Magazine Posts

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

The failed unit was beyond the reach of the robotic Canadarm2. Therefore, this repair of the International Space Station would require humans. The humans on duty were NASA's Jessica Meir and Christina Koch. This was the fourth spacewalk for Koch, the first for Meir, and the first all-female spacewalk in human history. The first woman to walk in space was Svetlana Savitskaya in 1984. Koch (red stripe) and Meir are pictured hard at work on the P6 Truss, with solar panels and the darkness of space in the background. Working over seven hours, the newly installed Battery Charge / Discharge Unit (BCDU) was successfully replaced and, when powered up, operated normally.

I hear the wind in the Maples.
Branches rubbing about.
A freshet is with us
Of that there's no doubt.
Light rain is falling
On this protected lair
And I hope that the weather
Will soon turn quite fair.

With heat, wind and rain
and weather disasters
comes some fresh blooms
of beautiful Asters.

The end of Summer.
A brand new Fall.
Another season,
As I recall,
The leaves soon
Will be aglow,
When Nature starts
It's beautiful show.
Reds, orange, yellow, brown
A great display
For all to view.
I love this annual
Cycle that ensues.
The wind will freshen.
Leaves will fall
As Winter approaches;
We know it will,
When the temperature drops
And we get a chill.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

After the 2017 detecton of 1I/'Oumuamua, comet 2I/Borisov has become the second recognized interstellar interloper. Like 'Oumuamua, Borisov's measured hyperbolic trajectory and speed as it falls toward the Sun confirm that its origin is from beyond our Solar System. But while detailed observations indicate 'Oumuamua is a rocky body with differences from known Solar System objects, Borisov is definitely a far wandering comet. Taken on October 12, 2019 this Hubble Space Telescope image of Borisov reveals a familiar looking comet-like activity and concentration of dust around around its nucleus. Not resolved in the image, some estimates suggest the nucleus could be between 2 and 16 kilometers in diameter. At the time of the Hubble image, comet 2I/Borisov was about 418 million kilometers away. Borisov is still inbound though and will make its closest approach to the Sun on December 7 at a distance of about 300 million kilometers (2 Astronomical units).

I love you dear, I really do,
No matter what you say to me.
When you say, " I'm such an idiot."
I'll say, "that's not true",
For your behavior, is not yours.
It's the disease that ruins the mind,
Taking away your thoughts and words.
A terrible thing, is what I see,
As I pray to God to please help thee.
Nothing in the years, long behind
Have prepared us for these days, unkind.
Books or meetings just can't say
Why our lives can change this way.
I'll keep praying and keep you warm
And not let life cause you more harm.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

On July 29, 2011 the Cassini spacecraft's narrow-angle camera took this snapshot and captured 5 of Saturn's moons, from just above the ringplane. Left to right are small moons Janus and Pandora respectively 179 and 81 kilometers across, shiny 504 kilometer diameter Enceladus, and Mimas, 396 kilometers across, seen just next to Rhea. Cut off by the right edge of the frame, Rhea is Saturn's second largest moon at 1,528 kilometers across. So how many moons does Saturn have? Twenty new found outer satellites bring its total to 82 known moons, and since Jupiter's moon total stands at 79, Saturn is the Solar System's new moon king. The newly announced Saturnian satellites are all very small, 5 kilometers or so in diameter, and most are in retrograde orbits inclined to Saturn's ringplane. You can help name Saturn's new moons, but you should understand the rules. Hint: A knowledge of Norse, Inuit, and Gallic mythology will help.

The Fall colors
are on show.
Beautiful to see
colors all aglow.

A beautiful plant
is the Dusty Miller.

The glowing dot of an ember,
as the flame starts to dance
and the wood starts to smolder
with the fire's new romance.

I saw a twinkle in your eyes,
It was yesterday.
Hoping that I will see,
Another twinkle today.
When a brightness, in those brown eyes,
Does appear, that's when I surmise,
That the one I love is here,
Not gone away; not when I'm near.
For the joy you'll see, in my face,
Brightens my day and quickens my pace.
I love you, Ellie
And always will.