Milky Way (Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma Quadrants)
Star Trek Star Charts is a guide to the Star Trek universe – the stars and planets of the United Federation of Planets and the other powers of the Milky Way Galaxy. It includes background information on the classification systems used for identifying stars and planets.
From the book jacket:
“… all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.”
When Humans launched the first ship designed for long-range missions into the deep waters of interstellar space, the Vulcan High Command provided their star charts for the Enterprise NX-01. But Jonathan Archer was not content with relying on the known. Although he used the Vulcan charts, he also added to them, and greatly expanded Earth Starfleet’s knowledge of the galaxy. Every generation of starship captain that followed has built on Archer’s first steps.
The Milky Way
We learn from the TNG Miniseries: The Q Continuum, that in the Star Trek Universe, the Milky Way is approximately thirteen billion years old and 100,000 light-years across, 15,000 light-years deep at the galactic core and contains approximately 500,000 stars which orbit the galactic core over a period of around 220 million years. Somewhat unusually the Galaxy is enveloped in an energy field known as the galactic barrier. A similar field, the Great Barrier encloses much of the Galactic Core. Both fields were created by the to protect the Galaxy from a gang of powerful malicious beings.
The most widely used cartographic system (the science and practice of making maps and projections of space) is based on older Earth and Vulcan systems, and perhaps ones even older than those. It divides the galaxy into quadrants and sectors, and also uses coordinates to describe specific points in space.
The Star Trek galaxy is divided into four quadrants:
– Alpha Quadrant
– Beta Quadrant
– Gamma Quadrant
– Delta Quadrant
The United Federation of Planets (UFP) is primarily located in the Alpha Quadrant with a few distant worlds falling just outside into the Beta quadrant. Earth currently exists in the Alpha quadrant. Below is a description of some of the more important planets or areas of space for each quadrant.
This area of space contains most of the Federation member planets, including Earth. Its boundary in the region around the Federation is defined by a meridian passing through the galactic core (central region of the Milky Way Galaxy) and at least near the Sol System (or star system). In its entirety, the Federation spans over 8,000 light years in both the Alpha and Beta Quadrants.
Deep Space Nine and Bajor existed in this quadrant along with Vulcan. The Klingon Empire also occupies a few systems in this quadrant, but its largest sphere of influence is the Beta Quadrant. Some smaller powers in the include the Orions, the Tholian Assembly, the Breen Confederacy, the Gorn Hegemony, the Tzenkethi, and the Ferengi Alliance. One of the largest political entities is the Cardassian Union.
By the time Kirk and crew set her sails, only about 25% of the quadrant had been sufficiently explored, which means that most of this region remains unexplored!
Precious little is known about the Beta Quadrant, canon or otherwise. We do know that this area of space remains mostly unexplored and is the primary home to the Klingon and Romulan Star Empire and part of the Gorn Hegemony.
According to scenic artist Geoffrey Mandel’s book, Star Trek: Star Charts, the Beta Quadrant was also home to the, Andorians, Orions, Bolians, Son’a, Risians, Organians, Coridan, Axanar, Nausicaans, Suliban and a litany of Star Trek’s more recognizable alien species.
Virtually unexplored, the Delta quadrant is so far from the Federation’s that no Starships can travel out that far. Its closest point to Earth is located approximately 30,000 light years away. An Intrepid-class starship would take 30 years to reach the edges of the quadrant at its maximum warp velocity. So, due to the immense distance between the Alpha and Delta Quadrant, the Federation knew very little about this region of space.
Brief encounters with this quadrant have occurred due to alien intervention. In 2371, the Federation’s starship Voyager was catapulted to the quadrant by the Caretaker, a representative of the Nacene. After becoming stranded, Voyager spent seven years travelling through the Delta Quadrant, before returning to the Alpha Quadrant, through a Borg trans-warp network in 2377. When Voyager returned to Earth a year later, the Federation’s knowledge of the quadrant was further expanded considerably (VOY: “Endgame”).
The major power in the Delta Quadrant, as previously alluded to, was the Borg Collective.
Another area of the Milky Way galaxy which remains for the most part unexplored. Its closest point to Earth is located approximately 30,000 light years away. However, the discovery of the stable artificial wormhole in Bajoran space which links the Alpha to the Gamma quadrant has meant that exploration of this part of the galaxy is now possible (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine).
The Vulcans were at the forefront of the exploration of the Quadrant, beginning only months after the wormhole was discovered by Benjamin Sisko and Jadzia Dax in 2369 (DS9: “A Man Alone”, “Move Along Home”, “Vortex”). The Klingons also joined in exploring the Quadrant (DS9: “Q-Less”).
The Gamma Quadrant is home to the Dominion, an interstellar empire; which consisted of the Changelings (aka the Founders), Vorta, Jem’Hadar and T-Rogoran.


These one-of-a-kind screen prints were made using graphite with transfer emulsion to capture the ever-changing orbit of the moon and other interstellar rocks traveling the galaxy. This limited edition of prints were created during the Artist Residency at the Women's Studio Workshop in Rosendale, New York.
Lunar cycle - Revolution
2008graphite, acrylic on paper15.5" x 15.5"
2008graphite & transparent medium on paper15.5" x 15.5"
30 days and phases
2008caran d'ache crayons, acrylic on paper
2008graphite, acrylic & transparent medium on paper15.5" x 15.5"


Opened in 1930, the Adler Planetarium is the nation's oldest planetarium. Its original building, designed by architect Ernest Grunsfeld Jr. (1897-1970), features decorative details by Alfonso Iannelli (1888-1965). The planetarium's archival collections, including a small volume of material relating to the building's design, are described in brief online records and limited print-only inventories available on site. The record in this web resource was compiled from in-person examination of materials.
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Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum
1300 S Lake Shore DrChicago , IL 60305
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Its a story of forbidden love; a young celestial princess falls in love with a mere mortal and her father forbids the union, banishing them both to the skies where they are separated by the Celestial River (the Milky Way). Each year, on the seventh night of the seventh moon, magpies build a bridge to unite the young lovers but the trip can sometimes be treacherous. Their reunion is not always successful and the rain that falls thereafter, is said to be her tears; her name is Vega (or Tanabata), his name is Kengyu.
Love stories like these really tug at the heart strings and this Japanese myth was the inspiration behind my new monthly mini quilt design, Vega:
Vega is a fully paper pieced pattern with large pieces so you will be able to showcase some pretty fabrics. There were a couple of ways I could construct the templates for this mini but I chose the one without Y seams, because I'm nice to you :) Due to its geometric shape, the templates might look a little odd but trust me, sew on the solid lines and Vega will go together quickly and easily, finishing at around 16" square.
There's also optional instructions for adding a hanging sleeve or corner hangers but how beautiful would this design look as a cushion front? I'm thinking of making up a few so I can bring the night sky into our lounge room.
I love its design, I love those fabrics and I really love its simplicity, its a stunning mini quilt :)
Or if you prefer an instant download, they are also available in my Etsy shop HERE.
I also have your free September 2017 calender featuring the gorgeous Vega:
I'm pretty sure you know by now that I have a fascination with all things astronomy. Its a love I've shared with my son since he was really little and we regularly view the night sky through his telescope. We are constantly learning more and more about stars, constellations, planets etc. and its a wonderful hobby to share, plus its great inspiration for quilt designing.
I hope you enjoy Vega :)


World Car News #Update
SpaceX yesterday launched the world’s largest rocket in what has since then been regarded as the greatest road trip of all time. The SpaceX belonging to Elon Musk was blasted into space on a journey to Mars and beyond, carrying the billionaire’s Red Tesla Roadster as payload for the unmanned Heavy Falcon.
Leaving with a theatrical feel, the rocket took off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida while the car’s stereo system blasted the David Bowie song “Life on Mars?” and a webcam on the vehicle captured the historic journey. The vehicle is helmed by a dummy called “Starman”, the title of another Bowie song who is wearing a prototype of SpaceX’s own sleek spacesuit.
The private spaceflight company is aiming to shoot the Roadster into solar orbit — which should take around six months — and the car will then hopefully float around for another billion years or so. The car could come “quite close” to Mars, Musk said ahead of the launch, but it is unlikely to crash into the Red Planet.
The high-stakes spectacle attracted huge crowds to Cape Canaveral — and they weren’t disappointed.
“This is America, this is who we are. It just made history” Aida Hart told the Orlando Sentinel after watching the takeoff from her sister-in-law’s lawn. Onlookers whooped and cheered as the rocket launched into the heavens, the paper reported. The Heavy is ultimately intended to haul massive satellites into space.
Musk last year announced that it would take humans into space, but later ditched that idea in favor of creating an even bigger rocket for crews.
He ultimately hopes to colonize Mars.


I walk out into the bright, burning sun. I love it. I love all stars, but the sun is the one closest to me, and therefore I feel a personal connection to it.
I love sitting outside on a cloudless night and looking up at the universe. One of the millions of stars might have blue apes with machines guns running around on it. Or somewhere in the vast darkness there might be a black hole, leading to a separate universe where, well, I don't even know what the fuck would be there. And I love it.
I love getting drunk and remembering that my big small existence on this big small planet really doesn't matter that much in relativity to the obesity of the universe.
I take a screwdriver and screw my head back together. I walk back outside and light a cigarette. A skunk walks over to me and gives me a high five. In the street a car runs a red light and hits an old lady who was crossing the road.
None of it makes any sense.
And I love it.


Dakota Discovery Museum will present its first family night this fall with a presentation about the solar eclipse called “After Dark,” beginning at 8 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 17, at the museum on the east side of DWU’s campus. Registration is required and is $5 per person. To register, contact Rod Brown, the museum’s manager, at 996-2122. Each person who registers will also receive a pair of safety standard eclipse glasses, while supplies last.
DWU’s Dr. Michael Farney, professor of mathematics and astronomy, and Dr. Joan Lubben, associate professor of mathematics, will give an astronomy presentation that will include paper folding an icosahedral model of the sun and moon – referring to a 20-faced model depicting a three-dimensional object in miniature, as well as demonstrations of the Earth, moon and sun’s alignment for the solar eclipse, which will be Monday, Aug. 21. Following the activities, telescopes will be set up to view Saturn.
On Aug. 21, the DWU Math Club and its adviser, Lubben, will have two telescopes set up outside the Corrigan Health Sciences Center on campus, at the south-east corner of the building. Everyone is welcome to join, but remember to bring eclipse glasses that meet the ISO 12312-2 safety standard. There is a list of NASA-approved providers on its site, as well as safety tips for viewing the eclipse.. Anyone wishing to bring and set up a telescope to share with the crowd is welcome to do so.
Mitchell residents will not see a total eclipse on Aug. 21, but experience an eclipse at 92 percent. The exact time that the eclipse will begin is at 11:35 a.m. and the peak will be at 12:58 p.m.


This has been the second occurrence of a radio burst being traced to its home galaxy across the universe. Astronomers have yet to determine what causes these powerful and mysterious waves.
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology’s Owens Valley Radio Observatory have uncovered the origin for FRB 190523. The discovery was published in the Natural Journal on Tuesday stating that the galaxy is similar to our own Milky Way in size, and is 7.9 billion light-years away.
Study author and assistant professor of astronomy at Caltech Vikram Ravi stated that “Finding the locations of the one-off FRBs is challenging because it requires a radio telescope that can both discover these extremely short events and locate them with the resolving power of a mile-wide radio dish”
The mystery behind the radio bursts still remains unknown, although people like to believe that they’re coming from an ET civilization. This hasn’t been completely ruled out, they could come from aliens, but scientists say they could come from supernova remnants or black holes.


The article is a bit old, now, but the breakthrough it reports on is a highly positive one. Perhaps that was why it didn’t get more coverage than it did. (Yes, I’m a bit cynical!)
Space.com reported back in June that, “Scientists beam solar power to Earth from space for 1st time ever.”
The article reports on the successful experiment. What baffles me is why this wasn’t jumped upon by everyone. Why wasn’t a huge fuss made of this? It is, after all, a critical step in the harvest of solar power from space, which is in itself a major development in the progress of humankind.
Harvesting solar power in space, instead of relying upon panels upon the roofs of individual residences, is a vastly superior and more efficient process. As in, exponentially better.
In space, the sun’s output isn’t masked by bad weather, clouds or other interference, including being on the wrong side of the planet every 12 hours. The sun is always “on” in space.
Collecting the energy was never a technological issue. We’ve had efficient solar panels for a very long time. Getting that energy down to the surface has just been solved. The only thing left to resolve (apart from administrative BS like distribution and billing) is the efficient storage of that power, once it’s on the surface, so that power isn’t interrupted once the globe revolves away from the sun and the collectors beaming the power downstairs.
But we already have batteries, and the technology surrounding batteries is getting better every year.
That leaves just politics to get in the way. Power companies wedded to their coal-powered and nuclear-powered generators will fight the change and use their billion-dollar profits to trip up the adoption of space solar collecting. Unless they can get in on it themselves in the very early stages. But that requires vision and the spending of profits.
Harvesting solar power in space would radically change our economy, our way of life. No more fossil-fuel generators to infuse carbon into the air. No more carbon taxes! (I don’t know about you, but I seethe every time I pay my gas bill. The carbon tax is more than the gas itself!). The sun is an essentially limitless supply of energy that could drive the entire planet, resolving all our energy issues forever, and making a huge difference in the amount of carbon we’re putting into the atmosphere, too.
And we’re now one step closer to that reality. That’s why we should make a big fuss about it.


Jerrie's Quest For Space Flight
- "You are an inspiration to all of us who love flying and dream of space exploration." NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin
- "Just as Glenn represents the original seven astronauts, Cobb represents the women who were prepared to make similar sacrifices for their country but were denied the opportunity. It's time for NASA to right that wrong. It's time to let Jerrie Cobb fly in space." Florida Today.
- "Jerrie Cobb trained as one of America's original astronauts, until NASA decided only men were fit for space exploration." Boston Herald
- "Jerrie Cobb owned four world aviation records. She had flown 64 types of aircraft, including a jet fighter. And she sailed through grueling medical tests that involved swallowing a 3-foot rubber hose and being stuck with electric probes. Cobb, then 29, certainly seemed to measure up to the likes of John Glenn and Scott Carpenter for a place among America's pioneering astronauts. She had the right stuff. But she was the wrong sex. If Glenn can make a second trip, Cobb should finally be allowed to make her first." Philadelphia Inquirer
- "When NASA dumped its female astronaut training program in 1960, the agency all but forgot the first woman cleared space travel. Jerrie Cobb had all the right stuff, just like Glenn and his fellow Mercury astronauts. Now if NASA wants to study the effects of age on men's ability to fly in space, wouldn't it be logical to learn the same thing about women. Cobb deserves that much." Tampa Tribune
- "It is rare for a country to be able to right a wrong while the victim is still living. The United States now has that opportunity with JerrieCobb. She deserves her first trip in space at least as much as John Glenn deserves his second." Minnesota Women's Press
- "If John Glenn deserves a second ride in space at age 77, what about former space trainee Jerrie Cobb? The veteran aviator, a decade younger, never got her first shot at orbiting the globe. The national Organization for Women and its president, Patricia Ireland, contend that Cobb was denied a chance at a space mission solely because NASA deemed women unsuitable. "Sexism was the only thing that kept Jerrie Cobb out of space in 1960, and it cannot be allowed to stand in her way now," Ireland said at a news conference.
- "If NASA wants to study the effects of space travel on aging, then it is imperative to make these studies on women," she said. "After all, women are the majority of the elderly." Associated Press
- "Astronaut Jerrie Cobb, Our Other American Legend. "In 1960 Jerrie ranked in the top 2% of both men and women tested for astronaut training. Clearly, she had the right stuff. "We love our heroes. We need our John Glenns and Jerrie Cobbs. They're so important in defining who we are and hat we stand for. Perhaps now it's time we validate that importance to yet another American hero. "Let's offer Jerrie Cobb that opportunity to fly into space that we denied her so long ago. It's not too late. She's fit and ready to go. "A mission to study the Amazon from space? Perhaps that or even helping build and operate the International Space Station would be a fitting tribute to a woman who still possesses so much of The Right Stuff." John Shepler's Writing In A Positive Light
- "It's logical that a woman will be next and there is no one in America more qualified and deserving to be in that space shuttle than Jerrie." NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin
- "Go Jerrie! Go and do what most of us only dream of. Go for us. We're with you all the way." e-mail messages.


Christina Hammock Koch has a rad job, she’s a NASA Astronaut currently on board the International Space Station. On top of that she has a sideline in taking the ultimate surf line up shots aboard ISS itself.
An international crew of six people live and work while traveling at a speed of five miles per second, orbiting Earth about every 90 minutes. In 24 hours, the space station makes 16 orbits of Earth, traveling through 16 sunrises and sunsets.
She recently caught up with Kelly Slater to talk her love of surfing and other outdoor activities during an in-flight call Jan 10. Koch, who recently broke the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, is in the final month of a planned 328-day mission, the second longest by an American astronaut. Koch is scheduled to return to Earth Feb 6th on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft for a parachute-assisted landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan.
Check out some of her line space line up shots below.


Xiaomi’s wallpapers for the Mi 11 Ultra and Mi MIX Fold are here for download
Xiaomi revealed a slew of new products last month, including the long-awaited Mi 11 Ultra and Mi MIX Fold. Of course, the best part of any new phone launch is waiting for someone to extract the included wallpapers. Thankfully, all the wallpapers for both phones are now available to download, courtesy of XDA Member kacskrz.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra Wallpapers
The Mi 11 Ultra comes with six groups of static wallpapers, each with a resolution of 1440 x 3200 (20:9 ratio) — more than large enough to look great on any smartphone. They are divided into Natural Texture (7), Geometry (4), Dynamic Nebula (3), Minimalist Scenery (7), Black and White (4), and Mars (4). There’s also the default wallpaper, bringing the total to 30 images. All of them are available in their original, uncompressed versions at the link below.
Xiaomi Mi MIX Fold Wallpapers
The backgrounds on the Mi MIX Fold are also divided into distinct categories, including PC Mode (5 static images), Natural Texture (7 static images), Musubi (4 static images), Dynamic Nebula (3 live wallpapers), Minimalist Scenery (7 static images), and Mars (7 static images). Some have a resolution of 2480×1860 (3:4 ratio), while others are 2520×2520 (1:1). You can get the full-resolution versions from the link below.
I’m definitely a fan of nature backgrounds, and the ones included with the Mi Mix Fold and Mi 11 Ultra look fantastic. The Mars ones are also a nice inclusion, especially after the recent landing of NASA’s Perseverance rover on the red planet.


Being born in the middle to late years of the Space Race, I was enthralled with NASA and going into outer space. I remember watching the later Apollo missions launch and splash down as I got older. Amateur astronomy was a favorite hobby of mine and I can still recall the telescope that I got for Christmas one year.
This was serious stuff and my grandmother helped fuel that with a subscription to Astronomy magazine and a membership in the Planetary Society. One of the first books that I read was The Stars by H. A. Rey, the creator of Curious George. It’s probably geared toward twelve and up but if you have a precocious kid, I’m sure they will get something out of it as well. Armed with this and my sky chart, The Night Sky. It’s a wheel chart that I received when I took a physics course at the local college in sixth grade. I wore both of these items out while braving the chilly winter nights with a crick in my neck.
What got me to thinking about all of this was the events coming up this week in your local night sky. First, Mercury joins the morning sky after crossing the face of the sun only a week ago. That’s Thursday Nov. 21st.
Then Saturday and Sunday evenings you can find Venus and Jupiter getting cozy together just after sunset with Saturn watching nearby.
Both of these sights can be enjoyed with the naked eye or a inexpensive pair of binoculars. I had a large telescope but downsized due to it being a bear to move. Most of the time though I use binoculars.
The links below will give you some places to go for more sky watching info. Enjoy!
***AMAZON ASSOCIATES DISCLAIMER*** James H Pickering Jr is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.


Working in animation, video games and comics, i encounter this questions more than I’d like to. I was surprised how so many people don’t have a clue, and its a very sincere and valid question, because education doesn’t make people understand each other naturally. Thank you for reading, I hope its useful.
To believe in a universe as young as six or seven thousand years old is to extinguish the light from most of the galaxy. Not to mention, the light from all the hundred billion other galaxies in the observable universe.


A Look at the Sky: Best Laptops for Astronomy in 2023
Are you an astronomy lover or a professional stargazer looking to take your cosmic journey to the next dimension in 2023? If your answer is a resounding yes, you might be considering getting a laptop that aids your astronomical endeavours with the ideal blend of technology and functionality. So, we have curated the top 6 picks for the best laptops for astronomy in 2023 to help you reach for the stars.
Redefining Astronomy with the Right Tools
While a telescope is undoubtedly a must-have tool in an astronomer’s kit, a powerful and capable laptop / notebook can serve as an indispensable ally. From controlling your telescope to planning observations and processing captured images of celestial bodies, the role of laptops in astronomy is truly multifaceted.
The Top Contenders: Six Best Laptops for Astronomy in 2023
The cosmos’s exploration is demanding and needs high-quality tech. Thus, here are six laptops that stand tall among their peers for their special specifications beneficial to astronomy enthusiasts.
1. The Dell Inspiron 15 7000
Known for its impressive performance, long battery life, and high definition visuals, the Dell Inspiron 15 7000 is a proven choice for serious astronomy enthusiasts. Its enhanced multitasking capabilities, coupled with the fine-tuned wireless performance, makes it ideal for running astronomy software smoothly.
2. Apple MacBook Pro
Renowned for its fast processing, stunning display, and exceptional graphic performance, the Apple MacBook Pro enriches your stargazing experience at night. Daily tasks or complex astronomy computations, the MacBook Pro handles everything seamlessly.
3. ASUS ZenBook 14
One of the celebrated Windows laptops, the ASUS ZenBook 14, is a solid pick for astronomy reasons, thanks to its Ultra HD anti-glare display and an efficient cooling system for prolonged use. It’s the perfect blend of form and function for stargazing pursuits.
4. Lenovo ThinkPad X1
Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 stands amongst the best laptops for astronomy for its rugged build, high-resolution display, and incredible computing power. It’s a brilliant choice for outdoor astronomy endeavours where durability is crucial.
5. Acer Aspire 5
Acer’s Aspire 5 laptop is another fantastic choice for astronomers on a budget. It boasts of razor-sharp visuals, robust computing power, and a great battery backup. The immersive audio effect is an added advantage for those using astronomy simulation applications.
6. Microsoft Surface Pro 7
A powerhouse of performance, Microsoft’s Surface Pro 7, is compact, portable, and versatile. It offers impressive speed, brilliant display, and long battery life, making it an ideal choice for astronomy lovers to process their celestial observations.
Investing in the right laptop can truly glaze the pathway to the stars, and the mentioned laptops are the top six picks for 2023. Its combination of innovative features and powerful performance can give you the ultimate experience of exploring the universe. So go ahead, choose your tech armour and delve into the deep, mesmerizing world of celestial bodies.


Aegiq launches project U-Quant in partnership with the University of Exeter to help power space communications
Aegiq launches project U-Quant, a quantum communication development for satellite and tactical payloads in partnership with the University of Exeter Sheffield, UK; 15th December 2022: Aegiq, a start-up developing solutions to enable wide-scale adoption of quantum technologies, has today launched project U-Quant in partnership with the Luxmoore Lab from the University of Exeter. Both parties are building upon a successful collaboration within the UK's Quantum Communications Hub. The project will deliver improved space communication capability... Source: RealWire
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"....that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike—and yet it is the most precious thing we have."
Space-time or space and time.
The concept of space and time was developed by Einstein.
The theory of relativity unifies space over time, taking "The speed of light as an absolute value", (Speed will be identical with respect to any of the observers of the Universe).
The theory based on the existence of a means of propagation - The existence of the ether - raises new ways of approaching these two very different entities, "the space and time";.
Space is where events occur, and it has three dimensions.
Time is the correlation of events.
The importance of defining space and time is in the need to unify the measures and data that have the potential inhabitants or settlers of the Universe, whatever their size and place in which they inhabit.
Imagine the laboratory of a hypothetical spacecraft, and that this spacecraft can be in very different places, such as:
- In a space far away from other masses
- In a space close to large masses, such as a large planet or a star.
- At rest, with the environment, not moving
- In acceleration, from a soft acceleration to a very strong acceleration
- Moving, being at a moderate speed or at a very high speed.
The measurements and data of this hypothetical laboratory must have meaning and validity in any of the places where it is.
Physics developed by scientists must follow laws that can be formulated and tested in each of the different places.
The laws and physical experiences that these scientists have, must be able to share them and exchange them with the rest of scientists that may exist in another place of the Universe, be inhabitants of a planet that is light years, are inhabitants of the interior of a star or people of a comet and even have to be able to exchange data with possible inhabitants at atomic level.
Einstein was one of the pioneers who raised these and other physical issues. With this form of reasoning, Einstein unified gravity and inertia, imagining the scientists of a hypothetical spacecraft in a windowless laboratory where the taking of data of an acceleration was not different from the taking of data in a gravitational field.
Einstein's reasonings are a hundred years, a century, and, despite the advances made, they have not yet been surpassed, at least with reasonings as simple as those he did.
When Einstein raised these hypotheses, it was not yet proven that matter is practically hollow. It is incredible the imagination of this genius.
The speed of light as an absolute value, for all observers, is not valid for this theory of the existence of the etherino, we are going to rethink the concept of space and of time
Space and time are totally different entities, we will analyze them without relating them and then we will unify them in a concept that have validity both for space and for time and serves for all possible systems and observers of the universe.
Einstein is the one who best poses, for me, concepts such as; action at the distance, zero inertial point, and some other concept that maybe few have raised, (If you have come to read this is because you have understood or want to understand, so I would advise you to read Einstein and see the incredible deductions that comes in an era where it was not yet clear the existence of the atomic world).
ACTION AT THE DISTANCE
All the information comes from a distance. Even when we say that we touch this or that, it is a euphemism, since there is a great distance between the atom of our finger and the atom of the object to touch.
To those who populate the space, we, all the information reaches us at a distance, and they are brought by messengers that cross space and come from the objects that surround us. Also these messengers depart from us and go to the objects around us.
These messengers are electromagnetic waves or other energy that reaches our retina in the form of light, to our skin in the form of pressure, heat or other form of energy or force.
We live in space, but we can not measure space.
We can only count the messengers that depart and we can measure the time between messenger and messenger, and we can measure the time between the departure, or arrival, of a messenger to another.
We live in space, but we can only measure time. Space is a measure that we intuit, but we can not obtain directly. Our standard measure of space, the meter, we mark with respect to the measure of time, "distance traveled by messengers in one second".
If the messengers, who depart and come to us, were intelligent, they can transmit erroneous information from space, deceive us, and we would have no way of verifying it.
We live in a space surrounded by a fog that prevents us from knowing the space that surrounds us, however, we can measure the times and the number of messengers that leave and arrive, we can know of the objects that surround us by the time that the messengers take and by the direction in which they leave and arrive.
Imagine that there were other inhabitants who can accompany the messengers in their movement through space.
These inhabitants or space travelers can only measure distances.
The time they can intuit, but can not obtain it directly, they can only count the number of messengers in space and check the distances that separate the messengers (to know how many boats are between swimmer and swimmer)
In the distance relationship, there are two entities:
- An entity is static in space and can only measure times.
- The other entity is always moving through space and can only measure distances.
Paradoxes of the Universe:
Space dwellers can only measure times.
Time dwellers can only measure spaces.
The unification of space over time, is obtained by joining the data collection of the two entities.
Those who live in the masses measure the number of messengers that depart and arrive, as well as the times of departure, arrival and time between messenger and messenger.
Number of messengers = total time / time separating messengers
Those who accompany the messengers, move in space, measure the number of messengers in space and the distance between messenger and messenger.
Number of messengers = total distance / distance between messengers
Joining the two measures yields a physical measure that serves to relate the two entities.
This new unit of measure is not testable by either entity separately, since one entity can measure time, but not space, and the other entity can measure space, but not time.
The physical unit resulting from the space/time relationship is called velocity.
SPEED IS A INVARIANT OF SPACE-TIME, BUT NOT AN ABSOLUTE WITH RESPECT TO ANY OBSERVER AND SYSTEM.
For those who have not raised these issues will sound illogical this conclusion.
To Einstein, in this subject very few understand, and it is by the theme, apparently absurd that nevertheless it is the central axis of the Physics.
In distance action, we make the concept of "distance" useful for everyday use, but science does not have "distance" units of measure because it can not mark a universal valid pattern.
The measurement patterns of the distance are marked by means of the route of a certain type of messengers in a determined time.
- Galactic distances are measured by light years.
- The "meter" distance is measured by the space occupied by a number of waves which emits a certain material.
Such concepts of "action at a distance, space, time, velocity" are so important that without conceptualizing them and without marking the validity of their units of measurement, we can not exchange experiences with hypothetical intelligent beings from distant places.


Craig is at YOW! West in Perth and sits down with Dr. Anita Sengupta, a rocket scientist and aerospace engineer at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (and since this interview was recorded now a Senior Vice President at Hyperloop One). They geek out talking about space exploration as well as the important topic of diversity:
- YOW! West keynote “The Future of Mars Exploration” and AATC 2017 keynote “Engineering the Red Planet“
- 7 Minutes of Terror: The Challenges of Getting to Mars
- When you are doing something for the first time, you have to come up with out of the box solutions – first you need to make it work, and then you need to make it last
- The biggest issue is to get enough people into the pipeline from under-represented groups, one thing we can do is more public outreach at the school level
- You come…
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Have you ever wanted to own a piece of the stars? Now, you can! Purchasing a star in the night sky is a unique and special way to commemorate someone or something special. Whether it’s for your anniversary or as a graduation gift, buying your own star is certainly an unforgettable experience. Let’s take a look at why buying a star is so special and what you need to know before taking the plunge.
What Does It Mean To Buy A Star?
When people think of “buying” or “owning” a star, they often envision themselves being able to point out their very own celestial body in the night sky. Unfortunately, this isn’t quite possible because there are no legally recognized ways to purchase stars from outer space. What you can purchase is actually an official certificate that officially names and registers your chosen star with the International Star Registry (ISR). The ISR assigns each purchased star with its own unique name which only belongs to one person—you!
How Much Does It Cost To Buy A Star?
Buying your very own star does not come cheap. Depending on which package you choose, prices often range from around $50 up to $100 for just one single purchase. However, some registry companies offer bundle deals if you plan on buying several stars at once. Additionally, most of these packages come with various extras such as certificates and frames that can increase the total cost of purchasing your own star significantly.
Another important factor to consider before making a purchase is the longevity of the registry company you are dealing with. It’s important to make sure that they have been in business for some time and can guarantee your star will remain registered for years to come. Also, many reputable companies offer money-back guarantees if you are not happy with your purchase.
Finally, you may want to think carefully about how much money you want to spend on a star and what purpose the purchase will serve. If you are buying stars as gifts, then it might be worth investing in a slightly more expensive package or bundle deal with extra goodies included. However, if purchasing for yourself just to feel connected to the universe in some way, then it may be worth sticking with a basic package. Whatever your decision is, buying your own star can make for an interesting and unique experience that will be sure to last for many lifetimes.
Which Is The Best Registry Company For Buying A Star?
When it comes to purchasing your very own star in the night sky, it’s important that you do business with an established company that has been known for providing quality services for years. One of the best-known registries in this industry is the International Star Registry (ISR). Founded in 1979, ISR has helped thousands of people buy stars over the years and even offers custom packages depending on what type of service and extras you want included with your purchase.
Purchasing a star from outer space is certainly an unforgettable experience—but it doesn’t come cheap! Before diving headfirst into buying your very own celestial body, make sure you do plenty of research about which registry company would work best for your needs and budget before making any final decisions. Regardless of how much money it costs though, owning your very own piece of space will be something that you’ll cherish forever!


A new train and a space museum
In December 2016 I went to Moscow on one of my regular business trips. I arrived on a Sunday and, as I had some free time to look around, my Russian business associate was kind enough to show me some more sights of the city.
First we went for a ride on the brand new Moscow Orbital Railway. The new line, officially Line 14 of the Moscow Metro, circles the city using an old freight route.
The brand new trains looked wonderful in their red livery and were very smooth and quiet to ride on.
We did a half loop of the ring and got off at the Botanical Gardens station in the north. We continued our visit with a trip to the space museum nearby.
The space museum tells the extraordinary story of Russian space exploration from the early attempts to launch rockets to the present day. There was also a very interesting section on the pioneering dogs and other animals that were sent into space before humans.
We then made a visit to Europe’s largest skating rink. We drank hot mulled wine whilst watching the skaters make circuits of the large course.
Finally we dropped in at the Yeliseev delicatessen to buy some special Russian gingerbread. The shop was full of seasonal produce and it had quite a magical atmosphere.
The whole day was a lovely festive experience.
I was very grateful to my colleague for spending his time with me.


Bensusen’s work is a regular feature of many scientific publications. She has been commissioned by the National Geographic Society, Smithsonian, Scientific American, Horticulture, Ranger Rick, The Nature Conservancy and more. For years, her work appeared on every cover of the National Science Foundation's signature magazine, Mosaic. She developed and illustrated the monthly “Biomechanics” column for the magazine Natural History, working closely with the featured scientists. Her large-format work has included a 50-foot mural for the National Aquarium in Baltimore, as well as posters for the Smithsonian Institution, the National Science Foundation, Great Smokies National Park and the USDA Forest Service, and signage for the National Zoo in Washington.
Today Bensusen continues to run her own very successful studio near Washington, DC. As an illustrator of international renown, she presents lectures and workshops on both illustration and business practices for her colleagues. Recently Bensusen’s career has taken her full circle, once again working with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, this time as a Multimedia Specialist providing art, animation and web content for scientists studying the birth of the universe.


The SpaceX tweeted yesterday that the company is going to send the First ever private passenger to fly around the moon. It is noted that only 24 humans have been to the Moon in history. No one has visited since the last Apollo mission in 1972.
SpaceX has signed the world’s first private passenger to fly around the Moon aboard our BFR launch vehicle—an important step toward enabling access for everyday people who dream of traveling to space. Find out who’s flying and why on Monday, September 17. pic.twitter.com/64z4rygYhk
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 14, 2018
The company does not reveal the private passenger’s name. But we can find out who’s gonna fly on Monday, Sep 17th, 2018. This is not the first time we hear such an announcement from the Spacecraft company. Back in February 2017, the company said that two people had signed a deal with the company to make a trip around the moon on its Big Falcon heavy Rocket (BFR).
Back in June, when the company canceled its plans to send a pair of space tourists around the Moon, SpaceX insisted that it was a postponement, and not an abandonment, of the company’s space tourism ambitions.
“SpaceX is still planning to fly private individuals around the moon and there is growing interest from many customers,” said James Gleeson, a company spokesperson, at the time.
Let us wait for Monday to know who’s going out to the Vast Space.


Laser Pegs Junior - Space
Find A Store Near You
Simply click the parts together in this 3-in-1 space kit to build a Space Shuttle, a Space Rover or a Space Rocket. And – it lights up! Compatible with other major construction kits, too! Includes 1 Light-up Power Base, 22 large construction parts, Manual, and batteries! For ages 4-7 yrs, from Laser Pegs.
: CHOKING HAZARD - Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.
- Brand: Laser Pegs.
- Item Number: ZD004.
- Manufacturer Number: ZD004.
- UPC: 810690021632.
- Recommended for ages : 4 to 8.


Stargazing is returning to the North York Moors national park this week as the Dark Skies Fringe Festival takes place.
There are a range of in person and online events taking place over the half term week.
Amateur astronomer, Richard Darns, says it's a great time of year for peering into the cosmos:
The park has recently been designated as an International Dark Sky Reserve.
Richard says it's amazing what you can see when you get away from our towns and villages:


Live data is recorded at four different locations by instruments developed at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics CAS, Prague, Czechia. These measurements are prepared as a ground-based counterpart of instrumentation which is being developed for space missions.
Ground-based stations, where data is taken:
- La Grande Montagne, in collaboration with LSBB, Rustrel, France
- Cap Corse, in collaboration with LA, Toulouse, France
- Lomnicky stit, in collaboration with the Department of Space Physics, ÚEF SAV
- Milesovka, Bohosudov, Kopisty a Dlouhá Louka, four stations forming BLESC (Broadband Lightning Evolution Survey Cluster) in the frame of the CRREAT project
- Ter Wish, The Netherlands, together with LOFAR
Summit of Lomnicky Peak
Live online data recorded by the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Prague, Czech Republic in collaboration with Department of Space Physics and detached Observatory at Lomnicky Peak of the Institute of Experimental Physics SAS, Kosice, Slovakia. The thunderstorm activity is continuously monitored on the summit of Lomnicky Peak (2634 m, 49.20N, 20.22E), High Tatras. These measurements are prepared as a ground-based counterpart of instrumentation which was developed by the Institute of Atmospheric Physics for the TARANIS spacecraft.
Data recorded by the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Prague, Czech Republic in collaboration with Laboratoire d’Aérologie OMP/CNRS/UPS Toulouse, France under the framework of the SOLID-PREVALS (Space-based Optical LIghtning Detection - PREparation, VALidation and Support). During these measurements we are using the broadband HF analyzer of the IME-HF analyzer for TARANIS connected to the SLAVIA sensor (Shielded Loop Antenna with a Versatile Integrated Amplifier).
La Grande Montagne
The thunderstorm activity is continuously monitored in a favorable electromagnetic environment on the summit of La Grande Montagne, Plateau d'Albion, Rustrel, France. For these measurements, four SLAVIA sensors with the broadband receiver and multi-component electromagnetic receiver ELMAVAN-G (at the ELV/VLF band, up to 25 kHz) are used. Both instruments are ground-based counterparts of the instrumentation which is being developed by the Institute of Atmospheric Physics for spacecraft missions.


by Gerald Boerner
This is a companion post to the main posting today about NASA. NASA was the governmental agency that put all space programs under one non-military agency. During its first dozen years it guided our nations space program through both unmanned space probes in addition to the more headline-catching manned space programs.
In this posting, we examine the long and noteworthy series of space probes that have extended our knowledge of both our own solar system as well as the universe in general. In addition to the specific knowledge we gathered from these programs, we also have seen contributions to our general society that are almost too numerous to count.
We hope that you enjoy these postings. As Mr. Spoke would say, “Live Long and Prosper”. GLB
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“NASA wanted to assure its ability to examine the spacecraft in orbit for signs of damage.”
— Marc Garneau
“We’d never have got a chance to go outside and look at the earth if it hadn’t been for space exploration and NASA.”
— James Lovelock
“At the end of our NASA careers, no one had a place for us in the military.”
— Wally Schirra
“NASA was going to pick a public school teacher to go into space, observe and make a journal about the space flight, and I am a teacher who always dreamed of going up into space.”
— Christa McAuliffe


EVENT, SCREENING, SCREENING + Q&A
The Space Race
Wednesday, Oct 4, 2023 at 6:30 pm
Location: Redstone Theater
With directors Lisa Cortés and Diego Hurtado de Mendoza in person
Dirs. Lisa Cortés and Diego Hurtado de Mendoza. 2023, 91 mins. DCP. The Space Race tells the little-known story of the first Black pilots, scientists, and engineers to become astronauts. From 1963, when the assassination of JFK thwarted Captain Ed Dwight’s quest to reach the moon, to 2020, when the echoes of the civil unrest sparked by the killing of George Floyd reached the International Space Station, the story of African Americans at NASA is a tale of world events colliding with the aspirations of uncommon men. Followed by a conversation and Q&A with the directors.
Free with RSVP, courtesy of National Geographic Documentary Films.
RSVPs will open this fall.


When I was young, I wanted to pay my own ceiling with glow-in-the-dark stars. I believed they would be ideal to count on sleepless nights. While I grew from that fashion, I never lost my passion for the nighttime skies. Stargazing is particularly beautiful in the crisp winter air. This collection contains small suggestions to pull the nighttime skies into the home in some classy, and some enjoyable, manners. — Brandi from Not Your Average Ordinary
Hubble Crab Nebula – $9.85
NASA’s Hubble telescope has been capturing some incredible pictures from outer space. Many of the magnificent prints are available as posters. They would easily add drama to some bare wall.
All Star Wallpaper from Barneby Gates – GBP 78
Barneby Gates has a magical touch when it comes to wallpaper, and this celebrity version is no exception. The metallic ink and feel create the stars look really elegant.
Halley’s Comet Path by Dorana Design – $189
For people who can remember watching Halley’s Comet as a youngster, this artwork piece mapping its path is a perfect way to commemorate one of the events of childhood.
Star Cachepot – $29.50
The little star on this kettle is subtle, but it is still a lovely reminder that everything we know is made from stardust.
Vintage Constellations Print”Le Ciel” with Miss Quite Contrary – $22
Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences, and this vintage print of constellations is a fantastic reminder that past generations have been mapping the skies for centuries.
Constellations of the Northern Hemisphere Wall Hanging by Little Intelligent Studio – $85
This constellation embroidery could look amazing on any bookshelf or wall mounted, particularly if it were surrounded by other instances of nature’s beauty.
Rustic Star Garland at Brass – $55
This sweet little star garland would be ideal inside or outside. It would also be amazing through the holidays wrapped round a tree.
Stars from Seb Lester – EUR 90
I instantly fell in love with this particular print when I saw it. I then took a closer look and discovered that the lines and letters themselves are made up of very tiny stars.
Modern Scatter Cushions – GBP 55
This throw pillow adds a nice touch of the nighttime skies to any area. It might seem particularly charming on a silver or white couch.
Old World Astrolabe – $99.95
Armillary spheres were used by scientists to help find and predict the positions of the sun, planets and moon. While contemporary computers are a lot easier to work with, this tool still has an Old World charm which will help create a home feel like a museum.
Constellation Lampshade by ECLU – $79
This entertaining, whimsical lamp color is created from small pieces of an old constellation map. It might work perfectly in a young teenager’s room or some other family room.
Classic Celestial Globe from Ruff by Margo – $75
Though this vintage globe of the constellations doesn’t light up like most contemporary ones, it might be a fantastic, unique conversation piece in any area.
Sun Moon Stars Vinyl Wall Art Decal Sticker by Decal Farm – $15
Wall stickers make adding some starlight and moving the stars into different patterns much easier than the old glow-in-the-dark stars ever allowed.
Maintain Calm Gallery
Shoot For the Stars from Hayley & Lucas – GBP 16
The futuristic font set against the classic starry sky within this poster create an ideal mix. The sentiment would look lovely framed and set on a desk or on the wall as a constant reminder to dream large.
Pottery Barn Kids
These constellation sheets may have been designed for a child’s room, but they would be brightly colored in almost any adult’s bedroom too, particularly if hidden during the day by a glowing quilt or duvet.
Constellation Duvet Cover – $69
From afar, this duvet cover resembles a simple black cover with a white layout. But closer inspection reveals a multitude of constellations to learn and trace at night before falling asleep.
Pottery Barn Kids
Stark Star Rug
This star-patterned rug has a slight nautical feel to it, which is not surprising given how profoundly ancient seafarers relied on the stars to direct their journeys.
Pottery Barn Kids
Jared Star Shade & Mason Base – $35
This celebrity lamp color and easy base could be fantastic on any nightstand, particularly in a child’s room.
Retro Atomic Star Glow Plate from Zuza Shop – $7.50
Stars were extremely popular throughout the’50s and’60s for dinnerware, along with the retro appearance of the star burst plate could work for almost any special occasion.
Homer Laughlin 1950s Modern Star Vintage China Bowls by Pazinktum – $40
This collection of six vintage bowls are a wonderfully easy way to incorporate some celebrity bursts into your daily decor.
Next: Indoor Stars Light Winter Nights


Download The Martian (2015) Hindi Dubbed Full Movie Dual Audio (Hindi-English). This is a dual audio movie and available in 480p & 720p & 1080p quality. This movie is based on Adventure, Drama & Sci-Fi Genre. It features Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig as the main star cast of the movie. This movie is now dubbed in Hindi in 480p & 720p & 1080p MKV. This Print comes with [Hindi DD-5.1] Audio and BluRay.
TheMoviesVerse is The Best Website/Platform For Bollywood And Hollywood HD Movies. We Provide Direct Google Drive Download Links For Fast And Secure Downloading. Just Click On Download Button And Follow Steps To Download And Watch Movies Online For Free.
Download The Martian (2015) Full Movie (Hindi Dubbed) 480p – 720p -1080p ~ TheMoviesVerse.Com
- Full Name: The Martian
- Release Year: 2015
- Subtitles: English
- Language: Dual Audio [Hindi+English]
- Quality: 480p & 720p & 1080p
- Size: 400MB & 750MB & 3.5GB
In 2035, the crew of the Ares III mission to Mars is exploring Acidalia Planitia on Martian solar day (sol) 18 of their 31-sol expedition. A severe dust storm threatens to topple their Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV). The mission is scrubbed and as the crew evacuates, astronaut Mark Watney is struck by debris and lost in the storm. The telemetry from his suit’s biomonitor is damaged and Watney is presumed dead. With the MAV on the verge of toppling, the surviving crew take off for their orbiting vessel, the Hermes.
Download The Martian Dual Audio (Hindi-English) 480p [400MB]
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Doktorandin/ PhD candidate (Prof. Dr. Thomas Stodulka)
DokPhD Project "Thinking Beyond the Final Frontier: Cosmic Futures in Thailand"
Lauren Reid is a curator, researcher and educator. In addition to being a PhD Candidate in Social and Cultural Anthropology at the Freie Universität, Lauren is Co-Director of insitu collective and Lecturer in Curatorial Practice at Node Centre for Curatorial Studies.
PhD Project "Thinking Beyond the Final Frontier: Cosmic Futures in Thailand"
In light of the devastating effects of climate change, rapid technological development and the discovery of potentially habitable planets, various advocates such as space science agencies, commercial companies and campaigners, are renewing the promise of space flight, exploration and settlement. Prominent space-focused communities like Russia, China and U.S. America’s New Space cohorts predominantly imagine space as a ‘new frontier’ to monetise, mine and inhabit. This research aims to think beyond colonial, hegemonic and time-worn narratives about human futures in space by focusing on the cosmic aspirations, preparations and imaginaries of Thailand’s emergent space-interested communities.
Based on 12 months fieldwork in Thailand in 2018 with scientific and religious communities including the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) and the Buddhist extraterrestrial believer group UFO Kaokala, this research explores the complex entanglement of futuristic cosmic imaginaries and space exploration practices with wider contexts of socio-politics, national identity, scientific practices and religious influences in Thailand today.
Although Thailand may seem like a relatively peripheral point of focus within the field of space exploration, the concurrence of Thailand’s fledgling space science and technology sector with overarching Buddhist and animist ontologies provide fertile ground for thinking through the countless ethical and philosophical questions about what space exploration and inhabitation mean for Earth’s ecosystems, human and non-human populations, the existence of possible life in space, and the kinds of impacts humans might have on the cosmos.


New evidence has found that the 4 billion-year-old meteorite that crashed on Earth decades ago contains no evidence of primitive life on Mars.
Andrew Steele and his colleagues at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C., initially focused on how ancient Martian water might have played a role in morphing minerals into meteorites.
For years, scientists have debated whether meteor ALH84001, a 4-pound rock that landed in Antarctica in 1984, contained proof of ancient life on the red planet.
According to a release from the Carnegie Institution for Science, Steele’s team used advanced technology, including sample and analysis techniques, including “imaging, isotopic analysis, and spectroscopy—to reveal the origin of organic molecules in the Allan Hills 84001 meteorite,” to make the discovery possible.
The team found samples of carbon-rich compounds, which indicate geochemical processes—serpentinization and carbonization—similar to the water-rock interactions on Earth. Steele said the evidence indicates that the samples were most likely caused by water, which produced the organic material.
While Steele’s team previously identified organic molecules on other Martian meteorites, this is the first time a sample has been found from ancient Mars.
“These kinds of non-biological, geological reactions are responsible for a pool of organic carbon compounds from which life could have evolved and represent a background signal that must be taken into consideration when searching for evidence of past life on Mars,” Steele said.
Steele added that the findings can also help scientists understand ancient Earth and possibly Saturn’s moon, Enceladus.
New evidence has found that the 4 billion-year-old meteorite that crashed on Earth decades ago contains no evidence of primitive life on Mars. This undated NASA image released on March 19, 1999, shows carbonate mineral globules found in a meteorite, called ALH84001.
AFP PHOTO/NASA/Getty Images
In 1996, a NASA-led team announced that it had found organic compounds in the rock that appeared to be left by living creatures.
Then-President Bill Clinton released a statement saying the discovery “speaks of the possibility of life” but that other scientists must peer-review findings to confirm them.
In an email obtained by the Associated Press, two scientists who played a role in the original study called these findings “disappointing.”
“While the data presented incrementally adds to our knowledge of [the meteorite], the interpretation is hardly novel, nor is it supported by the research,” wrote Kathie Thomas-Keprta and Simon Clemett, researchers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Steele added that the findings are more than just looking for life on other planets.
“The search for life on Mars is not just an attempt to answer the question ‘Are we alone?’ It also relates to early Earth environments and addresses the question of ‘Where did we come from?'” Steele said.


|Mon-Fri, Jul 26 - Jul 30|
Launch your own rocket and watch it speed 300 feet into the air!
Destination Mars, grades 2-5Launch your own rocket and watch it speed 300 feet into the air! Students will make and take home multiple rockets of varying difficulty throughout this session. We will use these rockets and airplanes to investigate basic aeronautical concepts including hypotheses about travel in outer space, how to get a United States astronaut to Mars, and life on Mars.


The New Moon Sighting in Eretz Israel
A new moon is expected and now is a confirmed sighting, today, Sunday 12/08/2018, 29 Av 6157 AM, based on a 2.4% luminosity and a 17% angular distance with the sun. This means that tomorrow at sunrise it will be 1 Elul. There will then be approximately 40-days to Yom Kippur. To more fully understand the significance of the New Moon sighting and The Feasts please see other writings on this site: New Moon – Conjunction or Sighting.
The New Moon Sighting
Scripture never was a formal technical manual on how to figure the calendar. But Scripture does provide all the starting points necessary when used in combination with other scientific facts that will produce the correct calendar.
In Genesis 1:14 we are told that two great lights are signs for the appointed times, the sun and the moon. Scripture often satisfies a technical goal in simple ways and without technical language. The average reader tends to read right over these kinds of details. But the reader who has pondered the matter and realised the requirements that need to be clarified reads the text and does not miss the detail that makes things plain. It says, “And let them be for signs,” which is the lights. (Excerpt from D. Gregg – The New Moon and Tishri).
In ancient times Israel did not depend on calculation to determine the new moon. At the very best some calculations might be done by priests or learned men in one of the larger cities. But in the average hamlet or village there was no precise calculated information to know the exact day of the moon’s appearing like we have now days. Even though calculations might have been possible, the practice was to use observation as the primary witness and to use calculation only to confirm the observations or to determine when observations should be made. Everyone had the most basic knowledge in those days. A month could only be 29 or 30 days long. This was considered astronomical knowledge then. Today it is trivial for lunar calendars. But it is a fact of utmost consequence. Since a month must be at least 29 days, then there was no point is making any observations until the end of the 29th day. Since a month was never longer than 30 days, no observations were needed at the end of a 31st day. Observations were needed only at two times, 1. after the 29th day, and 2. after the 30th day. If for whatever reason, weather, war, negligence, lack of observers, fog, dust, sandstorms, and the like, the moon was not seen by the end of the 30th day, then the next day became automatically the first day of the new month. (Excerpt from D. Gregg – The New Moon and Tishri).


2017 Solar Eclipse Viewing Safety
On Monday, August 21, 2017, a solar eclipse will be visible across all of North America. The whole continent will experience a partial eclipse lasting 2 to 3 hours. Halfway through the event, Casper will experience a brief total eclipse, when the Moon completely blocks the Sun for almost 3 minutes, turning day into night.
During this spectacular event, it’s important to protect your eyes. If you don’t, there could be irreparable damage to your vision. The only safe way to look directly at the partially eclipsed Sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as “eclipse glasses” or hand-held solar viewers. Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the Sun. Family Vision Clinic will be providing eclipse glasses at our office for patients, so check for them at your next appointment or swing by to get a pair.
We also highly recommend that you download this printable PDF for important safety tips which can be referenced during the eclipse viewing. Call our office if you have any questions regarding eclipse glasses or viewing safety. Enjoy the event!


Class Location and Times
Khandallah Town Hall
General Classes starts at 6pm until 7pm
Focus Classes starts at 7pm until 8pm
Classes are every Wednesday evening.
Focus classes target a specific area of your karate.
Gradings take place during the first class of the month.
|15th||Normal (Next Class)||6pm||7pm|
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Our YouTube Channel
Here is a link to the club's YouTube channel where you will find all kinds of karate videos.
Latest News and Events
13 July 2020
Matariki is the Maori name for the small cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters, in the Taurus constellation.
In New Zealand it comes into view low on the north-eastern horizon, appearing in the tail of the Milky Way in the last days of May or in early June, just before dawn. This year the start of Matariki is 13th July.
This heralds the Maori New Year. To celebrate I will be training under the stars on the beach at Scorching Bay to see the sunrise (7:44am).


Europe plans sat-nav and telecoms network at the Moon
May 22, 2021
The European Space Agency is proposing a precise navigation system at the Moon, much like the sat-nav technology we have here on Earth. It would enable spacecraft and astronauts to know exactly where they are when moving around the lunar body and to land with precision. The initiative, known as Moonlight, would also incorporate a telecommunications function. A large flotilla of lunar missions will be launched this decade. Chief among them will be the US space agency-led successor to Apollo. Called Project Artemis, this will put crews on the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years. "We are entering a new phase - the systematic exploration of our 'eighth continent', the Moon," said David Parker, the director of human and robotic exploration at Esa. "The Moon is a repository of 4.5 billion years of Solar System history, but we've hardly begun to unlock its secrets. And so Moonlight is something that we see as really exciting, as a necessary infrastructure to support sustained exploration." Esa is asking two industrial consortia in Europe to define what an integrated sat-nav and telecoms system at the Moon would look like. It'll include a constellation of at least three, but probably more, positioning-and-relay satellites to give global coverage, and will likely include some surface beacons, too, to augment the accuracy of the navigation signals. "The target we have at the moment is that the constellation would be able to allow for an accuracy of 100m and probably better. We think we are able to get to 30m in the first instance," explained Paul Verhoef, the director of Esa's navigation department. Moonlight is just at the feasibility stage at the moment - what is known in industry-speak as a Phase A/B1 study. The consortia will put their thinking on the technologies required in reports to Esa, who will then produce a defined and costed proposal to go before Europe's research ministers when they gather for their triennial council meeting next year. One consortium will be led by the UK small satellite manufacturer, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited. SSTL assembled the navigation payloads on the European Union's Galileo sat-nav system.


On Wednesday 14th March we stopped in at the Star of King’s Pub to look at the universe in a completely new way with our guest speaker, Benjamin Joachimi from University College London.
Benjamin Joachimi on gravitational lensing.
Amongst other astronomical endeavors, one of Joachimi’s biggest interests is the phenomenon of gravitational lensing. This happens when a massive object in space, such as a galaxy, black hole or star, distorts our view of background galaxies and stars by deflecting the light around it. From our viewpoint here on Earth, gravitational lending can turn single points of light into arcs or multiple points as they are bent around the gravitational fields of the massive objects.
As you may have guessed from the title of the event, gravitational lensing was predicted by Albert Einstein in his theory of general relativity. He made calculations on the phenomena and wrote about them back in the early 1900s, however Einstein and other physicists engaged with gravitational lens research at the time doubted that they would even be visible from the Earth. Contrary to these early expectations, the first gravitational lens was seen in 1979, when a group of scientists discovered that a pair of distant bright stars were two images of the same star bent around a giant gravitational mass.
To explain this abstract concept, Joachimi used the example of image distortion through the base of a wine glass. You can achieve the same effect of light distortion by looking at a light source, such as a candle, through the base of the glass. It’s an easy trick you can try at home, but finish your drink first before you hold it up to a light!
Potentially one of the most exciting parts of the talk was the possibility of using gravitational lensing to discover exoplanets (planets outside of our own solar system orbiting other stars). If an intermediary star is creating a gravitational lens and distorting the view of a bright star directly behind it the effect of the lens is amplified and collectively they appear as an “Einstein disk”, which is a collective circle of light from both sources. When this intermediate star has a planet in orbit you can see an effect called microlensing as the planet creates a smaller gravitational lens to boost the light source behind even further. This appears as a temporary increase in the brightness of the light mass over a few hours or days, which is a very short timescale compared with other astronomical events. This means that we can detect exoplanets that are incredibly far away and undetectable in any other way. The downside is that once the exoplanet has been detected, it is unlikely that it can ever be detected again because these microlensing events are very rare and random, requiring perfect alignment of the stars and planets.
We would love to thank Benjamin Joachimi for his interesting talk and for en-light-ening us on gravitational lensing (hope you enjoyed that pun). We hope that all who attended enjoyed themselves.
For our next Sci-Bar on the 19th April we’ll be delving into the world of microchemistry with BobWorley. We look forward to seeing as many people there as possible!
Reporter: Ben Johnson-Newbery
Pictures: Silvia Guidotti


“If you have fear of some pain or suffering, you should examine whether there is anything you can do about it. If you can, there is no need to worry about it; if you cannot do anything, then there is also no need to worry.”—Dalai Lama (via newjoyyork)
Although male and female astronauts could be trained to “share and share alike” so that sexual favors are provided equally to one and all, perhaps a better solution might be to send two space craft, one with an all male crew and another with an all female crew. Not only does this solve the problems which may arise from male-female sexual couplings in space, but it would prevent any possibility of pregnancy.
Naturally, humans are going to have sex and women are going to get pregnant. Pregnancies during a mission to Mars must be avoided. Pregnancies may lead to the death or abnormal development of the fetus. Pregnancy coupled with muscle atrophy, bone mineral loss, radiation, and cardiovascular activity may put the mother’s life and the entire mission to Mars at risk.
Therefore, if issues of human sexuality are not addressed, and if necessary precautions are not taken, sex in space could lead to pregnancies, conflict, violence, and catastrophe. By contrast, once safely on the Red Planet, sex on Mars and the subsequent birth of the first Martian, would truly make humans a two planet species, and would be the first step to human colonization of the cosmos.


Astronomy For Dummies
I am so excited to bring to you another edition of astronomy for dummies! Last night was full of both stars and fail, so its only fair to do it all justice. Telescopes are not for the faint of heart or for those lacking brain cells, lets just get that out of the way right there! You want me to do math? Oh, shit.
But first things first.
I've been reading all week about how Venus is near/passing through my homeslices The Pleiades star cluster, and how it's so amazing and blah blah blah. I'm not totally impressed with Venus, just to be clear; in fact, I find her bright shining a major distraction to other items in the sky. The thought of her invading "my" star cluster actually made me roll my eyes in contempt (and yeah I take it that seriously, shut up). That is, until I saw it through the finder scope last night, and my jaw dropped from its beauty.
I can't explain it. You have to see for yourself. Luckily, tonight you still can!
After that spectacle, I ran inside and announced that it was Telescope Night. Unfortnately, we didn't get our crap together until after Venus set, and it was incredibly cold and very windy on our exposed roof, so Scott was having a heck of a time balancing the 'scope. We never did really get it balanced last night, if I'm going to be completely honest. Oh well?
We ended up focusing on two close-to-home objects last night: Mars and Saturn.
Mars was cool, but it wasn't nearly as cool as I'd imagined it would be. It was still essentially a dot, albeit one that pulsated in four directions from its center as I observed it from the 'scope. Kinda like this, except it clearly had four pulsating sides & never looked like a sphere to me:
And then, like, Saturn happened. I was kind of hoping to see rings, but we did see a bulge on the blob that represented Saturn in the telescope, which leads me to think we did see rings, just not undifferentiated rings. Onion rings? Engagement rings? Wedding rings? Promise rings? You promised, Saturn.
|I SEE NO EFFING RINGS, YO.|
I took the 'scope on a random, not-at-all planned out "tour" of the night sky for a bit, but wasn't exactly sure what I was seeing. Additionally, on top of other issues including a broken adjustment knob, by this time we were akin to two neandertals frozen to death in the snow, so we packed up & headed back inside. I have realized that summer seriously can't come fast enough. I NEED ASTRONOMY WEATHER. ☆


Milky Way Custom Order Fountain Pen
The Milky Way describes the hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye. Inspired by this nightly phenomenon, we created a fountain pen full of the nights stars and glimpses of the galaxy's purples and blues. We make 2 versions: Version 1 is lighter but more opaque then version 2. Version 2 has the same colors but is more transparent. Own a piece of the night sky with our Milky Way fountain pen. Choose your own style, nib and clip options for a pen uniquely yours.
Milky Way is a custom Tailored Pen Company blank. Poured and cured in our own workshop. Each pour has the same colors but every one is unique in swirls and patterns created from the pour process. Please note that the pen pictured will not be the exact one you receive, but will be the same colors - swirl patterns vary with each blank.
Purchase of this listing will put your pen order in queue to be handcrafted and turned in our workshop. Please see our current queue time at the top of the custom order section.
Each pen is crafted by hand in our workshop except for the nib and ink cartridge. Each beautiful blank is skillfully hand turned including all the threads. Guaranteed to write beautifully. Our pens come with Jowo #6 nibs. Contact us for upgraded nib options.


Title of Artist Call: NightVisions 2017
Organization: Flagstaff Arts Council
Call Summary: NightVisions is an art exhibition that celebrates the beauty of the night sky. As humans are increasingly afraid of the dark they are unable to enjoy it’s beauty. NightVisions hopes to help close the gap between humans and the night. Showing for the sixth time, this international juried biennial exhibition is open to all artists 18 years of age or older, and to artwork in any media; 2-dimensional, 3-dimensional, poetry, photography, video, installation, etc. The exhibition is produced by the Flagstaff Arts Council in partnership with the Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition.
How to Apply: http://flagartscouncil.org/2017/01/nightvisions-2017-artist-submission-form/
Who Can Apply: Open to Everyone
Discipline: Visual Arts
For more information, please contact Sarah Smallwood at [email protected] or visit http://flagartscouncil.org/2017/01/nightvisions-2017-call/


Chief Executive, Virgin Galactic and the Spaceship Co.
THE LATEST: Whitesides signed a memorandum of understanding in March with the United Arab Emirates Space Agency to bring Virgin Galactic space flights to the Middle Eastern country, which has been an investor in the company through its Mubadala Investment Co.
BACKGROUND: Whitesides leads Virgin Galactic, the spaceflight venture of Richard Branson, and the Spaceship Co., which makes advanced space vehicles. Prior to Virgin Galactic, Whitesides served as chief of staff for NASA, where he received the Distinguished Service Medal — the highest award NASA confers. He also serves as co-chairman of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Space Technologies.
WORTH NOTING: Whitesides is a fellow of the U.K. Royal Aeronautical Society and an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 4
For reprint and licensing requests for this article, CLICK HERE.


Keeping up with the Hebraic calendar just got a lot easier with this Interchangeable Hebrew Calendar set! No more checking your phone or adding calendar sites to your favorites. You can now conveniently keep up with the date with this amazing resource.
In this Interchangeable Hebrew Calendar Pack you will receive:
- a main calendar page for the interchangeable pieces
- months in both numeric form and Babylonian name form
- calendar dates 1-30
- the Hebraic year for the next twelve years
- days of the week in English numeric form and Hebrew name form
- Moedim (appointed time) cards including Shabbat and Rosh Kodesh
Simply print, laminate, cut, and add velcro to the main calendar page and pieces! Hang on your wall for easy access, learning, and teaching.
Perfect for Homeschooling
Add this next to your Gregorian calendar and interchange the dates each day! Teach the months, days, and moedim (appointed times) in an easy and visual way.
Perfect for the Entire Family
Help your entire family stay up to par on learning the date in Hebrew and with appointed times. From Shabbat to Rosh Kodesh, you’ll know exactly what appointed time is coming up!
Hebrew Calendar History
The Hebraic calendar is based on specific astronomical phenomena: the rotation of the sun, moon, and stars on their course in the firmament (a day), and the phases of the moon (a month).
The lunar month on the Hebraic calendar begins when the first sliver of moon becomes visible after the dark of the moon. In ancient times, the new months used to be determined by observation. When people observed the new moon, they would notify the Sanhedrin. When the Sanhedrin heard testimony from two independent, reliable eyewitnesses that the new moon occurred on a certain date, they would declare the Rosh Kodesh (first of the month) and send out messengers to tell people when the month began.
The year number on the Hebraic calendar represents the number of years since creation, calculated by adding up the ages of people in the Bible back to the time of creation. However, this does not necessarily mean that the universe has existed for only 5700 years as we understand years.
The “first month” of the Hebraic calendar is the month of Nissan, in the spring, when Passover occurs. The names of the months of the Hebraic calendar were adopted during the time of Ezra, after the return from the Babylonian exile. The names are actually Babylonian month names, brought back to Israel by the returning exiles. Note that most of the Bible refers to months by number, not by name.
Other than Shabbat, the name of the seventh day of the week, the Hebraic calendar doesn’t have names for the days of the week. The days of the week are simply known as first day, second day, third day, etc.
For more about Hebraic faith, click HERE.


Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I earn a small commission of product sales to keep this website going.
UPDATE – 8 July 2011. NASA decided to give Atlantis one last go today on STS-135, making my photos NOT the last photos of Atlantis. Thanks for raining on my parade, NASA! I’m just glad they got one more launch in – Godspeed to the crew and the memory of the shuttle program.
Last Friday I had the honor of sending off the Atlantis on its final mission, while flying a patrol around Cape Canaveral. As a part of Operation Noble Eagle, we flew our F-15Es down from North Carolina to enforce the FAA’s Temporary Flight Restriction put in place before and during the launch. For a guy who grew up following all the shuttle missions as a kid and wanting to be an astronaut, this was a surreal experience. Flying over the launchpad prior to the launch, listening to the countdown on the radio, and watching it blast off into space will be one of the most memorable events of my lifetime. Good thing I like to take pictures. The sampling below represents a small number of the dozens of good space shuttle launch photos that came out.
After 31 flights and 115.8 million miles, Atlantis is going to wrap things up. I recently spent some time reading about the various things Atlantis participated in during its time serving NASA, and found some interesting facts.
-Atlantis was the fourth shuttle built in 1985 and was named after a two-masted research vessel operated by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute from 1930 to 1966. It was scheduled to retire in 2008 but that was extended until 2010. It was supposed to be a parts donor for the Endeavor and Discovery until the end of the shuttle program at the end of 2010, but was kept around to take some of the pressure off of the other two shuttles.
-The Endeavor is Atlantis‘ twin sister. A complete and identical set of spare parts was made when the Atlantis was constructed. These parts were to be used in the event a shuttle became damaged and needed repairs. By “spare parts”, I mean a completely assembled aft fuselage, mid fuselage, forward fuselage, wings, and tail. With the Challenger tragedy in 1986, it was decided that a new shuttle should be built, and the Endeavor was created with these spare parts. Endeavor is now scheduled to fly the last space shuttle launch.
-In May of 1989, Atlantis was the first space shuttle to launch an interplanetary probe with the Magellan. This probe made its way to Venus and mapped 98% of the planet’s surface, leading to most of what we know about the planet now.
-Its next mission in August of 1989 launched the Galileo probe. Galileo arrived over Jupiter in 1995 after taking the first close-up photos of an asteroid and discovering an asteroid moon. Galileo also caught the only pictures of a comet colliding with a planet when the Shoemaker-Levy 9 hit Jupiter in 1994.
-In 1991, the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory was delivered into orbit by Atlantis. This was the largest scientific payload to be delivered by a shuttle at 17 tons. The CGRO was in orbit for nine years before being decommissioned.
-In May of 2009, Atlantis made the final servicing trip to the Hubble Space Telescope. Five spacewalks were completed in order to make repairs and install updgrades to the old telescope.
All photos by John Peltier/U.S. Air Force
NASA. Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis (OV-104). http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/atlantis.html
NASA. Space Shuttle Overview: Atlantis (OV-104). http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/shuttleoperations/orbiters/atlantis-info.html
Ray, J. (2010, May 11). Respecting Atlantis as the shuttle faces retirement. Spaceflight Now.http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts132/100511atlantis/
Rowan, K. (2010, May 12). 7 cool things you didn’t know about space shuttle Atlantis. Space.com.http://www.space.com/news/7cool-things-space-shuttle-atlantis-100512.html


Bling20 Galaxy Swim Trooper Swim Goggles
Recommended Age Group: 3-15 Years
Splash through time and space with our Bling2o Galaxy swim goggle. This style is fashioned in our exclusive, brand new mask shaped goggle, sporting an athletic back clip for easy adjustment. Bling2o Galaxy swim goggle is latex free, equipped with a mirrored, UV-protected, anti-fog lens and is currently available in three intergalactic colourways making it a perfect companion for any space cadet.
WARNING: Long term exposure to direct sunlight will cause fading and damage to your Bling2o swim goggles.


Young Maria Myrosh (17 y.o.), it seems, will be the first singer on Mars. 🙂
In her song, she asks Elon Musk to sell her a ticket for a Martian rocket. On the Starship Earth-Mars flight , probably. But a round-trip ticket. What if the Red Planet will shut the door in front of the travelers?
By the way, in this song Maria tells that Elon Musk is actually a Martian and was born on Mars a thousand years ago. His project to fly from Earth to Mars is built on the desire to return home.
Well, Elon, we agree to fly with you to your planet and turn it into a truly inhabited one.
Maria, most likely, will be our first pop and rock star on Mars. 🙂
So what about the tickets, Mr. Musk?
This single on the main music platforms: Maria Myrosh – Elon is a Martian


Apollo Guidance Computer
MIT/Raytheon, United States
Developed by the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory under the direction of Eldon Hall, and manufactured by Raytheon, this is an engineering prototype of the computer that guided the Apollo Spacecraft Command Module (CM) from Earth orbit to the Moon and the CMs return to Earth surface. It also guided the Lunar Module (LM) from lunar orbit through its descent to the moons surface and return to rendezvous with the CM in lunar orbit. During the critical landing procedure, it accepted manual steering commands from the astronauts to make a safe landing.
Memory Type: Core Speed: 42,735 Add/s
Memory Size: 2K+24K ROM Cost: $250,000
Memory Width: (15-bit)


Por José Joaquín Chambó Bris.
Comet C/2014 S2 (PANSTARRS) imaged on November 6th 2015, shows a green-bluish coma wich denoting emission of a mix several gases and with an apparent diameter of 7 arcminutes (near 600.000 Km. absolutes). Also highlighted a dust tail with nearly 0.5 deg long. Comet has here a brightness of 9,5 magnitude, whereas the most bright star in the image has 6th magnitude, into the Ursa Minor.


Save the date: MADE FOR SPACE
Made for Space event on 2nd-3rd May 2019 to explore opportunities in the space industry.
Date: Thursday 2nd - Friday 3rd May 2019
Venue: The MTC Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre, Ansty Park, Coventry, CV7 9JU
Time: 9:00 - 16:30
Price: From £125 +VAT
The global space industry is booming and is set to be worth over £400 billion by 2030. The UK space sector has trebled in size since 2000 and with further significant growth predicted, presents a major opportunity for high-value manufacturing companies.Made for Space is a two-day intensive conference examining the opportunities and challenges for manufacturing within the global space sector. With sessions focusing on key advanced manufacturing technologies, such as: additive manufacturing, surface engineering and advanced coatings, robotics and automation, and joining, Made for Space brings together international experts from both the space and advanced manufacturing sectors who will show how these new manufacturing technologies can help to address the challenge of producing the next generation of space hardware.
- Get an insight into the opportunities for manufacturers in the space sector
- Hear from leading international experts from both the space and manufacturing sectors
- Visit our all-day exhibition accompanied by refreshments and networking
- Take a tour of the MTC's state-of-the-art facilities
More info and registartion at: http://www.the-mtc.org/event-items/made-for-space


There’s a small, boring backstory: Meghan renewed our membership with the Museum of Science (MOS), then asked me if we should renew it (she asked me via text, so she may have a different order of events). I said we shouldn’t, since the girls haven’t been interested in going and we basically did not go at all last year — HOWEVER if we were to actually go just once I would be happy to renew while we were on-site. Despite talking about this all over text, Meghan’s disappointment was evident as she dutifully cancelled the renewal.
I considered my options carefully, as the couch isn’t a particularly comfortable place to sleep, and gently reminded her that the MOS has an observatory that they open on Friday nights to view the stars — therefore it would be open later that night, and I would happily renew while we were there. All we had to do was get the kids on board with going, or figure out what they would do while the two of us went. (The girls thought this was a cool idea. 50 points to Gryffindor.)
A few hours later we found ourselves standing on the roof of the MOS parking garage, waiting for our turn at the telescope. Sadly, I could not photograph the view from the telescope, but it was a surprisingly clear view of Saturn. A number of other people have taken photographs that are pretty similar to what we saw. Happily the docent was informative and happy to answer questions, and didn’t make us feel rushed. The MOS seems to have crowd management around the telescope down pat.
While we were waiting our turns, we took a few other pictures of Boston and astronomical phenomena, and watched the city bustle around us.


- There is more that meets the eye when finding life on other planets. There’s no definition of life that’s universally agreed upon, so scientists can only look for conditions that support life on Earth (e.g. water, organic carbon). Yet there may be life that exists without these conditions.
- There is an insane number of definitions (over 300) for life. But every definition has met with opposition, with some saying key features of life are missing.
- There are so many possibilities for life! They might be able to exist without water and carbon, crucial factors needed to support life on Earth
- Jack Szostak’s stand: “Attempts to define life are irrelevant to scientific efforts to understand the origin of life.” Should scientists continue trying to define life then?
- How will scientists find life on other planets, if there is no universal definition of life? If we don’t know what we’re looking for, how can we find “life”?
Definition of life: see reflection a5


This Aug. 21, the entire United States will experience a partial eclipse of the sun lasting 2 to 3 hours. Parts of 11 states will experience a total solar eclipse (this does not include Houston). If you want to watch the partial eclipse, make sure to take care of your vision during the eclipse. Looking directly at the sun during most of an eclipse can permanently damage your vision or blind you.
Keep in mind that ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, or homemade filters are not safe for looking at the sun during a solar eclipse.
The safest way to view the eclipse is to watch it online. NASA will have a live stream of the eclipse. Or, find an event at a local planetarium or science center where you know the right safety measures have been taken. Click here to learn about safe viewing centers in the Houston area: https://www.click2houston.com/news/eclipse/houston-watch-the-great-american-eclipse
There is only one safe way to look directly at the sun, whether during an eclipse or not: through special-purpose solar filters. These solar filters are used in “eclipse glasses” or in hand-held solar viewers. They must meet a very specific worldwide standard known as ISO 12312-2.
Order safe viewing eclipse glasses:
To see a complete eclipse of the sun, you need to be in the right place. The area that will have a complete eclipse – the path of totality – is only 70 miles wide and will move across the continent very quickly. Areas outside the path of totality will have a partial eclipse. Only part of the sun is blocked even at the peak of the eclipse. In those areas, there is no safe time to look at the sun with the naked eye. You must protect your eyes while watching the entire eclipse.
If you order safe viewing eclipse glasses, here are steps to follow for safely watching a solar eclipse:
- Carefully look at your solar filter or eclipse glasses before using them. If you see any scratches or damage, do not use them.
- Always read and follow all directions that come with the solar filter or eclipse glasses. Help children to be sure they use handheld solar viewers and eclipse glasses correctly.
- Before looking up at the bright sun, stand still and cover your eyes with your eclipse glasses or solar viewer. After glancing at the sun, turn away and remove your filter—do not remove it while looking at the sun.
- The only time that you can look at the sun without a solar viewer is during a total eclipse. When the moon completely covers the sun’s bright face and it suddenly gets dark, you can remove your solar filter to watch this unique experience. Then, as soon as the bright sun begins to reappear very slightly, immediately use your solar viewer again to watch the remaining partial phase of the eclipse.
- Never look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars or other similar devices. This is important even if you are wearing eclipse glasses or holding a solar viewer at the same time. The intense solar rays coming through these devices will damage the solar filter and your eyes.


Whitehall Moon Thermometer, French Bronze, 12" dia
FREE SHIPPING MADE IN USA
Let the moon tell you the temperature on the Whitehall Moon Thermometer. This attractive instrument features a smiling moon motif on a backdrop of the constellations, encircled by the months of the year. Incredible detail characterizes the moon and writing within the map adds interest to this handcrafted piece. A bright golden hand indicates the temperature across the large numbers that make reading the thermometer an easy task, even from a distance. The temperature gradient spans from -70° to 150° Fahrenheit. The recycled aluminum casting and a weather resistant finish combine to keep the Whitehall Moon Thermometer a beautiful conversation piece, year after year. This thermometer may be hung. Made in the USA
- Temperature Range: -70° to 150° Fahrenheit
- Dimensions: 12" dia.
- Mounting: may be hung
- Construction: recycled aluminum


Daily Draw May 24th, 2009
From The Lord of the Rings Tarot:
XVII – THE STAR – The light of the Evening Star shines through Galadriel’s Ring
Oooh lovely, my first draw with this deck.
Galadriel’s ring is called Nenya and was one of the three rings of power given to the Elves. It is also called the Ring of Water; Nenya is derived from the Elvish word “nen” meaning “water.” Here is the direct reference for the card from the chapter The Mirror of Galadriel from the first book in the trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring:
“She lifted up her white arms, and spread out her hands towards the East in a gesture of rejection and denial. Eärendil, the Evening Star, most beloved of the Elves, shone clear above. So bright was it that the figure of the Elven-lady cast a dim shadow on the ground. Its rays glanced upon a ring about her finger; it glittered like polished gold overlaid with silver light, and a white stone in it twinkled as if the Even-star had come down to rest upon her hand.”
Eärendil the Mariner, is a great seafarer in mythology who carried the morning star across the sky. His story is found in The Silmarillion, and he is referred to throughout The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien took the name Eärendil from Anglo Saxon, although there are also Germanic variations of the name.
The planet Venus is called the Evening Star when in the west and the Morning Star when in the east. Except for the moon, it is the brightest object in the night sky and reaches its brightest point just before sunrise or shortly after sunset.
I couldn’t find a direct reference to the Evening Star in the Edda, which doesn’t mean there isn’t one. In the Icelandic language it is called “aptan-stjarna” and is mentioned in Alexander’s Saga (about Alexander the Great), which is a piece of medieval Icelandic literature.
Edgar Allan Poe and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow both wrote poems about the evening star. Poe refers to the distant fire of the evening star which he admires more than the cold light of the moon. And dear old Longfellow, rhapsodizes:
Lo! in the painted oriel of the West,
Whose panes the sunken sun incarnadines,
Like a fair lady at her casement, shines
The evening star, the star of love and rest!
And then anon she doth herself divest
Of all her radiant garments, and reclines
Behind the sombre screen of yonder pines,
With slumber and soft dreams of love oppressed.
O my beloved, my sweet Hesperus!
My morning and my evening star of love!
My best and gentlest lady! even thus,
As that fair planet in the sky above,
Dost thou retire unto thy rest at night,
And from thy darkened window fades the light.
“Oriel” is an archaic word for a bay window. Trust Longfellow, I once tried to read his translation of Dante. Never again. However, the lovely and poetic “Hesperus” is a classic name for the evening star.
“My best and gentlest lady” could describe Galadriel too. Like Galadriel and her mirror, the star shines and illuminates. She guides with her soft, peaceful light and brings us Hesperus renewal and healing.