Magazine Posts

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

The Full Moon of October 9th was the second Full Moon after the northern hemisphere autumnal equinox, traditionally called the Hunter's Moon. According to lore, the name is a fitting one because this Full Moon lights the night during a time for hunting in preparation for the coming winter months. In this snapshot, a nearly full Hunter's Moon was captured just after sunset on October 8, rising in skies over Florida's Space Coast. Rising from planet Earth a Falcon 9 rocket pierces the bright lunar disk from the photographer's vantage point. Ripples and fringes along the edge of the lunar disk appear as supersonic shock waves generated by the rocket's passage change the atmosphere's index of refraction.

Photo by Michael Seeley

Lonesome the heart,
when you are afraid,
all of your loved ones,'
have left. Gone away.
Helpless the feelings,
when you have no control
or if you couldn't say,
how a new friendship,
could change your today.

The smoke-filled haze,
still remains in the trees,
awaiting some rain
with an evening breeze.
It would be great, to
once again breathe

No matter what
happens in this life,
I am content to have had
this much time with my wife.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

What are those strange rings? Rich in dust, the rings are likely 3D shells -- but how they were created remains a topic of research. Where they were created is well known: in a binary star system that lies about 6,000 light years away toward the constellation of the Swan (Cygnus) -- a system dominated by the Wolf-Rayet star WR 140. Wolf-Rayet stars are massive, bright, and known for their tumultuous winds. They are also known for creating and dispersing heavy elements such as carbon which is a building block of interstellar dust. The other star in the binary is also bright and massive -- but not as active. The two great stars joust in an oblong orbit as they approach each other about every eight years. When at closest approach, the X-ray emission from the system increases, as, apparently, does the dust expelled into space -- creating another shell. The featured infrared image by the new Webb Space Telescope resolves greater details and more dust shells than ever before.

Where do I go,
when it is over here?
What will I do
when I no longer have you?

I knew this would happen.
Wasn't expecting it, this early.
I fed my wife her lunch today.
She cannot identify anything.
A fork, spoon, knife, cup, glass or
Plate mean nothing. Fingers have become her
Favorite utensil. I chose to feed her
Today for if I don't she will not eat well.

I will always
cherish thee,
for all the love
you gave to me.

An iconic salad with a mix of tangy pickled vegetables, cured meats, cheeses, and meats. Serve as a colorful dinner on its own, or as a starter to a hearty fare. Read more and see the recipe

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

A mysterious squid-like cosmic cloud, this nebula is very faint, but also very large in planet Earth's sky. In the image, composed with 30 hours of narrowband image data, it spans nearly three full moons toward the royal constellation Cepheus. Discovered in 2011 by French astro-imager Nicolas Outters, the Squid Nebula's bipolar shape is distinguished here by the telltale blue-green emission from doubly ionized oxygen atoms. Though apparently surrounded by the reddish hydrogen emission region Sh2-129, the true distance and nature of the Squid Nebula have been difficult to determine. Still, a more recent investigation suggests Ou4 really does lie within Sh2-129 some 2,300 light-years away. Consistent with that scenario, the cosmic squid would represent a spectacular outflow of material driven by a triple system of hot, massive stars, cataloged as HR8119, seen near the center of the nebula. If so, this truly giant squid nebula would physically be over 50 light-years across.

Photo by Tommy Lease

Is it love?
Admiration of others,
encountered every day,
recognizes things
of what you might do.
Why can't love
be the way too?

A word,
absurd,
not today,
for using
the word
will get in
the way
of believing,
Lifes good,
continuing to stay,
where love's
inner meaning
protects you,
through the
arduous day.