Quadrantid Meteor Shower 2013 Peak: When to Watch

The first meteor shower of 2013 begins Tuesday over the skies.

Want to start off the new year by gazing at the stars? The Quadrantid meteor shower is named for an extinct constellation, but the shooting stars that seem to sprout from it still arrive yearly, and the opening of the 2013 show will begin overnight Jan. 1 into Jan. 2. The Quadrantids is one of the lesser-known meteor showers of the year, but that doesn't mean it's anything less than spectacular. Take a look at this Quadrantids meteor shower video or these pictures of the Quadrantids. While the shower begins overnight on the first day of the new year, NASA tells us Quadrantid meteor shower peaks in the wee morning hours of Jan. 4: "[T]he Quadrantids have a maximum rate of about 100 per hour, varying between 60-200. The waxing gibbous moon …

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Parenting on a Tightrope

NASA's Final Launch Kills Children's Dreams

Who will inspire the children to dream of space?

What do you want to be when you grow up? What kid hasn't been asked that question? Adults impulsively ask children of their dreams from the moment they can talk. Maybe it’s because so many adults aren’t following their own dreams, or maybe what they wanted to be when they were 4-years-old was ludicrous in terms of financial stability. Last time I checked, fairies didn’t get a 401K plan. My oldest son is on the Autism Spectrum, and when asked the age-old question during his Thomas the Train phase, he would look very serious and answer, “engineer.” My heart would feel relieved because the reality is he’d be very good as an engineer. He can be socially awkward since it is a very solitary job. His obsessive compulsiveness of needing things in …

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Gretchen Schock

9:30 am on Thursday, July 14, 2011

Oh my goodness, who knows what the future will hold. In the meantime I just wish there were toys within the space theme. Clearly if so many little boys in the USA like Buzz Lightyear there is still an interest in space, astronaut guys, space shuttles etc.   more ›