Magazine Posts

Maya Angelou (1928-2014) American writer, poet, singer, and civil rights activist.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Comet Lemmon has been putting on a show for cameras around the globe. Passing nearest to Earth in late October, the photogenic comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) sprouted two long and picturesque tails: a blue ion tail and a white dust tail. The ion tail is pushed away from the coma by the ever-present but ever-changing solar wind, at one point extending over 20 times the diameter of the full Moon -- as captured in this long-duration exposure. The shorter and wider dust tail is pushed away from the coma and shines by reflecting sunlight. The featured picture, captured two weeks ago, framed the comet behind Lomnický Peak of the High Tatra Mountains, home to the Slovakian Lomnický Stit Observatory. Comet Lemmon is now fading as it heads away from planet Earth. The huge shedding snowball will round the Sun later this week.

Photo by Robert Barsa

Photo art “Miracles of nature” based on a yellow ginkgo leaf and intentional camera movement.

Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source.

Did you hear the one about

Saratoga Passage - Camano Island

Bluespotted ribbontail ray (Taeniura lymma), Red Sea, Egypt.

Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source.

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BC – 43 BC) -  Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the establishment of the Roman Empire. His extensive writings include treatises on rhetoric, philosophy and politics. He is considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists. and served as consul in 63 BC. His influence on the Latin language was immense. It is generally believed that he wrote wrote more than three-quarters of the Latin literature that is known to have existed in his lifetime. 

This memento mori sculpture adorns the Tomb of Gisleni, at the Parish Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome. Today is All Souls' Day.

Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source.