Dan Barriball

Apollo 13 movie poster

everyone watch apollo 13 today in honor of jim lovell!!!!

Lots of kids have sports heroes that when they remember them as adults, it takes them back to their childhood. Ryne Sandberg was one of those for me. Rest in peace, Ryno.

Look at the moon before it sets tonight. That reddish star right next to it, a little above and to the right, is the planet Mars.

Doug Wilson moved the store to Chesterton, IN, where I live. I love stopping by there.

We've reached the point in our descent into fascism where the Jewish governor's house getting firebombed on Passover by a guy trying to bash his head in with a sledgehammer is overshadowed by the story of the President saying he wants to build foreign gulags for US citizens.

Reposting for the morning crowd. Please email the property manager at IDSP, Doug Lang (dolang at dnr dot in dot gov), and the director of state parks, Dan Bortner (dbortner at dnr dot in dot gov), and ask them to place the Bess Sheehan state historical marker as soon as possible.

I do not want them to be forgotten again. Please email the property manager at IDSP, Doug Lang (dolang at dnr dot in dot gov), and the director of state parks, Dan Bortner (dbortner at dnr dot in dot gov), and ask them to place the state historical marker as soon as possible.

The Indiana Historical Bureau, the state's official historians, deemed Sheehan to be of statewide historical significance and approved a historical marker. Unfortunately, we are having trouble getting it placed at Indiana Dunes State Park.

When it was passed and Governor Warren McCray signed it, he gave her the pen in recognition of her work in creating Indiana Dunes State Park. History largely forgot Sheehan.

When the bill to create the park was proposed in 1923, she spoke to the entire Indiana General Assembly in favor of the park. She spent five weeks in Indianapolis shepherding the bill through the legislature.

She spent the next several years traveling throughout Indiana building up support for a park in the Indiana Dunes among Hoosier women and anyone else who would listen. In the process, she acquired the nickname Dunes Lady.

She became the secretary of the National Dunes Park Association and the head of the Dunes Park committee of the Indiana Federation of Clubs, a powerful statewide group of women's clubs.

My summer project in 2024 was to apply for in Indiana state historical marker for Bess Sheehan. Sheehan was the key person in the creation of Indiana Dunes State Park. She was the one that got the job done. She joined the cause to create a park in the Indiana Dunes in 1916.

You're all born wearing a Hurricanes sweater?! 😂

If you step outside this evening, look up. That reddish star close to the moon is Mars.

If you step outside on this Superb Owl evening, take a look at the moon. It is beautiful as always, of course. See that reddish star a little above and to the right of it? That's Mars!

One of Trump's first actions was to pardon the people who did this. I never want to hear how the GOP is pro-police again.

I just watched Mars go behind the moon! Did you see it?

@indiana-dunes.bsky.social

It is the bright red "star" in the eastern sky in the early evening. Use binoculars or a telescope to get a clearer view. Let's hope the skies are clear. Good luck!

Information about the lunar occultation of Mars on January 13th, 2025.

Tomorrow night (Mon, Jan. 13), the moon is going to eat Mars! The full moon will occult Mars, which means the moon will go in front of it and cover it up. Mars is close to opposition, so it is about as bright as it can be.

Katy Kidd www.instagram.com/p/C1CxE2spnrx/

Short-eared owl! It's probably a male.

Curiously, the latest sunrise doesn't occur until January 1st through 6th, when the sun will rise at 7:15.

Astronomy tidbit of the day: Sunset tonight is at 4:17 pm, and it will remain at 4:17 through December 10th. At the latitude of Chesterton, this is the earliest sunset of the year. On December 11th, the sunset time will begin inching later.

YouTube video by thebrainscoop Why these beaches near Chicago almost disappeared

I know all the people in this video, and they did a wonderful job talking the Indiana Dunes! youtu.be/Lmuo7oiWDWo

If you have clear skies right now, then step outside during the early evening and look southwest. The crescent moon and Venus make a pretty pair.