Magazine Posts

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Not the Hubble Space Telescope's latest view of a distant galactic nebula, this illuminated cloud of gas and dust dazzled early morning spacecoast skygazers on August 29. The snapshot was taken at 3:17am from Space View Park in Titusville, Florida. That's about 3 minutes after the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the CRS-23 mission to resupply the International Space Station. It captures drifting plumes and exhaust from the separated first and second stage of the rocket rising through still dark skies. The lower bright dot is the second stage continuing on to low Earth orbit. The upper one is the rocket's first stage performing a boostback burn. Of course the first stage booster returned to make the first landing on the latest autonomous drone ship to arrive in the Atlantic, A Short Fall of Gravitas.

Photo by Dennis Huff

"… is something I know nothing about. Nevertheless, I can’t count the number of times people come up to me on the street, at the unemployment office or in the women’s locker room at my gym and ask me about my column. Why just last week, there must have been almost two people who approached me..... Continue reading

The wind,
like a whisper,
passes over the hill,
where we first met.
A meadow, plush
with wild fbeauty,
kissed by April showers.
The color so rich,
against the bland trees,
makes me feel refreshed,
again and I want to see,
you and your smile,
a delightful sight.

My memory is great
and quite, the game.
I'll never forget
old what's his name.

It looms in the dark
with the voices I hear.
A most troublesome thought
of an unknown fear.

Here sit I
in a living Hell,
coping with life,
not doing so well,
yet, my life is simple,
compared to my wife,
who's memories have fled.
No matter the dread,
which comes over me,
with the tears I shed,
as I no longer see.
The person I married,
will no longer be,
here to provide comfort
to this old couple, we.
Goodbye my love,
our parting brings sorrow,
for there is no future
of a beautiful tomorrow.

The red trike,
went zipping by me.
It's like a small bike,
but your feet touch the ground.
You sit on the seat,
and move rapidly down,
the sidewalk.
There are no brakes,
you must use your feet.
A very fun toy
but don't use on the street.

A mop,
a broom,
unkempt the floor,
with needles
and dirt;
so much more.
Sweep now.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

These cosmic clouds have blossomed 1,300 light-years away, in the fertile starfields of the constellation Cepheus. Called the Iris Nebula, NGC 7023 is not the only nebula to evoke the imagery of flowers. Still, this deep telescopic image shows off the Iris Nebula's range of colors and symmetries, embedded in surrounding fields of interstellar dust. Within the Iris itself, dusty nebular material surrounds a hot, young star. The dominant color of the brighter reflection nebula is blue, characteristic of dust grains reflecting starlight. Central filaments of the reflection nebula glow with a faint reddish photoluminesence as some dust grains effectively convert the star's invisible ultraviolet radiation to visible red light. Infrared observations indicate that this nebula contains complex carbon molecules known as PAHs. The dusty blue petals of the Iris Nebula span about six light-years.

Photo by Satwant Kumar

Another day gone.
Another memory lost,
as the months pass.
What are the costs,
when long term memory
is no longer here?
What happens when love
is no longer near?

The knifes' blade is sharp
but not as sharp as the tongue.
The blade will cut
and the cut will heal,
where the cut from a tongue,
will remain hidden for years.