Magazine Posts

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

What will become of our Sun? The first hint of our Sun's future was discovered inadvertently in 1764. At that time, Charles Messier was compiling a list of diffuse objects not to be confused with comets. The 27th object on Messier's list, now known as M27 or the Dumbbell Nebula, is a planetary nebula, one of the brightest planetary nebulae on the sky -- and visible toward the constellation of the Fox (Vulpecula) with binoculars. It takes light about 1000 years to reach us from M27, featured here in colors emitted by hydrogen and oxygen. We now know that in about 6 billion years, our Sun will shed its outer gases into a planetary nebula like M27, while its remaining center will become an X-ray hot white dwarf star. Understanding the physics and significance of M27 was well beyond 18th century science, though. Even today, many things remain mysterious about planetary nebulas, including how their intricate shapes are created.

Photo by Bray FallsKeith Quattrocchi

How do you write about aging,
when you have gotten so old?
Do you write of mistakes you've made,
or tell all the tales, you were told,
as you wandered through life?
Down life's jagged path,
recalling the memories of your
checkered past. A part
of mundane events and mistakes.
Oh, it's time to leave,
as we take another break.

I am strong,
I am bright,
at least my mind
believes I am right.
Here to write a new ode,
about a woman,
who dwells in my abode.
Her Dementia, on this day,
has gone into the Sundown
phase as I do say.
She starts to look
at old paperwork
or a new book.
She will ask questions about
life long friends
and when she asks
about their name,
I will tell her so,
again and again.

If I mangle
your mango,
is it mangocide?
Stupid the words,
still I tried
to make this verse
become justified.

I run.
I hide.
I cannot flee.
I am stuck here.
I do not see.
I am her keeper.
For an eternity.
I have no life.
Neither does she,
for my sweet wife
is to always be,
her guardian protector,
a time for me.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Where's the Moon? Somewhere in this image, the Earth's Moon is hiding. The entire Moon is visible, in its completely full phase, in plain sight. Even the photographer's keen eye couldn't find it even though he knew exactly where to look -- only the long exposure of his camera picked it up -- barely. Although by now you might be congratulating yourself on finding it, why was it so difficult to see? For one reason, this photograph was taken during a total lunar eclipse, when the Earth's shadow made the Moon much dimmer than a normal full Moon. For another, the image, taken in Colorado, USA, was captured just before sunrise. With the Moon on the exact opposite side of the sky from the Sun, this meant that the Sun was just below the horizon, but still slightly illuminating the sky. Last, as the Moon was only about two degrees above the horizon, the large volume of air between the camera and the horizon scattered a lot of light away from the background Moon. Twelve minutes after this image was acquired in 2012, the Sun peeked over the horizon and the Moon set.

Photo by Jimmy WestlakeColorado Mountain College

There is some light,
but there is no sound.
To hear the music,
of life's sweet abound.
Go where you must,
get out of town.
Enjoy yourself now,
while there is time.
Be happy in life
and toe the line.

The rocks were slick
with a slimy green.
I placed my boot,
in the rushing stream,
where it moved and slipped,
as if a bad dream.
I lost my footing,
fell into the water,
over my head.
Fortunately, my waders,
with belt around my waist,
prevented water from
rushing in.
I re-found my footing,
now I was standing tall.
I'll tell you this,
waters are cold in the Fall.
I survived my bath
in the rushing stream
and when I awoke
it was just a dream.

Among the trees of Fir and Pine,
deep within the shadows, no sunshine.
Tucked away beneath the tall trees,
awaits a surprise, which will please.
A pool of water, shiny, Crystal clear
where love awaits and hovers near,
waiting for a single partner to say,
I love you, now have a nice day.

The girl with chocolate in her hair.
Chocolate is good to eat in bed,
except when you fall asleep
and awake with a chocolate head.

An imperfect smile,
was on her face.
A subtle hint
of a future embrace.
A wonderous moment,
of time and place,
to meet once again
and begin the chase.
A chase or pursuit,
ending in an embrace.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

On July 8th early morning risers saw Mercury near an old Moon low on the eastern horizon. On that date bright planet, faint glow of lunar night side, and sunlit crescent were captured in this predawn skyscape from Tenerife's Teide National Park in the Canary Islands. Never far from the Sun in planet Earth's sky, the fleeting inner planet shines near its brightest in the morning twilight scene. Mercury lies just below the zeta star of the constellation Taurus, Zeta Tauri, near the tip of the celestial bull's horn. Of course the Moon's ashen glow is earthshine, earthlight reflected from the Moon's night side. A description of earthshine, in terms of sunlight reflected by Earth's oceans illuminating the Moon's dark surface, was written over 500 years ago by Leonardo da Vinci. Waiting for the coming dawn in the foreground are the Teide Observatory's sentinels of the Sun, also known as (large domes left to right) the THEMIS, VTT, and GREGOR solar telescopes.

Photo by Gabriel Funes