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News to Use
Millions of stars now available at your fingertipsAfter more than four years of work, astronomers have completed the first "bird's-eye" view of our Galaxy. Using infrared light to peer through the Galaxy's obscuring dust, the astronomers have been able to complete a high-resolution digital survey. The end result provides a direct view of the structure of the Milky Way as outlined by stars—meaning we can now see our home Galaxy as if we were standing far from it. In fact, a modern space probe launched from Earth would have to travel for 200 million years to reach a point at which it could look back and return an image with similar perspective.
What does all this mean to you?
You, too, can see this perspective. The Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS)—a joint project of the University of Massachusetts and the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center/California Institute of Technology—has released its 5 million images on the Internet. They include an estimated 500 million celestial objects: stars, galaxies, asteroids and comets. Visit www.ipac.caltech.edu/2mass.
Glenwood Springs boasts new aerial attraction
This spring, Glenwood Springs residents and tourists alike turned their attention from the soothing warmth of the thermal hot springs to the blue skies above. Suspended above it all is a new tramway that whisks people from the town up 1,400 vertical feet to the historic Fairy Caves at the top of Iron Mountain.
The Fairy Caves, uncovered in 1895, have been renamed the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park by owners Steve and Jeanne Beckley. The caves had been closed since World War I, until the Beckleys bought them in 1998. For the past few years, visitors to the caves have been transported from town by bus up a curvy mountain road. Now they can ride in bright orange gondola cars along a 4,300-foot-long tramway.
For more information contact your AAA Travel professional or the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association, 970-945-6589; www.glenwoodchamber.com.
The lowdown on flash floods
Colorado's worst natural disaster happened on the state's 100th anniversary. Thousands were camping on the weekend of July 31, 1976, when a thunderstorm lingered over the Big Thompson Canyon. A wall of water roared through at nightfall, killing almost 150 people. Only a handful drowned; the rest fell prey to the water's brute force. Flash floods are most likely here in late summer, when a small-scale version of India's monsoon sends moisture streaming up through the desert Southwest. Here are some tips for staying safe:
- A flash flood can unfold in seconds and may affect only a tiny area. When driving in wet conditions, be extra alert for the unexpected.
- SUVs are no match for moving water. It only takes about 20 inches of water (roughly mid-hubcap height) to float most vehicles, regardless of size or weight. Once you're floating, four-wheel drive is useless.
- If water is rising fast, get out of your vehicle at once and climb to higher ground. Your car and clothes can be replaced—you can't.
- Steep, water-channeling canyons may direct a flash flood miles from where any rain has fallen. Check a regional forecast before heading on a long trek—especially if you'll be hiking through slot canyons—and keep an eye to the sky.
Yesteryear modeling back at the Brown
Returning to the tea room tradition of informal modeling, the Brown Palace Hotel's afternoon tea in its atrium lobby will feature the fashions of retailers from the Denver Pavilions this summer. Patrons "taking tea" at the Brown will see the latest styles each Monday through Friday, 1:30-3 p.m., through Aug. 29. All modeling will be done informally, in the tea room tradition of yesteryear, with a model discreetly approaching each tea table to show the apparel "up close." For more information: 303-297-3111, ext. 3104; www.brown palace.com.
July and August notables
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