Dark Sky Astrophoto

Remember the picture,from December, of the constellation Orion rising over the TWR offices?  Here it is again.  ha-ha

Well, a couple weeks later I went out to the east coast of Bonaire, not far from the land sailing track, and shot another image of almost exactly the same section of sky.  The super dark skies allowed me to do a much longer exposure.  You can see the Milky Way, as well as a bunch of fainter stars and Nebulae.

I've labeled some of the points of interest in the picture below.  If you click on one of these small images, you can cycle through larger versions of all three of the pictures to better see the details and to be able to read the labels.

Check out the bright orange color of the "red giant" stars Aldebaran and Betelgeuse.  The star Sirius is blue white, and the star, Capella, is sort of in between.  All those glowing red areas are glowing ionized Hydrogen gas.  They are known as emission nebulae.  There is a hint of the blue reflection nebula around the Pleiades star cluster.  The constellation names are in Italics.  Star names and nebulae are in normal type.  These images were all shot with a Samyang 14mm lens, on my Canon T1i, that has been modified by Brent Oliver, to make it more sensitive to the red emission nebulae.

Lost and Found

We were recently visited by a team of auditors from the USA.  I'm happy to report that the audit went well, but their car, the venerable wine colored Toyota Starlet, was stolen from in front of their hotel the last night they were here.  The police found it, about a week later, out in the back boondocks of Bonaire.  It was stripped clean, kind of like the cars we used to see at the side of the Long Island Expressway, while on our way to Shea Stadium as a kid.

 Here are the auditors, pictured meeting with Joe Barker and Donna Gassert, in the happier days before their car was stolen.

All Fired Up

TWR missionary, Brandon Neal's, father is a professional fire fighter.



So while Brandon's mom and dad were here seeing their grandson, oops, I mean visiting their son and daughter in law, Barry presented a training session to the TWR staff about the various types of fires, as well as how to use the new fire extinguishers we have strategically placed around the TWR facilities.



TWR just happened to have a whole batch of obsolete fire extinguishers on hand that needed to be discharged before they could be discarded, so we all actually got to practice putting out a simulated fire!

Happy Birthday

Cees and Clary Bijl love to visit Bonaire.  Cees worked in banking in Curacao for many years and more recently in Canada.  They always volunteer their help here at the TWR office and they are much appreciated.


Cees celebrated his 70th birthday while they were here last month.  He also did the 35km walk from the slave huts to Rincon, in support of the Bonaire special Olympics program.


Come back soon Cees and Clary.

Visitors from Nashville

We were recently blessed by a ministry team that came to Bonaire from the Community Bible Church in Nashville, Tennessee.
Dr. Rick Smith, below, spoke at the Sunday morning service and at two special meetings for the men.

The ladies in the team held special meetings for women on three evenings.  The women's meetings were well attended, and from what I hear, a great success. 

New Astrophoto Camera from Canon

If you browse through my blog, you'll see that one can take great astro photos with a modern DSLR.  Back in the day, Canon had a model especially for this purpose, the 20Da.  A friend of mine still uses that older camera to get great astro images.

I have a T1i that has been modified for astro photo use.  That mod instantly voided the warranty, of course.  So I'm really happy to see that Canon has decided to make it easier for all of us by coming out with a new camera optimised for astro photo use, the 60Da.
You can read about it at bhphotovideo.  My T1i is still working great, so no, I won't be lusting after a 60Da, but I'm really psyched to see that Canon is continuing to support the astronomy community.

It has been super cloudy this year, here on Bonaire.  I have one ok-ish image of the winter sky from January that I might post sometime, but Feb. and March were completely clouded out.  During the past couple evenings, Venus just went right by the Pleiades, which would have been cool, but we missed it due to overcast skies.  Grrrr.

I do have a whole list of images I want to get if and when the skies clear up here on Bonaire.

New Mystery Object

I wonder what it is and what it does.

Udo and Caleb both quickly identified the last mystery object that we uncovered in the shop.  Here is another one.  It is a well machined metal part with a nice look and feel to it.  We have a few of them here.

IBC Classrooms

The new classrooms at the International Bible Church are almost finished.  Here is now they looked this week.  Walt says that the floor space is about 1/4 that of the main meeting room.

Washington Park

They are fixing up the roads in Washington Park.  The roads are still pretty bumpy, but they are actually much improved.  Well, at least from the entrance as far as Slag Bai.  The road back out of the park is still full of ruts from the rainy season.

The cows were chowing down, not as close to the road as the last time I rode by.  A cute calf has been added to their number.  It was right in the road a few weeks ago.  I was worried that its mother would take exception to me as I rode by.  I saw a few teeny tiny baby goats this week too.

There were still a few Pelicans hanging out by Bisé Morto.  They've been there since mid Feb.

Slag Bai was looking nice.  You can see the road grader that's been cleaning up the roads at the left edge of the shot.

Moon and Planets

It has been amazingly cloudy for weeks and weeks.  That's great for working outdoors and for bike riding.  But not so good for stargazing.
We lucked out tonight and had a nice view of the moon right next to Venus, with Jupiter loitering below, right above the trees.

You can also just barely see the Pleiades a little to the upper right of the moon.

Close Up images of the Moon

One question I often hear in connection with my public astronomy sessions or my astro photos is, "can you see the flag the astronauts left on the moon" or variations on that theme.   Well.. no ground based telescopes can see details that small on the moon, but the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter satellite can.

NASA has just released some images taken from about 25km above the moon's surface that show the flag, the astronauts footprints, the lunar rover etc.

I did some searching around to see if I could find hi rez versions of the images and came across the University of Arizona's LROC Operations Center web site.  It has all sorts of interesting stuff.
Here is a link to a page with press release images.  Click on these helpfully labeled press release images to see them larger.  Click on March 5 and March 6 on the calendar to see Apollo landing sites.

This browse gallery page has larger images.  They are in long narrow strips that recorded the lunar surface as the orbiter passed over it.  You can zoom in on these images to see the details shown on the press release images.  And you can download these huge image files as well.  I'm going to try cropping some of these images to create hi-rez lunar desktop wallpaper for my computer.

Cutting Edge Communications

TWR Unveils New Digital System
Whether you call it a digital warehouse for the Kingdom, a tool for leveraging Christian media content or simply a game changer, LinguaDMS is all about revolutionizing the way ministries deliver their message to a global audience.

The cloud-based system is aimed at providing TWR partners and other ministries with a cost-effective tool for managing, archiving, re-purposing and enabling distribution of digital files, including videos, audio, images or text. Content can be stored, called up, and readied for presentation in formats compatible with any of the communication technologies already in use around the world – from websites and smartphones to Internet radio and terrestrial broadcast outlets – and new devices can be added to the mix as they are developed.

More formally described as a customizable digital-asset-management solution, LinguaDMS grew out of a desire to mine TWR’s vast store of media content – nearly 60 years of Christian broadcasts in more than 200 languages. Although TWR has increasingly broadened its outreach to incorporate the Internet in recent years, LDMS also enables TWR to assist other ministries with their digital asset management and in delivering their content to multiple media platforms.

You can learn more by visiting the LinguaDMS site.

This technology is already working in the background to supply the audio files and program scripts for the Project Hannah Website and iPhone app.
English, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese content is up and running now.  The Project Hannah team is working on getting the Papiamentu version of the Women of Hope radio program online soon.

EOZ Official Opening

The EOZ works with students who need special tutoring and guidance before being slotted back in a standard classroom setting.
The EOZ have spruced up the former TWR office wing very nicely, and have been working with kids for some months now.
Today was the official opening, with speeches and presentations, and refreshments.

They also unveiled a couple of great flags.

You'll need to click on the pix to see the flags better.








A really talented group of kids provided music for the festivities.

The building in the background is the office wing where the EOZ is located.  The building on the left houses the TWR studios and offices.

Sleeping Dogs and Couch Potatoes

Our dogs love vegging out with their owners while we watch TV.

You may wonder, do they shed hair all over the place?  Yup.  But the tile floors are easy to clean.  Last year, Sandra brought a new puppy back from Florida as carry on baggage.  We then used the dog carrier as a dog crate, since he liked it so much.  Then he outgrew the carrier and Ethan built us a puppy pen.  The puppy kept growing.   So now we are on PuppyPen Mark II, and he's not a year old yet.  He still likes his personal space, and even goes in there to sleep on his own.  Notice the open door.

Speaking of watching TV.  Yesterday and today there was not One, not Two, but three International cycling races on our TV system here.  Whoo whoo.  It was a great feeling, Saturday, to be splatted out in classic couch potato fashion, chowing down on carbs and nuts, while watching the riders on TV peddling their legs off.  Didn't feel guilty at all, having already put in three and a half hours in the saddle myself, riding out to and around Washington Park, and then back home on the main East road.

The riding in the park was great, with overcast skies (no sunburn) and a cooling wind.  However, on the way out of the park it started pouring down rain. Between the park and Rincon, the rain was so fierce that it was stinging my face and arms.  I took the paved road home from Rincon because the rain soaked dirt roads would have been like peddling through mashed potatoes.  When I got home, Sandra reported that it hadn't rained a drop in Hato!

In addition to the great bike racing, a major TV highlight today was the "Serie A1" pro volleyball match from Italy.  The number one team, Trentino, started their 6 second string players against the number two team, Cuneo.  And they managed to win the match!  It was epic stuff.

The Donut Man

Bonaire now has a donut shop in the center of town.  Perhaps that is what lured Rob Evans, the Donut Man to visit Bonaire.  ha-ha

Rob took time from his diving to visit us the International Bible Church for the Tuesday evening Bible study.  He also stopped by on Sunday morning and did a brief presentation for the kids (and young at heart) who were present.
You can see Rob in action on YouTube.

Weekend Update

Did you get to see the Moon, Venus and Jupiter all together?  It was pouring down rain here on Saturday evening, but we got a peek or two between the clouds.  It was very cloudy on Sunday night too, but we did get a glimpse or two.

Remember the pictures I posted last week, of the men who were fishing along the cliffs at the water's edge?  Well, when I rode by this week, there were no men, but at least twelve pelicans were hanging out there.  So it is pretty save to say that the fish were still around.  I didn't bring along a camera on this last ride, but I would have loved to have gotten a shot of all those pelicans lined stationed along the cliff edge, drying their feathers in the early morning sun.

New Google Eearth Images of Bonaire

I was just on Google Earth the other day to check something out and whoa, they've just added some new imagery of Bonaire for 2012.  It was actually shot in January of 2011 and is crystal clear, especially in Washington Park, where clouds used to cover up some of the main areas I wanted to see.

The newest imagery begins about half way between the TWR offices and the center of town, on the West coast and cuts straight across the island to the East coast just north of the Punto Blanku chicken farm.

I can see our trusty Suzuki Samurai (20.5 years old now) and you can find the International Bible Church at 12.169629 north latitude and 68.284764 west longitude.
The picture was taken before Siegfried and his team cleaned out the bushes and put in the new dirt for the parking area, but the buildings look about right.

The 2010-2011 rainy season was a huge one and I think that you can tell that one part of the road around Goto Lake was still under water on Jan. 17, when the image was made.

"Rain Rain Go Away" or "Planetary Parade"

It is a rainy Friday here on Bonaire.  I really hope it clears up tomorrow because Venus, Jupiter and the Moon will be putting on a great show Saturday and Sunday evenings.
The Moon will be close to Venus on Saturday night and close to Jupiter Sunday night.  This grouping of the two planets and the Moon should look really nice.  You can also use the Moon's close proximity to the planets to identify Venus on Saturday night and then to identify Jupiter on Sunday night.

You can also use the Moon to look for Venus before sunset on Saturday afternoon.  If you are in western Europe, Venus will be more or less directly to the left of the moon.  In North America, Venus will be to the lower left of the Moon.  This article at Sky and Telescope explains it and has a nice diagram.

I've seen Venus during the daytime here on Bonaire.  But always in the morning when I can first locate Venus in the dark and then track its progress across the sky relative to some fixed object.  One time I could find Venus until about noon.

Flamingo Fight

I shot this one back in 2008.  The flamingo in the foreground came rushing up on the one in the background while he was foraging for food under the water.  Sort of an aquatic ambush.  Much squawking and flapping ensued.  I was bummed that I didn't get a video of the encounter because I found it truly fascinating behavior.

But when I was reviewing my pictures last week, I realized that these frenzied flamingos were flashing their fine feathers, and I hadn't totally failed after all.

Carnival Monday

This past Monday was a holiday here on Bonaire.  Some of us, who weren't nursing Carnival related hangovers, took the opportunity to get out and enyoy the great outdoors.  I had just done my weekly Washington Park bike ride the previous Saturday, so this Monday holiday was a great opportunity to get in some extra miles.

I have occasionally been known to haul full size cameras and lenses around on my rides, and some of the images have been worth it.  But this time I went with a small camera in a zip lock bag that I could drop into one of my bike jersey pockets.  Playa Funchi, above, was looking very peaceful indeed.

These guys opted to get in some quality fishing time.  Fishing from the edge of the island with a hand line can be quite dangerous in some parts of Bonaire.  But the seas were calm and the fish were biting at this spot.

Bise Morto is just a bit south of Playa Funchi.  This is a spot that I've never dived or snorkled.  We'll have to rectify that soon.

I feel Loved

I was leaving some feedback for some eBay vendors the other day and found this message.

It made me smile.
Sometimes we can find things we need for the radio station on eBay when we can't find it from a traditional vendor. 

Birthday Boy

Wai-Man Chan, from the China Nobo restaurant celebrated a birthday this weekend.  So as is the tradition here on Bonaire, he brought along a cake to share with all his friends at the International Bible Church.

Also pictured is his daughter, Grace, who was visiting Bonaire for the occasion.

Raising the Roof

The new classrooms at the International Bible Church are coming along nicely.

Above, James and Walt discuss how the roof beams will be placed.

James, foreground, and his wife Cindy, background are spending their vacation time to help build the IBC classrooms.  This is the fourth year that James has volunteered his time like this!

Meanwhile Epi has been plastering the window openings to the exact size needed, so that the windows will slip right into place.

By Thursday noon, the roof panels were all in place!

Mystery Solved

Udo Lusse commented on my post from yesterday about the mystery objects and solved the mystery.  Click on "comments" below that post to see the comments.

Here is a photo of the tool Udo refers to in his comment.  I've used it in the past, but didn't realize how the brushes fit in with it.

What Is This?

Dave Pedersen was going through our technical stock and found a bunch of what we think are brushes.  The both have the same type of ferrule on the end.
Can anyone tell us what they were used for back in the day?

Ring Around the Classroom

Walt and his handy helpers finished blocking up the walls for the new classrooms at the International Bible Church.  Below you can see them setting up the forms for the ring beam and the corner posts.  What you can't see is the steel re-bar inside the forms which helps tie all the walls together into a solid structure.

The poured the beams on Thursday as I recall.  After our monthly Saturday morning mens meeting today, we helped collect all the small pieces of wood and loose nails lying around, so that no one will injure themself on Sunday.

In the above photo, some of the plywood forms have been removed and you can see the concrete beams connecting the various block sections.  Most structures here on Bonaire are constructed in this manner.

Youth Sunday

January 29 was a fifth Sunday of the month, which made it Youth Sunday.  The young people plan and lead the service and I always enjoy it.

Attendance is increasing in 2012.  There are lots of "snow birds" here right now, and more and more local people are finding their way through our doors as well.

There was a nice breeze blowing through the hall this past Sunday.  Early birds pick seats by the three large double doors on the East side of the building in order to get the maximum air flow.

IBC Classrooms

The classrooms on the West side of the main auditorium are starting to take shape.  That's the new Maduro bank office building in the background.

The concrete pads at eacn end of the building are making it much easier to move stuff in and out of the building.

Most of the work is being done by volunteers, and materials are purchased as funds are donated.

TWR Workshop

Colin and Lorna Buckland have been conducting a creative problem solving workshop for us at TWR each morning this week.  They are also doing team building concepts training in the afternoons.  This is the Buckland's fourth time with us.  We have a great time and somehow learn a lot too.

Colin and Lorna are at the left.  Then Donna is pretty much hidden behind Colin.  Bob Lassiter is in the green shirt, and then Dick, Lionel, Dave, Benny, Joe, Brandon and Laura Neal, Lynn and Kevin Baker, and Ivan.

Floored

Walt, Epi and the team poured the floor for the new classrooms at the International Bible Church last week.  They added a little to floor of the youth pavilion too.

They left the surface with a rough texture so that the tiles will have something to stick to, when that time comes.

Food Facts

A friend who is planning a visit to Bonaire this year asked me how much it might cost them for a week's worth of food, if they were to prepare their meals in their condo's kitchen.
So I made some relatively random notes while Sandra and I were shopping last Saturday.  Maybe you have the same question in your mind, so I'll copy and paste the info. here as well.

1/4 wheel of Gouda cheese $10.27  If you haven't had a grilled cheese sandwhich with Gouda and Bonaire whole wheat bread (see below)  you haven't lived.

1 loaf of whole wheat bread, $2.03   While one can sometimes find the USA style white "fluff bread" here, we really like the many very tasty brown breads that are made locally.  They typically don't have preservatives in them so we keep the loaves in the freezer and take out a few slices when we need them.  Individual slices of bread defrost almost instantly here.

Generic frosted shredded wheat cereal, 20.4 oz box $4.18

Jiff peanut butter, 18oz $3.49

1.8 pounds of organicly grown carrots from South America $1.33  Sometimes we can only get usa or canada carrots which aren't nearly as tasty.

Smuckers jam 12oz $3.35

5 pounds of white rice $3.69  Usually can get other types of rice too.

Spaghetti 500grams $1.39

Prego sauce 14oz $2.22

Ribeye Beef $18.90 a kilogram (never tried it actually, but it looked yummy)

Black Angus hamburger meat $9.50 a kilogram.  The Warehouse has two versions: one with a little more fat that makes good burgers on the grill, and one with a little less fat that is good for browning in a frying pan and for meatloaf etc.

USA-type milk 1/2 gallon $4.05 (that seems like a good price for here)  We usually get the long shelf life milk that comes in a cardboard 1 liter carton, and doesn't need refrigeration 'till it is opened.  But that $4.05 milk has potential. They had low fat milk and lactade milk too.

USA type orange juice 1/2 gallon $6.96 We drink juice from south america or europe that is about $1.75 to $2.25 per liter.

Orio cookies  14.6 oz $5.53

Campbell's soup 10.75 oz cans, $1.72

Coke 2 liter bottle, from the USA $3.40, from Venezuela $2.25    I like the Venez. stuff better 'cause it is still made with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. I let it go flat and drink it as a "perk me up" on long bike rides. If it is good enough for the Tour de France, it is good enough for me!

5 lbs of french fries, generic brand $5.99

IBC is Growing

Actually, in this case, it is the church building that is growing.  Now that we've been using the new building for six months or so, we're moving ahead with phase two of the project, which is class rooms on the west side of the building.  As additional funds come in, we'll build some more;  a very traditional way of doing construction here on Bonaire.

Pouring the slabs by the doors at each end of the building was accomplished this past week by four hardy souls.  Above Dick from TWR dumps a load of concrete onto the south pad.  In the foreground you can see the steel and forms for the north pad.  That area in between is where the classrooms will be located.

Gene, who is here on Vacation! shovels rock and sand, while Dick dumps a load of concrete into his trusty wheelbarrow.  Dick said that the small size of the mixer was holding them up some.  Walt has a lead on a used "two bag" mixer in Miami.

Above:  Walt looks on as Epi dumps a load of concrete into a genuine IBC wheelbarrow.  Walt came to Bonaire to retire, but has ended up spearheading the church building project.