Despite the fact that Arkansas’ River Valley has had a dry year, it seemed that every time I planned a star photography outing – there were clouds.
And, this trend included our Night Photography Workshop in August. We tried 3 times, before we finally had a marvelously clear night to see and photograph the Milky Way.
Same location – Shores Lake – but no significant clouds! 🙂 To add a little foreground interest, I set up my film camera to photograph the stars streaking across the sky, aka “star trails.”
If you live in an area with little light pollution, you may wonder what’s the big deal. However, for those of us who live in an urban area, it is a rare treat! Some of the photographers in our workshop had not seen the Milky Way since childhood. Seeing it and making photographs was very exciting!
Would you like to photograph the Milky Way? Here are 5 things I think you need:
- A DSLR camera, because shooting in manual exposure mode and manual focus mode, and at a high ISO is necessary. Very few compact cameras have all those functions.
- A wide angle lens. How wide? My preference is a 24mm for a “full-frame” sensor, but up to a 35mm will work. If you have an APS-C sensor, sometimes called a “crop-sensor,” 18mm to 24mm is the equivalent. That does not mean that we cannot use even wider! Many photographers use a 14mm, 16mm or an 18mm, and sometimes a fish-eye.
- A Good tripod. Shutter speeds will be measured in seconds, and no one I know can hold a camera steady for that long. Your tripod will need to be solid, and easy to adjust in the dark. I recommend a carbon fiber or aluminum tripod, with a ball head.
- A remote control for firing your camera. Pressing the shutter button will cause your camera to move, so use a remote cable or wireless remote.
- A headlamp or flashlight with a red lens. Without the red lens, your night vision will be compromised each time you turn on the light.
Also helpful: an app on your phone. “Photo Pills” and “The Photographers’ Ephemeris” will provide photographers where and when information – I like and use both. I also like “Star Guide” which does just what it says – displays on screen where and when the stars are.
Once you have the equipment, the techniques we use are different from most other types of photography:
- Locate an area with a probable good view of the Milky Way. Helpful web sites: www.cleardarksky.com, www.darksitefinder.com, and Google Maps www.google.com/maps.
- Check the moon phases – a full moon is so bright you cannot see the Milky Way. A crescent moon is also bright enough to interfere, although if it sets early, the light – coming from the opposite direction of the Milky Way – can be helpful by lighting up the foreground.
- Camera settings: Start at ISO 3200, a shutter speed of 15 seconds, and your aperture at its widest. Make a test shot, check your image exposure, and adjust as necessary. It is not uncommon to set ISO at 4000 or higher. (Note: to calculate the longest usable shutter speed, divide 500 by your lens focal length. Example: with a 24mm lens, 500 divided by 24 = 20.83, so you would keep your shutter open no longer than 20 seconds.) A too-long shutter speed results in trailing stars, not points of light.
- Focusing can be difficult. We tried to use autofocus before dark, then switched to manual focus. We also applied gaffer tape to the focus ring to avoid accidentally bumping and moving it. If you need to focus after dark, try using “live view” and magnify the display. (Practice this before dark!) The good thing about digital photography, of course, is we can see what we shot, then adjust and reshoot if necessary.
The end result can be very rewarding photos. And, watching the Milky Way – and other stars and constellations – begin to appear after the sun goes down is exciting and breathtaking! Especially the first time…
The “season” is about done for this year; during the winter months, the Milky Way is not visible. When it is most visible is late spring to late summer. (I can hardly wait!) The apps I referenced earlier are great for helping us plan. Feel free to contact me if you have questions – or search the internet for more information.
Wishing you good light!
Beautiful! Still full of envy of your talent!
Celeste, you are much too kind! Thank you, my Friend! Glad you liked this one. 🙂
Gorgeous! Thanks for your detailed explanation. Have not shot the stars but try night photography every once in a while and it keeps me on my toes. 🙂
Thank you, Jane! I appreciate your comments, and your time to take a look! 🙂
I plan to do more night photography this year – there is so much more that can be done than what I have thus far.


NASA's discovery of the new earth 2.0
| || |
An amazing video showing just how smart humans are in the discovery of a new planet closely related to earth. Named Kepler-452b it is also given the nickname earth 2.0. Scientists at NASA have discovered that if a plant were to be planted on the new planet it should grow. However they have not yet discovered if extra terrestrial life has occupied the planet.
This video leaves me thinking one more thing... Could there be more?


I grew up in Sydney, New South Wales, and studied for my Honours and Masters at the University of Sydney. I studied abroad at the University of California, Berkeley, and in 2017 I completed my DPhil in Astrophysics at Balliol College, Oxford. I'm vegetarian, keen on Python, Bayes, cycling, coffee, and Earl Grey. I was a member of the winning Balliol College team in the 2016-17 series of University Challenge on BBC2, with the wonderful Joey Goldman, Freddy Potts, and Jacob Lloyd.
Sometimes I write: see my latest piece in The Monthly, about the possible discovery of phosphine on Venus, which has been included in Best Australian Science Writing 2021. In the Oxonian Review, check out my short story The Marlborough Arms and my review of Tim Winton's Island Home. For the Cooper Square Review I wrote a couple of pieces and a review of David Wallace-Wells' The Uninhabitable Earth.
Outside of physics, I'm interested in history and critical understandings of physics and astronomy. We have to situate our science in a social and historical context, and understand how crucial the work of once-marginalized figures has been to this heritage. You may like this IWD 2017 piece about Ruby Payne-Scott, the Australian pioneer of radio interferometry, and I've digitized and hosted Elizabeth Alexander's original report on her radio observations of the Sun (explaining the "Norfolk Island Effect").


NASA astronaut Don Pettit recently uploaded a gallery of photos to the Johnson Space Center’s Flickr page.
“My star trail images are made by taking a time exposure of about 10 to 15 minutes. However, with modern digital cameras, 30 seconds is about the longest exposure possible, due to electronic detector noise effectively snowing out the image. To achieve the longer exposures I do what many amateur astronomers do. I take multiple 30-second exposures, the ‘stack’ them using imaging software, thus producing the longer exposure.”
- Don Pettit
Earth from the International Space Station, Photography by Don Pettit, via: Retina


Can 'Rocketry' At Last Herald ‘Science’ in Indian Cinema?
On the occasion of the International Women and Girls day in science, the Women and Child development ministry in association with the Ministry of Education My Gov and IT Ministry launched a to celebrate this day.
For the first time in over five decades of ISRO's history, the space organization has finally opened its satellite center for private sectors and tested two satellites by Indian startups from its UR Rao Satellite Center.
PSA Prof K Vijay Raghavan has stressed the need for unlocking the entrepreneurship in design, across sectors to scale up technologies and boost local manufacturing for sustainable, inclusive development at a tech talk event on ‘Reboot, Reinvent and Resilience – Road ahead.’
The Russia space industry has announced that the country is going to launch 40 satellites into orbit from 18 different countries of the world in March 2021. The satellites will be launched using the Soyuz-2 carrier rocket.
The United Arab Emirates has craved its name in space history after their first-ever interplanetary Hope Probe mission successfully entered orbit around Mars on Tuesday after completing the seven-month journey.
While informing the parliamentary committee about the 5G technology trials, the Department of telecommunication said, 5G technology trials are likely to start in two-three months in the country. DOT has also informed the panel that it has already received 16 applications for 5G field trials which have using indigenous and imported technology.
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced India's first space mission of 2021. Under its first mission, the space organization will launch Brazilian satellite Amazonia-1 and 20 other satellites from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota on February 28.


Living in the “Path of Totality” seemed to be more aggravating than exciting over the year leading up to the eclipse on August 21st. The only hotel rooms available were going for outrageous prices, rental cars were sold out in the entire western area, grocery stores double stocked in preparation for what locals came to call the ApocEclipse. Much to everyone’s delight, the hordes did not materialize, supplies didn’t run out, the skies were clear and the Eclipse was absolutely phenomenal.
While waiting for totality, we had fun documenting some of the strange effects, including the half moon cutouts where full circles would normally be in the colander’s shadow above. Also, if you look closely at the shadow on the lower right-hand side, you will notice the weird shape of the person’s arm.
Since I did not anticipate the wonder and awe of a total eclipse, I did not have the proper filter for my camera. Fortunately, a friend’s son came prepared and agreed to let me share his photos shown above.
Photos are no substitute for the actual experience. This amazing astronomical event has turned me (and many others I know) into an umbraphile or eclipse chaser. Time to start planning for the 2020 total eclipse which will pass over Buenos Aires near sunset!


I swear your heart is the size of the moon.
The moon is beautiful it lights up darkness. Just like you light up my world everytime I look into your beautiful eyes.
The moon won’t be full everynight, some nights only parts of it will show. Some nights there is a half moon. Some nights are darker than others and some nights the moon sparkles sparkles. Just like some days you are happy and some days your are sad.
But ill always love the moon in any phase it turns, just like ill always love you, all of you in every form.
You are the only thing im clinging to keep on.


Since I was a toddler, I always dreamt of being an astronout. It is probably because I was a big fan of a Manga cartoon from Japan, “Sailor Moon”, and thought that by flying to space I would get to meet them… Or! It was just my hidden passion that still remains today. I have always been interested in cosmic things: planets, the solar system, black holes, the big bang theory, and all that jazz. Unfortunately, living in Indonesia means that I need to bury it deeply as we don’t have enough resources or facilities related to the cosmos, space, and so on.
When I moved to Russia, I felt that the universe helped me to rebuild my scattered-in-pieces dream. Everybody knows that, besides the USA, Russia has always been the most ambitious about space. Since The Cold War, they have both been competing in all aspects of life, and one of the biggest, hottest and most popular themes at the time was journeying to space.
Yeah, I feel that I am in the right place finally. Of course, it doesn’t mean that I applied to be a cosmonaut (Russian astronout). I know that it is undoubtedly impossible and that I am too old to be trained; plus, I realized that the older I get, the worse I am at understanding technical things. But at least they have a handful of interesting museums – space museums, scattered around the capital! They are waiting to be explored.
Space and Engineering Pavilion at VDNKh
As I mentioned in my previous post, VDNKh is not only about the park – they have lots of things on display, and one of them is the Space and Engineering Pavilion. The museum, which was opened to the public on April 13th this year (I think), provides some real samples and miniature models of the technology used by the Russians or the International Space Station in space.
Around the building, you will find samples of Russian masterpieces, such as a rocket – Vostok (East), a fighter plane, a helicopter, and a passenger jet (Yak-42). Those displays are my favorite ones because I love how the Russians design their fighter aircraft (my favorite is the Mig), while at the same time I feel that my dream has finally come true – seeing a rocket (not actual size, admittedly, but it’s big enough) with my very own eyes.
The entrance fee is 500 rubles. This is quite expensive but it is worth it. To avoid the queue, you can buy your tickets online here: https://cosmos.vdnh.ru/ (the site is only available in Russian).
The museum is almost like an open space, divided into two floors with a big hall that displays a huge globe (you won’t see here as I took a really quirky picture here).
As I am not a cosmonaut, I will just explain some of the displays briefly.
Picture 1: a capsule, used by cosmonauts to come back to Mother Earth. It burnt as it passed through the atmosphere. Thank God, If I have had been one of the cosmonauts who needed to fly back to earth, the capsule would definitely have been very messy because of all the vomit…
Picture 2: Nozzle (the main engine) – the spaceships use the nozzle to expel hot exhaust gas to produce thrust. Simply speaking, this part is something that you will see when a space shuttle touches down.
Picture 3: Space suit from the time of the USSR.
Picture 4: Space food. The food must meet the requirement of not only the tasting good (quite good I bet), but also the nutrition for individuals working in space. The menu itself varies, depending on the country – For USSR cosmonauts, they packed soup (borscht, kharcho, even pancake!).
Picture 5: Medical equipment in space.
Picture 6: A display of a space station on the ceiling of the museum. Note: Almaz was a highly secret Soviet military space program that began in the early ’60s (ow..ow..ow…)
Picture 7: A map of a cosmodrome in Russia (a launching site for spacecraft). They are located in Plesetsk, Kapustin, Baikonur (the most famous one), Yasniy, and Vostochniy.
Picture 8: Interactive game. As a technician in space, you need to set an adequate fuel mixture, repair the nozzle, etc. It isn’t a fun game because we need to think much here (for me).
Picture 9: Interactive room that displays space with video.
Picture 10: A simulation area for launching the spacecraft. What you need to do is choose a seat as one of the launcher team, choose your rocket, and wait for the countdown.
Picture 11: Satellite with solar panel. It might be used for communication, earth observation, or military needs (even for spying on somebody – oops).
Besides all the displays, you can also get some more information about who invented the space station, the history behind it, and so on the descriptions available almost everywhere in the museum.
Is it good for kids?
Yes it is. But probably not for under 5 years old, I think. For adults who are crazy about space, this place is perfect to satisfy your curiosity.
How do I get there?
As it is still in the complex of VDNKh, you can read my previous post: http://sightseersdiary.com/vdnkh/


The Moon Serenades the Sangres
From my west windows, I am blessed to see the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range and this particular morning in April, I was hoping to finally catch the Moon setting above one of my favorite peaks, Mt Gibbs. When I opened my eyes that morning, I could see it dangling above the mountain, so I grabbed my camera and 400mm zoom lens and ran outside to take the picture. The light was filtering through some high clouds, but the sky above the mountain was clear and that just beckoned me to convert it to a black and white. I love the drama of a very rich black sky in contrast to the bright Moon and snowy ridgeline of Mt Gibbs. as the Moon started to sink nearer the ridgeline, I saw the face of the Moon and it reminded me of someone singing a love song to the mountains.


The Lore of Alondria
Alondria is a diverse and mysterious world that is located far outside the Milky Way and is nestled in the Aora System- which is an unknown distance from Earth as no human has ever traveled that far. In this solar system, there are a total of six planets, seventeen moons, and three suns. Alondria holds a total of two moons in its’ orbit, making the currents unpredictable at best.
Alondria holds many secrets deep within her core. Due to an unfortunate and dark time, much of her past has been lost, but perhaps you may be the one to uncover the truths. Hopefully soon, as there is a growing sense of dread filling the creatures that live in the world, a dread they cannot shake.


|Cycle (Cy"cle) (s?"k'l), n.
[F. ycle, LL. cyclus, fr. Gr. ¿¿¿¿¿ ring or circle, cycle; akin to Skr. cakra wheel, circle. See Wheel.]
1. An imaginary circle or orbit in the heavens; one of the celestial spheres. Milton.
2. An interval of time in which a certain succession of events or phenomena is completed, and then returns again and again, uniformly and continually in the same order; a periodical space of time marked by the recurrence of something peculiar; as, the cucle of the seasons, or of the year. "Wages . . . bear a full proportion . . . to the medium of provision during the last bad cycle of twenty years." Burke.
3. An age; a long period of time. "Better fifty years of Europe than a cycle of Cathay." Tennyson.
4. An orderly list for a given time; a calendar. [Obs.] "We . . . present our gardeners with a complete cycle of what is requisite to be done throughout every month of the year." Evelyn.
5. The circle of subjects connected with the exploits of the hero or heroes of some particular period which have severed as a popular theme for poetry, as the legend aof Arthur and the knights of the Round Table, and that of Charlemagne and his paladins.
6. (Bot.) One entire round in a circle or a spire; as, a cycle or set of leaves. Gray.
7. A bicycle or tricycle, or other light velocipede.
-- Calippic cycle, a period of 76 years, or four Metonic cycles; -- so called from Calippus, who proposed it as an improvement on the Metonic cycle.
-- Cycle of eclipses, a priod of about 6,586 days, the time of revolution of the moon's node; -- called Saros by the Chaldeans.
-- Cycle of indiction, a period of 15 years, employed in Roman and ecclesiastical chronology, not founded on any astronomical period, but having reference to certain judicial acts which took place at stated epochs under the Greek emperors.
-- Cycle of the moon, or Metonic cycle, a period of 19 years, after the lapse of which the new and full moon returns to the same day of the year; -- so called from Meton, who first proposed it.
-- Cycle of the sun, Solar cycle, a period of 28 years, at the end of which time the days of the month return to the same days of the week. The dominical or Sunday letter follows the same order; hence the solar cycle is also called the cycle of the Sunday letter. In the Gregorian calendar the solar cycle is in general interrupted at the end of the century.
Cycle (Cy"cle) (s?"k'l), v. i.
[imp. & p.p. Cycled. (-k'ld); p.pr. & vb. n. Cycling (-kl¿ng).]
1. To pass through a cycle of changes; to recur in cycles. Tennyson. Darwin.
2. To ride a bicycle, tricycle, or other form of cycle.
Authors Encyclopedia | Encyclopedia of the Self
Classical Authors Index | Classical Authors Directory | Classical Authors Library
Emotional Literacy Education | The Old Man of the Holy Mountain | Classical Authors Forums
Visitor Agreement | Copyright c 1999 - 2001 Mark Zimmerman. All Rights Reserved.


The Great Melbourne Telescope
Skip back to main navigation
Built in 1868 by Thomas Grubb in Ireland, the Great Melbourne Telescope was the second largest operating telescope in the world. Designed to to explore the nebulae visible from the southern hemisphere, its home was the observatory at Melbourne Botanical Gardens until closure in 1945.
Great Melbourne Telescope. Probably taken 1890s or early 1900s, published in The Australasian newspaper in 1919. Courtesy of Museum Victoria.
Telescope being assembled (1868 or early 1869). Courtesy of Museum Victoria
Telescope undergoing restoration (Photo: Matt Smith)
Matthew Churchward and part of the telescope (Photo: Matt Smith)
Panorama of Melbourne. Great Melbourne Telescope visible at far right
Black and white photos courtesy of Museum Victoria
Head of Humanities
Book: The Great Melbourne Telescope
Senior Curator, Engineering and Transport
Phoebe – Melodium
Brightening, Geneology, Morning Mist, Reflector – Poddington Bear
A Space Oddity (instrumental ) – David Bowie


Infrared imaging spectroscopy with micron resolution of Sutter’s Mill meteorite grains
Mehmet Yesiltas, Yoko Kebukawa, Robert E. Peale, Eric Mattson, Carol J. Hirschmugl and Peter Jenniskens
Meteoritics & Planetary Science
Article first published online: 13 OCT 2014 | DOI: 10.1111/maps.12321
Synchrotron-based Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy are applied with submicrometer spatial resolution to multiple grains of Sutter’s Mill meteorite, a regolith breccia with CM1 and CM2 lithologies. The Raman and infrared active functional groups reveal the nature and distribution of organic and mineral components and confirm that SM12 reached higher metamorphism temperatures than SM2. The spatial distributions of carbonates and organic matter are negatively correlated. The spatial distributions of aliphatic organic matter and OH relative to the distributions of silicates in SM2 differ from those in SM12, supporting a hypothesis that the parent body of Sutter’s Mill is a combination of multiple bodies with different origins. The high aliphatic CH2/CH3 ratios determined from band intensities for SM2 and SM12 grains are similar to those of IDPs and less altered carbonaceous chondrites, and they are significantly higher than those in other CM chondrites and diffuse ISM objects.


Hunting the light
SNOWMOBILESAFARI HUNTING THE LIGHT
In cooperation with Hurtigruten we offer you a special snowmobile safari searching for the northern lights! www.hurtigruten.com
The safari is espescially created for guests of the Hurtigruten arriving in Mehamn. Within the time the Hurtigruten ship goes from Kjøllefjord to Mehamn, we offer you a guided tour through the wilderness looking for the northern lights.
We also offer this adventure on the southbound ships arriving Mehamn at 01:00 in the morning. This tour is called snowmobile tour in the Polar Night!
It is a spectacular view to see the Northern Light flaming over the sky in pink, violet, blue,green and even red colours.
As we are driving at the Northernmost mainland of Europe and have total darkness when we turn the lights off on the snowmobiles, the chances to see the Northern Light is very high.
When Hurtigruten arrives in Mehamn harbour, which is the next stop after Kjøllefjord, you will be already at the pier, waiting for the boat to pick you up. And you will be just in time to have dinner on board.
An expearience you shurely don't wan't to miss!
Let Vidar The Viking and his guides take care of your safety and offer you a relaxed and impressive trip to the Aurora borealis or as he says: The Northern light


Instructions With this project we will wrap up what you have learned related to:
With this project we will wrap up what you have learned related to:
The color of stars.
Classification of stars.
The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.
Detailed instructions: Instructions-AgeGlobularClusters-Spring2022.pdf
Estimated completion time: 6 hours.
Other files you will need
Data Tables. Each data file has information of hundreds of stars of one cluster. Files are in excel format, and should be readable from excel, google sheets, and numbers (mac computers). The set of stellar clusters you will analyze is assigned by student’s last name. Download only the two files that correspond to the first letter of your last name:
Student’s last name from A to F.
Open cluster: Data-NGC2401.xlsx
Globular cluster: Data-M53.xlsx
**Use A to F data files**


My thoughts on Pluto started at school in science and whether it was one of the Solar System's planets. At that time there was not one side or the other that carried the argument and my biggest sticking point at the time was Pluto's trajectory.
The peculiarity of Pluto's trajectory is that both its eccentricity and inclination to the ecliptic, the approximate plane in which the orbits of the other planets lie, are extremely high.
As far as size is concerned I could say that Pluto is smaller than our moon, also Callisto, Europa, Ganymede, Io, Titan and Triton but that has never sat well with me.
It was mainly due to how people described the other eight planets, they always seem to come together and Pluto appeared to be left out, for example:-
there are four inner and four outer
there are four smaller and four larger
there are four solid and four gas
This type of rhetoric was constant at the time and Pluto always got the short straw. Then it was demoted to Dwarf planet and I thought no more about it until recently, now I seemed to have changed my mind and have decided that Pluto is one of the nine solar system planets.


This place is spectacular. The location is beyond stunning and the overall ambience and decor just lovely. Vicky herself added that personal touch and took everything to another level. We came in the off-peak season and with just one other couple here we felt we were staying in our own personal villa. Beautiful breakfast on the terrace where you felt... More
- Official Description (provided by the hotel):
- Newly built (2008) hotel complex of self-contained apartments in the area of Agios Markos (Founaria). The 7 uniquely individual apartments are situated on the hillside, with a panoramic view of the Aegean sea and the surrounding islands. Its west facing aspect provides the ideal place to observe and enjoy the spectacular sunsets. The hotel takes its name from one of the basic stars in the constellation of Lyra. It is the fifth brightest star in the sky and it can clearly be seen in mid August. ... more less
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Booking.com and Priceline so you can book your Vega Apartments reservations with confidence. We help millions of travellers each month to find the perfect hotel for both holiday and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.


NASA’s Cassini spacecraft just spotted a mysterious ice cloud over Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, and its appearance challenges everything we thought we knew about the moon’s atmosphere.
First spotted decades ago by NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft, the cloud has reappeared for the second time, and it’s somehow made up of compounds that barely exist in Titan’s atmosphere. So where did it come from?
“The appearance of this ice cloud goes against everything we know about the way clouds form on Titan,” said lead researcher Carrie Anderson from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre.
Back when Voyager 1 first spotted this cloud in Titan’s stratosphere during its 1980-81 Saturn flyby, scientists determined that it was formed from a compound of carbon and nitrogen called dicyanoacetylene (C4N2).
C4N2 is a key compound for Titan, because it’s part of a unique ‘chemical cocktail’ that gives the moon its hazy, burnt-orange atmosphere.
But there was a problem – up in the stratosphere where the C4N2 cloud had formed, scientists detected less than 1 percent of the C4N2 gas needed for the cloud to condense and form.
In other words, there simply isn’t enough C4N2 in Titan’s stratosphere to facilitate cloud formation, according to our current understanding of the laws of thermodynamics.
Fast-forward to now, and NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has just sent back data from its latest Titan flyby to reveal that the same type of cloud is there, up in the giant moon’s stratosphere, and it’s still made from an ‘impossible’ amount of C4N2.
Titan is one of the most exciting places in our Solar System, because it’s basically like a frozen version of Earth, with mountain chains and rolling dunes on its surface, protected by a thick, smoggy atmosphere.
The research has been published in Geophysical Research Letters.


The word solstice comes from my favorite dead language, Latin. Sol = sun, and sister = to stand still. The sun literally does appear to stand still, hence its awesome name has stood the test of time over centuries.
The summer solstice is the precise moment when the sun is at it greatest height from the earth’s surface for the Northern Hemisphere. The summer solstice is always between June 20 and June 22, but since the calendar doesn’t match the earth’s rotation, the time/day shifts every year. Sounds pretty simple, right? Not!
Technically, the summer solstice is the exact moment when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer at 23 degrees 27 minutes north latitude. In 2017, that is June 21, 4:24 UTC (coordinated universal time.) What the heck is that?
Around the world, your June Solstice could be more than 4 hours and 30 minutes behind UTC. The summer solstice is 12:24 am EST DST in my neighborhood, Richmond, VA. That is Eastern Standard Time/ Daylight Savings Time. Wow, this time thing has gotten complicated!
The summer solstice marks the longest day of the year for the Northern Hemisphere, and hence the shortest night. It is also the official first day of summer, yeah!
Our neighbors all over down under in the Southern Hemisphere are below the equator, and hence are celebrating their winter solstice as we enjoy sol sister (summer solstice).
HOT and COLD
Ever notice that the longest day is usually not the hottest day, nor have we typically had the hottest weather by this time of year. The annual peak temperatures don’t arrive for another few weeks. Why the delay, you ask?
Water makes up most of the Earth’s surface. It has a high specific heat and great mass. Consequently, water takes longer to heat up, and to cool down. The slow warm up of the oceans delay the seasonal warm up. As the seas warm under the heat of the sun, the summer temperature takes time to catch up. Once the heat arrives, it does stick around, at least where I live.
Much folklore and mystery surround the summer and winter solstice. One of the most celebrated spots to witness the solstices is Stonehenge. Popular belief says it was designed specifically to document and mark these special seasonal occasions. Thousands gather there each year.
Traveling in Portugal last fall, we visited a site just as stunning and actually 2000 years older than Stonehenge. Dating to 5500 B.C., Cromeleque dos Alemdres is a stand of 95 rounded granite stones standing on end, like giant eggs, erected in the shape of an ellipse. It was a profound site to see, and I was simply awe struck by its powerful presense and enormous size. It’s the largest megalithic monument in Iberia, and one of the oldest in Europe. Some of the stone have raised hieroglyphic type carvings of circles and odd shapes. The far ends of the long ellipse are oriented to the rising and setting sun of winter and summer solstice.
Lore says that Stone Age sun-worshippers gathered at this pagan sanctuary in search of harmony between the “micro” environment on earth and the “macro” environment of the entire cosmos. The site is also believed to function as a celestial calendar.
Arriving there after a long drive down a dusty, bumpy, dirt road lined with cork trees, it truly felt otherworldly. It was a near solidary experience as it is not well known and one has to persist to get there. I am so grateful we got off the beaten path and experienced this amazing and ancient sacred space. Going back to witness a solstice is definitely on my bucket list!
No related posts.


Squyres SW, Knoll AH, Arvidson RE, Ashley JW, Bell III JF, Calvin WM, Christensen PR, Clark BC, Cohen BA, de Souza Jr PA, Edgar LA, Farrand WH, Fleischer I, Gellert R & Schröder C (2009) Exploration of Victoria Crater by the Mars Rover Opportunity. Science, 324 (5930), pp. 1058-1061. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1170355
The Mars rover Opportunity has explored Victoria crater, a ~750-meter eroded impact crater formed in sulfate-rich sedimentary rocks. Impact-related stratigraphy is preserved in the crater walls, and meteoritic debris is present near the crater rim. The size of hematite-rich concretions decreases up-section, documenting variation in the intensity of groundwater processes. Layering in the crater walls preserves evidence of ancient wind-blown dunes. Compositional variations with depth mimic those ~6 kilometers to the north and demonstrate that water-induced alteration at Meridiani Planum was regional in scope.
Additional co-authors: MP Golombek, J Grant, J Grotzinger, A Hayes, KE Herkenhoff, JR Johnson, B Jolliff, G Klingelhöfer, A Knudson, R Li, TJ McCoy, SM McLennan, DW Ming, DW Mittlefehldt, RV Morris, JW Rice Jr, RJ Sullivan, A Yen, RA Yingst
Science: Volume 324, Issue 5930


Atlas Rules Resources Adventures Stories FAQ Search Links
Hollow Moon Planetology: Blue Moon - Lunar Geographyby Sharon Dornhoff
((Everyone found a moon-map by now...? If not, go get one -- otherwise, most of this won't make any sense! Any map of Luna's visible surface that includes the major craters' names will do; just remember that the Hollow Moon is a mirror image of what you're looking at.))
Compass directions: mapping the Hollow Moon
Directions in the Hollow Moon setting can be tricky. North, South, East and West can all be used; but they don't always match up, when using different IRL moon-maps. Older maps of Luna often put South on the top, and the definition of "east/west" can vary depending on whether the mappers are taking an "Earth's-eye" perspective, or a "Moon's-eye" one. In addition, there are two other directions -- "nearward" and "farward" -- which visitors to the Hollow Moon had better get used to: Native Materans use them all the time.
The North and South Poles of Matera mark the two ends of the axis upon which the moon rotates; the midpoint between them is the lunar equator. Because the moon's axis of rotation is not as tilted as Mystara's (less than 2 degrees, as opposed to 23), the Materan equator always receives its sunlight head-on. The Northern and Southern Hemispheres of Matera -- like those of Mystara or Earth -- encompass everything from their respective poles to the equator; most of the Nearside's maria are in the Northern Hemisphere, while Mare Orientale is in the Southern Hemisphere. The "north" and "south" directions are understood and used freely by the Hollow Moon's inhabitants, and shouldn't cause a problem.
East and West are where things start getting confusing. To space-explorers approaching from Mystara or observers using a telescope, the half of the moon which looks like "West" is the side which includes Oceanus Procellarum. (This is the biggest dark area you see, when you look up at Luna IRL.) The other half, with several smaller dark areas, is usually called "East" by Mystaran astronomers. That's how the PCs' maps of the outer Matera that they bring from home will probably be labelled, and how most IRL moon-maps label their compass-points as well.
Unfortunately, once PCs have actually arrived in the Hollow Moon, they'll encounter a big problem with this perspective: it's over the Oceanus Procellarum, where the lunar "dawn" occurs! The brightening of the Firmament after fulldark, and the actual appearance of the sun later in the month, take place in what a Mystaran map calls the "west"... the exact reverse of the customary situation for a planet*; and a reversal that's likely to get the first PC who becomes lost in the Hollow Moon moving in the wrong direction! Likewise, the lunar "dusk" actually transpires on what a Mystaran map would call the eastern edge of the Nearside, as the sun sinks beneath Mare Foecunditatis -- backwards, again.
[* - In the Hollow World, of course, there's no sunrise OR sunset, only noon; so that setting's reversed east/west directions can't become an issue, the way they can in the HM setting.]
Among native Materans, the corresponding two directions are "dawnward" and "duskward": the former means the astronomer's "west", and the latter, the astronomer's "east". Unfortunately, attempts to translate these terms into Common are likely to give the opposite answers, due to translators' preconceptions about where the sun rises and sets! This could confuse the heck out of explorers -- all the more so, if they don't realise the Hollow Moon has a recognisable dawn or dusk, at all. (For purposes of these posts, I'll be using "west" to refer to the direction of the lunar sunrise and "east" for that of the lunar sunset, in accordance with the moon-maps DMs are likely to be using.) The terms "Eastern Hemisphere" and "Western Hemisphere" aren't used in the Hollow Moon.
Along with north, south, dawnward, and duskward, natives of Matera also have words to describe orientation relative to the centre-point of the Nearside. "Nearward" and "farward" respectively indicate a direction toward, and away from, the lunar point which comes closest to the planet Mystara. (While Materans don't actually know that Mystara is OUT there, they know that their whole world is roughly-spherical, and that the habitable half of it -- the part that's not Firmament -- has a midpoint.) On moon-maps IRL, lunar coordinates (0,0) mark the exact centre of the Nearside; this can also be thought of as a "pole" for an imaginary "Nearward Hemisphere". Motion toward this geographic centre-point is "nearward" motion. Conversely, lunar coordinates (180,0) mark the centre point of the Farside -- i.e. the "pole" of a hypothetical "Farward Hemisphere" -- and moving toward this distant point (and away from (0,0)) constitutes "farward" movement. On a flat, circular map of just the Nearside, "nearward" means toward the middle, and "farward" means toward the edges; on a similar map of the Farside/Firmament, the reverse is true.
Lands along the edges of the Nearside are called the "rimlands", while those in the near vicinity of coordinates (0,0) are called the "midlands". (If I've lost you, try thinking of Matera's habitable hemisphere as a bowl that's balanced on the end of a long pole: the pole represents a line from Mystara to Matera; the bowl's rim is the rimlands; and the place the bowl touches the pole is geographic point (0,0), at the centre of the midlands.) The special terms "rimward" and "midward" are used only on those peninsulas of habitable land that jut out beyond the Nearside/Farside border (located at coordinates 90 E & 90 W longitude) -- compared to which all the other Materan realms are "nearward" -- to better distinguish moving toward regions on the fringe of the Nearside from moving all the way to the midlands.
Matera, like Luna, has no magnetic field. Non-magical compasses won't work there, although magic ones will. Native mages of Matera have direction-finding spells that distinguish both the north/south directions, and the nearward/farward ones.
Geographic overview: how the inner and outer moons correspond
Apart from being mirror-images, the geography of the Hollow Moon and of the outer Matera are identical in their layout, sharing virtually all of the same maria, highlands, and geology. Not only are the open stretches of crystal which can be seen from space also exposed within the satellite's interior -- albeit sometimes covered by seawater, freshwater, and/or ice -- but the interior landscape of the lunar highlands also corresponds to that of the outside ... so much so, that a good crater-map of Luna can be the perfect guide to the mountains and island chains within Matera! (In fact, I'll be using the Earth-names of craters as landmarks, from here on in. Native Materans have their own names for them, and Mystaran astronomers surely do as well; but I'm not going to start re-naming geographic features until we've worked out a cultural motif for each of the major lunar societies. :-D)
Of the several outer-moon "seas", ten of them -- Maria Crisium, Foecunditatis, Frigoris, Humorum, Imbrium, Nectaris, Nubium, Serenitatis, Tranquillitatis, and Vaporum -- plus Oceanus Procellarum, are also represented by exposed crystal in the Hollow Moon. Some of the "bays", "lakes", and "marshes" which adjoin these "seas" -- Sini Aestuum, Iridum, Medii and Roris; Lacus Somniorum; Pali Somni and Putredinis -- may also be represented in the inner world, depending upon their proximity to other regions of exposed crystal, the adjacent terrain, and whether their IRL names inspire the imagination (What DM could pass up the chance to take a name like "Marsh of Putrescence" literally...? ;-D).
Of the moon's ten crystalline-bottomed interior maria, four -- Foecunditatis, Tranquillitatis, Crisium and Humorum -- are saltwater seas; Foecunditatis and Tranquillitatis are connected to one another by a narrow strait, while Crisium and Humorum are bounded by land and have no direct connection to other maria. Another body of water -- known to various native cultures as the "Midland Ocean", "Vesper Ocean", or "Great Spindrift Sea" -- encompasses the Mare Vaporum, Sinus Aestuum, and Sinus Medii ... plus ALL parts of Maria Imbrium, Nubium, and Serenitatis or the Oceanus Procellarum which lie within 25 degrees of the Nearside's midpoint at lunar coordinates (0,0)*. Another 30 miles of ice-flats surround this Midland Ocean wherever it peters out on open crystal, as these regions are periodically flooded by the Hollow Moon's tides, then freeze solid between inundations. The remainder of Maria Imbrium, Nubium and Serenitatis, like the better part of Oceanus Procellarum, are exposed, frigid, desolate crystalbarrens. Mare Nectaris -- true to its name -- is a freshwater lake: the only body of fresh water in the Hollow Moon to sport a crystalline bottom. Mare Frigoris, and the adjacent Sinus Roris, are permanently ice-sheathed.
[* - Don't bother worrying about how many miles this is; just get out the ol' compass and draw a big circle on the "maria" portions of your moon-map, using 25 N & S latitude and 25 E & W longitude as guides.]
The Hollow Moon is EXTREMELY active geologically, with more live volcanoes per square mile than can be found in any part of Mystara, barring uninhabitable deathtraps like Sind's Burning Waste. In fact, vulcanism is responsible for every mountain, sinkhole, island or caldera within the HM setting! Unlike the volcanoes on most worlds, those within Matera aren't a product of plate tectonics or vortices to the Plane of Fire; rather, the many "hot spots" which generated the inner moon's rugged terrain are a direct product of asteroidal or cometary impacts on the satellite's exterior. Billions of years ago, during the Hollow Moon's geological development, such impacts transferred sufficient energy into the crystalline bedrock of Matera to superheat rock-layers beyond the heat-resistant crystal, producing interior volcanic cones of all sizes. Once a "hot spot" is generated in the interior of Matera, it rarely cools down entirely; tidal influences from the fast-orbiting, super-dense Patera exert sufficient gravitational stress to keep the Hollow Moon's depths molten and active, even millions of years after the most recent impact (the one that created Mare Orientale) struck the visible moon.
Over time, many of the older or broader volcanic cones -- Deslandres, Ptolemaeus, Fracastorius, Hipparchus, Clavius, Janssen and others* -- have collapsed, forming calderas, lakes, badlands, or plains of rich volcanic soil. Other inland peaks*, such as Arzachel, Langrenus, Aristoteles or the mighty Mt. Copernicus, grew to fantastic heights in the low-pressure airlessness that prevailed within Matera, before the Immortal Ka and his associates thickened and oxygenated its atmosphere. Actual "ranges" of crater-born peaks are all but unknown, in the Hollow Moon, as the basalt-heating impacts which created them tended to occur at widely-separated points in geologic history; the chief exception is the sprawling Stofler-Walter-Purbach-Arzachel Range that overlooks Mare Nubium. This long stretch of rugged semi-active peaks resembles parts of the U.S. Pacific Northwest, and its mountains date back to a series of impacts by a single asteroid that split into pieces just before collision, tracing a line of "hot spots" not unlike the comet that struck Jupiter a few years ago IRL. Other so-called mountain "ranges", such as the Taurus and Caucasus, are actually lone calderas which fragmented into many smaller cones, that later grew independently. They don't form straight lines of peaks, the way mountains tend to be arranged on planets with normal tectonic activity.
[* - Get out those moon-maps; all these are IRL craters you should be able to find on them! All craters on the outer Matera or Luna correspond to either mountains, or collapsed calderas, in the Hollow Moon. Pretty handy, huh? :-)]
While mountains in the "inland" parts of the moon are numerous and densely-packed, volcanoes in the maria are few and far-between. Impacts that hit bare crystal, on the outer moon, didn't have any solid basalt to heat up, on the other side of the Materan bedrock. However, some of them did transfer sufficient residual heat to the moon's arid interior, to fuse encrustations of dust upon the inner surface, creating "islands" of metamorphic rock within the crystalline desolation of various lunar maria. Some of these islands, such as the Fra Mauro or Haemus Isles, are large enough to sustain their own vulcanism, and habitable to all manner of life because of geothermal heat. Others, like the Carpathian or Riphaeus-Ural Archipelagos, are too flat and ground-hugging to retain active magma beneath their surface, offering "oases" of inhabitable land in the midst of the crystalbarrens only for races which -- like the cryions -- are capable of living comfortably in a sub-zero environment. Encrustation-flats in Mare Vaporum and Sinus Medii have long since been inundated by seawater ... and the maeshimer of the Great Spindrift Sea have worked many architectural wonders, with these stretches of fused-dust seabed.
Not all of the terrain within the Hollow Moon is a product of individual asteroid-strikes on Mystara' satellite. By far the oldest features on the Nearside, apart from the maria themselves, are a handful of bluffs and ancient mountain ranges that originated with the marias' creation (more about this later). The loftiest of these are the Apennines, which mark the southeastern corner of Mare Imbrium. Originally several times higher than Mt. Copernicus, they're still the steepest of the Hollow Moon's few mountain-clusters, despite the fact they've been shedding magma into Mare Vaporum for the last billion-odd years. The Alps and Jura Mountains, also surrounding Mare Imbrium, are much less impressive, although equally ancient; the Juras were volcanically "dead" for most of Matera's existence, but have been "revived" by nearby cometary impacts in the relatively-recent geological past. Running roughly parallel to the shoreline of Mare Nectaris, the Altai Scarp rises up in an immense plateau; its cave-pocked surface was eroded by windblown moon-dust, long before the Hollow Moon was made habitable.
The last catastrophic event to shape the Hollow Moon was the impact which created Mare Orientale, raised the Rook and Cordillera Mountains, and opened the interior of Matera to a wider universe for the first time. This same impact also produced visible fracture-patterns thousands of miles long, within the crystalline structure of the Firmament; split open a three-thousand-foot fissure, Venturer Deep, in the silted seabed of Mare Humorum; and gouged out a eighty-five mile crevice, the Alpine Valley, when the ricocheting core of the comet that'd penetrated Matera finally came to ground in the northern mountains. More recently (geologically speaking), the introduction of water and a breathable atmosphere by the Hollow Moon's Immortal protectors have generated such surface features as "the Rilles" -- an Everglades-like region of marshes and hummocks -- on Mare Vaporum's coastline, or the island-dotted Lake Clavius in the south. All but a few regions of desolate land, such as the arid wastelands of Sohktar or the arctic Shadow Zone near the South Pole, have since become fertile, vegetated, and populated by animals and lost races.
So what's this mean for my PCs...?
From an adventurer's point of view, the fact that vulcanism is responsible for virtually all the Hollow Moon's landscape may not seem very important. However, one consequence of this geologic history is very relevant to a would-be spelunker: There are NO limestone caves, of the sort adventurers are accustomed to exploring, in the Hollow Moon! (In fact there's no limestone, period; there hasn't been water in Matera long enough for such sedimentary calcite to form.) Likewise, there's no familiar stalactites and stalagmites; gargantuan Underdark-style caverns, of the sort common to Graakhalia, the Broken Lands, and shadow elf territory; or -- since the basalt's far too tough for mere running water to erode through -- navigable subterranean rivers. Instead, cave-delvers should be prepared for meandering lava tubes, zigzag fissures along volcanic fault lines, and toxic or explosive gas-pockets. Many underground areas have magma very close to them and are sweltering-hot; others contain pools of boiling mud or geysers that can spray the unwary, or fill up periodically with steam from superheated springs. The few natural caves in Matera which aren't volcanic in origin are the products of erosion by wind or wave action ... like the Altai Scarp's shallow, phanatrel-populated overhangs; or the smooth-walled sandstone caverns along the southern coast of Mare Crisium.


Update: Launch was aborted 48 seconds before ignition.
SpaceX is continuing to test its vertical takeoff and vertical landing rocket, Grasshopper, with small hops to test the rocket guidance and landing technology needed to return a rocket to Earth in exactly the way it slipped the surly bonds of our planet.
SpaceX successfully launched a new, upgraded Falcon 9 rocket with 60 percent more powerful engines yesterday. The demonstration flight appeared to go off without a hitch, as the rocket reached a speed of 5 kilometers/second and an altitude of 310 kilometers within five minutes of launch.
The Falcon 9 rocket is a big part of SpaceX’s roadmap to put people in space on commercial flights. And it’s dang magestic-looking, too.
SpaceX’s second big launch successfully took flight Sunday, with Falcon 9 rocket carrying supplies to the International Space Station. But this flight was bumpier than last, with one of the engines failing mid-flight.


Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Leader of the Opposition) (14:05): I join with the Prime Minister in commemorating the 50th anniversary of this quite remarkable event. The voyage to the moon, and that one small step, began with a visionary president dedicating himself and his nation to doing the hard things. John F. Kennedy of course didn’t live to see this dream made real, but, knowing the United States as he did, he would have had every confidence that the hard things would indeed be done.
Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins did anything but choose the easy path. They let themselves be strapped into a tiny capsule on top of what, if all went according to plan, amounted to a prolonged explosion that would hurl them free of our planet’s atmosphere and then its gravity. To say that this required courage is quite an understatement. The technology had advanced in the seven years since John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth, went to the launch pad with this thought:
I felt about as good as anybody would, sitting in a capsule on top of a rocket that were both built by the lowest bidder.
But the risks were, indeed, huge. Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins knew them all, but off they went. They were proud Americans, carrying the stars and stripes to another world, but they went for all of humanity. They were the human race reaching out, the human race following our endless hunger to explore, to discover, to know.
It seems somehow fitting that Armstrong and Aldrin landed the Eagle with only 30 seconds of fuel to spare. To think how disconcerting it feels when the fuel warning light comes on in your car when you’re still on the highway might give you some perspective on that! Eventually, Armstrong’s words came back across the void:
That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
Those words and that footage first touched down in Australia, landing on a dish at Honeysuckle Creek, just up the road from here. Tidbinbilla and Parkes played crucial roles as well. Here on the opposite side of the world to Houston, Australia was perfectly placed to be the eyes and ears for America and ultimately the world. Australia certainly played our part, and we are proud of it—and rightly so. I note that the Deputy Prime Minister’s particularly proud of the role his electorate played—as he should be.
Right across Australia that day 50 years ago, people crowded around black-and-white televisions in living rooms, schools and shops. I remember—it’s probably my first memory of watching anything on TV—being with the nuns at St Joseph’s, Camperdown. Obviously we didn’t have a TV in the school. We were in the nunnery, next to the school, watching it play out live. As a nation, we held our breath—first as they landed and then as we wondered whether they’d successfully take off and get home. As Armstrong uttered one of the most famous sentences in history, one person who did not hear it was Collins. While planet earth heard about that giant leap, Collins was alone in the orbiter, passing through the shadow on the far side of the moon, cut off from all communications, drinking coffee, in the most perfect peace.
As Collins self-caffeinated among the stars and Armstrong and Aldrin lay their boots on untrodden dust, they knew they’d been put there by the work of 400,000 people: engineers, scientists, mathematicians, doctors, cooks, cleaners, builders—you name it—brought together by a government of courage and vision and a nation united in the fulfilment of a vision, the realisation of a dream they’d all come to share. Up there, surrounded by what Aldrin later described as ‘magnificent desolation’, they all lifted their gaze above the eerily small lunar horizon and looked back at what mattered most—planet earth, a blaze of colour in the black sky, beautiful, fragile and the heart of all we are. Fifty years ago, three of America’s finest made that planet feel bigger for all of us. It was a time of wonder and excitement. What had once seemed impossible had been achieved. The last word should go to the first man. Many years later, Neil Armstrong reviewed the moon as a destination and he said this: ‘It’s an interesting place to be. I recommend it.’


The product you are going to receive contains 9 pieces Sun Earth and 27 pieces stars. There's nothing more wondrous to kids of any age than the sky above. Now you can create your own galaxy?
Easy to Apply, Just peel off and stick. YOU CAN DIY IT BY YOUR OWN DIEA?We created space decoration for kids room with an extraordinarily luminous powder. Can be widely applied to any clean, dry and smooth surfaces like cupboard cabinet panels, ceramic or glass surfaces and furniture surfaces besides wall surfaces.
Size: Sun30cm×30cm, Jupiter 28cm×28cm , Saturn 13cm×30cm, Uranus 20cm×20cm , Neptune 20cm×20cm , Earth 17cm×17cm , Venus 15cm×15cm , Mars 12cm×12cm , Mercury 10cm×10cm ?Stars 3.5cm~14cm.
Made from removable self-adhesive pvc material,non-toxic and never damage the wall. Note: this product needs to absorb daylight in the daytime, then it will glow automatically in the night Applies on walls.
GUARANTEE: If you're not thrilled with the quality, staying power or overall glow of your glowing stars planetarium, we're right here with a quick refund or replacement.


alternative to the
Big Bang Theory
Henk Druiven, 6 February 2012.
See also The theory of Relativity for dummies
Not so long ago Galileo was put to prison
in 1633 by the church because he suggested that the earth moves around
the sun. It lasted until 1992 before
the Catholic church made her apologize and said that Galileo was a
religious man. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei).
think it was around 1986 that I was on the anniversary of my brother
Gerard who is an artist. There
were more artists present.
believe that at that time man thought that the universe was about 10
billion years old while in that same time galaxies were discovered that
were almost as old as the universe. That
could not be true. Now
the age of the universe estimated at 13.7 billion years but that was
not at that time.
we spoke about this and I remember that Siert Dallinga suggested that
the fact that Hubble (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble%27s_law)
discovered that all galaxies
are moving away from us may be based on an illusion just as the
planets, stars and the sun seems to move arround the
earth. Possible is
that the red shift can be explained by an another effect.
idea has never left me. Suppose
there is no Big Bang
then there must be an alternative explanation for Hubble's Law.
are numerous of other reasons to doubt the Big Bang theory. (https://metaresearch.org/cosmology/BB-top-30.asp)
universe is round and static
I will not bore you
with the many fantasies that I've developed over the years. None of
these fantasies have led to something reasonable. Until I developed
the following idea.
If the universe is
static and round what can be the explanation that if we could see a
star on the horizon of our visible universe it seems to move away from
us with the speed of light?
It is indeed true
that if you assume that there is no Big Bang, the universe does not has
to be round. However, it
appears that the nature/universe/God has a great preference for round
shapes, for instance
the planets, galaxies, planetary orbits, etc. and it fits me fairly
the figure above, the space is represented by a circle with on the
upper side an observer. He/she
will see that a star on the edge of the visible universe will have a
redshift equal to a redshift that a star would give that moves away
from us with a speed of 300,000 km/s (the limit).
As you can see the
time vector of
the star coincides with the velocity vector we see from the star which
is removing from us. Can
we assume that the time vector of the star is the same as the velocity
all, the time vector of this star is located in the space dimension of
the observer. So
can we assume that a distance of 300,000 kilometers is equal to a time
difference of a second?
Obviously this means
second should be equal to 300,000 km and our perception of time must
come from a displacement of 300,000 km.
Apparently I had put
checkmate because nothing indicates that we move with that speed.
Note on this representation:
idea also has implications for Hubble's law. Hubble's law
states that there is a linear relationship between the distance of a
galaxy and the speed at which it moves away from us.
idea suggests that relatively nearby galaxies have a relatively bigger
than the galaxies on the horizon. To be precise,
my thesis suggests a derivative of a minus quarter cosine, or a quarter
we compare the results that others have observed than my hypothesis
gives a better fit of the data than a linear relationship, at least in
the measurements that I have borrowed from
(Note: the horizontal axis shows the redshift and the
shown in the
images that I have borrowed from https://mico2maco.net/?p=839.
mainly due to the use of linear axes. Striking is that some points of
the redshift, caused by corrections, are above 1 in
the second image. Of course this is not possible.
particles do a trick
April 24, 1993, there was an article in the scientific contribution of
the Volkskrant, entitled "Kerndeeltjes
draaien fysica een loer." It says
literally that "Nuclear
particles are in fact an ocean of quarks, gluons and anti-quarks, that
are all moving with the speed of light ."
it seems that we exist of particles that are all moving with a speed
300,000 km in 1 second without an average displacement in
space. But does that
mean that our time vector has right angles to our dimensions of space?
I imagined that we consist of tiny particles that are all rotating with
mount a bicycle wheel
on a car such that it rotates freely and without
friction. What is
the distance traveled by a point on the rim of the wheel as a function
of the distance traveled by the vehicle and the distance traveled due
to its rotation?
was a complex
problem, but fortunately it can be solved by the energy equation.
completely independent of each other, the motion energies can be added
for a triangle with sides a, b and c the following is true: c 2 = a 2 + b 2,
then that triangle is
rectangular, with the angle opposite the side c is the
of the car can take place in all three dimensions the vector of the
rotation must be rectangular to our three space dimensions.
alternative to the Theory of Relativity
Let it be noted that the measured speed of light
could be different from the actual speed of light.
Principle of Relativity – The laws by which the states of physical
systems undergo change are not affected, whether these changes of state
be referred to the one or the other of two systems in uniform
translatory motion relative to each other.
Principle of Invariant Light Speed – "... light is always propagated in
empty space with a definite velocity [speed] c which is independent of
the state of motion of the emitting body." (from the preface). That is,
light in vacuum propagates with the speed c (a fixed constant,
independent of direction) in at least one system of inertial
coordinates (the "stationary system"), regardless of the state of
motion of the light source.
A received frequency of a sound source that moves
relative to an observer is also not equal to the actual
frequency. Also called
the Doppler effect; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doppler_effect
If my proposal is correct, so that a distance of
300,000 kilometers is equal to a time difference of one second, than
the actual speed of light is infinite or something close to it.
Imagine that you are an astronaut leaving
from earth in a rocket and building up a very high speed. With
equipment on board you will see that you build up a speed which depends
only on the amount of energy on board. Your top speed
can be even far above the 300,000 km/s.
course if you refer your track to known galaxies along the way. The
laws of the
classical mechanics stay in effect for you (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_mechanics). What
see is that the clocks that you pass are going ahead on your clock on
is entirely in accordance with the theory of relativity. You can draw
conclusion that the clocks run faster in the surrounding area as your
speed increases, as Einstein concluded, but, logically and according to
my idea, you can conclude that with the distance traveled you made a
jump in time. At
very high speed, you will eventually conclude that the limit is a jump
of 1 second per 300,000 km.
Graphically it looks like this:
/ c =
1 sec per 300,000 km.
Or the second formula of special theory of relativity.
1994 I registered my idea by Notary Nielsen, Ubbo Emmius Singel 38,
9711 BJ Groningen.
A pleasant side effect is that in my proposal the twin
4 May 2013: It is not necessary to
have a second theory that makes the relationship
clear between acceleration and time. This relationship is entirely due
to the fact that 1 m is equal to 3.33 nanosecond.
The force of gravity on the earth is equal to 10 m / sec^2 = 3.33 *
10^-8 per second
that of Einstein, Georges Lemaître and others.
Georges Lemaître and others
is round and static. The universe is much older than 13.7
expands and comes from a kind of big bang. The universe is
about 13.7 billion years old.
further away from us they have a certain redshift.
This effect is caused by the fact that the time vector will be located
more and more in the space dimensions of the observer.
away from us, they move faster away from
us and for that reason they show an increasing redshift.
by which the time dimension shifts in the space vector of
the observer is a function of a quarter sine wave.
This smooths out on the edge of our visible universe.
of the universe appears to increase in time.
As we look to very distant stars the redshift is less than we expect
on base of the Hubble constant.
bridges a certain distance, bridges a certain period of
This clock runs behind the environment.
is relatively moving to its environment will slow down.
This clock runs behind its environment.
light is infinite. If an object wishes to achieve this
speed then it needs (therefore) also an infinite ammount of energy.
For the surrounding the object never seems to go faster than 300,000
light is 300,000 km/s. If an object wishes to achieve this
speed then it needs a infinite ammount of energy.
The relativistic mass of an object increases as its speed increases.
The amount of energy needed to accelerate therefore also increasing.
This relationship is
|There is no
need for a second theory to explain
the relation between acceleration and time. That relationship has
already been established.
theory is required that describes the
relation between acceleration and time.
You can sent a reply to email@example.com
- I know of course that in my proposal the things are made far too
simple, but please send me a reply in which you explain where I make a
Link to interview in the University Newspaper Groningen; https://www.ukrant.nl/magazine/alternatief-voor-oerknaltheorie
A copy of the interview in Dagblad van het Noorden; Interview
If required and if there is sufficient interest I like to give a
college, provided that the travel expenses are reimbursed.
discover the largest structure in the universe.
international team of astronomers, led by academics from the University
of Central Lancashire (UCLan), has found the largest known structure in
The team, led by Dr Roger Clowes from UCLan's
Jeremiah Horrocks Institute, has identified the LQG which is so
significant in size it also challenges the Cosmological Principle: the
assumption that the universe, when viewed at a sufficiently large
scale, looks the same no matter where you are observing it from.
The large quasar group (LQG) is so large that it would
take a vehicle travelling at the speed of light some 4 billion years to
A bit strange statement in
this regard because it will cost you less than a second to bridge that
distance with the speed of light.


"Seen a shooting star tonight slip away. Tomorrow will be another day." ~Bob DylanBetween the hours of 11pm - 4am will offer the best viewing times, but this year's show is expected to have increased visibility due to a dimly lit waning moon. In addition to the meteor shower, the sky scene will be extra enjoyable since Venus and Jupiter will also be visible the to naked eye.
"Attention all shooters, I'm a shooting star. Life is a course and I'm a shoot for par" ~Lil WayneTips for watching the meteor shower:
- Know when the shower will peak in your area.
- Watch from an area with the least surrounding light.
- Bring a reclining chair so you can watch the sky more comfortably.
- Play the Star Wars theme song in the background to make the experience that more dramatic.
- Let Google Sky Map help you identify what you are seeing.
- Relax and enjoy the show!
"I love just who you are, I ain't gon' try to change ya. You are a shooting star, that's why you are my favorite." ~LMFAOFor more information check out this video from NASA:
"Don't you know that you are a shooting star, yeah. And the all the world will love you just as long. As you are, a shooting star." ~Bad Company


Handmade Galaxy Solar System Bracelet Universe Nine Planets Star Natural Stone Beads Bracelets Bangles - CG187I77L3I
- You are the sun, all the planets are around you turn up!
- Our Bracelet Is a Perfect Accessory For Any Season.
- Occasion: Birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, wedding gifts and so on.it can be presented as a gift to your friend, girlfriend, boyfriend, couple, colleague, family, etc. It is 2017 new style bracelet, you deserve it.
- Adjustable range: 7-11 ''
- Handmade Galaxy Solar System Bracelet Universe Nine Planets Star Natural Stone Beads Bracelets Bangles For Women Men
8 other products in the same category:
$18.57Regular price $22.92 -19%Price
$34.24Regular price $40.76 -16%Price
$33.47Regular price $40.32 -17%Price
$25.39Regular price $32.14 -21%Price
$49.04Regular price $56.37 -13%Price
$54.28Regular price $60.31 -10%Price
$20.44Regular price $25.24 -19%Price
$27.00Regular price $32.14 -16%Price


We are currently recruiting two postdoctoral fellows at the Università di Bologna - Alma Mater Studiorum to work with myself and collaborators on the ERC-funded project "Asterochronometry - Galactic archeology with high temporal resolution".
Successful applicants will join the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Università di Bologna. The department, together with the adjacent Osservatorio di Astrofisica e di Scienze dello Spazio offers a lively and inspiring environment, with about 100 academic and research staff involved in astrophysics. The University attracts students worldwide and the postdocs will have opportunities to supervise master and PhD thesis.
Interested candidates with expertise in any of the following areas:
- modelling the structure and evolution of single and binary stars, asteroseismology,
- Galactic structure and dynamics, Galactic structure and dynamics,
- stellar populations studies from large-scale surveys, spectroscopy, data-mining and statistical techniques,


An Acre of Glass – The Historical past of the Telescope
The historical past of the telescope is fascinating to learn. Through the growth of the telescope, sensible experiments with reflectors had already begun in 1639, but it surely was not till 1663 that they gained prominence.
The Gregorian Telescope
That yr, a Scottish mathematician, James Gregory, on the age of 24, revealed a treatise entitled Optica Promota. On this he gave an outline of a compound reflecting telescope utilizing two concave specula (metallic mirrors). The biggest was to be perforated and have a parabolic floor; the smallest needed to be ellipsoidal. Excessive magnification might be obtained with this instrument, the second reflection amplifying the focal size of the first within the ratio of fs to Fs.
Building of the telescope was undertaken, however any probability it may need had of functioning honorably was misplaced by sharpening the speculum on a fabric protecting – putty (tin oxide) getting used as a sharpening agent . The rigid flip was an insurmountable barrier to parabolization, curiosity apparently waned and round 60 years had been to move earlier than a working mannequin was lastly produced.
The Cassegrainian telescope
Sieur Cassegrain, a Frenchman, designed in 1672 a second compound reflector, completely different from that of Grégoire in that it employed a convex secondary, with a hyperboloidal determine, positioned inside the main target of the paraboloidal major.
Whereas the Gregorian is taken into account able to greater magnification, all that’s wanted may be obtained from the Cassegrainian, and it has the benefit of being a way more compact instrument. Though little was heard of this telescope for the following two centuries, it must be famous that it survived the Gregorian and remains to be broadly utilized in observatories.
The Newtonian Telescope
The historical past of the telescope then takes an fascinating flip. In the identical yr, Newton designed and constructed two small reflectors, of the kind so well-liked at present with novice astronomers and which nonetheless bear his identify. They weren’t giant as we all know at present from telescopes, the efficient apertures of the concave specula being about 1 1/3″. Their focal size was 6″, making the focal ratio f/4.5. 6
Newton, in accordance with his Opticks (1704), polished his speculum on pitch, utilizing putty as a sharpening agent. His strategies had been ingeniously calculated to provide a spherical floor, and it’s fairly probably that an strategy near this determine was achieved. However the efficiency of even a spherical mirror of Newton’s proportions may hardly be passable because of the great amount of spherical aberration current.
Though Newton thought his mirror may lack good definition, he “despaired of getting the job achieved” (parabolizing the speculum), however he “had little doubt that the factor may to some extent be achieved by mechanical gadgets” .
One may conclude that if the middle of the mirror had been correctly deepened, that’s, given a shorter radius, or if the rays of the outer areas had been progressively lengthened, or if slightly of every had been made , all of the mirrored rays might be dropped at a standard goal. It is a sensible answer, and the ensuing floor in every case is a paraboloid.
Commonplace apply is to deepen the spherical mirror in order that, for a 6-inch f/8 mirror, the glass eliminated throughout the operation is simply half a wavelength of sunshine in thickness on the heart. As unbelievable as it could appear, that is the distinction between dangerous and good definition.
Kepler’s single-lens eyepiece had already been improved, with the addition of one other ingredient, by Christian Huygens, a Dutch astronomer and mathematician, across the yr 1650. The sector lens, like Galileo’s concave lens , is positioned earlier than the focal airplane of the lens. As it’s convex, nonetheless, it causes the rays to converge extra to type a barely smaller picture in a brand new focal airplane, which is then magnified by the lens of the attention. Thus, a a lot wider area of view is encompassed by the eyepiece.
These are vital developments in telescope historical past on the way in which to our present highly effective telescopes


NASA: Mars mission : A team of NASA scientists researching Mars has predicted organic or carbon-rich salts to be present there. NASA team has found signs of organic salts present there. Like ancient pottery, these salts can be chemical residues of organic compounds. Such remains were also previously unearthed by NASA’s Curiosity Rover. Organic compounds and salts on Mars may be formed by geologic processes or may be remnants of ancient microorganism life, scientists are now studying further on this matter.
Further strengthening the idea that organic matter was already present on Mars, as well as the detection of organic salts directly, will also give an idea of the possibility of the future on modern Mars. This can happen just as some organisms on our earth use organic salts such as oxalates and acetate for energy.
James MT Lewis, an organic geochemist on the NASA team studying the surface of Mars, said that if we determine that organic salts are concentrated anywhere on Mars, we want to investigate those areas further and ideally Formally drilled deep below the surface where better-preserved organic salts may be present. The research, based on NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Lewis, was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research Planets.
Information collected on the basis of studies in Lewis’s laboratory and sample analysis on Mars (analysis of data from SAM) as well as studies in a portable chemistry laboratory of the robotic curiosity there, indirectly towards the presence of organic salts there. Gestures, but identifying them directly on Mars is a bit difficult for devices like SAM. SAM heats the soil and rocks of Mars to release gases reflecting the composition of these samples.
The challenge is that heating organic salts releases only ordinary gases that can be released by other ingredients in the soil of Mars. In order to find life on other planets, it is necessary to find organic molecules, or their organic salt residues there, but this is a challenging task on the surface of Mars.
Here billions of years of radiation have eroded or destroyed organic materials. Like an archaeologist digging pottery pieces, Curiosity collects the soil and rocks of Mars, which may contain small fragments of organic compounds, and then SAM and other tools identify their chemical composition.
However, Lewis and his team propose that another investigative tool CheMin that is studying the soil, chemistry and mineralogy of Mars uses a different technique and can detect some organic salts.


The US space agency Nasa has named the four astronauts who will take humanity back to the Moon, after a 50-year gap.
Christina Koch will become the first woman astronaut ever assigned to a lunar mission, while Victor Glover will be the first black astronaut on one.
They will join Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen to fly a capsule around the Moon late next year or early in 2025.
The astronauts won't land on the Moon, but their mission will pave the way for a touchdown by a subsequent crew.
The three US citizens and one Canadian were presented to the public in a ceremony in Houston, Texas.
They will now begin a period of intense training to get themselves ready.
In selecting a woman and a person of colour, Nasa is keeping its promise to bring greater diversity to its exploration efforts. All the previous crewed missions to the Moon were made by white men.


In this studio course, I was given the chance to learn more about different surfaces and I learnt the ways in which a surface may be decorated, treated and constructed. This included techniques such as transfer printing, felting, etching and many more (process pictures can be found below).
For my final output, I based it on the visuals of the galaxy. My main product was a two-piece swim suit set inspired from the colours of the galaxy and rocky surface of planets. For the next product, I felted the planets in the solar system and sewed it onto a beanie I knitted. I also knitted a pencil case and a sock which I embellished with beads. I packaged my process in drawers and attached them with wooden tags made from laser cut. Lastly, everything was branded and labled with a slip of translucent paper.


The energy in and around us is moving at break-neck speed. So mind your steps. I literally lost an entire day this week. Whew!!
There are many shifts and changes happening swiftly without warning spiritually, energetically, physically and globally. And we are being asked to adjust with them as these changes are here to assist us if we allow them to.
Be very mindful of what you are focused on dear Indigos as the current energies we are in are strong. Whatever you are focused on, be it what you don’t want or what you do want to manifest it will come about quite quickly. So I encourage you to focus on what you love and the power of love, NOT what you fear.
Make sure you drink plenty of water!! Stay hydrated. When exercising, pay attention to your bodily movements and do not overexert yourself, take breaks. Be easy. Do your best not to fight the changes as they occur or to stop them from happening. This is a most powerful time to allow the changes to take place. “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. ” Romans 12:2 The Bible
In terms of how these planetary movements will affect people and the planet Earth, it’s important to remember that astrology is a tool for self-reflection and personal growth. While the movements of the planets can influence our energy and emotions, we always have free will and the power to create our reality. It’s up to us to use these celestial events as an opportunity for growth and transformation.
Firstly, let’s discuss the lunar eclipse for today May 5th, 2023.
The lunar eclipse that occurred today, May 5th, 2023, was visible from many parts of the world. Exactly when the lunar eclipse will be visible depends on where you are located but Time and Date says the penumbral eclipse will begin on May. 5 at 10:11 a.m. EST (1511 GMT), the maximum eclipse will be reached at 12:22 p.m. EST (1722 GMT) and the penumbral eclipse will end at 14:31 p.m. EST (1931 GMT). The overall duration of the eclipse is 4 hours and 18 minutes.
A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, casting its shadow on the Moon. This can only happen during a full moon, and the eclipse can be partial or total depending on the alignment of the three celestial bodies. During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon appears to turn reddish-orange, which is why it’s also called a “blood moon.”
We are currently under the energy of Full Flower Moon: Lunar Eclipse and this energy will affect each one of us differently for approximately 6 months.
In terms of astrology, a lunar eclipse is a powerful time for releasing what no longer serves us. It’s a time to let go of negative patterns, beliefs, and emotions and make space for new beginnings. This lunar eclipse occurred in the sign of Scorpio, which is associated with transformation and rebirth. So, it’s a good time to reflect on what needs to change in your life and take action towards making those changes.
In astrology, the Moon represents our emotions, intuition, and inner world, while the Sun represents our ego, identity, and outer world. During a lunar eclipse, these two opposing forces are in tension, creating a powerful energy that can bring about transformation and change.
Scorpio is a water sign that is associated with transformation, intensity, and depth. It’s ruled by Pluto, the planet of power, control, and regeneration. When the Moon is in Scorpio, we may feel more emotional, intuitive, and introspective. Scorpio is also a sign that is associated with death and rebirth, so this lunar eclipse can bring about powerful transformations in our lives.
During a lunar eclipse in Scorpio, we’re being asked to let go of what no longer serves us and embrace change. This may involve confronting our deepest fears, desires, and motivations. It’s a time for shedding old patterns and beliefs and stepping into our power.
In terms of relationships, this lunar eclipse may bring up intense emotions and conflicts that need to be resolved. Scorpio is a sign that is associated with intimacy and vulnerability, so this can be a time for deepening our connections with others.
Overall, the lunar eclipse in Scorpio is a powerful time for transformation and growth. By embracing the energy of this eclipse, we can release what no longer serves us and step into our power and authenticity. It’s important to be gentle and patient with ourselves during this time, as the changes that are happening may be intense and challenging, but ultimately, they will lead to growth and transformation.
Assess what is no longer serving you
This is also a good time to assess those areas where we may be feeling eclipsed more closely in our own lives and ask ourselves some deep questions. Why are we holding on to these things, people, places, ideas, beliefs, concepts or thoughts which are no longer serving us? Maybe it is time to forgive and move on, let go and God do the heavy lifting. Time to ascend up to a higher vibration; even if it’s just one step higher, that is progress.
Yeah , I know all of this retrograding happening at once can feel overwhelming.
Pluto retrograde began on May 1 in Aquarius, and will move into Capricorn on June 11, and last until October 10. The planet goes retrograde every year for around five to six months, so we’ve gone through this astrological happening many times before. It’s just this year there is alot more planetary movement going on all at the same danged time!
Pluto is the planet of transformation and represents power, control, and the subconscious mind. When Pluto is in retrograde, its energy is turned inward, and we may find ourselves reflecting on our deepest desires, fears, and motivations. This can be a time of intense self-discovery and transformation, but it can also bring up some uncomfortable emotions and situations. It’s essential to be patient and gentle with ourselves during this time.
However, when Pluto is retrograde, its effects are more internal, psychological, and emotional. The planet named for the God of the Underworld will challenge you to check — and ideally address — YOUR OWN toxic, negative, and self-destructive behaviors, patterns, and belief systems.
Mercury in Retrograde
Mercury in retrograde, which began April 21, 2023 and will continue through May 14th, is a well-known astrological event that occurs three to four times a year. It happens when the planet Mercury appears to move backward in its orbit from our perspective on Earth. Mercury is the planet of communication, technology, and travel, and when it’s in retrograde, we may experience miscommunications, delays, and technical glitches. It’s important to be extra careful when signing contracts or making important decisions during this time.
However, it’s also an excellent time for introspection and revisiting old ideas or projects that you may have abandoned. I like to call it the time of the re words, reflect, revise, release, rejuvenate, remember, reconnect, remove and so on. What re words can you add on your own?
Venus in Cancer
Finally, Venus in Cancer is a transit that will begin May 7th to June 5th, 2023.. Venus is the planet of love, beauty, and pleasure, and when it’s in Cancer, it’s a time for nurturing and emotional connections. Cancer is a water sign that represents the home, family, and emotions, so this transit may bring a focus on these areas of our lives. It’s a good time to prioritize self-care and to connect with loved ones.
This aspect will definitely assist you with being more loving to ourselves and those around you even with all of the wicky wacky things that may be taking place in our lives.
In conclusion, the lunar eclipse, Pluto in retrograde, Mercury in retrograde, and Venus in Cancer are all significant astrological events that can bring about transformation, introspection, and emotional connections. By tuning into these energies and using them to guide our actions and decisions, we can create a more fulfilling and purposeful life. Look at your own astrology chart to see how these planetary movements will indeed affect you. Join our mailing list for more Indigo Blogs updates and newsletter. Also join us on Discord to connect with other Indigos daily.


Welcome to Neptune Neptune's Dark Spots Neptune's Moons Triton, a moon of Neptune Ten Facts about Neptune
|Diameter||49,532 km / 30,779 miles|
|Avg. distance from Sun||4,496,976,000 km / 2,797,770,000 miles|
|Number of known moons||13|
|Time taken to turn on axis||16 hours, 7 minutes|
|Time taken to orbit Sun||164.8 years|
|Temp. at cloud tops||-200 °C / -328 °F|
Neptune is the eighth planet in the Solar System, the second planet to be "discovered", the first planet to be discovered without actually being seen and the last of the four "Gas Giants"! Named after the Roman god of the sea, probably because of its deep blue colour, Neptune is also the windiest planet in the Solar System. Its orbit sometimes goes beyond that of Pluto, meaning that for a certain length of time, it is actually the most distant known planet in the Solar System. Orbiting Neptune are at least thirteen moons and a ring system.


Inexpensive Hobbies That You Can Engage In.
If you feel that your everday routine has become boring then you can find creative and pocket-friendly exciting ways that will spice up your life. There are numerous healthy habits and hobbies that you can take up which will be beneficial to your mental well being. Improving the performance of your work is what hobbies are known to do but they are a great way to relieve stress and are beneficial to your physical health. Below is a list of favorite things that you can engage in that are very affordable.
One way that you can surely boost your moods is taking time to listen to a podcast. There are very many different types of podcasts that you can listen to starting from Christian podcasts, comedy podcasts, lifestyle podcasts just to mention a few.
Another activity that you can take up is going for a hike that will be a good way to relieve your stress. While hiking you experience the fauna and flora in your hiking trail and it can be a learning experience.
You can as well engage in stargazing as a hobby and it is such a thrilling adventure. There are very many different companies that are offering quality and pocket friendly telescopes to enable you to view the galaxy so it is not an expensive affair. Observing the sky at night is a very convenient way to pass your time and the questions you might be asking is how much is a telescope. The availability of astronomy telescope has made it possible for many people to engage in amateur astronomy as their hobby. You should not be worried about how much is a telescope as the vendors are way too many and have a wide selection of telescope that you can choose from in regards to your specifications.
People that love the sky will possibly like to know how much is a telescope so that they can purchase one to explore their imaginations with viewing the galaxies. Amateur astronomy is gaining more fame these days and several people want to know how much is a telescope so as to engage in this hobby. The range of how much is a telescope will be totally different from one company to the other company and also the special features that the telescope has. You can search online to get to answer the question of how much is a telescope is and this way you can compare prices.
Learning a new language is another affordable hobby you can engage in and has been made very easy by technology. There are very many sites available that are offering free learning opportunities when it comes to language. It is a great way to be busy during your free time and it is an incredibly rewarding exercise.
More information: dig this


Day 125. 1500 miles to Brisbane
“The last 24 hours were ideal in proceeding west. The wind and the waves were at the stern and Tourgoyak was flying. It’s a pity that such conditions will last only a couple of days. This break was very much needed. I spent an entire week rowing only 200 miles. Those seven days were grueling. And now, I’m only 30 miles away from entering the Eastern Hemisphere. Once I’m there, it will feel like I’m finally starting to come home.
It’s still dark here. I’m waiting for 22:00 Moscow time. This is my call-in time and it’s been so almost from the start of the crossing. When I started my journey 22:00 MSK was during the day, at the half-way point it was morning and now at these latitudes it’s night time. I’m using a flash light to dial the number. Since there are no ships around, I don’t turn on the navigations lights. The only light on deck is from my electronic equipment.
During the night a small flying fish ended up on the deck. I looked at her, so pretty and small, and decided to return it back to the ocean. One flying fish isn’t enough for anything substantial. However, a few minutes later, another flying fish was dropped on my deck. This time I accepted the gesture from the ocean, and look forward to enjoying a small sashimi for breakfast.
It was a cloudy and dark night. Only once did I see a patch of clear sky with the Southern Cross constellation. I’m with you. Fedor.”
The map of the Tourgoyak's course: http://yb.tl/konyukhov2
The detailed map of the course: www.oceanrowing.com/Konyukhov/Pacific2013/dist_map.htm
Translated by Tatiana Koreski


A Dark (Jellybean) Universe
This jar is a visual representation of our universe, in jellybean form. If you don’t like licorice — sorry, you’re out of luck. That’s because the black jellybeans here represent the mysterious duo — dark matter and dark energy — that pervade our universe.
Less than 5% of the energy and matter that makes up the universe is the normal, everyday matter that scientists understand. The rest is dark matter (27%) and dark energy (68%).
Five percent is… not very much. Imagine trying to read a book where you could see only 1 out of every 20 words on the page; the rest are all written in invisible-ink. You might be able to glean some idea of what the book was about, but you’d be pretty confused. That’s how physicists feel about the universe, and that’s why they are working hard to understand more about the universe’s enigmatic dark side.
In which Snoop Dogg doesn’t give a fuck about your gender policing, and 50 Cent continues to be way too concerned about the sexuality of other male rappers.
lucas bit my ass and this truly terrifying thing happened
HAHAHAHA THIS IS AMAZING!!
You got a Titan on your ass.
the nostrils hahah


Lewis Dartnell , University of Leicester
Tuesday, 11 June 2013 at 14:00 in the Large Operon, EMBL Heidelberg
Lewis Dartnell, University of Leicester
Astrobiology – the hunt for alien life and implications for society
'Astrobiology' is a brand new field of science, encompassing research into the origins and limits of life on our own planet, and where life might exist beyond the Earth. But what actually is 'life' and how did it emerge on our own world? What are the most extreme conditions terrestrial life can tolerate? And which other planets and moons in our solar system, or even alien worlds we've now discovered orbiting distant stars, may harbour ET? Astrobiology attempts to address one of the most profound questions asked: are we alone...? The implications for society are profound either way, and the terrestrial and space exploration involved holds great public appeal: astrobiology is a great field for engaging the public with current science.
Dr. Lewis Dartnell (lewisdartnell.com) is a UK Space Agency research fellow based at University of Leicester, studying how life, and signs of its existence, might survive the intense cosmic radiation on the surface of Mars. Alongside his astrobiology research he writes regular science articles in newspapers and magazines, and has appeared in TV shows such as BBC Wonders of the Universe, Stargazing Live, and Horizon. He has published a popular science book introducing astrobiology, “Life in the Universe: A Beginner’s Guide” (tinyurl.com/LifeInTheUniverse) and also an illustrated children's book with Dorling Kindersley, "My Tourists Guide to the Solar System" (tinyurl.com/TouristsGuide) .


When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
>> On sale! <<
When you’re outside, do you ever look up at the night sky and just marvel at how beautiful it is? Every summer, my sister and I love to watch the Perseid meteor shower. Enjoying the warm summer night while watching the stars has made so many lasting memories that I will forever cherish.
These beautiful galaxy cabochons will help you carry the night sky wherever you go. Made from glass, they are beautifully crafted and will look great whether you wear them on a ring or throw them into galaxy slime.
Color: Universe pattern
Order size: 10 cabochons
♥ Visit Gold-Miss.com for more! ♥
• Ethical jewelry
• Blog posts
• Tips to start your Etsy business
• Writing prompts
• & so much more!
Looking for something different? Make your own jewelry with these charms and beads supplies: https://www.etsy.com/shop/GoldMissCo?ref=l2-shopheader-name§ion_id=23303443
Want to make your own DIY slime? Click here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/GoldMissCo?ref=l2-shopheader-name§ion_id=23936981