Magazine Posts

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Why is Phobos so dark? Phobos, the largest and innermost of two Martian moons, is the darkest moon in the entire Solar System. Its unusual orbit and color indicate that it may be a captured asteroid composed of a mixture of ice and dark rock. The featured picture of Phobos near the limb of Mars was captured in 2010 by the robot spacecraft Mars Express currently orbiting Mars. Phobos is a heavily cratered and barren moon, with its largest crater located on the far side. From images like this, Phobos has been determined to be covered by perhaps a meter of loose dust. Phobos orbits so close to Mars that from some places it would appear to rise and set twice a day, but from other places it would not be visible at all. Phobos' orbit around Mars is continually decaying -- it will likely break up with pieces crashing to the Martian surface in about 50 million years.

The light of love
seeps from your eyes.
I have seen this before,
it is not a surprise.
Brown is the color
of those beautiful eyes.
Soft is your laugh,
so I'm left to surmise
when the love pours forth
from your beautiful eyes.

You bring forth the life
in this aged, old soul.
I'll write not in riddles,
for you make my life whole.

The wind gusts against tree and limb,
rattling the leaves; creating a din.
Small, dead branches fall without sound,
amongst the Maple leaves covering the ground.
Break out the rakes, for a short while.
Start raking those leaves into a pile.
Pick up all leaves, at the scene,
to get a jump on this Fall scene.

A flash of light.
A flicker of flame,
Calls out to me,
Asking my name.
The odor of wood smoke
From the embers a glow,
Brings forth the memories
Hidden away, long ago.
Stand close to the fire,
You will I suppose
Have the smokie aroma
All over your clothes.
Remember the smoke scent,
Unlike the smell of a Rose.
Pull up your blanket,
Hide beneath the covers,
Showing only your nose.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

These are galaxies of the Hercules Cluster, an archipelago of island universes a mere 500 million light-years away. Also known as Abell 2151, this cluster is loaded with gas and dust rich, star-forming spiral galaxies but has relatively few elliptical galaxies, which lack gas and dust and the associated newborn stars. The colors in this deep composite image clearly show the star forming galaxies with a blue tint and galaxies with older stellar populations with a yellowish cast. The sharp picture spans about 1/2 degree across the cluster center, corresponding to over 4 million light-years at the cluster's estimated distance. Diffraction spikes around brighter foreground stars in our own Milky Way galaxy are produced by the imaging telescope's mirror support vanes. In the cosmic vista many galaxies seem to be colliding or merging while others seem distorted - clear evidence that cluster galaxies commonly interact. In fact, the Hercules Cluster itself may be seen as the result of ongoing mergers of smaller galaxy clusters and is thought to be similar to young galaxy clusters in the much more distant, early Universe.

Photo by Howard Trottier

Serenity is thy name,
a loving approach to life,
is now your game.
Avoid all of the World's strife.
Run hard from the same
toward all the others,
who live with their fame.
Seek out while searching
for all who you see,
as I do adore you,
my sweet Serenity.

Must a writer of verse,
perchance be quite daft
or be like the cold
you caught in a draft?
Perhaps it's not a cold,
only allergies or hay fever.
In any event, take my word.
Be a loyal and a true believer.

I go upstairs
to help her again.
She is my wife
and closest friend.

Write not for me
on this long, sorry day.
Bring forth the troops
to take him away.

You all are complicit
in what now occurs,
with all of your hate
and unwanted slurs.

Trying to change the rule,
in place on this day,
because you want the election
to go just your way.

You petulant child
with your pompous smile,
need to leave us now;
go away for a long while.

#jellyfish