Galaxy. I made up stories about the life that you could see on this make-believe planet and even drew my own pictures of those "space monsters." Have you ever written a book like mine? Lots of kids do.
When I grew up, I wrote the book again. This time it was really published. The title is SPACE MONSTERS FROM MOVIES, TV AND BOOKS. Here’s a picture of the cover of that book.
Would I need to change my book if I wrote it today in stead of way back when I was 8 years old? Not really. I was already imagining all kinds of life, some based on Silicon rather than Carbon. I called them "Rock Monsters." (Silicon is an element present in rocks and minerals, much the way Carbon is an element present in living things that we know.) In science fiction, you can imagine all kinds of interesting things. Sometimes an idea that you imagine in Science Fiction comes true in real Science. How about you trying to imagine a discovery in a science fiction story? Wouldn’t if be fun if your discovery came out to be true when you’re older?
Posted by: Seymour Simon
