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Show The Thunderbird Littmann prepares audience for comet BY BRADFORD LEWIS Halleys Comet has been associated with superstition and fear over the centuries, and that, said Convocation speaker Mark Littmann, is more interesting than the technical aspects of the comet. of Comet Halley: Once in a Littmann, Lifetime, presented a slide show and lecture on Halleys Comet for SUSCs weekly lecture series Thursday. He said he would normally cover the most technical s of the way part of the lecture about half or through the presentation, but for the sake of this audience, and in the interest of time, Ill give you the most technical information now. Do you know what a comet is? Its a dirty snowball. A dirty snowball, simply rock defined, is nothing more than a chunk of water-ic- e and gas. And that is the technical part of the lecture. Throughout history, Littmann continued, comets have been associated with superstition and fear. Attila the Hun attributed his ultimate defeat to a comet that had appeared in the sky; William the Conquerer gave credit for his victory over Harold of England to the appearance of a comet. Halleys Comet bears the name of Edmund Halley, the first astronomer to predict that comets, just like the planets and moons, were ruled by the laws of gravitational attraction and would return to pass by two-third- Earth at regular intervals. Halley believed that a comet he had observed earlier in life would return after a period of 76 years. He never lived to see his belief confirmed; he died 16 years before the comet returned and verified his prediction, Littmann said. He told a story of Mark Twain, the American humorist. Twain was born in 1834 when Halleys Comet was in the sky. Twain felt that his greatest joy would come only if he also went out with the comet. God allowed two freaks to come into the world at the same time, and it would be a shame if he didnt allow them to go out together, said Twain. On April 21, 1910, one day after Halleys Comet made its closest pass to the sun, Littmann said, Twain was dead. Littmann served as director of Salt Lake Citys Hansen Planetarium from 1965 to 1983. Now working closely with NASA, he is the science communicator at the Space Telescope Institute. The STI plans to launch a giant shuttle-baseoptical and radio telescope to observe the return of Halleys Comet. There will also be five probes launched by three nations to observe the comet closely. One of the probes as close as three million miles away. may make a By contrast, the STI project will be observing Halleys Comet from over 50 million miles away. Id like to be able to show you NASAs probe, but we dont have one. Congress didnt appropriate the money, Littmann quipped. ASSUSC recently added tw'o new clubs. The American Forces Alliance and the Ski Club became the two newest official members of the 46 club roster after their charter was approved by the Executive Council. The American Forces Alliance is considered a The club is primarily designed for military club. or military oriented people. There are many patriotic veterans, marine corps reservists and national guard personnel, including members who are in charge of Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, and the American Legion chapters in this area, said President Steve Jarvis, a sergeant in the Marine Corps Reserves. Jarvis said We want to set a good image on campus as w'ell as good participation in the upcoming activities. The club members are involved with the Color Guard at the sporting events held on campus and are actively involved in promoting patriotism for the country and flag. We provide a variety of services such as helping veterans and military personnel with their VA benefits, G.I. bill and medical assistance. Were also encouraging an ROTC program to locate at SUSC, explained Jarvis. Along with the many services, the club also offers a variety of activities planned for the coming year such as trips to different places of interest, mountain 3 ( 4 d fly-b- v Military and ski clubs organized here BY TODD ROBINSON Monday January 27, 1986 Page climbing and rapelling, a survival camp lasting four to five days, and involvement in military exercises with the local reserves and guard. We need the support of all veterans and military personnel on campus, and we open the doors to all those who are seriously interested in joining the ranks, Jarvis said. For further information contact Jarvis at or Ron McCoy at The clubs next meeting will be held Jan. 29 at 3 p.m. in the large conference room of the Library. The Ski Club has been organized to promote skiing and social interaction in the great outdoors. The club is actively promoting both Nordic and Alpine skiing as well as other activities such as outdoor socials and hikes. Georg Hartlmaier, president of the club, said his organization already has more than 60 members. A $5 fee is required for a pictured I.D. card. Ski Club members will be given reduced group rates at Mt. Holly and Brian Head and plan to obtain reduced rates at some of the northern resorts said Hartlmaier. The club is planning on several trips including a full moon y madness tour, a trip to Sundance, and a excursion to Jackson Hole. possible The clubs next meeting will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 6 p.m. in the Student Center lounge. For further information call Hartlmaier at or Chip Deutschlander at 635-436- 4 586-406- Mark Littmann told Thursday's Convocation audience that Halleys Comet has been a source of superstition for centuries. DeWitt Jones film is Convo feature BY BRADFORD LEWIS The name DeWitt Jones, almost- synonymous with the title of National Geogtaphic Magazine, is now linked with the state of Utah. Jones now lives in Utah and has been hired by the Utah Travel Council to help promote the states National Parks and other scenic areas. DeWitt Jones will present a film entitled John Muirs High Sierras at Thursdays cross-countr- 586-494- 5 586-065- Convocation. Jones was born in 1943. His career began when he made a 16mm film of a 1100-mil- e kayak journey along the coast of Japan the summer after he graduated college. Prior to that, Jones had taken only one course in photography in high school. Upon completion of the Japan trip, he went to the University of California, Los Angeles film school, where he earned a master of fine arts degree. He also has a bachelors degree in drama from Dartmouth College, graduating Cum Laude in 1965. Throughout his career, Jones has published four books, created or taken the photography for several documentary films, and presented several written lectures. Jones affiliation with National Geographic Magazine began almost 13 years ago. Jones, who had lived for a year in British Columbia, Canada, had taken 25 rolls of color slides. He sent some of those stills to National Geographic, and was rewarded with an assignment for John Muirs Wild America, which was published in 1973. On January 30 at 11 a.m., Jones will introduce and film entitled John provide the narration for a Muirs High Sierra as part of SUSCs Convocation series. The film was shot on location by Jones, and the commentary is made up of quotes from Muirs personal journals and Jones own observations. Because of the films length, the Convocation audience is encouraged to arrive before 11 a.m. |