NOVEMBER 19, 2003

by Glen McNamara ;

A number of exciting events from the
world of astronomy are in the news these
days - some close to home, and others much
farther away.

We'll start at the outer reaches of the solar
system, where Voyager | is either approach-
ing the edge or has already passed into
interstellar space. However, debate rages
between two groups of researchers as to
which is the case.

The argument revolves around what con-
stitutes interstellar space. There is a bound-

ary called the heliopause (“helio” = sun,
“pause” = to stop) where relatively high
energy particles ejected from the sun meet
the lower energy particles floating around
outside the solar system, and accumulate in
a shell around the solar system.

We know it exists because we can measure
radio emissions from this interaction. The
question is: where does. the heliopause
begin? Is Voyager I outside it yet? How can
we tell? It’s important to realise that many
things that are part of the solar system, cer-
tain comets and planetoids, may spend a lot

CULTURE 15

Science on the Side

of time outside the heligpause. We can’t
blithely answer the question with something
like, “the solar system ends beyond the orbit
of Pluto.”

One group of scientists has noted that the
number of high energy particles around
Voyager I is increasing, and concludes that
this means that it is approaching the bound-
ary. Another group notes that the number of
particles approaching Voyager I from
behind has dropped off dramatically in the
last few months, so it must be outside the
boundary already.

Moving a bit closer to home, a very visible

“lunar eclipse occurred on Saturday,
November 8th, just as the moon rose here. A
solar eclipse will occur on November 28th,
but won’t be visible from here. Great pic-
tures (of all sorts of stuff) can be found at
http:/ /antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ .

None of those events, however, interests
me like the Leonid meteor showers. The
Earth is currently spending a couple of
weeks passing through two large clusters of
meteors which approach from the direction
of the constellation Leo (as the name sug-
gests). The best time to go out and watch is
11:30 pm on Wednesday, November 19. Leo
will be somewhat low in the sky, to the north
or northwest.

The Leonid showers are remarkable for
the long history behind their observation,

for the number of important discoveries .

they have catalysed, and for the sheer beau-
ty of the event.

From the Edge of Space to a Warm Evening Shower

The Leonids gave rise to the idea that
meteors come from outer space, rather than
from the Earth itself. They enabled calcula-
tions that determined how close to Earth a
meteor has to pass to heat up enough to
become visible (about 93 km). They’ve also
helped a lot of doomsayers make a lot of
money from gullible people over the years.

I have several fond memories of watching
heated chunks of rock hit the atmosphere,
imagining them either careening off into
space or vapourising ‘and showering me in
stardust. The November view is typically
better than summer views, owing to less
flicker from pockets of heated air.
Furthermore, it’s usually warm enough that
you can go out and lie under a blanket for a
couple of hours, but cold enough that your
significant other will want to snuggle up
close.

In the meantime, the whole universe is
moving and changing. New galaxies are
discovered every day. New planets are
found every week. Everything new we
understand about what's out there helps us
figure out how things work here at home,
with effects ranging from helping to solve
environmental problems to giving clues to
the origins of life.

Our experiences here on Earth are what
make the events in the sky truly special.

The holy grail of sexual intercourse is the
orgasm. This is not to say that sexual contact
without orgasm is for naught; the experi-
ence itself is generally a lot of fun, too. But
usually there is a sort of goal to the proceed-
ings, and that is the orgasm of at least one of
the members of the expedition. Plus there
isn’t a lot to say about not having an orgasm.

“It can be quite impressive
how far and fast the semen
can be shot, and it depends
on the strength of the con-
tractions at the base of the
penis.”

Since there are two sexes, we’ll talk about
two basic types of orgasm: male and female.

The male orgasm is not that hard to track
down. It’s basically a matter of reaching a
critical mass of stimulation.

It’s pretty hard to miss, too. Kind of like
Vegas: lots of lights, and a whole lot of glam.
There is more than one way to get to it,
though. And I’m not just talking about fast
and slow, although those are further sub-
categories. The delineations to which I was
referring are penile and anal. The male
orgasm starts with arousal, and the spongy
tissue of the penis filling with blood, leading
to an erection. Males are visually stimulated,
so it doesn’t often take much for this to hap-
pen. The next step is stimulation. This is
where it branches out. Either the stimulation
is penile or anal (or both, actually, but it all
ends in the same place, eventually), and
after a certain amount, muscle contractions
begin. With anal stimulation, the muscles of

the anus contract as well, making for a much
stronger orgasm, since the muscles in that
region are very powerful. Either way, the
muscles under the penis and around the
base contract, and pull the testes in tighter to
the body. They contract rhythmically, and
other muscles may contract too, including
leg muscles, foot muscles and back. Facial
muscles are also usually affected. The mus-
cles contractions push semen out of the
reservoir (we'll be back to that in a moment),
and out through the urethra of the penis. It
can be quite impressive how far and fast the
semen can be shot, and it depends on the
strength of the contractions at the base of the

‘penis.

Back to-the reservoir. It’s connected to the
prostate, the male.g-spot. Stimulation of this
can cause a seemingly spontaneous ejacula-
tion. Reports from those who have partaken
are, for the most part, rave reviews.
Anyway, after ejaculation (release of semi-
nal fluid), there is a refractory period during
which it is very difficult for men to become
aroused again, and even less likely that they
will ejaculate again. It is a personal thing,
but it usually varies from 10 minutes to an
hour, depending on age, health, and
strength of orgasm.

Female orgasms can be enhanced through
anal involvement, as well. Although it is
extremely rare for a woman to orgasm
through anal stimulation alone, the same
principle applies for strength of release.
Other forms of female orgasm are clitoral,
vaginal and g-spot. Clitoral orgasm is the
most likely to be experienced, since the cli-
toris is considerably easier to find than. the
g-spot, and only 30% of women ever achieve
orgasm through penetration alone (vaginal

orgasm). For those of you who don’t know,
the clitoris is in front of the vaginal opening,
usually under a flap of skin called the hood.
It’s different for everyone, but it is usually a
small, unobtrusive button that becomes
erect during arousal. It is very sensitive, and
without proper arousal, direct stimulation
may. be painful. After an orgasm, it may be

“The holy grail of sexual
intercourse is the orgasm.
This is not to say that sexual
contact without orgasm is for
naught; the experience itself
is generally a lot of fun, too.”

overly sensitive, as women-have a frefracto-
ry period, as well. The clitoris is also usual-
ly the focus of attention during masturba-
tion and oral sex. Clitoral orgasms are simi-
lar to the male orgasm, actually, in that the
muscles of the vagina and perineum con-
tract, as may the legs and feet, and the 'vagi-
nal wall muscles contract rhythmically, in
waves.

Vaginal orgasms are less common, and
result as repeated stimulation of the vaginal
walls. Here is one major difference of male
and female arousal: while men do not
require constant pace or stimulation to
achieve orgasm, women tend to. A steady
pace, as well as uninterrupted contact, is
more likely to cause an orgasm in women
than sporadic stimulation. This orgasm is
similar to the clitoral orgasm, as the vaginal
muscles contract, but it is unlike the clitoral
orgasm, in which the muscles around the

clitoris contract, meaning it has a shorter
refractory period and multiple orgasms can
be achieved through this form.

Finally, the much-touted g-spot orgasm.
Similar in physiology to the orgasm in men
brought on by-prostate stimulation, the g-
spot orgasm is the strangest fish of the 4. The
g-spot is located on the front of the vagina,
about one to two inches in. It’s most easily
found if one or two fingers are inserted and
crooked forward. It almost feels rough, and
may bring on a sensation like one has to uri-
nate. You probably don’t (although, I will
take this opportunity to point out that it’s a
good idea to urinate before and after sex to
flush out the urethra, and minimize the risk
of a urinary tract infection). The--most
important thing to remember about g-spot
orgasms is that everyone (well, women, that
is) can have one, it just takes some prepara-
tion. Some people may think that because

they don’t have one right away it means

they don’t have a g-spot, but this seems
very unlikely. The more probable explana-
tion is strength: it takes a lot of strength to be
able to have a g-spot orgasm. The best way
to strengthen the muscles required is Kegel
exercises. The muscles that are used to stop
the flow of urine are the same muscles that
need to be worked. Tensing them and hold-
ing it, or just tensing them, will build up the
strength.

Okay, so that's pretty well it. Please, if you
have any questions, don’t hesitate to write.
The address is goingunder_unbc@hot-
mail.com If you have any ideas for the next
issue, let me know!

Tiffany xx