Teaching Aids in Astronomy

Three teaching aids in astronomy are described. The first consists of a star locator with features of a transit, equatorial mount, and revolving star map for teaching celestial coordinates and identification of stars. The second is a set of black flash cards of common constellations, and the third is a rotating disc for practice in estimating standard time by the Big Dipper

Space Travel to the Moon and Kepler\u27s Dream

Johann Kepler advocated Copernicus\u27s heliocentric theory in his Dream and Notes. He imagined how a moon dweller would see the solar system and the conclusions he would draw. Then by reversing the point of view to the earth, Kepler showed that the same conclusions would follow. This involved concepts of mass, inertia, gravity, acceleration, velocity, and the driving force in a trip to the moon. Twelve years before Newton\u27s birth in 1642, Kepler published in this little known dream ideas which Newton later developed. Kepler\u27s ideas concerning the moon\u27s distance, motion, and conditions to be met in space are reviewed

Genomics and the origin of species

Speciation is a fundamental evolutionary process, the knowledge of which is crucial for understanding the origins of biodiversity. Genomic approaches are an increasingly important aspect of this research field. We review current understanding of genome-wide effects of accumulating reproductive isolation and of genomic properties that influence the process of speciation. Building on this work, we identify emergent trends and gaps in our understanding, propose new approaches to more fully integrate genomics into speciation research, translate speciation theory into hypotheses that are testable using genomic tools and provide an integrative definition of the field of speciation genomics