Magazine Posts

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Do you recognize the constellation of Orion? It may be harder than usual in today's featured image because the camera has zoomed in on the center, and the exposure is long enough to enhance nebulas beyond what the unaided human eye can see. Still, once you become oriented, you can see Orion's three belt stars lined up vertically near the image center, and even locate the familiar Orion Nebula on the upper left. Famous faint features that are also visible include the dark Horsehead Nebula indentation near the image center, and the dusty Flame Nebula just to its right. Part of the Orion-encircling Barnard's Loop can also be found on the far right. The image combines multiple sky-tracking shots of the background in different colors with a single static foreground exposure taken at twilight -- all captured with the same camera and from the same location. The picturesque scene was captured early last year from mountains in San Juan, Argentina.

Photo by Nicolas Tabbush

I feel as if there is something
wrong with me.
I'll soon find this out
with a syscoscophy.

Stay the course,
all you marching masses,
for cultural change,
moves like Molasses.
Peaceful protests,
for the change we need,
continue marching,
until you succeed.
No matter what
is said in all the chatter,
for all the World
Black Lives Matter.

A lonely tree,
stands strong, on the hill.
A picture of strength,
a testing of will.
One solitary figure
is what you see,
for your single voice,
speaks out to me.
Make the changes
we are needing now.
Make your pledge
and then avow.
For life is important
and we must endure
until a change
becomes the cure
of injustice,
in the World today,
changes the treatment
of others on this day.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Why is Venus surrounded by a bright ring? Sometimes called a ring of fire, this rare ring is caused by the Sun's light being visible all around an object. Usually seen around the Moon during an annular solar eclipse, the ring of fire is also visible when either Venus or Mercury cross the face of our Sun. In the featured pictured taken last week, though, Venus did not pass directly in front of the Sun -- the complete atmospheric ring was caused by sunlight defracting around the planet. Venus passed within one degree of the Sun during its inferior conjunction, as it moved from the evening to the morning sky.  The extreme brightness of the nearby Sun made capturing such an image very difficult -- the featured image was only made possible by using a temporary filter to block direct sunlight. The image was captured from Thorton, Leicestershire, UK. The pervasive blue sky glow indicates that the image was actually captured during the day. Follow APOD on: Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, or Twitter

Photo by Pete LawrenceDigital Sky

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

The Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) is one of the best known planetary nebulae in the sky. Its haunting symmetries are seen in the very central region of this stunning false-color picture, processed to reveal the enormous but extremely faint halo of gaseous material, over three light-years across, which surrounds the brighter, familiar planetary nebula. Made with data from the Nordic Optical Telescope in the Canary Islands, the composite picture shows extended emission from the nebula. Planetary nebulae have long been appreciated as a final phase in the life of a Sun-like star. Only much more recently however, have some planetaries been found to have halos like this one, likely formed of material shrugged off during earlier active episodes in the star's evolution. While the planetary nebula phase is thought to last for around 10,000 years, astronomers estimate the age of the outer filamentary portions of this halo to be 50,000 to 90,000 years.

Photo by Isaac Newton GroupNordic Optical Telescope

All of your pain, I cannot see.
There is nothing to be
Seen in your eyes reflection,
When you look back at me.

Why do you still shout at me?
You know this is not what I am.
I can't control what you see.,
For I can only most hopefully,
Do what I remember I can.

With age comes wisdom.
Not in my book,
If you don't believe,
just take a look.
Idiocy at its finest,
Is what I see.
When you open your mouth,
your words spring into infamy.