Magazine Posts

Capturing pictures of nature is a very popular and enjoyable type of photography and it is frequently the starting point for a life of photographic adventures. Although most of us have heard that "practice makes perfect" it also helps to learn some tips along the way from those who have been there before us to help guide our path. Read the "12 Tips To Capture Stunning Photos from The Photo Ambition or by clicking the image below
Photo credit: www.calobphotography.com

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Dust pillars are like interstellar mountains. They survive because they are more dense than their surroundings, but they are being slowly eroded away by a hostile environment. Visible in the featured picture is the end of a huge gas and dust pillar in the Trifid Nebula (M20), punctuated by a smaller pillar pointing up and an unusual jet pointing to the left. Many of the dots are newly formed low-mass stars. A star near the small pillar's end is slowly being stripped of its accreting gas by radiation from a tremendously brighter star situated off the top of the image. The jet extends nearly a light-year and would not be visible without external illumination. As gas and dust evaporate from the pillars, the hidden stellar source of this jet will likely be uncovered, possibly over the next 20,000 years. Growing Gallery: Notable images of the Great Conjunction submitted to APOD

"I am not and have never been a reviewer of books — a person who surveys the landscape of literature with the goal of evaluating its features. I am and have always been a solitary sojourner who relishes curious excursions hither and dither, guided by a thoroughly subjective inner compass, wandering the wilderness of words by pleasant deviations from the common trail."

These are my footsteps.

Spin the wheel.
Spin it well,
we're caught in the cycle
of an economic Hell.
We've found the right method
to destroy the tax base,
just keep your distance,
and mask up your face.
You need to provide relief.
You must do it now,
for many a small business
will take their last breath.
An economic change,
the slow spiral of economic death.

I'm just an old fool,
yes it's what I am,
lucky in friendship
with many a friend.
Friends, who I no longer see.
Growing older, just like me.

Where are the words?
What can I say?
For they have vanished
And gone far away.

A great tragedy,
A great loss.
What will it take
To get back on the Hoss.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Does the Sun always rise in the same direction? No. As the months change, the direction toward the rising Sun changes, too. The featured image shows the direction of sunrise every month during 2019 as seen from near the city of Amman, Jordan. The camera in the image is always facing due east, with north toward the left and south toward the right. Although the Sun always rises in the east in general, it rises furthest to the south of east on the December solstice, and furthest north of east on the June solstice. Today is the December solstice, the day of least sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere and of most sunlight in the Southern Hemisphere. In many countries, the December Solstice is considered an official change in season: for example the first day of winter in the North. Solar heating and stored energy in the Earth's surface and atmosphere are near their lowest during winter, making the winter months usually the coldest of the year. On the brighter side, in the north, daylight hours will now increase every day from until June. Sunset: The Great Conjunction of Jupiter & Saturn

Photo by Zaid M. Al-Abbadi

Shared by Heather Cox Richardson from Letters from an American

The light grew dim
within his eyes.
Is this what happens
when a person dies?

Life can be a beautiful thing.
When you're gone, sadness will spring
out from your soul. On its way
to bring heart ache. A mournful sing;
a dirge, a sadness, no matter the cost,
a terrible thing, when another is lost.
Lost to their family. Now full of pain,
while only their memory will remain.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Where can I see the Great Conjunction? Near where the Sun just set. Directionally, this close passing of Jupiter and Saturn will be toward the southwest. Since the planetary pair, the Sun, and the Earth are nearly in a geometric straight line, the planets will be seen to set just where the Sun had set -- from every location on Earth. When can I see the Great Conjunction? Just after sunset. Since the two planets are so near the Sun directionally, they always appear in the sky near the Sun, but can best be seen when the Earth blocks the Sun but not the planets: sunset. Soon thereafter, Jupiter and Saturn will also set, so don't be late! Is tomorrow night the only night that I can see the Great Conjunction? Tomorrow night the jovian giants will appear the closest, but on any night over the next few days they will appear unusually close. Technically, the closest pass happens on 21 December at 18:20 UTC. Will there be an erupting volcano on the horizon near the Great Conjunction? Yes, for example if you live in Guatemala where the featured image was taken. Otherwise, generally, no. In the featured image captured last week, Jupiter and Saturn are visible toward the right, just above a tree, and bathed in the diffuse glow of zodiacal light. Growing Gallery: Notable images of the Great Conjunction submitted to APOD

Photo by Francisco Sojuel