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"While most love songs are inspired by the joys and heartaches of romantic relationships, love between friends can be just as intense and complicated. Many people struggle to make and maintain friendships, and a falling-out with a close friend can be as painful as a breakup with a partner.".. " More at The Conversation ➜

Zetong Li on Unsplash

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

A nearby star has exploded and humanity's telescopes are turning to monitor it. The supernova, dubbed SN 2023ifx, was discovered by Japanese astronomer Koichi Itagaki three days ago and subsequently located on automated images from the Zwicky Transient Facility two days earlier. SN 2023ifx occurred in the photogenic Pinwheel Galaxy M101, which, being only about 21 million light years away, makes it the closest supernova seen in the past five years, the second closest in the past 10 years, and the second supernova found in M101 in the past 15 years. Rapid follow up observations already indicate that SN 2023ifx is a Type II supernova, an explosion that occurs after a massive star runs out of nuclear fuel and collapses. The featured image shows home spiral galaxy two days ago with the supernova highlighted, while the roll-over image shows the same galaxy a month before. SN 2023ifx will likely brighten and remain visible to telescopes for months. Studying such a close and young Type II supernova may yield new clues about massive stars and how they explode.

Photo by Craig Stocks

Long, the years,
so far beyond,
when life started,
in a scummy pond.

Is this now,
what I see,
when studying
about Biology?

Were you then,
so, pleasure bent,
your skeleton,
had been wrent?

What ugly words,
I am writing now.
My mind says, when,
my hand says how.

Can these words,
simply be,
the final days
of our history?

A dog, a cat,
made a vow.
They would
always be,
friends for life.
A life of bliss,
a rub of nose,
never a kiss,
to seal the vow,
of love and trust.

What words, lay lodged
inside my mind?
Are they hurtful or
a little kind?

The depths of anger,
has come into view.
If you don't like me,
I won't be with you.

I hate this torment,
when it happens to me.
End it all, please,
set my life free.

Ease my mind,
making a viable choice,
as for a new life,
I will raise my voice.

The horse I rode,
was soaking wet.
I had travelled far,
a journey not yet,

finished. The end
was closing down,
while I was still
far from town.

Streets were filled,
with vehicles abound,
while I kept hearing,
this screaming sound.

Stay away, please don't.
Can't you understand,
my thoughts are crazed,
Truth must be my stand.

Go back, just return,
please, I beg thee.
Don't you stand,
this close to me.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Is this an alien? Probably not, but of all the animals on Earth, the tardigrade might be the best candidate. That's because tardigrades are known to be able to go for decades without food or water, to survive temperatures from near absolute zero to well above the boiling point of water, to survive pressures from near zero to well above that on ocean floors, and to survive direct exposure to dangerous radiations. The far-ranging survivability of these extremophiles was tested in 2011 outside an orbiting space shuttle. Tardigrades are so durable partly because they can repair their own DNA and reduce their body water content to a few percent. Some of these miniature water-bears almost became extraterrestrials in 2011 when they were launched toward to the Martian moon Phobos, and again in 2021 when they were launched toward Earth's own moon, but the former launch failed, and the latter landing crashed. Tardigrades are more common than humans across most of the Earth. Pictured here in a color-enhanced electron micrograph, a millimeter-long tardigrade crawls on moss. Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (post 1995)

Photo by Science Source Images