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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

A popular name for January's full moon in the northern hemisphere is the Full Wolf Moon. As the new year's first full moon, it rises over Las Campanas Observatory in this dramatic Earth-and-moonscape. Peering from the foreground like astronomical eyes are the observatory's twin 6.5 meter diameter Magellan telescopes. The snapshot was captured with telephoto lens across rugged terrain in the Chilean Atacama Desert, taken at a distance of about 9 miles from the observatory and about 240,000 miles from the lunar surface. Of course the first full moon of the lunar new year, known to some as the Full Snow Moon, will rise on February 24.

Photo by Yuri Beletsky

In the deepest jungle of Africa,
in the wildest landscape,
a creature, known throughout the region,
as the Amazing, Lovable, Ape.

This lovable creature was a friend,
to other residents of the Jungle, green.
It was apparent if he was your friend,
he never would turn mean.

Long days passed by
and the Amazing Ape, wanted to believe,
in others, but was disappointed with
politicians and decided he would leave.

I will roam the World, forever,
from sea to a faraway shore.
I'll soar to heaven on gossamer wings,
for the one I still adore.

If I cannot find her,
I will explore some place more,
to arrive safely and then,
knock on Heavens Door.

I am in a confused state,
will you help me,
find what's missing,
so, I can retain my sanity.

"It will be fun," he said.
"Really? said I.
Another Marathon,
I thought I would die.

So run we did,
down Portland Oregon, way.
Weather was great,
another wonderful running day.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

silon Tauri lies 146 light-years away. A K-type red giant star, epsilon Tau is cooler than the Sun, but with about 13 times the solar radius it has nearly 100 times the solar luminosity. A member of the Hyades open star cluster the giant star is known by the proper name Ain, and along with brighter giant star Aldebaran, forms the eyes of Taurus the Bull. Surrounded by dusty, dark clouds in Taurus, epsilon Tau is also known to have a planet. Discovered by radial velocity measurements in 2006, Epsilon Tauri b is a gas giant planet larger than Jupiter with an orbital period of 1.6 years. And though the exoplanet can't be seen directly, on a dark night its parent star epsilon Tauri is easily visible to the unaided eye.

Photo by Reg Pratt

Wind in the Willows,
shaking limbs of trees,
a freshet burst of wind,
a very strong breeze.

Soon Spring will come.
A time to sip the wine,
enjoying Nature's beauty,
the beautiful Columbine.

I sit alone,
my Love's in mind.
Aside from my leaking eyes,
I am missing her and find,

my need to see her,
is present every day.
I'm in a vacuum,
a game I wish not to play.

Would,
if I could,
be with you,
tonight.

Well, that ain't happening,
so, leave me alone.
I need room to breathe,
before I'm ready and done.

She is young,
and lovely as can be.
There is no way to be with her,
for it is just a fantasy.

To be young again,
to be dreaming, in kind.
To love again,
is on my aged mind.

Age will not stop,
this old reprobate.
Time will be better if,
my love I am to sate.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

You might not immediately recognize this street map of a neighborhood in Jyväskylä, Finland, planet Earth. But that's probably because the map was projected into the night sky and captured with an allsky camera on January 16. The temperature recorded on that northern winter night was around minus 20 degrees Celsius. As ice crystals formed in the atmosphere overhead, street lights spilling illumination into the sky above produced visible light pillars, their ethereal appearance due to specular reflections from the fluttering crystals' flat surfaces. Of course, the projected light pillars trace a map of the brightly lit local streets, though reversed right to left in the upward looking camera's view. This light pillar street map was seen to hover for hours in the Jyväskylä night.

Photo by Harri Kiiskinen