Amateur astronomy

Amateur astronomy is a hobby whose participants enjoy watching the sky, and the abundance of objects found in it with the unaided eye, binoculars, or telescopes. Even though scientific research is not their main goal, many amateur astronomers make a contribution to astronomy by monitoring variable stars, tracking asteroids and discovering transient objects, such as comets and novae.

The typical amateur astronomer is one who does not depend on the field of astronomy as a primary source of income or support, and does not have a professional degree or advanced academic training in the subject. Many amateurs are beginners or hobbyists, while others have a high degree of experience in astronomy and often assist and work alongside professional astronomers.

Amateur astronomy is usually associated with viewing the night sky when most celestial objects and events are visible, but sometimes amateur astronomers also operate during the day for events such as sunspots and solar eclipses. Amateur astronomers often look at the sky using nothing more than their eyes, but common tools for amateur astronomy include portable telescopes and binoculars.

Stargazing (album)

Stargazing is Alpha's third studio LP, released on 23 March 2004 on the Nettwerk Records record label. Combining trip hop with downtempo the album features the vocalists Wendy Stubbs, Helen White, Martin Barnard and Kelvin Swaby. An additional track, "A Perfect End", is available on special edition of the CD.

Track listing

Stargazing (Leon Jackson song)

Stargazing is the fourth and final single to be released from Scottish singer Leon Jackson's debut album Right Now (2009). It failed to make the top 100 of the UK Singles Chart.

Promotion

Jackson did not appear on any TV show to promote the single, nor was any music video created for the song. The song received very little promotion by Sony BMG. After the release of "Stargazing" failing to chart, Jackson was dropped.

Critical reception

The BBC commented on "Stargazing": "While the lyrics for Star Gazing may be rather saccharine - rhyming star gazing with amazing, is a bit too much to take - the pace and structure, (along with all-important key change) makes it pretty special - which can be said about all the tracks here".

Track listing

Digital download

Chart performance

The song failed to chart inside the UK Singles Charts or the Irish Singles Charts, where is largest fan base remains. After the poor charting position of his previous single, his record label did not spend so much money promoting the track.

Nile

The Nile (Arabic: النيل‎, Eg. en-Nīl, Std. an-Nīl; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲁⲣⲱ, P(h)iaro; Ancient Egyptian: Ḥ'pī and Iteru) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is 6,853 km (4,258 miles) long. The Nile is an "international" river as its water resources are shared by eleven countries, namely, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo-Kinshasa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan and Egypt. In particular, the Nile is the primary water source of Egypt and Sudan.

The Nile has two major tributaries, the White Nile and Blue Nile. The White Nile is considered to be the headwaters and primary stream of the Nile itself. The Blue Nile, however, is the source of most of the water and silt. The White Nile is longer and rises in the Great Lakes region of central Africa, with the most distant source still undetermined but located in either Rwanda or Burundi. It flows north through Tanzania, Lake Victoria, Uganda and South Sudan. The Blue Nile (Amharic: ዓባይ^?, ʿĀbay) begins at Lake Tana in Ethiopia and flows into Sudan from the southeast. The two rivers meet near the Sudanese capital of Khartoum.

Scorpia (novel)

Scorpia is the fifth book in the Alex Rider series (stories about the adventures of Alex Rider a 14–15-year-old spy), written by British author Anthony Horowitz. It begins several weeks after the events of fourth book, Eagle Strike, and up to nine days before the sixth, Ark Angel.

The book concerns the plans of a criminal organisation attempting to disrupt UK/US relations by murdering schoolchildren. Alex thwarts them by infiltrating the organisation but is apparently killed by a sniper.

It was released in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2004 and in the United States on March 17, 2005.

Abbreviation

The letters SCORPIA stand for "Sabotage, Corruption, Intelligence and Assassination".

Plot

The novel begins with the prologue-like introduction of a terrorist organization called SCORPIA, its leader as Julia Rothman. She walks into a secret room to discuss with the terrorist about her final stage of plan, when one of them, Max Grendel, tells her his retiring and his quitting from the organization. Julia goes out with him and sends Max to his waiting boat. Before he goes, she gives him a silver box and tells him to open it once he gets to the boat. He does, but the box is revealed to be filled with scorpions. As a result, the neurotoxin kills Max.

Nile (TV series)

Nile is a 2004 BBC Television documentary that tells the history and natural history of the Nile.

Production

The series was produced by the BBC Natural History Unit in co-production with the Discovery Channel.

Episode three includes footage from the 1971 BBC Television mini-series The Search for the Nile.

Reception

Reviews

The Times calls it an, enlightening BBC series, that, uses stunning photography and restrained dramatisations to pay homage to the longest river on Earth.

The reviewer concludes, never mind the cardboard dramatisations — this is an heroic story.

Ratings

Awards

Episodes

Episode one: Crocodiles and Kings

Since the dawn of history the miraculous annual floodwaters have risen to transform the desert into a fertile paradise where the great civilisation of Ancient Egypt grew, but their existence was on a knife-edge held hostage by the river and the Pharaoh maintained the balance by appeasing the gods to ensure the gifts of the river.