There's a weird, double-tailed comet in the sky this week (the last week in February), and you can spot it with a pair of binoculars — even through moderate light pollution. A few people have even been seeing it dimly with their unaided eyes in very dark, unspoiled, rural skies.
You'll have to know exactly where to look. The chart at right should get you there. It shows the starry scene about 9 p.m. this week.
(The viewing will actually be a bit better later at night, when the comet and its background rise higher in the sky. After 10 p.m., look for this scene higher and more toward the southeast.)
The comet, formally known as "C/2007 N3 (Lulin)", was discovered at Lulin Observatory in Taiwan in July 2007. In telescopes and low-light images, it's showing both a dim gas tail and a dust-spike antitail pointing in nearly the opposite direction. Its current brightness is about magnitude 5.2.

From Sky and Telescope

Weekly Schedule February 23 – February 27

1st Year Social Studies

Monday:
Assignment Due: America under James Madison
Topic: America under James Monroe and John Quincy Adams, 1817-1828: The Monroe Doctrine and the Missouri Compromise: This program looks at American expansion under presidents James Monroe and John Quincy Adams and how it affected American Indians and foreign powers.
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz
Tuesday:
Assignment Due: America under James Monroe and John Quincy Adams
Topic: America Under Andrew Jackson, 1829-1836: The Indian Removal Act, The Nullification Crisis, The Battle of the Alamo - This program examines how industrialization, immigration, expansion of slavery, and western movement changed the lives of Americans under the presidency of Andrew Jackson.
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz
Wednesday:
Assignment Due: America under Andrew Jackson
Topic: America Under Martin Van Buren, William H. Harrison and John Tyler, 1837-1844: The Panic of 1837, The Oregon Trail, Manifest Destiny - This program examines westward expansion and America's financial troubles under presidents Van Buren, W. H. Harrison, and John Tyler.
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz
Thursday:
Assignment Due: America under Martin Van Buren
Topic: America Under James Polk, Zachary Taylor, and Millard Fillmore, 1845-1852: The Mexican War, The Oregon Treaty of 1846, and the Compromise of 1850 - This program examines westward expansion and slave laws under presidents Polk, Taylor, and Fillmore.
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz

2nd Year Social Studies

Monday:
Assignment Due: Resources
Topic: Economics: The Production, Distribution, and Consumption of Goods and Services: Producing - Students learn the differences between goods and services and that each is divided into consumer and industrial. The "factors of production:" are defined and illustrated using real businesses. Through skits, we see how the factors of production can be combined in various ways in a market economy to result in profit or loss.
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz
Tuesday:
Assignment Due: Producing
Topic: Economics: The Production, Distribution, and Consumption of Goods and Services: Needs and Wants - This program defines the three basic needs common to humanity: food and water, shelter, and clothing. This program examines how a market economy works to satisfy wants. Students learn that the principle of "opportunity cost" governs the use of resources to satisfy wants and needs.
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz
Wednesday:
Assignment Due: Needs and Wants
Topic: Economics: The Production, Distribution, and Consumption of Goods and Services: Consuming - The principle of "opportunity cost" plays a major role in consuming, since we cannot have everything we want. Through skits, we are shown the major pressures which influence our choices as consumers. The program traces the growth of consumerism throughout the United States in the last part of the 20th century.
Assignment: Worksheet
Thursday:
Assignment Due: Consuming
Topic: Economics: The Production, Distribution, and Consumption of Goods and Services: Money - The evolution of money is traced through history, starting with bartering and ending with today's electronic forms of monetary exchange. Illustrated by humorous skits, the five defining properties of money are shown. The concepts of savings and checking accounts, and credit cards, are presented.
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz

Project Update

To Err is Human!
Many students have pointed out that the project dates happened to be over the weekend! So clearly that must change. The revised due dates are March 2nd for 1st Period and March 3rd for 2nd Period. If you would like to bring your project earlier, that will be fine.

Weekly Schedule February 16 – February 19

1st Year Social Studies

Monday:
Assignment Due:
Topic: No School: President’s Day
Assignment:
Tuesday:
Assignment Due: Almost Painless Guide to the Legislative Branch
Topic: America under Thomas Jefferson - 1800-1808: This program examines the United States under the presidency of Thomas Jefferson.
Assignment: Worksheet
Wednesday:
Assignment Due: America under Thomas Jefferson
Topic: America under James Madison: 1809-1816: The War of 1812: This program examines important events that occurred during the presidency of James Madison, including the War of 1812.
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz
Thursday:
Assignment Due: America under James Madison
Topic: America under James Monroe and John Quincy Adams, 1817-1828: The Monroe Doctrine and the Missouri Compromise: This program looks at American expansion under presidents James Monroe and John Quincy Adams and how it affected American Indians and foreign powers.
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz

2nd Year Social Studies

Monday:
Assignment Due:
Topic: No School: President’s Day
Assignment:
Tuesday:
Assignment Due: Religions of the World - Islam
Topic: Religions of the World - Judaism: This program, shot on location in Israel, Egypt, and the United States, traces the history, development, and practice of Judaism from its earliest beginnings to the present. Some of the areas covered are the Torah, Jewish teaching and law, the ancient faith, the practices of Judaism, the Holocaust, the state of Israel, and the Jewish Renewal movement. This program is part of the "Religions of the World" series
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz
Wednesday:
Assignment Due: Religions of the World - Judaism
Topic: Religions of the World: A Comparison of Religious Thought: This program feature interviews with seventeen different individuals representing the five major world religions. Among the topics addressed are the search for a spiritual path; and the foundations of faith; life after death; religious experience; original sin/good vs. evil; the spirit in daily life; belief in one God. The interviews include both members of the clergy and layperson. Location footage from around the world is included to illustrate the subjects covered. These programs provide an opportunity to compare the similarities and differences in the way fundamental religious concepts are viewed by different religions. After viewing the program, the viewer will have a better understanding not only of the concepts presented, but also of the importance of religion in the lives of those who follow the different faiths.
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz
Thursday:
Assignment Due: Religions of the World: A Comparison of Religious Thought
Topic: Economics: The Production, Distribution, and Consumption of Goods and Services: Resources: This program defines and illustrates three basic kinds of resources; natural resources, labor, and capital. Students learn the principle of "opportunity costs" in all phases of resource utilization, i.e. the use of a resource for one purpose means it cannot be used for another. Finally, the program presents some of the forces that determine how we choose to use resources in economic activities.
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz

Weekly Schedule February 9 – February 13

1st Year Social Studies

Monday:
Assignment Due: America in a Changing World 1793-1799
Topic: Almost Painless Guide to the Executive Branch: This program focuses on the origins of the executive branch of the United States government, the executive offices, the Cabinet, the power of the presidential veto, and executive checks and balances. Also, it examines the requirements and functions of the presidency along with the distribution of federal power between the branches.
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz
Tuesday:
Assignment Due: Almost Painless Guide to the Executive Branch
Topic: Almost Painless Guide to the Judicial Branch: This program looks at judicial checks and balances, the functions of the Supreme Court, and the appointment of Justices. It also delves into judicial overview of lower courts and the power of the Supreme Court to influence history.
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz
Wednesday:
Assignment Due: Almost Painless Guide to the Judicial Branch
Topic: Almost Painless Guide to the Legislative Branch: This program explores the functions of the legislative branch of the U.S. Government: legislative checks and balances, the power to impeach, and the lawmaking process. It also explains the origins of the two-house system and the structure of the Senate and House of Representatives.
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz
Thursday:
Assignment Due: Almost Painless Guide to the Legislative Branch
Topic: America Under Thomas Jefferson - 1800-1808: This program examines the United States under the presidency of Thomas Jefferson.
Assignment: Worksheet

2nd Year Social Studies

Monday:
Assignment Due: Age of Discovery - 1400-1550
Topic: Roots of Religion - Ancient Middle East—Visits the ancient civilizations of Sumer and Egypt, and tracks how the Hebrews created a lasting culture and religion. In Search of Eden—Follows scientists and theologians attempting to prove that Mesopotamia was the setting for the Book of Genesis. Islamic Civilization— Shows how the prophet Muhammad’s teachings gave birth to a religion that spread across and beyond the Middle East through trade and conquest. Islam: Past and Present—Explores the history and teachings of Islam, from Muhammad’s struggles to the beliefs and practices of Muslims today.
Assignment: Worksheet
Tuesday:
Assignment Due: Roots of Religion
Topic: Religions of the World - Christianity: Christianity has more followers in the world today than any other religion. In the last two thousand years, the life of one man, known as Jesus the Christ, may be said to have had a more profound effect on the course of history than that of any other being. As Christianity spread throughout the world, it splintered into different sects. This program is part of the "Religions of the World" series.
Assignment: Worksheet
Wednesday:
Assignment Due: Religions of the World - Christianity
Topic: Religions of the World - Buddhism: Buddhism can be described as more of a way of life than a religion. Not based on a belief in God, its goal for humanity is to transcend the world perceived by the senses in order to achieve true happiness and peace.
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz
Thursday:
Assignment Due: Religions of the World - Buddhism
Topic: Religions of the World - Islam: The Arabic word Islam means "to surrender." It is derived from the Arabic root word for peace. One out of every five people on earth, more than one billion people, have chosen to follow the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed, the religion of Islam. It is the world's fastest growing religion.
Assignment: Worksheet

Weekly Schedule February 2 – February 6

1st Year Social Studies

Monday:
Assignment Due: Revolutionary War – South Regained
Topic: Revolutionary War - A Harvest of Victory: American victory, results and impact of the Revolutionary War, Lord Cornwallis, George Washington, American military leaders
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz

Tuesday:
Assignment Due: Revolutionary War - A Harvest of Victory
Topic: An American Nation Begins - 1789-1792: This program examines some of the practices of government in the United States during the period 1789-1792 by focusing on the extension, restriction, and reorganization of American political democracy. The program also looks at technological change and how it affected American industrialization, divisions between North and South, and relations with foreign powers.
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz

Wednesday:
Assignment Due: An American Nation Begins - 1789-1792
Topic: America in a Changing World 1793-1799: This program examines some of the practices of government in the United States during the period 1793-1799. The program looks at developing American industrialization, expansion of slavery, and the growth of regional divisions between the North and South. Relations with foreign powers are also examined.
Assignment: Worksheet

Thursday:
Assignment Due: America in a Changing World 1793-1799
Topic: Almost Painless Guide to the US Constitution: This entertaining video takes us step by step through the document that forms the basis of the United States government. Students will learn about the ideals of American Constitutional government, the theory of "We, the people," and the concepts laid out in the Preamble. Also shown is how the Constitution empowers the government to fulfill its responsibilities, while at the same time limiting and sharing those powers.
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz

2nd Year Social Studies

Monday:
Assignment Due: All About the Renaissance, Part 1
Topic: All about the Renaissance, Part 2 - This program focuses on the later developments of the Renaissance. This program presents the impact of the enormous changes that took place in science, invention, architecture, exploration and religious reform during this pivotal era of world history.
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz

Tuesday:
Assignment Due: All about the Renaissance, Part 2
Topic: Protestant Reformation: Viewers will learn about Martin Luther, a brilliant, highly emotional priest and scholar who, in 1517, posted his now-famous Ninety-Five Theses on a church door in Wittenberg, Germany. Luther's theses started the Protestant Reformation, a chain of events that would changes forever the character of Western European civilization. This program, filmed on location in Europe, provides students with a clear understanding of the causes of the Protestant Reformation and the social and political changes that resulted from it.
Assignment: Worksheet

Wednesday:
Assignment Due: Protestant Reformation
Topic: Age of Discovery - 1400-1550: "The Age of Discovery" focuses on one of the most exciting eras of history: the period from 1400 to 1550. Using colorful historic artwork, animated maps, and beautiful live-action re-creation video, students learn about trade with the Far East in the fifteenth century and how restrictions on that trade helped bring about the Age of Discovery. The immediate and long-term effects of European colonization are also presented.
Assignment: Worksheet & Quiz

Thursday:
Assignment Due: Age of Discovery - 1400-1550
Topic: All about the Enlightenment - The Age of Reason: This valuable program examines the amazing historical era known as the Enlightenment or “Age of Reason." It examines the key contributions of Isaac Newton, the French philosophers, Denis Diderot, and Carolus Linnaeus in helping to shape brand-new way of seeing and relating to the world
Assignment: Worksheet