Magazine Posts

The lines are not many,
they are just a few.
So what is a prolific
writer to do?

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Most star clusters are singularly impressive. Open clusters NGC 869 and NGC 884, however, could be considered doubly impressive. Also known as "h and chi Persei", this unusual double cluster, shown above, is bright enough to be seen from a dark location without even binoculars. Although their discovery surely predates recorded history, the Greek astronomer Hipparchus notably cataloged the double cluster. The clusters are over 7,000 light years distant toward the constellation of Perseus, but are separated by only hundreds of light years. In addition to being physically close together, the clusters' ages based on their individual stars are similar - evidence that both clusters were likely a product of the same star-forming region.

Photo by Greg Polanski

You made your first comment
on December 24, 2017, day.
"Beautiful and profound" you did say.
I write this small verse and
pray your life is better,
when you receive this short letter.
The goodness you have in your voice
is a selection you make; your choice.
It pleases me when I see words from you
for you were the first to give me a review.
Love to you and yours, Amy

If you like what I write,
it is OK to comment, I say,
just write out your words,
don't run away.

A simple word,
let us try,
to discuss our differences,
before saying goodbye.
Go away now,
go away please,
for I am praying,
down on my knees.
Concede is the word
not too hard to know
you can still now afford.
Just concede to our Joe.

It's 5 in the morning.
I need to go back to bed,
but these words rattle
around in my head.
I'm tired, I most surely am
and need some sleep,
if it isn't a new sham
of thoughts, within my range,
causes me to think
how my mind is deranged.

My wife of 60 plus years,
came to me and said,
"where are you from?"
I tell her where, she then replies,
"I'm from that place, also?"
No, I say, you moved there
from Illinois when you were
a young child.
I am now lost, with this surprise,
another example of the change
in our new lives.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

What's creating these long glowing streaks in the sky? No one is sure. Known as Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancements (STEVEs), these luminous light-purple sky ribbons may resemble regular auroras, but recent research reveals significant differences. A STEVE's great length and unusual colors, when measured precisely, indicate that it may be related to a subauroral ion drift (SAID), a supersonic river of hot atmospheric ions thought previously to be invisible. Some STEVEs are now also thought to be accompanied by green picket fence structures, a series of sky slats that can appear outside of the main auroral oval that does not involve much glowing nitrogen. The featured wide-angle composite image shows a STEVE in a dark sky above Childs Lake, Manitoba, Canada in 2017, crossing in front of the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy.

A farm harrow lies in the dust.
Once shiny metal is mostly rust.
Is it a harrow, a task to trust
Or a philosophy which has gone bust?

Look to the future,
as we learn how to cope,
for in the coming new year
I see visions of Hope.
Hope for all citizens,
In God We Trust,
when all citizens
have a law which is just.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

The month was July, the place was the Greek island of Crete, and the sky was spectacular. Of course there were the usual stars like Polaris, Vega, and Antares -- and that common asterism everyone knows: the Big Dipper. But this sky was just getting started. The band of the Milky Way Galaxy stunned as it arched across the night like a bridge made of stars and dust but dotted with red nebula like candy. The planets Saturn and Jupiter were so bright you wanted to stop people on the beach and point them out. The air glowed like a rainbow -- but what really grabbed the glory was a comet. Just above the northern horizon, Comet NEOWISE spread its tails like nothing you had ever seen before or might ever see again. Staring in amazement, there was only one thing to do: take a picture. Coverage: NASA's SpaceX Crew-1 Mission

Photo by Tomáš Slovinský