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Planes Write Out 'Pi in the Sky' Over Cupertino

Cupertino Middle School student captures photos of planes as they write out the mathematical constant known as pi in the clouds Wednesday.

Something different happened in the skies over the Bay Area Wednesday, and some students at Cupertino Middle School were left wondering what was going on.

"Everyone saw it and were really freaked out! We all thought that there was some sort of military mishap! Some were kind of scared and was wondering what the heck was going on," says Sarah Kinghorn, who says she was "promoted" to middle school this school year.

So, what was it? It was "Pi in the Sky".

Budding reporter Sarah provided the photos attached to this article.

At the request of a California-born artist known as Ishky, artists, programmers and scientists teamed up to bring the Bay Area the unique visual experience of seeing all the numbers of Pi, the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, written in the clouds.

According to the Ishky’s website, “five synchronized aircraft equipped with dot-matrix technology will skywrite the first 1,000 numbers of Pi's infinite sequence” at 10,000 feet altitude. The planes looped around the Bay Area, and each number was set to be over a quarter-mile in height.
 
It was set to begin above the ZERO1 Garage in San Jose at 11:45 a.m. and then again at 1:30 p.m.

According to the website:

“Within moments of execution (3.14159265...), the specific meaning of the numbers in the sky will be lost. The piece will dissolve into an unprecedented visual anomaly that prompts curiosity, providing rich opportunity for social interaction.”

According to the "Pi in the Sky" Facebook page here's how the schedule looked for the Bay Area:

San Jose- 11:45 a.m.

Fremont - 11:54 a.m.

Hayward - 11:59 a.m.

Oakland - 12:06 p.m

Berkeley - 12:08 p.m

San Francisco - 12:13 p.m

San Bruno - 12:23 p.m

San Mateo - 12:27 p.m

Redwood City - 12:31 p.m

Palo Alto - 12:34 p.m

Mountain View - 12:36 p.m

San Jose - 12:43 p.m

Wrap Around Completion - 12:56 p.m

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Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Anne Ernst (Editor) April 3, 2013 at 12:59 pm
It's difficult to know what's going on in a kid's mind unless they feel confident enough to open upRead More and talk. And this program helps us adults to learn to listen differently.
Debbie Reiley April 3, 2013 at 03:50 am
I too was at this Challenge Day. It was my 6th. I first volunteered because I watched the programRead More on MTV "If You Really Knew Me" when my son was being severely bullied in middle school and saw the program was offered when he was a freshman in high school. My company strongly supports me volunteering for this and allows me to take the day off work to attend. I am continually humbled by what these teens share and saddened at what some of them have experienced in their short lives. This program is so valuable. I think every school should offer it and every parent should attend. It helps us to realize that we need to think twice before we judge or assume things about others when we know nothing about them. It is the volunteering opportunity that I look forward to participating in every year.
Anne Ernst (Editor) March 30, 2013 at 06:30 am
Carrie, Thanks for allowing me to be a part of it again.
Janice Chua March 28, 2013 at 06:45 pm
It was fun hosting you all at Bitter+Sweet, Anne!
Loy Oppus-Moe March 28, 2013 at 02:40 pm
A big "Thank You" to Anne, Pete, and 53 other professionals who opened up their companiesRead More and organizations to give our students hands-on experience of what life might look like for them post-high school. Job Shadowing brings relevance to education!