The Sun, Our sun, the One and Only Sun

Lick Observatory, California  

The Santa Clara Valley, a region containing “Silicon Valley,” extends down along the southwestern shore of San Francisco Bay. It includes such well-known communities as Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, and San Jose. Before it became a mecca of computer chips and iPhones and Google and artificial intelligence, it was a prolific producer of fruits and vegetables. The extensive fields and orchards are long gone, but the Lick Observatory still overlooks it all.

On the summit of Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range to the south of San Francisco Bay, are seen several bright white dots. They are visible from most of the Santa Clara Valley, situated well above the rare snow line, at 4,265 feet.

These brilliant dots represent the observatory buildings of Lick, built in 1876 which became “the world’s first permanently occupied mountaintop observatory.” (Wikipedia) 

The observatory is still very much active and is managed by the University of California (Santa Cruz). It is accessed from US Route 101, exiting to Alum Rock Road in San Jose and climbing steeply into the mountains to the southeast. The white domes seem quite close as you climb, but you would be shocked to know that you still have ten miles of excruciating switchbacks to reach them. A beautiful drive, and once one reaches the summit, many treats await. On a clear day, the entire San Francisco Bay, and even San Francisco 60 miles to the north, are visible. The entirety of the Santa Clara Valley is revealed. And the Bald Dome of Yosemite reveals itself to the east, across the broad Central Valley. To the culinary-minded visitor, it is wonderful to snatch a handful of wild California Bay Laurel leaves to power up some dish at home.

The Lick Observatory has been used for a wide range of astronomical studies, and is still used for sun studies. Especially during eclipses, when we can see the solar prominence (extremely hot gases extending outward from the sun). This is important because we are still trying to understand why the sun’s outer atmosphere is hotter than the surface. And this understanding is imperative, because the sun is the energy source that powers all life on earth. If you don’t care about this, you are simply being mulish.

There is a great deal of solar research going on and our understanding is increasing. Dr. Emily Mason of the Catholic University of America has been studying the blobs of plasma which fall like rain on the surface of the sun. She found that, while the temperatures differ wildly, the physics of the phenomena are identical to how rain is produced on Earth. Amazing stuff.

And finally, the Parker Solar Probe launched last week by NASA.

This is a spacecraft named for Dr. Eugene Parker, a physicist who first posited the existence of a solar wind. After much opposition and derisive merriment, he was proven to be right. The eponymous Parker Solar Probe, the fastest spacecraft ever at over 430,000 mph, will give us incredibly detailed information of the solar function once it reaches the sun. And the best part of this is that Dr. Eugene Parker is still alive at age 91. God bless him.

And it is remarkable how far we have come in a relatively short time. It was only 409 years ago this week that Galileo Galilei demonstrated his new invention, the telescope, to Venetian officials. Now we are hurling $1.5 billion telescopes into the heavens.

But why all these explorations, why do we care? Because the sun is our mother, our father, our god. Without it we would not survive. We must understand it.

Which is a great reason for you to visit the Lick Observatory. Bon voyage.  

New England - a lot of sea to see

A Cuttyhunk quahogger returning with his catch.

Saturday last, early in the day, we were running up the bay from Jamestown to our home port in Cranston. The weather radar map was scary, splotched with angry red and yellow cells of nasty weather. (In fact, Webster Mass was clobbered by one or more tornadoes about that time).  

Everything was in our favor: following wind and waves, incoming tide. But still our modest sailboat made only six and a half knots at the very best, even with a boost from our “iron jib.”

It was a scary race but we narrowly won it, arriving at the Rhode Island Yacht Club with only a slight soaking, then remained onboard, snugly tied to the dock, for several hours as the deluge built, peaked, and eventually subsided. It was with great relief that we thus concluded our eight-day sailing sojourn in New England’s fabulous waters.

What a treasure we share, the Elizabeth Islands framing Buzzard’s Bay, quaint seaside villages such as Padanaram (in South Dartmouth), the larger islands of Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and Block Island, the protected reaches of Narragansett Bay. People come from around the nation, and indeed the world, to visit our seas and islands and beaches and shores. They come for the beauty, the delicious seafood, and our interesting history.

And you don’t need your own boat to explore it. The ferry services offered in our region are numerous, and many destinations may be accessed by car. For instance, Jamestown RI (Conanicut Island) is only about a one-hour drive from the Sun Chronicle area, using either the Jamestown or Newport bridge.

But such was not always the case. Before the bridges, Jamestown was reached by ferry. As a matter of fact, the curiously wide, ruler-straight, mile-long Narragansett Avenue bisecting the island, linking East Ferry and West Ferry, was purpose-built as part of that system. According to a local history, “By the late 17^th century, East Ferry, West Ferry, and their connecting cross-island road were an important link between Narragansett Country and Newport and beyond.” For several hundred years before the bridges appeared, agricultural and manufactured goods, as well as travelers, flowed across Jamestown from the mainland to Newport and vice versa. To those who are tickled by history, this is great stuff.

Cuttyhunk Island, at the western end of the Elizabeth chain, is a jewel. It can be reached by ferry from New Bedford and is well worth the trip. After climbing Lookout Hill (from which World War II watchers looked for German submarines), one can see the mainland, Gay Head on Martha’s Vineyard, and the Elizabeth chain stretching to the northeast. Bring plenty of cash. None of the business we encountered accepted credit cards, and there is not an ATM to be had on the island. But there are fifty-two year-round residents, a number that expands considerably during the summer, who work hard at a variety of entrepreneurial vocations. The seafood is fresh and fabulous. The quiet is soothing. The views are immense. And if you can stay overnight (on your own boat or at one of the island’s B&Bs), the thick belt of the Milky Way on a clear night is a sight to behold.

Padanaram, a village in South Dartmouth, is a charming seaside locale easily accessed by car. There are many older homes featuring architectures of the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Shopping and restaurants featuring local seafood and farm-to-table produce are great attractions. The views of Apponagansett Bay from the Padanaram swing bridge are enchanting. This would make a terrific day trip.

But here is the greatest finding of our journey: hope for the future. At each and every stop, Jamestown Dutch Harbor, Cuttyhunk, Padanaram, and the home-port Rhode Island Yacht Club, we met college kids who were spending their summers as dock hands or launch operators or bartenders. They were, to a person, intelligent, motivated, and kind. They were preparing to return to their studies: chemical engineer (a young woman), optometrist (a young man), research psychologist (another young woman), and quite a few more, equally impressive. Generation Z is remarkable, and we are thankful.

Let’s close with this: Go see New England, your birthright. Don’t let the tourists enjoy it more than you do.