#stephen saber

[saberdoesthestars]

Saber’s Beads: Evolution

by J. Sorenson

“The broken arc of lights eclipse contact resemblance peaked in deep twilight with the infant crescent moon hanging 2° above the horizon on a steep ecliptic at a solar elongation of 12.2°. By this time I was fully immersed in the imagery of a total solar eclipse- as if in the next few moments I would either be basking in our sun’s corona or forced to turn away from its glare. Low altitude scintillation added a surreal dynamic to the experience.” -Stephen Saber (May 2006)

After his related comment on this young moon sighting, the described visual aspect was almost immediately dubbed “Saber’s Beads” by his peers, and gained popular use by other lunar observers and websites. The term has since continued to virally spread to other cultural venues as well, including:

Existential: SouledOut (2007) Saber’s Beads is represented as symbolic of increased perspective and open-mindedness.

Life Experience: Blogger (2009) The author’s blog titled Saber’s Beads documents her own personal uplifting experiences as ‘staggered brightness peaks’ along life’s journey.

Literature/Fiction: Cailyn Vature’s 'Raven’ (2009) Saber’s Beads initiate a fabled window of time surrounding new moon that allows those souls in limbo to return to earth.

Music: Sophie Hutchings (2012) Saber’s Beads is released as an instrumental classical piano track appearing on her album 'Night Sky’.

Nature: (Faulkner 2014) A breed of flower is officially catalogued as Saber’s Beads due to characteristic random bright patches at the petal tips.

Gaming: Perfect World (2015) Saber’s Beads is introduced as a powerful defensive weapon sought to be collected during play.

Sports: Horse Racing/TabGold (2015) The 3-year old racehorse, named Saber’s Beads, takes 3rd place in his first appearance at Scottsville Downs.

Jewelry: Lunerias Luneras (2016) 

The Saber’s Beads necklace is introduced, featuring detached points of brightness and color.

Music: Malakai (2018) Dance/electronic track Saber’s Beads released from the album Soros.

Art/Literature: (2018) Graphic novel Saber’s Beads created by artist/writer Melody Borg.

Even with Saber’s passionate forte for popularizing the night sky, this level of 'outreach gone wild’ was an unexpected bonus, and he mentions being especially pleased that the epiphany-related term had not remained confined to the world of astronomy. For a chance to experience the astronomical Saber’s Beads the equipment requirements are as simple as the sighting conditions are serendipitous. Standard binoculars provide the minimum magnification. However, the necessary logistics and sky conditions to follow an extremely young lunar crescent down to a clear horizon (or an extremely old crescent up from the horizon) while still in deep twilight are few and far between. But for those who persevere Saber’s Beads remains a beautiful sight not to be missed.

[reprinted with permission/J. Sorenson, KSCA Meridian June 2016 *image credit: J. Prohaska*]

Saber's Beads @YouTube : https://youtu.be/g8IJOkFg5NQ *****

[stephen-saber]

Starstruck Saber Sinks His Teeth Into Drumming

by Chad V.

To those familiar with the Quad Cities music scene, the name Saber is synonymous with furious double-bass thunder rolls and ear-splitting cymbal attacks. But when the veteran heavy-handed drummer isn’t pummelling his kit with the metal group StraightJacket, he also makes time to kick back and enjoy the stars. So much so that Saber, nee Stephen James Saber, was recently awarded the Master Observer’s certificate by the Astronomical League. The certificate, of which only 50 have been awarded nationwide, is reserved for amateur astronomers who have demonstrated exceptional proficiency in observational astronomy. He is also namesake of the lunar phenomenon known as Saber’s Beads. “The two passions- music and exploring the night skies- work well together for me.” said Saber, who first made his mark in local clubs touring with his ‘90s speed-metal band Priapism. The band released two CDs, 1990’s “Prepare To Qualify’, and 1993’s ‘218 Hell St.’. “Bangin’ on the drums pumps me up, and relaxing under the stars is a great way to mellow out. Stargazing is a peaceful yin to the furious yang of banging on the drums in a metal band”. So how did a heavy metal drummer and former powerlifter who could squat and deadlift over 700 pounds get into such a sedate hobby as stargazing? “A while back, I bought a star for my girlfriend while visiting the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. It was just a novelty gift, but hunting down that star and seeing the other celestial treasures up there really helped trigger my interest in the night sky.” His interest in drumming began much earlier. Ironically, his parents never allowed him to keep drums in the house, which only served to perpetuate his passion. His favorite bands include a who’s who of famous metal acts like Pantera, Anthrax, Metallica, Testament, Slayer, and Type O Negative. In 2002, Saber said a local radio station sponsored StraightJacket’s first gig, which including a limo ride and live broadcast. “The crowd was spilled out onto the street, greeting us with posters, cheering, the works. It was wild”, he said. “like the Beatles coming to America. I was signing drumsticks for an hour after that show. It was great exposure.” Saber named the band StraightJacket after a ‘90s Love/Hate song and used that opportunity to get back to clubbing.

His new metal trio, SSX, is currently in the studio working on their first demo, after which the guys will hit the clubs again. As for Saber, his goals for the future include more songwriting, touring, and possibly some drum and cymbal endorsements. “And then I’d like to ride the space shuttle and retire as a sheik,” he said, laughing, ”Nothing too outrageous”.

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(Dispatch/Argus, Jan 2007)

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Visit Saber’s website at

http://www.facebook.com/saberdrumz

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[stephen-saber]

Saber’s Beads: One Fist In The Stars Rumor has it that when I’m not destroying drumkits I also have a passion for the night sky. I’ve spent alot of time watching our moon as well. So, besides being the tips of my drumsticks, what are Saber’s Beads? You’ve probably seen a very thin sliver of our moon after sunset or before sunrise. Imagine it thinner. And even thinner. Eventually all that’s left is sunlight shining off the mountain peaks while leaving the valleys in darkness. This arched ‘string-of-pearls’ is known as Saber’s Beads after a comment I made about the visual similarity to what is seen during a solar eclipse. Just before (and after) the moon passes in front of the sun, light shines at us through the valleys but is blocked by the mountains- the mirrored effect of Saber’s Beads. After reporting this resemblence, my esteemed stargazing colleagues honored me with its namesake. * * * * *

[stephen-saber]

Stephen Saber (SaberScorpX) Bio & Links

Name: Stephen James SaberBorn: November 8, 1975 in Rock Island, Illinois

Instruments Played: Drums, although I create and arrange music on bass guitar

Notable Bands: Straightjacket (classic metal) 2002-05. Priapism (heavy/thrash metal) 1990-1996. Discography: Prepare To Qualify (1990), 218 Hell St. (1993), Chug (1996; unfinished). [ All music and lyrics copyright (CP)1996 SaberScorpX ]

Musical Influences: Ironically, my parents; never allowing me to play drums in the house as a kid only served to perpetuate my passion. Many bands: Van Halen, Motley Crue, Anthrax, Testament, Slayer, Type O Negative

Current Set-Up: 12-piece double-kick. I’ve played on and would endorse kits from several quality brands. I exclusively use/abuse Sabian cymbals and Silverfox drumcorps sticks

Most Memorable Gig: Straightjacket’s debut was sponsored by a local radio station (KCQQ-FM, Quad Cities). Our first gig included a limo ride and live broadcast. The crowd was spilled out onto the street, greeting us with cheers, posters, the works. It was wild. Like the Beatles coming to America. I was signing drumsticks for a hour after that show

Most People Don’t Know: I’m a former bouncer, powerlifter, and personal trainer. I used to deadlift and squat over 700 lbs. I played the bad guy in a locally produced B-flick thriller called ‘Noises’. And if you saw Buzz Lightyear strutting around Navy Pier a few summers ago at a Toy Expo, that was me

Extracurricular Activities: NASCAR/IRL and working out are the mentionable ones. I have a passion for the night sky, and was given namesake of the lunar phenomenon known as Saber’s Beads

Current State Of Mind: Under Construction

Goals: More studio work and touring. Drum/cymbal endorsements. Playgirl (if they asked me nice). Then ride the space shuttle and retire as a sheik. Nothing too outrageous

Saber @ QC Underground

Saber @ MusicAtlas

Midwest Metal: Priapism

Saber @ WeAreQC.com

[stephen-saber]

rezzurekt, 2018

[saberdoesthestars2017]

ever play guess the radec?

with 2 midsized airports to my north and south, and o'hare a couple hours west, it’s rare to see a sky without a contrail. multiple crossing contrails involuntarily remind me of the radec grid, and i’m compelled to start estimating the assigned hours and declinations.

please tell me i’m not the only one.

http://saberdoesthestars.tumblr.com http://c14isawesome.blogspot.com

[photo credit: 9gag.com]

[saberdoesthestars2017]

mars gets a new moon (and why the stars are all wrong)

jupiter is usually the magnet for fake moons. i’ve seen my share of scuffles between those stellar interlopers and the galileans. but mars had a rare encounter with a fieldstar last week. a 6.3 mag sun (hr6) in pisces swung within half a degree in the eyepiece, putting the terminally dim phobos and deimos to shame.

the light that hr6 brought along for the one night stand was almost 500 years old; an interesting contrast to the fresh 15 minute-old light from mars. the thought occurred that the telescope had not yet been invented when hr6’s light started its journey. i also imagined one of our stargazing counterparts on a planet near hr6 looking back at us and considering that mars (in conjunction with earth) appeared to be an interesting extra red satellite temporarily orbiting the blue globe.

let’s go back to that light from hr6. while the photons we see are 500 years old, it is *not* at the same current position as the sun itself. maybe by arcseconds, or maybe by alot more in some cases, depending on a star’s distance and trajectory. comparing the actual current positions of the stars in a given skydome against that of their light signature might show some interesting, even disorienting results. fortunately, i’ve been mostly successful at not letting this grand illusion of celestial latticework interfere with my enjoyment of the night sky.

peace, stephen.

p.s., next month mars takes part in another equally close conjunction with the more temporally-honest reflected light of uranus.

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http://saberdoesthestars.tumblr.com http://c14isawesome.blogspot.com

[image credit: google/time]

[saberdoesthestars2017]

messier marathon 2017 game plan

possible dates: 26, 27, 28 feb 2017 equipment: 25x100 orion giantview method: mine (m-cubed ‘naked’) location: 41°n, 90°w

the late feb new moon provides plenty of cushion for the otherwise evening rush targets, with m74, 77, and 33 still available in deep astronomical twilight. i figured to lose a handful of morning fuzzies, but the pre-dawn targets (except m30) will be stretched out like ducks in a row along the east-southeast horizon. the last half-dozen won’t be ready for picture day, but it’s a possible 109 total.

*update/results: snow or clouds each night. now planning the march new moon assault*

saber does the stars at http://saberdoesthestars.tumblr.com

c14 is awesome! (saber does the stars vol 2: the index catalog) at http://c14isawesome.blogspot.com