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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Returning from beyond the Moon, on December 11 the Orion spacecraft entered Earth's atmosphere at almost 11 kilometers per second. That's half the speed of the grain of dust that created this long fireball meteor when it entered the atmosphere on December 13, near the peak of the annual Geminid meteor shower. As our fair planet makes its yearly pass through the dust trail of mysterious asteroid 3200 Phaethon, the parallel tracks of all Geminid meteors appear to radiate from a point in the constellation Gemini. But the twin stars of Gemini hide just behind the trees on the left in this night skyscape from the beautiful Blue Moon Valley, Yunnan, China. Reflected in the still waters of the mountain lake, stars of the constellation Orion are rising near center. Captured before moonrise, dazzling Mars is still the brightest celestial beacon in the scene.

Photo by Jeff Dai

This week's post is the true retelling of what happened one recent Christmas to me and my family. I was beginning to lose all hope for a joyful family Christmas. But then it happened. I like to think of it as a Christmas miracle.
Read what happened and decide for yourself. Do you believe in miracles?

I can be cowardly at times
with clenching of fist,
asking myself questions
of why do I exist?

Looking at others facing ills,
unwilling to talk about you.
Afraid, of you leaving me.
If it happens, what do I do?

I want you to remember,
all of the memories we had.
Realizing it will never be,
all of my memories, are sad.

Why must I
write this way?
When my words
are easy to say.

Making no sense,
now we are apart,
except to say
it's breaking my heart.

It's a great day,
to be alive and well,
on this, my solo
journey to Hell.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

On December 8 a full Moon and a full Mars were close, both bright and opposite the Sun in planet Earth's sky. In fact Mars was occulted, passing behind the Moon when viewed from some locations across Europe and North America. Seen from the city of Kosice in eastern Slovakia, the lunar occultation of Mars happened just before sunrise. The tantalizing spectacle was recorded in this telescopic timelapse sequence of exposures. It took about an hour for the Red Planet to disappear behind the lunar disk and then reappear as a warm-hued full Moon, the last full Moon of 2022, sank toward the western horizon. The next lunar occultation of bright planet Mars will be in the new year on January 3, when the Moon is in a waxing gibbous phase. Lunar occultations are only ever visible from a fraction of the Earth's surface, though. The January 3 occultation of Mars will be visible from parts of the South Atlantic, southern Africa, and the Indian Ocean.

Photo by Tomas Slovinsky

What a thrill, it was
seeing you today.
I was lost for words,
what could I say.

Thank you for the Orchid,
very pretty and white.
A gift from you,
made this day a delight.

You light up my world,
when ever your near.
Life has new meaning
when you appear.

Lonely am I,
for you I miss
embracing you while
missing your kiss.

What are the words,
saying this too?
My favorite one,
I'm loving you.

12,000 years of light years away.
Here I sit, nothing to say.
To travel the heavens, far away stars,
while trying to make sense of today.

Long may you wander,
from near and far.
Wander the highlands,
following your star.

Stars are beacons,
finding where you are,
as you travel the World,
by bus, plane or car.

Paul Gauguin or Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (1848–1903) was one of the most influential Post-Impressionist artists. Gauguin's experimental use of color and stark contrasts spearheaded the Synthetism movement, which regarded form and color as equally important. Most of his paintings depict people or landscapes from French Polynesia since he spent many years in that region in search of inspiration. His artistic experiments influenced many avant-garde movements in the early 20th century as well as modern artists such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. 

The national dish of Brazil, a hearty black bean stew recipe made with meat, black beans, garlic, and tomatoes. Served over rice, it’s a filling meal to warm you up on a chilly winter day. Read more