prudenceb

Intro to Celestial Navigation AND Climate Change 101 Two Separate Talks by John Huth in One Fascinating Day! Saturday, March 2 - 10:30 am to mid afternoon - REI Community Room, Reading MA Club member and Harvard physics professor, John Huth, has once again generously agreed to help us expand our field of knowledge by presenting two separate talks relevant to our paddling community. John wrote up a brief summary of each talk to whet our appetites: Introduction to Celestial Navigation Before the advent of GPS, sailors on the open ocean had to rely on sightings of celestial objects to find their location on earth. What used to be a fairly common practice is now in in danger of extinction. GPS is exceptionally vulnerable to jamming and spoofing. As a result the US Navy has reinstated courses in celestial navigation. This introduction outlines the basics of celestial navigation for the novice, and points to directions on how to develop this as a usable skill. Climate Change 101 In the news, we mostly hear the classic "both sides" on climate change. But, the actual science of climate is fascinating and accessible to the educated lay person. In this presentation, I use the US climate report mandated by Congress as a jumping off point to examine the science of climate. In addition to the well know greenhouse effect, I look at the uncertainties in climate modeling, and other 'forcing functions', such as volcanic eruptions, variations in solar output, and deforestation. This event is open to paid club members only. Please RSVP on the club calendar. Prudence