Australian Astronomers Excited about Witnessing Break-up of Comet

by Karen Walrond on

Via the
Sydney
Morning Herald:  Excitement is growing in the field of astronomy as fragments of comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3
are expected to enter the inner solar system.  The comet, which unexpectedly broke apart in 1995, will be making
its closest trajectory ear Earth, along with its fragments, May 11th – 12th.

"We are watching a comet
die," said Dr. Nick Lomb, astronomer at the Powerhouse Museum’s Sydney Observatory.  "We scientists will
have a ringside view."

The Sydney Morning Herald says that "the best view of the comet’s fragments,
visible with binoculars, would be before dawn on May 11."  Unfortunately, I can’t find any information as to
how easily the comet’s fragments will be seen in the rest of the world  — however, if you manage to see them, be
sure to let us know!

Great Barrier Reef Guide

by Erik Olsen on

Divers are generally united around one thing: that
the Great Barrier Reef in Australia is one of the finest places in the world to dive. That said, it’s a hard place to
reach (it’s on the other side of the world after all), and once you get there finding the best places to go can be
hard. The reef is big….really big..and stretches for literally thousands of miles up the coast.  So how to you
make sense of the place? How do you find the little islands that are the most secluded or mist highly recommended?
Where the blabbering tourists and over-excited dive amateurs are kept to a minimum?

Well, I was browsing
around a little bit and found this handy guide
to the Great Barrier Reef over at the Sydney Morning Herald. I spent some time looking around at its description of
places like Fitzroy
Island (named after the captain of the Beagle) and Lady Elliot Island.
The information about these places is refreshingly deep and useful. It’s coming upon winter at the reef, so perhaps
this is for long-term planning, but the list of places here is extensive and I’m sure

Overnight Paddle in Australia

by Erik Olsen on

Here’s a trip for paddlers: an overnight
canoe safari in Kangaroo Valley Australia. The author takes off out of busy Sydney for a weekend of bliss with five
friends and a lot of beer (which is to be expected…they are Aussies after all). The paddling seems serene, made all
the better by the abundant wildlife here and about. The group spots sea eagles, plovers, geese, kangaroos, bellbirds,
cormorants, pelicans and a goanna. I’m going to have to Wikipedia that last one…hold on. Ah, OK, a goanna is a big predatory lizard. Cool.


Wildest Cities

by Neil Woodburn on

When I read the Men’s Journal headline, World’s Wildest Cities, I thought it to be
yet another ranking of the best places to get drunk and fall down.  Wildest, however, in Men’s
Journal jargon apparently refers to the outdoors. 

The article suddenly appeared much more interesting. 

Rio de Janeiro is mentioned for their fantastic beaches (Ipanema!), mountains, outdoor sports, and flirting. 
Cape Town is praised for much of the same, in addition to diving and canyoneering.  San Francisco makes the list
for its bevy of parks, biking trials and water sports (wet suits required).  A nod is given towards Sydney for its
fine surfing, great beaches, and “beer-fueled karaoke.”  Bringing up the rear is Barcelona.  As
much as I love this city, I was surprised to find it on the list.  Included due to its “celebration of life
outdoors,” the city boasts, in my opinion, some mediocre beaches, some mediocre bike trials and some amazing
outdoor cafes and plazas in which to partake in the other wild activities for which the town is so well
known. 

Man Eats Frogs and Lizards to Survive

by Erik Olsen on

Talk about your new-fangled diets.
Judging by the photo in this story,
this one seems to be really effective.

Here’s how he did it: Ricky Megee first got himself lost in the
Australian outback, no one is quite sure how or why, and then he ended up surviving out there by eating leeches,
grasshoppers and lizards. Yum. When he was found, the 35-year-old was discovered looking like a "walking
skeleton". Now, lots of questions surround what he was doing out there in the first place, but it seems that he
had set off on a 3,500-mile journey in order to start a new job in a place called Port Hedland. Then it is murky
whether he was drugged or beaten or whatever. The whole thing sounds a bit fishy. But he did say that at one point he
found himself asleep in a ditch, and "what woke me was that there were four dingoes scratching the rocks to try to
get at me."

He was also very enterprising when it came to his food, as he later described to
reporters how he had left frogs on the roof of his makeshift shelter to go "a bit crispy" before he ate them.
Double yum.